TABLE OF CONTENT:
Chapter 1: A Midnight Call from the President
Chapter 2: The Spiritual Masters from India
Chapter 3: The Confidential Meeting
Chapter 4: Realm, the Mysterious Sphere
Chapter 5: The Classified Recruitment Begins - Part 1
Chapter 6: The Classified Recruitment Begins - Part 2
Chapter 7: The Sheer Luck of Two Late Applicants
Chapter 8: The President Inducts the Twelve Staff
Chapter 9: Rejections and Resolutions
Chapter 10: A Welcome Party for Brave and Young Patriots
Chapter 11: Beginning of the Training
Chapter 12: Withstand or Withdraw Test
Chapter 13: The Invoking of Sync System Law (SSL)
Chapter 14: Mad Proposals and Breakthroughs!
Chapter 15: Ben Becker, the Machine Man
Chapter 16: The Maze Runners
Chapter 17: Realm Ready
Chapter 18: A Successful Test Ride
Chapter 1: A Midnight Call from the President:
It was 1:45 AM when James Bauer's cell phone rang. Cursing the midnight intruder, he picked it up. The next moment, he heard a serious female voice directing him to hold the call for the President of the United States of America. James froze for a second. He had no connection with the White House whatsoever. Although he and the current President, Pelvin Palmar, were undergraduate mates, he didn't expect his old friend to remember him after so many years. While he was wondering about the same, a hard but husky voice spoke, "Jamie, my buddy, I guess this is a surprise call."
James recovered quickly and flushed like a young girl despite being 60 years old. Inwardly, he recalled young Palmar calling him 'Jamie' during their younger days. "It sure is, Mr. President. I am happy you still remember me. May I know what this call is about?"
President Palmar laughed aloud. "Wouldn't you like to know? You were curious in our younger days. I hope it is the same as well."
James blinked twice and replied, "Interesting choice of words, Mr. President. Of course, I am as curious as ever. I hope being curious is good."
"As good as it can ever be. Well, let me get to the point. I am heading a highly classified operation called EMIB, which stands for 'Exploration of Multiverse for Intelligent Beings', and I wish to recruit you as my Chief Scientist." President Palmer's voice suddenly became serious and instructive.
"I hope this is not a bluff call, Mr. President." James almost stammered after hearing about the classified operation EMIB and the term 'Multiverse', which had a lot to do with him.
"The President of the United States never bluffs. I mean what I said. Now, grab your travel case and be at the White House at 10 AM tomorrow for a confidential meeting. I can assure you this is going to be as curious as it can get, and I want you to be a part of it." James heard the click sound, and the connection went dead.
For the next five minutes, James sat on the cushioned sofa and began to analyze the call. He realized that he had not accomplished anything notable (considering Multiverse) as he had expected. Presently, he saw the opening of a window. And, the President of the United States had just opened it for him! Once he realized it, James ran like a madman and packed all the essentials into his old travel case. Once done, he called and booked a flight to DC, making sure that he would reach before 10 AM the next morning. Satisfied with himself, he booked an airport cab. After 20 minutes of waiting, the cab reached his house.
James pulled his travel case and locked the main door. A cool breeze nudged him and made him feel ecstatic. Taking in the breeze, James screamed like a small child, "To the White House and beyond," and ran towards the waiting airport cab.
**
At the same time, Samuel Bard rolled over in his bed. At 52 years old, he had done his best to keep up his fitness. However, his only issue was insomnia. Since the death of his little daughter Monica in a road accident, he hadn't been able to get a natural sleep. On that fateful day, he was picking her up from school. While midway, suddenly a puppy appeared in front of his car. With the natural instinct of a secret service agent, he swerved left to avoid the puppy. The only mistake he had made was to misjudge the speed of another car coming from behind that had decided to overtake at that same moment. Unfortunately, the other car's side mirror slammed right into the back of his daughter's head, who was peeking dangerously outside the open window, looking at a toy store.
Monica died on the spot!
Samuel's life changed quickly after that. His wife believed and strongly expressed that his reckless driving caused the untimely death of their daughter. The couple lived together for another two years while trying to cope with the tragedy that had befallen them. During those tough periods, his wife made sure to curse him at every single opportunity and made him feel utterly guilty. Although in his heart, Samuel knew that was not entirely true, his wife's constant allegations made him go mad, and he began to mentally believe that he was the cause of his daughter's death. As most men would do, he became an alcoholic to forget the pain and, of course, to sleep at night. After two years of nagging, Samuel couldn't take any more of his wife's accusations, and one bad night, he lost control of himself and slapped his wife on her face.
Earlier, Samuel's wife, who had accused him of their daughter's death, began to feel unsafe and labeled him as a violent man. With the help of her parents' encouragement, she decided to divorce Samuel. After providing a large sum of alimony, Samuel was relieved of his wife's constant accusations and lived alone. Having completed 25 years of service at the White House as a secret service agent, he took voluntary retirement and lived off the little savings he had left. Alcohol became Samuel's only comfort in his shattered life, but lately, even that couldn't help him sleep. Frustrated with his situation, Samuel went to the bathroom. When he returned five minutes later, he was startled to find a young man in a black suit waiting for him.
Instinctively, Samuel jumped and reached for his bed. In the next moment, he grabbed the revolver hidden under his pillow and aimed it at the dark-suited young man. For a tense moment, the two locked eyes.
"Samuel, put down the gun. I represent the White House," the younger man said as calmly as he could.
"Credentials?" Samuel asked crudely, tightening his grip on the trigger.
"Go easy, Sam, allow me to show it," the young stranger in a black suit requested.
Samuel nodded and took a step back. The young man quickly took out his ID card and handed it over. A quick glance confirmed the identity of the stranger. Indeed, he was representing the White House.
Samuel pushed him towards a small sofa and sat on the edge of his bed, asking, "You could have just rung the front door bell, couldn't you?"
The other man smiled confidently before replying, "Sam, secret agents can't resist the thrill of entering a house unknown and unseen. Don't we all? Anyways, we haven't been acquainted since I joined the secret service after your voluntary retirement."
Samuel relaxed and motioned for the young man to sit on the sofa. The young man made himself comfortable and began to take in the surroundings, his eyes lingering on the half-full bottle of whiskey.
Samuel sat on the edge of his bed, met the eyes of the young agent, and demanded, "If you must know, I don't drink during the day. Now, tell me why you are here?"
"The President wants you to head the security operation of a highly classified project. A confidential meeting has been set up at 10 AM tomorrow at the White House, and he wants you there. That's all I know."
For a long moment, Samuel said nothing. After taking deep breaths, he reflected, "I'm flattered. Sadly, I don't want to do it. I am good on my own."
The young man nodded, "I understand that, Sam. If I were you, I would have met the President before making any decision."
Samuel took his time to think. After two minutes, he announced, "Let the President know that I will be there at 10 AM tomorrow."
**
Dr. Logan drove towards his house in anticipation of a good sleep, which he needed. He had just successfully finished a surgery on a 76-year-old man. The patient, a rich old man, had a cardiac attack while directing his attorney to make a new Will. Previously, the old man's Will favored his family members. However, after learning of the deceptions of his family members, he decided to change the Will. He wished to donate everything to an orphanage that he used to visit frequently. Just before he could sign the new Will, he collapsed due to a major cardiac arrest. His attorney did CPR while his assistant dialed 911. Thanks to them, the old man was brought to the right place at the right time. The 56-year-old Dr. Logan, filled with tons of experience, did the rest to save him.
The road was quite empty, and Dr. Logan began to cruise home, anticipating warm food and bed. Suddenly, Dr. Logan observed a car speeding up from behind. Before he could do anything, the car overtook and blocked his way. For a moment, Logan thought it might be the cops who had caught him for speeding. After a quick observation, he noted that the car was black and there were no top light bars on it. To his further dismay, two gentlemen clad in black suits climbed out and walked towards him in long strides. Both looked serious, and one of them walked towards his window.
Dr. Logan began to panic, thinking they might be muggers. The man who had walked towards his window gestured to drop the window glass. Dr. Logan hesitated and did nothing. The dark-suited man, sensing Logan's fear, took out an ID card and held it close to the window. Logan had a quick glance, and to his surprise, the credentials showed them as secret service agents representing the White House. Slowly, Logan lowered the glass of his window. The man in the dark suit bent down and offered politely, "Dr. Logan, no need to fear. We are agents from the White House. We need you to be at the White House by 10 AM tomorrow. And sir, it's a Presidential Order."
Dr. Logan, unable to make sense of the situation, opened the car door and climbed out. Eyeing the agent, he asked, "May I know what this is all about?" The two agents exchanged a look. The other agent who had been silent until now walked closer and replied with a thin smile on his face, "Sorry, Doctor, we are not supposed to reveal it. Please just follow us to the airport, and we will take the next flight to Washington DC. The President personally wishes to see you."
At once, Dr. Logan looked concerned and asked, "Is the President all right?"
The first agent smiled politely and replied, "He is, Doctor. Please ask us no questions and follow us."
Logan nodded his head and got inside his car. The two agents walked fast and began to drive towards the airport. Logan simply followed them like a lemming.
**
Melena Hans was confused. At 36, still young and unmarried, she didn't know the trajectory of her life path, although she enjoyed teaching physics to undergraduate students at Imperial College, London. Even as a kid, she loved conducting science experiments and physics was her favorite subject.
Now sitting on a flight to Washington DC, she tried to contemplate her life. After her post-graduation, she was surprised to receive a job offer from a reputed organization in Manhattan, United States. Being quite young and career-oriented, she decided to take it despite objections from her parents. That was the first time she visited America. Tagged as weird during her college days, she was bold enough to face the challenges of the world on her own terms. Perhaps that was the reason she accepted the job in Manhattan.
During her internship under the guidance of James Bauer, a senior scientist, she did her best to impress him. At just 26 years old, Melena never would have guessed that she would have an affair with the senior scientist. But it happened, and it still annoyed her that she enjoyed that short affair. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she still had that dark desire to continue the affair. She had fallen in love with a scientist who was much older than her - to be precise, 24 years older. Presently, it felt like a forgotten dream. During the course of her one-year internship and later working as an assistant scientist to James for five years meant a lot to her. They did some great research and experiments together. Melena knew that her mentor was a genius, and it showed in his work. Maybe that was the reason she had fallen in love with him. Just like her, he was also termed as a weird scientist by all other employees who mostly worked under his leadership. At least that was a common factor between them. Both were awkward and shy, yet stubborn and persistent in their beliefs.
Things began to change after six years. To start with, having discovered her affair with the senior scientist, her parents persuaded Melena to resign her job at once and come back home. She would have resisted it if James had supported her. Sadly, that was not to be. James, already married, never stood by her side to accept or continue their affair. He himself had many personal family issues to deal with. His wife, a dominant woman, was diagnosed with cancer and the doctors strongly advised James that it was time his wife needed all his attention and care. Considering the same, James apologized to Melena and suggested that it would be in their best interest if both moved on in their personal lives.
Dejected, Melena soon resigned and went back home. Her parents, who were so adamant about her marriage, had died in an accident soon after four months of her arrival. And for those four years, Melena neither married nor dated anyone. Soon after her return, she joined the Imperial College in London and worked as a teacher.
It was most surprising when she received a call from the White House yesterday morning. The officer identified himself as the Chief of Staff of the White House and informed her that she was immediately wanted at the White House. On further inquiry, he revealed that they were offering her a confidential job as a scientist and she would be considered a permanent employee working as an Executive Office of the President (EOP) at the White House henceforth. Most shockingly, the Chief of Staff informed her that she would be working under the payroll of the President, present and future. Furthermore, the Chief strongly declined to give more information and requested her to be present at a covert meeting set up tomorrow at 10 AM inside the White House.
Curious, Melena booked the flight and now was flying, sitting inside it!
****