Chapter 01 – Ending & Beginning
In a rented house on the edge of a metropolitan city, a middle-aged man lay exhausted on his bed, contemplating his next move. Should he return to his home country, or should he continue working on the project of his dreams? His eyes lingered on the framed plaques hanging on the wall.
PhD in Aerospace Engineering, PhD in Physics, PhD in Chemistry, PhD in Computer Science, PhD in Computer Engineering.
He still wanted to pursue his project, but limited funds made him reconsider everything. Maybe it was time to give up and go home.
An hour passed before he finally muttered, "I give up..." He picked up his phone and booked a plane ticket back to his country through an app.
In an intelligence office, a boss was sorting through his files when his phone rang. It was one of his subordinates.
He answered, "Yes..."
"Boss, he's leaving. He booked the plane ticket an hour ago."
"Who?"
"The 1337th project..."
The boss quickly searched his computer. Finding the relevant file, he smirked. "Oh... the unlucky slave. Delete everything—make sure there's no trace, no suspicion."
"Roger," the subordinate replied before ending the call.
The boss stared at the screen for a moment longer. "A smart one, but unlucky. If he gets loose, he'll be a threat... What a shame." Then he closed the file.
At the Airport
"Gate 8, Gate 8... Oh, here it is."
A female officer at the counter smiled. "Ticket, please."
"Here..."
She glanced at it. "B-20. Go to the right, sir."
"Okay, thanks..."
As he walked toward his seat, he accidentally bumped into someone. "Ah, sorry, sir," the man said.
"It's fine," he replied, unaware that in that brief contact, he had been injected with a nearly imperceptible anesthetic.
Five minutes later, he fell asleep.
Meanwhile, the man who had injected him walked toward the cockpit. Approaching the pilot, he simply said, "Sir, CIA."
One Hour Later
He woke up to an eerie silence. The plane was still in flight, but the passengers were gone.
"You're awake..." a voice said.
The man who had spoken earlier emerged from the cockpit, wearing a parachute and holding a gun.
"Who are you?" he asked, his voice shaky.
"CIA," the man answered.
He was still confused. "So..."
The agent continued, "At 15:00, you booked a flight ticket home. The moment you did that, you became a threat to us. You understand, right?"
His face paled. "But... I just wanted to go home..."
"That's not my problem." The agent walked to the door and pulled it open, the wind roaring through the cabin.
"Good luck. Have a nice flight." With those final words, he jumped from the plane.
The man sat frozen, processing what had just happened. Then, realization dawned on him, and he whispered, "Damn... I was betrayed..."
Those were his last words before everything went dark.