Inside Helios' top-tier high-security research lab, the capsule was suspended in magnetic stasis. Technicians, researchers, and AI analysts surrounded it, probing and scanning the humanoid being still suspended in stasis.
A large display blinked to life as General Kael entered.
"Report," he commanded.
One of the head researchers turned. "General, our scans confirm that this organism is… human. And judging from the origin data, it's from a now-destroyed planet once known as Earth."
"Impossible," Kael replied. "Earth's been dead for over a billion cycles."
Kael furrowed his brows. "A human ,huh ?", looking at the human , "After all this time?"
"Yes, sir. But there's something… unusual."
"What is it?"
The researcher projected a hologram of the being's cellular structure. "The cells show traits of perfect regeneration. They don't degrade or age. Any damage initiates instantaneous self-repair at a molecular level. If this came from Earth… then their science is centuries — if not millennia — behind what's on display here."
If this is truly from Earth, then it vastly surpasses anything humanity should've been capable of."
Kael remained silent, staring at the stasis pod. A storm of thoughts brewing beneath his stoic exterior. How could a human survive a billion-year voyage? What was Earth hiding… and why was he sent here?
Kael stared at the scans, expression unreadable.
"This is not ordinary," the scientist continued. "This is engineered perfection. Purpose-built. But the design doesn't resemble Helian tech or even known human research patterns."
"Keep it under constant monitoring," Kael finally said. "And inform me immediately if anything… changes."
He turned and walked out, thoughts racing.
If that's really a human… he thought grimly, then we may be facing something far more important than any war we've fought.
few hours later
The chamber was sealed in tempered neosteel, pulsating softly with blue diagnostic lights. Within, the stasis pod hovered mid-air—its occupant unchanged, unmoving, yet alive. The Helion researchers had exhausted their scans, their algorithms cycling endlessly, but they remained baffled by the mysteries buried within this human's DNA.
General Kael stood behind a transparent forcefield, arms folded. His glowing eyes studied the being closely.
"He's not just preserved," murmured Zeyra , the lead researcher, stepping beside him. "He's dormant. His mind is locked in something… something deliberate."
"Dreaming?" Kael asked.
"Possibly. But it's not natural sleep. The pod seems to be interfaced with his consciousness. Almost like… it's protecting him from awakening prematurely."
Kael didn't respond. His gaze hardened. He knew what this meant: whoever built this capsule hadn't just intended to preserve a human—they had designed a survival vault for a singular individual, across a billion years of death and silence.
"Start neural synchronization trials," Kael commanded. "Carefully. If we can decipher the neural code, maybe we can find out why he's here."
—
Elsewhere in the Citadel's high command, Helion council members debated the implications of the discovery.
"This being is a relic," one argued. "Earth's legacy—nothing more. Why waste resources on it?"
Another countered, "Or he's a weapon. Sent forward through time. We don't know who or what may have pursued him."
Kael, summoned into the chamber, cut through the noise. "This isn't about the past. It's about what comes next. We may have just uncovered the key to a billion-year-old secret."
—
Back in the lab, a sudden surge of energy disrupted the stasis chamber.
Alarms blared.
"He's waking up!" Zeyra shouted.
Kael stormed in, flanked by guards. The stasis fluid drained. The capsule's inner field flickered. Slowly, the human's eyes opened—pale, glowing faintly, scanning the unfamiliar surroundings. He sat upright with unnatural grace, muscles adjusting like a machine freshly activated.
The guards raised their rifles. Kael raised his hand.
"No sudden movements," he warned.
The human blinked. "Where… am I?"
The words were soft, ancient, yet the Helion translators understood them instantly.
Kael approached, not as a soldier, but something closer to curiosity. "You're on Helios. A synthetic world. You came from Earth… a planet long dead."
"Earth…" the human echoed, frowning.
Then suddenly, he gripped his head, staggered. A flood of memories. Burning skies. A flash of a golden lab. A face—his face—reflected in a glass chamber. A voice calling out.
"…Why was I sent away?" he muttered.
Kael watched closely.
"Tell me," he asked quietly. "Who are you?"
The human looked up—eyes piercing, unnervingly calm.
"I… don't know."
But deep in the Helion records room, a classified file flickered into existence.
PROJECT: STARFORGED.Origin: Earth. Status: Terminated.Subject: Prototype A-Zero. Objective: Unknown.
sub-creator : unknown
Creator: Redacted.