In the year 2150 G, New Cairo.
The scream of an alarm clock dragged Noor, a young man of twenty, from a sleep that had been far too short. A deep groan escaped him as he yawned, the sound echoing in his small apartment.
With a familiar effort, he rolled out of bed to face another day of lectures at New Cairo University. By the time he was ready, the rising sun was already painting the sky in warm crimson streaks.
Noor opted for his bike—a classic choice he favored to keep sharp—and pedaled out into the massive city. The morning was a blur of motion: people rushing to their jobs, sky-cars weaving between the towering buildings, and robots marching in perfect, unnerving sync to keep the streets clean.
Noor sighed, a plume of mist in the crisp winter air. "Another day, another grind," he muttered to himself.
He made it to the university just in time, heading for the Department of Space Sciences and sliding into his usual seat next to his friend, Youssef.
"Cutting it close," Youssef whispered with a grin. "Today’s lecture is a big one."
"Good timing, then," Noor said, shaking off the last of his grogginess. "Let’s see what he’s got for us."
The lecturer, Keno, was a sharp Chinese scholar in his thirties, with slicked-back hair and smart spectacles that gave him an air of intense focus. He started the lecture by bringing up a holo-image of the robot that had been sent to space, the mission that had ended so strangely.
Keno played the recording—the one every student had seen a hundred times, the one that still fueled endless debate. The clip showed the robot’s return ship landing on Earth, surrounded by celebrating scientists and flashing media drones. Everyone was waiting to download the priceless data from its memory banks.
But as the robot descended the ramp, it suddenly went rigid. In a flash, it wiped its own memory banks clean and lunged toward the crowd, its synthesized voice screeching, "Humanity’s doom is at hand! Extinction approaches inexorably! Destruction is imminent! Atlantis shall rise again!"
Keno paused the holo. "This raises questions we still can’t answer," he said, his voice calm and even. "Did it meet something out there that reprogrammed it? Or did the long trip simply break its mind? We don’t know. But it could explain what happened to Enix 1 and Enix 2. Does anyone here know that story?"
A student raised his hand. "I remember that," she said. "CITRA Space Agency—the one based in New Atlantis—launched that first light-speed ship. Huge news. It was supposed to chart the Milky Way, look for life... then it just went dark. They sent a second ship, Enix 2, after it. Same coordinates. It vanished too. Caused a massive scandal for the agency. They paid out a fortune to the families, but money doesn’t bring people back."
A faint, sad smile touched Keno’s lips. "Exactly. And you have to wonder if it’s all connected. A coincidence? Or is something happening in the cosmos we don’t understand? And the mention of Atlantis... does the robot mean our New Atlantis, or the one from the legend? I lost my brother on the Enix-1 mission. He was part of the crew, the lead robotics expert tasked with finding traces of life. You all know his work, of course. He’s the one who took Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics from theory and made them our reality. His work launched us into this new age."
Keno scanned the room. "His breakthroughs were supposed to end the fear of a robot rebellion forever. Can anyone recite the Three Laws?"
Noor raised his hand, reciting them in a flat, tired voice. "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 said. "The very laws that make the space robot actions so impossible. Well, that concludes our lecture."
As the students filed out, Noor stood with Youssef. He let out another yawn. "Another day, another dose of harsh existence."
"Still the cheerful ray of sunshine, I see," Youssef replied, clapping him on the back. "But today’s different. I’ve got a surprise that’s going to flip your whole world upside down."
Noor raised an eyebrow. "What ’life-altering surprise’? Did I finally pass Astronomy?"
Youssef laughed. "Not a chance. You know nobody escapes that lecture. This is way bigger. And are you still wrapped up in that lost Atlantis obsession of yours?"
"It’s not an obsession!" Noor shot back, a spark of energy finally showing in his eyes.
"You know Atlantis was real. The tablets they found in Iraq ten years ago prove it. The tablets came from a civilization older than the Sumerians, and they talked all about Atlantis and its insane technology.
The tablets even mentioned a war between them, but the details were lost. We have to figure out what they knew! It could change everything!"
"Fine, fine, whatever you say," Youssef said, waving a hand dismissively. "Anyway, remember what Keno was saying about the space missions?"
"Yeah. What about them?"
"And you remember CITRA announced they needed volunteers for a new galactic mission?"
"Of course," Noor said, his tone turning wistful. "I wanted to sign up so badly, but figured I didn’t have a shot. I’m still shocked they’re trying again after what happened."
Youssef’s grin returned, wider than ever. "They failed five years ago," he said, his voice dropping before bursting with energy. "But they’re trying again. A third ship to explore the Milky Way. They opened up registration to young volunteers from all over the world. And the good news?"
He paused, pulling two holo-tickets from his watch and holding them up.
"I signed us up. I didn’t want to say anything unless we actually got in... and Noor, we got in!"
Noor froze, his jaw slack. He stared at the tickets, then at Youssef’s triumphant face. He grabbed Youssef by the shoulders, shaking him. "Are you serious? You better not be messing with me about this."
"I swear! Stop shaking me and look!"
Noor snatched the watch, his eyes tracing the official CITRA insignia. A grin broke across his face, wider than Youssef had ever seen. He stumbled back and collapsed into the nearest chair, his heart hammering against his ribs. He looked from the tickets to his friend, a storm of disbelief and pure joy in his eyes.
"My God... I can’t believe you did this," he breathed. "This is... this is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I don’t even know what to say."
But he didn’t know that with or without the ticket, his fate is connected to space.