Inertia

Being trapped in a room was terrifying… even if it was my own, even if I was familiar with the surroundings. Not knowing why I was confined, having no memories of what came before, and being unable to contact anyone only made my anxiety worse.

Being trapped somewhere 4,000 years in the future felt about 4,000 times worse.

When I reached for the door handle, all three of them turned their focus to me and stepped forward. I think my fear and desperation to escape triggered some primal instinct, the urge to chase fleeing prey.

“Is this the portal?” the older man asked, looking at Alba.

To be fair, my door did look like a portal.

“Yes, it’s connected to the top bunk,” she replied.

“Hahaha, fascinating. This portal couldn’t have been in a better place! Young lady, destiny has placed you in the safest spot in this country,” the man said. 

He was the second person to tell me that, but this place didn’t feel safe at all.

The room around me was small but spacious enough for the three of them to stand without feeling cramped. The bunk bed was tall and surprisingly comfortable; both the top and bottom bunks were queen-sized.

For 6025, the room was rather simple. There were a few high-tech objects I couldn’t identify, and a window. From where I stood, it looked like I was in a tall building or maybe something even higher, since all I could see outside were clouds.

“This doesn’t feel safe to me,” I said aloud before I even realized.

“Oh, wait. I didn’t mean the place — I meant her,” he said, pointing at Alba with a smile still on his face.

“Well, let me introduce myself. My name is Pedro Henrique da Silva, but you can call me Silva, though no one here does,” the man continues.

Dom quickly explained why no one used that name: “Chefe is better; we all call him that. It means ‘commander’ in Portuguese. Much easier for us.”

“Got it...” I said, not fully understanding it.

Then the man, I mean Chefe, continued his questioning.

“What’s your name, young lady?”

“My name is Inertia Nowak.”

“Nowak?” they all exclaimed loudly, looking outraged by my surname.

Although uncommon in the country where I lived with my parents, my last name was quite common in the country where I was born. No one had ever been surprised by it before.

“Why? What’s wrong with it?” I asked them.

Chefe stared at me for a few seconds with unblinking eyes. It was as if he was looking at me but also not, and a flash of light passed over his eyes like a scan.

“Dom, Alba, stay here. Guard her and don’t let her leave. Understood?”

“Got it!” they said in unison.

Chefe left, and the two of them turned to look at me, though now they seemed scared of me.

“Why are you staring at me like that? What did I do?!”

They remained silent.

Taking advantage of their fear, I got up from the bed. Instantly, they stepped back, like poles of magnets repelling each other.

Since they wouldn’t answer me, I decided to have a little fun with the situation... maybe I was already going mad at that point.

“Hey, stop that,” Dom said.

I moved closer to Dom, and he backed away, but I managed to grab his arm. It was solid and cold… so cold that it slightly burned the palm of my hand.

“Ouch!”

“Hey, Dom, be careful!” Alba said.

“But I didn’t do anything!” he said indignantly.

“Let me see.” Alba took my arm and gently turned my palm upward.

Why did merely touching him burn me, while her touch didn’t affect me at all? I don’t know... she seemed more human than he did.

“I think your low temperature burned her delicate skin,” she said while still holding my arm, seemingly interested in my body. By interested, I mean my composition… nothing inappropriate.

“Humans are so fragile. How is she supposed to survive here?” he asked.

Taking advantage of their distraction, I asked again, “Why are you afraid of me?”

They froze for a moment, hesitant to share anything, but Alba decided to explain.

“It’s not exactly fear... perhaps shock? Your last name matches that of an ancient scientist, the founder of Eterno.”

“Eterno?” I asked.

Dom pointed to the back of his neck. “This crystal right here, behind our neck.”

Alba continued, “Maybe you’re connected to him... and being sent from the past to the future is very strange. Is your father, by any chance, a famous scientist?”

“Not that I know of... he’s a doctor, well-regarded in his field but not internationally renowned,” I replied.

“Alba, if Chefe left so abruptly, he must know something. There should be records about this scientist on the network. I’ll check it out,” Dom said.

I sat back on the bed, but they stayed standing. I seemed to be the only one in the room feeling tired, and the only one at risk of losing my sanity if I didn’t center myself amid all this.

Dom began reading aloud, “Filip Nowak was a Polish scientist and neurosurgeon who developed the theory of Relative Inertia, which later became one of the foundations for creating Eterno, a century after his death. Born into a Polish family, he moved to Japan at a young age to study neuroscience. There, he met his wife, and together they had a daughter, Inertia Nowak. It’s believed she was the inspiration behind his famous theory, as her sudden hospitalization at the age of fifteen left her incapacitated. Her condition drove him to search for a cure, ultimately revolutionizing global neuroscience.”

How?! What kind of neurological condition left me incapacitated?

I was being hit with too much information at once. I had no idea how I was still functioning.

“And did my father succeed? What happened to me after that?!”

Alba interrupted us, “That’s enough, Dom, seriously. Inertia, I can see your brain activity levels. They’re spiking. I think you’ve had more than enough for today.”

“No, I’m fine. Dom can keep going… or I’m going to die of curiosity right here and now,” I said, looking at Alba.

But in hindsight, I should have listened to her advice. It was too much information and stress for one day.

“Your father was a pioneer in the idea of extending lifespan, you know? It worked in the future, but many humans in the past didn’t get that chance, and that’s okay.” He looked at me sadly, and I already understood everything.

“I see... so it didn’t work,” I said.

“We don’t know that. You’re here now, aren’t you? So the future and the past don’t matter anymore.” Alba cut through my pessimism.

His words hit me hard. It was sad to realize my father’s efforts hadn’t succeeded, but I was glad he tried. It was unbelievable to learn the Nowak family had become so famous… truly amazing.

Even as I tried to comfort myself, I probably still looked sad. Dom tried to console me.

“There’s an entire territory here called Nowy. I think it’s connected to your last name and was also a tribute to your father. Don’t be sad. In a way, we’re grateful to you.”

“Thank you, Dom. I’m okay. I’m still alive for now, so it’s okay.”

Eterno reminded me of eternity. Was that what my father wanted for me? Did they manage to achieve eternal life?

“So, are you eternal? Did the scientists achieve that?”

Alba tried to explain, “It’s not exactly eternal; it’s more like we’ve extended lifespans. Thousands of years ago, a meteorite fell to Earth when humanity was on the brink of extinction. Many studies were conducted on the meteorite fragments because they seemed highly compatible with our DNA. Using your father’s theories, scientists ultimately managed to transfer our entire composition and consciousness into a mere crystal.”

Dom added, “But the crystal has a lifespan, so even though it works, life is still limited by the amount of crystal available.”

“Amazing! So you really were human...” I said, completely astonished.

“To be honest, I barely remember that time,” Alba replied.

Thinking about it, they had already lived for thousands of years. My mere fifteen years paled in comparison. How could my presence possibly help them? So much must have changed… I couldn’t see the point of being here.

“There’s a lot for you to see and learn. The world has changed immensely, but human nature remains the same. Animals, nature, and other remnants of the old world are concentrated in one place. What used to be simple and accessible to everyone has become a luxury controlled by the elite,” Alba explained.

“And where are we? If this place is safe, is this the one?” I asked.

“This place is only safe because Alba is here,” Dom said, laughing and pointing at her.

“You weren’t lucky enough to land in the center,” she responded.

He retorted, “They’d exploit her without mercy. I’m not even sure there’s any humanity left in those people.”

“And why is it safe to be with you, Alba?” I asked.

“Her father is one of the leaders of Nowy and one of the owners of Eterno. Messing with her is like… well, you know. Everyone’s too afraid to bother her, and they don’t mess with us either,” Dom explained.

“But that’s even worse… being away from the center and far from your father. Someone could kidnap you and demand crystals in exchange,” I said.

Alba agreed, but it wasn’t quite like that.

“Life is non-negotiable now. The punishment for any crime that threatens life is losing your own. No one wants to face that, so no one dares to stir the pot.”

“I see...”

Suddenly, my phone started ringing.

It was a call from Rei.

End of Report 04.