I glanced over Aelita’s shoulder as she configured the last few details that remained. I took in a deep, nervous breath, careful not to let her hear. She was already nervous enough. We’ve been working on this program for months on end, and now it’s finally ready for testing. Aelita is worried sick that something will happen to me, therefore I must try my best to be brave: for both her and myself. Though it’s been years since XANA was defeated, we still visit the factory frequently. It’s like we can’t pull ourselves away. I suppose old habits are hard to break, and, now that we’ve got the program, we’ve got an excuse to be here.
I must say I’m not sure how I feel about being the guinea pig on this experiment, but all I know is that this was my idea, and I’m sure as heck not letting Aelita go through all this. If anything happened to her I’d never be able to forgive myself.
“Jeremie,” Aelita sighed heavily. “It’s ready.” She spun around in the computer chair to face me, worried lines creasing her beautiful face, worry in her deep, green eyes. I nodded. She typed a few more details into the computer as I headed to the elevator.
“Jeremie?” Aelita asked as she met my gaze. “Wait for me in the scanner room before you go.” I nodded once more; I didn’t trust myself to speak. The look in her eyes pained me, like a dagger thrust through my heart. The thought of losing me had done this to her, and I had caused it.
The elevator door closed and my eyes were still fixed on the spot where hers once were. When the doors opened once more I saw the scanners, cold and metallic, staring me in the face. I stepped out of the elevator and walked towards the scanner directly in from of me, opening and releasing steam as I did so. I was walking directly into the mouth of a dragon. I heard the elevator doors close behind me. I stared at the scanner before me as I waited to hear them open again. I don’t recall ever being so intimidated by a lot of metal.
The doors of the elevator opened behind me, and I heard Aelita step out. I inhaled deeply as she approached me, placing one hand on my back. For a moment she stared at the scanner as well, but then she turned the attention of her large green emeralds towards me. I could tell she was looking at me from my peripheral vision, but I couldn’t bring myself to return her gaze until a few moments later.
“Aelita, I’ll be fine.” I assured her, not quite believing my own words. She sighed once more and nodded. “Just in case.” She said as she wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me softly. I could see the tears in her eyes after she had pulled away, a lump building in my throat as well. This hadn’t been tested, and it could very well kill me. And both of us knew that, all too well.
“I love you.” I assured her. “I love you, too.” Her voice cracked as she responded. “Let’s get this over with.” I said as I looked back at the scanner once more. She nodded and headed back to the elevator.
I stepped into the scanner feeling spasms of panic rush through my body as I felt the cold, metal walls. “Good luck, Jeremie.” I heard Aelita’s voice through the intercom. The doors closed and I squeezed my eyes shut tight. I held my breath as a breeze began to grow around me, lifting me off the ground. Through my closed eyes I saw flashes of light, then a strong wave of nausea hit me like a ton of bricks; like a punch in the stomach. My limbs began to feel shaky, and my head hurt.
All of a sudden, my feet dropped to the ground, and my knees buckled underneath my weight. The doors of the scanner opened in enough time to disallow me to catch myself, causing me to fall on my hands and knees on the cold, hard factory floor.
“Aelita?” I called. No one answered, and I thought that just maybe it had worked. “Aelita?” I called again, this time a bit louder. I took the elevator up to where Aelita once sat, only to find the chair empty.
And then, realization hits me. This is real, and our program was a success… Aelita and I had conquered time travel.