Time Engineers

Encounter

Sound of crazy rain hitting the car was filling the silence. It was supresing the quiet music playing in the background. She was looking at the street that had similar apartments on each side of the road. Leo was sitting right beside her in the driver seat. He was worried and tapping his fingers on steering wheel to relieve some stress.

"What was it saying?" he asked suddenly.

"Hmmm- Thursday, rain, avenue, rain, TV and radio on..." she answered silently; letting the sound of rain being louder.

"There can not be any avenue around here but I guess this is as closest as it is. You are sure these are all the hints?"

She did not answer but took her small binoculars out to watch down the road. Since, rain was heavy, there were no people around. Hence, it was easier to watch what was happening.

"I don't like the idea of you going there alone. He is a terrorist, you know? He might do something funny to hurt you or even maybe this city. Are you sure about not calling anti-terror units?" he continued with not caring her silence.

"If that racist pig appears in my life again, i will harm myself this time." she mumbled.

It did not make any sense to Leo but he didn't seem to care that much since all the conversation between him and her was like this. Possiblity of destruction of city? He did not really believe those threats like many other people in the force but he said that to sound a bit cooler.

"At least, take your phone or anything; so i can hear you. I don't want to risk you over there." kept talking but not reaching her. Only answer from her was sighing.

She knew that Leo was in love with her. She noticed his intense interest from beginning but she is not that type of person. She does not know happiness or sadness properly. She was diagnosed with something that she had never cared about it anyway and it was enough for her. It was unnecessary information in her life. She just needed to choose a road for herself that she could do her best without feeling. So, she wouldn't get confused or bothered.

She opened the door to leave the car and closed it harshly leaving Leo behind. The rain was hitting on her as she did not bring anything to cover herself. It was fine to get soaked in wet. She would either die or kidnapped in next half an hour. She wouldn't care less. She just felt frustrated which did not make any sense to her. She has been feeling this uneasiness since the incident.

"He probably put some kind of hints for me to find him, right?" she asked to herself out loud.

-"Heeey!"-

She kept walking looking around. Hearing some noises quietly trying to survive behind the sound of rain.

"All the lights are on how am i supposed to find him?" she kept asking herself while looking around.

"Look over here, hey! WHY don't you look?"

She walked little bit more down the road before she noticed an overly excited person leaning down from the balcony, waving his hand like a crazy. She raised her had to see who this annoying person was just to realise it was Atlas. She gave her dead-looking glares at him while rain drops were hitting her face.

"Third floor!" Atlas shouted while grinning at her.

She kept looking at him until he went inside the house. She walked towards the apartment and the door was already opened for her. She climbed stairs to reach the third floor and a family was waiting for her at the door where Atlas was supposed to be at.

"Welcome welcome, darling. I've heard you are Atlas' friend." the mother said smiling.

"Is he using these people as hostage?" she thought and said: "Yes, i am his friend. He told me to meet him around here but i did not know he was going to bring some friends."

"Well well... He is such a naughty person sometimes but a good one! And, you are wet as you jumped into a pool! Didn't you take an umbrella?"

"Ah-! No, i thought there was not rain today. I got caught." she said while blaming Atlas inside.

The father opened the door to the end while the young daughter was hiding behind him.

"Come on in! He is waiting you in the room."

She nodded her head and stepped inside the house. She took off her boots and the mother brought a towel for her to dry. She walked deeper in the house and it was like any other house with no special feature. Only the little kid seemed little bit scared but other than that it felt too normal to be real. She opened the door that was shown to her and saw atlas sitting behind a table. It looked like an interrogation room with pink walls and a comfy sofa on the side.

Atlas watched her coming inside. Waiting excited to see who was the person behind the radio. As she stepped inside, he clearly saw her blonde wet hair and green eyes. A rare scene for him considering where he comes from but she seemed little bit rough and tough compare to a female he could imagine.

Atlas stood up to see her height. She was as tall as him.

"You are the voice?" he asked without losing a second. She looked back at him and though he seemed more friendly compare to pictures and CCTV footages. He was wearing a plain gray hoodie and shorts like he was about to go to a basketball match.

"Yes, I am the voice you heard." she answered with her French accent and continued: "I usually hide my accent in daily life but I made a mistake. So don't expect me to talk like that all the time."

She attempted to pull the chair and sit but Atlas leaned forward to stop her. She looked at her own wrist held my him.

"What are you doing?" she asked strictly. He looked at her eyes with his own serious eyes that did not really fit his personality.

"We are going to talk about something serious that you can not imagine of. So, I have to make sure you are all clean."

She understood that he was worried about a listening device or a gun. Therefore, she showed all her pockets and turned around herself to point of nothing funny could be seen. Also, she showed him all the possible locations of listening devices as he seemed he had none heard of it. She thought it was enough for him to believe her but then...

"Now, get naked. Take off everything you have." he asked with the same seriousness.