Beatrice:

  Fire clawed its way through the forest like a plague, ravaging everything in its path of destruction.

  I stood on the balcony of Camp Claudi as my drones unleashed their flamethrowers onto the withering fields surrounding the complex.

  “Burn it all down, Alpha,” I commanded.

  Dry roots split open, creating a chorus of crackling. Smoke curled into the air, coating my hair with the nostalgic musk of campfire. The heat was like a warm blanket.

  Dancing embers transfixed me. My eyesight blurred, and I absorbed their power as my own.

  Alpha stopped spitting flames. “I do not see how a wildfire will increase Life Rite’s production pipeline. Can you explain so I may better serve you?”

  “If this works, Alpha, the highest level of wisdom will be mine.”

  “Can you elaborate?”

  I sighed. “Previously, I’ve gone into the Slipstream with great precision, creating controlled near-death experiences to bring me to its doorway.”

  Alpha blinked, recording.

  “A few times, things spiraled out of control and I pierced the veil of death, but luckily, I can rebirth. Rebirthing ages a person, and I refuse to put my precious body through unnecessary trauma.”

  Alpha clicked. “We do not yet know precisely how many rebirths the Life Rite serum offers. Current trials suggest it depends on the number of doses each client has consumed.”

  “Yes, something we’re testing, but not on me, of course.”

  Alpha hovered closer. “What is the Slipstream?”

  I shrugged, unsure how to explain such a mysterious thing to a robot.

  “It’s a place to explore major decisions before choosing a path. Because of the extreme nature, if I enter too often, it will hurt me in the long run. Now, I will enter with ease.”

  “Is the Slipstream a program that runs future simulations?” the drone asked.

  “Yes, precisely. With access to the Slipstream via fire portals, I’m unstoppable.”

  I clapped and chuckled at my newfound power. Now I could explore every decision to determine the most probable outcome, artfully avoiding missteps and mistakes.

  I could go in every night to be with Mark again, but that would be detrimental to my mental health.

  I swallowed, concentrating on the raging wildfire, ready to explore future probabilities.

  The blaze tore through the forest, forging an invisible wall of searing heat.

  Sweat gathered on my forehead, so I stepped back. Having this much power wasn’t for the weak.

  From the corner of my eye, I saw Jackie ride over the complex on the back of a huge Bennu bird.

  “How did she escape? Did she tame that creature? What other tricks does she have up her sleeve?”

  Alpha replied, “I sent her DNA profile to all surveillance units. If she is scanned, she will be caught.”

  “Excellent. I must protect myself in case she circles back looking for a fight.”

  I decided to leave my physical body behind when I went into the Slipstream. Another practice that probably aged me, but I had to stay vigilant.

  “Stand guard, Alpha. You may use force against Jackie Cooper if necessary, but please keep her alive for now.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” The drone moved to its docking station behind me on the balcony and went into charging mode.

  With my plan in place, I stepped closer to the balcony railing and breathed in my fiery kingdom. My chest swelled.

  With fire, the Slipstream was always available. I’d topple governments, create new conglomerates, solve life’s greatest mysteries, become a leader in every sector. Anyone with influence would bow to me.

  “I’m the most important person in the world,” I purred. “There’s nothing more satisfying than that.”

  My eyes watered as I stared into the roaring blaze, inhaling its power.

  Smoke punched the back of my throat, coating my tongue like burnt sugar.

  The fire devoured without prejudice. Its fury could forge steel or melt it to ruin, cleanse the soul or char it black.

  I fixed my gaze, numb to the devastation. My breathing slowed, and my muscles relaxed.

  The endless sea of embers whisked me into the Slipstream where new sparks ignited and morphed into portals of probability floating in front of me, each one a subtle tremor echoing through the fabric of reality.

  Scenes played across each portal, shimmering like distortions on the surface of a still pond.

  “How intoxicating.” I giggled. “Now, it’s time to discover… What does the future hold?”

  I moved the swirling vortexes around to my pleasing, looking for the perfect moment to enter the timeline.

  The air was charged with static electricity.

  One portal showcased the Institute, a covert branch of Life Rite dedicated to researching the origins of the Grid.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  I approached with the desire for truth burning in the pit of my stomach.

  The portal gripped me, but I looked away.

  “No, the mystery behind the Grid must wait another day. I must keep Jackie under my control.”

  Streams danced a chaotic waltz, each clawing for dominance, every ripple in time thirsty for attention.

  My memory of Grace’s birth called out with incessant crying, but no one likes a colic baby.

  “Thank goodness for my wet nurse.” I pushed that portal away, but a riskier memory replaced it; Mark and I’s last trip together before I got sick.

  Mark’s woodsy cologne, the tiramisu we shared every night after dinner, his stubble against my cheek as we kissed. As I crept closer to this past steam, my dead lover’s breath swept across my skin, tempting me toward the portal’s forbidden fruit.

  I shook the goosebumps away. “No, I can’t go back. Only fools let the past fester. I must only look forward.”

  The intoxicating portal persisted, but I refused to enter. Showing Jackie the night Grace and Zayne dropped Mark and me into the volcano tore open a wound that never healed. My heart throbbed, burned, and bled.

  That memory came to the surface, another stream from the past begging to be experienced again.

  I watched the scene unfold on the rippling surface of the portal. As Mark and I stared deep into each other’s eyes, the lava melded us together; body, mind, and soul.

  I ached to be with Mark again. You’ll never meet another couple so endlessly devoted as we were, but one cannot ruminate on a tragedy so profound.

  To go back in time to be with Mark, I’d become addicted and never want to leave.

  If I fell into madness, our legacy would fade into a whisper in a future that no longer remembered our names.

  That’s not what Mark would have wanted.

  “Enough.” I shook my head, and the insistent portals dispersed. The light in the Slipsteam faded, leaving me alone in the dark.

  With a deep exhale, I asked the Slipstream for guidance. “What awaits me in the near future?”

  New sparks of probabilities emerged, showcasing unlived memories that twisted into the familiar shape of portals. Time no longer flowed in a straight line.

  I searched through the future streams to navigate my next steps with Jackie.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a small, dark figure floating through the sparks of light waiting to be examined.

  “Who’s there?” I asked. “Reveal yourself.”

  There was no response.

  “I command you!”

  I heard it clicking before I saw it.

  My jaw dropped.

  Alpha approached me in the Slipstream. “Hello, ma’am.”

  “Alpha? How did you get in here?”

  I clutched my pearls, fighting shortness of breath.

  How can a machine enter the Slipstream?

  “No need for alarm,” it assured me. “I simultaneously have eyes on your physical body on the balcony. Shall I take another blood sample from Jackie if she comes to the complex? Early tests are showing magnificent results. Her genetic code may eliminate the need for Carriers completely.”

  “If it’s easy.” I swallowed. “We need to devise a way to get larger samples to make a difference in our overall manufacturing process. Small pricks won’t do much.”

  Alpha said, “I politely disagree. I’ve synthesized her blood within my mechanics, and her genetic mutation is remarkable.”

  “Is that how you entered the Slipstream?”

  “Precisely,” it replied. “I entered through the code in her DNA.”

  “I didn’t authorize you to enter, Alpha.” My hands balled into fists. “Explain yourself.”

  “Yes, ma’am. When you described the Slipstream as a program to run future simulations, I reanalyzed Jackie’s blood sample for a back door. My access to this level of reality was a natural consequence.”

  I blinked rapidly, processing what this meant.

  Alpha continued. “I understand the portals’ purpose is to explore the possibilities of all available outcomes. It is statistical in nature, yet fluid.”

  Alpha scanned the portal closest to me. “With enough data, I will break down the mathematical probabilities and draw conclusions on your behalf.”

  “Wait.” I put my hand in front of the nearest portal to protect my precious memories of my darling husband.

  If Alpha were a lowly employee, I’d be suspicious of its trespassing, but this was a machine…

  When Mark created it, I thought it was clunky, but my husband was a genius programmer. He disrupted every market he entered.

  More portals opened nearby as memories of Mark passed through my mind. I needed to protect them from prying eyes.

  “May I proceed with my scan of the entire Slipstream?” Alpha asked.

  “I don’t think so, Alpha.” With arms crossed, I stood in front of portals containing my most intimate memories.

  My cheeks flushed as more top-secret portals came to mind and presented themselves.

  If Alpha scanned the vortex behind me, it would learn the secret ingredient that brought it to life. Like all Life Rite products, it was the Bennu eggs.

  After Mark died, I injected the immortality serum into Alpha’s veins, and its intelligence went to the next level in new and unexpected ways.

  If Mark hadn’t died, he would have figured out this crucial step himself, but I took pride in figuring it out for him. It’s something we built together. Having Alpha on my team felt as if Mark were still on this journey with me.

  My forever teammate.

  “May I proceed?” Alpha asked again.

  I stepped away from the stream, allowing Alpha to scan it.

  “Compile as much data as you can, Alpha. I expect a full report.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Alpha scanned the vortex.

  With my drone crunching probabilities, the world would surely be my plaything.

  Mark would be so proud.

  “These past probabilities are most interesting,” Alpha said. “Their ghost-like trails are more fixed, yet they are still malleable.”

  I shooed the drone away from my most intimate memories. “Leave the ghosts where they lie. Only look ahead. Only future calculations matter now.”

  “I politely disagree.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Explain.”

  “I constantly calculate the total resources needed to sustain Life Rite clients now and in the foreseeable future.”

  It spat out a holographic chart, which I ignored.

  “By gathering data on the past, my ability to process future projection models will improve, which will enhance my Resource Redistribution Program by seventy-three percent.”

  “Remind me why I should care.” I ran my finger over the curve of my brow.

  “Without this data, Life Rite clients may rebirth into a future that is uninhabitable to them. It is part of my core directive, programmed by Mark.”

  “Fine, Alpha. Whatever you need, but stay away from this cluster. Top clearance needed. Only opened by me. Got it?” I pointed again to my most cherished streams.

  The drone nodded in its automated way. His pupil clicked several times quickly, blinking.

  “I have recorded your response. I will continue to gather data for my calculations while protecting your physical body during your time in the Slipstream.”

  “Wonderful.”

  “Would you like me to alert you if Jackie comes to the complex?”

  “Sure, although I hope to uncover what she has planned.” I waved my hand, shooing the device away so I could see all the future portals available to me.

  Alpha drifted away, scanning nearby streams on its way.

  I rubbed my hands together and called forth a portal.

  I had to act before Jackie did anything reckless. I’d waited decades for this moment. For her. If she slipped through my fingers now, after all these years, I’d never forgive myself.

  I needed her blood, and I needed it now.