Something heavy and metallic clatters to the ground by Adam. We all swing our lights over, right as he reaches for it. It’s a silver case with the word BIOHAZARD written all over it, popped open to reveal six vials full of yellow liquid. I can’t make out the label from here, but I see a G.

Chris shines his light on Adam’s face. “What. The fuck. Is that?”

Adam quickly snaps the case shut. “It’s nothing. Just something I grabbed from the lab.”

“What—” I ask, my brain working fast. I remember when Adam disappeared in the lab. He must have taken this case then. But why would he want it? And why keep it a secret from us? There’s only one thing it could be. “Is that genicote?”

“The cure for cancer?” Trent asks.

“Yeah, it’s the cure,” Adam says as he shoves the case in his backpack.

I scramble for words, but all I can get out is, “Why?”

“I…” He hesitates and then takes a long breath. “This is why I was recruited. To bring the cure back to the present.”

His words are like a blow to my gut. He knew about the cure all along. Why didn’t he tell us? And that means Aether knew about the cure too. Is this the real reason we were sent to the future?

Chris lets out a string of obscurities. “I was right! You’ve been working for Aether this entire time!”

“Wait, let me explain—”

“Your future self set us up!” Chris starts toward Adam. “He convinced us to break into the lab just so you could grab that, didn’t he?”

“Stop!” I yell. “Let’s listen to what he has to say!” I turn to Zoe, who’s been quiet this entire time, her face twisted in shock. “Zoe, tell them!” But she just shakes her head slowly and backs away.

Chris grabs Adam’s jacket and shakes him. “Is that why you live and we die? Because you’re working for Aether?”

While Chris is holding him, Trent grabs Adam’s backpack, ripping it off him. “No!” Adam yells, but Chris shoves him away. I know I should help Adam, but a trace of doubt has crept inside me, and I stand there, frozen.

“Let me see that,” Chris says.

Trent hands it over, and Chris yanks the case out before dropping the backpack on the floor. Adam dives for the bag and pulls a gun out of it. He aims it at Chris and Trent, and he’s holding it more confidently than I ever did.

“Drop it!” he yells.

“You—you have a gun,” I blurt out. And not just any gun, but a gun identical to mine. The same type of gun that is going to kill us tomorrow. Does that mean…Is Adam…No. It can’t be.