Adam needed to return to the laboratory at school to set the parameters of the quantum collider for time travel. He decided to go back to the real world, thus avoiding a meeting with the Adam of this timeline. He didn't want to disrupt the space-time continuum, as time travel occurrences were random and he couldn't fully understand the consequences. Allowing such an unreasonable thing to happen could lead to irreversible consequences.
However, he knew that if he used the laboratory's equipment for time travel, all the set parameters would remain on the experimental devices. Eventually, the Adam of this timeline, Adam B, would discover the secret of time travel. Therefore, he decided to confess his findings to Adam B in this timeline and join forces to help their mutual fiancée, Emilia.
Adam left a document on the computer in the laboratory, explaining how he discovered the parameters of the quantum collider and used it to travel through time to this moment. After completing the document, Adam traveled back to his own timeline.
Meanwhile, Adam B returned from his mother's house. He decided to drop off the materials and computer related to the school's academic forums at the school before heading home. As he entered the laboratory, he suddenly felt something was off. The laboratory's computer equipment had been tampered with. His partner, Lily, was currently on vacation, skiing in Switzerland, so it couldn't have been her. The only ones who knew the laboratory password were Adam B himself and Lily.
He started to feel suspicious. He opened his own computer and went about his usual tasks, checking emails. Suddenly, he noticed a different file on the desktop, named "Time Travel." He knew he hadn't created that file, so he felt a mixture of nervousness and excitement. As a physicist who had conducted experiments with the quantum collider, he knew the possibility of time travel and wormhole theory, but he had never considered it happening to himself.
Nervously, he swallowed and clicked to open the file, revealing its contents. "Hello, Adam, I am Adam from another timeline. You can call me Adam A for now. I come from a time exactly one year ahead of your current time. Congratulations on discovering the secret of time travel. I certainly believe that we will gain academic recognition because of it. However, what I need to tell you now is something more urgent and important. I need your help, and you need mine. This matter concerns our fiancée, Emilia. In my timeline, exactly one year from today, Emilia has been buried with my parents and her parents. You cannot imagine the pain I have endured, and I don't want you to experience the same pain. I know you are currently experiencing the most beautiful time with Emilia. She sacrificed herself in a campus shooting to protect the students, as she is the kindest and most wonderful person. Although the event is still almost a year away, I want to inform you in advance and join forces with you to prevent it from happening. I don't yet know what impact changing such an event that defies the laws of time will have on the space-time continuum, but I know that altering this event will bring significant positive help to our lives. Similarly, I must inform you that this time travel is a random occurrence, so I don't know if I can meet you in person. That's why I'm communicating in this way. Together, we can explore this event and if you're willing to help yourself and me, please write me a timed email set for one year from today to let me know your thoughts. And I will travel back to one year ago, during the time when you're not in the laboratory, to leave a file on the computer to communicate with you. I hope you and Emilia can enjoy the most beautiful happiness in the present. From Adam A."
Adam B finished reading the letter and remained speechless for a long time. He never expected to receive such grim news in this beautiful spring. He didn't want the news brought by the occurrence of time travel to be a premonition of his fiancée's death. Moreover, he had no idea what he could do about such a situation. However, he knew that it was the right choice to unite with his future self, Adam A, a year later and make more attempts to save his fiancée. Even just the thought of his own impending death a year from now caused his heart to ache.
Adam B opened his email and prepared to write a reply to Adam A, which would be scheduled to be sent a year from today. The email read, "Hello, Adam A. I am feeling extremely conflicted at the moment. The pain is overwhelming, and the excitement of scientific discovery is secondary. Like you, Emilia is someone of great importance to me. Although I don't yet understand how you achieved this time travel and the changes it will bring to the fabric of time, as well as to ourselves, I am determined to join you in saving our fiancée. If you have made further discoveries, you can travel to my time next Friday and leave the files on my computer. It will be during my vacation with Emilia, as you probably already know. I am not at USC, so you don't have to worry about running into me."
After replying to the email, Adam B closed his computer, feeling a heavy weight on his heart. He packed his belongings and hurriedly made his way back home. He was eager to see his fiancée, to hold her, to kiss her, and to feel the warmth of her beautiful body that he longed for.
On his way home, Adam B disregarded traffic rules, no longer concerned about being stopped by the police. He parked his car haphazardly on the road and rushed into his house, calling out Emilia's name desperately. At that moment, Emilia woke up in bed, feeling somewhat bewildered. She wondered why Adam was acting so strangely, as he had only left home an hour ago. Emilia responded, "I'm here, babe. What's wrong?" Without a word, Adam B rushed up to Emilia and embraced her tightly, kissing her passionately. The kiss was deep, filled with longing, heartache, and a profound desire to make the other person just as deeply a part of oneself. "I missed you, Emilia," Adam whispered hoarsely.
"But you've only been gone for an hour," Emilia chuckled. "This kiss feels like we haven't seen each other in a year. What's gotten into you lately? You've been so clingy, like a child."
Adam B was taken aback but quickly realized that Adam A had visited his home. He knew he shouldn't let Emilia know what was going to happen to him, so he chose to keep it a secret. Adam B pretended that everything was normal and that he had been by Emilia's side all along. He said, "Because I love you so much, I want to be with you all the time. But when I woke up this morning, my mind felt a bit foggy. Do you enjoy spending time together like this for the past couple of days?" Of course, Adam B wasn't feeling jealous at the moment; his main concern was not to reveal his secret.
Meanwhile, Adam A had already traveled back to his own laboratory. He eagerly opened his computer, hoping to see if he had received an email from Adam B. The inbox was filled with new emails, but Adam A hadn't checked them for several days due to his depression. He impatiently skimmed through them, knowing that saving Emilia would require his cooperation. Fortunately, he wasn't disappointed. His past self had loved this woman deeply, and the email had arrived.
The door of the laboratory was pushed open, revealing Adam's lab partner, Lily, who had come to work. She greeted him with a "Hey, Adam." There was a hint of surprise in Lily's greeting because she didn't expect Adam to have made such an effort to improve his appearance. Lily thought Adam was returning to normal life after the anniversary celebration yesterday, unaware that the truth was Adam had changed his appearance to mimic his self from a year ago.
Adam responded, "Good morning, Lily." Adam A quickly adjusted the settings of the experimental equipment to avoid raising any suspicions from Lily. He didn't want anyone else to discover the truth about time travel. After all, he had his own selfish motives and wanted to use this method to save Emilia.
Lily, of course, hoped that Adam's life would return to normal, so she encouraged him, saying, "You look energetic and great today. I'm genuinely happy for you, and I'm sure Emilia would be too."
Adam hadn't anticipated hearing Emilia's name, but it reminded him of the tender momentshe shared with her earlier. He managed a smile and replied, "Thank you, Lily. Your words mean a lot to me. Emilia is an incredible woman, and I'm grateful to have her in my life."
As Adam A continued his work in the laboratory, his mind was preoccupied with thoughts of Emilia and the impending danger she faced. He knew he had to focus on finding a solution, but his emotions kept creeping in, clouding his judgment. He wondered if there was a way to alter the timeline without sacrificing himself, without having to face the tragic fate that awaited him.
Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months. Adam A and Adam B collaborated tirelessly, sharing information and conducting experiments in their respective time periods. They made progress, but their efforts seemed to yield only temporary solutions. Time and time again, their attempts to save Emilia fell short.
One evening, as Adam A was reviewing their latest findings, an idea sparked in his mind—a risky and unconventional idea. He realized that to break the cycle of tragedy, they needed to take a leap of faith and challenge the very concept of time itself.
Adam A quickly drafted an email to Adam B, outlining his new plan. He emphasized the risks involved but also expressed his unwavering determination to save Emilia. He scheduled the email to be sent immediately, knowing that Adam B would receive it a year later.
In the email, Adam A wrote, "Adam, I believe I've found a way to disrupt the timeline and change the outcome. It involves a complex series of calculations and experiments that go beyond what we've attempted so far. I won't sugarcoat it—this plan is dangerous, and the consequences are uncertain. But I'm willing to take that risk if it means saving Emilia. I urge you to read through the attachment carefully, and if you're willing to join me, meet me at our designated spot in one week's time. Together, we can rewrite our fate and rewrite the rules of time."
With a mix of hope and anxiety, Adam A pressed the send button, knowing that his message would travel through time to reach his past self. He hoped that Adam B would share his resolve and that they could unite in their quest to alter destiny.
As the email whizzed through the temporal currents, Adam A couldn't help but feel a sense of urgency. He knew that time was running out, and the stakes were higher than ever. The fate of Emilia, and perhaps their own lives, hung in the balance.