Akira looked at Youssef in astonishment, then turned his gaze back to the stranger. "You are able to speak the Arabic tongue?" he asked.
"Yes, I am able," the stranger replied. "What is so strange in that?"
"Who are you?" Youssef intervened, his patience worn thin.
"I am Leonis," he said. "A friend to you both, so do not fear... I shall lead you from this place, but on one condition!"
"And what is this condition?!" Omar said with apprehension.
"You will assist me in a difficult mission," Leonis explained. "But believe me, it is the final hope for Atlantis... Do you not wish to save Atlantis?"
"Of course we wish to save it," Youssef declared in a fervent tone, "but how are we to trust you? And for what reason do you wish to help us? And how did you pass into this place with no one attacking you?"
Leonis drew his body closer, stepping from the shadow into the light. The moon’s glow fell upon him, revealing his form and face. Akira’s eyes widened with amazement and fear, while Youssef retreated backward, his expression transformed by the sight.
Before them stood a golden robot, its face betraying no emotion. It bore some resemblance to the combat robots, yet its color was entirely different. The golden hue covered its whole body, save for its white-colored face and certain parts of its hands, feet, and torso.
"Is this the Iron Man?" Youssef said, his fear laced with sarcasm.
"This is not a time for such jests," Akira replied with irritation.
"My apologies. I did not mean to jest, but he truly resembles him, only his color is gold."
"Yes, there is a slight resemblance," Akira conceded. "Now, tell me who you are, you there!"
Leonis managed a well-practiced smile. "Do not be afraid," he said. "I have not come here to bring your end... Had I wished to kill you, I would have already done so... And I implore you to lower your voices, lest the humans in the second cage awaken. That would bring upon us a great many troubles... Now, do you agree to my offer?"
Akira looked at him with doubt and worry. "Then what is it you want from us, if not to kill us?" he asked. "And why are you helping us?"
Leonis sighed, his voice an electronic tone mingled with a natural human one. "This is not the opportune time for such matters. I will tell you everything once we are out of here... There is little time before the robots return once more."
Youssef whispered to Akira, so that Leonis might not hear, "If he wished us harm, it would be a simple matter for him in our disgraceful state. Even if he means to kill us, should we remain here, we will die regardless. There is no harm in going with him. Perhaps his intention to help us is true."
Akira nodded his head, agreeing with Youssef’s words. He saw that this was truly their only chance to escape. Before he could speak, Leonis cut him off.
"Just as your friend has told you," the robot said, "this is the best opportunity for you both to leave this place."
Youssef thought to himself in surprise, It seems his hearing is sharp, and that is not in our favor. We will not be able to conspire against him if he intends us harm. In any case, this is our only chance to escape.
Akira agreed to Leonis’s offer. Leonis extended his hand to the cage, and from his palm emerged a radiant blue circle of numbers and letters. At its appearance, the bars vanished. Akira and Youssef exited, their eyes on the sleeping humans.
"Are we to leave them here to die?" Akira asked. "We must rescue them at once."
"To save them would be an impossibility," Leonis replied, his tone cold and unconcerned. "We must save ourselves now. We will return for them again to set them free... But to take them with us now would be a suicidal task."
"And why should a robot fear death?" Youssef said, jesting. "You are without feeling, you do not have emotions like us. To you, death is merely the extinguishing of your circuits."
Suddenly, Leonis’s eyes glowed red. Akira sensed the killing intent that seeped from within him.
"Of course he possesses feelings... you fool..." Akira said in a halting voice, attempting to calm the air. "Do you not see his expressions? He is alive, like you and I... You must not speak such foolishness again."
Leonis’s eyes returned to their deep red color as he offered another artificial smile. "As your friend said, I possess feelings just as you do. It would be best for you not to repeat what you have just said. Otherwise, believe me, you will feel a regret most profound."
Youssef felt Akira’s attempt to save him from the death that had loomed over him. He let out a small, foolish laugh. "I was jesting with you, of course," he said, trying to affirm Akira’s words. "Why did you take my words upon a serious bearing? I apologize for my transgression... Now, let us continue on our path."
Leonis turned toward the exit door. He approached it until the blue circle appeared once more from the palm of his hand, and the door opened. Akira and Youssef saw that the two guards’ bodies were dismembered, lying on the ground as lifeless corpses. They looked at Leonis, who in turn offered a small smile.
"They did not grant me entry," he said simply.
They walked through a bare, white corridor until they reached another intersection. Leonis paused, casting his gaze to his right and his left. Seeing no one, he bade them to follow him with caution. After they turned right and walked to the corridor’s end, they saw that the strange facility appeared utterly empty, as if it were known that none could escape.
"Is there no one guarding this facility?" Youssef asked with curiosity.
"There is no need for that," Leonis answered, moving with caution. "No one can escape this place."
"What do you mean by that?" Akira said, breaking into a sweat. "And how then are we to leave?"
"Do not be afraid," Leonis assured him. "You will not be leaving by yourselves, for I am with you."
Akira did not feel much reassurance, but curiosity was consuming him to know what would prevent them from leaving on their own. They continued until they reached a sealed elevator. Leonis opened it, they entered, and he pressed the button for the final floor. There were fifty floors in all. A few seconds later, the elevator arrived and the doors opened. They saw two guards standing before them, their backs turned. Both Akira and Youssef grew tense and assumed a ready stance, but Leonis walked calmly past the guards. After taking a few steps, he moved his hands with great speed, then turned.
"What are you waiting for?" he asked with another artificial smile.
Akira looked at Youssef in wonder, but then they saw that the two guards had been cut into several pieces. Akira gasped and Youssef recoiled in horror.
"How... did you do that?" Youssef stammered.
"That is a secret," Leonis said. "Now, come... There is not much time."
They moved toward him with wary steps, their unease and fear of him now far greater than before.
They walked until they found a large white door. Leonis opened it, and it swung open slowly with a grating clamor due to its immense size. Before them was a bridge, and at its end, another elevator. But this time, they beheld a sight that made their hearts hammer in their chests. The bridge was encased in a great glass tube, protecting it from the sea waters all around. They saw monstrous, strangely shaped fish and small fish of a kind they had never seen before, swimming about the bridge. They understood then what he had meant. It was not guards who would stop them, but the security systems, and the location of this facility—for it was beneath the sea.
Leonis moved toward the elevator, followed by Youssef and Akira, who stared at the aquatic creatures with caution. They saw a colossal, gigantic fish, its body covered in a dark blue. Its sharp teeth jutted from its mouth, gleaming like the sun and illuminating the sea around it.
"Why do its teeth give off light?" Akira said in wonder.
"This ocean is exceedingly deep," Leonis explained. "We are now at a depth of five thousand feet." Orıginal content can be found at 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹·𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑒·𝗇𝗲𝘁
"WHAT?!" Akira cried out, his voice high and disturbed.
"Just as you heard," Leonis continued. "For this reason, there is no light here. This fish acts as a source of light for the other fish. But its true purpose is not only to illuminate for them but to draw them closer to its light, so that it may devour them. And for this reason, this fish obtains its sustenance with astounding ease."
"How I envy it," Youssef joked. "It sits there without toil and swallows all that approaches it."
Akira smiled and then continued walking behind Leonis until they reached the elevator. Leonis opened it, and they all stepped inside. During their ascent, they witnessed the wonders of the enchanting sea and its varied creatures.
"I have never before seen these creatures, nor heard of them," Youssef said, his confusion mixed with admiration. "How did our planet change in such a way?! Or are these creatures from a place that the hand of man has never before reached?!"
"Your planet?!" Leonis laughed with sarcasm and provocation.
Youssef’s brow furrowed. "Do you intend to mock me now?" he snapped. "Because you have taken control of it, killed millions, and cast us out from our homeland until we were displaced to the only city that remains?!"
"No, that was not my meaning, forgive me," Leonis said. "But it seems there is a great deal that I must relate to you. And it seems the truth will not be an easy thing for you to bear at all."
They both looked at him, full of confusion and anticipation. "Then... tell us..." Youssef said in a halting voice. "What is the truth? Why did you rebel against us?"
The elevator door opened. Leonis stepped out into a vast hall within a strange building.
"We have arrived," he said.