Chapter two. THE DISCOVERY
436 Words
The sterile hum of the research lab’s air circulation greeted Tina as she scanned her ID badge at the entrance. Rows of pristine white desks stretched across the room, each occupied by researchers engrossed in their work. Holographic monitors floated above the surfaces, displaying complex diagrams and streams of data.
"Morning, Tina," called Dr. Renfield, her supervisor, as he walked past her station. He was one of the few older people still in positions of authority, a relic of the time before the anti-aging breakthrough. Though his face bore the smoothness of youth, his eyes betrayed a weariness that came with decades of overseeing the same projects.
"Morning," Tina mumbled, keeping her scarf in place as she sat at her desk. Her terminal lit up, displaying today’s assignment: reviewing anomalies in the latest cellular stasis reports.
Anomalies. The word made her stomach turn. For years, she had reviewed countless cases of minor deviations—small glitches in the stasis process that were quickly corrected. But what if her condition wasn’t a glitch? What if it was… something more?
She leaned forward, fingers hovering over the keyboard, and opened the flagged files. Lines of data scrolled across the screen. Her eyes widened as she read. The anomalies weren’t isolated. Over the past six months, reports of irregularities had doubled. Cases of spontaneous aging were rare but increasing.
A sharp intake of breath drew her attention. Dr. Renfield was standing behind her, his gaze locked on her screen. "You’ve found it too," he said quietly.
"Found what?" Tina asked, her voice trembling.
He sighed, pulling up a chair beside her. "It’s happening. The stasis isn’t perfect. It never was. The system is starting to unravel."
Tina stared at him, her heart pounding. "What does that mean for us?"
"For most people, nothing yet. But for a few…" His eyes flicked to her scarf. "It means their time has started moving again."
She instinctively touched her neck, her mind racing. "What do we do?"
Dr. Renfield’s expression darkened. "We need to keep this quiet, at least for now. If the public finds out, it could collapse everything. But Elyse…" He hesitated. "You’re not alone in this. And if you want answers, we’ll need to dig deeper into the system’s core."
Her pulse quickened. The core was off-limits to all but the highest-ranking officials. Breaking into it wasn’t just a risk—it was treason. But the thought of answers… of knowing why this was happening to her…
"I’ll do it," she said, her voice steady despite the fear rising in her chest. "Tell me what I need to do."
- Writer
