Page 46 of Reversal of Fate

Steve screamed in pain. “Fuck! I told you, it’s in the trash behind the frat house.”

Carter glared at him. “If it’s not there—”

“It is, I swear. I’m not an idiot. I’ve seen what you did to Steve. I don’t want the same happening to me.”

“Good.” Then he looked at Julie. “Let’s go.”

They quickly jumped into the car and got back on the freeway. The traffic going north was much lighter than what they’d experienced when going southbound.

Carter looked at the dashboard clock.

Julie tossed him a sideways look. “We should be there in forty-five minutes if the traffic stays like this.”

Julie was right. Or she would have been, but shortly before the Wilshire Boulevard exit, the one leading to UCLA campus, the engine suddenly sputtered, and the car slowed. Julie was forced to pull into the right lane, the off-ramp at the Olympic and Pico Boulevard exit, until the car came to a full stop on the right shoulder.

“What’s going on?” Carter stared at Julie.

She studied the dashboard, then looked at him. “We’re out of gas.”

“Gas? This car runs on gas?”

Julie nodded. “What else would it run on?”

“Nuclear fission.”

“You’re kidding.”

“By 2085, everything is powered by nuclear fission. It’s much more economical than fossil fuels. Sure, in some corners of the world, there are still some communities that haven’t caught up, and they’re still using solar and wind, and even geothermal energy, but fossil fuels? No way.”

Julie sighed. “Yeah, well, we’re out of that.”

“Fuck!”