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She had her ID, cellphone, cash, and translator, and a few credit cards, but her cellphone had no reception to offer. Kira reached for her purse and began to sort through its contents. A body of water roared nearby, its waves aggressively slamming against the rocks as if trying to reach her.Ĭherry was no more, and neither was the NASA headquarters. Huge trees loomed over her, staring down as if studying the newcomer in the forest. Everything had gotten replaced by nature. The metals, concrete, glass, and civilization were all but memories. Instead, they dipped into a green carpet of grass. She cried out as she fell, expecting her knees to hit the cold marble of Cherry’s office. The rest of the sentence disappeared along with Kira’s reality once she touched the glass. this is fucking crazy,” she stammered as she reached for the glass. The vegetable vanished instantly, taking Kira’s composure with it. After a melodramatic click of a button, the machine shot out a ray of blue that consumed the potato. She typed on the panel’s keyboard, coding away instructions.

“I’ll show you!” Cherry moved to the control panel and squinted at the potato that was sitting on the table. Although other engineers were working on similar projects, no one had managed to move objects very far. “You’re lying,” the younger scientist choked out, overwhelmed with pride for her friend.

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“I figured out how to move samples from one room to another.” The objects only teleported a foot or two apart, but it was a feat nonetheless. After ten years of tinkering, the astrophysicist managed to figure out how to teleport an item from one spot to another. Behind a tempered glass wall sat Cherry’s latest project. She guided Kira to the room attached to her office and scanned her hand for access. The glass walls that surrounded them were decorated with formulas and the tables littered with gadgets. The mess of her office certified her genius. “I won’t hesitate to sue if I fall.”Ĭherry waved her off.

“You need to clean this place up,” Kira chuckled as she stepped over the multiple boxes that littered the entrance. The silver door slid aside into the wall and revealed Cherry’s face, which was wrinkled with both age and joy. She took the elevator to the engineering department and knocked on her friend’s office. Cherry was also an engineer, but she was far more seasoned since she was fifty years old. Within a second, the pad read her fingerprints and granted access to NASA’s headquarters.Īfter engineering a device that could translate every language on Earth as well as learn ones that it didn’t recognize, she was showered with awards. Kira tossed a smile at the receptionist as she placed her palm against the censor. Choosing to procrastinate instead of dealing with the mess, she stood up and sought out her purse. Kira looked down at the pieces of the table that were still awaiting arrangement. Why don’t you come over to the facility? I have a surprise for you.” There wouldn’t be a man in the picture, because Kira needed no man.Ī ring made her drop her screwdriver and reach for her cellphone. Artificial insemination was the perfect way to get pregnant without needing a relationship. It was her uterus, and she’d do whatever she wanted with it. With a huff, Dana turned and click-clacked her way out of the apartment. You really ought to be more open-minded.” Kira continued to twist the screw in place, refusing to be broken down. “You will, yes, but not by using a sperm donor. Kira rolled her eyes in beat with her screwdriver. “Why don’t you call the nice young man I met at church?” As twisted as it was, Kira was sure that she hoped she ended up in her shoes– divorced, bitter, and stuffed with an equal amount of bullshit and botox. Her mother was always speaking down to her, trying to guide her toward her prophecy of failure. Most of their arguments were of the same nature. “Mom, if I found out how to get a PhD, then I think I can figure out how to put nails in a block of wood.”

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Kira squinted at the fine print on the manual and then at the bolts and screws that cluttered her kitchen floor.

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