Joel Adrian - A Shattered Future

Emersyn let her eyes fall back to the table. “I can’t really… wrap my head around it all, but I get it.”

“That’s all we needed at this point. Just an acknowledgment,” Bravon said. “I think we’ve all looked to each other once or twice just to make sure we aren’t crazy.” He stopped, studying them both. A small smile cracked at the edges of his mouth. “I didn’t see it before, not when you two were separate, but you’re definitely the same person.”

“Damn straight we are.” The older Emersyn turned and winked at Emersyn.

She chuckled. Letting the mood lighten wasn’t a bad thing, she decided. It helped ease her into the reality.

“So, there’s some type of mission you’re doing?” Emersyn asked, eyes peeking up.

Bravon folded his arms and nodded his head. “That comes down from the top. Not the top of this base, not the top of the military, but the top. Straight from President Warren.” He started pacing slowly around the table. “It’s been… agreed that the best course of action is to first give validity to these claims. After all, we know you’re both the same person, but this Requiem-thing, that’s a whole ‘nother topic.”

Everyone was quiet, their focus on the Sergeant Major as he made his way around the table.

“I’m to lead a small team and test it. From the intel we’ve gathered from Mona here, that’s in Idaho.” Bravon pointed at the older Emersyn. “Problem is, the Commander-In-Chief doesn’t want to spend military resources unnecessarily, and I’d normally be inclined to agree, but…” Bravon trailed off.

Emersyn saw Bravon hesitate, choosing his words carefully. It seemed he didn’t agree with the decision.

“Anyway,” he resumed, “It’ll be myself, Mona here, two of my best soldiers, and two volunteer prisoners.”

The older Emersyn cocked her head, turning back to face him. “Prisoners? All due respect sir, this isn’t something you want to be putting anywhere near criminals.”

“I… understand. I expressed to the President such concerns could be raised. But this is a trial, a test. Our scientists and gemologists can’t make heads or tails of this Requiem gem. It’s drowning in energy, but we can’t identify it, and we aren’t going to fund further research until we determine it works.” He placed his hands on the back of a chair and looked at everyone in the room side-to-side. “We’ve got men on-site at this activation area you told us about in Idaho. It’s checked out, but it’s not enough for the President.” He clenched the edge of the table. “I won’t lie to you, this isn’t ideal. But we’ll get it done. We’re to test it, and, assuming it works, bring as much intel or evidence that we can, and then we call it a day, folks. I’ll be one step closer to retirement, and we’ll all rest easy knowing we saved the world.”

“What about her?” the older Emersyn asked, looking at Emersyn.

Bravon turned to face her. “Well, Ms. Berg, if you’ll come, we’ll have you. I’ve been instructed to persuade you by any means necessary, but I’m not going to hold you here against your will. I brought you, I showed you, you’re free to walk away and return to your apartment in Ohio. Nobody will force you. But, if you’d consider it, I think you’d be an invaluable asset.”

Emersyn raised her head to the Sergeant, avoiding his eyes. “Why’s that?”

He planted a hand on the back of the older Emersyn’s chair. “Look at her. She’s a kick-ass soldier with enough willpower to get here. I don’t know if she told you just how bad things are in her timeline, but it’s been ripped apart by bombs. Call it a hunch, but she’s you,” he said, leveling a finger at her. “Two soldiers are better than one. I’d rather have more of you at my back than prisoners, that’s for damn sure.”

Emersyn tried to stifle her laugh. “I’m not a soldier, I’m just a girl… I work at a call center, for god’s sake. I don’t know how to fight, or k-kill.” She stumbled over the last word, having trouble even fathoming shooting someone. She cleared her throat. “I’m not who she is.”

Bravon studied her. “Mm. Maybe not.”

Wayne placed a hand on the door. “Emersyn, you’re free to stay. We have openings in the scientist bunks. We’re a friendly bunch, don’t worry. We work all night, so you’ll probably be the only one sleeping.” He laughed in his high-pitched voice. “Comfy beds though, warm meal. You can stay the night if you’re not ready to decide.”

She looked at him. Something about Wayne made her feel more at ease. She offered a feeble smile. “Thank you, I-I think I’ll do that.”

“Mona, you’re going to have to go back to the cell,” Bravon said, turning and motioning to the guard. “Don’t worry, things move like I want them to, this’ll be the last night.”

The older Emersyn smirked. “Didn’t you say that last night, sir?”

“Shut it, Corporal.” He turned and offered Emersyn a hand up. She accepted, and he helped steady her. “Try not to take too much time thinking about all this you heard today. The technical details, the science, it doesn’t matter much. What matters is it happened, and we’re the ones who have to fix this.”

She followed the other Emersyn out of the office. “Since when do you go by our middle name, ‘Mona’?”

The older Emersyn slyly smiled. “We’ve always hated the name Emersyn… haven’t we?”

Emersyn came to a stop outside, watching the guard escort Mona to a jeep nearby. She turned and looked around the base. There were still soldiers training, still camo-covered Hummers driving to and fro. It was a busy base.

After a moment of being outside, the heat hit her. It was intense, striking down a direct assault with nary a cloud to break it up. She held a hand up to shield her eyes from the harsh rays. Feeling out of place wasn’t something Emersyn was foreign to but being on this base made her feel like she’d crash-landed on a distant planet.

The office emptied of the rest of the occupants, and Wayne put a hand on her shoulder. “Want to come get settled in?”

She turned and nodded. “Sure.”

The scientist’s bunks were nicer than Emersyn anticipated. Instead of having a barracks setup where the beds were stacked one on top of the other in a central room, each room held two beds and even had a desk and chair. They were stuffy, and just as Wayne claimed, hardly occupied.

He gave her an empty one and told her she wouldn’t have to share it as they were short-staffed this time of year. She tossed her bag onto the bed and collapsed, relief washing over her. Even though her mind and perception of reality had been thrown for a loop, having a second to collect herself eradicated her anxiety for the moment.

She found an outlet and put her phone on the charger. There were four texts waiting for her, all from Ollie. They ranged from asking how she was, to begging her to call him.

Emersyn went to oblige, but her thumb hovered over the ‘call’ button. She remembered what Mona said: her and Ollie got married, but it ended four years after.

The swell of uncertainty came up like the urge to puke. She set the phone down, and let her head fall back onto the stiff pillow. She’d always wanted to get married and have a family. But she didn’t want to waste time on Ollie if it wasn’t going to work. She’d always known, one way or another, that he wasn’t right for her. His enthusiasm lacked even a week into their relationship and had been waning since then.

But was it fair to dismiss him because Mona left him? In her own words, she was here to change things. This timeline was different.

Emersyn felt paralyzed with indecision again. Just like she’d been when Whitney and Anne confronted her in the parking lot. She wanted to leave things the way they were, the familiar comfortability of it all.