Future Shock

11

“What?” The word slips from my lips before I can stop it. The others gasp and mutter too, so I guess I’m not the only one who wants to know what happens to me. We all signed up for this research project to make sure we had a future—and now we can’t even check if we do?

Dr. Kapur holds up a hand as though to silence us. “We realize it will be tempting to find out what will happen to you in the next ten years. However, we believe this knowledge could send you into a state of shock, permanently damaging your brain.” Hmm. His warning could be a line they’re feeding us to keep us on track, but I doubt any of us would risk brain damage to find out. The temptation is strong though. It’s impossible to not be curious about your own fate.

“And whatever happens, do not—I repeat, do not—interact with your future self,” Dr. Walters says. “Doing so would not only send you into a state of shock, but could also create a temporal paradox.”

A temporal paradox? What the hell is that? Adam must have the same question, because he asks, “What do you mean?”

“Our research shows that meeting a future version of yourself would disrupt the space-time continuum, preventing you from returning to the present.”

Damn. I definitely don’t want to get stuck in the future, no matter how curious I am about my future self. Ugh, this sucks. I run my fingers through my hair, trying to get a grip. Okay, we can’t look into our own futures, but we’ll still be in the future for twenty-four hours. That will be enough.

Dr. Walters opens the door on the side of the dome. “Please set your watches now. You need to be sure to return to this location in exactly twenty-four hours.” I adjust my watch, twisting the knobs so the hands start at the number 24, while Dr. Walters continues. “The temporal aperture will only remain open for sixty seconds in the future, so you must be there early. Whatever happens, do not miss that window. Now please, step inside.”

This is it. Go time. But I’m frozen in place. I don’t know what will happen when I go into that thing. Maybe the accelerator will take me to the future. Maybe it will kill me. There’s no way to know.

What I do know is that I don’t have much of a future here.

I walk through the door before I can change my mind. The others follow, and the room is just big enough for the five of us. Once we’re all inside, Lynne closes the door with a heavy thud. I swallow hard, my throat suddenly dry. No turning back now.

“Sequence initiated,” a voice says from above us. And then it starts counting down. “Five.”

The metallic walls of the dome vibrate. We cluster at the center, only inches apart. I hear Trent’s ragged breathing beside me, echoing my own.

“Four.”

The noise grows louder and buzzes through my bones. I grip the straps on my backpack, hard. Cold sweat drips down my back under the heavy jacket. All I can think is, My God, this is really happening.

“Three.”

The vibrations turn into a minor earthquake. The five of us stumble around as the ground shakes, trying to regain our balance. Zoe nearly falls, but Chris catches her arm and steadies her. The metal walls rattle around us like we’re in a giant tin can someone is shaking.

“Two.”

The noise stops and the vibrations end. The dome begins to fill with a strange golden light. I can’t tell where it’s coming from. It simply appears around us, as though the air is full of tiny specks of pure gold. Is this the aperture?

“One.”

I meet Adam’s eyes, and he looks just as scared as I feel. He grabs my hand and I don’t recoil this time. As our fingers intertwine, the walls of the dome fade. The entire world turns black, except for the five of us, still bathed in a soft golden glow.

And then the light goes out.

Part II

The Future

00:00

Darkness swallows me, the claustrophobic, crushing kind of pitch-black oblivion that makes your skin crawl. I can see absolutely nothing, not even the faintest trace of light. The air has a dank, musty odor, and a chill creeps over my bare skin. Everything is silent, except for the sound of my heart pounding in my ears. My first instinct is to run, to find a corner or somewhere safe to hide, but I don’t know where I am or which direction to turn. But I’m holding Adam’s hand, so I know I’m not alone.

The others start talking all at once.

“What’s going on?”

“Is this the future?”

“Why is it so dark?”

“I can’t see anything!”

My head spins and I want to tell them all to shut up so I can think. Someone’s whimpering softly to my left. I think it’s Zoe.

“It’s okay,” Adam says and squeezes my hand. I don’t know if he’s talking to me or to the group. “Just stay calm and we’ll figure this out.”

“Calm?” Chris asks. “How are we supposed to stay calm?”

“Maybe there’s a flashlight in the backpack they gave us,” says Trent.

“No electronics, dumbass.”

“Oh. Right. Hang on.”

I hear the sound of movement, of rustling clothes. With a scraping click, a flame flickers on. Trent holds up a lighter. “Good thing I didn’t pick this week to quit smoking, eh?”

The flame faintly illuminates each of us. I quickly drop Adam’s hand and step away from him before anyone notices. We’re all standing together except for Zoe, who’s kneeling, her hood pulled over her head, her arms wrapped around herself. Adam crouches beside her and puts a hand on her back, whispering softly.