POKER CARDS

// A NEW AIDING DEVICE HAS BEEN MADE AVAILABLE, COLLECT IT NOW. //

An aiding device?

Jax couldn't understand what kind of aiding device would be helpful for them in accomplishing this second yet collective task, to be urged by the system to collect it immediately.

His gaze then landed on the black and sleek rectangular object, placed just beside the 'antique' telephone box. He recognized it as a tablet.

And it looked nothing different from a normal smart tablet. What kind of marvelous and hidden magical functions could it provide to be called as an aiding device, that too for 'finding', correction, 'killing' a person?

Jax felt that this voice was just making everything sound so complicated and cool. It was just another modern day gadget. What was so special about it?

"All this fuss was about a tablet that could be found everywhere in heaps?" Jax dismissed the object with a low scoff.

On the other hand, Rob's expression turned puzzled as though he was looking at a very strange object. As if, he never saw a tablet in his life.

But he remained silent, not voicing out any of his opinions. It was not like the other two were interested in knowing what he felt, though.

Meanwhile Ken, who was standing just beside Rob all this while, walked toward the 'extra large phone'.

Jax then saw Ken picking up the tablet before flipping it around, from one side to other. But his movements were considerably slow. As though, he was handling a precious gem. He was analysing the object as if he were a goods appraiser who was checking the product's authenticity.

And, proving that he indeed made the correct guess, he tapped on a small indentation on one of the four thin sides of the object, which resulted in the emergence of a small button from it. He immediately pressed it.

This action of his instantly borne fruitful results as the device came to life with a short but crisp sound. In the next moment, the black panel on one of the flat sides of it lit up, presenting a dim screen saver.

Only then did Jax realize that the tablet in Ken's hands was much slimmer than any of the same kind of products he had seen so far. It was indeed a beautiful piece for a machine.

However, when Ken unlocked the tablet to go through the so called aiding device, he scrunched his brows.

"What is it?" Finally, Rob chose to open his mouth and asked him off handedly.

"The fact that one of our major problems was solved. That too so easily." Ken exclaimed.

"Solved so easily? What do you even mean?" This time, it was Jax, who probed him.

"Take a look here," Ken rotated the tablet around, so that the other two could see what he was talking about. "This is showing our target's location and how far we are from him."

On the screen of the tablet, was what seemed like the map of their surroundings. On that map, they saw four box like shapes and they were flickering. On a closer inspection, one could easily recognize them as poker cards.

The four cards have different symbols on them, more precisely they were one card from each card suit.

Of the four, three cards were huddled together and had spade, diamond and club pips on top of them respectively. These three cards were illuminating green color. Meanwhile, the fourth card was seen quite a distance from the other three and was flickering in red light. It had the symbol of heart on it.

Clearly the card in red color was their target, while the other three were them.

It even showed all the possible routes they could take to reach their target. All available routes, from the longest to the shortest ones.

Having this aiding device was not bad after all, because it indeed solved their biggest trouble now. It aided them in the best possible way.

Jax was simply amazed.

"So, how far is the distance?" Jax asked after overcoming his surprise in less than a minute.

"Let's see," Ken replied before he tapped on the screen a few times, more precisely on every single route. And, it took him less than two seconds to figure out the answer. "The shortest was two hundred kilometers." He said, but it was nothing different than dropping a bomb on the three of them.

Only after seeing the complicated expressions on his recipients' faces, did he realize how ridiculously long of a journey they had to take before they could think of carrying out this collective mission of theirs.

"Two hundred kilometers? It would take at least four to five hours.That too, if we take a train. Don't even imagine about going for other means of transport. We may not be able to afford it," Rob chose to be the first one to point out the newly araised problems.

"But I don't think I can afford a train ticket either," Ken, who realized that he didn't even have a single penny in his pockets, confessed in a low voice.

"Me neither." Jax echoed Ken's claims and then these two turned around to face Rob, who had a neutral expression on his face.

"I forgot my wallet before leaving to carry out that stupid task," Rob's words were like a bucket of cold water that was mercilessly splashed onto them.

Immediately, the faces of the three of them fell, feeling defeated.

They didn't have any money on them, not even a single penny. And, they didn't know how to survive until the next morning either.

They didn't even have a place to crash for the night. They didn't know anyone here. They didn't dare think about filling their stomachs.

Would they be able to hold themselves together to carry out a mission?

Did the systems think they were also robots and they would be fine without feeling the need for any basic needs?

D*mn! People need energy too!