A Shattered Future

by Joel Adrian

  Once everyone else had fallen asleep, it was just them, plus two guards who were awake. The distant hum of the engines was the only thing they could hear in the background.

  “What did you do after the bombs dropped?” Emersyn asked, turning her head to face her older self.

  Mona leaned her head back and closed her eyes as if trying to recall. “For me, it’s been so long. Feels like a lifetime ago. They destroyed everything while I was on base. The world went to shit. I only got to experience three week of it, but it was bad. Looters and raiders popped up all over the east coast. It was horrific. I saw New York in ruins, and my group of soldiers and I managed to get to Washington, but it was . . . annihilated.” Her words still held shock in them. “Seeing the Pentagon completely blown apart . . . President Quinn was killed. It was . . .” She shook her head.

  Emersyn watched her with a profound interest, trying to picture herself in the same scenario. She couldn’t imagine how horrific it would be. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be,” she said as she regained her composure. “I’m here to stop it. To make sure that everything’s right. At least, right in this world, in this timeline.”

  The rest of the trip was quiet. Emersyn and Mona talked casually, but Emersyn stayed away from the heavy topics. The last thing she wanted to do is upset the only person who knew how to work the Requiem, and how to save them.

  The plane eventually sat down, and out a window, Emersyn made out the dark, rocky terrain of nighttime Idaho. The airport they arrived at was large but inactive. The long, wide corridors felt strange as the team traversed through them alone. She’d flown a few times before, but the airports had always been bustling.

  “Civilian airport?” Naomi asked from the back.

  “We’re not trying to raise suspicion,” Bravon replied. “Anyone gets wind of what we’re doing, and my ass is toast. I’m not kissing my retirement goodbye.”

  Emersyn recalled Bravon talking to her about his daughter, Tracey. She wondered how the Sergeant Major must feel now that the mission was in progress. He’d never reveal his fear or uncertainty to the crew, but it was hard to be optimistic when they knew nothing of this concept they’d been introduced to.

  After they passed through the barren airport, Emersyn spotted a large, black SUV outside. They all piled into it, and the driver started the driving portion of the journey. Impatience was gnawing at her innards, the anxious pit in her stomach doubling in size.

  Night reigned over Idaho, and the winding road they found themselves on was illuminated only by the two headlights. Tanner and Naomi joked to themselves. The others were quiet. Bravon Pearson sat in the front passenger’s seat, his eyes glued to the road. He had a hand mindlessly tugging at his collar. Even though he was trying to hide it, Emersyn sensed his own worry. How could you prepare to lead a mission like this? She didn’t envy the Sergeant Major’s position.

  The car trip took longer than Emersyn anticipated. Joey Del Core grew cranky after a half hour, constantly sighing, swearing under his breath, and fidgeting. Catalina nudged him at one point, telling him to “knock it the hell off,” but it only made the big man scoff.

  After hours in the car, the road had shrunk in size, and the concrete had given way to dirt. Flares lined the road every hundred feet or so. Emersyn got sight of the side of the mountain they were approaching: it was a gargantuan obtrusion from the earth, the mouth of the cave opening like a predator inviting its prey in.

  The driver pulled the SUV next to the others. There were six vehicles in total. Guards were stationed at the mouth of the cave, armed with assault rifles. A man coordinated scientists and soldiers at the opening, making sure they got where they needed to be.

  “This is it, kids.” Bravon Pearson stepped out of the car with a sigh. Emersyn and Mona followed suit.

  “You ready?” Mona asked.

  Emersyn glanced over her shoulder. No, not by a long shot. “Yeah.”

  “We always were terrible liars.”

  The battalion got together and Bravon ordered them to start getting outfitted. A soldier had a rack of gear set up near a table to their left. He was a gruff, mean-looking Mexican man with a thick black mustache and messy hair. “Let’s get ya outfitted,” he shouted at them.

  Batons were passed around to everyone. Emersyn held hers in her hand, unsure what to make of it. Heavy, she thought. They all got belt clips, and she attached hers to her right hip. The two convicts got outfitted with black-and-yellow pistols, loaded with clips of rubber bullets.

  The soldiers and Bravon received black pistols and clips with live ammo. Bravon, Tanner, Naomi, and Mona loaded their weapons and tucked them into their belt holsters. Seeing herself handle a weapon with the skill Mona had surprised Emersyn: she’d never been one for guns, but 20 years from now and it was second nature.

  “This puny little thing won’t protect nothin’,” Joey Del Core complained. “Look at it!”

  “Shut it, Del Core.” Bravon cocked his pistol and stared at the obese man. “You’re lucky to have that. I fought it tooth and nail.

  “Of course you would, you stup—”

  “Enough!” Bravon shouted.

  Emersyn jerked at the sudden power of his voice. She must’ve just gotten a glimpse at the true Sergeant inside.

  Joey Del Core didn’t flinch, but he kept his mouth shut.

  “Hey,” Catalina said, tapping Emersyn on the shoulder.

  Emersyn turned to look at the small, shaky girl.

  “I-I’m here because I might get time off my bid . . . I’m trying to get straight.”

  Nodding, Emersyn followed her, the two walked back to the SUV.

  “Thing is, I’ve never really . . . I don’t know nothin ‘bout these rubber-bullet gun things, or this mission, or . . . anything.” She kept her eyes on the ground.

  Wow, she’s worse than me, Emersyn thought.

  “I just wanted to ask, ‘cause I know you’re a soldier and all, will you . . . protect me?”

  Frowning, Emersyn nodded toward Mona. “I think you meant for Mona there. I’m not the one who’s a soldier.”

  Catalina grabbed Emersyn’s arm as she went to get Mona. “No! You are her, right? So whatever she’s got going on, you’ve got it too.”

  Emersyn chuckled at the notion. “Trust me, I’m not half the woman she is.” She turned back to Catalina, but the young, frail girl was frowning. Her eyes were down, sullen. “But I’ll do my best to protect you, okay?”

  Catalina perked up and offered a weak smile. “Thanks. You’re the only other one that seems . . . okay. Normal.”

  “Furthest thing from it. Things’ll be okay.”

  “Thanks,” Catalina said. It seemed like Emersyn had given her some reassurance, and walking into something so uncertain as time travel, they needed all the encouragement they could get.

  The two rejoined the group. Tanner looked over them both, cracking a smile at the side of his lips. “Evening, ladies. Thanks for coming back.”

  Naomi elbowed him in the gut. He yelped in pain and rubbed his side.

  “Bitch,” he whispered under his breath.

  “Soldiers!” Bravon called.

  Everyone turned to look at their Sergeant Major. He motioned to the man behind him. Emersyn recognized him as the man who had been coordinating foot traffic at the mouth of the cave. He held a clipboard in one hand and a flashlight in the other.

  “We’re going to start our descent in soon. Stick with me. Mona, I need to see you for two minutes before we head in, we have the Requiem and the activator both prepped per your outline. We’re just hoping to confirm functionality. I’ll come back out for the rest of you.”

  Mona and Bravon headed into the massive, jagged opening of the cave. Their figures disappeared into the darkness, the illumination of the coordinator’s flashlight disappearing with them.

  “Here we go,” Naomi said. “It’s starting.”

  Tanner smirked. “Don’t go pissing your pants yet, No-Nonsense. We’re
not even to our illustrious future yet.”

  “’Ey kid, you ever shut your trap?” Joey Del Core called as he eased into a folding chair. “Givin’ me a friggin’ headache.”

  “He doesn’t,” Naomi said. “Believe me, I had to deal with him as one of my instructors.”

  Twenty minutes later, Bravon Pearson and the coordinator made their way back to the group. Bravon seemed more on edge, but Emersyn reasoned it could just be the reality of the situation sinking in. They were all coping in different ways. Her eyelids had grown three times their weight: she was regretting not taking a nap on the plane.

  “Let’s move out,” Bravon said.

  “Jesus Christ, about time!” Joey shouted, groaning as he sat up. “My ass was getting numb. All we been doin’ is sitting, standin’, and more sittin’!”

  Bravon eyed Joey. Emersyn could see his jaw tighten. He turned, leading the group into the cave.

  The irregular walls of the cave were occasionally illuminated by work lights set up every thirty feet or so. The tunnel leading in was long and narrowed as they continued into it. By the end, they were turning sideways to fit through. Joey struggled the most but managed to get his large figure through the final gap.

  The clearing they reached was wetter and darker than the photograph had indicated. The walls were slick with water, the rock beneath them was moist. Emersyn felt her shoes sinking into puddles as she stepped into the room, surveying it.

  There was a waterfall spilling over into a pool of water. Boulders decorated either side of the pool, and divers wearing scuba gear were sitting on the side of the water removing their suits.

  “Whoa,” Catalina said, pushing her way to the front. “How deep does that water go?”

  “At least 40 feet,” Bravon said. “We believe the source of energy is radiating from down below. You go far enough, the divers complain of severe headaches. Pressure. But we’re going to keep trying.”

  Emersyn winced. “So we have to dive down to activate the Requiem gem?”

  Bravon started forward. “No. Thank God. I had Mona check. From what she can read, there’s enough energy here to activate it.” Emersyn could sense the relief in his voice and was inclined to agree with it.

  She could see Mona near the pool. Her counterpart was crouched over a small, holographic keyboard. There were two cords running out of it. One went to a black box that held a glowing, red stone. The other went to a trigger, a black button with a red tip.

  “That’s the Requiem?” Emersyn asked as they approached.

  “Indeed,” Mona replied without turning her head.

  The keyboard was a holographic display, with a small, blue, pop-up imaging system. It felt like it was from the future, yet not nearly as high-tech as Emerysn expected. Her imagination was hewed by reality. But knowing this was the most significant discovery of all-time kept her eyes glued to the Requiem and the activator, a sense of wonder tickling her.

  “Fancy,” Tanner said. “That mainstream 20 years from now?”

  Mona chuckled. “We developed it specifically as an interface for the Requiem gem. Not mainstream at all.”

  “Ah, balls.”

  There was a loud groan from deeper into the cave, almost as if the mountain itself was bellowing. The walls seemed to rumble, everything felt like it was thrown off by a few inches for a moment, then snapped back.

  “Yeah, that happened in my world, too,” Mona said. “You never quite get used to it.”

  Joey Del Core scowled. “Can we get on with it?” He folded his weighty arms and sighed.

  “Just a few more minutes, we’ll be ready.”

  Reality slowly grabbed Emersyn, and unease choking her out. Within minutes now, they were going to attempt a defining scientific feat. Either they’d succeed, or they’d fail and die. The sound of going home and snuggling up in her crappy apartment didn’t sound so bad right now. Her stomach was twisting into knots.

  “Okay, ready. The process takes about 30 seconds. Is everyone ready?” Mona turned to face the group.

  “Clear out!” Bravon shouted.

  The remaining guards and soldiers left the opening in the cave. He and the six crew members were the only ones who remained.

  “All right. Men, women, soldiers. We’re going to do this, and we’re damn sure going to do it right. Follow what Mona says, don’t do anything you don’t need to do, and remember: our mission and goal are clear. We get as much evidence as we can, we come back. Got it?”

  Everyone nodded and agreed, except for Joey Del Core. The big man merely grunted, the impatience fixed on his frowned expression.

  Bravon sucked in a breath and turned to Mona. “We’re ready. What do we do?”

  She raised a hand and turned back to the Requiem gem. “You don’t do anything It’s going to pulse, anyone in a ten-foot radius is going to be ripped from this universe and taken to mine. I’ve pre-programmed the dial for two weeks before the nuclear warfare starts. We land this right, and we’ll be able to get all the evidence we need from some TV reports and internet articles.”

  She keyed in something on the holographic display, and the gem lit up brighter than it had been before. The walls of the cave were bathed in the red light from the Requiem. It started pulsing gently.

  Mona reached down and picked up the trigger. “Okay, here we go. To hell and back, my friends.”

  Emersyn couldn’t control her breaths: they ran in and out with an inexorable velocity. Her head started spinning as she concentrated on the button, mentally begging Mona not to push it. She didn’t know what she was going to experience, and the fear had taken its long, sharp knife and buried itself into her spine and gut simultaneously.

  She concentrated on the button. A second later, and Mona pushed it.

  Chapter 6

  It looked like the fabric of reality itself fragmented into a thousand pieces.

  Emersyn watched as the walls of the damp cave fractured away. The spill of the waterfall shattered into tiny pieces. Her own body was ripped jaggedly apart into identical pea-sized pieces. The falling sensation of going over the hill of a rollercoaster rushed over her.

  A bold white light splashed out from the Requiem gem. She clutched her eyes shut, but the beam radiated so brightly she could still see it through her eyelids.

  The falling sensation was replaced by one of whirling. She could feel her body spinning around and around.

  Somewhere to her left, she heard a loud scream. She made out the voice of Joey Del Core, but his scream was distant like he was back behind her.

  The light fragmented, busting apart. The burning stench of smoldering embers overtook Emersyn, and she tried to pull a hand closer to her face, to cover her nose. Her arm wouldn’t budge: it was like she’d lost all limb willpower.

  She was stuck lifeless, unable to move. She couldn’t even will her eyes open. The only thing she could see was the bright white light. The burning, acrid smell made her feel like she was going to hurl.

  The light dimmed, and reality slowly set back in. There was a tingling in her fingertips and toes that crept all along her veins. It ran up her arms, to her chest, and through her legs.

  Emersyn eased her eyes open, glancing around. They hadn’t come out in any sort of cave. They were in what looked like the middle of a wooded area. Trees and dense grass lined their immediate surroundings. Birds cawed and insects buzzed.

  Mona was already up, though she was rubbing the side of her head.

  “Hey,” Emersyn said. “You okay?”

  “Yeah, yeah. Hit my head on this damn tree.” She kicked the large, gnarled trunk of a brown oak tree. When she turned, Emersyn saw the blood smeared on the side of her head. “Transitioning’s always unpredictable from what I’ve been told.”

  “We . . . made it?” Naomi asked as she pulled herself to her knees. “Hot damn. That was a trip.”

  Joey Del Core coughed, though he made no effort to get up.

  Emersyn saw Sergeant Bravon Pearson groaning. She wobbled over to
him, still struggling to find her balance. Vertigo had taken her in full stride.

  Bravon was half on his side, half face down. Emersyn leaned down and put a hand on his shoulder. “Sarge?” she asked.

  He groaned in response.

  She pulled him over onto his side. Her eyes widened when she saw the stick emitting from his side. It was buried into the left side of his stomach, blood leaking out around the wound.

  “Oh . . . guys!” she called.

  Mona rushed over, stepping past Emersyn. She looked over the wound, but her expression didn’t change. She pointed at his left side. “Get over there, help me turn him up. We need to see how deep that wound goes.”

  Emersyn swallowed hard. She tried to purge the idea that their only leader was wounded and bleeding and going to die from her mind. One thing at a time, she tried to remind herself. She scrambled to the other side of the Sergeant and helped Mona ease him onto his back. He yelped in pain when Emersyn turned him.

  “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she whispered, trying to stay her shaking hands.

  He reached a hand up impulsively, trying to pull the stick out.

  “No, no!” Mona said, clutching his wrist before it touched the stick. “That could cause a lot of problems, Sarge. Stay put for a second.”

  “What do we do here?” Emersyn asked, her eyes fixated on Bravon. He was sweating, and barely conscious.

  Mona looked at the wound. “Damn it, damn it, damn it,” she whispered under her breath. “We don’t know how deep it goes. I’m not a medic, I can’t judge . . .” She brought a hand up, pulling a strand of frizzy graying hair from her face.

  “We’ve got to get it out,” Naomi said, approaching from behind. She held a hand out in front of her, steadying herself. “Look, there's at least six inches coming out of him. My money says it doesn’t have much more length to it.”

  “You willing to gamble your Sergeant’s life with that bet?” Mona gripped Bravon’s shoulder.

  “Excuse me?” Naomi tapered her eyes at Mona. “I was prepping for an Army Medical course. I’m not a doctor, but I know enough that if we leave it in and the wound wasn’t clean . . . if he’s moved at all, he could be bleeding internally. Leaving it in won’t help anything.”