Upon the completion of Friendship’s Cost and Reserved Gift, my attention turned to the last genre for my patrons, a piece of science fition. Once again I had a collection of characters who I could have called upon, but I didn’t want to flesh out stories for them. I simply didn’t have enough time to do the job cleanly. So once again I turned to ChatGPT to delve into potential ideas. Of the concepts supplied, one caught my attention, and with a little focus, a story emerged. While the previous two installments have teased other stories in my mind, this one provided a tale that resolved itself cleanly.
Some problems have a way of lingering long after someone expects to solve them. The longer they remain, the easier it becomes to accept them as bedrock that won’t ever alter. No matter how often someone delves into the mystery, another failed attempt adds to the growing collection. Still, persistence has a funny way of keeping someone focused on the one stubborn piece that refuses to fall into place.
For Daniel, four years of work have left him staring at an equation that refuses to balance. Countless attempts have brought him closer, but none have managed to fill the tantalizing hole standing between him and a solution. Yet, when something unusual interrupts another day in the lab, the equation suddenly isn’t the only problem demanding his attention.
Sometimes, a discovery arrives after years of careful research and countless failed attempts. Other times, it begins with something that shouldn’t be possible and a question that refuses to be ignored. For Daniel, figuring out which one he’s facing might prove just as important as understanding what it means.
Excerpt of Future Discovery
Daniel bent down, grabbing the sides of the monitor as he reviewed the text.
‘Lock the east door.’
He rubbed his chin as he opened the message’s transmission log. However, the timestamp embedded within the missive was correct. It read 13:17, but his watch displayed 13:09. He massaged his face and turned to study the whiteboard behind him.
“The math still doesn’t check out.” Daniel slid off his chair and walked to the board, pulling a marker from the sill. He uncapped it and tapped the backside against the incomplete equation. Smudged numbers and symbols lingered beneath the unfinished formula, remnants of previous attempts to fill that stubborn space. He traced his finger along the surface as his eyes scrutinized the unbalanced equations. He hurried back to the terminal as another beep echoed, watching a new message appear on the screen.
‘Put the container in the lower cabinet.’
“What?” Daniel’s gaze swept about the laboratory, finding storage bins filling the shelves, glass containers crowding the countertops, and specimen boxes sitting beneath several terminals. He turned around, spotting another plastic container resting beside his desk under the room’s window.
Daniel slammed the marker down beside the table as he rubbed his eyes. He spun around in his chair and stared at the unfinished formula. He massaged his temples as he studied the tantalizing hole. “Four years into my studies and I don’t understand how I received either of those messages.”
He turned back to his desk and settled his fingers on the keyboard. His fingertips hovered over the keys as he licked his lips. “There’s no way this will work.”
He typed a quick message and hit the Enter key. His reply stayed on the screen for a second before a ding signaled an impossible note from the future.
‘What kind of stupid question was that? You must move it. If you don’t hurry, it’ll be too late.’
An annoyed laugh burst from Daniel’s lips as he entered his response. A moment later, a beep announced the arrival of another cryptic message.
‘What do you mean, what container? There is only one that matters. Now stop asking stupid questions. Keep Martin from seeing the prize.’
‘This room has hundreds of containers!’
‘True, but how many are sitting beside your desk? Hurry and shove it inside the lower cabinet.’
Daniel sighed as he climbed off the stool and followed the directions. After hiding it, a beep came in, and his gaze shifted to the screen.
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