Phantom Universe

CHAPTER 48: ZHAR

  16 years old

  The Exodus brought on many issues for the Secret Clock Society due high number of members disappearing, though enough members were unaffected so that they were able to grow in numbers and size. This made Doctor Zhar’s shift into the future easy. But that’s where it ends. She’s been working for the Society for thirty years. She was there when the Subject—Summer—was created, and when the decision was made to terminate the Subject. Hell, Doctor Zhar raised her hand during the meeting when they voted yes for termination. It’s not that she has anything against the girl, it’s just that Summer’s a subject—not a person. She was given a name for identity’s sake, not so one of the Society’s members could get the “warm and fuzzies” for her. You can’t have “those types” of feelings towards a subject. Summer was made, not born. There’s no genetic makeup, no blood that would match the types found in humans.

  The thing is? Doctor Zhar can’t help but begin to let “those types” of feelings leak into her system. Except she’s on the other end of the spectrum. Ultimately, Summer’s turned out to be the number one problem causer for the Hourglass Project (Doctor Zhar’s project—her baby). The real dilemma, though, is that Summer can’t be controlled. She’s a wild card—but that’s the price you pay for something as scientifically advanced as a time machine.

  With thirty years of research under Doctor Zhar’s belt, she still hasn’t been able to find a way to duplicate the time traveling process without a living organism involved (much to her dismay). She’s tried lower beings such as rats, but they’re unable to endure the magnitude of the shift with time travel and explode, no matter the variations. Other mammals, even the biggest and strongest, randomly choose when to go through time. They’re more unpredictable than a human who can rationalize and reason. The downside? A human has to be trained.

  Summer’s never been trained because she was taken from the Society. Unknowingly, the pirates, who refused to give her over, carried a literal time bomb on their ship for twelve years. Doctor Zhar specifically designed Summer so her abilities would be like a switch inside her that flips to “on” when she reaches the age of maturity: sixteen. Only then could she access her time traveling abilities.

  It was during one of Summer’s many medical examinations as a child when a complication was discovered. The “No Genetic Makeup Subject” has a glitch: a genetic defect that reaches out like a web of invisible strings and latches onto all those with a certain antigen in their blood. It’s as if Summer’s body developed an overwhelming need to connect to other organisms and clamped onto the strongest species. Her body was doing what it had to do to survive—and at her young age, she quickly bonded with her supposed mother: Mindy Waverly. Except the bond’s deeper than any “warm and fuzzy” feeling. It’s the first connector of millions that ultimately has the power to pull those connected into the future or past with Summer. Whether the Outlanders know it or not, they all share an unmistakable bond with none other than Summer. To stop the time travel and cut the ties that bind, the subject must be terminated.

  Since the Society was unable to terminate the experiment before Summer turned sixteen, the miscalculations—as the Society surmised—caused her to over-power and send, not only herself, but those with particular blood types into the ether. The only reason the Society predicted she’d go into the future is because there’s nothing in written history about the sudden appearance of two hundred million people. The Society knew if the Subject wasn’t killed by her sixteenth birthday, the effects would be catastrophic. And they were. The Exodus alone caused the world to go into a series of devastating wars, and now the addition of two hundred million people in the future is causing shortages of food. President Beaumont’s right to put the Outlanders in camps and limit their food.

  Now Doctor Zhar has the cause, the problem, the issue—Summer—in her grasp. She uses a hand scanner to open the door to the lab where Summer’s already restrained and waiting. Hopefully she can convince this child to join their side—compared to Julian, surely this girl will be a dream. She was a slave for twelve years; certainly a nice place to live with people serving her will be enough incentive. Surely. Summer’s their control, but the brain and personality are the variables that can be manipulated by outside sources—hopefully by the Society. Doctor Zhar will have to find a way to work around their lack of social skills to help Summer form thoughts without her realizing the manipulation, or she’ll have to force it upon Summer. Either way is dangerous and should be handled by a professional—possibly a psychiatrist. But Doctor Zhar doesn’t have that luxury right now. She’s it. But she does have one thing on her side: Mindy’s life.