"Are you sure this is the way?" the woman wearing glasses asked the man beside her. Her eyes stared at the device skeptically, still doubtful of its abilities.
"It is, I'm assuming," the man said, uncertainty heavy in his voice. "There's only one way to find out."
"You aren't serious, are you?" The woman was in disbelief. She stared at him as if he had grown four heads.
"Why are you looking at me that way? I'm serious," the man said, writing down the time and the date in a notebook.
"I'm still not sure about this. Can we not do this?" The woman remained apprehensive, her heart completely against the experiment.
"Relax, nothing's going to happen," the man assured her with a smile.
"But..."
"If something really happens, aren't you there to bring me back?"
The woman nodded fervently. However, her eyes kept quivering, showing how messy her thoughts were.
The man sighed and pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Do not worry, my dear. Nothing is going to happen to me."
"But I'm having a strong premonition about this. What if... what if something happens?"
"Fine, I'll give up, alright? I cannot see you stressed."
Although the woman was relieved and happy by his words, the man wasn't, and seeing him unhappy, she fell into a dilemma again.
Finally, after a few seconds of thinking, she mustered all her courage and looked at him assertively.
"You should do it."
"What?" The man hadn't expected her to agree all of a sudden when she had been completely against it.
"You should do it. It's your dream project. I don't want to be the one to hinder you from doing what you've been waiting to do all your life."
"Are you sure?" The man was overwhelmed with joy, and his cloudy mood vanished instantly.
"Yes. You should do it."
"You are the best." The man pecked her lips and started noting all the important information in the file. Once he was done, he pulled the lever by his side, the mere action taking a lot of his strength.
The next instant, the room crackled like a sleeping beast, the metal and the wires pulsing with latent power. Every surface glowed with a soft, impossible hue, neither blue nor violet, but something in between.
The man stood beneath the curved ceiling and glanced at the woman, the love of his life, his wife, with a soft smile.
"Wait for me, darling. I'll be back soon."
The woman nodded, her eyes tearing up.
The man then entered the chamber behind him, which held a circular pod. It was sleek, silent, and taller than him, its surface matte black.
He paused at the interface, his hand trembling slightly.
"ChronoNav online," the machine intoned, sensing him, its voice smooth and neutral. "Destination?"
"Earth."
The machine then intoned, "Reading Earth."
The man held his breath and looked at his wife again.
"Solstice Cycle, Year 1720, 6th Dawn of the Third Moon. 3:06 a.m. Origin point: Omnara. Coordinates locked."
The structure came to life instantly, its interface lighting up with strange, shifting symbols. The man's hand hovered above the activation switch, sweat trickling down his temple.
The hum grew louder, vibrating through the floor, and the man hesitated for a moment. But the next instant, he took a deep breath and pressed the switch.
The glass-like holographic dome of the circular pod opened, inviting the man to enter.
Again, the man turned to his wife, who showed him a thumbs-up. Blowing her a kiss, he entered the pod and took the seat, ergonomically shaped and luminescent, and designed for a single occupant.
Once he had latched himself to the seat, he pulled the small lever by his right.
The holographic door closed with a low hiss, sealing him inside.
His gloved hands gripped the control yoke as the monitors flickered to life around him, cascading streams of codes and readings. The entire structure started vibrating.
The man held his breath, his eyes sparkling with excitement. Even through his fear and apprehension, his anticipation was like a shining star.
Then, a sudden silence fell. It was so complete, so absolute, it felt like the universe itself held its breath.
And then—
Boom.
The machine roared to life. A calm, detached voice resounded in the enclosed space. "Chrono field stable. Initiating displacement in 3… 2… 1..."
And then, everything went white.
The circular pod evaporated into the void, leaving only a hollow, deafening silence in its wake.
Lucas woke up with a start. His entire body was charged with excitement, his eyes shining brighter than the stars. A thin layer of sweat blanketed his forehead, his palms clammy and cold.
But his excitement wore off quickly when he perceived his surroundings. It was all a dream, a dream so real it seemed as if he had lived it, as if he had actually entered the circular pod himself.
"What the hell was that?" he muttered, feeling his heart beat spike. "Am I being paranoid now? Did everything happening around me get into my mind? Is my brain broken?"
Lucas had a strange sensation. His dream didn't feel like a dream. The woman didn't seem like his imagination. What was happening?
His thoughts were a clutter, and he couldn't distinguish what was a dream and what wasn't. It was as if the entire universe was playing a game with him, a game so cruel that he started to doubt his sanity.
"Hey Lucas, what's gotten you thinking early in the morning?" Vance's powerful voice boomed in his ears, startling him until he jolted.
"Relax, mate. It's me." Vance was stunned by his intense reaction.
"You scared me there," Lucas complained, patting his heart.
"Sorry about that. It wasn't my intention." Vance scratched his head, not knowing what had gotten the young man agitated all of a sudden.
'Maybe he had a nightmare,' he thought.
"Are you up, or do you want to sleep some more?" Vance asked, rummaging through his wardrobe.
"I'm up. I don't think I'll be able to sleep anymore."
"Good. You may want to meet Patrick. He has some updates regarding the tranquilizer."
"Oh, okay."
Lucas nodded, running a hand through his unruly hair.
"I'll see you around."
Vance nodded and left the room while Lucas lay flat on the bed. "What the hell was that dream? I must be going crazy here."
Meanwhile, somewhere far away, a machine that hadn't stopped working for years beeped loudly, gaining a young woman's attention.
"Memory match detected. Memory match detected," the machine said monotonously, and the woman bolted towards it immediately.
"Memexis, what's the status?" the woman asked, her eyes lighting up with hope.
"Memory match detected. Match percent: 100. Location: Velomore, Planet Cyrion-9."