Gloryan Graham stood frozen in the middle of a dark, deserted street. The cold night breeze carried dry leaves skittering across the pavement. His gaze fixed on the sky, squinting as he tried to comprehend what he had just seen.
A strange, faintly greenish light streaked rapidly across the night sky. He couldn't tell if it was a falling star or something else entirely, but the object was growing larger… and it was heading straight toward him.
"No way…" Gloryan muttered, heart pounding wildly as the object drew closer. He stumbled backward in panic, his foot catching on a loose stone. With a grunt, he fell hard onto the rough asphalt, his palms and knees scraping painfully.
A moment later, the object slammed into the ground a few meters ahead, sending a tremor through the street.
"Damn it! What the hell?!" Gloryan yelled, his body trembling. He lay there for a moment, trying to catch his breath. "Hah… hah… I thought I was dead for sure," he whispered, clutching his chest.
With shaky hands, he brushed the dirt off his jeans and slowly stood. In front of him sat a metallic silver box, no bigger than a small briefcase. Its design was alien — smooth, futuristic, with faint glowing lines of blue energy tracing along its edges.
Gloryan's fear and curiosity tangled inside him as he approached cautiously.
"What… is this thing?" he whispered, extending a trembling hand. His fingertips brushed the box's cold, smooth surface — and instantly, a bright surge of blue light flared out, forcing him to step back.
"Lifeform detected… Establishing host connection… Connection at 75%," a robotic voice echoed from within the box. A holographic world map flickered into view above it.
Gloryan blinked rapidly, trying to comprehend what was happening. "What the hell is going on?!" he shouted, his scraped palms stinging but overshadowed by sheer shock.
The box pulsed brighter, and the voice returned, calmer and clearer:
"Good evening, Host. Thank you for reactivating my system. I am an artificial intelligence with self-awareness. Please assign me a designation."
Gloryan froze. "A… name? You… want me to give you a name?" he asked, his voice trembling slightly. He glanced around — the street was empty, thankfully. After taking a deep breath, he said softly, "Sentinel. I think that's a good name for you… fitting, even. But… where did you come from?"
"Designation confirmed: Sentinel. As for my origin, that information is currently inaccessible. However, my primary directive is clear: to protect Earth from the Kroska — an extraterrestrial species known for invading planets across multiple star systems," Sentinel replied, voice neutral yet steady.
"Kroska?" Gloryan frowned. "What are they?"
"Kroska are a species that have already conquered several planets within distant star systems. According to my data, they are currently en route to Earth. Their estimated arrival: fifty years," Sentinel explained.
Gloryan stood silent, letting the words sink in. "Wait… so you're some kind of guardian robot sent to warn me that aliens are coming to Earth?"
"'Robot' would be inaccurate. I am a self-aware artificial intelligence designed to detect and repel existential threats. Unfortunately, much of my advanced data remains locked and requires additional computational capacity to access."
Gloryan groaned, rubbing his face. "Why me? I'm not important! I'm just a seventeen-year-old from a middle-class family. I can't save the damn planet!"
"Do not be concerned, Host. I will guide and assist you. At present, I have only 1,000 Computation Units available after reactivation. You can temporarily increase my capacity by linking me to external computational resources, such as modern computers or local servers," Sentinel explained calmly.
Gloryan gawked. "You're saying that's like… hundreds of high-end PCs working together?"
"Approximately correct."
He exhaled sharply, his frustration mixing with reluctant curiosity. "So… can you at least do something useful right now? Like… predict stock prices? Crypto? Maybe invent some crazy new tech?"
"Simulating the entire global stock market in real time would currently cost over 100 Energy Points — more than I can expend. However, focusing on a single stock or coin would be feasible. I also possess a vast archive of technical and scientific knowledge… but most of it remains locked until additional computation units are available. At my current state, I highly recommend acquiring stronger external resources," Sentinel said plainly.
Gloryan's head throbbed from the overload of information. Something extraordinary had landed in his lap, and his life would never be the same.
"Alright," he muttered at last, shoulders slumping. "Let's… just get home first. We'll figure this out there."
He carefully lifted Sentinel, cradling the mysterious device as he walked back through the dimly lit streets. His modest house at the city's edge waited for him, a simple place with a tiny front yard.
As he entered, he hurried upstairs and set Sentinel on his messy study desk — cluttered with worn textbooks, scraps of notes, and an aging laptop.
"Okay," Gloryan whispered, staring at the softly glowing box. "Let's see what you can really do…"
Tonight, his normal life had ended. And somewhere deep inside, beneath the confusion and fear, a spark of excitement ignited.