T minus 5 years

I'm in 2015!?

Why am I in 2015? What happened? Vikram tried to remember the last thing that happened. He wasn't able to remember anything. What am I supposed to do here? I can remember things being different. I am fairly certain demonetization happened. I am carrying the new notes. But why am I here?

This time, change the future, Vikram. A voice flashed in his head.

"Who's there?" he turned around, startled. He looked all around to find someone who spoke those words. "Who said that?" he uttered loudly. The people on the street looked at him with judging expressions and went back to their own lives.

Get in the transporter. There's energy... only for one trip... You have to... save us... from the past. This time, change the future, Vikram.  The voice continued. He sensed a heavy wind behind the voice and the voice struggling to utter the words. He saw nothing as the voice spoke—just the voice and nothingness. As the voice ended, a sharp pain emanated from his head. As if it was breaking his skull from the inside.

He put his fingers on his temple instinctively and massaged them to feel some respite from the pain. The pain turned from a constant companion to a throbbing of the left side of his temple. He massaged it as his stomach growled. How long has it been since I last ate? 5 years in the future? he wondered. Based on the sound in the message, he didn't feel he was very close to a restaurant, and more importantly, something dangerous was happening around him.

He opened his wallet to check how much money he had on himself. Apart from the new notes he had, there were a couple of old notes amounting to 1000 rupees. It was not much, but adding the money from Anubhav would be sufficient for a couple of days' worth of food if he could find his home in 2015. He walked into a restaurant to get some food. His headache went back to being a constant pain. He felt like his brain took a hammer and was hitting his skull. I need hot food. Hopefully, that would clear my headache.

He looked at the menu and the prices carefully. He had to manage his expenses carefully. He decided to get a plate of Mysore Bonda. With the amount of oil it has, it will manage to keep him full until evening. Along with it, he ordered tea. He got the receipt from the cashier and gave it to the kitchen. He walked towards the water cooler and drank a couple of glasses of water. His headache seemed to reduce in intensity. The kitchen called for his order, and he took the plate from the kitchen window. He reached a table where he was alone and started eating.

If sci-fi movies got it right, then an encounter with myself may not be the best idea. But at this time, where am I? What was I doing? He tried to remember. His memory was still hazy, and he couldn't remember anything. The harder he thought, the stronger his headache returned. There must be some way to figure out where I was in 2015, he thought. 

He tore another piece and dipped it in chutney before he ate it. Something instantly struck in his head—Digital trail. I have a digital trail. My accounts were created in 2012. If I can get my phone charged, then I can figure out where I was. He quickly started finishing his breakfast, and he kept thinking about where he could get a charger for his OnePlus 7 phone.

After finishing, he walked up to the cashier and asked him where the nearest phone service store was. A OnePlus phone was still new in 2015, but it was an ordinary phone, moving from invite-only purchases to open stores. If he was lucky, he could manage to get a charger from there. But the stores were not so many. Finding a Type-C charger was difficult in 2015. Nonetheless, it is a key piece of information. His memory may be blank, but his phone's memory isn't as unreliable as his. What was I doing back then? Where was I? he thought to himself. What would happen if I connect to WiFi now? Would I lose the data?

He wondered a lot as he walked to the nearest phone service store. "You've got a Type-C charger?" he asked as he walked into the service store. 

"Ha" the salesman replied, quickly retrieving one packet of Type-C charger box. 

Vikram eyed the box ensuring not to bring suspicion to himself. Luckily, the salesman was more interested in making sales than finding out stories. Vikram quickly fished out the 500 out of his pocket and gave it to the salesman. "Can I test it here?" he asked. 

"Sure" the salesman replied. Vikram put the charger in the slot and plugged his phone. His phone lit up. He waited a few moments before turning the phone on. The phone took its sweet time to boot up and it asked for a password to open. His hands instinctively went to the 4 digits in the order while his brain was still trying to remember them. Wow. I must've done that so many times, he thought to himself.

"It's working" Vikram announced to the salesman. "Can I charge for a few minutes? My home is a long way from here and I don't have any charge" he said. The salesman just nodded and went back to his work. Vikram opened his email and started going back years. 2018....2018 March....2018 Jan... 2017... 2016... 2015. 2015, here I am. His emails were primarily to a few friends of his about weekend trips. He read a couple of emails to figure out more.

He found one mail that sort of explained everything. Rajit bro, Let's go on a trip to Goa. I called you on your number but you didn't answer. What is your number? I am taking leave from the office. 1st month, no bloody work only. In the reply, he saw Rajit's number. He knew what to do next. This was his first month on the job. Which meant he was still in Hyderabad. Which meant he, in 2015, was also in Hyderabad.

This is going to be tricky, he thought to himself as he unplugged the phone.