Part I: Six Packages, Six Journeys, One Big Wooden Door

20 21 The Chosen: Battle with a Cerberosian Prince The Package Now taking out the Watch, he started to analyze it. It was entirely black, with black straps and a square face. The face of the Watch was just big enough to fit within the margins of his wrist, and it looked like a smartphone when turned off or locked. The Watch had no buttons to operate it, no matter which way he turned it. He just couldn’t make heads or tails of it. He put the Watch back in his backpack, zipped up the backpack, leaned back on his chair, tilted his head back, and closed his eyes. He stayed that way for a few minutes. Opening his eyes, he gazed up at the ceiling. He noticed the detail. It was nothing fancy, not quite what he expected, even though he didn’t know what to expect. He saw only two types of lights, both hanging from white, lengthy cables. The first was cylindrical, with an opening at the end where he could see the light bulb. The other had a half spherical design that covered the entire bulb, which still managed to radiate surprisingly bright light. For every three set of parallel lights, there was a horizontal pillar, which sat at about a 30-degree angle, separating the lights. It was a sort of crimson red, and it sat at about a meter in length, stretching all the way to the either side of the building in its width. There were a bunch of white structural poles that made up the rest of the ceiling “design.” That’s pretty bland for such an internationally esteemed airport, he thought. He had no interest in the design of the airport. He was merely trying to kill time, and maybe more importantly, trying not to let his mind run wild thinking about what might potentially await him on the other end of this trip. The PA system was readied for an announcement: Good evening, passengers. This is the pre-boarding announcement for flight QR740 to Doha. We are now inviting those passengers with small children and any passengers requiring special assistance to begin boarding at this time. Please have your boarding pass and identification ready. Regular boarding will begin in approximately 15 minutes. Thank you. As everybody at Gate 152 began to shuffle themselves towards the boarding counter, TJ remained seated. A few other passengers stayed in their seats, too. TJ took a moment to people watch. He noticed one guy in particular, wearing a navy blue, pinstriped suit. Something about him caught TJ’s attention. He had a phone in his hand, and the only time his eyes weren’t on the phone was when he was moving forward. He had a wireless Bluetooth headset in his ear. He appeared to be a businessman of sorts. An LA Times paper, opened to the Business section, was lying on the guy’s carry-on bag beside him. There was something about his demeanor that was a bit off, though. TJ kept watching him. The man was older looking, perhaps in his late 40s or early 50s. TJ could clearly see this man steadily making his way to the front of the line. A little nudge here, a subtle shove there, and the man in the navy blue, pinstriped suit was at the front of the line. Needless to say, his not-so-discreet expedition included knocking down a little kid’s candy bar. To top it all off, his interaction with the gentleman checking the boarding passes had no greeting, no thank you, and no acknowledgement there was a person in front of him. Annoyed by the actions of the man in the navy blue, pinstriped suit, TJ rolled his eyes and shook his head as he stood up to start heading to the back of the line.