Age Of Lapse [ II ]

Ryan forced himself to breathe. Inhale. Exhale. Twice, slow and steady. He could feel his heartbeat hammering against his ribs, but he needed to stay calm. Panicking wouldn't help. Not now.

Calm down, Ryan. You've seen this once. No reason why you can't go through this again, he thought, forcing a sense of control over himself.

His gaze flickered to the machine standing above him. Its sleek, black metal frame pulsed with golden veins of energy, the intricate lines glowing in rhythm like a heartbeat. The single, luminous eye in the center of its smooth, featureless head bore into him, waiting.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Ryan slowly raised his hands, palms open, a universal sign of peace.

"Hey, my name's Ryan Tyrglas," he said, voice steady but measured. "I'm an engineer from East Glade in the Colony Fleurost. My badge number is 11785."

He hesitated for a moment, scanning the machine's motionless frame for any sign of reaction. Let's hope it doesn't decide to start shooting me.

A mechanical hum filled the air, followed by a brief static crackle. Then—

"Searching database," the robotic voice responded, its tone neither hostile nor welcoming, just purely functional.

Ryan let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. It's not attacking me. That's a good sign. Maybe this thing can help me figure out what the hell is going on.

Thinking quickly, he decided to try another approach. "By the way… what should I call you?"

For a second, the machine remained still. Then—

"Creak!" A sharp jolt shook its frame, sending a ripple of light through its metallic body, as if something inside was shifting.

Ryan tensed but held his ground.

"Please refer to me as Elen," the AI finally responded, its voice maintaining that same monotonous tone, yet the static behind it made it feel… strained.

"Creek." Another sudden jolt.

Ryan narrowed his eyes. Was it malfunctioning?

"Data found," Elen finally announced.

A small pulse of energy flickered around its frame before it spoke again.

"Ryan Tyrglas. Badge number 11785. Engineer affiliated with the Northern Spatial Human Alliance. Assigned to Mid-Tier Colony Fleurost. Last recorded presence: 200 years ago. Marked as missing by colleagues and superiors."

Ryan's stomach dropped.

"…Huh?" The word barely escaped his lips before his mind began racing.

200 years?

His breath caught in his throat as the full weight of the statement crashed down on him.

No, no, no. That can't be right. I was just in the washroom. This—this is some kind of mistake.

"200 YEARS?!" His voice echoed across the vast, empty expanse of golden sand and towering, metallic ruins. The very air seemed to smother him, thick and oppressive with the weight of the impossible.

What's going on here?

Not only was he lost, but he was lost two centuries into the future.

His hands clenched into fists, fingers digging into the cool metal beneath him as frustration and confusion warred in his head.

A sharp, mechanical creak snapped him out of his spiraling thoughts.

"Human."

Ryan's head jerked up just in time to see Elen's glowing eye flicker erratically.

Shit. Shit. Shit. Is it about to turn hostile? His instincts screamed at him to run, but his body refused to move. Instead, he found himself scrambling backward on his hands, pushing away in a frantic attempt to put space between himself and the unknown machine.

"Uh—wait, wait, wait—!" he stammered, voice cracking. "I swear I'm telling the truth! I—I was just there and suddenly I was here!"

Elen remained motionless for a moment, scanning him with its unwavering golden eye. A thin beam of light passed over his body, trailing from head to toe.

Then, in a final burst of static, the machine stated: "Biological species poses no immediate harm. Statement unnecessary."

The tension in Ryan's chest loosened ever so slightly. Okay. That means it's not going to kill me… I think.

Elen turned away from him, its metallic form casting a long shadow against the reflective sand. Above them, the sky remained eerily still, no visible sun yet bathed in an otherworldly golden glow. The massive, decaying structures around them loomed like silent watchers, remnants of a forgotten civilization.

Ryan exhaled sharply, forcing his muscles to relax.

"Human."

Elen's voice came again, snapping his attention back.

"Creak."

"Follow me."

Ryan blinked, still catching up with everything that had just happened.