It was 7:30 in the morning.
Mumin leaves his room. Everyone in the house is busy with their own tasks. Father has gone to the office. Mother is in the kitchen. Masud is at school.
Mumin needs to go out. He has to buy some necessary items. He puts on his shoes, opens the door, and goes downstairs.
As he steps onto the street, his eyes catch something-a cat. But not an ordinary cat. Its eyes are glowing. Blue light. Its body metallic. Its tail moves, but the sound is mechanical.
Mumin freezes. The cat looks at him, then turns and walks down the alley.
He notices a few more-here and there, two or three more. All the same. Metallic bodies. Glowing eyes. They roam the streets, near people's feet, but no one sees them. No one notices.
Mumin realizes-they are robots. And their eyes are cameras. Through these robotic cats, everything is being watched. On the street, in front of houses, among crowds-there are eyes everywhere.
He starts walking quickly. But it feels like every cat is staring at him. Following him.
Musa whispers, "They won't leave you. Be careful."
Mumin recites du'a as he moves forward. He will buy the items from the market and return. But on the way back-
A black minibus stops beside him. The door opens. Three people get out, masked. They grab Mumin. Within a minute, he is inside the bus. The door closes. The vehicle moves.
No one on the street notices. Only a robotic cat sees it, recording the event.
Inside the bus, Mumin's hands and feet are tied. Black cloth over his eyes.
The person sitting next to him removes his mask and says, "Do you recognize me?"
Mumin shakes his head. "No."
The man smiles. "You might not remember. But I do. Five years ago. Half-past eleven at night. You were walking on the street. We were driving by. We bumped into you. Said a few things. You got angry. Then... what you did, remember?"
Mumin slowly recalls. Five years ago. He was seventeen. Musa would regularly appear then. One night, a group of drunken boys hit him with a car, said insulting words. Musa came out. What happened next, Mumin has no memory of. He only knows-next day, the news showed those boys in the hospital. No one could explain how they were injured.
The man says, "There were three of us. You left them half-dead. We survived. But today, you'll pay."
Mumin speaks in a trembling voice, "I didn't do it. Musa did it."
The man laughs. "Musa? You and Musa are the same. Today, we will finish you."
The bus continues to an unknown destination.
Musa awakens inside Mumin. But this time, Mumin stops him. "No. Not now. Trust in Allah."
Musa growls, "They will kill you!"
Mumin says, "Allah is greater. They cannot do anything unless Allah wills."
The bus stops. In front of a deserted warehouse.
They pull Mumin inside. A dark room. Only one tube light. Bloodstains on the floor.
The men prepare. One holds a knife, another a metal rod.
The man who spoke says, "Today, Musa will not come. We have tied you. No way out."
Mumin closes his eyes. Recites a du'a: "Hasbunallahu wa ni'mal wakeel."
Musa screams inside, "Let me out! I will finish them!"
Mumin says, "No. If you go out, they'll get what they want. They want you to get angry. They want you to get hit. I will not let that happen."
The men approach. Knife raised.
At that moment-
The warehouse door bursts open. Several people in black gear enter, heavy weapons in hand. They shout, "Get on the ground!"
The men are stunned. Try to escape. But are captured.
One of the black-clad men comes to Mumin, unties him. "You are Mumin? We are the Royal Intelligence Corps. Imolodia. We've come to save you."
Mumin is shocked. Imolodia-the same people who wanted to use him-are now saving him?
He stands, his feet hurt. But he is alive.
Outside the warehouse, he sees the robotic cats standing. Their eyes glowing. They have seen everything.
Mumin realizes-Imolodia didn't really save him. They only ensured he would remain in their hands. If someone else had killed him, their project would have ended.
He looks at the sky and whispers, "Allah, there is no one but You."
Musa is silent. Now he understands too-the enemy is not just those men. The enemy is much bigger.
Mumin walks the road back home. Leaving behind the warehouse. And the Imolodia agents-who now play the role of his 'protectors.'
But Mumin knows-the true protector is only Allah.