Future Lost

27

Vincent brushes off his suit and surveys the area with clear eyes. “Nothing appears to be stolen, but I’ll check the video from the security cameras. Whoever did this won’t get away with it.”

“But who would do this?” Dr. Walters asks.

I hesitate but decide it’s better to tell them the truth. “Someone might have come back through the accelerator with us.”

“Is that possible?” Vincent asks. He’s moved to one of the nearby computer terminals and is typing something on the keyboard, his eyes intent on whatever is on the screen.

Adam shakes his head. “According to Dr. Campbell in one of the futures we visited, no. She tested it out but couldn’t send anyone back in time.”

Dr. Walters pushes his glasses back on his nose. “That’s correct, but there might be one exception. It could be someone who previously time traveled, perhaps. Like your older selves.”

“They were both dead in the future we visited,” Adam says. “But I guess it could be someone else.”

I shoot Adam a sharp look, hoping he gets the hint to stop talking. I don’t want him to tell Vincent anything about our time in the future, especially since the only people who fit with what Dr. Walters is saying would be Zahra or Paige. One of them might have come back to help us or to escape the hell of that future. I can’t imagine them attacking us and running off, but maybe they’re suffering future shock or have some motive I can’t quite understand. Either way, it’s better if Vincent knows as little as possible.

And now that my head’s clearing, I notice there’s one person missing from the room.

“What happened to that girl with the ponytail who was here?” I ask.

“Nina?” Vincent asks with a frown. “That’s none of your concern.”

That girl was about the same height and build as the person I glimpsed in the accelerator. Vincent planned to send her to the future to rescue Adam or wanted her to go with me. Maybe he sent her after me because he didn’t trust me to get Adam back on my own or because he wanted someone he could better control to bring him intel from the future. I’m not sure why she’d attack us and escape, but it wouldn’t surprise me if she decided to betray her employer.

“Did you send her to the future to get us?” I ask.

He types something else into the computer. “Don’t be absurd. Even if I did, Nina would have no reason to attack us.”

I spread my hands. “It’s the most likely explanation. Unless someone figured out a loophole to travel back in time.”

“Impossible,” Dr. Walters says.

Vincent examines my dusty, bloodstained clothes. “Why don’t you tell us what happened in the future so we can all figure this out?”

I cross my arms and give him a level stare. “You know I’m not going to tell you that. The plan was that I rescue Adam and then we all go back to our agreement of staying the hell away from each other.”

“Let me examine you at least,” Dr. Kapur says. “You look like you’ve been through hell.”

“None of this blood is ours,” I say.

His lips curl. “Very well, but we don’t know what was in that gas.”

He makes it sound as if he wants to help us, but I know better. Behind those beady little eyes, he’s thinking of all the data he can collect on us after our fifth trip to the future. All I want to do is go home, but Adam nods. “It’s probably a good idea if we’re checked out,” he says. “Your hand might need stitches.”

I completely forgot about my bandaged hand. I sigh. “Fine. But make it quick.”

Dr. Kapur leads us into a room that looks like a tiny doctor’s office. He gestures for us to sit on the exam bed. “Elena first,” he says.

I let him check my heart, lungs, and blood pressure, but hold up a hand when he reaches for the needles. “Hell no. I remember what you did last time you said you were taking blood.”

Last time he did an exam on us, he injected us with something that made us pass out. We woke up shortly after and found we were locked inside the accelerator. I don’t trust him with needles around me after that.

He scowls. “That was different. I promise I only want to run some basic tests.”

I cross my arms. “Thanks, but no thanks. I’m perfectly fine.”

I use the time to lean against the wall and close my eyes. My head’s been pounding ever since I woke up, and it doesn’t seem like it’ll get better anytime soon. But my eyes snap open when Dr. Kapur says, “Hmm.” He checks his notes and glances at Adam. “That can’t be right.”

“What is it?” Adam asks.

“It says you’ve lost eleven pounds.”

Adam stares at the floor. “Strange.”

Dr. Kapur shakes his head. “I must have recorded it wrong.”

“That must be it,” I say.

Adam and I both know it’s not an error though. My chest tightens thinking about what Adam must have endured during those seventy-three days. What did they even eat in that Militia base? Not much, it sounds like.

Dr. Kapur finally declares us healthy and lets us leave, but when we walk out of his office, Vincent waves us over.

“I have the security footage ready,” he says.

We move beside him and check out the screen, which shows a black-and-white view of the basement with the accelerator on one side. Vincent clicks his mouse, and the video begins to play. Vincent and the two scientists stand outside the accelerator while the door opens, but Nina is nowhere in sight. There’s a sharp, blinding flash from inside the machine, which makes the image scramble.