Chapter 1: The Arrival

Empire City.....

Headquarter of Prometheus Corporation.....

A man in his late 30s presenting his latest update of his discovery on a big stage to the audience who attended the event while he's wearing a black tuxedo with black tie, along with his glasses. As he is.....

"Decades after the great war, most areas of the planet are completely unhabitable due to them are ground zero, left behind by the old world. However, due to humanity's perseverance, we survived, we rebuild even from zero until now, we did not give up. This lad to an unimaginable advancement to our new society, our new world order in a very short time, but at this very moment, we regrettly are at war once more, against the Great Republic at the Red Mountain Zone to gain dominance, while the United Alliance of Humanity is to gain peace under one banner. Due to many casualties on both sides, the U. A. H intent to end this war in a very short way with less or no death toll at all, so, as part of the New World's development, we..... Prometheus Corporation, the current world's leading multi-sectors company, always wanted to help and share humanity with our knowledge, discovery and creation in order to create a new batter world. That's why today, I, Waylon Stryker, the chairman and founder of Prometheus Corporation, also as the representative of the High Council of the U. A. H, would like to introduce you to our new project that being collaporated and funded by the U. A. H's government itseft to create our new development of both Artificial Intelligence and robotic, in the form of the Project Ares or Ares Neo-Droid" Mr. Stryker reveals to the audience with a smiling and proud face, while the LED behind him shows the picture of a humanoid robot that cover by synthetic skin to make them look more like a normal human.

Prometheus's Luna Base, Clavius Crater, the Moon.....

In the vastly void of darkness of the final frontier, the light of infinite stars tries to shine their brightness to ensure their existence to this enormous universe.

At that moment, a fleet of transports, that has a cargo ship flies in the front-middle, while two battle drones fly behind in order to escort their owner's precious cargo. Inside the cargo ship, the human crew is checking the safety protocol around the cargo bay of the ship to ensure that the titanium crate is secure enough before they're reaching the headquarter of Prometheus Corporation at Empire City without any damages.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, that fleet is under attack by an unknown assailant, which cause one of the battle drones is destroyed, left behind with only one escort to protect the cargo ship. Not long after, another missile strike hits one of the four engines of the cargo ship, which knock it out of its course and accidently bump into a space rock that led to damaging the main hull of the cargo bay. Due to this incident, the entire cargo bay is pressurizing, and everything that stores inside, is now sucking out into the void of space.

"Mayday mayday!! This is Ikaris 5. The fleet is now under attack. I repeat, the fleet is under attack. And one of the four engines of the ship is destroyed. We're requesting reinforcement or rescue team now. We can not enter the Earth's atmosphere in this state without damaging the cargo, due we're losing the ship's integrity. Command, please response!!" one of the two pilots of Ikaris 5 is radioing requesting help to the command center at the headquarter of Prometheus Corporation back on Earth.

Empire City.....

Headquarter of Prometheus Corporation.....

The workers at the command center of the Headquarter of Prometheus Corporation are chaotically working on finding the solution to help the cargo ship that still in space which is now damaging due to an unknown attack, so the ship cannot enter the Earth's atmosphere with just three engines, and it also impossible for the ship to return back to the moon before running out of fuel.

"Ikaris 5, this is the command center, responding to your call now. We're unable to pinpoint to your exact location due to the interference to our orbital satellite, so its impossible to send help to retrieve you and the cargo without being attacked by that unknown assailant, over. However, as for now, please stay out of sight and range of the enemy until we're able to fix the satellite, over" one of the workers in the command center response to the call from Ikaris 5.

Back to Mr. Stryker, as he's continue presenting about the Ares Neo-droid to the audience very proudly, his secretary signals him silently from the left side of the stage as she watching him very closely. Mr. Stryker sees this, and knows it urgent, so he ask the head of the development department to take over the presentation while he's going to deal with the problem without any second thought.

"What's the matter, Ms. Rand?!! I hope it's importance, because I just missed my presentation for this" Mr. Stryker walks toward his secretary with a grooming along with a warning face to her, because he has to give up his presentation just to see this urgency.

"The transport of Ares No.9 is under attack and the cargo ship is losing its integrity, so she cannot enter the planet's atmosphere without crashing, or worst, the ship will explode in mid air before touch down to Earth's surface, sir" Ms. Rand responding to her boss calmly and confidently without hesitation.

"Patch me through to the pilot now, Ms. Rand" without thinking much, Mr. Stryker asking Ms. Rand even without looking at her.

"Right away, sir" Ms. Rand, hands her boss her earpiece very quickly as he requested from her.

"Ikaris 5, this is I, Waylon Stryker, the Chairman of Prometheus Corporation. I already aware of the situation now. I will do everything I can to make sure you and the asset are back on Earth safely. So, what is your position at the moment?!!" Mr. Stryker seems to care for his employees as well, or he just want to protect his belonging.

Somewhere in space near planet Earth.....

"Sir!! Ikaris 5 along with the remaining escort are hiding in the asteroid field near the Earth as suggested by Prometheus's employees to stay out of sight and range of the enemy's attack. However, engine no. 2 of the ship is now completely failed and unable to carry the entire ship forward, so now the transport is sitting duck in one place. We cannot do anything, sir. Please help us, sir" the pilot immediately responding to his boss as they lowering the radio frequency to avoid being tracked via the radio wave.

Out of nowhere, another missile strike, hit an asteroid close to the hiding spot of the transport, which alert the pilot and people on the planet's surface, which bring everyone even Mr. Stryker into chaos because he is worrying about damaging his transport that come from the attack. Then another, missile just struck a big asteroid and cause it to break apart into pieces and damaging the remaining escort unable it to move anymore. Seeing this, the pilots are falling into despair, because they believe they will die in this situation, since on one will come to rescue them.

Headquarter of Prometheus Corporation on Earth.....

"May I remind you, the asset you carry on that ship, is very precious to fall to the hand of our enemy. And most importantly, we don't know who attack you, so whatever you do, do not let them get their hands on the crate. You have to protect it with your lives" Mr. Stryker decide to make tough decision to ensure the safety of his asset.

"....." the pilots of Ikaris 5 break to silence after heard their boss gave his command to them.

"Set the course to Earth now, and do not slow down. The crate will survive the crash. While you will do whatever you can to stabilize the ship and eject once the ship stops burning upon falling into the planet's atmosphere. Also, don't forget to utilize the magnet rings to pull those space rocks to be your shield as well, because it might buy you sometime before reaching the atmosphere" Mr. Stryker's giving advice to his pilots very professionally just to protect his asset, which is Ares No.9.

Ikaris 5.....

As they heard the advice from their boss, the pilots start to commencing their escape by activating the magnet rings, which they are being installed beneath the ship's hull. The two rings start to fly around the cargo ship, as they magnetize the nearby rocks to be the shield when the ship takes off to Earth in full speed even with just 3 engines left.

Upon their daring escape, multiple missiles are firing from an unknown location, and they flying toward the cargo ship while transport is desperately moving toward to Earth. Thank to the protection of the rocks that being pulled by the magnet rings of ship, so they are safe enough to make it to the Earth. Unexpectedly, a massive EMP's explosion completely knock out the ship's power, so the entire ship's systems are now unusable, even the magnet rings are render useless are well. Due to the effect of the Electromagnetic Pulse explosion, the ship engines are shutting down and begin to afloat in space hopelessly. Worst of all, the Earth's gravitational field start to make an afford to pull the powerless ship toward it as well.

"Mayday mayday mayday!! We're losing power now; all engines are now completely down. We cannot move at all, and the Earth's gravitation field begins to pull us in as well. The ship is no longer responding to our control, so we unable to stabilize her upon entering the atmosphere. Please response, control" one of the pilots tries to get through, but due to the effect of the EMP earlier, everything is zero for them now.

"What should be now, Captain?" the co-pilot who sits next to the captain asking for order and advise to deal with the situation.

"....." the captain also speechless as well, due to he's no idea how to handle in this kind of situation.

As getting close to the Earth's exosphere, the ship is hitting with an asteroid, and losing its integrity completely and fall apart immediately until.....

Boom.....

The entire ship exploded after its hull completely pressurized and broke apart into two, which causing the crate of Ares No.9 being sucked out into the sky and start to fall toward Earth in an extreme fast pace. Before reaching the planet's exosphere, the crate is hitting against a space rock, which knocks it of its course to the other side of the planet, not enough, after being hit by a space rock, the crate also destroying the solar panel of an orbital satellite, which cause its system to error, and start to reboot immediately. Upon rebooting its system, the beeping light signal, which believe to be the homing beacon signal, is shutting down as well.

Headquarter of Prometheus Corporation on Earth.....

All the employees at the command center at the headquarter of Prometheus Corporation watching the event that happen in space hopelessly, due to they cannot help those pilots at all, not enough, they also lost the most precious asset as well.

"What's happening to the crate now? Can anyone track it down? Answer me, anyone?!!" the chairman of Prometheus Corporation asking his employees very angrily.

"We lost the signal of the crate after its crosses the thermosphere, sir. We believe, somehow the crate's systems are rebooting. So, even the homing beacon signal also shut down as well, sir. But we strongly hope that, we can track it down once the systems are fully rebooted, and back online, sir" one of the employees is answering the question fearfully after seeing the face of the boss, who is burning like fire now.

"I hope you're not wrong, Mr. Ikido. Because I don't want anything to happen to you or your family if you're wrong. Now do everything you can, to track down the crate and retrieve it back to me. Do it as quickly as possible before those who attacked us found it. Also, find out who attacked us. I need to know my enemy" Mr. Stryker is threatening to everyone in the room without any feeling as he's walking out of the room, and follow behind by his secretary.

Somewhere around the stratosphere.....

The crate continues to fall down into the Earth, while its entire structure being engulfed with flame, and its velocity also increasing without showing any signs of slowing down either.

Somewhere on planet Earth.....

A small group of people that consist of one middle age woman, a young adult man and two teenage kids by one is a girl and another is a boy, whom are holding flowers and lamps in each of their hands to light up the area while standing around something, which turns out to be a tombstone in a nearly late night at a place call Nowhere. After each of them is placing their flowers in front of the tombstone while each of them is baring grieving faces, they begin to turn their backs and leave the place like they do not want to do it either like they still attached to it, but they still leaving anyway. Upon nearly reaching their truck that park nearby, then suddenly out of nowhere.....

Boom.....

With a close call, they nearly got hit with something that crashed down near their truck. The entire family are rushing to the crashing site immediately in order to see the object that nearly kill all of them. They are shocking upon seeing a white metallic object which bare resemblance to a coffin, that nearly buried in the dirt completely after touched down to Earth.

"I'll check it out to see what it is. Everyone, please stay put" the young adult man, starts to slide down to the crater to see the object by himself alone.

Upon reaching the object, he sees the screen on the object says rebooting system in red light in English, so he believes its terrestrial origin, not alien, because it just fallen from the sky. After minutes of inspecting the object, he found nothing suspicious toward the object, accept the rebooting systems. Not long after he keep staring to the object, he sees the rebooting systems is complete, and all of its functions are now back online, which a little bit scare to him, but he still keeps getting his face close to the object anyway, until.....

Voops.....

That strange object starts to open its cover, which the guy believes to be some kind of door. Upon opening its door, smoke is pouring out uncontrollably, then out of nowhere, a person walks out of the object, while waring a white unitard. As seeing closely, that person is a young man in his early 20s or a bit younger with white short hair. However, upon seeing his face, everyone in this family completely shock to their core after he's leaving the smoke.

"Where am I.....now?!!" he asks the young adult man as he walked close to him then collapse on the man's shoulder, and finally he faints immediately.