Joel Adrian - A Shattered Future

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.