"Why are you trying to protect Mathews?" Finn shouts, staring through the dim light at James.
James stands there, observing the wires near the machine.
"Answer me! James!" Finn shouts again.
"Shut up, old bastard," James says weakly.
"Before I do the work for you, I need answers. Else I won't. I would rather die than do anything for you."
James sighs, "Okay, I made a promise to Eve that I'll protect him."
"That is not the real reason. Tell me, what is it."
Silence spreads across the room. James stares at the machine, the voice echoing in his mind.
Far away in Concord City, Sofia was promoted to CEO of the whole corporation. She had predicted this. She slowly poisoned the founder through his food, causing fever as his condition worsened. Sofia provided him with medicines that didn't work, but he trusted her. Watching Sofia manage the company while taking care of him, he handed her control and made her the CEO.
Recently, the founder passed away, just as Sofia had calculated. Immediately, with power in her hands, she formed an alliance with other corporations and called for an urgent meeting.
Sitting across the table were,
Alaric Voss - CEO of Novagen Industries
Lucien Ward - Founder of Nexus Labs
Ronan Vire - Founder of Cryonex
Reginald Cross - Founder of Gravion Corp
Lucious Harrow - CEO of Echelon Black
Sofia - CEO of Obsidian Core
Before Sofia stands up to present, she checks the Pane for clarification. The silence in the hall is loud, yet she still hears the murmurs and gossip between the men.
"She's so attractive, never saw a woman like her in our league." Lucien mumbles near Alaric.
"The founder was a good man, and I knew him for a long time. She got promoted and then he died. It raises suspicions, but it could be a coincidence, so I can't blame her without evidence," Alaric says formally.
"Rare to see such a fine woman at the top too. She seems perfect," Lucien murmurs.
"You are just driven by her charm. That is what she might have used to climb ranks, I assume," Alaric replies.
Sofia suddenly stands up, clearing her throat.
"I'm here to request an alliance. A military alliance."
They are shocked. Not in a century has something like this happened.
"What are you talking about, lady? We are all stable. If it's your internal matter, what's our benefit? Why would we put our resources on the line?" Alaric says.
"I would literally give away everything to form an alliance with her," Lucien mumbles under his breath.
Ronan stands up. "Sofia is your name, right?"
"Indeed."
Ronan clears his throat. "We would first like to know the situation. Only after listening to you, we may decide."
Sofia nods. "Please have patience, Alaric... and everyone else."
Sofia locks eyes with Alaric. He doesn't look away, trying to study her but failing to read anything. His forehead sweats; his intuition tells him she is far more dangerous than anyone can imagine.
Sofia picks up her Pane and shows a picture of James.
"This man is far more dangerous than we can imagine. Our corporation funded Reconstruction the most. The man named Finn, who has been kidnapped by James... I hope all of you are aware of that case."
Reginald speaks, "We are all aware of Doctor Finn and his experiments. That man is to blame for creating such a monster like James."
"Finn is a scientist who was creating strong soldiers to maintain power balance. His intentions were to create soldiers that would serve us without harm for generations. It was that stupid girl who destroyed everything, causing massive losses for my corporation," Sofia says sharply.
"Still, he failed. He acted without caution. He should have known how dangerous that experiment could be," Reginald replies.
"I am aware of that. I put everything forward for the better of us all. I want Reconstruction to succeed so we can all enjoy its benefits. But right now, there is a bigger issue," Sofia says, lowering her tone. Her voice becomes so soft and pleading that it leaves them silent.
Alaric clenches his jaw. His intuition screams at him to back off, but he has no logical reason to oppose her.
Sofia continues, "James might be building something far too dangerous... something that can destroy the world."
Alaric immediately responds, "How do you know that? Even if you do, how can we trust you?"
"Mr. Alaric... I know I am not trustworthy just because I climbed ranks quickly. It hurts when you work your entire life for something, and people call it an anomaly. The founder trusted me with this power, and I respected him deeply... and his connection with all of you."
A sense of guilt washes over Alaric, but his intuition still resists. He remains silent.
Lucien interrupts, "Hey... Sofia, we trust you. Just by looking at you, we can tell you worked hard for everything. We are willing to help you... for the sake of the world. If something happens to the world, we lose everything we enjoy."
"Well..." Sofia takes a deep breath, acting as if she is overwhelmed with emotion. "I have someone I want to introduce. He is important for our case. Someone close to James..."
Her nexxies pulses. "Yes, bring Charles inside quickly."
---
"The real reason you ask... once, I was with him, and then he said something like he didn't mean to. It felt like he was possessed for a moment. But it reminded me of something. I've heard Morgan's voice in my head many times before."
Finn stutters, "Wh... what did he say?"
James looks at him. "Control... Hyperfield... Thousand... destruction... The land with convergence... day and night... Escape it... escape it..."
Finn swallows. "What does it mean?"
James says, "This is one of the reasons I kept my eyes on the Dead Belt. Proxima has two faces," James explained. "Half eternal day. Half eternal night. The Dead Belt sits between them - the only place where day and night converge. That's where I found your spacecraft and crucial information." The words 'thousand destruction' ...I couldn't figure them out. It all happened too quickly. The Hyperfield Aperture I found in the Dead Belt..."
Finn interrupts, "You know about my spacecraft?"
"The machine you're looking at is the Hyperfield Aperture. Even though I know how this mechanism can be made, I'm unaware of what it can actually do. Your spacecraft was in the most toxic place in Proxima. But thanks to you, you made me in such a way that I could survive something like that, even though I almost died," James murmurs.
"Tchh... About that pathogen you spoke about..." Finn's voice lowers.
"Yeah, I'll give you time to build something like that. I need it. And you will help me do something with it. I believe there are timelines. Mathews is not reconstructed, so I'm not sure why he got possessed or who was speaking through him."
Finn sighs. "Fine. Explain, quickly."
"Just cause a pandemic in a timeline. This may break a cycle, I assume."
At the top of the corporate building of Obsidian Core, two military personnel bring Charles in, handcuffed.
"Oh, my, my clever spy. You really thought you were trying to get information from me, but with every question you asked, you revealed more about yourself than I did," Sofia murmurs as she leans close to his ear. Visible anger spreads across Charles' face.
Sofia raises her voice, "Men, I worked really hard to be in this position. To stand with all of you. I want to trust people, but situations like this ruin my good intentions."
"You... bitch..." Charles clenches his jaw tightly as he murmurs.
"What did he do to you...?" Lucien asks gently.
"Men," Sofia straightened, voice shifting to wounded innocence. "I worked so hard to earn your trust. And this is how I'm repaid - with betrayal from within my own company."
Tears welled in her eyes. Lucien leaned forward, concerned. Alaric's expression remained stone.
"I don't even know where James is. I've been trying to find him for so long..." Charles pleads.
Alaric speaks up, "If she is right, and you are close to James, then tell me where he could be."
"I won't tell you that," Charles mutters.
Sofia grits her teeth. "Listen, he might be doing something that could destroy the world. If he isn't aware of it, then this could be fatal."
"How do you know that, and why should I listen to you?" Charles says.
"That is not important to discuss. If you don't help, then we may lose the world."
Thunder cracked across Concord City. Wind howled between buildings.
Alaric looked toward the window, frowning.
"Is this... normal weather?"
Deep beneath the cafe, Finn enters the lab. His mind races as he begins observing his surroundings.
---
Four days have passed. Sofia gains the power she had desired. She searches through Ring Sprawl - the hideout of James and Mathews. All she finds is an abandoned house. Sofia observes the house when she notices that the food is fresh. It feels like someone left in a hurry. With her forensic team, she searches more thoroughly, but there is no sign of anyone leaving. The only main question that arises... what happened here?
Sofia spreads military forces across different continents and spends millions to do so. She calls her chopper and sits inside, anger etched on her face. "That James knows the secret... I have to kill him... he knows I shot him."
Three nights later, underneath the café -
"James... I think this is it," Finn calls out.
James enters the lab. "Hm?"
"So... I want to explain... about this thing..."
"Sure."
"We can call this HX-∆9. It's a dangerous invention. It has an undetectable early stage. It starts binding with synaptic proteins and alters ion exchange. Very quickly, within a day or two, it can cause paralysis in some people or loss of motor coordination. In three to five days, complete neural collapse, and then coma... which means death, because they become impossible to save. You wanted something unkillable. So this pathogen mutates neural activity patterns. Everyone has different brains, so I think it's nearly impossible to make a cure for everyone quickly. Humans will be annihilated by then."
"Cool," James mumbles. "But the composition, it should be from Earth. Otherwise, they will quickly figure out that it's not from Earth. They're smart, and then they might come up with something troublesome. Use the tech, but they shouldn't find out that it's not from Earth."
Finn nods. "Lipid membrane, embedded with glycoprotein spikes. The structure resembles most Earth viruses... and yes, if I go into detail, contamination is rapid and natural. I thought of that and worked day and night. This pathogen is my best work. Doctors may mistake it for rabies, which gives you another advantage. Humans on Earth might assume it's a highly mutated RNA virus."
James clears his throat. "I guess it's prepared. In two hours, finish it. You will depart. You will reach where you are destined to go."
Finn stutters, "Uh... yeah. I'm preparing it."
Finn enters the lab and quickly moves under his table where a nexxies is attached. He taps it three times. Sofia's nexxies pulses. She taps it. "Hello?"
Finn glances around and whispers, "Hey, Sofia. I tried making a nexxies from scratch. That's how I'm contacting you."
"Dr. Finn!? I'm glad you contacted me. I've tried so hard to reach you."
"Okay, in just two hours, something very bad is going to happen. I want you to arrive at the Rubix Café. There's a basement here. You'll find a secret lift. Use that to reach where I am."
"Okay, I'm comi..."
Finn hangs up quickly. He presses the nexxies in panic when he hears heavy footsteps.
"Finn... the Hyperfield Aperture is ready." James looks at him. Finn avoids his gaze, pretending to stay busy with the pathogen so James doesn't suspect anything.
"Yes... the Hyperfield. All I have to do is go back to Earth... and cause a forced pandemic?"
"Yes. The Earth might be different, but I feel like it won't face the same volcanic eruption you saw in your Earth before you escaped."
Ten minutes pass. Sofia deploys military forces to surround Concord City. She knows how physically powerful James is. She is ready to nuke the city, but she won't let him escape.
One hour and fifty minutes remain. James does a final check on the machine. Concord City is the largest city in the world, which means it will take longer to reach Finn. Even though it's a challenge for Sofia, her alliance helps her quickly locate the café.
One hour and twenty minutes remain. James starts the Hyperfield Aperture. A buzzing sound echoes through the room. Finn hears it—he knows it has started. Sofia finds the Rubix Café and enters. The military and Sofia hear the buzzing sound. They break into the basement and search for the hidden lift.
James hears rustling above him.
"I can't let this happen. I'm so close... too close to see a change. I won't lose. I'll fight nature to bring the change I desire."
Sofia looks under a drawer and discovers a tiny button. A smile spreads across her face. "You're going to die, James," she whispers to herself.
James looks at the machine. "They really think it's easy to get me? Not in a million years."
A smile forms on both Sofia's and James's faces, each aware of the other.
A war that will decide the fate of the world.
A war against time. A war against plans.
---
"Finn, so let me explain something."
"What is it?"
"This Hyperfield Aperture generates a rotating toroidal energy field which compresses spacetime at a focal point. In simple terms, it chooses two closest stable phase states or timelines. I started this machine too early because I suspected Sofia would find me, and I can assume who revealed my location."
Finn hesitates, "James..."
"Finn, you may not understand, but I'm trying to change something because I feel bound no matter where I go. It feels like I'm trapped. This is my plan to figure out what is binding us - aliens, humans, or nature."
Finn nods, unable to decide what to say.
James rushes towards the machine and enters the password. A beep is heard nearby, and the lift door suddenly opens. Sofia pulls out her gun and points it at Finn. A deep confusion spreads across Finn's face. Before Sofia can act, James presses the button. A buzzing sound intensifies, and everyone takes position, trying to understand what is happening. Sofia almost shoots Finn, but the air distorts.
Gravity distorts. Everyone is lifted and slammed against the ceiling, their voices becoming distant, their shadows wavering. The whole café trembles and breaks apart, pushing everyone into the air. The machine, still attached with wires, floats at the center. James, Finn, Sofia, the military, and the chopper lose control and drift with it. The entire city witnesses people floating in the air as cameras activate and news spreads instantly.
Chunks of land start breaking apart and floating. James grabs onto one of them, while Sofia struggles to stabilize herself. "James... what did you do?!" Even though she is close, her voice reaches him distorted. "I'll escape and change reality," James replies.
Electricity across the city begins to fluctuate. The machine's range increases, and nearby buildings shatter under the distortion force, resembling an apocalypse. Sofia manages to hold onto a large rock, aiming at Finn. She murmurs, "He kept Finn alive... which means he needs him. I won't let him do anything."
James pushes himself off the floating debris, reaches Finn, grabs him, and forces him toward the machine. Near it, the air compresses inward violently. Finn gets pulled into the tear.
Sofia stretches her hand in desperation as Finn disappears into thin air. He drifts into a junction - something he remembers from what James told him while putting the suit on him.
"When you pass through, you may discover a temporary equilibrium state. It's a junction between timelines. This suit is connected to the machine wirelessly. The button on your arm controls the energy. You may find two paths. Switching the button will change the energy level and take you to the path you choose. It's like those old radio systems... don't hesitate..."
Finn instantly appears in a void-like place. His consciousness shapes the junction into something familiar. He sees a sky above and a road splitting into two. He looks down and finds himself in normal clothing. He presses his forearm, activating the button, and gets teleported to Earth.
On Proxima - Sofia burns with anger. Almost half of Concord City is floating in the air, breaking into chunks as the land collapses. Electricity across the world fluctuates violently. Military forces deploy aircraft to remain airborne and avoid being pulled in. Thousands of soldiers are confused and trying to escape.
"I just have a minute to get near the machine. Finn got inside, I just need to reach the back side and restart it. If Finn failed, he will get another chance. This is my last chance." James moves across large chunks, avoiding debris. A huge chopper crashes into his platform and explodes. He desperately holds onto another piece and continues toward the Hyperfield Aperture.
On Earth - Finn appears on a surface. He scans his surroundings for confirmation. Smoke fills the area, indicating a recent tear. His eyes fall on a digital clock. "Year... 2038." His eyes widen. "This looks like a large food facility." His suit beeps. He checks his forearm. "20 seconds left."
On Proxima - James checks his timer - 20 seconds. Sofia reloads mid-air while holding onto debris. She fires. The bullet pierces James's leg. "Rrgh!" he shouts in pain but continues forward. He reaches the machine and inputs the password again. "8 seconds left."
On Earth - Finn remains in the dense smoke. He cannot observe much. An intuition tells him this might not be the right Earth, but he hesitates. He checks his forearm. "8 seconds left." A faint voice echoes in his mind.
"Decisions are not always meant to be right. They are meant to teach you. Finn... in a life-or-death situation, don't think about how you will die. Think about how you will live."
On Proxima - James restarts the machine. A shockwave throws everything further apart. James lets himself drift, staring at the sky. Sofia takes aim and fires. The bullet pierces his heart.
"MORGAN... OR JAMES... WHATEVER. YOU RUINED EVERYTHING!"
James laughs as blood spills into the air. "SOFIA! There are two most important days in a man's life... the day he is born, and the day he discovers why."
Sofia's body gets crushed between rocks. "I hate you... but I admire your courage... I tried... I really tried to bring change... but I gave up too soon..." She takes her last breath.
The floating land collapses. Electricity across the world shuts down. James, Sofia, buildings, and people fall back to the ground. The machine dies due to power loss. James lies bleeding as debris covers him.
"Eve... is this how you felt while dying? It doesn't feel good... I don't want to die..." His voice fades as he drifts into unconsciousness. The sounds around him slowly drift farther away until everything fades. Until he feels blind and deaf.
Meanwhile, Finn returns to the junction. He takes a gamble and presses the opposite button, reaching Earth again at a different place. He scans the surroundings and smiles, realizing he is in the right place.
"I should join the Planetary Protection Organization... it will be easier. Causing a pandemic here may bring the change James spoke of..."