BEATRICE:

The operations department was in the dingy basement of the Camp Claudi complex. It shocked the employee on duty to see me down there. It’s not a place I usually go.

“Can I help you, Mrs. Claudi?”

“Give me a can of gasoline and some matches.”

“Come again?”

“You heard me.”

Despite his confusion, he hustled to get me what I asked for. Employees know better than to question my motives.

I trekked through Bennu forest with that heavy gas can. I passed the scorched lands and went into the thicket, in my high heels, of course. Even at my lowest point, my vanity held on tight. My ego didn’t want to let go of the legacy I’d built, but there was a greater good pushing me onward.

Bennu birds called out in the distance, so I moved quicker. I didn’t want to get eaten to death. The rebirthing process took too long. What if I didn’t make it back before Alpha enacted his grand scheme? Time was of the essence now.

After an arduous walk, I found the old, abandoned warehouse. The one where Mark kept Zayne and countless other boys. He experimented, tortured, mutated, and mutilated them. Seeing it in real life convinced me the only way forward was back in time.

I doused the house of torture with gasoline and set it ablaze. The flames burst into being and rose up to engulf the structure.

The glass ceiling cracked and fell. Inside, cages filled with fire. Torture devices and mutation photos burned, erasing all evidence of the horrors that occurred as a result of the most pivotal decision of my life. The remnants of evil created a powerful blaze, the perfect fire portal to the past.

With a great exhale, I relinquished control and surrendered to the slipstream for the last time. Probability portals swirled around me. Future streams begged for my attention.

I knew exactly where to go; back in time to the most important portal in the slipstream. The one percent that Alpha didn’t have access to. My deepest emotions kept it locked from everyone except me.

“I’m ready to face it now…”

I slipped into the portal and woke up on the other side, sitting in my wheelchair, staring into the fireplace. My gorgeous seventeen-year-old daughter, Grace, parked me there and kissed my cheek.

“I’ll be home for dinner.” Grace left me there to stare into the flame’s probabilities. Her able body bounded down the corridor, into the woods we forbad her to explore.

I sat in front of that fireplace, unable to move. I watched the flames flicker, as I did every afternoon since we arrived on Bennu Island. My ego cried out with anguish. To be back in this vegetable state was pure torture. Muscular dystrophy was a cruel disease. A sharp mind doesn’t go far when it’s trapped in a fleshy cage.

A while later, Mark came to my side. His face was so vibrant. He looked down at me and smiled, exposing his pearly white teeth. He bent down to get to my eye level. Damn, he smelled delicious; musky after a hard day of work. I even loved his stink.

I wanted to smile at him, but my face muscles no longer obeyed me.

Mark presented me with a small pelican case as if it contained an engagement ring. He proudly opened it and showcased a vial inside. It was the very first Life Rite serum that passed his rigorous testing.

A single tear fell from my eye. This was my moment of truth. The most pivotal decision of my life that set the rest of the world’s fate in motion.

“This will bring you back, B. You ready to try it?” Mark asked.

He had spoken to me for hours on end the last several years about the vitality found in Bennu eggs. He felt certain he could harness their power to cure my muscular dystrophy. We felt hopeful when he bought the island. When he started testing the serum, I was elated. It crushed me when he explained the mutation issues. Now, he’d found a way around that and proudly presented years of work and research. The time had come to give me the treatment.

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Mark said, “The first few doses may make you sick, but we can tuck you away so Grace doesn’t notice. She’s being a typical teenager anyway, off on her own all afternoon.”

Mark grabbed the serum and moved toward me to inject.

“I love you so much, Beatrice. I pray this works. I can’t wait to get you back.”

As the needle hovered over my vein, I gathered every ounce of strength to move my mouth and tongue.

At first it came out like a moan, but the second time I clearly said, “No! Stop!”

Mark withdrew the needle and put his face close to mine. He studied my lips, amazed since I didn’t speak much anymore. It took so much strength to breathe while speaking.

“What was that, B? I’m listening, dear.”

“No,” I said again. My vocal cords were rusty from non-use, and my voice sounded hoarse.

“If this works like I suspect,” Mark replied, “we could cure a lot of diseases. I know it’s scary to be the first person to take a new drug, but darling, this is our year! Anything is possible now with Life Rite.”

He moved the needle toward my arm.

I struggled to move away. My muscles refused to cooperate. Despite knowing the future probability of how this would all end, part of me still wanted the treatment. I loved feeling strong. The lure of eternal health and beauty is a difficult temptress to fight.

Equipped with my knowledge of the future and Alpha’s unwavering mission, I focused all my energy. As Mark was about to inject the serum, my arm miraculously jerked away from the needle.

“Stay still, dear.” Mark didn’t understand.

I grunted with concentration and pulled my arm into my chest.

Mark stood back in disbelief. “Are you okay, B?”

I moved my focus back to my dull vocal cords, and they vibrated under my immense willpower. I breathed heavily between words.

“No… serum. Shut… it… down!”

“My muse…” Stunned, Mark dropped the vial, and it broke. The glowing serum spilled onto the hardwood floor. He hugged me, and I melted in his embrace.

This isn’t a slipstream simulation. Mark’s warm arms around me are real, and unfortunately, so is my all-encompassing paralysis.

My body may be deteriorating, but my mind is stronger than ever. The slipstream that I created and utilized these last few months is real. After exploring all the probabilities in the slipstream, I know with certainty which truth needs to be written. This is the hardest decision of my life, but I know it isn’t just about me. My actions now will protect my family for generations to come, the people of Bennu Island, and ultimately, the rest of the world.

With great concentration of force, I explained to Mark why I couldn’t take the serum.

“Unintended consequences… My… happiness… is not more… important… than those boys. Or… anyone else.”

“Honey, we talked about this,” Mark started to say, but I continued. He listened with bated breath.

“Shut it down… Please. Too much… suffering.”

Tears streamed down my face. Mark brushed them away and kissed me on my forehead.

“I hear you honey, I do. But—

I cut him off again. “The boy in the cage… release him. Bring him… to me… Please. Trust is the glue… that holds families together.”

I struggled to catch my breath as Mark searched my face for an explanation that I couldn’t give. My breathing was shallow and quick. Speaking was difficult for my diaphragm muscles, and my body worked overtime. As Mark stared into my eyes, he must have seen all the pain we caused with Life Rite, now and in the future.

The next day, Mark released Zayne from his cage, and I introduced him to Grace. Despite his harsh objections, Mark ultimately agreed to obey my wishes. He would do anything to please me, even if he didn’t understand it.

This wasn’t enough to make things right with Zayne and the villagers, but it was a start. Mark assured me he had more reparation plans in motion.

I watched Grace and Zayne’s awkward teen romance bloom in front of me that summer. The connection they shared was real. Who was I to take that away from them? I wanted Grace to have a love as powerful as what I had with Mark. Maybe he would one day rebuild her a castle, brick by brick.

Whenever I heard a Bennu bird call or saw one flying overhead, I wondered if it was Firestorm watching over this stream as it was being written.

My body deteriorated quickly; my heart got weaker by the day. But I had never felt more happiness in all my time in the slipstream than I did that summer. Grace pushed my wheelchair out into the forest so I could watch her and Zayne frolic around the island.

Mark hated their friendship, but maybe Jackie would still be born.

Had I done enough to turn the wheels of fate? I prayed all of their lives would be altered thanks to my sacrifice. I loved feeling important, and what better way to leave my mark on this world than to create a family legacy that replaced all the suffering with love?

As my breathing worsened, I felt my sharp mind fade as well. My last day was spent in the garden soaking up the boundless energy of my vivacious daughter, endless hugs and kisses from my loving husband, and the beautiful island that offered its bounty to me despite the sorrow I inflicted upon it.

My final request was to have Mark throw my coffin into the volcano. He didn’t understand it, but it felt like the most probable way for me to go.

This time, I went alone, with no slipstream to catch me and no idea what came next.