Joshing Airport… The Year 2118…
Judith walked over to the processing point for departures. She had a look of hopeless resignation plastered all over her face, and her demeanor mirrored the same. It was no wonder why that was though; she was already two days behind schedule, and she was convinced that upon her return to headquarters she would be fired. The only thing that motivated her right now was her long standing principle to see things through until the very end, otherwise, who knows…
Julian wondered why the lady in red looked so dejected; surely life is good, and the world isn’t coming to an end. He watched her amble her way to the processing point, and when the light came on against flight 279 he smiled, she was on the same flight with him. He looked her over again. Perhaps if he could start up a conversation with her, it just might lead somewhere. What better way to start spending his holiday than to light up the life, and mood, of a beauty in red. He smiled again, it was worth trying…
Captain Blake called on the passengers for flight 279 over the wireless enabled noiseless speakers. Whenever he did this, it made him wonder about the tales his grand dad used to tell him about the noisy speakers of old. He thought for a moment again about how disoriented the pilots of old would have been by simply using such a device, plus they even had to fly the aircrafts themselves. Anyways, not my problem he thinks to himself, it’s only fitting I was born at this age of advanced technology.
The blinkers on his belt came on; the passengers were all on board and ready to move. He looked at the portal in front of him; this was the best part of his job. He picked up his head gear and put it on. Soon as he closes his eyes, the route appeared in front of him. His eyes were closed, yet he could see clearly, one of the marvels of technology. He directs the plane with his mind, or was it his brain, he never could tell the difference. For all of the many advancements of science and technology, the old question of mind/brain identity still remained a puzzle. He shrugs, and concentrates on the route in front of him, and then he saw it…
Judith wanted to tell this annoying stranger off in a strongly worded manner. Still she couldn’t just bring herself to do it. She wondered if she was getting soft, no she couldn’t be, her line of work depended on her temperance.
She looked at him again, he was rambling on about the wonders of science in the last three decades, who cared? She preferred the stories of the good old days when humans related with each other like it was meant to be. The people of this age all seemed controlled to her, much like the service robots if you like. She held back from sighing in disgust.
“Judith, are you still with me?”
She concentrated on him again; he must have been expecting a response. Did he ask a question?
“Yeah, I’m with you. I’m just much of an old soul, if those still exist.”
She pinched herself hard with the hand invisible to him. Why on earth was she being nice to him? If only this was a…
Suddenly the aircraft shakes heavily and Judith’s train of thought is halted abruptly by the impact of the security belt that automatically restrained her waist and chest…
Captain Blake was confused; he was no longer in control of the flight. This had never happened before. He opened his eyes and shut them thrice, each time reattempting to regain control of the aircraft that had now completely veered off course. He was beginning to panic now; his career was about to come tumbling down, just when he was primed for promotion to supervising captain. He takes off the head gear entirely and resets the panel in front of him. Then he puts everything back on. He shuts his eyes one last time and prays silently that everything works this time…
Julian had never been scared in his life; he prided himself on being the most confident person in any gathering. Right now however, he was scared shitless. What he saw through the screen in front of his business class flight seat was scary to say the least. It looked a bit like a black hole, only with monstrous looking meteors situated at the front and around it. At the speed the craft was moving, the estimated time of impact was around, he searched the buttons on the screen for the impact calculator. He punched it almost as soon as he found it; 15 seconds! He looked at the screen, 14… 13… 12… 11…
He didn’t know whether to pray or to kiss the lovely lady beside him, who was by the way now staring straight at her own screen like it was the devil itself. Her eyes reminded him of the paintings of the eyes of the now extinct cobra that he had bought at the last crypto auction. He couldn’t think too much of that, all his cryptos, he had been hodling for years. He looked at the screen again, the timer was unforgiving; 5… 4… 3…
Judith felt a sort of calm wash over her. She would most likely be dead soon alongside all onboard this craft. Yet she was calm, though something told her that it probably wouldn’t seem so to an outsider looking at her. She didn’t have anything to live for; perhaps death was a more preferable option. Her eyes moved away from the screen as she counted down the last seconds in her head… 3… 2… 1…
Then blackout....
Manhattan Science Fair… The Year 2018
A surge of current runs straight through Judith’s body effectively rendering her awake. She gets up slowly and rubs her eyes. The scenery slowly begins to make sense as her eyes adjust to the light. She looks to her left and sees her husband going through the same motions, rubbing his eyes as well. Then she remembers; they were test running the time travel machine at the 2018 Manhattan Science fair. She was here on behalf of the CIA, and her husband represented the senate approval committee. All that had just happened was not real afterall; a plane didn't just enter a blackhole and take her back 100 years in time, it was only…
Julian looked at his wife; he knew she must be as confused as he is. What they just experienced was as real as his ulcer, yet he couldn’t seem to analyze his thoughts about it. He looked around again, and then he sees the people his head had been forcing him to find. He gets up slowly and makes his way with his wife out of the machine to the waiting group…
Dr. Blake watch the couple approach; the look on their faces showed that his work was a success. This was going to be the defining moment in his career; the very first time machine, and his name was going to be imprinted upon it. He would have his legacy etched in the history books…
He helped Julian down as his assistant attended to Judith. He was too eager for approval; he didn’t even bother to ask if any of them were okay. He simply waited for Julian to give his verdict…
Then the room swirled as he heard it, and he felt his world crumbling. As he fell to the floor and blacked out, the last thing he heard was…
“Experiment 279 should be completely disabled and rendered obsolete. It is a project that would bring an end to humanity as we know it.”
THE END
Written for @mctiller's 24hourshortstory contest
