Chereads / Sabina Saves the Future / Chapter 14 - Chapter 14: Limping and Incognito.

Chapter 14 - Chapter 14: Limping and Incognito.

I woke up the following morning in the worn-down room, when there was a knock on my door. I opened the door, and in front of me was a handsome-looking woman around my age. She was slim, tall, and had a boyish haircut. She was dressed like a computer hacker, equipped with a cool-looking laptop, and headphones with loud music banging. She delivered my package and left without saying a word. I opened the package, and I was grateful that I had found a good dark web shop, which delivered the promised goods instead of robbing me of my cryptocurrency or tracing me, to turn me over to the authorities. The package contained a set of clothes, a laptop, a cell phone, a fake ID, a prepaid credit card and a pair of sunglasses.

I put on the clothes and realised that it was used clothes. The same could be said for the phone and the laptop. But there wasn't much to say about it. After all, beggars couldn't be choosers, and I was happy that they had delivered my package at all. I checked the internet, to see how I could outsmart the security cameras that were located everywhere. Apparently, a hoodie and sunglasses were a good start, but since the security cameras also detected a person's movement pattern, I needed a more radical change to fool them.

I concluded that I had twisted my ankle the previous night, when I avoided Jakub's bullet. If I sustained a slight injury on my shoulder, my walking movements would not be recognised by the AI as it would think I was someone else. I wasn't a fan of self-inflicted damage, but I realised that I was here on a mission, so I had no other choice. I deliberately slammed my shoulder forcefully into the wall, dropping to the floor in agony and pain. Hating what I would have to do next, I kicked the wall with my bare foot, causing my ankle to twist even more.

Once the pain had receded, I got up. I studied myself in the mirror. I realised that the pain had caused me to stand and walk differently, although not for the better! I put on my hoodie and my sunnies, and I went out to commence my search for the Zeto Crystal.

As I exited the room, I damned myself for my immoral cowardice the night before. By letting Jakub die, I also killed off the trail to the conspiracy that was holding Jerusalem and its inhabitants' hostage. What if the conspiracy was somehow linked to the Zeto Crystal? I hadn't thought about it in my agitated state the previous night, but now the question overwhelmed me with relentless force.

I realised that the moral dilemma was irrelevant now. I was here on a mission. My mission was to find and cleanse the Zeto Crystal to make Earth a better place. I wasn't here to save the lives of cold-blooded murderers who had tried to kill me.

But how would I find the Zeto Crystal, and where would I begin my search? I realised that I had felt a tingling sensation at the Western Wall, just before Yussuf and his suicide-homicidal plans had shattered the peace. But the Western Wall precinct was probably in lockdown after the previous day's terrorist attack. I decided to explore the remaining parts of the Old Town on foot, as it wasn't very suitable for traversing in a driverless cab. It was painful walking on my rolled ankle, but it was, unfortunately, the only way to cheat the automated AI cameras. I just hoped that my injured state wouldn't attract the attention of the local police.

I walked around in the local quarters for an hour, sensing that the Zeto Crystal was somewhat near, but not close enough for me to pinpoint its location. I froze as someone screamed at me from behind. "עצור, משטרה!" It meant nothing to me, as I don't speak Hebrew, but I turned around and much to my dismay, I was facing a police officer in combat gear.

"I don't understand," I said, as the police officer faced me.

"Take off your sunglasses and show me your ID!" the police officer stated with an assertive voice.

I froze for a moment, angled myself away from the facial recognition security cameras, hoping that the police officer wouldn't recognise me. After that, I took off my sunglasses and showed him my fake ID.

The police officer studied my fake ID and my face for a while. He nodded, forced a smile, and spoke. "Thank you, Miss Keila Eisenstein. Do you need medical assistance with your limp?"

I smiled back and replied. "No, it's just a minor sporting injury. I should be fine in due time."

"Very well, carry on then, civilian." The police officer said and walked away from me.

I was relieved that I didn't need to use my powers to get out of the situation. I was also comforted that there evidently wasn't a warrant for my arrest. Otherwise the police officer would have studied my ID more closely. I walked into a small alleyway and went into a small coffee shop. I ordered some peppermint tea, to calm my very tense nerves.