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Chapter 26 - The Strange Man (2)

The sun was shining brightly as it was just about to reach its peak, the early morning scent covered the air and the streets seemed busy, filled with the noises of vehicles and chatters of people.

In a corner of a big street laid a small park and in the opposite end to that park under the shade of a tree two young boys stood. The wind gently flowed causing the hair of one the boys to drop down to his eyes.

"Back to what I was explaining," Zazm said while he put a hand through his hair to get it out of his eyes.

"Yeah, so as I said, this robot here can be from another world and we can't eliminate it's possiblit-" Jahanox interrupted Zazm with a smug and serious look.

"You already explained that, what I'm curious about as to what makes you think that this guy is from a different timeline?"

Zazm paused for a second his eyes narrowing down, "What else explanation do you have? The last I checked, our world didn't had such futuristic robots." He spoke his tone mocking.

"Just because he said can't completly mean he is a robot and I have a better counter to your judgement then." Jahanox looked towards Zazm who now looked at him, his eyes filled with intrigue.

"This robot or whatever it has a brain, I can only control things that have a living brain. I tried to control fans and stuff before but I didn't work." He let out a sigh after finally finishing.

Zazm smile widened slightly his calm demeanor still hanging, he went to the man and questioned, "Are there more like you in your world? And how were you made?"

Jahanox looked confused he looked at Zazm demanding answers but before he could speak the robot spoke.

"Yes! there are more like me," Jahanox and Zazm looked at each other in a completly surprised way. The robot continued, "As for how we were made.... I don't particularly remember that but I remember I was made from humans."

"Ha...So he really is a robot, but that doesn't tell us why I can control something without a brain." Jahanox let out a small sigh before looking at his left where Zazm stood.

Jahanox looked at Zazm but what greeted him shocked him, Zazm stood there with a menacing grin his eyes widened in horror and surprise, "Zazm? What's wrong?"

Zazm turned to him still being on his guard his grin still tugged, "This guy.... He is made from humans and you asking what's wrong?" He spoke in a spooked out tone.

It took a Jahanox a minute to realize what he actually meant, "You don't me--" He looked at the menacingly smiling Zazm who nooded as his words.

Jahanox's eyes widened the horror clearly visible in them. He put his hand on his forehead trying to comprehend what he had just heard.

"So you....are like made from human parts?" Zazm asked in a surprised voice to which the robot nodded, "And you actually aren't human?"

"Yes, I only have the logical thinking and emotions of a human but I'm not one. My body is made of different things but I have the brain of a human."

Jahanox got close, trying to calm himself down he looked straight in the eyes or robot and asked him, "You have a brain of a human and why is that possible?" He spoke his voice betraying his calm.

"The humans who wanted to live longer decided to replace their fragile bodies with these bodies that never go bad and doesn't require food, water and never gets sick." The robot finished his voice flat.

Both Jahanox and Zazm looked terrified and intrigued at the same time, Zazm got close to him, "And what year is that world of yours in?" He questioned his voice filled with malice.

"Judging by the things here I believe you are asking about the Gregorian calendar, if Im correct than I'm from, 4390 AD."

The date sent a shiver down their spines, Jahanox spoke his voice barely above a whisper, "So you are from future?"

"No, he isn't." Zazm completed Jahanox words for him, his tone flat and calculative, "If he was from future that means there was a purpose for him coming here but that isn't it."

He paused letting the words sink and then looked back at Jahanox, "meaning he was either pulled here, from a timeline from the future. Or..."

Jahanox looked Zazm straight in the eyes asking him his gaze questioning, "Does that mean the timelines are distorted or something like in those movies?"

Zazm didn't reply for a while as he was lost in thought, he finally broke the silence and spoke, "Perhaps yes perhaps no."

Jahanox put a hand on his friends shoulder, "You are again keeping everything to yourself, Zazm." He spoke in a suspicious and mocking tone.

Zazm gulped and replied honestly, "Chill man, I'm not sure it's better not to say anything than to say the wrong thing."

"I can't argue with you there but how can you know it for sure?" Jahanox raised a brow his gaze questioning Zazm.

A smirk appeared on Zazm's face, "Well.... You remember the way I helped you discover your powers by connecting myself to the fabric of spacetime?"

Jahanox nodded, "I can do this but this time it's much more easier for me, I'll simply have to observe the threads of timelines itself." Zazm finished and afterwards sat down on the bench next to the robot.

"Then what are you waiting for can't you just do it?" Jahanox went Infront of Zazm and asked, Zazm looked up matching his gaze, "You think it's that easy? If I miscalculated a single thing my entire consciousness will disappear."

Jahanox stopped realizing the weight of his words he also sat down next to Zazm, "Yeah I apologize, I wasn't thinking straigh-"

"But that won't happen if you can help me." Jahanox was intrupted by Zazm and now looked at him In confusion, "What can I do?"

"You'll have to stay beside me for the entire thing and if you notice even the slightest bit of change in my body you'll have to instantly wake me up using any means necessary."

Zazm finally finished and put his hands in his pockets while leaning backwards on the bench, "That isn't something hard." Jahanox let out a small sigh.

Zazm let out a small chuckle, "Do you think you can sit at one place for like 3 days without moving or going anywhere?"

Jahanox got up he spoke in a rushed tone, "3 days? The last time it took you like a few hours but this?"

Zazm raised a hand signing him to calm down, "I had to go into the depth of spacetime fabric, the very beginning of it."

Jahanox started massaging his temples, "You know explain to me didn't you say that threads only flow out of living things, so are timelines like some living being?" Jahanox's tone filled with skepticism and confusion.

"Oh did I not explain it?" Zazm tilted his head and spoke with the same carefree attitude.

"Have you ever seen a wire? From outside it looks like a thick single object but in reality it's made up of several small wires, same goes for threads.

While it's true that threads only flow out of living beings, the concept of threads flowing out of a timeline is.....let's just say different."

Jahanox nodded in understanding, "Different?"

"Yeah, threads doesn't flow out of a timeline, they form a timeline. The threads of a timeline are formed by 2 things." Zazm raised a finger before continuing,

"First the amount of curvature caused by heavy spacial bodies, the timelines of future would undoubtedly have more thicker threads as compared to those of past since new spacial bodies continues to form every second."

He raised another finger, "Second the threads of living beings. Though they have barely any effect, a timeline where living creatures doesn't exist won't have threads much different from one where they do anyways."

Jahanox sat down next to Zazm trying to process all the things, "So, what you are saying is that you'll have to observe the timeline? But how'll you observe something while being inside it?"

A smirk appeared on Zazm's face, "I'm glad you asked. Well the timelines aren't only observable from outside.

I'll just have to find an extremely dense and curved point in the space time fabric and from there I can just estimate whether the timeline is alright or not."

Jahanox narrowed his eyes, "So it will only be a rough assumption?" He questioned Zazm and he answered with same carefree attitude.

"Nope, if I managed to find a black hole extremely dense that it causes extreme bend in the space time curvature I'll be able to observe the timeline itself so it's worth a shot."

"Ok so my job is to look after you while you do all this, correct?" Jahanox looked at Zazm and Zazm nodded.

"Well then guess that's that. Let's decide on when we are gonna do it, we have exams after a month or something, let's do it before then." Jahanox got up dusting his clothes.

"Let's do it tomorrow it's Sunday and I'm free aswell." Zazm got up aswell his hands still tucked in his pockets, he turned around before speaking, "But what about him?"

Jahanox also looked around at the robot, "that's..... A question for you to answer."

Zazm looked at Jahanox for a while before he spoke in a low voice, "Hey, you know this thing has the brain of a human, right?"

Jahanox looked at Zazm in surprise, "Yeah, I can understand that much I'm not dumb."

Zazm nodded and went to the robot, "Is there any way for you to completely disappear?" He asked the robot his voice cold and his eyes hollow.

"No, but I can self destruct myself and there won't be a single thing remaining of me." The robot told Zazm in the same flat tone devoid of emotions.

"Very well go towards the ocean and go self destruct there." Zazm ordered the robot in a cold voice.

"Oi Zazm, the fuck do you think you are doing?" He grabbed Zazm by his collar, "you know that thing has a brain of a human?"

"And?" Zazm directly looked into Jahanox eyes while putting a hand out to release himself from his grip, his tone cold.

"You're going to keep it? Just because it has the brain of a human? We don't need any more trouble than we already have."

"But there could be another way, you live alone you can take him with you." Jahanox raised a hand to complain but Zazm shot him down.

"Say, I take him home and what if your mind control loosened or anything and this guy went on a rampage or ran away? Who would be responsible?" Zazm leaned closer his gaze cold and his voice chilling.

Jahanox realized the weight of Zazm words he clenched his fists, he knew that he can't keep people under mind control forever and there was a limit to how much he can control at a time.

"Very well." Jahanox spoke in a sad tone before nodding to the robot who now started moving. He glanced at his side and saw a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't be sad, it's for our own safety besides he was never meant to be a part of this world."

Zazm started moving and Jahanox followed beside him and following them behind was the robot.

Zazm was smiling like his usual Zazm, when Jahanox asked, "Say how are we going to go to the ocean?"

Zazm took his hand out of the pocket and pointed at a far bus station, "it'll take some time but we'll get there."

---

"It was fun talking to you big brother." A little girl waved her hand to Zazm and he waved her back with a slight smile though his eyes said the opposite.

"You ok man? You look like a zombie." Jahanox asked with a slight smirk while plopping on the seat next to Zazm.

Zazm tiredly raised his eyes, "You don't know my pain. You got a seat with that robot in the back, while I got a seat with a 6 year old."

Jahanox simply smirked before leaning backwards, "Hey, it was hard for me aswell that boring robot didn't say a word the entire ride."

Zazm looked at Jahanox as if he wanted to kill him, "That little girl made me sing her the ABC song 12 times and made me listen to nursery rhymes for 7 hours." He spoke his tone still tired.

"Come on just how bad could've that been? You never listened to that stuff when you were young better experience it." Jahanox got up from his seat while pointing the robot to go down.

"Yeah you are right, it was fun talking to her." Zazm let out a warm smile, not the smile like his carefree and smug smile but a genuine one.

Jahanox also smiled at Zazm before he started walking towards the exit of the bus and Zazm followed him from behind.

Zazm jumped down and saw the kid standing at a distance with her parents, he looked at her with a warm gaze, listening to all that and playing with her made him forget about his guilt and burden for a while.

He enjoyed his time and didn't had to think about the deaths of people on him.

He put his hands in his pockets and started following Jahanox it was evening now the sun was about to set and now there they were standing in front of the ocean.

The robot started swimming, he swam for a good while before he was no longer visible, Zazm sat down on the sand and just as he raised his head.

He saw it then, a huge blast in the far distance of the ocean. The robot was destroyed, both Jahanox and Zazm didn't said anything for a while and just looked at the beautiful scene of water raining down from the sky. This was the first person they were ever forced to kill.

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