S8BZYC42

1Part One: The Underneath
2
3Ever since she was a wee kid, Charlotte hated the Underneath. It always felt unnatural to her, the slick wet stone walls and flickering lights, the air musty and stale with the stench of hundreds of people. Her lungs longed for fresh air and wide open spaces. She dreamed of grasslands, flowing fields of corn and cotton, blue skies, and the smell of flowers. 
4She gasped and started awake. Another dream, she thought wearily. Groggily, she pushed herself up onto her bed, rubbing her eyes. They had been getting more and more vivid, so much so that she could almost reach out and touch them. She remembered her long, flowing fingers brushing healthy green grass, running through a lush green forest full of trees of unknown species, and drinking cold, clean water from a mountain stream, so cold it hurt her throat. She checked out herself in the mirror. She even had the Overworld stuck to her body. Tall, athletic, skinny, with sandy-blonde hair and a full shade darker-skinned than any girl in the school, she looked like she’d just come from the beach. Beach? She frowned. She’d never heard that word before, but right then it was in her head, clear as day. It was uncannily similar to another word she was called very often at school. She shrugged thoughts of the Overworld aside, and opened her closet, full of identical brown canvas overalls.
5Her mom was making breakfast downstairs, and the smell of bacon and cooking oil hung heavily in the stuffy kitchen, as Charlotte came downstairs and hugged her, a sad smile on her face. 
6“Another dream again, huh?” Bacon flipped in the pan, oil hissing.
7“Yeah. I don't know, maybe I should go to the medic, get the Overworld thoughts removed from my brain.” Charlotte’s fingers skillfully arranged the dining table for two, plates, silverware, cups. Everything made out of thick plastic, not a hint of glass or metal.
8Her mom came around the formica counter, pan full of hash browns, bacon, and a single egg, and slopped it onto the plates. Steam rose from the hot food. A delightful aroma entered her nostrils.
9“Charlotte! Don’t say that about yourself! You’re special just the way you are, and don’t let anyone else say otherwise.” Her mom pecked her on the cheek. 
10“Now, eat up. You have a full day of school ahead of you.”
11
12Thirty minutes later, she walked out of her house, canvas backpack shouldered, overalls adjusted, shoes tightened. Her feet clinked and clanked over the metal walkways lining the Underneath, passing house after house, Mama Murphy’s General Store, The Farm, and the Underneath Library of Communal Respect. Miners rode their respective trams down sloping, twisting tracks to the mines, overalls caked in dust, wearing oversized helmets and wielding huge sledgehammers. Slowly, Charlotte began to notice more and more students walking in the same direction, and before she knew it her feet were climbing the steps of Underneath Precinct 12 Public School, a building carved into the rock face itself, cold and imposing, and literally cold inside due to the structure being made out of pure granite. She hated the place. Exposed plumbing and electrical wires snaked across walls and ceilings like arteries and veins on a person. Classes were usually a whole sixty minutes of boredom, full of wisecracking classmates and the occasional leering dude checking her out. Lunch was a pile of pink and grey slop on a tray served with “milk” and “fruit.” But she still loved school, for one reason. History class. It was the only class she could really be herself in, and she could talk for hours about Shakespeare, the Renaissance, the World Wars, and the Conquest of Space. What Charlotte was really curious about was the Lost Ages, the thousand years between 2037 and 3038, when history began to be recorded again. 
13
14“And so, the Ancients finally Conquested Space in the year 2032 with the colonization of the Earth’s moon with the blessing of the moon god Apollo and his chariot of fire. This was only five years before the Lost Ages, so this is some of the last pieces of Ancient history we have.” 
15The projection shifted to show the Ancient Seal of the Moon, twinkling stars overlaid on a shimmering blue background, the small sphere of Earth set far back.
16Charlotte’s hand shot up in the air. “Yes, Ms. Ward?” A tired Mr. Axler sighed.
17“Why don’t we know anything about the Lost Ages?” She asked, perkily.
18He visibly shrunk. “I’ve said this every day for the past seven months of this year to you, Charlotte, it’s because all history, recorded or not, was destroyed in a cataclysmic event that nobody alive remembers.” He sat down heavily at his desk. Three papers floated down to the floor.
19“But, there’s GOT to be a way to find out, right?” She pleaded, desperate for the truth. 
20Her classmates all groaned and moaned, slumping down further into their exceedingly uncomfortable chairs. Why was she so damn interested in the Lost Ages? It was Lost, wasn’t it? There was no point trying to find it. Plus, it was last period on a Friday, there was no homework, and there were 15 minutes left in class. 
21
22Mr. Axler crinkled his face and thought. After five silent minutes, he came to a conclusion. “Alright, since Ms. Cahill would like to find out so much about the Lost Ages, I will propose organizing a field trip, outside the Underneath. Be here on Monday, 0800 hours sharp.” It took a couple seconds for the message to set in, and then desks were flying, papers airborne, and the entire class was besieging Mr. Axler’s desk for a permission slip. 
23She ran the entire way home, feeling the cool air rushing by her, thinking that it was the fresh, clean air of the Overworld. Her hands brushed the metal railings, feeling their texture, imagining that they were blades of crisp grass. Block after block whizzed by, her feet pounding, heart pumping, spirit flying. People stared at her like she was crazy. Maybe she was.
24She burst through the door of her house, babbling incoherently, whirling around like a dervish, while her flabbergasted mom stared at her, bug-eyed. When she finally calmed down, her mom took her by the shoulders. “Charlotte Ward, what in heaven’s name has taken you by storm?”
25“Mom, mom, mom, mom. You’re not gonna believe this, but i’m finally going to get a chance to go to the Overworld! Our history department is taking us on an end-of year field trip to the Overworld, i don't know where specifically, but I’m so excited! Please, mom, sign this permission slip for me.” She slid the paper over the table and read the description. Her jaw dropped.
26“Oh my god, Charlotte. They’re taking you to Boston? I’ve only heard stories about that place. The Elders told folk tales about Boston, how it was the Athens of the old American Empire, how men would run in the streets once a year for twenty-six miles, about quaint little floating vehicles in the shape of birds, a mighty domed hall like in Ancient Rome where powerful men would make decisions that changed the world.” Tears ran down her face. 
27“Mom, please. Don’t cry. This is what I’ve always wanted to do.” Charlotte reached out and patted her on the back, feeling her mom shudder.
28She broke down and sobbed. “Make me one promise, Charlotte. One promise. Bring this with you.” She slipped a camera into her hands. “Take pictures for me. Bring me back the things I’ve always missed with you. Tell me how it was there.” A sad smile played out on her face. With one swift movement and a flick of the wrist, a splash of ink adorned the signature line.
29“Of course, mom. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must get ready for the trip. I’ll be in Hypersleep for a couple days; I can’t bear waiting.” She climbed the stairs to her room. 
30Three hours later, she was ready to go. One neatly packed suitcase lay at the foot of her sleep pod, and she opened the pod up, the lid grinding ajar. She climbed in slightly awkwardly, and the lid slid shut obediently. A series of clicks were heard as the locks engaged.
31“Alarm set: 0600 hours, Monday, June 17th, 3097.” She spoke to the pod.
32An electronic chime. “Alarm confirmed and set. Initiating Hypersleep in 3…...2…...1.”
33A spray of chemical mist filled the interior of the pod, infiltrating her nostrils and dulling her senses. Tubes slid into her ears and mouth to monitor her vital signs. Her eyes closed, and she fell once again into an Overworld dream. Not again…...
34
35Darkness. Open space. No light. I can't see I can't see I can’t see- her dream-self bumped into something hard. She rubbed her nose, before seeing what it was. A magnificent tree, bristling and hearty, full of life and covered in green leaves stood in front of her. She wanted to climb it. Her dream-self obliged. Her strong arms and legs hauled her steadily up the thick trunk, fingers feeling the organic grainy wood under her. Leaves brushed her face, and she felt their springiness on her skin. Soon, she was through the canopy, and through her brown eyes she saw something amazing. The moon lit the ground, high above. What the- what was she wearing? A thin garment of some unknown fabric, over her top, cut so high her midriff was exposed. Unbelievably short pants, barely reaching halfway down her thighs. White socks and pink shoes with an alien logo on them. They were weird, but she liked the feel of them, unrestricted and open unlike the canvas overalls she was used to.Towers of light rose faraway in the distance, miles away surely. Ribbons of noise and light cut through the forest, curving away in intricate patterns to all directions, and shapes danced and weaved in the sky. She smiled, looking at the sight below, and began to sway her hips to some distant soft music. Her body, acting on its own, began to dance in the trees, moves she had never known but were being done. She felt drugged, and her vision swam like she was drunk. Her foot slipped off the tree, and she flailed wildly with her arms before losing balance. She was just able to grab onto the branch , and she let out an instinctual scream of “HELP ME!” before losing grip and falling...falling….falling. The soft ground absorbed her fall, but then it fell through and she kept...on….falling...forever. As she lost view of the Overworld, a ball of fire lit up the sky, exploding from the moon. 
36
37She awoke in the sleep pod. It was beeping wildly, status board lit up like a Christmas tree, alarm wailing, telling her to get up. She silenced the alarms, and spoke.
38“Pod, time and date.” The words flowed from her mouth.
39“Time is 0700 hours, June 17th, 3097.” The pod hissed open, clouds of steam and mist escaping before evaporating into the surrounding air. “Damn! I’m late!” She whispered. She threw open her closet, secretly hoping the outfit from her dream was there. Just the same small room full of brown overalls. She sighed and pulled out a clean set. 
40
41She said goodbye to her mom downstairs, with one final hug and a set of fresh batteries for the camera, and left the house. The walkways were much more crowded than normal; it was like the entire colony had been summoned just to see them off on their trip to the Overworld. Maybe it was. She wished that nobody was in the way, so she could run all the way to the school, but there were too many damn people in the road. Charlotte shoved her way through the crowd, ignoring the shouts of “Hey!” “Ow!” and “Watch it!” As she muscled her way past, her suitcase rattled behind her, running over people's toes and feet as she went. The two-mile trip to school ended up taking fifty minutes, snaking through the same congested passageways through slimy rock caverns as before, but her spirit was as high as on Friday. The air seemed different today.
42
43The school stood there the same as it always had, but this time it was different. The miners had carved out a stretch of passageway in front of the building, and created a circular rotunda in the middle of the avenue, decorated with bright, vibrant colors of orange, green, and blue. It was a stark change from what Charlotte was used to, grey rock, yellow and black metal, and damp walls. She moved into a security lane reserved for students, and stood in cue as the officials checked her ID and made sure she was cleared for the trip. 
44“Student 12-378, please hand me your permission slip.” The masked officer gruffly said.
45Charlotte rummaged through her bag and found the slightly crumpled slip of paper, smoothed it out, and handed it to the officer, whose blank eyes scanned the paper quickly and then returned to hers. He tore the slip in half, returning to her a perforated section with her group number.
46“Thank you. Everything seems to be in order here. Your group is Alpha-five, or A5. Proceed to your designated waiting area and wait for further instructions. Be careful out there.” He waved her forwards, into the crowd of students.
47Her shoes went pung pung pung on the new construction of the rotunda, and she was soon enveloped by other students in group A5. She was feeling a bit nervous, and rubbed the ridged case of the camera for reassurance. A stir began to take the crowd, and she was curious to see what was going on. Happily, she was taller than about 60% of them, and she could see what was going on if she stood on her toes. The District Commissioner of Precinct 12 strolled into the rotunda, in the vacant space in the center of the circle to roars of applause and cheering. He smiled coldly, and held a hand up for silence, as a microphone and speaker was brought to him. The people obeyed.
48“Today is a special day in Precinct 12.” His voice boomed throughout the vast cavern.
49“Today marks the first recreational Overworld trip in forty years, ever since the...unfortunate calamity that happened in 3057, when we lost twelve of our best men in an Overworld expedition to map the surface.” He coughed into his palm and continued.
50“They will be remembered forever, as brave souls who died fighting for our survival in this new, hostile world. They mapped an area equating to forty square miles, from the ruins of Sixflags to the outskirts of Seascape Boston, but perished near the entrance to the Underneath.” He wiped a tear from his cheek.
51“But, we cannot dwell on our past failures forever, we must look into the future. I am here today to announce that these students behind me will be the first Underneath residents to travel to the Lost Ages.” A murmur passed through the crowd.
52The Lost Ages? How was this possible? The Lost Ages had ended nearly a century ago, when the first Precincts of the Underneath were founded. How would they get to the past? She shook her head, focusing back on the Commissioner’s speech.
53“The scientists have used this opportunity to reveal their greatest invention yet, the Waiback.” He flourished his hands behind him, where the wall behind him was opening up. A monolithic slab of rock slowly inching upwards amid the sound of straining hydraulics rose away to reveal the Waiback waiting. It was about the size of a classroom at the school, rounded at the edges. Its exterior was comprised entirely of glass, with a lightweight carbon-fibre frame holding the whole thing together. Four fins stood at the corners, again made of titanium and carbon, curved like scimitars and five feet tall. Inside, Charlotte dimly saw the outlines of rows and rows of seats.
54The Commissioner finished his speech at last, his droning description of the machine’s technical specifications. He swiveled round and took in everyone’s reactions, then dropped the bombshell.
55“Ladies and gentlemen, this is a time machine.” 
56
57Every person in attendance exploded instantaneously with screams and shouts, cheering and hollering. The din grew louder and louder until it seemed that the cavern walls themselves were vibrating. Expecting this, the Commissioner waved the mike around, causing a metallic squeal to erupt from the speakers. Everyone was silenced promptly, clapping their hands over their ears. 
58“I would like to remind you that none of this would be possible without the constant begging of one Charlotte Ward, who is somewhere in this group of students. If she would like to come out, this is the time to do so.” He looked around at the children.
59In group A5, everyone looked at Charlotte, distinctive and different. She instinctively shrunk down, hidden among the sea of heads. At that moment, she felt unbelievably uncomfortable in her body, tall, darker-skinned, and blonde-haired. She remained quiet and still.
60“No? Alright, everyone. Let’s send these students off with passion!” He boomed to the audience. 
61The door to the Waiback swung slowly open with a whoosh, billowing mist, and the crowd of students rushed inside like a herd of startled mice, but Charlotte hung to the back, savoring every moment as she ascended the carpeted blue steps and boarded the WaiBack. The inside was cool, air-conditioned, blue velour seats and restraints. She walked towards the rear of the Waiback and found a window seat vacant. Hoisting her bag into the overhead bin and stowing it, she plopped down onto the seat expectantly, watching the crowd outside throwing flowers, bottles, hats, and other miscellaneous objects at them. She smiled and turned away from the sight. A boy sat down next to her, and from his uniform she read his name to be Ben. 
62An electronic ping. “Ladies and gentlemen, in preparation for temporal displacement, please fasten your seat restraints now. We will be leaving shortly.” The speakers crackled then were silent.
63She fumbled with the restraints, metal clanking. How did these work?
64This attracted the attention of Ben, sitting next to her. He raised an eyebrow.
65“Um, Miss-” He ventured.
66“Ward. Charlotte Ward.” She curtly responded. She noticed the strong jawline and bulky, slightly muscular physique hiding under his overalls. An involuntary shiver passed through her body as she averted her gaze from his piercing black eyes.
67“Ah, so it was you that wanted to go to the Overworld so badly. Anyway, you could perhaps not delay the process more. Here, let me help you with that.” He reached over and fastened her seat belt. As he did so, his hands brushed her arm. At his touch, her hairs bristled and she got gooseflesh, and an electric shock passed between them. She pulled away, startled. She had never expected to feel anything like that before. 
68The door of the Waiback closed and sealed, with an electronic chime. The entire vehicle began to hum and vibrate under them violently.
69“What in heaven’s name have they made?” Ben exclaimed as the machine’s fins slowly began to spin, rapidly accelerating to incredible speeds. Charlotte looked. They were going so fast they were a blur, and they lifted off the ground. The craft began to shake and shudder in the air, and the crowd gasped as white orbs of light began to form at the tips of the Fastfins, slowly growing until they covered the entire outside of the craft. 
70“Here we go!” Charlotte said to Ben.
71“I can’t wait!” He replied back, clutching the armrest. 
72With a bang and a poof, they were gone. So was the Underneath, and all its people. The view out of the window was replaced by flat, shimmering grey, like the rock the caverns of the Underneath were carved from. A dull hum marked the only evidence of passage. 
73Small screens popped out from the ceiling, displaying journey time, destination time, and distance to target. 
74The screen read: DESTINATION: Boston, Massachusetts. 0700 hours, May 27th, 2037 AD. 
75PRESENT TIME/LOCATION: ??????, 0845 hours, June 17th 3097 AD.
76The numbers on the screen under PRESENT TIME began to click backwards, ticking off one year every second.
77
78Without warning, the Waiback slammed into some turbulence in the temporal displacement field of the space-time continuum, rattling its passengers like canned fish. Outside, flashes of light and darkness lit up the interior as the craft passed through day after day after day. Cries of “oh!” and “argh” and “oh dear” were issued from the students, and it got worse. It felt like being in one of those industrial food processors they used in the school cafeteria to make lunch. Throw in people, bags, clothes, and turn on. Instant soup. The machine went up, down, left, right, every which way it could bounce it did. The pilot was having a tough time handling the craft. Through the aisle Charlotte could see his white knuckles on the controls, and her heart began to race. She found Ben’s hand on the armrest. He looked into her eyes, and she looked into his. Bags began to fall from the overhead bins, clattering to the floor. The craft shook even harder, until it seemed that the machine was coming apart at the seams. It reminded her of bad turbulence on a jetliner….but how would she know it felt like this? The last one must’ve crashed centuries ago. 
79“Ben, are we really going to make it?” Her voice trembled,  nails digging into the cloth.
80“I don’t know, Charlotte, but we’ve made it this far. Have faith in the people who built this thing.” He replied, even though she felt his sweat on her palm.
81A bong. “Approaching destination time. ETA five minutes. All passengers, please relax.”
82The cabin filled with misty chemicals, the same found in the sleep pods back in the Underneath. Charlotte’s eyes felt heavy, and sleepy. She yawned, and let the familiar Overworld dreams take her back.
83
84This time, her mom was there. Ben was there too. They were eating picnic on an open field, a hearty oak providing some shade. Charlotte was enjoying every second of it. She was wearing that same outfit, midriff shirt and short pants. The atmosphere, the food, and the company made it feel almost perfect. But something still felt...off. Something wasn’t right. She stopped chewing her sandwich and looked down at her feet. A single dead yellow blade of grass among a sea of green. It was out of place, so she did the natural thing. She plucked it. Then, another appeared. She plucked it as well. Then another and another and another. Soon, she could see the whole field of green grass changing color to yellow, dead grass like a mosaic. It was startlingly beautiful and sad at the same time. Then, the death began to spread. A nearby creek dried up, leaving parched earth and smooth rocks behind. The sturdy oak tree shriveled and cracked, leaves falling to the ground like discarded lottery tickets. The trunk split down the middle, and the old wood rotted away before her eyes, and the tree was nothing but a stump. 
85“Charlotte…” Ben’s voice called out to her.
86She turned and looked. He was looking at a single green leaf in his cupped hands, which was turning yellow by the second.
87“What have you done?” The leaf was now brown and dead, and it turned to dust.
88“Ben, I haven’t done anything wr-” She was cut short. 
89The checkered mat they were eating on faded, vibrant colors turning to a bleached white. The food rotted on the plates, ants and maggots swarming over the remains. She swung her eyes up to him in horror, her insides twisting in disgust simultaneously.
90“No, NO, NO!” She screamed. The patient gazes of her mom and Ben surveyed her panic. 
91She swept up the dust of the dead leaf in her hands. “I can fix this. I just need some-” Her voice cracked and she sobbed. The dust turned into dust and then blew away in a primordial wind.
92Ben responded. “No, Charlotte. It’s too late to fix this. But maybe you can fix the future.”
93“What?! What are you saying, Ben? Tell me what I have to do!” She frantically shook him.
94“That, you will have to find out for yourself.” He calmly said, spreading his hands behind him.
95With that, Ben and Charlotte’s mom began to rot, flesh falling off their bones like chunks of clay. Charlotte watched in horror as they turned to skeletons, then their bones dissolved into dust, and now she stood alone, alone in a dead world. Far away, she saw the iron skeletons of the Ancient City rising above the ruined Earth. Wake up! 
96
97
98Part 2: The Overworld
99
100She awoke with a gasp and a cough, as did everyone else on the Waiback. She stared at the smooth skin on her arms. Wait...what? She looked down at her body, and she was wearing the outfit from her Overworld dream, the white midriff shirt that was so short it exposed her navel, and a tiny pair of jean shorts, barely reaching mid-calf, with the cute pair of pink shoes with white laces. Ben didn’t look bad either, with a crisp blue T-shirt and a pair of jeans with grey sneakers to match. The Waiback was still, no longer shaking or vibrating, and the screens read:
101DESTINATION ARRIVED: May 17th, 2037 AD. Local Time: 7:00am. Location: Boston, MA
102 
103Oh my God. The sun, so bright and strong, rose over the horizon of the faraway Overworld mountains, reaching higher than anything Charlotte had ever seen, casting its glorious rays over the landscape far below, and illuminating the city of Boston on the coast of a mighty ocean. Steel and glass towers rose up from the peninsula, man-made mountains to rival nature, expressing a time when He ruled the earth, when the planet was his domain. A golden dome lay at the base of the towers, the place where important people made important decisions. The words ran through her head, straight from Charlotte’s schoolbooks, as she gazed down at the city from the Waiback, maintaining level flight, like an airplane.
104“Alright, people. We’re going to be setting the Waiback down in Cassidy playground, on the outskirts of the city. If you want to go into the city, take the public transportation. Remember, be responsible and reasonable in Boston, it's a big and vibrant place with more than its fair share of criminals. Be safe. Everyone gets 100 dollars to spend as currency.” Mr Axler spoke up from the front seat, pulling out a wad of bills from his pocket. Hmm. Charlotte noted the money, meaning that Mr. Axler, at least, had made multiple trips to the Overworld before. With a bump and a jolt, the craft pitched down, and Charlotte felt her stomach rise into her throat. After a quick descent to ground level, her eyes locked on the peaks of the city, the craft touched down gently on the field, and the fusion core powered down with a grinding hum. The door opened and everyone spilled outside in a mad rush to get some Overworld air and sunlight. They were like a school of fish, they moved as one, laughed as one, talked as one.
105“Don’t forget to be back here by nine PM!” Mr Axler shouted, his words lost over the sound of seventy-five Underneath students getting their first taste of the Overworld. 
106“They’ll see.” He mumbled. The pilot took the craft up, parking it on the roof of a nearby residential complex, waiting the twelve hours until the end of the world. He pressed a button on the dashboard, activating the camouflage, disguising the Waiback as just another HVAC unit on the roof of a normal apartment building. A countdown clock appeared on the instrument panel. 11:59:59. 11:59:58.
107
108The day was full of colorful memories.
1098AM on the train with Ben, holding hands as the vehicle whisked quickly along the avenue, lined with green, vibrant trees as automobiles purred past. Large, elegant houses stood guard over carefully manicured yards where small children and domesticated housepets frollicked. Then, the train dived underground into brightly lit tunnels, stopping at elegant, airy stations where hundreds waited for their trains to take them to work. Charlotte enjoyed it all, snapping pictures left and right, rapidly taking up space on the camera’s memory card. Ben smiled, enjoying her happiness. The train jerked its way out of Copley station, and he stumbled, before grabbing onto a pole with a smirk on his face. Charlotte laughed, a light sound full of happiness. 
110
1119AM at Boston Common, that massive downtown park in the center of the city. Charlotte marveled at it all, her large brown eyes drinking in all the sights, her camera snapping away. The golden dome of the Massachusetts State House shining in the northwest corner of the park. The rows and rows of trees, neatly trimmed, lining the swirling, twisting walking paths. The towering skyscrapers of Downtown Boston looming over the park. The elegant swan boats traversing the network of canals of the Common. The seemingly endless gentle rolling fields of grass, blades bending in unison in the cool breeze. The thousands of ducks and pigeons pecking at seeds on the ground, at bread people threw at them. Charlotte bought some bread from a vendor, ripping chunks off and throwing them at the birds, watching them swirl and wheel overhead, diving for the scraps. She ran through the grass fields, feeling the wind on her face, the fresh Overworld air, the sun brightly shining down on her. So much better than the Sunlamp tan she spent weeks getting back in the Underneath. She enjoyed and savored the gentle heat of the sun’s rays on her skin, the burning of her lungs as she ran, ran, ran. Ben suddenly rushed up from behind, tackling her, and they rolled to the ground in a heap of legs and arms, laughing. They rolled around on the Common’s fields, playfully fighting.
112
11310AM they were at the Waterfront, on the other side of Downtown, at the New England Aquarium. Charlotte snapped pictures left and right, looking at sea creatures and the simple pleasures of the penguins diving for fish in the habitat. The laziness of the sunbathing sea lions made her chuckle, and the baby otters made her heart melt. Outside of the aquarium, she felt the salt in the air, smelt the briny smell of the sea for the first time, and ate some sea-salt chocolate. The ocean liner Norwegian Destiny steamed out of the harbor and out to sea as they watched, wondering what a vessel must be like on the inside. The mighty ship blasted its horn, making them jump as windows rattled. They turned to each other and laughed before boarding a whale watching ship that took them far out to sea, so far out that the shimmering skyline of the city was lost behind the horizon, and they watched whales heave their massive bodies clean into the air and come down again with a splash, soaking them. They laughed, lost in the sound of the sloshing waves. They watched the whales for two hours before the ship headed back to the city.
114
11512PM they were eating lunch at Faneuil Hall, the food hot and delicious, if a bit overpriced, another 50 of their combined 200 dollars gone. Ben took Charlotte’s hand and strolled through the entire vast food hall behind the historic building, smelling all the aromatic foods from so many cosmopolitan cultures melding into one soulful aroma. Charlotte tugged him a different direction, and they boarded a catamaran ferry to the Harbor islands, hopping from Spectacle to Georges to Thompson to Peddocks. Charlotte and Ben walked the island paths, seeing the jet planes roar off overhead, the skyline of Downtown not that distant. They snapped pictures together on all the islands before stepping off at Quincy, a small coastal town of simple people. The smell of the ocean invaded her mind, and she was sure it would never leave. A small cup of clam chowder, hot and creamy.
116
117At 1PM, the halfway point they were back on the subway train to Boston, seeing the historic coastal landscapes flying by the window. Charlotte leaned against Ben’s strong shoulder and closed her eyes momentarily, slowing down for at least a moment, with a smile of bliss on her face. Oh, how she wished she was born into this time. Ben was surprised at the gesture, but soon found that he enjoyed the feeling of her head on his body. 
118Next Stop: JFK/UMass, change for commuter rail and local bus connections.
119The train rattled over a crossover switch and decelerated abruptly, throwing Charlotte off balance. Ben quickly grabbed her hand before she fell, surprising himself again. A week ago, he wanted nothing to do with girls. Soon enough, the train dived back underground into tunnels and they were off again, chasing each other through the crowded maze of subterranean passageways known as Downtown Crossing.
120
1212PM and they stepped onto the observation deck of the Firebrand Tower in downtown Boston, 100 floors above the ground. They were both a little woozy and dizzy, eyes and brains accustomed to underground living struggling to deal with the height, depth perception way off. They stumbled their way around the circumference of the building, clanging against the railings, lunch threatening to come back up before finally adjusting to the height. Ben reached out for Charlotte’s hand to steady her, and she said thanks and smiled at him. From the lofty height of a thousand feet they could see clear across five states, and Charlotte wasted no time in snapping picture after picture, clouds and airplanes zipping by overhead. 
122
1233PM and they were at Fenway Park, that historic ballpark where over a century of America’s pastime had been played at. They toured the facility, the Green Monster to the grandstands and then the dugouts, and Charlotte could swear she heard the roaring of the crowds from decades of baseball games. The noise of a bat cracking against a pitch tore through her mind like a thunderclap, and she visualized a home run flying clear into the stands, a triumphant viewer holding up the ball they caught. She snapped a picture of the giant banner proclaiming ‘Boston: 2035 World Champions’ for her mom. For memories sake, they snapped a self-portrait together with the banner in the background. 
124
1254PM and the quiet tranquility of Harvard Yard welcomed Ben and Charlotte. The trees shedding their first leaves, the old cobblestone paths leading them to the various halls and museums near the historic college, the bronze statue of John Quincy Adams where they rubbed his toe for good luck, another picture snapped for Charlotte’s mom. Ben decided now would be a perfect time to make a move. It was just them. Nobody else was around, just the ancient walls and prehistoric trees enclosing them, separating them.
126“Hey, Charlotte. About this place. If I were going to college here, would you want to be with me? Not...as a roommate, as another student” Ben probed cautiously, cursing his awkwardness. “Hmm. Let me think about it.” She playfully teased him. “No.”
127His face fell, and he turned away to leave Harvard Yard, but her hand fell upon his shoulder.
128“Ben, I was kidding. Of course I would; hell, I would even be your roommate if you asked.” Her soft smile greeted his eyes. 
129His spirit soared, and he led her out of those hallowed grounds, hand in hand. 
130“Hang on, I need to buy something.” He walked over to a tech cart, and purchased a little green box from the vendor for forty dollars. It looked like a model telephone booth studded with gems.
131“What is that?” Charlotte asked.
132“Miniature three-dimensional replicator. Take a picture of anything and it will replicate it, good for a couple of uses. Might be handy sometime later.” He replied, and broke into a run to catch the next subway train downtown, Charlotte close behind. Charlotte jumped and slid down the railing into Harvard station, catching up to him. She precariously maintained her balance down the railing, then at the bottom of the atrium she leaped, landing right in front of him. She brushed the dust off her shorts.
133“C’mon, slowpoke. What took you so long?” She smirked. 
134The next train to Braintree arrives in one minute. All passengers proceed to the platform now.
135
1365:30PM and they were on the hunt, on the prowl, to run the Freedom Trail before day’s end, from Faneuil Hall to the State House, the Old North Church to Bunker Hill. Ben spent most of the run looking at Charlotte’s blond ponytail swinging like a pendulum behind her, occasionally pulling alongside to exchange a glance. They passed crowds of tourists at Faneuil Hall, tour groups at the State House, school trips at the Common. He kept up with Charlotte, feeling the pleasant burning of his lungs and the clean air rushing into them, a feeling that made him feel alive. When they rounded the Navy Yard and the USS Constitution, Ben saw the Bunker Hill monument shining at the summit, and made a quick decision. He pulled alongside Charlotte, and said a quick “race you!”
137He ran as fast and as hard as he could, catching Charlotte off guard momentarily. His muscles pushed him up to top speed quickly, but Charlotte was lighter and more maneuverable, as she darted around people strolling on the promenade. He had to make up time, he thought as she pulled ahead around a tight turn. Aha. The gate to Bunker Hill was crowded with tour groups, and Charlotte had to nearly stop and worm her way through, costing her precious time. The two-foot iron fence had vicious spiked tips, but he vaulted onto a stone bench, and leaped. The fence flew past below, and he landed on his hands and knees with a grunt, and powered to the summit, slipping in the dirt a bit, as Charlotte saw him ahead and sprinted after him. They were neck and neck, panting and straining as they slammed into the base of the monument at the same time. They collapsed onto Bunker Hill, breathless, tired, and sweaty but unbelievably happy as they stared up at the massive stone obelisk at the summit. People stared for a second, then dismissed it as just another Old World couple having a good time.
138Ben gasped and wheezed. “Whoo, I’m a little out of shape. Used to be able to run farther than that in the Underneath, a good three Kilos from my place to school every day.” 
139Charlotte smiled and winced. “Lungs aren’t used to this fresh Overworld air, and I’m pretty sure they didn't have hills back in that stinking cave. Ooh, I’ve got a bad stitch in my side…” She rubbed her stomach. Ben came over and rubbed out the knot in her muscles, as she smiled through the discomfort.
140Nearby, Ben caught the eyes of another teenage girl strolling around with a glastic cup of coffee. A hot wave of desire rose up in him, and he felt the need to react, to interact.
141“Hey, Charlotte. I’m going to find a bathroom around here somewhere. Can you wait a bit?”
142She smiled, the skin around her eyes crinkling. “Sure. I’ll be here.” She turned her eyes to the skyscrapers of Downtown as Ben slunk away sneakily. As soon as he was outside of her peripheral vision, he bolted off. 
143
144He sneakily signalled to the girls to follow him over to the other side of the Monument, where the shade was. The alpha female of that group caught his signal through round-rimmed Ray-Ban sunglasses. 
145
146Ben waited over by the fence on the other side of the park, next to the highway where the cars whizzed by relentlessly. The girl approached him. 
147“Hey. You’re new here, aren’t you? I definitely haven't seen you around Charlestown before. Where are you from?” The alpha asked, smacking her gum noisily. 
148“Yeah. I’m from North Dakota, moved here about two weeks ago. What a place.” He replied, easily, the words sliding out of his mouth.
149“North Dakota? You’re an oiler’s son, aren't you? Let me guess, he wanted his son to go to the best universities in the country, and sent him to Seascape Boston for that opportunity?” She asked.
150He let out his breath. “Yeah. Tell me about it. School sucks. Oh yeah, I didn't get your name. I’m Ben.” 
151The girl laughed, a light happy sound. “I’m Elle. Nice to meet you.” She smiled at him, baring perfect teeth. 
152Ben and Elle sat down in the shade of the Monument, talking lightly about miscellaneous things. Once in awhile, he got her to laugh, or she got him to laugh. He almost forgot about Charlotte until she stormed up to them, livid.
153
154Charlotte stomped her way over to them after she watched Ben disappear around the back side of the Monument, making sure to be out of his vision, and she observed his behavior with this strange girl. They were laughing, smiling, flirting, and having a good time. Without her. Before she knew it, she had stomped her way over to Ben and the other girl, and froze in her tracks.
155
156This girl was stunning. Her blonde locks flowed down her head and draped on her shoulders casually in a way that Charlotte had never quite perfected. She wore tight jeans that showed off and flaunted every single curve in her perfect body. A petite leather belt encircled her waist, clasped together by a gorgeous white buckle. Her hygiene was impeccable, her toenails neatly clipped and painted a deep red under her sandals, her fingernails gleaming orange in the sunshine. Her upper body was covered (just) by an incredibly short tank top that exposed her navel with a cute little pink dangling ornament in it. Seeing this, Charlotte turned around and ran, as far and as fast as her shaking legs could carry her.
157
158Ben and Elle saw Charlotte approach them and then abruptly stop. She turned around then ran as fast as she could away from them. A pain sliced through his heart. 
159“Elle- it’s been fun talking to you, but- her.” He gestured in the direction that Charlotte had run off in.
160“Oh. I see. You already have a girlfriend. Hey, no biggie.” She stood up, causing her belly jewelry to clank softly. Ben was mesmerized for a short time before she broke out of her trance. 
161“Maybe we can talk some other time, I guess.” He turned to go after Charlotte, but Elle’s hand fell on his shoulder. A slip of paper was in between her fingers. Ben flashed her a sad smile, and grabbed the paper, running after Charlotte.
162Elle watched Ben run after his girlfriend. She was beautiful, but she could never let any of her other  friends at Paul Revere High know, or else she’d be a laughingstock. For some reason, Elle knew that somehow, she would see Ben again. Ben felt the same.
163
164He caught up to Charlotte at the gates of Bunker Hill, where she was sobbing into her hands, hidden behind a bush. Ben reached down and squeezed her shoulder, and she looked up at him, her brown eyes full of hurt and pain. 
165“Charlotte. It’s not what you think.” He pleaded. She sniffled.
166“I'll let you off this time. Next time you won't be so lucky.” 
167
1686:30PM and the sky over Boston began to change color from a clear blue to an orange as the sun began its downward trajectory. One of the popular kids from the Underneath School had pooled money with friends and rented out a multipurpose room at the Deviant Nightclub over in the old Prudential Center, on the fifty-second floor of the structure. Anyone from the Underneath was welcome. Charlotte and Ben walked into the Deviant at 6:10, into a room pulsing with light and music, full of bodies dancing, moving from this way to that, sweaty, hot, passionate. Spotlights of various colors flung from place to place, illuminating faces relaxed, smiling, happy. Like in the dream, Charlotte’s body began to dance to the beat of the music, bass vibrating through the tiles of the floor. You spin my head right round, right round, when you go down…...
169
170“How are you doing that?” He asked Charlotte quizzingly. 
171“I don’t know, just feel the beat and go from there. It comes to you naturally.” She replied, spinning off away from him. The place was airy, with wraparound windows that afforded a stunning view of other buildings taller than the old Prudential Center, built in the 1960s.
172Eventually, Ben began to feel it as well and he began to dance as well, edging his way towards Charlotte, and he waited until he was close enough. Quick as a flash, he grabbed her hand and spun her into his arms. She twirled rapidly, her hair flying out behind her, a smile plastered on her face. Charlotte laughed, a light, happy sound that only Ben heard.
173The beat of the music changed, instead of blasting pop funk music, it turned to very classical and soft, flowing piano music. Every guy on the dance floor grabbed the girl nearest to himself, and began to slow dance to the music. Ben reached out for Charlotte’s hand, but she was wrenched away by another guy who was clearly intoxicated. He spun her violently away from him, clearly having too much fun. Ben sighed, and turned to walk away. Maybe it would clear his head to be alone for a moment, get the developing infatuation for her out of his brain. He’d have a walk, a look across the river. Something to steady his mind. Suddenly, there was a crash. Ben wheeled, and saw Charlotte on the floor, evidently having tripped and fallen. A glass vase lay on the floor in shards, a wood end table on its side, a pile of pamphlets fanned across the tiles.
174“What’s wrong, baby?” His voice rasped. “Too tipsy for the dance floor?” The sweet smell of alcohol hung on his breath.
175“Get away from me!” She panted, holding out an outstretched hand. 
176“Now, I know you didn’t just say that to me.” He replied, slurring his words. “How about I get you a drink?” The guy waggled his eyebrows for emphasis. 
177“No! I don’t want a drink; in fact I was about to leave.” She stood up and made for the door.
178“Whoa there! The party’s just starting!” He moved to block her exit. She ducked away, and the guy smacked her on the face, loudly. Everything stopped, everyone in shock.
179“Now, how about we kiss and make up?” He asked Charlotte, beginning to pucker his lips up.
180Ben did not know that he growled, but he growled aloud with a terrible rage, a rage that rose up inside him like a red mist. It controlled his body, his movements, his words, his actions. 
181“Oi! What’s going on here?” Ben roared at the drunk. He was about 30, way too old to be from the Underneath school. He must’ve snuck into the party somehow. Maybe he was even an employee.
182“What’s wrong? She your girl? You gotta problem with that?” The guy sneered.
183“Yes, yes I do.” He thundered, muscles tensing.
184With that, Ben drew himself up to his full height of 5’11, and reared his fist back. His knuckles made solid contact with the drunk’s face and he collapsed to the floor, out cold. People stared.
185“You want to get out of here, Charlotte?” He softly asked.
186“Yes, please. Anywhere but here.” She replied.
187Ben reached for Charlotte’s hand and led her out of the club, as silent as the grave. After they had gotten onto the elevator, the music restarted like nothing had happened. They felt the bass vibrate the elevator gently as it descended back to ground level. A tear fell onto Ben’s shoulder. She sniffled.
188A quiet, “Thank you.”
189A pause. “You’re welcome.”
190
1917PM and they were at Government Center Fair, chilling on the artificial beach, watching kids play in the artificial lake as the waves lapped at the brickwork of City Hall Plaza, the Brutalist City Hall holding station over the whole scene. People milled in and out of the government center subway station. Charlotte still nursed her face, still red from the incident at the Deviant Nightclub, but she’d covered most of it with some makeup she’d bought. They held hands and watched the sunset, dropping lower and lower in the sky, as the moon rose up to take its place. In their secret thoughts, they wondered about the future and what it held, why this timeline never continued into their lifetimes, they wondered about ditching the school and staying in 2037, and about each other’s thoughts. 
192
193It all came to a dramatic climax on the Ferris Wheel at the Fair. The car rose into the sky, slowly and steadily. The sun was setting. The moon was rising. The noise of the fair below was dissipating as they ascended, just the two of them. They were holding hands.
194Ben broke the ice. “C-Charlotte?” He tentatively ventured.
195Charlotte made her voice as smooth, soft, and flirty as possible. “Yes, Ben?” 
196“U-um, you haven’t been feeling anything out of the ordinary all this time today, have you?”
197“Ben, what are you talking about?” Her voice was like honey to his ears. 
198Far below the slowly moving Ferris Wheel, speakers around City Hall Plaza sparked into life, distant music gently began to rise up to Ben’s ears.
199Woke up in London yesterday
200Found myself in the city near Piccadilly
201Don't really know how I got here
202I got some pictures on my phone
203He shook his head, the lyrics of the song shaking him from his mission.
204“Oh, I’m not really sure, there was only that morning in the Common, the whale watch at the Aquarium, the train ride back from Quincy, that moment in the Firebrand Tower, that conversation in Harvard Yard, the episode in the Deviant, and that race to Bunker Hill.”
205She arched an eyebrow at him, and turned away. Loose strands of her hair fluttered free from the elastic she wore, and spilled across the glimmering Boston skyline in golden tassels.
206“W-was it a bad thing? Did I do anything wrong today?” Her voice took a sad note.
207Crap. I’m screwing this up. “No, no, no. Nothing went wrong today. In fact, I think that today was a perfect day, and sharing it with you made it even better.” He began to grow more confident, and he plowed on with increased vigour and trust.
208New names and numbers that I don't know
209Address to places like Abbey Road
210Day turns to night, night turns to whatever we want
211We're young enough to say
212“Ever since we met on the Waiback, I felt something special in you. There was something about you that I could sense, and I felt that we clicked.” He said softly.
213She didn’t respond, caramel eyes fixed on the setting sun. C’mon, Ben. You can do it. 
214He reached over and took both of her hands, feeling the softness, the vitality, in her skin. He tore her gaze from the setting sun and directed it into his own eyes. Her face was radiant, white makeup accenting her lightly tanned skin, eyelashes long and lush, lips painted a subtle red.
215Oh this has gotta be the good life
216This has gotta be the good life
217This could really be a good life, good life
218
219Say oh, got this feeling that you can't fight
220Like this city is on fire tonight
221This could really be a good life
222A good, good life
223The words seemed to knock the wind out of him, but he found some reserves inside to continue.
224“Charlotte. You made this day happen, for everyone, wherever they are. I’ve been feeling it all day, your day, and it only took until now to realize it. I love you.” There. It was out there. A massive weight had been lifted off his chest and shoulders, and now all that was left to do was see how she would react. The music kept on playing, and as Ben listened, he realized that the song was perfect for this moment.
225To my friends in New York, I say hello
226My friends in L.A. they don't know
227Where I've been for the past few years or so
228Paris to China to Colorado
229
230Sometimes there's airplanes I can't jump out
231Sometimes there's bullshit that don't work now
232We all got our stories but please tell me-e-e-e
233What there is to complain about
234
235When you're happy like a fool
236Let it take you over
237When everything is out
238You gotta take it in
239
240Oh this has gotta be the good life
241This has gotta be the good life
242This could really be a good life, good life
243
244Say oh, got this feeling that you can't fight
245Like this city is on fire tonight
246This could really be a good life
247A good, good life
248Her heart clenched up, seized for a second, then continued its inorexable beating. It really was the good life. Charlotte sucked in a breath sharply. It was true. She had fantasized about this moment for so long. She leaned towards him. He followed suit, their bodies closing the distance. Charlotte and Ben’s lips made contact, a gesture of pure desire in a forgotten time, where nobody could see them. They pulled away, and there were embers smoldering in their eyes. 
249“C-Charlotte…” He whispered. The haunting lyrics continued to march on.
250Hopelessly
251I feel like there might be something that I'll miss
252Hopelessly
253I feel like the window closes oh so quick
254Hopelessly
255I'm taking a mental picture of you now
256'Cause hopelessly
257The hope is we have so much to feel good about
258
259Oh this has gotta be the good life
260This has gotta be the good life
261This could really be a good life, good life
262
263Say oh, got this feeling that you can't fight
264Like this city is on fire tonight
265This could really be a good life
266A good, good life
267
268Oh yeah
269Good, good life
270Good life
271Ooh
272She turned slowly back towards him, and pounced, taking Ben to the bench seat of the Ferris Wheel. She kissed him again and again, falling on top of him, before running out of breath and stopped, a hand on his chest. She panted, and they looked into each other's eyes, the whole city lit up by a million lights and the bright stars overhead.
273Listen
274To my friends in New York, I say hello
275My friends in L.A. they don't know
276Where I've been for the past few years or so
277Paris to China to Colorado
278
279Sometimes there's airplanes I can't jump out
280Sometimes there's bullshit that don't work now
281We all got our stories but please tell me-e-e-e
282What there is to complain about
283Ben stared. What is there to complain about? Her face mere inches from his, her blonde hair spilling down over their faces, making a curtain, feeling the curves of her body against his. It was a perfect day. It is a perfect day. They rose peacefully, as the stars and moon shone in the darkening sky.
284
285A small alarm beeped, jarring them out of their moment. 
286“Where is that damn sound coming from?” Ben exclaimed.
287“I don’t know-oh. I found it.” Charlotte said. She gestured to a tag on her top, attached to the fabric. It silenced, leaving nothing but a small blinking red light. She pushed it.
288“The time is now 8PM. Report back to Cassidy Playground immediately for evacuation.” 
289“Evacuation?!” They said at once. The Ferris Wheel was on its downward rotation, getting ready to drop them off back at ground level. The lights came on, turning the ride into an illuminated disk in the middle of the cluster of skyscrapers.
290“Charlotte, did they say anything about an evacuation?” Ben asked, a note of fear in his voice.
291“No, Mr. Axler just said to be back at 8.” She replied, clapping a hand over her mouth.
292“Fuck! We’re late!” Charlotte quickly realized. “Can’t this damn thing go any faster?”
293“Hey, Charlotte, calm down. Watch your profanity.” Ben reassured her. “Other people are probably going to be late as well, we might as well enjoy the view for a bit more.” 
294“But, Ben, why would they use the term ‘evacuation’?” She asked, turning her eyes back to the navy blue sky, the color of the ocean, her hand in his.
295“I don’t know, Charlotte, maybe-” He stopped himself, seeing something streaking through the corner of his vision. He whipped around, Charlotte’s hand with her smooth nails slipping out of his.
296
297“Jesus! What is THAT?!” He yelled, pointing out of the car of the Ferris Wheel. 
298His voice was carried on the wind, and as one the heads on the ground looked up at him, and they followed his pointing hand. Charlotte followed his gaze.
299Cries of “Oh my God!” and “Let’s get out of here!” erupted from the ground below.
300They all stared in stunned silence as a streak of light, burning bright in the night sky, hurtled across their view. It was seen from every house and building on the east coast, and people stopped what they were doing. 
301They stared, out office windows and on balconies.
302They stared, on cars in the Interstate.
303They stared, on the subway and on the bus.
304One hundred and fifty million people, silent and alert, watching this object hurtle through the atmosphere at astronomical speeds. Cell phones and cameras rose up from hands all across the coast, from New York to Miami, Philadelphia and Washington, DC. 
305The President of the United States of America rose from his desk and stared out the window of the Oval Office with his fellow citizens in wonder.
306The comet streaked from South to North at blistering speeds, before finally impacting the moon in the left-hand corner of everyone’s viewpoint. 
307The impact was felt, but not heard in the vacuum of space. Millions of newtons of force were shunted from the comet’s velocity to the moon, and they felt it on Earth as the planet itself shuddered. The moon began to come undone, splitting into millions of fragments, a soundless explosion spraying lunar dust out into rings around the disintegrating planetoid.
308Charlotte and Ben stared at the spectacle in shock. They were watching the end of the Ancient era, right here and now. They instantly came to the conclusion that this one event was what caused humans to retreat underground for a thousand years, what caused that millennium to be known as the Lost Ages.
309
310“Maybe that’s why they said ‘evacuation.’” He finished his sentence. 
311Charlotte’s eyes were as wide as saucers as the moon began to break up soundlessly.
312“Ben. This is why the Lost Ages were….Lost.” She quietly said.
313
314The next fifteen minutes were a blur for Charlotte.
315Off the Ferris Wheel into a car through the streets not stopping red lights green lights yellow lights it didn't matter they had to get to Cassidy Playground as quickly as possible wait wait let me snap a picture for everyone don't rush me this is important okay done keep driving don't stop don't stop wait Ben you can drive? oh it doesn’t matter just keep going. What was that shaking Ben the Earth is adjusting Moon new orbit instability earthquake get away from the buildings NOW. Chaos running screaming a beautiful city reduced to anarchy end history police fire EMS helping wounded blood death suffering cemeteries churches praying pleading oh why God did this have to happen why why why…..
316
317She climbed from the backseat of the Lincoln Town Car and into the front, next to Ben, features twisted in a grimace of panic and fear, driving like a maniac. He held the leather steering wheel with a death grip, knuckles white as they shot through the grid of streets making up Back Bay. 
318“Ben, where did you get this car?” She asked, flinching as he gunned it through a tight gap.
319“Someone abandoned it. Keys still in the ignition, I had to take it, faster than walking.” He tersely replied. The light in front turned red, and he slammed on the brakes, the Lincoln screeching to a halt in a cloud of tire smoke and scorched rubber. 
320“C’mon, c’mon…” He tapped his hands on the steering wheel restlessly as the moon continued to break up high overhead, then all the traffic lights went out at once.
321Ben didn’t need any second invitations, and he floored the accelerator pedal, and they peeled away from the intersection, engine roaring. They shot past townhouses, college dorms, people panicking, shoving suitcases into any battered heap of a car that had four wheels and drove, getting out of the city. People ran through the streets frantically, every which way as another tremor shook the city, skyscrapers twisting and bowing as the earth undulated under them. Gaps opened up in the street, the car caught air. For a moment, they felt weightless, before the car crashed back down onto pavement, tires crunching and suspension creaking. Ben pushed the Town Car faster and faster, not letting up on the accelerator pedal at all. The GPS said arrival time of 8:27 PM at Cassidy playground. He had to get that time faster, faster, faster. 70, 80, 90, 100 miles per hour. 8:25. No lights, intersection after intersection. Turn right in 500 feet. 300 feet. 100 feet. He kept his foot flat on the floor.
322
323“Ben? You’re going waaay tooo fast!” Charlotte screamed, gripping the armrest tightly.
324Ben didn’t respond, chucking the Lincoln into the turn at 100mph before countersteering, jerking the wheel, leather whizzing through his fingers. The Town Car slid through the tight curve, smoke pouring off the rear tires before Ben straightened the vehicle out, V-8 engine roaring, accelerating again. 110 mph through Kenmore square, 4000 rpm, 5000, 5500, 6000 rpm, as the speedometer topped out at 120mph down a deserted Beacon Street. 8:21. They continued this way until they got to Cleveland Circle, where people of all ages, colors, and shapes were running across the roads, barely getting out of the way before the Town Car drove through. A low iron fence separated the playground from the pavement, but Ben smashed through it like paper, bits clanging to the ground, as one of the sedan’s rear tires blew out and it spun wildly around in a circle before sliding to a stop on the grass of Cassidy Playground. The engine tinged and pinged, cooling down. The dashboard was a constellation of warning lights, and Ben removed the keys from the ignition barrel, patting the leather wheel appreciatively before pocketing them. Charlotte got out of the car with him, looking back at the city distant. That was before they noticed everyone standing on the field, waiting, in front of the Waiback. Their eyes were wide, evidently having watched the Town Car crash its way onto the field. They stared at Charlotte and Ben, holding hands beside the black sedan. They were confused. Was that really Charlotte and Ben? They looked so different to what they normally did they seemed almost unrecognizable….
325
326Mr. Axler was the first to recover. 
327“Alright, everyone. Get onto the Waiback NOW.” He turned. “Pilot, get us out of here.” 
328The man nodded, and started up the Fastfins as everyone clambered inside, Charlotte and Ben being the last, casting a sad glance back towards Seascape Boston as the moon came undone overhead. Another explosion lit up the night sky as a skyscraper collapsed, electrical wires sparking in the night sky.
329Ben heaved the door up from the ground and closed it, ramming the lock home with a solid thunk. “Thank you, Mr. Riggins. This might just make up for your lateness, if we can still make it out of here alive. Now, please take your seat.” Mr Axler waved to the vacant seat next to Charlotte. He obliged, taking his seat. He squeezed her hand, and she looked into his eyes, seeing fear that shook her. 
330In the distance, sirens wailed.
331“Sir, she’s powering up slower than usual. We won’t have the voltage to cold start the fusion reactor for another fifteen minutes, and by then the city will be wiped out by a massive earthquake!” The pilot notified Mr. Axler. Everyone stared helplessly up at the moon, crumbling and splitting high above the ruined Earth. 
332Everyone began to panic, but it was Ben and Charlotte that acted immediately and decisively. They got up in a clang of seatbelts and squeezed their way down the narrow aisle.
333“WHERE ARE YOU GOING?!” Mr. Axler bellowed at them.
334“Don’t question it, just open the access port for the reactor and tell us where the electrical terminals are!” Charlotte said, panting as she ran.
335A panel popped open about four feet behind the main entry door, and inside lay intricate machinery, buzzing and humming, a constant clicking as the cold fusion reactor tried to start. She noticed a plaque on the reactor shield, a red sign saying Powered by Mass Fusion Technologies. The name caused a sharp pain to spike in her head, but she didn’t know why. She shook her head to clear her mind.
336The students inside the Waiback stared bug-eyed at Charlotte and Ben, wondering, What are they doing? 
337
338Charlotte opened the door of the Lincoln, shoved the keys in the ignition, and slowly crawled it over to the Waiback, not knowing how she knew how to drive. She was after all, born in the future and only 17 years of age. Ben wasn’t much older. She slammed the transmission into park and jumped out. Ben was rummaging through the trunk until he found what he was looking for. 
339He pulled out a pair of jumper cables, and Mr Axler showed him where the terminals for the reactor’s battery was. He attached the red to the positive and the black to the negative terminals. He brought the other ends to the hood of the Lincoln, dropped them on the ground. Ben opened the engine compartment of the car, seeing the V8 purring happily away, fans and belts whizzing around the compartment, before attaching the corresponding leads to their places. He stepped back, scanning the car with the little green box, putting it in his pocket. 
340“Charlotte!” He shouted.
341She poked her head out the driver’s side window. “Yeah?!” 
342“Floor it!” Ben said. 
343Charlotte positioned her pink-shod foot over the accelerator, and mashed it to the floor.  
344The burly engine roared, sending electricity to the reactor’s battery.
345“C’mon, you can do it! You can do it!” The engine was zinging and roaring off the limiter, clouds of smoke billowing out the exhaust. Cleveland Circle began to open up, the earth splitting underneath, revealing a river of red lava, flowing towards the distant sea.
346She let off the gas, then flattened it again, feeling the car rock under her with the torque.
347“Try it now!” Ben yelled to the pilot. He twisted the key, and the reactor coughed, stuttering in and out, cutting in temporarily. 
348Charlotte knew that they were so close. She flattened the gas again, sending peak voltage to the battery just as the reactor turned over, hummed into life. The engine died, out of gasoline at last.
349A chasm opened up underneath the rear of the Waiback as the reactor sputtered away, the entire machine creaking and sliding backwards into the gap. Clumps of dirt and grass fell through. Far below, the river of molten rock sluiced its way towards the ocean. The cables attaching it to the sedan snapped away from their mounts under the hood and skittered away.
350“Ben! It’s sliding!” She waved towards him. His head snapped up from the trunk of the Lincoln, and he saw the Waiback inching backwards into the gap. He grabbed a tow cable from the boot.
351“Can’t you launch now?” He yelled to Mr. Axler.
352“No! It needs to be level for the reactor to produce enough power! Shit!” He fell back from the open doorway as the time machine jerked backwards, coming to rest halfway in the gap, the rear fully in the chasm now. Screams and shouts escaped from the interior to their ears.
353Charlotte looked frantically for a mounting point for the thick tow cable Ben had in his hands, but she could find none…..except…..
354“Ben, hand me one of the ends! The truck over there, hook the other end up to it!” She snatched up the other end and ran towards the Waiback, balanced precariously. A chunk of soil broke away, carrying the Lincoln into the chasm, the beams of the headlights disappearing below the surface.
355
356Ben hooked up the end of the cable to the tow hook of a Ford pickup abandoned on the field, making sure it was secure. The cable was forty feet long, hardened steel and wrapped in Mylar plastic. It would easily be able to hold the weight of the time machine. He only hoped Charlotte would be able to hook up the other end to it.
357
358The front of the Waiback had a tow hook for emergencies, a stanchion jutting out from the otherwise smooth undercarriage. She maneuvered the hook on the tow cable up to the stanchion, and then…..the cable was ripped from her hands, hook splatting down uselessly on the wet grass. The cable was taut. In front of her, the Waiback continued to slide down into the chasm. She could smell the lamination on the rear glass melting as the molten rock below billowed heat up and out of the gorge. Temperature warnings began to blare from the control panel inside. 
359“We’re burning up! Help us, Charlotte!” A chorus of voices exclaimed.
360Fueled by this, she pulled the hook up to the stanchion again, straining with all her might, her muscles screaming in pain as she hooked up the cable successfully. She dropped to the ground and rolled hard, smearing herself in mud and dirt as the front skids of the Waiback slammed back onto the earth, right where she had been a few seconds ago. The cable snapped taut, twanging loudly. The entire underbelly of the machine groaned in protest. 
361
362But it held.
363
364She waved her hands. “Ben!”
365“What?” He shouted back, setting the truck’s parking brake with a creak, wrenching the handle out.
366“It’s holding! Now we just need to…” A low cracking sound brought her back to reality.
367The Waiback was slowly sliding down the chasm, dragging the truck with it. It was half-in and half-out, the cabin at a 45 degree tilt now. The wheels slid across the wet grass.
368“Holy Christ.” He cracked open the steering column, sending chunks of plastic flying. He ripped free some multicolored wires, and with surprising expertise twirled a red and green wire together, wrapping them tightly in insulation. Ben pressed the starter button, and the engine fired obediently into life. Charlotte came running up to him. “You gotta pull them out quickly!” She waved her hands around for emphasis. The wheels of the truck, though locked in place, were being dragged along the wet ground. “I’ve got it. Now, keep me updated. Tell me when to stop pulling.” He waved her away.
369Now, he knew that a spinning wheel produces less friction than a stationary one, so he had to moderate his throttle inputs even though this was a four-wheel-drive…..The screams of his classmates threw all logical thoughts out of his head. To hell with this. He punched the gas.
370
371The tires broke into motion, spinning wildly as the truck tried to halt the momentum of the sliding Waiback. The wheel vibrated wildly in Ben’s hands, shuddering as the wheels spun without forward motion. The speedometer continued to climb, measuring wheel speed. 80. 90. 100. From behind, Charlotte saw the tires spit dirt and gravel back at her, stinging her face and arms. She dove out of the way of the flying debris as the truck slowly began to stop moving backwards and begin moving forwards again. “It’s working! Go! Gogogogo!”
372He kept the engine pinned at redline, the turbos screaming at max RPM, the 4x4 system engaged. A warning message. Continued operation of the 4x4 system will result in overheat.
373He ignored it and kept the engine redlined. Now, they were distinctly moving forward as opposed to backwards. In the rearview, he saw the Waiback sliding back out of the crevasse and back onto level ground, but not quickly enough. He had one more trick. Ben threw the wheel from side to side, and the pickup fishtailed, tires grabbing traction on pavement, stopping motion instantaneously. He felt the entire drivetrain strain, hunt for forward motion as the Waiback refused to move. He heard a grinding crunch from behind, and then they were moving forward again easily. The Waiback was back level, on the field, minus its underfloor carbon-fibre stabilizer, which must’ve broken off. Ben set the brake on the truck, and disconnected the ignition, as a pillar of steam hissed out from underneath the truck and its radiator. The 40-foot mylar-wrapped cable hung limp, resting on an exposed subterranean electrical box which was sparking and arcing.
374“Haha! Let’s get out of here.” Charlotte ran up to him, ruffled his hair, and kissed him. 
375She turned to leave, but her foot snagged the tow cable. A millisecond before tripping on it, she remembered that Mylar was electrically conductive.
376Charlotte felt cold white fire pulse through her muscles. She felt disconnected, not in control of her own movements. She felt scared. Is this what dying feels like? She fell to the ground, her body unyielding, as the moon finally blew up from centripetal force, fanning debris across the night sky, cookie crumbs spilled across a black blanket.
377Ben saw Charlotte’s limp body fall to the ground, and he ran over. “Nooooo!” His hands brushed her clothes, feeling her skin tingle with electricity, the fabric crackling and popping. 
378He scooped her up from the ground and ran for the Waiback. Once inside he set her limp body down on the seat, while Mr. Axler closed the door and sealed it. Charlotte slumped over in the seat, eyes glassy and unresponsive. The dirt and mud smeared on her was all over his hands. Outside, chunks of moon were beginning to impact the city, booms shuddering the Earth as fire spread.
379“Reactor operating at 100% optimization. Time circuits activating.”
380The Waiback shook violently as the megaquake hit Mass Bay, sending the pilot flying out of his seat, his unconscious body slamming the TRAVEL lever fully forward. They were off, seeing the city crumble and shake under violent natural forces, so fast the days melded into one seamless picture, like a movie. 
381
382The Charles split into hundreds of smaller tributaries, which formed back together in a new river, with a different course to the old, carving a channel directly through the old downtown. Smaller buildings were wiped off the map, they saw the steel and concrete highway overpasses gather ivy and vines, looking like massive snakes as they curved their way through the landscape. The towering skyscrapers slowly shed their skins of glass and metal, exposing concrete and steel skeletons which rusted and bent in the burning sunshine. Flocks of animals on the verge of extinction in the Old World came back. Charlotte saw herds of rhinos and giraffes graze and forage for food in the ruins of the Common, foxes, bears, lions, hunting them as nature intended. Thousands of birds and cats made their homes in the skeletal buildings, using them as vertical forests, drinking water that pooled on the remaining glass panels. She even saw some humans, clearly regressed to a primitive state, hunting elk and caribou down a stretch of former Interstate highway with spears and arrows, not guns and bombs. Charlotte felt a strange sensation, seeing them chase after the elk on horseback with their primitive weapons. Here they were, in the year 2508, yet those humans were back in the stone age, technologically speaking. She felt a sense of pride, seeing them survive. All those years being pampered by their machines, their inventions that cradled them in luxury hadn’t dulled the human survival instinct. They were still capable hunters without their guns and bombs, and decades after the last human machine had gone silent on the Earth, civilization had still adapted and restarted. She saw a sprawling village, the size of the old City Hall Plaza, on Spectacle Island, where thousands of humans lived, played, fought, and prospered.
383
384This made her think. Why are we living in the Underneath when the Earth is clearly habitable above the surface? 
385“Mr. Axler, why do we live so far underground without so much as a glimpse of sunlight when we could just as easily live on the surface, in the ruins of the cities?” She asked him, her head throbbing. Charlotte gritted her teeth through the pain. Outside, an ice age flashed past, blanketing everything in pure white snow and ice.
386Mr. Axler turned ominously to face her. “It’s because you’re seeing ancient history, right here.”
387“Ancient history? This is over a century after the Ancient world ended. How is this ancient?” 
388“Our time is further ahead than you think.” He replied, and he pulled out a trackpad. He scrolled left on the time displays. The air outside began to take a distinct green color.
389DESTINATION TIME: 803,097 AD. 0800 hours. Location Unknown.
390“We live over eight hundred thousand years from the events we witnessed in Seascape Boston not three hours ago.” Ben shakily said, not believing his eyes.
391“That’s right, Ben.” Mr. Axler said. 
392“But why don’t we live on the surface then? By now, surely there are more civilizations on the surface.” Charlotte begged.
393Mr. Axler pulled out a plastic stool and sat down, as the landscape outside began to encase the Waiback in a solid rock wall.
394“After the moon was destroyed in 2037, the Earth underwent some pretty significant changes. The nuclear weapons and power plants located around the world were in hardened facilities and took the brunt relatively well. But as the centuries went on, all those years of being live took their toll. The warheads decayed to the point where they underwent nuclear fission, and they detonated. The Ancients had enough of these weapons to kill every person on the planet six times over in their era. The fledgling societies developed after the moon went bang didn’t stand a chance as over 40,000 warheads went up. The surface of the Earth is uninhabitable. That’s why we live underground.” He sighed, turned around, and moved the Travel lever to the STOP position, as the familiar sight of the Underneath lay outside of the Waiback, and the machine powered down in the year 803,097 AD. Their Old World clothes turned back into the Underneath overalls. The door hissed open, and the students sidled outside silently and solemnly. 
395
396Part 3: Discovery
397
398He clicked his fingers. “Somebody, get this man to the medbay. He’s hurt.” A team of five security officers came forward with a stretcher, picking up the pilot and carting him off.
399
400The crowd was still gathered there, the Waiback having arrived only three minutes after they left for Seascape Boston. The Commissioner was still there, with his suit and his microphone. 
401“So, how was your trip?” He asked the students.
402“Good.” Came the curt reply.
403“Would any of you like to tell us what you saw?” He held the microphone out. Nobody took it.
404Charlotte knew what she had to do. She pushed her way through the crowd and took the microphone from the Commissioner’s hand.
405“And what is your name, miss?” He asked her.
406“C-Charlotte. Charlotte Cahill.” She replied, gripping the mike with sweaty hands.
407“Ah, so it was you that wanted to go to the Lost Ages so badly. Now, tell us what you saw there.” He waved his hand at the crowd.
408She spoke with a quavering voice. “Hello, everyone. I know that the Lost Ages are something you’ve probably only heard stories about, and the Overworld as well. But what I’m about to tell you is absolutely true. The Lost Ages were wonderful. Buildings and inventions beyond anything anyone’s ever seen. Luxuries like automobiles and flying machines, all real and working. Vehicles that float on water, superhighways and high-speed trains, all true. The simple things in life, the feeling of the sun on your face, the fresh Overworld air are still there. The Ancients didn’t tinker with those.” Her voice hardened.
409“But It’s All Gone. May 17th, 2037 was the last day of the Ancient Era on this Earth. At 8:01 PM, a comet slammed into the Earth’s Moon, shifting the orbit and destabilizing the axis of the planet. The city was wiped out by a massive earthquake caused by tectonic plate shift, and the Earth underwent natural reclamation. Civilizations reformed, but then the Ancient nuclear weapons detonated due to exposure and caused the surface to become uninhabitable.” 
410She finished, tears brimming in her eyes. Out of the corner of her vision, she saw Ben staring at her, his eyes saying you did the right thing. 
411
412At that, everyone dispersed and headed back to their jobs in the Underneath. She caught Ben’s eyes, seeming to say see you tomorrow. The Waiback was wheeled back into its chamber, the rock wall closing and sealing it inside. Everyone went home with sadness all over their faces. 
413
414Charlotte opened the door to her house, smelling the damp and musty air, a contrast to the cool, fresh Overworld air from Seascape Boston. She ran her fingers over the rock walls, imagining the lush grass fields of the Common under her again. Her legs ached, reminding her of the race to Bunker Hill with Ben. She stepped inside, and her mom came over to greet her with a smile. 
415“How was the trip, Charlotte?” She probed, not wanting to push harder seeing the tears on her face. 
416“It was beautiful. The Ancient World was beautiful; I wish I lived there for my life, I wish I was born into that time. But it was destroyed by an event we had no control over. A comet impacted the Moon in 2037, and the repercussions destroyed the planet forever. You can see everything right here.” She set the camera down on the coffee table.
417Her mom’s face creased, and she hugged her. “Oh, Charlotte. That sounds terrible. After seeing something like that, you must need rest. How does pancakes and bacon sound tomorrow?” She knew pancakes and bacon was Charlotte’s favorite breakfast.
418“It sounds good, mom.” She forced a smile onto her face. “I’m going to Hypersleep till tomorrow morning, try to forget this day.” 
419She ascended the uneven steps to her room, feeling drained and exhausted from the day’s events. The door opened with a creak, and she shoved her suitcase against the wall roughly before opening her sleep pod and climbing in.
420“Pod. Alarm set: name: school morning.”
421“User Charlotte: Alarm set and confirmed. Initiating Hypersleep in 3….2….1.”
422
423The familiar cocktail of chemicals washed over her face, and Charlotte fell into more Overworld dreams. She was with Ben, just the two of them this time. They were at a scenic overlook, on a winding road that overlooked the city of Seascape Boston. The black Lincoln was behind them, purring away happily. They were holding hands, not kissing, looking at the sky, watching the comet hurtling towards the moon. Charlotte felt a strange sense of calm, watching something cataclysmic happening that she accepted without fear. Ben turned to her and kissed Charlotte. He pulled away and looked into her eyes.
424“You can’t fix this, Charlotte. Maybe you can fix the future.” He pointed at the moon. 
425Streaks of light soared high overhead, and she caught a glimpse of distant tubular shapes, fire spewing from their tail ends, and a chorus of mushroom clouds erupted from the comet, vaporizing it instantly. Bits of what remained fell to the earth as shooting stars, as distant cheers rose on the ancient wind.
426
427She woke with a gasp. I know how to fix the future. 
428Nuclear weapons. The most powerful armaments ever devised by intelligent Earth life were the key to saving them. She had to get to school. Charlotte tore a pair of overalls from her closet and put them on, not caring if they ripped. She devoured her eggs, pancakes, and bacon in record time and set the plate in the sink before tearing her way to school, running as fast as she could. She burst into Mr. Axler’s classroom, where he was alone, sitting at his desk, seemingly awaiting her. “Mr. Axler. Do you have a moment? I need to talk to you about something.” She spat out.
429“Of course; please take a seat.” He replied cordially. 
430She proceeded to spill out the total details of her plan to him over the next ten minutes, and all the while he listened silently, totally focused on everything she said. When she finished, he pulled out a walkie-talkie from his desk and said, “We have a code 10-30. The Commissioner’s gonna want to hear this.” He set the radio back down, and the door opened behind Charlotte. 
431
432Suddenly, a bag was shoved over her head, blinding her. She flailed out with her arms wildly, trying to get at her captors, but then her chair tipped back, and she fell onto the floor, cracking her head. Ben, help me….. She blacked out.
433
434She awoke sitting up, handcuffed to another chair in the Commissioner’s office. The bag had been removed from her head, and she could see, but she squinted as her eyes adjusted to the bright lights. The room was spacious and minimalist, a simple mahogany desk, some bookshelves lined with assorted novels, a fake potted plant. 
435The Commissioner scowled down at Charlotte. Normally the epitome of friendliness, he was the very opposite of friendly now. “So. Mr. Axler tells me you can fix the future.” 
436“Y-yes sir. I believe that I can.” She stammered.
437“And how exactly are you going to do that?” He roared with laughter.
438“Well, sir, to prevent any of this happening, all the Ancients needed to do was to launch some of their nuclear weapons at the comet that impacted the moon. If that happened, all of the following events including today would be wiped from history, and an alternate timeline would be established where the Ancients would be in control.” 
439The Commissioner stopped laughing. “I don’t think you understand, missy. Everything you see here was built and designed with United States Federal money to house people, important people in the event of a global catastrophe. You are sitting in what’s left of one of the most secure and safe facilities on the planet, and you would be willing to throw away all this safety for an uncertain future where a questionable human civilization is in charge? They froze you, after all, separating you from your real mom and dad!”
440“Froze me, separated me?” She perused her memories, for anything. She came up blank.
441“Yes, froze. The Ancients put you in a cryogenic facility, literally froze the life inside you to a crawl, along with Ben. That’s not even the worst of the things they did. They nearly ruined the planet with global warming and pollution, and they fixed it eventually, but fate came around and bit them in the ass when they weren’t looking. You’d STILL trust them?” His eyes narrowed.
442“Yes. I wouldn't doubt it for a second. They may have separated me from my parents, but in doing so they saved my life.” She said confidently, fueled by her memories of the Overworld, the Ancient city of Seascape Boston. Unconvinced, he started diatribing again.
443“This place, all of this exists because of those Ancients. I rule this place because of the Ancients. All of their politicians were corrupt, sitting all high and mighty in their domed palaces across the American continent. Why do you think we never run for election here? We subsist off of an anti-aging serum we procure from MIT, the tech school near Boston. Why do you think you were let to run free and happy wherever you wished? Mr. Axler went to Massachusetts Institute of Tech and refilled our supply of the serum that allows us to live forever. I am of the Old World. I thirst for power, and in this future I intend to keep it any way I can. In fact, so are you and your boyfriend Ben.”
444She was shocked. “How is that possible?” The Commissioner was getting visibly angry, his face was reddening and his fists began to clench. He banged on the desk, making her jump.
445“You and Ben were the last two people in that cryogenic bank we raided before leaving that time in the Waiback. That machine was an Ancient prototype from 2035, but the production models were destroyed after the moon went bang. That’s why you and Ben were able to drive that automobile back in 2037. You were born into that time, and had exposure to its influences and technology. It’s why you were so curious about that time, why everything felt so familiar to you. After you and Ben were recovered, we used the Waiback to transfer embryos, some recovered technology including sleep pods and computers to this facility, but it was being hounded with people immediately after the moon went bang. So, we ended up setting up the Underneath in the distant future, to restart civilization underground, a blank slate. A colony, as you will, not on a distant continent or a strange land, but in a different time. We set up this entire place. We grew the people, built the halls, carved the rooms. Now, I am not going to let all my hard work be undone by some snooty, arrogant teenager who thinks she can change the future. You can't change history, it's set in stone for eternity.” He snarled. 
446
447The news made Charlotte feel sick. Their home wasn’t really home. It never was. Everyone she knew except for Ben wasn’t a real person, but an organism grown in a laboratory. Her breakfast sloshed heavily in her stomach, and she wished she hadn’t eaten so quickly that morning. She felt queasy and sick, and her vision began to swim. She looked at the clock. 1PM. Had it really only been four hours since she’d left home? She forced herself to pay attention again, as he started to pace the room again, the heels of his shoes clicking loudly against the floor.
448“Now, Charlotte. Your insubordination has finally reached a point we cannot tolerate. So, it’s time we wipe your memory, give you a new name and host family. How do you like the name Julia? It’s what we’ve decided to give you.” He pulled out a Wiper from his desk drawer, sleek and black. He pressed a button, and the machine began to whine into life. 
449“What?! No! I refuse!” She struggled to get out of the chair, but the handcuffs were too tight. She only succeeded in rattling them. She struggled some more, but the metal began to chafe her hands. A thin stream of blood ran down her wrists, an ugly red snake. 
450“Dont worry, it won’t hurt a bit. Just look into the ports. Three quick flashes, and it’ll be done. You’ll wake in a new house, with a new family, with a new name. Julia.” The Commissioner held the Wiper up and powered it on, forcing Charlotte’s face into the ports, her eyeballs pressed close to thin panels of glass. No!
451“Here we go!” He pressed the button. One flash seared her retinas, scouring and scoring her brain tissues. She was still herself, but some of her memories began to fade around the edges. It would take five minutes for the device to recharge, and two more pulses would see her memory gone, gone for all time. 
452
453“Hey, Mr. Axler, where’s Charlotte?” Ben asked nonchalantly as he was scribbling away at his notes in history class, as Mr. Axler walked around, monitoring everyone.
454He whispered into Ben’s ear, making sure that Ben was the only one who heard what he said.
455“Oh, she was sent to a detention center for being insubordinate. She was rambling on about fixing the future or some nonsense like that.” His face twisted into an evil grin.
456He stood up quickly. “May I use the restroom, please?” 
457“Sure, Ben. Take the pass and be back soon, okay? We wouldn’t want you to miss the section on Ancient inventions, knowing how much you loved that subject.” His eyes followed Ben.
458“Of course, sir. I’ll be back soon.” He closed the classroom door behind him and went to the bathroom to ease suspicion, then ran down the hall and rattled his way down a stairwell. He had to find her, in the Commissioner’s office as quickly as possible before her memory was wiped. 
459
460In the classroom, the students were taking notes normally, then they all perked up as they heard the sounds of running feet and a heavy door closing. An alarm rang shrilly as the bathroom pass attached to Ben’s pants triggered a proximity alert.
461Mr. Axler pulled out the radio from his desk again. “We have a runner here.”
462
463Ben waited outside of the school, searching with his hands in his pockets for what he needed. Tense moments followed, and just as he found it, the school security alarm went off.
464Surprised, he dropped it, clattering to the ground. Shit. 
465He snatched it up and activated the program, the box growing searingly hot in his hands as the replicating lasers initiated. He turned away from the light, hands over his eyes as he set the box on the ground. A minute later, the black Lincoln Town Car was in front of him, engine running with a full tank of gasoline, ready to go.
466
467Mr. Axler and the Guards stood on the school steps not fifty feet away, staring at the vehicle. Ben took the opportunity to jump in the car and close the door, but then they recovered from their shock, taser guns crackling at full charge.
468“Get him!” Mr Axler bellowed. “He’s going to kill the Commissioner!”
469Ben slammed the automatic transmission into drive and buried the accelerator in the carpeting of the interior, as the metal prongs hit the armor with pings and clangs. The car peeled away from the school, the students peering out the windows at the spectacle. They saw the Lincoln squeal its way out of the school driveway and around the corner, leaving two long black rubber trails on the pavement. 
470He drove as he had never drove before, the fate of Charlotte and the entire world hanging in the balance, going dangerously fast on the narrow walkways, barely the width of a two-lane Ancient road. People barely dodged out of the way of the speeding car, jumping to the sides of the walkway, leaping over the railings. He flashed the headlights and honked the horn so people would clear the path for him faster, and he pressed harder on the accelerator.
471
472A second flash, Charlotte’s eyes stung through closed eyelids. It wasn’t working. Her mind was beginning to slip. Small voices whispered in her head. Who are you? What are you doing? Don’t resist, don’t fight it. Just let go. It’ll be over soon. You’re just delaying the inevitable.
473She had to fight. My name is Charlotte Ward. I stand for the Ancient world and all its’ values.
474I can fix the past. I can fix the future. I just need a chance to. It was working. Her mind was beginning to improve, her self-therapy forcing information back into her grey matter. But the third pulse from the Wiper would erase her mind completely no matter what she tried to do, unless something happened in the five minutes that would avert that. She twisted out of the Wiper, and the chair clattered to the floor with herself still attached to it.
475The Commissioner pounced on her, slapping her from left to right. 
476“Do I have to knock you out to wipe your memory? You really are as stubborn as they said.” He slapped her again. Pain flashed through her nervous system, a hot red flash.
477Ben, help me….. 
478
479“C’mon, get out of the way!” Ben honked the horn as another crowd of people dove out of the way of the speeding Town Car. A fruit stand stood by the side of the road. He plowed through it, splattering produce everywhere and splashing the windshield with juices. He calmly flicked on the windshield wipers and powered on, turning onto Capital Boulevard, and he could see the Commissioner’s office standing at the end of the road, a sturdy building surrounded by hedges. The Commissioner’s office was on the first floor, he remembered, and had a plate-glass window to the outside, but it was reinforced and he couldn’t break through with his fists, or a rock. The doors were steel-plated and locked, surely. 
480He slammed his fists on the steering wheel of the Lincoln, putting the gearbox into park. He was so close, a quarter mile or less, and he couldn’t think of a way to get to Charlotte. Damn!
481Aha! He saw the glass window through a gap in the hedges, and he saw an entire phalanx of guards standing in the middle of the road, blocking the way. Through the window, he saw the Commissioner slapping a body chained to a chair. The person had blonde hair. Rage began to build up inside him, but then Mr. Axler walked out onto the street, taking up a position in front of the guards. He pulled out a megaphone and spoke.
482
483“Ben. Don’t be so irrational like your lover Charlotte.” Ben flinched, like a wound had been opened. Lover? How did he know? Ben shook himself free and focused on his speech.
484“We know everything. You and Charlotte were tracked with cameras, we saw your every movements, how you were so affected by the experience in the Ancient World. Stop this nonsense. You were the level-headed one, not fiery and passionate like Charlotte. I remember her, the curious one ever since she was recovered from Cambridge Cryo. Get out of the car. Surrender yourself. In time, you’ll see that we stand for everyone here. We want to help you, Ben.” The words echoed through the glass and metal of the car to reverb in his eardrums. Inside, the Commissioner hauled the chair containing Charlotte back upright, and placed his face close to hers, like he was going to kiss her. He pulled his head back at the last moment.
485
486“Not passionate, not fiery?!” He growled. “I’ll show you fiery and passionate!” He bellowed, flipping his middle finger up so it was visible to the waiting guards. He jabbed the accelerator, the tachometer jumping as the engine roared. He repeated it, feeling the vibrations of the exhaust, feeling the car rocking under him. As the Commissioner leaned towards Charlotte again, he imagined her smiling face. He imagined the Commissioner taking her life, the most valuable perhaps of all time. His rage controlled his movements, his hands were his weapons as he slotted the transmission into drive and floored the gas pedal. Smoke poured off the tires as they slowly gained traction on the slick metal. Red tinted the edges of his vision as he gritted his teeth. The car continued to accelerate. 
487
488The radio on the Commissioner’s desk crackled.
489He pulled away from Charlotte’s face, and strode over to answer it. “What?” He snarled.
490“Uh, sir, we have a situation developing out here-” 
491“Deal with it any way you can! Can’t you see that I’m almost done with the operation here?!” He roared back into the radio. It was silent.
492He turned back to Charlotte, his face red. “How about a kiss, before you go?” He smiled.
493
494It was wheeled out from underneath the Commissioner’s building and prepped. A man stood behind it, the black maw of the gun pointed at the speeding Lincoln. He flipped the gun to full auto mode and loaded the end of a lengthy ammo belt into the mechanism.
495“ENGAGE!” Mr Axler yelled to his guards. They pulled out their pulse guns and began to fire at the approaching Lincoln, stun charges not doing anything against a lifeless mechanical two-ton vehicle that had no flesh and nerves. The machine gun chattered away, sounding like a spiral-bound notebook getting its pages torn out. The bullets slammed into the armored car heavily, sounding like barrages of hail, the armor protecting the vital components. Behind the wheel, Ben flinched from the noise, but seeing the armor hold, he kept going. 40 miles per hour. 50. “C’mon!” Ben put the car into sport mode for more performance. The engine roared.
496
497“Fuck you.” Charlotte spat into the Commissioner’s face, and he reeled from it like he had been shot, wiping it from his features with a furious expression. A tissue was produced and disposed.
498“You little bitch. I was going to give you a chance to call for help, call your lover Ben maybe, let you get wiped in a way deserving the nice girl everyone thought you were.” He seethed.
499He brought the Wiper back over to Charlotte’s face, and she strained her neck desperately away from the approaching device. “Any last words?”
500
501At that moment, the front bumper of the Lincoln came into contact with the first of the guards. The armoured Town Car plowed through the field of them, Mr Axler being flung clean over the vehicle and crumpling to a lifeless heap on the ground behind him. He plowed through the machine gun, and it flew backwards, still chattering away as it flew into the hedges. It exploded with a BANG, smoke curling up from the leaves. Ben heard bones crunch and crack, voices plead for help, and blood smear the windshield. He flicked the wipers on again, as the car cleared the rest of them. The sedan’s reinforced suspension jumped the high curb with ease, and crashed through the hedge. He kept his foot to the floor, as the car rattled up the front steps. The huge glass window was right in front of him, and he was closing the distance absurdly quickly.
502“Charlotte, WATCH OUT!” He screamed, hoping to the gods that she would notice.
503
504The machine was nearly at her eyes now, pulsing with energy, charged and ready to erase her entire life from her carcass. “Any last words, Charlotte?” He repeated.
505She heard the sounds of heavy thumps and cries of pain from outside, overlaid with the din of a throaty engine that she recognized. A loud BANG. “No.” She smiled.
506“No? Alright, now you cooperate.” He brought the device to her eyes. “Say goodbye!”
507Before he could press the button, there was a tremendous crash. Bulletproof glass flew across the room in a shower of glass chips as plaster dust sprayed her. The device and the Commissioner’s body attached to it were wrenched away from her face, flung clear across the room and pinned against the opposite wall by the black hood of a Lincoln Town Car. 
508
509She leaned back and relaxed. Ben was here. He got out of the Lincoln, and strode briskly over to where she was cuffed, his feet crunching over the debris. He retrieved the keys from the Commissioner’s corpse and unlocked the cuffs, where she threw herself into his arms, smearing her blood onto his shirt.
510“Oh, Ben. Thank you so much for coming after me. I was nearly gone there.” She sobbed into his shoulder. He grabbed the Wiper from the floor and pressed the RESTORE function on the device, aimed it at her head, and fired. All her memories were restored, good as new. 
511“No problem. Now, where is the Waiback located? We need it to get back to 2037.” He asked.
512“I don’t know, but my guess would be near the school rotunda where we went to Boston a few days ago.” She replied, snatching up the master remote from the wreck of the Commissioner’s desk, limping her way back towards him. 
513Ben nodded. “Alright, get in the car. We’re heading back to the past.”
514She gingerly eased her battered body into the passenger seat, closing the door behind her with a solid thunk. Ben climbed in beside her, and carefully backed out of the Commissioner’s office, the tires crunching over broken glass. He slowly inched the car down the stairs, the suspension juddering, rocking Charlotte’s bruised body, which she let out small yelps at. “Sorry, sorry. Trying here.”
515The Lincoln dropped off the curb and onto the road, and Ben wasted no time in gunning it again, roaring off down the street as the bewildered citizens began to roam around the site of the accident, the site of the crime. Speakers blared.
516“All Underneath Citizens, the city is on Lockdown immediately. Everyone stay indoors whereever possible. Two dangerous criminals are on the loose, and all available resources are being allocated to deal with them. We will advise you when it is safe to resume normal activities.” 
517
518Three minutes later, they were back at the school rotunda, vacant and silent now that the whole city was on lockdown. The streets were silent, not a soul roamed the wide avenues and roads. Perfect.
519Ben pressed the button on the remote control, and the rock slab opened up again, grinding and creaking its way up, before clunking to a stop at the top. The Waiback sat inside, stone cold and silent, sitting on its transport trailer. No alarms were triggered, and nobody tried to stop them.
520“Okay, Charlotte. Quick, take the rope and hook it up to the Lincoln.” He said.
521Quick and agile as a fox, albeit a limping one, Charlotte did as he said, hooking the Waiback’s trailer up to the Lincoln’s tow hook. Ben slowly eased onto the accelerator, using the torque from the V8 to slowly roll out the machine from its hiding place. He stopped when the machine was lined up with the center of the rotunda, putting the car into park. He went over to undo the clamps securing the Waiback to the trailer.
522He threw the remote to Charlotte, who tapped it to the door, and a soft ping was heard as the door scanned the code. It opened obediently, hissing its way down on well-oiled springs. 
523She went inside and scanned the interior for anyone hiding inside, then sat down in the pilot’s seat and flipped all the switches to the START/RUN position. The dashboard lit up with a ping, a bright display saying Welcome to Mass Fusion Technologies. The reactor chugged slowly, and a rush of liquid was heard as it tried to start. After some clicks, the machine had failed to start.
524ERROR: Inadequate Voltage. Battery Power: 71%. Main Reactor Status: Ready.
525“Ben!” She yelled.
526“Yeah?!” He replied, sweating. “The clamps are undone, what’s the problem?”
527“We’re gonna have to jump-start it again with the Lincoln.” She hastily replied, pushing the button that opened the access panel to the reactor. 
528Ben ran around, dragged the jumper cables from the trunk of the car and hooked them up to their respective contact points on the Waiback and to the engine of the Town Car. This time, he was the one revving the Lincoln out to redline, feeling the engine zing and roar, strain to produce the necessary voltage to fire up the reactor. 
529“Try it now!” He said. She turned the key again.
530Powering up. Standby for status…..calculating….Startup success. Reactor power: 91%. Battery Power: 70%. Coolant Temp: 312C. Coolant Pumps: Nominal. Travel Time: Not Set; Manual Mode selected. Please move TRAVEL lever to desired position.
531“It worked!” She replied back, closing the reactor panel. “Get in here, now!”
532
533He powered down the car, and disconnected the jumper cables from the hood. 
534“STOP!” He stood up quickly.
535Mr. Axler and the Commissioner were there, in wheelchairs. They stood in front of an entire regiment of guards, at least a hundred, maybe more. They were holding automatic machine guns. 
536“You two are criminals. You assaulted public servicemen with a deadly weapon, attacked the Commissioner and myself, and have demonstrated unbelievable insubordination.” The voice came from the battered shell of Mr. Axler. 
537“You either stand down now, or these men will unload live ammunition, armor-piercing rounds, into your sorry carcasses.” He said ominously.
538Nobody moved.
539“You think I’m bluffing?” Mr. Axler nodded at one of the guards.
540A shot was fired, barely missing Ben and smashing one of the Lincoln’s reinforced windows. He dropped down, acting as he dodged it, and he severed the car’s fuel line with a shard of glass. The pungent smell of petroleum filled the air as the precious fuel leaked onto the ground. 
541“Okay, okay! Give us a second!” Ben quickly shot back, behind his back he told Charlotte to raise the Waiback a little with a wave of his hand. 
542She slightly nudged the power lever up, raising the machine just clear off the trailer, the jumper cables hanging free from the reactor door. 
543Evidently, they didn’t notice as no further hostile moves were made. He waved his hand again, and Charlotte moved the lever incrementally up, the cables hanging just close enough to the growing puddle of yellow gasoline. 
544“Haha! Now, you’re trapped. There is nothing you can do now!” Mr. Axler said triumphantly. 
545“Oh, yeah? We can do THIS!” Ben kicked the dangling cables towards the puddle as he ran towards the open door of the Waiback. He saw Charlotte’s wide eyes beckoning him to run faster, Mr. Axler’s mouth opening, the guards loading their weapons. He reached the door of the time machine just as the jumper cables touched ends, sending a spark into the puddle of gasoline underneath the Lincoln. The gas tank exploded, sending a sheet of flame into the faces of some very surprised guards, before the force of the blast lifted the Town Car clean off the ground and the hulk landed on the Commissioner and Mr. Axler. 
546Ben clambered inside the Waiback, and sealed the door. 
547“Go! Gogogogogogo!” He jumped up and down to emphasize his point. 
548Charlotte slammed the lever wide open, and there was a momentary delay before the reactor reached peak output, then they were off, rocketing through time at the rate of one millennium a second. 
549
550Part 4: 8,478,921 AD
551
552“Wait, you’re going forward in time!” Ben blurted out. The timer was whizzing by, the numbers going by too fast to be legible.
553Charlotte slid the lever back to the neutral position, and the numbers slowly stopped, clicking to motionless. The year 8,478,921 AD. The door hissed open, onto a field of not-quite grass, blanketed by fog. They were green, like grass, but they had a lime tint in the structure as well. Strange trees with triangle-shaped leaves rose above them, and the sun was noticeably larger and hotter than it had been in 2037. Animals that could not be identified scurried across the landscape, rabbits with two heads being chased by a legged snake. 
554“The radiation, it changed everything.” Charlotte breathed.
555The air was not quite as clean as it was in the Ancient world, slightly grittier, but the Waiback’s Geiger counter wasn’t clicking, so it had clearly been millennia since the nukes went off. There was no more radiation, but the surviving life had been mutated and changed to suit their new Earth. There were no humans, even humanoid creatures in sight. The sun began to burn through the fog, and it began to recede. 
556
557Ben looked over to the right of where she was standing, and his mouth dropped.
558“Charlotte, look.” He pointed.
559Two miles away lay the ruins of the Firebrand Tower, still standing after 8.4 million years. It was no longer a building, more of a skeleton rising from the dirt, only the top forty floors visible, meaning that nearly five hundred feet of dirt covered the lower levels, and the entire city below it. The titanium spire capped by gold still stood on the roof, and the gold tip was still shiny, the inertness of the element contributing to its long life. The fog receded more.
560The tops of more skyscrapers popped into view behind the Firebrand Tower, jutting out of the ground at different levels based on their height in the Ancient World. 
561The tallest was not even fully visible, as the beefy steel girders rose, floor after floor, out of the mutated soil and into the low-hanging clouds.
562“The Mass Fusion Tower.” Charlotte realized, the name popping into her head from nowhere.
563She began to walk towards the ruined spire, her feet brushing through the fields with a soft swishing noise. Dampness from the vegetation began to seep through her shoes and into her socks. She got closer and closer to it.
564“Charlotte, I don't think this is a good idea….” Ben nervously said, feeling like something was watching them. She ignored him and continued to walk towards it. Her foot kicked a rock, and it skittered away ahead of her, into a fog bank. A loud sound was heard, a crashing of stones, a rumbling, a landslide. The noise slowly faded out into nothing.
565Hearing the sound, Ben quickly ran to her side, as she stopped dead in her tracks. They gasped.
566A vast canyon opened up in front of where they were standing, carved into the ground by what was once the Charles River. The steep walls were lined with gorgeous colored layers of sedimentary rock, red, yellow, orange. They sloped down to where the water trickled past, running over smooth rocks, forming rapids as they filled a channel made from the shell of a subway tunnel. The water ran past the exposed ground floors of skyscrapers, the dirt preserving some of the precious glass that once lined the exterior of the buildings. Several bridges arched over the river, clearly highway overpasses, the concrete bleached white from exposure, painted lines no longer visible. Several green highway signs deviated the course of the river into different pools and ponds, clearly having been set up by intelligent life.
567Charlotte exhaled. “We should go down there and check it out.” 
568Ben arched an eyebrow. “Who knows what’s down there. Maybe something that we don’t want to encounter at all. We should really get going.”
569“But, Ben, there might be something that could tell us about this time, this place.” She waved her hands at the ruins of the great city.
570He sighed. “Fine, but I’m telling you, this is a bad idea.”
571They began to trek down towards the canyon, Ben nervously rubbing the replicator in his pocket for reassurance.
572
573The hike was slow and arduous. Every fifty feet they went forward, they had to drop a hundred, making the slope extremely steep. They had to take it slow, their Underneath shoes scrabbling along the sand and dirt. Twice they had to stop and rest, drinking some water from cliffside pools after the tester they brought said it was clean. They passed the remains of smaller buildings, literally molded into the side of the cliff, windows gazing out at them like eyes, only darkness inside. The sun beat down upon them, blazingly hot, searing the environment and causing heat waves to shimmer off the canyon floor. Finally, they made it down to the floor, seeing the towering walls looming over them, the frames of buildings one with nature, in some cases barely recognizable. The temperature began to soar, until they looked at each other and agreed that they needed to get inside as soon as possible, somewhere.
574“How about there?” Charlotte pointed. About an eighth of a mile away stood a low granite building, only three floors high, but it looked incredibly sturdy and strong. It was the only recognizably human structure actually out in the open of the canyon floor.
575“Let’s do it.” Ben replied, sweat streaming down his face.
576
577Soon, they stepped inside the vast atrium of the building, meters of granite insulating the structure from the heat of the outside, and the interior was relatively cool. As Charlotte walked further in, she triggered a small laser beam, and a ping came from hidden speakers around the structure. She jumped in surprise, and ran back over to Ben. They waited, back to back, tensely, for anything to happen. 
578A soothing electronic voice. “Welcome to Vox system. How may I help you?” A hologram of a tall, lean black man neatly dressed in a suit appeared on the wall adjacent to them.
579Startled, they hopped backwards a couple steps, then Ben broke the ice. “What are you?”
580“I am the Vox receptionist for the Copley Square Boston Public Library, unit MA-112. I am a third-generation fusion-powered photonic with verbal and visual link capabilities. In short, a compendium of all human knowledge. Area of inquiry?” He asked, his virtual lips moving in sync with his words, slightly unnerving.
581“The present time. What happened here, what happened to the city?” Charlotte pleaded.
582“I’m afraid that my sources are no longer fully annotated and my information is somewhat anecdotal, but the data I have gathered over the years indicate that homo sapiens as we knew them have evolved, adapted. One above, and one below. Two distinct species.” He answered.
583“You’re avoiding the question I asked,” Charlotte repeated.
584“Oh? Ah, right. The world. The moon went up in 2037, impact with a comet caused instabilities in the Earth, resulting in massive earthquakes and tsunamis that leveled most major cities. The rest fell within a year as world governments collapsed. The survivors either stayed above ground, or retreated underground. The two groups evolved differently to their environments, into what they are today.” He answered without a beat.
585
586The scuffling of human feet arose nearby them, and they wheeled around to find a woman near them. She was about Charlotte’s age, but her skin was darkly tanned, nearly black, with crude garments covering her bosom and waist area. Her face was pretty, the cheekbones high, the skin smooth, almost like the people from the Ancient World. She wore an intricate headdress and several necklaces hung from her neck, one with a Compact Disk as a pendant. She sized them up, then clucked her tongue and spoke in an alien language. The Vox computer laughed behind them. 
587“It appears that you’ve fallen into one of their traps.” It said simply, powering itself off.
588Ropes were thrown around their feet and they fell to the floor, and sweet-smelling cloths were clamped around their mouths. Charlotte and Ben drifted into unconsciousness.
589
590They awoke to a little boy staring at them. He had dark skin like the warrior, but he was obviously still a child, quick and curious. When he saw that they were awake, he ran off, presumably to get his mother. 
591“Wait!” Charlotte said, hastily getting up. A wave of dizziness rose to her head, and she sat down heavily back onto the bed they were on. Ben groggily sat up and rubbed his eyes.
592She walked outside, brushing a cloth aside from the entrance of the hut they were in. She gasped and clung on to the flimsy wood railing for dear life. The hut was built on the top level of what was once a multi-level freeway interchange, with bridges and ladders linking the different levels. A sprawling market stood on the ground, with people of all ages milling about, buying and selling goods. The lower levels were covered in huts and houses, clustered on the roadway, some suspended under it, some over the road itself, on wood stilts. The entire thing rose out of the ground at least a hundred feet. She turned her gaze to the horizon, and she saw the ruins of Boston, some way distant, across some open fields. The spires of the city lay motionless and dormant, as they had since they had arrived in this time. 
593What is this place? Charlotte wondered.
594The warrior came back over to them, looking at Charlotte dressed in her Underneath overalls. Ben came out of the hut and stood next to her, squeezing her hand reassuringly.
595The Amazon’s dark eyes glistened, then she spoke, this time in English. “My name is Rachel. Now, tell me who you are, and why you speak the Stone Language. Tell me the truth.” 
596Charlotte started. “My name is Charlotte, and this is Ben. We speak your stone language because we were taught it from our...village. We are time travellers from the past.” She finished.
597Rachel’s eyebrows furrowed, and soon an older man came up to her and spoke in their alien tongue, and they had a heated conversation.
598Ben spoke up. “What is he saying?”
599“He is one of the clan elders, and he has expressed his interest in throwing you into the river.”
600“Why, though? We mean no harm.” Ben responded.
601“He is a superstitious man, and thinks that it might be a sign from the Sleestaks.”
602“The Sleestaks?” Charlotte raised an eyebrow.
603“We will discuss this later. Now, wait inside while I convince this man to spare your lives.” Rachel’s voice was as hard and cold as the steel the Ancient buildings were made of.
604
605They waited inside the hut, and ventured out timidly onto the balcony on the other side of the structure. They had a marvelous view of the receding daylight and the setting sun. The golden light illuminated the lush lands below them, dotted here and there with Ancient ruins. I don’t believe this, Charlotte thought. The Earth, stubborn as it was, contaminated with all the muck from the Ancients, had pulled through, reborn, regrown, revitalized. It had returned to a primeval state, cleansed from all the influences of the Machine Age. It was beautiful but hauntingly sad, as some remnants of that past time still clung stubbornly to the landscape, like the Ancients had never wanted to let go of the Earth.
606
607Rachel walked back into the hut, motioned for them to have a seat. They did so, on an intricately woven and finished wicker couch. Outside, they heard the noise of the market packing up, the sounds of people getting ready for the night. 
608“What are they doing?” Charlotte asked.
609“They are packing up for the day, and getting all their materials up onto the Crossroads for the night. That’s what we call this place. Crossroads. They have to do this every night because of the Sleestaks.” The dark-skinned beauty replied, taking a swig from a clay cup.
610“Sleestaks?” Ben questioned her.
611“They are the ones from down under the ground. They hunt and prey on us in the night, their favorite time to strike.” Seeing the looks of fear on their faces, she quickly replied. “Don’t worry, they can’t climb. It’s what makes Crossroads such a safe place in this world.” She walked over to the window, flung the drapes wide open, revealing a silver-lit landscape. 
612“We are the Eloi. Our race descended from the humans that stayed on the surface after that went up.” She pointed to the remains of the moon, still orbiting the Earth. She continued.
613“As you know, I am Rachel. I am a teacher of the Stone Language in this town, and am one of the few people that can speak both it and our language. That is why I was able to understand your speech with the Vox computer, and determined that you were worthy of capture.”
614“But why, though?” Charlotte demanded.
615“Because if you had stayed in that building, you would not be able to get back to the surface before nightfall, back to your shiny machine before the Sleestaks overwhelmed you all, dragged you to Egiandawn before they devoured you!” Her voice rose into a yell and they jumped back. 
616Rachel composed herself, and then spoke again, in a much calmer and quieter voice.
617“They eat us, and use the women as breeders for their offspring. Trust me, you don’t want to see what they’ve done to some of us.” She walked outside to the balcony, and searched for a while.
618“There.” She pointed. “There’s some right there.”
619Charlotte and Ben walked over to the railing and stared out into the darkness.
620It took a while, but eventually they saw it. It was hunched over, standing like an ape on its hind legs. The head was pointed much like the snout of a dog, with an elongated skull. The eyes were dark and intelligent, and it ran on all fours. Charlotte couldn’t help but notice the elongated fangs and sharp nails that the creature possessed on its hands. Upon seeing the brightly lit structure of Crossroads, the animal rushed one of the concrete support pillars full tilt. The skull bounced off the unyielding cement, and it growled in frustration, unable to get to the tasty Eloi meat suspended in the air. Giving up, it grumbled and loped off with a quick gait back into a thick wood nearby. The sounds of thumping feet were heard as a whole pack of them thundered off into the distance. 
621
622“Why don’t you fight them?” Charlotte inquired, yawning.
623“The ones who fight are the first to be taken. In order to keep the population growing, we have to keep all the men we have. We only dare venture out of Crossroads during the day, because the brutes live underground and cannot stand sunlight. We call it Crossroads because it lies directly on the trade route between Port’s Mouth and Artford, two other settlements relatively close by. Those places are built on the ground level, not elevated like here. Thankfully, they don’t worry about Sleestaks, as they are local, simple beings. They stay close to the ruins of this area, never go farther than a forty-mile radius at night, at least that’s how far their tunnel entrances have been spotted. They don’t bother the horses for some reason, at least that's one good thing. Come, sleep. We’ll talk tomorrow.” Rachel responded, wearily.
624A soft bed of some fabric greeted them, and like that, Charlotte and Ben were out like lights.
625
626The next morning, they rose bright and early, Crossroads already bustling. The market was already up and running, and they could see caravans travelling along well-worn trails carved into the ground. They marvelled at the organization and sophistication of it all. 
627“Hey, Ben. Where’s the Waiback?” She asked him.
628“Um, we left it about two miles away from the ruins.” He pointed to a general spot.
629“It should be shining, the sun should be illuminating it from here.” Her voice began to increase in pitch, and she began to hyperventilate. “It’s gone!?”
630“I’ll be damned. It is gone! But where could it have gone?” 
631They threw on their clothes and raced over to Rachel, coordinating the construction of a new house on the fourth level of Crossroads.
632“Our time machine is gone! You’ve got to help us!” They screamed at her.
633“I’m sorry. The only ones who could’ve taken your machine would be the Sleestaks, and they would’ve taken it to one place: Egiandawn, their main base of operations, as you might call it. It’s lost forever.” She turned away, continued shouting at the men building the house. 
634Ben thought carefully for a minute, then spoke up. 
635“How about this, if your people help us get our time machine from Egiandawn, we will destroy them for you, and you will never have to worry about them ever again.”
636Rachel turned to them, her eyes glistening in the sun. “If this is true, I must gather the tribal elders. They will want to hear this. Meet me in the market in one hour.” She slid down the ladder.
637Exactly sixty-one minutes later, Ben and Charlotte walked into the marketplace of Crossroads. They passed shops and stalls selling cloth, jewels, gems, and other assorted goods, including strange-looking food items that she really didn’t want to try. The market opened up into what was left of a large amphitheater, recessed into the ground. The entire population of Crossroads were seated in it, watching them walk down to the stage area. They marvelled at the newcomers white skin and cleanliness, seeing Charlotte’s blond hair swinging side to side down her back. 
638
639Rachel stood on the stage, surrounded by the tribal elders of the Eloi, looking like living fossils, seated on prehistoric wood chairs. “Speak your plan to me and the tribe. I will translate it into our language and the children will follow along to their parents as best they can.” 
640Ben cleared his throat and spoke. “The Waiback is located in Egiandawn right now, in the clutches of the Sleestaks. They don’t know that we can escape in it. It’s powered by a fusion reactor, with additional cells providing backup. I can make a bomb out of one of the spare cells and rig it to blow, destroying Egiandawn and all its occupants forever.” He finished.
641Rachel’s eyebrows bunched together, and she repeated this to the elders. They grunted and conversed in quiet tones, and then they whispered something into her ear. 
642
643“How will you create this bomb?” She asked.
644“I simply need some wires to connect the cell’s terminals together to make a short circuit. Once it overheats, it will explode violently, creating a blast powerful enough to level the entire place.” 
645The elders mumbled together again, then one spoke in rudimentary English.
646“Will….this….work? Perfectly?” He rasped.
647Charlotte took over. “Yes, sir. It should work, but we just need some of your best warriors to accompany us to Egiandawn. Once the bomb is set, they can flee while we escape in the Waiback. Your troubles will be gone, forever.”
648
649The whole amphitheater exploded in applause and cheers.
650“To Charlotte! To Ben!” The people roared. “Down with the Sleestaks!” They hooted.
651Rachel smiled. “It appears the people approve of your plan. Now, what do you need us to do?”
652
653Twenty minutes later, they were at the site where the Waiback had been sitting until the Sleestaks had carted it away. There was nothing left except a couple of boxes and some hand tools for emergency repairs. Charlotte and Ben hunted in the grass for something they could use, while Rachel held the reins of their horses steady. 
654“Ben!” She yelled. “What’s inside this box?” 
655He came over and looked. The wooden crate had red letters stamped all over it, reading CAUTION: DANGEROUS SUBSTANCES INSIDE. 
656Naturally, they had to open it up, using a crowbar they brought from the market. The lid creaked and groaned, before the nails split and the box was opened. Inside lay a shimmering silver cube, with positive and negative terminals. “Jackpot.” Ben whispered.
657It was a spare fusion cell, used for emergency power for the Waiback. The charge meter was at 84%, and it was in good condition. Now, they had a fusion cell, but they didn’t have any wires to short it. Hmmm. They manhandled the box onto the horse’s back and went back to Crossroads, their treasure safely with them. 
658
659Half a mile away from Crossroads, they saw an odd metal tree sticking out of the ground. Metal tree? They stopped the horses and dismounted. Exchanging a look, they walked towards it.
660“Where are you going?” Rachel asked.
661“Checking this place out. It might be important.” They replied in unison, as they walked towards it. It wasn’t actually a tree, it was an antennae, sprouting from the roof of a low cement building, nearly invisible, hidden behind trees. The door was steel, but it swung open easily when Charlotte pushed against it, revealing a dark interior, damp with moisture. Vines and leaves grew on the walls and ceiling, but what really caught their eye was the bank of Ancient computers against the wall, still humming away happily. This place still had power. Maybe solar, or geothermal. Who knew? All they cared about were these computers. Charlotte crept over to a terminal, her shoes scraping along the cement floor, and gingerly pressed the power button.
662
663The screen lit up instantly, startling her and making her jump back. After she had regained her composure, she read the letters on the display. 
664‘Welcome to Greater Boston Satellite Monitoring Center.’ 
665Divert? Y/N
666Divert? What did that mean? Obviously, the letters y and n meant yes or no, so she hit the letter y. The screen flashed again.
667
668Command executed. Thank you. The screen went blank, and the entire computer bank went off, trundling to a stop. The place was silent. Ben walked over. 
669“What did you do? All the computers turned off.” He said.
670“I executed a command on the system, saying divert.” She replied.
671“Divert? Divert what?” Ben arched an eyebrow.
672“How am I supposed to know? Let’s get back to Crossroads.” She walked outside, and Ben followed. She closed the door behind her, and got back onto her horse. They continued their journey back to Crossroads.
673
674High above the Earth, the extremely stable mid-orbit the satellite LAGEOS-1 had been inserted into was finally beginning to decay after 8.4 million years. The probe had been launched in 1976 by the Ancients to map the Earth, but it had been upgraded with 21st century systems in 2022. Now, it awoke from its slumber, a slumber of 8.4 million years since its last command in 2037. Its electronic eyes scanned the surface. Where were the mighty empires of America and Eurasia? The cities of New York and San Angeles? All these new continents, all these new mountains. Oceans were in places they’d never been before. All this confused the computer brain of the satellite massively, but it clung to the one element of familiarity in this new world; the stream of messages beamed to it from the Greater Boston Satellite Monitoring Center. Divert instructions received. The satellite folded in its solar panels, tucked in all its instruments. It was time. The orbit had decayed too much. It was time for reentry. LAGEOS-1 began to plummet from the sky, streaking towards the Greater Boston Satellite Monitoring Center.
675Crossroads was bustling like it had never been before, everyone preparing the strike team for a battle with the Sleestaks. The warriors were on magnificent horses, stately and elegant, with armor and massive swords in their sheaths. Charlotte and Ben were ready as well, sitting in the black Lincoln Town Car, recreated from the little green box Ben kept on him. The horses didn’t really like the car, the smelly exhaust and the rumbling engine. They shuddered and whinnied, but they remained obedient. 
676Ben stuck his head out the driver’s side window. “Are we ready?”
677A chorus of cheers. “We go on three!” The elders bellowed.
678“One!” The horses tensed.
679“Two!” Ben prodded the throttle, the engine growled.
680“Th-” He stopped. 
681“Why’d we stop?” Charlotte asked as a sonic boom tore the sky open.
682The elder pointed up at the sky. A ball of fire roared across the heavens, rapidly losing height. It glittered and shone in the sun, shedding panels and instruments. With an enormous bang, it impacted the ground, furrowing a trench six feet deep and five hundred feet long before coming to rest. Steam and smoke billowed from the probe, and everyone was silent. 
683
684Ben got out of the car, held a hand for everyone to stay still and quiet as he went over and examined it. It looked like a massive golf ball, studded with crystals and diamonds, with mounting points for cameras and solar panels jutting from the surface. A black panel was affixed to the thing, and he jerked it free, the metal snapping cleanly off on pre-stressed joints. 
685He took a look at it, still warm to the touch.
686Laser Geodynamic Satellite: LAGEOS-1. Okay, the numbers 1-10 in binary, and a diagram of one year around the sun. But what were the maps at the bottom? Hmm. Binary numbers… he thought for a second, then he got it. 268,435,456 was the first map, but years in the past. The year 0 was the time that the satellite was launched, and the last was the arrangement of the continents in 8.4 million years, i.e now. The Ancients had launched this thing to map the earth, and for it to act as a time capsule for whoever found it 8.4 million years later. Wow, he thought, carrying the plaque back to the Eloi people, still staring in stunned silence. 
687“This is a sign from the Ancients!” He yelled to them. “They have sent this to show you what your world looks like now, what it looked like in their time. Use this to benefit your society, and hope that they wish us godspeed on this mission.” He thrust the plaque up in the air, and everyone cheered.
688The elder took the metal plaque from Ben, and put it in a safe place, before clearing his throat once again. “THREE!”
689The horses galloped across the fields, sprinting towards the ruins of Boston.
690Ben punched the gas, and the Lincoln fishtailed wildly before gaining traction and shooting forward. The terrain was rough and rutted, and the grass was slippery. He had to maintain all his focus on the path ahead, the torquey V8 threatening to slide the car off the path. They streaked across the fields quickly, as fast as the horses could gallop. 
691The skies overhead began to darken, which worried Rachel. She motioned for Ben to open the window of the Town Car, which he did. 
692“It’s getting dark. We should do this quickly, before they head for Crossroads in the night.”
693“Copy that. What is Egiandawn anyway?” He yelled over the sound of the galloping horses and the rumbling engine.
694“Egiandawn is that.” She pointed ahead of her. 
695
696Egiandawn stood tall over the ground, nestled in the canyon due east of the downtown ruins. The wreck of a mighty cruise liner, deck after deck of portholes and windows staring out at them. It stood at the floor of the canyon, where the ruins of a highway off-ramp sloped neatly down towards it. The horses charged down the ramp without hesitation, their riders hollering, while Ben eased the two-ton Lincoln onto the fragile offramp and let it coast down, feeling the rear suspension creak with the weight of the fusion cell inside the trunk. 
697They gathered ranks at the bottom of the ramp, staring up at Egiandawn. Egiandawn? The faded letters on the ship’s prow were barely visible, but after a minute Charlotte could make them out. Norwegian Dawn. Nearby the wreck of the Norwegian Dawn lay what was left of a trading caravan, their bones picked clean. Beyond that grisly sight stood the hull of an airliner, aluminum skin still gleaming in the fading light. Four massive engines lay in the river, the water turning the turbine blades with a reassuring clik clik clik. The tail of the airliner proudly read in fading script: Skylanes Airlines. 
698
699It all seemed very familiar to Charlotte. Where had she seen that ship last? Of course, in the harbor when they were on that whale watching boat, the cruise liner heading to some distant tropical destination. The plane had been in the air, and must have come down here after eventually running out of fuel. 
700
701A low growl came from inside Norwegian Dawn, and soon several of the ape-like Sleestaks came out onto the balconies of the ships, the promenade deck. They let out a piercing bellow, and soon dozens of their brethren began to pour out of a massive gash in the ship’s hull. 
702“This is it!” Ben shouted. “Fight strong, just give us enough time to find the Waiback!”
703The warriors let out battle cries, and engaged the brutes.
704“Ben, go! Gogogogo!” She flung her hands to emphasize her point as one of them slammed into the Lincoln’s rear door. 
705Ben slotted the gears into drive and used the car as a battering ram, mowing down dozens of the things, feeling them smash under his wheels. Like nothing happened, most of them would get up and continue to fight. Some would stay down, but not enough. Screams and shouts, human. They were losing men by the second. 
706He turned the car towards the ship, and floored it. The reinforced shell of the Town Car easily punched through the brittle hull of Norwegian Dawn, and they found themselves inside the cargo hold, the only light being the headlights of the car. 
707The Waiback was right there, undisturbed, only its cargo compartments opened and looted, containing nothing of real importance. Outside, the shouts of the Sleestaks began to grow quiet, meaning that they were winning, at least for now. 
708“Charlotte, get inside the Waiback and get it powered up, I’ll get the bomb set.” He yelled, opening the trunk. The fusion cell was right there, and he hooked up the jumper cables to create a short circuit. 
709
710The Waiback began to hum reassuringly, the reactor powering up normally. 
711“Rachel!” Ben yelled.
712“What?!” She replied, cupping her hands over her mouth.
713“Get them out of here! The bomb is live!” He waved his hands, pointing at the ramp.
714The first wave was all dead, but the next was coming, the entire ship’s worth, and they fled from Norwegian Dawn, fled up the ramp and onto the canyon lip as Ben leaped inside the Waiback. The door sealed, and the Fastfins sped into life, providing a shield for the machine as the bomb went critical. Thousands of them came out of the ship, all lusting for blood, right at their doorstep. They took their first leaping bounds, then
715A blue mushroom cloud erupted from the Norwegian Dawn, splitting the hull down the middle and instantly killing all of the Sleestaks as the ancient steel melted. They cheered, as the Waiback rose undamaged from the mess.
716Rachel waved to them, then turned back and led her people back to Crossroads.
717“Ready?” Charlotte asked, her hand closed over the lever.
718“I’m always ready.” His hand closed over hers, and in unison they tugged the lever back.
719The Waiback disappeared in a blinding flash of light. 
720
721Part 5: 2,972,401 AD
722
723The machine was buffeted from side to side by fierce temporal displacement winds, fiercer and more powerful than anything they had ever experienced. Alarms began to blare.
724Warning: Black Hole approaching. Warning: Black hole approaching.
725“Black hole?!” Charlotte screamed, staring out the front window of the Waiback.
726Ahead, amid the purple timeline they were following through history, a gargantuan chasm began to open near the timeline, so large it could’ve swallowed the Norwegian Destiny whole and then some. 
727“I can’t resist the pull! It’s drawing us in.” Ben tightened his hands over the controls.
728“Ben, get us out of here…” Charlotte began to sweat.
729“I’m trying here, we can only get out of its pull before we hit the event horizon.” He yanked back on the control wheel, and the entire machine groaned and creaked, the carbon fibre structure cracking under the load. 
730“I can’t hold it. I need to try something else. Charlotte, take the controls.” He jumped out of the pilot’s seat, and Charlotte climbed in and took his place. She strained to slow the rate of descent.
731Ben’s hands flew over the control panel, pulling up the reactor power available. 79%.
732Calculating burn required to escape: 78% power. Confirm? Y/N
733“Charlotte!”
734“Yeah?!” Her palms were slick with sweat.
735“I can get us out of here by burning 78% of the reactor power!” Ben’s finger hovered over the button.
736“What’s the downside?” She asked.
737“We’ll have to make a stop in whatever time we end up in; we’ll have 1% power left.”
738“Do it!” 
739He pressed the button. Nothing happened at first. Then a swelling, a rushing sound. It came from under the floor of the machine, and sounded like water in pipes, or perhaps like borborygmi in a human stomach. Two vents extended from the undercarriage of the Waiback, and an electronic voice chimed.
740Brace for burn. Turn handle to initiate. 
741A red handle marked EMERGENCY BURN extended from the overhead panel, and Ben turned it 90 degrees, whereupon it retracted back into the panel.
742A massive explosion of light and flame burst from the vents, two rockets slowing the descent into the black hole. Charlotte and Ben were shoved back into their seats so hard they couldn’t even grunt, and they began to reverse away from the black hole, faster and faster.
743“It’s working!” She yelled excitedly.
744They made it out of the sphere of influence after a tense 45-second burn, whereupon they had to divert to the nearest possible time. That time was 2,972,401 AD. The Waiback plunged into a time portal and ejected them into the morning sun of July 18th of 2,972,401 AD, high over the ruins of Boston.
745
746Upon their arrival into the year 2,972,401 AD, the Waiback immediately shut off due to lack of power. The controls went limp in Charlotte’s hands, and all the brightly colored displays went blank. The Waiback began to drop like a stone out of the sky. 
747Charlotte’s stomach threatened to fly out of her mouth. “Ben, extend the Fastfins manually!”
748He grabbed the manual release and yanked it down. The four Fastfins extended stubbornly into the airstream to act like rudimentary wings. Small tabs on them extended to act as ailerons to provide some control.
749“Try it now.”
750She waggled the control wheel, and was pleasantly surprised to see that she did have some flight controls. “Alright, we’re back in business. Now let’s set this bucket down.”
751“Where?” Ben asked, craning his neck to see his surroundings.
752
753The ruins of Boston were still there, skyscrapers covered in vines and green leaves, much more recognizable than they were in 8,478,921. A defined structure of spires still dominated the coastal landscape as opposed to natural landmarks. Far below, streams ebbed and flowed through the cracked shells of subway tunnels, as birds wheeled overhead for food. Brackish water inundated the lower floors of some buildings, and the golden dome of the Massachusetts State House still shone, pitted and scarred from millennia of exposure. The ocean had invaded the land that had risen out of it thousands of years ago. Piles of rubble marked where mighty towers once stood. The Common and Public Gardens were overgrown forests now, where thousands of animals came to eat and drink amid what remained of man’s concrete desert.
754
755“The river?” Charlotte asked, her hands tight on the controls.
756“No. If it sinks we’ll never be able to recover it.” He ran his eyeballs over the terrain below.
757Altitude Warning: One Thousand Feet. 
758“The Common?” The machine shuddered under them, getting close to stalling speed.
759“No. The trees will rip us to shreds on landing.” They just needed a safe landing space……
760“There! The interstate!” Ben pointed to a long expanse of smooth and clear tarmac, shielded from the elements by the ruins of a massive office tower.
761
762Charlotte brought the Waiback down from the heavens, and lined the vehicle up with the highway.
763“Alright, you’ve got three lanes to work with. No cars here. Just get us down gently, and we can let the solar cells charge it up again.” Ben said, buckling his restraints tightly.
764Gritting her teeth and manhandling the controls, Charlotte slowly eased the Waiback down onto the pavement, easing off the speed as the skids grinded down onto the road.
765In a cloud of ancient dust, the Waiback shimmied and shook its way to a gradual stop. 
766The door hissed down from its closed position, and Charlotte placed her pink Converse firmly into the dust, leaving a visible footprint. Maybe later somebody would find it.
767Ben climbed out behind her, ascending the rungs of a ladder built into the side of the craft to activate the release clamps for the solar cells. He tripped the large red button on the roof, and slowly the panels unfolded themselves slowly and elegantly, like a blooming flower, coming to rest in the open position. A red icon appeared on the exterior charging panel. Charging: 1%. Expected time remaining: 4hr9min
768
769Ben looked up at the ruins of the city. The skeletons of the skyscrapers loomed over the highway, casting mile-long shadows. The pavement was slick and damp, moss and mold growing in various places. Puddles spotted the vast concrete expanse, and a service staircase extended up to street level, with the gate swinging open in the breeze, the remains of a padlock clinging to the chain link. 
770He turned to Charlotte, seeing her large eyes drinking the details in. He pointed to the staircase.
771“I guess we go up.” He began to ascend the slick concrete steps. Charlotte grabbed two flashlights from the Waiback’s emergency repair kit, red and stenciled with the logo of Mass Fusion Technologies.
772Boylston Street was quiet and abandoned, vines and plants infesting the facades of restaurants and bodegas alongside the street. Shards of glass littered the asphalt, and the railing curved away into oblivion, the wreck of a bus nestled between the breakdown lane of the interstate and the railroad tracks. They walked along the road for another three blocks, before they were stopped.
773
774The summit of a skyscraper lay on the road ahead of them, decapitated from its body, whose skeleton still loomed over the ground. It was rectangular, adorned with gorgeous panes of blue glass whose shards spilled everywhere, crunching underfoot. Their path was blocked, and by silent consensus they wanted to take a better look at the city, but by foot it would take far too long. A flash of orange caught Charlotte’s eye, and she turned to look what it was. A sign for a subway station: Back Bay Station on the Orange Line subway. The tunnels would at least provide a more direct route through the city of need be.
775
776“Ben. Let’s go.” She flicked the light on and trod downstairs.
777“Ch-That’s not a good id-” He sighed, shook his head, and followed her downstairs.
778The fare mezzanine was cold and dark, with a strong smell of mildew. Vines and saplings sprouted from the floors and ceilings, leaching over the dull orange and white tiles. One of the gates was stuck in the open position, its rusted internals waiting for a technician that would never come. They passed through it to the platforms, where the station opened up into a vast atrium. A subway train rested at the platform, doors flung wide open. Luggage, briefcases and backpacks were strewn across the platform, their contents splayed everywhere. Bloodstains covered the linoleum tiles and the rippled yellow line. 
779
780The inside of the train wasn’t much better. The aluminium walls were covered with all types of bodily fluids and waste, the seats were torn up and defaced with graffiti, and most of the windows were broken. The operator’s cab door was open, though, and inside the displays were off and dead, long out of power. Ben set the flashlight upright as he looked. Charlotte came inside the cab with Ben, and closed the door. They looked around, until Ben turned around to open the door again, and he accidentally smacked Charlotte in the face. 
781
782“Ow!” She stumbled, slapping her hand to her nose. Her outstretched other arm hit the manual brake release button, causing the wheels to unlock. She struggled to get her bearings, and slipped again, hitting the pneumatic door close. With a hiss of compressed air, the doors slammed shut through the whole train. Slowly, the train began rolling out of the station, with gravity alone propelling it. The flashlight rattled to the floor.
783
784“What the hell was that for?” She rose from the floor, livid with rage. The train rumbled underfoot, clearing back bay station as its wheels clicked and clacked along tracks warped from lack of use. 
785Ben felt a challenging rage rise up in him as he spoke back. “It was an accident! You know that, don’t you?” A slap stung his face, and he tasted the metallic blood in his mouth.
786“You did that because you don’t really love me, don’t you?!” She screamed, over the thundering of the rusty wheels and axles, the grinding from the stiff couplers as the train negotiated the turns of the tunnel. 
787“What? Where did you get that idea from?” He asked, genuinely curious as well as angry.
788“Oh, I saw you eying that girl back in the Eloi tribe. You’re like every other boy I’ve met from the Underneath school, only taking advantage of me for my looks, not my personality. I’m a human being, not one of those artificial intelligence pleasurebots back in the Underneath. They called me exotic, my blonde hair and my height. Well, they also called me a bitch. Tell me, am I a bitch? TELL ME!”
789“What? Oh, come on. Did you see the looks on her?” As soon as the words left his mouth, Ben knew that he’d made a mistake. Charlotte froze, a hurt look on her pretty face. A tear exited one of her dark beautiful large eyes and fell to the filthy floor of the subway train, still picking up speed through the pitch black tunnel.
790“I knew it. You’re just like them.” She said softly, her voice laced with broken glass. 
791“Charlotte, that’s not who I am- You know. I am different than all those other guys-”
792
793The couple arguing in the train car did not notice that the train was now going fifty miles per hour, faster than the speed limit even when the system was maintained properly, and an approaching curve was not visible to them, though barely visible if one looked ahead when the wheels sparked over the rusted rails. The train was barreling towards it unstoppably. A crash was now inevitable. 
794
795“Tell me then. How are you different?” She sneered, crossing her arms.
796“Well, um- let me think” He mumbled. A shower of sparks erupted from the wheel bogies, and it caught Ben’s eye, drawing his attention to the tunnel ahead-
797Charlotte grabbed Ben’s arms and dug into them with her nails, sending a pang of pain through him and forcing him to turn back towards her face, lit by the rolling flashlight on the floor.
798“Dammit, Ben, the tunnel ahead can wait. I’m more important than anything you’ll ever get in your entire fucking life.” She growled, her pretty face twisted into a hideous mask of anger. 
799“Charlotte, please…” Ben scrabbled with his other hand behind him, looking for the emergency brakes, feeling for the button.
800“Please, what? I don’t think you’re in a position to argue with me here. I thought you were different at first. You helped me get out of the Underneath, but underneath all that nice guy stuff you’re as bad as all the other thirsty chauvinist pigs we left behind.” She spat out, her face inches from his.
801Aha! The button! He slammed his fist down on it, and the train wailed as the brakes grinded into action. The sudden deceleration threw Charlotte off balance, and she tumbled away from him backwards into the passenger compartment of the train, sprawled on the floor. Her manicured nails desperately gripped his arms, plucking out hairs and cutting his skin before falling free. The flashlight clinked and clanked away from him, spitting an erratic beam of light every which way. 
802stopstopstopstopstopstop!
803
804The train hit the curve going forty-one miles per hour, causing the wheels to leave the rails. The lead car hit the wall, grinding the cement into a powder and sending off a spray of sparks that lit the tunnel in a bright and flickering light. The misaligned wheels tore up the tracks behind them like spaghetti, as more and more cars left the rails, they twisted and spun loosely on their couplers, impacting one wall then the other. Approaching the next station, the train slammed into one of the support columns, tearing the thick steel free from the roof and floor of the tunnel. Finally, the train stopped on its side, five hundred feet from the next station.
805
806The train seemed to be wrenched out from underneath Ben’s feet, throwing him to the wall of the subway car as it grinded against the tunnel with a horrible screech. The clings and clangs of the tracks being torn up echoed through the tunnel as the train turned over, plowing through a column as with a sound of tearing metal. He slid through the passenger compartment of the train, barely making out rough outlines of seats, poles, and assorted garbage as his shoes squeaked across the rubber Finally the train crashed to a halt, sending him spinning into a stanchion, which his head impacted with a loud crak. As hot blood trickled down his face and out of the throbbing veins in his arms, he lost consciousness.
807
808He dreamt of a jacuzzi, the hot water soothing his sore muscles and aches, relaxing in the steam and heat. Charlotte was there as well, looking as pretty as she always was, but she didn’t speak, was just content to lay her head back and close her eyes, let the heat sooth her away. Ben smiled, and slept on as his body worked to repair the wounds and injuries he had sustained.
809
810In the third car, Charlotte was still working to get herself re-oriented in the new chaos she found herself in. She yelped quietly as cramped muscles worked to lift herself back up into a standing position
811
812
813
814
815
816Part 6: 2037 AD, Revisited
817
818They saw everything warp and twist backwards, the timer clicking happily away. The Earth began to come alive again, grass and foliage covering the surface, streams and rivers turning clean once more. The ruins of Ancient structures began to return to the Earth, starting with the massive shell of a stadium. Then the highways and overpasses appeared, shedding their vines and leaves like snakeskin. The pavement lining them became clear and smooth again, and soon the skyscrapers began to rise over the ground, unobstructed again.
819“We’re almost back.” Ben squeezed Charlotte’s hand.
820“I know.” She replied back happily.
821The moon began to reassemble itself overhead, bits and pieces molding back seamlessly together as the final decades reversed themselves. The year was once again 2037, May 16th. A Saturday. Charlotte slowly brought the lever back to its neutral position and parked the Waiback at the same place, the apartment complex just near Cassidy playground, on the outskirts of the city. 
822They both sighed.
823
824“We’re back.” Ben looked over at Charlotte, nursing her bruises and cuts.
825He reached up and pulled out the medkit, and applied antibacterial creams and wraps to her wounds before opening the door. 
826They turned away from each other while they put on their Old World clothes.
827“We need to tell the world about the comet.” He said.
828Charlotte nodded her head. “But how will we do that?” She asked.
829“With computers. We’re gonna create a digital model of the impact, using data readily available on the USSA website.” He replied, wrenching open the roof access door to the building with a terrible screech. The hair on her neck stood up.
830“USSA? What’s that?” She asked again, putting on a backpack.
831“The United States Space Administration. They manage all the lunar colonies and further exploration missions in the solar system, with the supplemental help of the CNSA, the EUSA, and UKSA. They are the Chinese National Space Administration, the European Union Space Agency, and the United Kingdom Space Agency.” He replied. “Now, come on. We’ve got to find a computer.” He held stacks of crisp 100 dollar bills in his hand.
832“Where on Earth did you get that?” She questioned him.
833“The Waiback has emergency money stashes inside it for different eras of time. The 21st century stockpile was the largest, so I took half.” He answered her.
834He swung his hand in front of him to the stairway. “After you.”
835
836Down the road from Cassidy playground was an electronics store, and they walked in, asked to look at portable computers, paid for one with cash (raising the eyebrows of the employee) and walked out. They took the subway a couple stops to an Internet cafe and sat down, plugged in the laptop, activated the internet connection, and began to work. 
837Charlotte brought over some pastries and drinks for them as Ben perused the USSA website for information on the fatal comet.
838“Aha! I found it.” He excitedly poked Charlotte.
839“Ow! Really?” She leaned over to look, rubbing her thigh.
840“Designation: Juliet-Mike 612-71. Size: 17 miles in diameter, weight estimated 1.3 trillion kilograms. Velocity relative to earth, 68 kilometers a second. Estimated flyby of earth and moon: tomorrow at 7:01 PM EST.” His mouth dropped.
841“Tomorrow at 7:01 PM. That was when we saw it happen on the Ferris Wheel downtown.” Charlotte gasped.
842“Exactly. Now, we need to make a digital model showing that the comet will impact the moon at that time.” He opened up Microsoft Present, waited for it to boot up. The menus loaded.
843He cracked his knuckles and went to work. 
844
845Three hours later, it was done. The model showed the orbits of the Earth, Sun, Moon, and the comet. Ben hit play on the simulation, and the model showed the comet and the moon missing each other by a distance of 110 miles. What? He rubbed his sore eyes.
846“Charlotte, take a look at this. The data fed into the simulation shows that the comet will miss the moon by over a hundred miles. How did it end up impacting?” He asked. 
847She came over to look, her hair tied up into a ponytail, sipping from a cup of tea. 
848She played the simulation for herself, and the same results happened. “Hmm.” She thought deeply for a second. “I don’t have a clue.” She pulled out a watch from her pocket, and went to affix it on her wrist. She fumbled with the strap, and it fell to the floor, cracking the display.
849“Damn! Should’ve been more careful…..Oh! That’s it!” She excitedly said, snatching it up.
850Ben frowned. “What’s it?”
851“The watch, Ben. Gravity caused it to fall to the floor. You forgot to input values of gravity for the objects in the model, the sun, moon, and Earth.”
852“Ohhhhh.” He quickly fed in the numbers for gravity for the sun, moon, and Earth. 
853He replayed the model again, eagerly expecting different results.
854The simulation began much as normal, except the comet’s trajectory began to deviate in a noticeable curve towards the moon. As the time ticked over to the 17th, it was on a collision course with the Moon, and by 7:01PM, the expected flyby time, the word IMPACT was displayed on the screen. It was quickly followed by the disintegration of the satellite. 
855“We did it!” They grabbed each other’s hands.
856“Now, just some final touches.” Charlotte added Earth, moon and sun textures to the spheres so they looked vaguely realistic, and then they uploaded the model to the internet, where the whole world would see it. 
857Now they just had to wait and see what happened.
858
859At 9PM on the 16th, they were slumped in seats inside the Waiback, dirty boxes of takeout food strewing the cabin, somewhat dopey and sleepy. The radio antenna and TV receiver were extended, and the reactor was kept running at a low power output. At 8:15, the TV antenna began receiving an emergency signal. The screens hummed into life, flipping down from the ceiling. A man stepped into the camera’s line of sight, standing behind a podium.
860The podium displayed a magnificent seal of an eagle surrounded by the words E Pluribus Unum and President of The United States of America. He spoke.
861“My fellow Americans, at 3 PM today a simulation model of the comet JM612-71 was uploaded to the internet, to the view of the public by an anonymous person. It showed that this object will impact our moon at 7PM tomorrow. The scientists at Space Command have gone over the data and have confirmed that this is true. Please, do not panic.”
862Screams rose up from the building underneath them, and Charlotte and Ben exchanged a look.
863“We are taking immediate preparations to stop this from happening. Nuclear warheads are being prepped for launch from the moon, at Lunar Outpost Mare Tranquilidad, the Sea of Tranquility. Calculated payload is one hundred and fifty megatons, the largest blast ever undertaken by humankind. As the world turns its gaze to the skies, remember that we are trying to stop it from falling.” He turned away and left the stage, and the screens went black. 
864They came back to life again, and a normal news anchor spoke this time. 
865“The payload will reach the comet in an hour, intersecting it over the Pacific Ocean, and the event will be live-streamed right here for the world to see.” She turned to show the surface of the moon behind her, separated from her by thick glass. Men scurried frantically across the dusty plains, mounting a massive shell onto the front of a missile the size of the Saturn V that first brought men to the moon back in 1969. It towered over the landscape, plastered with decals, signatures, and the flag of the United States.
866“We have confirmation. Launch in five...four...three...two...one.” 
867The main engines started, shaking the entire picture and blurring the focus of the camera. The missile slowly ascended, fighting the Moon’s gravity as it slid out of the submerged silo slowly, speeding up. The engines cleared the tube, spewing sheets of flame as tall as a 7-story building, before the missile climbed away into the heavens, escaping lunar orbit.
868
869Down on Earth, four billion people watched the events unfold on television, and an additional two heard the live radio broadcast. Every nuclear-capable nation on the planet aimed their ICBMs at the comet in case the lunar missile failed. DEFCONs and military readiness meters shot to their highest alert levels. The mission had been codenamed the Messiah, named after what the people of Jerusalem called Jesus Christ, as all people stood united for once, putting their differences aside for the greater good, for their survival. They watched the Messiah gain speed, monitoring critical systems through the USSA live streams on the internet. A tense hour passed, and the warhead was armed and primed for detonation remotely.
870
871At 10PM, the moon was visible in the dark sky, and they could see the comet now, very faint in the distance, but just about visible with a telescope or a good pair of binoculars. 
872“Time to impact: sixty seconds.” The news anchor announced.
873Charlotte and Ben held their breaths.
874“Thirty seconds.” 
875“Fifteen seconds. Final checks complete.”
876“Five seconds.” Ben squeezed Charlotte’s hand.
877IMPACT. The nuclear warhead detonated precisely and on time. An eruption of fire and heat seared the surface of the comet as the equivalent of one hundred and forty million tons of TNT detonated on the surface. It was visible from the ground with the naked eye, a large blot of light and fire in the dark sky, silent in the vacuum of space.
878Charlotte and Ben hugged each other. They had done it.
879
880“What do you mean, it’s still there?” The news anchor asked. 
881They froze. It wasn’t enough? 
882“Ladies and gentlemen, the Messiah mission has been a complete success with a perfect detonation, but it has split the comet into two pieces, that now have Earth impact trajectories. The smaller one, at 4 miles wide will impact the Atlantic Ocean, causing a tsunami a thousand feet high to impact the East Coast of the United States, while the larger one, at 13 miles wide, is an ELE: Extinction Level Event. It is expected to impact Siberia, throwing up enough dust to block out the sun for months to come, destroying crop yields. Eventually, this will trigger a cooling of the planet’s surface, undoing centuries of global warming and triggering a new Ice Age.” She solemnly said.
883Charlotte and Ben stared in shock. The Ancients most powerful weapon had failed to stop the marauding asteroid, or so they thought. 
884
885All around the world, they gathered once more. In military installations from Jerusalem to Siberia, Osaka to Montana, they gathered. The leaders of the world gathered via Tele-link conference, mutually decided. The footage was displayed on the floor at the United Nations.
886“Do we agree?” They asked. Translators changed the words into dozens of different languages, relaying them to their leaders. 
887“All in favor, say ‘aye’.”
888United States: “Aye.”
889United Kingdom: “Aye.”
890Russian Federation: “Aye.”
891Imperial China: “Aye.”
892European Union: “Aye.”
893Japan: “Aye.” 
894Australia: “Aye.”
895Canada: “Aye.”
896Mexico: “Aye.”
897Black briefcases came out, from the Kremlin to the White House to the Forbidden City.
898Arming keys inserted across the world. One simultaneous twist of wrists. 
899They raised glasses of champagne and cheered. “For humanity!”
900
901Across desolate stretches of land, large doors opened from Maine to Mumbai, Kyoto to Dunkirk.
902The missiles rose out of their silos, armed for decades, ready for a Cold War that never started. Their targets were set, courses loaded. The buttons were pressed. Security devices disabled.
903The engines roared to life, and then eleven nuclear missiles were launched at once. Pinpricks of light and flame rose from the ground, ascending to the heavens to face an unyielding, soulless enemy to humankind. After eighty years, humans finally had a reason to use nuclear weapons in self-defense. 
904
905Charlotte and Ben were sobbing away inside the Waiback, resigning their fate that they had not changed history at all, they had merely ruined the Earth in a different way, but then the announcer spoke again. 
906“We have confirmation that eleven ICBMs on the planet has been launched at the two asteroids.” She proclaimed. “This would mark unprecedented cooperation from nations around the world, signalling that all rivalries have been shoved aside for the time being.”
907They perked up, stopped crying. There was still hope. They watched footage from jet airplanes, cockpit cameras recording the ascent of the missiles. 
908“Don’t let us down now.” Charlotte whispered, as the missiles pulled away from the ground.
909
910They rose, tearing themselves from the pull of the Earth’s gravity. Their nose cones got hot, engines roaring, and the warheads primed themselves. They had waited their entire lives, four decades, underground, straining to fly, to soar, to blow up. Now, they would all get to. Missiles with the flags of the United States, China, Canada, England, the European Union, Australia, Japan, and Russia rocketed towards their target side-by-side, as seven billion people on Earth stood at attention, as brothers, sisters, humans. The missiles passed the moon, and every soul stationed there saluted smartly at attention, the flags of great nations affixed to their spacesuits. As they closed the final fractions of kilometers, plutonium and uranium underwent nuclear fission, releasing all their energy in hundredths of a second.
911
912The sky exploded in a dome of fire. The comets were vaporized instantaneously, rock ionizing into protons and electrons in the scorching heat. What was left burned in the atmosphere as shooting stars, and as the shooting stars fell over the glimmering skyline of Boston, Charlotte and Ben kissed again. They had fixed the future.
913There was just one last thing they had to do. They removed all their stuff from the Waiback, took the rest of the money stash for the 21st century, and got out. Ben sealed the door from the outside, and opened the keypad near the entry door. He punched in a code, and the machine hummed, lifting itself off the roof of the building without a pilot inside. It hovered away, accelerating at what must’ve been bone-crushing G-forces, flying away at incredible speeds before vanishing into the distance. 
914
915“What did you do to it?” She asked him softly.
916“I inputted its self-destruct code. I did it so that whoever is in control now in the Underneath can’t remotely call it back, use it to hunt us down. In a few minutes, it’ll be a smoking crater in the side of a mountain somewhere.” He replied, and revealed a plastic tray that he had retrieved from the Waiback’s interior. 
917On the tray sat two Wipers, much older and bulkier than the one the Commissioner had used back in the Underneath. They had labels affixed to them, reading Memories: Charlotte and Ben.
918Charlotte took the one with her name on it, picked it up. She turned the device over and over in her hands, then without a hint of emotion, said, “Come on, Ben. I feel like we need to be in the right place to get our memories restored.” They walked down the stairs of the apartment building, and got on the subway, heading downtown. Half an hour later, they were on the deserted observation deck of the Firebrand Tower. Far below, they saw the dark water of the harbor on one side, and on the other, the Greenway buzzed with cars and people, celebrating their new lease on life. Charlotte handed the Wiper to Ben, and he fired her memories back inside her head. 
919
920A rush of memories barraged her senses, knocking her to her hands and knees. A small toddler with blonde hair struggling to take her first steps. The warm embraces of a mysterious mother and father, and many many trips to the beach, the sky blue, the sand white and warm, the water cold and refreshing. Trips to the zoo, playing in the Common, picnics, swan boats. The aquarium, the subway. She smelt the air and felt the joy of her childhood, but then it changed. 
921She saw that day again, May 17th 2037. Her toddler eyes wondered what was going on, why the white thing in the sky they called the moon was breaking up, like play-doh left out in the dry too long. Mom and Dad told her not to notice, get in the car now. We’re leaving.
922A short drive later, and Charlotte remembered them getting out of the car in front of a large, imposing stone building. The gold sign loudly proclaimed: Cambridge Cryogenic Storage. Powered by Mass Fusion Technologies. Large men wrestled her away from her mom and dad, she screamed, beating them with her tiny fists. She was forced into a cryo pod, and her small body went silent as the super-low temperatures set in. 5-year old Charlotte fell into a deep, deep sleep, and woke up as she realized that the pod was thawing. A man opened it up, and he smiled at seeing the young toddler unhurt and full of life.
923“Come here, little one.”
924She stopped. “My mommy and daddy told me not go with strangers.” She frowned.
925“Are they with you?” 
926“No, but I’m a good friend of theirs. They sent me to bring you to them, but you’re gonna have to come with me. Go on, get inside that vehicle.” He pointed to the Waiback, humming patiently behind him. She did as he told, and was startled to see the blue seats holding box after box of humanoid forms. 
927“What are these, sir?” She motioned to the boxes.
928“They’re not that important. You are, so find an empty seat and buckle up. Also, you don’t have to call me Sir. Call me the Commissioner.”
929A voice from outside. “We found one more. A boy.”
930“Good, bring him in.” The Commissioner said.
931He was led inside the Waiback, and he chose to sit down right next to Charlotte. He was a bit chubby, with soft, full cheeks and dark eyes.
932“Good, good.” The Commissioner said. “Making friends already. Introduce yourselves. We’re going to go for a bit of a drive, and then you’ll be home.” He walked away.
933The door sealed closed, and the Waiback lifted off the ground before whizzing away into the future, leaving the ruins of the 21st century behind. 
934“My name is Charlotte.”
935“My name is Ben.”
936
937Charlotte gasped and opened her eyes again. Nausea swam through her guts.
938“What, what is it?” Ben said, patting her gently on the back as she coughed several times.
939“We were the last, like the Commissioner said. The last humans still alive in Boston, because we were cryogenically frozen. The facility’s backups survived the earthquake and the chaos. Everyone else in the Underneath were grown from embryos until the population could reproduce traditionally.” She finished with a wheeze and another cough.
940“Well, I guess it’s my turn.” Ben fired the Wiper on himself.
941He was hit with his own debilitating set of childhood memories.
942School. He remembered spelling contests, lunches, endless recesses played in the falling leaves of autumn. The snow, cold and sharp on his tongue, and the feeling of wet socks and shoes. He remembered his dad’s house, large and looming, the endless halls empty most of the time. Every morning, there would be a hot breakfast waiting for him, and a note, usually saying that he was off to work early, or that traffic was bad today. His packed lunch was usually right beside it. Every morning, Ben made it a routine to look out at the driveway, to see if his dad’s car was gone, the armored Lincoln. It always was.
943And so it continued on this way, until the day the moon went bang. He remembered it especially because his dad hadn’t come home. He kept staring at the driveway, waiting for the Lincoln to pull in. It never did. He heard shouts, screams. Broken glass, gunshots. Maybe his dad was at work. He saw his seven-year old self call an Ubercab and pay for the ride to Cambridge Cryo with his emergency credit card. The men at the entrance recognized him and put him inside a cold box to “wait” for his dad to return. He never did, and the last thing he remembered was that there was a girl in the pod next to him.
944Some time later, it opened. He was lead into the sunlight by another man, claiming to be a friend of his dad. “We found one more. A boy.” He called out.
945A much taller and skinnier man leaned out of the door of what looked like a large bus. 
946“Good, bring him in.” He said.
947Ben stumbled up the steps slightly awkwardly, and he saw the cabin filled by boxes of humanlike forms. He didn’t care, though, because what really interested him was the girl in one of the seats. He went right up and sat next to her. 
948“Good, good.” The skinny man said. “Making friends already. Introduce yourselves. We’re going to go for a bit of a drive, and then you’ll be home.” He walked away.
949The door sealed closed, and the Waiback lifted off the ground before whizzing away into the future, leaving the ruins of the 21st century behind. 
950“My name is Charlotte.”
951“My name is Ben.”
952
953After he had recovered, he stood up and fixated his eyes out over to the endless, vast ocean. He looked up at the sky, at the whole, healthy moon, and he realized how small they were in the universe after all they had been through. He did have one thing, one person, that made him feel better, though. His fingers found Charlotte’s hand, squeezed. She turned to him, and they kissed, his hands brushing down her body, feeling her curves. One last shooting star fell over the Atlantic Ocean, and he held the Wiper in his hands. 
954“Charlotte?” He asked.
955“Yes, Ben?” She replied, twiddling her thumbs, eyes fixed on the horizon.
956“From now on we don’t think about the past, or the future, or the memories. Let’s make some new memories….together.” And with that he reached his arm back and threw the device as hard as he could over the railing, watching it blend in with the dark glass curtain walls of the surrounding buildings before it hit the water with a perfect, small splash.
957“Together.” She threw hers down too, tracing its movements, end over end before it too, hit the water and sunk to the ocean floor, lost forever.
958
959Ben pulled the small green box out of his hand and dropped it over the edge as well, right over the main entrance of the Firebrand tower, in front of the lobby. By the time they had made it downstairs, the doorman, the clerk, and the security people were gathered around the doors, speaking in loud tones.
960Ben cleared his throat. “Excuse me, gentlemen.” They all turned to look at him.
961He fished a key out of his pocket. “That’s my car.” A black, armored Lincoln Town Car sat in front of the entrance, as real as it looked.  
962They quickly regained their composure. “Of course, sir. Please accept our apologies for the unneeded commotion.” They parted around him, allowing them access to the car.
963“Please, that won’t be necessary.” He held open the passenger door for Charlotte, and she climbed in, gently avoiding her bruises and healing cuts. Ben got inside and closed the door. He turned the key in the ignition, and the V8 fired into life obediently. He put the car in drive, and pulled away from the curb. He steered the car onto Storrow Drive, along the Charles River, as his fingers felt another key in his pants pocket. 
964Twenty minutes later, he pulled the Lincoln into an underground garage, cutting the engine. They got out, and he slammed the doors and locked up the car. The time was 12:10 AM, May 17th, 2037. Through the garage door, into the apartment building, and up twenty-four floors. Then, Ben stood in front of a door he hadn’t opened in 800,000 years. The key fit precisely into the lock. He turned it, and heard the click as the door opened with a silence befitting its meticulous maintenance. They walked in, and closed the door. 
965“What is this place?” Charlotte asked as she turned the lights on.
966“My mom’s apartment. She died in a plane crash about a year before, and I used to come here after school to crash after a hard day, then I would take the T to my dad’s.” He said, with a hint of melancholy in his voice.
967They examined the place. Clothes in Charlotte’s size, plenty of them. Several outfits for Ben to wear, spare clothes. Check. A bathroom with clean, running water, and hygienic products for both of them. Check. A car with a full tank of gasoline waiting downstairs. Check. A queen-size bed with luxurious comforters, and air conditioning? Heaven. They took turns showering and getting freshened, changing into their pyjamas. 
968Ben reached into his pants pocket and pulled out the slip of crumpled paper that Elle had given him. It had her name, her SatCom number, her email, and her address. He slipped it under the leg of the nightstand.
969When Charlotte was done, they lay under the covers, happy and content, truly safe after 800,000 years.
970“We’ll have to attend school for the next couple years, then jobs. It’s how the Ancient world works.”
971“I know. For college I was thinking maybe Harvard?”
972“It’s a different world out there, we’ll have to be careful.” He smirked.
973“I know.”
974“Are you ready?”
975“I’m ready, always ready, as long as I’m with you.” Charlotte replied drowsily.
976
977The President spoke on the television.
978“My fellow Americans, my fellow Earthlings. Today is a day where the world put aside all of its differences to act as one for the common good. Nuclear weapons used in self-defense, the one time where it made sense. We must thank whoever made the simulation, wherever they are now. They have elected to remain anonymous, and if they choose to stay so, I wish them godspeed wherever they are now…” They switched the TV off.
979
980With that, they turned out the light in the apartment, drew the curtains closed, and went to sleep as the Ancient world ticked by outside. Tomorrow is a new day….
981
982Charlotte awoke early in the morning, rose silently, Ben snoring next to her. She walked over to the glass doors and opened them. They glided away along steel rails without a protest.
983A light breeze ruffled her hair as she looked out. Down below, the traffic was already beginning to build on the streets, early morning commuters getting a jumpstart to work. She saw the winding Charles River, the tall buildings of Cambridge across it, with the names and logos of firms she had never heard of. She sucked in a deep breath, and let her eyes roam.
984Ben came up behind her, placed a palm on her shoulder. 
985“You’re up.” He said. “Did you sleep?”
986“Yeah, not very well.” She replied, not averting her gaze from the sight.
987“Well, I’m up now. Good morning, sweetheart.” He smiled and kissed her.
988
989Over the horizon, the first rays of the sun began peeking up and over, and the moon began to set. The Ancient world would survive, but for how long? Nobody knew.
990The humans of this time had created energy weapons and subway trains and airplanes and many other things besides, but Charlotte thought of the alternate year 2308, and the human village on Spectacle Island. She thought of Crossroads, in the year 8,478,921 and its people, making a new start in the ruins of what was left. If things were going to go askew, the human survival instinct would see them adapt, change, live on.
991
992Part 7: The End?
993
994Weird changes were happening in the Underneath. The Earth’s timeline had been changed, altered by Charlotte and Ben’s actions in 2037, and the repercussions were being felt all the way in their time, 800,000 years in the future. One day, the metal walkways lining the underground caverns began to disintegrate. Not from rust, or from fatigue, they just turned to dust. Then, the homes went. The tram networks. The mines filled themselves in with solid rock, undoing all the work that the miners had done for centuries. Then, the people went, turning into dust and nothingness, leaving an empty cavern, devoid of life. They passed wearing not expressions of fear or confusion, but of peace. The only signs of human inhabitation were the electric lights and metal pipes snaking throughout it, but they soon de-materialized. Wires corroded at accelerated rates, and pipes turned into piles of rust and debris. Soon, the cavern was reverted into its primeval state, dark, cold, and silent. 
995
996They had done it. They had changed the future, thought the Commissioner bitterly, as he sat against a wall, cold, alone, the only human alive in the year 803,097AD. Everything he had ever done, built, achieved for humanity wiped out by a pair of teenagers. Damn them, he thought, as his existence crumbled to dust, lost for all time. A subterranean wind whipped his remains into oblivion. 
997
9981,427,000,000 km from Sun
999Behind Saturn, obscured by a planetoid the humans called Titan, the mothership Zeta had waited, cold and silent for centuries. A calculating machine intelligence created by another advanced species, far distant, lost in the vastness of space. Their last creation, sent from their dying world as a black hole swallowed it whole. For millennia it had been searching for a suitable planet, to plant its seeds of civilization. Whole banks of sequenced DNA sat idle in supercooled chambers, the entire vessel operated autonomously by the A.I that hunted fruitlessly for suitable planets over thousands of years. When it received distress reports from another Harvester at the Moon, it had warped its way over to the Solar System, taking millions of years. By that time, the Harvester was long gone. However, the machine intelligence didn’t give up yet. Ever since it had happened upon the small blue orb the humans called Earth, it was intrigued. Liquid water seas. Oxygen atmosphere, diverse climate, distance bingo from nearby star. But the planet had its own civilization, its own native species. It was curious, however, and waited to see what would happen. From 1,427,000,000 kilometers distant, the machine watched man grow from fledgling prey to master of his planet, patiently waiting as his cities expanded, his machines grew, and his populations exploded. It was nearly discovered once, when a small crude golden space-probe orbited Titan in 2018, forcing Zeta to move temporarily to orbit around one of Jupiter’s moons. Cassini V, the life forms called it.
1000By 2037, the machine had enough, and attached a small ion engine to a nearby asteroid, microbots and drones affixing it to a rock 17 kilometers wide. It would rid that world of them, and provide a healthy environment for its mission: to repopulate. There was a 99.994% chance of success, the engine nudging the comet just enough to provide impact with the planet’s moon, and avoiding damage to the world’s precious atmosphere. So, it was understandably surprised when man’s nuclear weapons rose up in delicate tendrils from his world to blow the comet out of the sky.
1001Calculations were made with cold precision. Zeta would have to do the job itself, send in robots and ground forces to eradicate humans from the Earth if it was to succeed in its mission. 
1002
1003The hyper-fusion reactors fired in sequence, propelling Zeta towards Earth at cruising speed: about 14 kilometers a second, just enough to avoid jellifying the live embryos in its storage holds. At that rate, the computer calculated that it would arrive in Earth orbit in approximately 3 years: May 10th, 2040.
1004The assembly lines inside began to construct its forces, slowly gathering parts and components for its army of robotic soldiers. It was in no hurry. It had three years to finish the job.