The prologue.
And here it is, the day I've been waiting for has come. My name is Jacob, I am a scientist studying quantum physics, which is quite an interesting science, although complex. It's surprisingly sunny today, a warm wind blows in my face as I walk down the street to meet my colleague Max. Max waves at me affably:
- Good morning! And you came earlier than usual today. Are you so eager to try out a new invention?
- Oh, you mean a Quantum Catalyst?  I reply. Max just nods at this, - it's almost ready, though no one has tested it…
- Really? You do realize that it's dangerous, right?
I hesitated. My passion for science has always been ahead of the fear of death. Maybe it was my arrogance or recklessness, but I stubbornly wanted to be the first to have the opportunity to look into the future. Over the course of 10 hard years, my colleagues and I came up with the creation of a Quantum Catalyst, a device that, as I believed, could transport a person to a fairly distant future.
When we were already at the entrance to the laboratory, I still answer Max:
- I have nothing to lose anyway. The sacrifice for the good is worth it...
- Are you crazy? He has nothing to lose, right? Have you thought about us? About Kate? I'm afraid to imagine what she'll do to you if she hears your words! 
As soon as Kate was mentioned, I unconsciously smiled. She always tried to help me in my scientific work, although she was from a completely different department. I'm trying to get her sweet face out of my mind.:
- That's right, she is... Well, she shouldn't know about today's experiment.
- It's too late! I told her yesterday, she will be present during the experiment. And anyway, why are you always pushing her away? 
- I'm not in the mood for romance.
Max looks at me like I'm boring, rolling his eyes slightly, but doesn't say anything.
 I hear a cough–it's Sam, my elderly colleague. With a slight shuffle of his feet, he comes up to me, bends down and whispers in my ear:
- And you, when you find yourself in the future.. Can you try to find out who my granddaughter will become? Do you remember the young lady who sometimes brings me cookies on break?
"Oh, Susie? I'll try," I reply, slightly perplexed.
And so, the three of us went to the laboratory center. I still can't figure out what's going on–relationships, grandchildren.. Don't they have anything to do? They seem to be scientists like me, but only nonsense in my head…
While I'm thinking about how stupid they all are, we're approaching the door to our work sector. When I go inside, I see it — a huge car surrounded by a lot of wires and lamps. Scientists – my colleagues – walk around it and check the device's indicators. After greeting everyone, I put on a protective suit – it looks like a foil jumpsuit. The protective properties of the suit should allow me not to receive excessive radiation during the trip.
And now, the X hour is coming. I go to the entrance to the device and turn to my colleagues. Among them I see Kate, who smiles broadly at me and even claps – after all, the pest Max called her. They hand me things –food, water, a compass, radio communications and personal hygiene. After taking one last look at those present, I enter the intricate structure.
Once inside, I smell something chemical. The Quantum Catalyst itself looks from the inside like a smooth room made of chrome and pulsating lights. The date of appointment is 2100 on the dial. I inhale and hit the activation button with a rush of adrenaline, and then I feel a quantum field enveloping me, ready to transport me to the future… The room blurred, and reality seemed to stretch and bend. And I'm waiting with bated breath.

 Navigating the future
After a few moments, I feel that the quantum field has stopped affecting the room… But the room remained the same. Did the experiment fail?
I press the button to open the doors of the Quantum Catalyst and a chill runs down my spine from what I see. The whole laboratory is empty and dusty, with cobwebs hanging in some places. The once bustling place has turned into a wasteland. After taking off my suit, I decide to find out at all costs what is going on outside the laboratory. As soon as I open the door, an unimaginable view stretches in front of me – instead of the old houses of the 20th century, strangely narrow skyscrapers of different colors: pale blue, green and lavender. But... They're all without doors. How is this possible? 
After standing for a couple of minutes, I see a man come up to the house and put his finger on a glass plate and... disappear? I run over and check the place where he just stood, finding nothing.
As I begin to record this phenomenon, I hear a voice on my right:
- You should have seen your face! Not local, right?
Turning around, I see a young guy laughing from my not at all funny face. After blinking a few times, I answer:
- Well, yes, this is the first time I've seen this... Is this some kind of teleportation?
- This is a common way of moving in an apartment building. All it takes is a fingerprint, and you're already in your apartment.
"But there's no room at all!" 
- But there is much more space from the inside than we see! We call it a pocket house.
After a short silence, the young guy adds:
- Call me Steve. You need help getting around here, right? You look like you've arrived from the 21st century.. And what are you wearing?  He pointed at my suit.
- I'm Jacob, and actually you guessed it.. I'm really not a local.
"Another time traveler?" – when Steve said that, my eyes widened, - Don't worry, I've seen people like you before. They're walking around gawking, but you're really the oldest of them.
We walk, talking, and I look at the lives of people of this century: cars have become more compact and drove not on the road, but through the air without a driver (and only on routes marked in the air!); robo-nannies look after children...“In general, over 80 years, there has been a complete automation of many human activities,” I make a note in my notes.
While Steven is showing me around the city, I notice the following – not a single street animal. But what strikes me is their replacement – robotic animals were made not at all like natural species: rabbits of all colors of the rainbow, puppies with unnaturally large eyes and even piglets with wings, just like those guys near the kiosk. Unable to resist, I still go over to ask:
- And you think this is normal?
The children look at each other in disbelief until one of them, the one holding the fat piglet in his hands, answers:
- Do you have something against tame piglets?
The other two pick up:
- You're jealous of him, that's all!
- You just don't have your pet fur!
While Steve is watching this scene, tearing his stomach, I'm still trying to stand up for honor in front of these ill-mannered children:
- And what, in your opinion, are artificial animals better than real ones?
A child with a piglet (who has already started fidgeting in his hands) answers with sadness in his eyes:
- We've never seen the real ones.…
Now it was my time to keep quiet. I looked at Steve, who came closer and whispered in my ear:
- It is prohibited by law to have live pets. Here, this is considered an inhumane violation of their personal freedom and is punishable by a term in a capsule. Come on, we have to go.
We say goodbye to the distressed children, and the same thoughtful walk away towards the city center. Unable to resist, I still ask what kind of capsules they are and write the following in a notebook: “In the new legislation, the prison term was considered excessively cruel and replaced with a therapeutic stay in capsules, which apparently changes consciousness and lasts for more than one year ... (probably many laws of the New Time are fixated on humanity)”.
Stephen's voice pulls me out of the recordings:
- By the way, there is an archive of all family trees and people born before the 22nd century. Do you want to take a peek at your own?
I silently nod. How could I forget my promise to an elderly colleague? We go to the main archive of the city – a majestic Art Nouveau building, which, apparently, used to be a library. There are no books inside – they were replaced by electronic magazines due to the ban on deforestation, as I wrote down: “Most likely, attention to ecology only increased by 2100. However, current technologies make it possible to provide such assistance.”  
And here we are in the archives section. I ask Steve to find information about a certain Susie M., born in 2003, and I see how the tree of her ancestors opens in the palm of my hand: all the names, occupation, and even photos! Amazed, I write everything down in a notebook and ask myself: “Is there any information about me here?" Because my contribution should be immortalized!
A few minutes later, Steve, chuckling, finds an entry about me:
- Oops, Jacob Roberts, born in 1989…
- Let me take a look!  I exclaim like a scalded man and stared at the family tree that ended on me… A chill runs down my spine, and the room seems to freeze. Steve looks at me with sympathy in his eyes, but doesn't say anything.
Does this mean that I won't be able to return home? The realization of this possibility makes me break out in a cold sweat... Sitting down on the floor, I begin to think about all the possible reasons for what happened: was it because of the failure of the experiment and my death in the course of it?! Or else.. I'll just stay single. I can't help but think of Kate's eyes, which I may have seen for the last time. Feeling a hand on my shoulder, I look back at Steve:
"Isn't it time for you to go home?" – Steve says in a knowing tone, - and just don't make an unapproachable appearance as usual. It's time for you to realize that your life is more than an experiment.
That evening, I decide to return to the dusty laboratory. After saying goodbye to Steve, I gather my strength and look at the city lit up with lights for the last time.
The journey home turned out to be surprisingly successful. My colleagues greeted me joyfully, but not believing that I had visited the future after all - only a minute had passed for them. After answering a bunch of questions about my experience, I finally sit down at the good old workplace. 
The experiment has been successfully completed.

The epilogue
For the first time in a long time, I feel calm in my soul. It's time to draw conclusions - I pick up a notebook and write: 
"The trip was not as successful as I expected. The clash with the opinions of the New generation turned out to be not pleasant. The impossibility of borrowing the technologies of the future in our time has become depressing. However, now I know which way to direct further research. 
About Steve... This guy helped me realize a lot. I have invested too much attention in scientific activities – my desire to explore the future of the world has overshadowed thoughts about my own life. And while I'm alive, I have a chance to change everything – not to remain that lonely scientist from the records of the archive.”
 Glancing in Kate's direction, I realize that my future is near.