Future Shock (3 page)

“Hold up,” Chris says. “Can we go back to the part where we’re going into the
future
? Is this shit for real?”

“Yeah, this must be some kind of joke, right?” Trent asks.

“I promise you, this is very real,” Lynne says. “In a few hours you
will
be in the future. Amazing, isn’t it?”

Lynne and the scientists smile like they expect applause. Instead, the five of us sit in stunned silence. I feel like someone hit me with a truck and left me lying in the road, bleeding all over the asphalt.

“What about the grandfather paradox?” Adam asks.

The what? I want to know if the accelerator is safe and what kind of risks we’ll face in the future and what exactly they want us to do there—and he’s asking questions about
grandfathers
?

“Ah yes.” Dr. Walters nods at the question. “For those of you who don’t know, the grandfather paradox states that traveling to the past is impossible because any changes made would change the future. The famous example is that if you visited the past and killed your grandfather as a child, you would no longer exist, thus causing a paradox. But you won’t need to worry about any of that. Since we will be opening the temporal aperture on our end in the present, the grandfather paradox does not apply. You simply have to make sure you return to the location of the aperture at the correct time to go through it.”

“But how do you know we won’t appear in the future in the middle of the ocean or stuck inside a wall?” Adam asks.
A much better question
, I think.

“Aether Corporation owns this building,” Lynne says. “We’ve already made arrangements so it remains in our possession over the next ten years. When you get to the future you’ll likely be greeted by Aether employees who will be happy to assist you.” She gives a tiny laugh. “You might even see a future version of me.”

This is all happening so fast and it sounds way too easy. There has to be something they aren’t telling us. Am I the only one who sees the warning signs?

I don’t bother to raise my hand like Adam did. “What kind of risks can we expect in the future?”

Dr. Kapur speaks for the first time since we got here. “There should be very few risks. We’ve already performed trial runs with the aperture, such as sending inanimate objects and small animals to the future. They all returned unharmed.”

“Yes, it’s perfectly safe,” Lynne says. “You’re the first people to visit the future, so we’re not entirely sure what the future will be like, but if you compare the world now to the world of ten years ago, not as much has changed as you might think. Technology and pharmaceuticals have made great advances, but most aspects of our culture remain the same. We still use the same money, speak the same language, and use the same roads. The risks should be no greater than walking outside your own house today. We’ll also be providing you with supplies and money in the unlikely event that someone from Aether Corporation is not there to greet you.”

Dr. Walters looks like he wants to say something, but Lynne continues. “If there are no further questions at this time, we’ll break for lunch. After that, you’ll be heading to the accelerator and we’ll go over a few more details there.”

“I got a question,” Chris says, crossing his arms. “When do we get paid?”

“As soon as you return from the future and finish your debriefing.” She smiles and heads toward the door. “Now if you’ll all follow me…”

As we stand, I overhear Trent ask Chris, “Dude, do you really thinking we’re going to the future?”

Chris snorts. “No way in hell.”

I hate to admit it, but I agree with them. What Lynne and the scientists are proposing, this “temporal aperture,” it’s impossible. It has to be. And if it
is
possible, there’s no way they’d choose us for it. They’d use scientists or people in the military. Not foster kids.

But my God, if it is true? We’ll be going to
the
future
. My mind races just thinking about the possibilities. Ten years is a long time. I’ll be twenty-seven years old. Maybe I’ll be married with a kid or two. Maybe I’ll be serving a life sentence in prison like Papá. Or maybe I’ll be a social worker, helping other foster kids like myself. With Aether Corp’s money, that dream doesn’t seem quite as impossible as it did a few days ago.

No matter what the risks are, I’m all in. I mean, who
wouldn’t
want to see the future?

Lunch is served in a cafeteria where employees probably spend their breaks, except today it’s cleared out. I grab a tray and load it up with food—lasagna, salad, some sort of fancy chicken dish, french fries. They even have a frozen yogurt machine. Throwing this much food in front of foster kids is almost cruel. I eat pretty well at the Robertsons’, but that wasn’t always the case.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spot Trent grabbing a roll out of the basket and slipping it into his pocket. Food hoarding. I’ve seen other foster kids do that. He must have gone hungry a lot when he was younger. Chris catches me watching Trent and sneers at me. I roll my eyes and grab a slice of cake.

They’ve set up a long table for us so we can all sit together. Guess we’re supposed to be bonding or something. No thanks. Chris and Trent take a different table and I sit at another one, by myself. If I’m lucky it’ll stay that way.

The blue-haired girl, whose badge I finally see—Zoe Chang—hovers between our tables with her tray. She’s tiny, probably not even five foot tall, and with her bright bob, she looks like a pixie or something. She studies Chris and Trent, who eat in silence, hostility rising off them in invisible waves. She must figure I’m a safer bet because she finally joins me. Of course.

“Thanks for your help earlier,” Adam says, as his tray hits the table. He sits across from us. There go my plans for a quiet lunch.

I give a curt nod and avoid making eye contact. Maybe if I don’t answer he’ll leave me alone.

“This is unbelievable, right? This time travel stuff?” He doesn’t touch his food, and instead folds and unfolds his napkin over and over. Must be a nervous tick.

I ignore him and shove food in my mouth. After living with many other kids for years, I’m in the habit of eating quickly, and I don’t want to talk to this guy anyway. I’ll be spending the next twenty-four hours with him, which is more than enough time already. I’m not here to make friends. I just need to make it through this day so I can get on with my life.

“Here.” Adam shoves something across the table toward me. His napkin, folded in the shape of a dog or something. No, a horse. With a horn.

An origami unicorn.

“You made this?” It’s a dumb question since I just saw him make it, but I’m so thrown off by his gift that I don’t know what to say.

“Yeah.” He shrugs and pokes at his food with his fork. “Sorry it’s not very good. It would be better with the right kind of paper, but all I had were these flimsy napkins.”

I slide the origami unicorn closer to me, rubbing my fingers over the precise folds of the napkin. People don’t make things for me. Not like this anyway.

“Thanks.” I meet Adam’s eyes for the first time. Bright blue and intelligent, shining out from behind his black-rimmed glasses. The kind of eyes that never miss a thing. He smiles and I quickly look down at my food.

“No, thank
you
for earlier,” he says, lowering his voice. “What was that all about anyway? Did I say something wrong back there?

He must be talking about the fight. I don’t want to answer him, but he should probably know. “Your question pissed them off. They’ve probably spent time in juvie.”

“Juvie? I had no idea.”

“You’re not a foster kid, are you?”

“No…” His voice trails off. “Are you?”

“Yeah. And my guess is the other three are too.” I look to Zoe for confirmation and she nods, her eyes locked on her plate.

“Oh. I didn’t realize…” Adam adjusts his glasses and studies me. “What did Trent mean by Bright Haven?”

I stab my food with my fork. “It’s a group home.”

He probably wants more from me, to hear what happened there, but he won’t get it. I don’t talk about the past. Especially not that day.

We eat in silence for a few minutes, and when he’s distracted I steal another glance at his face. There’s something about his strong jaw, dark eyebrows, and perfectly messy hair that make my eyes want to linger on him. He’s better looking than I originally thought, in that geeky cute way a lot of girls find attractive. I’m not one of them. Guys like Chris are more my type.

But I can see the appeal.

“Cool hair,” Adam says to Zoe.

“Thanks,” she says, keeping her eyes down. “I, um, I like your unicorn.”

These are the first words I’ve heard from her. I was beginning to wonder if she spoke at all.

“Thanks. It’s something I picked up when I was bored.” He’s so friendly, and a part of me wants to smack that smile off his face. A guy who has time to learn origami has no idea how cruel the real world can be.

“Is that your, um, talent?” she asks. I can’t tell if she’s serious or not.

“Origami? No.” He laughs—an easy laugh, like he does it a lot. “I’m not sure what my talent is. I guess I’m a fast learner.”

“Don’t be modest, Adam,” Lynne says from behind us, where she’s been watching us eat. She raises her voice so we can all hear. “Adam is a genius. He graduated from high school at fourteen and recently graduated from UCLA with double degrees in biochemistry and molecular biology.”

Trent snickers, and Chris glares at our table with a deadly look in his eyes. Adam stares at his plate, a frown on his lips. Is Lynne
trying
to get the guy beat up? And if Adam is so smart, why is he here? What is Aether offering him?

Lynne smiles at each of us like a proud parent. “I’m sure you’ve all wondered why you were selected for this mission. In our early tests, we discovered that electronic equipment of any kind short-circuits when it goes through the aperture. You can still bring back technology from the future, but we’re also interested in sketches and notes on how it all works, along with your general impressions of the world. With this goal in mind, you were each chosen because of your unique talents. With your help, we’ll be able to glimpse the future and bring about a new era of prosperity and progress.”

This must be why they picked me, since I’ll remember everything I see in the future perfectly. If Adam is such a genius, it makes sense they’d want him too. My gaze travels from Zoe to Chris and Trent. What are their special skills?

Once we’ve finished eating, Lynne explains that they have clothes for us to wear in the future so we won’t stand out too much, no matter what the fashion trends are in ten years. I’m sent to the exam room from before to change and given a plain black T-shirt, dark blue jeans, a hooded jacket, and basic walking shoes. There’s also a watch with tiny silver hands and twenty-four hours on it instead of twelve. I put it on my arm above my mother’s watch, which rarely leaves my wrist.

Now that I’m alone and have a second to think, too many questions race through my head. In a few minutes, we’ll be going to the future. Everything is moving so fast, and they did little to prepare us for whatever we’ll face.

Lynne’s explanation of why they chose us rings hollow in my ears. I know my perfect memory is rare, but I’m sure they could find someone over eighteen with the same skill. So why are they using foster kids? And what was with all the medical tests? Is the accelerator really safe—or did they pick us because we’re expendable?

I’m supposed to wait here for Lynne to get me, but I’m too antsy. I pace back and forth, my blood racing along with my brain. It’s about a million degrees, so I remove the jacket they gave me, tossing it on the bed. I examine everything in the room, but there’s nothing of interest, just the same medical supplies you’d find in any doctor’s office.

After twenty minutes I can’t take it any longer. I need answers, and if no one will tell me anything, I’ll have to find them myself—somehow.

The hallway is quiet and empty. I head toward the elevator, but I’m not sure where to go after that. Maybe I can find an empty office where I can browse someone’s computer or riffle through their file cabinet. My plan sucks, but I can’t just wait around doing nothing anymore.

At the end of the hallway, I hear male voices. I jerk to a halt and try to peer around the corner without getting caught. Two men in lab coats stand outside one of the exam rooms. Dr. Kapur and Dr. Walters.

“How do you know it won’t happen again?” Dr. Walters asks.

“It won’t. These kids are young enough.”

“What if they’re not?”

There’s a pause. I flatten myself against the wall, trying not to breathe. What are they talking about? What are they worried will happen again? And what did they mean by young
enough
?

“Then we’ll have to go younger,” Dr. Kapur says.

“Younger? It was hard enough getting five eighteen-year-olds. We can’t get anyone younger! And if we do, they won’t be able to bring back the kind of data we need!”

“It doesn’t matter,” Dr. Kapur continues. “It won’t happen this time.”

They’re talking about
us
. Does that mean there were
other
times?

“I hope you’re right,” Dr. Walters says with a sigh.

“I’ve done the analysis and run the tests multiple times. We won’t have any problems,” Dr. Kapur says. I hear movement, the sound of clothes rustling. “It’s almost time. We need to get to the accelerator.”

“Yes, Lynne is waiting, and I need to check the calibrations before we start.”

Padded steps come toward me and I bolt down the hall, tracing my steps back to my exam room. They’re about to turn the corner. I won’t make it in time.

I knock on the nearest door and it opens—Adam! He looks surprised, but I push him back into his room before he can speak. The door shuts behind us with a soft click.

“Elena, what—”

I cover his mouth with one hand and listen. My other hand grips his arm, holding him in place. Adam stares at me with wide eyes, but he doesn’t move and doesn’t speak. I count the seconds in my head. One minute. Two.