False Future by Dan Krokos

because of some reception issues, but I’ve been in touch with him. True Earth is apparently scrambling various frequencies on the island.”
    “Where are the Roses?” I ask.
    “Tied up in Noble’s bedroom. They’re not going anywhere.”
    “And Noble and Sophia? Peter?”
    Rhys frowns. “Noble and Sophia are still looking for Peter.”
    I go to the sink and fill a glass with water, then hunt for food in the fridge. It’s the only action I can think of to mask my disappointment.
    “Don’t worry about them,” Rhys says. “Let’s talk about the Verge. I…don’t think we should go back.”
    “We’ve been out of contact for a long time, and our teammates were already suspicious,” I say. “There’s a good chance they’ll apprehend us as soon as we enter the Verge.”
    “That’s what I was thinking,” he says, looking relieved.
    “But we have to go anyway.”
    “What?”
    I explain the Key to him, and what it means if the director gets her hands on it. This leads to more questions, and I tell him what Olivia told and showed me.
    His already pale skin turns a cooler shade of gray. “I thought your eyes were a little red.”
    “The bottom line is we need to find the Key,” I say, “then we can figure out what to do with it.”
    “But why do we have to let them release the Black? Why are we supposed to let it happen? Are you kidding me?”
    “I don’t know any more than what I told you.”
    “You’re in a safe place. Why don’t you use the disk now?”
    “Because I don’t know what it’s going to do to me. Olivia said it’ll disorient me, and she doesn’t know for how long. Do you agree we need to find the Key more than anything else?”
    “I agree,” he says. “Let’s do it.”
    I drink another glass of water in case there isn’t water to drink later. “We’re gonna need help. East could be anywhere. At least if the Roses find him and the Key before we do, being on the inside is the best chance we have of stealing it.”
    Rhys’s eyes light up with an idea. “What if we just find the Originals as kids and kill them? Or beat ’em up or something. Olivia said the future is affected by changes in the past, right?”
    “If you have an idea of where they are in the United States of America, that’s great. Or if you have an idea of how to get off this island, even better. But I’m sure Olivia has them protected. Besides, if they die, what would that mean for us? We’re going to have to trust Olivia until we know more. Though I use the word trust lightly.”
    He frowns. “What I don’t get is, if the Originals are still here, living their lives before they became the Originals, then how could we have been here for years?”
    “Because we’re from True Earth ourselves. Right?”
    He lets out a low sigh. “Man, all along we’ve been living in the same world as the people who will eventually create us in the future and bring us back to now. What a time to be alive!” He says it like a joke, but I can see how it makes him feel. Rhys can guard his eyes all he wants, but I see the pain behind them. To know you’re not a person, you’re a thing…
    He’s about to say more when a tinny noise comes from the countertop; I look for the source—two earpieces not so different from ours.
    I take out Noble’s earpiece and put the new one in.
    I hear O-9’s voice. “—back to the Verge. Getting some rack. P-230, any word yet?”
    My heart jolts; O-9 doesn’t sound alarmed, yet it’s possible the team could’ve heard us speaking just now. A mistake. But Noble probably left the earpieces out knowing we would need them.
    P-230 says, “Nothing.”
    “This is weird,” O-9 replies.
    “Guys,” N-7 says. “Give them some time. Did you notice what color their suits are? It’s not for us to decide.”
    “It’s for a blue or silver suit, which is who I’m going to next if they stay off grid,” O-9 says.
    “Easy there,” P-230 says.
    “This is M-96,” I say.
    “See?” N-7