My hand shivered as I placed it on the gun at my waist. I held it and pointed it upwards. I was trained to do this. I kept assuring myself that I was trained and expected to do this. I have to defend Merge if it cost me my life. Then, deep inside me, another voice in my head came to life and said, “Why?”
I hesitated for a few seconds and shook my head, but then I walked slowly in the hallway with my gun pointed upwards. There was only silence and the sound of heavy breathing from John, Joseph and Zack behind me. I walked and nothing zapped me. Thank God. I continued walking in the hallway and reached the black door. It didn’t have a knob or handle or any security panels on either side to open it. I looked back at John and said loudly, “What should I do now?”
With a loud rattling noise, the black door started opening.
I looked at the door way and back at John. I nodded and walked slowly towards the opened door. I went in, and quickly, the door slammed shut again. I jumped and turned back. I touched the door, looked around for any security panels on either side of the door, and blurted, “No!”
I didn’t know what to do, but I convinced myself that I had a mission to fulfil. I turned back around and I saw a long hallway. I walked slowly in it. The walls on either side were black and empty. I continued walking till the end of it, and then I approached a large wide door with glass panels. I opened the door, and my eyes widened. I was looking at a large empty room. No sign of life. Not even machines or screens or anything.
I walked in. I held my gun near my chest, and I felt that the vast room was getting smaller. I reached almost the middle of the room, and then, a 3D hologram image appeared of a girl. She was life like and blurry. I closed my eyes and opened them again. “Stay alert. Stay alert,” I kept chanting. The blurry hologram was slowly coming to focus. I dropped the gun on the floor. She was me.
She was wearing a knee length dark blue dress. She was not athletic, but had a few extra pounds that showed on her round face. Unlike me who appeared life less and my facial bone structure was apparent. She had almond shaped eyes with a smoky black eye shadow and black eye liner. Her brown eyes seemed they were sparkling. She had long thick dark brown hair. She was an inch taller than me, because she was wearing beautiful black high-heeled dress shoes.
I couldn’t speak, and she kept staring at me.
She finally said, “Why so long?”
I stared at her and couldn’t speak.
She repeated herself and asked with a more stern voice, “Why so long Sara?”
I didn’t know what I should reply with. She called me Sara. I’m not Sara. I’m Lina. I always have been.
She continued and said with a smile, “Why did you not come here for such a long time?”
I had a confused look and said, “My name is Lina.”
She eyed me with a small grin and a raised upper lip that I knew too well, and she said, “That’s what they told you?”
I was stunned. Who are they she is referring to? Suddenly, letters, words and numbers started falling from above to an area on her left side.
She said, “I am you.”
The letters became recognizable words and she pointed at them.
Sara Ard, 30
Last Physically Seen: 2011 AD
BD: 12-31-1980 AD
Death: Unknown
I looked puzzled. She is me from almost 200 years ago? I don’t understand. She looked at me with a sad expression and said, “They told me to go with them. I was lost and alone. I wanted a different life. They told me they needed me because I had something in my head that did this.”
I asked, “Did what?”
She looked at her left side, and then at me with a menacing look and said, “Control time.”