The hum of machinery filled the underground lab as Aria Voss typed in the last sequence of her code. Rows of monitors displayed complex data streams, illuminating her face with a cold blue light. Her fingers flew over the keys, and lines of code shifted and reassembled on the screens. She glanced at the clock. 2:37 AM. The world above was silent, asleep. But down here, deep beneath the city's surface, time felt like an illusion.
She leaned back in her chair, rubbing her eyes. It had been ten years since Mara disappeared. Ten years of sleepless nights and relentless research. Everyone told her to move on, that her sister was gone, but Aria refused to accept that. The world didn't just swallow people whole—there had to be an explanation.
That's why she built this lab, hidden from the eyes of the Tribunal. Time travel technology was illegal, tightly regulated by the government, but Aria had her own ideas about that. If the Tribunal could control time, why couldn't she? If they had the power to hide the truth, she would find it. And tonight, she was closer than ever.
The anomaly. It had appeared out of nowhere, just like her sister had vanished. An inexplicable disturbance in the timestream, localized to a single date and time: April 7, 2225. The exact day Mara disappeared. Aria's heart raced as the monitors confirmed the data—a perfect match.
"Ten years," she whispered. "It's been there all along."
She stood, crossing the lab to the centerpiece of her work—a spherical device encased in a tangle of wires and conduits. Its surface pulsed with a soft, eerie glow, casting shadows that danced along the walls. She called it the Chronocore, the culmination of her research and her only hope of finding Mara. The Tribunal might have banned civilian use of time travel, but she had built her own version, and tonight she would use it.
Aria hesitated for a moment, fingers hovering over the console. Once she activated the Chronocore, there would be no turning back. She would be breaking laws that could land her in a Tribunal prison—or worse. But the thought of Mara's face, the way she smiled and called Aria her hero, pushed her forward. This was for her sister. Nothing else mattered.
She typed in the final commands, her pulse quickening as the device powered up. The Chronocore's glow intensified, and the hum of energy grew louder, filling the room with an electric charge. She set the coordinates: April 7, 2225, 11:45 PM, the exact time of the anomaly. If her calculations were correct, she would arrive minutes before Mara's disappearance, with just enough time to change everything.
"Here goes nothing," she said, her voice barely audible over the rising hum. She placed her hand on the activation pad, feeling the device's vibrations through her skin. The room seemed to warp and twist, the air crackling with energy.
A loud beep echoed through the lab, and the monitors flashed red. An alarm. Aria's eyes widened as she scanned the data. Someone had breached her security system.
"No, no, no!" she muttered, her fingers dancing over the console. She checked the cameras—there, on the screen, a shadow moved through the hallway leading to her lab. Someone was here. Panic surged through her, and she glanced at the Chronocore. It was already charging, the energy field stabilizing. She didn't have time to shut it down.
The door hissed open, and Aria spun around, her eyes locking onto the figure in the doorway. A tall silhouette, partially obscured by the dim light. She couldn't make out the face, but she knew one thing: they weren't here by accident.
Her heart pounded, and she backed up toward the Chronocore. Whoever this was, they'd found her at the worst possible moment. She had seconds before the device would activate, and if she stayed—
A voice, low and commanding, cut through the noise. "Aria Voss, step away from the machine."
She froze, the sound of her name on this stranger's lips chilling her. She recognized the tone—authoritative, like the agents she'd seen on Tribunal broadcasts. Her mind raced. How did they find her? The Tribunal had eyes everywhere, but she'd been so careful. Had someone tipped them off?
"Who are you?" she demanded, but her voice wavered, betraying her fear.
The figure stepped closer, and she caught a glimpse of his face—sharp features, dark eyes, a look of grim determination. He was younger than she expected, maybe in his early thirties, and wearing the standard-issue coat of a Tribunal agent. Her chest tightened. She had been right—they were on to her.
"There's no time for that," he said, his gaze shifting to the Chronocore. "If you activate that device, you have no idea what you're risking."
Aria clenched her fists. "I know exactly what I'm doing. And I won't let you stop me."
He moved quickly, but she was faster. She slammed her hand onto the console, and the Chronocore roared to life. The energy field expanded, enveloping her in a blinding white light. She felt the ground vanish beneath her feet, her body pulled into the timestream, a sensation like falling through a tunnel of light.
But just before she disappeared, she saw the agent lunge toward her, his hand reaching out as if to pull her back. The last thing she heard was his shout, echoing through the lab as the world dissolved around her.
And then, silence.