THE CURSE OF NEFRET

Branch 2 : Science fiction, Question answered:

Q2. What help can Nefret offer Charu ?

Time back, ancient Egypt during the times of ancient pandemic

"Try to be pure, you queer lady!!! Disoriented impious soul," the clergy woman said to Nefert.

"I need to see Queen Berenice. I want to touch her, feel her warm embrace, I am hers and by becoming hers, I don't betray God", said Nefret and knelt emitting a small sob.

"You certainly betray God. It's satan to think such impure thoughts. It's against the laws of God and I forbid such shameless desires. You are shunned and you will live in isolation."

"Don't allow me to hug her; and I curse that the years to come humans will yearn to feel and see each other. There will be a deadly pandemic, more deadlier and lethal than this time period, and then the cure will be only Nefret and her genome."

"O Lord forgive such shameless soul. She has cursed the humankind," said the clergy woman and collapsed near a hearth. It was a cold winter night, and the swift winds blowing from the windows extinguished the candles of the room as a sudden chill went inside the body of the clergy woman. Nefret stood still in anguish, her white robe flowing wildly, her icy lips sealed and her agonized eyes spat blood of vengeance. Nefret had turned white and this transformation startled the clergy woman and she ran out of the room.

"Go you hypocrite, go and tell the world that I curse , Nefret curses that humans will grief, the next milieu will be dark and sombre and only Nefret's blood will have the antidote, " she said casting her black spell again.

Present time period

Charu visualized the above episode in her dreams. It was like her episodic memories came back to her unexpectedly, as she didn't try to recall them. She had been working with an enormous perseverance to find the cure for the pandemic. Charu knew with her determination she could decipher the clue, and her painstaking effort would reward the world the most awaited antidote; and she was willing to sacrifice her life for betterment of the civilization. Whether Queen Berenice, Sheryl or Charu her sole aim of life was to find the antidote and if Nefret's blood had a cure, Charu would go to any extent to get the cure. She didn't care for her freakish partner. For Charu, Nefret was only her good friend and her queer feeling didn't have any value for Charu. Charu had settled for a quick snooze in her laboratory as the intensity with which she was working was stressful. She stretched her arms to activate her body out of the slumber and glanced at Vitron, an instrument used to conduct virological study. Adjoining it laid the petri dish containing Anibus/Yuvaan's DNA, which Charu had extracted from Yuvaan's finger nail. She inserted a test tube inside Vitron and with the help of pasteur pipette pushed Anibus DNA culture in the test tube and then set the vitron machine as per the code MV02FK09. Keeping her fingers crossed she looked intently on the computer screen, attached to the Vitron. Spasms of worry crossed her face but she sat still , her eyes fixed on the screen. Some codified algorithms rolled on the screen and finally it blinked stating that the mission of discovering the antidote had failed. Nervously, Charu saw one red remark stating an error. She studied that single element which had failed her completely.

'Missing chains of amino acid protein. Conjugate the protein with inserted DNA to get the antidote.' Prompted the Vitron machine too.

"Damn! Just one missing link.. Is it what I have to get from Nefret's blood?"

Charu reached for the box containing blue pendent, where she saw a design resembling Nefret's face, carefully masked under the tribal motifs. The design of her face seemed like a tube of blood, bright and fiery. Charu pulsated seeing the visual of violent jets of red.

"That's it! I need Nefret's blood to extract protein for making the antidote. The antidote will be a concoction of Anibus DNA and Nefret's protein. I have to compound both and for that, I need to travel back as Queen Berenice," said Charu in exhilaration. She immediately put the sword in the wormhole and traveled back as Queen Berenice.

Meanwhile,

Vincent's assistants were carefully observing Charu's activities. The moment they came to know that Charu teleported in back times, they informed Vincent. News of Charu going back times couldn't rock Vincent's stony stance. He knew this would happen.

"Well, my charismatic little sister, you think you are smart, well you maybe, but I am more diabolic than you. It's me who will end the story as 'Amon'. Sissy, it's you who will die, not me. Finally, we have to go back from where it all started, " Vincent said and sighed, and in his sigh existed the moments they had spent together in their carefree childhood. Vincent curled the corner of his mouth and after brief moment burst out into hysterical laughter.

"Nothing can come between me and my throne. I am the rightful heir to the throne, and not Berenice," said he. Vincent's brain was heinous and nothing could come in his way, not even his sister. Vincent connected the magnetic hose and got sucked in the wormhole.

Ancient Egypt

Nefret was all set to find her love. She had secretly got out of her isolation and was ready with the army. Cold air passed through that murky evening irritating Nefret's eyes. But her eyes kept roving observing the dusk enveloping the huge mass of land. Steadily, a storm raged towards Nefret and her army became uncomfortable. The horses neighed and stamped, while soldiers tried to pull the reins back to pacify their animals. Amid this, and, beyond the whirlpool of that dust storm, Nefret's eyes located a galloping horse. Queen Berenice gallantly rode her handsome horse towards Nefret and for Nefret her love had come. How happy she was when she saw Queen Berenice. A feeling of bliss engulfed Nefret when Berenice dismounted the horse ,and held her hands. Nefret's eyes oozed love but Berenice eyes reflected her determination to get Nefret's blood. Nefret embraced her partner tightly.

"This is the world to me. O love you came for me," said Nefret.

"Yes Nefret. But I need your help," Queen Berenice said.

"Anything for you", said Nefret.

As Berenice was about to tell her, the duo heard another horse trotting wildly towards them. Seated was Amon, vehemently waiting to take revenge on those queer women. Within fraction of second, Amon snatched the sword from Berenice's grip and laid it on her neck. Nefret quivered in pain seeing her partner in danger.

"Dare you command anything to your army, Nefret. I will behead Berenice," said Amon.

"Let my sister die.. You will die Queen Berenice and so will Sheryl and Charu. You are the origin of Sheryl and Charu. Once you die everyone dies. I will destroy you all so that the world never learns the concoction of the antidote," saying this Amon plunged the sword high in the air.

"Wait," Nefret cried in pain.

"You have to kill me first then," Nefret interrupted and knelt at Amon's feet in desperation.