The Quantum Cypher Read online

  "Ok, so what's the plan for the day? Let's hit the roads of Kuala Lumpur. I have a lot of things to do here,” said Cara excitedly.

  “I will order breakfast in the room. That way, we can get out quickly.”

  Andy drew the curtains and he could see the Petronas Tower in the distance. Unlike the previous hotel in Hong Kong, this Hotel was located right in the heart of the business district to the northeast of the Old City Centre. The area was brimming with shopping malls, bars and five-star hotels.

  Andy had booked a 24-hour bus tour and the pickup point was close to the Hotel. The double-decker, air con tourist bus made a circuit of the main tourist sites half-hourly throughout the day and was a handy way to get around. They stopped at KLCC, Jln Bukit Bintang, Menara KL, Chinatown, Merdeka Sq and the attractions of Tun Abdul Razak Heritage Park.

  There were many interesting places to see and enjoy. Shopping kept kids and Cara in a good mood. It was sweltering in the afternoon when the temperature touched 40 degrees. Lots of chilled water and ice cream helped in getting past the day.

  Returning to the Hotel, the kids immediately jumped into bed. Andy was tired too, but, Cara looked fresh as a Daisy.

  “Let's have some wine”, she said, walking over to the bed. "I have a treat for you tonight!"

  CHAPTER 17

  “Good morning,” said Andy kissing Cara on her cheek, who was slowly picking herself up and walking over to the window. Half an hour later, Andy had showered and dressed. He was wearing his favourite shorts and travel shirt. Stepping into the kids' room, he announced, “Get up sleepy heads,” and switched on the lights and turned off the air conditioning.

  “I hate it when you do that,” screamed Eric.

  “That's the best way to wake you guys up. Need to hurry up as we have made plans to take you to the top of the Petronas Tower. I've also got tickets to walk the bridge between the two Towers. It's going to be an amazing experience. So let's get going.”

  "Yay!!!" screamed Eric. “I will get ready in a jiffy”.

  “Now, don't forget to brush your teeth,” joked Andy.

  Andy went over to the phone to order breakfast and then sat on the sofa, switched on the TV to catch up on the latest news. Thirty minutes later, the family was waiting for the bus. The bus was on time and Andy wondered how they could maintain such accuracy given the traffic conditions. They headed straight for the open section on the first floor of the bus. It was their favourite place as it offered an amazing view of the roads and the surrounding. It's also a great place to shoot videos, as there are no obstructions, and you can also orient yourself about the roads. A short while later they got off at the Petronas station and walked over to the visitor’s area. A long queue of visitors were waiting to enter the building.

  The Petronas Towers, also known as the Petronas Twin Towers are twin skyscrapers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. They were the tallest buildings in the world from 1998 to 2004 and remain the tallest twin towers in the world. The interiors of the towers highlight the Malaysian cultural inspiration to the design through traditional aspects such as fabric and carvings typical of the culture, specifically evident in the foyer of the entrance halls in the towers.

  They admired the views from the Petronas Twin Towers Observation Deck and Skybridge. Then they set out to visit Bird Park which is a 60-hectare (150-acre) Lake Gardens, established in 1888. In addition to the 20.9-acre (8.5 ha) bird park, which was created in 1991, the gardens include an artificial lake, the National Monument, the Kuala Lumpur Butterfly Park, the Deer Park, Orchid and Hibiscus gardens, and the former Malaysia Parliament House. It is one of the world's largest covered bird parks.

  CHAPTER 18

  “No way. I am done,” screamed Eric."I am not going anywhere today. You have been dragging me around and my leg hurts. Apart from that, you have not bought me any toy and have not had any good food, I want both!"

  “Ok then. Let's go shopping and finish the day off with dinner to someplace nice,” pacified Andy.

  “Let’s have Chinese,” added Cara.

  The family decided to visit Mid Valley Megamall and over dinner, Andy announced, “Tomorrow we leave to Dubai. Are you all happy to be heading back home?”

  “Yes. We miss home,” said the kids and Cara in unison.

  “I can't wait to have a good long shower and sleep in my cosy bed,” said Ava.

  “I have to meet my friends and show them my toys,” added Eric. "And most importantly, no more travel for another year.”

  “We will see about that,” said Cara. “I have plans for your winter break."

  “Here's to more fun and vacations,” said Andy, raising a toast.

  CHAPTER 19

  “Dubai at last,” breathed Cara.

  The Andrew’s lived in the Jumeirah, an upmarket neighbourhood dotted with cafes and shopping centres. It was close to Jumeirah Beach which was a famous and popular attraction for locals and tourists. Opening the apartment door Andy could feel the stale smell of the flat. Switching on the air conditioning, he found everyone walking away into their respective rooms leaving him to drag all the luggage.

  “Thanks guys for your help!” he called out sarcastically and continued to pull all the luggage into the house.

  He sat down on the sofa. It was back to the grind and how time passes so quickly when you're having a great time. He walked over to the TV and switched it on and got himself a cold orange juice from the refrigerator.

  “I am going to have a hot bath and sleep for some time. Don't disturb me and please order lunch. I am not going anywhere near the kitchen for another day.”

  “No problem,” shouted Andy. “We have another day of good food.”

  “Better watch your words, mister. Your adventure in bed will end if you continue on this path,” she giggled.

  Ducking down and grabbing his sword, the sombre figure swiftly plunged the sword into the enemy’s belly. Making sure it cut through his organs.

  “Dad,” shouted Ava, shaking Andy to his senses. I must have dozed off, he thought, looking at Ava.

  “Mum asked you to order lunch and I want to have Arabic food. I really missed it."

  Andy picked up the phone and called the restaurant that provided great Arabic food and delivers at home within minutes.

  “You look preoccupied,” enquired Cara over lunch.

  “Just the same dream as in Hong Kong. It was one step ahead on violence, not a subject over lunch. Post lunch, Cara asked the kids to unpack the suitcases and put the dirty clothes for laundry. Arrange the toys so that Andy could put the suitcases into the store room. Andy rolled over his suitcase to the bedroom and started to unpack. As he was rolling it over to the store room, Cara was also done unpacking and as she closed her suitcase a clanking sound got both their attention. Cara opened the suitcase again to look if she had left something inside but there was nothing. She closed the suitcase again there was a distinct sound of metal against the lid of the suitcase.

  “I guess it's broken,” she said. “Let me have a look,” said Andy. Opening the suitcase, he ran his hand through the pockets. They were all empty. Feeling the lining of the suitcase, he felt something at the bottom of the lid. It felt like a tube as he held it with his fingers and moved through the lining.

  “It looks like an object inside the lining. Maybe something broke during the trip and the pieces are stuck inside the lining,” said Andy.

  And that’s when he saw a small insertion in the lining of the suitcase. It was about three centimetres long and he could clearly make out that it was done using a sharp object. He pushed it towards the opening and could see that it was some sort of a cylinder but with intricate designs on it. Andy pulled it out and handed it to Cara.

  “Looks expensive,” she said. “Did you guys buy this and put it here or did Ava or Eric put it into the lining by mistake?”

  “That's impossible," said Andy.

  "There is no way that went in there by mistake, someone put it in there!"

  CHAPTER 20


  The cylinder was ten centimetres long and three centimetres in diameter. It was heavy and the metal looked like silver. It had intricate designs with lines and curves which looked confusing as they crossed each other. That's one piece of bad craftsmanship thought Andy. He shook it and there was something moving inside, tried to open the case but it was sealed. Cara spent the next few minutes examining the cylinder, but could not find an opening. Andy called both the kids and enquired if any one of them had bought or seen the artefact before. But both Eric and Ava did not have a clue. Eric examined the cylinder and started to rotate it in a clockwise direction. To Andy’s amazement, the cylinder now formed a discrete design. He asked Cara to examine it closely. Then he rotated the cylinder. Cara could see it now. It’s some sort of a symbol. Let’s film it, using my phone. That way we can both examine it. Two minutes after filming, Cara stopped and Andy re-played the video. It was some sort of an octagonal design with minute symbols.

  “The video is not very clear,” said Andy. “Can you rotate it while I try to take a photo with my phone?"

  After a couple of tries, Andy gave up as the photos were no way close to capturing the image.

  "This requires a professional camera to get the picture right."

  For now, he had to manage with the video. After trying his hand at the cylinder a few more times, he gave up and left it on the table. In the evening, Andy returned to but did not find the cylinder. He went out to the kids’ room and found Ava playing with it in front of the mirror. She was trying to look at the symbols. Finally, she said, “Dad, look at the design. It changes when I turn it clockwise and when I turn it anticlockwise, it's a different one."

  She was right. When you turn the cylinder clockwise the design only projects an octagon, but when you rotate anticlockwise it produces another symbol inside the Octagon. They were triangles that connected to form a star. When she rotated it faster, more stars appeared. Andy could now see three stars inside the Octagon made up of smaller triangles. That is one piece of work, he thought. Feeling foolish at his earlier assessment about the cylinder, he went over to Cara and explained what he saw. He rotated the cylinder as fast as he could, while Cara watched at it and said, “It looks familiar but can't place it."

  “You have seen this design somewhere before?” he asked. “Maybe in Hong Kong, he asked?”

  “No, I can't remember,” she said.

  “Dad!” startled, Cara almost jumped out of the bed.

  “What is it, Ava?”.

  “I know where I have seen the symbol before. It was on the wax seal, behind the envelope with the $2,000!”

  CHAPTER 21

  “She is right!” said Cara, “It’s the same symbol. Now it all makes sense.”

  “The money was given to take care of this cylinder.”

  “You mean, bring this object to Dubai? Why pay someone for it. We had no problem with customs and it was not detected by the X-ray machine at the airport.” analysed Andy.

  “It is metal, so is it something dangerous? It should have been detected or we just got lucky. What if there’s a dangerous substance inside it? Do you know what kind of consequences it might lead to? We could have been in jail in Hong Kong for trying to smuggle a dangerous object. What if it’s a Biohazard material inside that is designed to go off at a particular time?” blurted out Cara with bated breath.

  “Now you're starting to scare me,” said Andy. “You're right. It is a possibility.”

  “I did shake the container a few times and the way we have been rotating it like a windmill, I can only hope whatever that is inside it, is not hazardous,” said Cara.

  “Throw it out of the house. I don't want it here,” she instructed.

  “Wait,” said Andy, showing the money. “I am sure they will come to get it. If you don't have it, they can get very angry and to be honest, they are people who have been nice to us so far.”

  “Yeah, right!" yelled Cara.

  “By stealing your wallet, breaking into our room and planting a potentially dangerous object in my suitcase.”

  “They gave us $2,000 maybe it's worth millions and not to mention potential imprisonment.”

  “Just keep it in the car."

  “I thought of it,” said Andy. But given the high temperatures and sweltering heat in Dubai during June, it does not seem to be a good idea. If the object inside is heat sensitive, it’s going blow up and that would surely attract the attention of the authorities. That's the last thing we want. So, can we just keep it in the store room,” said Andy.

  “That's fine. Lock it and make sure the kids don't touch it,” said Cara. Carefully handling the cylinder, Andy placed the cylinder in the storeroom and locked it. The potential danger to his family was starting to sink in. What the hell have I got myself into, he thought.

  CHAPTER 22

  The soldier stood with his sword and looks around. He can hear the wailing of women and children at a distance. Disgusted by the sound, he drops his weapon and closes his ears with both hands. But the noise gets louder and louder until it becomes unbearable. He takes a short knife from his pocket and plunges it into his ears!

  Andy woke up sweating profusely. He could barely understand and was completely disoriented. Walking over to the living room he settles down on the sofa. He switches on the TV and tries to get some sleep, but in vain. Not knowing what to do, he switches on the laptop and checked his work email.

  He was not due in office until the start of next week. Browsing through the email he found nothing urgent. Closing his laptop and still unable to sleep, walked around the house in the dark trying hard not to wake the children or Cara. He will then have a lot of explaining to do. Sitting in the balcony window, he could see the cars moving in the early morning hours when he caught sight of a soft light elimination coming from the corner of the hall. Walking over, he realised it came from the inside of the store room. The door was open but he recollected locking it earlier.

  Oh no, he thought. Had the substance in any way started a fire? He hurriedly went over to the kitchen and using his phone screen light, picked up the fire extinguisher. He slammed the door open expecting fire inside. But there was no fire anywhere, just a soft glowing light. Looking around, he found the glow was coming from the cylinder. He gently touched it carefully expecting it to be hot. But it was cold. Surprised Andy lifted it to find the whole cylinder illuminating.

  It has been created by some kind of luminous substance. Never seen anything like this before, he thought. Could this be a toy, but the money and the symbol on the envelope indicated otherwise. The symbols had completely disappeared and instead, they were writings on the cylinder. Unable to believe his eyes, Andy stared at the script he had never seen before and wondered where did the symbols go?

  There was a click on the storeroom door, someone was outside!

  CHAPTER 23

  Andy slowly called out, “Cara is it you?”

  “Dad, it’s me, Eric."

  Looking sleepy and disoriented, “What are you doing here Dad?” he asked.

  “I was just about to wake up Mama. I thought there was someone in the house."

  “I was just looking for something,” Andy said.

  “In the store room?” enquired Eric. “At 3 A.M., It better be important. I am going to bed,” Eric said and walked away.

  “I am going to tell mama in the morning,” threatened Eric as he went to his room.

  “Don’t you dare, you snitch!” warned Andy, but Eric was out of earshot.

  The writings on the canister glowed in the dark and he had not seen anything like this before. He tried to take a photo but the light was too bright and the camera was unable to pick up the text. He finally wrote down on a paper and then went over to the laptop.

  Switching it on, he started searching for the script on the web. There are about 6909 languages and 2197 dialects of various languages that are spoken in the world today. After a while, he realised that a language detection software was the only way out. He p
ulled out his smartphones and took a picture of the script and fed it into a translation software but only the popular languages were available.

  CHAPTER 24

  “What are you doing up so early?”

  The question startled Andy as he was deep in thought. Turning around, he found Cara looking at him with a face filled with anxiety, and her eyes fell upon his hands holding the cylinder.

  “What have you done? I thought we agreed on the part that you would leave that thing alone. Do you realise the recuperation of your actions? I am calling the police,” she said.

  “I can't take chances with my children. Let the authorities sort it out.”

  “You are overreacting”, said Andy. Pulling her inside the storeroom, he shut the door. A few minutes passed and there was no reaction.

  “What is it?” asked Cara. “I don't see anything happening”. Slowly the cylinder started to glow.

  “It is some kind of a chemical reaction,” panicked Cara or,

  “Is it some nuclear device?”

  “Look!” Pointed Andy, as he started to turn it in the direction of Cara and she held her hands to her mouth in disbelief as the symbols turned into writings.

  “How did this happen? Yesterday, it was just symbols that were inscribed on it.”

  Andy opened the door and let the outside light flash into the room. The writings disappeared and the symbols reappeared. “This is mind-blowing craftsmanship,” said Cara.