Chapter 2 ( Part 4 )

'If you can't discipline your child, hand him over to someone who beats him with a stick. Is that it?'

Nate was raised so harshly, it was as if he grew up in the sun's core. And yet, his way of rising Aniket was so gentle and passionate that Anita fell in love with him all over again.

Unfortunately, things changed when Aniket entered the pod five years later. This little artist gave up the role he was playing. He no longer wanted to be a sweet and obedient child.

Not to mention, he made innumerable passes at Anita. This was, naturally, his right. But it made Anita uncomfortable.

It was unlucky for him Nate also didn't show him his true colours until then. Nate was also by no means, the sweet and obedient big brother who taught Aniket so gently. He was a general who runs operations throughout the world. The thing he liked least was insubordination.

After a few years of 'real training' by Nate, in places far away from Anita, Aniket slowly changed for the better.

Or did he?

Nate turned Aniket into a sniper. He was exceptionally good at it. But unknown to everyone, the role had turned him into an addict.

But he never got caught. That's how good he was.

But they say children are most vulnerable in front of their mothers. Anita, who stayed at home as an analyst, caught him.

Of course, she didn't say anything. Just laughed seductively and asked him how often he does it and what he does. Aniket was not proud of it, but told her everything.

'There's some drugs that let me have spiritual experiences. I like using them.'

What followed in the pod was a colossal storm. Nate was ready to throw Aniket out of the pod and hand him over to the time tribunal. In those days, timekeepers operated like an intelligence agency. They had a vast network and directed military operations throughout the globe.

The personal stakes for timekeepers in these wars were few. So even if one was doped or high, it shouldn't matter much. However, Nate was a thorough military man. He couldn't stomach the thought that their men might have died because of Aniket's intoxication.

The two men fought until they bled. Aniket repeatedly had but one question.

'Get your head out of your ass. So what if I'm high? I'm still better than everyone out there and their mother!'

'Isn't it just killing? What's so special? Why must I be sober?'

'I hate it! I hate it! I hate this mundane job. I hate those ants in my scope that don't know death is staring at them. Not a single one! They're the ones not sober. I'm completely sober!"

For some reason, even though Aniket was completely out of control, Nate left him alone after their fight. It was as if he had turned a blind eye to his drug use.

He stopped teaching him and stopped giving him assignments. Aniket was free to pick whatever missions he liked from the board. Even when Anita asked, he would give her a shrouded answer. 'A light drug use is normal in kids his age. Let it be. He'll figure it out on his own.'

This, coming from a man, reared in military discipline since he was seven.

In those days, space was not folded. Timekeepers are tightly knit but their bonds didn't go beyond life and death. Divorce was still possible.

Afraid that Nate will push Aniket out of the pod, Anita became hysterical and threatened him not to come near Aniket. Ever since then, she checked Aniket's backpack, his equipment bags, his drawers, his shelves and even his boots twice a day. She was an excellent analyst and knew every place he went to. She decided to be a good citizen and alert every drug trade that happened in those cities.

She kept him in tight control for four years, until that incident.

That's when everything spiralled under control.

Aniket's three pod mothers died one after another, in the same year, within a span of ten months.

Who knows what he smoked that day. The day when they received the news of the final artmother.

They couldn't even locate Aniket for an entire day. And then at sunset, he calls her, high as a kite. His breathing heavy and laughter unnatural. His words slurring, mind unfocussed.

'Nits, do you know what a timekeeper is?'

Anita took a deep breath and didn't hasten him home under Nate's direction. She spoke to him softly to calm him down first.

'A timekeeper is someone who keeps time. Not like a historian who is objective, but like a pod of peas in a vine that is subjective. We participate in the world's development just enough to know the length of this vine. If not, the pod will drop to the floor and no longer be part of the time continuum of the vine. Contrarily, by participating too much, the pod extract too many nutrients from the vine. It results in a tangle not conducive to keeping time.'

'Bravo Niti…a textbook definition, as expected from an analyst.'

'Yes. Nikki, are you–'

'But I have another definition.'

Before Aniket's slurred speech agitates Anita more, Nate took over the call. He spoke evenly into the XO. 'Yes, Aniket. We are listening.'

'Nate…'

'It's me.'

'Brother, you have wronged me.'

'How so?'

'I don't…like to kill Nate.'

For some reason, those words made Anita burst into tears. She panicked and shouted, 'Nikki, where are you?!'

'I'm at a hotel.'

'Why…why's there so much noise around you? Why so much wind Nikki?'

'Smart as always, Niti. I'm on the terrace.'

Before Anita uttered the next words, Nate shut her mouth. They both knew Aniket well enough to know he was not suicidal. He was just triggered. He was very prideful. If Anita bares his intentions, as a man, he will follow them through.

'So what's your definition, Nikki?"

"Hm?"

"What's your definition of a timekeeper?' Nate asked evenly.

'Hmm? Niti, have you ever seen a Russian doll? Aerog twins are very popular. But few people know, they are considered tumours by gynaecologists. With very late development, they are excised before they even reveal their true form. Not that it matters. No Aerog twin had ever been successfully birthed in history. The birth canal does not open for them. Surgery doesn't save them.'

'Why are you telling us this Nikki?' Nate comforted Anita and asked, 'Why not come back to the pod first. Let's talk.'

'I am tired of performing funerals. I've had enough.'