The Cipher

It started pouring outside, the rain is furious, but in a minute, it calms. A bartender at the counter is talking to his regular customers.

"David, how's your sister?" The bearded man asked.

"She's doing well. And don't try to hook up with my sister, do you understand?" David said.

"Man, I'm just being nice," the bearded man insisted.

"I don't know, buddy. Last time you said that, you puked in front of her." David said.

The customers started laughing and teasing him. Meanwhile, at the billiards area, the people there are usually either drunk or relaxed. At the tables, the people are mostly wild and drunk folks all the time.

Four boys went inside the bar that caught the attention of the regular customers. They made a grand entrance, making others think they are the main characters about to save society.

"Mat, where have you been? There are so many customers here. Could you help me with the drinks at least?" David asked.

"I just have some business to do, bro." Mathew said.

"I don't want to hear about your business; just help me out here." David said.

"Bro, the reason why I came here is because of my important mission."

"Can you be more specific?" Vivienne ask.

"How you doing Viv? You look beautiful." Mathew said.

"I am and stop flirting with me. I'm twice of your age."

"I don't care. The most important is how I feel about you, Vivienne."

"David, can you fetch your little brother." Vivienne said.

"Mat, stop capping and get in here."

"Vivienne my love, if you just let me express myself to you." Mathew said.

"Oh my god, David!"

"Mat, don't drain Vivienne she's got have enough work to do."

"So long, my love." Mathew said.

Vivienne rolled her eyes, Mathew smirked, and went to the bartender's counter. His friends sat at the side of the counter.

"What's your plan bro?" Isaiah asked.

"After my shift, we will bring the Green Dream by midnight, aight?" Mathew said.

"I don't think this a good idea, bro." Klaus said.

"Come on, Klaus. That fucking gaming box setup collection has been our dream since we were kids." Paul said.

"We didn't know each other when we were kids." Klaus said.

"Just saying, we hit a jackpot. We're lucky they only want a kilo of pot." Paul said.

"Trust me bro, I got this. Like Paul said we don't have to waste this opportunity. We could be a pot dealers, you know." Mathew said.

"I'm outta here." Klaus said.

"Okay, okay. I'm just kidding bro. We're not gonna be a fucking dealers. We're just have to get this gaming setup asap." Mathew said.

After an hour, the other customers started to leave. It was past midnight when they closed the bar.

"What in the world have you been putting yourself into, Mat?" David asked.

"Just give me a big favor, bro. I promise I'll help you for a week straight here. We could use some renovation at the side of the bar, right?" Mathew said.

"I don't think so, we already renovated it. Besides it's going to cost money." Vivienne said.

"My love, even it costs a lot of money, it doesn't matter as long as I'm with you." Mathew said.

"You really need help." Vivienne said.

"Cut the shit, bro." Isaiah said.

"Bro, we really need a kilo of pot. Then I owe you that and I will help the bar stay neat." Mathew said.

"Why do you need a pot so bad?" Vivienne ask.

"As you can see, my love. You don't know how much I love for gaming but you always win." Mathew said.

"That's a good one. David, just give him a pot so they can leave the bar peacefully." Vivienne said.

"There's no way I can do that, what if it's an undercover police officer or detective? Don't be stupid, Mat." David said.

They were arguing for a few seconds, and Liz opened the door and went inside.

"What's the commotion, folks? Everyone okay?" Liz asked.

"Your brother is stubborn." Vivienne said.

"We all know that." Liz said.

"Liz, how are you doing, bud?" Isaiah asked.

"Good and not so good." Liz said.

"Likewise." Klaus said.

"What's the problem?" Liz asked.

"They need a kilo of pot in exchange for a gaming setup collection." Vivienne said.

"Thank you, my love. You put it so well." Mathew said.

"I know someone." Liz said.

"Really? You're a life saver, Liz." Paul said.

"Liz, don't tolerate your brother and don't make the same mistake again." David said.

"What mistake?" Klaus asked.

"Liz and her buddies were motherfucking Gs back in college. They were the source of pot, usually students and even professors bought from them. It didn't turn out well. They got caught. Put in jail for 30 days. That's how I met her." Vivienne explained.

"You sent to jail?" Isaiah asked.

"No, I bought a pot." Vivienne said.

"Damn, I didn't know you were such a baddie before, my love." Mathew said.

"How much you got?" Liz asked.

"Do you have a cheap one?" Mathew asked.

"Lemme just take a call." Liz said.

Liz called the first number on her phone.

"Ayo, Meg. What's up?" Liz asked.

"Nothing much, it's my fucking day off." Megan said.

"Yeah, it's Saturday! Meg, can we come over to your house? Need a pot." Liz said.

"Who needs it?" Megan asked.

"Mathew, he needs a pot to buy the gaming setup collection, he's desperate." Liz said.

"Aight, just come over." Megan said.

"We will, see ya Meg." Liz said.

Liz went to them.

"Problem solved, folks." Liz said.

"That's my sister." Mathew said.

They handshake sign together.

They hop in a silver van, and David drives to Cipher Street.

When they arrive, it's like a ghost town but in a neat neighbourhood. Almost no one there sees each other leaving or greeting.

They are busy with their own lives, which is good. No drama. No gossip. Just living in the moment.

David parks the van in front of a vintage house. They ring the bell and Megan opens it.

"Yo, Meg! How you doing?" David asked.

"Same old. That's interesting, y'all here." Megan said.

"I'm here because I want a brownies with a pot, Meg." Vivienne said.

"Right on it." Megan said.

They all went inside the house. Vivienne took the opportunity to go to the kitchen area. The setup on the inside is very distinctive. The kitchen is at the top right side in front of the living room. On the left side, there is a wall leading to a hallway that goes to the bedroom. Through the glass window, there is a small greenhouse with many plants.

"Who's the seller?" Megan ask.

"Actually, Meg. We don't really know them, we all just met at the club." Mathew said.

"So you don't know who you dealing with." Megan said.

"There's a tall guy, he was the one who will receive the pot and gave us the gaming setup." Paul said.

"Where y'all plan meeting?" Megan ask.

"At the club, we all have access in VIP room." Isaiah said.

"Isaiah, you could just ask me for a gaming PC or whatever you want." Megan said.

"I don't wanna bother you, Sis. You're kinda busy and don't even respond to a call." Isaiah said.

"And we don't want to be a burden." Klaus said.

"Does your sister know about what you doing?" Megan asked.

"Nope. Please don't tell her. She will sabotage the whole plan." Klaus said.

"How about you, Paul? How's your father?" Megan asked.

"He's still in the hospital and mom is taking care of him." Paul said.

"Exactly. Don't cause anything that could worry them. They have enough problems to deal with. But as a former troublemaker of yours, used to be..." Megan said.

"And a bad influence and scary." Vivienne said.

"You're welcome, Viv." Megan said.

"We should go too." Liz said.

"No. That's not the plan. Besides, we are the ones with a pass, and we are the ones they know." Mathew said.

"We will wait outside if that's the case." David said.

"Guys, don't be clingy. We got this. We will get back tomorrow afternoon at the bar." Isaiah said.

"We're not clingy, Isaiah. We care." Vivienne said.

"Coming from you, Viv." Isaiah said.

"Megan, can you tell your half brother that he is stupid." Vivienne said.

"Jesus, Viv." Paul said.

"That unnecessary." Klaus said.

"You don't have to say that, sweetheart." Mathew said.

"He started it. Great, so I'm the bad guy now." Vivienne said.

"Alright, let's settle this down." Megan said.

Megan went to the green house with them. She opened a door that is hard to see because of the invisibility attached to the wall.

"Holy shit!" Paul said.

"There's so many!" Mathew said.

"I can't believe what I see." Klaus said.

"Indeed." Isaiah said.

"Is this all yours, Meg?" Mathew ask.

"Nah, some of it." Megan said.

"Wait, why you guys didn't have any reaction? Aren't you amazed?" Mathew ask.

"We've been here a lot of times, Mat." Vivienne said.

"That's awesome. You guys are so cool. So can we have the kilo?" Mathew said.

"There you go, disguise it. In case there's a patrollers at the road." Megan said.

"Thank you. Thank you very much Meg." Mathew said.

"Meg, where's the paper?" Vivienne ask.

"Top right of the drawer. There's already a roll there, Viv." Megan said.

"You smoking a pot?" Isaiah ask.

"Why not?" Vivienne said.

"Gimme one too." Isaiah said.

"If Megan allows it. I'd love too." Vivienne said.

Mathew and Isaiah, along with Klaus and Paul, left to deal with their gaming setup shit. Vivienne went outside to walk with David.

"Ever heard about a tower in the middle of the ocean?" Liz asked.

"That's random. Nah, never heard of it." Megan said.

"They believe that it is a portal to another universe." Liz said.

"That's interesting. Do you believe in it?" Megan asked.

"I'm into kinda stuff, you know. I'm a sci-fi fan." Liz said.

"Is there someone living in the tower?" Megan ask.

"No one knows 'cause people never been there inside." Liz said.

"Why would they know that there is a portal?" Megan asked.

"They send a chopper. Up the sky you will see down that there is something magnificent is going on, like crystal on the edge and it's black." Liz said.

"Like a black hole." Megan said.

"Exactly like that." Liz said.

After a few minutes of talking about the portal, Liz finally felt satisfied and even found a VHS tape containing a record information about science and astronomy in the drawer.

"I'll borrow this Meg. All of this. You have so many here and didn't even touch it." Liz said.

"That's not mine. It's Lany." Megan said.

"Tell her. Lany really has a good taste." Liz said.

"Copy that." Megan said.

"Yo Meg, where's the remote?" Liz asked.

"Top of the shelf." Megan said.

"Nothing is here." Liz said.

"I placed that there." Megan said.

"Nevermind, I'll just snatch David's." Liz said.

"Make sure you get caught." Megan said.

"I will and he'll be pissed off." Liz said.

Liz left. Megan found the remote in the kitchen near the faucet.

People are shouting to step aside. Others are in poor condition because of the explosion inside the restaurant. The police and ambulance arrive fast, unlike in every movie where the police always arrive too late to save the protagonist and others.

"Please, make a way!" The man said wearing an apron.

He is the owner, Mr. Lim Nguyen, a Vietnamese who owns the building with a restaurant beside it.

Megan was driving and saw the commotion on Avenue Street. She parked nearby and went there.

"Uncle Lim, what happened here?" Megan asked.

"Good you're here, can you please call Jess and tell her that I'm fine." Mr. Lim said.

"I will call her." Megan said.

She called Jess.

"Jess, where are you?" Megan ask.

"I'm driving. I heard the kitchen exploded. I'm gonna check dad." Jess said.

"He's fine Jess, don't worry. I'm at the restaurant, I'm gonna help outta here. Just drive slowly, okay?" Megan said.

"Thank god. Alright, I'll be there in a minute, Meg. Love ya." Jess said.

"Love ya, careful." Megan said.

Megan went in front of the building where Mr. Lim was smoking and watching his restaurant on fire into ashes.

"Uncle Lim, Jess is on the way. I told her that you're fine." Megan said.

"Look at this, the first restaurant my wife and I built 8 years ago is burning and will soon turn to ashes." Mr. Lim said.

Jess arrived and ran to her father. They hugged each other.

"Dad, I'm worried. Don't do that again." Jess said.

"Someone sabotage the oil tank. They want our restaurant to vanished so that they don't have any competition or whatever it is." Mr. Lim said.

"You mean the Chinese restaurant nearby, Uncle Lim?" Megan asked.

"What else, right? The police are there for an investigation." Mr. Lim said.

"Who's the culprit?" Megan asked.

"My sous chef." Mr. Lim said.

"A traitor, I see." Megan said.

"Where is he, dad?" Jess said.

"He's at the police station." Mr. Lim said.

"Let's go." Jess said.

"And what are you gonna do?" Mr. Lim asked.

"I'm gonna beat his ass. All this time he's fooling you, dad. He needs a lesson." Jess said.

"It's okay, sweetheart. I'll go there tomorrow morning. But first, I need to clean this mess." Mr. Lim said.

"Dad, let me talk to him. I'll go to the police station right away." Jess insisted.

"Jess, listen to me. Don't provoke him. He has some men out there. I'm just protecting you." Mr. Lim said.

"No. He cross the line. Tiago betrayed you, dad." Jess said.

"I know and he will never do that for no reason." Mr. Lim said.

"Why your defending him?!" Jess said.

"I'm not. I just want to know the reason why he agreed at the neighbour restaurant. You know, he's working for us for a whole year." Mr. Lim said.

"If I see him. I'm gonna kill him." Jess said.

"Megan, can you please take my daughter away here." Mr. Lim said.

"Jess, stay out of this. I'm gonna help your dad, okay?" Megan said.

"I know that. But I can't just rest knowing my Dad and the restaurant got in a real mess and Mom is still in the hospital." Jess said.

"Sweetheart, can you rest for me? It's all I ask, and do not worry we will visit your Mom tomorrow evening. Just rest for now, you just got out from your work." Mr. Lim said.

"Come on, Jess. You're a nurse. You can't drained yourself, you have shift tomorrow. Let me help here for tonight and I'm gonna call the troops." Megan said.

"Okay. But promise me that you will get that bastard's in jail." Jess said.

"I will." Megan said.

"Just go home. Take a rest, we were gonna clean the mess here." Mr. Lim said.

"Alright. I love you both." Jess said.

Jess left. The people are starting to get back to their business. The police and ambulance left. Only the firefighters and investigators are there to help and take care of the mess. Megan started inspecting the kitchen area while the investigator checked it.

"That's how it started. Tiago left the oil tank opened and it exploded. Luckily, no one died but a few got injured." Mr. Lim said.

"What a bastard." Megan said.

"He change a lot after her sister went missing." Mr. Lim said.

"Are they tracks of her where she went missing?" Megan said.

"Nothing. No witness. It's like she vanished suddenly." Mr. Lim said.

"Where?" Megan asked.

"Cipher Street. At the under construction site, nearby from your area. Didn't you get the news?" Mr. Lim asked.

"No. Never heard of it. When did she went missing?" Megan asked.

"Last month. The police speculate, she might be kidnapped by traffickers. She's a good sister and still young and have a lot of dreams." Mr. Lim said.

"Whoever did it will have a special place in hell." Megan said.

"The detective still investigating the case. It's hard for him." Mr. Lim said.

"Whatever reason does he have, Tiago almost killed you and the people nearby. It's not an excuse for taking his emotion to your restaurant and the people here." Megan said.

"It's already midnight, Megan. You should go now." Mr. Lim said.

"I'll help tomorrow Uncle Lim. Take care." Megan said.

"You don't have to. Save your tomorrow, Megan. Take care of yourself." Mr. Lim said.

Megan bid goodbye and drove away. She parked the car in front of the Blue Lounge Bar.

"How y'all doing?" Megan said.

"Yo, Meg. What's up?" David asked.

"Hi babe." Vivienne said.

"Aye babe, did David put works all on you?" Megan said.

"You bet." Vivienne said.

"That's not true. I always help you." David said.

"There's an incident at Avenue." Megan said.

"Yeah, we heard about it. How's Jess father?" Vivienne asked.

"He's okay and the people there. No one died but injured." Megan said.

"I'll help there tomorrow morning." David said.

"So what's up?" Vivienne asked.

"I just need a cool off." Megan said.

"Right away, buddy." David said.

He takes the whiskey and pours it into a glass. He puts it on the counter. Megan takes it.

"There's a missing person around the Cipher Street. Tiago, the one who cause the explosion. Her sister went missing there at my area." Megan said.

"Poor lady. When did it happened?" David ask.

"Last month. But I never heard of it. Nobody talk about the missing person." Megan said.

"What can I say, Cipher Street is a very busy area. Almost people there didn't even bother to greet each other." Vivienne said.

"You're been living there for five months, Meg. You just moved. It's not your fault for not knowing it." David said.

"It's sad nobody talks about it and there's no witness. The police speculating it as kidnapping. I bet they find something useful from a security camera." Megan said.

"And whoever did it have a special place in hell." Vivienne said.

"I said that before to Mr. Lim." Megan said.

"We have a great connection, Meg." Vivienne said.

They talked for a while until David closed the bar. Vivienne left first. David walked beside the bar where he resides. Megan drove on a cold, quiet, and busy street of Cipher.

When Megan parks in front of her house, there is an unfamiliar black SUV parked facing the opposite direction. There are four men in the car: a black-suited man driving alongside a red-suited man, and in the back on the right side, a blue-suited man drinking a glass of whiskey next to a man wearing a hoodie. It seems like they are watching the neighborhood.

Megan waited for a while. There's a young man with a cap standing next to the SUV, and the man in the red suit opens the car window.

"Make sure no one sees you." The red suited man said.

"No one tailed me. The detective already left early." The young man said.

"Good. Your work is done. Just lay low for a now." The black suited man said.

Megan recognized the young man. It was Charles Franklin, the neighborhood kid in front of her house.

She opened the door and lit a cigarette. An old lady called her name while she was holding a cigarette too.

"Megan? Why you still up?" An old lady asked.

"Mrs. Sully, I just got out from work."

"You overworked yourself even it's weekend. It's bad for your health."

"You can't sleep, Mrs. Sully?" Megan asked.

"I just need some air."

"With a cigarette." Megan said.

"What can I say, it calms me down." Mrs. Sully said.

Charles saw Megan and Mrs. Sully talking beside her car. He immediately went inside their house.

"Do you run an information from her?" The red suited man asked.

"Megan Marshal, 27. A bodyguard to a Cyber Security Engineering company. She moved here at the Maple City." The hoodie man said.

"She saw us. We need to talk to her." The red suited man said.

"It's too early, Sandro. We can't just approach her, she's dangerous enough." The black suited man.

"She's a cadet officer before. She specialize a sniper. Fabian's right, we can't risk." The hoodie man said.

"Even she doesn't have a gun holding, her presence is too strong." The blue suited man said.

"You're right, Vincent." The hoodie man said.

"Well, you can talk to her Ben." Vincent said.

"It's a suicide." Benjamin said.

"It's worth a try." Vincent said.

"You can try, Vincent." Fabian said.

"I mean, what y'all afraid for?" Vincent said.

"It's not about fearing. It's all about timing." Fabian said.

"Then watch this, brothers." Vincent said.

He went outside and walked through another sidewalk.

"Good evening and morning, ladies." Vincent said.

"You're not from around." Mrs. Sully said.

"How'd you know, madam?" Vincent asked.

"I can tell." Megan said.

"I just got lost. And I need a tools to fix my car." Vincent said.

"You know, you're bad at lying." Megan said.

"What makes you think of that, mademoiselle?" Vincent asked nervously.

"We just saw you came out from that SUV." Mrs. Sully said.

"Yeah, you're right." Vincent said.

Mrs. Sully's small cactus plant, hanging from the outside balcony, suddenly fell; she immediately rushed to save it.

"What do you want?" Megan asked.

"I like your car." Vincent said.

"Talk straight. We ain't wasting here." Megan said.

"My brother wants to talk to you." Vincent said.

"I have no business to him, and who is he?" Megan asked.

"It's just very important, yeah." Vincent said.

"Are you a fucking kidnappers or what?" Megan asked.

"We're not like that. That hurts. We're guardians, we protect the gateway." Vincent said.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Megan asked.

"You will not understand for now. But you will see through your eyes what I'm talking about." Vincent said.

"Is this kind of a joke? I'm waiting for a punchline." Megan said.

"It's not a joke, okay. You saw us, right? We didn't do anything bad, in case you misunderstood." Vincent said.

"Listen, buddy. It's fucking midnight and you're talking shit. You made yourself looks more fucking suspicious. Now, I'm curious. What's up with you folks?" Megan said.

"Nothing interesting. And be careful to your house, that's all. Adios!" Vincent said.

He runs fast and goes inside the car. Fabian drives away immediately before Megan could approach them.

"Is he on drugs?" Megan asked.

Mrs. Sully went back.

"What happened, he seems in panic?" Mrs. Sully asked.

"I think he's high, Mrs. Sully. He's talking shit." Megan said.

"A drug addict? Poor lad. Hopes he recover soon." Mrs. Sully said.

"Gotta go, Mrs. Sully. I have works to deal with it tomorrow night." Megan said.

"Don't overwork yourself, Megan. It's Sunday, you should rest and sleep." Mrs. Sully said.

"Thank you, Mrs. Sully. You too, okay?" Megan said.

"Go on, now. Goodnight, honey." Mrs. Sully said.

"Goodnight, Mrs. Sully." Megan said.

Megan went inside the house and went to the kitchen to get some water. She took a nap on the couch and fell asleep immediately.

A sound of thunder disturbed Megan's peaceful sleep. She got up to look out the window.

She went to the kitchen to get some water and snacks, but when she opened the fridge, it was empty. Her stomach growled. It was already 2 AM when she looked at the clock hanging on the wall.

Megan grabbed her keys, went outside, and drove to a nearby 24-hour convenience store. After grabbing a snack and some drinks, she went to the counter, and the cashier looked like he was having a bad day.

"How you doing, buddy?" Megan asked.

"Terrible. My store just got robbed by a group of teenagers just yesterday." The Cashier said.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Did you report to the police?" Megan asked.

"I did, they already at the police station. They took all the money and even harvest the packs of cigarette." The Cashier said.

"Is the money and cigarettes get back to you?" Megan asked.

"They destroyed it and the money they already gambled and spent. Worst is, they all minors." The Cashier said.

"Nah, I don't give a shit about the age. You have to put them on juvenile. Those kids will not gonna learn from their shit they did." Megan said.

"I hope so but you know, our laws here are complicated." The Cashier said.

"Man, put them on jail. There's no excuse for what they cause to you. Just saying, take care of yourself, buddy." Megan said.

"Appreciate it, buddy." The Cashier said.

Megan went back to her car. As she drove down Cipher Street, it started to rain. When she parked in front of her house, she suddenly got confused because of the exterior of the house - it's different and changed.

"Something's not right." Megan said.

She was about to open the door but it's a passage knob.

Megan inspect the door. It looks like it needs a fingerprint to open the door.

"This is a fucking dream. I'm still sleeping, but it feels fucking real." Megan said.

She forced the doorknob too much until the alarm made a warning sound.

"Who's there?" A man said with a deep tone.

A tall man in a formal suit opened the door.

"Who the fuck are you?" Megan said.

"Is there a problem? I think you've got a wrong house." The man said.

"I live here." Megan said.

"This is my property, Miss. Take a time to look around." The man said.

Megan observes the environment. A futuristic house and flying cars. It's still raining, but the surroundings are clear because of the light preventing zero visibility. Besides the house, there is a horizontal mirror building. The rest are great barrier houses. The road is peculiar; it has lights inside.

"Man, tell me this ain't real." Megan said.

"You're at the Cipher Zone. It's only access by officials and scientists. Who send you?" Tha man said.

"I dunno. I just woke up and fucking bought a snacks at store."

"Well, you managed to access to pass the road. Are you the new Engineer?" He asked.

"No, I'm not an Engineer and definitely nobody send me."

"What would you want your drink?" The man asked.

Megan looked at him blankly. She went back to her car and turned on the GPS, Waze.

"You just arrived to your destination." The Waze said.

The man knocks on the window with an umbrella.

"It's raining bad, maybe you should go inside, Miss." The man said.

"What year is it?" Megan asked.

"2030, why?"

"This is crazy. It feels real tho." Megan said.

She opened the door and they went back in front of the house.

"Don't worry, I'm not a bad guy." The man said.

"That's not what I'm worried about." Megan said.

When they went inside, the interior changed a lot. There is almost no furniture. It's neat, and the living room and kitchen area switched up.

A portrait of the group of men wearing a white coated and glasses hanging on the wall that piqued her interest.

"Even the inside changed a lot." Megan said.

"I designed it."

"Do you have a problem hitting a woman?"

"Why you're asking?"

"Maybe this is a really bad nightmare. Can you hit me in the face?" Megan asked.

"There's no way I can do that. You're asking like it's a normal thing to do."

"Are you a scientist by any chance?" Megan asked.

"How'd you know? You guessed it right. I'm Leo." He said through the kitchen and went for a drink.

He placed the whiskey on the counter beside Megan.

"What's your name?" Leo asked.

"Megan, and I don't like this shit anymore."

"Did you trespassed from the side Avenue?" Leo asked.

"Avenue street? Why would I trespassed? It's an access road for everyone."

"There's a rule. No one can just access the road, you gonna need permission." Leo said.

"That's bullshit." Megan said.

"You can't drive without a ticket to any roads you wish to access." Leo said.

"It's a fucking street not a highway roads." Megan said.

"Highway roads is only access by the government." Leo said.

"What kind of dystopian shit is this world?" Megan said.

"We all have freedom here."

"You called it freedom? It's bullshit."

"We all have a ticket to pass. If the guardians, allowed it. And the government road is easy access to everyone. All you need to do is the Guardian's permission."

"If it's easy access, why would you accused me for trespassing?" Megan asked.

"You don't have the badge where the ticket placed."

"The fuck. I heard enough."

"Whiskey?" Leo asked.

"Its not a good time for that, dude."

"I have a name. I'm not Dude."

"For fuck sake." Megan said.

"Dude is my neighbour, he's right in front of my house."

"Great, is he a scientist too?" Megan asked sarcastically.

"He's an Engineer too."

"You said you're a scientist?"

"Both."

"Are you an important person?" Megan asked.

"You can say that."

Megan got dizzy for a second. She sat on the couch.

"Are you okay?" Leo asked.

"Obviously not."

"I'm sorry. I can drive you where you going, Megan."

The dizziness is getting worse. She stands up to catch some air. She reaches for her phone in the coat pocket. When she opens it, it's 2 AM. The time seems to not be moving at all. Megan tries to call her cousin, Lany, but the service is bad.

"Hey, take it easy." Leo said.

Megan balanced herself by leaning towards the wall. Leo assisted her. She held onto her waist to prevent the fall. He lifted her onto the couch. After a few seconds, Megan completely passed out. Leo got a blanket and was about to put it on her when she suddenly vanished slowly. It's like a static with a orange and green lights.

"Megan?" Leo said.

He was shocked at first. Then, he went to his office room and dialed a number through the screen floating above the table.