u/Goofyahhnamez

We boarded the ship at the port in Orlando. My father, turned to face me, and said, “Now Cooper, I want you to be on your best behavior.”
I nodded my head, admiring the size of the ship, how small it made me feel, and the loud sounds of the engine as I watched it hover in the air.
I stared, impressed, as my mother’s abrasive voice snapped at me.
“Cooper Williams, are you listening?”
I looked at her as our eyes locked, then turned to my father and replied, “Uhhh, yeah… best behavior.”
They stared at me, waiting to hear the rest.
“How do they get the ship to fly through the air?” I asked, peering at the giant opening as we entered the ship.
My father sighed and rubbed his forehead.
“Cooper,” he said as he knelt and looked me in the eyes.
He whispered to me, “Just nod your head and say, ‘Yes, sir.’ It’s my vacation too, you know? Can’t have her on both our backs.”
I smiled and nodded at my dad.
“Yes, sir. Understood.”
He stood up, now shooting me a stern look.
“That’s right. We mean business. It is not too late to send you back home with your sister if you’re not going to listen.”
He said it before turning to my mother and nodding his head as she smirked in approval. Then he winked at me.
And we boarded the ship.
As we entered the grand hall of the ship, I was amazed by the impressive, vast wooden beams, the giant staircase leading to the upper decks, and the white tile floor.
It looked like something I would see in my history book back in school. It almost looked like pictures my teacher used to show us of this older ship called the Titanic, down to the lights and colors.
Unfortunately, that ship crashed, and it ended horribly.
Luckily there are no icebergs in space, so we shouldn’t meet the same fate, I thought to myself as we were greeted at the main lobby entrance.
“Hello, and welcome to the Grand Royale Sisyphus. Enjoy your stay, and be sure to ask any nearby staff for an accommodation that may be necessary.”
The robot chimed as he moved slowly.
His arms were rigid and almost plastic-like, like action figures. His posture was hollow and still. His head turned from side to side as his eyes looked painted on.
I grabbed onto my mother’s hand as I quivered and felt as if the robot host’s gaze had fixed right on me.
“It’s okay. I know they’re a little difficult to get used to, but they’re harmless, just like a mannequin,” she said as she looked down at me.
I nodded silently.
It had been the first time I had ever seen a robot that looked like this.
Other robots looked like tin cans or were completely mechanical. This one looked as if it were trying to mimic a person but couldn’t quite get it right.
We continued further inside as my father went to the front desk and got our room key.
I stared around at the rest of the ship. I was amazed by the theme and how retro it all looked. Most of Earth’s stores and attractions today are so bleak and gray and empty of life.
This ship felt alive and warm and colorful.
As I looked around, I saw a girl who looked to be about my age.
I stared at her in disbelief. I thought I was the only kid my age who would be here.
I realized I was staring too long as she shrugged and raised her eyebrows at me with an annoyed look.
I turned away quickly, trying to hide my face and stare at a painting on the wall. I acted as interested as possible in the boring painting of this plant, hoping she’d think I was just looking around and not staring at her.
Thankfully, my dad came back as I turned my head away.
“Okay, we are in room 2012. It’s on the second floor,” my dad said, smiling as he looked at me. Then he asked, “Hey, bud, are you okay? Your face is awfully red.”
I shivered as I said, “I’m fine. Can we just go to the room, please? I need to use the bathroom.”
He looked at me, then up at the girl, who I could feel was still staring at me. He looked back at me and chuckled.
“Yeah, okay. Let’s get you there. Wouldn’t want you to be uncomfortable.”
We headed to our room and opened the door.
It was a nice, boring room with a big bed for Mom and Dad and a ladder leading to a bed hovering above theirs.
I put my bags down and looked at the clock on the dresser next to their bed.
It was 12:05.
I sat down on their bed and sighed.
I looked at my phone and stared at the date 07/25/2036.
I kept staring at the screen as I opened my text messages and debated to text my sister, would I tell her I missed her? I was mad at her? She probably didn’t care anyways.
I listened as I heard Mom and Dad talking. Mom mentioned how glad she was that Dad had won this trip on the getaway voyage from work.
Dad mentioned that maybe he should convince me to find something to do so they could have some alone time.
I immediately gagged as I stood up and replied, “What is there even to do? I don’t know anything about this cruise ship except that we’re headed to a star cluster about a week away and then should be back home in another week.”
My father grunted, then said, “That’s correct. And if Whitney hadn’t been caught skipping school, she could’ve been here too.”
I rolled my eyes and sat back down.
“I don’t even know what I’d do.”
My father kissed my mom before suggesting, “Well, I did see some kids your age on the ship. Even a girl.”
I stood up quickly.
“No, thank you. I don’t want to meet them.”
My father continued, “I think she was staring at you.”
My mother laughed and turned to me.
“Aww, honey, how cute. You should go say hi and introduce yourself like the tiny gentleman you are.”
I sighed.
“Is this you telling me to go?”
They both replied, “Yes.”
I picked up my phone and headed out the door as they called after me.
“Be back by 1:00.”
I walked through the long corridor with the red carpet and white walls and headed to the lobby.
When I stepped inside, it was now empty.
Where I had just seen crowds of people and families coming aboard, there was now no sign of life.
The only remnants left were the creepy, low jazz music buzzing over the speakers.
It reminded me of when I used to go shopping with my mom later in the day and her looking at one more thing had turned into two more things, and then eventually we were there for hours.
I turned around, admiring the ghostly sight, as I heard a monotone voice behind me.
“Good evening, Cooper Williams,” the robotic voice chimed.
I jumped as I looked behind me and stared at the blank, expressionless, painted-on face of the robot host.
“How did you know my name?” I stammered, backing away.
“I am programmed with all the information on all guests, and upon arrival your ID verification was submitted so I could more accurately accommodate each guest’s needs.”
The robot spoke as he moved his arms stiffly, his head turning in a swift rotation, not quite staring at me but just past me.
I stared at his molded suit and tie plastered to his cold, metallic body as I slowly backed away.
“Would you be needing anything else, Cooper? The time? The weather? Messages back home?”
I backed away even more.
“Uhhh… no, thank you,” I stammered as I bumped into someone behind me.
“How rude.”
I heard a voice behind me.
“First you stare at me, now you bump into me.”
The girl crossed her arms and turned her head away from me.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t see you there,” I said, smiling awkwardly.
“I’ll say. If you did, you wouldn’t have bumped into me.”
She turned her head back toward me and grinned.
“It was an accident,” I said, rubbing the back of my head.
“Well then, I guess you can make it up to me by accompanying me around the ship.”
She smiled, and I smiled back.
“Hi, I’m Cooper. I’m sorry I stared at you so long earlier.”
She looked at me and smiled.
“It’s okay. I stared back, didn’t I?”
Then she walked up the wooden staircase to the upper deck of the ship.
“So, Cooper, what are you doing on this ship?”
I sighed as I followed her up the stairs.
“My dad won a family trip here.”
She turned back as we started to walk down a hallway on the upper floor.
“Oh, so is that your family you were with earlier?”
I nodded.
“Yeah, everyone except my sister Whitney. She got grounded, so she had to stay home.”
She looked back at me.
“Oh, I’m sorry. That must suck, not seeing her.”
“It’s fine. I mean, yeah, I miss her, but I probably care more than she does. I’m sure she snuck her boyfriend Brad over by now anyway and is forgetting about us.”
She smiled as we continued walking.
“Well, I’m sure that’s not true. I’m sure she misses you as much as you miss her.”
She stopped in front of a giant metal door in the middle of the hallway.
I looked up at the door and saw, in big bold letters on a cold metallic sign:
Restricted Area
I looked at the girl and asked, “What are we doing here?”
She smirked.
“Well, Cooper, one of the perks of my dad working here is that I can steal his keys to all the areas we’re not supposed to go.”
She held up the jingling keys playfully.
“This is crazy. I don’t even know you,” I answered.
She laughed.
“Sure you do. I’m Sophia and I’m 11, and you’re Cooper and you’re?”
I sighed as I replied, “12…I’m Cooper and I’m 12.”
She continued, “Your dad won this trip, and that’s why you’re here. My dad works on the ship—that’s why I’m here. Now let’s go explore.”
She smiled as she gestured toward the door.
I knew it was a bad idea, but I didn’t know how to tell her no.
“Okay.”
I watched as she unlocked the door, and we entered.
We walked up a set of metal stairs, and she stopped at the top.
Sophia looked back at me as I took the final step and eagerly pointed in front of her.
“Well, what do you think?”
I looked at the giant room with huge windows that peered out into space.
I walked inside, taking in the desk panel against the wall with its many colorful buttons, a joystick, switches, and more.
It looked like an arcade game, but with a screen to reality.
If reality were a giant, vast abyss of space.
It was the most incredible thing I had ever seen.
It was so empty and dark, yet so calm and peaceful.
I stared into the blackness as I felt it stare back.
“Pretty neat, right?”
I sighed.
“Yeah, Sophia, it is. Thanks for showing me, I guess.”
I turned around to leave the room.
“Hey, where are you going?” she asked.
“Away from here, since it’s pretty clear we’re not supposed to be here,” I replied as I headed toward the stairs.
“Well, that’s no fun.”
She ran over to the control panel and looked at the multiple buttons and controls.
I turned around and hurried back to her.
“Hey, what the hell are you doing?”
She laughed.
“Relax. I’m not gonna press anything.”
I sighed in relief and sat down in the captain’s chair nearby.
She looked at me and smiled.
“Unless…”
She hovered her hand above a giant handprint on a shiny screen covered by a red scanning grid.
“Sophia, please stop,” I begged.
She laughed as she continued to tease me.
Before either of us could say anything else, a booming voice came from the entrance near the stairwell.
“Sophia Turner, you better stop this instant.”
The voice echoed through the room.
Sophia turned toward it and slipped.
She landed on the control panel as I gripped the arms of the chair.
The man rushed toward her, but it was too late.
She landed on a green button, a red one, and knocked the joystick slightly to the left.
The switches may have even been altered—it was hard to tell as fast as it all happened.
What it really looked and felt like was five minutes of slight left turns and loud alarms before the man adjusted the controls and steadied the ship.
He shut off the alarms, grabbed the radio beside the controls, and announced,
“Good afternoon, everyone. This is Captain Turner speaking. We apologize for the slight turbulence. We have corrected the error and are now back en route. Please enjoy the remainder of your voyage.”
He signed off.
“Sophia Turner, what have I told you about being in here?” the captain said angrily.
“I’m sorry, Daddy. It was an accident.”
“An accident? You stole my keys.”
She hung her head.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry I messed up the controls too. I didn’t mean to.”
She sobbed as he knelt down and hugged her.
“It’s alright. I’m just glad it wasn’t much worse. It could’ve been.”
He hugged her tightly before standing and looking at me.
“And who are you?”
Sophia answered for me.
“This is Cooper. His family is staying on the ship.”
The captain looked down at me.
“I see. Well, it’s nice to meet you, son, but I think you’d better get back down to the main deck now.”
I nodded and stood up.
“Yes, sir.”
As soon as I answered, a radio transmission came in.
“Terrain to Sisyphus… do you copy? Terrain to Sisyphus, this is emergent.”
The Captain turned from me and grabbed the radio.
“Sisyphus to Terrain, what’s your traffic?” he said.
I stopped and looked at Sophia, willing her to follow me back toward the lobby.
“Sisyphus, what point are you in the voyage?”
The Captain replied quickly, “Sisyphus to Terrain, we haven’t even made it to our first stop. We have just left Earth as of 1200, current time 1315.”
I turned to Sophia. “Oh crap, I was supposed to meet my parents at 1. I’m 15 minutes late.”
Just as I started to head out, the next message came through.
“Sisyphus… they set off the bombs…” followed by radio silence.
I stopped at the top of the stairs and turned to look.
Sophia began crying again quietly, and the Captain was frozen in place.
“Dad, what’s happening?”
The Captain ignored Sophia and spoke into the radio again.
“Sisyphus to Terrain, who set off the bombs?”
Silence.
“Terrain, do you copy?”
Nothing.
The room was quiet as I saw tears fall down Sophia’s face, and the Captain faced forward.
“Cooper, I think you better go back to your parents. Hug your mother, and tell your father you love him,” the Captain said as he continued to look out into the vast darkness.
I ran back down the stairs and into the top floor of the lobby.
The dark red carpet and wooden stairs made me feel sick, as well as the smell of the antique light fixtures and piano.
“Cooper… you get your butt down here,” my mother said, calling from the floor of the lobby as I ran down to my parents.
“What did I tell you about meeting us?”
I ran up to my mother and father and cried as I hugged them both.
“Cooper, honey, what’s wrong?” my mother asked as an announcement came over the intercom.
“Good evening, guests. This is Captain Turner speaking. If I could have everyone come to the lobby floor for an important announcement by 1330, that would be much appreciated. Thank you, and I hope you’re enjoying your voyage on the Sisyphus.”
I continued to hug them, because I knew what was coming.
At 1325, everyone started to pile into the lobby.
The room became crowded and loud, and the black-and-white tile floor slowly disappeared under the number of people standing so close together.
At 1328, the Captain walked out on the top floor of the lobby and stood in front of the crowd. He took a moment to prepare before speaking.
Sophia rushed down the stairs, found me, and held my hand. I could tell she was scared, and I whispered in her ear, “It’s okay. Everything is going to be okay.”
The truth was, I was scared too.
At 1331, the crowd became restless as the Captain raised his hand and silenced them.
“I have recently received a transmission from Earth. It was alarming and distressing,” he said, stumbling through his words before speaking more slowly.
“I don’t know how else to say this, but I received a transmission that back home bombs have been set off.”
Everyone gasped. Some fainted. Some looked like they would cry.
“What areas have been affected?” someone asked from the crowd.
“We’re unsure,” the Captain responded.
“Did anyone survive?”
“Not much was reported,” he replied, rubbing his temple.
“Well, what was reported on the bombings on Earth?” the man in the crowd asked.
At that moment, the robot greeter from the entrance spoke up.
“Earth bombing reports. Date of bombing: 07/25/2036 at 1105 Central Time.”
The murmuring and gasps grew louder as they waited to hear what the eerie robotic butler had to say.
He turned his rigid head and faced us with his painted-on, expressionless face and continued.
“Bombs set off in North America, Europe, Asia… areas affected… standby.”
A long pause followed.
The silence filled the room as everyone waited.
The time was now 1345 as the robot continued.
“Areas affected… standby… Areas affected… standby…”
The uproar was immediate as everyone panicked, and the Captain tried to settle the room, but his voice was drowned out.
I held Sophia’s hand tightly and tried to wear a brave expression on my face like a mask, hoping if I didn’t show fear, maybe she wouldn’t either.
At 1348, the robot finally responded.
“Incoming updates on Earth bombings on 07/25/2036… areas affected unknown…”
Everyone panicked.
The robot continued, almost casually.
“Is there anything else I can do? The weather? Ship facts? The time?”
The Captain spoke over the chaos and asked the robot, “Teddy, send an emergency transmission to Terrain for immediate updates.”
“Copy that, Captain Turner. Trying for an emergency transmission…”
Teddy, the robot greeter, continued.
“Stand by…”
At 1350, he responded.
“Unable to complete request.”
The Captain asked, “Why not?”
Teddy replied:
“There is no Terrain.”
The adults looked at each other in panic, and my parents turned to me in fear.
My mother was crying. My father was speechless.
We all stood by Teddy in disbelief.
I kept waiting for someone to answer, but no one ever did.
End of part 1

 
We boarded the ship at the dock in town, my father true to me, said, “Now Cooper, I want you to be on your best behavior.” I nodded my head, admiring the size of the ship, how small it made me feel, and the loud sounds of the engine as I watched it hover in the air. I stared impressed as my mother's abrasive voice snapped at me, “Cooper Williams, are you listening?” I looked at her as my eyes locked on and then I turned to my father and replied, “Uhhh, yeah…best behavior.” They stared at me waiting to hear the rest. “How do they get the ship to fly through the air?” I asked peering at the giant opening as we entered the ship. My father sighed and rubbed his forehead. “Cooper,” he said as he knelt and looked me in the eyes.
He whispered to me, “Just nod your head and say yes sir, it’s my vacation too you know? Can’t have her on both our backs.” I smiled and nodded at my dad. “Yes, sir understood.” He stood up no shooting me a stern look. “That’s right, we mean business, it is not too late to send you back home with your sister if you’re not going to listen.” He said before turning to my mother nodding his head as she smirked in approval and he winked at me. And we boarded the ship.
As we entered the grand hall of the ship, I was amazed by the impressive, vast wooden beams, the giant staircase leading to the upper decks, and the white tile floor. It looked like something I would see in my history book back in school. It almost looked like pictures my teacher used to show us of this older ship called the Titanic down to the lights and colors. Unfortunately, that ship crashed and it ended horribly. Luckily there are no icebergs in space so we shouldn’t meet the same fate. I thought to myself as we were greeted at the main lobby entrance. “Hello and welcome to the Grand Royale Sisyphus enjoy your stay and be sure to ask any nearby staff for an accommodation that may be necessary.” The robot chimed out as he moved slowly. His arms were rigid and almost plastic-like, like action figures. His posture was hollow and still. His head turned side to side as his eyes looked painted on.
I grabbed onto my mother's hand as I quivered and felt as if the robot host's gaze had fixed right on me. “It’s ok I know they’re a little difficult to get used to, but they’re harmless just like a mannequin,” she said as she looked down at me, and I nodded silently. It had been the first time I had ever seen a robot that looked like this. Other robots looked like tin cans or were completely mechanical, this one looked as if it were trying to mimic a person but couldn’t get it right.  
We continued further inside as my father went to the front desk and got our room key. I stared around at the rest of the ship, I was amazed by the theme and how retro it all looked. Most of Earth’s stores and attractions today are so bleak and gray and empty of life. This ship felt alive and warm and colorful. As I looked around I saw a girl, who looked to be about my age. I stared at her in disbelief. I thought I was the only kid my age who would be here. I realized I was staring too long as she shrugged and raised her eyes at me in an annoyed look. I turned away quickly trying to hide my face and stare at a painting on the wall, I acted as interested as possible in the boring painting of this plant hoping she’d think I was just looking around and not staring at her. Thankfully my dad came back as I turned my head away.
“Ok we are in room 2012, it’s on the second floor.” My dad said smiling as he looked at me then asked. “Hey, bud, are you ok? Your face is awfully red.” I shivered as I said, “I’m fine can we just go to the room please; I need to use the bathroom.” He looked at me then up at the girl who I could feel was still staring at me. He looked back at me and chuckled as he said, “Yeah ok, let’s get you there, wouldn’t want you to be uncomfortable.” We headed to our room and opened the door. It was a nice boring room, with a big bed for mom and dad and a ladder leading to a bed hovering above theirs. I put my bags down and looked at the clock on the dresser next to their bed. It was 12:05, I sat down on their bed and sighed.
I listened as I heard Mom and Dad talking, mom mentioned how glad she was that Dad won this trip on the getaway voyage from work. Dad mentioned that maybe he should convince me to find something to do so they could have alone time. I immediately gagged as I stood up and replied, “What is there even to do? I don’t know anything about this cruise ship, except that we’re headed to a star cluster about a week away and then should be back home in another week.” My father grunted then said “That’s correct and if Whitney hadn’t been caught skipping school she could’ve been here too.” I rolled my eyes and sat down. “I don’t even know what I’d do.” I replied, my father suggested as he kissed my mom, “Well, I did see some kids your age on the ship, even a girl.” I stood up quickly and said “No, thank you I don’t want to meet them.” My father continued, “I think she was staring at you.” My mother laughed and turned to me, “Aww, honey how cute you should go say hi and introduce yourself like the tiny gentleman you are.” I sighed, “Is this you telling me to go?” They both replied, “Yes.” I picked up my phone and headed out the door as they yelled out. “Be back by 1:00” as I closed the door and headed out.
I walked through the long corridor with the red carpet and white walls and headed to the lobby. I walked out into the lobby to see it was now empty. Where I had just seen crowds of people and families coming, it was now empty of any signs of life. The only remnants left were the creepy, low, jazz music playing, buzzing over the speakers. It reminded me of when I used to go shopping with my mom later in the day and her looking at one more thing, had turned into two more things, and then eventually we were there for hours. I turned around admiring the ghostly sight as I heard a monotone voice behind me. “Good evening, Cooper Williams” the robotic voice chimed out.
I jumped as I looked behind me and stared at the blank, expressionless, painted-on face of the robot host. “How did you know my name?” I stammered backing away. “I am programmed with all the information on all guests and upon arrival, your ID verification was submitted so I could more accurately target each host for all accommodation and needs.” The robot said as he moved his arms stiffly and his head turned in a swift rotation not quite staring at me but past me. I stared at his molded suit and tie plastered to his cold, metallic body as I slowly backed away. “Would you be needing anything else, Cooper? The time? The weather? Messages back home?” I backed away some more as I stammered, “uhhh no thank you.” I said as I bumped into someone behind me.
“How rude.” I heard a voice behind me say. “First you stare at me, now you bump into me.” The girl said crossing her arms as she turned her head away from me. “I’m sorry I didn’t see you there,” I said smiling awkwardly. “I’ll say, if you did you wouldn’t have bumped into me.” She snarked as she turned her head back to me and grinned. “It was an accident.” I said rubbing the back of my head as she replied, “Well then guess you can make it up to me by accompanying me around the ship. She said as she smiled and I smiled back. “Hi, I’m cooper I’m sorry I stared at you so long earlier.” She looked at me and said, “It’s ok I stared back didn’t I?” She walked off and up the wooden staircase to the upper deck of the ship.
“So Cooper, what are you doing on this ship?” I sighed following her up the stairs. “My dad won a family trip here.” She turned back as we started to walk down a hallway on the upper floor. “Oh so is that your family you were with earlier?” I nodded my head, “Yeah, everyone except my sister Whitney, she got grounded so she had to stay home.” She stared back at me. “Oh I’m sorry, that must suck not seeing her.” I reply, “It’s fine I mean yeah I miss her, but I care probably more than she does. I’m sure she snuck her boyfriend Brad over by now anyways and is forgetting about us.” She answers back as we walk further. “Well I’m sure that’s not true, I’m sure she misses you as much as you miss her.” She said before stopping in front of a giant metal door in the middle of the hallway.  
I looked up at the door and saw in big bold letters on the cold metallic sign. Restricted Area, I looked at the girl and asked, “What are we doing here?” She smirked at me and replied, “Well Cooper, one of the perks of my dad working here is that I can steal his keys to all the areas we’re not supposed to go.” She said as she held up the jingling keys playfully. “This is crazy I don’t even know you,” I answer. She laughs, then says, “Sure you do in Sophia and you’re Cooper.” She continues, “Your dad won this trip and that’s why you’re here, my dad works on the ship that’s why in her now let’s go explore.” She smiled as she gestured towards the door. I knew it was a bad idea, but I didn’t know how to tell her no. “Ok I said as I looked at her and watched her unlock the door we entered.  
We walked up a set of metal stairs and she stopped at the top. Sophia looked back at me as I took the final step and pointed in front of her eagerly. “Well, what do you think?” She said as I looked at the giant room with huge windows that peered out into space. I walked inside the room as I observed, the desk panel against the wall with many colorful buttons, a joystick, switches, and more. It looked like an arcade game but with a screen to reality. If reality was a giant vast abyss of space. It was the most incredible thing I had ever seen. It was so empty and dark, yet so calm and peaceful. I stared into the blackness as I felt it stare back and then she spoke. “Pretty neat right?” I sighed, “Yeah, Sophia it is, thanks for showing me I guess.” I said turning around to leave the room. “Hey where are you going?” she asked me. “Away from here since it’s pretty clear we're not supposed to be here,” I said as I headed to the stairs.
“Well that’s no fun,” she said as she ran to the control panel and looked at the multiple buttons and choices for controls. I turned around and ran back to her. “Hey guys, what the hell are you doing?” she laughed, “Relax, I'm no gonna press anything.” I sighed in relief then sat down in the captain's chair nearby. She looked at me and smiled, “Unless…”, she said as she hovered her hand above a giant hand imprint on a shiny screen with a grid of red over the hand prints. “Sophia please stop,” I begged her as she hovered her hand and laughed. As I watched and begged, we both jumped to a booming voice from the entrance of the room near the stairwell.
“Sophia Turner, you better stop this instance.” Th voice commanded as Sophia turned to look towards it and slipped. She landed on the control panel as I gripped the arms of the chair and the man rushed towards her, but it was too late. She landed on a green button, a red one, and knocked the joystick slightly to the left. The switches may have even been altered it was hard to tell as fast as it happened. What it really looked and felt like was 5 minutes of slight left spins and loud alarms before the man adjusted the controls and steadied the ship. He turned off the alarms and grabbed the radio right next to the controls and announced. “Good afternoon everyone this is Captain Turner speaking, we apologize for the slight turbulence, we have corrected the error and are now back en route. Please enjoy the remainder of your voyage.” He spoke as he signed off.
“Sophia Turner what have I told you about being in here?” the Captain said angrily, “I’m sorry, Daddy; it was an accident.” He cut her off, “An accident? You stole my keys” he replied as she hung her head and apologized. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry I messed up the controls too. I didn’t mean to” she said as she sobbed and he knelt and hugged her. “It’s alright, I’m just glad it wasn’t much worse, it could’ve been.” He hugged her tight and then stood up and looked at me. “And who are you?” Sophia answered for me, “This is Cooper, his family is staying on the ship.” The Captain looked down at me and said, “I see well it’s nice to meet you son but I think you better get back down to the main deck now. I nodded my head and stood up and replied, “Yes sir.” As soon as I did a radio transmission came in.
Terrain to Sisyphus…do you copy? Terrain to Sisyphus this is emergent. The Captain turned from me and grabbed the radio. “Sisyphus to Terrain, what's your traffic?” he spoke as I stopped and looked at Sophia, willing her face and walking towards me to leave with me to the lobby. Sisyphus, what point are you in the voyage?  The Captain replied quickly, “Sisyphus to Terrain, we haven’t even made it to our first stop, we have just left Earth as of 1200 current time 1315.” I turned to Sophia, “Oh crap I was supposed to meet my parents at 1, I’m 15 minutes late.” Just as I started to head out. The next message came through. Sisyphus… they set off the bombs…followed by radio silence.
I stopped at the top of the stairs and turned to look. Sophia, began crying again quietly, and the Captain was frozen in place. “Dad what’s happening?” The Captain ignored Sophia and spoke into the radio again. “Sisyphus to Terrain, who set off the bombs?” Silence, “Terrain do you copy?” Nothing. The room was quiet as I saw tears fall down Sophia's face and the Captain faced forward. “Cooper I think you better go back to your parents, big your mother, and tell your father you love him.” The Captain said as he continued to look forward out at the vast darkness.
I ran back down the stairs and into the top floor of the lobby. The dark red carpet and wooden stairs made me feel sick as well as the smell of the antique light fixtures and piano. “Cooper…you get your butt done here” my mother said calling from the floor of the lobby as I ran down to my parents. “What it did I tell you to meet us?” I ran up to my mother and father and cried as I hugged them both and cried. “Cooper, honey what’s wrong?” my mother asked as an announcement came over the intercom. “Good evening guests, this is Captain Turner speaking, if I could have everyone come to the lobby floor for an important announcement by 1330 that would be much appreciated, thank you and I hope you’re enjoying your voyage, on the Sisyphus.” I continued to hug them as I knew what was coming.
At 1325 everyone started to pile into the lobby, the room became crowded and loud and the black and white tile floor slowly became hard to see, from everyone standing so close. At 1328 the Captain walked out on the top floor of the lobby and stood in front of the crowd and took a minute to prepare before he spoke, Sophia rushed down the stairs found me, and held my hand. I could tell she was scared and I whispered in her ear,” It’s ok, everything was gonna be ok.” The truth is I was scared too.  At 1331 the crowd becomes restless as the Captain holds up and silences them. “I have recently received a transmission from Earth, it was alarming and distressing,” he said as he stumbled through words and then spoke slowly.   “I don’t know how else to say it, but I received a transmission that back home bombs have been set off.” Everyone gasped, some fainted, some looked like they would cry. “What areas have been affected?” someone asked from the crowd. “We’re unsure,” the Captain responded. “Did anyone survive?” another asked, “Not much was reported.” The Captain replied as he looked down and rubbed his temple.
“Well, what was reported on the bombings on Earth?” As the man in the crowd asked this, the robot greeter from the entrance spoke up, Earth bombing reports, Date of bombing, 07/25/2036 at 1105 Central Time. The bickering, and gasps were loud as they waited to hear what the eerie robotic butler had to say. He turned his rigid head and faced us with his painted-on fake expressionless face and continued. Bombs set off in North America, Europe, Asia, areas affected…..standby A long pause followed. The silence filled the room as everyone waited. The time was now 1345 as the robot continued, Areas affected…standby…..Areas affected standby…. The uproar was immediate as everyone panicked and the Captian tried to settle the room but his voice was drowned out. I held Sophia’s hand tightly and tried to wear a brave expression on my face like a mask, hoping if I didn’t show fear maybe she wouldn’t either.
At 1348 the robot finally responded, in coming updates on Earth Bombings on 07/25/2036…..Areas affected unknown……Everyone panicked. The robot continued as he casually asked, Is there any thing else I can do? The weather? Ship facts? The time? The Captian spoke over everyone and asked the robot. “Teddy send an emergency transmission to Terrain for immediate updates.” Copy that, Captain Turner, trying for an emergency transmission….Teddy continued to try as he chimed, standby, until 1350 when he responded, Unable to complete request "Captain asked, “Why not?” Teddy responded There is no Terrain.
The adults looked at each other panicked, and my parents turned to me in fear. My mother was crying, and my father was speechless. We all stood by Teddy in disbelief. I kept waiting for someone to answer, but no one ever did.
End of part 1    

We boarded the ship at the port in Orlando. My father, turned to face me, and said, “Now Cooper, I want you to be on your best behavior.”
I nodded my head, admiring the size of the ship, how small it made me feel, and the loud sounds of the engine as I watched it hover in the air.
I stared, impressed, as my mother’s abrasive voice snapped at me.
“Cooper Williams, are you listening?”
I looked at her as our eyes locked, then turned to my father and replied, “Uhhh, yeah… best behavior.”
They stared at me, waiting to hear the rest.
“How do they get the ship to fly through the air?” I asked, peering at the giant opening as we entered the ship.
My father sighed and rubbed his forehead.
“Cooper,” he said as he knelt and looked me in the eyes.
He whispered to me, “Just nod your head and say, ‘Yes, sir.’ It’s my vacation too, you know? Can’t have her on both our backs.”
I smiled and nodded at my dad.
“Yes, sir. Understood.”
He stood up, now shooting me a stern look.
“That’s right. We mean business. It is not too late to send you back home with your sister if you’re not going to listen.”
He said it before turning to my mother and nodding his head as she smirked in approval. Then he winked at me.
And we boarded the ship.
As we entered the grand hall of the ship, I was amazed by the impressive, vast wooden beams, the giant staircase leading to the upper decks, and the white tile floor.
It looked like something I would see in my history book back in school. It almost looked like pictures my teacher used to show us of this older ship called the Titanic, down to the lights and colors.
Unfortunately, that ship crashed, and it ended horribly.
Luckily there are no icebergs in space, so we shouldn’t meet the same fate, I thought to myself as we were greeted at the main lobby entrance.
“Hello, and welcome to the Grand Royale Sisyphus. Enjoy your stay, and be sure to ask any nearby staff for an accommodation that may be necessary.”
The robot chimed as he moved slowly.
His arms were rigid and almost plastic-like, like action figures. His posture was hollow and still. His head turned from side to side as his eyes looked painted on.
I grabbed onto my mother’s hand as I quivered and felt as if the robot host’s gaze had fixed right on me.
“It’s okay. I know they’re a little difficult to get used to, but they’re harmless, just like a mannequin,” she said as she looked down at me.
I nodded silently.
It had been the first time I had ever seen a robot that looked like this.
Other robots looked like tin cans or were completely mechanical. This one looked as if it were trying to mimic a person but couldn’t quite get it right.
We continued further inside as my father went to the front desk and got our room key.
I stared around at the rest of the ship. I was amazed by the theme and how retro it all looked. Most of Earth’s stores and attractions today are so bleak and gray and empty of life.
This ship felt alive and warm and colorful.
As I looked around, I saw a girl who looked to be about my age.
I stared at her in disbelief. I thought I was the only kid my age who would be here.
I realized I was staring too long as she shrugged and raised her eyebrows at me with an annoyed look.
I turned away quickly, trying to hide my face and stare at a painting on the wall. I acted as interested as possible in the boring painting of this plant, hoping she’d think I was just looking around and not staring at her.
Thankfully, my dad came back as I turned my head away.
“Okay, we are in room 2012. It’s on the second floor,” my dad said, smiling as he looked at me. Then he asked, “Hey, bud, are you okay? Your face is awfully red.”
I shivered as I said, “I’m fine. Can we just go to the room, please? I need to use the bathroom.”
He looked at me, then up at the girl, who I could feel was still staring at me. He looked back at me and chuckled.
“Yeah, okay. Let’s get you there. Wouldn’t want you to be uncomfortable.”
We headed to our room and opened the door.
It was a nice, boring room with a big bed for Mom and Dad and a ladder leading to a bed hovering above theirs.
I put my bags down and looked at the clock on the dresser next to their bed.
It was 12:05.
I sat down on their bed and sighed.
I looked at my phone and stared at the date 07/25/2036.
I kept staring at the screen as I opened my text messages and debated to text my sister, would I tell her I missed her? I was mad at her? She probably didn’t care anyways.
I listened as I heard Mom and Dad talking. Mom mentioned how glad she was that Dad had won this trip on the getaway voyage from work.
Dad mentioned that maybe he should convince me to find something to do so they could have some alone time.
I immediately gagged as I stood up and replied, “What is there even to do? I don’t know anything about this cruise ship except that we’re headed to a star cluster about a week away and then should be back home in another week.”
My father grunted, then said, “That’s correct. And if Whitney hadn’t been caught skipping school, she could’ve been here too.”
I rolled my eyes and sat back down.
“I don’t even know what I’d do.”
My father kissed my mom before suggesting, “Well, I did see some kids your age on the ship. Even a girl.”
I stood up quickly.
“No, thank you. I don’t want to meet them.”
My father continued, “I think she was staring at you.”
My mother laughed and turned to me.
“Aww, honey, how cute. You should go say hi and introduce yourself like the tiny gentleman you are.”
I sighed.
“Is this you telling me to go?”
They both replied, “Yes.”
I picked up my phone and headed out the door as they called after me.
“Be back by 1:00.”
I walked through the long corridor with the red carpet and white walls and headed to the lobby.
When I stepped inside, it was now empty.
Where I had just seen crowds of people and families coming aboard, there was now no sign of life.
The only remnants left were the creepy, low jazz music buzzing over the speakers.
It reminded me of when I used to go shopping with my mom later in the day and her looking at one more thing had turned into two more things, and then eventually we were there for hours.
I turned around, admiring the ghostly sight, as I heard a monotone voice behind me.
“Good evening, Cooper Williams,” the robotic voice chimed.
I jumped as I looked behind me and stared at the blank, expressionless, painted-on face of the robot host.
“How did you know my name?” I stammered, backing away.
“I am programmed with all the information on all guests, and upon arrival your ID verification was submitted so I could more accurately accommodate each guest’s needs.”
The robot spoke as he moved his arms stiffly, his head turning in a swift rotation, not quite staring at me but just past me.
I stared at his molded suit and tie plastered to his cold, metallic body as I slowly backed away.
“Would you be needing anything else, Cooper? The time? The weather? Messages back home?”
I backed away even more.
“Uhhh… no, thank you,” I stammered as I bumped into someone behind me.
“How rude.”
I heard a voice behind me.
“First you stare at me, now you bump into me.”
The girl crossed her arms and turned her head away from me.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t see you there,” I said, smiling awkwardly.
“I’ll say. If you did, you wouldn’t have bumped into me.”
She turned her head back toward me and grinned.
“It was an accident,” I said, rubbing the back of my head.
“Well then, I guess you can make it up to me by accompanying me around the ship.”
She smiled, and I smiled back.
“Hi, I’m Cooper. I’m sorry I stared at you so long earlier.”
She looked at me and smiled.
“It’s okay. I stared back, didn’t I?”
Then she walked up the wooden staircase to the upper deck of the ship.
“So, Cooper, what are you doing on this ship?”
I sighed as I followed her up the stairs.
“My dad won a family trip here.”
She turned back as we started to walk down a hallway on the upper floor.
“Oh, so is that your family you were with earlier?”
I nodded.
“Yeah, everyone except my sister Whitney. She got grounded, so she had to stay home.”
She looked back at me.
“Oh, I’m sorry. That must suck, not seeing her.”
“It’s fine. I mean, yeah, I miss her, but I probably care more than she does. I’m sure she snuck her boyfriend Brad over by now anyway and is forgetting about us.”
She smiled as we continued walking.
“Well, I’m sure that’s not true. I’m sure she misses you as much as you miss her.”
She stopped in front of a giant metal door in the middle of the hallway.
I looked up at the door and saw, in big bold letters on a cold metallic sign:
Restricted Area
I looked at the girl and asked, “What are we doing here?”
She smirked.
“Well, Cooper, one of the perks of my dad working here is that I can steal his keys to all the areas we’re not supposed to go.”
She held up the jingling keys playfully.
“This is crazy. I don’t even know you,” I answered.
She laughed.
“Sure you do. I’m Sophia and I’m 11, and you’re Cooper and you’re?”
I sighed as I replied, “12…I’m Cooper and I’m 12.”
She continued, “Your dad won this trip, and that’s why you’re here. My dad works on the ship—that’s why I’m here. Now let’s go explore.”
She smiled as she gestured toward the door.
I knew it was a bad idea, but I didn’t know how to tell her no.
“Okay.”
I watched as she unlocked the door, and we entered.
We walked up a set of metal stairs, and she stopped at the top.
Sophia looked back at me as I took the final step and eagerly pointed in front of her.
“Well, what do you think?”
I looked at the giant room with huge windows that peered out into space.
I walked inside, taking in the desk panel against the wall with its many colorful buttons, a joystick, switches, and more.
It looked like an arcade game, but with a screen to reality.
If reality were a giant, vast abyss of space.
It was the most incredible thing I had ever seen.
It was so empty and dark, yet so calm and peaceful.
I stared into the blackness as I felt it stare back.
“Pretty neat, right?”
I sighed.
“Yeah, Sophia, it is. Thanks for showing me, I guess.”
I turned around to leave the room.
“Hey, where are you going?” she asked.
“Away from here, since it’s pretty clear we’re not supposed to be here,” I replied as I headed toward the stairs.
“Well, that’s no fun.”
She ran over to the control panel and looked at the multiple buttons and controls.
I turned around and hurried back to her.
“Hey, what the hell are you doing?”
She laughed.
“Relax. I’m not gonna press anything.”
I sighed in relief and sat down in the captain’s chair nearby.
She looked at me and smiled.
“Unless…”
She hovered her hand above a giant handprint on a shiny screen covered by a red scanning grid.
“Sophia, please stop,” I begged.
She laughed as she continued to tease me.
Before either of us could say anything else, a booming voice came from the entrance near the stairwell.
“Sophia Turner, you better stop this instant.”
The voice echoed through the room.
Sophia turned toward it and slipped.
She landed on the control panel as I gripped the arms of the chair.
The man rushed toward her, but it was too late.
She landed on a green button, a red one, and knocked the joystick slightly to the left.
The switches may have even been altered—it was hard to tell as fast as it all happened.
What it really looked and felt like was five minutes of slight left turns and loud alarms before the man adjusted the controls and steadied the ship.
He shut off the alarms, grabbed the radio beside the controls, and announced,
“Good afternoon, everyone. This is Captain Turner speaking. We apologize for the slight turbulence. We have corrected the error and are now back en route. Please enjoy the remainder of your voyage.”
He signed off.
“Sophia Turner, what have I told you about being in here?” the captain said angrily.
“I’m sorry, Daddy. It was an accident.”
“An accident? You stole my keys.”
She hung her head.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry I messed up the controls too. I didn’t mean to.”
She sobbed as he knelt down and hugged her.
“It’s alright. I’m just glad it wasn’t much worse. It could’ve been.”
He hugged her tightly before standing and looking at me.
“And who are you?”
Sophia answered for me.
“This is Cooper. His family is staying on the ship.”
The captain looked down at me.
“I see. Well, it’s nice to meet you, son, but I think you’d better get back down to the main deck now.”
I nodded and stood up.
“Yes, sir.”
As soon as I answered, a radio transmission came in.
“Terrain to Sisyphus… do you copy? Terrain to Sisyphus, this is emergent.”
The Captain turned from me and grabbed the radio.
“Sisyphus to Terrain, what’s your traffic?” he said.
I stopped and looked at Sophia, willing her to follow me back toward the lobby.
“Sisyphus, what point are you in the voyage?”
The Captain replied quickly, “Sisyphus to Terrain, we haven’t even made it to our first stop. We have just left Earth as of 1200, current time 1315.”
I turned to Sophia. “Oh crap, I was supposed to meet my parents at 1. I’m 15 minutes late.”
Just as I started to head out, the next message came through.
“Sisyphus… they set off the bombs…” followed by radio silence.
I stopped at the top of the stairs and turned to look.
Sophia began crying again quietly, and the Captain was frozen in place.
“Dad, what’s happening?”
The Captain ignored Sophia and spoke into the radio again.
“Sisyphus to Terrain, who set off the bombs?”
Silence.
“Terrain, do you copy?”
Nothing.
The room was quiet as I saw tears fall down Sophia’s face, and the Captain faced forward.
“Cooper, I think you better go back to your parents. Hug your mother, and tell your father you love him,” the Captain said as he continued to look out into the vast darkness.
I ran back down the stairs and into the top floor of the lobby.
The dark red carpet and wooden stairs made me feel sick, as well as the smell of the antique light fixtures and piano.
“Cooper… you get your butt down here,” my mother said, calling from the floor of the lobby as I ran down to my parents.
“What did I tell you about meeting us?”
I ran up to my mother and father and cried as I hugged them both.
“Cooper, honey, what’s wrong?” my mother asked as an announcement came over the intercom.
“Good evening, guests. This is Captain Turner speaking. If I could have everyone come to the lobby floor for an important announcement by 1330, that would be much appreciated. Thank you, and I hope you’re enjoying your voyage on the Sisyphus.”
I continued to hug them, because I knew what was coming.
At 1325, everyone started to pile into the lobby.
The room became crowded and loud, and the black-and-white tile floor slowly disappeared under the number of people standing so close together.
At 1328, the Captain walked out on the top floor of the lobby and stood in front of the crowd. He took a moment to prepare before speaking.
Sophia rushed down the stairs, found me, and held my hand. I could tell she was scared, and I whispered in her ear, “It’s okay. Everything is going to be okay.”
The truth was, I was scared too.
At 1331, the crowd became restless as the Captain raised his hand and silenced them.
“I have recently received a transmission from Earth. It was alarming and distressing,” he said, stumbling through his words before speaking more slowly.
“I don’t know how else to say this, but I received a transmission that back home bombs have been set off.”
Everyone gasped. Some fainted. Some looked like they would cry.
“What areas have been affected?” someone asked from the crowd.
“We’re unsure,” the Captain responded.
“Did anyone survive?”
“Not much was reported,” he replied, rubbing his temple.
“Well, what was reported on the bombings on Earth?” the man in the crowd asked.
At that moment, the robot greeter from the entrance spoke up.
“Earth bombing reports. Date of bombing: 07/25/2036 at 1105 Central Time.”
The murmuring and gasps grew louder as they waited to hear what the eerie robotic butler had to say.
He turned his rigid head and faced us with his painted-on, expressionless face and continued.
“Bombs set off in North America, Europe, Asia… areas affected… standby.”
A long pause followed.
The silence filled the room as everyone waited.
The time was now 1345 as the robot continued.
“Areas affected… standby… Areas affected… standby…”
The uproar was immediate as everyone panicked, and the Captain tried to settle the room, but his voice was drowned out.
I held Sophia’s hand tightly and tried to wear a brave expression on my face like a mask, hoping if I didn’t show fear, maybe she wouldn’t either.
At 1348, the robot finally responded.
“Incoming updates on Earth bombings on 07/25/2036… areas affected unknown…”
Everyone panicked.
The robot continued, almost casually.
“Is there anything else I can do? The weather? Ship facts? The time?”
The Captain spoke over the chaos and asked the robot, “Teddy, send an emergency transmission to Terrain for immediate updates.”
“Copy that, Captain Turner. Trying for an emergency transmission…”
Teddy, the robot greeter, continued.
“Stand by…”
At 1350, he responded.
“Unable to complete request.”
The Captain asked, “Why not?”
Teddy replied:
“There is no Terrain.”
The adults looked at each other in panic, and my parents turned to me in fear.
My mother was crying. My father was speechless.
We all stood by Teddy in disbelief.
I kept waiting for someone to answer, but no one ever did.
End of part 1

We boarded the ship at the port in Orlando. My father, turned to face me, and said, “Now Cooper, I want you to be on your best behavior.”
I nodded my head, admiring the size of the ship, how small it made me feel, and the loud sounds of the engine as I watched it hover in the air.
I stared, impressed, as my mother’s abrasive voice snapped at me.
“Cooper Williams, are you listening?”
I looked at her as our eyes locked, then turned to my father and replied, “Uhhh, yeah… best behavior.”
They stared at me, waiting to hear the rest.
“How do they get the ship to fly through the air?” I asked, peering at the giant opening as we entered the ship.
My father sighed and rubbed his forehead.
“Cooper,” he said as he knelt and looked me in the eyes.
He whispered to me, “Just nod your head and say, ‘Yes, sir.’ It’s my vacation too, you know? Can’t have her on both our backs.”
I smiled and nodded at my dad.
“Yes, sir. Understood.”
He stood up, now shooting me a stern look.
“That’s right. We mean business. It is not too late to send you back home with your sister if you’re not going to listen.”
He said it before turning to my mother and nodding his head as she smirked in approval. Then he winked at me.
And we boarded the ship.
As we entered the grand hall of the ship, I was amazed by the impressive, vast wooden beams, the giant staircase leading to the upper decks, and the white tile floor.
It looked like something I would see in my history book back in school. It almost looked like pictures my teacher used to show us of this older ship called the Titanic, down to the lights and colors.
Unfortunately, that ship crashed, and it ended horribly.
Luckily there are no icebergs in space, so we shouldn’t meet the same fate, I thought to myself as we were greeted at the main lobby entrance.
“Hello, and welcome to the Grand Royale Sisyphus. Enjoy your stay, and be sure to ask any nearby staff for an accommodation that may be necessary.”
The robot chimed as he moved slowly.
His arms were rigid and almost plastic-like, like action figures. His posture was hollow and still. His head turned from side to side as his eyes looked painted on.
I grabbed onto my mother’s hand as I quivered and felt as if the robot host’s gaze had fixed right on me.
“It’s okay. I know they’re a little difficult to get used to, but they’re harmless, just like a mannequin,” she said as she looked down at me.
I nodded silently.
It had been the first time I had ever seen a robot that looked like this.
Other robots looked like tin cans or were completely mechanical. This one looked as if it were trying to mimic a person but couldn’t quite get it right.
We continued further inside as my father went to the front desk and got our room key.
I stared around at the rest of the ship. I was amazed by the theme and how retro it all looked. Most of Earth’s stores and attractions today are so bleak and gray and empty of life.
This ship felt alive and warm and colorful.
As I looked around, I saw a girl who looked to be about my age.
I stared at her in disbelief. I thought I was the only kid my age who would be here.
I realized I was staring too long as she shrugged and raised her eyebrows at me with an annoyed look.
I turned away quickly, trying to hide my face and stare at a painting on the wall. I acted as interested as possible in the boring painting of this plant, hoping she’d think I was just looking around and not staring at her.
Thankfully, my dad came back as I turned my head away.
“Okay, we are in room 2012. It’s on the second floor,” my dad said, smiling as he looked at me. Then he asked, “Hey, bud, are you okay? Your face is awfully red.”
I shivered as I said, “I’m fine. Can we just go to the room, please? I need to use the bathroom.”
He looked at me, then up at the girl, who I could feel was still staring at me. He looked back at me and chuckled.
“Yeah, okay. Let’s get you there. Wouldn’t want you to be uncomfortable.”
We headed to our room and opened the door.
It was a nice, boring room with a big bed for Mom and Dad and a ladder leading to a bed hovering above theirs.
I put my bags down and looked at the clock on the dresser next to their bed.
It was 12:05.
I sat down on their bed and sighed.
I looked at my phone and stared at the date 07/25/2036.
I kept staring at the screen as I opened my text messages and debated to text my sister, would I tell her I missed her? I was mad at her? She probably didn’t care anyways.
I listened as I heard Mom and Dad talking. Mom mentioned how glad she was that Dad had won this trip on the getaway voyage from work.
Dad mentioned that maybe he should convince me to find something to do so they could have some alone time.
I immediately gagged as I stood up and replied, “What is there even to do? I don’t know anything about this cruise ship except that we’re headed to a star cluster about a week away and then should be back home in another week.”
My father grunted, then said, “That’s correct. And if Whitney hadn’t been caught skipping school, she could’ve been here too.”
I rolled my eyes and sat back down.
“I don’t even know what I’d do.”
My father kissed my mom before suggesting, “Well, I did see some kids your age on the ship. Even a girl.”
I stood up quickly.
“No, thank you. I don’t want to meet them.”
My father continued, “I think she was staring at you.”
My mother laughed and turned to me.
“Aww, honey, how cute. You should go say hi and introduce yourself like the tiny gentleman you are.”
I sighed.
“Is this you telling me to go?”
They both replied, “Yes.”
I picked up my phone and headed out the door as they called after me.
“Be back by 1:00.”
I walked through the long corridor with the red carpet and white walls and headed to the lobby.
When I stepped inside, it was now empty.
Where I had just seen crowds of people and families coming aboard, there was now no sign of life.
The only remnants left were the creepy, low jazz music buzzing over the speakers.
It reminded me of when I used to go shopping with my mom later in the day and her looking at one more thing had turned into two more things, and then eventually we were there for hours.
I turned around, admiring the ghostly sight, as I heard a monotone voice behind me.
“Good evening, Cooper Williams,” the robotic voice chimed.
I jumped as I looked behind me and stared at the blank, expressionless, painted-on face of the robot host.
“How did you know my name?” I stammered, backing away.
“I am programmed with all the information on all guests, and upon arrival your ID verification was submitted so I could more accurately accommodate each guest’s needs.”
The robot spoke as he moved his arms stiffly, his head turning in a swift rotation, not quite staring at me but just past me.
I stared at his molded suit and tie plastered to his cold, metallic body as I slowly backed away.
“Would you be needing anything else, Cooper? The time? The weather? Messages back home?”
I backed away even more.
“Uhhh… no, thank you,” I stammered as I bumped into someone behind me.
“How rude.”
I heard a voice behind me.
“First you stare at me, now you bump into me.”
The girl crossed her arms and turned her head away from me.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t see you there,” I said, smiling awkwardly.
“I’ll say. If you did, you wouldn’t have bumped into me.”
She turned her head back toward me and grinned.
“It was an accident,” I said, rubbing the back of my head.
“Well then, I guess you can make it up to me by accompanying me around the ship.”
She smiled, and I smiled back.
“Hi, I’m Cooper. I’m sorry I stared at you so long earlier.”
She looked at me and smiled.
“It’s okay. I stared back, didn’t I?”
Then she walked up the wooden staircase to the upper deck of the ship.
“So, Cooper, what are you doing on this ship?”
I sighed as I followed her up the stairs.
“My dad won a family trip here.”
She turned back as we started to walk down a hallway on the upper floor.
“Oh, so is that your family you were with earlier?”
I nodded.
“Yeah, everyone except my sister Whitney. She got grounded, so she had to stay home.”
She looked back at me.
“Oh, I’m sorry. That must suck, not seeing her.”
“It’s fine. I mean, yeah, I miss her, but I probably care more than she does. I’m sure she snuck her boyfriend Brad over by now anyway and is forgetting about us.”
She smiled as we continued walking.
“Well, I’m sure that’s not true. I’m sure she misses you as much as you miss her.”
She stopped in front of a giant metal door in the middle of the hallway.
I looked up at the door and saw, in big bold letters on a cold metallic sign:
Restricted Area
I looked at the girl and asked, “What are we doing here?”
She smirked.
“Well, Cooper, one of the perks of my dad working here is that I can steal his keys to all the areas we’re not supposed to go.”
She held up the jingling keys playfully.
“This is crazy. I don’t even know you,” I answered.
She laughed.
“Sure you do. I’m Sophia and I’m 11, and you’re Cooper and you’re?”
I sighed as I replied, “12…I’m Cooper and I’m 12.”
She continued, “Your dad won this trip, and that’s why you’re here. My dad works on the ship—that’s why I’m here. Now let’s go explore.”
She smiled as she gestured toward the door.
I knew it was a bad idea, but I didn’t know how to tell her no.
“Okay.”
I watched as she unlocked the door, and we entered.
We walked up a set of metal stairs, and she stopped at the top.
Sophia looked back at me as I took the final step and eagerly pointed in front of her.
“Well, what do you think?”
I looked at the giant room with huge windows that peered out into space.
I walked inside, taking in the desk panel against the wall with its many colorful buttons, a joystick, switches, and more.
It looked like an arcade game, but with a screen to reality.
If reality were a giant, vast abyss of space.
It was the most incredible thing I had ever seen.
It was so empty and dark, yet so calm and peaceful.
I stared into the blackness as I felt it stare back.
“Pretty neat, right?”
I sighed.
“Yeah, Sophia, it is. Thanks for showing me, I guess.”
I turned around to leave the room.
“Hey, where are you going?” she asked.
“Away from here, since it’s pretty clear we’re not supposed to be here,” I replied as I headed toward the stairs.
“Well, that’s no fun.”
She ran over to the control panel and looked at the multiple buttons and controls.
I turned around and hurried back to her.
“Hey, what the hell are you doing?”
She laughed.
“Relax. I’m not gonna press anything.”
I sighed in relief and sat down in the captain’s chair nearby.
She looked at me and smiled.
“Unless…”
She hovered her hand above a giant handprint on a shiny screen covered by a red scanning grid.
“Sophia, please stop,” I begged.
She laughed as she continued to tease me.
Before either of us could say anything else, a booming voice came from the entrance near the stairwell.
“Sophia Turner, you better stop this instant.”
The voice echoed through the room.
Sophia turned toward it and slipped.
She landed on the control panel as I gripped the arms of the chair.
The man rushed toward her, but it was too late.
She landed on a green button, a red one, and knocked the joystick slightly to the left.
The switches may have even been altered—it was hard to tell as fast as it all happened.
What it really looked and felt like was five minutes of slight left turns and loud alarms before the man adjusted the controls and steadied the ship.
He shut off the alarms, grabbed the radio beside the controls, and announced,
“Good afternoon, everyone. This is Captain Turner speaking. We apologize for the slight turbulence. We have corrected the error and are now back en route. Please enjoy the remainder of your voyage.”
He signed off.
“Sophia Turner, what have I told you about being in here?” the captain said angrily.
“I’m sorry, Daddy. It was an accident.”
“An accident? You stole my keys.”
She hung her head.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry I messed up the controls too. I didn’t mean to.”
She sobbed as he knelt down and hugged her.
“It’s alright. I’m just glad it wasn’t much worse. It could’ve been.”
He hugged her tightly before standing and looking at me.
“And who are you?”
Sophia answered for me.
“This is Cooper. His family is staying on the ship.”
The captain looked down at me.
“I see. Well, it’s nice to meet you, son, but I think you’d better get back down to the main deck now.”
I nodded and stood up.
“Yes, sir.”
As soon as I answered, a radio transmission came in.
“Terrain to Sisyphus… do you copy? Terrain to Sisyphus, this is emergent.”
The Captain turned from me and grabbed the radio.
“Sisyphus to Terrain, what’s your traffic?” he said.
I stopped and looked at Sophia, willing her to follow me back toward the lobby.
“Sisyphus, what point are you in the voyage?”
The Captain replied quickly, “Sisyphus to Terrain, we haven’t even made it to our first stop. We have just left Earth as of 1200, current time 1315.”
I turned to Sophia. “Oh crap, I was supposed to meet my parents at 1. I’m 15 minutes late.”
Just as I started to head out, the next message came through.
“Sisyphus… they set off the bombs…” followed by radio silence.
I stopped at the top of the stairs and turned to look.
Sophia began crying again quietly, and the Captain was frozen in place.
“Dad, what’s happening?”
The Captain ignored Sophia and spoke into the radio again.
“Sisyphus to Terrain, who set off the bombs?”
Silence.
“Terrain, do you copy?”
Nothing.
The room was quiet as I saw tears fall down Sophia’s face, and the Captain faced forward.
“Cooper, I think you better go back to your parents. Hug your mother, and tell your father you love him,” the Captain said as he continued to look out into the vast darkness.
I ran back down the stairs and into the top floor of the lobby.
The dark red carpet and wooden stairs made me feel sick, as well as the smell of the antique light fixtures and piano.
“Cooper… you get your butt down here,” my mother said, calling from the floor of the lobby as I ran down to my parents.
“What did I tell you about meeting us?”
I ran up to my mother and father and cried as I hugged them both.
“Cooper, honey, what’s wrong?” my mother asked as an announcement came over the intercom.
“Good evening, guests. This is Captain Turner speaking. If I could have everyone come to the lobby floor for an important announcement by 1330, that would be much appreciated. Thank you, and I hope you’re enjoying your voyage on the Sisyphus.”
I continued to hug them, because I knew what was coming.
At 1325, everyone started to pile into the lobby.
The room became crowded and loud, and the black-and-white tile floor slowly disappeared under the number of people standing so close together.
At 1328, the Captain walked out on the top floor of the lobby and stood in front of the crowd. He took a moment to prepare before speaking.
Sophia rushed down the stairs, found me, and held my hand. I could tell she was scared, and I whispered in her ear, “It’s okay. Everything is going to be okay.”
The truth was, I was scared too.
At 1331, the crowd became restless as the Captain raised his hand and silenced them.
“I have recently received a transmission from Earth. It was alarming and distressing,” he said, stumbling through his words before speaking more slowly.
“I don’t know how else to say this, but I received a transmission that back home bombs have been set off.”
Everyone gasped. Some fainted. Some looked like they would cry.
“What areas have been affected?” someone asked from the crowd.
“We’re unsure,” the Captain responded.
“Did anyone survive?”
“Not much was reported,” he replied, rubbing his temple.
“Well, what was reported on the bombings on Earth?” the man in the crowd asked.
At that moment, the robot greeter from the entrance spoke up.
“Earth bombing reports. Date of bombing: 07/25/2036 at 1105 Central Time.”
The murmuring and gasps grew louder as they waited to hear what the eerie robotic butler had to say.
He turned his rigid head and faced us with his painted-on, expressionless face and continued.
“Bombs set off in North America, Europe, Asia… areas affected… standby.”
A long pause followed.
The silence filled the room as everyone waited.
The time was now 1345 as the robot continued.
“Areas affected… standby… Areas affected… standby…”
The uproar was immediate as everyone panicked, and the Captain tried to settle the room, but his voice was drowned out.
I held Sophia’s hand tightly and tried to wear a brave expression on my face like a mask, hoping if I didn’t show fear, maybe she wouldn’t either.
At 1348, the robot finally responded.
“Incoming updates on Earth bombings on 07/25/2036… areas affected unknown…”
Everyone panicked.
The robot continued, almost casually.
“Is there anything else I can do? The weather? Ship facts? The time?”
The Captain spoke over the chaos and asked the robot, “Teddy, send an emergency transmission to Terrain for immediate updates.”
“Copy that, Captain Turner. Trying for an emergency transmission…”
Teddy, the robot greeter, continued.
“Stand by…”
At 1350, he responded.
“Unable to complete request.”
The Captain asked, “Why not?”
Teddy replied:
“There is no Terrain.”
The adults looked at each other in panic, and my parents turned to me in fear.
My mother was crying. My father was speechless.
We all stood by Teddy in disbelief.
I kept waiting for someone to answer, but no one ever did.
End of part 1

We boarded the ship at the port in Orlando. My father, turned to face me, and said, “Now Cooper, I want you to be on your best behavior.”
I nodded my head, admiring the size of the ship, how small it made me feel, and the loud sounds of the engine as I watched it hover in the air.
I stared, impressed, as my mother’s abrasive voice snapped at me.
“Cooper Williams, are you listening?”
I looked at her as our eyes locked, then turned to my father and replied, “Uhhh, yeah… best behavior.”
They stared at me, waiting to hear the rest.
“How do they get the ship to fly through the air?” I asked, peering at the giant opening as we entered the ship.
My father sighed and rubbed his forehead.
“Cooper,” he said as he knelt and looked me in the eyes.
He whispered to me, “Just nod your head and say, ‘Yes, sir.’ It’s my vacation too, you know? Can’t have her on both our backs.”
I smiled and nodded at my dad.
“Yes, sir. Understood.”
He stood up, now shooting me a stern look.
“That’s right. We mean business. It is not too late to send you back home with your sister if you’re not going to listen.”
He said it before turning to my mother and nodding his head as she smirked in approval. Then he winked at me.
And we boarded the ship.
As we entered the grand hall of the ship, I was amazed by the impressive, vast wooden beams, the giant staircase leading to the upper decks, and the white tile floor.
It looked like something I would see in my history book back in school. It almost looked like pictures my teacher used to show us of this older ship called the Titanic, down to the lights and colors.
Unfortunately, that ship crashed, and it ended horribly.
Luckily there are no icebergs in space, so we shouldn’t meet the same fate, I thought to myself as we were greeted at the main lobby entrance.
“Hello, and welcome to the Grand Royale Sisyphus. Enjoy your stay, and be sure to ask any nearby staff for an accommodation that may be necessary.”
The robot chimed as he moved slowly.
His arms were rigid and almost plastic-like, like action figures. His posture was hollow and still. His head turned from side to side as his eyes looked painted on.
I grabbed onto my mother’s hand as I quivered and felt as if the robot host’s gaze had fixed right on me.
“It’s okay. I know they’re a little difficult to get used to, but they’re harmless, just like a mannequin,” she said as she looked down at me.
I nodded silently.
It had been the first time I had ever seen a robot that looked like this.
Other robots looked like tin cans or were completely mechanical. This one looked as if it were trying to mimic a person but couldn’t quite get it right.
We continued further inside as my father went to the front desk and got our room key.
I stared around at the rest of the ship. I was amazed by the theme and how retro it all looked. Most of Earth’s stores and attractions today are so bleak and gray and empty of life.
This ship felt alive and warm and colorful.
As I looked around, I saw a girl who looked to be about my age.
I stared at her in disbelief. I thought I was the only kid my age who would be here.
I realized I was staring too long as she shrugged and raised her eyebrows at me with an annoyed look.
I turned away quickly, trying to hide my face and stare at a painting on the wall. I acted as interested as possible in the boring painting of this plant, hoping she’d think I was just looking around and not staring at her.
Thankfully, my dad came back as I turned my head away.
“Okay, we are in room 2012. It’s on the second floor,” my dad said, smiling as he looked at me. Then he asked, “Hey, bud, are you okay? Your face is awfully red.”
I shivered as I said, “I’m fine. Can we just go to the room, please? I need to use the bathroom.”
He looked at me, then up at the girl, who I could feel was still staring at me. He looked back at me and chuckled.
“Yeah, okay. Let’s get you there. Wouldn’t want you to be uncomfortable.”
We headed to our room and opened the door.
It was a nice, boring room with a big bed for Mom and Dad and a ladder leading to a bed hovering above theirs.
I put my bags down and looked at the clock on the dresser next to their bed.
It was 12:05.
I sat down on their bed and sighed.
I looked at my phone and stared at the date 07/25/2036.
I kept staring at the screen as I opened my text messages and debated to text my sister, would I tell her I missed her? I was mad at her? She probably didn’t care anyways.
I listened as I heard Mom and Dad talking. Mom mentioned how glad she was that Dad had won this trip on the getaway voyage from work.
Dad mentioned that maybe he should convince me to find something to do so they could have some alone time.
I immediately gagged as I stood up and replied, “What is there even to do? I don’t know anything about this cruise ship except that we’re headed to a star cluster about a week away and then should be back home in another week.”
My father grunted, then said, “That’s correct. And if Whitney hadn’t been caught skipping school, she could’ve been here too.”
I rolled my eyes and sat back down.
“I don’t even know what I’d do.”
My father kissed my mom before suggesting, “Well, I did see some kids your age on the ship. Even a girl.”
I stood up quickly.
“No, thank you. I don’t want to meet them.”
My father continued, “I think she was staring at you.”
My mother laughed and turned to me.
“Aww, honey, how cute. You should go say hi and introduce yourself like the tiny gentleman you are.”
I sighed.
“Is this you telling me to go?”
They both replied, “Yes.”
I picked up my phone and headed out the door as they called after me.
“Be back by 1:00.”
I walked through the long corridor with the red carpet and white walls and headed to the lobby.
When I stepped inside, it was now empty.
Where I had just seen crowds of people and families coming aboard, there was now no sign of life.
The only remnants left were the creepy, low jazz music buzzing over the speakers.
It reminded me of when I used to go shopping with my mom later in the day and her looking at one more thing had turned into two more things, and then eventually we were there for hours.
I turned around, admiring the ghostly sight, as I heard a monotone voice behind me.
“Good evening, Cooper Williams,” the robotic voice chimed.
I jumped as I looked behind me and stared at the blank, expressionless, painted-on face of the robot host.
“How did you know my name?” I stammered, backing away.
“I am programmed with all the information on all guests, and upon arrival your ID verification was submitted so I could more accurately accommodate each guest’s needs.”
The robot spoke as he moved his arms stiffly, his head turning in a swift rotation, not quite staring at me but just past me.
I stared at his molded suit and tie plastered to his cold, metallic body as I slowly backed away.
“Would you be needing anything else, Cooper? The time? The weather? Messages back home?”
I backed away even more.
“Uhhh… no, thank you,” I stammered as I bumped into someone behind me.
“How rude.”
I heard a voice behind me.
“First you stare at me, now you bump into me.”
The girl crossed her arms and turned her head away from me.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t see you there,” I said, smiling awkwardly.
“I’ll say. If you did, you wouldn’t have bumped into me.”
She turned her head back toward me and grinned.
“It was an accident,” I said, rubbing the back of my head.
“Well then, I guess you can make it up to me by accompanying me around the ship.”
She smiled, and I smiled back.
“Hi, I’m Cooper. I’m sorry I stared at you so long earlier.”
She looked at me and smiled.
“It’s okay. I stared back, didn’t I?”
Then she walked up the wooden staircase to the upper deck of the ship.
“So, Cooper, what are you doing on this ship?”
I sighed as I followed her up the stairs.
“My dad won a family trip here.”
She turned back as we started to walk down a hallway on the upper floor.
“Oh, so is that your family you were with earlier?”
I nodded.
“Yeah, everyone except my sister Whitney. She got grounded, so she had to stay home.”
She looked back at me.
“Oh, I’m sorry. That must suck, not seeing her.”
“It’s fine. I mean, yeah, I miss her, but I probably care more than she does. I’m sure she snuck her boyfriend Brad over by now anyway and is forgetting about us.”
She smiled as we continued walking.
“Well, I’m sure that’s not true. I’m sure she misses you as much as you miss her.”
She stopped in front of a giant metal door in the middle of the hallway.
I looked up at the door and saw, in big bold letters on a cold metallic sign:
Restricted Area
I looked at the girl and asked, “What are we doing here?”
She smirked.
“Well, Cooper, one of the perks of my dad working here is that I can steal his keys to all the areas we’re not supposed to go.”
She held up the jingling keys playfully.
“This is crazy. I don’t even know you,” I answered.
She laughed.
“Sure you do. I’m Sophia and I’m 11, and you’re Cooper and you’re?”
I sighed as I replied, “12…I’m Cooper and I’m 12.”
She continued, “Your dad won this trip, and that’s why you’re here. My dad works on the ship—that’s why I’m here. Now let’s go explore.”
She smiled as she gestured toward the door.
I knew it was a bad idea, but I didn’t know how to tell her no.
“Okay.”
I watched as she unlocked the door, and we entered.
We walked up a set of metal stairs, and she stopped at the top.
Sophia looked back at me as I took the final step and eagerly pointed in front of her.
“Well, what do you think?”
I looked at the giant room with huge windows that peered out into space.
I walked inside, taking in the desk panel against the wall with its many colorful buttons, a joystick, switches, and more.
It looked like an arcade game, but with a screen to reality.
If reality were a giant, vast abyss of space.
It was the most incredible thing I had ever seen.
It was so empty and dark, yet so calm and peaceful.
I stared into the blackness as I felt it stare back.
“Pretty neat, right?”
I sighed.
“Yeah, Sophia, it is. Thanks for showing me, I guess.”
I turned around to leave the room.
“Hey, where are you going?” she asked.
“Away from here, since it’s pretty clear we’re not supposed to be here,” I replied as I headed toward the stairs.
“Well, that’s no fun.”
She ran over to the control panel and looked at the multiple buttons and controls.
I turned around and hurried back to her.
“Hey, what the hell are you doing?”
She laughed.
“Relax. I’m not gonna press anything.”
I sighed in relief and sat down in the captain’s chair nearby.
She looked at me and smiled.
“Unless…”
She hovered her hand above a giant handprint on a shiny screen covered by a red scanning grid.
“Sophia, please stop,” I begged.
She laughed as she continued to tease me.
Before either of us could say anything else, a booming voice came from the entrance near the stairwell.
“Sophia Turner, you better stop this instant.”
The voice echoed through the room.
Sophia turned toward it and slipped.
She landed on the control panel as I gripped the arms of the chair.
The man rushed toward her, but it was too late.
She landed on a green button, a red one, and knocked the joystick slightly to the left.
The switches may have even been altered—it was hard to tell as fast as it all happened.
What it really looked and felt like was five minutes of slight left turns and loud alarms before the man adjusted the controls and steadied the ship.
He shut off the alarms, grabbed the radio beside the controls, and announced,
“Good afternoon, everyone. This is Captain Turner speaking. We apologize for the slight turbulence. We have corrected the error and are now back en route. Please enjoy the remainder of your voyage.”
He signed off.
“Sophia Turner, what have I told you about being in here?” the captain said angrily.
“I’m sorry, Daddy. It was an accident.”
“An accident? You stole my keys.”
She hung her head.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry I messed up the controls too. I didn’t mean to.”
She sobbed as he knelt down and hugged her.
“It’s alright. I’m just glad it wasn’t much worse. It could’ve been.”
He hugged her tightly before standing and looking at me.
“And who are you?”
Sophia answered for me.
“This is Cooper. His family is staying on the ship.”
The captain looked down at me.
“I see. Well, it’s nice to meet you, son, but I think you’d better get back down to the main deck now.”
I nodded and stood up.
“Yes, sir.”
As soon as I answered, a radio transmission came in.
“Terrain to Sisyphus… do you copy? Terrain to Sisyphus, this is emergent.”
The Captain turned from me and grabbed the radio.
“Sisyphus to Terrain, what’s your traffic?” he said.
I stopped and looked at Sophia, willing her to follow me back toward the lobby.
“Sisyphus, what point are you in the voyage?”
The Captain replied quickly, “Sisyphus to Terrain, we haven’t even made it to our first stop. We have just left Earth as of 1200, current time 1315.”
I turned to Sophia. “Oh crap, I was supposed to meet my parents at 1. I’m 15 minutes late.”
Just as I started to head out, the next message came through.
“Sisyphus… they set off the bombs…” followed by radio silence.
I stopped at the top of the stairs and turned to look.
Sophia began crying again quietly, and the Captain was frozen in place.
“Dad, what’s happening?”
The Captain ignored Sophia and spoke into the radio again.
“Sisyphus to Terrain, who set off the bombs?”
Silence.
“Terrain, do you copy?”
Nothing.
The room was quiet as I saw tears fall down Sophia’s face, and the Captain faced forward.
“Cooper, I think you better go back to your parents. Hug your mother, and tell your father you love him,” the Captain said as he continued to look out into the vast darkness.
I ran back down the stairs and into the top floor of the lobby.
The dark red carpet and wooden stairs made me feel sick, as well as the smell of the antique light fixtures and piano.
“Cooper… you get your butt down here,” my mother said, calling from the floor of the lobby as I ran down to my parents.
“What did I tell you about meeting us?”
I ran up to my mother and father and cried as I hugged them both.
“Cooper, honey, what’s wrong?” my mother asked as an announcement came over the intercom.
“Good evening, guests. This is Captain Turner speaking. If I could have everyone come to the lobby floor for an important announcement by 1330, that would be much appreciated. Thank you, and I hope you’re enjoying your voyage on the Sisyphus.”
I continued to hug them, because I knew what was coming.
At 1325, everyone started to pile into the lobby.
The room became crowded and loud, and the black-and-white tile floor slowly disappeared under the number of people standing so close together.
At 1328, the Captain walked out on the top floor of the lobby and stood in front of the crowd. He took a moment to prepare before speaking.
Sophia rushed down the stairs, found me, and held my hand. I could tell she was scared, and I whispered in her ear, “It’s okay. Everything is going to be okay.”
The truth was, I was scared too.
At 1331, the crowd became restless as the Captain raised his hand and silenced them.
“I have recently received a transmission from Earth. It was alarming and distressing,” he said, stumbling through his words before speaking more slowly.
“I don’t know how else to say this, but I received a transmission that back home bombs have been set off.”
Everyone gasped. Some fainted. Some looked like they would cry.
“What areas have been affected?” someone asked from the crowd.
“We’re unsure,” the Captain responded.
“Did anyone survive?”
“Not much was reported,” he replied, rubbing his temple.
“Well, what was reported on the bombings on Earth?” the man in the crowd asked.
At that moment, the robot greeter from the entrance spoke up.
“Earth bombing reports. Date of bombing: 07/25/2036 at 1105 Central Time.”
The murmuring and gasps grew louder as they waited to hear what the eerie robotic butler had to say.
He turned his rigid head and faced us with his painted-on, expressionless face and continued.
“Bombs set off in North America, Europe, Asia… areas affected… standby.”
A long pause followed.
The silence filled the room as everyone waited.
The time was now 1345 as the robot continued.
“Areas affected… standby… Areas affected… standby…”
The uproar was immediate as everyone panicked, and the Captain tried to settle the room, but his voice was drowned out.
I held Sophia’s hand tightly and tried to wear a brave expression on my face like a mask, hoping if I didn’t show fear, maybe she wouldn’t either.
At 1348, the robot finally responded.
“Incoming updates on Earth bombings on 07/25/2036… areas affected unknown…”
Everyone panicked.
The robot continued, almost casually.
“Is there anything else I can do? The weather? Ship facts? The time?”
The Captain spoke over the chaos and asked the robot, “Teddy, send an emergency transmission to Terrain for immediate updates.”
“Copy that, Captain Turner. Trying for an emergency transmission…”
Teddy, the robot greeter, continued.
“Stand by…”
At 1350, he responded.
“Unable to complete request.”
The Captain asked, “Why not?”
Teddy replied:
“There is no Terrain.”
The adults looked at each other in panic, and my parents turned to me in fear.
My mother was crying. My father was speechless.
We all stood by Teddy in disbelief.
I kept waiting for someone to answer, but no one ever did.
End of part 1