When the plane finally came to a stop, Ripley came out of the cockpit followed by the Captain. The Captain went over to open the cargo door, while Ripley walked over to the group.
“So... where are we?” said Sam, asking the million dollar question.
“We’re home,” she said slinging her backpack.
“Home?” asked a skeptical Doug.
“Yep. And there’s no place like it!”
The cargo doors opened to reveal a new world to Sam, Sarah, Doug, Selena and the Latino.
Sam, Sarah, Selena and the Latino were sitting in a brilliantly white room. It had windows and no furniture. It was basically a gigantic prison cell with no bars. It was the size of two classrooms.
“So why are we here?” asked Doug, pacing the little area the group had decided to adopt.
“I don’t know,” said Sam.
“What do they want with us?”
“I don’t know.”
“What are they going to do with us?”
“I don’t know.” Sam was tired of answering Doug’s questions which were obviously going nowhere. Sam looked over to Selena who was sitting with the Latino Loner. At least she was making progress. She’d managed to get his name: which was Eduardo. He understood a little English, although he spoke even less.
Over the past half a day, the group had hardly gotten a chance to breathe, let alone take in their new setting. This didn’t go down well with anyone because none of them knew what was going on. All they knew was that the building they were in was underground.
Sam looked over at Sarah who was leaning against the wall on the floor with her arms wrapped around her knees. Sam wanted to go to her and comfort her, but he was nervous. He didn’t know what he would say... but he couldn’t just leave her there all by herself.
“Hey,” he said when he reached her. When she didn’t respond, he joined her on the floor.
She only turned to look at him when he reached her level. Her eyes were glassy. She didn’t speak.
“Are you okay? You look tired.”
She sighed unsteady breath. “I’m not tired Sam. I’m scared.”
“Why are you scared?”
“Where are we, Sam?”
Sam hadn’t seen much when they got off the plane but what he had seen was outback. Where ever they were, it was a place that had a respectable countryside. “From the looks of it, we’re either in Australia or South Africa. But my guess is the later considering our savior’s nationality.” In their own time, South Africa was known to be a leading developing country in Africa. However, the once thriving cities had now looked like they’d been turned into slums. Compliments of the war breaking out, Sam imagined.
“No,” added Sarah, “I mean, what happened?”
Sam wondered if she was going into some sort of shock and had amnesia or if she was just in denial. “We’re . . . in the future, Sarah.”
She immediately shook her head, refusing to believe his answer.
“Don’t you remember? The bus crashed into the river; the bright light? We somehow managed to time-travel—”
“That’s not true. We are not in the future, Sam. We can’t be. That’s just not possible. This has to be a dream or something.”
“No, this is real. We are all real. We’re in the future, Sarah.”
“Stop saying that.” Her voice sounded desperate.
Before Sam could say anything to convince her, the door swung open. The Captain walked in followed by a man in a dirty white coat. He had short white hair and a beard. He spoke first.
“Hello there,” he said in a heavy British accent. “It’s good to see you all in one piece.”
“Okay now who’s this guy?” said Doug, moving with the charisma of a man who was in charge.
“He’s the man with all the answers,” said the Captain.
“So he’s the one who can tell us what happened?” asked Selena.
“Yeah,” continued Doug. “Can you tell us just how the hell we ended up in the future!”
Sarah flinched at word ‘future’ almost reflexively.
“Uh,” Sam said standing up, “what my friends mean to say it that: we would very much like it if we could get a few answers.”
The man in the white coat seemed to really notice Sam for the first time only now. “Well, well. You must be Samuel Ellen.”
“I’m sorry, do I know you?” said Sam who hadn’t missed all the eyes on him.
The man extended his hand. “Professor O’Quinley.” They shook hands. “It’s definitely a pleasure to meet you.” He read Sam’s expression. “No you do not know me... but I know all about you.”
“Know what about me?”
“For starters, your work with the legendary Waves.”
Everybody’s heads whipped to the Professor. They’d heard that word before. It was part of the argument they had all been having before the bus driver tried to stop them.
“What do you know about The Waves?” asked Sam.
“At this point, more than you, it would seem, which is very unfortunate. We could really use that knowledge buried so deep in a destiny you have yet to fulfill.”
“Wait a minute!” said Doug, who turned to Sam. “Sam, what the hell is this guy talking about?”
“Doug, I have no idea.”
“But would you like to?” said the Professor, stepping forward. “Have an idea.” He was speaking to all of them. “Because if you do, then I am willing to give it to you.” He gestured to the door. “If you’d follow me, I’d be happy to explain The Waves and how you got here.” They all walked past him and the Captain and through the door. “As you will soon find... they are one in the same.”
