SHORT STORIES FRIDAYS (59)

THE SCIENTIST WHO TURNED INTO A MONSTER ( PART TWO): A SCI-FI SHORT STORY BY ME.

Sunny decided to find out more about this deadly trio. He opted to let them be on his trail while he sneaked out an opportunity to take their pictures. He would forward the picture to Ashwin Mehta, his good friend, working as an IT expert for the Police Department.

He completed the lab work for the day and locked it with a pass code and impenetrable security. He cast a casual glance around missing only to find the car missing. He waited for sometime and after ensuring that they were gone, he made his way home, occasionally glancing for any car trailing behind him. He thought, ” They are probably bored after the surveillance and might be in a club.” He didn’t give it much thought and fell sound asleep, not realizing the possibility of imminent danger from the terrorists.

“Ding.Ding…….. ” His mobile rang shrilly, waking Sunny at 6 : 30 AM. ” Damn it! ” he cursed, ” He had forgotten to set his alarm and was nearly an hour late.” He picked up the call. “Good morning, sir,” said Lavanya, his assistant, ” ‘I just called to inform you that I have handed over your inventions to the secret agents from the Government for safekeeping as per your instructions.”

” You, What?” thundered Sunny. Lavanya was scared. Yet, she continued, ” Sir, three people from RAW came to me and showed their identity cards along with your authorization letter. ‘I handed the project only after checking your signature.” Sunny was furious. He yelled, ” You should have called me before handing over my pet projects. They are not government agents but crooks. They have been following me for the past one week. Who knows they might belong to a terrorist group? If my intention fall into wrong hands, it could spell disaster for the whole country. Did you at least note their car registration number or their appearance?” Lavanya was in tears when she replied in negative. Sunny’s heart melted and he consoled her, ” ‘I am sorry I should not have yelled at you. I am not concerned with the loss of project but concerned about our national security. Don’t worry. I will think of something.”

Sunny had already anticipated the possibility of theft. He had already made 4 replicas of his original inventions. Fortunately, he had locked them away safely in his private bank account. Those thieves were only carrying the replicas but they were as good and effective as the original. Sunny had placed trackers in them.

He got up and after having a shower and breakfast, went to his laboratory. He always wore the hypnotizer cum mind reading gadget around his neck ( one of the replicas).
He asked Lavanya to get coffee for herself and him. He turned on his computer and opened the necessary file and clicked on the tracking icon. It showed that the thugs were on the outskirts of Mumbai city. He clenched his fist as he considered his options to prevent them from getting away with their crime.

Meanwhile, Zeenat, the lady terrorist was in an upbeat mood ,as her partners in crime, Rauf and Asif were grinning ear to ear. Rauf said, ” Excellent, Zeenat. That was an incredible idea. Who needs the bloody scientist when we could get his dream project? ‘I wasn’t looking forward to another kidnapping and murder, because ‘we have enough blood in our hands.” Zeenat replied, ” That’s exactly what I was thinking. Boss might be angry for not killing the guy but I will try to convince him. Who knows we might need his help in future? ” They stopped outside a restaurant to have their breakfast and tea.

Sunny could operate his gadgets using his computer. Now that he tracked them, he was thinking whether it was advisable to send them to the black hole by opening the vortex. He shook his head and muttered, ” Nah! It’s too risky. Besides, an innocent bystander might also be sucked inside the vortex along with these idiots.” He put his computer on sleep mode as Lavanya came back with two mugs of coffees. He gave her some assignment and after she went to her desk, he took a sip of his coffee. ” Ah! Caffeine is what I needed,” he said to himself, ” Now I can get my grey cells working.” He finished his coffee as an idea struck him. Sunny had another special talent. He had a photographic memory. He remembered the faces of the trio and immediately started sketching in his drawing pad. As soon as he finished his drawing, he called Lavanya to show them the pics of the thieves. She was astonished as these were the same people who had hoodwinked her. She said, ” You got it right, boss! These are the same people who pretended to be the agents working for RAW.”
Sunny thanked her with a smile and immediately forwarded the sketch to his friend, Ashwin, from the police department.

He was pacing restlessly, waiting for Ashwin’s call. An hour later, Ashwin said excitedly, ” Sunny, Good news for you. They are wanted by the Interpol for their involvement in terroristic activities. They are Zeenat, Rauf and Asif.” But before Ashwin could probe further, Sunny disconnected the call. ” Terrorists, eh?” he thought, ” Then, they have no rights to live.” He got down to business immediately. He had pre-programmed his inventions with self-destructive mode. He tracked their location to Mumbai -Pune highway. He ensured that they were going through sparsely populated or a desolate location. Then, he programmed his inventions ( replicas) to turn destroy themselves as he fit a mini-bomb inside each gadget.

Boom! There was a thunderous explosion and the terrorists along with their vehicles were blown to smithereens. Sunny smiled as he got the last message ” Mission accomplished.” Sunny heaved a sigh of relief but another worry started plaguing him. The terrorist group would certainly come to know about the loss of their comrades. They would be back to avenge their deaths. And it would be mission dangerous. He started sweating profusely as he realized that his life was in great danger. But what’s done could not be undone.

Watch out for the next episode to find out whether Sunny’s fears materialize. Would he be hunted down? A more harrowing tale of deception and treachery follows. Do not miss out this one.

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