Labyrinth

Gene Code

Chapter-1- The Woodpecker

2452 A.D.

It was a warm and sultry afternoon. The sun was shining bright overhead, constantly annoying the city-dwellers who were forced to recuperate in their air-conditioned homes. A light and dry wind visited the empty roads, carrying the sand with it on many occasions. Despite these conditions, a small boy sat on the steps of a very old shrine, digging through the mud with a small spade in one hand and a vessel in another.

A jet whizzed above his head and he turned his head up to take a good look at it. He knew what it was. In fact, every little kid who grew up on this street knew about it. It was called the T.J namely the Turboiliser Jet. It was every child's fantasy. To drive through the air, like a world war pilot and overlook all that is there on the ground. He wanted it so bad.

When the black jet, disappeared from view, he returned to his task. He pushed his spade under the wet mud, until he heard the sound of metal striking against something solid. Getting excited, he threw away the spade and began digging with his bare hands. And slowly, it came into view.. A small clay pot.

He lifted it out of its safe sanctuary where it must have been hidden. He placed it upright on the ground and studied it with interest. His curiosity began to overwhelm him and he began to wonder what was inside it.

Finally giving in to temptation, he clasped its lid and pulled. It didn't budge.. After a few minutes of trying, it finally gave in to the intense pressure and opened with a plopping sound.

The little boy, looked inside. There was a bundle of papers along with a spirally bound pad.

His heart began beating fast, as he slowly pulled them out and opened them carefully along the creases. They were yellow and seemed to have survived through rough conditions. He handled the frail papyrus carefully and began to read it.

The wordings were smeared and only some of them were legible.

.. I have finally decided to dump my inheritance near this shine. What my father couldn't give me when he was alive is completely useless now that he is dead. And I don't want to waste my time pondering over the secrets he wanted to leave me. I never existed to him and so it doesn't really matter. The only hope I had was somehow, he would ask me to come back. All that are left are the memories. But I don't want them. So, I am burying them here under this maple tree of the Buddhist Shrine. The only hope I have is that someday, someone else may find use of it since I certainly can't.

Rena Avery.

The young boy began folding the paper hastily when he heard his mother calling him. He jabbed it into his pocket and rushed towards his house, which lay indoors of the shrine.

..--..

The new band had already started playing for the night. They had begun with a slow one, gradually moving on to the classics. Rena smiled unconsciously when she heard the sound of the saxophone. Its music was longing and captivated her as she filled her hourly cup of cappuccino. The foam bristled along the surface, threatening to overflow. But she knew it wouldn't. After spending four hours on this job on five days of the week, it wasn't a surprise to anybody that she had become an expert at making cappuccinos for herself.

She took a long sip of it, and stood next to the red curtains. Sliding her hand through a small gap, she shifted them a little to take a good look at the band that had been playing for the past two days. It was a small group of musicians with one man each on the violin, trumpet and the piano. But the main lead was the guy who was playing the saxophone. Dressed in a simple black t-shirt with black pants, he played the instrument with the precision and softness of a pro.

When he took a small breath of air, his eyes fell upon her. He gave her a small smile before returning to the tune.

Rena's heart had skipped a beat when he had looked at her.

Perhaps, she could invite him over to her house after their night shifts got over.

Her thoughts were broken when she felt someone tap her shoulders. Jerking back, she looked at the person standing behind her. Her employer Miss. Steeds, looked down at her sternly and said,

"My dear, coffee break is over, don't you think?"

Rena gave her a loathing look before turning to the counter to pick up her menu pad and apron. She tied it along her waist and after smoothening the creases of her black pants; she stormed into the dining hall.

She hated the job. Serving as a waitress in a fancy multi cuisine restaurant maybe a more interesting job than that of a librarian, but it sure the hell did not pay better. She checked her appearance in one of the mirrors along the red walls of the dining hall. She found one, black strand of hair loose. Cursing to herself in a low tone, she tucked it behind her ear and watched out for diners wanting any attention.

When she found herself free for the moment, she turned back to the saxophone player who was again playing a beautiful song.

Rena heard the door open with a swinging noise and she found a new customer come in. Her eyes did a double take. It wasn't astonishing to find a gentleman walk in. What amused her was the fact that this man was alone, without any partner, associate, colleague or so forth. Besides, he wore dark shades that matched his overcoat and his loosely cropped up jet-black hair.

The guy seemed to be around her age i.e. twenty years old, which was surprising. Either he was a rich man's brat copying the dudes of The Contract Hitman videogame or a real life assassin. Yes, she did have an unusual imagination.

The guy walked over to an empty table and sat down on it. His gaze fell upon her and he signaled for her.

Sighing with pity for herself, she walked over to him. Smiling with a professional attitude, she handed the menu to him.

"Good evening sir. Welcome to Multi cuisine Meghadoota. "

He merely nodded to her and began looking through the list of items on the velvet card.

After a long moment, he asked, looking up at her. "What's special?"

His voice was clear yet raspy. Another characteristic quite common to mysterious men. She almost slapped her forehead in irritation. 'Damn you, Rena. What the heck is wrong with you?’ she asked herself.

She smiled again, though her uneasiness was evident. "Our specialty for this week is the Indian Chicken Tandoori with a nice essence of the spicy Pulao as the side dish. "

He continued to study her in apparent fascination. Because he was wearing the shades, she wasn't sure what exactly he was looking at. He might be staring at her in the eye or even maybe looking at her breasts. But since the restaurant policy forbade the waitress from slapping the customer on the face, she pretty much couldn't do anything.

After nodding, he said. "Fine. I'll have the special."

Giving him a false smile, she nodded and took his order.

After the food was served, she watched as he stared at the meal before him. Finally, turning to her, he called for her again.

"What is it?” she asked in a tone that had lost its politeness a long while back.

He scowled and pointed to the vegetable soup. "It has carrots in it. I don't like carrots.. "

"Oh." was all Rena could mutter.

She picked up the bowl and headed back to the kitchen, kicking the doors open. Taking a long breath, she nudged her friend Yuki Houshi, a short petite girl with brown hair and twinkling hazel eyes.

"That moron at table seven wants new soup. Apparently, he hates carrots. "

"Man, people are so selective. I mean, is it the carrot's fault that it ended up on his table.. I mean how can a person like radish but not carrot? Isn't it injustice and color discrimination?" Yuki rambled on like a coffee addict.

Rena shook her head amusedly. She picked up another bowl of soup and went back to the dining hall.

He had finally begun eating. When he saw her, he pointed to the glass of water on his table.

"Is that purified water? "

"Yes."

"100 percent?"

"Yes."

"If I get sick, I'll sue you."

Rena blinked at him. Who was this guy? She had never met a customer like him before! What a woodpecker..

"You may do that, sir but rest assured, I guarantee you that it is mineral water. "

He smiled, a very devilish kind of smile. "Guarantee? I see. All bark and no bite."

Rena raised her eyebrows at his comment but didn't say anything.

He asked her, "Why do you work here?"

Rena blinked at him again. "For the money, " she replied.

He snorted. "Does it pay?"

She wondered why he was asking her these questions. "Well, yeah. Kissing up to a guy's ass like yours must pay, right?” she retorted.

He looked up at her, startled by the sudden change in her tone. He smiled in triumph. Surprisingly, he didn't retort back.

After he finished his meal, he asked for the bill. She placed it on his table with a bit of mouth fresheners.

He gave it a small glimpse, before reaching for a wallet inside his vest. Opening it, he counted the bills and placed the money on the table. Standing up, he held out three ten-dollar notes for her as a tip.

She reached for them, but he pulled them away playfully. Smirking at her, he remarked, "No tip for being rude, impolite and non- customer friendly."

Saying that, he flashed her a shining set of teeth and left the restaurant.

She stood there, staring at his back and seething with anger.

..--..

Rena clutched the jacket around her closely while walking back to her apartment. The night was cold and it sent shivers along her spine for no good reason. A cold wind hit her across her face and she began to wonder whether she should have taken a cab.

She shared the apartment with Yuki who usually came home late. It was a cramped place with hardly two rooms to live in and an attached leaking bathroom. Her house was infested with roaches and she began to ponder why she actually lived there. The reason was partly because she didn't have any money. Her part-time job paid for her college tuition and for the rest of her necessities, she just had to toil for and share with Yuki.

Sighing out aloud, she cursed the God for not being fair to her. Three years ago, she had lived in a middleclass home with a single father well known as a scientist. Then of course, she got booted out for a reason, she couldn't comprehend. Since then, she had been living on her own, surviving in this big-bad world after her father's death two years ago.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard footsteps behind her.

She stopped and listened for them. Yes, they were there. Slow and smooth.

She turned around and found a lanky black figure hide itself behind a tree. She turned back and began walking. The footsteps continued to follow her like a stubborn shadow.

Her heart began to beat very fast. She had always been afraid of stalkers. The house was only a few blocks away. Maybe she would make it, if she broke out on a run. Without pausing to look back, she took a deep breath and began to run.

She heard the footsteps quicken behind her.

Her heart was leaping out of bounds and Rena felt every blood vessel in her body throb against her head.

The person behind her was only a few meters away. She took a short route through a dark alley, hoping to waylay the stalker.. which didn't turn out to be a good idea when she hit her knees against the garbage cans lined up near the walls. They crashed against one another producing heavy metal noises that woke up many of the residents. But without giving up, she continued to hurry until her black eyes finally made out the shining lights of her building.

The blood pumped in and out of her heart as Rena jumped up the stairs and dashed towards the door. She stopped for a small second and looked around. She was standing in the lonely hallway. Right when she was about to let out a sigh of relief, she almost jumped when she heard someone come upstairs.

Without losing a second, she turned the knob and walked into her apartment, which was pitch dark. She closed the door behind her and listened. The steps walked into the hallway and headed to the apartment opposite to hers.

Maybe it was nothing but a misunderstanding. It was probably the drunken banker who lived next door.

Yes, perhaps..

But then, suddenly, a hand clasped her mouth and another pinned her against the door.

She found herself staring at the same guy who had come into the restaurant this evening and humiliated her.

He smirked. "Sshh. Don't say a word. "

Her wide eyes stared at him. She tried to push him off her front but he was too strong. He took off his shades and Rena found herself looking into his deep blue eyes. He smiled at her arrogantly and said,

"Well, well, well.. Look what the cat dragged in."

She continued to gape at him as if he was a lunatic. Her mind began to review all the karate moves that she had learnt in her training class. Well, she never got past the orange belt but it may prove to be somewhat useful.

She bit his hand and elbowed him forcefully in his ribs. Though, it hardly seemed to faze him but his tight hold on her wrist loosened. This was the opportunity she had been waiting for. Without losing a second, she kicked him near his groin.

"Oww.", he yelped out in pain but she didn't bother. Pushing him off herself, she ran towards her bedroom. There was a phone inside. She could call 911.. or the cops themselves.. She pulled the doorknob and then suddenly felt something heavy jab into her back.

He had recovered. She got sent hurtling inside her room and ended up, flat on the floor. The guy ended up a few feet away from her. When she tried to get up, he clutched her feet and pulled her down.

"LET GO!", she screamed as she tried to wriggle out of his grasp..

But he didn't budge. Instead, he slowly worked his way on top of her, pinning her hands along the way. She began shrieking, "SOMEBODY HELP-!"

But he cut her off, by clasping her mouth shut with his now-bleeding hand.

"Shut up and listen. I am not going to hurt you."

Her cynical eyes rolled in disbelief. After all that had happened, it was hard to believe that he wouldn't.

He sighed so loudly, that she felt his hot breath along her cheeks.

"Rena Avery, I am Detective Derek Woods... from 2452. Pleased to meet your acquaintance."

She continued to gape at him as if he was a runaway lunatic from a nearby mental asylum.

And for Rena, she never knew that from now on, her life was going to change drastically.

..--..