The sky was quiet, unnaturally so. The room echoed with tension as Jihad and Jay stood side-by-side. On the desk lay the remote — pulsing softly, its blue glow flickering like a heartbeat before a storm.
Jihad: "You sure we can do this?"
Jay: "We've got no choice. If we don't go back, we'll never understand what really happened. Not just to Ibrahim… but to you."
Jihad took a long breath. "Alright. Let's fix the timeline."
Jay nodded and pressed the button.
BOOM.
Everything shattered into white.
---
[SCENE – UNKNOWN TIME – RAINING]
Thunder rolled. They weren't standing near Ibrahim's house like expected.
They were outside an old tea stall, a familiar place — too familiar.
The streets looked... different. A poster fluttered nearby. Jihad walked closer, heart skipping a beat.
> "World Cup 2022 Begins This November."
Jay (confused): "What the… 2022?"
Jihad (shocked): "We went too far."
They had landed 3 years earlier than intended — before the murder, before the investigation, before the trauma. Before everything.
Jihad looked around — this was his old neighborhood. The colors, the smell, the shop signs… he had walked these roads when he was just starting his journey as a detective.
A group of kids ran past them laughing. Jihad froze. One of the kids was...
Jihad (whispering): "That's me… that's 2022 me."
Jay watched silently. "This changes everything."
They trailed Young Jihad from a distance. He was walking into a local gym, greeting people, training hard. A different version — innocent, focused, not yet scarred by murder or betrayal.
Jay quietly spoke, "You were... happy here."
Jihad (softly): "Before I lost my father. Before I found out what justice costs."
They both turned silent.
Suddenly — a voice from behind.
> "Nice coat. You time travelers or something?"
They spun around.
It was Ibrahim — alive, younger, confident, smirking.
Ibrahim (2022): "Don't look so surprised. I haven't died yet."
Jihad's mouth opened, but words failed.
They sat inside a corner cafe with Ibrahim, unsure what to do. Telling him the truth could collapse everything.
Jay: "You know us?"
Ibrahim (2022): "Nope. But I've seen that look before — detectives chasing ghosts."
Jihad (carefully): "If I told you… someone's after you — from the future — would you believe me?"
Ibrahim: "No. But I'd laugh, offer you tea, and still check my back twice."
They all chuckled — for a moment, things felt human again.
Jihad insisted on visiting one last place — his old home. It still stood. His younger sister was inside, watching cartoons. His mother was humming a familiar lullaby.
Jay stood outside. He didn't speak. He could feel the weight.
Jihad (whispering): "I missed all this... I forgot why I started everything."
Jay put a hand on his shoulder. "But now you remember."
As they turned to leave, something glitched in the sky — a loud, electrical crackle.
From a nearby rooftop, a figure in a black hoodie stood watching them.
Jay (alert): "We're not alone."
Jihad narrowed his eyes. "He came here too…"
The figure jumped down — they couldn't see the face, only the glowing red lens on the side of the mask.
He ran. They chased.
After chasing the masked figure through the streets of 2022, Jihad and Jay lose sight of him. He disappears into the shadows like a ghost.
They stop, catching their breath near an old phone booth.
Jihad (panting): "This timeline… it's not where we were meant to land."
Jay (worried): "What if this… wasn't a mistake?"
Suddenly, the time remote starts shaking in Jihad's coat. The light turns red for the first time. A strange message appears on its screen:
> "Timeline Breach Detected."
> "Someone is already here."
Jay looks at Jihad.
Jay: "What does that mean?"
Before Jihad can respond, a screen flashes on the back of the remote — it shows CCTV footage from 2022.
On the screen: A figure is walking into Ibrahim's house.
Jihad squints.
His face turns pale.
It's Jihad himself. Again. But it's not from their timeline… and not the future version.
It's a third Jihad.
One they don't recognize.
Jihad (quietly): "Who... is that?"
Jay (shaken): "You told me there was only one future version of you…"
Jihad (whispers): "I was wrong."
The screen glitches.
> "He has arrived."
Fade to black.
---
TO BE CONTINUED…