Albert looked up at Midge from where he was laying down in the pod.

“So lemme get this straight, Midgey. I built a goddamn time machine, let you use it, and you’re not even decent enough to get me a vaccine out of it?”

“Look, Sherrington.” Midge kicked at the ground. “I never said I was perfect.”

Albert waved his hand. “Whatever. Just don’t even think about leaving me in here forever.”

Midge looked at the others. “They won’t.”

Albert then looked at Emma. “And I trust I’ll be hearing from you soon?”

Emma blinked. “Excuse me?”

“Ah, nevermind.” He turned back to Midge. “When you close the pod, if you hear me asking to get out, don’t bother.”

Midge raised an eyebrow at that. “Alright then.” With that, she closed the door of the pod.

There was only a few seconds before a banging could be heard on the inside.

“W-What the hell is this?! HEY, IS ANYONE THERE?! *THUMP THUMP* LET ME OUT!”

Uncomfortably, Midge went over to the panel, but began to scratch her head.

“Let me do it.” Emma scooched Midge over and then pressed some buttons despite Albert’s protests. There was a depressurizing sound, and the room itself felt colder as the process began. It took no time at all before Albert’s screams ceased entirely.

Midge then walked over to Bradley. He was sitting in a corner, hugging his knees. He was still crying softly.

“Bradley, it’s time to go, okay? You can get a vaccine and get out of here.”

Bradley just stared off. “I...I don’t want to go.”

“Come on, Bradley. What about your parents? Won’t they want to see you?”

“I don’t have any. I...I don’t have anybody left. I don’t even have Einstein.” Bradley’s face twisted in tears again. “There’s nothing for me out there. A-And...I ki-killed Adriana…”

“You didn’t do anything wrong.” Midge assured, putting a hand on Bradley’s shoulder.

Bradley slapped it away. “Leave me alone.”

Midge kneeled down further, looking at Bradley deep in the eyes. “Bradley, you didn’t do anything wrong. I promise you.”

Remember when I said I was from the future? I wasn’t just blowing smoke. It’s true, all of it.

Life was good for a long time. My job wasn’t anything special, but it made me happy. I loved the books, I loved the kids, and I had already found someone I loved...someone who felt the same way about me.

We had our ups and downs. Honestly, she worked more than I’d have liked her too. But that was something I knew about her early, so I guess I’m the jerk for expecting that to change.

Every fight we had, every argument we were in, every problem we had...it doesn’t matter to me anymore. All of that paled in comparison to what happened next.

The year was 2032. There was a surge of outbreaks across the world...Blight-Y. Yeah, the same one. It was a problem to say the least. The virus was kept contained in special zones, but it had already spread so far. There was no telling if it would go any further, and there were still people infected who needed help. A cure didn’t seem possible, only medicines that could prolong the inevitable.

Worst of all, Emma was infected. I was immune--they said I was one of the lucky ones. But that wasn’t true. I didn’t even believe it then--I would’ve done anything to trade places with her. Everyday, she just got more and more sick. More and more weak. And I just felt more and more helpless.

Then came Helios Tesla. President Tesla. In a shocking turn of events, he won the US Presidential Election. And he vowed that he would solve the Blight-Y problem...

The solution was Ghost Protocol. Yeah, you’ve already heard about it right? The thing is...it wasn’t really a solution.

What do you think of when you hear the word ‘immortality’? Some people are just fond of the idea of living longer. But do you ever really think about what it means to live forever?

Either way, it doesn’t matter. Because at the end of the day we’re not talking about you. Sorry, I’m talking way too around the bush here, aren’t I?

The idea was that they’d create completely organic beings. They looked like humans. They were modeled like humans using actual tissue, organs, nerves, everything. There are a lot of names for them, but I always called them homunculi.

The thing is, a homunculi doesn’t really have a brain. It has the necessary structure of one, but a brain is way more complicated than that. We’re far, far away from true artificial intelligence, every attempt has created an Uncanny Valley Effect.

So where did that leave Ghost Protocol? How could you make a homunculus act indistinguishably human without the proper AI? It was one great idea away from being complete. Or one terrible idea if you want to look at it that way.

Have you ever heard of Tyrell Hodges? He’s a big idea guy at SkyTech. It’s said he came up with the brilliant idea after 56 hours, when he was reading a college student’s research paper. He ran out onto the streets hysterically yelling, That’s it! We just need a human’s data!

A human’s data is really complicated. But Tyrell insisted that SkyTech wouldn’t need to understand it, as long as we just made it what programmed the homunculus. I won’t get into the details.

Big picture time? You make a copy of your memories, and just upload it to a homunculus. See what I mean when I said you weren’t truly immortal? It’s just the image of you--a copy living on in the world. Potentially forever.

For some people, that was no solution. For others, that was enough. Too many people had things they needed to keep doing. Kids they’d need to feed. Most importantly, a homunculus couldn’t die from disease so for those already infected it was the last option.

It was mainly available to the rich, but soon became more and more quickly available to the public. It’s exactly as batshit fucking crazy it sounds. Copies of people, roaming around.

Thing is, they never came out perfect. Most memories were far too insignificant to carry through the transfer. Some personality traits became far more emphasized in the copy.

Emma...she never wanted it. She refused, even though she had the money. She died in my arms, and I knew I would never get to hear her voice again. There were days where I wished she’d decided otherwise, but not anymore...

The moment Tesla authorized that program, it was over.

That was when The Leader showed up. Nobody knows who he is. Nobody had to.

You see, The Leader? He was goddamn psychic. He could communicate through people’s minds, and even through a homunculus. He could influence a homunculus’ actions and over time, control them completely if he wanted to.

That was the end of the world. The Leader wanted Helios Tesla dead, at any means necessary. That was his one demand. The Leader’s numbers were much smaller, but much stronger. Much deadlier. You can’t get a deadlier soldier than one that doesn’t die after all.

Outbreak zones were constantly ambushed. Blight-Y ravaged over the world like a wildfire. Only the US and China made it out, and even they had significant casualties.

In a time of such chaos, there was no need for re-elections. Helios remained President for the entire 15 years I spent in that future. The Leader never died either, and continued his war from the shadows.

Helios never gave in. He was adamant the United States did not negotiate with terrorists. He got some political pressure, but most people actually wanted to fight back at The Leader. Helios could definitely more than keep them safe, and that was all that they wanted in that time.

He was a face they could rally behind. Needless to say, I didn’t want to.

So what was someone like me supposed to do? I was immune, so I at least had options outside the safe zones. It was either choosing a life under complete strict military curfews or one in the outside. I chose the latter.

It was a choice for life. I knew they’d never let me back in, at risk that I could be a homunculus. So I just lived on the barren roads. I occasionally came across other survivors all those years, and even traveled some. But most of the others I came across…

Look, most of the time it was kill or be killed out there. I’ve done a lot of things I regret. Things I’m not happy about.

It’s not easy sleeping outside. The Leader’s homunculi...they’re smart. And they mostly operate on their own. They can kidnap your friend in the middle of the night, and come back with a copy of them, memories and all. Then they’ll stab you in your sleep. It was important to stay together. Constantly quiz each other. Root out homunculi however possible.

I’ve been on the wrong end of that accusation too. You do what you gotta do to survive…remember when I said that being immune wasn’t lucky? That’s why. Being immune just meant you were forced to live in a world with the worst of humanity, and death at every corner.

Wanna hear more about good ol’ Helios? His next solution to saving the planet was a time machine. Yes, a time machine. A lot of recent research said it was possible. China believed it was possible too. So the race begun.

Yup. The world is dying, let’s spend all the money on time machines.

I kept going. Kept finding food where I could. Just kept living. Feeling the blood in my veins. There was still one thing I had to do. I had to find Dr. Sherrington. A lot of people said he was just a rumor, but I didn’t think so. If he had gotten time travel right then...there was a chance I could use it. No, I knew there wasn’t a chance. Something told me I had to do it.

And you know what? I was right! When I finally found him in a bunker, The Doctor told me that I was the only who could use it. He knew I was coming.

I did what I could to get there. I lied to some people too. Told the good ol’ rebellion that I was coming back here, I’d kill Helios, kill The Leader, and I’d make it all worth it.

...but that wasn’t why. I needed a second try to save Emma.

***

“Take this package with you.” Doctor Sherrington instructed.

Midge turned it over.

“Don’t open it. Just send it.” He snapped.

“Geez. Alright, alright. How far back?”

“You said 2032, right?” The Doctor seemed skeptical about the decision.

“Well...how far back can it go?”

“24 years.”

“Let’s do that then. I’m pretty sure Helios and The Leader can see stuff through space-time too. I think they knew that I came back here.”

The Doctor nodded. “Admittedly, I’ve felt the same. I wouldn’t have allowed otherwise in fact.”

He pushed Midge into her seat and strapped her in her seatbelt. “Live off the grid. Waaaaaay off the grid. You can’t interact with your past self.”

“What’ll happen?” Midge frowned. “I thought that was always a bunch of hokey movie stuff.”

“I spent years building this machine.” The Doctor sighed. “I know what I’m doing.”

“Ok, fine. Not like a shitty life back there can be any worse than the one here.”

“One more thing.” The Doctor looked up at her. “If you happen to see my past self, don’t say anything. Don’t look at him. Don’t influence anything. Not before October 1st, 2032 at least.”

“So...just send the package when I get there?”

“Yes. Do nothing else.” He closed the door on Midge.

“T-Thank you, Doctor!”

Midge laid her hand on the cryogenic pod she just placed Albert in. Bradley was standing by her, looking at it. He looked up at Midge as she finished her story.

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Bradley. Helios was a very, very bad man. Adriana supported him. I couldn’t have killed him without your help.” She bumped her fist against his, though he took no just held his hand by his side. “And Adriana...she was the same. She supported him.”

Bradley looked down, perhaps unconvinced by the explanation.

Midge then looked over at Emma, misty-eyed.

“Well, this is funny. It looks like I won.” Midge had a pained smile on her face. Like a long burden she had held had finally been lifted. As if unable to withstand the pressure, she suddenly collapsed.

“Clara!” Emma quickly knelt to the floor and caught her in her arms. Despite herself, she had tears in her eyes.

“Y-You know...when you were on the trolley track, I considered pressing the button.” She sniffed quietly. “I’m...sorry. I didn’t know how much you had done. How much you went through for me. How much I couldn’t do for you.”

“Y-You believe me then?!”

“Of course I believe you.”

Midge let out an exasperated sigh of relief. “I can’t believe I can finally hear that.” She then pushed Emma a bit away so they could see face to face while kneeling on the floor. “I-It’s alright, Emma! I-I’m so happy to see you again! A-And now you know Blight-Y is coming. If anyone can stop it, it’s you!”

Emma clutched Midge tighter. “These last 9 years...were the worst of my life. I’m so glad I could see you again, Clara.”

Midge smiled again, proudly flashing her rotten teeth while also sobbing a bit unexpectedly loudly. Then quickly, she pulled Emma in for an impassioned kiss. She held Emma tighter, trying to hold onto the moment as long as she could.

“O-Ok. That’s good. I don’t want to keep you all too long. It’s best to get this over with as quickly as possible. In case it doesn’t work, you know?”

There was a long silence. A preparation for what was next.

“D-Do...we have to kill you, Miss Midge?” Bradley frowned.

“It’s alright, Bradley. I’m ok with it. I’ve done everything I’ve needed to.”

Bradley clenched his fists. “I-I...don’t deserve to live.”

“Remember that stuff you read about time travel?” Midge asked. “We were stuck towards a dead end. Any future with him alive...it was bad news.”

Violet stood between Bradley and Midge. “I’ll do it, Midge.” The words came out trembling, and definitely not as confident as she would’ve liked.

“N-No, V-Violet…” Bradley whimpered.

Emma parted away from Midge, Midge extending her hand as long as she could before her fingers could no longer touch Emma’s. Then Emma grabbed Bradley and escorted him out of the room.

“You’re really brave, Violet.” Midge assured.

“No, I’m not.” Violet turned red. “I-I’m...still mad about Teddy.”

Midge pretended to be tricked by the unconvincing performance. “I’m serious. You’re a tough kid.”

Midge turned her head to the counter, hoping to find a tool that could finish the job quick.

Emma took one last look at Midge as she stood in the doorway, then turned down the hall.

As Emma walked away with Bradley, she could silently hear the thud of Midge’s body hitting the floor in the distance. She held back her tears, but clenched Bradley’s hand slightly tighter. She kept her pace up to the foyer.

24 hours later…

Emma was still in the hospital, waiting in a bed. Violet and Bradley were in other rooms at the moment, but they were safe.

Most of the doctors that came in and out wore hazmat suits, which made Bradley throw a huge fit. He needed anesthetics to calm down.

The escape was fairly trivial. They ended up finding a jeep when they exited the facility, and found help shortly after. Albert had been arranged to be transferred from the facility too, all without leaving the pod.

“Ms. Montin?!” A nurse yelled.

“Yes?”

“Are you seeing this?” She grabbed a nearby remote and turned on the TV, flipping to the right channel.

“Yes, you heard it right! The presumed dead Senator Tesla has been reported as alive! The details are vague for now, but it seems that initial report of him being dead in the strange shelter was incorrect! We’ll have more for you later.”

Emma’s eyes widened. She was barely aware of the room around her.

“He survived?”

“Damn. Tough guy.”

“I heard he got a vaccine for one of the kids in there too.”

“Really? Holy crap.”

…

…

…

MIDGE ~ END

“q-l-u-m-a-e-a-l-l-a-s-e-s-u-c-u-u-s-p-r.”

All eyes immediately turned to Bradley.

“What the fuck did you just say?” Teddy asked, finger loosening on the trigger.

“That’s the password.” Bradley reiterated. “q-l-u-m-a-e-a-l-l-a-s-e-s-u-c-u-u-s-p-r.”

Violet looked seriously at Bradley. “...how do you know that?”

“I’m...not sure.”

“All caps?” Albert asked.

“What?”

“Are any letters capitalized?”

“Uh...I don’t think so.”

“Hold on a minute.” Helios had let go of Midge, now focusing his attention on Bradley. “Are we sure he’s not just trying to save Ms. Montin?”

“I don’t care about her.” Bradley glared at Helios. “Not after Miss Adriana...look, just leave me alone.”

“Uh, can I interrupt?” Ghost spoke up over the walkie-talkie. “Even if that is the password, don’t we need a username?”

Midge looked at the ground. “...if that’s the password, then the username is ‘c.stanfield’...”

“Stanfield?” Ghost inquired. “Wasn’t that the name from the newspaper article…?”

“Wait.” Albert interrupted. “C...as in Clara?”

The first image that appeared on screen was...Emma. She was facing the camera, about to talk to it. Helios looked curiously at her standing near Teddy, but then shook his head to unnerve himself. He hit play.

"Hello, Emma." Emma chuckled.

"I can only imagine how surprised you are to see me. Your first instruction is to make sure not to show this video to anyone, and to memorize all necessary information. For now, I'll get to it. I'm you: from the future."

She paused briefly, as if to give the watcher time to process that.

“This world is heading towards annihilation. People will die. Not hundreds, not thousands, not even millions. Billions. More than 90% of the population. I’d tell you you’re the only one who could stop it, but that would be a lie. The truth is, there’s very little you can do--very little I can do.

“Have you ever heard Werner’s theory of spacetime? In short, our fate may be predestined already. We may be stuck on a track where the world is destroyed by Blight-Y...I can’t accept that.

“You are going to have to run a game. People will die. Some of them will deserve it. Others will not. The details are...unimportant. In fact, you're better off not knowing them. But the sacrifices are necessary in order to save our doomed future. I believe the Nullification Game is the last chance in this history before our fate is set completely."

She paused again, now taking a sip of water. She was cordial about the whole thing, and oddly cold.

She took out a piece of paper. It wasn’t easy to see was written on it, but there was a lot of small writing and scribbled notes. "It is alright if you fail, but success is the only way this will stop. This will be our 98th attempt to succeed--at least this version of me. Each time, we get a little closer. This is a multivariable system, and all we need to do is find the right combination. You’ll be adding a new one this time."

Everybody watching the video exchanged glances at each other, as if to make sure they weren’t dreaming. That the nature of their reality wasn’t falling apart before them.

"The first time...it all started with a widespread outbreak. We tried to keep the 9 infected people contained in a facility at the CDC, but after some infighting, one of them escaped. After the outbreak, I was infected. Knowing I had little time, I recorded a video and sent it back here. After several more tries, I decided it was best to try contain the outcome of the fighting, or even manipulate it in certain ways. So I ran a game. And got closer to the answer. Much closer. But I kept failing, over and over. And so I kept sending this video back, each time with a new instruction. A new experiment. A new variable. And so, we've arrived here. The 98th attempt. I I have provided information on the last 97 attempts. We were...very close last time." She seemed a bit saddened at the statement.

She now looked at the camera with renewed conviction. “Success is nearly impossible, because our efforts are actively being thwarted. Our enemies are Helios Tesla...and Zero.”

Helios jumped at the mention of his name. He looked to see if any eyes would be on him, but some only quickly glanced in his direction before going back to being completely engrossed by the video.

“Have you ever heard of the game Candyland? The outcome is predetermined from the beginning. All you have to do to win is shuffle the deck in your favor. That’s all. That’s what our enemies are doing, they can see across space-time--they can see all the cards. They can manipulate their order to make sure we don’t succeed. We could be taking so many steps towards success, without realizing we were already past the point of return.

"I've chosen you, because I know you can handle this. Because you’re the only person who can handle this. The loss of innocent life is regretful, but necessary. This is everything your career has prepared you for." She looked at the camera with conviction. "The game will be held 9 years from now, in a facility that the CDC has available for an experiment. You will learn of it soon after your promotion to Director. As for the game, it will have 9 participants including yourself. You can find all the necessary preparations in one of the files on the hard drive.

“In the event that you fail, you are to record a new video, among other tasks like adding more questions and responses to the programming script. As I said, all the details are in the hard drive. Update the files in it with your findings before sending.

“Most importantly, if Albert Blaketon is still alive, give him a piece of mail containing this video. He’s the one who will be able to send it back through time, along with some other items he feels important, I imagine. You won’t need to tell him anything, he won’t have a choice but to listen to you. After all, the CDC has plenty of bunkers available, and he’ll need a spare one if he wishes to survive Blight-Y.”

The video stopped there. It was clear there was more to it, but that was where it had cut off.

…

…

...

Slowly, everybody looked at Emma.