The Leak

The sterile hum of the FBI's secure lab was a stark contrast to the chaos that had erupted in the Bronx. Agent Smith, a seasoned veteran with a perpetually weary look, walked alongside Agent Chen, a younger, sharper analyst, through a maze of white-walled corridors.

"Do we have the lab report from the autopsy?" Smith asked.

Chen nodded, tapping a tablet in his hand. "Just came in. Full preliminary. It confirms... no physiological or genetic similarity with any living creature on Earth. Nothing even remotely close."

Smith stopped, turning to face Chen fully. His brow furrowed. "So, is it truly an alien then?"

"It's not positive, not definitively, no," Chen replied, adjusting his glasses. "But the science suggests it to be highly likely. The cellular structure, the chemical composition of its 'blood', it's unprecedented."

A heavy silence hung between them. "Should we inform The President about this matter?" Chen finally ventured, his voice barely a whisper.

Smith's eyes widened, a flicker of incredulity crossing his face. "Are you out of your mind? No. Not yet. We need more data, more context. You know how he is with... sensitive information."

Before Chen could respond, Agent Wallace, a harried-looking agent with a phone pressed to his ear, rushed up to them. "Too late for that, Smith," Wallace blurted out, lowering his phone. "The information has been leaked. It's everywhere."

Smith's jaw dropped. "How? Who is running ops sec on this? This was supposed to be airtight!"

Wallace gestured vaguely with his phone. "It's another group chat, sir. Went viral in minutes."

Smith slammed a fist against the wall, a muffled thud. "God damn it, I hate this administration!"

Chen, already pulling up his own phone, scrolled rapidly. "It's worse than that, sir," he said, his voice flat. "The President has already posted about it."

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@RealPOTUS

BREAKING NEWS! Our incredible, brave ICE officers in New York just took down a very dangerous ILLEGAL ALIEN. That's right, folks, a real ALIEN! They handled it the AMERICAN WAY, with strength and courage, protecting our great nation!

This is what happens when you have a President who puts AMERICA FIRST! These radical Democrats and their liberal friends want open borders, they want illegal aliens pouring into our country, no questions asked. They don't care about NATIONAL SECURITY! They don't care about YOU!

This problem, this ALIEN problem, it was allowed to fester for YEARS because of the previous administration. A total disaster! They let it happen! But not anymore. We are cleaning house, making America safe again, from ALL threats, foreign and... well, you know!

Thank you for your attention to this matter - The President

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After reading The President's post, Agent Smith felt a vein throb dangerously in his temple. He nearly had an aneurysm right there in the pristine FBI corridor.

His phone suddenly buzzed, a high-priority call. Smith immediately answered, his face a mask of barely contained fury. He spoke in clipped, one-sided phrases. "Hello... yes... yes... The CIA has a department for that? What do you mean you don't know? You're the head of the CIA, for God's sake! Hey, don't pretend the signal is cutting out!"

The line went dead. Smith pulled the phone from his ear, staring at it in disbelief, then muttered a string of curses under his breath. "God damn it."

Wallace, who had been watching the exchange with growing concern, stepped forward. "What is it, sir?"

Smith ran a hand through his already disheveled hair. "The CIA is taking control of the alien situation. We're now on full damage control." He glared at Chen and Wallace. "Start the propaganda machine. Cover this up. Immediately."

Chen, ever the pragmatist, frowned. "Sir, wouldn't the Streisand effect be obvious if we do so? It's already gone viral. People will know we're trying to hide something."

Smith threw his hands up in exasperation. "Who cares, Chen? Nothing matters anymore! The public will forget about it by next week! Just distract them with something more outlandish until then."

"Like what, sir?" Chen asked, genuinely stumped.

"Anything will do!" Smith snapped, already turning towards the nearest coffee station. "Say Canada is planning to build a nuke and leak our strategist pre-emptive attack plan or something! Go wild! I'm going to get some more coffee."

He stalked off, leaving Chen and Wallace standing dumbfounded, contemplating the absurdity of their new directive. The American public's short attention span was now their only hope.