"I am sending you back to the past to undo the mistakes we made."
***Splash***
Nathan cupped water from the turned-on tap and splashed it on his face. He held his face like that for a moment while ruminating over the last words the scientist had said.
Putting his hands down, he stared at his reflection in the mirror. A teenager with black hair and blue irises with a boyish face stared back at him.
"Is he crazy?... He placed the fate of humanity in my hands." It was too great a responsibility, no matter how he looked at it.
"What is intelligence without the strength to protect oneself. What's more, there are still those pompous bastards at the top. I don't stand a chance." Nathan clenched his fist, his eyes unfocused as he was overwhelmed with pressure.
Just as he was about to cave in, a calming effect came over him with a mechanical voice floating into his ear. [Unshakable will activated]
Like he had gained new life, he stared at his reflection in the mirror. "The system… it's nothing like the AI in the Exo suits. Those just measures the body stats without affecting it but this… This is way different."
A smile formed at the corner of his lips. "He must have known that I would need help so he created this system. I must thank him when I see him later… Though he would be confused."
The system allowed Nathaniel to see hope in his mission. Though the specifics about it had not been established, it was a significant boost. All that mattered now was how he used it.
"Doctor Chen sent me back in time to rectify the mistakes we made that cost us the war. I need to start my plans now. I can't delay." Nathan turned off the tap as he stepped out of the bathroom. He stayed in a single bedroom apartment with enough room for a bed and a small table.
The room was equipped with the bare essentials of a bedroom and toilet. It looked a lot like a storage room right out of a sci-fi comic with the walls pulsating with blue lines with a light bulb planted into the ceiling.
There was a lamp by the bedside and his clock seemed to be printed on the wall. The window spanned an entire wall length, ensuring that the left side of his room allowed him a clear view of the area around.
He moved towards the TV on the other end of the room, opposite his bed.
Turning on the TV, Nathan sat back on the bed. He grabbed the remote and turned up the volume.
{Today marks the beginning of a new day as a new batch of students will be accepted into the Guardian academy}
Nathan took one look at the headline as he nodded his head in understanding. "I was sent ten years into the past. I don't have that much time."
"Last time, I had taken the written exams and was one of the highest scorers but because of my presumed low affinity with Tachyon energy, Doctor Chen allowed me to come under his wing as his assistant."
Recalling the past was a pain for him as the sad memories also came pouring in. "All I can do now is ensure that they don't repeat."
"Staying under Doctor Chen would allow me to fulfill my dream but it would hinder the mission I was given. Right now it's not about me…" He stood up and walked to the window, placing his hand on the glass.
Looking down, what greeted him was the view of a full-on technological city with flying cars, holographic ads, and high rises as far as the eyes could see.
"It's about all of them." He had made his decision, he was willing to take on the mission. Though doubts clouded his mind, he couldn't back down when the fate of humanity was in his hands.
He moved to the bathroom and quickly took his bath. Once he was done, he moved to his wardrobe and picked up a simple white shirt with a blue jacket and trousers with a pair of shoes to match.
Walking over to the door which had no handles but instead a keypad at the side, He punched in the code and stepped out, allowing the door close behind him.
He moved down the stairs, greeting a few people he came by as he stepped out of the building situated in a residential area with a few businesses around.
It was a busy day as people moved to and fro about their business, who would have thought that such a society was at war.
He walked over to a junction in the street after which he hailed a cab. He stepped into it and said. "Travel station." The cab driver, a brown skin man with a smart look about him, glanced at the mirror in front as he asked. "Where you headed?"
"The Guardian." Nathan simply said. The driver nodded as he began to move.
When the world leaders decided to leave Earth, they made use of five spaceships the size of Oceania to evacuate people. It became the basis for what civilization was about now.
The five spaceships were split into five specialized areas on the moon with all of them joined by what was simply known as Space tubes. They were like railways but tube-shaped which allowed the residents of the different spaceships to connect.
The spaceship nicknamed, The Guardian, was the specialized area for the military and other related facilities.
At the center of the spaceship, Guardian Academy was created out of a necessity to guide the future generations not just on the usage of tachyon-charged weaponry, but also to help them cultivate effectively by providing them guidance and resources.
It was the second most important ship after, The Leader, which housed the important figures that made the rules and decisions that allowed humanity to survive for as long as they had.
The ship Nathan was on The Layman, a nice way of saying, common man. It was home to those that were lucky enough to escape but unfortunately were unable to be part of what was termed by the leadership as 'important stuff'.
It took a full hour before he reached his destination. "Thanks. Here's my card." Nathan got down from the car and moved to the driver's window, handing over a glass card with his initials on it, NH.
The driver took the card and swiped it over the radio compartment where a screen was. A moment later, the screen lit up with the words, 'Payment received', flashing across.
"Here you go. Have a safe trip." The driver seemed quite friendly as he gave Nathan back his card. "Thanks."
Once the driver had taken off, Nathan turned to the building he had dropped at. 'Travel station' was written on it with a flashy sign that was tachyon charged.
"Almost there." Nathan moved to the entrance, two guards taking up position there. Exchanging a simple greeting, he stepped into the building and could not help but admire its aesthetic design as he moved toward the counter.
"Hello, how may I help you?" The lady seated at the counter asked with a bright smile. "I would like a travel ticket to the Guardian please." Nathan handed over his card as he spoke.
The lady accepted his card as she punched in some keys on the holographic keyboard in front of her, her eyes peeled on the floating blue screen.
"Planning on taking part in the Guardian academy examination?" Nathan nodded as he received his card. "Well, best of luck." She said as she gestured for Nathan to move his hand over, placing his thumbprint over an identification check.
"Done, do have a safe trip." Done with the transaction, He picked up the pace as he moved past the checkpoints to get to the boarding area.
Apart from him, there were a little over a hundred people in the area. Half of them were teenagers like him, most likely planning on taking the examination as well.
After thirty minutes of waiting, a voice-over came from the Public address system asking for the passengers to board. "Took them long enough."
They boarded what looked a lot like a bullet train, showing their cards to the security before getting assigned to a particular compartment. Nathan was assigned a commercial class seat.
It didn't take long before they began moving. At first, it started slowly, allowing the passengers to settle into the motion before picking up speed at a rapid pace until it had reached the speed of sound.
Nathan closed his eyes and clenched his fist above his legs. Although he had mentally prepared himself for what he was about to do, he still had doubts.