“W-where am I?” Gemma’s anxious voice echoed.

She was definitely at school just a second ago, but in just a blink of an eye, she faced an unknown place utterly barren of people, except for a sleeping figure next to her. He looked approximately 18 years old with natural brown, curly hair. Freckles adorned his pale face matching the square glasses resting atop his nose. Besides this unknown boy beside her, the closed metal room was empty. Where is this place? How did she get here?

Before she could have a chance to organize her thoughts, the ear-screeching alarm went off, nearly rupturing her eardrum. Suddenly, the cold, metal room became transparent, and outside, she saw people dressed in immaculately tailored navy suits. Ushered voices were heard among the group of strange humans, all speaking an unfamiliar language. The ear-splitting sound earlier had already awoken the sleeping boy beside her. Now he was staring blankly at the bizarre sight in front of him. His initial reaction was the same as hers - disbelief. Before he could exclaim, Gemma cut him off with a deliberate hush as the strange humans got closer. With closer inspection, she was shocked even more because, on different parts of their body, there were small metal bits arranged to look exactly like human flesh from afar. Who are they?

She felt like a peculiar animal trapped in a cage, ready to be inspected. Anxiety began to creep up on her, sweat appearing on her forehead as her heart jumped out of her body. Slowly, she tried to back away, eventually hitting the cold, slippery wall. Gemma, who had always been a loner at school, was having her panic attacks, heart thumping at the situation she was currently in. On the contrary, the boy beside her stilled himself as he tried unsuccessfully to eavesdrop on the strange group of humanoids outside. He looked just as lost as Gemma.

After a few minutes, they seemed to compromise, and their discussions began settling. The tallest being among the group moved to the corner of the room and pressed a button removing the glass barrier separating them. As she was about to scream for help, Gemma felt a sharp needle pierce her skin, immobilizing her. Simultaneously, the curly-haired boy was injected with the mysterious substance, instantly falling asleep.

———————

Gemma’s eyelids slowly fluttered open as she stared at the marble ceiling above. After several blinks and her mind began to clear, Gemma realized she was in a hospital room. The boy earlier was nowhere in sight, leaving her pondering - was she dreaming?

 As if to contradict her thought, the door clicked open with a soft beep, and a female nurse entered. She had ocean-blue eyes and hair tied in a neat bun, her face devoid of emotions. The lady in front of her had light wrinkles on her forehead. However, the longer Gemma stared at her; the more her features seemed strange. With a sudden realization, Gemma let out a loud yelp, surprising the being in front of her. What Gemma thought were wrinkles became minuscule sets of numbers aligning her face, and those ocean-blue eyes became a mechanical implant. Who is she?

However, instead of speaking an unfamiliar language, Gemma had heard from the odd group of humanoids earlier; this one was speaking English.

“How can I help you, ma’am?”

Steadying her eyes, Gemma observed the robot in front of her. It looked and acted just like a human. If I want to escape this place, I must find all the information. “Can I go outside? I need some fresh air.”

“According to our regulations, I am afraid we can not permit you to go out, but of course, you can relax on our balcony.”

After it finished, a door magically appeared at the other end of the room. Gemma followed the robot to the door, ignoring the miracle that had just happened. When the door opened, Gemma could not believe she could get any more surprised. However, she was again proven wrong, as her dark brown orbs bulged wide like a frog. Right there stood a completely different reality that could only originate in her dreams. The sky was pitch black, with not a single star in view. The sky-scrapers loomed over her like a predator ready to devour its prey. The artificial lights danced across the city – opening the door to a new world. There were no trees or vehicles in sight. The street pedestrians disappeared and reappeared in multiple locations as if they could teleport. The longer she observed their actions, the more she noticed that these people were like the nurse beside her. Moreover, no matter how long she searched, she could not find any children. Strange

“Where is this place?” Gemma blurted.

“You’re in Cyber City 309.” the motionless nurse replied.

“How did I get here?”

“According to our regulations, we can not disclose this information.”

“Who are you?”

“You can call me S21. I will be taking care of you at the moment.”

Rolling her eyes in annoyance, Gemma stopped questioning her, knowing that she would not get any valuable information from her. After a few moments of silence, she moved back to her bed, noticing the digital clock on the wall reading 9:52 A.M. Later, she decided to take a different approach and told her caretaker that she needed the bathroom immediately. Of course, there was already a bathroom in her room, but she pushed past the lady screaming that she could not hold on any longer.

Scared that the robot-like nurse earlier would catch up to her, Gemma ran to the door as fast as she could. Surprisingly, no one was behind her, and she slowed down, trying to catch her breath. Once she stepped out of the suffocating hospital, she could finally feel relief and let out a breath Gemma did not know she was holding. What in the world is going on?

Now, she was face to face with a new obstacle - the Cyber City 309.

————————————

Five years later

Gemma, now a 23-years old waiter at Ching Dong restaurant, was helping customers during the day and became a spy agent at night. Five years ago, she was recruited by a mysterious, masked man claiming that he would help her return to her original world. In this unknown world, she had nothing to lose, so she took the bait and joined their secret organization. There were always a few requests every month such as decoding information or getting information from various people. Throughout the years, she figured out easier ways to get these secrets from people, and eventually became rich.

However, no matter how busy she gets, she would still remembers the anxiety she had when her consciousness was revived in this advanced, new world, where her dreams became reality. How could a world so advanced live peacefully?

Gemma's hope gradually diminished as days passed, then months, then years. Now, the thought of returning to her parents’ arms became a speck in her heart, which she deemed impossible. She regretted how she never cherished her loving family. Never valued her homework. Never hang out with her friends. Now, she missed everything, even the most trivial moments in her life.

One rainy day, when Gemma was pondering about her circumstances, someone was knocking on her door, stirring Gemma out of her reverie. When she opened the door, she was stunned. The person in front of her looked exactly like the boy from five years ago, and she knew for sure that she had not mistaken him. Her memories of him were still vivid in her mind, replaying, again and again, every night.

“Follow me,” he ushered.

Without a reply, he grabbed her wrist - his grip firm. This took Gemma by surprise and she tried to pull away instinctively, but he held her wrist so tightly that it was impossible.

“What are you doing?” she said, annoyed.

“If you want to go back to 2022, then follow me.” his mossy, green eyes were set on hers, looking directly at her soul.

“How could I trust you?”

“I know you still remember me. I’ll explain everything on the way.”

This was Gemma’s only chance to go back to her world, into the arms of her loved ones and she would never throw away this golden opportunity. Silently, Gemma let the boy drag her towards the underground station nearby.

When the boy noticed that Gemma was looking around, he warned, “Be careful, they’re watching.”

“Who?”

“Them! The ones we met when we woke up.” His soft voice sounded rushed, as if scared.

“Pyeonyu destination starting in 10 minutes.” The announcement came.

Both of them got on the train and found a seat at the back. Gemma noticed the boy was very on edge when he got on the train as if someone was watching them.

“Where are we going?”

“To the place, we first came to this world…Do you wanna go back?”

“Of course. Why are you taking me there?”

“I found a way we could get back. I’ve been collecting data since five years ago. I have also hacked into the system and figured out the place where the time machine is locked.”

“Time machine?”

“Yeah…we came through that time machine five years ago. It was an experiment. They are planning to increase their human population by taking people from the past. That’s why they let us go so easily, but they monitor our every move.”

The rest of the ride was silent, and when they reached their destination, all Gemma could feel was the thumping in her heart. Just like the first day she was here. The building cast a dark shadow on her, creating an eerie mood.

Before Gemma could utter a word, the boy was already striding towards the backdoor of the building. She followed behind silently and they came to a locked door. The boy took a key from his waist pocket and unlocked the door.

“What are you doing?” she whispered.

“You’ll see.”

He opened the door, revealing a mechanic room. She was awe-struck by the advanced machinery decorating the room. The boy, on the contrary, was not shocked as if he had seen this many times. He led her to the other side of the room revealing another locked door. This one required a password and the boy pressed it quicker than normal.

“Is someone following us?”

“They are probably on alert right now and sending people after us. We have to hurry.”

The door clicked open revealing a machine able to fit two humans. The exterior was painted rose gold and inscribed with numbers. It appeared that the creator spent so much time on it compared with the machines she had seen in the other room.

“Is this the time machine we came through?”

He nodded, eyes focused on the numbers.

“Let me help. I think I can figure it out.” Before she could push him aside, the door clicked open and they were surrounded by humanoids looking like police officers.

“What's happening?”

“I’ll handle it. You figure it out.”

Right after he had finished, the boy began firing at the officers and they were in a fierce battle as he tried to protect her. Gemma, on the other hand, turned her gaze towards the various numbers scattered on the machinery. She stared at it for a while and her mind began whirling as she decode the numbers by instinct. After five minutes, she was almost done but the fighter boy was already exhausted and could barely hold those officers. It was 5 against 1 now and he seemed to be losing every second that passed by. Just a bit more and Gemma was done.

The fighter boy was now painfully laying on the floor and the officers were inching closer. Only 1 more number left…

Finally, she was done and the machined open. There was a bright flash as she was sent back to the year 2022. But she was not the only one who had time-traveled back, everyone in the room was.