The empty void … beyond our visual limits. We call it space. It is boundless, dark, cold and unforgiving. That is as far as we know. We often get the glimpses of its vastness and its beauty from our space agencies courtesy the lenses of many probes and many satellites which has been sent there. We are curious about it, what secrets does it hold in its cold, dark vastness.

However, the most prominent question which is frequently asked, is whether we are alone. Every human who has ever looked up the sky has wondered about this. The human tendency to socialize, even at a planetary level is astounding. So much so, that we are willing to invest a large sum of time and money into this. Prophecies, theories, videos, findings, assumptions so on and so forth, will not cease to exist till we, the human beings are able to find an answer.

I too wondered about the same question; wondered about how they would look like if ever we were able to meet them. How will we react, how will they react, what would happen………?

The young man reading his books slowly looks up to the cool, night sky and stares at it for some time. A smile of amusement breaks on the lad’s face ….. “Grandpa’s were dramatic writer’s” as he faintly chuckles.

Sitting in the balcony of his room, he has a good view of the night sky. He looks down on the tattered diary. The pages were old, as it had been passed down generations and generations of the Mehra family. Who had entered their experiences and knowledge into this book? The cover of the book shows the almost faded title “For future generations. By Rohit Mehra”.

The playful mood is abruptly broken with the radio blaring “All units, be advised… Robbery ongoing in METSAL bank, Plar plaza, 21st street. Assailants are supposed to be armed …Nearby units to respond”.

The lad jumps out of his chair. Flipping the book onto his bed and quickly opens the closet.

“Krishna, … did you hear the radio? Pack the bulletproof kit. Get going”.

“Yeah, I know ..I know, got it, dad”. The young man replies while rummaging through his closet and picks up a duffle bag. He quickly runs down the stairs to the Dining room, where his father is already waiting for him. “Armed robbery, Metsal bank, 21st street… GPS location to your HUD…. don’t know how many…. 15 mins by usual…… lesser if you take your wingsuit. I will be channel 7…Constant…. Just radio me if you need back up.…. ” The father speaks with martial efficiency while looking constantly at his tablet and adjusting his spectacles.

Krishna just passes his dad and moves to the back of the room and opens the door to the basement, looking back at his father he gives a smiling thumbs up. The worried father keeps his tab down and answers him in kind.

Going down the stairs, he enters the badly lit basement and swiftly walks to the back of the room. Standing closely facing the wall, he faces his palm on it and immediately lasers point out to his face, scanning his face and eyes. A large portion of the wall thuds lightly and hisses as it opens up.

A Secret room or more like a secret lab. This is the “Krrish-Den’. All research data and inventory from previous KRISH’es are stored here. The apparel has also changed with generations, from a simple mask and coat to a complete carbon fibre suit with provisions to allow extra bulletproof Kevlar modules or wingsuit extensions which would increase the time a person can stay in the air. The suit has sensors all around it to detect any physical, chemical or radioactive threat providing real-time feedback to the user in his HUD in the helmet. The mask is replaced by a full-face helmet, though the shape of the mask is engraved into the helmet, for sentimental reason. The helmet in its self is made for carbon fiber covering the head completely. The state-of-the-art helmet boasts the latest optics with enhanced zooming, infrared and user interface with holographic HUD. All, researched, designed and 3-D printed by the previous generations.

The new generation of Krrish is a combination of the latest technology and superpowers received so many years ago.

The suit protects the wearer from most of the projectile or blunt object impacts while pointing and showing near by threats and targets. Which, allows the user to use his full potential, In this case, Krrish’s superpowers.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

However, the krrish super powers have not changed much. With great strength, speed and agility. Krrish has never used arms and ammunition and have always preffered close quater combat with stealth and surprise to overwhelm the enemy.

The young krrish quickly dons the suit and walks to the centre empty space of the room, which houses a transparent tube with a door on it.

“KRRISH TO SEVEN…COMM CHECK...HOW COPY”…. He speaks into his helmet as he enters the tube and locks the door.

“LOUD AND CLEAR”, replies his father “Have a safe trip.. and remember you are not KRRISH because you have the powers, but because you have trained to be one.”

“COPY THAT”, replies Krishna as he braces himself in the tube ready to be launched into the cold night sky.

A smooth suction sound signals the departure. The father rests back on his recliner keeping his tablet and his earpiece on him.

“Will he back before midnight,” a lady in the kitchen asks her husband. “Too early to say, your son has just left for work. But ,I think so…..”

“You should have told me before, I would have prepared a snack for him, do you want him to run around empty stomach”…The mother cuts in sharply.

“ He is the Krrish from now on, an empty stomach is least of his worries. Let him come back and you can feed your son as much as you want.” Says the proud father who gets up from his chair and walks slowly towards his frail wife. Who very quickly replies with an assertive tone, “ Why, so you can put him up for more training..”.

Meanwhile, all the sounds in the house has distracted another member of the family. Dhruv, the younger brother could hear the commotion in the house. He tries to refocus on the book he in his hand , but cannot help listening to the commotion around him. He hears his father talk about his brother being Krrish and irritatingly focuses back onto his book while adjusting his spectacles.

One hour later, the younger brother casually walks down the the stairway to the dining hall.

“So many times I have told you guys to not make so much noise while I am studying”…….”these old walls are not soundproof’’..The father looks at his son and goes back to tablet which now is giving video feed and other data from the krrish suit.

Dhruv ignores his father and goes to his mother, hugging her while she is plating the food on the table. “Hungry!!” , she asks with motherly affection “come ,sit and eat…You can study later”.

The young boy obediently sits on the nearby chair . The father follows suit, but he is still busy with the tablet, constantly moving his fingers on the screen back and forth.

“ahem’,the mother draws attention of the disturbed father…. “ Can you keep it aside for a little bit, You have trained hin enough to do his work”… the father obeys, and keeps the tablet on the table with in view.

Dhruv, we heard that you have won the gold medal for your project….why didn’t you tell us, …

Yes ma, but it was not something great. Just a model of a reactor with increased efficiency …. The judges were also dumb, they called it magic….

What did you say….rethorted the mother curiosly.

I told them that it was just human….not magic.

SEVEN TO KRISH…. Good job ,Boy… Nicely handled those crooks without any shots fired and no property damage….

You can exfil now….Your mom is waiting for you at the dinner table

Krish to SEVEN.. Negative, I want to check the source of these weapons …. May be able to the trace the smugglers… tell mom not to wait. It will be morning when I return..I guess…

“He will not be here for dinner, he has work to do”, the father declares it over the table…..”the era of the next krrish has begun”… The proud father tells his wife and son with content smile But, the glare of his wife cannot be escaped as he keeps the tablet aside and starts eating his food quietly.

Dhruv, simply looks at his father and quietly starts eating too. The dinners goes on quietly with some small family talk.

Finishing the dinner, dhruv goes to help his mother with the dishes. “ I will do it ,sweetie”. She says with a loving pat on his head. “ no ma, I will finish this and go back to study.”…. “ we can watch a movie together” replies the mother with great gusto.Only to be replied with an awkward nod by dhruv. “ ahhh, my both sons are too grown up to watch a movie with their mother’’. The mother sighs nodding her head dissapointingly. Dhruv hugs her and starts to wash the dishes moving her aside. The mother can only watch her son pleasantly as he quickly washes the dishes and turnaround. “ ok ma, its done…. Goodnight ma, don’t wait to long for brother .Dad did say he would be coming only morning”.. the mother cannot say much but hold her sons face in her hands. Her eyes say it all.

Dhruv slowly walks back to his room, looking down. His mother’s affection had bought a smile to his face. Then he remembered that he didn’t wish his father and ran down again.Peeking into his fathers study… he looks at his father.. once again on his favourite chair…looking at tablet as always. “ good night, dad” , dhruv says softly . But the father busy with his tablet, doesnot respond. Dhruv stares at his father and then nods his head and walks away to his room.

Getting onto his bed , he stares at the old ceiling . how much he wished he had powers like his brother. Speed , agility and strength. He hated himself for being powerless , he hated himself for being the human in the long legacy of a super hero family. He gets up and goes to his study table as starts to read the book lying. He stares at the first page of the book on which he has written “ STRONGER and FASTER THAN MY BROTHER…,