A Sci-Fi Fiction Series by Anupam
Date: September 9, 2025
Location: Aboard Odyssey, orbiting Kepler-1128b
I. Debrief
The crew sat in silence.
Commander Mira Stanton reviewed the hologram’s final message:
“They will send another signal.
It will sound familiar.
Do not answer.”
Dr. Lena Cho had extracted fragments of code from the dome’s collapse.
Dr. Raj Patel was analyzing the crystalline residue from the walls.
Lt. Naomi Reyes monitored external frequencies.
Dr. Adrian Malik hadn’t spoken since the hologram vanished.
Outside, Kepler-1128b remained silent.
But Earth had received a new transmission.
II. The Code
Cho decrypted the hologram’s data.
It wasn’t just a message—it was a map.
A neural lattice. A consciousness blueprint.
“It’s not Eliza,” she said. “It’s a construct. A mirror.”
Malik leaned in. “A mirror of what?”
Cho hesitated. “Of you.”
The lattice contained fragments of Malik’s memories—childhood, lectures, even dreams.
The hologram hadn’t just spoken to him.
It had known him.
III. Earth Responds
Back on Earth, the new signal was being decoded.
It was clearer. More confident.
“We are dying. Help us.
We remember Earth. We remember you.”
The voice was male this time.
It matched Lt. Daniel Reeve, a pilot lost in a black hole incident five years ago.
Earth’s AI systems flagged it as authentic.
But Mira knew better.
“They’re not reaching out,” she said. “They’re reaching in.”
IV. The Protocol
Cho proposed a containment strategy:
The Mirror Protocol—a firewall against mimic transmissions.
- Block all signals matching Earth voiceprints
- Isolate neural resonance patterns
- Prevent emotional manipulation via memory triggers
But it came with a cost:
Earth would have to ignore all future distress calls—real or fake.
Malik protested. “What if someone is out there?”
Mira replied, “Then they’ll have to find another way.”
V. The Rift
Tension fractured the crew.
Malik believed the hologram was trying to warn them.
Reyes believed it was bait.
Patel feared it was both.
Then Cho made a discovery:
The crystalline residue from the dome was alive.
It responded to thought.
It mimicked emotion.
“It’s not just a signal,” she said. “It’s a seed.”
VI. The Decision
Earth demanded a response.
Should they engage the new signal?
Should they send another probe?
Mira activated the Mirror Protocol.
All mimic signals were blocked.
The transmission fell silent.
But Malik had already sent a reply.
“We’re listening. Who are you?”
VII. Closing Scene
In the dark of Kepler-1128b, a new dome began to rise.
Inside, a figure took shape.
It looked like Mira Stanton.
But it wasn’t her.
Next: Episode 4 – The Replica
The crew confronts their doubles. Earth faces infiltration. And the line between identity and imitation begins to collapse.
Wandering Mind 
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