In a world where humans can turn to gasses at the flip of a button and where invisibility cloaks exist, Sienna tries to find the truth about her father. Falling in love with a con man, getting deep into the underground of the future, and coming to a shaky truce with Dadu on the way. Read on to know how it unfolds.
episode 1 | episode 2 | episode 3 | episode 4 | episode 5
Although it was late, Sienna sent the diary to Siddharth with a note. She wanted him to read it and comment on her father’s treatment. As an afterthought she also sent his voiceprint with it so he could hear it from him directly.
“Tonight its late. I’ll call him the morning.” She thought to herself as she did it. She also remembered that Surekha was at Dadu’s. She’ll have to call him to send her back in the morning. Perhaps he’ll send one of the boys to help her home. Meanwhile she would fend for herself. She walked up to the fridge and opened it and stood there thinking and scanning.
“There’s some left over porridge from the morning if you’re interested. What would you like to eat?” The fridge prompted.
“Hmmm. Do you have some eggs? I’m craving a handmade omelette tonight…”
“I’ll order up from the community pantry, it will take 5 minutes to reach. Would you like some chopped up capsicum in it or would a normal onion tomato mixture do?” Shiela piped in.
“Capsicum and some chunks of barbecued chicken, if available.”
“I think they did barbecue some chicken this evening, I saw it in my menu update today. I’ll order some. Anything else? Some Mango Shake?”
“Ohh man, Shiela you know me so well now. Yes, Mango shake. Possible?”
“Well, its not mango season yet, but we do have some Ratnagiri variety that were harvested this morning. Let me order some before they head to storage. Mangoes don’t get taken by the Outreach program much, especially not exotic varieties.”
“OK. Thank you Shiela!” Said Sienna curtly, not in the mood to ask why. She knew exotic fruits moved less and were more available for internal use. Perhaps because one piece of fruit cost the same in social credits as a full day’s worth of groceries. But today she was not in the frame of mind to think about that. The seasons did not exist outside any more, at least no semblance to traditional seasons remained, nonetheless Sheila had strict instructions to be sustainable & season led in her nutrition. She had just complied to instructions, thats all.
“Please tell me when it arrives and is washed and chopped, I’ll come and put it together.”
Sienna stepped out into her balcony and breathed deep. She also fished out a rolled smoke from her rolling machine and smoked as she waited for the food to come up. Shiela chirped ready before her smoke was over, but she was staring out into the lights on the horizon thinking of the treatment her dad had received. This was early years in genetic medicine and these things were commonplace. The personalized trade off of emotional and mental side effects hadn’t started yet. They were still being observed quite randomly. Today they’d have been able to fix his madness by reverting the genetic rewrite. They’d have a ‘before treatment’ copy taken, printed and kept ready as is mandatory by law passed only a couple of years ago. She felt horrible about it. Stubbing out the smoke, she went in to make her omelette.
As she was eating, the doorbell rang. She chuckled. Dadu must have sent Surekha home at this hour so that she could have a home made meal in the morning. He was really big on home and hand made. She looked at the plate in her lap, so was she actually!
“Siddharth is here, should I beep him in?”
“Huh? Yes of course!!” Startled, Sienna got up and started towards the door.
It slid open momentarily and he stepped in. His hair was still tousled, as if he’d put on the helmet without combing it. He enveloped her in a big bear hug. She looked up at him quizzically. He met her gaze with a gentle look, eyes half shut with sadness. It was then she realized, he had heard the diary. He empathized. She hid her face into his chest and shuddered a sigh. His arms became tighter and he gently picked up her chin to graze his lips across hers. Gently, deliberately, fleetingly. Her heart did a flip flop and her pulse quickened. Her father was the last thing on her mind as she met his lips with hers and claimed the kiss. He grinned as he kissed her, pulling her close, playing the same game. In moments it became too fast for both of them. It was a flurry of lips, limbs, tongues and passion. He carried her for the second time to her bedroom and closed the door behind them.
They were sitting in the balcony with her in his lap when the sun came up. Sleep deprived, but still talking, the discussion was around her dad. What if they could find him and get him fixed. He queried her about the details of his disappearance. But she knew nothing about it. All she knew was that he was around one day and the next day when she went to call him from the outhouse, he was gone. She had raised a ruckus, and called everyone but no one could find him.
During that time, the new disappearance weapon which would eliminate all traces of the human form had just come out in the market. Killing in moments and decomposing into gasses that dispersed long before someone could detect anything, self destructing after the job was done in the same manner. Some assumed he had used it and committed suicide. Death was instant and painless, but the person disappeared completely. Some said he had wandered off into the open areas and had been abducted for ransom. But no ransom note had come, and the detectives were not able to trace any evidence of him even walking out of the cottage. So they had to assume that he was gone. No one knew, alive or dead. Just like Namitha, Abhishek also disappeared into thin air.
Siddharth was scratching his chin. Sienna reached out and said “Let me do that.” She loved scratching below the chin. It was a habit left over from her dog, Whisper, a German Shepard. Men’s beards gave her comfort and were incredibly intimate.
“Mmmmm…if you keep distracting me like this, I’ll not be able to say that I can tell if he really used ‘Sublimate’. Thats the famous weapon that you talk of. It’s still around and tightly regulated for only incineration of highly contagious corpses.”
A tear rolled down her cheek. He held her tighter. “Yes, that will help.” She said in a wet voice. “How will you do it?”.
“Some years ago, the police was looking for a solution to the ‘Sublimate Murders.’ Highly influential people were taken that way. The key was to detect if these people had really disappeared or had the substance been used. So they came to me. I used a handheld microscopic spectrometer that was sensitive to the reflection of light against sublimate gas molecules stuck to the area that came in contact with it. They took my POC and got it manufactured for police use. I still earn royalties from it. And I have one that they gifted to me. Its a cool 3D printed piece that has an AR panel that lets you look through it and be guided to the right spot.”
“Lets go today and see the cottage area. But its been a decade, will anything be left?”
“Is the upholstery the same? Have the walls been painted?”
“Actually, I asked Dadu to leave it as it is. I go there when I’m feeling low. I even sleep in his bed. Everything gets maintained and Ramu keeps track of it. Can we go today?”
“After I head home and get some sleep. I have another hour. Do you want me to put you to sleep?”
“Shiela, will you find out from Ramu if I can get the old linen? And good night till I wake up in the morning.”
“Sure” Shiela blinked out.
She got up and pulled him inside, “An hour, did you say?”, and smiled a wicked smile. He laughed and followed.
It was early evening when they entered the cottage. He took out his gadget and put it on the floor, then he drew out a small ball from his bag, he opened his fist and it unfurled into a mini drone. It flew off his hand and bobbed in front of his face, at talking distance.
“Hi Sid, whats up?” It said in a pixie sounding, high pitched voice.
“Scan everything for ‘Sublimate”. Use this scanner. When ID’d take a holo and project please. If found in multiple places, take multiple shots. Scan completely in a radius of 3 meters around the house including the house before you return. Buzz us when you find the first. OK?”
“Yes Boss!” and it picked up the scanner and flew away.
Sienna smiled widely at that. She also scanned the horizon for Dadu, Ramu was not resident here in the cottage, thats the way Dad preferred it, and she continued to honor his wishes. But he would have been alerted for their entry into the estate, and once Dadu saw what happened, he will be coming around shortly. Sure enough, his voice boomed through the communicator.
“Hi Beta, I see that you have a guest with you. Dadu would love to see you when you are done. But if I may ask, what are you doing?”
“Dadu, This is Siddharth. He invented a microscopic spectrometer and is betting that he can find traces of Sublimate if it was used on Dad. So we are just doing some scanning here to see if there are any traces left.”
“Ah, this is the same spectrometer used by the police right? Its become process for them to test for Sublimate with every disappearance. Its called ‘Spectra’ by the way. Is this the same?”
Siddharth piped up, “Yes Sir, the very same. Have you scanned for it earlier?”
“Yes, I had one done as soon as it came out a couple of years ago. I’m sending through the linen also, which was scanned as well. There were no traces earlier. But you can try again. I never did trust Inspector Radhe, he sometimes just comes up for his tip money coining any reason for a visit that he can think of.”
“OK, the pixie drone is at it, let him finish, and we’ll know.”
“Meanwhile Sienna beta, please come and meet Dadu, I’ll ask for some refreshments now”
“Cheese Toast. Cheese Toast. Cheese Toast.”
Dadu’s laugh boomed across the channel. Sienna smiled and they walked out of the cottage into the grounds. Across the landscaped gardens was the main house.
“Dude, your Dadu is pretty hot shit. He has police guys coming up for tips. And he knew about ‘Spectra’ already. Spectra is the brand that is used by the police. For the piece I have, you have to 3D print it from the blueprints. Its next gen, and still in development. Its designed for long post facto use and its scan pattern takes into account things like plant growth over time, it scans into several layers of soil for earlier deposits and does a molecular level of spectrum scanning that catches even a single molecule stuck to cloth or wood.”
Sienna linked her hands in his and said “I’m in good hands, I know. Dadu should know that as well. He’s got access to police databases and I bet you he’s gonna be ‘in the know’ when you walk into the door at the house. What do we want to say?”
“Hmmm, lets take it as it comes. I took you on, didn’t I? He’s your Dadu….”
“Ohkay…” Sienna said doubtfully as she entered the house.
Dadu was waiting for them in the public lounge, which Sienna naturally walked into by force of habit because the classification of guests and access rights wouldn’t give Siddharth the right to enter the rest of the house. The estate was kept under several levels of security and any exception was made by Dadu alone. After Dad’s disappearance, he’d become extremely strict about that, suspecting that he slipped through the holes in the security system.
“Hello Siddarth. I must congratulate you on getting as far as this room in my house. It was only because of Sienna that you could do that. I know who you are, and I’m asking you very categorically, what is your business with Sienna?”
“Dadu, we’re friends!” Sienna interjected blushing red with embarrassment at the direct attack that he made on her guest.
“I second that Sir. We met by chance at a bar, I’m interested in her work using music. It is a medium that I have not played with before. The police lock-up is an arrangement so that they can keep an eye on me and my experiments. Its more like parole, when I want it or need it. I keep low and thats the way they like it also.”
“But you are a criminal!! How dare you come near my grand-daughter? How dare you enter my house? I’d have called security on you if you were not Sienna’s guest. She is mad enough at me already.” He locked her gaze with hers apologetically and turned around to bore into his eyes. “Keep your hands off her else I will have to incarcerated for good, I’m telling you.” His voice got louder as he spoke to him.
Siddharth cringed, and turned to Sienna. “I will leave now Sienna, I’m going back to the cottage to collect my tools, then I will go. I have no wish to trespass on anyone’s home. If I had wanted to do that, I’d have slipped in and out without your knowing sir.”
Sienna got up and blocked his path. Putting her finger on her lips, she hushed him. She turned around to face Abhijit vehemently with fire in her eyes. He cringed. “If this is my home Dadu, I will call whoever I like here. If it is not, I will also leave now with Siddharth and come back only when invited. Would you like that?” She crossed her arms around her chest and glared at him.
Abhijit’s face was red with anger and his eyes were blaring. There was anger and helplessness in them. Ramu interjected “Sienna please be careful, Dadu’s pulse is rocketing and BP is high right now. Stroke alert!”
Sid shouted at Ramu to tell him where the blood thinners were. A medic robot rushed in with the medicines and mixed some with water quickly. Dadu sat down on the nearest sofa. Sienna sunk to the floor next to his feet, crying, her head bent, her hands on his knees. Sidharth held the glass to his lips as he drank. He noticed who was holding the glass and took the glass from him angrily, which made Sienna cry harder. Sid reached out and squeezed her shoulder. He bent down and she turned around and buried her head in his shoulder and sobbed. He stroked her back and kissed her head, hushing her. Thats when he looked up to meet Abhijit’s eyes. He had been looking at them all along, and his eyes were softening slowly, filling up with tears. One rolled down his cheek as he opened his arms, calling them in. He sobbed as he apologized again and again, holding Sienna close to him, and burying his lips in her hair.
“I’m sorry bachha, I just want you safe. I didn’t realize the connection you two have. Siddharth, I’m sorry. Please don’t break this trust, but somehow my heart says, you’re a good person. And so does Sienna. So, Truce?”
Siddharth smiled, and reached out to grab his hand and shake it, beaming widely. They heard a beep and Sid spoke to his band.
“Report please.”
“Beaming now.” The high pitched pixie drone chirped.
Siddharth held his arm out and projected in the middle of the room. The pixie bobbed up and down while it said. “Bad news first boss. No Sublimate traces found. I’ve scanned in a perimeter of 5 meters when I could not find anything in 3 meters.”
An audible sigh of relief went up in the room.
“Oh I see thats good news. OK, but what I did find were traces of a meta material called WMD. It seems that its around 5-6 years old. Found at multiple spots on the grounds as well as in the coat closet.”
“Can you project?”
“Yes, see that red bunch of leaves on the tree? Around 5 years ago, this would’ve been at the height of the human head, thereabouts. If the prospect was a tall person, its possible that it comes from him.”
“Yes, yes he was tall. But what does this mean?”
“Well, it means that your dad is still alive. Meta materials can make you invisible to cameras and people. I use a meta-cloak to cloak my bike sometimes when its parked near the prison.”
“Meta Materials are illegal and can be sensed by other sensors, Siddharth. I got a scan done when Abhishek disappeared. They didn’t find any.” Abhijit interjected.
“May have been missed….Who did the scan?”
“Inspector Radhe’s squad.”
“That explains it. Long time ago, the police switched to drones as a way of investigating sites instead of human beings. Drones are trained to find even the minutest of proofs because of augmented vision.”
“Yes, this was done manually when he disappeared. I never got it done again.”
“The coat closet had a corner that had the cover of the cloak. Nothing else contained any traces. Only the cover.”
Dadu and Sienna turned to each other and hugged. Sienna turned to Siddharth and said “Now all I have to do is find him. Will you help me?”
“I can do more than that. I think I know the hacker who makes the cloak. There are only two and the other one is in Norway.”
Sienna’s eyes lit up! “Who?”
“I have to contact him through underground routes. Lets go to your place and we will start the process. It may take time. The conversations with these tech smugglers are even more cloaked than the cloak itself.”
Dadu’s laugh boomed in the room. “OK. I’ll sit tight. You guys go ahead and do this. Remain in touch and call out for help if you need any. Good luck kids! Go find my son.”
episode 1 | episode 2 | episode 3 | episode 4 | episode 5
———————————————-
Thank you Anindo Ghosh for your mentorship & editing. Anindo is an ace writer who’s working extensively in the Bollywood underground to mentor scriptwriters on writing for the web. He is also a futurist who believes in technology and the role it will play in socio-economic status and attitudes of the coming generations.
Ekta Rohra Jafri 