"Robertson, the President needs to see you in half an hour. Please report to his office now," the intercom buzzed.

I forced my unwilling feet to his chamber and knocked.

"Come in," the leader commanded.

I entered to find him in his high,  black-leather chair, waiting for me, his fingertips touching. It was evident that he was in deep thought.

"Doctor, you know we have very less time. The nuclear missiles are already set at strategic locations, ready to fire at the press of a switch. It is targeting main cities like St Petersburg, Moscow and..."

"I know," I said, dropping the papers on the table, "I know you want spies to know what the Soviets are doing. I know you want to create humanoids and you need me to set a programming for them. Do you think I'm sitting idle? I'm working 24 by 7. It's different when you're completely a machine. But when you're not, and you want to implant metallic parts in a living human, you need to check for bio-compatibility and hypersensitivity anaphylaxis, body reactions and toxicity. On top of that there is finding a matter of choice. Titanium, the most useful element is sparse in present earth. In spite of everything, I'm trying."

I struggled to catch my breath after such a long speech.

He narrowed his eyes and bit his lips. Finally he sighed,"Fine. I can give you 72 hours maximum."

"Thank you," I muttered, strutting out of the room.

💻💻💻💻💻💻💻💻💻💻💻💻

I was walking down the streets, looking at the serene world around me. Little did they know that everything was going to be demolished in a few weeks.

Suddenly I saw a lady materialize out of a corner, deftly moving me. She was tall and thin, with lovely dark hair and blue eyes.

"Dr Robertson?" she extended her hands.

"Yes, but you..." I struggled to remember if I ever knew her.

"I'm Doctor Ivanovich, Katerina Ivanovich," she smiled as I shook her hand.

"You're Russian? " I asked pointedly, clutching the papers tightly to my chest.

"Does that bother you?" she asked calmly.

She was kind of weird, glowing and unearthly. Her presence surprisingly didn't feel like there was someone. But she was right before me, and I had touched her.

"No it doesn't. Excuse me. I need to go," I commented, trying to get away.

"Afraid of facing one of them, and helping in making weapons to destroy whole populations. You're such a coward," she chuckled.

"I'm not, and I don't know what you're talking about," I tried to feign innocence, even as my breathing sped up.

"If  America has acquired weapons of destruction, isn't it quite plausible that Russia has it too? Russia won't tolerate American ego and a deadly nuclear war is an impending reality," she said in a matter-of-fact way.

"Dr Rover, my nuclear physicist friend had predicted a doomsday where radioactivity will burn the entire world," I sighed, still wondering why I was revealing my feelings to her.

"This war, like the other world wars, won't just be over with the warriors. The other nations would soon be sucked in, turning it into a radioactive inferno, wiping away humans from the face of earth. Do you want it Robertson?" Katerina pointed.

I stood speechless, did I want it? No. But I was bound.

"But, why are you telling it all to me? I don't know anything," I tried my best to guess how she knew everything.

Katerina perhaps guessed the dilemma in my mind.

"Well, you must be sworn to secrecy. I'm not a spy or anything. I am a nuclear scientist in Russia and one of the rebels against the government. We are having an uprising against the stacking up of nuclear weapons," she confessed.

"I'm against it all too. But I'm bound. What can I do?" I finally yielded.

"Stop working with them. I know you can't stop this madness and the war, yet you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you didn't have anything to do with the apocalypse," she suggested.

"And why do think I'll do that?" I enquired.

"Because, you're a good man Robertson," she smiled coyly.

"Whoa! You just saw me today, and you know that I'm a good man?"

"Certainly not," she said, pointing towards the collar of my apron, "I've been keeping a watch on you by my super tracker. It can record video and sounds stealthily and transmit them to me, all the while escaping any detectors."

I froze, "W... What d...did you record? You'll get me executed."

"Don't worry. Nobody knows where I am, neither your army, nor mine," she stared at me, her liquid ocean eyes, exuding warmth and confidence.

"But, you're here," I retorted, "What if somebody attacks you now? What if I do it to protect my identity?"

My revolver came to my hands as fast as lightning. I fired two shots without thinking. That woman knew too much. I couldn't risk myself or my country's secrets.

To my utter horror, the bullet passed right through her body, hitting the lamppost with a zing.

I shivered, backing off, as a trilling laugh rang out, "I guessed that you could get violent Robertson, but your secrets are safe with me."

"Who are you? What are you?" I screamed frantically.

"I'm not here as you think me to be. This is just a 3D hologram of me, nothing but a hallucination, a mirage. I am using a hidden projector. I'm currently sitting in Novosibirsk, in an abandoned castle, staring at your bewildered face on my computer screen," she giggled.

"Please let me go. Please don't tell my seniors. I'll be punished," I shuddered, trying to remember how a, traitor is punished in the world of technology.

Suddenly I found myself in an unknown city, it's streets teeming with life.

My frantic eyes fell on a billboard.

"St Petersburg! So beautiful, " I gasped.

The scene changed immediately to Moscow and then the journey took me through the nooks and corners, the valleys and alleys, the beaches, and hamlets of Russia, trailing through its most intriguing corners.

Suddenly the scene changed and bombs started raining all around, forming swirling radioactive dust storms and mushroom clouds. I was feeling the heat on my skin. I could here people scream, children run, and old women collapse on the street, never to get up.

A few charred ones were rushing through the streets.

A voice seemed to float from far, "Please don't aid them in destroying my country."

"I surely won't," I screamed, my hands over my face, "Please stop this."

My hallucinations disappeared.

"That was another hologram, but this time, controlled by a time travel feature. What I showed you wasn't a simulation, but an actual reality of what is to come. If you don't stop it on time... " Katerina walked a step towards me.

I was awestruck at the advancements in science by the unknown scientist, hiding from civilization.

"Okay, bye. I need to go. The battery won't last long. Hope my words would mean something to you."

"Wait,I just have one more question. You're just so tech-savvy," I suddenly caught her hand.

"Of course," she assured.

"Is this really how you look like? Or is this a simulated face too?" I enquired childishly.

"What if I say t-h-i-s is m-y face?" she chuckled.

"I'd go to Russia to search for you," I gave a lopsided grin.

She winked.

🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

"Robertson, do you realize what you just said?" my exasperated Commander, ran his hand through his balding hair.

"Don't pull out the remainder of your hairs, Sir," I chuckled.

"Doctor, I don't think that's a good idea," Jennifer, my personal secretary said with pleading eyes.

"I'm sorry. I've made my decision. I won't work for this project anymore. You want to create humanoids, to unleash terror? You're free to do on your will. I won't be involved with this craving for power and bloodshed anymore," I declared.

Commander Hopkins banged his fist on the table, his face red. Raising a scrawny finger at me he warned,"You'll suffer Robertson. The President won't be happy. I can help get you a promotion with a new salary hike and incentives. Would you like that?"

"I don't just care about you and that freak of a president who has started the Third World War with his shrewd ways," I said fearlessly, "Don't ever try to threaten, bribe or blackmail me. I am not going to be a perpetrator of atrocities on the innocents of both nations. Commoners shouldn't suffer due to the bloodthirsty nature of the war-mongers."

I could feel his eyes boring into me as I stormed out of the office and  throwing my ID card in the dustbin, I proceeded to my car.

And there was Katerina, leaning against a tree, a smile on her face. And in a whiff, her image vibrated with static and the hologram was gone.

1500 words completed.

A/N Written for the may contest by ScienceFiction

Thanks to all for reading. Hope you enjoy it. Pipigrin
MaryFahey KashishBelikov