“There look,” said KC as he pointed in the direction of several white-clothed men preparing what looked like tea/coffee. “That should be it, all you got to do is to… steal their tea!”
“That’s your advice - ‘steal their tea’!” repeated Kamal.
“There is no other way, we got only 40 minutes to go!” stated KC.
“The last thing I stole were the Missile Codes from North Korea. It resulted in delaying their nuclear program by eight years,” stated Kamal as he stared at the cooks. “And now I got to steal tea! Sure…I can do that.”
“I am going to manage some Russian salad…the same way,” declared KC. “We will meet at the exit door of the kitchen exactly after 40 minutes. Sync your watch,” added KC.
Over the next 30 minutes, they tried to blend in as much as they could. They homed on to their targets, befriended them and offered them a glass of water once, wine twice! In 25 minutes both their targets were in the washroom to relieve themselves.
As one of the chefs got into the washroom, KC quietly approached him from behind and gently pressed the right spot on his neck. Almost instantly the chef fell unconscious. KC dragged him towards a washroom cubicle to lock him in for the next 10 minutes. That’s all the time he required.
KC pushed the door of the cubicle. It didn’t open. KC moved back and rammed it with his foot as hard as he could. The door flung open. KC looked inside only to find Kamal wrestling with the other chef in the cubicle. The chef had Kamal’s waist and Kamal was chocking his neck.
“Are you done yet?” asked KC hurriedly as Kamal held the 180 pounder chef by his neck, barely managing to hold him up.
“Really,” said Kamal as he gasped for air after his feud with the lean-mean muscular chef. “This chap turned out to be a bloody body-builder!”
Another long 20 seconds and the second chef also passed out.
“Thank God,” exclaimed Kamal as he loosened his grip around the chef’s neck. They quickly placed both the chefs into the same cubicle and changed the sign to ‘Occupied’.
“We got nothing more than 10 minutes,” said Kamal as he wiped sweat off his forehead and got his chef cap in order. “I have taken their IDs, they are not coming out of the bathroom without swiping those and I have taken out the wiring from the inside, so no one is going to pretty much come inside either.”
“Lovely,” said KC. “Now we got to get into the office complex and then the particle accelerator chamber. Crona, are you ready?”
“Yes commander,” replied Crona. “However, your heart-beats are pounding. You must lower it down or the location jump will not be stable.”
“Yes, I will try,” they replied together.
“The moment you get into the Particle chamber, you will need to lie down and stay still. Count till five. Once you get up, you will be in 2017 and would have completed the time jump. However, you will feel very dizzy. Exactly 5 minutes is what you will have to move out of the chamber into the office complex and exit straight away into the driveway of the building. That would be the shortest way,” explained Crona.
“Usually, after a location jump, the hallucination period will be up to one minute for a person jumping for the first few times. But since I am using a very crude method here, the hallucination period could continue up to 10-20 minutes! However, like I said - five minutes is all you have. If you spend even a second longer within the building, you will be caught. I have run one million scenarios and you get caught every time…”
“We get the hint,” interrupted Kamal. “We basically got to get up and then run like hell. KC, you better memorise the way-in.”
“Done,” said KC. “Let’s move.”
They swiftly entered the kitchen without looking left or right, straight away picked up the tea and the salad and moved towards the office complex door. Although they were just walking… their hearts were sprinting…! At the office complex gate, the guard frisked them with a metal detector and checked what they were carrying.
“Hmm… Cardamom Tea, smells good,” complemented the guard.
“Off you go,” he added as KC and Kamal finally entered the office complex.
The complex was completely lit up and swarming with office staff. The further they went in, the less crowded it got. Two minutes of a patient walk, and they were at the office block of the scientists working in the current shift. KC made a mind map of the routes they had taken. The number of steps to each turning and the key landmarks like photos on the wall, water dispensers and the alignment of lights. He wanted to be sure that on the way out, he could zip past the same route within the given five minutes without wasting any time. Time was everything!
Finally, they reached just outside the particle accelerator chamber. They stopped their snack-trolley. Almost instantaneously, scientists started to flock around them picking up their tea cups and munching on Russian salad as they discussed work and what they were going to do next.
KC looked at Kamal as Kamal looked at the particle accelerator chamber and scientists coming out of it. There was an ID scanner just outside the door. That was it! They took out the ID cards given to them by Mike and took a deep breath. They started walking towards the door slowly and soon enough they were running. They zipped past the entire flock of scientists standing there, carefully avoiding running into them. The scientists were busy talking to each other, munching on their eats. They didn’t bother about what happened outside the particle accelerator chamber. On reaching the scanner, they quickly fizzed their IDs in front of the scanner. The door slid open and they walked in. The door closed behind them and finally… they were in.
Soon enough the security camera picked them up and automatically the alarm was sounded. Mike standing outside the building could also hear the alarm and tried looking as surprised as everyone else was.
KC looked at Kamal. “Thanks for everything,” he said. Kamal’s calm look gave KC his answer.
“Crona, we are good to go,” added KC as they fell to the ground immediately. There was a zipping sound that almost baffled everyone standing outside the chamber as they were forced to press their hands against their ears due to the deafening sound.
And just like that… within a fraction of a second it was over! All done. Everyone looked around, there was nothing. The security guards who had come into the chamber after the loud noise found nothing there!
“I saw two men rush past me,” came an anxious voice of one scientist standing there!
“Yes, I did too,” confirmed another scientist standing there.
“No, I saw no one,” countered a third scientist.
The camera footage was also not clear! The tremendous energy surge had damaged the recording on the magnetic disk.
Mike reached the scene and saw the recorded footage. But he couldn’t make anything out of it ! One second there were two men on the floor and the next second, they were just not there!!
“I think… this is some sort of an electronic glitch,” explained Mike. “The camera sensors probably got a wrong feed and sounded an alarm. Otherwise, where could two grown up men just disappear like that?” said Mike almost as if he was asking that question to himself.
“Yes, that’s true,” agreed the scientist standing there.
“The alarm also stopped automatically after a few seconds. No one can enter and just disappear like that,” everyone added.
“Back to work then folks,” said Mike smiling. “We will…investigate this matter…. Probably just a freak accident!”
Every one of the scientists got back to their tea and salad. They had much more important issues to discuss and black holes to find!
* * *
Kamal felt an unbelievable stretch followed by a thumping noise and then again of course another powerful slam on the floor.
“Wake up… Kamal wake up,” shouted KC as he shook Kamal out of his slumber.
“
Are we there? Have we location-jumped?” asked Kamal disoriented.
“Yes, we have,” replied KC. “Now get up, we got to run…literally.”
This was Kamal’s second location jump and he was still not used to it. He was completely unsettled. Kamal got up fumbling and falling twice before he was on his feet.
“Are you ready?” asked KC as he took out his security card. Kamal took out his as well as he leaned against the wall still finding it hard to stand.
“Let’s do it,” said Kamal gasping for air. “1...2...3…” They said in unison. They flung open the door and made a bold charge for the exit. They had less than a minute! The scientists standing outside the particle accelerator chamber in the hall looked at them astonished.
Why are two chefs running out of the particle accelerator chamber, scrambling like hell? It took one of the sharpest scientists a moment to realize that something was amiss as he leapt for the alarm and pressed it.
KC was sprinting from one room to another, from one corridor to another accurately navigating his way out. He remembered exactly where to turn. He had mapped the whole building precisely on their way in.
“The alarm…went up,” yelled Kamal as he was trying to follow KC trying to keep up.
“Oh no…,” said KC as he came up against a wall! “How can there be a wall here. We just came in from here….” exclaimed KC as he realized they were losing valuable seconds.
“We came here in 2018,” said Kamal trying to stand up straight, gasping for air. “Now we are in 2017 and they will make a way here later!”
“We got another 15 seconds before the exit routes are sealed out,” said KC looking at his watch as his heart throbbed. The LIGO breach protocol had been implemented. The emergency steel blocks were coming down and covering all doors, windows and exits.
“Which floor are we on?” asked Kamal.
“First floor,” replied KC.
“There…a window, let’s jump,” declared Kamal.
“Splendid idea,” said KC as they headed for the window. KC picked up a random chair sitting on the corridor and rammed it against the window. KC didn’t even bother to look down and jumped right through the window as he pulled Kamal down with him.
There was only one way to go! And that was down. They landed on their backs on a car’s roof parked in the parking.
“Aaah…my back,” cried Kamal as his back hit the car’s roof shattering all of its glasses. “…I thought you would say ‘No, it was a bad idea to jump off a building. You didn’t even take a second to say - yes, did you?” continued Kamal.
“Ha-ha… I love you Kamal, what would I do without you!” laughed KC as he rolled over and dropped off the roof of the car. He got up, stretched his back and pulled Kamal off the car as well and momentarily, they hid behind the car.
“Now what?” asked Kamal. “I can’t even feel my back! First the location-jump and now this.”
“Look straight and right, One o’clock direction, there is a short wall. That’s our way out. Once we are out of here, we will head straight under the bridge. Crona has timed our jump accurately. We will reach just in time, before I, in this time shoot Jenny under the bridge… And this time I am going to save her.”
Cautiously, they moved towards the wall and without creating any ruckus they quietly slipped over it. “I guess no one expected we would jump out of the building and escape,” said Kamal realising that they had made a clean break.
“Yes, it’s good to be unpredictable,” replied KC.
“Unpredictable!” repeated Kamal, “more like crazy!”
“Potato… Potato (Paatato),” added KC smiling.
After half an hour of ceaseless jogging across the town with KC navigating, trying hard to remember the landmarks, streets and turns accurately, they finally reached near the bridge. KC had done it. His eyes beamed as he searched for Jenny everywhere. What all had he gone through just to see her again.
“There you are,” said Kamal as he pointed towards the outline of two people standing under the bridge. “Damn you got a pistol pointed at her,” added Kamal as they got close to them.
KC could now hear them speak...the exact same conversation he had with Jenny just before shooting her. He knew he had seconds before he (Jo as everyone knew him in that time) would shoot Jenny.
“No, you will never shoot me,” said Jenny surprised.
“Trust me Jenny, I have a pretty good feeling that I am damn good with triggers, and I can see it in your eyes that you damn well know it too. So, stop or I’ll blow your head off, and I won’t flinch,” replied Jo. Jenny stopped.
“Who are you?” asked Jo bluntly. “What do you want?”
“Just keeping an eye on you KC,” said Jenny smiling.
“That doesn’t answer my question Jen,” said Jo. “You have 10 seconds before I blow your head off .., 1… 2… 3…. I don’t need you Jen, I’ll figure out either way, so why don’t you just tell me who you are? Who sent you? Who am I?”
“That’s your problem KC, you are too confident, always believing in yourself, you think you are too smart! You think you will get out of any corner. Well, I was here to make sure you don’t. Try getting out of this one!” replied Jenny.
“Stop...stop,” yelled KC from a distance, as he got closer to the two of them.
Jenny couldn’t believe what she was seeing. KC running towards her!
“What’s going on?” said Jo agitated as he saw KC approaching towards him and realising that he looked just like him.
“Jo, don’t shoot,” said KC immediately. “It will be the biggest mistake you ever make. Stop!”
Jo didn’t think twice, he raised his pistol and very swiftly shot KC before he could even make a move, and in the same breath shot Jenny. Kamal saw this from a distance and couldn’t believe it. ‘Only KC can kill KC,’ he thought! What a mess! What do I do….?
* * *
A moment later, KC saw Jo and Jenny standing under the bridge and walked ahead to stop them.
“Wait a minute, I thought I was shot by Jo… how did I get back here?” said KC astonished as he looked at Kamal. “Kamal, you look exhausted!” added KC.
“Really I look exhausted!” repeated Kamal. “You just shot yourself! I mean Jo just shot you. I waited for over half an hour before Jo left. I dragged you to a side. The cops followed soon. I got a bright spark and called out to Crona and luckily, she responded. She used the particle accelerator algorithms which she had derived and enhanced by now to make you time jump back to 2018 and then somehow back here to 2017 to this very moment just before you are shot by Jo,” explained Kamal in a single breath visibly exhausted.
“Wow thanks Kamal,” said KC. “I don’t know how to thank you.”
“Just be careful this time,” said Kamal. “It’s awfully boring and risky waiting here while Crona time-jumps you. This time get to the point,” explained Kamal. KC nodded and made his second attempt to pacify Jo.
“Jo… stop,” yelled KC. “Don’t shoot Jenny… she is your wife.”
Jo observed KC. He looked just like him only a bit more exhausted.
“Who are you and how do you know that she is my wife?” questioned Jo.
“Jo, lower your god damn pistol,” advised KC. “I am you…from the future… I have come to warn you. What you are about to do, is futile…it doesn’t help us.”
Jo getting further irritated, pointed his pistol towards KC and shot him and in the same breath shot Jenny.
“God dammit,” yelled Kamal as muffled as he could and punched the air around him in frustration… “Not again.”
* * *
A moment later, KC saw Jo and Jenny standing under the bridge and walked ahead to stop them. “Wait a minute, I thought I was shot by Jo… how did I get back here?” said KC astonished as he looked at Kamal. “Kamal, you look so exhausted!” added KC.
&
nbsp; “Damn…! Really,” said Kamal disgusted as he explained KC everything. “This time for God’s sake cut through the chase and come to the point. Just tell Jo about the damn Time-com and how he is being used!”
“I will,” assured KC. “This time I will convince him,” he added resolutely.
“Jo, stop… Don’t shoot Jenny,” yelled KC as he approached Jenny and Jo.
“Who are you?” yelled back Jo. “Only you can know about the Time-com and its 5-minute loop. But I know about it too. Because I am you. I have come from the future to warn you. Don’t shoot Jenny. It will only complicate things further.”
“You know what’s going on?” questioned Jo.
“Yes, I do,” replied KC. “You had been sent to this time to alter events. You have lost your memory and are about to shoot Jenny. She is the key! If you shoot her now, we will be stuck here forever!”
“If you know the truth, then why are you stuck here with us,” replied Jo. “You could have just gone to the beginning and stopped everything!”
“But I don’t remember the beginning…” replied KC.
“This will help you remember!” said Jo as he swiftly shot KC and in the same breath shot Jenny.
“You got to be kidding me,” cried Kamal. “This kid Jo is so reckless and …and…. god dammit so KC.”
* * *
A moment later, KC saw Jo and Jenny standing under the bridge and walked ahead to stop them. “Wait a minute, I thought I was shot by Jo… How did I get back here?” said KC astonished as he looked at Kamal. “Kamal, you look awfully exhausted!” added KC.
“Damn that son of a gun,” said Kamal. He again painstakingly explained everything. “This time I am going to record everything on my mobile. I don’t have the patience to explain everything again.”
“I know what to do,” said KC as he headed straight for Jenny.
“Jenny, I am back,” shouted KC as Jo and Jenny looked at him. KC headed towards Jenny and stood next to her.
“Get away from her, or I’ll shoot you,” declared Jo as he pointed his pistol towards KC.
“Jo, I know your name is Kenneth Cent and what you have been told by the Time-com. It’s a lie. Before you try and shoot Jenny, there is a letter in her hand; you should read it,” said KC hurriedly. “I know all this because I am from the future. I am you. You can shoot me if you want to, but read the letter first,” added KC as he raised his empty hands and showed them to Jo.
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