Project Cleopatra

Chapter 2:

"Pick up, pick up, pick up!" I whispered to myself, dialling Marcus for the hundredth time as I hurried through the science wing. The call went straight to voicemail again and I gulped. My stomach twisted in anticipation as I walked further through the building trying to blend in. I had no idea where to go to find Marcus because his location was switched off but if I walked with confidence no one would stop me. I hoped.

A booming laughter caught my attention and I quickly ducked into a corner as two men appeared. I carefully watched them walk away and immediately recognised Professor Gaius, the head of The Project.

I felt my cheeks flush.

He was known as one of the more charismatic professors. Marcus often teased me about crushing on him but it wasn't that. Professor Gaius was a genius and most likely headed straight for the project lab.

So, trying to be as inconspicuous as I could, I trailed after him and his companion. Eventually, the man with him branched off and Gaius picked up speed, heading towards a different passage. I ran after him, opening the door he disappeared through only to find a staircase. Just to be safe, I glanced over the railing to see how many levels there were and cursed myself for not wearing my watch to track my steps. With this walk, I'd probably reach my weekly goal in a day.

I began my descent and listened closely to Professor Gaius's footsteps. As we walked further and further, I felt the pendant around my neck begin to tingle and I frowned, picking it up for a closer inspection.

It was the pendant Marcus had gifted to me on my 21st birthday last week.

The tingle stopped and I figured it must be my mind playing tricks on me. As we walked further down, the tingle of the pendant began again and grew more intense. This time I was sure it wasn't my imagination. As the tremors got worse, I contemplated taking off the pendant but noticed Professor Gaius's footsteps had stopped, so I halted.

I waited and listened.

There was a click and the hiss of automatic doors sliding open before Professor Gaius stepped through. The sound of the doors closing again allowed me some time to finally gather my thoughts before continuing down. It was only two more flights of stairs till I found myself in front of some advanced-looking security doors.

Well, that was just perfect. Of course, they wouldn't have a normal door for just anyone to wander in because, then, my life would have been so much easier.

I began to panic when I saw the fingerprint detector and camera. I bit the tip of my thumbnail. I didn't think to hide my face on my unexpected stealth mission but I had figured if Marcus was waiting down here for me, I wouldn't have to worry.

Since he wasn't, I guess, this was the end of the road for me.

I was about to turn back when the doors opened on their own accord and the tremor of my pendant almost turned slightly audible. I looked down at the pendant and back through the open doors. I couldn't see much as I stepped into the room and followed along a corridor until I found myself at another door. This one was more normal and the buzz of the pendant echoed through the room.

I reached for the handle and as soon as I cracked open the door the pendant turned lifeless once again.

I froze over as the chilly air from inside the room bit at my skin and shivered whilst venturing in, following a dim light. As I got closer, it got brighter and brighter until I found... myself face-first on the floor after tripping over some cables I hadn't seen. I groaned in pain as I shook my head and got up. The floor was dustier than I thought it would be and figured if this was a secret project's headquarters, they probably couldn't hire any cleaning staff and somehow, I couldn't imagine the scientist walking around with mops and brooms.

As I dusted myself off, a blinding light ahead of me caused me to flinch back and as it dimmed to normal I watched as the machine before came to life and the tremor of my pendant began again.

I just blinked blankly.

The machine, well... it was a machine. That's it. It was a futuristic-looking piece of work that I could imagine finding in the Avengers basement but other than that it wasn't very impressive.

I felt my shoulders sag. "Well, this is disappointing," I grumbled to myself.

"It's more impressive than you think," Octavian's voice echoed behind me, and I nearly jumped out of my skin. He took slow, calculated steps towards me. For someone who had called me frantically looking for a key half an hour ago, he seemed rather calm.

As he stopped beside me, I looked up at him and he glanced behind him.

"Did you find Marcus?" I asked which drew his eyes back to me.

"Oh, yes I did and," he paused for dramatic effect, "I found the key."

I scowled as he pointed to the pendant around my neck with a smirk. "May I?"

I instinctively clutched onto it. Something was off with him.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Octavian."

His smile faltered slightly before he sighed and walked to a desk. "Did you know that within all of us, history is written in our DNA?" As he spoke he typed something on a control panel that was linked to the machine by thick, tangled cables. "Everyone has a code, which links them to the universe and the key to time travel is that we are made up of those who once were. After discovering that, it didn't take us long to finish the machine but since Marcus was the one who made the breakthrough, he was in charge of making the key." He came up to me and that's when I saw the crazed look in his eye. "Do you know how much that information is worth on the black market?"

His eyes dropped to the gem-like pendant I still held in my hands, unable to comprehend what I had just learnt.

Time travelling?! They were making a time machine. What the–

"Marcus told me you're having trouble with that history assignment of yours. How about I help you with that," Octavian said snapping me back to the situation at hand.

Before I could react, Octavian grabbed my arm and twisted it. I yelled in pain and instinctively let the pendant go, giving him the opportunity to rip it off me. I quickly tried to snatch it back but his fist struck the side of my head sending me onto the ground. My vision blurred. I tasted something metallic in my mouth and Octavian grabbed me by the chin, forcing my jaw open. It felt like he ran a swab in my mouth and as he pulled it back I saw the red stain on the swab.

Nauseated, I looked up to see Octavian casually stroll over to the control panel and place the swab in a container. Just as my vision stabilised, he had the audacity to wink at me.

"Thanks, Thea. Let's hope you're related to someone who isn't about to be killed."

He pushed the key into a slot in the control panel and I screamed for help as I felt myself lift off the ground until I was looking down at my own unconscious body. I hovered for a second and my voice vanished before I was sent flying into the light.

[Wattpad word count: 1270]
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Edited by: TheRebeccaBlake and Dodelia Reene