Beginning of the Hunt

No, this isn’t possible – I can’t believe what my ears just heard. She has to be pulling my leg, and I am not in the mood for any type of humor right now.

“You’re saying I got… a 98?” I repeat her words slowly, as if there was something that could’ve been missed from her clear-as-day statement.

Miss Gray nods, turning off the testing machine and then heading to the printer to grab a copy of my results. “Mhm! Excellent job as usual.”

“Ninety… Eight?”

She smirks and raises an eyebrow. “Yes, Calla, that’s how many points you got. Is something the matter?”

“Why— of course there is, it’s too low. Can’t you re-calculate it?”

“I assure you; the results are accurate. I don’t see what you’re complaining about, you did very well.”

She hands me the piece of paper. There it is, stated at the top of the page: “Participant received 98 out of 100 points.” My heart sinks. If we weren’t required to keep these, I’d throw it out to spare myself from the shame. A summary of what was seen is included further down the page, and when it describes where my dream went wrong is when I feel compelled to tear it in half; it’s the exact instance Ezri appeared.

After leaving the MME Building, I’ve never felt so defeated. Too humiliated to tell them anything, I didn’t even say goodbye to Jasper or Shiloh, I just wanted to be out of there. This entire situation is preposterous. The fact she’s able to have this type of hold over me is revolting beyond belief; no one’s ever been able to affect me like this before, and I wanted it to stay that way.

A car arrives in front of the building, and I recognize it as one of our own. The door opens to the backseat, while a droid is seated behind the steering wheel. “Please enter, young Miss Hartwell,” the droid says. “You are immediately requested at the residence.”

I almost slam the door after hopping inside, but taking a deep breath, I restrain myself. The droid waits for me to buckle, then drives off into the night. I press a button in the middle of the car, causing a panel to open up. It illuminates the interior with a soft, blue light. Besides vehicle controls, it shows the internet, news updates – which are still devoid of anything about Ezri – and phone contacts. There’s a message notification from an unknown number in the corner, the preview saying:

“I really hope you’re happy with yourself. Dan was sent to a facility because of you. You’re a disgusting person—”

I swipe away the text. It’s Dan’s own fault for trying to publish a controversial article to the university’s newspaper without approval. Reporting him was the responsible thing to do, and this stranger is sadly too immature to understand that.

Another text comes merely seconds later. It reads, “Go die.”

“Trace the number that just came in and report the user immediately,” I order the droid across from me, my eyes narrowing at the contents of the message. The droid’s system is intertwined with the car’s, so it can access the same information as me.

“What crime has been committed?”

“Malicious intentions.”

“Certainly then. Your request has been completed.”

The car comes to a slow stop outside of my family’s mansion, and apparently, we have a lot of visitors. Over 50 vehicles are parked outside, most of them being used by the government, as shown by the large white rose on a compass icon pasted onto their sides or backs. After everything that’s happened, the last thing I want is for the home to be filled with a bunch of people – I just want some peace and quiet, and a chance to talk with Dad alone.

But that definitely isn’t happening. As soon as I walk in, people and their droid helpers are walking hastily down the hall, room to room, up and down the stairs. Concerned chatter fills the atmosphere. The whole thing looks incredibly disorganized, and it only fuels my agitation. I really shouldn’t need to do this in my own home, but I maneuver through the plethora of government workers as if swimming through a rushing river, finding my way to where I assume Dad is located – his office.

Sure enough, that’s exactly where he is. His countenance is serious and intense as he sits behind his desk, the surface covered with documents. Assistants are seated elsewhere, their hands working quickly at their computers. No one even notices me at first; it takes me clearing my throat to grab anyone’s attention.

“Calla- you’re here, good. How was your examination?” Dad asks.

“A complete and utter disaster.”

He lets out a light scoff and says, “Well, you’re not at a facility, so it couldn’t have been that terrible.”

He's wrong, but for my own sake, I won’t keep the topic going. “Why is everyone here of all places?”

“Until we can regain control of the Headquarters, this will be our temporary base of operations.”

“What?” My eyes widen with shock as I take a few steps forward. I genuinely thought the golems would’ve had the job done for us by now. “Did they actually take down the golems? Why can’t we just send in more?”

Dad raises his hand then says, “No, the golems are still there making sure they don’t try to leave. We are refraining from attacking to avoid provoking them.”

“Dad, they’re already ‘provoked’ just by us existing! You have to do something!”

“Calla, listen,” he grumbles, his tone indicating a loss of patience. “They still have access to the Racer, which means that if they wanted to, they could bring in more of their ‘friends’ from the other side. That’s something we may not be prepared to risk, so we have to move very carefully. Is that clear?”

“ … Yes, Dad.”

His expression softens, but the stony look in his gaze is still as present as ever. He’s understandably stressed out, and I guess my pestering isn’t helping him feel any better. “I know you aren’t happy about this, and neither am I. But you’ll have to trust us – as soon as we can, Ezri and the others will sleep.”

“Right… I’m sorry, I’ll be more patient.”

However, as I lay down wide awake, that’s a lot easier said than done. Tossing and turning, I haven’t been this restless since I believed in monsters hiding under my bed – and to be honest, I’d prefer those over that despicable Ezri. Bet they wouldn’t have made me flunk the MMEs, or try to ruin the country. Sounds like a picnic compared to all of this.

But Dad wants me to trust him, so I will, despite how much his methods bother me. If it were me in charge, I would nuke the Headquarters if it came down to it, no matter how much Professor Katz would whine about his precious invention being destroyed. Whatever, though. Pretty soon, we’ll all be able to put this time behind us. I’ll never need to have Ezri cross my mind, ever again.

Again…

Except— with the way things are going, there’s nothing to stop it from happening again. The Ezri we’ve met exists in the future, so… If we put her to sleep, we’d only be stopping that version. She would still be active as her younger self - the self who exists today. Time would continue, and in twelve years, the same Ezri would be “reborn.”

What happened tonight could repeat itself over and over, and we wouldn’t even know it. In fact, who’s to say it hasn’t already?

I throw off the blankets, ready to rush back into Dad’s office – but when I thankfully see a glimpse of myself through my vanity, I realize it wouldn’t be suitable for the IPU officials to see me in my night clothes. Priorities first. I quickly put a blazer over my shirt, then once determining which pattern of skirt would look better with said blazer, I slip on a pair of flats and set on my mission downstairs.

Simply getting back the Headquarters and disposing of Ezri won’t be good enough – if we actually want to stop this, we’ll need to target whoever she is in the present instead. She’ll never get the chance to grow into our nemesis. That’s how we can prevent this.

Before twelve years into the future, finding Ezri is the only way. And I’ll make sure the IPU gets her, even if it’s the last thing I will ever do.