Chapter 6: Intercepted

Time: 2048
Location: Berlin, Global Innovation Center

The hum of the energy core had finally steadied, but the tension in the room hadn’t eased. Theo paced in front of the console, the pulse of red lights from failed systems reflecting off his anxious expression. Helena sat stiffly at her terminal, typing furiously as diagnostic reports scrolled across her screen. Kalen stood to the side, observing everything with an unsettling calm, as if he already knew what was coming next.

Theo clenched his fists, forcing himself to focus. "You said we sent part of the signal through," he said. "How much actually made it?"

Helena exhaled sharply, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face. "Seventy-four percent of the data reached the target point. But the rest..." She paused, biting her lip. "The rest got... intercepted."

Theo stilled. "Intercepted? By who?"

Kalen crossed his arms, his gaze sharp. "That’s the wrong question, Theo. You should be asking: How?"

Theo shot him a glare, frustration bubbling just beneath the surface. "Alright, then. How did someone intercept our signal in real-time?"

Kalen gave a small, humorless smile. "Because we’re not the only ones playing this game, remember? And whoever else is out there... they’re ahead of us."

Helena muttered under her breath as she brought up a new set of data streams. "The interference pattern we detected—there’s something familiar about it." She swiveled her chair toward Theo, a frown deepening on her face. "It wasn’t just random noise. It was synchronized. Like they knew exactly when and where we’d send the signal."

Theo ran a hand through his hair, trying to think. "That’s not possible. They’d need access to our system to anticipate—"

Helena cut him off. "Unless they’ve been monitoring us from the start."

10:42 since last transmission attempt.

The room was quiet except for the occasional beep of malfunctioning consoles. Theo’s mind raced. Someone’s watching us. Someone who knew our exact target.

"We need to trace the interference back to its source," Theo said firmly. "If we can figure out where it came from, we might still have a chance to correct this."

Kalen smirked, leaning against the wall. "It’s cute that you think you have time."

Helena shot him a withering look. "You’re not helping."

Kalen raised his hands in mock surrender. "I’m just saying: The longer you wait, the worse this gets."

Theo ignored the jab, already opening a diagnostic interface. He scrolled through lines of raw data, searching for anything that would give them a clue about the origin of the interference. But the deeper he looked, the more tangled the patterns became—like a web with no beginning or end.

Helena drummed her fingers against the console, deep in thought. "There’s a repeating frequency embedded in the interference," she muttered. "Almost like a signature."

Theo glanced over her shoulder. "What kind of signature?"

Helena narrowed her eyes. "Temporal resonance. It’s subtle, but it matches... something we’ve encountered before."

Theo’s heart skipped a beat. "Where?"

Helena hesitated, then pulled up an old file. "Here," she said grimly. "A failed transmission we picked up two years ago. From the future—2089."

Theo froze, the weight of her words settling over him like a shroud. "You’re saying this interference... it’s coming from the future?"

Kalen’s smirk faded, his expression hardening. "Looks like the game just got a lot more complicated."

14:21 since last transmission attempt.

The room felt colder now, as if the knowledge of future interference had drained the air of warmth. Theo leaned heavily against the console, struggling to make sense of the situation.

"If the signal from 2089 is disrupting our attempts," Helena said slowly, "that means someone in the future already knows what we’re trying to do—and they want to stop us."

Theo’s mind reeled. "Why would they try to stop us from preventing World War I? That doesn’t make sense."

Kalen stepped forward, his expression unreadable. "Maybe the future they want doesn’t exist if you succeed. Maybe they’re not stopping a war—they’re protecting one."

Helena shook her head, disbelief etched across her face. "That’s insane. No one in their right mind would protect a war."

"Unless the outcome of that war is essential to their existence," Kalen replied flatly.

Theo exhaled slowly, his mind churning with possibilities. What if every change we try to make is already part of someone else’s plan?

"We need to act fast," Theo said, his voice steady despite the storm raging inside him. "If there’s interference from 2089, it means our window to correct the timeline is closing."

Helena gave a small nod. "What’s the plan?"

Theo straightened, forcing himself to think clearly. "We send a decoy signal—something to draw their attention while we send the real transmission through a secondary channel. If they’re monitoring us, we need to give them something to chase."

Kalen raised an eyebrow, a hint of approval in his gaze. "Not bad, kid."

Helena frowned. "That’s risky. If they catch on—"

"They won’t," Theo interrupted. "We send the decoy just far enough into the future to distract them. Once their focus shifts, we send the real signal to 1962."

Kalen chuckled softly. "Gutsy. I like it."

Helena sighed, rubbing her temples. "This is insane."

"Maybe," Theo admitted. "But it’s the best shot we’ve got."

21:03 since last transmission attempt.

Theo stood at the console, his heart pounding in his chest. Helena worked beside him, her fingers flying over the keyboard as she prepared the decoy signal. Kalen hovered nearby, watching with an unsettling intensity.

"Decoy signal locked," Helena announced. "Target: January 7, 2073."

Theo gave a small nod. "Send it."

Helena tapped the interface, and the decoy signal pulsed through the core, vanishing into the timestream like a pebble dropped into a vast ocean.

"Now," Theo whispered. "We send the real one."

Helena switched channels, her hands moving with practiced precision. "Coordinates set: October 13, 1962."

Theo’s pulse raced as the core hummed with renewed energy. "Initiate."

The room trembled as the real signal surged through the secondary channel, slipping beneath the interference undetected. For a moment, everything seemed to hold its breath.

"Transmission... successful," Helena whispered, her voice tinged with disbelief.

Theo exhaled, relief washing over him like a tide. "We did it."

But Kalen’s expression remained grim. "Not yet."

Theo turned toward him. "What now?"

Kalen’s gaze was cold. "We wait. If the future fights back... we will see.”