Chapter 17 Just Another Day at the Office

Max

April 22nd, 2014

7:00 AM

Arcadia Bay, Oregon

Blackwell Academy

3 Days Later...

My alarm clock goes off and I snooze it. Getting up in the morning and ready for school. It had been three days since my liberation from Chrysalis incarceration. I get up from my bed with a yawn. Then step out of my dorm to hit the showers.

Black Balloons - Local Natives

I step in the showers and poor hot water on myself to sanitize my body. I get back in my dorm to dress myself for the day and get out my bag of books and supplies for class. As I walk my over to class across the courtyards, a student or two would walk by and say hi to congratulate me on my case. Samuel is outside boarding up windows from the damage my Chrysalis guest did when they attacked me on campus. I'd say thank you. Then I'm in the main building and enter the halls filled with lockers and teenagers.

I open my locker and see someone had left a note inside. It read:

You're white knight sends his regards. See you tonight at the expo! - WG

Ugh. Once a high school creep, always a high school creep. I knew who the note was from. Even after six months of a gay relationship with someone else, I still had a Blackwell stalker on the loose. On the record, I actually let out a smiley grin and chuckle at the note I was given. At least now he was a little more of a likable stalker to me.

Back at Chloe's home, Chloe hit the shower in the bathroom across from her room upstairs to clean herself up. She had woken up the same time I had to start her day. An ordinary day in Arcadia Bay.

Back at Rachel's lodge, Rachel herself got up to cook herself some scrabbled eggs. She got out her frying pan from the kitchen and started cooking above the stove. Just like Chloe and I, it would be an ordinary day for her too. Back at the diner during my freedom party, Principal Wells had offered her a reenrollment back into Blackwell to finish her senior year. But turned it doing saying she didn't need it. She was now taking online classes to graduate instead.

My first period is my English class. It used to be Photography, but since Jefferson was jailed and the school reopened, it was now English this semester. As I'm catching up on all the homework I missed last week in the classroom, I just remembered that not only is the day we go on that field trip to the Quantic Solutions Expo at Chrysalis HQ in Portland, but also the day marking the one year anniversary of Rachel's ceasing to existence. I can't believe it's been a year now since that day. Someone ought to throw a party for that.

Chloe had driven her truck across town back to her mother's diner. Without having to bombard into anymore riots or Chrysalis riot teams down the streets of Arcadia. Now that Chrysalis was out of the picture and martial law had been lifted three days ago. Just another beautiful day in Arcadia Bay.

Rachel was down in the basement of her cabin shooting guns in a shooting range she set up in her basement to use for an armory. She had a pair of earmuffs and safety glassed when shooting a Glock in her hand at some wooden targets used as fodder for her bullets. Chloe had told me she was a pretty good aim with almost any gun. Sniper rifles especially.

After first period, I socialize outside the front courtyard with Kate, Warren, and Brooke. Talking about tonight and what we'll do during the field trip. We received all the permission slips yesterday in class and I allowed Joyce to be my guardian to sign my slip for me since my parents weren't around anymore to do so. Her and David also let me have Chloe take me there instead of riding the bus so I could take Chloe with me to the expo. After all, her and I were on Crosby's VIP list. I couldn't wait until the big event happening tonight. I had heard that they would be unveiling Project Elysium at the Expo with Dr. Sorenson as the project's curator. It was going to be exciting.

Chloe sat at a table at the diner and her mom served her some waffles for breakfast that she ordered. While she sat down and ate, the news was being shown on the TV in the diner and showed a recording of Chloe and I making out in front of the camera after walking out of that courthouse as someone who had just won her case. Thanks to the courageousness of my girlfriend and her ex.

Rachel sat by the pier of her lodge smoking and texting Chloe. Sitting down in the morning sun with her phone.

Rachel: So when are you and Max leaving for tonight?

Chloe: Sometime around three-ish. Why? Are you coming?

Rachel. Nay. Frank and I have plans. U2 have fun at the expo.

Chloe: We're gonna need it! We're VIP!

Rachel: SMH

I return to my nice comfortable dorm. Away from my shitty cell I've been living in for the past week while Rachel and Chloe were in on the espionage to get me out of there. Can't envy them. Like I would've done any better to cleanse my name off the blacklist. I stay in my dorm in between periods to get back on my laptop to hunt the truth for this end of time I've obsessed with for almost six months now. Just another day at the office.

I think back six months ago when I had that vision of Chronos and the Chrysalis tower. I remember a newspaper that flew in my face during the vision that had been dated this month of this year. I couldn't remember the exact day of this month, but I had a sinking feeling I need to more quicker than ever.

I'm on my laptop and use the Google search engine to look up theories about the end of time. A few of my search results were related to some theories made by Chrysalis. There had been actually a bunch of wild theories throughout old media from wherever. I spend at least half an hour or so taking my time surfing through the web to find all the answers. As usual, no luck. Six months of digging up for answers and I haven't given it a rest already. Chloe would slap me in the face by now. Until not a split second later, before I close my computer screen, one small fragment of my search results had reached my eye. A result that would answer my million dollar question. And this time, there was no doubt about it.

I click on the result that reads: Chrysalis's Scores Big! Exactly what score could they have scored big? When skimming through the result I click, I get web page on my screen that is an article about Chrysalis's biggest theory yet. The big theory had been a culmination of the chaos theory, the butterfly effect, and the fracture in time. The article talks about how this theory had been made possible. This theory had been forged under the development of Project Elysium. There was some sort of timeline calendar of the project's progress from 1999 to the present year.

SPECIAL PROJECT: Project Elysium. Chrysalis Science Operations

Elysium: A contemplation of the afterlife in Greek mythology. A world maintained for those chosen by the gods, the righteous, and the heroic where they would remain after death to live a blessed and happy life and indulging in whatever employment the had enjoyed in life in of itself.

Objective: Transcend this myth to reality for a therapeutically benefactor that would allow those who cannot cope with certain losses of certain individuals to simulate their minds into a world where they may see their beloved again and decrease the population of loss depression.

1999 - Project begins.

2000 - Long way from pre-development.

2001 - Beginning pre-development.

2002 - Pre-development in progress.

2003 - Pre-development nearing completion.

2004 - Pre-development complete.

2005 - Funding for development begins.

2006 - Funding for development in progress.

2007 - Funding for development complete.

2008 - Disturbance during project progress. Research for disturbance in progress.

2009 - Discovery of project interference with EFR. Possible time fracture detected.

2010 - Project compromised. Time fracture interference undergoing. Emergency research team investigating for possible fixes.

2011 - Fracture resolved. Preventing project abandonment. Resuming development.

2012 - Aftermath of project comprise speculates a theory about another possible time fracture. Research team investigating further to confirm possible oath of time fracture.

2013 - Project nearing completion. Second time fracture still possible.

2014 - Project complete. Time fracture still possible. Investigation for fracture decommissioned to switch focus on project unveiling. Investigation will resume after project reveal.

My first gut was telling me I just might finally have the answers after months of research. But I still needed confirmation and closure to it. I read further to actually and finally have what I need to confirm.

After years of development, Chrysalis not only scores big on their project, but also what they call a fracture in time. Theories have speculated that this fracture could be a possible breaking of the chaos theory or butterfly effect. The best hypothesis the researchers could concur is a relationship with Project Elysium. Set to allow those wanting to see their deceased beloved again in the mythical world of Elysium. This however may effect a fracture in time. Unleashing a massive breaking of time continuum that would bring about the end of time. Investigation into this theory has been deprioritized until project launch. See science research team for more details.

I was knowing what this end of time could possibly be about. I couldn't wait another minute to put a stop this somehow. And there was only one person that could help me resolve this once and for all. I still have Rachel's number on my phone. I shoot her a text to see if she was available to help.

Max: Hey, Rachel. It's me, Max. I may need your help with something.

Rachel: What is it?

Max: Could I meet you at your lodge later. I need your help with something severe!

Rachel: Any time, Max. Come by as quick as you can if it's that serious.

Note: Prepare yourselves my friends. We still have a little more ways to go before this episode ends. It should be good. If you're that eager to find out the truth of this end of time shit, you'll know all in good time my fellow readers. Just hold on tight and stay tuned.

I'd also like you guys all to know that I've been a little busy working on finals for art school these past few days. I'll get this episode all rapped up as soon as I can when I'm through with finals.

Until next time, stay golden.