Page 4 of Harbinger of Destiny

“Just anywhere. I don’t care, just not home,” Joshua said impatiently.

“Did you mean a care home?”

“No! I don’t fucking mean a care home. You’re a moron, and I don’t even know why I’m wasting my time talking to you. Your program sucks.” Then he said, emphasizing every word as if talking to an idiot, “I want to travel to no particular place. And take your time. Get it?”

“Destination accepted. You will reach your destination in thirty-two minutes.”

Finally, the car moved and merged into traffic. Joshua didn’t bother looking at the display in front of him that indicated the destination. It didn’t matter. All he wanted was to be alone for a while so he could think and wallow in his pain.

How could he have been so blind and not have seen that Kelly didn’t love him? And she didn’t even have the decency to tell him it was over. As if she’d completely forgotten that he existed. As if he didn’t matter. Anger swapped places with his pain. How dare she treat him like that? He balled his hands into fists. He would make sure that this would never happen again. And the only way to guarantee it, was to never trust another woman when she told him that she loved him.

He tightened his jaw in determination. Nobody would ever play with his heart again, because he wouldn’t allow anyone to get close to it. It was the only way to protect himself.

When the car suddenly slowed and pulled into a large parking lot, Joshua looked around.

“Where are we?”

“You’ve reached your destination.”

“What destination?”

“The Institute for Time Travel as you requested,” the car’s computer announced.

“I didn’t…” He stopped himself, recalling what he’d said to the computer earlier. Had he inadvertently used words that the computer had misinterpreted? He shook his head. What did it matter?

He opened the door and stepped outside. He wasn’t the only young man arriving in the parking lot and exiting a vehicle. Everybody was heading toward the main entrance where a long line had already formed.

A guy his own age walked past Joshua.

“Hey, buddy,” he called out to the stranger.

The guy looked over his shoulder. “Yeah?”

“What’s the line for?”

“Enrollment for the time-travel program. We’d better get in line fast, or we’ll have to wait for another week.”

The guy continued walking, and Joshua caught up with him and walked alongside him. “What’s the program about?”

The young man cast him a quizzical look. “Have you been living under a rock? They’re recruiting young men to go back in time and bring back fertile women. I mean, that’s why you’re here, right?”

Not wanting to look like an idiot, Joshua said quickly, “Oh, sure, yeah, just wanted to make sure I’m at the right place. I didn’t get a lot of information beforehand.”

“Same. I’m Timothy, by the way.”

“Joshua. So what else do you know about it?”

“Only that tonight’s the sign-up, and then they’ll give us a one-week orientation before they send us into the past.”

Intrigued, Joshua asked, “Which year?”

“2025. Just before the virus.”

Now it clicked. Joshua was aware that the virus that had eventually caused infertility in women had come from a pandemic in 2025. “Brilliant idea.”

“Totally,” Timothy said. “I’ve always wanted to know what life was like back then.” He motioned to Joshua’s pants. “Did your invitation say that you should come dressed for the period? Darn, I must have missed that. I’d better call my mother to see if she can rummage through the second-hand shops to find me a pair of jeans. Fuck, I hope they’re not gonna reject me because I don’t have the right outfit.”

Timothy already pulled up his holocom, but before he could call his mother, Joshua nudged him. “I don’t think you need to come dressed in jeans.” They’d just reached the end of the line, and from what Joshua could see, nobody apart from himself was wearing a pair of jeans.