Twin Earth

Chapter 39

As I stared into the space bubble in front of me a million thoughts ran through my mind. Nothing about this felt right, or safe.

"You will need to wear this," Adom stated, walking over to behind the ellipse and pulling out some kind of fabric space suit.

"Is that the same thing you put me in when I arrived? That thing hurt like hell!" I retorted, taking a step back as Adom passed me the limp, silk-like outfit.

"That was because it didn't fit you. It was not designed for your size. It was all our scientist had on him to save your life. This one will fit you."

"Tom, it has to be better than what you're currently wearing, is it not?" Rachel sniggered.

Frowning, I grabbed the suit and went to get changed back in the previous room with the boulder. I couldn't believe what I was about to do. Even Adom wasn't confident where this ellipse went. No-one knew anything other than Gabor not returning after jumping through it, which didn't make me feel any better, but Rachel was right about one thing, the silk suit was a lot more flattering than the bouffant jumpsuit I was currently wearing and it felt similar to my own space suit. As soon as I pulled it over my body it clamped to my skin, but not painfully this time. Instead, a tingling sensation enveloped me as the suit settled into place, and I made an immediate mental note to steal one of them to take back to Earth to reverse engineer, if I had an Earth to go back to that was.

"You ready?" Rachel asked, looking me up and down as I re-entered the room.

"I have a few questions first. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but what we're looking at here is deep space, not a room or comfy bed I'm going to land on. So tell me, on what level will I not die when I step through this thing? What makes you think I won't end up floating in space in a distant, far-off galaxy somewhere?"

"What we see here is not unusual. Sometimes, when we travelled through the ellipses, we would see space, but we would land somewhere else. I am assuming this is the case here as well," Adom replied.

"You're assuming?" I quipped. "So you're assuming I won't die?"

"That is correct."

"Rachel, anything to add to that?" I asked, but Rachel just gave me an odd expression, which I couldn't quite understand.

"So, assuming I do land somewhere, what do I say to these... creators of yours?"

"They are your creators too," Adom replied. "But I do not know what you must do. You just need to go. We are wasting time."

"This is really happening isn't it?" I mumbled nervously, staring into the void ahead.

"Just do your best Tom. No-one will blame you..."

"There won't be anyone to blame me anyway Rachel, because we'll all be dead, but thank you for your vote of confidence," I interrupted sarcastically. "So what do I do? Just step into it? Will Mochuvia and Earth still be in this time when I come back? You won't all be really old? I've seen the movies you know."

"Time is relative to here. What you see inside this ellipse is in real-time. It bends space and time. You do not need to travel for billions of miles. Just step through," Adom replied. "We will be here when you get back, in theory."

"In theory?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. "This just gets better."

"He means if we don't all die before you get back," Rachel replied.

"Oh good, that makes me feel better," I frowned.

"You may experience some time distortions when you pass over, such as images from the past or the future. You may even see yourself. Try to remain focused. Close your eyes if it helps you to concentrate."

"So if I see myself in the future coming back, I'll know I've made it?" I asked, hopeful.

"In theory, yes."

Just as I was about to query what Adom meant, the ground began to shake gently.

"What's that?" I asked nervously. "Another earthquake?"

"We don't have much time. You must go now," Adom replied, ignoring my question.

Feeling flustered I looked into the ellipse again and inched myself closer.

'What the hell am I doing?' I asked myself. None of this was about the science any more. It was all about this moment, stepping through into the unknown, but not to marvel at what I would find with time to make notes and dream about amazing future opportunities of space travel, no, it was about looking at a giant bubble and hoping I wasn't going to die a terrible, painful death.

"Good luck Tom," Rachel whispered, eyeing me with a worried expression. "I know you can do this."

'You do?' I thought, 'I don't'.

I stepped closer to the bubble and felt it vibrate my whole body. The earthquake was also growing stronger around us, causing me to catch myself from tripping. I could sense Adom running off to do whatever he had to do and I knew Rachel was watching me closely. For a moment I felt an urge to apologise to her for being such a dick the last few days and was surprised at feeling a sense of loss at leaving her. I had been with her for so long I had forgotten what it was it like to be on my own again and it made me feel odd. Then a whoosh sound surrounded me, causing me to catch my breath so I quickly pulled the silky suit's face mask over my head and was relieved to feel a rush of air fill my lungs as the material clung to my face. It also muffled the noise of the room rumbling behind me, which made me feel slightly better.

I stepped forward and closed my eyes. A tightness crept around my body and I worried that the pressure of the ellipse would close in on me. I knew the exotic negative matter they farmed from the void was holding this thing open, pushing against the pressure it created, but I could still feel the mass of it trying to crush me slowly.

'Am I dying? Is this it? Is this when I die and exist at the same time?' I thought frantically. I opened my eyes in panic to check and spun round to look behind me, debating to myself whether to turn back, but then something truly astonishing took me by surprise. I could see myself, standing in front of the ellipse, talking to Rachel and Adom, but then the image was gone, instead replaced by an empty room.

'Where did I go?' I panicked. Then I remembered to look for myself in the future, to know I had made it back safely, but all I could see was the empty room.

'Great, I didn't make it,' I thought, breathing heavily and feeling around for something to hold onto. I turned back, but all I could see was the same deep space from before. I still couldn't bring myself to step forward, but somehow everything was changing behind me. I was in limbo. No-man's land.

'Where am I?' I panicked, turning back to the room and hoping Rachel and Adom were still there. Then I gasped. "Apo?" I asked aloud.

Indeed, there he was, alone and shouting into the ellipse, but I couldn't hear him.

"What are you saying?" I shouted, but still I could hear nothing. Then the image of him faded in and out. Sometimes the room was empty, sometimes I would see Rachel and even myself again, and then Apo would reappear, shouting into the ellipse. I couldn't figure out what was the past, the present or the future any more.

Feeling queasy and unsteady of my feet I stepped closer to the room and felt the same rush of air surround me, then Apo's voice filled my ears causing me to flinch with the sudden noise.

"Tom, if you can hear me, I am in your future. You have to go towards the black. The ellipse has been damaged. You are in danger. I am so sorry."

"Why are you sorry?" I asked, but my words were ignored. "What do you mean go towards the black?"

"Tom, it is Apo. You must go towards the black and not into space, you will die if you do. He doesn't want you to make it to the creators. He thinks he can fix it himself, but he can't. I know that now. I am so sorry for everything. This is all my fault," Apo repeated desperately.

"Who doesn't? What?" I asked back, confused, but then the image faded, replaced by a rush of water filling the room, causing me to fall backwards into the ellipse.