The Life Of Normal-Taro

"Shall we go now?" Taro looked towards the two MIB agents and asked.

"Ah, don't worry about anything. We got plenty of time. So, if you have something else to do, you can do that!" Thankappan gave out a nervous chuckle.

Taro thought for a while. "Nah, I don't have anything to do here. So, let's go!" He replied.

"Think about it a bit more. You might be forgetting something. Maybe you want to do something?" Thankappan spoke.

"Dude! Really, I've got nothing! But what's up with you? It's as if you want me to do something instead… Ah, makes sense now. Why don't you just say it to my face rather than going about it in a roundabout way? You want a translator made, is that it?" Taro asked.

Thankappan sighed. "Lonappan asked me to approach this way. I wanted to ask you in a straight forward fashion, you know?" He shifted the blame towards Lonappan.

"What? When did I ask you to do that?" Lonappan acted oblivious to it.

"You!" It seemed as if the two agents were revving up for a clash, when Taro laughed like crazy.

"Dude, your speech and tone clearly shows that you're lying about this. Or else, why would the usually calm headed Lonappan turn flustered about every other word. Be truthful. I know you really want the original universal translator!" Taro replied.

Upon listening to him, Lonappan didn't hide his desire any longer. "Please make one for us too!" He requested Taro.

"Hmm, since you're polite about it… Why not! Give me an hour or two." He said as he headed back to the workshop.

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Exactly two hours later. Taro exited the workshop with two universal translators. He tossed them to the agents, who seemed happy about receiving one.

Just then, Lonappan had a thought in his mind. "Wait, can't you contact your home planet now? Since you got a universal translator and all." He wondered.

"It might seem like that. However, one can only establish communication if we are really close like we are right now. Then we'll get the whiff of the translator near us and choose to establish communication with them. We gotta do this just once though. Like this." Taro connected his translator with their translators. "You can hear me through the translator now, right? Now, you can talk to me through the translator at any time without further trouble. This ain't really the only way though. If you got the special code of the one you want to establish a communication with, then you can use it too. However, that's usually long and difficult to type in." He replied.

"Wait, you got Womble now, right? Can't you just search up some Wadorian government establishment's codes and call them up?" Lonappan asked.

"Hmm, true that! However, we gotta consider the consequences. Since this is a conquest region for the Glomerans, I'm sure that they got Earth on a tight watch. So, what do you think will happen when they see someone from here trying to attempt a communication with Wados who's one of the neutral powerhouses of the galaxy? Like, the magnite coil does hide the presence of a translator in a particular place, however they can't hide the traces of a call. So, Glomerans will get a whiff of this and then ask the MIB to search for us and if they can't find us, they might actually head here by themselves to find us. I'm fine with them coming here, however you guys will be fucked. Think about that!" Taro replied.

"Wait, what if you ask some people from your planet to come here to pick you up. Didn't you just say that you guys are the strongest neutral nation?" Lonappan asked.

"One of the strongest. Martial planet's up there too. They don't associate themselves in any fights even as mercenaries though." He replied.

"Whatever, since you're one of the strongest, won't the Glomerans back down if they're here to pick you up?" Lonappan asked.

"Okay, listen. Once again, I'm fine with it. However, YOU are the ones who should think about the consequences. First of all, they won't send a huge amount of reinforcement or even a singular person for a person like me. Unless it's someone like the galaxy's hope or something, they won't even give a damn about where you're stranded." He sighed.

"Galaxy's hope?" Lonappan asked.

Taro felt annoyed. He felt as if he uttered something he shouldn't have. "Hero Emilia; hailed as one of the strongest of Wados and hence dubbed as the galaxy's hope. I kinda know her. Real asshole, if you ask me." He replied.

"Oh, I see. Continue with the point you were making." Lonappan requested.

"Very well. Secondly, even if they ARE sending reinforcements to pick me up, I don't know how long the journey is for them. And it'll be their first time venturing in here, so it'll take time. And unlike them, Glomerans know the way to get here relatively easily. So, even before Wadorians could step into the scene, Glomerans would arrive here and make this place a war zone, which would make it difficult for Wados to interfere because of their neutrality. Then they'll just mercilessly slaughter you people. So, there's that to consider." Taro replied calmly.

For a good moment, silence filled the room. None of them talked. Taro was waiting for a reply, while the two agents were contemplating about what they just heard. Meanwhile, Ajish was thinking about how the aliens trapped here could make a run for it if Earth indeed becomes a war zone.

Finally, Lonappan opened his mouth, breaking the silence. "It seems like we have to abandon the idea of contacting an alien planet now. So, I guess the only plan with legs right now is stealing a spaceship from MIB HQ!" He replied.

"I guess so. Damn, it's surreal! I can't believe how chill you're about it!" Taro exclaimed. He thought of Lonappan as a hard nut to crack, just like his boss Ponnappan.

"Meh, I believe that certain things changed me for the better. Made me softer, I believe. Sheesh, I don't want my father-in-law to know about my stance though. He will jump around like crazy, saying that I finally am on the right path or something." He felt a chill on his spine as he was reminded of his father-in-law.

"Father-in-law?" Taro asked.

"Chinnappan. Former MIB Snehatheeram commanding officer." Thankappan interjected and answered instead.

"Man, your family and friends have the MIB Snehatheeram on hold, huh?" Taro chuckled. Lonappan didn't appreciate the joke though.

"Enough! Shall we go? The lads must be waiting for us in the Holy Land." Lonappan headed towards the exit.

"Geez, you had all the time in the world when you wanted something from me. And now you are concerned about the ones in the Holy Land and don't have time? What kind of bullshitting is that?" Taro asked.

Lonappan sighed. "Fine, you still got something to do?" He asked.

Taro smiled. "Nah, I was just teasing ya. Let's move." He said as he wrapped his arm around Lonappan's shoulder.

"HEY!" Ajish called them from behind before they stepped out of his shop. Once they turned around, he grabbed Taro by his hand and looked innocently towards him. "Okay, look. You got a rare talent. Making translators in one hour is really a cheat skill. So, how about you work here with us, huh? We'll pay you a great sum. Hell, we'll give you anything that you want. So, why not jump to this side?" He asked.

However, instead of Taro, it was Lonappan who gave out an answer. "No. He won't. Just stop. I don't even wanna imagine him here. It'll attract too much attention! We can't afford that right now." He replied.

Ajish sighed. "Shut your trap. At least let the big guy take his own decision, will ya?" He asked as he looked towards Taro.

"Well, it's as the agent says, man! I can't afford the attention. And even without that, I can't accept your offer, since I already made an appointment with someone else. Had you asked me a day or two ago, I would have considered it. However, now I just can't. Sorry!" Taro bowed his head.

"Ah, don't worry about it. I didn't know that you had some sorta commitment and asked you out of nowhere. That's my mistake. However, if you ever get bored of that or if they fired you or something, always remember that the doors of this establishment will always be open for someone of your caliber." Ajish replied.

Taro nodded his head. "I'll keep that in my mind. Thank you. I'll be going then." He walked away from Ajish.

"Bye!" Ajish waved his hand enthusiastically. "Damn, I should've asked him to make a translator for me as well. I'll ask him someday when he returns, maybe!" He thought as he watched Taro's back as he moved further away from him.

"I wonder what the lads will think of my new and improved translator once they see it!" Taro thought as he walked towards the bus stop with the two field agents by his side.

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