Akira headed to a table on his right, threw himself into a chair, and Yousef sat down across from him. The sound of the TV caught Akira’s attention, so he focused on it to watch the news. He saw a young announcer in a stylish suit delivering the top stories in a serious tone:
"The resource crisis in the state of Atlantis has reached its peak. People have begun to protest in many places, demanding that the government act more quickly, as food has begun to run out. It appears that Atlantis will enter a period of poverty and economic depression not seen since the great invasion of the robots three years ago. In response to this dilemma, the government has established the Thirteenth Reconnaissance Squad, after the previous squads were destroyed and killed by the robots that roam the world. But this time is different, because the squad will have unprecedented military support to repel the robots and take control of some of the occupied territories, which means more industrial and food resources and the expansion of humanity’s control and progress over the machine. Will this be the first victory for humans over the machine?"
The cafe worker interrupted Akira’s focus as he placed the cups on the table, handing each of them their drink. The worker said, with a curiosity and anticipation mixed with some anxiety and a desire not to speak, "Are you really going to be with the reconnaissance squad that is going to Younism outside the walls of Atlantis?"
Akira gave him a look that said a lot. The worker understood it and didn’t want to press him on the question. Akira said in a trembling tone, "Yes... we’re going. And this might be the last cup of tea I ever drink."
"Don’t say that, sir. I’m sure you’ll be back. This time, it seems the government has taken all the necessary precautions so that your squad won’t be eliminated like what happened to the squads before you."
"It doesn’t matter. I don’t think we’ll win anyway. And if we do, we’ll suffer a lot of losses and lives. These machines don’t joke, because they don’t have an ounce of fear or mercy. They kill and kill non-stop."
Akira felt a great anger boiling inside him like an erupting volcano. He began to remember what had happened to his wife and children when the robots invaded the world three years ago.
The robots rebelled against their creators, as many analysts, thinkers, and writers had predicted. But the strange thing was that the artificial intelligence had not reached the age and consciousness that would qualify it for rebellion; it was like a ten-year-old child. And how could a small child rebel against his parents? But the catastrophe happened, and the machines that had made human life so much easier rebelled. They began to kill everyone they found in front of them. The world entered into many conflicts and challenges, and many large and small countries were destroyed. The tyranny of the machines did not stop there, but insisted on invading and destroying the whole world. Many countries opened their doors to refugees, but it ended with them also being invaded by the machines and destroyed. And so, humans began to flee from one place to another in search of safety and protection from these machines that had no ounce of feeling or mercy. In the end, the city of New Atlantis in western Egypt managed to escape the invasion of the machines due to its swift action and the placement of an electromagnetic energy dome that covered the entire city. They were able to save what could be saved. They blocked the robots from entering the city. Many people heard about this and headed to Egypt seeking safety, so Egypt became home to people from all the races of the Earth. After a year of negotiations and discussions, they came to the conclusion that the city of New Atlantis is a city for all people of all races, ethnicities, and religions, so that nationalism would not take over the original inhabitants of the city and lead to internal conflicts between them and the refugees, when they were in dire need of safety and stability in these difficult times. The Arabic language was made the official language of the state for several reasons, including that it was the language used by the state. Everyone reluctantly agreed to these procedures and began to make plans to crush this brutal rebellion of the machines.
Communications with the outside world were cut off, and it did not seem that any country had survived this mass destruction. The number of robots in the world before the rebellion was one billion, and it did not seem that anyone other than them had survived this dilemma. The head of the CITRA space agency, Malik, declared that they were responsible for the city and that Atlantis was the last headquarters of humanity on Earth, and if it fell, humanity would become extinct. He added that it was possible that other countries were still alive and that they might be able to communicate with them one day. But things began to get worse after the crops and resources ran out, and Atlantis needed the resources that were found in various parts of the world. The government announced that within five years, Atlantis’s resources would be completely depleted, which caused panic among the public. Some protesting and rebellious groups emerged, calling on the government to act and come up with quick solutions to save them from this crisis. The government began to send missions outside the dome to explore for resources, but no one from these missions survived, and all means of communication leading to them were cut off. The reason for this was undoubtedly the robots that were concentrated in places close to the dome, as they were heavily spread throughout the continent. But they could not get close to the dome because as soon as they put their hand on it, their electrical circuits would burn out, and they would be completely disabled, which brought some reassurance to the humans who were on the verge of extinction, with a population of only one hundred million!
"Akira... Akira, wake up. Where did you go?"
Yousef said it as he shook Akira to bring him out of his whirlwind of thoughts. Akira woke up from his reverie and looked at Yousef with a dazed eye. "What is it?"
"We have to move. It’s... time."
He said it in a tone tinged with tension. Akira’s heart pounded, and a shiver ran through his body. "Is it time already?" he said, trying to control his nerves.
"Yes, it’s time. Only ten minutes left!"
Akira looked at his watch and saw that Yousef was right, which made his heart pound even more. He began to shake like a leaf in the wind, and a short, intermittent shiver ran through his body, and his face contorted with spasms. But he remembered that this was what he wanted. His thirst for revenge on the machines and to understand the secret that had given them this immense power was much stronger than his fear. He took a deep breath, then exhaled, releasing some of the tension and anxiety, of which only a little remained.
He reminded himself of his true goal, forgot his fear, stood up, and said in a loud voice, "Alright, let’s go."