Back In Time

"Someone call 911" said a woman's voice. She screamed for help, urgency in her tone.

"Ace, Ace wake up, ACE" came the concerned voice of a boy.

'Who the fuck is shouting in my ears?' Was all I could think of while opening my eyes, which I immediately regretted due to the sun shining directly on my eyes. It was like waking up to a drill sergeant screaming in your ear, and the sun was like the bright light of a searchlight being shone directly into your eyes.

"What the hell is going on..." I trailed off for a moment as my eyes adjusted to the surroundings which left me shocked, well shock is an understatement since my mind couldn't register what was happening around me.

Well anyone in my situation will feel the same way. How can someone die and open their eyes to see people gathered around them looking like they've just seen someone die right before their eyes? It doesn't matter though as my shock was short lived.

I stood up straight from the floor where I was previously lying. I cautiously scanned my surroundings, my heart racing as I mentally replayed what had happened that had led to this moment.

**********************

It was a normal day like always, being on the run from the NSA, the mafia boss Mr Gustav whom I used to work with before hacking into his database and stealing all his files, including his bank account password, hideouts etc. And from reality itself. I can't really blame the fool for wanting me dead since I emptied his account of every penny there is to find. However, that isn't what warrants my death notice. Revealing his hideouts and warehouses to the police gave him and his goons the extra boost to kill me.

Mr Gustav chasing me all around the world was justifiable, but the NSA, it's still a mystery (maybe because you are a world class hitman and hacker with a red notice). Back to the main topic; I just came out of a bar with a cigarette in my mouth after trying to drown my sorrows and pain when I felt two hostile gazes fixed on my back.

"Here we go again," I said after crushing the cigarette under my boots and mounting my trusty old bike, a MTT 420-RR with a top speed of 273 mph/439 km/h, 420 hp and 810 Nm (torque). This was a beast of freedom and speed in those days. Don't know who left this baby in a scrapyard. 'Like they say, one man's meat is another man's poison.' While adjusting my mirrors to where I felt the hostile gazes coming from, I contemplated my situation. I saw a black Mercedes-Benz on the street across from me. I thought, 'I'm sure I'll have them eating my dust soon enough'.

VROOMM

There was the sound of the beast showing its dominance as I rode off on the road.

"Follow him," said a deep, coarse voice of a man in a grey coat, white long sleeve, red tie, a black trench coat and a black fedora hat on top of his round bald head with dark brown eyes and a well trimmed black beard. "Okay boss," replied another deep voice belonging to the driver as he followed behind the speeding bike trying not to lose sight of it.

"I can't wait to destroy that pretty face of his after we capture him. He thinks it's easy to escape the boss? "Hmph, dream on fool," said a bald man in his late twenties with a muscular build, squared face and a snake tattoo running across the left side of his face. He was wearing black trousers and a long sleeve that was rolled up to his elbow.

"I'm trying to concentrate here and your ranting isn't helping," said the driver in a black suit and black long sleeves with a rectangular face, black eyes, and curly black long hair.

As Carlos didn't want to anger the boss in the car, all he could think of was 'Maldito pendego.' "Were you able to accomplish what I gave you?" asked Mr. Gustav, who was sitting at the back of the car.

"Yes boss, I've installed the tracking device on the bike," replied Carlos.

"That's terrific," Mr Gustav said. "Antonio, make sure you keep a moderate pace with him. I want him to hope to escape again, only to be crushed by me," he added.

Even though his voice sounded deep and coarse, it couldn't mask his excitement of finally catching the guy that tore down his arduous work.

'Just wait boy, I'm coming,' he thought.

MC POV

Turning my head back, I saw that my chasers were still some distance away from me. I decided to stop joking around and lose them in the maze of roads and buildings. 'Hahah, it feels pleasant to give people the hope of achieving something they won't be able to achieve,' I thought.

It had been five minutes of riding through random streets until I was sure they'd lost track of me. I felt that my motorcycle was decelerating. 'How can this be happening now of all times?' I thought after checking my fuel gauge and seeing that my fuel was close to being empty.

"Fuck," I cursed as I parked my bike in an alleyway so it wouldn't be noticed by my chasers who are probably prowling the streets on a wild goose chase by now. 'This feeling never gets old,' I thought to myself as I got off my bike and tried to exit the alley. A black Mercedes Benz parked right in front of the exit blocking my only exit.

"Going somewhere?" asked someone I knew all too well. I looked on in shock as I saw Antonio in his black suit, with black long sleeves, opening the car door for a man in a grey suit and black trench coat with a black fedora hat, whom I immediately recognized as the notorious mafia boss, Gustav, stepping out of the car while putting on black gloves.

"Gustav my friend, what are you doing around this part of town?" I asked as I wondered to myself how they were able to find me. I knew this day would come but not this early. My eyes were immediately drawn to the black box in Carlos' hand as he brought it to Gustav. When opened, it revealed a silver revolver with a golden grip.

As he inspected the gun slowly and marveled at it, he asked himself, "What am I doing here?".

"Well I came to deal with a sneaky rat that has been a thorn on my back for some years now," He said after some time while finally raising his head to look me dead in the eye with his dark brown eyes full of hatred.

"I would be lying if I said I wasn't surprised you found me," I said.

"You know what your problem is, Ace?" He said while still looking me in the eye.

"Underestimating me," He added not giving me a chance to reply, "Do you think anyone can do what I did? Building an empire from scratch? Let me tell you something, to do what I did, you must be patient, decisive, ruthless, smart, hard working and above all trust no one. You can never achieve anything without these qualities."

"It took me twenty years, TWENTY goddamn years to achieve my goal of being the underworld boss, but you destroyed that in a single day. You tore down my arduous work, sweat and blood in a single day." His eyes turned bloodshot as he said that while pointing the gun at my head. "Do you know what it feels like to have what you hold dear taken away from you?"

As I stared at Gustav's bloodshot eyes, I said, "That's what I felt back then when I begged you to loan me money for my brother's treatment fifteen years ago but you refused. I crawled on my knees begging for your help. You said you would give it to me after I'd proven myself. You turned me into a cold blooded killer for a hope and promise you failed to fulfill."

"I did everything you asked me to do, killing all your rivals and anyone who dared stand in your way. I gave up on my humanity to be your most ideal killing machine. However, you bribed the fucking doctors to worsen and delay my brother's treatment," I said while releasing the hatred and resentment buried deep within my heart upon them, especially Gustav.

GULP-GULP

Loud gulping sounds could be heard from Antonio and Carlos who were drenched in sweat when they looked into Ace's eyes, whose demeanor had changed from the previous carefree state to a ruthless and more savage one due to the pure hatred and resentment he was releasing. Just this alone reminded them of how dangerous this man is.

"Don't blame me for your stupidity Ace, you had a choice from the very beginning, either you do what I tell you to do, or you leave, and we both know what you chose," said Gustav after some time. "You might have a high IQ but without common sense to back it up, you are a fool."

"You are right Gustav," I said after calming down a bit. "To tell you the truth, I've learnt a lot from you. Trust no one and never put your hope in anybody. These two are the most significant among the many things I have learnt and experienced in this world.

When I looked at Gustav and his goons behind him, I said, "but all things must come to an end, so I guess this is the end of the road for me."

"It sure is, Ace," Gustav said while pulling the trigger.

BANG

"ARRGH" was the only sound that came out of my mouth as I felt the bullet pierce through my chest and lungs.

BANG, BANG

Came two more gunshot sounds that tore through the silent night. One bullet hit me in the abdomen and the other, on the left side of my chest, close to my heart.

Bang

Was the sound of my knees hitting the ground as they felt weak due to blood loss.

"Hope you prepare a place for me in hell Ace," said Gustav as he turned his back and walked towards his car with his goons. "And make sure it has AC. I can't take the heat!" said Gustav as he chuckled to himself.

As I looked at his departing back with blurry eyes, I knew this was the only chance I had left to put my heart at rest, so with all the strength I could muster, I reached for my back and took the gun there, then with the last bit of strength I had left, I concentrated hard on his back and pulled the trigger.

BANG

There was another gunshot in this quiet neighborhood that scared every civilian that heard it.

Thud

Was the sound of the what shocked Antonio and Carlos when they saw their boss, Gustav, falling to the ground. He had a bloody hole behind his head. 'Guess luck was on my side,' thought Ace as he saw Gustav's body falling to the ground. Ace was lying on his back looking at the blurry night sky due to his eyesight dimming.

"I can finally rest now," he said while life flashed before his eyes bringing more pain and ....relief? "Guess it doesn't matter since I can finally leave this world," I said as darkness eventually overtook me.

****************

PRESENT DAY

****************

"Ace are you okay?" came the same concerned voice as it woke me up from recollecting my old memories.

I turned my head to where I heard the voice since I found it really familiar only to be shocked a second time, since what was before me was my younger brother, Arthur Raynott, who died due to a brain tumor that wasn't treated on time, allowing it to grow to a dangerous level which later claimed his life.

Looking at Arthur who had a triangular face with a sharp jawline, medium length black hair, ocean blue eyes and a height of 184 cm (6 ft), which was impressive for a 17 year old and fair skin. Arthur would have been considered handsome without being malnourished and dressed in worn clothes.

'This can't be happening, how is this even possible?' I asked myself as I finally took a deep look at my surroundings. Apart from the people around me, all I could see were apartments and skyscrapers with streets crowded with people getting about their day. This quickly brought back some past memories.

'Wasn't this the neighborhood I used to live in with my brother, Arthur?' I asked myself. A feeling of nostalgia washed over me as I recalled the days of our shared childhood.

While I tried to use this as a dream, the feeling of the sun shining on my face, the smell in the air and the touch of Arthur's hand when he tried to wake me proved that this is not a dream but rather a reality.

The only thing I can make of this situation is, I travelled back in time, but why? Who said I wanted to reincarnate? I've been through a lot and finally achieved peace but I had to travel back in time and start all over again. I can't help but feel frustrated and confused. I don't know what I'm supposed to do or how I'm supposed to move forward. All I know is that I don't want to go through it all again.

"Are you alright, Ace?" Arthur asked again since he didn't receive a reply the first few times he asked.

"Yes... yes, I think I am feeling better now," I said after a while. "That's a relief," Arthur said, relief evident in his voice. "Come on, let's go home." I decided to leave this place as people began to disperse after seeing that I'm okay. There's a lot to think about and I can't do that on a crowded street.

I needed a quiet place to gather my thoughts and plan my next steps as I searched my memory for the route home. He replied, "Okay."