It's the summer of 2031 in the Arab Republic of Egypt, specifically in Giza Governorate, on the 20th of June. The temperature ranges from thirty-five to thirty-eight degrees Celsius, with mostly clear skies and a light breeze. The locals are going about their daily lives, and the tourist sites are filled with visitors, especially the area around the three pyramids. In simpler terms: it's a perfectly ordinary day.
In a nearby area of the pyramids, a young Egyptian named Mohamed Abdul is serving his military duty. Mohamed is twenty-three years old, an average young man about 182 centimeters tall, with a normal weight and a well-built body, short black hair, and unremarkable features. He had recently graduated and moved to mandatory military service, now in his second month. Although he was supposed to be exempted due to some personal circumstances, he joined the special forces because he missed the deadline to register for the exemption, leading to his automatic enlistment in the special forces.
Despite the calm and routine conditions in Egypt, the same cannot be said for the rest of the world. For the past few years, there have been two great powers in a state of military and economic tension. An alliance known as the Eastern Union has formed between China, North Korea, India, Russia, Iran, and countries in Central and Southern Africa. In response, the United States, fearing for its interests and allies, formed an alliance known as the Western Union, including the USA, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Germany, the UK, and France. Meanwhile, countries in Central Asia, North Africa, the Arabian Gulf, Turkey, Greece, Italy, Latin America, South America, and Northern Europe have remained neutral. Although diplomatic relations between these countries have not been severed, the tension is palpable. Were it not for the fear of using weapons of mass destruction, war would have broken out long ago.
Despite the world's tense situation, ordinary citizens do not seem to care about these political affairs. To them, life is perfectly normal. Or at least, it was until dawn on Saturday, the 21st of June of the same year. When a worker approached the pyramid area just after dawn, he noticed the beginning of a catastrophe.
As soon as he stepped into the area around the Great Pyramid of Khufu, his foot started floating in the air. The worker was shocked and couldn't believe his eyes, despite his body floating and rising to a height of three meters. He moved in a panic, and fortunately, he had barely stepped into the field. After a few random movements, he managed to exit the field and regain gravity. Although he couldn't believe what he saw, he knew the pain was real. The worker waited until more people arrived, and they witnessed a terrifying sight: rocks, pebbles, and debris floating in the air. The worker probably didn't see this at first because he arrived before sunrise. The workers rushed to call for security help, and the media and news quickly spread this incredible phenomenon.
Despite the shock among the citizens, they were not the only ones terrified. News cameras around the world captured similar phenomena around ancient landmarks: the Egyptian pyramids, the Mexican pyramids, the Great Wall of China, Maya temples, Nabataean cities, Petra, the Colosseum, and the statues of Easter Island. In short, every ancient landmark experienced zero gravity within a 500-meter radius starting at 4:09 AM Egypt time. What added to the panic was the fact that this was happening in similar locations simultaneously, making it hard to accept this as a coincidence or a passing phenomenon.
In some countries like Egypt, they were lucky that this phenomenon started when these sites were closed. However, in other places, they were not so lucky. The zero-gravity field prevented any aid or rescue attempts for the victims. Visitors lost their lives in various ways; some tried to escape the field but fell from great heights and died, some rose to a height where they could no longer breathe, and some died from shock.
A week has passed, and there is still no solution to the problem. All that could be done was to close and cordon off these areas to prevent any entry. The United Nations convened a meeting of world leaders to discuss a solution to this supernatural phenomenon. Shortly afterward, they concluded the following:
All military operations worldwide will be completely halted. Each government affected by this phenomenon will establish scientific and military committees, fully supported by the United Nations, to uncover the nature of this phenomenon and find a solution. An elite scientific team from around the world will be formed to study this phenomenon in Egypt, given that it began there at the start of the day.