THE INVENTION THAT KNEW TOMORROW

Chapter 1: The Hidden Laboratory The rain began just before the final lesson ended. It came down so heavily that the windows of Horizon Academy rattled whenever the wind pushed against them. Water streamed down the glass, blurring the football field, the trees, and the tall metal gate at the front of the school. Most students had already left. The corridors, normally filled with shouting, laughter, and footsteps, were unusually quiet. But Amani was still in the science laboratory. She stood beside a long wooden table, carefully arranging a collection of test tubes that her science teacher had asked her to clean. She didn't mind staying behind. In fact, Amani preferred the laboratory when it was empty. There was something peaceful about it. The shelves were filled with bottles containing mysterious powders and liquids. Charts of the human body covered one wall. A large model of the solar system hung from the ceiling. Old scientific instruments sat inside glass cabinets. Amani picked up the final test tube. Then she heard something. Click. She stopped. The test tube remained halfway between her hand and the shelf. Amani listened. Nothing. Rain. Wind. The distant rumble of thunder. She slowly placed the test tube down. "Hello?" No answer. She frowned. Maybe a pipe had moved beneath the building. She returned to the shelf. Click. Click. This time there was no doubt. The sound had come from beneath her feet. Amani looked down. The laboratory floor was covered with old tiles. Some were cracked, but nothing appeared unusual. She crouched. "Where did that come from?" She pressed her palm against the floor. Nothing. Then she noticed something strange. A cupboard at the back of the laboratory was vibrating slightly. Amani stood. The cupboard was one of the oldest pieces of furniture in the room. Nobody used it anymore. It contained old textbooks, broken measuring equipment, and several dusty boxes. She walked toward it. The clicking stopped. Amani placed both hands against the cupboard and pushed. It didn't move. She pushed harder. Still nothing. "Come on..." She tried again. This time, the cupboard moved a few centimeters. Something metallic scraped against the floor. Amani stepped back. There was a small black button underneath the cupboard. She stared at it. A tiny red symbol had been painted beside it. Amani had never seen the symbol before. She looked toward the laboratory door. Nobody was there. She looked at the button again. "Just one press." She pressed it. For three seconds, nothing happened. Then— CLICK. The cupboard began sliding sideways. Amani jumped backward. Behind it was a staircase. A narrow staircase. It descended into darkness. Amani's heart began beating faster. She should have called a teacher. She knew that. She also knew that entering a hidden staircase beneath an empty school laboratory was probably the opposite of a sensible decision. But curiosity won. She grabbed a flashlight from one of the laboratory drawers. Then she stepped onto the first stair. The air became colder as she descended. One stair. Then another. The sounds of the storm above slowly disappeared. At the bottom, Amani found herself standing in front of a massive metal door. There were letters engraved into it. PROJECT X-17 Underneath them were smaller words: AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY Amani stared. "What is Project X-17?" Beside the door was a small scanner. She moved closer. A green light appeared. IDENTIFICATION REQUIRED. Amani stepped back. There was no way she could enter. At least, that was what she thought. Then the scanner made a sound. BEEP. Amani hadn't touched it. The screen changed. IDENTITY RECOGNIZED. Her eyes widened. "That's impossible." The door unlocked. A deep mechanical sound echoed through the underground corridor. Amani pushed the door open. The room beyond was enormous. She stood completely still. The laboratory was far more advanced than anything Horizon Academy could possibly afford. Screens covered the walls. Metal equipment lined the room. Thousands of cables disappeared into the ceiling. In the center stood a huge glass chamber. Inside the chamber was a silver sphere. It looked almost like a machine from a science-fiction movie. Blue lights pulsed around its surface. Amani slowly approached. A small computer terminal stood beside it. She touched the keyboard. The screen came alive. PROJECT X-17 TEMPORAL PREDICTION SYSTEM Amani swallowed. "Temporal?" She read the next line. SYSTEM PURPOSE: ANALYSIS OF FUTURE PROBABILITIES. Her mouth fell open. The machine was designed to predict the future. She laughed nervously. "That's impossible." The sphere suddenly began humming. Amani froze. Lights appeared across its surface. SYSTEM ACTIVATING. "No..." The screen changed. CURRENT TIME: 7:27 P.M. Then: PREDICTION GENERATED. Amani stepped closer. A sentence appeared. AT 7:30 P.M., AN UNKNOWN INDIVIDUAL WILL ENTER THIS LABORATORY. Amani checked her watch. 7:27. "Three minutes?" The machine continued. PREDICTION CONFIDENCE: 97.8% Amani backed away. Then she heard something. Footsteps. Coming from the staircase. Her heart jumped. Someone was actually coming. She quickly hid behind a large metal cabinet. The footsteps became louder. A door opened. A man entered the laboratory. He was tall and thin, with gray hair and a dark coat. Amani recognized him. She had seen his photograph in the school's old science archive. Dr. Elias. The brilliant scientist who had disappeared twenty years earlier. The man walked toward Project X-17. "You're awake," he whispered. Amani covered her mouth. The machine suddenly displayed another message. SECOND PREDICTION GENERATED. Dr. Elias looked at the screen. His expression changed. Amani leaned forward. The message appeared: AMANI WILL DISCOVER THE TRUTH. Amani's blood ran cold. Dr. Elias slowly turned his head. His eyes moved toward the cabinet where she was hiding. "I know you're there." Amani stopped breathing. For several seconds, neither of them moved. Then Dr. Elias spoke again. "And if Project X-17 has identified you..." He looked at the machine. "...then everything has started again."