A RACE AGAINST TIME

Ethan and Mr. Rudeus arrive at the old, abandoned NovaTech warehouse. The atmosphere is tense, with every creak and shadow adding to their unease. Determined to uncover the secrets hidden inside, they find a way to sneak past the restricted area signs.

Inside, they see old files, broken equipment, and signs of a hurried evacuation. Ethan notices items that seem out of place, hinting at the warehouse's illegal past and its connection to NovaTech.

Ethan stumbles upon an old family heirloom or document related to his mother's lineage. When he touches it, he experiences a vision or trance, revealing fragments of his mother's past and her family's secrets. During the trance, Ethan sees a connection between his mother's lineage and the reason the conspirators want her dead.

Mr. Rudeus hears people approaching and tries to alert Ethan, but Ethan is lost in his trance. He quickly carries Ethan to a hiding spot. Ethan snaps out of the trance, disoriented but aware that he saw something important. He tells Mr. Rudeus, "I saw something... it's connected to Mom's past and our family."

They overhear the intruders discussing the upcoming meeting and the Atlas Project, confirming that the conspirators are indeed meeting here. Ethan recognizes one of the voices as Mrs. Thompson, realizing she must be deeply involved in the plot.

"Wait, I've heard this voice somewhere," Ethan whispers. The voice sounds female, and then the person laughs. Ethan remembers Thompson laughing like that and says, "No way… it's not possible." Rudeus asks, "What's the matter, kid? You recognize her voice?" Ethan responds, "I think… she's Mom's assistant." Rudeus exclaims, "Clara's what now???"

Ethan tells him to be quiet. Thompson and the other man hear a noise, and Thompson sends one of the hitmen to check it out. She then asks the man, "What time is the flight again?" The man answers, "7pm, just as you planned." She asks, "Are all the preparations ready?" He replies, "Yes, ma'am, we've arranged everything." She says proudly, "Finally… when the plane takes off and the bomb ticks… it'll go 'kaboom'... and then… bye bye Clara." She laughs an evil laugh.

Ethan and Rudeus overhear it. Ethan says, "Wait… bomb? And her flight is by 7… so the bomb is already in the plane?" Rudeus says, "The plane Mrs. Clara is entering… there's gonna be a bomb in it? Why does she want her dead… oh my, this is more serious than I thought. Is that why you went to her office? Wait, you knew about this and didn't tell anyone… why?" Ethan says, "You wouldn't understand… it's complicated… and not only is Mom's life at stake… but also the people that are on the plane too." He remembers how he and his dad turned on the news and saw the plane crash news. They were devastated. He says to himself, "I can't let this repeat itself again."

Rudeus says, "We need to call the police… this is serious." Ethan says, "No… you can't call them." Rudeus asks, "But why?" Ethan responds, "I mean… I'm not sure calling them will be of any help for now… who knows, they might be late… or maybe they're involved in this… we need to act smart… but first things first, we need to get outta here." Rudeus agrees, and as they're talking, he looks behind Ethan and sees a giant, muscular man with a gun. He points at Ethan's back and stutters, "Uh… a-a-a… g-u-un."

Ethan asks, "What's the problem?" He looks and sees the man. "Oh no…" Thompson comes with the man and the other hitmen. She says, "Well well well… I knew you were up to no good." Ethan says, "Good? You're trying to kill my mom… you set a bomb on a plane… you're a devil… you witch!!!!" Rudeus tells him to calm down. Thompson bursts into laughter and says, "And yeah? What are you gonna do about it? You can't do anything… the bomb's been set already and I'm sure your mom is on her way to the airport to meet her other workers she's gonna follow… and you're surrounded… tell me, what can you do?"

She thinks to herself, "But how did Ethan come to know of the plane hijack… and the warehouse… what else does he know?" She says, "You two follow me and best be on your behavior… you're gonna tell me everything you heard us saying… and how you found out about our plan." As she says so, Ethan unintentionally sees a glimpse of the future: he sees a door that isn't locked and a shelf full of dusty boxes.

Ethan looks at Thompson, then kicks the shelf beside him, shouting, "RUDEUS RUN!!!!" The boxes fall, creating a huge cloud of dust. Thompson quickly covers her face and mouth. Ethan grabs Rudeus' hand and they start running. They ran past Thompson and her hitmen. Rudeus says, "Where are you going?" Ethan says, "Just follow me!" They use the door he saw in the future. Thompson shouts to the hitmen, "Follow them!!! Don't let them escape… if you have to, kill them." The hitmen go after them.

Ethan and Rudeus enter the car and try to start it, but it's not starting. Ethan says, "What's wrong… why isn't it starting?" Rudeus says he doesn't know. Ethan starts hitting the car and says, "Start you stupid… little… huge… ugly car… start start start." He shouts for the last time, "START!!!!" Rudeus tries again, and it works. They're surprised and happy. Rudeus says, "Wait, how did you do that?" Ethan rubs the back of his head and says while smiling, "I guess I saw that in Escape Part 5… you know when Ja-…" Before he can finish, one of the hitmen jumps on the bonnet and hits his face against the glass. Ethan screams, "Ja-HOLY MOTHER OF CHEESEBALLS DRIVE RUDEUS DRIVE!!!!"

Rudeus shouts like a girl and hits the accelerator. The hitman falls off the car. Another hitman says, "Come on, let's follow them." They enter their own car and chase after Ethan and Rudeus. It becomes a high-speed chase. Ethan looks back and sees the hitmen's black car. He says, "Come on, Rudeus, can't you drive any faster? We need to lose them." Rudeus responds, "You think this is some car race or an escape scenario where we're being chased and since we're the good guys we enter driving mode and lose them? This is real life, Ethan. I'm doing my best."

Meanwhile, in the warehouse, the dust clears. Jade, the man with Thompson, says, "Oh no… they heard everything… we need to eliminate them." He asks, "And who was that boy… and that man?" Thompson answers, "He's Clara's son, Ethan… and the man is their driver. But don't worry… it's not like they'll be a pain to our necks… and it won't be long before they join Clara too." She says, "Come on… let's go… we have work to do."

Ethan and Rudeus miraculously lose the hitmen. The hitmen get frustrated, get out of their car, and one of them says, "Dammit… we need to tell Mrs. Thompson." Another hitman says, "Oh, well I'm not telling her… you were the one driving, it's your fault we lost them." He calls Thompson. In her limo with Jade and the driver, she answers, "So… have you disposed of their bodies yet?" He says, "Uh… we're sorry, ma'am… we lost them." Thompson screams, "WHAT!!!!! How… you had one job to do… oh god, you're all so useless." She thinks to herself, "Now they might try to go home… or report to the police… but oh well… the police can't do anything… some are even on our side… and it's too late." She tells the hitmen to go to their house; they might go there. She ends the call and Jade gets worried. She thinks, "Could this small brat… Ethan… really be a threat to us? No… he's just a kid… I'll get rid of him… like I get rid of everyone that comes my way." She smirks.

Ethan and Rudeus go to one of their houses, owned by Mr. Dick. They enter, stressed and tired, and lay down on the couch, breathing heavily. Rudeus says, "What's happening… bomb… plane crash… Atlas Project… why do they want Mrs. Clara dead?" He sits up and looks at Ethan. "Look, kid… I know you must be stressed and helpless, knowing your mom's in danger and there's a psychopath on the loose… and thankfully, because of you, we were able to escape. God knows what would have happened to us if we followed them… or what could've happened to you. Mr. Dick will be very angry at me if anything happened… 'cause I'm the adult here."

Ethan says, "Uh… I don't know… about how we escaped… it's just like that time when the cup was about to fall… but not just that… that item I touched… what was that? What did I see?"

Rudeus responds, "Cup? Item? Are you even listening to me? Your mom's in danger and we need to act fast." He stands up and says, "We need to call the police and get them involved, and inform your dad and Clara fast. I'm sure she must have left the house by now. And why didn't you let us go to the house? Instead, we came here."

Ethan stands up too, saying, "No… they would have followed us and found our house… and we can't risk that. What we should be thinking about is getting Dad out of there… 'cause Mrs. Thompson knows our place… and who knows what she's gonna do next. And about the police… trust me… it's more complicated than you think. I'm saying this because I'm from t—" Ethan stops himself just in time, almost revealing he's from the future.

Rudeus looks at him, confused. "You're from where? Look, Ethan, you have to tell me what's going on."

Ethan says to himself, "Is… is this the right time to tell him? I mean, I don't have any other option… he might understand and not get freaked out about it." He remembers when he first tried to tell his mom six years ago and how he fainted due to a mysterious force. He hesitates, fearing the same thing might happen again. But then, he recalls his mother's smiling face and resolves, "No… I have to risk it… I want to see Mom smiling again… like she always does… I might be able to convince him… he won't freak out and he can help me… anything that wants to happen, let it happen."

Ethan looks up at Rudeus, closes his eyes, and shouts, "I'M FROM THE FUTURE AND MOM DIED IN THE FUTURE! I DON'T KNOW HOW I CAME BACK BUT I HAVE TO SAVE MOM KNOWING SHE'LL DIE, SO PLEASE DON'T FREAK OUT!!!!"

He opens one eye to see Rudeus's reaction. Rudeus, dumbfounded, bursts out laughing. "Future? Look, Ethan, this isn't the time for stories. Your mom's in danger and we need to act fast."

Ethan realizes nothing happened to him, no force stopping him this time. Determined to prove his claim, he says, "Fine… I can prove to you that I'm from the future." He reveals a secret Rudeus had shared with him in the future, something deeply personal.

Rudeus's eyes widen and, without warning, he faints. Ethan shouts, "Rudeus! Rudeus!"

The chapter concludes with Ethan trying to wake Mr. Rudeus, the weight of the looming threat on his shoulders.

And so, with Clara on her way to the airport, Mrs. Thompson smiling as her plan unfolds, and Ethan desperately trying to wake Mr. Rudeus after he fainted, The clock is ticking, and every second counts.