Explorers from another part in our universe were searching space to find other civilizations. Their approach to the earth happened to occur at an ancient aqueduct bridge, 50 kms east of Rome, Italy: Ponte Lupo - the largest infrastructural object in the campagna romana. Their explorative beams awakened the bridge, causing it to resurrect from its stasis, 1500 years after its last carrying of water in the Aqua Marcia aqueduct across the Acqua Rossa valley. Ponte Lupo got curious of what had become of the world surrounding it.

I granted myself the privilege to take position on top of the bridge, and registered a tiny bit of culture and technology in its surroundings. Probably the aliens have done the same thing, at that very instance of their first contact, but I’m not sure of that.