A flurry of claps resounded in the pristine white room of the lab as Cheryl groggily opened her eyes. The broad circular light on the ceiling cast its sharp glow over her eyes, making her wince.
"Cheryl Martinez, welcome back to the 21st century!" The scientists and mentors jeered as she attempted to sit up. Confetti popped around the corners as the people of the department, incredibly proud, clapped without a stop.
She squinted her eyes, feeling so tired and heavy, as if she had been carrying the weight of the world over her shoulders. The air around her smelt like medicines and disinfectants, strangely mechanical. It had been so long that her nose scrunched at the artificial whiff of air. And then she realised she would never get that freshness of the 4th century again.
That made her sad. Glancing at the small monitor attached to her bed, the words C. Martinez 04 successful arrival were flashing in neon green.
Weakly, she raised two thumbs to the cheering team, but even smiling was taking a toll. Everywhere, a dull pain echoed through her.
"What year, what my age…?" she managed to squeak out the question that had been bothering her for the longest time. She had spent five years in the 4th century BCE (which, by the way, seemed to have gone by too fast).
Now the fact was worrying her if she was twenty-eight already.
"We are halfway through 2022," one of the scientists informed, checking the reports. "You were twenty-three when we transported you in the year 2020. So your current age is twenty-five-plus."
Cheryl gawked, absorbing the strangeness of it. "But I spent… five whole years in there?" She sounded more like asking than telling.
Dr Samuel chuckled, "Ms Martinez, are you sure you haven't calculated the wrong duration of your stay there?"
"No." she closed her eyes, pressing her temples. "All the historical events I witnessed happened… between the years 333BCE to 329BCE, five years," she murmured.
"She is correct," Dr Adrian, the head of the project, confirmed as he examined the newly gained data on his monitor. "Because of their prolonged stay in the ancient years, the effect of reverse time dilation came into play. That means 2.5 years in the 4th century BCE equated to 1 year here."
He turned around in his roundabout chair to face her. "This concept actually defies physics laws, but it's not surprising since time travelling has already broken a lot many laws," he concluded.
This was too fascinating as Cheryl listened to everything. "Oh. That's why I was having this strange feeling… like time was going faster in that… era." She was made to lean against the pillows as a doctor checked the tubes connecting her.
Dr Cordon, who was working on a monitor connecting a large digital screen, answered for her. "We can understand the effect you felt based on space-time differences. For you and the ancient people, the three dimensions were the same, except the fourth one, which is time.
"This dimension moved faster for time travellers compared to the ancient humans, despite both being in the same world. That's quite mind-boggling, and we are constantly working on this hypothesis." He piped in.
Before he could inquire about something else, Cheryl hastily asked, "And how did killing ourselves transport us back?"
The scientist nodded. "After the failure of progressive declaration, we programmed the electric compulsion in such a way that it could detect a dying heartbeat, and thus activate itself.
"We gave you the electric compulsion, which partially killed you to transport you to the 4th century. This time we applied the reverse formula, where you partially killed yourself to restart the electric compulsion." He shrugged.
Cheryl's eyes appeared to dazzle like stars as she sat open-mouthed. "Sir, you can't just freaking shrug. I swear to God you all have some Hawking Einstein level brains there."
"Now, now it'll take months to understand the modified technicalities we've found with this project," he laughed. "How was your experience, Alexander's royal concubine?"
She chuckled, knowing well they'd read her AI book. "Splendid," she replied.
"Cheryl Martinez, you did break Clause 4 by assuming that position though," her mentor, Claire, reprimanded good-naturedly.
"Clause 4," Cheryl mimicked as the doctor injected another syringe into her. "Associating with the ancient human on an intimate level, causing flexibility in clause 1, is equivalent to a punishable offence." She spoke the rule nonchalantly. "I can assure you that clause 1 was rigid as a rock." she smiled.
"We are curious to know… what measures you took to return?" Dr Reuseme questioned. Cheryl resisted the urge to roll her eyes as the mentor carefully framed her question. As if they hadn't just blatantly messaged them to kill themselves to return.
"I cheated on Alexander with Lorenzo, so they gave me a death sentence for infidelity." Her blunt reply sent even the dead serious scientists into a laughing fit.
When they quieted finally, Dr Adrian wondered aloud. "Also, about Coretta. She found an unknown kingdom of a ruler named Julius Romanos, something?" Although he couldn't recall the name, he felt beyond proud. "That's quite impressive and we are eager to read her AI book soon."
But the project's co-executive, Dr Cordon, was disturbed. "How did a 4th-century king allow a woman to be his court writer?" He exclaimed. "Even Dr Hayes is worried if his daughter was compelled to follow some… you know, immoral demands of the ruler to become his court writer."
"Oh, no no no," Cheryl shook her head, "the ruler, Julian Romanowskian, is actually a swe-" sweetheart towards baby Cors? What the hell was I about to say! She instantly shut her mouth, which only propelled the mentors to ask further.
"Or is it possible that he's having a… romantic connection to her?" Their voices turned grim as they looked at Cheryl with a suspicious gaze. "A fourth-century man, that too, an authority as a king, allowing a woman to do what's considered as a man's job at that time is highly unlikely."
Now Cheryl's heart was beating out of her throat. She'd always felt like an overprotective sister towards her baby-like sister Coretta. There was no way she was letting out anything about her to these humanoid scientists.
"Let me complete," she sighed, "I was saying that the ruler is a very serious person, always working with Alexander as his important commander-general." She waved a hand.
"And coming to romantic connections, that ruler has an entire harem of concubines, mistresses, and princesses flocking after him from neighbouring kingdoms. With the kind of responsibilities he's busy with, Coretta won't even be the last person he'll bother with," she laughed. "She's just a pawn in his political move to Egypt."
Please handle your situation carefully, Coretta, she prayed internally, feeling miserable after remembering the last talk she had with her. Please save your cute little heart from breaking into pieces.
She explained further how, to avoid a probable uproar in Egypt, as the Greeks were depriving Egyptian women of their rights, Julian had appointed a female court writer. That seemed to quieten the mentors a little, after which she left no chance to divert the topic.
"Goodness, how many more? What the hell are these for?" She winced as the doctors constantly injected her with different syringes. Now a sharp pain had started in her forearm.
"The pre-covid doses." The doctor replied.
"Oh my… that," she said as if remembering all of a sudden, "That pandemic. How's it now? Did I miss something? Like a history-altering circumstance?" Excitement bubbled off her. It was annoying already how the department hadn't messaged them anything about this incident during their stay in the ancient world. Just the name of the virus, which she didn't remember as well.
Everyone watched her with a flat look, making her squirm.
"Not unless you wanted to be grounded in your home for more than a year, then you missed a lot," a doctor said sarcastically as she dabbed her arm with deionized water.
"You've watched contagion?" Dr Reuseme asked as they all went back to assessing data on their respective monitors.
"That movie with actors in masks, face shields, pfp suits and all that?" She took sips of a green-coloured liquid handed to her, labelled organic hydration for time travellers; its mint-like taste refreshing her somewhat.
"It was like that," the mentor murmured, "Deaths, deaths and more deaths. Can you believe people died from symptoms like common cold? Because of shortage of oxygen and hospital beds?" Cheryl said nothing as she listened quietly.
"29th February 2020. That's the day you were transported?" Dr Reuseme asked, as she nodded. "The pandemic started somewhere around 15th March. If we were even 15 days late to transport you for the project, we would've had to cancel it altogether."
"You time travellers are the luckiest." One of the doctors exclaimed. "To escape the shittiest period of your lives, away in the 4th century-" He stopped, clearing his throat, "Apologies, no cursing in the lab, but I can't help it when…" he shook his head vigorously as he busied himself in pouring a liquid in a vial.
"The medical sector, especially hospitals, were hit the hardest," Claire, came to sit beside her on the bed. "Dr Raines," she motioned to the doctor, who was now working with a hard expression on his face.
"He lost his wife to the virus, who used to work in the emergency wing of Louis Santanos hospital."
A massive fear latched onto Cheryl, engulfing her heart in waves of shock. "M- My…" her mouth barely formed words. My parents worked in the same hospital in the intensive care unit! She wanted to scream, but only incoherent words tumbled out.
"My m- mom, dad…" she gulped, closing her eyes to steady her heartbeat, "are they… okay?" She bit her lip to stop the horrid tremble, her hands suddenly going cold. Carefully, she placed her drink back at the bedside table, afraid she'd spill it all over.
Claire gazed at her, an obscure emotion, before she stood up. "We want to show you something." She replied as Cheryl sat frozen in her spot.
The wall facing her at the far end of the room suddenly came to life, for it wasn't a wall but a digital screen. After her mentor punched in a combination of numbers on the keypad, it loaded up to 100%.
Soon, two individuals appeared on the screen against a raven backdrop. Covered head to toe with what Cheryl could call a blue-coloured pfp suit, face shield, thick gloves and mask around their faces.
On the top left were the hazy words video dated: 12 April 2021. Her heart sank to the pit of her stomach and a silent cry escaped her as the people lowered their masks.
Dr Davis and Dr Ella Martinez, here. The voice of her parents echoed in the room through the video as deep red lines marred their faces. As if they hadn't removed their masks for weeks. Their eyes, once shiny, had lost all the glaze as they lay drooped in tiredness.
Who knew the world would turn this way once you had embarked on your project, Cherrisia.
Cheryl closed her eyes as her real name brought back way too many memories for her to handle at the moment. She took in deep breaths, knowing well her parents would never stop using that name, unlike her.
We are trying to save as many lives as possible, but… Her mother's voice faded into a desolate sigh. It's an infinite loop. A cycle we are not able to come out of. Then she glanced at her father, who began speaking, as if he was preparing himself.
The virus has infected us as well. Cheryl stopped breathing as her breath lay constricted in her throat.
It's mutating itself countless times. No vaccination works on a permanent basis for it, it… They were struggling to form words as sorrow came over their faces.
We… we are making this little tape for you, ju- just in case we don't live to see you… Know you were always loved and admired, our- our bravest little daughter…
"Stop! Stop it! Stop it right now!" Cheryl cried out harshly as she covered her ears, shaking beyond control as tears drenched her face. She squeezed her eyes shut, hiccuping bitterly through her whimpers.
"Why didn't you message me about it?!" she unleashed at her mentors, looking so mad as if she would crush their necks if it was possible. "Were you so greedy for the information I'd retrieve that you… you…" her words died down as she imagined her absence from her parents' funeral.
I was enjoying. I was enjoying my damned life when my parents lay on their… their deathbed…?
"How greedy can you be?!" she cried out when she yanked her hand too hard, causing the drip attached to her wrist to pull. The doctors rushed to fix the tube as she lay on her bed, tears falling from both eyes and sinking into the pillow.
She felt useless as she stared at the ceiling. The word orphan rang in her insides, making her eyes close in a sense of utter loss. Lonely. She felt lonely, like she'd never felt before.
"We… want to show you, something-"
"Don't you dare if you've preserved their bodies in some sick way for me to see!" she shouted back, sobs still racking her weakened body.
"We didn't want to show this video, but someone insisted," Claire sighed, "And I hope you'd like to meet them."
"Hope that I don't kill them then." But no strength was left in Cheryl as she just lay there like a trembling mess.
The doctors lowered her onto a wheelchair, much to her weak protest as she felt like an empty shell of a woman. The near-death experience, accompanied by the electric compulsion, had made her body so weak that she doubted if she could even walk within a week.
The memory of her demise was still fresh. With the oncoming tide of the Nile, she had ducked underneath the massive wave and deliberately allowed the water to gush inside her lungs. Those were the most painful 10 seconds before the electric compulsion had activated itself, sending such an enormous amount of current in her body that it transported her back. The deadly mechanism to travel back into her time had absorbed almost all the energy from her body, leaving her limp.
She shuddered, thinking how Coretta would handle her death when the time comes.
Her mentors wheeled her near the digital screen where she had seen the video. But now it wasn't a screen but a transparent glass overlooking a dark room where two people stood in the centre.
Cheryl shakily touched the glass separating them, her lips trembling. She turned towards the lab staff, her gaze bitter.
"How do I know this isn't a hologram of my parents?!" she screamed.
They said nothing and simply attached an earpiece and a microphone to her face.
"Hello, Cherrisia," came her mother's voice. She stared ahead blankly as her parents came to stand in front of her, the glass wall separating them.
"H- Hello mom," she blinked back a few times as if coming to her senses. "Care to explain the experiments you… wish to perform on my weak, time-travelled, electric compulsion induced heart…?"
Her parents' soft laughter was the greatest relief to her ears.
They sighed as they touched the glass, where Cheryl had her hands pressed, eager to hug their daughter, but they knew they couldn't.
"It was, and is, still a dire time. We really thought we wouldn't survive," her father exclaimed, his green eyes looking at her lovingly. The colour which she once possessed, but now was lost, leaving a dull grey behind.
"It was your mother's idea to let you watch the video because… nothing is the same in this world now. As it used to be… and you should understand that." Her father completed.
A shudder ran down her. Nothing is the same in this world now. She didn't have half a clue about how the world had changed. She could only relate it to an apocalypse-like situation.
"Welcome to the post-apocalyptic world for me, then." She sighed.
"More like apocalyptic. We haven't reached the post era yet," Her mother shook her head, not able to take her eyes off her daughter after such a long time.
"Why… this?" She tapped at the glass screen, glancing back at her mentors, then her parents. "I wanted to hug you." She whispered.
"Though we've recovered, but still, we were infected by the virus. The genetic alterations done on you to suit the ancient period are still there in your body, Cherrisia." Her mother's anxious voice reached her.
"Which means your immunity is quite low right now. If you don't get proper vaccination and reverse gene therapy, you'll die if you step out of this lab."
That was a shock to her as she nodded slowly, accepting. The world has seriously gone to hell; she thought gloomily.
"So, keeping the sad things aside," her mother's lips pulled up into a smile, "I heard you worked on several snake poisons with Alexander's mother?" She laughed.
"Plus point for my toxicology degree," Cheryl beamed. "It's amazing, mom, how they actually act as medicine if used in a specific way. Olympias was not credited enough for the work she's done with the snakes, due to its connection with black magic." She sighed.
"Sadly, snake venom is still dubbed as an evil poisonous thing and isn't researched upon more," she said, shaking her head. But the excitement soon faded as her mother's face turned into a solemn look.
"You always find one way or the other to… go back to snakes." Her green eyes stared sadly into her daughter's grey ones. "They seem very fond of you…"
"They are my best friends," Cheryl uttered, going into a trance-like state. "After all, he made me addicted to them," she chuckled, humourlessly, "How's he?"
"Who?" her mother asked.
"You know who I'm talking about."
"Honey, it wouldn't hurt to take his name now, would it?"
Cheryl's heart became stiff in a heavy feeling as she closed her eyes, tucking her dishevelled red hair behind her ear. She took in a deep breath, then exhaled, mouthing his name to her mother.
Even after all this time, you can't take his full name, Cherrisia… Her inner voice mocked her.
Dr Ella Martinez smiled. "He adopted a baby with his girlfriend three months ago. They want to be like any other normal family as soon as possible." Cheryl's gaze snapped back to her, disbelief on her face.
"Really?" she whispered, surprised. "That's so amazing. He- he deserves it…" She nodded, genuine happiness flooding her like relief. "I'd thought he would spend the rest of his life adopting baby snakes." She attempted to joke, but it felt too painful.
"He was asking about Lorenzo and Coretta."
"What?" Cheryl was taken aback at that. "I know Coretta is his old friend, but Lorenzo? He knows him?"
"Why? You wanted him to be jealous of Lorenzo?" Her mother laughed.
"He has a girlfriend, mom, why would he be jealous?" She exclaimed, amused. "And I know him. He can never get jealous. He just doesn't have that trait in him…" she sighed.
She nagged her mom for the rest of the while about how she knew she was dating Lorenzo. As far as she remembered, it was only a flirting fling they started during the project's training.
"Cheryl, you can talk to them whenever you want to. Right now, could you spare some time? There's an important thing to discuss relating to the project." Dr Cordon hurriedly informed her as he switched on another digital screen.
It was black at first until the outline of the world map appeared, where five green dots were congregated over northern Egypt.
"Dr Adrian, it's still the same," the project's co-executive sighed, looking at the screen.
Cheryl squinted her eyes as they wheeled her in front of the screen after a quick goodbye to her parents. She was perplexed to see the fifth green dot that was her. It either had to turn red or disappear from the screen, since she had already arrived.
"That's… bizarre," Dr Adrian said as he watched on, "My team has already ruled out any technical glitch on the machine's part." he rubbed his jaw. "I think we'll have to contact the leftover members of the team to check if they can help because…
"This only means one thing," he pointed at the screen, "That Cheryl's body is still in the 4th century BCE."
* * *
A/N
I want to write Cheryl's book so badly, but I want to write this book too so that'll have to wait lol.
On a side note, yes, the time travellers have to take the vaccine when they return. I hope every one of you has already taken it :)