Page 2 of Reversal of Fate

2 – Gadgets Galore

Moments after Professor Henley’s presentation, the large group was split up into several smaller ones. Carter’s group of two dozen recruits was the first to be led into the large elevator that descended to the lowest level of the large complex.

“Level A authorization needed for access,” the recorded elevator voice announced just before the elevator stopped.

The older woman, who wore a white lab coat, looked into the scanner, and a moment later, the automated voice confirmed, “Retinal scan accepted.”

The doors opened.

“Turn left to the first room. My colleague is expecting you,” she instructed.

The moment the last recruit had exited the elevator, she stepped back inside, and the doors closed behind her.

Carter was the first to reach the open door. He entered the large room. It was bright, with white walls made of the same sort of shiny material all laboratories were equipped with to keep the area sterile. In fact, the underground room looked very much like a laboratory, even though there seemed to be no experiments going on. Instead, the long counter was clean, but not empty. On it, large envelopes—rather thick ones—were waiting for them, one for each recruit.

Behind the counter stood a good-looking woman who was at most thirty-five years old. “Recruits,” she greeted them and motioned for them to approach. “Please each stand in front of one of the envelopes. You’ll find everything you need for your mission in 2025 inside it.”

As the recruits spread out along the long shiny counter, Carter ended up right in front of the woman. He was about to reach for the envelope, when she lifted it, and reached into it. When she pulled something from it and lifted it for all to see, she said, “First, make yourselves familiar with your standard cell phone.”

She handed it to Carter, and, like his fellow recruits, he turned it over and examined it.

“This is state of the art in the year 2025. The iPhone 17.”

Carter exchanged a doubting look with the guy next to him. “Not even my grandmother would use something so antiquated,” he murmured to his neighbor.

“Yeah, my sister would throw it at me. Cheap junk,” the other recruit replied.

The instructor slapped her fist on the counter to silence everybody. “It may be antiquated cheap junk in your eyes, but in 2025, guys like you stood in line for days just to get their hands on one. And just so you’re aware of it: this phone is the precursor of the communication devices we all use today. Without the innovation of the men and women working at Apple back in the day, the technology we have available today may never have been developed.”

Nobody dared say another critical word.

“There’s an instruction manual already loaded to your holocom. Make yourselves familiar with it before your time jump.”

Instinctively, Carter touched his holocom, the slim band around his left wrist that was invisible to anyone but the wearer. It was developed from studying the chameleon’s ability to take on colors and textures of its environment. Once put around the wearer’s wrist, it blended with its owner’s skin. The holocom was the iPhone of 2085, only more advanced, faster, and seemingly without limits.

A hologram suddenly popped up and hovered over Carter’s left arm.

“Not now!” the instructor groused in an annoyed tone.

“Apologies,” Carter said quickly and closed the hologram.

She pulled a second item from the bag and lifted it in the air. “This is your wallet. It contains a valid driver’s license with your details. Study them. Your birthdates were adjusted so that you’re the exact same age in 2025 as you are now. Make sure you know your new birth year. There’s also a card with your social security number on it. Memorize it.”

Somebody at the other end of the counter raised his hand.

“Yes?” the instructor prompted.

“What’s a social security number?”

“It’s the equivalent of your global ID number, only with less digits. Okay, next: everybody also has a small amount of cash in his wallet. The money stems from the historical archives, therefore supply was limited. Use this cash only if you can’t pay by any other means. Your iPhone contains several payment apps in use in 2025, which have been linked to valid corporate accounts during that time and should not be flagged until you’re safely back here. The payment apps work in a similar way as your holocom.”

Paper money didn’t exist anymore. All payments were made digitally either using one’s personal holocom, or through an electronic transfer initiated at various mobile pay spots using a retinal scan for identification. He couldn’t imagine how disorganized life was in 2025 when money was spread around in different places, where it could easily get lost or stolen.

Again, the instructor reached into the envelope. This time, she pulled out two watches, one in black, the other in silver. “These are your time travel devices. The black one for you, the silver one for the woman you’re bringing back. They are paired. The silver one will only work in conjunction with the black one.”

Everybody was already trying on their time travel watch. The instructor handed Carter his gadgets.

“Recruits, please wait in the room next to this one. You’ll be called up individually to receive the details of your mission. Good luck.”

Carter saw something in her eyes when she wished them good luck. Was it the same sentiment that his sisters had expressed, his two sisters who would never bear children of their own? Had he seen the flash of hope that one day soon, the cries of babies would fill maternity wards and homes once more?