Capítulo 3: Changing history
Since Eneas had returned, he had not had much time to think, nor had he had great goals, "I will change history and save humanity," nor great goals, nor great hopes; he could have returned, but he was not omniscient, and even knowing how events would unfold, he was just a poor 21-year-old boy, what could he do?
The only thing he did know, the only thing he had engraved in his head was how his mother died and how she would die in just an hour if he didn't arrive on time. Although it was an accident, he had reviewed the security images of the street in search of a culprit that never appeared... A bird, his mother died because of a bird; who could he blame?
The accident was simple and absurd, a coincidence, if you want to see it that way. His mother left her office to buy something for breakfast at the convenience store on the corner; normally, she ordered to only bring a drone, but his boss that day thought it was truly impossible, and she decided to take a breather during her break. As I was crossing the street, a damn bird crashed into a delivery drone that deviated from its course, crashing into a vehicle. The driver swerved in fear and ran over my mother.
It's that simple; there was no intention, there was no negligence, and it couldn't be avoided. Life was that cruel.
As much as Eneas had tried to talk to his mother on the way to Elysium, it had been useless, knowing her he would have gone to the office talking to her insufferable boss, surely she would already be under the influence of the communication blockers that companies were allowed to install to prevent workers from being distracted by clandestine calls to friends and family. It had been three years since the law was enacted, and any unlucky businessman could install one of these devices to transform their offices into a bunker.
Eneas's mother was a skilled worker; she had fought hard since she became a widow to rise to her current position, designer of assistance robots for a large corporation. The only bad thing about her job was that she had to leave Troy and move to Elysium. That was why she separated from her son; he stayed in Troy while he finished his mandatory studies.
They had not been easy years, but now life was beginning to smile on both of them; she had a good job and was well paid, and he had been able to stop working part-time to focus on preparing for the entrance test to the officer academy.
"Ogmios, how long until the alarm?…"
"You have 32 minutes until the alarm goes off."
"What is the estimated time to get to my mother's office?"
"16 minutes at this speed, but if you enter Elysium with the turbo still activated, the chances of being stopped and not arriving on time are very high... At the maximum speed allowed, the estimated time is 27 minutes"
It was fair, but he didn't need more; he just had to get his mother not to cross the street at that moment, nothing more.
The great tree-lined avenues of Elysium and its parks rushed by as Eneas used the top lane for rapid travel. The small wings of his Amaru whistled with air and speed, the engine roaring. At that moment in front of him, the worst thing that could happen to him was happening: a security check. Just of all times, the guards had to choose that moment to do a check...
"Shit... Ogmio calculations of alternative routes"
"None of the routes allow us to arrive in the maximum calculated time; the most optimal route gives a delay of a minute and a half…"
"Leave the route; I'll take care of the rest…"
Removing the cruise control, Eneas accelerated the Amaru to the engine's limit without using the turbo yet. He could risk a fine but not lose his mother. His sudden change of direction and excessive speed alerted the guards at the control; he could hear the siren sounding behind him... he would be left without savings, but he would not be left without a mother...
He headed down the avenue where his mother worked; the buildings reflected the red trail that was Eneas and his vehicle, and flocks of birds moved out of his way. He could see the details of that video in his head: on the sixth floor, a delivery drone collides with a bird; 12 seconds later, his mother died...
The countdown was displayed on his helmet. 35 seconds...get down to ground level, reduce speed and grab his mother to avoid being run over; it was impossible... 27 seconds...he entered the traffic-free zone at the height of the sixth floor...
20 seconds, I saw the drone in front; I had just left a package in an elevated hangar... but I didn't see the bird... 18 seconds, a vehicle beeped on a nearby street... 16 seconds in that direction, it had to be That, in the recordings that he was able to see, there was no sound... 15 seconds, the fucking bird appeared in his sight flying scared of the noise in the street, bird or drone?... 14 seconds if the target was the bird, all to one chance ...
With one last acceleration, the Amaru threw the bird; it was a collateral victim that his conscience could accept...
At ground level, her mother crossed the street without incident and went into her office.
For many, it would be stupidity, but for Eneas changing history and saving his mother had been the greatest success that this second chance could give him.
Three streets later, he stopped the Amaru on the sidewalk and waited for the police. He had exceeded the limits, and it would cost him a good fine, but at least he wouldn't be detained. With luck, and if nothing ever got in his way again, he would arrive in time to take the academy entrance exam. And this time not only would he have a clear mind and high spirits, he would also have the great advantage of knowing what the questions would be in the theoretical tests and, above all, the hidden traps in the practical ones.
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