Not a coincidence that my travel buddies are going to the same place where I am supposed to go. We are from different backgrounds yet sitting beside each other for a previously planned journey.

Let me introduce you to my travel companions. First is James. A software specialist and a very good human thing, he can create magic with his brilliant skills. Second, Nina. She is the only woman on board. She is a Biologist, a scientist whose curious research mind guides us which direction to move to. Next, Tesla and Fernando. They were assembled by Doctor D to help us on this unpredictable journey. Doctor D? He’s not on board; has abundant work pending, back on Earth.

Who would have thought this?

Every morning when you open your eyes you find yourself to be a stranger to a strange new family and you are saying, “I have to deactivate you. I’m sorry…”

My two lovely co-passengers! Tesla and Fernando. The two humanoids are working tirelessly for our space research program, unlike their human counterparts. We, the humans, need rest, feel hungry or find the urge to express our emotions. On the other hand, the two robotic bodies are displaying huge energy levels without ‘feeling’ the need to relax. As James calculates the possibilities to find life on a planet, ‘the two’ act as a catalyst to speed up the results. ‘The two’ have the power to find the result up to the trillionth degree of accuracy. Impossible for a human being. Nina uses them to see the future of species whose samples she gathers from a planet. ‘The two’ inspect, scan, analyse and give result in a very short period of time. They work without getting tired. At least, it had been my observation until they started showing signs of crankiness. In a fury of exhaustion, they would damage things around them and make things difficult for all of us. At that moment, I have no option but to deactivate them for a one time-cycle or maybe two. Considering the technical difficulties of our mission, all the members are equally important.

Sci-fi

Our mission. NASA chose each one of us to accomplish certain tasks in the space, the idea of which we got during the final days of our extensive training. The scientists on the ground had discovered two new planets and wanted to know if there is any possibility of life on them. We, two humans, one cybrog (man-machine) and two humanoids, were chosen to be sent to the Space Center where the necessary equipment had already been placed. The journey in itself is full of possibilities and complexities.

Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m a Cyborg. An antenna protrudes out of my head that can catch and send signals to the Earth and the satellites. Most efficient of all the modes of communication, I communicate with the NASA research centre with zero disturbance.

We come across many satellites and meteorites. We are on our quest for the vast spread of unknown information that humans can’t even explore in millions of years. The curiosity to know the unknown has made the voyages like this, possible.

‘The two’ giants have been deactivated by me for not following the spaceship standards. They need some time to come back to the normal. At the pilot’s seat, I can see huge objects circling around our ship. Usually, James is quick at calculating these risks, but today I’m the one who pointed out.

“What’s going on James? The big stones are the possible dangers to us!” I’m obviously curious.

“I spotted them a few minutes ago and trying to find an alternate path to move ahead.” It is James busy with the calculations, ” You should better bring these Titans to life”, he is pointing towards the robots.

“These things are coming closer, my efforts to connect with the earth station also failed”, I freak out while activating Tesla and Fernando.

“The asteroid belt is not anywhere near the spacecraft. What’s this?”

Hyper, I’m forgetting the lessons taught during pre-voyage training.

Tesla and Fernando have joined us back. The robotic mind calculates and gives the result in seconds.

:::::: Beeeep….. Life spotted.

:::::: Beeeep….. Life spotted.

James and I can’t stop looking at each other. What could be these unknown flying objects? Nina?

Nina, too, is astonishingly affected. Her brain is working fast to deliver an answer to our queries.

Beams of colourful light are hitting our spaceship. And, we are clueless.

“Connection with Earth station is restored, I have informed them the urgency we are facing, up in the space.” Me.

“We can’t deny the possibility of alien ships trying to overpower us!” Nina has a valid point.

Nothing near to what we all know, even James has no idea what is going on. Such situations can occur when you are exploring the unexplored region with knowledge pretty small as compared to the size of the displayed system. We are trapped in the abundance of limitless Space with a possible attack by aliens!

A passage opens in the wall of the cabin. The surprising thing is that it wasn’t there before. Shocks have just begun.

The species who are entering don’t resemble anything….at least I haven’t seen such slimy creatures in my lifetime. One of them seems to be the leader of the clan. On his orders, we are held hostages in our own ship. Tiny, power-punches of about five feet height, the strangers are now the new owners. Can’t count how many of them are here in the cabin but the number definitely exceeded my patience. Invisible radiations are controlling our actions and we can’t move our limbs.

A silent communication appears to be going on among our dominating ‘guests’. The only thing I can hear is the fine, musical notes. The leader sends notes and the others nod their heads. All five of us are reduced to mute spectators. The room is slowly filling with a kind of gas, a sweet gas. We are losing consciousness.

Ample time seems to have passed. My throat needs to be cleared before speaking. Looking around the cabin, I can see my companions lying on the floor. Not all of them. Where is James?

“James!!”

“James!!”

The atmosphere is filled with the traces of the sweet gas. Nina, Tesla, Fernando, all are here, but James!

“Let me connect to the Earth station and ask for guidance,” I assure Nina. The two giant robots are least bothered about what has happened to us.

“James is missing!” There are tears in Nina’s eyes.

“Earth station scientists confirmed that there was an intrusion by aliens. We are at the highest level of risk. Stay composed, Nina, we should plan and act smart, smarter than those aliens.” I am stronger than my usual self.

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.

Many time units have passed.

One of our warriors is still missing. The officials from Earth are signalling us to wind up the process and prepare for the return journey. How can this be possible? Can we return to earth without James?

We want to continue the process but won’t be able to achieve much without James. Our buddy has been kidnapped by the aliens!

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My antenna is giving an unusual signal since the beginning of the day. Nina and I have decided to return to the Earth. My contact with Earth mediators has been constant. While Nina is busy arranging samples and other bits of information, I’m programming for our departure. Tesla and Fernando are creating a nuisance, need to deactivate them for some time.

“Hey, guys! I’m back.”

I’m rubbing my eyes to believe. IT IS JAMES:)

“James is back, Nina, see, James is here:D” My happiness is beyond description.

As Nina is taking time to believe what she is seeing, I want to know where he has been. It might have been so many earth days. Our questioning faces are making things unbearable. James makes himself comfortable on a chair and starts.

“Those were aliens, tall, lanky and no doubt, brainy. I was taken to a huge hall where about twenty of them circled around me. A syringe-like object was inserted in my head and I lost my conscious. I don’t remember the exact time but seemed to be a few earth hours before I regained consciousness. They must have dropped me back on our spaceship. This is what I remember!”

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Clearly a case of alien abduction. We are happy that James has returned but the fear of another attack by those foreign creatures can’t be denied. They are more powerful than us, their technology is more developed than ours and most importantly, it is their area.

We don’t have many options. The research has to be stopped before time to stay on the safer side.

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I’m on my antenna-mode and in discussion with the Earth scientists. James and Nina are on computers. The two giant buddies are helping in removing trash from the ship. It’s almost done, only a signal from Earth would be enough to begin our back journey.

Suddenly, the room is filled with a mysterious gas. The sweet gas that hushed up our return journey. I’m losing my consciousness. The other moment I’m wide awake, encircled by the creepy fellows.

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