Those who came from above were not her direct superiors; they belonged to a completely different organization.
“Ilik, you are an exceptional agent. You fit the requirements of our project perfectly. Let me ask you one thing:
Do you have children?”
“No, I don’t. I am not married, either.”
“Good. Then you are more than suitable. I believe you have no parents as well?”
“None. But… what is this project?”
“The details are classified. As you know, Ilik, our planet possesses a hyper-advanced technological civilization.
But do you ever consider the possibility that another universe exists beyond our own?
Surely it does. Based on that premise, we intend to use our technology to discover and contact other planets.”
“Contact? With other planets? Is that even possible? What if they are a primitive civilization… or one far more advanced than ours?”
“Hmm… that is a plausible assumption. But it is a risk worth taking. Recently, we have received weak but very powerful signals from a specific direction multiple times.” (
As she later found out, this was the period when an asteroid struck Earth during the age of dinosaurs.)
“We plan to send a spacecraft to the source of that signal.”
“Wait… moving directly by spacecraft? Over that immense distance?”
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
“Correct. The mission includes a combat droid, a science droid, and two humans. One male, one female.”
“But at that distance… it takes too long. I will not survive the journey. How is such a trip possible?”
“That is exactly why we called you, Ilik. We are going to separate the mind from the body.
The science droid on the ship will continuously bio-print new bodies.
Every hundred years, we will extract your consciousness and transfer it into a newly manufactured body.
It is almost identical to your current form. However, if gravity acts on the newly reached planet, such bio-printing might be difficult. When you get older,
you must transplant your brain's mind into the body of a local inhabitant of that planet.
Of course, if you want, you can use a droid body instead...”
“I…” She couldn't find the words.
“This project may fail. But it is worth the challenge. Perhaps the future of our planet depends on this mission.”
“…Please give me time to think. But one more thing. What is the name of this project?”
“It is ‘Project: Planet Under Reconfiguration.’ If you arrive alive, send a signal.”
“Last question. You said two people are boarding. One man, one woman. Who is the man?”
“Yes… he is an agent just like you.”
“Ah… it is June.”
The bus pulled up at the entrance to Summerland. She stepped off and began walking slowly toward the beach.
As the glittering waves rolled onto the shore, she slipped off her flat shoes.
Carrying them in one hand, she felt the wet sand beneath her feet as she walked along the water’s edge.
That flash of light and the radio burst from the moment of Earth’s asteroid impact—it had traveled through the vastness of space. And eventually, those signals had reached them.
When humanity was first taking root on Earth, she and the man had arrived. But once they touched down, they never sent a single message back to their home planet.
Walking along the shoreline, a thought crossed her mind.
‘Does our home planet even still exist? It took over a thousand years just to get here...’
A sudden chill of fear crept over her. Part of her almost hoped their home world was gone.
‘Earth needs to prepare itself for what lies out there in the cosmos.’ ‘But... Jun is going to be furious.’
She let her feet sink into the cool surf and closed her eyes. Then, she spoke to the other version of herself—the one standing in R Square.
“ Lillik , Don’t forget the ultimate objective.”