Early morning, Charlotte prepared herself to go to work. She shoves all the dishes off the sink and went to prepare breakfast. Her apron hangs on her waist over her ICP uniform. Her bun is clearly done on her head. Having on leave for 3 days is a big drag for her work in the Bureau and just thinking of it makes her headaches.
The Bureau, an executive branch of the International Cyber Police, is the acting arm in the city of Aurum that deals with physical but mostly, cybercrimes.
Because of the incident, Charlotte has to finish all the papers left on her table before Sunday, or she will be demoted from her position and worse, she'll receive a salary deduction.
"Yosh,, now all I need is to keep this on the fridge and leave this note on the fridge door." she placed the food container inside and hanged a note.
<-MOM>
Apparently, Markus woke up and went out of his room, still yawning. He wore his pajamas with his bed hair as he slowly went to the kitchen and saw his mom preparing something on the fridge.
"Are you going for work?" he asked between a yawn and a raspy voice.
"Good Morning!" she immediately turned after hearing her son's voice. "Uhm yeah,," replied hesitantly. "I need to finish what I have left there." she finished arranging things and dried her hands. "That is why you take care of yourself here, okay?" she put his face between her palms and stared at his eyes.
"Ahh,..." he replied with a slight nod.
"I have prepared your lunch. It's in the fridge, just heat it up in the oven when you feel like eating. And if anything goes wrong, go ask Ned." she got her jacket and went straight to the door. The door creaks as she opened it.
"You don't have to worry about what I eat, if I got run out of cupped-ramen, I will just go to uncle Ned and ask for some food." he smiled.
"Noodles? Again?" she frowned.
Markus looked away with a playful smile.
"But, that's fine if you eat other things besides that." She took a deep breath and meet her son's eyes. "And Ned said it's alright if you depend on him."
She undressed her apron and hanged it on the wall. Markus watched her as she walked past the door and stepped outside. "I mean, he did ask for a pay but I guess it's totally free."
"Really? He did? I'll go ask for a discount." the kid replied.
The both of them laughed.
"Hehe, then..." Markus said.
"Then what?" she saw him smile.
"Take care!" Markus said.
Charlotte was taken aback but she pulled herself together. She was very happy that her son greeted her farewell for the first time that her tears almost fell. Markus' face was so sincere.
"Ahh, I'm gonna get going!" she turned around to keep her emotions and went straight to her car.
Markus watched her mom until her car went out of sight, waving.
.....
"Nothing's happening, huh." he stared at his computer monitor, waiting for it to pop any news. "Guess I'll have to drop by the shop."
He went straight to the garage at the opposite street and barged in.
"Oi... ol' man, you here?" peeking at the cramped workplace. "This place never gets clean," he said under his breath. Tools, used and unused, scatter around the shop. Wires of dozens entangled on the floor. The smell of solder wrapped the whole room.
"This way,..." a voice shouted back. "is that you Markus?"
Markus tried to find the voice and saw a soldering gun, waving inside the office.
"Hai, it's the old me." Markus walked inside and found Ned under the table, picking trash. "Good afternoon..."
"Oss... Then, what brings you here?" he stood up and brushed himself from dust.
"Ahh, nothing. Just passing by." Markus replied.
"Have you eaten lunch?" the man asked.
"Not yet." the kid replied.
"Why is that? C'mon, let's get lunch ready." Ned hurriedly arranged his things and undress his work suit. "You should have called me that you'll drop by so I get the heads up. C'mon, let's get inside the kitchen."
"Don't worry, Uncle Ned. I'm not yet hungry." Markus replied.
"You sure?"
"Ahh," Markus replied. He immediately changed the way he talks and lowered his head. "You know, ol' man, sorry for making you do all the trouble last time. Mom told me she asked for your help to bring me to the hospital and even took care of me when she's not around. I'm really sorry for all that trouble."
Ned saw the guilt on the kid's face and he immediately felt his remorse.
"Ahh,, that was really bothersome. " Ned replied as he knelt before the kid. He wrapped his arms around him. "Don't scare us like that ever again, okay?"
"Uhm." he rested his head on Ned's shoulder.
"You know,, Marky, I'll always run to your side when you needed help. You always knew... I can do all the trouble you can give." He raised his head and looked into Markus' eyes "Listen, no matter what you do, I will always lend a hand, because, I'm your uncle Ned, understood? Just remember what we talked about the other night and we're good." he patted his head and wiped his tears "That's why, you should stop crying. You two always cry when you talk to me, other people might think that I am really doing something rude to you, you know." his brows meet.
"Huh,, I don't care about them." He half cried facing Ned. Snot dripping from his nose.
"I'm glad, I can see that dumb smile again. I'm really thankful.." he pulled a tissue from his drawer and wiped the kid's face.
"Whose dumb by the way?" Markus took the tissue and wiped his own face.
"You are..." Ned poked.
"What?!!!!!!!!"
They looked eye to eye and then laughed their hearts out.
"That was hilarious,," Markus wiped his tears and smiled.
Ned turned and saw the clock hanging on the brick wall.
"Ahhhhhhhh, this is really bad!" putting his palm on his forehead, almost slapping himself.
"What's wrong? Do you have something to do?"
"Ahh, I need to pack the parts that will be fetched this afternoon." he slightly posed panic between them. "That was what I've been into since early this morning."
"You don't have to worry,, I'll lend a hand!"
"Are you sure you're fine to do that?" Ned asked.
"Yeah, don't worry."
"That saves, Marky... then, can you do the ones on the corner first?" Ned said.
"Ahh, leave it to me."
He went to the left corner of the workshop and found the computer parts created by Ned for the last 3 days. It is as small as a guitar pick but Markus doesn't know where to use it. He piled the chips into the pack and taped it the way Ned instructed him a while ago. Thinking of those chips, the thought came across his mind.
"Ahh, uncle Ned? Do you remember what I asked before about the hacks?"
"Yeah, what about it?" Ned replied. "If you want the books, they're upstairs."
"I didn't understand what you were teaching me before, most of those ideas were only discovered in the process,.." Markus said. "You're not that good with it, aren't you?"
"How rude!"
"Hehe,, just kidding. You are not just that good of a teacher, uncle Ned."
"Well, that may be right, I'm not a good teacher" Ned grabbed a tape and sealed the box he's packing for delivery. "So, what is it that you want to ask?"
"Those books, do you still have more?"
"Are you done reading those books?" Ned was stunned. He can't imagine a kid finishing those books like those were just fable stories. "Those were just basic but for a kid like you to finish it seems so impossible."
"Almost." the kid responded. "I'm almost finished reading those."
"If that's the case," He turned to return to what he's doing "I guess I still have more in my old room which I turned into a storage."
"Really, can I borrow them? I'll just read the concept and will figure things on my own. I wont bother you, promise." Markus jumped in excitement. "Besides, I can't let you teach me and leave your work, right?"
"Ahh, So, that was it..." he carried the first box they finished outside. "It's fine. I'll go check my books later. Help me find it upstairs."
"Yey!" he jumped with joy. "Thanks, uncle Ned.."
But promise me no more fistfights, okay?"
"Promise!" Markus exclaimed.
Ned sighed and smiled. He stood up placing his hands on his hips.
"Thanks a lot, ol' man!" Markus smiled.
"I just doubt if you will be able to understand the rest of them..." he looked dizzy thinking of every single page that is contained in that book "...it hurts my brain just thinking of all the codes written in there and is making me nauseous."
"I'll figure things out... trust me, I'll get it no matter what."
"For a kid, you really are amazing. I guess his genes hit hard on you." Ned murmured.
After they've packed all the chips that needed to be fetched, they went upstairs and searched for some of his old books about programming.
They cleaned the attic as they searched for those resources until the sky turned violet.
A few minutes later, he brings 5 books with him, all hardbound, as big as a netbook, and as thick as an Almanac.
"Here, this is all I've got. The rest can only be accessed from the city library or the school library. Anyways, just take care of it, it's all yours. I don't need it anyway."
"You sure? I'm just borrowing it, you know..."
"Just keep it. I'll be pretty happy if you take care of them."
"Are you not kidding me?"
"Ahh,, I'm pretty serious. And besides, I know you're not a kid anymore... haha" Ned said. "You'll figure those things up because you're you, like your mom."
"Thanks a lot, ol' man!" his smile is drawn across his face.
"Hai...hai...you're welcome." he mimed taking off a hat from his head.
"Then, I'll better get going. I'm gonna pull a whole-nighter for this, you know?" he ran straight to their house, carrying the heavy books making him stumble in almost every step.
"Hai, take care! Do your best." he waved his hand when he remembered "Oi, Marky! Don't forget, you'll go to school tomorrow, okay? Your mom told me to remind you though."
"Hai!!" he shouted back.
Ned turned around and his gut growled like a beast. "Oh dear, we forgot about the lunch." he hurried inside and grabbed something to eat.
Markus studied those books that Ned gave to him and researched more about it on the school and public library.