Background
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Prompt
Today's Maynia Prompt: fireflies
Today's Daily Freewrite Prompt: life is confusing
Writers can choose to use one of the prompts, both the prompts or not use the prompt at all. It is all up to you!
I wish to make this into a sci-fi novel. Let's see how it progresses! 😊
The Galactic Interceptors - Day 9
Continued from Day 8. You can read it here.
Akash thought that the lockdown was helping the aliens to remain undetected. The year 2020 was not the best for the world with the Coronavirus pandemic. He smiled at the thought that it was not a great year for the Arlenians either.
Summer peaked in May in Delhi, but the weather was pleasant and cool. Worldwide, the lockdown had witnessed wildlife reclaiming the urban territory, and so had the weather turned pleasant. With no human to run industries and steering wheels, Earth was breathing easy.
Akash was distracted by the vibrations of his cell phone. It was Radhika.
“Hello, hey, Radhika, ….yes I am driving and reaching in ten,” Akash heard the click on the other end and then flipped his Samsung Galaxy Fold, one of his priced possessions. It reminded him of the Nokia Communicator back in the days.
Akash was distracted by some movement in front of his vehicle and hit the brake with all his weight. He could have sworn that he saw someone bolting across the road, but there was no one. Within seconds he was sitting on the only other car’s horn from behind. The rearview mirror revealed that Akash had successfully made an on-road adversary. For some reason, Akash felt that he heard the thud of the door as if it closed.
Soon the guy pulled next to Akash’s car and with a gesture involving fingers made his displeasure known. For Akash, it was just another day in the office. “A four-lane road, only two cars and that guy could only find a place behind me? Weirdo.”
Akash accelerated his Tata Hexa automatic from standstill and ensured that he maintained a fair distance from the other car.
“Keep moving,” a voice from behind commanded, “you know the consequences, otherwise.”
Akash was trained to handle such situations. In such moments, it was best to cooperate with the other party. “Who are you?” Akash noticed the man in the rearview mirror. He was wearing a mask. Akash was sure that there was no one in the vehicle when he started from home. A routine check of the car was part of the regime.
“First, take me to your office,” the man said.
Akash was confused. The situation was like kidnapping a police officer and then taking him to the police station. Things did not add up. Now, Akash wanted to know more lest he became a threat to the IB office. “You said, I know the consequences. How would I know?”
The man pulled off his mask, “I am certain that now you know the consequences.”
The elevator was full of people, and the other man stood next to Akash, hardly attempting to keep him in check. Akash already knew what that alien was capable of and he wasn’t keen on running anyway. The chime of the elevator stopping on a floor rang, and all of them got down. It was just the Akash and his guest to continue for four more levels.
“How did you get into the vehicle?” Akash asked as the door closed shut and the elevator moved.
“I can move faster than humans.”
“How fast?”
“You should know the answer,” he smiled. “faster than you can see.”
It now made sense to Akash. It was indeed this alien that had run in front of his car. And when Akash stopped, he must have got in. The person’s ability to sneak into different situations and find him dumbfounded Akash. It was also a bit unnerving. They hardly had any intelligence on him, and yet he could find them at will.
“What do you want from us?”
“What does Olyint want from you?”
“A question for a question,” Akash turned to the alien, “do you ever answer?”
“Yes, I did. Now, show me your leader.”
Akash walked through countless cubicles of heads stuck to monitors. He hoped there would be at least one intelligent person to raise the alarm. All he could witness were eyes looking at him but hardly interested in appraising the situation. Intelligence in the Intelligence Bureau was limited to some, he thought.
“What do you want from our leader?” Akash was anyway planning to take him to Arvind. Not that it was a big secret as the alien would have figured that out already.
“Ask me when I am with your leader,” another set of statements far from answers were starting to irk Akash. But then again, if they could risk themselves from Olyint and Sarvi, what could be so bad to be at risk with this one. After all, they had internal hostility, not with humans.
“Here,” Akash knocked on the door and pushed it open, “Jai-Hind, sir,” and as usual Radhika continued to sit with her back to the door.
“Jai-Hind,” Arvind wasn’t expecting anyone with Akash, “I wasn’t aware that you would have company.”
Radhika turned back. The droopy ears. It was him. “Zarqui.”
“Now sit and don’t act illogical,” Zarqui said.
“Sir, comply. Our security can’t stop him,” Akash warned Arvind to avoid calling-in help. He thought there was no point risking lives trying to apprehend an alien for no reason.
“You shot our men,” Radhika was growing tired of Zarqui and his kind spinning the IB into their web.
“I got them unstunned too,” Zarqui said. Radhika and Akash had already figured that out but were still unaware of the reason. “Now, tell me, what does Olyint want from you?”
“What do you mean?” Arvind was confused.
“They want nothing from us,” Radhika explained, “all that they want is you.”
“Then why do you think he contacted you? There are two of them, and I am alone. They can get to me if they want.” There was merit in what Zarqui said.
“Why did they?” The question was rhetorical as Radhika agreed with Zarqui. If Olyint kept bragging about them being better than humans, then why take the help of humans to get another superior being? It did not add up.
“That is because Olyint has a bolder nefarious plan than you’ll see,” Zarqui said.
“Says the person who killed a commander,” Akash let out his sarcasm.
“I did not kill him,” Zarqui almost instantly reacted banging on Arvind’s desk causing things to fly around. It was loud enough for the floor to hear and Arvind’s guards to storm inside.
“All fine,” Arvind gestured as the guards slowly backed off, sizing the new person in the room. “What would you like to have? Arvind pressed the canteen buzzer, letting thing appear normal to his guards.
“Look, we have no interest in your personal lives and what you’ll did in your planet,” Arvind spoke, “but what do you want from us? It is not a coincidence that you came looking for us twice.”
“I came looking for Olyint the last time, but this time it is for you,” Zarqui responded.
“Did you synthesize our people back?” Radhika asked.
“How do you know, synthesizing?” Zarqui asked, “Olyint and Sarvi,” and he answered himself.
“Yes, they told us.”
“And I bought back your people. I had nothing against them, and I came back to undo what was done in error.”
That part confused Radhika. A man so hell-bent in killing his people had a soft corner for people from another planet. He could have just let it be and taken off at the best opportune moment.
“Can’t you’ll just take your problem elsewhere and solve it?” Akash went to open the door which startled Zarqui for a moment.
“Don’t try anything unexpected on me,” Zarqui warned as he noticed a person enter. Zarqui didn’t know who the person was, “you know that I can escape if I want.”
“Yeah, I know,” Akash said, “so what do you like to have?”
“What?” Zarqui looked at Arvind and Radhika.
“I would like some cool drink,” Arvind broke the impasse, “Coke, maybe.”
“Yes, sir,” the canteen boy answered and then he looked at Radhika, Akash and Zarqui.
“Coffee for me,” Radhika said.
“Coke for me too,” and Akash looked at Zarqui.
“I would like the thing in the crushable container, orange in colour, and a temperature of four to eight degrees with sweet additives” Zarqui’s description amused Radhika.
“Fanta or Mirinda, I guess,” Radhika suggested. The canteen boy took the orders and left. “So, you know our planet and things available.”
“Yes, I do. I am a survivor,” Zarqui said. “I did not desynthesize the other person that day.”
“What?” Akash couldn’t join the dots with Zarqui’s sudden change of topic.
“That day, I desynthesized one of your beings in error, but when I went for synthesizing them, I noticed two of them.”
“And that is a concern because?” Arvind asked.
“You’ll are law upholders, don’t you confiscate weapons of people you apprehend?” Zarqui asked.
“Yes, we do,” and instantly, both Akash and Radhika looked at each other. It was apparent that there was a second weapon that either Sarvi or Olyint still had with them. They used it also but never spoke about it.
“So what’s your point?” Arvind was stroking his chin.
“I feel that the shot was intended to desynthesize me. One of your being came in the way,” Zarqui said. “I, on the other hand, had come to desynthesize Olyint and take him with me.”
The more they tried understanding the situation, the murkier it appeared. Zarqui did not seem hostile to them, and yet he was a galactic level threat. Zarqui was not used to silence during a discussion, and he looked at each of them in turns. Once again the canteen guy’s entrance broke the impasse.
The orange coloured PET bottle was handed to Zarqui, who opened and drained off the bottle even before the serving guy turned. Arvind was amused. Once the serving was complete and the room was left to the four, Arvind offered his Coke as well.
“What is this?” Zarqui asked.
“Same as what you drank but in a different colour,” Arvind said.
Zarqui took a measured sip. Allowed the taste to sink in while closing his eyes tight and flaring his nostrils. Arvind thought that it could have been the fizz. Then he looked at the bottle again, and within seconds the content was gulped down. Arvind then smiled and looked at Akash.
With a lot of reluctance, Akash offered his Coke too.
“And what is that?”
“Same as what you drank, same colour and same taste,” Akash said. That was all that Zarqui needed to hear. The magic show happened again.
“Zarqui,” Arvind spoke up, “I understand that’s your name. I am certain you are not here to tell us that you meant well for our people. There is more. What do you want from us?”
Zarqui wiped his mouth with the back of his wrist, “I came to know about your interaction with Olyint. I know that there isn’t much. I need a favour.”
“Tell us,” Radhika offered.
“I need to meet Sarvi alone. Not with Olyint. That is the only way I can make sense of things as much as join the dots on Olyint’s plan,” Zarqui said. “Can you help in getting her to someplace alone.”
Radhika thought about it for some time. “But why do you need us? Why can’t you do it on your own?”
“Because Sarvi would attack me and if with Olyint she wouldn’t hesitate to desynthesize me. I need her to talk.”
“And why would she not attack us?” Akash asked from experience.
“Because you are law-upholder. She wouldn’t overrule you and your law. She has been trained that way,” Zarqui said, “I have trained her that way. You are my only bet.”
Arvind had already made up his mind. It wasn’t a difficult request, and Zarqui had shown that he had nothing against humans. So, Arvind nodded. Akash and Radhika got the message.
Image Courtesy: Pixabay