The Lost Message

Albert and I have been thinking, researching, and experimenting with the strange artifact in the laboratory.  I am starting to feel tired of this place. We’re still stuck on the problem and while we've deciphered most of it, this particular part seems to be crucial in understanding the entire thing. Suddenly, an alarm goes off.

“What is that?” I ask. I’ve never heard that alarm before–I didn’t even know we had one.

“Ah, ignore it,” responds Albert in his characteristic way.

“And that buzz?”

“Don’t know. Ignore it.”

I do and continue typing on my computer. After some time, the alarm stops for a moment and then goes off again. I wake up immediately.

The clock on the wall marks 3:34 a.m. The transmitter is buzzing. I look at it, and though the brightness of the screen makes me squint, I can see it’s Albert who’s calling. He said he would not call unless something very important happened, so I snap to my senses right away. At this point, I am a bit distraught. “There’s no way,” I say in a half-asleep voice before picking up.

“Yes?”

“Bill, you gotta come right now.”

“Do you have it now?”

There is some silence. “I think I do.”

When I enter the room, I find Albert at his desk, frantically alternating between his computer and his notebook.

“Albert?” I exclaim.

He doesn’t turn. “All the AIs have thrown similar results. Take a look.”

“What are all those weird characters?”

“I’m guessing they’re numbers… maybe.”

“Numbers?”

“Yeah, numbers.”

“What if they’re dates?”

“Yeah, that’s a possibility. We’ll have to wait.”

“Did you feed the machines with them?”

“I did, and maybe we’ll get an answer in a couple of hours.” He stands up and starts wandering around the room. “Oh my God, Bill. I can’t wait!” It’s very unusual to see him this excited. In fact, I have never seen him like this before. “I cannot believe humanity waited all this long to get this thing deciphered. Bill, do you get how fortunate we are? No one, absolutely no one has ever been able to figure this out.”

***

The Lost Message, as it’s been referred to throughout the years, resembles a sleek, metallic slab. Its surface emits a subtle glow and displays an intricate language or code that lacks a clear structure or pattern. It has a unique texture; upon touch, you can feel an odd mixture of smoothness and subtle ridge. Its exact dimensions are 8.2 inches x 5.6 inches x 0.923 inches. It’s a very light object, weighing 0.356 pounds.

It was discovered thousands of years ago by the first human beings to ever walk on this planet. Nevertheless, the exact date of its appearance and origins remain completely unknown. Throughout history, this object has been mentioned in the writings, books, and documents of the greatest philosophers and scientists. Furthermore, it has been depicted in cave paintings in various parts of the world. Yet, it remains uncertain whether there are multiple replicas or parts belonging to it. Despite extensive research and expeditions, no other similar objects or related pieces have been found. Hence, it is widely assumed that this enigmatic artifact, referred to by many cultures throughout history, is a single, one-of-a-kind object.

Experts from diverse fields have tirelessly attempted to unravel its mysteries but to no avail. Entire schools have been dedicated to this peculiar artifact. The Romans, in particular, were consumed by their obsession with it. When the object fell into their territory, they became determined to learn more about its origins and significance. They allocated a substantial portion of their entire funding during a significant part of their reign to explore its secrets. Additionally, a considerable part of their budget was allocated to safeguarding it from potential theft. It was considered sacred to them.

During the Inquisition, the Catholic Church tried everything to disappear this object, as rumors of its connection to the devil began to circulate. However, they were futile attempts since, even to this day, the object seems to be indestructible. In desperation, the Church decided to cast it away, placing it on one of the embarks heading to Asia, with the hope of removing it from Europe entirely. From that point on, the object wandered from place to place across the globe until it eventually found its way to the Americas. Here, it has become the focus of extensive research and examination in some of the largest universities and scientific institutions across the United States.

***

“What if it is a message from God?”

“Well, we’re about to find out.”

“Aren’t you scared?”

“Why would I be?”

“What if it is something bad?”

“Whatever it is we won’t back out now, Bill. It’s us who have discovered the last piece of the puzzle. It’s us, who will see the mysteries this thing holds before anyone else. I don’t care about anything else.” He finishes writing something down. “Come on, let’s get a coffee and clear our minds for a bit until it’s done.”

***

Upon our return, a message has been produced, but it is not what we expected, but even after some analysis we could not find a failure or malfunction in the algorithms.

“What if it’s not the real message?”

“No, no, no. It is. It has to.” Albert’s mood is distressed. After a pause he continues, “It is. It didn’t throw gibberish. The message makes perfect sense, and, if you asked me, coming from this thing, I think it makes perfect sense…. And even if it wasn’t, what are we supposed to do now? Try to decode this shit from the beginning and flush thousands of years of research right down the toilet? Not happening. This is what it is, and we are the first to know. Period.”

There is no doubt about what the message states because what Albert says is right; it didn’t produce a nonsense combination of letters. Everything is perfectly readable. How can that be a mistake?

“What do we do now? Do I call the general director so he can contact the government and arrange the release?”

Albert sighs. He looks tired, worried, and anxious.“Yes. Let everyone know about it.”

***

The room has been properly set up for the occasion. Several lines of chairs are arranged in rows, distributed in two columns. The big screen at the front displays the company logo. The President, James K. Patterson, enters the room accompanied by other two men whom I presume are members of his Cabinet; they are then followed by other important people. The President seems happy, eager to know about what might be the unraveling of the biggest mystery in history. He greets Mark Tarasov, the CEO. They exchange a few words and then he is invited to have a seat in the first row of chairs, right at the front. More people start to fill the room. Albert and I are in the front, waiting for everybody to settle in so we can begin the disclosure. Everybody looks very happy and excited. I am nervous. Albert, on the other hand, looks calm, and thoughtful, with his eyes fixed straight ahead, and his hands behind his lower back.

Mr. Tarasov begins with a brief speech and then indicates for us to continue with the information. Albert takes over.

“Thank you, everyone, for gathering here today. At Athemis Corp we are incredibly proud of…”

The room falls into complete silence, and eager smiles spread across the faces of the audience.

"As you know, this is a collective effort of humanity. It doesn’t solely belong to us…"

Some in the audience lean forward, their eyes wide with curiosity.

“Einstein, one of the greatest geniuses the world has ever seen, he alone was able to…”

Their faces animated with a mix of wonder and anticipation.

“Thousands of years of relentless research, but now, finally…”

Smiles adorn their lips, revealing a great sense of excitement. Their gaze shift between the two of us and the screen.

"Before we proceed, I want to give you a heads-up that this might not unfold as we expected. We are already re-running another interaction, however…"

You could notice the enthusiasm in their corporal language and facial expressions.

Finally, a three-paragraph message is displayed on the screen. I could see the drastic change on their faces as the smiles begin to fade. Concentration turns into confusion, excitement into worry, and silence into mumbling and muttering as they start speaking to one another in clear uneasiness. As expected, there are lots of questions and comments on this.

“Is this true? Why are we supposed to believe this?”

“So it means it’s over?”

“What if the machine is wrong?”

“We are hundreds of years behind, how is that possible?”

“What is the source of this then?”

“Aren’t there any more pieces? What about on other planets?”

“With all due respect, I think this is total bullshit, and I am going to wait until the second iteration confirms that.”

“If it’s real, we’re doomed.”

"Not everyone will be able to escape, and those who do will eventually die in space."

“Do you guys have an idea of the panic this will cause in the public?”

***

5 years later.

There is chaos. People doing riots. People attacking other people. Nothin’ matters now, you could hear them saying. I’ve always wanted to know what it feels like. We all are going to die anyways.

Children crying. People committing suicide. Others praying. Others cursing heavily at God.

Towns near special centers beholding hundreds of space shuttles taking off to space to never come back; saying goodbye to what was once their home.

***

2 months later.

A massive spaceship approaches Earth. It’s so immense–half the size of Earth–that the blue color of the sky is replaced by the black-silver of the spaceship, and the daylight becomes dimmer. The colossal presence can be felt in the air as the wind suddenly surges in intensity. However, the spaceship remains floating in space, very close to the Exosphere. Whatever or whoever may come out of that spaceship will find only destruction and remnants of what was once a naive civilization that believed themselves to be advanced, but in reality were thousands of years behind and poorly prepared for what they should have been prepared for a long long time ago.