Fragility

 

"It worked! Haha!!" said Aditya, jumping up to her giving a HiFi. "I know! I actually can't believe it worked!" said Saira easing out of her position and standing up. "You were so convincing, what a performance. And the last thing..." "I know! the last thing just came to me, thank God it worked and they actually left," she said. "I am now your worshipper," he said bowing. "Oh, my worshipper, tell me, what do you want," she said blessing. "All I have is one wish. I want to go home. Take me back into my time" he said. "thathasthu" she blessed. 

       Rising, he took a few slow steps forward and said "I have another wish." Saira walked along "what is it?" she asked softly. "Vyom and Ruka. I would be going back to their rubbles." He said, continuing to walk. "Oh but..." she said. He continued "Vyom is all my life's effort. Ruka has been instrumental in building it. I assembled Ruka myself. No bike comes even close to Ruka in its functionality. Its features are not still in anybody's imagination. Why..." "I am sorry about Vyom" Saira interrupted and continued "but Ruka is safe." 

       Aditya looked at her with gleaming eyes and a confused frown "What do you mean?" he said. "I told you right, I had not come alone. Shibu was with me. I am sure, he drove it away before the blast," she said. "huh" he shrugged his shoulders "that may not have happened, it operates on my fingerprint. It has no key." "I had shared your fingerprint with him at the time of our first handshake," she said. Aditya stopped walking, processed for a moment. "You freak me out!" he nearly yelled. 

       Saira spoke apologetically "I know I did it without your knowledge but..." "That would give him access to my banks and..." 

"He would need access to your assets" 

"You intended to use my assets!" 

"I mean, looking at the situation..." 

"what situation?" 

"Why don't you let me explain..." 

"Explain. You please explain all for once." He sat down on a rock nearby staring at Saira. 

"How can you turn so rude. I... I really don't know how to talk to you." She turned away and looked down. 

"Oh! so you shall explain nothing now. Because I am rude. What an excuse." He said with a chuckle. 

Saira turned towards him and spoke. "You have seen it yourself; those people were after your life and they destroyed everything that they saw as yours after we left." 

"Yes, I know, I owe my life to you," he said. 

"That is not the point." Saira said and continued "They would get after Shibu after we left because he is the anchor. He is our only link to go back to your time." 

"Shibu's life is in danger?" Aditya looked bewildered. 

Saira replied "Yes, indeed. That is why he needs as many resources as possible to survive all these hours that we are away. Without Ruka and" 

Aditya interrupted "Shibu's life is in danger?" 

"Yes," she said. 

"You mean, if they kill Shibu, we will never be able to go back to my time?" he asked 

Saira said a hesitant "yes" 

"And if...they were to hold Shibu captive, we would land up straight in front of them, when we go," he said. 

Saira said nothing and looked down. 

"So, there is a fair possibility that I may just be stuck in this strange time and place," he said. 

"No no, not at all. My time obviously has anchors. When they see that Shibu and I have not returned at the planned time, they would take pull me back into my time. We could go back to my..." she said, while Aditya interrupted "Go back to your time! And live happily ever after. I have no life of my own." 

"But..." she said and he spoke again "Do you know who I am?" she said nothing and he continued "I am an object. A relic of your great mission to the past." 

 "You are making an argument of an imaginary possibility." She said frowning. 

"Me going back to my time is also an imaginary possibility." He retorted. 

She calmed down and said "Look, I know, we have put you at risk along with us. We had to do that because the world..." he interrupted "Your world doesn't exist for me." 

"You are rude. Selfish. Insensitive. Arrogant. Stupid" she said, looking straight at him and then walking away. 

   They spoke no further and an hour passed as they dealt with whatever was going on within themselves.