Ada, who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

A impossibly bright, pulsating light, a sizzling sensation. It went dark, then light. The light hit, it seared, and part of her went with it. What part? She could neither say nor guess. The world rushed in.

"Ada? Ada! She's coming around! Give her room!"

Ada opened her eyes and the blur of colors and lights resolved into a face. Chris. Chris.

"Chris?" she asked weakly. Chris.

"Ada, are you ok? Are you in any pain?" he asked.

"Yes. No." Her throat felt dry and her head hurt. "Help me."

Against his protests, Ada sat up dizzily. She was on the floor in the neuro lab, a group of students and researchers clustered around her. A blush crept into her cheeks when she realized that all eyes were on her.

"Do you know where you are and what day it is?" Chris asked.

"Yes," she said immediately. "Ow. I'm ok, I just took a spill. It's no big deal."

In truth, she was mortified. She had been taking a tour of the university's cutting edge neurological research lab with a group of administrators when... her mind flashed to the sizzle briefly and she felt a void for just a moment, like a socket where a tooth had been moments ago.

"I think we should run a few tests," one of the researchers said worriedly. "You were exposed to a-"

"I'm fine," she grumbled as she got to her feet. "I'm sorry I made a scene. Let's just get back to the tour."

"I think he's right," Chris said. Smug prick always thought he knew better than everyone else.

"You're right," she replied immediately. "Why don't the rest of you continue the tour? I'll stay here."

Chris looked surprised at her response. She hoped desperately that he would go along with the group. After a half-decade of rejections he had finally gotten the message that she wasn't interested in him, but that didn't stop him from mooning over her like a lovesick teenager. She would be shocked if he didn't stay-

"I'll stay with Ada," Chris said. "Just in case she needs help."

"Good idea," she said, surprising him again. She might need some assistance, after all, and for all his faults Chris was extremely attentive to her needs. An older man with a scraggly beard, who had been talking to a of the interns, approached and cleared his throat.

"I'm Dr. Ashton. Could you follow me? There's no cause for alarm, but we need to run a few diagnostics."

He didn't look like everything was ok. He led them silently to a small room that reminded her of police interrogation rooms on TV. Dr. Ashton's face was pallid and fearful, and his hand shook as he opened the door.

"What happened to Ada?" Chris demanded. "That thing went off in her face-"

"We don't know yet," Dr. Ashton interrupted. "More than likely, she just lost consciousness for a moment. Ma'am, could you please answer some questions to the best of your ability?"

Ada nodded. Her head was pounding and she suddenly found the atmosphere oppressive, but as Chris pointed out, she needed to confirm that nothing was actually wrong. Dr. Ashton opened a manila folder and began asking questions.

"What is your name?"

"Ada Pinkman," she said.

He asked a series of basic questions that were clearly designed to detect disorientation. Apparently satisfied, he flipped the page and asked a question that caught her off guard: "What do you want to do right now?"

Ada furrowed her brow. She opened her mouth, but couldn't think of a reply. She looked at Chris as though he would have an answer, but all he offered was a concerned expression.

"I want to confirm that I'm ok," she said suddenly. It was true, of course. What an asinine question. The doctor nodded and continued.

"Where would you like to be in five years?"

"Married to Chris," she said immediately. Chris turned to her in shock and she stared back, equally stunned. "I mean... if he wants it."

Her words were shocking but she knew they were true. Chris and Dr. Ashton looked very concerned now. "And if he doesn't?" the researcher prompted.

That stopped Ada's thoughts so abruptly that her head spun. Of course Chris wanted her! She tried to entertain the notion that he didn't. What then? The future suddenly seemed like a vast uncharted territory, with no paths or landmarks to guide her. Only one person knew the way forward.

"Chris?" she asked. "What do you think?"