THE GATE KEEPER (12 page)

‘Bye
my friend do not forget what you’ve learn today,’ AI said.

Confuse
the biker did not give anybody the chance to spot any evidence. The biker
closed the shade to the approximate position it was left previously. The biker
stays still for a while and adapt with the dark room before attempting to move.
Forty seconds later the biker’s eyes adjust, adapt and overcome to its new
surroundings.

The
biker walks across to the next room and to the main door. Suddenly darkness
disappears as bright light fill every inches of the house. At the door the
biker comes to a halt. The familiar roaring sound of the capsule had confirmed
the capsule’s arrival. The biker closed the door and head for the door of the
room where the abnormal activity was taking place.

The
biker slowly takes a peek through the door. Then the biker went across from the
hallway to the next room across. The biker brought a lull to his noise as the
waiting drag on.
At last the
return of the nemesis
, the biker
thought.

In
horror the biker watches the nemesis as he lays vulnerable on the floor. He vomits
his stomach out. His back was facing the capsule and the biker as well. Once he
regenerates to form, he walks out of the room and to the hallway in exhaustion.
Then he walks out of the main door and lock it.

His
nemesis, the biker stand still in pitch black in the opposite room and trace
the creak of the floorboards till there was total silence. Out of darkness the
biker walks out and head towards the dim light across the hallway to the
capsule.

Finally
, the
biker thought. The mysterious capsule was there. Answers were what the biker
wanted. It look as if it was ablaze as its red illuminative colour give off
white smoke and its blue lightning particles dies off. The biker admires the
capsule from behind and move to its front. The door of the capsule opens
embracing the biker. The biker walks in without fear.

I
was home. I slowly unlock the door and lock it back. I tiptoes through while I
search for mum’s where about. I look at the nearby clock on the wall and
realise that I was not away for long. I had been there for approximately thirty
minutes but it all seems like I had been gone for hours.

Up
the stairs I realised that I had left mum in the bathroom. I come to a halt as
I expected her to be either in the bathroom or in her room. I was supposed to
be asleep. At least that’s what I had led her to believe. I had no reason to
talk to her about what I had experience. She would have called me a liar. I
unlock my door as quietly as possible, get in and shut it. 

With
exhaustion I fall on my bed. I thought about my unforeseen future. What my
destiny had in store for me. I thought about my old self and how lucky I had
been. I was lucky to have met myself. Learn about part of my future.

I
thought about the rectification that I shall need to concentrate on. My
promises, my hunger to bring my dreams to life and for the moment I was ahead
of my future competitors. Those who shall tried to prevent me from reaching my
goals.

I
doze off as it all went dark and quiet.  

12

I
was up and getting ready for school. With my school bag on my back I walk down
the stairs and take a look at myself in the mirror. I made sure that my blue
jeans and white T-shit fit me fine. I did not comb my hair as the ladies
appreciate its natural curly style.

I
walk to the kitchen and give mum a peck on her cheek. ‘Good morning mum.’

She
smile and respond, ‘Good morning son. Sleep well?’

‘I
guess so,’

‘What
do you mean by that?’

Long
story
, I thought. I had wanted to tell her about my unfortunate
experience which started with the old man. But I could not. It would have been
too complicated and problematic for my future.
My future was my
responsibility and beside I didn’t felt at ease to burden her with my personal
ill,
I thought.

‘Phil!’
she screamed aloud.

I
blink, refocus my attention on her and acknowledge instantly, ‘Yes, mum.’

The
bell ring, mum left and say, ‘we’ll get back to it later.’

For
a second time the bell rings but in a quick repeating tone.

‘Yes!
Yes! I’m coming! I’m coming!’ Mum responds.

From
the high chair at the table in the kitchen I could hear mum unlocking the door.
‘Yes.’

‘Sorry
for disturbing you Ma’am but we’re here to see your son.’

‘May
I ask who you are?’ I heard mum asked.

Another
voice from outside says, ‘We’re from the Police Department and we would like
your son’s corporation on yesterday’s events.’

How
did the police know about yesterday?
I thought. 
‘Yesterday’s events?’
I quietly asked baffling.

I
could hear her unleashing the security lash from the door and quickly opening
the door.

‘Thank
you ma’am, Is he around?’ One of the claimed policemen responds nicely.

‘Please
come in. He’s in the dining room on your right. Phil! You’ve got company!’ Mum
said.

I
heard multiple footsteps walking in while the door get shut and lock. A mid age
man dress in a cowboy jeans, boots, blue jackets and black shirt walk in
towards me. In one hand he had a Stetson hat close to his thigh.

‘Phil?’
he asked.

‘Sir,’
I said.  

Behind
him a young man who I could guess was his partner follows him. His partner was
dress up in a dark grey suit match with a white shirt and black tie. Mother
stands behind both officers of the law and listen. They both withdraw their
police badge from their pocket.

The
cowboy officer says, ‘Police.’

‘Yes,
I know….
I’ve
heard you at the door.’

‘I’m
detective
Mcneal
…’ the cowboy introduces himself,
points his hand at his partner and says, ‘…detective
Reynold
.’

‘We
would like to ask you some questions,’ detective
Mcneal
said.

‘Please
do, have I done anything wrong?’ I asked.

‘You
tell us. Have you done anything bad lately?’ detective
Reynold
said.

‘No.’

‘How
about yesterday?’ detective
Reynold
asked.

‘What
about it?’

‘Mr
Smith, right,’ detective
Mcneal
said.

I
nod and respond, ‘Yes.’

‘Apparently
we’ve got information from your friends who said you were with them yesterday.
All we want to know is what really happened yesterday.’ Detective
Mcneal
explained.

‘So
what did they said?’

‘Hey
you don’t get to ask question we’re the one who ask you the questions. Ok!’
detective
Reynold
aggressively attacks my views as he
draws out his notebook and pen.

‘Hey
know your place you’re in my house. You don’t shout at my son in my house.
Please at least have some respect.’ Mum brush down at him.

‘Please,
Mrs Smith,’ detective
Mcneal
said.

‘It’s
Miss,’ Mum quickly said.

‘Sorry
Miss Smith. We need yours and your son’s corporation on this matter.’ Detective
Mcneal
revealed his motive.

‘I’ve
done nothing wrong. Just read me my right and I shall get myself a lawyer.’

‘Listen
we either do it the hard way or the easy way. We can take you in for
obstruction of justice.’ Detective
Mcneal
said.

‘What
do you want to know?’

‘You
can start with your colleagues who mysteriously got injured by you. Son you may
want to leave the science fiction crap for the TV though.’ Detective
Mcneal
said.

‘We
can either do this here or downtown. Anyway if we’re not satisfied with your
version of the story…, well…., …you’re
gonna
have to
accompany us downtown.’ Detective
Reynold
sarcastically promised.

‘My
colleagues bullied me around and I resist them! That’s all there is to the
actual fact. Is there a law for not defending my free right against bullying?!’

‘Wow,
you’ve got a temper and I’ll give you that.’ Detective
Reynold
said.

‘That’s
it! My son had told you everything he knows. Can you gentlemen leave us alone?’
Mum sent her frustrating message across.

‘Miss
Smith, as you can see we’re not satisfied with the story and therefore you both
know the score.’

‘What
do you want from us?’

‘Why
don’t you visit your son’s colleague at the hospital and ask them why we’re
here?! Well for your information they are terrified of what happened yesterday!
They were in shock but they managed to tell us how you beat them and put their
friend Tony in a coma.’ Detective
Raynold
lectured.

‘I
want both of you out of my house and come back with a warrant of arrest! In the
mean time I shall phone my son a lawyer.’

‘Mum,
it’s ok, I shall go with them, beside I got nothing to hide and fear.’

‘I’ll
tell you something about your kid Miss. Smart boy with guts…,’ detective
Mcneal
said.

Mum’s
face expresses confusion and fear. She could sense trouble though I was about
to go on my free will. I stand up from the dining table and walk pass by the
two detectives. I give mum a peck on her chick and move on. Behind the two cops
follows and escort me to their car.

Outside
detective
Reynold
open the back door for me while his
colleague wait for me to step in. Then he says joyfully, ‘one more thing before
we leave. Don’t forget your seat belt. Relax and enjoy your ride.’

Seeing
me leaving for the police station instead of school, saddens my mum. She left
the door open until I was in the car. Detective
Reynold
start the engine of the new state of the art car. Automatically I heard the
doors lock itself and from the back seat I could see mum waving at me. She was
behind the car but on the porch. I wave back and she went in. Mum shut the door
and the detective’s car made its move for the station downtown.

The
vehicle did not head for the normal road to the police station. Instead we went
for the highway and off, through an alley road. The diversion lead us atop of
an empty and endless sewage passage way.

I
came to my common sense and my curiosity kick in. ‘Are we still heading for the
Police Station?’

‘Yes
we are,’ detective
Mcneal
replied.

‘What
are you trying to tell us? We don’t know where we’re going?’ detective
Reynold
asked sarcastically.

‘Don’t
you both think that I have been here long enough to notice that we’re not
heading in the right direction?’

Both
detectives stare at each other. There was a pause of silence. I begin to
question myself about the two men’s real identity.
Where they fake?
Impossible
as my memories brought up the old image of both men displaying their badges at
home. The detectives’ badges had appeared to be legitimate. Their photos and
police number were also displayed on the other side of their identification
wallet.

‘We’re
taking you to the main central,’ detective
Reynold
said.

‘Which one?
Are
you now part of the Central Intelligence Agency? You’re both funny.’

‘Listen!
You don’t have the right to ask any question! You gave up your right yesterday,
when you beat up those boys and put one of them into intensive care Unit. If
you’re not able to clear our doubts by today you’re
gonna
leave us with no choice,’ detective
Reynold
assured
me.

‘What
choice is that?’

Detective
Reynold
glance at his partner and said, ‘to read you
your rights.’

‘What
right might this be? Is it for defending myself?’

‘How
about if you shut up and stop talking shit!’ Detective
Reynold
arrogantly gave a curt reply.

The
vehicle moves faster and went downhill towards a shut gate. Detective
Reynold
accelerate the car and push it to its limit. It
tore and swings the gate open as it rush through. Inside I found myself unable
to sit tight as it became unstable. The seat belt had protected me from
smashing my face into detective
Mcneal’s
chair by
breaking down my body’s inertia.

Detective
Mcneal
turn to face me while strap in his seat belt
and says, ‘I apologise for the arrogance of my partner but please be patient
with us as we sort out the procedure for the case. Once you’ve establish your
proof of innocence, we’ll take you back.’

Faster
and faster the car moves freely through the openness of the empty sewage. The
car feels as if it was floating. Detective
Reynold
press a button from the ceiling. It glows red and the dashboard also imitates
the red glowing buttons which transforms the inside of the car into a
futuristic one.

Sparks
of electric fields surrounds the outside of the car. Then it burst particles of
volatile lightning transforming the car into some sort of electrical conductor.
As the car moves, ahead of the open drainage, a volatile lightning hit the car
at the front and open a black hole filled of stars. The apparent horizon
vanishes at the blink of an eye.

Similar
effects I had seen while travelling in the capsule appears.  The space
effects and the disappearance of the physical machine became apparent. Me and
the detectives, we could see our body in a sitting position but it looks as if
we were floating.  Suddenly the interior of our vehicles appears and we
all became invisible with it.

In
no time we became visible again. I look at my wrist watch and notice that time
freeze, as if it didn’t exist. The car appears and the effects fades as the
outside of the drainage road dominate the background’s sceneries. Detective
Reynold
slows the automobile down.

The
cars come to a halt. Both detectives slowly move their head side to side,
cracking their neck and shoulder’s bones. As if they were eager for something. Then
they open their jaws wide by extending their jaw’s muscles to its limit.
Muscles spasm caught up with me at the upper part of my body. I felt as if I
was also hit by jet lag. I could not hear the sound of the engine. My ears seem
to have gone deaf.

I
quickly realise how important those simple exercises were for me. I imitate the
same technique of exercises. Quickly my body comes back to form as it releases
the tension of fatigues. Built up tension of pressures slowly dissipates from
my ears. Suddenly I could hear and understand my surroundings again.

‘Did
you enjoy that?’ Detective
Reynold
said.

‘You
should do. That’s why I embrace technology as it’s better than the old one,’
detective
Mcneal
said.

‘What
do you mean by the old one?’ I asked.

‘The
time travelling capsule which were used ten years back, it used to make time
travel, quite painful and uncomfortable.’ Detective
Mcneal
replied.

‘Well,
the truth is that I shall never know the feeling of it as I’ve never had the
chance to experience it,’ Detective
Reynold
replied
as he drives the car off the open drainage.

‘This
explains how old I am.’ Detective
Mcneal
said.

‘Have
you experience it before?’ detective
Reynold
asked.

I
thought thoroughly about it and pretend that I did not hear him.

‘Have
you Mr Smith?’ detective
Reynold
persisted as he
glares at me through the rear mirror.

‘No,
I haven’t.’ I lied.

‘Are
you sure,’ he persisted once more as he stares hard at my reflection as if to
decipher the expressions of lying on my face.

Detective
Mcneal
glance at me in the back, look at his partner
and say, ‘Of course it’s the truth it would be impossible for what you’re
thinking to have happened.’

The
car went off the drain and uphill to a gate which automatically open inward. At
the incline I could see different versions of those floating vehicles heading
in different direction. Detective
Reynold
direct the
car through.

He
looks at his partner and say, ‘Radio Coms on.’

‘Radio
Communication is active,’ a voice from the car responded.

Detective
Reynold
proceeds, ‘Station, this is gate keeper’s
mission genesis. Kindly request permission to fly in. We’ve got the VIP, over.’

The
speaker was on. I could hear the distortion as it adjust itself and becomes
clear as a voice from the other side reply, ‘Roger that, loud and clear.
Permission has been granted and a quick safe flying route had been sent to your
GPS.’

‘Global
Positioning System had acquired data for safe flying route from the station,’
an electronic voice from the car said.

‘Accept,’
detective
Mcneal
said.

‘This
is Agent
Reynold
, requesting for auto driver to take
charge on latest GPS data for the station.’

‘Request
acknowledged and auto driver engaged,’ the electronic voice from the car
assures its human driver with its computer interference.

Fascinating
what the future had in store for us. I could hear a low mechanical sound and
feel its movement as the car slowly moves up. Operation of the steering wheel
was done automatically. Without any manual effort it turns by itself, move
forward and backward in response to the GPS height. I could see the end of the
secondary road our vehicle was in. It ends at a highway where all those
futuristic vehicles head in one direction in a four lane order. They all ride
furiously towards loads of tall futuristic skyscrapers.

Feet
atop, four lanes of different air vehicles hovers in the same direction as the
four lanes below. Two more columns of those four repetitive lanes of those
futuristic vehicles follow similar patterns as they speed away. As our automobile
hovers and climb higher, I could see how each column of lanes branch out to the
different parts of what I could consider a city.

‘I’m
concern about how those vehicles without those side engines are able to float
in the air.’

‘Kid
it all has to do with the cleanest technology available apart from the
electrical, sun and water energy’s efficient engines. Anyway, they use
electromagnetic fields set up at each side of the road. Then each vehicle which
does not depend on carbon emission fuel energy, converts those eco-friendly
forces into a positive momentum force. The problem is if it shall last?’
Detective
Mcneal
explained.

‘Why
it might not last?’

‘It’s
all about the greed of the multinational-corporation. They are in control of
the oil industry and they desperately want to buy off those technologies so
that they can shut it down and remain the sole monopoly of technology
advancement. In the end they shall suppress the clean technological advancement
by starving it from money and discontinue investment.’ Detective
Mcneal
replied.

‘In
the name of profit….’

‘Exactly
and they do not care about the environment even though they lectured about the
greenhouse effect,’ detective
Mcneal
said.

‘Over
the past we had manage to fight the injustice of the corporation. That’s why
you’re seeing such technologies flourishing but it’s still in its infant stage.
We’ve manage to kick them out of government’s control. The next step is to
eliminate corruption of any sorts so that they can’t influence decisions of the
market or laws, to turn it in their favour.’ Detective
Reynold
lectures his part.

He
glances at the ceiling, face the dashboard and say, ‘Open the sunroof please.’

‘Sunroof
shall be opening as requested, detective
Reynold
.’
The computer on board responded as the sunroof slides down to the back.

The
control above, within the centre and in between both detectives remains intact
while blocking part of the sky views. Sun light penetrates through the
rectangular sunroof. Above us, swarm of fast moving air automobiles travels in
an orderly fashion.

‘Wow….,
magnificent.’

‘Yes,
I can’t deny it as well.’ Detective
Mcneal
said
excitedly.

We
move underneath vast amount of two columns of three rows of fast moving air
automobiles which head towards the centre of the city. It seems we were heading
for the outskirt of the city, away from the heavy traffic and from the tall
skyscrapers.

Afar
at the horizon in front of us there was a massive building which stands erect.
It wasn’t like any building I have ever seen. At my left something which
resembles like a tornado has caught my eyes. I stare at it mute. It twists in
slow motion but remain static at the same time.

It
looks like a swarm of unidentified flying objects. It connects all the
futuristic automobiles together. It swallows, accommodate by twisting and
releasing them at different sides. I come to my senses and realise that it was
actually the flying vehicles.

My
eyes trace the closest moving queue of two lanes and two columns of traffic.
They join the tower height’s round about which delivers access to four
different directions. It was unbelievable how all those flying vehicles within
each rows merges into every level of columns without colliding with each other.
Some would miraculously move around within the floating roundabout of floating
vehicles while they adjust and move to the next column above.

I
stare at this last amazing exit when I turn to see detective
Reynold
taking a peek at me and says, ‘Guess you’ve never
seen a floating roundabout before.’

‘No.’

‘That’s
what I thought. It doesn’t exist in your old boring world.’ Detective
Reynold
said.

‘Easy,
no need to be harsh on the boy.’ Detective
Mcneal
said.

I
was curious about why detective
Reynold
was bitter
with me.
Had I done anything wrong to him or had I done something bad in his
past which shall be
in
my future
.
Perhaps something that I
was not aware of
, never the less, I decided to stay quiet to avoid
confrontation.

‘Caught
your tongue boy?! Why don’t you say something?’ Detective
Reynold
sarcastically said.

‘At
times when you’re defenceless against accusation you’re not aware of, it’s wise
to keep quiet and raise questions at the right time.’

         
‘What are you saying boy?! Do you know what chaos you’ve put our world in?!’
Detective
Raynold
responded at a high pitch.

‘Calm
down man, he’s just an innocent boy and beside we are not so sure if he was
directly involve or not. If he is responsible it shall be in his future and…’
Detective
Mcneal
tried to calm his partner.