The Crisis

Noor and his friend Youssef touched this sphere that came from the sky like a meteor. Suddenly, they sensed an otherworldly transformation within the sphere, as it began to pulse with frightful intensity. They withdrew their hands and retreated backward, exchanging glances thick with trepidation.

The sphere unfurled with agonizing slowness, unleashing a tremendous azure beam that pierced the heavens—not unlike the very phenomenon they'd witnessed on their journey to this cursed location. As the light dissipated into nothingness, the sphere metamorphosed into an iron platform, from which poured forth an alien mist so bitter cold it sent violent shivers through their very bones. Through this ethereal fog, something stirred. The sound of footfalls reached their ears, amplifying their mounting dread as they backpedaled in terror, their eyes transfixed upon the roiling vapors.

They felt themselves encompassed by an invisible force that bore down upon their frames with crushing weight, as if gravity itself had doubled its cruel embrace. They collapsed to their knees, crying out in agony as though the weight of mountains pressed upon their shoulders. Consciousness began to slip away like water through desperate fingers, until at last, darkness claimed them, and they plunged into the depths of oblivion.

****

In the year 2150 G, New Cairo - Egypt.

On a crisp winter's morn, the jarring sound of an alarm clock roused Noor, a youth of two and twenty summers, from his slumber. He unleashed a profound yawn that betrayed his insufficient repose. Rising with considerable effort from his bed, he mustered his strength to face another day of scholarly pursuit at New Cairo University. No sooner had he completed his preparations than he hastened forth to attend his lecture, whereupon the sun greeted him with its warm crimson rays, heralding the birth of a new dawn.

Noor mounted his bicycle—favoring the traditional mode of transport to maintain his vigor—and set forth through the colossal metropolis. As he traversed the city, he observed the spectacle before him: humans scurrying to their daily labors, vehicles soaring through the heavens, and robots marching with meticulous precision, maintaining order in their wake. Noor heaved a weary sigh and muttered to himself:

Said Noor: "Yet another dreary day unfolds."

He arrived at his university at the appointed hour and proceeded to the Department of Space Sciences, taking his customary seat beside his companion Youssef, both eagerly awaiting the lecturer's discourse. Youssef whispered:

Said Youssef: "Providence smiles upon your timely arrival, for today's lecture is of paramount importance."

Said Noor: "Indeed, fortune favors me. Let us attend to what shall be revealed."

The lecturer was a gentleman in his third decade, his Asian features radiating intelligence and perspicacity; spectacles adorned his nose, and his sleek black hair was swept back with precision. This was Keno, the distinguished Chinese scholar.

Keno commenced his presentation by projecting a holographic image of a robot that had been dispatched on an exploratory mission to Jupiter, and upon its return, events took an unprecedented turn.

The lecturer displayed a recording, though the students had witnessed it countless times, and it remained the subject of endless discussion.

The vessel bearing the robot made its descent to Earth, while various institutions and organizations had gathered to celebrate its discoveries amidst extensive media coverage. Scientists eagerly anticipated extracting the data stored within its memory, but what transpired defied all imagination. No sooner had the robot emerged from its ship than it erased all its data and lunged at the assembled humans, crying out "Humanity's doom is at hand. Extinction approaches inexorably. Destruction is imminent. Atlantis shall rise again."

Keno halted the presentation and began his analysis, speaking with the measured tone of a contemplative sage: "Gentlemen, what you have witnessed raises profound questions. Perhaps it encountered extraterrestrial beings who altered its programming. Or perchance its extended sojourn in space caused a malfunction. None can say with certainty. But these extraordinary events may well explain the disappearance of the Enix 1 and Enix 2. Does any among you know the tale of these ships?"

A student raised his hand. "Yes, I remember this incident vividly," the student said. "After CITRA Space Agency—headquartered in New Atlantis—launched the first light-speed vessel, it embarked on a mission that made headlines across every corner of the inhabited worlds. Its objective: to explore the Milky Way and search for life on other planets. Unfortunately, the ship never returned. All signals were lost, prompting the agency to dispatch a second vessel to search for the first and navigate to the same coordinates. That ship, too, vanished into the void, causing a massive uproar and countless problems for the agency. They paid substantial compensations to the families, but no amount of credits could fill the void left by their lost children."

Keno smiled and replied: "Excellent, that's precisely what transpired. And it leads us to question: Are these mere coincidences? Or is there something strange occurring in the cosmos that we've yet to comprehend? Perhaps all these events are interconnected in ways we don't understand. And what's the connection between Atlantis and the robot's proclamation? Does it refer to New Atlantis in eastern Egypt, or the lost Atlantis of legend? Who knows. I lost my beloved brother on the Enix-1 mission. He was among the crew, tasked with utilizing robots for exploration and the search for any traces of life. You all know of my brother, of course. He was the one who transformed Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics from science fiction into reality. This advancement propelled humanity into a new era of technological progress.

"The fear that robots might one day rebel against their human creators was finally put to rest by my brother's breakthroughs. Can anyone recite the Three Laws?"

Noor raised his hand with visible weariness:

"A robot may not harm a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

A robot must obey orders given by human beings, except where such orders conflict with the First Law.

A robot must protect its own existence, as long as such protection doesn't conflict with the First or Second Law."

"Excellent," Keno continued, "This resolved the rebellion conundrum permanently. Yet what happened to this robot returning from space is both bizarre and unprecedented. Well, that concludes our lecture."

Keno ended the lecture, and the students streamed out. Noor stood with Youssef, and they began exchanging words. Noor yawned and said:

"Another meaningless day in this existence."

Youssef replied with a playful tone:

"Still maintaining that perpetual pessimistic outlook, I see. But this isn't just another mundane day because I have a surprise that's going to transform your entire life."

Noor furrowed his brows and said:

"What's this life-altering surprise? Did I pass Astronomy? Tell me quickly—I need to get home to continue my research."

Youssef laughed and replied:

"No, certainly not that—no one escapes that course. This is something far more significant. And are you still caught up in your obsession with the lost Atlantis?"

Noor retorted with obvious irritation:

"These aren't delusions—you know Atlantis existed," Noor insisted. "Numerous pieces of evidence point to this, most significantly the tablets discovered in Iraq a decade ago. They belonged to an ancient civilization that predated the Sumerians. When they deciphered the language, they found countless references to the lost Atlantis and its possession of unprecedented scientific knowledge. The tablets also described wars between this civilization and Atlantis, though much of the evidence was lost, leaving archaeologists in the dark about the nature of this conflict. In any case, we must understand the nature of this knowledge—it could lead us to extraordinary discoveries we haven't even imagined yet!"

Youssef sighed with weary sarcasm:

"Fine, fine, do as you please. But anyway, remember what Keno said earlier about the space missions?"

"Yes, I recall. What about it?"

"Remember CITRA's recent announcement about needing volunteers for a new galactic exploration mission?"

"Yes, I remember. I wished I could volunteer, but luck wasn't on my side. I was really surprised they'd try again after their catastrophic failure and the devastating losses that followed."

Youssef paused briefly, then burst out with unbridled enthusiasm:

"Yes, they failed five years ago. But finally, after five years, CITRA has decided to take another risk this year and launch a third vessel to explore the Milky Way. That's why they've opened registration for young volunteers worldwide. But do you want to know the good news?"

"What is it? Put me out of my misery."

Youssef pulled two tickets from his bag and showed them to Noor, then continued with even greater excitement:

"I submitted applications for both of us to join the mission. I kept it as a surprise in case we were accepted. Naturally, acceptance depends on academic intelligence quotient and overall grades. And you and I have always excelled in that regard. But I never actually expected we'd be accepted!"

Noor stood frozen, his eyes wide with astonishment and joy. Overwhelmed with excitement, he grabbed Youssef's shoulders and shook him vigorously:

"You're not joking, are you? Did this really happen?! Please don't joke about this."

"I swear I'm not joking. Stop shaking me and look at the tickets in my hand."

Noor snatched the tickets, examining them hungrily. A smile wider than Youssef had ever seen spread across his face. He collapsed into the nearest seat, trying to calm his racing emotions as his heart pounded in his chest. With a mixture of bewilderment and joy, he said:

"My God, I can't believe you actually did it! This is the best gift I've ever received in my life. I truly don't know what to say."

Author's Note: If you enjoyed this, please add it to your library & drop a comment. Your support helps me keep writing! The series will be long. I already finished 120 chapters. I will do my best to publish two to three chapters every day. Hope you enjoy the journey to the new world. Remember: Imagination is power in this world and the real one.