The Hacker's Con Artist

Chapter 12

- - - - - - MARCH 16, 2022- - - - - -

St. Petersburg, Florida 6:45 p.m.

"SO LET ME get this straight," said Bonnie. "Y'all aren't from a jewelry company, this bracelet is actually a device that allows you to time travel, and we're no longer in Cement City?"

"Basically," Landon replied.

"You're a natural," said Rowan.

Bonnie wrapped her arms around her shoulders in a vain attempt to mask the goosebumps rising on her skin. One second, she'd been in the Texas heat. The next, she was in some cold, underground facility and being told she came out of what looked like a giant cylinder. "And this Herman Salvatore you mentioned...?"

"Doesn't exist," said Landon. "I made him up. I mean, I'm sure that a Herman Salvatore exists somewhere, but I don't—I mean—"

"I think she gets it," a lanky man with dark brown hair interrupted. He held out a hand to Bonnie. "I'm Ivan." He pointed behind him at an older man fiddling with one of the computers. "That's Ryan. We're in charge of the time travel program here."

Bonnie took his hand hesitantly, surprised at how easily his hand enveloped hers. "And here is actually an academy in Florida in 2022?" The year felt weird on her tongue.

"Home of the United States's best and brightest," Ivan confirmed.

She looked at Rowan and Landon, who were both standing sheepishly off to one side. It was clear there was some sort of power dynamic at play here. Ivan seemed to be their boss—or at least someone the two men looked up to—and she was still unclear about the older man. Maybe she should have been scared. But what these men were telling her...it was insanity. How was she actually supposed to believe any of this?

"Prove it." She was surprised at her own confidence.

Ivan looked taken aback and also wildly curious. "Prove what?"

"Prove that what you're saying is real. I'm still not convinced I'm not dreaming right now."

He cast a glance at Landon and Rowan, but their wide eyes mirrored his. Clearly, they had never been asked to explain themselves before. "The time machine behind you isn't proof enough?"

"You may not want to believe it, or maybe you do, but you are in the 21st century." This voice was deeper. The older man in the back had finally joined the group, though he didn't look incredibly happy to be doing so. Instead, he just looked...tired. "We don't have flying cars, but we do have some electric ones. We finally landed on the moon, we've fought plenty of other wars, we legalized alcohol again, and we survived another global pandemic. We now have vaccines, portable cell phones, air conditioning, TVs nearly as thin as a magazine, and yes, time travel."

"You forgot Oreos," she thought she heard Ivan whisper. "And microwaves. We have those too."

"We are offering you a life here at AIMA," the older man—Ryan—continued, ignoring Ivan's interjection. "You will be afforded equality with men, the opportunity to have an education and a career, and the freedom to live your life the way you want to once you graduate. It may seem too good to be true right now, but it's the truth. We only want to help you, Bonnie. But before we move forward, you have to choose. We'd be happy to return you to Cement City if this isn't what you want."

Rowan and Landon exchanged similar looks of confusion. Ivan simply raised an eyebrow. The way Ryan spoke had very little emotion. He was to-the-point, almost as if he knew what her decision would be before he even started speaking. Bonnie did believe him, no matter how crazy the idea of time travel was. She could almost feel how everything had changed in just a matter of moments. Besides, what did she really have going for her in Cement City? There was Harvey, the diner, Clyde...