Chapter 10: Project Horizon

I stared at the photograph until my eyes began to hurt.

Project Horizon.

The name kept echoing through my mind.

I had never heard of it before.

I immediately searched the university database, but there was no record of a project with that name.

That made no sense.

If Project Horizon didn't exist yet, how could someone have sent me a photograph of it?

I checked the email again.

The sender's address was a string of random letters and numbers. There was no name attached to it.

I tried replying.

The message bounced back immediately.

Whoever had sent it didn't want me contacting them.

I saved the photograph to my computer and copied it onto my external drive.

Then I noticed something I'd missed before.

There was a small badge pinned to the older Sonia's jacket.

I zoomed in on it.

The logo was almost identical to the one I'd seen in the video.

But beneath the logo were three letters.

"HRI."

I searched the university archives for those letters.

Nothing.

I searched government aerospace databases.

Still nothing.

Finally, I searched through old research papers.

One result appeared.

It was a technical paper written by Professor Adrian Cole fifteen years earlier.

The title was partially redacted.

But the initials at the bottom were clear.

A.C.

My pulse quickened.

I printed the paper and took it to Professor Cole the next morning.

He was standing beside a large simulation screen when I entered his office.

"Professor, can I ask you something?"

He turned around.

"Of course."

I placed the paper on his desk.

The moment he saw it, his expression changed.

"Where did you get this?"

"I found it in the university archive."

He picked up the paper and studied it carefully.

"This project was never published."

"But it's in the archive."

"Then someone made a mistake."

His answer came too quickly.

I watched him closely.

"What was the project called?"

He didn't answer.

"Professor?"

He finally looked at me.

"You shouldn't be digging into old research."

I frowned.

"Why not?"

"Because some projects are abandoned for a reason."

He returned the paper to me.

"Focus on your current work, Sonia."

I nodded, but I knew he was hiding something.

That afternoon, I returned to the laboratory.

While everyone else was busy with their assignments, I noticed an old storage cabinet near the back wall.

A faded label was attached to it.

"Horizon Archive."

My heart skipped.

I looked around.

Nobody was watching.

I opened the cabinet.

Inside were dozens of old project folders.

Most were covered in dust.

I pulled out the folder marked "Horizon."

The moment I opened it, my hands started trembling.

Inside was a photograph.

It showed the same research team from the future photograph.

But this photograph was dated fifteen years earlier.

The people were younger.

Professor Cole was standing in the center.

And beside him was a young woman.

I recognized her immediately.

She was me.

Not the older version from the video.

The younger version.

The version of me who hadn't even started college yet.

I stared at the photograph in disbelief.

How could I possibly have been there?

Then I noticed a handwritten note on the back.

My stomach dropped when I read it.

"If Sonia ever receives the message, tell her not to trust Silas."

I read the sentence again.

Then again.

The handwriting looked familiar.

It looked exactly like mine.

I suddenly heard footsteps behind me.

I turned around.

Professor Cole was standing at the entrance of the laboratory.

His face had gone pale.

"Sonia," he said quietly.

"Where did you get that folder?"