However, the most recent research about the end of the geological Pliocene Period that spanned from 520 million to 160 million years ago pointed out that the seawater once flooded the Valley of the Nile River. We can see the effect of the erosion caused by the direct contact from the lake waters formed in the Pleistocene, which was later carved as the body of the statue of Sphinx [1]. It means that the Sphinx in Egypt is one of the oldest monuments on the surface of the earth. In other words, that means the ancient civilization that once lived in our world existed much longer than the scientists have agreed upon.”

Marwan’s extremely controversial statement instantly sparked a clash of arguments. The studio amphitheater became tumultuous with voices of people talking with each other among the audience. They just realized that the debate has been sidetracked and tried to relate the latest statements to the topic at hand.

Sonia has listened to Professor Marwan’s statement, but of course, this was the key moment that made the show interesting. Sonia glanced at the program director, and then she speaks up with a high key to gain all the debate participants’ attention. “The audience seems curious, but let’s give it rest first. We’ll be back after these messages.”

When the commercials were broadcasted to the viewers at home, the noises became more tumultuous like a swarm of bees storming into the studio. Several minutes later after the commercial break, the debate commenced.

“Professor Marwan, let’s say the things you said were all true. But how can you explain the extinction of Ancient Egypt?” Sonia asked.

 “The truth is, Ancient Egypt was not a nation,” Marwan clarified. “It was a world, the same world as the one we live in. The difference is in the period. We live in the New World period now, and Ancient Egypt is referred to as the Old World, the period before ours. Why do I associate Egypt with the whole world? Because first Ancient Egypt was the only known civilization to have existed in the Old World.

The 2,000-year-old calendar is more accurate than the Gregorian Calendar, as the claims go. And once again I say, I agree with those claims. Earth in the Old World period used the Lunar Calendar, and it explains that the Old World Ancient Egypt had a different climate than now. The Old World didn’t experience the same seasons as in the Gregorian Calendar, every century the duration of each season was very slightly shortened. In the end, there was a time when the climate in the New World was back to be like in the Old World Ancient Egypt age that knew no season!

The experts said that on that day when winter comes, the sun will rejoin the crossing point that was formed as the result of the total ecliptical alignment with the equator. The truth is, in the time of the Old World Ancient Egypt, that was the way the earth revolves around the sun. It was always on its ecliptical line! At that time, the Northern Hemisphere of the earth was not at the farthest point from the sun according to its axial tilt, because the earth was always in the isosceles triangle formation with the sun on its central point. The orbit of the earth against the sun was always parallel with the earth's equator, so a change of seasons in the Old World didn’t exist, unlike this current New World period.

So, my conclusion is, that the calculations in the Mayan Calendar are a record for the past Apocalypse, that is the transition from the Ancient Egypt World or the Old World to the current period called the New World, or you can say the Great Cycle. It’s NOT a prediction of the next Apocalypse in 2012, whether it’s the transition from the New World or the Great Cycle to whatever word it will be as its outcome, or the earth will be destroyed in the Black Hole and the Biblical New World will be created in its stead for the redeemed ones. That’s all I need to say.”     

Hearing that supposedly epic conclusion, Kourtney, Abdelhak, Sonia, and everybody present in the studio amphitheater were dumbfounded. They couldn’t say a word and fell silent, all words of argument slipped off their tongues.

However, Sonia didn’t waste the show's duration. “So, I can also conclude that the Sphinx and the pyramids of Egypt, according to you, are the relics from the sole civilization of the Pliocene Age, Proto-Ancient Egypt! And then what caused the climate change at that time?” asked Sonia, who finally managed to grab a hold of her self-control quickly. 

“Not all the pyramids, mind. Some, I don’t know how many were built by slaves in the Age of Pharaohs,” answered Marwan. “Anyway, that’s related to the core point of our discussion. The extreme and sudden climate change caused Proto-Ancient Egypt to be wiped out from this earth.

All this time I’m interested in a symbol that was generally found in the entire North and South America. Many legends in Indian Culture are connected with the Biblical legend of the Great Flood which involves a dragon. The main characteristic of its image is a long, snake-like creature often depicted as an object that a stone carver saw in the sky. Many unusual things were connected by prehistoric humans with a catastrophic disaster and, what else if it wasn’t presumed as a dragon in the sky?

Whenever we see a dragon, we surely can also see its long tail, the end of which is either crown-like or even horn-like. At least that’s the prehistoric people perceived from their imagination. According to mythology, there’s a story about a collective memory as the result of a catastrophe, including the Great Flood. What we see like a rainbow, they saw a dragon.”

“Professor Marwan, Sir,” Kourtney asked with irony and insult in his tone. “Don’t you know that dragons are merely a myth? How come mythology can be mixed with science curriculum?”

 “Maybe you have forgotten your high school science,” added Abdelhak, the Egyptian Archaeologist.

Hearing that last line, the audience filled the hall with laughter.

==oOo==

That very fond memory ended like a stand-up – more like sit down – comedy show. However, there was a statement from Professor Marwan that was proven to be true. The year 2012 has passed and the Apocalypse predicted through profound scientific research didn’t happen.

Since that show, Sonia’s career skyrocketed. She continued to host exciting and fun science shows, which previously were tedious. Plus, she was also appointed as a Senior Reporter who covered great events and phenomenons in Indonesia and abroad, being at the same level as her peers, Michele in USA and Bazin in France.

However, Professor Marwan’s controversies didn’t stop there. In 2021, a team that was joined in the OPERA experiment announced a research result that neutrino or the neutron in an atom can go faster than the speed of light. The OPERA team stated that neutrino moves sixty nanoseconds faster than light. This discovery of course caused an uproar because Albert Einstein once said that no particle moves faster than light.

However, several researchers doubted that discovery and considered it impossible. Many people stated that there was a mistake, a mismatch in terms of the instruments used and the methodology for the research.

In response to that, other research teams then tried to do re-experiments to prove the validity of OPERA team’s result. One of the efforts was attempted by ICARUS team. They strengthened the validity of OPERA team’s research. Sandro Centro, the spokesman of ICARUS team stated that the speed of moving neutrino is equal to the speed of light, with a bit of deviation.

“Now we are one hundred percent sure that the speed of light is the speed of neutrino,” revealed Centro as broadcasted by BBC.

However, at the same time, there was a more surprising and vital statement. A duet, Professor Marwan Batubara, and Professor Made Oka have shaken the world with the result of their research in a laboratory in Jakarta.

Instead of breaking the speed record of light, they revolutionary corrected the atomic concept that the subatom neutron is not a particle, but a non-particle. This result of the further research funded by Reign Foundation stated that neutron is a natural recorder. It records the whole life in the universe since its birth. Even the neutron inside every person has traces of each individual’s life.

 Of course this statement was more controversial than Team OPERA’s. But the duet didn’t stop there. They materialized that their research result in form of the time machine, a derivative of which was trending and caused a hype fever around the world today. When other physics experts were still confused and muddled by the mysterious behavior of neutrons, Professor Marwan and the Engineer, Doctor Made Oka used neutrons as a time machine.

Sonia has heard about all of it, but it has been years since the last time she had a chance to contact Professor Marwan. And now, the reporter saw a rare opportunity and she wouldn’t miss it for the world.

Then how about Marwan and his family in there? At what age they are now? Said Sonia in her mind.

Of course, she didn’t know that Marwan’s family only went back thirty years ago, as the Economy Class Family Package limited the timeline to a century or less. More than that, especially a too-distant timeline would take more energy and cost much more.

==oOo==

On the other hand, Marwan almost forgot about Sonia who still waited for him outside as he and his family ended their time traveling session.

Marwan liked Sonia because she was one of the few people willing to listen to his thoughts. Marwan realized that he was not popular among scientists because he often contradicted them, mixing his conscience, religious or even mythical knowledge, thoughts, and feelings in his arguments. It worked almost every time, but it was beyond the scientists’ logic and most of them refused to believe him.

 “How was the ride? Was it fun?” Sonia asked after she and her cameraman spotted Marwan and immediately approached him.

Marwan combed his hair with his fingers and then answered, “It was marvelous!” Satisfaction ringed true in his tone.

And then Sonia approached Marwan’s wife and asked for her permission for a quick interview with her husband. Luckily, Marwan’s wife didn’t mind. Instead, she was glad to have a chance to accompany her children to shop for merchandise as planned. It was because unusually that kind of activity made her husband easily get bored.

A while later, Sonia talked with Marwan about the topic she was about to ask him. After Marwan has agreed to the points for the questions, Sonia signaled her crew to start broadcasting.

“Professor Marwan, as an expert on Nuclear, Particle, and Quantum Physics, you are known to be the one who opposed the time travel project by InterTime Inc. the most!” InterTime Inc. was the competitor of Tunnel Educations Inc. and conducted a different kind of time travel experience altogether. InterTime applied a more extreme approach than Tunnel, it seemed.

“I think we need to clarify something here!” Marwan interjected, taking his glasses off. “I am not an anti-time travel, as you can see by me being here. But what I strongly oppose was the plan to go to Proto-Ancient Egypt, the Old World by InterTime!”

“Because the Old World is not a place for a picnic!” He added with a surge of emotion in his tone.

“But according to our sources, every project is being put into motion!” Sonia argued. “They’re not going to go to Atlantis, but instead they want to go to the older Pliocene era.” Sonia waited for Marwan’s response on hearing this piece of information.

“Yes, I heard about that too,” Marwan retorted. “The Atlantean Age came after the Pliocene Period, but the common thing in both places was that they existed in the Old World, which has been driven into extinction in an apocalypse! And if they want to meddle with fate, they will invite chaos and danger!”