Chapter 3: The Childhood Twins
24th March 2026
As the squad moved along the road, the wind cleared and blew away some sand.
Tariq spoke.
"Hey, Aboutrika. You've got everything set, right?"
"Yeah, yeah. Don't worry about it."
Amina was still asleep, occasionally opening her eyes to check her surroundings.
"So… everything? Including my cooking equipment?"
"Bro, stop being so damn paranoid. I told you I did, now stop asking questions."
Aboutrika let out a frustrated hmph.
Then Harith spoke.
"Yo, Aboutrika, did you—"
Suddenly, the small autobus stopped moving.
"Huh?"
Aboutrika clicked the startup button again, surprise and irritation in each press.
Harith called out,
"Hey, why did you stop? We still got a long way ahead of us."
"Can't you see I'm rapidly clicking the start button? Or have you gone blind?!"
Aboutrika quickly opened the door and shut it with force to check what had happened.
Tariq stepped out as well.
"Shit."
"What's wrong?"
"The gas container… all of the gas is on the floor."
Tariq knelt to inspect it.
"It's a small, precise puncture. There's no way this was a coincidence."
Aboutrika nodded.
"Right. The road's even, and I made sure the autobus was in perfect condition."
He leaned back against the bus with his hands in his pockets.
Tariq's nose twitched. He sniffed something unusual. Quickly, he reached into the pouch on his waist and pulled out a handheld device, like a phone.
"Aboutrika, I'm gonna need you and the others to step away from the bus."
He nodded and opened the door, yelling:
"Harith, take your little spoiled girlfriend and get out of this autobus, NOW!"
Harith complied, carrying the sleeping Amina bridal style.
"Geez… I wonder what even happened to you," he muttered, looking down at her.
"I just know this isn't the time for sleeping."
Tariq studied the device, scanning the approaching signals.
"It's getting closer… as if someone's running at us. But there's absolutely no one in sight."
He raised his voice, confident rather than panicked.
"Alright, everybody. Run away as fast as you can. An explosion is about to happen, and I'm willing to risk it all."
Aboutrika froze.
"What—"
Harith jerked him back by the shoulder.
"Don't even bother. Tariq knows what he's doing—we should trust him."
Harith's mind flashed back to the Mutafakir fight when he tried to rob Tariq's kitchen, remembering how expertly Tariq handled the situation.
"Harith, why is this stupid—"
He referred to Amina, still asleep on his shoulder.
"WAKE UP! We're facing a serious situation, and you're here slumped on your ass!"
Frustrated, he dropped her to the floor with a thud.
(Ugh… what a jerk, dropping someone as fine as me like that…)
Tariq smirked, holding a big tin lid as a shield.
"I can't guess where you're coming from, but if you're that much of a coward… then show me what you're made of."
Suddenly, something STRONG slammed against his shield, creating a deafening clang.
The opponent remained invisible—only the flames on the shield were visible.
"I, Tariq Al Khazna, will rebel against the flames themselves if it's for the purpose of protecting my friends!"
He swiped the shield, dispersing the flames with a gust of wind.
From a distance, the invisible autobus—designated 04—spoke through floating chat bubbles:
"Just throw the engulfed metal rod at the bus!"
04 obeyed, but Tariq seized his wrist, forcing him to drop the rod.
Slowly, the invisible figure's body became visible, starting with his hand.
"You sound friendly. Who sent you?"
Tariq's voice was dangerous, yet friendly.
As the rod clattered to the ground, he stepped on it, extinguishing the flames.
Seconds passed, each one stretching as Tariq's grip tightened.
BAM!
Tariq delivered a heavy punch to 04's face, nearly cracking the black helmet. The force sent him stumbling backward.
He grabbed 04 firmly by the shoulders.
"Oops, not sorry. That frustration came from a failed attempt at making you talk."
A loud, overwhelming noise echoed inside 04's head.
"If you dare reveal anything about me, I'll exterminate both of you on the spot."
Tariq had caught one of the twins attempting to sabotage the squad's vehicle. The captured assailant now had no choice but to obey.
What will 04 and Four Zero do…
To be continued…
Character spotlight:
04 and 40: they are shorter figures drawn by Mutakamel, were they have NO disposition but it's all a part of Mutakamel's currently unknown Disposition.. the twins wear identical black armors. Their face displays the number in a white, glowing font. 40 is the one with 4 on his face and 0 on his chest plate and vice versa with 04.