Chap 17

- Final -

Poof!

An electrical sphere appeared out of nowhere on the empty beach, followed by a cloud of sandy smoke. Out of the cloud flew Yuri and Jessica ten meters into the air. The sudden presence of humans scared the seagulls and the sea lions away, which barked back into the clear waters of Jeju Island. Both girls crashed onto the surface hard.

"Owwww... my butt!" Yuri cried, grabbing her behind in pain.

"You think your butt hurts? I bet my leg hurts even more!" Jessica replied, grabbing onto the leg that she broke in the corpse-filled chamber earlier.

When the pain subsided, Sica and Yuri stood up and limped over to each other. Time travel was not an easy task to grasp. "Where are we? When are we?

Yuri took a wooden stick and stuck it in the coastal sand to make a miniature sundial. "Looks like it's about... 3:15 in the afternoon. So I guess the time machine actually did work. Let's see, where did I put that pocket watch?... Oh here it is-" But when Yuri took it out from her back pocket, she noticed it was crushed from the impact.

"F*** my life..." she mumbled under her breath.

"So we know the time-- but what about the date?"

"Well, following the directions of the book, I set it to 2 days ago. Let's just hope and pray that I didn't accidentally send us back to dinosaur period."

The sun was starting to set across the horizon, as the waters reflected the golden rays of the sun. They both turned around and noticed they were in the exact same spot as they were before, only this time no one else in existence knew that behind the wall of the cliff before them stood a 600 year old chamber where the two girls barely managed to make it out alive. In the right side of the cliff was a staircase that led up to the surface, a news that brought the two girls smiling. Yuri helped Sica walk and together, they grabbed the Book of Life and climbed up the staircase. When their feet touched the surface, the sight of modern tourists suddenly became the most beautiful sight they've ever seen in their life.

"Hey look it's SNSD!" some of the tourists remarked. Not wanting to draw attention, especially after escaping death, they covered their faces as best as they could and rushed to the nearest medical clinic. They entered the room and fortunately, there was no waiting line. A couple minutes later, the doctor saw Sica's leg and and wrapped it around in a cast. He noticed the book nearby and picked it up. "Wow, you must be a pretty smart lady, carrying around such a heavy book. *cough cough* You should clean your house more, this book is so dusty and-"

When the doctor was about to open it out of curiosity, Sica immediately snatched it away from him. "Oh this is my...uh... diary! I don't usually let people touch it, so excuse me." Smiling, she returned to the chair. As the doctor was putting on the finishing touch for the cast, he placed his hands on Sica's knees by faking a medical inspection and began moving his hands more up, enjoying himself and admiring the silky smooth skin. Suddenly, she grabbed a surgical blade nearby and stuck it just in front of his throat.

"Go up even further and I will cut you up like sushi," Jessica threatened. The hands left her thigh and soon, both girls left the clinic planning their next move.

"So why would Tae tell us that the wisest decision would be today, 3pm?" Sica asked. Just then, Yuri realized why and thanked Tae for helping her make that wise decision.

"Sica, what time is it?"

"Oh, it's about... five right now. Why?"

"Don't you remember what happened today? The bomb! Today is when Chang placed bombs in our apartment and detonated it! I think Tae wanted us to prevent that from happening. When did the bombs detonate, again?"

"If I remember correctly, it was... around seven. So we have about two hours to fly to Seoul. How're we going to achieve that? I heard this is the busiest time of the day, when almost all flight schedules are packed."

"Sica-- just leave it to me. TAXI!!"

* * *

Jeju international airport was huge, although not as huge as Incheon International and definitely not even remotely close to the size of the treasure chamber they were once in. The girls entered through the doors, their eyes covered with sunglasses, and was surrounded by noise everywhere. The PA announcer announced the flight schedule as usual. While chaos was going around, both Yuri and Sica began searching around for the two people they were looking for. A couple of minutes after wandering around, they located their targets.

"LEETEUK OPPA! SHINDONG OPPA!" both Yuri and Sica called out.

The two guys' heads turned around and was met with excitement and joy. They both hugged each other like two best friends who haven't seen each other in years. "Yuri, Jessica! What are you guys doing here?" Leeteuk greeted them, "So I heard you had an emergency that needed our help. What is it?"

"Well, you see, we have to get to Seoul as soon as possible but the tickets are all gone... What time is your flight?"

"Oh, our flight is in five minutes. If you guys were in an emergency, why'd you guys come to Jeju in the first place?"

"We'll tell you all about it when we get to Seoul. Ummm, I know this is asking too much but.... do you guys think we could use your tickets instead of you guys? Pleeeease..."

Leeteuk looked up at the ceiling and thought about it. "Ummmm... sorry can't help you there. We're tired of Jeju right now and we have a pretty busy schedule we have to prepare for tomorrow and--"

"I'll give you Yoona's phone number" Yuri added with a sweet tone.

Immediately, Leeteuk grabbed Shindong's ticket and handed both tickets to the girls. "Here take it!"

"Thanks oppa, you're the best!" With that, she blew him a kiss. As the girls entered through the gates, Sica looked at the watch. They had a little bit more than an hour left.

"You think we'll make it, Yuri?" Inside the plane, they made themselves comfortable and lied down. Yuri looked out the window of the plane and saw the city lights blur past her as the plane flew across the red sunset sky.

"Let's just hope and pray we do, Sica.".

* * *

The wheels of the plane touched and landed at Incheon International. Jessica and Yuri hurriedly sped past the crowd of citizens. They couldn't afford to waste even a precious second. A taxi was waiting for them just outside the airport entrance. The two got in and told the driver the address to their dorm, the dorm that, in their time, blew up and severely injured seven of their members. It was 6:50 pm.

The tires skidded on the cement as both Yuri and Sica got out of the car just a couple of feet from where the past-Yuri was negotiating with Chang. The two girls hid behind the side wall of the apartment. Sica still held the book tightly in her hand.

"Okay, so now we're here and we miraculously made it in time... now what?" Sica whispered.

"The only way to stop Chang from blowing the whole building down is to kill him before he detonates the bomb. The question now is how do we successfully kill him without drawing any attention."

"Yul, you took care of getting here, so it's my turn to take care of getting rid of this guy. What I'm about to show you is top secret, so do not tell even a soul..."

From the wall that they were standing on, Sica retraced her steps about 9 meters out. Sica kneeled on the ground and knocked on the soft earth. Clang! Clang! The dirt made a hard metallic sound when she knocked on it. In the distance, they heard Chang become suspicious but soon noticed it was a false alarm. Sica removed some dirt from a patch of grass to reveal an iron hinge. She opened it and together with Yul walked down the steps into a basement room that was relatively small yet spacious. The room was like something out of an action movie; it was filled with every assault weapons you can think of, ranging from M4A1s to Daewoo K2s* to M110 sniper rifles to rocket launchers to frag grenades and flash bangs, literally every weapon in the military inventory. "Alright Yul, choose your pick." Yuri just stood there dumbfounded.

"Ummm... Do you have anything smaller, maybe a secondary weapon?" Immediately, Sica reached under a table and took out a briefcase. Inside was a very diverse range of pistols, ones that would make any military in the world jealous. Yuri picked up a random handgun, only to find it was heavier than she thought. However, she didn't have time to think about problems like that. Grabbing the cartridge with .44mm rounds, Yuri loaded the gun and ran up the steps and on to the grassy surface. Limping with a broken leg that still hasn't healed, Jessica followed suit. Just then, they both heard Chang say his goodbyes to the past-Yuri and close his car doors.

This was the moment that Chang had detonated the bomb.

Reaching into her pocket to grab the black ski mask she took from the basement along with her gun, Yuri pulled the mask over her head and made ready to move. Jessica looked into her eyes. 'You sure you want to do this?' Sica tried to ask her telepathically. Magically, Yul got the message and nodded. Grabbing the pistol in hand, she walked forward toward the car as it began to move. Her finger pulled the trigger and two shots fired out the muzzle and shattered the rear window. The car came to a sudden halt. Chang got out furiously.

"Hey, who the hell are you?! What do you think you're doing to my--"

Bang! Bang! Two more shots fired out of the gun and into Chang's chest. This was the second time both girls witnessed Chang die right in front of their eyes. The fatal wounds were enough to make his blood stream out of his body, out of his mouth, and choke him with his own blood. The very man that threatened the girls' lives was no more, as he collapsed onto the cold cement. The detonator fell out of his lifeless hand. Yuri's eyes met with her past self, who was standing there in the cold gasping in surprise. She remembered the note that Nikolai Tesla wrote in the book, along with the instructions: "When traveling through time-space, be very cautious to meet with your past self. This very event can distort the time-space continuum*, as the great Professor Einstein had predicted."

"Well, I guess I didn't need to save Chang back there in Jeju, considering I finally got the revenge I wished for here..." Yuri smiled.

Just when the girls thought everything was over, Chang's driver and chauffeur opened the door and got out with guns; one pointed his gun at Yuri while the other at Sica. Their faces were covered with shades to hide their identity. Yuri and Sica looked at each other worriedly and then Yul raised her hands as a sign of surrender. She placed the gun on the floor, kicked it back, and approached the two men cautiously. When she got close enough, she reached into her pocket and pulled out the piece of paper that Tae had given to her just before he died. "A friend of mine told me to give this to you," she said as she handed the note to the driver. He opened it and read it. Immediately, he lowered his gun and so did the chauffeur, and he took of his glasses.

The face behind the shades was, without a doubt, Tae Kyun himself. Out of the corner of his mouth formed a snickering smile. The chauffeur took off his glasses as well and revealed his face to the two girls. There was only one person in the world with the face behind the chauffeur's glasses: Hyo Joon.

"Wait... you were Chang's driver and you were his chauff--"

"Well done, Yuri. You guys found what you were looking for. Hyo and I was going to find conclusive evidence for Chang's dreadful actions over the past 10 years and have him arrested, but looking at his state, it seems like that will be impossible... Come on Hyo, let's get back to the police station. We'll finally be able to live a peaceful life."

"Wait, what? I'm confused now," Hyo remarked as he was looking back and forth from Yuri to Tae and back to Yuri. Sica was about to run towards him to feel his embrace one final time, but Yuri stuck her arm out to stop her. "He doesn't know he died, yet... or will die in the future." She bid Tae and Hyo Joon goodbye as the two men got inside the car. Tae came close to Yul and whispered in her ear, "What happens to me in the future?"

"Sorry, but that's a secret between me and the future you." Then Yuri gave him a wink. Tae smiled and gave her a note that he wrote, then stepped on the accelerator of the car. Chang's limo left the streets and soon out of Yuri and Sica's sight. "Maybe I'll visit them in the police station sometime," Sica said smiling. Yuri opened the note that Tae left her and her smile disappeared. It read:

"I know that Hyo and I die in the future that you girls came from. And from 600 years of experience, I learned that when you time travel, everything happens for a reason, that you can't escape fate. Good bye Yuri and Sica. Tonight will be the last night for us alive."

Hyo and Tae will be no more, Yuri realized. Not wanting to break Sica's already fragile heart, she decided to refrain from telling her the news. When the two heads turned around, they noticed that the past-Yuri was right in front of them. "Ummm... thank you for getting rid of that horrible man, whoever you are. By the way, Sica, what are you doing here? I thought you were upstairs taking a shower? How in the world did you get down here so fast? Also, may I ask who the person that saved me is? I can't know who you are cause of the ski mask that you are wearing..."

Suddenly, Yuri realized that she was still wearing the mask. "Oh... umm... Anyways, I know where the bomb is installed and I can defuse it. Hurry, follow me!"

"Wait, how do you know about the bomb? And you even know where our dorm room is?! I thought my manager said that no one knows where we live, that it was impossible for the public to figure out our dorm."

But Yuri wasn't listening as she raced up the steps and stopped in front of her dorm. She remembered that the door frames were automatic detonators. Then, an idea came into mind. "Hey Jessica, can you grab the AA12 shotgun from your inventory?" Five minutes later, Sica appeared with the shotgun in one hand and the book in the other. Yuri held the gun in front of her and shot the wall next to her, making a huge circle. When she thought the wall became weak enough, she ran into it, knocking it down and preventing the activation of the detonators. "Sooyoung, hand me the scissors in the kitchen sink!"

"Wait, how do you know my name?" Sooyoung remarked, "And how did you know that our scissor was in--"

"Not now! Just grab the scissors and meet me at the dorm's boiler. Sica, I need you to come with me."

Jessica placed the book on the dining table and ran to join Yuri. Soon, Sooyoung came with scissors as Yul opened the door to reveal a box installed on the side of the boiler. They all realized that the box was the bomb. "Screwdriver!" and with that, she began taking apart the cover to reveal complex circuitry and motor chips. "Sica, hold that bunch of wires for me, yeah?" She grabbed the scissors and placed it in front of the wires to decide which one to cut. 'Was it the blue wire, or the red? Or was it the green?' she kept asking herself. One wrong move could detonate the whole thing and destroy everyone living in the building. Closing her eyes and praying, Yuri took the scissor and aimed at the red wire.

Snap!

Immediately, the bomb beeped to show that the timer had stopped. Yuri breathed a heavy sigh and everyone clapped her efforts. Suddenly, her efforts became futile as the beeping stopped and the clock on the timer counted down faster than before. Everyone began to panic. Amidst all the chaos, Sica, desperate to get rid of the bomb, pulled it out from the boiler with all her strength, ran to the balcony, threw it as far as she could, grabbed the AA12 shotgun, and shot the target. Her flawless aim shot right at the bomb which gave out a huge explosion in the air. The heat incinerated the grass below and some of the balconies of the apartment, but all in all, the building was safe. The eight members clapped at the two girls' efforts. Just then, the past- Jessica came out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her body. "Hey, what's going on? I heard alot of noise outside..."

When Jessica saw her past self, she covered her face with a nearby magazine. Realizing they couldn't be in the dorm anymore, Sica grabbed the book and together with Yul, left the building in a hurry. Once outside, the police and fire department sirens sounded in the air. They escaped the attention just in time and ran towards a nearby park. They were the only one outside at this time. The full moon gave a bright luminescence across the night sky.

"We can't comeback to Seoul anymore," Sica said with concern, "It's way too risky."

"You're right... I'm going to go to Europe and start a new life, get a new identity. What about you, Sica?"

"Well, first before I can do anything else, I have to fulfill Hyo's final wish. June 3rd, 2007... that was when his parents were assassinated. He wants me to pay a visit to his parents' grave and drop something off there. When I'm finished with that, maybe I'll return to the States, start a new life like you. I'm sure going to miss the celebrity life-- our life in Korea..."

"Me too... but first, we have to get rid of the book. As the note says, the book is too dangerous for this world to grasp. Let's see... ah there it is! We can burn it at the barbecue spot right there!"

Later, they placed the already deteriorating book on the grill. Sica flipped through the book one last time; it still surprised her that none of the pages were missing after all these years, that all the ancient pages were still intact. Yuri poured flammable liquid all over it, lit a match, and threw it at the book. The flames engulfed the book that survived through the devastation of Atlantis, the rise and fall of the Egyptian Civilization, and even contributed to the technological advancement of Korea.

"The Book of Life, the only concrete evidence of the ancient civilization of Atlantis, is gone... Sica, I guess this is goodbye from now on."

"Hey, how about we spend one night together, just with each other. You know, I heard that the most talked about couple in SNSD is YulSic! Coincidence, I think not! What do you say, one more night?"

"I guess one night doesn't sound so bad... where should we go?"

With that, the two girls walked off into the night life of Seoul, crying and laughing together. No couple in the world was as happy as these two were, not one.

* * *

The book burned brightly in the barbecue grill. All of a sudden, a strong wind blew in the air, causing the book to flip open. The pages were turned to the middle of the book. It revealed to have three missing pages torn from what was once a perfectly intact book a couple of minutes ago. The left side read page 97 while the right side read page 101, and a huge tear mark in the middle. Soon after, the pre-historic book burned away completely and the ashes were scattered in the cold, night air.

Epilogue

"Flight 0279 will depart to Lunar Territory #12938 in ten minutes. All passengers please report to Gate 9A," the PA announced.

The Los Angeles International Air and Space Port (LAXSP) was crowded with both androids* and humans alike. Armed robotic security officers roamed around all 20 square miles of the air/spaceport searching for security threats with their state-of-the-art counter-terrorist technology. Countless shops and businesses lined up the corridors in all directions. Three-dimensional interactive advertisements floated across the marble floor, trying to persuade customers to buy their elusive products. The glass paneled ceiling above gave citizens and visitors a virtual tour of not just the entire milky way galaxy; the virtual tour went well with the breathtaking view of the fuel and energy efficient aerospacecraft* that left the ports every five to ten minutes, showering flames into the earth below. Technology and the internet became universal, as though it were a god, present everywhere at anytime.

The automatic doors of one of the coffee shops opened. A female figure stepped inside, took an empty seat, and sat down. As she sat down, the table, a touch screen OLED monitor* itself, lit up and a cybernetic female face appeared on the screen. "What would you like for today, ma'am?" the face asked.

"One cup of fresh brewed coffee please... wait, make that two."

"Would you like anything else?"

"I guess I wouldn't mind a classic cheese cake. Make that two cheesecakes and if you don't mind... put a slice of cucumber in one of the cakes," she said smiling.

"Yes ma'am." Beep.

The woman touched the table once and a digital hologram of an internet browser flashed in the air. The table turned into a virtual keyboard and she began typing away, searching through news sites, forums, and social networkings, to kill time. After a few minutes, two cups of coffee were served on the table. Classical music played through microscopic nano speakers floating around the air along with dust particles and air molecules. 'I wonder when she's going to come,' the woman thought to herself.

Whirr... Just then, the automatic doors opened and a blonde female entered through the doors. She noticed who she was looking for and sat down in the chair opposite her, so the two faced each other. The timing couldn't be any more perfect as the cheesecake finally arrived. The blonde haired woman took her fork, sliced the cake in half, and brought it to her mouth. Immediately, she spat it back out on a napkin.

"Blah, Blah... that was so gross! You know as well as I do how much I still hate cucumbers, don't you?"

The other woman smiled at the sight of her best friend's disgusted face. "Haha, tsk tsk. After all these years, seems you haven't changed at all...... Jessica."

"I could say the same for you as well---Yuri." Yuri and Jessica sat together, awkward but happy, happy that they were able to see each other once again.

"It's been a long time," Yuri broke the silence.

"Three hundred years to be exact."

"How come you never received any of my calls?"

"I was.... busy," Sica lied. To Yuri, her lies were always as clear as day, but considering it was a personal matter, she didn't want to bring it up.

"Hey Sica, there's something I've been wanting to ask you ever since we separated and went our own ways at the Incheon International Airport three hundred years ago: when I said I would go to Europe and seek out a new identity, a new life, I thought you would join me in going to Europe as well, you know live a life together. Why'd you choose to go to the States instead?"

"I was thinking about that, going to Europe with you. But remember, I was born in the States so I already have a citizenship here. Besides, I'm too lazy to file for immigration in a whole separate continent and adapt to the new life there."

"Come on, you'd rather be lazy than live with m--"

"Before you come to a conclusion, let me finish... Considering I have no other job skills besides--well, what you saw me do over the course of four days-- I had a friend here who was willing to offer me a job at the Delta Force* or the CIA, whichever I was willing to choose. But I did have some regrets over the course of my life in not coming with you, and I missed you and the girls so much that some nights I just couldn't sleep... But enough about me, what's going on with you?"

"Well I didn't have as good of connections as you did, but one day, the British government saw my talent in data analysis so they hired me as a cryptographer, ones who decode hidden texts, secret messages, and all that other stuff. But yeah, I missed you and the girls, too, so much. Three hundred years sure was a long time... Oh, I almost forgot!"

Yuri reached into her bag and took out an airtight safe-box. She opened it to reveal three pieces of parchment torn up and decaying fast. On the bottom left corner of each page was a number.

The numbers were 98, 99, and 100.

"Ahh... the final three pages of the ancient book, the book that we almost lost our lives for, the book that killed two of our close friends. Brings back memories, doesn't it?"

"Yeah it does... and thank God you tore those pages out, too, before you burned the book completely. Or else, we wouldn't be sitting here not having aged even a day for so long. So Nyu Shi Dae forever, huh?"

Yuri breathed a heavy sigh. "Yeah but... I'm getting tired of living now. Remember what Hyo said right before he died? Death is but another part of life. I can already feel my immortality seeping out of me, but I'm willing to accept it. What about you?"

"You have a point there... So what're you going to do?" But Yuri was already a step ahead. She placed the three pages down into her safe-box, lit a match, and dropped it onto the parchments. The pages erupted in flames and the written instructions to immortality slowly began to disappear. Soon, the ancient secrets were nothing more than a pile of ash. She placed the box back into her bag and finished her cheese cake. Never had a slice of cheese cake tasted so delicious in her life until now. When both of them were finished reminiscing about the past and sharing their life stories with each other, the two stood up to leave. As their bodies left the chairs, the table lit up and the cybernetic face appeared once again to bid them goodbye.

"Thank you for visiting Tiffany's Coffee Shop. I hope you come back soon."

The sound of the name Tiffany brought a tear into Yuri's eyes. All the good times she shared with all nine girls flashed before her. It was hearbreaking not to be able to see them anymore. Sica felt the exact same feelings, but after three hundred years, she was able to hold her emotions in. "Hey, didn't Fany say she wanted to open up her own coffee shop once she retired from being a singer?" Sica remarked, "Well, if you miss her that much, maybe you can think of this coffee shop as hers. You know, it'll help bring back memories and you'll feel much closer to her." As the two were about to walk out, the face on the table bid a final goodbye which made Yuri and Sica stop dead in their tracks.

"Have a soshified day!"

Yuri's eyes suddenly widened. "Sica, is it just me or did the table just say for us to have a 'soshified day'?"

"No, I'm pretty sure you're hearing things. The table probably said something else, just that you're missing the girls too much," but even Sica doubted herself. Yuri went back to the same table. "Table, repeat yourself."

"Voice command recognized. Repeating last comment. Have a soshified day!"

All of a sudden, Yuri sped past the other customers and ran to the nearest waitress, an android. She preferred it to be another human being but an android would have to do for now. "Excuse me but where is this store's owner?"

"I heard that the owner left the shop about half an hour ago, and I have no clue when she will be back."

"Do you know her name by any chance?"

"No, sorry. I've never met her before, considering the fact that she rarely comes down from where she lives, which is right upstairs. I was hired by the store's manager. Why? Is there something wrong, ma'am?"

Yuri looked distraught, as though she were imagining things. 'Impossible, I never showed her the book. The book never even went anywhere near her back then... no it's probably a totally different person, and soshified is probably a new word I have yet to learn,' she tried to assure herself. "Okay, thank you. Come on Sica, let's get going!" The doors opened and the two girls walked out and into the long marble halls of LAXSP.

Bump!

"Ow!" a lady fell back and hit her butt; her groceries fell out of her hands and crashed onto the ground. Yuri who crashed into her realized what was going on and helped put the groceries back inside the bag.

"I'm so sorry, excuse me..." the lady apologized in a sweet voice.

"No, it's fine. Next time, though, don't cover your eyes with your hat. You won't be able to see where you're going."

The lady's face turned bright red. "Oh okay, thank you for the help," she said. Then she headed towards the entrance of the coffee shop. As Yuri was about to walk away, she noticed something shiny and metallic on the ground where the groceries had fallen. She picked it up and noticed it was a silver ring. "What's that?" Sica asked. There was an inscription written on it. When Yuri read it, her reaction made the ring drop from her hands and onto the floor. Sica gasped too. They both turned around to face the shop and Yuri cried out at the top of her lungs.

"TIFFANY HWANG?!!"

The lady that bumped into Yuri stopped right in front of the doors leading into the coffee shop. Her head turned around and her hands removed the cap that was hiding her face the whole time. If the smooth cheeks and the puffy lips didn't give it away, the perfect eye smiles did. The lady that bumped into Yuri was-- without a doubt-- Tiffany Hwang.

"How the hell did--? When in God's name did--?" Yuri and Sica couldn't find the right words.

But Tiffany Hwang, the very same Tiffany of Girl's Generation three hundred years ago, gave a bright smile and a friendly wink to her two former members as her only reply. Then, she entered into her shop, leaving Jessica Jung and Yuri Kwon standing confused and lost for words in the middle of a crowd.

Sica broke the silence, "As if the day couldn't get any more surprising..."

THE END