[ WP ] Arthur C. Clarke said that `` Two possibilities exist : either we are alone in the universe or we are not . Both are equally terrifying . '' What he did n't know is that there is a third possibility ...

Professor Denis's heart raced as he brushed leaves off of the hideout hatch. Slamming the valve right, he dove through the opening. Only to get back up just as fast and listen for the men chasing him. Leaves and brush flitted into the room as seconds passed. But the sound of following footsteps were absent. Dennis shut the hatch, hoping that the underground cell would buy him the time he needed. 
 
 Dennis plonked down into a computer chair and whizzed across the room toward the video station at the end. The room was littered with odd assortments of science equipment and journals. And as he moved toward his station the lights above flickered on automatically. 
 
 Dennis clicked on the video camera. `` This is Professor Dennis Schwat. I do n't have much time-'' A dog barked above. Dennis held his breath until they passed. 
 
 `` Like I was saying,'' he wheezed, `` I do n't have much time to say this. I've been researching Clarke's law extensively. The two possibilities, aliens versus human's being the only intelligent life form.'' 
 
 He took off his spectacles and sighed deeply. `` It's bullshit. A load of complete bullshit. And I bet Clarke knew. There were plenty of other intelligent life, thousands of different nations. But we destroyed them, species after species. Humans are cancerous. We feed on domination. Think about our planet. You can nuke us, burn our villages down, flood us, but we simply get back up and rebuild. We're a never ending cancerous growth which operates on a species level. And we've done it so damn well that we're the only intelligent ones left. Wait for the day that monkeys are as smart as us, you'll see them being killed one by one. It's in our nature.'' 
 
 He broke out in hysterical laughter. `` And because of all of this, we're so completely bored that we're looking for more life forms to plunder. Someone that can finally stand up and challenge us.'' 
 
 Something banged into the hatch. Hard. Loud. `` Open up!'' A man screamed. 
 
 Dennis moved closer to the camera. `` The third possibility is that there were plenty of life. But we ended it all. We're the absolute scum of this universe.'' 
 
 He pulled a revolver from the side drawer and spun the barrel in. `` And personaly, I'm opting out.'' 
 
 *Bang! * 
 
 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- - 
 
 It took a while but we finally got the hatch open. How he knew about this place, we'd never know. He was crazy, they all were. 
 
 I jumped down the hatch and into what looked like an old dudes game room. There were old dusty tennis rackets, gaming consoles and broken bottles strewn all over the place. 
 
 We'd all heard the bang, so we knew what to expect. 
 
 `` Jeff, anything down there?'' 
 
 The room lights flicked on of their own accord. In the corner, sitting in front of a disposable camera was Dennis Schwat. He was dead as expected. 
 
 I wiped a blob of mud from my name badge. The words'Downtown Psychiatric Hospital' were clearly presented again. 
 
 `` He's killed himself, Mo.'' 
 
 I heard the groans from above. Dennis was the first patient to escape in a long time. And the sad part was, he was recovering so well. 
 
 I guess you just ca n't save em all. 
 

