Karan's POV:

Present Timeline [2008]

Deal.

The four-letter word sent shivers down our spines.

It should have been an innocuous note but what made it sinister was the logo emblazoned at the bottom — QD. The organization we had so many questions about, the one we were almost on the brink of uncovering. Its logo stared back at us, mocking and daring us to unravel its mysteries.

The QD logo was a shield, its hollow center crammed with intricate design elements. A star, divided into stark black and white halves sat prominently. Below it, in a bold western-style font, were the words "Quan Datum." An arrow pointed to the right. Below that, the letters "QD" were written with a flourish and at the very bottom, a leafy design added an almost whimsical touch.

"Looks like an over-the-top attempt at normalcy," I observed, scrutinizing the logo's elaborate details.

"And a shady data company," Jay added, his voice tinged with suspicion.

"What?" I turned to him in surprise.

Jay's eyes were fixed on the logo, a frown creasing his forehead. "How do you not feel something off about it?"

"But..."

"Mhm?"

"Well, it's just..." I trailed off, struggling to articulate my thoughts. "We don't know if someone made this to mess with us or if it's truly from them."

Jay sighed. "I guess that's a fair point. But who would go to such lengths to draw a logo just to mess with us? It could be a doodle, yes, but not this detailed. The logo says 'established in 1930.' That explains the western font but I can't even imagine working with such a company."

"Maybe it was once revered as a famous company," I suggested, trying to piece together the puzzle. "That could explain it, right?"

We stood by the bookshelf, our voices hushed, hoping no one would overhear our conversation.

"But if it was revered, where in the world did it disappear to? Companies don't just vanish into thin air," His frustration boiled over as he threw his hands in the air.

"We're talking about older days, so..." I reasoned, trying to calm him down.

"Huh... maybe you're right, after all," Jay conceded, scratching the back of his head.

Maya's POV:

Timeline: Later 2003 and early 2004

"Huh... maybe you're right, after all," I said to Riddhi as she gave me a quick tour of Yahoo Messenger.

The interface was simple yet sophisticated and there was something alluring about it, if that was even the right term. I considered it for a while, weighing my options.

Nope. I was more than happy with my current social platforms – trying to keep up with AOL was already a big deal. But the world of Y!M, which claimed to be better, was intriguing.

"Fine," I admitted at last, "If that's your jam, you can create one for me as well. I probably won't use it as much, but you already knew that. Keep my ID, pretend to be me if you want to step into the boots of the villainess but don't do anything too sketchy."

Riddhi grinned, clearly delighted with my concession. She always had a knack for pulling me into her tech experiments and I found it hard to say no to her enthusiasm.

The aroma of spices wafted through the air. I could hear my mom and grandmother bustling in the kitchen, their laughter and chatter a comforting backdrop to our conversation.

I wish I could say the same for the world of Y!M which promised joy and comfort at one's fingertips.

Things didn't go well.

❛Female loveliness, in especial, is more than
one half disenchanted beneath its evil eye.❜
— Edgar Allan Poe

a/n: So, i know this is quite the short chapter with roughly only 600 words BUT I had to end it at that line. We might see a merge of timelines in chapter 33, after all or it'd be another short chapter until that happens.

The timeline got a slight shift and I wanted to elaborate on that.

Early 2000's: late 1999 to 2003

Later 2003 to 2006 would be a shortened, quick pace glimpse at things before we finally get to uncover the truths behind... well, QD. Which reminds me, I need to craft chapters for that as well. But, probably, it might come later on.

I also participated in Wattys2024 did I tell you that? Lemme show you

Here's the logo of QuanDatum:

Hope you're enjoying the chapters! Do share your thoughts and opinions on the same!

Cheers,
Sara