The Quantum Cypher

by Aaron Maximus

  “So, what exactly are we looking for in this map?" asked Cara.

  “There is no way we can find this place. Because, it is specific to an area. Not a state or country. This whole area may be spread over 100 or 200 kilometres maximum and to find a place like this is impossible from a satellite.

  Andy compared the script on the map with that of the artefact and uttered, “The person who copied this map does not know the language either. Look at the blots of ink in some of these letters. It's like the person who copied, stalled in the middle of every letter and then continued."

  “Why would someone send us a map of a place and in a language that they themselves don't understand, and what’s more puzzling is that they are expecting us to figure it out?” queried Cara.

  “Could it be a clue to what lies inside the artefact? If it has a map, then it makes sense why people could kill for it. Especially, if it leads to a treasure.” said Andy.

  “Let’s start by searching for all languages spoken in and around Hong Kong, past and present. Since we got the artefact from there, we might also find the topography in the region,” suggested Cara.

  “Okay. Sounds like a plan. So, you are interested in knowing what's inside the artefact after all?” smiled Andy.

  “Of course, if it’s a treasure. This could be one of the last hidden treasures one could ever find in this world. Hopefully, no one has found this one,” replied Cara enthusiastically.

  CHAPTER 46

  They spent next few hours looking for a script that matches the one on the canister. They had scrutinised through most of the scripts that are either active or extinct. They were not even able to get a close match. It was a dead end and they concluded that it must an ancient script.

  “Let's call it a day,” said Cara stretching. “I have an early day tomorrow and you have work."

  Andy reluctantly closed the laptop and went to bed.

  The next day, Andy found himself catching up on emails from the past week and scheduling appointments with clients. He had to coordinate with his counterparts in other countries and arrange the plans for the conference. During lunch, he called Ted to update him on the events.

  “A map you say. Send me the picture,” said Ted.

  Andy hung up and sent him a snapshot. Twenty minutes later, Ted called back.

  “This is an amazing piece of work and a good reproduction of the original. The language is the key. Tsang somehow expects you to either know or learn the language. I don't think this is the entire map. It's only a part of it.”

  “Why do you say that?” asked Andy.

  “You see, there are no specific places mentioned. It’s more like a terrain map. I don't think this map was important, or he would not have put it in the mail. He's surely holding back the rest. However, it might be a clue as to what’s inside the artefact."

  “I agree,” said Andy. “But he could have just sent me any map. Why send one in a language I can't read."

  “That's a mystery. Why don't you ask him? Tell him to stop these games and let you know his intentions. Threaten to do away with the artefact, If he does not come clean with you. He owes you that much. You have a family to take care of and you cannot be expected to expose yourself to danger,” advised Ted.

  Andy agreed and hung up. But the only problem was he could not reach Tsang. It was one-way communication. He had to wait for his call to end this suspense.

  In the meantime, Andy put a plan of action to keep himself busy and not to indulge in this pursuit. He did not want to do anything he would regret.

  CHAPTER 47

  It was 6 P.M., when Andy rang the doorbell. Cara opened the door with a smile.

  “How was your day? You never called."

  Andy realised he had been so preoccupied the whole day that he had ignored his family. Andy had not spent any time with the kids over the past few days, thinking of the artefact.

  “Check if kids want to dine out, Italian maybe?” suggested Andy.

  By the time Cara turned around to check with them, “Yes!” screamed Eric.

  “I will change in 5 minutes."

  “Let's leave by seven. I am hungry,” said Ava, who now joined the conversation.

  “Are we celebrating something?” checked Cara.

  “Nah, we have not been doing things together since we came back from our vacation. I have been preoccupied with the artefact and just wanted to spend some quality time with you guys. I will be off to London next week. So, I want to make the most before I leave.”

  Cara moved towards the bedroom to get dressed for dinner. Meanwhile, Andy looked around for the artefact. But it was not in the living room. As he entered the bedroom, he saw Cara pulling a dress from the closet. He looked around and found it on the study table. As he got closer, it started to glow.

  “That’s strange,” said Cara. “I tried my best to make it glow today.”

  “Maybe it's was the daylight from the window interfering. Now that it's dark, you are able to see it.” inferred Andy.

  Cara disagreed. “It was completely dark. I ensured that the blinds were drawn. Trust me, it wasn’t glowing."

  “Never mind. I’ll get some coffee, and check on the kids,” dismissed Andy.

  Two minutes later, Cara called out for Andy. He walked over to the bedroom and saw her staring at the artefact.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  “It only glows when you are near it.” uttered Cara.

  “What do you mean?”

  “The artefact only glows when you come near it. Just step out of the room, and let’s see if I'm right.”

  Andy moved away from the room, and it was still glowing.

  “It's just your imagination running wild."

  “Close the door,” said Cara. “Come in,” she shouted.

  “I was right. It stopped glowing when you closed the door and look, it’s glowing now. I’ll record it on the phone so you can see for yourself.”

  Andy exited the room and closed the door behind him. A few minutes later, he returned to find the artefact glowing mildly. Cara was waving her phone at him. He replayed the video to find she was right. He repeated the exercise to find was it consistent with Cara’s findings.

  “Could it be my clothes?” he wondered.

  Let me change. It could be the keys or something in my pockets that may be activating it."

  Andy rushed to the bathroom and emptied his pockets, threw in his clothes into the washer and stark naked, he walked into the bedroom. The canister began to glow softly.

  Cara was surprised to find Andy naked.

  “It stopped glowing the minute you stepped out!” grinned Cara.

  “Are you trying to use this to get into bed?” she winked.

  “Why not, can’t get undressed for nothing,” teased Andy.

  But this new development bugged him.

  CHAPTER 48

  “This is getting crazier by the minute,” said Cara. “Let’s try if it glows when kids are around."

  Andy quickly dressed and rushed the kids into his bedroom and stayed out. 10 minutes had passed since the kids entered the room, and he was getting curious.

  Andy asked, “So, is it glowing?”

  “Nope, you can come in now,” replied Cara.

  Cara was sitting on the bed holding the object which was glowing brightly.

  “How can it possibly glow when I'm around?” enquired Andy.

  “It is able to see you, remember the first time you saw the glow from the store room.”replied Cara.

  “What nonsense!” exclaimed Andy? “You mean to say it has vision?”

  “No. What I am suggesting is that it might have some kind of technology that enables it to detect you, like Bluetooth and NFC."

  “Ok, let's assume it uses a technology similar to NFC or Bluetooth. But then, the parent and child have to be on the same software or gateway, right? Where is the connection? Let's check out your theory by placing it inside the closet and see if it glows."

  Two min
utes later, Andy walked into the room. Not saying a word, he slowly peeped into the shelf. Cara had wrapped the object in a cloth and kept inside. There was no glow. Andy then instructed her to remove the cloth cover and place it back. He entered the room and there was no glow. Andy peeped into the storage compartment through the cracks and the object started to glow.

  “This is no Bluetooth technology, but more on the lines of NFC. It can see me and works only on visual contact. But how can an inanimate object see or recognise me?”

  CHAPTER 49

  “My head is reeling,” said Cara. “This is all a little too much for me.”

  “Mine too,” said Andy. “How do we figure out what this is? Oh no, I totally forgot to send out an important mail. I will be right back."

  When he returned from his study, Cara was deep in thought.

  “I have been thinking. This artefact was given to you because you were the chosen one,” continued Cara.

  “How did they know, you are one? Maybe they saw this object glow when you were near and decided to give it you."

  "Firstly, said Andy. We moved around a lot during our vacation. It would be safe to say that Tsang was not taking it around with him for the artefact to glow in public.”

  “Secondly, even if the artefact glowed when I was around, how did Tsang specifically know that he had to give it to me?"

  “Do you mean to say even Tsang doesn’t know what it is, and is only following orders. That’s impossible,” said Cara.

  “Yes. I don’t think they know what’s inside it,” replied Andy.

  "Why would they give away something of great value to a stranger?” challenged Cara.

  “You do have a point. I think we should concentrate on the artefact and the language it projects. That is the key,” suggested Andy.

  “But I have spent a lot of time online trying to find a match,” sighed Cara.

  “We need to find a linguist or a historian.”

  “Bingo!” said Andy. “Nick’s dad in London is a professor of history at the local university. I can run this past him, for his advice.”

  “Good idea," said Cara. "But I hope you are not planning to take the artefact with you to London. If it gets detected at the Airport, you could land yourself behind bars, and there’s no way I can help you.”

  “I will just take photos and videos of the artefact,” pacified Andy.

  This is just trouble, she thought. Andy and his cousins, with such dangerous information, could run wild with it.

  CHAPTER 50

  Cara was busy on her first day back to work, when her phone rang. When she quickly glanced to find two missed calls from Andy. Must be important, she thought, “Hello, honey! I was in a meeting. What’s up?” answered Cara.

  “The passport renewal application was accepted and I should get it within 48 hours. I have to do some shopping in Bur Dubai for the folks back in London. So, when are you free?”

  “Let’s do it this evening, as I have a busy day tomorrow. Four meetings have been lined up with board and investors,” informed Cara.

  “Okay, see you in the evening. Why don’t we take kids with us and dine out?” offered Andy.

  “Sounds great.” said Cara.

  Bur Dubai is a historic district in Dubai. Its home to several mosques including the Grand Mosque with the city's tallest minaret, and the blue tiled Iranian Mosque. The country's only Hindu temple is situated between the Grand Mosque and the Creek.

  It is home to several popular places for tourists including renovated historic buildings and museums. The district has many shopping streets and souqs (or souk), including the textile souq near the Abra boat station.

  They shopped for some authentic Arabian Sweets, dates and souvenirs.

  “Ok guys. My shopping is done. Where would you all like to dine?” asked Andy.

  “Pizza!” was answered in unison. They went to a pizza place known for its wood-fire oven pizzas and the kids loved it.

  The next morning, Andy was just about to leave the house, when he heard the phone ring. He rushed back to the living room. It was a private number. He answered the phone. There was silence on the other end.

  “Is this Andy?” asked a feeble voice.

  “Yes,” said Andy recognising the voice of Tsang.

  “How are you doing?” enquired Tsang. “I’m fine and you?” replied Andy.

  It was the first time both spoke with a formal greeting and a sense of camaraderie which surprised Andy.

  “Have you opened the canister?” asked Tsang.

  “No, can I open it?” asked Andy seeking permission, feeling confused about his relationship with Tsang. He was being polite when he should be furious for putting him and his family in danger.

  “Yes, if you can. In fact, I called you to warn you that they know the artefact has left the country and they may track you down,” said Tsang sounding grave.

  Andy’s heart was pumping fast and his mind was trying to keep up.

  “Who is, "they"?” he asked.

  “Chang YinNi. Google his name, but do it from a secure location.”

  “What's inside in the artefact?” asked Andy quickly, as he didn’t want to lose another opportunity to find out from the horse’s mouth.

  “I don't know. All I know is that only you can open it,” replied Tsang.

  Andy was disappointed. He was expecting more information from Tsang.

  He hesitated and said, “I am going to London in two days.”

  "Don't leave it anywhere. Take it with you, wherever you go. It's your insurance."

  "Got to go, will be in touch,” said Tsang hastily and the line went dead.

  CHAPTER 51

  “You told him, you were going to London! Seriously, what were you even thinking,” screamed Cara, hurling cushions at Andy!

  “Stop it, will you! Now, be an adult,” pleaded Andy.

  Cara was livid and wasn’t going to be appeased easily.

  “I should not be having this conversation with you as you are nothing but an irresponsible adult. You don’t care about exposing your family to danger."

  The kids came running into the living room to witness the drama that was unfolding.

  “What happened dad?” enquired Eric?

  “Nothing to worry kids. Mum and I are just talking about an incident at work. Why don’t you go out cycling?" offered Andy.

  The kids were happy to get the extra play time and rushed out at once.

  Returning to their conversation, Andy tried to calm Cara down.

  “Relax, I trust him. He called to warn me about an impending danger. I did not want him troubling you, especially when I’m in London.”

  Cara was in no mood to listen to him. “Absolute nonsense! They have cost us enough trouble already. Have you googled the name of the person that you asked?”

  “Not yet. He told me to use a secured laptop from a remote Internet connection. I was planning to visit a Cyber Centre in the Downtown area,” replied Andy.

  “What are you waiting for? Do it now!” yelled Cara. She was fed up with this game and wanted to get rid of the artefact as soon as possible.

  On entering the Cyber Centre, Andy occupied the closest workstation.

  Quickly opening the browser, he typed Chen YiNi’s name and Hong Kong.

  The personal profile of Chen YiNi popped up. He went numb. The page showed a picture of a man with a pleasant face, who was a dangerous mobster in all of Asia. He was based out of Hong Kong.

  He was shocked by this revelation. Why are these guys after this artefact? How am I involved in all of this?

  Cara is going to be livid, he thought.

  CHAPTER 52

  Chang YiNi was born into a middle-class family. His father was an accountant and his mother had a small store, by the banks of the Victoria Bay. The family was a small and happy one. He finished his schooling in Hong Kong. He was a brilliant student and a topper in school.

  Chang was very keen to become an entrepreneur and wanted to start his own a
uditing company. He had enrolled for Bachelors of Commerce to help him fulfil his dreams.

  One day while returning from college, he found a few thugs messing with his mother for some cigarettes. Chang darted to his mum’s rescue, but his mum stopped him and ordered him to leave the shop.

  The next day morning there was a crowd standing in front of their house. Walking out, he found graffiti on the outer wall of his house. A graffiti by the mob on the walls of a house in Hong Kong meant that they were marked and anyone who dealt with them, were also marked.

  As news of the graffiti got around, Chang’s dad lost his job and his mother was asked to move out of her shop and the family was issued an eviction notice from their house owner. Chang’s father met the house owner and his boss, appealing to them but they would not listen to him. In an act of rage, Chang walked into mob’s neighbourhood and quarrelled with him. He was beaten so brutally that he was unable to move for weeks. Unable to cope with the pressure and humiliation, his parents committed suicide.

  Chang was never the same again. His life has changed forever. He was inconsolable and vowed revenge. He discontinued his college education and started to work in Shanghai as a cook to stay away from the mob and terrifying memories.

  Chang developed his cooking skills and mastered various cuisines. The restaurant was frequented by influential people and Shanghai mafia.

  Chang got close to Zhang, the kingpin of Shanghai’s business district. He was an elderly man who loved Cantonese food and would visit the restaurant every week. One day he invited Chang and offered him a business deal, to start his own restaurant chain. Chang jumped at the offer and started to build his own chain of restaurants. Within a short time, his business grew leaps and bounds. The food was great and service was excellent. Soon Chang became a celebrated chef and business owner.