7 Target Acquired

The sun was up, scattering its light from the sky to the ground. The pheromone of the flowers piled up in a space. Space where people where grieving for the lost of their love one. The sun's light didn't get through the tents where shadows were casted by the attendees' sorrow. Their clothing weren't vibrant as the flower rather it was dull as their emotion.

The casket was slowly brought underground and Anna can't let go of the flower that's been on her hands for a long time through out the funeral. They were weeping from sadness and the fact that her father was on his way six feet underground. Stanley put his hand on her shoulder telling her to let go. He saw how Anna and her brother felt pain as they let go of the flowers. All Stanley could do now was to hug the two of them and be there for them as he promised.

"Dad!" Anna's brother cried. For a six year old to deal with the fact that his father died was really heartbreaking.

The funeral ended with Anna waving her farewell to their relatives. They have no where to go now. Anna still has a semester left to attend to and she has to take care of her brother. She felt the pressure and she knew that she needed to be strong not just for herself but also for her brother.

"Dad's not coming back for lunch?" Her brother asked her.

Stanley looked at Anna. She needed to explain again and again that their father will not be with them anymore. She wiped her tears and kneeled to explain to her brother everything.

"Dad will be going with mom. They'll be together now." She said as their mother died a long time ago.

"Dad went to pick up mom and they will go to a safer place." She wiped her brother's tears and pointed at the sky, referring to the safer place.

"Why don't we go there with them?" Anna's brother asked.

Anna looked at Stanley, asking for help.

Stanley kneeled and talked Annna's brother.

"People go to the safe place when someone called them." Stanley said.

"Close your eyes." He added.

Anna's brother closed his eyes.

"They will be your guide. Imagine that they're standing next to you and they will hug you tightly." Stanley looked at Anna giving a signal for both of them to hug her brother.

"Can you feel that? They'll be there when you close eyes. They said that they will always let you feel how they love you even if they're not here." He added and he saw how Anna's brother smiled.

"Yeah, I can feel them." Anna's brother said and smiled.

Anna mouthed 'thank you' to Stanley. She was really grateful that Stanley was there for them. He saw how he cared for eventhough they're just friends. She saw how Stanley smiled in response and it melted her heart. She felt her blood rushed through her cheek and it felt warm. She decided to stand up because of what she felt. The two were left confused.

"Uhm.. Let's go?" Anna asked them if they could leave now.

"Do you have a place to stay?" Stanley asked Anna.

"Uh.. I haven't looked for one yet." Anna said to him.

"The two of you can stay at my house for a moment until you can find a place to stay." Stanley offered them his house. He promised to help them as much as he can because what he did.

"Uh.. no..no.. you already helped us. You saved my life and you covered my hospital bill. I can't--" Stanley hold her hand.

"Let me help you. That's all I can do now." He said to her knowing that he felt guilty for everything.

"But--" Anna saw Stanley's eyes. She felt his sincerety and she felt heart beat.

"O-okay. Thank you so much for everything Stan." She said to him. She was grateful again and again to him.

"Okay, let me get the car." Stanley said and left them to get the car.

Anna saw how bright the sun was and how the vibrant the memorial park was, different from what she's been feeling for a couple of days now. She let out a sigh to get the awful feeling out of her chest. One thing that resonates the field was the feeling she felt everytime she looked at Stanley. Her cheeks started to feel warm when he smiled at her earlier. She shook her head to forget what she was thinking about that moment.

"Anna, who's that guy? He's been standing there for a long time now." Anna's brother pointed a man firmly standing beside a tree.

The man was far away from them but she can see him. The man was standing beside the tree, casted by its shade but Anna saw that the man was wearing a suit. The man has a masculine built with a strong featured face, he has a shade covering his eyes and a hair that was sleek to the back. She doesn't know the man but it was eerie that he was just firmly standing there without moving. She had a feeling that the man has been watching them.

He simply walked away after Anna stared where he was. Anna was weirded out by the man that it gave her goosebumps on her arm. She has been feeling that everything was odd lately, from the death of her father until now.

"Something's wrong." She said to herself.

She was in deep thought until she heard Stanley's car. She let her brother go inside Stanley's car.

"Did you have a friend came over here?" Anna asked Stanley.

"Uhm.. no I didn't.. why?" Stanley answered.

"There was a man in a suit beside that tree earlier." She pointed at the tree where he saw the man.

"He was just standing there for a long time.. like he was observing the memorial." She added.

Stanley felt his heart dropped to the floor as it might be 000311 again.

"Forget about it." Anna noticed how Stanley's face changed.

She got in Stanley's car instead because she felt something is really odd. She doesn't know if Stanley felt the same too judging from his face. Stanley looked at the area for a minute and didn't saw 000311. He just got in the car and drive their way home.

***

"Good job 000311, now get out of there." A voice ordered 000311 to exit the park as soon as Anna saw him.

Miss Johannson deployed 000311, one of Stanley's team AI combat creation. She deployed 000311 to monitor Stanley on what is his plan to save the both timeline. 000311 saved Anna from the rock ion's force that resulted to fire breaking out. The council acquired an unstable time capsule from Stanley's team's previous attempts and decided to shake Stanley's mind. As soon as Miss Johannson heard that Ms. Scott planned to deploy a robot to plant a rock ion to Anna's apartment, she acquired help from Russel.

"Mr. Acker I need to talk to you. Now!" Miss Johannson said to Russel.

They moved away from everyone.

"I need to access the AI Combatant Room." She said, demanding him for his retina scan.

AI Combatant Room are only accesible to the scientist that has worked in building the AI.

"Why?" Russel asked in confusion.

They were walking in search for the room.

"Ms. Scotts is planning to deploy a rock ion to kill Mr. Wood's past girlfriend, making a threat to him in other words." Miss Johannson explained.

"Why didn't tell me earlier?!" Russel exclaimed.

"I- just do what I say! I- I don't have to explain myself to you!" Miss Johannson stumbled word after another.

Russel immediately got his eyes scanned and the room opened. They saw lot of AI Combatant, each of them having a capsule.

"We only have five AI accessible for us to use. We only made five of them in our team but they're one of the most powerful ones in this group." Russel said.

"But 000311 is special. We made him first not as a combatant but a first aid AI but the council changed his algorithm that resulted of him being a combatant." Russel opened 000311's chamber.

They sneak and was careful not to get caught. They made it into their team room.

"Everyone! We need to deploy 000311 as the council might do something to Mr. Wood!" Miss Johannson shouted.

"Thank you, Miss Johannson. You're not so bad at all." Russel said.

"Back off before I hit you." Miss Johannson provoked Russel.

"O--kay, so we need to do it fast before the council caught us!" Russel said.

"But we don't have a time capsule." Vanessa reasoned out.

"I heard the council succeeded on using your unstable ones." Miss Johannson suggested.

"There's only about 40% chance that it'd be deployed in one peace." Vanessa said.

"We'll make it eventhough there's just 40% percent chance. A chance is still a chance!" Miss Johannson was annoyed by Vanessa focusing on the downside of the plan.

They've successfully deployed 000311 to monitor and protect Stanley.

"Why are you so helpful these days?" Russel asked Miss Johannson.

"To protect any individual from the either past or future is my job." Miss Johannson reasoned out.

"Job. Umhm.." Russel said.

"I do hope that he would be able to do the mission well." Miss Johannson said while looking at the monitor.

***

"Be safe." Miss Johannson said looking at Stanley at the monitor.