Hidden

Charade

2018, Los Angeles, USA

“I am glad you are here Tom” Jacob Phil said and settled his small body on a sofa. “Your father is not back I guess.”

“He will be back tomorrow.” Tom said.

“He is a very serious minded business man and it pays off. I am glad he has an heir like you. You are a young assiduous young man.”

“Thank you sir.”

“You may wonder why I sent for you at this time of the day. It is a matter of emergency. Would you mind for wine? I know you are above eighteen.”

“I am nineteen.”

“You are an adult.” Phil smiled. “Wine please.”

A servant brought wine for them.

“Here, have a drink.” Phil said and took a long sip.

Tom carried his glass of wine and took a sip.

“That is a seventy year old wine kid.” Phil said proudly. “The older, the better and the more expensive.”

Tom smiled.

“Yeah. I am not new to old, expensive wines. Dad keeps collections.”

“Yes, Tom, I know you are the heir to millions but sometimes there are things money cant but, “he sipped wine again, “but with men like us, Tom, money can buy some of those things that money can’t buy.”

Tom raised his eye brow.

“It does not make sense, right?” Phil giggled. “Money can’t buy the past. I mean like going to the past to correct things, or discover things but with us, that is made possible and that is why your father had to resort to me. I used to be considered as a freak or nerd as a kid. Some even thought I was autistic because of my bonhomie or maverick life style. I had no friends or girl friends but just my books and the laboratory. I read extensively and my favorites were mathematics, physics, astronomy and astrology. I also have love for Alchemy. I became very interested in time and space. Time travel to be précised.

I have made a few millions with my knowledge by selling formula to my comrades but when your father approached three years ago, I decided to do it myself. He wants the unravel the mystery and he is so desperate or serious he planned to go himself until you volunteered. He was very skeptical and full of hesitation,’ he smiled, “father’s love. He prefers taking the risk other than send you. I understood that but I see no risk and convinced him that you are a more suitable candidate because while he studied Business, you are into sciences and have excellent performances.

You will grasp faster and if he insists on going himself, the chances of getting stuck to the past is high. So I need to let you know something.

I am not the first to dwell on this field and I studied most of the past scientist who worked on it. There are many theories on time-travel. I mean talking about complex devices of time-travel machines, through the wormhole, infinite cylinder, black holes, cosmic strings, Grandfather Paradox but I went back to understanding time.

They believe by most people is that time is constant. It moves and an old friend once said there is no such thing as now. Say now and it becomes past before the word ends. But I look at time from Albert Einstein’s perspective. He showed that time is an illusion; it is relative- It can vary from different observers depending on your speed through space. He said time is the fourth dimension because space is described as a three dimensional arena which provides a traveler with coordinates such as length, width and height, showing location. Time provides another coordinate-direction which only moves forward.

I picked two key words: illusion and direction and spent thirty years of my working on it. I by-passed the use of complex machines and perfected my work with the coming of internet and mobile phones.

I do not need a complex machine but just an APP, manipulating the direction of time in a calculated and calibrated manner which is perfectly reversal.

This reduces the risk of travelling at the speed of light with the wind and gravity. I will have to teach you how to use this app. which I will send to your phone right now.”

“My phone? Like my i-phone?”Phil smiled. “Come on, enjoy more wine. Yes, Tom. Your i-phone will do but there is something that I will have to add to it.” He removed a very small panel from his pocket. “This super panel. I mean solar panel which will be connected to your battery so when the sun hits it, it charges your phone directly. Remember, there is no electric power now. They still have almost three hundred years before Benjamin Franklin invented electricity with his famous flying-kite experiments where he tied a key to a kite during a thunderstorm, proving that proving that static electricity and lightening were indeed, the same thing. Come with me.”

He led Tom to a big room with sophisticated machines, computers and large screens.

There were about twelve technicians and operators in there working. The panel was fixed to Tom’s phone and Phil began to explain how the application worked.

“There are three basic methods here. The first is Attachment. This means you can travel to a different world and be part of them but you need to have knowledge about them. I guess you have read enough about your family history. You will not have automatic knowledge so you must adapt. The second method is Sapien-valent bonding. This works like the electrovalent bonding in chemistry. That is the exchange of electrons and each electron becomes a temporary or permanent member of the new compound. In this case, you can travel back to become part of them while a member of that world would have to be transported into your world. While this goes on, there is an exchange of memory pack where both elements, I mean the entities exchanging places would have memories and knowledge of each other. If you go there, you will adapt automatically because you have the memories of the person you are taking his place. This is more suitable with a double ganger but with further experiments, we have developed a means where the exchange would be soul oriented.”

“Meaning..” You will not exchange physical appearance. You will take over his body while he takes over yours so no one will know it’s not you that is in this world or its not him that is in the other world.”

“Whoa! That is awesome.”

“Yes. It is awesome just like I am. I am sorry for blowing my gaff but it’s years of hard work and dedication.”

“So which method am I using?”

“It depends on the mission.” Phil said. “I hope you realize that you are going out there to figure out a mystery, and we do not know what exactly you will find. But you must concentrate on Syrusis and Yorkshire. Talking about Syrusis, that is where Salvar lived and died and Fell Amadon is also from that place. These are the principal actors and the people that are of interest to the world. And there is something else, Tom which you don’t know. The second egg which was allegedly destroyed by Salvar still has some of the fluids fetched by Fell and hidden somewhere. It was a coded message written by his secretary whom a lot of people do not understand and I need you to keep this strictly confidential. You will find it and bring it back.”

“How is that possible and that is not our priority.”

“Okay Tom. Let it go and your priority is finding the missing parts of the story.”

“Why do you need the egg fluid?”

“With proper manipulation, it triggers a chain reaction that can precipitate a sodium compound that cure cancer, sickle cell anemia, HIV and down’s syndrome.”

“What? A fluid from an evil creature?”

“The creature is not evil but cursed by Durenga. Besides don’t you see how vaccines work? You inject something that resembles disease-causing microorganism made from weakened or killed forms of the microbe, it’s toxins. Bad for god, huh? Work on your conscience kid. You have the chance to find total cure for all types of cancers, SCD and lots more but if just saving your family name is the goal, then you are free.”

“I will think about it. So when will this trip be starting?”

“Your father says you have to be very ready and that means two weeks of extensive coaching. You will have to come here daily for two weeks.”

“Good.”

“But there is something you must do, right now. Here..” he gave him a waterproof pack. “You will out your phone in here. When you get back home, open the app, activated mode-10GVA, It needs to modulate for two weeks, and then put it into the pack and let it rest for ten minutes, inside your pocket before you bring on out and keep using it as usual.”

Fifteen minutes later, Tom was driving back home while a lady came out of an inner room to meet Phil.

“Are you sure about this, Phil? “

Phil smiled.

“Of course I am. Forget about his hesitation. Richard will be in for a big surprise. He has the money we needed to carry out this project and luckily, he has his needs too. We will claim it was an accident.”

“But his not ready. He just got the App.”

“I am ready and that is most important. He is a very smart boy. He will adapt and when he finds himself there, he will have no choice other than find the Fluid of the dragon. I don’t care about his family history. The wine contains Pimurcalene which will subject him to mild amnesia when he get there. He will recollect his memories bit by bit; induced by things he had seen or heard before. I have a perfect blue print Gloria.”

“What about my daughter?” She asked.

Phil looked at her and smiled.

“Our daughter, Gloria.” He said. “You know she if fine and will be fine.”

At that time, Tom was in his room and removed the phone. He put it on and opened the app. The icon was just a small star and he clicked on it. It opened it. Immediately he activated it, he put into the pack and put it in his pocket.

Ten minutes was not a long period. He picked an intercom and said, “Tania, get my lunch please.”

Immediately he ended the call, he sat on a chair and felt something making him feel dizzy. The wine was strong and that was stupid of him. What if he arrested for DUI? But he just had a small quantity.

He began to feel as if the world was spinning at an incredible speed, like he was going to fall.

“Fuc*! What the hell is going on?”

The speed was so tremendous he held on to the chair and then he saw a flash and that was all he stopped thinking. Before that happened, he heard Tania knocking at the door.

The next place he found himself was on a green grass field and could not remember how he got there.

Now as he saw the phone, he remembered vividly.

He put the phone in his pocket and climbed the horse. He rode back home and saw Wellington standing before his cabin. He had never seen him there.

Wellington smiled.

“I was just wondering where you were.” He said. “I need to speak with you.”

Tom forced a smile and bowed slightly.

‘I am at your service, Sire.”

“Not here.” He said. “Let’s go for a ride.”

Tom smelt trouble.

*******