The Olive Theory ~ Adam Reed

10. The House by the Lake

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After a while of driving, we finally make it to a small home by a lake. "I... I don't understand. How did you find us?" Adam asked as they slowly approached the small home. 

"You don't think I'd be watching your back, even in the past?" Laura questioned. "Why did you make the jump back in the first place?" Adam wondered as Laura pulled in next to the house.

"I was analyzing data when I found something strange in the jump logs. A time jet returning from 2018." Laura began to explain as she parked the car. "How's that strange?" Adam asked as the four of them got out of the car.

"Because no one ever flew to 2018," Laura stated as she swung her backpack over her shoulder. "I don't get it. How did it come back if it never left?" Adam asked as the four came to a stop. 

"Unless someone went back and altered the time stream, the future the jet had left from had already been changed." Young Adam said putting the pieces together. "Nice," Hailey whispered as she nudged Adam.

As she turned around to look at the adults, she couldn't help but laugh at older Adam's face. Who by the way looked extremely confused. "God, it's like I traded my brains for those muscles. It's a shit deal." Younger Adam said, looking up at his older self.

"How did you graduate?" Hailey teased as she looked him up and down with furrowed eyebrows and a smirk. "Cute kids," Laura said smirking at their statements. "Precious, aren't they? Don't you just wanna hold him underwater till the bubbles stop?" Adam asked rhetorically as he chuckled.

"Oh, I freakin' hate myself," Adam said smiling. Laura grabbed Adam pulling him with her inside. Hailey admired the couple as she followed closely behind them. 'What happened with me?' Hailey wondered as she walked into the house.

"How did this happen?" Adam asked as he looked around the small home. "That jet that went back? It was Sorian's. She went back to November 2018 for a reason." Laura explained as she took off her coat and placed it down on a table.

"What happened in November 2018?" Hailey questioned as she pulled herself up on the table in the middle of the room. "I'll tell ya. This happened." Laura said as she dropped down a newspaper from November 2018.

"Your father's magnetic particle accelerator, The Adam Project had just gone online. That was the first step toward practical time travel. Sorian must've come back to 2018 and given her younger self some kind of future intel." Laura told the three before walking off toward the fridge.

"What for?" Adam asked as he held the newspaper in his hands reading it. "My guess is enough future stock tips to amass her fortune and get rid of whatever political obstacles kept her from gaining control of the time program," Laura said as she grabbed four glasses from the shelf.

"She already had that," Adam said as Laura set the glasses and water pitcher down on the table next to Hailey. "But did she?" Laura questioned as she looked at Adam. After a while of the two staring at each other Adam finally realized Sorian never did.

"No. No, she didn't." Adam realized. "No. So this world, our world, everything has already been changed by Sorian." Adam said as Laura filled the four glasses with water. "And your fixed time, 2050, is it bad there?" Younger Adam asked as he took a sip of his drink.

"We've seen Terminator, right?" Older Adam asked. "Obviously." Younger Adam answered with a slight attitude. "That's 2050 on a good day," Adam said causing Hailey to give him a look of concern.

"Sorian must've spotted me and planted an altitude bomb on my jet," Laura said grabbing carrots off the shelf and dropping them down on the table. "Here, eat something." She says handing Hailey and Adam two carrots before continuing to talk to Adam.

Hailey and Adam shared a look before looking back to the adults. "What the fuck?' Adam mouthed as he held up the carrot. "Are these clean?" Hailey whispered as she examined the carrot occasionally glancing at Adam.

"So I had to follow protocol, you know, live out my life here, avoid contact, minimize my footprint, and hope you were crazy enough to come look for me." Laura worried as Adam rubbed her arms.

"Alone. All this time. Four years." Adam reminded her how long she was gone. "That's the job, right?" Laura said giving him a weak smile. "Yeah, but, baby..." Adam began to talk but was cut off by Laura speaking up.

"It's... It's fine. I got used to being alone." Laura said placing her hands on his face. "Not anymore," Adam said as Laura looked down biting her lip, stopping herself from crying.

Adam leaned down so she could see his face. "Hey. I found you." Adam reassured her causing her to let out a weak chuckle. "I found you," Adam repeated before the two started making out.

Hailey cringed as she heard the sounds of them kissing and their moans. "I'll take my eyes and ears for a walk."

Young Adam took a bite out of his carrot and set it down next to Hailey before grabbing Hailey's hand, helping her down off the counter and walking toward the door.

"Bye now." Older Adam said slightly breaking the kiss. "You kids have fun," Hailey said giving them a disgusted smile before hurrying out the door with her hand tightly holding onto Adam. "That was nauseating," Hailey groaned as she sat down on a picnic table the two of them found.

Adam just nodded as he started at Hailey and Adam's interlocked hand. "What do you think they're doing?" Adam asked still not looking away from their hands. "Don't know and don't care," Hailey said, playing with the hem of her shirt.

"What do you think I'm doing right now?"Hailey asked out of the blue. "I mean, in the future," Hailey clarified when she didn't hear Adam answer her. "Adam?" Hailey called out when she saw him staring at their hands.

Hailey followed his eyes. "Adam?" Hailey said slowly letting go of his hand to get his attention. "What? Sorry," Adam said sighing at the loss of contact. "What do you think I'm doing right now in the future?" Hailey repeated. 

"I don't know, why?" Adam asked staring up at her, slightly squinting because of the sun shining in his eyes.

"Because I have been getting these weird looks from everyone I've met from the future, so that means either I am evil, dead, or fighting so alien god..." Adam sat there listening to everything Hailey had to rant about, admiring her while occasionally rolling his eyes at her antics.

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