Human bodies.
I echoed my thoughts and watched as the assistant heard it. He cringed and scurried off.
"Coward." I laughed and entered the sealed base room. Contrary to what I told the assistant, this sealed base room didn't have human bodies. It stored humans' past.
And for a lot of reasons, other scientists didn't want anything to do with it. Sure, the room existed to teach history but aside from that the past was a dirty one. One we would rather forget.
I blinked twice at the robot, posing as security. "10th January 2500. Doctor Wheeler. Access granted." I gritted my teeth and sighed when access was granted.
"These things are too slow. I already know today's date, you don't need to tell me." I stalked past it and entered the sealed room.
I typed a note to remind me to deal with the robots with my fingers on my palm.
I nodded and looked up. "Let's get this over with." I walked past aisles that held memorabilia of the past years, starting from 2010. I stared at them as I walked, getting sucked in by the stories that were displayed in a hologram above them.
This was the part of the job everybody hated.
They hated it because it involved walking and the past. Two things we never spoke about - talking about them was taboo. No one tried to.
I got to the aisle for 2023 and stopped.
Normally, I'd go on to 2030 to get the spare parts we needed to study and leave the room but something called to me.
I walked deeper into the aisle and went through every piece of technology and history stored there. I was going through something called a Nose Mask of 2022 when I saw a packet that had a tag on it. I read it aloud. "Coffee."
I shook the bags and read the hologram above it.
"Coffee beans used to make coffee, an addictive drink containing caffeine, consumed by people in 2023. Many couldn't function without it and swore it was the only thing that woke them- their alarms couldn't do it so well." I read the sentence and snorted.
People in 2023 were so unproductive.
"Why did they need you to wake them up? What's different about you?" I opened the packet and a sweet smell rose and tickled my nose.
I smiled and read the rest of the description, "Coffee was banned years ago due to climate issues and this is the last bag in the world."
"What why? Who saved it?"
I scrolled up to read the words, "Major Fisher, the one that betrayed." I took a step back and let out a laugh. My laugh echoed throughout the room and I snorted.
"Major Fisher couldn't have saved a bag of coffee, he's dumb and he betrayed us." I scrolled up to read the instructions on how to prepare it. A compartment opened to reveal something called a French press.
I followed the instructions and made the coffee and soon it was ready.
I had a steaming cup of coffee in my hand- a banned product- in a sealed room.
"This isn't right." I watched as the steam swirled and rose then faded into nothing.
"I shouldn't drink this." I brought the cup close to my nose and inhaled the smell.
Wow.
"I could die if I drink this." I placed the cup close to my mouth. I was practically salivating.
"But this is for science. If I die, I die." I shrugged and went for a sip.
I burned my tongue. The burn made me jump in pain but once it cooled it saw the truth.
The flavours burst on my tongue. It had a vibrant taste and the smoky aroma filtered into my nose.
"It's delicious, isn't it?" I jumped and turned to see the intruder.
I squinted. He looked familiar. Slender. Blonde hair with sideburns.
I gasped. "Major Fisher. What?"
"It's me. And you've conspired with me to break the law." He nodded at the drink.
I looked at him then at the drink then it dawned on me.
Oh no.
Thanks for reading.