RATS

"I'll clearly never let you anywhere near that event," RATS says. "Changing her meta-narrative, though... That could be subtle enough to work. I see maybe...four in a quadrillion options where it functions."

It's been seven decades since my mother's death. But when I saw a poster on the train advertising clinical trials for a new time travel technology, I jumped at the chance to visit her again. Now I'm back in 2003, an old man tethered by microchips, reliving every detail of my childhood. When I finally see her, she's manic, smiling in a hospital bed and flirting with the doctors. It's then I realize - how could I not try to save her?

Unfortunately, the scientists running the study thought of this. Drilled into my head with the microchips is RATS, an AI here to maintain timeline integrity - and to bully me out of enjoying my all-expenses paid trip to the past. Now, I'm forced to ride the rollercoaster of my own memories as RATS builds an algorithm for emotional resonance.

Still, changing the future would only take a nudge, a single moment outside of protocol. So saving my mom should be easy, right? Of course, that's also assuming I survive reliving the worst years of my life...

Warning: This book deals with suicide.If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts or a crisis, please reach out immediately to the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or text HOME to the Crisis Text Line at 741741. These services are free and confidential.