Chrono Catastrophe

“So, what’s the catch?” Jonas probed inquisitively with uncertainty. “There is no catch, regardless of the outcome of the experiment, eighty-five thousand dollars is all yours!” the man in a spectacle with a thick white frame answered with a confident and persuasive tone. He leaned forward slightly, making eye contact with the volunteers to emphasize the importance and worthiness of the project. Kate and Jonas exchanged glances, with their eyes meeting with a sense of doubt and confusion.

“Both of you were brave enough to volunteer for the experiment, and this is a huge contribution to science. On top of that the monetary reward is something you will not see anywhere else. So, if you’re ready, just leave your stuff on the red cabinet on your left, and step forward to the yellow line you see in front of you.”

Jonas went towards the cabinet first to leave his bag, and Kate followed after. They then proceeded to the yellow line that was right in front of a huge silver machine that almost looked like a giant-sized refrigerator.

Despite the huge and attractive rewards that lay ahead, the fear of the unknown had taken hold of them. They stood side by side, exchanged nervous glances, and silently acknowledged the uneasy feeling that was overwhelming them. Their breathing became shallow, and their bodies were tense. Despite their fear, they knew they had to press on and face their fear and uncertainty head-on. As they took a deep breath, they stepped forward as the door of the silver machine opened. As they approached the machine as per the man's advice, their steps became slow and cautious. Their eyes flickered nervously over the machine's interior layout. The machine had a small, cramped compartment with a double seat that faced a row of blinking lights and a control panel. They sat down on the seat, as the man started to close the door of the machine.

“Can you hear me?” The man attempted to communicate with them through a communication device on the outside. “Yes, we can,” Kate answered with her shivering voice. “Now listen to me, both of you should see a yellow belt next to your seat, wrap it around yourself, and buckle up in the middle. It is to keep you secure during the transit.”

Both of them followed his instructions and buckled themselves up. The machine started to vibrate with a low-pitched humming sound coming out from the side. The air crackled with static electricity, and they could feel the hairs on the back of their neck standing on end.

“Now I am setting the dial to the year 2123. Take a good look at the surroundings and make sure you remember as many details as possible and report your findings when we pull you back. You will only be there for fifteen minutes, and you will be drawn back into the machine to the present moment, clear?” Kate and Jonas acknowledged the instructions given, and the machine started to vibrate more violently. Kate began feeling so nervous she started to hold onto Jonas's hands. As the machine prepared for launch, they felt a sense of intense pressure building inside their bodies, like they were being compressed. Their breaths came in short gasps, and they struggled to remain calm as the pressure continue to mount. The vibration grew stronger, thrumming through every cell of their body and filling their ears with a deafening roar. The next moment, it all went silent and dark.

Kate slowly opened her eyes and realized they were no longer in the laboratory, but in another weird-looking laboratory with equipment and machinery she had never seen before. It looked a lot different from the lab they were in earlier. Even the glass tubes lined up on the table looked nothing like she had ever seen before. The daughter of the once-renowned scientist can’t shake the feeling of being overwhelmed and trapped.

Jonas, who was lying on a cold metal table, opened his eyes shortly after Kate regained consciousness. He caught a glimpse of the bright fluorescent light that cast an eerie glow in the sterile room. As soon as the realization hit him, he sat up from his laid-down position, heart pounding and adrenaline surging through his veins. He walked over to Kate who was still in shock and panic set in when both of them realized that they have been transported to a different place, and possibly a different timeline by the time machine.

“I cannot believe this! Look at all this alien equipment and fanciful objects!” Jonas exclaimed with a little fear and uncertainty mixed with a feeling of excitement. “I guess the experiment was a success. I’m just not too sure what we are supposed to be looking for here.” Kate responded calmly as she started to scan the lab in a serious manner.

Jonas let out a hysterical laugh – it started as a small giggle and quickly escalated into a full-blown laugh. “Oh come on we’re only here for fifteen minutes just report what we see when we get back will do, you are ridiculously serious about this.”

Kate frowned and felt disgusted by how Jonas is acting so nonchalant and dismissive about this situation and her feelings. She had always admired her father and the impact of her father on her went far beyond just his professional achievements. He was a visionary, a pioneer who dedicated his life to pursuing knowledge and scientific discovery. In comparison, Jonas's indifference to the project bothered her a lot.

“If you’re going to report useless findings, there is no point in volunteering for a project like this. And if you haven’t noticed, it is already way past fifteen minutes but we are still here.” Kate dismissed his nonchalant comments. As soon as the words left her lips, Jonas felt as if he had been punched in the stomach, his legs no longer able to support his weight.

“Oh my goodness, he said we would be back in fifteen minutes! Are we going to be trapped here?? I knew this offer was too good to be true!” Jonas screamed at the top of his lungs, in an attempt to conceal his fear.

“Oh quit screaming and think about what we should do next. What’s all this complaining for, that’s the price you pay for volunteering blindly for a project just for its monetary rewards, isn’t it?” Kate said, with her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Jonas’s face was a mask of frustration as he glared at Kate after hearing her comment. His jaw was clenched, his eyes narrowed, and he gave off a stern, unapproachable look. The room grew heavy with a palpable sense of animosity as the argument escalated. That was the moment when Kate noticed a silhouette as someone approached the door. She immediately lunged forward and pulled Jonas beneath a white table as Jonas struggled and attempted to shrug her hands off his shoulders.

The door creaked open, and a tall and muscular man entered the room. He was holding onto a machine gun with a stern look. He scanned the lab with wary eyes, preparing to open fire at the slightest hint of movement. Both of them crouched under the table, their hearts racing with fear. They could hear the sound of heavy footsteps approaching, and the sound of the man’s breathing grew louder and more menacing. Kate’s fear overwhelmed her and she stifled a gasp. Jonas’s protective instinct took over and he clamped a hand over her mouth to prevent her from being noticed by the man.

As the man was focused on scanning the room for abnormalities, another tall-looking man stepped into the room. “Did you find anything? No one is supposed to be inside this room. The sound coming out from the room earlier was suspicious.” The second man asked as he frowned. “I don’t see anything yet so far. We probably should alert Dr. Smith about it.” the first man answered calmly.

As he stopped his search and was about to leave the room, an eerie sense of unease settled over him. The two men felt a weird force in the room that is pressing on them. The force was so strong that Kate and Jonas felt the pressure too. They exchanged glances, thinking that it might be the exit back to their timeline which came late. All that is left is for the two men to leave the room and they’ll be sent back. The force became stronger, unlike anything any of them had encountered before, started to materialize out of thin air. A dark vortex of energy swirled and pulled the two men right in front of the door. The two men started to panic and struggled to resist the force by grabbing onto something heavy next to them. They could feel themselves being pulled toward the center of the vortex as if some invisible force was dragging them inexorably toward their doom.

Kate and Jonas crouched in the corner, their eyes wide in terror and disbelief as they watched the two men being pulled toward the vortex. They couldn’t be sure of whether the suction point was indeed the exit out of the timeline. They wanted to get themselves out there but they were too traumatized and could not believe their eyes. They continued to grab tightly onto the side of the table as the two men continued to resist the force. Kate looked over at Jonas into his eyes, looking as though she had a plan in mind.

“Let’s go out there and take the chance. That could be our way out.” She said firmly. Jonas shook his head and grabbed her hand, attempting to stop her from moving, as well as her thoughts. “No there is no way we’re doing that! We don’t know what’s that and that may not be the exit!” Jonas shouted as his fear was about to consume him. Kate held on to his hands and looked into his eyes once more as if she was attempting to give him some courage. “We have to try, we can’t afford to sit here and do nothing! We have to take a leap of faith and trust that things will be fine. There is a glimpse of hope to return if we try, and it’s impossible for us to return if we don’t.”

There was a long moment of silence as Jonas weighed the options. His eyes were flickering nervously between Kate and the looming danger. Finally, with a shaky breath, he nodded. “Alright,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “Let’s try.”

Both of them stood up and started to feel the force even more. They stepped forward, towards the unknown and their hearts were beating so fast with a mixture of fear and hope. Kate held onto Jonas’s hand tightly and they exchanged one final wordless glance and nodded resolutely to each other. With a final burst of courage, they made a dash towards the exit with their hands tightly held together, ready to cross and escape the future.

Just as they started dashing towards the suction point, the two men finally failed to resist the force and both of them got pulled towards the vortex as their screams echoed through the darkness. The pressure immediately disappeared and the vortex closed right in front of Kate and Jonas, as they dashed toward it. The vortex closed with a loud crushing force, and the energy force sent both of them flying all the way to the back of the lab.

The closure of the vortex left nothing behind but an eerie silence, broken only by the distant hum of energy, and the sense of loss and helplessness that hung heavy in the air.