Leonis shrugged. "I really don’t know. Maybe not. But they are not within my search range, which covers half of your city. They might be in the other half."
Keno felt a little relieved. "Alright, let’s go to these two, have them join us, and then we’ll start our mission."
Leonis gave Keno a 3D map that showed the location of the two targets and their next objective. He then bid Keno farewell and went to find Noor and Jane to join them, but they had fled while he was busy fighting the robotic spider.
After that, Keno contacted the Enix member. "So your leader, Gladious, is from outer space," he said. "That explains why I’ve never seen him before, and why I haven’t seen your faces either, despite dealing with you for five years! It also explains why I couldn’t pinpoint your locations at times!"
The Enix member replied in a tone filled with mystery, "So you know! Who told you about him?"
Keno recounted everything that had happened, up to the plan to enlist the help of the Lunix to repel the Zurix. Keno added, "But Gaia is the leader of the Lunix and he is on our side now, contrary to what you described—that he is the mastermind behind everything and seeks our destruction! Or is Leonis lying to me?"
Silence ensued from the Enix member for a few moments. Then he broke the silence, saying, "It seems Gaia has changed his mind in this war and decided to join us. This split in their ranks will allow us to be victorious in this war. Let them enter Atlantis to support you, and let’s put an end to this war forever. And now, goodbye. Contact me when the mission is complete."
"What are your intentions?" Keno said quickly before the connection was severed. "Why are you helping us?"
"Our intentions? Does helping others require something in return? I will tell you everything when this war is over.
Noor stared at Keno until his eyes almost popped out of their sockets. His soul was troubled, and his thoughts darkened. A shiver ran through his body from the story he had heard. "What is this madness?" he said, his voice laced with fear. "Did all this happen to us while we were brainwashed? These bastards are moving us like cattle without our knowledge of anything, and they are deciding things that determine our fate without consulting us first? I will get revenge on them for that."
Keno signaled for Noor to calm down. "Calm down. This is not the time for revenge. What’s done is done, and this won’t change anything. I, like you, feel great anger toward them, but we must calm down now and focus on the bigger goal. The human race has fallen, and if I were in their place, I would have chosen the same thing for the continuation of humanity, so that our race does not become extinct."
"To hell with humanity!" Noor interrupted him rudely and with some exaggeration. "They destroyed themselves with their own hands! These bastard politicians decide everything on our behalf! They choose who deserves to live and who doesn’t, and they are driven by endless greed and avarice! They are like someone who drinks from the sea and only becomes thirstier. Why should we fight for a corrupt race ? Wars after endless wars, and the forces of corruption do not want to rest until they make the whole world rife with conflict, destruction, injustice, and pain! Let them all go to hell! You can just look at what happened in the 20th and 21st centuries to know what I’m talking about. Look what these madmen did to the world and how they corrupted it with a corruption that has never been seen since the dawn of history."
Keno looked at Noor sharply, but he controlled himself and softened his tone. "Don’t think, boy, that you are the only one who hates what we do and hates our foolish, reckless actions that have only led to suffering. But look at the positive side too. You, like me, have people you love and want to protect, and maybe you don’t remember them well yet. But after we win this war, we will change everything together. We will make humans much better creatures. And we will seize power from the hands of those who do not deserve it. We have the power now, and with the Lunix by our side, we will certainly change everything. We may even find a solution that returns us to our planet and returns the people of Atlantis to their planet, so they can reach an agreement between them and the robots that enables them to coexist peacefully with each other." Read full story at 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭•𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢•𝓷𝓮𝓽
Noor frowned and replied in a sharp tone, having lost his temper, "And do you really trust these robots? What if it’s a trick so that we open the shield for them, and they enter with their armies to eliminate us all? Also, I don’t know if my family came with me to this damned planet, or if they have already perished on Earth. I don’t remember them well, and I don’t remember if they are alive or dead."
Keno looked at Noor without blinking. "That won’t happen. It seems that Leo has feelings. I know they are artificial and not real, but he is not like the other silver, emotionless robots. That’s why we have to trust him for now; we have no other choice. As for your family, we will look for them in the shelters after the plan is executed."
Noor’s intensity subsided. "So I was asleep from the year 2150 until the year 2155," he said. "My God, I’ve wasted five years of my life in a coma. That explains why my face and voice have changed, why I’ve gotten taller, and why you and Jane have also changed and look more mature."
"I know that everything that is happening is causing you panic. Anyone in your place would go mad from the shock of all these surprises. But you must hold on. I am with you on the same lost boat in that vast universe, and maybe we will find a shore to shelter us soon."