Calamity Read online

  The three guards nod and stride down the hall towards the large elevator. The man in white keeps a shrewd eye on them until they enter the elevator, then turns his attention back to the rest of the guards. The three watch the crowd of guards from under their hats as the elevator closes.

  “Well, that is all,” says the man, “Go to your posts, and let’s make this event a safe one. Should the enemy arrive unannounced, as they always do, do your best to evacuate everyone as safely as possible, and the Dynasty of Spheres will handle the rest. That’s all. Now let’s go!”

  With that, the elevator doors slide shut. The three guards in the elevator are quite silent as the elevator smoothly rides up to the 100th floor.

  All is calm until the silver-haired man says, “Are you two ready?”

  “Yup,” says the larger man.

  “Looks like we’re about to change this world big time,” says the woman.

  [Dynasty of Spheres H.Q./ Monitor Room]

  The Headquarters of the Dynasty of Spheres is a golden skyscraper that stands proudly in Atlas City.

  In the monitor room, a massive screen flashes in front of hundreds of people. Their eyes are constantly glued to computer screens, and they are always typing and talking into their headsets.

  A beautiful woman in a white lab coat walks to the podium at the head of the gold and silver room. She is wearing matching heels and a diamond engagement ring. She has brown eyes and long, light brown, straight hair and has crystal red lipstick on.

  She stands next to a much older man with short, groomed gray hair, a beard, and black eyes, and is dressed in a dark green commander’s uniform. He wears an astounding number of badges on the right breast pocket of his jacket, and has a diamond ring on his ring finger.

  He sits down in front of his desk with a hologram screen with a large map of Atlas in front of him. Red dots are placed around the map. The woman appeared focused and relaxed, while the man had a serious look on his face, making sure everyone in the room was on their duties. They both appeared to be of importance, as they are stationed at quite a high location in this vast room while the rest of the operators are stationed below them.

  “Chief Branch Nicoson, we advise that Atlas City should be on high alert,” says an operator, walking up to the woman and the Chief.

  “Again, I ask, what for?” Branch questions, looking slightly annoyed.

  “W-well, we have atmospheric readings that don’t look so good. There’s a good chance the enemy may arrive and attack the city,” replies the operator.

  “And again, I tell you: do not worry. I understand that you are doing your job, and everyone else is here as well, but they will be okay. You, as an operator, and the head supervisor, Stacey Jin here, are doing a swell job. No need to stress over this. Go back to your post and continue making this land safe,” says Branch.

  “O-okay, sir…” says the operator, walking back down the steps with a worried look on his face.

  Stacey Jin places her hand on the back of Branch’s leather chair, watching the primary monitor that shows the Coliseum.

  “Branch,” says Stacey, with a worried expression, “I fear something may happen. Our technology won’t lie to us.”

  “Stacey, the enemy will not attack us. Maybe the computers are wonky,” says Branch, smiling at Stacey. However, she glares at him. Branch’s smile quickly turns to a frown, and he looks back at the screen.

  “You do not see it, Branch! You’re blind to what’s in front of you at this moment. I don’t know why you sent guards there instead of the Dynasty Soldiers,” says Stacey.

  “Don’t worry, darling. The soldiers are already prepared outside the city, should things go bad… But I highly doubt it. It’s been three weeks, and we haven’t had any attacks,” replies Branch.

  “Yeah… There have also been times when we wouldn’t get attacked for months, and then they would come in at full invasion. I don’t know what’s going on, but with these readings, I suspect something’s not right. If it is them, then they would have reached the earth’s atmosphere and would be heading for Atlas already… but they aren’t,” she says, concerned.

  “Hmm…fine. At least alert the Calamita Team about this matter and tell them to be on high alert,” says Branch.

  “Certainly,” replies Stacey, walking away.

  [Grand Atlas Coliseum]

  A large hologram monitor appears right in the middle of the Coliseum, showing the balcony of King Daimus’s office. People automatically begin roaring and break into cheers and applause, even chanting King Daimus’s name.

  “Finally, he’s coming out!” says Victoria.

  “Man, the King is here, baby!” Saul shouts, standing up and clapping, a huge smile on his face.

  “Sit your bald-headed ass down and shut up!” shouts Tatyana.

  “Aye! That’s no way to speak to your elder!” Saul shouts back.

  “So, it is finally time…” says Daichi, sitting back and letting out a sigh.

  “What’s wrong Daichi? You already look tense,” says Aria, concerned.

  “No, it’s nothing, I guess. Just tired,” replies Daichi, smiling at Aria.

  In another moment, the three guards come out onto the balcony. The silver-haired man stands by the larger man on the left side, while the woman stands in the center. She then shouts, “People of Atlas, I now present to you the leader of this gracious land, King Daimus!”

  She opens the door, and out comes a man dressed in royal gold clothing and a gold crown on his head. He has tanned skin and long dark blue hair and green eyes. He wears many gold cross necklaces and many rings on his fingers. He has a bright smile on his face and his hands are open wide as he walks through the door to the steel guard rail of the balcony. The Coliseum erupts into applause and cheers. Luke, Parker, and Victoria stand and cheer, while Tatyana and her sisters remained seated clapping. Saul claps and cheers loudly while pouring more beer into his mouth. Daichi, Aria, and Akira all stand and clap for the King, and even Daichi has a smile on his face on seeing him.

  As King Daimus finally stops at the guard rail, he motions with his hands for the people to settle down, and they all do until it is completely silent. King Daimus rests his hands on the rail and says, “People of this gracious land! I am, King Daimus, and I welcome you to the Grand Arena Coliseum of Atlas City! To those watching from their home, I thank you for being part of this historic moment. This land, along with our fellow lands, Cosmos and Galaxus, has been fighting against an unknown enemy we name the ‘Solars.’ For ten years we’ve fought against this threat, and although we have no idea when we’ll be free of this threat, I’m here to say that we are making considerable progress fighting back. Luckily for this earth, there have been no threats from the Solars lately. It’s been quiet enough for the Governments of all three lands to undertake a project involving space travel, not only for the advancement of technology, but to truly find out where the Solars are attacking from so we can take them down completely!”

  The people applaud and cheer at this announcement, and at the possibility of hunting down the enemy. Daimus continues, “I’m not finished. For ten years, we’ve constructed many spacecraft to send soldiers to space in hopes of finding the spot from where the enemy is entering our earth’s atmosphere, but time after time, our spaceships have been shot down by the enemy. But this time, this won’t happen. The Dynasty of Spheres is currently constructing a battleship to find the home of the Solars in space, and this time, it will be durable even for combat and will not be taken out so quickly. Mark this day, as I announce that we are a step closer to fighting the enemy head on, and when we do, it’ll be the last time our enemy attacks our precious planet!”

  Again, the people are moved by his words, and cheer and applaud even louder than before.

  “This man is a walking god in front of us I swear it!” says Saul, clapping.

  “Man…Dynasty is going to send us to space…?” says a worried Victoria.

  “Wait, they are?” says Luk
e, turning to Victoria.

  “I know it…oh nooo!” Victoria moans in distress, slouching down in her seat.

  “But what’s wrong with that?” says Luke.

  “I’m scared of space!” she replies, looking almost panicky now.

  “But in your battle armor, you can fly as high as you want,” says Luke.

  “I know little bro…but space is another field altogether…” replies Victoria, chewing on her nails frantically.

  “You need to get a boyfriend and relax, Vicky,” says Parker, looking concerned.

  “She sure does,” replies Luke.

  “Space travel to confront the enemy…?” says a surprised Saul.

  “What? You scared, Unc?” says Tatyana smirking at Saul.

  “I’m not scared. Believe me! Saul is NEVER afraid! But…space…” replies Saul, nervously scratching his bald head.

  “So, it’s finally time…Soon enough this war will end…” says Daichi with an angry look towards the sky.

  Father… thinks Akira as he secretly watching his father gaze at the sky.

  The chatter amongst the people begins to grow louder and louder. King Daimus closes his eyes for a moment before quickly opening them. “I’m not finished yet!” he shouts over the babble. Instantly, everyone in the arena is quiet, and their eyes focus on their King once more. “Now that the martial news is out of the way, here is the domestic news. With the help of the highest ranked engineers of Atlas, I am proud to announce that the land of Atlas will be the first to produce our very own assistant robots!” King Daimus announces.

  The crowd is shocked and very much pleased at the announcement, and the clapping and cheering doubles.

  “So, it was true!” says a surprised Akira.

  “Oh, my goodness! Chores will officially be over!” says an excited Luke.

  “Amazing…I hadn’t heard about assistant robots,” says Victoria.

  King Daimus continues, “These assistant robots will be named the ‘Sovis’ bots. The Sovis bot will be your new family member and assist you in ways you’d never have thought were imaginable for a machine. I will be the first to tell you that the Sovis bot will NOT replace jobs, but as stated before, will be a new addition to your home, and it certainly will be worthwhile. Now, if you look at the center of the arena, you can say hello to the first mass-produced series of Sovis bots!”

  Everyone looks down to the large square in the center of the stadium. Suddenly, a massive door opens in the ground, and in seconds, a stand rises from underground with the Sovis bots arranged on it for all to see. They are dark blue robots with light blue eyes, their features resembling that of a human.

  “Now Sovis bots, say hello to your family!” shouts King Daimus with a proud smile on his face.

  The Sovis bots immediately spread out and jump into the crowd. They land on the steps throughout the stadium and turn to the people and give them bright smiles. They begin shaking hands and introducing themselves: “Hello, I will be your personal assistant.”

  “Wow, it looks so cool!” says a little boy, gazing at the tall robot in awe.

  Everyone seems amazed at the sight and performance of the Sovis bots.

  “Hmm…I wonder how indestructible you’ll be if I punch you…” says Saul with a curious look, balling up his right hand.

  “Umm Saul, what the hell are you doing?” says Tatyana, getting up in shock.

  “Sovis bot or not, will you be able to protect my girls from robbers and rapists? Or even…!” Saul angrily says, his left eye twitching.

  “Jesus, he’s drunk!” says Tori, smacking her forehead with her palm in embarrassment.

  “Unc, sit down please!” says Kelsie, pulling Saul’s arm so that he sits back down.

  “I will always protect your family to the best of my ability, Mr. Saul Knight,” says the Sovis bot.

  “Wh-what? It knows my name?!” says Saul, shocked.

  “Incredible…it just landed here, and it knows us already!” says an amazed Tatyana.

  “We are truly in the future now, when we finally have robots to help us with everyday lives!” Luke says, as a tear rolls down his right cheek.

  “You’re seriously crying now?” says Victoria, looking at Luke in disgust.

  “Luke is always emotional at historic moments like this…” says Parker smiling at Victoria.

  “Yeah, he’s something else alright,” says Victoria.

  “Welcome to the family, man!” shouts Luke, pushing Victoria aside and giving the Sovis bot a big hug.

  “I will always be ready to assist you, Luke Tavian,” says the Sovis bot, smiling.

  “Oh wow, it has facial expressions as well!” says a surprised Victoria.

  “It even knows my name…I’ll call you, Marco,” says Luke, hugging the Sovis bot tightly.

  “Can you let go of the freaking robot Luke!” shouts Victoria, pulling Luke’s sweater.

  “Amazing technology in the making, huh dad?” says Akira, gazing at the Sovis bot interact with the people.

  “It sure is! Now Aria can have an assistant to help her to do things at home,” says Daichi.

  “Yes, it’ll be quite the vacation for me,” says Aria, smiling.

  “Including cooking…” mutters Daichi.

  “…What did you say, Daichi?” says Aria, with a sweet smile on her lips. However, Daichi looks away in fear, for this smile is more of a threat than anything else.

  “N-nothing dear…” Daichi replies.

  “OK Sovis bots, you may now return!” shouts King Daimus.

  Instantly, the Sovis bots wave at the people and simultaneously tell everyone that they will be back for a real adventure with them all. They take a huge leap into the air and land perfectly on the stand. Everyone claps and cheers as the stand takes the Sovis bots back underground and the door closes after them.

  “These, my people of Atlas, will be the start of man and machine coming together for true evolution!” King Daimus announces with a proud look on his face. Everyone gives high praise for his words. This is truly a memorable moment for everyone here. New war plans against their enemy, the Solars, and assistant robots. What could be better than this?

  [Dynasty of Spheres H.Q./ Monitor Room]

  “Amazing! The Sovis bot looks awesome!” says one female operator.

  “Man, I hope they can help with my kid’s homework. The stuff they have to learn these days is nothing like what we learned back when we were kids,” says another female operator.

  “Quite the advancement!” says Branch, looking intently into the primary monitor. Seconds later, Stacey comes rushing through the automatic steel door behind Branch, and she looks as if something dire has just happened.

  “Everyone! I want you all to go to high alert stations immediately!” Stacey announces to everyone.

  “Wait…Stacey, what’s going on?” Branch says standing up with a grave expression on his face.

  “YOU say nothing will happen, but look at this!” says Stacey, tossing Branch a tablet before rushing down the steps. Branch grabs it and observes the data on the tablet and is shocked to find a large red pulsing light on the Coliseum arena. He sucks his teeth at the revelation, however, standing in front of the primary monitor, and watches intently as Stacey heads over to the rest of the operators.

  “Alright, it’s time to go to work,” says Stacey.

  [Grand Atlas Coliseum]

  As King Daimus continues talking, the colored stars on the wrist devices of Victoria, Saul, and Daichi begin to pulse brightly simultaneously. They are all clearly aware of the impending danger, as the expression on their faces change from calm to angry. They all get up and proceed up the stands.

  “Umm, Sis, where are you going?” calls Luke.

  “Hold on, I’ll be back,” Victoria replies, as she runs up the stairs.

  “Damn…it looks like there’s trouble brewing nearby,” says Luke, concerned.

  “Saul, where are you heading off to?” says Tatyana.

  “Don’t
worry, I’ll be back. Duty calls, unfortunately,” replies Saul, walking up the stairs without looking at Tatyana, and Tatyana looks on at him with a worried expression on her face.

  “I have an emergency. Akira, take care of your mother,” Daichi says, quickly walking up the stairs.

  “Oh, dear…something must’ve happened,” says a worried Aria.

  “Yeah…don’t worry about it, mom. He’ll be back,” replies Akira, holding on to his mother’s hand as she stares at Daichi’s departing back.

  [Grand Atlas Coliseum/ Parking Lot]

  Victoria, Saul, and Daichi meet up, all with an expression of anger on their faces. Victoria presses the star on her wrist device and puts her arm out forward, as the wrist device projects a hologram of Stacey in front of them.

  “What is it now, Stacey?” says Victoria.

  “Don’t ‘what is it now’ me Victoria, this is urgent,” snaps Stacey. “Now listen, all morning the Coliseum has been on alert. However, Branch would not allow Dynasty Soldiers to be stationed there, so it’s a good thing you guys went.”

  “This coliseum has been on alert? There aren't any solar bots in sight, Stacey!” says a puzzled Saul.

  “I know! I don’t know what the hell is going on. The source of danger is right at the core of the Arena. As far as the earth’s atmosphere goes, there’s no sign of the solar bots anywhere,” replies Stacey.

  “So, what are you trying to say? Are there solar bots hiding in the arena?” questions Daichi.

  “Highly unlikely. I honestly believe it may have something to do with the Sovis bots,” replies Stacey.

  “The Sovis bots? You’re out of your mind,” says Victoria with an annoyed expression on her face.

  “There’s nothing else there, Victoria! My detector only reads high threats from machines in the area. It was designed for the solar bots, and for some reason, it’s acting this way on the Coliseum despite the fact that there are none there! I think it’s those Sovis bots! I just know it!” shouts Stacey.