Let the Sky Fall

Author's note: Plot twist: there's two different alternate universes happening here, both revolving around the same character, a shy fangirl named Sidney. Eventually they will cross paths, but there are two of them. I will try to keep you notified when the POVs switch, just be aware THERE ARE TWO OF THEM! Anyway, enjoy!

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Prologue: Refusal of the Call

I hate my life. Well, not really. I mean, I'm a good student at school, I've got some really nice friends, and of course, I've got my fandoms. I'm obsessed with Avengers, Doctor Who, and Sherlock. I spend most of my time watching TV, on Pinterest (since I'm not allowed to have a Tumblr), or writing fanfic. Or I'm at practice. I'm a synchronized swimmer, which is actually the third hardest sport in the world, despite the populace 's stereotype suspicions. I spend thirteen hours a week at the pool, launching my teammates out of the water without touching the bottom, lifting weights, and swimming laps (well, duh). But it's all rather dull. It's the same routine, over and over again. Get up, go to school, do the schoolwork, go home, do the homework, get on Pinterest, eat, go to practice, come home, sleep, and REPEAT! Nothing ever happens! I want adventure. I want something more than this life that I've had for almost fourteen years. But there's nothing else to do but go about this boring routine.

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Today had been a busy day, and it wasn't over yet. I'd skipped a couple classes to help my National Junior Honors Society committee organize a teacher appreciation day, and because we hadn't covered everything, I had to skip the last hour and a half of practice to go back to school and finish the meeting. I didn't want to get off early, even though synchro's a pain sometimes, because it was January, and pretty cold today for Arizona, a low 43 degrees out. But that's how I got here, standing outside the pool, having just got a text from my mom saying she'll be late. I sigh, telling myself to get over it, that there's nothing I can do about it. A black van pulls up and parks off to the side, but I'm not paying attention, I'm appreciating my iPod and the pool's unprotected Wifi. I do notice when the masked man grabs me from behind, and I lash out sharply. But there's another man holding my feet and they're both dragging me toward the van. I see and expect what comes next, the rag of chloroform moves quickly toward my face. The only thing I notice before blacking out is the scent, a sweet, sickly smell with a chemical edge. Then my heads starts to spin and everything blurs together into darkness.

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I don't know where I am. Everything is out of focus, and I think this is what it feels like to be drunk. I think I'm being strapped to something, I'm not quite lying down, I'm slanted to almost standing. There's a harness across my chest, reminding me of a roller coaster. As my eyes start to focus, I notice other girls tied up the same way. We're all just coming to, and some of them start screaming. I don't. There's no point. Across from me there are more harnesses, a little more padded and secure than these ones feel. As I watch, the medical personal finish securing the girls, and... then secured themselves. I pondered why we'd all need to be this protected. There wasn't that gentle swaying I'd expect if we were on a boat or a submarine. There weren't any windows, nor a clock, so I couldn't tell the time. One of the doctors near the front started speaking into a mic, but I only could catch snippets of his long monologue.

"Selected... groundbreaking research... experiments... new age... benefactor..."

I thought I couldn't get any more terrified. Experiments? On us? I shudder at the thought. But the man is saying something else now, and this time I try to listen more closely. "Today marks the start of a new age. Today we survive, while the rest of humanity crumbles into nothing. Today, we make the first sacrifices toward the ultimate society. Congratulate yourself on your selection and hold on tight." For a second I have a glimmer of hope. That I'm here to continue humanity and save our race. But the facts don't add up. And neither does what happens next. I'm being pulled, no, sucked in every direction at once. I feel as if my body is being pulled through time itself, like every part of my body is riding a different roller coaster. It doesn't quite hurt, it's like my muscles are super sore. My thoughts get stuck in a blender and then shot out of a cannon. And then it stops. The relief might have been sweet. But I wasn't actually awake to feel it.