Chapter One

“Status!” Commander Ralph ordered.

Gwyneth stood with her back straight and her head held high in the office of Commander’s Ralph, and older man in his forties, as he demanded an update on the Transport. Earth was dying, and all efforts to save it had proven futile. “It’s all proceeding smoothly, Commander Ralph. We’ve readied all the provisions, set the timer, and the groups are being prepared for transport to the Jumper. They have all successfully completed their training for the time they are traveling to.”

“Good! Finally, we can set things right.” Commander Ralph rose from his chair and approached the large windows behind him.

Outside, the city glowed with a breathtaking yet surreal illumination. This was the only world Gwyneth had ever known. She wondered what it would feel like to live without such artificial brilliance. Electricity had been invented in the 1700s, and now they were regressing even further, planning to return to the Roman Empire.

“If it works,” Gwyneth said.

Her Commander smiled and turned around. “It will work. Have some hope, Gwyn.”

“I thought you were more of a skeptic as well,” she teased.

“Not this time. Not after I saw it.”

All the testing and even the Jumper itself remained shrouded in mystery. Only high-ranking officials and the builders had laid eyes on it.

“You’ll believe too,” he assured her, walking over and placing a hand on her shoulder. “It’s unbelievable.”

“Let’s just hope it works.”

“It will. Now go gather your things. The clock is ticking down.”

“Yes, sir.” She turned away from her Commander, yet he called out to her as she reached the door, causing her to spin around.

“It has been great having you under my command, Protector Gwyn.”

Gwyneth felt a surge of pride from the compliment but nodded at her Commander, keeping her emotions in check. Gwyneth left the office and descended to a lower floor where the rooms assigned to the Protectors were located. She scanned her small wristband over the door scanner and entered the square, white room. It contained a single bed, a small window, a door leading to a bathroom, and a drawer. She had little, but she didn’t need much.

Despite her higher rank, privileges were scarce in an abused and overpopulated world. Yet her group was determined to fix the imbalances.

Gwyneth swung the bag over her shoulder, glancing around before opening her drawer. She pulled out a small handgun and attached it to her thigh. They couldn’t bring modern weapons, but Gwyneth always remained cautious. Until she jumped through the Jumper, she needed something to protect herself.

Gwyneth stepped out of her room and went to gather her group, who were already waiting in one of the living rooms meant for relaxation. They had an entire building to themselves where they could live.

“Are we ready?” she asked, as the group lined up in front of her.

“We are,” a younger Protector replied.

“Then let’s go. We have a future past to reach.”

All the Protectors smiled, and they followed Gwyneth, leaving the room and descending to the ground floor where cars awaited to take them to the Transport. The station was located in the middle of nowhere, far away from bustling New York City. A large grass field lay before them, with nothing but a giant cube-shaped structure. The cars stopped in front of a massive fence, which opened after scanning their IDs. They drove into a vast parking lot and then walked inside the cube. Stepping inside, she felt the crackling energy in the air.

There was nothing in the room except for a large, round iron circle in the middle. It gave the impression of a scene from a horror film, but Gwyneth couldn’t help but feel mesmerized as she approached the Jumper. It didn’t appear to be anything special. There was a panel system nearby where a few scientists from AirTech were conversing and making final preparations. Gwyneth had expected something more extraordinary, like the future taken to another level, but instead, there was just a plain, unattractive iron circle standing in an enormous cube. One of the Protectors from her group whistled a low tune, and Gwyneth turned her head, noticing him smiling.

“That is something,” he remarked.

“We don’t even know if it will work,” she responded.

“Always so skeptical,” he teased.

Gwyneth rolled her eyes but refrained from saying anything more as a group of civilians entered the cube, filling the space with their excitement and chatter about the impending journey. As the group approached Gwyneth, one of the men stepped forward. They had all changed into different attire, but Gwyneth knew it was too early for her to switch her clothes.

“No guns,” the man said, gesturing toward the gun attached to her thigh.

Gwyneth glanced down at her weapon. “Don’t worry, I’ll leave it here before I go. My job is to ensure all of you safely pass through the Jumper.”

“It’s safe,” he assured her. “Everything has been done discreetly, and this is humanity’s hope. Who would want to jeopardize that?”

“How do you think the world ended up in ruins in the first place?” Gwyneth retorted, and the man looked at her blankly. “Greed.”

He didn’t respond, even though Gwyneth had stated the obvious. Instead, he pointed at her gun again. “You can’t bring it with you.”

“I won’t.”

The man stepped away, returning to the group now dressed in stolas and togas, causing Gwyneth to roll her eyes.

“Unbelievable,” the Protector by her side remarked, and they turned to each other, exchanging a smile.

“All they see is the future they will create. They don’t consider the dangers,” Gwyneth said.

“I can’t believe we’re going back to fighting with swords and shields.”

“We’ve trained for it for five years. I was only twenty-four when I was finally notified about it. We’re prepared.”

“We are,” the Protector agreed.

“Everyone, gather!” one of the leading scientists stepped forward, capturing everyone’s attention. He positioned himself in the center of the room, and Gwyneth and her group stood before him. “We are all ready now. We conducted the final tests earlier today, and they all showed the expected results. The timer has been set, and you will soon sense a significant change in the air as the Jumper activates. Don’t be alarmed. It might cause slight discomfort, but it is safe.”

Just as the man spoke, a loud buzzing sound filled the room. Everyone turned their heads and witnessed sparks igniting in the middle of the iron circle, followed by a bright white-blue light flowing within it, filling the circle. Mesmerized, they watched, and Gwyneth felt a tingling sensation spread through her body, causing the hairs on her arms to stand on end. Gwyneth’s heart began to pound even harder.

“Who is the leading Proctor?” the older man asked.

“Me,” Gwyneth responded, stepping forward.

“Is your group prepared?”

“They are.”

The older man scrutinized her, as if searching for flaws. It annoyed Gwyneth, but it was something she was accustomed to. Some things never changed, even in the year 2356.

“Good. Let’s get them to the Jumper,” the man told her, leading them toward the Jumper. “Form a line, one person at a time.”

The civilians listened and formed a line, while Gwyneth and her group flanked them on either side, observing them as they stood there, resembling well-behaved children on a school trip. The thought brought a smile to Gwyneth’s face, and as the line began to move, she felt even better. It was unbelievable to witness the first person stepping through the Jumper. However, as they were preparing to send the second person, Gwyneth heard yelling over the loud noise of the Jumper. She turned her head and saw two scientists struggling at the control panel. What was happening?

“Hey!” Gwyneth yelled, but neither of them heard her due to the deafening buzzing sound. She grabbed her gun and approached them. “Stop it!”

The young man and woman continued fighting, oblivious to Gwyneth’s presence. However, others had heard her and turned toward her.

“What is going on?” the leading scientist asked.

“You two!”

As the two scientists battled each other, the doors leading inside burst open, and people dressed in dark clothes with masks covering their faces flooded into the room. They shouted at everyone to get down on their knees, and the civilians quickly complied. Gwyneth now understood what was happening. It was sabotage! While the others knelt, Gwyneth kept her eyes on the two scientists. The man had forced the woman onto the control panel, and it was clear that something was amiss.

“We said, get on your knees!” one of the dark figures yelled at her.

Based on the person’s build and deep voice, Gwyneth concluded that it was a man speaking, yet she was unsure of what to do. Strange sounds emanated from the machine, and she found herself standing closer to it than the others were. She felt a peculiar pulling sensation, as if she were a magnet drawn to the metal.

“Get on your knees!” the man shouted again over the buzzing noise, approaching Gwyneth.

She turned and fired her gun, but her action prompted the others to react. One of them fired back, hitting Gwyneth in the arm. She dropped the gun, stumbled backward, and saw people attempting to reach for her.

Gwyneth did not know what happened next. It felt as if her feet were lifting off the ground as she clutched her wounded arm. The air filled with an electric charge, and the buzzing sound grew louder, causing her ears to ring. She screamed as the powerful energy pulled her back, taking her away from everything she knew.