Chapter 5 - The Task Begins

Chapter 5 - The Task begins

The next morning, Jenny woke up with a strange feeling, an emptiness beside her. She reached out, expecting to find James asleep, but his bed was cold, untouched. Panic started to bloom in her chest.

"James?"

she called out, panic rising in her throat. She searched every corner, every shadow, but there was no trace of him. Desperation clawed at her chest, threatening to overwhelm her. She had always been the one to stay strong, to keep him safe, but now…

She stumbled out of the room and spotted a CTL officer standing guard down the corridor, his face stern and expressionless.

"Excuse me," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. "Do you know where the boy who came with me went?"

The officer paused, listening to something only he could hear as he placed his wrist to his ear.

"Yes, sir. Understood."

He turned back to Jenny, his expression unreadable.

"To get the answer to your question, you must meet the Elders of Seven immediately."

Without waiting for a response, he turned on his heel and walked away, leaving Jenny standing there, confusion swirling in her mind.

Fear turned to determination. She sprinted through the winding corridors, the walls closing in around her like a labyrinth designed to suffocate. She didn't stop until she reached the heavy, carved doors of the Elders' chamber. Her chest heaved as she pushed them open, the sight of the seven ancient figures waiting inside filling her with both dread and fury.

"What happened to James?"

she demanded, her voice echoing through the room like a thunderclap.

The Fourth Elder chuckled, his frail frame shuddering with the effort. "Hohoho, the boy went to complete his task," he laughed, his voice cracked with age, yet dripping with amusement.

"What do you mean?" Jenny's eyes narrowed, anger sparking beneath her fear. "You said only I needed to complete the task!"

The First Elder raised his head, his eyes meeting Jenny's with an intensity that made her stomach twist.

"It was his choice, not ours," he said calmly, his voice steady despite his frail appearance.

Jenny took a step forward, her hands clenched into fists. "Then what is his task?" she demanded, her voice edged with desperation.

Silence. The Elders stared at her, their expressions unreadable. Jenny's heart thundered in her ears, her nails digging into her palms hard enough to draw blood. Just when she thought they wouldn't answer, the First Elder spoke again, his voice loud and clear.

"His task is to save the world."

Jenny froze. "What…?" she whispered, her heart pounding so loudly it drowned out the noise in the room.

"Saving the world? What does that even mean?"

"Come with us," the second Elder commanded, his tone leaving no room for argument.

The Elders rose in unison, moving towards a grand painting that depicted the Complex in its earliest days. With a deliberate motion, the fifth Elder reached behind the painting and pressed a hidden button, revealing a doorway that led underground. A dimly lit staircase spiraled downward, illuminated by flickering lamps and ancient candles, their flames dancing with every draft.

Jenny followed, her steps echoing through the narrow corridor, every sense on high alert. The air grew colder, tinged with the scent of oil and metal.

"Where are we going?" Jenny asked, her voice barely more than a whisper.

"And… what is this place?"

"You will find out soon enough," the fifth Elder replied cryptically, leading her further into the darkness.

After what felt like an eternity, they arrived at a heavy steel door, its surface covered in scratches and scorch marks, as though it had withstood countless battles. The fifth Elder input a sequence of numbers into a panel, and with a soft hiss, the door slid open.

"Welcome to the Founder's Lab," he announced.

Jenny hesitated for a moment and stepped inside, her eyes widening in disbelief. It was unlike anything she had ever seen. The room was filled with intricate machinery and glowing screens, pulsing with life. Strange liquids bubbled in glass tubes, and wires snaked across the floor like living veins. The air thrummed with an unearthly energy, humming with secrets long forgotten by the world above.

At the center of the room stood a colossal machine, towering over everything else. It was made of polished steel, its surface etched with runes and symbols Jenny couldn't decipher. And in the center, engraved in elegant lettering, was a name: **"Rasmus de Marvo."**

"Rasmus de Marvo…" Jenny whispered, her voice barely audible. "The Founder."

"Indeed," the Second Elder said, a flicker of admiration in her tone.

"What… is this?" Jenny's voice trembled, her eyes darting around the room. "What is all of this?"

"This," the fifth Elder gestured grandly, "is the Founder's greatest creation. A project so secret, so vital, that even the Complex's highest officials have no knowledge of its existence."

He paused, watching Jenny's stunned expression with something akin to amusement. "It is a time machine," he continued, his words heavy with meaning. "Built by the Founder himself, designed to rewrite history."

Jenny felt as though the ground had dropped out from beneath her. "A time machine?" she echoed, her voice weak. "But… why?"

The first Elder stepped forward, his voice echoing in the cavernous room. "When the Apocalypse began, the Founder foresaw the destruction that would follow. He knew that if humanity continued on its path, there would be no hope left for our kind. So he built this—an opportunity to change the course of history, to prevent the end from ever happening."

Jenny's legs felt weak, and she had to steady herself against a nearby table. "You… you mean James went back in time?" she asked, her mind struggling to comprehend what she was hearing. "Why him? Why now?"

"It was his choice," the first Elder repeated.

"When you made your condition, he requested to be given a task, to do something worthy. We saw the strength in his heart, the potential to change everything. So we gave him this chance."

"But what does that mean?" Jenny shouted, her frustration bubbling over. "How can he save the world by himself? How can one person change the past?"

~~~~To Be Continued ~~~~