So Five Minutes Ago

“I’m telling you this is the greatest thing since
sliced bread. It can’t fail.”

Misako scooped the froth off her cappuccino with a
spoon and slurped it between her lips. Kate watched
her warily. Friends since junior school, she had often
been caught up in Misako’s get-rich-quick schemes and
regretted it.

“How much will it cost me?” she asked now, as Misako
attacked her cappuccino again.

“Nothing, that’s the beauty of it. I just want your
copy writing expertise, Kate. This is a sweet set up,
I’ve already taken care of all the financial details
using the product itself.”

“So what is this wonderful gadget?”

“Kate – “ Misako laid down her spoon and gazed at her
friend, her brown eyes serious. “What is the one
thing no one – and I mean no one – has enough of?”

“Time,” Kate said promptly. “Like me, right now – I
have to get back to work in five minutes.” She started
gathering up her cellphone and handbag.

Misako placed a restraining hand on her arm. “There’s
no rush,” she said. “You’ll get to work on time. Just
hear me out.”

“Missie, you’d need a gadget that changes time
itself. Call me later.”

Misako smiled. And raised a spoonful of cappucino
froth to her lips.

“How much will it cost me?” Kate said.

Misako laughed. “All right,” she said. “I’ve been
playing with you long enough. That’s the third time
we’ve come back to that.”

Kate stared at her blankly.

“Kate, I’ve been taking you five minutes back in time
ever since you sat down. Here, I’ll show you.” She
placed her own cellphone on the table. “What do you
see?”

“Your cellphone,” Kate said. “It looks like mine.”

“But it isn’t like yours, it isn’t like any cellphone
you’ve ever seen before. It can reverse time – only
five minutes so far, but the technology is in its
infancy. Look – “ she brought up a picture on the
screen. It showed Kate, getting up to leave, clutching
her bag and her cellphone. “Look at the time the
picture was taken.”

Kate looked. “Ten minutes ago – but that’s
impossible. “It must be a picture of when I arrived.”

“No, when you arrived you took your cellphone out of
your bag and placed it on the table. See, it’s still
there, in the picture. Flick on to the next picture
and you will see yourself picking up the phone. That’s
when I sent us back in time five minutes.”

“You’re crazy,” Kate said flatly, handing the phone
back. “Technology like this doesn’t exist.”

“Oh, but it does – it was a highly secret project at
the Asuko Corporation. So secret even Asuko didn’t
know about it.”

“Your last employer,” Kate nodded. “Did you get
fired again?”

“No, I quit, before they found out I had stolen the
plans for the time travel device. Well, not just me,
but one of the key technicians as well – “ Misako
grinned. “Kaito and I – kind of – you know – “

“You and your lover stole this technology? Are you
crazy?”

“What’s crazy about it? It’s worth billions and it
hasn’t been patented yet because Asuko’s head of
projects was working on it off his own bat, using
Asuko research money. He shared it with Kaito because
he needed help – and because he trusted him.”

“And you want me to get involved with a scam like
that? Missie, we could all end up in jail! Not to
mention the implications of such a thing – people
might go back to commit crimes – “ she slapped a hand
to her mouth. “It could even be used for murder – a
watertight alibi.”

“Yes,” Misako said. “Absolutely watertight.”

“You mean – “

“We couldn’t leave the head of projects alive to blab
about the device and tell everyone we’d stolen it,
could we? As far as anyone knows, Kaito invented
this.”

“Misako, you have to go to the police, you have to
confess – “

“Sorry, can’t do that. You’re my best friend, Kate, I
so badly wanted you to be a part of this. We’ll all be
rich – but – “

She clicked a button on the cellphone with her thumb.
“How much will it cost me?” Kate said.

End

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