Future Lost

21

“We were investigating near the Aether building. You thought there might be something there, some clue about the virus, I don’t know. We never found it ’cause we were attacked by a large group of the Infected. You gave me the photo, told me to join the Militia, and wait for your younger selves to show up. Then you fought the group alone so I could escape.” His voice gets a bit choked up. “I didn’t want to go, but you told me I had to protect the photo, no matter what else happened. And that’s what I did.”

I step forward and rest my hand on his arm. “Thank you.”

He pulls me into a hug. “You saved my life. I’ll never forget that.”

I hug him back, emotion crowding my throat, making it hard to speak. When we break apart, I stare at the photo again. The man in the Dodgers cap doesn’t look like an obvious neo-Nazi or the kind of guy who would murder thousands of innocent people, but I suppose you can never really tell.

I’m not sure how we’ll track him down, but this photo is enough to get us started. I shove it in my backpack and check my watch. “Adam and I need to get downtown. We only have an hour before the window opens to send us back to the present.”

“Not a problem,” Michael says. “I can get you both out of here.”

The door bangs open, making all three of us jump. Four large men in uniform walk in, followed by an old, wrinkled man with white hair who wears a crisp black suit over his thin frame. He must be in his eighties by now, but there’s no mistaking who it is: Vincent Sharp.

Michael squares his shoulders and gives a salute. “Mr. President. I wasn’t expecting you.”

“It was worth a trip from Napa to meet our newest guest.” He turns toward me with a wide smile. “I’m glad you could finally make it, Elena. Guess we should have fixed that problem with the accelerator, eh?” He laughs softly, like we’re all in on some big joke and not a time-travel experiment gone wrong.

I study him carefully. On one hand, the Vincent in the present sent me here to rescue Adam, and according to Paige, we’re going to make it back. On the other, Vincent’s men threw me in a prison cell and have been making Adam work on a cure for the past few months. I don’t know if I can trust him, but he might be our best chance of getting out of here.

“We need to get back to the Aether office before the aperture opens,” I say.

“Of course,” Vincent says. “But first I need Adam to finish making the vaccine for us.”

Adam furrows his brow. “I tried. I’ve done nothing but work on it for two months. But it’s impossible.”

Vincent walks around us at a slow pace. “Is it? Or have you been taking your time, hoping Elena would rescue you?”

“No! If I could do it, I would. But I’d need more time and more resources, and even then it might not be possible.”

“My men tell me otherwise. They say you’re close.” Vincent pauses in front of us and sighs. “I’m sorry, but I can’t let you leave until you finish it.”

I clench my fists. “Is that why you’re keeping us here?

He clasps his hands behind his back. “I kept Adam here because it was the safest place for him until you arrived—and it allowed him to help us at the same time. And I promise to get you to the aperture as soon as Adam fulfills his side of the bargain.”

“Adam wouldn’t be stuck in the future in the first place if it weren’t for you.”

“You’re right,” Vincent says. “He’d be dead.”

I glance at the scar on Adam’s chin and scowl, before turning back to Vincent. “You sent me here to get Adam. You’re waiting for us back in the present. You know we succeed in coming home on time. You might as well let us go already.”

“What I know is that the future can be changed. You taught me that. But don’t worry. My younger self will keep opening the aperture for a few more hours in the present, which gives us a few weeks, thanks to the time dilation. If you don’t return, he’ll send someone else to rescue you. Or maybe he’ll give up. Hopefully, it won’t come to that.”

“Send Elena back, at least,” Adam says. “She can’t help with the vaccine. She doesn’t need to be here.”

I throw him a sharp glance. “No, I’m not leaving without you.”

Vincent shakes his head, his face heavy with sadness. “I know my methods seem harsh, but please try to see this from my perspective. In the past thirty years, the human race has been brought to extinction because of a virus. A virus Adam helped create. A virus he can help me stop now.” He spreads his hands. “I’ve done everything I can to keep people safe and to rebuild this world, but it’s not enough. I need your help to stop the virus for good.”

“We’re going to stop it,” I say. “Once you send us back to the present, we’ll prevent the virus from ever getting out in the first place.”

He looks at me with something like pity. “You tried that already. I know because I helped you. But it didn’t work. It will never work. This future is inevitable. The only thing we can do is find a way to stop the virus, and I need the vaccine for that.”

Adam’s head drops. “I can’t do it. I wish I could. Believe me. But I can’t. I’m sorry.”

“Sir,” Michael says, stepping forward. “I’ve been guarding Adam the entire time he’s been here, and I believe he’s telling the truth. Maybe we should consider sending them back.”