The weight of the object that Rio had found at the site of wreckage weighed heavier than ever to remind him its potential to solve these missing flights that appeared miraculously out of the thin air today.
Rio listened attentively to Mr. Kagiso's account, a sense of unease settling over him. If Batho was indeed displaying such strong emotions and awareness of his past, it could complicate their plans significantly.
"Do you think Batho is aware of his actions?" Rio asked, trying to understand the extent of Batho's control over his own behavior.
Mr. Kagiso shook his head, "I'm not sure. He seems to have moments of clarity, but then he reverts back to his current persona. It's as if he's fighting a battle within himself."
"Did you get the medicine to suppress his symptoms?" Rio asked, cutting through the tense silence.
"Medicine?" Mr. Kagiso's brows furrowed in confusion.
Before Mr. Kagiso could respond, the study door swung open, revealing Mrs. Kagiso standing there with a warm smile. Batho stood beside her, holding her hand, his expression unreadable.
Mrs. Kagiso entered the room gracefully, her presence seeming to bring a sense of calm with it. Batho, on the other hand, appeared tense, his eyes flickering between Rio and Mr. Kagiso.
"Good evening, gentlemen," Mrs. Kagiso greeted them, her voice soft and soothing. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything important."
Rio glanced at Mr. Kagiso, then back at Mrs. Kagiso. "No, not at all," he replied, trying to keep his voice steady. "We were just... discussing a few things."
Mrs. Kagiso's smile widened, but there was a flicker of concern in her eyes as she looked at Mr. Kagiso. "Is everything alright?" she asked, her tone gentle, looking like a completely different from the person Rio had seen in PharmaMedicor company.
Mr. Kagiso nodded, but his eyes darted to Rio for a brief moment before he looked away. "Yes, everything's fine," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Rio noticed the tension in the room and decided to change the subject. "Mr. Kagiso was just telling me about the recent events with the falling aircrafts," he said, hoping to steer the conversation away from Batho's odd behavior. "It's quite a tragedy."
Mr. Kagiso nodded, grateful for the change in topic. "Yes, it's a terrible situation," he said. "We're still trying to make sense of it all."
Mrs. Kagiso strolled next to Mr. Kagiso and held his hand. "You have always been busy with your work, do not concern yourself with everything else," she said.
Mr. Kagiso's smile was strained, his eyes betraying a hint of worry that he couldn't quite conceal.
"Da, will you join us for dinner tonight?" Batho hopped to Mr. Kagiso, blinking his innocent eyes.
Mr. Kagiso was not someone who concealed his expression well. He swallowed the lump in his throat before managing a smile. "I'm afraid not, I have some work to finish."
It was no secret that Mr. Kagiso had his secret experiments in the basement; even Rio knew about it, and that was the reason Mr. Kagiso enjoyed the privilege of his high social status.
Batho pouted his lips, sending a chill down Rio's spine. This boy knew how to act.
Mrs. Kagiso brushed his hair with her finger. "Batho, that's alright. We can have your favorite fish nuggets tonight."
Batho remained silent, his gaze fixed on the floor. Rio couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to Batho's reaction than met the eye. He decided to tread carefully, not wanting to cause any more tension.
"I should be going," Rio said, standing up. "Thank you for the update, Mr. Kagiso. Mrs. Kagiso, Batho, it was a pleasure to see you again."
With a polite nod, Rio made his way to the door, leaving the Kagisos behind. As he stepped out into the cool night air, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something off about Batho's behavior.
Despite the layers of mystery that seemed to conceal each other, Rio knew there was a limit to what he could unravel on his own. The urgency to decipher the message hidden within the object in his pocket pushed him to act swiftly.
He had someone in mind, a person with a special interest in decoding ancient devices.
Rio's thoughts turned to Professor Landon, an expert in decoding ancient artifacts. He had helped Rio in the past with similar tasks, and Rio knew he could trust him.
Without wasting any more time, Rio retrieved the object from his pocket and examined it closely. It was a small, metallic device with intricate engravings on its surface.
Rio quickly keyed in the address to Professor Landon's lab in his Hyperloop Pod and set off. As he drove, he couldn't shake off the feeling of unease. The events of the day had shaken him to the core, and he knew there was much more to uncover.
Arriving at the lab, Rio was greeted by Professor Landon, a middle-aged man with a curious glint in his eyes. Rio wasted no time in explaining the situation and handing over the object.
The professor examined the device carefully, his brow furrowed in concentration. After a few moments, he looked up, a mixture of excitement and confusion on his face. "Rio, this is... incredible. The engravings on this device, they're ancient, but the technology... it's far more advanced than anything we have today."
Rio's heart raced. Could this device hold the key to unlocking the mysteries of the missing flights in 2030? He could only wait anxiously for Professor Landon to decipher its message.
As Professor Landon worked on decoding the message, Rio paced back and forth in the lab. The professor's words about the device's advanced technology echoed in his mind, sparking a whirlwind of questions and possibilities.
After what seemed like an eternity, Professor Landon finally spoke up. "Rio, I've managed to decipher part of the message. It seems to be a set of coordinates."
Rio's heart skipped a beat. Coordinates? Could they lead to the location of the missing flights or something even more mysterious? "Do you have the exact location?" he asked eagerly.
The professor nodded. "Yes, it seems to point to a remote area in the mountains, not far from here. It's quite a trek to get there, but if this device is as important as it seems, it might be worth investigating."
"You mentioned you only managed to decipher part of the message?" asked Rio.
Professor Landon nodded, "yes, only part of it. It seems like somebody had coded the message into this box. But the strangest part is that there was no such technology three hundred years ago."
Rio remained silent, contemplating the implications.
"I can't explain how this thing existed among the wreckage of the aircrafts three hundred years ago," Professor Landon continued, "perhaps there might be a mistake when you obtained it..."
Rio shook his head, cutting him off. "No, there was no mistake. I retrieved it from the ruins at the disaster site. Nobody, except the people who ran for their lives, was at the site." Rio's voice was firm, resolute.
And those who had something to hide, Rio thought, the memory of the mysterious figures from PharmaMedicor flashing through his mind.
As Rio and Professor Landon delved deeper into the intricacies of the object, a sense of urgency loomed over them. The coded message hinted at something far beyond their current understanding, something that could potentially unravel the mysteries surrounding the missing flights and the strange events of the present day.
"The only plausible explanation," Professor Landon began, his voice tinged with a mix of excitement and disbelief, "is that an entity from the future meticulously encoded this message into the very fabric of this box, sending it hurtling back through time to three hundred years ago."
His fingers traced the intricate patterns on the box, a faint glow emanating from its surface as if echoing the hidden message within. The room was silent, the air thick with anticipation, as the implications of his words sank in.
"The box," he continued, his eyes alight with curiosity, "must have been aboard one of those fated flights that vanished without a trace. And now, by some miraculous twist of fate, it has resurfaced, along with other remnants of those lost aircraft, only to be discovered by you." He gestured towards the object in your hands, his expression a mix of admiration and wonder.
Rio nodded, absorbing the weight of Professor Landon's words. The idea of something from the future altering the past was mind-boggling, yet it seemed to be the only explanation that made sense.
"Is it possible," Rio ventured, leaning forward, "that time travel has been occurring all this time? Could the government be hiding their involvement in these events, dismissing them as impossible to cover up their actions?"
Professor Landon set down the box, his expression thoughtful. Rio felt a lump form in his throat at the weight of his words. He knew he was treading on dangerous ground, hinting at secrets he had no right to reveal.
Professor Landon, however, seemed unperturbed. He had always been understanding, never pushing Rio to divulge more than he was comfortable with. They had met under unusual circumstances, during a real-person combat game held in the square last year.
It was a fierce competition, requiring not only exceptional combat skills but also strategic thinking and teamwork. They had started as mere spectators, seated next to each other by chance, but their shared interest in the matches sparked a conversation that led to them becoming partners in the tournament.
Together, they had fought their way through various challenges, defeating numerous combinations of opponents, including Synthetik-Synthetik, Synthetik-SynthHuman, and SynthHuman-Human pairs, ultimately emerging victorious. The experience had forged a strong bond between them, one that went beyond mere friendship, based on mutual respect and trust.
There was an unspoken understanding between them; Professor Landon knew that Rio was running from something or someone, yet he also recognized Rio's adept skills and intelligence. It was a delicate balance, one that kept him from prying too deeply into Rio's true identity.
"Know just enough to be a friend, but know too much and you may make an enemy," Professor Landon had said once, over a coffee meeting to discuss combat games. It was a cryptic statement, suggesting that he was aware of Rio's hidden identity and the reasons behind it.
They had a knack for maintaining their friendship, knowing just what to chat about to keep the bond strong.
Deciphering coded messages in ancient devices was Professor Landon's hobby, separate from his professional life. This made it easier for Rio to approach him for help with the mysterious box.
"I'm not entirely sure what all this means, finding an advanced object in the ruins," Professor Landon said, gripping the glowing box tightly. "But give me some more time to decipher the rest of the messages."
Rio's gaze lingered on the box, sensing its importance in unraveling the mysteries around them. There was a slight reluctance to part with it, even to Professor Landon.
"I've tried quantum computing," Professor Landon continued, seemingly unaware of Rio's internal struggle, "and even my nanobots to decode the messages. Only holographic decryption worked, but it only gave us the coordinate. I have a few more methods to try, but they will all take time."
Rio only partly understood what Professor Landon was explaining, but he realized that the box would be more useful in Professor Landon's hands for deciphering the messages. He nodded and agreed to his suggestion.
As they spoke, Rio's attention was periodically drawn to the beeping of his AD, which he had been trying to ignore. He knew exactly what the beeping meant—the breaking news of miraculous appearing and falling wrecked aircraft.
Opening the hologram of the news from his AD, Rio saw that the falling aircraft had finally come to a stop, at least for now. Authorities were sending vehicles to remove the aircraft from the sites for further investigation.
Rio squinted at the vehicles, recognizing them as typical government deployments for such emergencies. However, among them were silver, luxurious vehicles that floated in the air, devoid of any identifying marks.
A sudden thought struck Rio as he watched the Synthetiks move the wreckage onto these mysterious vehicles.