Main Beta hu : Stuck in Time Loop

Chapter - 7 Twist of Fate

It was an ordinary evening, or so Arjun thought. The metro screeched to a halt at the station, and he stepped out, blending into the sea of commuters making their way home. His mind was still clouded by the events of the day, his emotions raw from finally admitting aloud that he was, in his own words, a "Beta." As he scanned the street for an auto-rickshaw, his shoulders slumped, weighed down by years of disappointment and self-doubt.

The bustling street was alive with noise—a blend of honking cars, vendors shouting their wares, and the hum of life in the city. But amidst the chaos, something unusual happened. A voice cut through the clamor, calm yet commanding.

"Stop. Don't move."

Arjun froze mid-step, the hair on his neck standing on end. Turning around slowly, his eyes widened at the sight of the figure before him. A woman, exuding confidence and danger, stood just a few feet away. She wore a black leather jacket and matching pants that fit her like a second skin. Her dark sunglasses reflected the flickering neon lights of the street, and her hair was tied back with military precision. In her hand was a weapon—a sleek, futuristic-looking laser gun that glowed faintly at its core.

Arjun's heart raced as he stammered, "W-who are you? Why are you pointing that... thing at me?"

The woman didn't lower the gun. Her voice was sharp and authoritative as she said, "My name is Emma. I'm here to arrest Rocky for violating the continuum of time and breaking the rules of time travel."

The Shocking Accusation

Arjun's brow furrowed in confusion. "Time travel? Arrest? Who's Rocky? What are you talking about? You've got the wrong person!"

Emma's lips curled into a small, knowing smirk. "Don't play dumb, Rocky. You can't fool me again, not after the hundred times you've outmaneuvered me. I've been tracking you across the timeline, and now it's over. I'm taking you to the Temporal Guard's time prison. You've run out of tricks."

Arjun's confusion deepened. "I have no idea what you're talking about! My name is Arjun, not Rocky. I'm just an accountant, for God's sake! I've never broken any laws, let alone... time laws?"

But Emma wasn't listening. She stepped closer, her gun aimed directly at his chest. Her movements were precise, calculated, like a predator closing in on its prey.

Chaos and Escape

Just as Emma reached for Arjun, chaos erupted. From a nearby concert venue, a stampede of people surged into the street, panicked and shouting. The crowd swarmed around them, a sea of bodies jostling and pushing. The noise was deafening—shouts, cries, and the thundering of footsteps drowned out everything else.

Emma lost sight of Arjun in the chaos, her grip on her weapon tightening as she scanned the crowd. "Damn it!" she muttered, frustration etched across her face. "Don't think you've won, Rocky. I'll find you again."

Meanwhile, Arjun took advantage of the confusion. His instincts screamed at him to run, and he obeyed without hesitation. Ducking and weaving through the crowd, he put as much distance as possible between himself and the woman with the gun. His heart pounded in his chest, fear and adrenaline propelling him forward.

The Grocery Store Encounter

Eventually, the noise of the crowd faded, and Arjun found himself in a quieter part of the street. His breaths came in ragged gasps as he leaned against a lamppost, trying to make sense of what had just happened. "Who was she? And why was she calling me Rocky?" he murmured to himself.

His eyes fell on a small grocery store nearby, its warm lights a stark contrast to the chaos he'd just escaped. Seeking a moment to collect himself, he stepped inside.

The store clerk, a young man busy at the billing counter, looked up as Arjun entered. "Arjun, right?" he said casually.

Arjun froze. "What? How do you know my name?"

The clerk didn't answer directly. Instead, with a very scared emotions and expressions, he nodded toward a staircase leading to the basement. "Someone's waiting for you downstairs. They said you'd come."

Arjun's stomach twisted in knots. "What? Who's waiting for me? What's going on?"

The clerk simply gestured toward the basement. "Go see for yourself."

Despite the fear gnawing at him, curiosity—and perhaps a strange sense of destiny—drove Arjun forward. He descended the narrow staircase, each step creaking under his weight. The basement was dimly lit, the air thick with the scent of dust and mildew.

At the far end of the room, a figure stood in the shadows. Arjun squinted, trying to make out the details. As he moved closer, the figure stepped forward into the light.

The Doppelgänger

Arjun's breath hitched. Standing before him was a man—his exact double. But this version of himself was strikingly different. The man was taller, more muscular, with sharp, confident features that seemed to belong to a movie star or an action hero. His clothes were rugged and practical, though torn and bloodstained. Blood dripped from a gash on his forehead, and his left shoulder was bruised and battered.

"Hello, sir!" the man said with a crooked grin, his voice carrying an unsettling familiarity. "Rocky, reporting for duty!"

Arjun took a step back, his mind reeling. "What the... Who the hell are you? How is this possible? You... you look like me!"

The man chuckled, wiping the blood from his mouth. "That's because I am you. Sort of. Name's Rocky. I'm Arjun... but from a distant future."

Arjun's eyes widened in disbelief. "Future? Time travel? What's going on? This has to be a prank!"

Rocky shook his head. "It's no prank, my friend. It's your life. And it's about to get a whole lot crazier."