Day 0

We all stood in silence. Really that was the only logical response. Then someone turned off the TV.

"Well that was unwhelming." Said one of my co-workers.

"Alright back to work guys!" Exclamed the manager.

"Total bullshit." Said another.

I personally wasn't a fan of the foul language, but hey, that's what he said. To me, I wasn't sure what to think. It seemed to be, frankly, a stretch. A year isn't that far away, how could a single person even find a way to destroy the planet in a single year? Was it metaphorical? Like it would be destroyed to the point where life isn't worth living? Or did the message mean it would literally be destroyed?

Oh wait, turns out I don't really care.

Why?

Because I think the message is bogus. I give it like, a 1% chance of being real, tops. Though I suppose if it is real, then time travel of some kind is real, and that sounds awesome. I pondered for what felt like an eternity, but was in actuality about 5 minutes.

Most of the other workers in the office also seemed to think that what we saw was just an elaborate prank. I wouldn't be surprised if I conveniently saw a massive ad campaign on my walk home telling me to donate to the "end of the world" fund or something. Suspicious.

But as I was contemplating this, the building began to vibrate slightly.

"Huh?!"

I grabbed onto a nearby railing as the vibrating grew, and then a moment later it subsided. I thought it was weird that the building just vibrated for seemingly no reason. But right as I felt comfortable to take my hand off the railing, the building suddenly shook violently. Very violently, like a massive earthquake. I heard the sound of glass breaking, file cabinets crashing down, people shouting and screaming, internal pipes and vents crushing under the sudden change in pressure. Even the floor felt as if it were about the cave in. I tried to grab back onto the railing, but I lost my footing and-

CLANG

My head smashed into the ground.

Moments earlier, in a location halfway across the world

BANG

A door slammed open to a large conference room as a man ran inside.

"Mr. President, are you seeing this?!" Asked a flustered individual to a man sitting at the end of a massive desk.

The man at the end of the desk looked up, his dark blue eyes met the attendee's before he asked "Seen what?"

The attendant slid a device displaying the news in front of the President as the ominous message (aledgedly from the future) was being played. The President watched in earnest, his expression never-changing. When it concluded, he pushed the device back to its owner.

"Well..." the man huffed, "this is certainly unexpected."

The President stood up, he was a tall man, standing at around 6'4", with dark hazel blue eyes and white hair with a clean shaven face. His solid while suit with a blue tie complemented his natural features nicely, resulting in a strong yet dignified appearance. He was a middle-aged man, probably in his early 40s, and despite losing some weight, he was still slighlty overweight. 

He took a pack of cigarettes out from inside his jacket, then said "Jake, a light."

Jake, the attendant who had shown him the news, was prepared. Jake had black hair and brown eyes, and dawned a crisp dark gray suit that fit nicely. He took a lighter from his jacket, and lit the President's cigarette, who immediately took a slow puff.

"I'll be damned." Said the president as he exhaled a large cloud of smoke. "After all the trouble we went through to hide everything."

Jake looked toward the floor, visually disappointed.

"Why the sad face Jake?"

"Sir, was everything we did for nothing?"

A moment of silence ensued as the President looked blankly at Jake. Then, he cracked a slight smile, it grew bigger, bigger, bigger, until reaching an outright grin. Finally, the man in the white suit burst out into laughter.

HAHAHAHA

"Oh Jake, far from it. In fact, it proves the exact opposite!"

The still laughing president walked behind Jake, who remained stationary looking at the floor, and put his arm around him. He then spoke from behind Jake's head directly into his ear in a quiet but stern voice.

"There's only one reason we're even seeing a message like this from the future, Jake."

Jake's eyes dilated as he kept staring at the floor. Though he wasn't actually focused on the floor anymore.

"Because we win Jake. Our plan is guaranteed to succeed."

The President walked back over to his desk, his laughter becoming more and more crazed.

"Jake, this gives us exactly what we need... A BLUEPRINT JAKE! A BLUEPRINT!"

Jake shuddered at the shouting, but a smile crept onto his face as well.

HAHAHA

"What are we waiting for?! We literally just got handed the exact information we need to succeed! This cannot be a coincidence!"

The President grabbed a phone on his desk mid-laughter and asked for someone, but when the person answered, his tone suddenly became extremely serious. His laughter evaporated in an instant, as he uttered only 3 words:

"Begin phase one"

The line was immediately hung up. 

The President opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a mirror. He recalled the description of the "one who would destroy the world" from the futuristic message.

"Bald with blue eyes, eh?" He said looking at his own reflection. The hazel hue around his pupils forced him into yet another grin.

After a moment of silence he finally addressed Jake once more.

"Jake, get my barber, I've always considered going bald."

Jake initiated a simple bow as respect for his boss, then offered his opinion.

"I have no doubt you'll look phenominal, President Valtrex."

With another bow, Jake exited the room.

Zorak Valtrex sat in serenity with his eyes closed for several seconds, then slowly opened them, and took another puff of his cigatette.

"Well, I suppose I'll need to write a speech." He said casually.

Before beginning to write, he turned on the news. And right away he saw what he was hoping to see.

"Dozens of cities across the entire globe have been hit by a massive earthquake simultaneously!" Shouted a reporter. "Firefighters, governments, and residents are scrambling to retreive anyone they can from the rubble that is still alive in what appears to be a targeted natural attack. The motive or cause of this attack is not yet known."

Zorak watched in earnest for a few more minutes, before finally taking another puff of smoke, and beginning to write. A grin plastered across his face the entire time.