"Tch, why only now?"
A young man with short hair leaned back lazily in his cushioned chair, feet propped on the desk. A blue hologram hovered in front of his face, displaying rows of transactions with so many zeros they almost blinded his eyes.
Brian Samosir, twenty years old, the prodigy of Genesis Corporation. With his current position, life felt like a toy in his hands. He closed the hologram, spun his chair around, and stared out the massive glass window.
Towering skyscrapers blotted out the blue sky. Below, the airways buzzed with activity: floating vehicles speeding along designated lanes, transport platforms lit with neon, and tiny delivery drones darting between the buildings.
"Package?" Brian muttered.
A pentagonal robot with eight mechanical legs crawled forward, clutching a cube.
[ Package for: Mr. Brian Samosir ]
[ Sender: Mrs. Wulan ]
[ Message: "Son, don't forget your lunch. I made your favorite beef rib soup." ]
A warm smile spread across Brian's face. With a wave of his hand, the transparent glass slid open, and the courier robot placed the package on his desk, already crowded with three holographic screens. The robot left, and Brian immediately opened the container.
Inside was a three-tiered lunchbox, still steaming. The aroma of beef broth filled the air, making his stomach rumble.
"Thanks, Mom," he murmured. He uncovered each lid, scooped a spoonful of hot broth, and took a sip. The savory taste soothed his throat. Brian closed his eyes for a moment, picturing his mother's ever-loving face.
"Thank you…" he whispered again, then resumed eating, savoring every bite as if it were the most precious gift in the world.
Suddenly, one of the holograms in front of him turned blue, a call request. An old man's face flickered faintly.
Brian ignored it, continuing to eat.
The screen abruptly turned red, forced call. The old man's face sharpened into view, wearing a classic suit. His smile was thin, but his eyes were heavy with worry.
"Forgive me for disturbing you again, young Brian. But I need your help immediately," he said.
Without turning his head, Brian replied flatly, "Explain."
"The nation's core energy is experiencing an anomaly. The main channel is unstable… and stranger still, the detectors have picked up an unknown voice transmission."
Before the man could continue, Brian cut him off coldly. "I'll be there in ten minutes." The hologram vanished.
Even before he could stand, a flying car approached his window. The glass opened automatically, and a man in a formal suit stepped inside, standing stiffly behind his chair.
"By order of the President. I will escort you to the Palace."
"Huft…" Brian exhaled lightly, then quickened his eating. Once finished, he rose, straightened his jacket, and walked toward the waiting vehicle.
"Let's go," he said coolly, like a true boss.
***
The domed chamber was immense, cables running from every side into a massive white cube suspended at its center. Eight mechanical arms anchored it from above, while armed guards patrolled the two-tiered platforms. Cameras watched from every corner.
Krrtt… crrtt…
The droning grew louder, pulsing from the cube itself.
Brian stepped forward, his heartbeat quickening. He'd always believed in the possibility of alien intelligence, but this was the first time he truly felt it.
"Interesting," he murmured, calm but with eyes burning. He glanced at a woman in a white uniform at the control panel. "Open the transmission channel."
She pressed a sequence of keys. A mechanical arm descended from above, halting in front of Brian.
He pulled special glasses from his pocket, connected the sensors, and synced himself with the cube's system. His smartwatch vibrated, blinking rapidly, foreign data flooding in.
The old man and the officials behind him held their breath. They all knew: Brian was one of the engineers who built this core. If anyone could decode the signal, it was him.
"Confirmed…" Brian spoke softly, lips curling into a faint smile. "This transmission isn't from Earth."
"WHAT?" The old man's eyes bulged. "How is that possible?" His voice trembled, faces around him paling.
Brian didn't answer. His eyes locked onto the unraveling data on the screen.
One algorithm tested, failed.
Another, failed.
Thousands of algorithms deployed. One by one, they failed. The screen flooded with red lines, cascading endlessly like rainfall that couldn't be stopped.
Brian's brow furrowed. "Impossible…" he muttered. He had exhausted nearly every algorithm in his arsenal.
The officials whispered nervously.
"Is there a problem, Mr. Brian?"
"Why can't it be decoded?"
Brian stayed silent, expression blank, mind racing.
"Don't disturb him," the old man ordered. "Let him focus."
Finally, Brian exhaled and looked at the smartwatch on his wrist. A tiny needle pricked into his skin, sending a sharp sting into the back of his hand. A new holographic window appeared.
[ Assistant Floryn is ready to serve Mr. Brian. How may I assist you? ]
[ Warning: Remaining energy only 9 points. Please recharge immediately. ]
A faint smile crossed Brian's lips, half hope, half despair. Floryn, his greatest secret, the reason he had climbed so far.
"Floryn, analyze."
[ Analyzing foreign package… Estimated time: 7 minutes. Please wait. ]
"As I thought," Brian muttered heavily. Floryn usually needed less than five seconds to process anything. Even this massive core had never taken more than ten.
He waited. The President and the officials around him waited too, their breath held tight.
But on the fifth minute
BRUUMMM!
The core cube shuddered violently. Energy surged in all directions, arcing across steel walls and consoles.
"WATCH OUT!"
The guards quickly shielded the President. Electric arcs crackled: Zap! Zing!
Brian tried to move, but his body locked in place. He glanced at the watch on his wrist, that's where the restraint came from.
"Damn it… what's happening?!" he screamed inwardly.
Zap!
In an instant, his vision flickered black and when it cleared, he was no longer in the domed chamber.
Before him stood a group of people clad in sleek gray armor with glowing lines running across their suits. Two of them were busy repairing a small cube at the far end of the room, while a man turned sharply, shock written on his face.
A woman rushed forward, eyes wide.
"Waaa!" she shouted in a language Brian couldn't understand.
She grabbed his arm, twisted it, and bound his hands behind his back. Brian staggered, dazed, while everyone else turned to stare in shock.
But they didn't have time to dwell on the stranger who appeared out of nowhere. Their attention snapped back to the cube, the true source of chaos, far more dangerous than Brian's sudden arrival.
***
Brian looked around. The walls outside the vessel shifted like liquid shadows, abstract patterns swirling as if black paint had been spilled into restless water.
The craft itself was simple: a small cockpit at the front, a few storage crates behind.
"A… spaceship?" Brian muttered uncertainly.
His eyes fell on the two who were still working on the cube. One connected wires inside, while the other inserted small tubes of liquid into its side. Moments later, a transparent shield flickered to life around the vessel, cooling the air within.
"Fuh…" Both let out relieved sighs. The red-haired woman who had tied Brian earlier also eased slightly, though her gaze soon returned to him.
The middle-aged man, likely their leader spoke. The words were strange, unintelligible to Brian. He shook his head.
The red-haired woman retrieved something from a storage box, then strapped strange goggles onto Brian's face. Blue light flickered along the lens, scanning his retina before stopping.
"Hey, who are you? How did you get out of the digital distortion?"
The man's voice now appeared with translated text before Brian's eyes.
"I'm Brian, from Earth… I don't know how I ended up here," he answered.
A speaker near the cockpit repeated Brian's words in their language.
"Earth? What is that?" The leader frowned. His subordinates exchanged puzzled glances.
"Is he dangerous, Lord Freza?"
"No. He's a pure human, like us. Check him."
The red-haired woman stepped forward. With surprising strength, she tore Brian's clothes off, leaving him exposed. He tried to resist, but his body was weak. In seconds, he was stripped and thoroughly searched. Even his watch was taken.
"Nothing important in his clothing… this old watch only projects a holographic clock."
With a careless toss, she threw his belongings back at him.
"Oi, your name's Brian, right? Stay here until we return." Her tone was sharp, but Brian couldn't help finding her short crimson hair oddly amusing.
"Alright," he nodded helplessly. Staying alive was blessing enough for now.
He noticed the weapons strapped to their backs, advanced energy rifles, a clear warning of just how dangerous this world was.
***
The vessel continued forward while Brian sat silently, watching. The four crew members focused on the cockpit, occasionally arguing in their strange tongue.
About four hours later, the atmosphere shifted. They donned their helmets, faces grim. The craft turned sharply, and the surroundings grew darker. Faint glimmers of light appeared ahead.
The ship's lamps flicked on, illuminating towering rock walls, they had entered a massive cave.
The vessel landed on uneven ground, tilting slightly. Three crew members leapt out immediately. The red-haired woman gave Brian one last glance before jumping as well, leaving him alone.
Boom! Boom!
Crrraakkk! Ti-ti-ti!
Gunfire erupted. Explosions shook the cave. The clash of shattering metal pounded in Brian's ears. His heart thudded wildly. He pressed his hands over his ears, but the deafening chaos pierced through.
Minutes passed before the noise subsided. Silence followed. Two hours… three hours… more than twelve hours crawled by.
Still bound, Brian sat stiffly, hunger gnawing at his stomach, his head spinning with dizziness.
"Damn it… where are they? Am I going to starve to death here?" he cursed inwardly.
His watch was dead, its energy depleted. Hope drained with it.
Just as despair began to consume him, the vessel's shield hissed open. The red-haired woman leapt back inside, a small smile tugging at her lips.