Another prankster inside Asum rock.
1025 Words
A young guard sat patiently watching sets of wireless video cameras surveying the sprawling villa.
The image went by in an endless procession.
For a second the guard caught himself dozing and gave a wide yarn.
He dipped his hand in his pocket and brought out a pack of chewing gum, this will keep him awake he believed, nodding with a satisfied smile.
His works are boring as he needs to spend countless hours staring at countless numbers of screens from the portable cameras installed in various places inside Asum rock.
Not that he minds the boringness as the pay is good.
He who pays the Piper dictates the tunes.
The guards blew the chewing gum in his mouth as it formed a medium-sized ball, the size of a baby fist.
He nodded in admiration, he is getting better at this.
He had devised plans to keep himself awake on such a lonely night like this.
What else did you want him to do to keep himself busy?
When he started new, being alone watching TV screens for what seemed like forever had almost made him resign from this work, but the fear of getting another one is the beginning of wisdom.
Checking on suspicious and unauthorized entry had been as dull as a mad man's party.
But thanks to the latest technology, he can read novels on Dreame, watch movies on Netflix and sometimes like today, watch pornography and pretend all is well even in the well.
Suddenly, with a reflective jerk that startle even himself, his hand shot out and hit a button on the control panel.
The picture before him froze.
With tingling nerves, he leaned towards the screen for a closer look.
The reading was been transmitted from camera #52, a camera that was supposed to be overlooking a hallway.
But the image before him was most definitely not a hallway.
what's going on? he brought out his walkie-talkie and dialed the emergency number.
some miles away, a voice cracked through a walkie-talkie.
"Okay, am in the hallway."
The technician monitoring the video screens pressed the button on the transmitter.
"Camera#52 is supposed to be at the far end."
A long silence engulfed, the waiting technician broke a long sweat, finally, the radio clicked.
"The camera isn't here." The voice said
" Though I can see where it was mounted, Somebody must have removed it."
The technician inhaled heavily. "Thanks for your help."
He turned off his walkie-talkie and pursed his lips, where the
hell Is this camera located?
This is unusual and he was confused about what next to do.
The camera should have shut down If outside Asum rock.
And what about the canister?
"How did that get there." He asked no one aloud.
If only he knew what to do.
He is a newbie and just started this a month ago.
He observed the canister vigilantly now and discovered it has a light blinking at the front.
The canister; a small matches size rectangular shaped and transparent plastic box can easily be smuggled inside Asum rock with little or no difficulties.
The camera can also be removed from its pole and remounted elsewhere.
This is the work of a sick joker.
But the joker has taken this too far, and he should report to his Superior now.
Except for the field technicians, he only has his immediate superior's number who inturned have access to his immediate superior.
The mode of operations was designed to maintain privacy and secrecy, this been what district police was created for.
He brought out his walkie-talkie, dialed a number, and heaved heavily as the phone ring.
He hate doing this and wished to be in someone's else shoes right now, unfortunately, he was chosen to break the bad news.
He was pretty sure head will roll for this and he is presently sorry for those guards on duties tonight.
Some will be used as scapegoats and punished for the negligence of duties. Maybe query or the ultimate sack letter.
Others will sit tight and things will be tough and tight for a while to relapse into a worse situation in a few months.
It has happened before, pranksters looking for souvenirs.
He wasn't here then but heard countless stories of such escapades.
The phone rang thrice and was picked by a man who cursed silently with a voice that sound like a hiss.
"Yes," the voice said disturbed.
"Something wrong with camera #52 sir," The guard said softly into the walkie-talkie.
The voice that responded seemed
more pissed now as the hissing became more audible, " how should that concern me, call someone to check it out."
"I already did. It's nowhere to be found but transmitting still within the premises. Someone had simply moved it and attached it with a small canister with dazzling light."
"Am on my way," the voice said unconvinced
The guard believed his boss must have thought either he is drunk or crazy and it's probably on his way not to confirm his story but to reprehend him for misconduct. Who cares, let him deal with this. His work is to check for any irregularities and inform the appropriate person, and this he has done.
Then he noticed this: The light is not only dazzling but counting down, he looked bemused for missing such important information. The countdown has been in its final forty-five minutes and thirty-two seconds and still reducing with every passing second.
And then what?
The guard look closer trying to figure out what was in the canister as shown from the screen, it look like a reddish oil missed with quartz.
This looked friendly the guards thought for a second, but the reality almost blew him off. Smaller things have caused greater havoc.
His shifting will be over in the next 6 hours and if this should be a time bomb to explode in the next few minutes so may it be,
He mustn't under any circumstances leave this location. His Superior had drummed this long enough into his ears and he can't ever forget.
God save us all. Another prankster inside Asum rock.
- Writer
