_____ June 6, 2018 _____

This chapter is dedicated to Hitha (hitharai) again, for taking some time out in finding THE NUMBER for me!💕 You da Best!
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- niha -

"These are all the papers in which I got some non-connecting numbers on the go!" Rami said.

That was a lot of papers. We anyways took it from him and started off the searching. The papers had random numbers in random places between sentences.

"Okay. Let's begin with this." I said to April. We grouped ourselves for this. It was seriously irritating to be the only one sitting on the couch while everyone were spreading papers on the floor. Avi ordered me to sit up because of this stupid-ass knee of mine. It was bleeding. I don't know why, but I kind of stopped feeling it. I guess that's the thing about pain- you stop feeling it after some time 'cause you get used to it. 

"Okay. Where is the number in this, Rami? It's just waves!" Nick asked, waving a paper at Rami.

"Oh! Sorry! Some of those papers are Histograph prints. Here you go!" Rami got up and went to open another of the topmost drawers. Gosh! This wall! How many drawers does it have? He took a small glass piece from it and put it inside what looked like a box and switched it on. It was a clip-projector. Wow! It showed waves with numbers next to it.

"These waves means numbers. See this wave? It means 1, and this, 2 and so on like mentioned here. So, can you understand now?" Oh yeah! It was easy now. The numbers had curvy waves, while the letters had pointed ones. We could differentiate. 

Everybody started working. Writing down numbers and stuff. 

"Kids! You have to see this!" We suddenly heard a sound from outside. That was Swaroop Uncle. When did he even leave the room?

We all got up and went out. A vehicle was leaving and it didn't look anything familiar to the ones we knew. 

"Okay. The stone." Swaroop Uncle said, pointing to a bag that was kept of the ground next to him. Nick and Avi went to open the bag. Gosh! It was so much bigger in real and it wasn't baby pink, it was orange!

"That is a Tampleget Stone. It is a color changing stone as you can see. And, it turns out, it does do the conversion of Sunlight thing. You would hate this Rami, it converts Sunlight into pure Infrared waves. That's what the team who just researched it, said." And that, changed the color on Rami's face!

"Seriously? Damn it! I should've known!" Rami started walking hurriedly left to right with his hands constantly brushing his hair and his forehead started sweating profusely! "Shit!" He kept telling.

"What's it?"

"I could've stopped it if only I had noticed this stone before! Shit!" He kept telling.

"Rami!" Nick held him and shook him to stop telling that again and again.

"Huh! What?" Wait.. What? Rami started crying! We all went around him. 

"You don't know what have I done! Shit!" He cried more and more with every word.

"Rami! Rami!" Swaroop Uncle held him. "It isn't your fault. You didn't know!" Rami hugged him and started crying. We all just stood there, having no idea as to what was going on.

"Infinity was kept in the dark, remember?" started Swaroop Uncle. We all nodded. "Well, it wasn't completely dark! Infrared light was there when humans weren't inside. It kind of kept Infinity healthy. And, this stone was giving Infinity the light all these years. If this stone wouldn't be there, Hastha, T and Murugan would be here. And, Rami, well, he thinks it was his responsibility to find out about the stone." Oh Rami! 

"Rami, it isn't your fault. You need to get over everything. It was even our fault for have even come here. So, it is totally unfair if you put everything on your head!" I said.

"You don't get it. I could have saved Kanishk. That stone was the reason Infinity got to know what was happening outside, not electricity! If that stone wasn't there, all this wouldn't have happened and KRI would be working till date! I, I.." He broke down again. Holy shit! So, that Stone.. Son of a bitch!

"Wait. You said it was put up there by someone, right? Why would he even put it there if he knew what the stone did?" after a lotthinking, Jake opened his mouth.

"Hate to agree, but, he has a point." said Avi.

"Once we're done with this number thing, we will.." I was cut out..

"Team-Z!" Swaroop Uncle was the one to scream this time!

"What? Wait. WHAT?" Rami stopped his to-and-fro walk and looked at Swaroop Uncle who looked at him with both their eyes widening with every breathe. Fear crawled into their eyes. "Are you sure? Well. That explains it though!" Rami sat down on a broken wall. 

"Excuse me. Do we get to widen our eyes too? Who is this Team-Z?" Avi said. Wait, aren't they the ones who shot me? "Yes. Uncle at least I need to know. I have a gift they gave me!" I said, pointing to my knees. "What?" Now it was everyone else's turn to widen their eyes.

"How do you know that, we never told you!" Rami said. "Well, I was sub-conscious, not unconscious when you took me from the car to building after the chasing and the shot! I heard little bit of your conversation and got to know one of the 'Team-Z' members shot me and they were the ones chasing us." I said.

"Okay. First we find the number and then we'll tell you about that too. Wait. No! You have no idea what sort of trouble you're in for have knowing how much you know right now. So, for now, it's good if you don't know about Z. And mind it, no one, I mean, no one should even know you've been here or anywhere for that matter near me! Get that?" Rami said.

We nodded. We all walked inside and continued our work. Avi helped me get in. It was weird, yet nice to see him take care of me like that. I liked it.

Swaroop Uncle brought the Stone in and then took another packet. "It's 6 o'clock you guys. You didn't even have lunch for God's sake. Eat this." He passed a packet of Burger to all of us. We had to eat! We didn't realize how hungry were we until we started eating. There were extra burgers and that also was fought for. A soft drink and there, we were smiling.

"Guys! I noticed this." Nick said. He was the only one who was checking the papers even while eating.

"I kind of saw the paper that differentiated the letters of this wave language. And, see this, it basically says. '7 was their number.' and something else. Does that mean anything. I mean, it's repeated in this, this and this papers and looks like the rest of the explanation tells about the Scientists too, I mean, the people involved in the making. So..?" 

"Actually, even I got the same number that time when I check another set of papers, but I also got 14." Avi added.

"Well. 7 can be it. There is a chess game with 7 moves." Swaroop Uncle spoke.

"Why didn't you tell that to me before?" Rami threw a tantrum. 

"Well, you never asked and I thought your idea was stupid until now." Adult shits.

"Well. Here you see, 7 is here too. This is about boxes, as it is written by Rami here." said Jake pointing at the double peak with a lesser low peak which by now we knew was 7!

"I guess this is it guys. Because, you know 7 is a number of Religion. I mean, from History, 7 had many resemblances and power. It was a prime odd number with almost everything ending at it." April said. "Like, there are 7 Wonders of the World, 7 sins in Catholic Sacraments, 7 Hindu Chakras, 7 is everywhere, in every religion and in every other places too. Since we are talking about History, 7 would be a relevant number to chose and since it is a bunch of Indians who decided the moves, I guess 7 would be their Primary choice, because they see more than one dimension to anything, even if it was just deciding which game to play!" Since when did April know all this? 

It was like she read our mind! "Actually, in Delhi I was given a punishment to sit in Artistic History class for a week and why? For breaking the dress code of Halloween. So, I kind of know a week of history!"

"Woah! So 7?" I asked. "Is there a game even? I mean in 7 moves?"

"Yes. There is a game with 7 moves. It's called the Legal Trap! We sacrifice our queen for the game. So, now, 7 it is. What next?" We had a bigger problem now.

"Leave that to me." Why the f*ck did I say that? "I am talking to T's Mom tomorrow." 

"Seriously Ni? You think she is going to give you 32 people? 3-2-32." Jake raised an eyebrow.

"What's there in trying?"

"And what are you going to tell her?" April also raised an eyebrow.

"Everything she should know. And pretty as it isn't, she will be ready to do anything if I just tell her it might get two of her family back.. So.. I don't think that is a problem!" T's Mom was the most innocent soul on Earth right now. I have to cook up something for her.

"Guys. This thing's been bothering me!" out of nowhere, said Jake pointing at the stone bag kept at a distance. "See. As we know, this stone gave the powers to Infinity and all our research to play a game is to go to the past and only Infinity can lead us there, right? So, now that we took the stone, don't you think Infinity will lose it powers and all of the Infinity present here will eventually die?" Gosh! He was so right.

"Swaroop! This boy has more brains than you!" Rami smirked.

"Yes. you might be right Jake. I'll call a team to put it back, now!" Saying that Uncle went out. Everyone patted Jake for presence of mind.

"Now it's all your work, Ni!" said Nick, pointing at me.

Yes, I know.

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Hope, the hype is still on. Love you all!

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