by Simon Rose
Alex didn’t respond as he intently studied the icon.
“I said, I’m going,” she called again. “Alex?”
Stephanie stepped into the kitchen.
“Here,” said Alex, beckoning her over to the counter. “Take a look at this.”
“What?”
“On the phone,” he said, showing her the screen. “It’s some kind of app. Have you seen this one before? Is it something new? Like a shopping thing or something like that?”
“No idea,” replied Stephanie, as she examined the icon. “It’s not one I’ve seen before. If it’s new, it’d be on my phone too, since we have the same model from the same year.”
“I wonder what it is?”
“Open it,” said Stephanie. “Let’s have a look.”
Alex shrugged and pressed the app’s icon. It opened to reveal a low quality image that had A. Mitchell written beneath it.
“Dad?” Alex gasped, in astonishment.
He and Stephanie were both startled by the sound of a message alert. A small green light began pulsing underneath the picture. There was a text message.
Chapter Five
Texts From Tomorrow
“IS HE TELLING you where he is?” said Stephanie, staring at the image on the phone. “Has your dad been kidnapped?”
“I don’t know,” replied Alex, as he opened the message.
They read the text together.
Turn on the TV to the local news channel. There’s a story about volcanic eruption in Indonesia. While the reporter is talking to the camera, a helicopter will be destroyed by the eruption.
“That’s weird,” said Alex.
“What does that mean?” said Stephanie. “Is it some kind of coded message?”
“How the heck do I know?” said Alex, with some irritation. “It’s just a message. I don’t know what it means.”
“Let’s find out.”
Stephanie grabbed the remote, turned on the TV, and switched to the local news channel. Just as the text message had said, there was a news report concerning a volcano that was erupting in Indonesia. A reporter was standing in front of the camera telling viewers what had happened so far and how the volcano could erupt violently at any time. He was explaining how the local population had been evacuated and how the emergency services personnel were working at the scene. There were mountains in the background. One peak in the centre of the picture was emitting wisps of smoke but these were nothing like the huge ash clouds normally associated with a volcanic eruption. Alex had his phone in his hand and rechecked the message to make sure that he’d read it correctly. When he looked back at the screen, a helicopter flew in from the right and hovered over the volcano. Alex and Stephanie were shocked and stared wide-eyed at the TV as a huge ash cloud blasted from the volcano. The cloud destroyed the helicopter, which fell from the sky in flames and tumbled down the mountainside.
“Oh, my God,” Stephanie gasped.
Alex was silent. His phone vibrated and then emitted a message alert. There was another text.
Did you see the helicopter crash?
“What is it?” asked Stephanie.
Alex handed her the phone.
“Are you going to reply?”
“No. I mean, I don’t know. We have no idea what this is about. Anyone could have sent this message. It could even be someone in a different time zone who’s already seen this footage.”
“Not really,” Stephanie pointed out. “The people on the TV said this is live coverage. Everyone would have seen that crash at the same time.”
The TV station was replaying the crash footage. Alex’s phone vibrated. Beneath the image of the man, the phone’s green light was pulsing. There was another message, this time with a live video. Alex’s hand was trembling as his finger pressed the icon.
“Hello, Alex,” said a man, as the video opened. “I haven’t seen that face for a long time.”
THE MAN WAS sitting in a room cluttered with computers and scientific equipment. He bore an uncanny resemblance to Andrew, but Alex instantly knew it wasn’t his father.
“Who are you?” said Alex. “Why are you contacting us? Do you know where my dad is?”
“And how did you know about the helicopter?” asked Stephanie.
“One thing at a time,” said the man. “I knew about the helicopter because to me that’s history.”
“What do you mean?” said Alex.
“That happened a long time ago. I just had to make sure that I had the exact time and date so I could direct you to the news story.”
“I don’t understand,” said Stephanie, shaking her head.
“I’m contacting you from the future,” the man explained.
“Who are you?” said Alex. “Is this some kind of scam?”
“This is going to be hard to believe,” said the man, “but my name’s Alexander Mitchell. I’m you, Alex.”
“What?”
“I’m your future self. That’s why I knew exactly where the two of you would be today and how I could contact you.”
“Is this a joke?” asked Alex.
“Maybe we should call the police and give them all the details,” Stephanie suggested.
“It’s not a joke, Alex,” insisted Alexander. “I wish it was, but this is deadly serious.”
He pushed back his thick mop of hair to reveal a scar on the right side of his forehead.
“This is the scar I got from the car accident in the rainstorm.”
Alex instinctively reached for his own recently healed wound.
“I’m afraid it doesn’t heal that well,” said Alexander. “At least I’ve been able to cover it up with my hair all these years.”
“That’s the same as yours,” said Stephanie. “Both scars—even the same curved shape.”
“That doesn’t prove anything,” Alex corrected her. “He could have got that from any kind of accident. It doesn’t prove he’s me. That’s crazy.”
“You’re in grade nine now, right?” asked Alexander. “I could tell you a few details of how your studies are going to go in the next couple of years, but I can’t influence your fate like that. It wouldn’t be right. You’re on the basketball team for the first time this year. Last year you went on a sailing trip with the school.”
“That doesn’t prove anything either,” said Alex. “I’ve hacked people’s accounts on Facebook and other social media sites. So has Stephanie. You could easily get that kind of information.”
“Ah yes, social media,” said Alexander, with a chuckle. “I remember Facebook and all those others before they disappeared. They seem like antiques now. Some people don’t even remember those kinds of things these days.”
“You’re right, Alex,” said Stephanie. “He could have hacked that stuff. We should definitely tell your mom if we’re not going to the police.”
“I still have this,” said Alexander, holding up a small screwdriver and showing them the handle. “It’s not pink of course, Stephanie. The colour just faded with time, even more so by now.”
“Alex, is that—”
“It could be a fake,” Alex interrupted her. “Just like everything else he’s saying.”
“Do you remember that big yellow truck you had when you were six?” said Alexander. “How you broke the wheel and blamed it on your friend? Or that sick stray cat you secretly nursed back to health in the backyard and never told your parents about when you were nine? Then there was that time . . .”
The image on the screen abruptly began to break up then it was gone.
“Alex?” said Stephanie. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” Alex replied, his voice shaking slightly. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Is it true what he said? About that toy and the sick cat?”
“Yes, yes it’s true,” said Alex, impatiently. “But how could he know that?”
“Maybe he’s telling the truth.”
“But it’s impossible.”
There was a new phone message from Alexander.
Alex opened it.
“I’m sorry about that,” said Alexander. “It’s such a poor connection at times, trying to link with the obsolete technology of your time. I’m sure you noticed some weird things with your laptop and the TV, as well as that old computer in the basement. I was trying to connect but couldn’t quite get things to work properly. I hope we can stay connected long enough so that I can tell you everything that you need to know. I can see you both still need convincing that I’m telling the truth. What time does it say on the clock on the microwave in the kitchen?”
“6:10,” Alex replied. “Why?”
“Let me make a prediction. At 6:12, the phone’s going to ring. It will be your mom telling you she’s going to be longer than she expected. She’s calling at your grandmother’s on the way home. You and Stephanie should order pizza since she won’t be home in time to make dinner.”
“How could you know that stuff?”
Alexander simply smiled.
“That’s not all. When you put the phone down, Stephanie will get a text from her friend Madison. It’ll include a funny picture of a cat and the text message will say “lol just like streaky.” I assume that’s the name of your cat?”
“Her cat, actually,” Stephanie replied.
“Okay, whatever,” said Alexander. “Either way, that’s what’s going to happen.”
“Why should we believe you?” said Alex. “It’s so crazy and—”
The phone rang. Alex and Stephanie both looked over at the microwave clock. It was 6:12. Alex put his cell phone on the counter and walked over to the landline.
“Hello,” said Alex very quietly, as he answered the call.
“Alex?” said Angela. “Is that you?”
“Yeah, sorry. Hi, Mom.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Okay, good. Can you order pizza for dinner? Buy two if Stephanie’s still there. We can always have leftovers tomorrow. I’m calling at Grandma’s house on the way home. I just need to see how she’s doing with all this stuff with your dad.”
Alex was very quiet as he listened to his mom tell him exactly what Alexander had claimed that she would say. Angela asked Alex several times if he was feeling okay before the call ended. As Alex put down the phone, Stephanie almost dropped her cell phone when she was startled by a text alert.
“Oh, my God,” she said softly, staring at her phone.
Alex went over and saw the text with the cat picture and the exact wording, precisely as Alexander had predicted.
“Okay,” said Alex, picking up his cell phone to resume the video conversation with the mysterious Alexander. “You’ve got our attention. What’s this all about?”
“Robert Castlewood and Veronica were just there, weren’t they?”
“Yes,” said Stephanie.
“And did she take the laptop?”
“She did,” said Alex, frowning. “She said they had to examine it back at the office in case there’s any sensitive material on it. She said she’s bringing the laptop back tomorrow.”
“Her taking the laptop is what sets everything in motion,” said Alexander, grimly. “This is where it all begins. Veronica Castlewood must be stopped. It’s a matter of life and death for millions of people in the future.”
Chapter Six
Learning Curves
“I KNOW THIS sounds insane,” said Alexander, “but let me try and explain as much as I can. Stephanie, can you connect the phone to your tablet please, so you can watch the video on there.”
“Sure,” said Stephanie.
She walked over to the dining room table to grab her tablet. Once she’d connected it to the phone, Alexander continued.
“Is that better?” he asked. “Is the picture a little sharper?”
“Yes, it is,” said Alex.
“In the future I’m able to access all the personal records of just about anyone,” said Alexander. “It’s based on all the interconnections between the web, phones, and so many other sites. It’s not 100% accurate and the system has some flaws, but it’s still reasonably reliable. That’s how I’m able to piece together events, such as your mom’s phone call and Stephanie’s text. Of course, I also remember the conversation and events from when I was younger.”
“How are you able to access all that information?” Stephanie asked.
“All that training in hacking accounts when I was a kid, I guess,” replied Alexander, with a wink.
“Can you tell us more?” said Alex.
“I can, but not now. I might not be able to maintain this connection for long. I’m always potentially under surveillance here. The signals are all scrambled and rotated, but I might have to shut things down without warning. I promise to explain more to you later but there are some things that are very important for you to know. How much do you know about what kind of work Dad does at Castlewood Dynamics?”
“I know it involves robotics and really cool technology but not all the details,” Alex replied. “Well, apart from how Dad developed advanced robots that eventually could be used to do many of the regular tasks currently done by people.”
“Sounds like a great idea,” said Stephanie.
“Yes, it does,” Alexander agreed. “It allows humans to do more worthwhile things, but it also has very sinister applications.”
The video started to break up, but this time Alexander somehow managed to stabilize the transmission.
“Like what?” Alex asked.
“I don’t have time to tell you everything right now in case I lose the connection,” replied Alexander. “You need to know that Veronica’s arrival at the company made Dad suspicious of her motives with regards to the technology they were developing. He was planning to leave Castlewood and join Hartfield Tech.”
“Didn’t your mom and dad talk about that in the car on the phone?” said Stephanie.
“Yes,” Alex replied. “But Veronica said that she’s only recently started working for the company and Robert’s not retiring any time soon. That’s what he said when he was here anyway. Veronica’s not in charge of Castlewood Dynamics.”
“I’m afraid Robert doesn’t have long to live,” Alexander said, calmly. “He’s going to die at 1 pm tomorrow after collapsing on a golf course. This is just one of the key events that sets things in motion.”
“But he said he was really healthy,” said Alex. “He’d just visited the doctor.”
“And he was going to do that half-marathon,” Stephanie added.
“Unfortunately, it’s true,” said Alexander. “Or at least it will be tomorrow, and Veronica’s responsible.”
“What do you mean?” Alex asked. “She’s involved in his death?”
“She’s also responsible for Dad’s disappearance,” replied Alexander. “You need to get his laptop back.”
“But we have no idea where it is,” said Stephanie.
“You’ll find it in Veronica’s office at Castlewood Dynamics,” Alexander replied. “She won’t be there tomorrow morning, so you should be able to collect the laptop without any trouble.”
Despite all these incredible revelations, Alex remained firmly sceptical about what Alexander had told them.
“I just don’t know about all this,” he said. “I mean, Veronica only recently started working for her uncle. We’d never heard of her before. How could she have made all these plans in such a short time?”
“All you need to do is check into Veronica’s background online,” Alexander explained. “She’s connected to many companies that will later work with her scheme, including a drone manufacturing company called Dominus. All you have to do is investigate all the news stories about her. They may seem innocent in your time, but they’ll result in serious consequences in the future. Make sure you erase your search history when you’ve finished as well.”
The message started to break up again.
“I’m sorry,” said Alexander, “I’m losing the connection.”
“So is Dad alive?�
� said Alex. “You must know what happened to him?”
But before Alexander could answer, the tablet’s screen went blank. Alex tried several times to re-establish the connection but it was gone.
“Why wouldn’t he tell me?” Alex said, in frustration.
“He might have been going to do that before the message broke up,” replied Stephanie, with a shrug.
“He must know, if he’s really who he says he is.”
“Yes, and maybe you’ll be able to ask him when, or if, he contacts us again, but you heard him about the connection. It’s like us trying to connect to obsolete technology from the ’70s or the ’80s.”
“I guess so,” said Alex, still sounding very disappointed.
“Come on,” said Stephanie, “let’s order that pizza.”
WHILE THEY WERE waiting for the pizza to arrive, they used Stephanie’s tablet to start their research into Veronica Castlewood’s background. As Alexander had explained, there were a number of news stories and articles about Veronica and the people she’d been dealing with over the previous several years. The companies that she was most closely associated with were all involved with advanced technology or worked closely with such organizations. However, her business dealings all appeared to be perfectly legitimate. There was nothing that raised any red flags for Alex and Stephanie.
“Dominus UAV,” said Stephanie, noting one of the news stories. “Didn’t Alexander mention that company?”
“Yeah. Let’s see what kind of work they do.”
Stephanie connected to the company’s website. Dominus were developing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles or UAVs. In the past, the company had conducted some work on drones for the military. Dominus had also worked with government bodies such as law enforcement agencies. They were currently focused on manufacturing a range of remote-controlled aircraft for commercial use. Their products were used by disaster relief organizations, surveying companies, wildlife protection agencies, movie producers, home delivery specialists, and surveillance and security companies. None of the company’s projects seemed particularly sinister, but the various news stories and articles did confirm at least part of what Alexander had told them.