It was almost Christmas in the White House.  President Obama looked up from the papers he'd been signing to make eye contact with his Science Advisor.

"What?  You're still here?"

"Sir… it's not as crazy as it sounds."

"Sounded pretty crazy to me.  I figured you'd take the hint and leave."

The Science Advisor sighed.  Glanced down at the folder in his hands and back at the President meaningfully.

Obama leaned back in his chair with a creak, thought for a second, finally shook his head.  Made a gimme motion with one hand.  The SA stepped forward smartly and handed over the thin red folder, stepped back respectfully.

After a moment of reading, Obama shot a look at the Advisor.  "This really does sound nuts."

"Keep reading, sir."

"Oh, I'm finished.  Seriously?  You're sure about this?"

The Advisor closed his eyes, took a deep breath and nodded.  Opened his eyes.  "I wish I weren't.  It took almost a month for me to work up the nerve to bring that to you.  The folks at Lawrence Livermore sat on it for over a year.  A lot of people thought it was crazy.  But… everything adds up.  Sir, it's undeniable."

"Assuming so, what do we do?"

"Sir.  Nothing.  It's too late."

The President scowled.  "Never tell me that.  Surely there's some—"

"If we'd paid more attention.  Took the fringe elements more seriously, perhaps.  Watched more goddamned YouTube, even!  Then… maybe, we'd've seen this coming sooner.  As it is, we're screwed.  Sir."

"YouTube?  Is that really our best source of intel on this… 'Nyan Cat' thing?"

The Science Advisor looked close to tears now.  "Sir.  I'm sorry."

Obama stood up, checked his watch.  Took his jacket from his chair and drew it on, despite the late hour.  By rights he should've been in the private residence hours ago.  Instead, he motioned to the Science Advisor to join him on the walkway outside the Oval Office.  Secret Service agents opened the doors before them and they stepped outside into the freezing Washington night.  Despite the cold, neither man noticed.

A curious multicolor glow rose from the east, and yet sunrise was many hours off.

"Sir, do you hear that?"

"The… music?  Yes."

"It's begun then.  I truly am sorry, sir."

The sky grew brighter, more colorful, the music louder.  A hideous technicolor rainbow started to grow from the horizon, as wide as the heavens.  The tune was simple, unearthly… an earworm that threatened to drive one mad on auto-replay.

"Fucking Mayans," President Obama mused.  

The two men watched as the Nyan Calendar ran out, the final seconds ticking away, the dawn of a new era washing over the planet.