Stitch (11 page)

21. Fortune

For the first time that season, Alessa could see her breath fog in the air, each puff evident of winter’s creeping arrival.  Butterflies fluttered in her stomach as she briskly strode to class, the heat within her chest a strong contrast to the chilly weather.

Alessa had spent the last few hours grappling with her ethics assignment in between bouts of agony over her argument with Janie.  By the time that Alessa had hit the print button on her short composition, it was clear that she had taken an indefensible position in accusing Janie of intentionally standing in her way.

Alessa realized that her desperation to feel like the master of her own life once again – a sentiment she hadn’t felt since losing her parents – had become unhealthily wrapped up with her desire to help Isaac.  The thought of losing the opportunity scared Alessa deeply, and she had inappropriately taken her angst out on Janie.  She was anxious now to set things right with Janie, but at the same time was nervous about how Janie might react in the wake of that morning’s quarrel.  She certainly had every right to be angry with Alessa.

Upon entering the physics lecture hall, Alessa scanned the auditorium for Janie’s face but was crestfallen to see she wasn’t there.  She tried not to let the disappointment get to her quite yet.  Janie was certainly known to run late more often than not, so Alessa chose a seat near the door that would allow Janie to make an inconspicuous entrance when she arrived.  If she arrived.

The professor commenced scrawling on the blackboard, and when Janie still hadn’t shown up ten minutes into the lecture, Alessa’s chest tightened with the intuition that her absence was probably Alessa’s fault.  Janie must be even more upset than Alessa had anticipated.  Alessa shifted uncomfortably in her seat and attempted to concentrate over the next hour on the remainder of Professor Liu’s oration.

As class ended, Alessa powered down her laptop and packed it into her bag, slinging the backpack over her shoulder with a heavy sigh.  It would be hours before she got another chance to remedy things with Janie, and she wasn’t looking forward to having the argument hang over her head the rest of the afternoon.  It was going to be a long day.

Alessa turned towards the door, but her departure was interrupted when the professor called out to her.  “Ms. Khole?  Do you have a few moments?”

Alessa contorted her face into a smile before replying.  “Sure.”  She’d been hoping to look for Janie in the cafeteria before ethics, but now she probably wouldn’t have enough time to talk even if she did find her.

Professor Liu smiled good-naturedly and removed his round-lensed glasses, folding the wire frames into a pocket of the white lab coat that tugged just a bit too tightly around his slightly pudgy frame.  Alessa waited for him to continue.

“I’ve been looking for a research assistant to help out in my lab and I was wondering if you might be interested.”

Alessa was slightly taken aback by the request.  This was only the third occasion she’d traded words with the professor – including the time he had reprimanded her in front of the entire class – and she was surprised that he would extend this kind of offer.  But on the other hand, she supposed it was hard to get to know students in such a large class, and she
had
done quite well on the midterm.

All the same, Alessa wasn’t really interested in doing research and was scrambling to think of a reasonable excuse to politely decline the offer.  To buy time, she decided to ask for more details.  “What kind of research are you doing?”

“Are you familiar at all with theories about wormholes?”

Wormholes?  That was an interesting coincidence.  “Actually, I read an article about them the other day.”

The professor clapped his hands together.  “Great.  My research is in the area of using electromagnetic fields to manipulate the wormholes that open and close imperceptibly around us all the time.  I’m trying to see if I can isolate one and stretch it large enough to pass an atom through.”

Alessa’s heart raced as she processed what the professor had just said.  She responded cautiously, “Isn’t that sort of like… time travel?”

Professor Liu smirked mischievously.  The expression made him look much younger.  “Potentially…”  He leaned in conspiratorially, shielding his voice from the few students who were still filing out of the auditorium.  “The research is confidential and very exciting.  If we can do it, we’d be the first lab to ever successfully pass an atom through to another dimension.  I’m not sure yet if it will end up in another time or another place or somewhere else entirely, but regardless, we’re not quite there yet.  At the moment, I’m just running the machines constantly and trying to isolate a wormhole so that we can experiment with manipulating it.”

Alessa concealed her astonishment behind a thoughtful nod as she considered the implications of getting involved with the experiment.  Could this be her chance to warn Isaac?  She’d had no idea such advanced research was going on at ESU, led by her very own physics teacher no less.  “Sounds… fascinating.  So, what exactly would you need me to do?”

“At the end of the month, I’ll be taking leave for a few weeks – my wife is expecting – and I’m looking for someone to just check on the lab every day and let me know if we’ve caught a wormhole.”

“How would I know?”

The professor considered for a moment.  “Oh, it’s not difficult.  You have to know what to look for, but I can teach you.  It wouldn’t be a significant time commitment, either.  You’d just need to stop by for a few minutes once a day.  Unfortunately, I don’t have enough grant money to pay you… but I could put your name on the report when we publish the findings…”  He looked hopefully at Alessa.

“Oh, that’s no problem.  I’ve been… looking for an opportunity like this, to beef up my resume.”  Alessa felt guilty deceiving the professor, but the opportunity seemed too good to pass up.  “I’d be happy to help.”

Professor Liu’s face softened with relief.  “Excellent!  If you have a few minutes now, I could bring you by the lab to orient you with the procedures?”

Having given up hope of finding Janie before ethics, Alessa had some time and nothing to do except brood over their argument, so she happily obliged.  “Sounds great.”

Following the professor up to the lab on the second floor, Alessa couldn’t contain her excitement over her good fortune.  If Janie’s theory about the house’s natural electromagnetic fields was right, she might be able to use the professor’s equipment to amplify the effect and open a wormhole directly to Isaac’s time.  Forget the particle accelerator – this could be exactly what she needed.  Who knew doing well on one midterm would open such a monumental door?

The professor unlocked the unassuming entrance and ushered Alessa inside.  Surveying the room, she noted the marked contrast between the dated workspace and the shiny new equipment strewn across every available surface.  The professor led her to one corner of the room and began pointing out the functions of each part of the wormhole manipulator.

The apparatus consisted of three silvery spheres mounted on foot-long poles which were set equidistant in a triangle on the tabletop, a glowing strand of electricity connecting each globe.  The professor explained that the poles were placed in precisely the right relative positions to maximize the amplification of the electromagnetic fields in the center of the triangle.

The idea was that if a wormhole opened in that position, as popular theory suggested one eventually would, the strong fields would trap it there and allow the researchers to vary the settings on the device to try to enlarge it.  A computer monitored the apparatus to detect any changes in the fields within the triangles.  The graph on the screen was flat except for one small blip about a month into the three month project.

Professor Liu motioned at the graph.  “That was the closest we’ve gotten so far.  A wormhole opened up within the triangle, but it wasn’t directly in the center, so the fields weren’t strong enough to capture it.”

Alessa thought it seemed like this experiment would require a lot of waiting – what were the chances that a wormhole would appear in exactly the right spot anytime soon?  “Is there anything you can do to broaden the effective area of the triangle?  Can you increase the strength of the fields or anything?”

“We could, but it would require a lot more energy and this old building just isn’t equipped for it.  I’m working on securing another grant which will allow us to move to a more advanced lab, but in the meantime, this is the best we can do.”

Alessa nodded.  Assuming there really was a spike in the natural fields around her house, if she could get this equipment back there, it might serve the same purpose as pumping more electricity into the system.  And the entire setup was small enough that she could fit it all into a large duffle bag to smuggle it home…

Alessa could barely believe her own gall.  Only moments after entering the professor’s lab, she was already contemplating strategies to steal his equipment.  Perhaps she was going too far, but the temptation was too strong to resist.  When would another opportunity like this ever fall into her lap?  On the other hand, Professor Liu was so trusting that it just seemed wrong to take advantage of him.

She could always put everything back, though, once she’d gotten through to Isaac.  That way, she rationalized, she would only be borrowing.  And if she did it while the professor was on leave, he would probably never even know.  Plus, if her experiment worked, she could even devise some way to suggest the idea to Professor Liu – that would advance his research by months, maybe even years.  Alessa felt slightly better about her duplicity.  If she really thought it through, it might be a win-win for her, Isaac,
and
the professor.

Professor Liu continued with her orientation.  “We run the machine continuously, night and day, but we need to check it every day since occasionally there are surges in the power lines which cause it to overheat and turn off.  We don’t want it to be offline for any significant period of time since we might miss our opportunity, so if you find it turned off when you come in to check on the progress, just flip this switch in the fuse box and it should come back on.”  He tripped the fuse to show how the machine turns off and back on.

After concluding the tour of the lab, Alessa agreed to start coming by twice a week to continue her training until the professor went on leave, at which time she would transition to daily responsibilities.  She was already anticipating the start of his vacation.  “So, when is your baby due?”

“Second week in December,” he beamed.

Great, Alessa thought.  That would give her a few weeks to figure out how she could smuggle the equipment into her house without alerting campus security.  “That’s wonderful,” she smiled back.

Professor Liu held up a set of keys to the lab and presented them to Alessa with a genuine smile.  “Welcome aboard, Ms. Khole!  It will be nice to have another helping hand around here.”

Alessa snatched the keys from his hand, grinning from ear to ear.  “Thanks again for the opportunity.  The experiment sounds really riveting.”  Far more riveting for her, in fact, than the professor could possibly imagine.  “I can’t
wait
to get started.”

22. Revelation

By the time Alessa had gotten through that afternoon’s ethics seminar, her anticipation was palpable.  The entire way home she fought the urge to run, until it finally overtook her as the Zeta Epsilon Pi house peeked into view. Dashing up the stairs, Alessa headed straight down the hall and burst into Janie’s room.

“Janie!  I know you’re mad at me and you’re right – I was totally out of line and I’m sorry.  But I’ve got something to tell you.”  Alessa spat the words out as fast as her lips would take them, gesturing emphatically with her hands.

Janie, who had been hanging laundry in her closet, turned quickly in Alessa’s direction, a look of relief on her face.  “So you decided to take my advice and think things through a little before you try to contact Isaac again?”

Alessa deflated.  “Well…”  She wasn’t sure how to continue.

All of a sudden, Alessa wondered if sharing the news of the research position with Janie was a mistake.  She hated the idea of lying to her best friend – or even keeping a secret from her – but at the same time, this was something Alessa knew she had to try and she didn’t want it to come between them again.

“Well, what is it?”  Janie demanded.

After a moment of consideration, Alessa decided to be honest.  She needed Janie to understand why she felt compelled to push on.  “Professor Liu asked me to assist him in his lab.”

Janie looked puzzled.  “I didn’t think you had any interest in doing research…”

“I didn’t…”  Alessa smirked.  She really couldn’t contain her excitement.  “…until he explained that he’s trying to manipulate wormholes to open a door to another time.”

Janie’s face flushed.  “Less, this is a terrible idea.”

Alessa was expecting this reaction, but it still stung.  “What is?  I haven’t even told you yet!”

“You don’t have to!  You’re thinking of using whatever technology he has to try to contact Isaac, obviously.”  She swore audibly.  “You’re so bullheaded!  Why can’t you just
let it go
?”

Alessa was taken aback by the venom in Janie’s voice.  She wasn’t angry anymore, but hurt.  Janie really must not understand how important this was to Alessa.  Staring at the floor, she sulked, “Janie, he’s the only thing I have left.”  Looking up into Janie’s eyes, she added, “I have to try.”

Janie shook her head and flung the pair of jeans she was holding.  They hit the wall with a whap.  “The only thing you have
left
?  How about
me,
Alessa?  How about
your life
?  You’re willing to throw all that away just to take a gamble on this ridiculous idea?”

Alessa started to recoil but threw her shoulders back in defiance.  “Yes, actually, I am.  Because I think
you’re
being ridiculous.  How could I live with myself if I knew I had a chance to save someone I love and I didn’t even try?  I would do the same for you.”

Janie closed her eyes and shook her head, as if she were trying to drown out Alessa’s appeal.  “Less, listen to me.”  She glanced around the room warily then hissed, “Don’t you think the timing of this offer is just a bit… convenient?”

Alessa cocked her head to one side and regarded Janie with curiosity.  Slowly, she uttered, “What do you mean?”

“I mean…” Janie bit her tongue, shaking her head again.  “What I mean is that this is just totally out of character for you.  You’ve always been a
paragon
of levelheadedness and now you’re acting like a crazy lady, like some sort of
plague
crawled into your head and is holding you
hostage
.”  She looked at Alessa expectantly for a moment, then continued more softly.  “I just think you need a little more time to think about this.  I promise I will support you in whatever you decide to do –” she reached for Alessa’s hands.  “– because I
do
know how much Isaac means to you.  I just don’t want you to rush into it.”

Alessa allowed Janie to take her hands, but inside she was still resistant.  It was clear that Janie had more to say and Alessa couldn’t understand why she was holding back, especially after Alessa had been so forthcoming with her own feelings.  She was tempted to press her further, but something in Janie’s expression told Alessa that it would be futile to ask.  Janie obviously wasn’t ready to share whatever it was that she wanted to say.

Instead, Alessa tried to reassure her friend.  “I won’t have an opportunity to act until the professor goes on paternity leave in a few weeks, so I’ll think it over between now and then.  But I’m pretty sure I already know what my decision will be.”

Janie nodded and seemed pacified.  “That’s all I ask.  Just take some time to think things through.”

Alessa departed for her own room, her sense of exhilaration much dampened from earlier in the day.  Despite Janie’s reassurances, Alessa wasn’t sure that she’d be able to count on her friend for support if she did decide to move forward with her plan to steal the equipment.  And the fact that Janie was obviously withholding her thoughts bothered her even more.  She hoped that – as Janie suggested – more clarity would come with time.

The next morning, Alessa felt more conflicted than she ever had, and her frustration with Janie had reached an all-time peak.  She couldn’t imagine why Janie wouldn’t just come out and say whatever she was trying to insinuate during yesterday’s conversation.  The growing rift between them troubled Alessa deeply, and it was making her reconsider everything.  Was saving Isaac really worth the risk of losing her best friend?

All of this indecision had left Alessa with a stronger appetite than usual, so she’d decided to fix herself an egg sandwich before her morning class.  After downing the sandwich, she found that the hearty sustenance did indeed help to fortify her outlook.  She just hoped her housemates wouldn’t notice the absence of the ingredients she’d borrowed.

Striding down the first floor hallway from the kitchen, Alessa heard a muffled noise, like a heavy lock clicking, from the other side of the wall to her right.  That was odd – she didn’t remember there being a room on the other side of this hallway.  She stopped in place and eyed the wall.  Sure enough, it was blank.  Alessa was about to chalk up the disturbance to a figment of her imagination when she noticed a narrow fault running most of the length of the wall from top to bottom.  As she looked closer, she could see other fine slits adjoining the first – the outline of a door.

Before Alessa had time to consider what she was seeing, the door swung inward and a hand extended out, yanking her by the collar into a small, dark room.

It took Alessa’s eyes a moment to adjust.  The room was no larger than a supply closet, and the only source of light was the blue glow from hundreds of security monitors that were mounted to the walls in every direction.  She saw images of the quad, the science building, the outside of her house.  The Z-E-Pi kitchen.  Inside her bedroom?  Alessa’s mouth dropped.  Had the university really taken the security cameras that far?  Wasn’t that a violation of some kind of privacy right?

As she watched, one by one the screens flickered and replaced their crisp images with a single error message.  “CAMERA OFFLINE.”  The room glowed brighter as each monitor flashed the error on a vivid white background, and gradually Alessa could make out more detail.

The security monitors were unlike anything Alessa had ever seen, shiny glass panels hung in neat rows across every surface of the room.  The screens were almost paper-thin; Alessa hadn’t even known such technology existed.  In the corner, she saw what she believed was a control panel, with various glowing buttons seemingly floating in midair alongside a continuously updating list of text.  She made out the first couple lines.

Camera 1753.  Status: offline.  Cause of malfunction: unknown.

Camera 8237. Status: offline.  Cause of malfunction: unknown.

Now that she could see more clearly, Alessa glanced around alertly looking for whoever had pulled her into this disturbing little closet.  With a gasp of surprise, Alessa saw that it was Janie.  She was watching the monitors attentively and turned to Alessa as the last one flicked to the error screen, a fevered look in her eyes.

“Alessa, we don’t have much time, so I need you to listen to me.  Don’t repeat
anything
I say here – otherwise we’ll all be in great danger.  Do you understand?”

Alessa just nodded her assent, her heart in her throat.  She could tell that Janie was dead serious, and Alessa was clutched by fear.  What was going on?

“Okay.  I need to know how much you remember.”  Janie stared intently into Alessa’s eyes.

Alessa shrugged her shoulders.  “Remember about what?” she croaked.

“About the war?  The outbreak?  Losing our family?  Starting over in Paragon?  The rebellion? 
Anything
?”

Alessa had no idea what Janie was talking about.  She just stared at Janie in bewilderment.

Janie groaned with frustration and put one hand to her temple, looking off to the side.  “It’s worse than I thought,” she muttered to herself.  “I hoped the dreams might have triggered something, but her stitch seems to be holding strong.”

Janie continued to stare into space, and Alessa realized she was listening.  In fact, Janie wasn’t touching her temple, Alessa saw, but her ear.  Was she wearing some sort of concealed earpiece?  Janie nodded in response to whatever she heard on the other end of the line.

Turning back to Alessa, Janie grabbed her shoulders and looked her directly in the eyes once more.  “How about Joe?  Do you remember Joe?  Do you remember the day he was captured?  How you and Isaac became close after his death?”

Alessa couldn’t keep up.  Each thought felt like a trudging step through thick, viscous goo.  Some of these names – Joe, Paragon – sounded familiar, but she couldn’t place why.  Her mind still catching up, a thought occurred to her about Janie’s initial line of questioning.  “Wait, did you say ‘
our
family?’”

Janie exhaled a deep breath, tears welling in her eyes.  “Alessa.  I’m your sister.”

Alessa shook her head, her heart pounding.  She didn’t know how it could be true, but something inside told her it was.  She felt faint.  “How…”

Janie brushed off the question and continued at a rapid pace.  “Alessa, we’re almost out of time, so I’m going to get to the point.  Nothing beyond this door –” she gestured at the hidden door Alessa had entered through, “– is real.”

Alessa still felt ten steps behind.  “What?” she whispered.

“The university, these people, your memories, Isaac’s apparition – they were all deliberately chosen to create the illusion of an early 21st century college where a girl, you, falls in love with a ghost.  It’s 2114, Alessa – almost a 100 years later than you think it is.  Isaac
is
real, but he’s not a ghost and he’s not in some other time.  He’s as alive and present as you and me.  He’s just on a different set.”

“Set?  Wait, Janie, slow down.  I can’t –”

“There’s no time, Alessa.  The dramas, please try to remember,” Janie pleaded.

Alessa just stared blankly, shaking her head in disbelief.

“This is all the set of a TV show, Less.  You’ve been, well, brainwashed essentially – we call it ‘stitched’ – to think that you
are
your character, and so has everyone around us.  But in reality, we’re all prisoners here.”

Alessa’s mind was racing.  This didn’t make any sense.

Janie continued.  “The memory wipe technology – the stitch – they used on us isn’t perfect.  There are certain things they couldn’t erase, like your name and your feelings for certain people.  So the producers worked those things into the plot, then they used a selective perception tool on you to smooth the edges around their deception, helping you miss the clues that might alert you that this wasn’t reality.  The idea is that the more real
this
world is to you, the more you’ll forget who you really are, and the less likely it will be that you’ll rebel again.”

Janie paused, waiting to see if Alessa was following.  She continued softly, “Do you see?  That’s why you feel all those things when you see Isaac.  You
love
each other.  None of that is made up.  But you were both captured and separated months ago, and held prisoner while they did – who knows what? – to you both.  You probably thought he was gone forever. 
I
didn’t know what had become of either of you for months.  Then finally our spy within the production team taught me how to resist the stitch and helped me infiltrate the show.

“But Isaac isn’t gone, Alessa.  We’re going to save him.  And not just from some bogus special effects fire, but for real.  We’re working on a plan to help you both escape.  We just need a little more time.”