Chapter One: The Tomorrow They Rejected

Chen dragged V19 into the REJECTED folder. As the copy bar reached one hundred percent, the monitor flickered. The red cup returned to the window. This time it remained for two full seconds. Its lid flew off. Coffee struck a man in a gray suit. A blue folder fell from his hand, and a page slid toward the camera: OBSIDIAN MOTORS RECALL CONTINGENCY. Chen hit the space bar. The image snapped back to normal. The black car cleared the tunnel, and the silver prism filled the screen. He inspected every frame. No cup. No man. No recall document. Sleep deprivation made people see impossible things. That was his explanation until ten that morning.