The beginning
In a dark, shadowy room, a monstrous figure loomed, its huge black form advancing toward a screaming girl, probably around eight years old, her hands covered in blood. The monster marched toward her, intent on killing her. She raised her trembling hands in a desperate attempt to protect herself
But then, a voice echoed through the darkness
“Wake up. Wake up, Ria.”
Ria jolted upright, screaming.
“Renazmee, I saw it again, the whole damn thing! Why? Why do I keep seeing these visions, or whatever they are?”
“Well, ma’am,”
the humanoid robot replied,
“I’m just a robot, but thanks to the artificial heart and synthetic blood that runs through my system, I can somewhat understand how you feel. I hope one day you’ll figure it out… and be happy again. As if you were never that unhappy to begin with.”
“Yep! I hope so, but for now, let’s just get out of bed and freshen up.”
After showering, Ria pulled on a pink frock with embroidered white tights, white-rimmed spectacles, and tied her hair in a high ponytail.
“Let’s eat, shall we?” she suggested.
“Here you go! Your breakfast is ready,” said Renazmee.
“So, let’s head to the lab,” said Ria after finishing her breakfast.
Ria’s lab was 117 floors beneath her house, extending to the Earth’s core. Each level housed different projects, all conducted by her. She was no ordinary scientist. She was a genius, and one of the most respected minds on the planet.
Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C.
A group of elite hackers had just breached the servers of a highly secretive organization. They were reviewing the files they’d stolen.
“Yes, what did you find?” the chief asked.
“Sir, we’ve retrieved a profile of someone very important to them.”
“Who?”
“A girl named Ria,” one of the hackers replied. “She’s a scientist—credited with some of the most critical breakthroughs of our time.”
“They’ve been monitoring her for three months,” the hacker continued. “Looks like they might be planning to kidnap her. But she hasn’t stepped outside, and her place is protected by high-beam laser security—no one gets in without her approval.”
“She’s well-guarded,”
the chief muttered.
“Tell Rohan to come here—immediately.”
Fifteen minutes later
Rohan walked in. Everyone stood a little straighter when he entered.
“So, what’s the situation, Chief? Why the emergency?”
“Well, Rohan, remember the files you asked us to crack? We found one. It’s about a scientist named—”
“Nish— I mean, Ria,”
Rohan said, cutting him off as her photo flashed on screen.
“You know her?” the chief asked, surprised.
“I’ll explain later,” Rohan said, his face unreadable.
“What now?” the chief asked.
“Okay, so what should we do now, sir?” the chief asked.
“Send her an email saying it’s an emergency and to attend the call,” Rohan instructed.
“What’s her number, sir?” the chief asked.
“Just send the email through her main website. Don’t worry about her number.”
“Main website? How did you know—never mind,” said the chief.
“Let’s just send it, shall we?” Rohan said.
“Yes, sir, it’s sent,” the chief confirmed.
Back in the lab
Ria was working while Renazmee was scanning emails.
“Ria, there’s a message from Aqsa. she’s coming to visit tonight and asks you to open the door. "
“Oh, this girl!” Ria rolled her eyes. “Tell her it’s done. She can come.”
Suddenly, the sound of a notification echoed from the computer.
“Whose message is it now?” Ria asked.
“It’s from NASA,” Renazmee replied.
“N-NASA? What is it?” Ria asked, looking a bit worried.
“It’s an emergency. They’re asking you to attend the call,” Renazmee said, reading the message.
“A call? Will you check my accounts?” Ria asked.
“Yes. A call is being routed through your main terminal now.”
“Okay, then. Attend it and display it on the main computer so we can find out why they’re calling so urgently,” Ria said.
When she attended the video call, the chief started looking at the background and the pictures around her.
“Excuse me!" Ria frowned. "
Did you call me to waste my time? Did you?” Ria demanded.
“Oh, no, ma’am! Let me introduce you to our head, the reason we called you,” the chief said.
“First, tell me who you are, sir,” Ria asked.
“My name is Charlie Hagrid Abraham Edward Frdwardo, but everyone calls me Chief,” he replied.
“Well then, Chief,” Ria said coolly, “I’ll just call you Chief.”
“Right,” he chuckled nervously. “Now, meet our head—”
“Adi,” Ria whispered, her voice catching as she saw the man on screen.
&__ Hafsa __&
