The Beginning of the End

After walking several kilometers, they arrived at a large building made of metallic material, far more advanced than the technology in the small town they had just left. The entrance was guarded by two men in black uniforms, armed with sophisticated weapons that looked like the result of cutting-edge experiments.

"We need to find a way in," Kieran said, eyeing the building cautiously.

"I can hack the security system if we find a control panel," Sophie offered, pulling a small device from her pocket.

Ricky nodded. "Alright, we need to act fast. I have a bad feeling about this place."

Carefully, they crept around the building. After a few minutes, they found a small side door that seemed rarely used. Sophie immediately got to work, using her device to unlock it. A few seconds later, a click sounded.

"We're in," Sophie whispered.

They slipped inside, moving cautiously down a long corridor filled with monitors and glass tubes containing green liquid. Behind the tubes were strange forms resembling human bodies, but not entirely human.

"What… what is this?" Ricky asked, horrified.

"Biological experiments," Kieran said coldly. "They're either trying to create something… or destroy something."

They continued walking until they found a large room with a giant screen in the center. On the screen, there were graphs and data showing the spread of a disease. Sophie approached the screen, reading the information displayed.

"This is data about a virus outbreak," Sophie said seriously. "It looks like they were developing a deadly virus designed to wipe out most of humanity."

"Why would they do that?" Ricky asked angrily. "Do they really want to destroy the world?"

Kieran sighed heavily. "From what I can tell, this was an extreme measure to control the population. They probably thought the world was overpopulated, and resources weren't

enough for everyone, so they tried to create a virus that would leave only a select few 'worthy' people."

"This is insane," Ricky muttered, punching the wall in frustration.

Sophie continued reading the data. "The virus has an extremely high transmission rate and a mortality rate of nearly one hundred percent. They called it 'Pandora Strain.' According to these records, this outbreak was the main cause of the world's downfall as we know it."

"They created a biological weapon and couldn't control it," Kieran added grimly. "This outbreak was probably the beginning of all disasters. When the human population started to collapse, social systems fell apart, nature lost its balance, and eventually, the world became dry and barren like what we see now."

"So, this is where it all started," Ricky said in a low voice. "If we can stop this experiment, we might be able to change the future."

Before they could plan further, alarms blared throughout the building. Red lights flashed, signaling that their presence had been detected.

"We need to get out, now!" Sophie said urgently.

They quickly ran out of the room, dashing down the corridors now filled with armed guards. Kieran pulled out his plasma weapon, firing at the guards to clear the path. Ricky and Sophie followed closely, dodging incoming fire from all directions.

"Left, go left!" Kieran shouted, pointing to an emergency exit.

They ran as fast as they could, making it outside just before the automatic doors sealed shut. Outside, they continued running toward the nearby forest, hiding behind thick trees until the alarm sounds faded.

"We can't go back there now," Kieran said, panting. "But at least we know what caused the world's destruction."

"The question is," Ricky added, "how do we stop it? The time machine might get us back to our present, but we need more than just this information. We need hard evidence and a way to stop the virus from spreading."

Sophie looked at her companions with determination. "There's one thing we haven't tried. We can go back to the time before the virus was fully developed, steal their data, and find the scientists responsible for this project. If we can convince them to stop the experiment, we might save the world."

"But that's risky," Kieran said. "If we get caught, they could kill us before we do anything."

"We have no other choice," Sophie said firmly. "It's the only way to change our future."

Ricky nodded. "Alright, then we have to get back to the portal and try again. But this time, we need to be more prepared."

With a unanimous decision, they began planning again. Even though danger lurked at every step, the hope of saving the world continued to fuel their spirits.

However, deep inside the building they had just left, a mysterious scientist watched them through a monitor. A faint smile appeared on his face, as if he had anticipated their every move.

***

"They really came from the future," the scientist murmured. "Interesting. Let's see how far they can go."