Tides Of Change (1)

7:32 AM,

Zhongnanhai, Beijing, People's Republic Of China.

Zhongnanhai is a former imperial garden in the Imperial City, Beijing and is adjacent to the Forbidden City. It serves as the central headquarters for the Communist Party of China and the State Council(Central government) of China.

A group of dignified officials were silently standing as if they were waiting for something. From time to time, they would cast their vision towards the person in the middle. He was the current president of China and the most powerful person in the world, according to Forbes. He had an aura of dignity and authority around him as he stood in the front. All the officials tried to be in their best form as they accompanied him. Most of them did not know the reason that they were summoned.

An orange glow could be seen in the east as the sunrise started. The weather was cold, and the surroundings were calm. The president was currently holding a piece of paper in his hand. Though he seemed serene in the outside, the same could not be said for his heart. He looked at the piece of paper in his hand once again. It read:

The whole world is filled with murk,

the people all are drunk,

The sun beyond the mountains glows;

The Yellow River seawards flows.

You can enjoy a grander sight,

By watching the west in the morning light.

Mr President, it is regretful that you did not heed our warning. Though people wake up every morning, they don't truly awaken and continue their small, worthless lives. We are in the process of creating a perfect world, and it is a pity that you do not wish to accompany us on our way to the stars. But my Lord is merciful. He has decided to give you the last chance. Look towards the west during sunrise, today. We sincerely hope that this will be sufficient to steer your thoughts into the right path.

Yours faithfully

Wang Lin, Public Affairs Department, Nirvana

Suddenly, all the people heard sound some sounds as if a flight was nearing. It was a no-fly zone, and yet they saw a commercial aeroplane flying towards them from the east. Soon their puzzlement turned to horror when they noticed that the plane was in descent.

No warnings have been issued. Even the air defence mechanisms were unresponsive as if they have been shut down. The President did not lose his cool as he looked at the descending aeroplane. The security guards surrounded him.

Just them, more sounds were heard as they saw three more flights coming towards them from other directions. All four of them were Chinese commercial airliners. Their speeds increased as they came closer. Gasps were heard in the group as some people thought of something horrible. The President's pupils shrank as he saw those four flights become larger.

By this time, the sound from those planes was too high, and many people closed their ears. They watched with terror as the colossal flights moved a few hundred feet above them.

BOOM!

No one would have seen a more horrifying incident as the four civilian air-crafts crashed into each other at once. The incident happened above a park which was on the west of Zhongnanhai. Flames rained from the sky as the trees in the park were set aflame. People ran for shelter and escaped in all directions. The sound was heard even tens of kilometres away. Shocking cries was heard as many people looked at the flames rising into the sky. The officials didn't know what was happening as they looked towards their leader.

The President maintained his serenity, which calmed the officials a little. As long as the leader was calm, he will be a pillar of support for the followers. But if one carefully observed, they would find the fingers of the President holding the paper, was slightly trembling.

…

10:02 AM

A Podium in front of the Public Hospital, Bangalore, India

"Ranganath, how is the work with the iconic building? Is it going to be finished as planned?" the chief minister asked the old man beside him. This person was the same Chief minister who had given the contract to Taarini with the guarantee of Maahi and the Ahuja group.

"The work is progressing at a good pace. The building will complete before the election notification comes. Ms Maahi and the Ahuja group are giving their full support. Even I find it shocking. So no worries there, it is bound to help you gain additional favour in the educated class." Ranganath replied with a reassuring smile.

The Chief Minister smiled when he heard these words, "As long as my social welfare schemes work out with the poor class, then it won't be hard to win the second term." the chief minister walked up to the podium and greeted Vandana Sharma who was a minister in his cabinet. She was an active worker and an ambitious woman.

"Welcome, Mr Chief Minister, everything had been prepared," Vandana Sharma smiled as she led him. The Chief Minister smiled as he said, " Ms Vandana, I heard that you wanted me to meet some person?"

Vandana Sharma smiled as she said, "Yes, he is Mr Ishaan, who is a very successful entrepreneur. Some people are hailing his Startup as the new revolution in Bangalore's IT industry. I thought, maybe you could spare some time to meet him. He has become the idol for many software professionals. It would help our image as an entrepreneur-friendly government if we could establish good relations with him."

The Chief Minister smiled as he said, "Why not? I would be glad to meet him."

"Thank you, sir."

The Chief Minister waved towards the followers of their party and the civilians who had gathered to support him. The people who had gathered excitedly shouted slogans fo support and hailed the chief minister. He smiled as he took a mic and spoke in a clear voice, "thank you for supporting our party. I am very grateful and honoured by your presence. With your blessings, we have established a separate dialysis unit in the public hospital with a capacity of five hundred people. From now on, no poor person will be denied dialysis treatment."

Whistles and cheers sounded as the chief minister calmed them down and began a little propaganda for his party. Suddenly, he noticed that a group of unknown people were walking up the stage. His brows slightly wrinkled when he saw that the police were not able to stop them.

These people were dressed in the same set of dark clothes. The clothes seemed to have been made of unique material as they flowed like water when these people moved. They all wore black masks. The only difference was that the person who seemed to be their leader had a red vertical line across his left part of the mask. Anyone who came near them was sent flying away with a punch no one got up afterwards. These people walked in a slow and steady pace.

The security guards did not waste a second as they opened fire on these people. The chief minister felt his heart skip when he saw that these people did not stop even after firing. He could see the tinkling sound of metal falling on the ground. The Chief Minister (CM) could not believe that such a technology existed.

The CM tried to put a smile on his face as he asked, "Fellow citizens, why are you disrupting public order like this? If you have any problem, we could talk it over. I assure you that I will try to help you."

The leader had dark eyes which sent chills running through the CM's spine. He took out a metal capsule and rotated it clockwise. A blue light sparkled, and all the electronic devices in the range of one kilometre stopped working. These included cameras of media personnel, phones, hospital equipment, traffic lights, some cars, even CM's mic. The leader sneered, "How can a puny leader like you help me? Why would I even be here if it was not for your country leader's foolish decision? So, if you want to blame someone for your death, blame your central government."

"Death?", the CM's face paled when he heard these words. Before he could continue, the leader punched his chest. The leader's movement was at such a high speed where ordinary people felt like the leader's hand did not move at all.

The CM's rib cage collapsed as the pieces of those ribs punctured his heart and lungs. His body collapsed on the stage while everyone stood frozen like a statue. No one had expected that death could come so quickly and in such a straightforward manner. Vandana Sharma stared blankly as the CM's pupils lost their focus.

"Boss, we have info on the special mission that young master Andrews has given us?" a person in the dark robes asked the leader. These followers seemed to have ignored other people entirely as if they were not worthy of their attention.

The leader who had a scarlet line on his mask nodded and said, "Let's go."