Once we’re seated, Lynne’s gaze sweeps over the five of us. “Thank you all for coming and for your patience. As you know, I’m Lynne Marshall, the project leader. I believe you’ve all met Dr. Rajesh Kapur, our lead medical doctor, and I’d like to introduce Dr. Bob Walters, our lead physicist. Welcome to Project Chronos.”
She says the last words like they carry a certain weight, but they mean nothing to me. After a moment, she continues. “At Aether Corporation we pride ourselves on being at the forefront of technology. Our company has been behind some of the biggest innovations in history and our products are used by millions of people all around the world, yet we’re always looking for ways to expand our reach. You’ve each been selected for your special skills and talents to help us further this goal.”
“Get to the point already,” Chris mutters behind me.
She continues as if she didn’t hear him, with a wide smile on her lips. “Dr. Walters will explain the project to you, but please keep in mind that everything we go over today is highly confidential.”
“Thank you, Lynne.” One of the men in lab coats steps forward. He’s probably in his fifties, with a full head of gray hair and wrinkles around his eyes. “We’ve developed an accelerator that creates a rift in the space-time continuum, allowing us to open a temporal aperture that will send you forward.”
I don’t have the slightest clue what he is talking about. I focus on the words that make sense. “What do you mean, forward?”
“The aperture can send five people to the future for a short period. Due to the time dilation, only twelve minutes will pass in the present, but twenty-four hours will pass for those in the future.”
“Like…a simulation?” Adam asks.
Dr. Walters looks to Lynne, then clears his throat. “No, not exactly.”
“Wait, are you saying…” My voice trails off. The words are too big, too impossible to speak out loud. “That we…The future…”
“Yes,” Lynne says. “You will all be traveling to the future.”
I sit back in my chair with a thump as a hush falls over the room. No, I don’t believe it. This has to be a test, to see how we react to something so completely unreal. Or maybe they mean it all as a metaphor. Envisioning ourselves in the future, something like that. Any second now, they’ll explain and it will all make sense—’cause they can’t seriously mean what I think they mean.
Adam raises his hand. “How does this accelerator work?”
Dr. Walters smiles, clearly pleased to have a star student. “The accelerator increases the atoms inside it to nearly the speed of light, causing time around them to slow down and—”
“The details are not important,” Lynne interrupts. “And before we go to questions, I want to make it clear that each of you can back out now, but this will be your last chance. Please remember that all of the information you have seen today is confidential, and that if you leave, you will be in breach of your contract.”
In other words, if we back out now we won’t get the money and assistance that Aether Corp is offering us. No one speaks, but no one gets up to leave either. Chairs creak as the others trade uneasy looks. Adam’s dark brows are pulled together behind his glasses. The blue-haired girl bites her black fingernails. Chris rubs his chin, his eyes narrowed, while Trent leans forward, mouth open. I don’t know what any of them are thinking, but no matter how impossible this sounds or how risky this may be, it’s the only chance I have for a future. There’s no way I’m walking out that door.
Lynn’s smile grows wider. “Very good. I’m pleased you’ve all decided to stay.”
Adam raises his hand again. I have to give it to the guy. He is definitely persistent.
Lynne purses her lips. “Mr. O’Neill, you have a question?”
“How far into the future are we going?”
“We believe you will arrive ten years from now,” Dr. Walters says.
“Ten years?” I blurt out. They’re serious about this. They’re actually sending us into the future. I think I might throw up. I just…I can’t even…