Chapter 12

  Old Bonds

  Part Two

  “What about the victims?” she said.

  “Safe. Some would have already reached their destination,” he said.

  “Angels?”

  “Probably in hell, unless they mysteriously had repented their deeds before dying,” he stretched. “It’s time.”

  “No! don’t leave me again.”

  “… Time for my exercise.”

  As he sat up, two cylindrical objects appeared in each hand, with rope attached to their sides, going under the platform. He began performing bicep curls, feeling the burn in his muscles with each repetition.

  Surprised Manya. “Wasn’t killing those enough for your workout?”

  “That was fun, but this is a routine, and it’s been long since I have found such a perfect natural weight.”

  She corrected her hair. “Thank you for helping me out. Even when I wasn’t your teammate.” Her gaze fell on her thighs, then to all over her body. She was wearing the same clothes from the facility and no sign of permanent SL.

  “Oh, it’s ok. It’s a hobby.”

  “What?”

  “Help weak or helpless individuals on a mission way out of their league, even if all I receive is a cold. Thank you in return.”

  “Oh, I could hug, even kiss you for helping me.”

  He smirked. “Time sure change.”

  “I want you to answer all my questions,” she placed her forehead on the barrier.

  “Do I have to?”

  She nodded. “First the most important question, what the hell is this world?”

  “It’s a world full of endless possibilities. A world which was formed to defend the solar system.” His eyes drifted away. “… A world built to protect and maintain peace.”

  Manya’s heart felt heavy with sorrow after witnessing such an expression.

  “… Next question,” he perked up again.

  “I am still not sure if I can trust you.”

  “People don’t say such things if they don’t trust others. You know, I am trustworthy.”

  “Tell me this then. An angel attacked the capital last year. Why did every information about that day disappeared?”

  He seemed surprised by her words. “How did you know about it?”

  “How did I know?” she muttered. “Because I was a part of it. It-It was the day I lost two most precious people. One died right in these arms. And the other one, get himself taken away for my sake. And everyone in the country, deny, as if it never happened. How can a day that took everything from me be just a false memory?”

  “It wasn’t a false memory, it happened. And it was us that erased the evidences.”

  “You did? Were they your guys?” She giggled. “Is Mamu with you?”

  “Come again.”

  “There was a guy named Dhruv on that spaceship that day and my mamu.”

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Lost in thought, he said. “There weren’t such guys. We’ve only recovered several angels and Kri, their leader, dead.”

  “It can’t be. There were two more guys there. Then those shadowy people arrived.”

  “Shadowy people? Believe me, I have checked the reports, no sign of any being other than those angels.”

  “No, you are lying!”

  Even though he tried to convince her, she was not prepared to accept it.

  In front of her, a screen appeared, displaying footage of Kri’s spaceship after the arrival of officials. Dressed in purple attires. Happy’s claim seemed accurate since they found only Kri and his followers, with no trace of Dhruv or Atharv.

  “But? Wasn’t there anything unusual?” she said.

  “Let me check,” he goes through the reports of that day, “There’s two, we find faint traces of an ariot.”

  Her confusion grew. “What’s the other?”

  Happy zoomed in the footage, and stopped by the clear view of thick broken cables fell out from the ceiling at Kri’s throne room. “These cables here show signs of tampering. And the ground beneath them was cleaned with a substance you won’t find anywhere but, on a planet, millions of light years away.”

  “They weren’t cables, but chains with s-sharp pointy head at the end. Wait—millions of light years? How did a trace of a product of a faraway planet be found here? And how did you even know about its existence?”

  He smirked. “I went there on a vacation, such a nice place. My mouth still remembers the star dessert.”

  She was shocked. “And how is this going to happen? I mean, it’s a million light years away. I can’t even calculate the time it will take us to reach there, even with those advance looking spaceships.”

  “Calm down first. Are you familiar with the term portal?” he said. She nodded. “So, we use them to travel. Entire universe is connected through portals. How? There’s a book on that in the library. And even if we can’t go there through them, we have modes, which take a few seconds to minutes to travel anywhere in the universe.”

  Manya stared at him. “And why is all this technology and the world hidden from us? I mean, from natives of Earth?”

  “Because they aren’t ready for it yet.”

  “And who are you to decide that?”

  “A representative of the owner of such technology.”

  “But such technologies will benefit the world by tenfold and if the world gets a powerful liquid like the one you healed me with. It will be amazing.”

  “You saw it?” he said.

  She nodded. “If not giving, you can tell the ingredients we’ll make it.”

  “One trillion per ounce.”

  “What?”

  “The price of the liquid,”

  Her eyes widened. “Are you serious?? Are you saying there’re trillions floating inside me?” She stared at him for a few seconds, because she wanted to see how much of an idiot he thought she would be, to believe his every word. “What am I to you, an idiot?”

  He chuckled. “How did you know?”

  “You are impossible. Ok. After my first mission, I saw my footage, and it was altered.”

  “You know you are making it hard for me to maintain a smile,” he sighed. “It was me. I altered that, even changing this current moment.”

  “Why? and how?”

  “Because I can’t be seen with you, and it’s quite a clever coincidence that you entered with an alias name, ‘Ira.’ And for how I am changing it? Consult the library.”

  Ira’s name startled her—her breath quickened and eyes scanned around. “Where’s Ira?”

  “She’s safe and sleeping,” he said.

  “Where?”

  He gazed at his exercise handles, and before Manya could react, he threw them at her, implying, if not caught on time, someone could get hurt and he ascended into the sky.

  “Get down!!”

  “I am not eaten by a mad Manya!”

  Below the platform, she glimpsed Ira, unconscious and bound by a rope. When she pulled the rope, its lightness surprised her, unsure if it was her strength or rope’s feature.

  She placed her on the platform gently. “Ira! Wake up!”

  “I would advise you to not wake her up!” he said.

  “Shut up!! I’ll kill you the moment you came within my reach!” She checked her heartbeat, which seemed to work, but abnormally. “Angels should have different hearts,” she whispered.

  “Try slapping her, works every time!” he said, while eating popcorn in sitting stance mid-air.

  Her piercing gaze had no impact on him. With no other option available, she agreed to go with his proposal. “Sorry Ira.” She slapped her gently.

  “Come on, at least show some promise. I am not playing. I am going home.”

  She couldn’t decide whether to be angry with him or surprised by his childish behaviour. Despite her excitement, she slapped Ira as hard as she could, but nothing happened.

  “Try socks! Or underarms!” he shouted while having satisfaction in smelling his own underarms. A shiver ran down her spine, creep! “You are boring me here.” A wave of blue light appeared from platform’s corner, and centred on Ira’s back.

  A second later, Ira jolted awake, startled by the view.

  “Ira!” Manya rushed to hug her, but got slapped off the platform. Which made Happy burst into laughter. Manya saw his popcorn disappearing into the air.

  Next moment, a rope appeared around her waist. She remembered the time when an unseen force pulled her out right before the whale attack. Returning to the platform, Ira looked confused, like she couldn’t find something.

  “What have you done, mortal?!” she charged at Manya, but stopped by a sudden partition. “Restore my celestial plumage!” Ira struggled to destroy the partition.

  “Plumage?”

  “Her wings!” Happy said.

  “What about them?”

  “Forget it, are you ready?” Happy said.

  “For what?”

  “To whom are you conversing with, mortal?” Ira said.

  The partition in between vanished. Ira charged at her, but Manya dodged and pushed her away.

  “Round. Two,” Happy signalled. “I love when women fight!” he chirped.

  Manya gazed at him. “This isn’t a game. Stop this!”

  Ira lunged forward, aiming for a wild swing. “You have gone insane, mortal!”