“Hey,” Adam says, drawing my eyes back to his face. “I’m going to be okay. The bullet just grazed me. Really.”
I push the slightly too long hair away from his eyes and then let my fingers trail down his cheek. “You better be okay. I can’t do this without you.”
He smiles faintly. “I find that hard to believe. You’re the most capable person I know.”
“I’m serious.” My throat is tight with emotion. “I need you, Adam.”
“I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”
I cup his face in my hands, staring into his blue eyes. “When you went to the future and didn’t come back, I was so scared. Angry too, but mostly scared I’d never see you again. I realized then I’d do anything, anything, to get you back.” I draw in a ragged breath. “But none of that compares to how terrified I was today when you got shot.”
His eyelids flutter, the drugs already kicking in, dragging him into sleep, but he runs his fingers through my hair. “I’m sorry. I don’t deserve you, not after what I did. But I’m going to spend the rest of my life trying to be the kind of man who does.”
My chest tightens. I used to think I didn’t deserve Adam and that he could do much better than me. But maybe we do deserve each other, flaws and all.
I press a long kiss to his forehead. “Get some rest.”
He mutters something, but his eyes are already closed. I watch him for a moment, making sure he’s breathing normally, before shutting the door on my way out.
Ken is cleaning up in the bathroom, but he pauses and looks me in the eye. “What’s going on, Elena?”
“I wish I knew,” I mutter. I collapse onto the couch, suddenly exhausted. Ken brings me a glass of water, and I give him a grateful smile. “Thanks.”
He nods and sits across from me. “Tell me everything that happened after you left the lab yesterday.”
God, was that only yesterday? It feels like a century has passed since I went searching for Adam. I debate how much I can divulge, since we planned not to tell the others yet. But Ken is already involved, and has been from the moment I met him at the lab and told him Adam was missing. He might already be in danger just by being here and helping us. He deserves to know the truth.
I sit up and look him in the eye. “If I tell you, you have to promise not to tell Paige or the others. Not yet, anyway.”
A deep frown settles on his face, but he leans forward. “I won’t tell them.”
“Adam was working with Aether, just like you thought. He went to the future on his own and got trapped there. I rescued him, but this time someone came back with us through the aperture.” I hope I’m not making a mistake by telling him all this, but it feels good to talk about it.
“What?” He shakes his head, shocked. “Who was it?”
“We’re not sure. I never got a good look at the person, although I’m pretty sure it’s a woman.”
“What does she want?”
“I don’t know for sure.” I glance back at the bedroom door and grab my unicorn necklace. “But I’m starting to think maybe she wants to kill us.”
Ken’s brow furrows. “But…why? And how could someone come back with you? I thought that was impossible.”
“I have a theory that Vincent sent someone else after us who’s gone rogue for some reason. But Dr. Walters said it might be one of our future selves. Maybe Future-Zahra or Future-Paige. But I can’t imagine why they’d try to shoot us. They saved our lives in the future.”
“What exactly did you see in the future?”
I take a long swig of water, then press the cool glass to my forehead, which has started throbbing. Or maybe it’s been throbbing ever since Adam was shot. I might need some of those painkillers too. “I saw the end of the world.”
“Tell me,” he says softly.
I bow my head and blink back the memories, as fresh in my mind as when they happened. Then I lay it all out for him. The pandemic. The Infected. The Militia. I even tell him about his own fate.
When I’m done, he looks as shaken as I’ve felt ever since Adam went missing.
“I know,” I say. “It’s a lot to take in.”
“No kidding.” He stares at nothing, his eyes empty. I wait in silence for my words to sink in. “How do we stop it?” he finally asks.
“We have a plan. We’re going to the future again, to the day the virus was released, so we can find one of the people who was responsible for it. Once we know who he is, we can find him in the present and trace him to the rest of the White Outs. Then we can find a way to stop them before they ever get their hands on genicote.”
His eyes widen. “Sounds risky. What if you get infected?”
“We won’t. We’ll be careful.”
“How soon are you going?”
“I’m not sure. Hopefully soon. We’re waiting for Dr. Walters to fix the accelerator.”
He glances at the bedroom door with a frown. “Adam’s in no shape to do anything like that. But I’ll go with you.”
“You’d do that?”
“To save the world? Um, yeah. Definitely.”
We go over a few more details before Ken leaves. As soon as he’s gone, I debate moving something heavy in front of the door, but then I imagine us having to leave quickly and being trapped inside. Zahra’s security system will have to be enough.
I turn it on, then use my computer to check the recordings from the cameras outside our apartment. It takes me a few minutes to figure out how to access it, but I refuse to call Zahra for help. Then I play the video from a few hours ago. It shows us walking Max down the street, but we move far enough away from the apartment that we’re off camera. After two more minutes, we hurry into the apartment building, Adam leaning heavily on me with his hand against his side, and Max in a barking frenzy. The entire shooting was off screen, and the camera never captured even the slightest glimpse of the attacker. She must have known exactly where the camera was and how to avoid it. Just like at Aether.
With a sigh, I close my laptop and head into the bedroom to check on Adam. Max lifts his head, thumps his tail against the bed once, then relaxes against Adam’s side. I stand beside the bed for a few minutes, watching Adam’s chest rising and falling, listening to the soft sound of his breathing. His glasses are on the table beside us, and he always looks younger without them. Sometimes I forget he’s only nineteen, barely a few months older than me, except when he’s sleeping.
I curl up behind Adam, sliding an arm around his waist, fitting myself against him. He stirs in his sleep, pulling me closer. I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep, but if nothing else, I’ll lie here all night and watch over him.
I almost lost him today. A few inches, and he would have been gone forever. It doesn’t matter if he was the target or if I was, because either way, I’m going to find the person who shot him—and make sure they never hurt us again.
SUNDAY
The next two days are pure torture.
Look, I’m just not good at waiting. Adam’s the patient one. But me? I like to rush into things. Once I make a decision, I want it done yesterday. Yes, this has gotten me into trouble in the past, and yes, I’m trying to do better. But it’s really freaking hard sometimes.
Unfortunately, all we can do is wait. Wait for Adam to heal. Wait for the accelerator to be finished. Wait for the attacker to strike again. And try to go about our normal lives at the same time.
It’s the weekend, so I’m spared from going to class at least. In between taking care of Adam and working on my English paper, I spend hours going over all the security footage, just in case the shooter walked by our apartment at some point. She didn’t.
Adam and I stay in the apartment as much as possible, and I make sure to walk Max only within sight of the security cameras, just in case. But by Sunday we’re both restless.
“Time to change your bandage,” I tell Adam. Ken did it the last two days, but he can’t make it today, so it’s my turn.
Adam’s sitting in bed with his lap
top, his glasses low on his nose. “That’s okay. I can do it myself.”
“I don’t mind.” I sit beside him on the bed. “Shirt off.”
He grins as he lifts his shirt off his head. “Ah, I see. You just want to get me naked.”
“Keep dreaming.” I run my hand along his chest, then lightly push him back into the pillows. He grimaces slightly, and I instantly feel terrible. “Sorry! Did I hurt you?”
His face relaxes and he smiles. “Nah. Besides, I’d never complain about you touching me.”
I brush his hair away from his eyes. “Don’t get any ideas. I’m still mad at you.”
“I know.” But we both know that’s not really true anymore. It’s hard to be upset with the person I love more than anything after watching him get shot.
A large, dark bruise covers his ribs, spreading out beyond the bandage. I gently ease the tape off, trying not to hurt him again, but swallow hard when I see the gunshot wound and bruised skin underneath. “You said this was just a graze.”
He adjusts slightly to give me better access to his side. “It is. Kind of. The bullet took a nice chunk of skin out, but it didn’t hit anything major and didn’t lodge inside my body. I’m lucky, really.”
Lucky is right. Seeing what the bullet did to him up close makes me even more grateful he’s alive and even more determined to keep him that way. I carefully clean the wound with the stuff Ken gave us. Adam hisses but doesn’t flinch away. His skin is hot to the touch, but Ken did a good job with the stitches, and there isn’t any bleeding now.
“You’re going to have a big scar here,” I say as I put the new bandage on.
“Good. It’ll add to my rugged appeal.”
I can’t help but laugh. Rugged is the absolute last thing I would call Adam. Not that I mind or anything. I’ve always loved his sexy geek look. “You don’t need scars to impress me.”
“Good to know.” He closes his eyes, his voice faint.
I take his hand in mine, worried again. Will I ever stop being worried about him? “Are you okay?”
“Just tired. It’s nothing.” Tired is right. He’s barely gotten out of bed for the last two days, but Adam knows more about this stuff than I do. If he says he’s fine, then I have to believe him. I’m sure his body just needs a lot of rest to heal.
My phone rings, and I pull it out of my pocket. An unknown number. “Hello?”
“The accelerator is ready,” Vincent says. “Can you come in tonight?”
I glance at Adam. Now that the waiting is over, I’m not sure we’re ready. But what choice do we have?
“We’ll be there.”
Adam insists on coming with me to Aether, even though I’m not sure he should be out of bed yet. If I were in his position, I’d insist on going too, so I eventually cave and let him tag along.
By the time we get there, Ken’s already in the basement, chatting with Vincent. Dr. Walters stands nearby, working on the accelerator.
Ken takes one look at Adam and frowns. “You look like hell, man. You shouldn’t even be here.”
“I’m fine,” Adam says. He’s really not though. His eyes are glazed, his face is pale, and every step seems to pain him.
“He insisted on coming, but I think he needs more time to heal,” I say.
Vincent looks Adam over. “What happened?”
I cross my arms. “That woman who came back from the future shot him.”
“I’m okay,” Adam quickly says. “It wasn’t that bad, and Ken patched me up. I can still go to the future. Really.” But he rests a hand on the nearest desk as if he needs it to help him stand.
“Kapur!” Vincent calls.
The older Indian scientist pokes his head out of his office. “Yes, sir?”
“I need you to examine Adam.” Vincent gives Adam a sharp look. “Don’t bother arguing. I’m not letting you go to the future until Dr. Kapur checks you out.”
Adam sighs, but he relents and lets Dr. Kapur remove the bandage and inspect the wound. The doctor grunts, then shoves a thermometer in Adam’s mouth and checks his lungs and heartbeat. He grabs the thermometer, and his forehead wrinkles as he checks it. “As I expected. You have a fever.” He glances at Ken. “Did you give him antibiotics?”
“Um, no.”
Dr. Kapur clucks his tongue. “Gunshot wounds have a high chance of becoming infected.” He gives all of us scathing looks. “You really should have brought him to me first.”
Ken holds up his hands in surrender. “Hey, I told Adam to go to the hospital.”
Dr. Kapur checks the injury again, poking it with a gloved finger, and Adam cringes. “Yes, definitely starting to get infected. I’ll prescribe some antibiotics, but you need to stay in bed for the next couple days.”
“Fine,” Adam says, his voice weary. “After we get back.”
Dr. Kapur shakes his head. “Definitely not. You’re not well enough to travel to the future. The physical strain might kill you.”
“Then we need to delay this trip until I’m better.”
“We can’t do that,” Vincent says. “I’ve already shuffled my schedule around to accommodate this second trip of yours. You go now, or you don’t go at all.”
“Ken and I can do this,” I tell Adam. I’m relieved he isn’t coming, actually. One less thing for me to worry about.
Adam looks miserable, and not just because he seems like he might pass out at any second now. “I hate the idea of you going to the future without me.”
“Now you know how I feel.”
His head drops. “Guess I deserve that.”
I hug him gently, careful of his side. “It’s better this way. Someone who’s seen the future needs to stay in the present in case we don’t come back. If we fail, you’re the only one who can stop the virus.”
“Don’t say that.” He touches my face. “You can’t fail. I can’t do this without you.”
“We’ll be back safely before you know it. I promise.”
He nods and pulls me close again. “Be careful. I love you.”
I press a kiss to his cheek. “I love you too.”
I step back and join Ken near the accelerator. We grab the backpacks we’ve both prepared and slip them on. I turn toward Vincent and Dr. Walters. “Ready.”
Dr. Walters enters the date and time we gave him into the accelerator and then opens the door for us. He looks almost as tired and run-down as Adam. Once again I wonder why he’s here helping Aether after being so adamantly opposed to more time travel. I’d ask him, but not with Vincent standing right there.
“Good luck,” Dr. Walters says.
“This is your last trip,” Vincent says. “Make it count.”
Adam watches with sad eyes as Ken and I step inside the machine. I give him one last lingering look before the door shuts behind us.
The accelerator is claustrophobic with two of us in it, barely big enough for us to stand shoulder to shoulder. Ken moves to the center, gripping the straps of his backpack, and I settle in beside him.
“I can’t believe we’re doing this again,” Ken says. “Another five hours in the future.”
“Let’s hope it’s our last trip.”
I’m not sure how much more time travel my mind or my body can take.
PART IV
THE NEAR FUTURE
00:00
The future slowly comes into focus. I’m standing beside Ken inside the accelerator, but the door’s already open. Vincent waits just outside it, looking a little older, a little grayer, but just as self-assured as in the present.
“Impressive,” Vincent says. “I’ve never actually been on this side of it before. You simply appeared out of nowhere.”
“What are you doing here?” I ask.
“I’m here to help you.” He steps back. “Let’s go. No time to waste.”
Ken and I shuffle out of the accelerator, and Vincent leads us to the elevator. Unlike my last trip to the future, the lights are on in the basement, and it looks nearly identical to when we
left it. Assuming Dr. Walters got the navigation working, we’ve only gone ten years forward this time.
“Where is everyone?” Ken asks as we step into the elevator.
“It’s the day after Thanksgiving.” Vincent gives us a knowing glance. “I gave my employees the entire week off and made sure they knew there would be no overtime if they came in. The building should be completely empty.”
“You didn’t warn them about what would happen today?” I ask.
“No. I debated it for a long time, but wasn’t sure anyone would believe me. Or if they did, and word got out that I knew about the virus in advance, the authorities might investigate me and not look for the real perpetrators. Instead, I gave my employees an early Christmas bonus in the hopes they’d use it to get out of the city for a while. Or at least be able to buy supplies when things start going to hell. It’s not ideal, but it’s the best I could do.” He shakes his head. “And if you succeed, none of this will matter anyway.”
“That’s the idea,” Ken says. “Do you know where our present-day selves are?”
“I haven’t spoken to any of you in years. I imagine you’re all doing the same thing I am—preparing to ride out the end of the world.”
The elevator opens to the parking garage, and Vincent strides out, expecting us to keep up. He’s wearing a charcoal-gray suit and shiny black shoes, still playing the role of corporate big shot even though there’s no one around but Ken and me.
Vincent stops beside a dark-silver sedan that looks exactly like a car from the present. “You can use this car while you’re here. Everything you might need is inside already, including updated maps of the Beverly Center. I’ve also included some other electronic devices you might find useful, along with some money in case there’s anything else you need.”
“Thanks,” I say, as he hands me the keys. He’s helping us, just like his future self said he would. But Future-Vincent also said we would fail.
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