Where All Things Go

“Three… Two… One…”

It was those three seconds, the last three before the jump that always hit the hardest. My muscles tensed, my jaw tightened until it felt like it would crack, and my heart beat erratically. I resisted the urge to reach up and wipe the sweat from my forehead. It would’ve been a pointless endeavor, the visor from my helmet would’ve stopped me.

I held onto the straps binding me to my chair, the pod around me was flaring to life with lights and a high-pitched whirring sound. I gulped in another breath; this next part always sucked.

“Ignition.”

The feminine voice spoke from above and my world stretched. I felt my heart in my throat and my gut in my shoes. There was a sensation like falling from a great height and being yanked upward by an unrelenting force. I bared my teeth and tried not to scream.

If I had the same resources as the Institute, I could have fixed this problem, but we’d parted ways a long, long time ago.

A brilliant light eclipsed me, surrounding me in its embrace. It pressed against me until you couldn’t tell where I began and the light ended. We became one. It was an instant and an eternity all wrapped into one.

And then I was on the other side.

I was now walking down a hallway with a confident stride. The pod I’d been in, the incredible light, all of it was gone. The machine had performed its job admirably. As I walked, I checked my watch. To the untrained eye, it looked like a simple device of cogs and leather used to tell the time, but hidden within its dials and levers was a pattern I could recognize. It told me I had thirty minutes until the door closed.

I had to move fast.

Not paying attention to where I was going I turned a corner too quickly, bumping into a small woman. She gasped in surprise, her books tumbling from her hands and scattering on the floor. Around us heads turned toward the commotion.

Idiot I silently berated myself.

“I’m so sorry, I wasn’t paying attention,” the woman said. She was in her early twenties, still navigating the web of adulthood. She’d come to this college because she was either related to someone important or because she was extremely intelligent.

On instinct, I’d crouched down to help her gather her things. She looked up at me, eyes both worried and embarrassed. 

She blinked.

Recognition.

Shit.

“Doctor Wheeler?” the woman said, mouth hanging in surprise.

Idiot! I berated myself again. I abandoned helping her up and swiftly walked away. 

“Doctor! Wait!” She called after me.

I didn’t have time for this. I ducked down an adjoining hall and redoubled my steps. 

“Incursion event noted,” the same feminine voice from the pod spoke into my ear.

Shit shit shit! The student behind me must have been one of mine and my disappearance must have affected her a lot. Her recognition had caused a collapse event big enough to alert the Institute. If they cornered me, I was screwed.

My fast walking became a full on sprint. I didn’t have time for this, for any of this.

A door swung open and a man in a fine, purple and white suit stepped out. He had long red hair slicked back and a bushy beard tamed into thick breads. He looked like a viking who had decided to pursue a career in finance. 

My old friend, Arrow.

“Don’t do this, Doran!” Arrow yelled, his hand sliding into his suit jacket where he kept his firearm.

I bared my teeth and juked to the side, slamming through a door. There were cries of surprise as I stumbled into a classroom, my shoulder flaring with pain. The professor had turned to regard the intruder, looking irritated.

Until she recognized me.

“Doctor Wheeler? What on earth?” She said.

“Incursion event noted,” the feminine voice said in my ear. “Tunnel stabilizing.”

If the tunnel stabilized this moment would become near-permanent in the tapestry of existence. I needed it to, but it was too early. I charged past the professor, running up the stairs of the tiered room. Students stood up as I ran by, looks of shock and recognition in a lot of them. With each one the voice spoke in my ear.

“Incursion event noted.”

“Tunnel stabilizing.”

I gritted my teeth and ignored them. Instead, I looked at my watch. 

Twenty minutes remained.

I’d already wasted too much of it.

They knew where I was going. There was no way they didn’t have someone waiting for me. This was less than ideal.

I reached into the pocket of my jacket and pulled out a capsule. As I ran I popped it into my mouth and bit down. Crack! It snapped between my teeth, releasing a gas into my mouth. I inhaled it, air sucking between my teeth as I forced it down. It tasted like ozone and something acrid.

This was going to suck.

“Full shunt achieved,” the voice said.

The hall around me buckled and then fractured. Like pieces of a jagged puzzle, they separated and blew away, creating a fragmented shell of reality floating around me. Between the gaps a strange, white light filtered in. Looking at it triggered some kind of primal survival instinct. I wanted to run, to hide, so the fetid light couldn’t find me. 

Instead, I focused on a memory. There was a room in this college, a room I was quite fond of. A place where I’d shared ideas and memories, a place where life had become simple in its purpose. It was the room that meant everything to me.

I blew out a breath, stepped forward, and felt myself tip. The fragments quivered, rotated, and then slammed back together, becoming reality for me once again. Looking around, I was in the small office I’d imagined.

It was a cozy space with thick bookshelves placed close together, groaning under the weight of the tomes holding them. Most of them were on philosophy and religion, an extensive history on the thoughts of humankind. The wall space left available had framed accolades boasting a myriad of achievements. 

Opposite the only door was a small desk, weathered and well-loved. A stack of papers sat on it with an open book sitting next to it. Behind them was a woman perhaps in her mid-fifties. She had wrinkles around her eyes and a touch of grey in her hair. At my appearance, her head snapped up, a look up surprise and confusion on her face.

“Oh, I didn’t hear you walk…” she paused, the surprise in her face flashing into full-blown shock and disbelief. “Scott? How… what?”

I barely heard what she said. Seeing the recognition in her eyes, the shape of my real name on her lips; it overwhelmed me. The world seemed to filter away, vanishing from my peripherals until only her face remained.

My Eliza.

“You remember me?” I asked, breathless.

“What kind of question is that?” Eliza said, standing now. I could see her trying to piece things together, her beautiful mind racing. “Scott, how are you here?”

“Incursion event noted,” the voice said, “tunnel stabilization imminent.”

My watch beeped.

Five minutes. 

The side-step I’d pulled off with the pill had cost me.

“I don’t have time to explain, Eliza,” I said, speaking fast. I reached for her, my body trembling at the thought of the contact. “We need to go, now.”

“Absolutely not.”

I stopped short, those two words slamming into me. I hesitated. I didn’t have time for this. We didn’t have time.

“Project Philly was a success,” I said, talking fast. My eyes searched her face, memorizing the lines and curves, searching for a hint of understanding. “Actually, it was more than a success! The nature of it made it so I had to disappear—”

“You didn’t disappear, Scott, you died!” Eliza snapped. Her tone made me fall silent. Her eyes searched mine, trying to find meaning. I saw all of it, the look of anger, disbelief, and mostly, of hurt. I had hurt her.

My world crumbled a little more.

“But I didn’t!” I tried saying, but I could feel the impatience in my voice. I checked my watch again.

Shit.

“You had a brain aneurysm,” Eliza said, her voice dropping. “I saw you die.”

I froze. No, that wasn’t right. That couldn’t be right. Project Philly had combined all potential into one, I survived, all others in the infinite curve ceased to be so either Eliza was mistaken or… I was.

“What’s your daughter’s name?” I asked, trying to keep the dread from my voice.

“What?”

“Eliza, please.”

“I don’t have a daughter, Scott,” Eliza said, her voice raising. 

My world crumbled in on itself. I’d been so close. This Eliza recognized me, she knew who I was and we’d had some kind of history together. But, I’d gotten something wrong. This wasn't my Eliza.

“I’m sorry, I’ve made a mistake,” I said, backing away from her. I needed to get out, get back to my pod and re-calibrate. My watch buzzed. It was almost out of time. I had to return to my origin point.

“Where are you going?” Eliza asked, rounding her desk. She didn’t want me to go. That hurt.

“I can’t explain, I don’t have time,” I started to say.

The door burst open behind me. Arrow stood there. He flicked his eyes from me to Eliza. In a fluid motion, he wrenched his gun free and leveled it. Not at me.

At Eliza.

“Wait! She’s the wrong one!” 

Bang!

The bullet tore through her, throwing her to the floor. I roared and charged at Arrow. I shoulder slammed him, taking him by surprise. Arrow whirled on me, ready to take hold of me. If he did, I wouldn’t stand a chance. He was a master in all forms of fighting and killing.

But I had my own specialty. 

I swung wildly at his head, prompting him to catch my wrist. He stepped in toward me, ready to disable me. I cracked the capsule hidden in my hand, angling it toward his face. The smell of acrid ozone filled the room. The cloud slammed into his face.

He blinked, eyes starting to unfocus, “Are you serious?”

Then he was gone, swept into the infinite in between.

“Have a nice trip,” I muttered. I turned to leave. 

What a shitshow.

A gasp from behind me.

I glanced back, surprised to see Eliza was still alive. Must have missed her heart, but it didn’t matter, with the amount of blood trickling out of her she’d be dead in a few minutes. I started to step out.

“Scott?” Eliza whispered behind me.

The sound of her voice made me freeze. It was so weak and small.  

“She’s the wrong one,” I reminded myself. I didn’t have time for this.

“I’m so cold,” Eliza gasped out.

Memories flooded in, memories of places I hadn’t been with faces I didn’t recognize. Through it all, Eliza’s eyes slid over to me, twinkling at something she had just said. These weren’t my memories, they were a different Scott’s life.

“Convergence event registered,” the voice said. “Running disentanglement protocol.”

“No,” I snapped, feeling tears pricking at my eyes. With every passing moment this Eliza became more real to me, our history beautiful and incandescent. I knew I needed to let go. I needed to leave.

But this had always been my problem.

My watch beeped.

Three minutes remain.

Sentimental idiot.

I rushed to Eliza’s side, trying not to think about what the Institute would do to me if I didn’t get out in time. All that mattered was getting Eliza to safety.

“Prepare for medical,” I said, speaking to my disembodied companion. 

Eliza blinked her eyes, they were becoming unfocused, “Scott, are you there?”

“Yeah, baby, I’m here,” I said, threading my arms under her legs and around her back. I struggled to my feet, mind racing. This was stupid, I was being stupid. This was a risk I couldn’t afford.

But when I looked down at Eliza, seeing her face bunched up in confusion and pain, all other thoughts vanished. There were an infinite amount of Eliza’s in reality, there was an infinite amount of them dying and there was nothing I could do about it. But I could do something about this one.

“Warning, tunnel solidification imminent,” the voice said calmly in my ear. I had to go.

I staggered toward the door. I had forgone my Institute mandated physical training, something I would amend the moment I got back home, so carrying another person was more difficult than I’d have been willing to admit. Still, I managed to get her up and through the door.

My watch beeped.

Two minutes.

I rushed into the adjoining hall, carrying Eliza in my arms, my entire attention on her. It took me a moment to recognize the signs of panic that flowed around me. Arrow hadn’t bothered with a silencer, there was no mistaking that loud bark of a firearm.

There were screams as I stumbled past, covered in the blood leaking out of Eliza. I tried not to think about any of that. I needed to get back to the origin point.

“Scott? I- I can’t see,” Eliza muttered.

“Hang on, just a little longer,” I said through gritted teeth.

A bark from a gun, the wood splintered next to my head. It should have hit me, but fortunately one of my gadgets created a displacement field that threw off their aim. I didn’t bother looking back, I knew there were men and women with suits pouring from the sidelines, each ready to take me down. 

“Doran! Stop!”

I ignored them and started running as fast as I could muster. My life became the ragged chuffs of breath escaping my lungs, the burn in my legs as I pushed myself to move faster, and the sticky warmth that was spreading into my clothes with alarming speed.

“Scott,” Eliza whispered.

“Cabo! Remember Cabo!” I practically shouted as I ran. The image popped into my mind.

“Warning! Convergence event has reached RED state, engaging disentaglement-” the voice said.

“No! Cancel all protocols!” I snapped. “Come on, Eliza, tell me about Cabo!”

“We were all there; Emmet, Lucy, Veronica, Blue…” Eliza said, head lolling. She let out a weak chuckle. “They gave us so much shit when they found out we were hooking up.”

She coughed, eyes fluttering.

“No, no, no! Hang on!” I screamed. 

My watch beeped. 

One minute.

A door to my right banged open and a huge figure slammed into me. I yelped in surprise, stumbling. I somehow managed to keep my grip on Eliza as I fell to the ground, rotating my body so I’d take the brunt of the fall. I grunted as I hit the ground. Eliza was silent.

“Reel it in, Doran,” Arrow said, standing over me. His pupils were still blown wide from the trip I’d sent him on. I could tell he was barely stable. “It’s over.”

I glanced at my watch.

Running out of time.

I looked at Eliza.

It may be too late.

But I didn’t care. I was really tired of losing.

The thing about the powder I’d inflicted Arrow with was it disconnected awareness from the quantum state of reality. For the untrained, you’d be cast adrift in a sea of chaos with nothing more to do than hang on. Eventually you’d snap back to reality, but there was no telling if it would be your home reality or a different one entirely. It required intense focus to maintain solidity in a specific place. Any stray memory or thought could send you spiraling to who knows where.

“One last thing before you take me in, Arrow,” I said, holding Eliza to my chest. “How’s Becky?”

Arrow looked confused for a moment and then shuddered. “You son of a bi—”

There was a chance he could have held onto the present moment, but memories can be jarring to even the most hardened soldiers. There was a stutter in reality and Arrow was gone, winked away to whatever faraway place he’d imagined.

Eliza wouldn’t be the only person facing a ghost today.

My watch beeped.

Thirty seconds.

I got to my feet, holding Eliza tight. Her head lolled and her eyes fluttered, a small groan escaping her throat. Relief swelled through me.

“Please, hold on,” I whispered, putting my face against her head and breathing in her familiar smell. 

Then I ran.

Chaos was in the halls, figures rushed around in a panic. Through the middle of it, I charged, my feet hitting the hardwood floors with such intensity it sent a jolt through my legs. Each second stretched into an eternity, but also vanished in the blink of an eye.

My origin, the place I’d entered into this reality through, was my ticket out. There was a magnetic pull to it, calling me homeward, but it was getting weaker as it collapsed in on itself.

I rounded the corner, the final hall stretching in front of me. There it was in the distance, a whorl spinning in the air, slowly consuming itself. It was nearly impossible to notice unless you knew how to look for it. It was so much smaller now, barely the size of a marble.

Ten

I charged forward.

Nine

“Get out of the way!” I screamed.

Eight

Confused faces turned to look at me, transforming into horror.

Seven

The crowd slid back against the walls, allowing me passage.

Six

My world narrowed to that hairpin point.

Five

Bang bang bang!

Four 

Screams around me, the bullets almost hitting me as they soared by.

Three

“Come on, Eliza!” I screamed. 

She didn’t respond.

Two

“Hang on!” I was almost there I was almost there I was almost—

One

…