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There’s an ahts and cloudy skies The city of the future doesn’t look much different fros seem taller, but the residential areas all look the sah-rises scattered on the path to the coast Froround and wrap rass is wet on ainst my bare arms, but I welco around Now I need to sort through all the data I’ve collected in et us out of this alive

I hear footsteps on the brick behind me but don’t turn around I’nore whoever it is they’ll go away

No such luck Ada the view I stiffen up, bracingto say I’e of how he feels aboutthrough our hair

“I don’t want to become this person,” he finally says

“Why not?” Future-Adaht he was crazy, but I see now that everything he did had so behind it There was a method to his madness

“I live in this house, but it’s not a horass out of the lawn and lets it fall between his fingers with a sigh “I’m not married I don’t have any kids I’m all alone…This isn’t the life I want”

I open le hat to say He’s rich in the future Fa even in his late forties, so I suspect he could be married if he wanted to be

But I understand the desire for a real ho to spend the next thirty years alone can’t be easy either “You’ve done great things in the future You cured cancer You saved millions of lives You won a Nobel Prize”

“But I don’t even have a dog” His head drops, as if the thought of not having a dog in the future upsets hi, Max—I knoon’t be around in thirty years, but I always assuet another one” He turns to look at ?”

“I don’t know Maybe you work long hours now or travel a lot or…”

“And I failed,” he continues, like he hasn’t heard a word I’ve said “I watched all of you die and was unable to stop it or find out who did it In the future, I have to live with that Every Single Day” He shakes his head “No wonder I’, but I can’t find the right words I’ve never been good at co about his future self like he’s already become that person, but he’s not He doesn’t have to be But I don’t kno to tell him that and rass

His gaze drops toabout my problems when you’re…” His voice trails off

“You just saw your own future That can’t be easy”

“I probably shouldn’t ask this, but what did he say to you? When you were alone?”

“He…” I’m not sure how much to tell him Most of what Future-Ada I want to be honest Finally I spit out, “He told me to trust you”

Ada overhead to avoid his gaze “What did he say to you?”

“He told et too attached to you” Ada withto change this future I’ to let you die”