Disaster

We were cruising down the road, heading back to Layla and Gaku’s house. The car was quiet except for the hum of the engine, so I decided to break the silence.
“So, Gaku,” I said, glancing at him from the backseat. “How did you actually end up in prison?”
“Do you remember that one time you called me in a panic about everything that was happening?” Gaku asked, leaning back and stretching.
“First time or second?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Second,” Gaku replied. “After I’d started working for the government to stop the ongoing wars around the world.”
“Yeah, I remember. What happened?”
“Well…” Gaku sighed. “I spread false rumors and outright lies to other nations, reigniting conflicts that were on the verge of resolution. Basically, I restarted the wars. That was a war crime, and it landed me in prison.”
“Oh…” I said, guilt creeping into my voice. “I’m sorry for putting you in such a tough position.”
“Don’t be,” Gaku said with a soft shake of his head. “Honestly, you’ve probably had it worse.”
“What do you mean by that?” I asked, frowning slightly.
“Think about it,” Gaku explained. “You called me… what, over a hundred times? That means you’ve likely lived through a hundred different timelines—each of them probably worse than the last. Just imagining that made me feel bad for you. That’s why I committed the war crime. I figured it was better to act and be imprisoned than to let things spiral further. Since I still had value, the government spared me from a death sentence.”
“I… I see,” I said, staring out the window. “Yeah, my life’s been rough, but maybe not as bad as you think. I guess, in a way… we’re equal now, right?” I held up my fist, offering a fist bump.
Gaku smiled and bumped my fist back. “That’s right. We’re equal now.”
He turned to me, his blue eyes brimming with a renewed determination. “Now that this is solved, let’s end this human-AI war together!”
“Hey, don’t leave me out of the fun,” Layla suddenly chimed in, leaning back from the driver’s seat. “Give me a fist bump too. I’m also dragged into this whole mess, remember?”
“Will you even be able to handle it?” Gaku teased, raising an eyebrow.
“Of course I will! With my master’s degree in rocket science and my superior strength, I’ll be one of the most important assets in this fight.” Layla crossed her arms confidently.
“I guess that’s true,” I said with a small chuckle, nodding in agreement.
“But… I’m still worried about you,” Gaku admitted, his tone softening. “I don’t want you getting hurt during this war.”
“Aww, you still care about me?” Layla said with a sly grin. “I love you!”
“I love you too!” Gaku responded instantly.
“Hey, keep your eyes on the road!” I exclaimed, noticing the car slowly veering off-course.
“Shut up!” The president suddenly snapped from the back seat. “I’m trying to contact the military, so can I have some peace and quiet?!”
“Sorry,” we all said in unison, glancing at each other sheepishly.
The next ten minutes passed in silence as we drove, and soon enough, we arrived back at Layla and Gaku’s house.
“Alright,” I said as we stepped out of the car and headed inside. “You guys stay here and start working on a plan. I’m going to check up on the future to make sure everything’s still intact.”
“Alright, bro. Stay safe,” Gaku said, giving me a nod.
“Don’t die,” Layla added casually, punching me lightly on the shoulder.
“…” the president stayed silent.
“Hey, say something!” Layla said, pinching the president’s cheek.
“Ow! Alright, alright!” The president winced. “Don’t die.”
“I already said that! Be more original.”
“Oh, please. Kill yourself!”
“Haha, no,” Layla retorted, rolling her eyes.
“Ugh… Fine,” the president groaned. “Make sure you come back in one piece. You’re the most important piece in this whole operation.”
“Thanks, and byeeeeee!” I said, jogging toward the basement door. “And don’t dieeeee!”
As I entered the basement, I glanced back briefly before stepping through the portal. I felt the familiar pull of the time rift as I returned to the future to make sure everything was still okay.
“Hi, I’m back,” I said, stepping out of the portal. “I hope I didn’t drain all the energy.”
“Oh, hey, son. How’s the past?” my dad asked, looking up from his work.
“It started good… but things have taken a turn for the worse,” I replied, rubbing the back of my neck. “Wait, where’s Mom—I mean, the AI-robot?”
“Don’t worry. She won’t betray us,” my dad assured me. “But we need to leave. Now.”
“Huh? Why?”
“The robots outside this dome can track her and hear everything she says. There’s a high chance they’re preparing to breach the dome and capture you for your knowledge.”
“Damn it,” I cursed, pacing. “How much time do we have?”
“Maybe twelve hours. Probably less. Your fake mom is doing her best to keep them at bay for now,” my dad said grimly.
“Just when I thought everything was starting to fall into place,” I muttered. “If we’re running, where are we supposed to go?”
“We Japanese aren’t the last humans left,” a familiar voice said from the door. It was my fake mom, standing there with a determined expression. “Somewhere in Russia, there’s said to be an underground base that the AI cannot detect. It’s only a theory, but I believe it’s hidden in a way that only humans can find it—something no AI could ever figure out.”
“That’s it. That’s where we’ll go,” my dad said firmly. “We need to leave now.”
“Ugh, damn it! Give me a second!” I yelled. I turned and sprinted back through the portal.
Once back in 2025, I bolted upstairs to where everyone was gathered.
“Everyone, change of plans!” I announced, grabbing their full attention. “Layla and Mr. President, write your phone numbers on a piece of paper. Gaku, you’re coming with me to the future!”
“What’s going on?” Gaku asked, startled.
“The future isn’t safe. The AI will soon breach the dome. To maintain our advantage, I need you with me in the future to strategize. Layla, you’ll stay here to protect the president while he rallies the military. I know it’s a high-risk move, but it’s our best option right now.”
“Here I thought I’d never gamble again,” the president muttered.
“Shut up, President!” I snapped, my frustration spilling over.
Layla stepped forward and grabbed Gaku’s hand. “Gaku, I’ll always love you.”
“Me too, Layla,” Gaku said softly, squeezing her hand. “I’ll always love you.”
“Stay safe.”
“You too.”
Gaku turned to me, determination shining in his eyes. “Alright, let’s go!”
“Hey, Layla,” I said as I started heading to the basement. “Don’t get hit by a car.”
Layla chuckled, handing me a piece of paper with her and the president’s phone numbers scribbled on it.
With that, Gaku and I dashed downstairs to the portal.
“Dad, is everything packed?” I asked, stepping through.
“Yes. Two backpacks—one for food, one for clothes,” my dad replied, standing ready.
Gaku followed behind me, stepping out of the portal and taking in the futuristic lab.
I walked to the particle accelerator and disconnected my phone, causing the portal to close behind us. Then, I grabbed the stack of documents from the nearby table—blueprints for the time machine and the theoretical notes that made it all possible.
“Who’s this?” my dad asked, eyeing Gaku curiously.
“This is Gaku,” I said. “Gaku, this is my dad.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Gaku said, bowing slightly.
“Nice to meet you too,” my dad replied with a nod.
I turned back to the table, picking up my phone. “Let me call one more person to come with us.”
“Who are you calling?” my dad asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Hanma Nagumo,” I said with a smirk. “Also known as my best friend.”

***

Ding dong. Ding dong.
The three of us stood outside Nagumo’s house, waiting. I jabbed the doorbell one more time.
“Yeah, hold on!” came Nagumo’s voice from inside.
A few moments later, the door opened, revealing him.
“Is that… a robotic hand?” Gaku asked, staring at Nagumo’s arm.
“Never seen one? They’re pretty common these days,” Nagumo replied casually, flexing his fingers with perfect precision.
“I’ve seen a few,” Gaku admitted, “but not with this level of control. It’s like it’s just… natural.”
“He’s from the past,” I said, shrugging. “Of course, he hasn’t seen a lot of them.”
“Ohhh, that makes way more sense,” Nagumo said, nodding.
I raised an eyebrow at both of them. “You two better not start arguing. I’m not interested in dealing with a copyright strike from whatever authors out there..”
Nagumo chuckled. “Are you referencing a manga from the past?”
“Shut up.” I then turned to my dad. “Okay, Dad. The team is all here. Where do we go now to get out of this mess?”
My dad looked at me, his face calm but determined. “To my workplace. We’ll figure out the next steps from there.”
Without wasting another second, we all piled into his car and headed off, the weight of what was coming pressing down on us like an invisible force.

To be continued…