Life at the Cost of Drinking a Cup of Time: The Simulated Dream

Part two: A Gamble with Fate (Continued)

Several preliminary tests had been conducted as trials to prepare Alex for the real experiment on the day of the accident. These tests were specifically designed to place him in controlled conditions and assess his body's reactions to time simulations. The goal was to bring Alex back to the day of the accident, but before anything else, they had to ensure his body could handle such a challenge. The tests were carried out with utmost precision to determine if his body responded properly to the simulations and whether any adverse effects would occur. The days in the lab passed quickly, with each experiment bringing Alex closer to the ultimate goal.

-First Steps Backward-

As the sound of the machine faded, Alex found himself in a familiar place—a quiet street bathed in the soft light of a streetlamp. He could smell Sarah’s perfume faintly, hear the laughter of their son, Tom, in the distance, and feel the warmth of the summer night air on his skin. Everything was just as he remembered, but it didn’t feel right.

The world around him was a simulated version, designed to mimic the past with disturbing accuracy. Alex knew this wasn’t real, but it was real enough to make his heart ache. He stood still, unable to move, while his eyes locked onto the scene. Before him, Sarah stood on the porch, waiting for him.

"Alex," her voice gently drifted from a distance, a voice that still echoed in his mind. Her eyes were filled with love, the same gaze she always had when she looked at him.

But something was different. The look in her eyes, just as Alex remembered, no longer held the same trust it once did. There was distance, a kind of caution in her eyes that Alex didn’t recognize.

"Are you okay?" Sarah asked, her brows furrowed with concern.

Alex took a step forward, his heart racing. "I—I’m not sure," he muttered, unsure how to begin this conversation. He didn’t know how to tell her that he was from the future or that everything they had was built on the fragility of time.

Just like the moments before, the world around him began to shake. The porch, the light, Sarah’s face—everything trembled as if a scene were collapsing. A wave of panic swept over him. He couldn’t lose her again, not like this.

He reached out, trying to grasp onto the illusion, but it slipped through his fingers. His breath caught in his throat as he realized that nothing could be held onto anymore—not even the past.

-Ripple Effects-

Alex’s mission was simple: save Tom. But even as he stood in this world, just a few steps away from Sarah, he knew that his presence was already beginning to alter the course of events.

In this simulated past, every interaction had weight. Every action, every word, could bring him closer to saving his son—or it could set off a chain of reactions that would change everything he thought he knew.

"Sarah," he began, his voice trembling as he tried to hold on to this fleeting moment. "I need to ask you something. It’s really important. Please listen."

She looked at him, but there was something in her gaze that made Alex hesitate. Could she somehow sense that something was wrong?

"What’s going on, Alex? What’s happened to you?" she asked, her voice laced with worry and anxiety. "You’ve been distant lately... Is there something you're not telling me?"

For a moment, Alex faltered. The weight of the decision was heavier than he could bear. How much should he reveal? If he told her he came from the future—about Tom, about the accident—would it give him any chance of changing the future?

"I—" he began, but the words wouldn’t come. He didn’t know what to say, didn’t know how to convince her.

The world trembled again. This time, more violently. The universe around him began to destabilize, and he felt time’s pull dragging him back to the present. There was no time left. He hadn’t made any progress toward his mission.

"Alex, what’s happening?" Sarah’s voice turned into a scream as the scene started to fade, her face morphing in fear.

Alex turned toward her, but before he could say anything, the world completely collapsed, and he was swallowed by darkness.

-A Moment of Clarity-

When Alex opened his eyes again, he was back in the machine. The world he had been in—the past, the simulation—was gone. Only the cold, sterile environment of the lab remained. He felt disoriented, his body heavy with exhaustion.

Professor Darcy stood over him, his expression unreadable. "Alex, you were in the simulation for an hour. How did it go?"

Alex struggled to sit up, his mind spinning. Sarah’s voice still echoed in his ears, her concerned questions ringing in his head. It had felt real. So real.

"I... I couldn’t reach her," Alex said in a hoarse voice. "I tried. But it wasn’t like I thought. She... she sensed something was wrong. She felt it."

Darcy’s eyes narrowed as he entered some commands into the machine. "We predicted this," he said, his voice soft but firm. "The simulation doesn’t just recreate the past. It reacts to you. Your presence here isn’t just as an observer. You’re changing things... and the past is reacting to you."

Alex’s heart sank. "What do you mean?"

Darcy paused, as if carefully choosing his words. "It means the simulation doesn’t just recreate the past. It’s reacting to you. Your presence here is affecting time."

The machine and the simulation were presented as tools for altering time and its consequences. Ethical and philosophical questions about changing the past began to surface.

-The Gamble-

The day of testing came to an end, and Alex returned home. He still felt an overwhelming fatigue in his body, his mind filled with questions and uncertainties that no one had been able to fully answer. When he entered the house, he felt that the experience of that day was still alive in his mind, like a nightmare that wouldn’t end. The sound of the lab machine, the familiar smells, and the cold atmosphere of the place were all etched in his memory. But at this moment, he needed to do something beyond all of this.

As he walked into the house, he decided to record the experience of that day on an audio tape. Every word that came out of his mouth unconsciously eased the pressure that weighed on him. He couldn’t keep all of these experiences in his head; he had to document them. He brought the microphone close to his mouth and slowly recorded everything that had happened to him. Then, he wrote on the tape, "Project S" and handed it to his sister, Rosalyn, asking her to listen to it and note any changes that might occur in the tape over the next few days. He also emphasized that she should not speak to anyone about this project.

He knew that this project was, in fact, a fruitless gamble that could consume everything he called the present.