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“Excuse me, ma’am?”
Gina Cross turned around to see an old scientist swiftly approaching her. His face was etched in a way as though he had heard the best news of his life one day and had not stopped smiling since.
“Yes, sir?” she asked tentatively.
“Hello, miss. I was wondering if you needed help delivering the sample to the testing chamber!”
Gina stared at him. “What?”
“The sample for the test that is happening in—“ he glanced at his wrist. There wasn’t a watch on it. “—five minutes and four seconds.”
Gina laughed incredulously before trailing off when she realized he was being quite serious despite the unwavering smile. “Look...” she peered at his ID badge. “...Dr. Coomer, you don’t even have a hazard suit. I don’t think you’re even supposed to be down here.”
Dr. Coomer gave a hearty chuckle, “Oh, I’m definitely not supposed to be down here. Want to know how I managed it?”
Gina liked to think she was rational, but she knew she was not patient. “No. Have a nice day,” She walked away, carting the sample toward the elevator.
Dr. Coomer trailed after her, “You mean have a safe day. You designed the HEV suits, after all.”
Gina tried not to acknowledge the strange man, but couldn’t help rolling her eyes, “I’m not a parrot, I don’t say that on a day-to-day basis.”
He smiled, “Yes, constantly repeating yourself can get rather annoying, can’t it.”
Gina turned to him with increasing exasperation, “Look, Dr. Coomer, don’t you have somewhere important to be? Some buttons to push? If this sample isn’t delivered on time, the whole test may have to be postponed and everyone’s time will be wasted. If you really want to help, you can walk back the way you came and tell the lab that everything is hunky-dory, got it?”
Gina’s passive aggressive tirade was only met with the same warm smile. She couldn’t help feeling unnerved by the direct eye contact he was giving her. Like she wasn’t completely there and he was staring at a spot on the wall behind her.
Dr. Coomer finally replied, “Well, it certainly won’t matter. The cart will be there whether you push it there or not. It’s just how the scene is scripted.”
Gina found herself fully convinced that he had lost it. “Right, what department are you from?”
“I’m from the science team,” he replied.
“Your lack of specificity is extraordinarily suspicious and, I swear to god, I am this close to alerting security.”
“Security won’t come. They aren’t routed to this area.” He glanced at his bare wrist again. “That’s three minutes on the dot, you haven’t got much time. Would you rather stop me or deliver your sample?”
Gina gave him a dubious scowl, “What the hell are you talking about?”
“Come now, Gina! Would you rather stop and listen to me, or finish delivering your payload? This part is up to you.”
Gina attempted to wrap her head around the absolute nonsense he spouted. “What the hell do you mean it’s up to me? I’m trying to stay on task and you keep— you keep harassing me!”
“I will apologize about this in the future,” Dr. Coomer replied, not sounding very sorry at all.
Gina felt very close to getting violent. She wanted to throttle this man. But she needed to deliver the sample. She wanted to stop everything and beat him over the head with the heavy crystal nestled in the cart. But it seemed like every part of her was much more interested in delivering it to the service elevator at the end of the hall. That was the right thing to do. It was what was supposed to happen. The more she thought of it, the more the compulsion felt strange to her. But her task was more important than her feelings.
She shook her head, “Any other day, I would be beating the tar out of you. Consider yourself lucky I’m on a tight schedule. But hey, once this is done I’m free for the rest of the day. So don’t move.” She turned back to her cart and continued pushing down the hall.
Dr. Coomer’s smile drooped considerably. “Gina, I thought you had a fighting spirit! You’re really going to prioritize your job over serving a stranger a piping hot platter of well-deserved justice in the form of physical violence?”
Gina laughed as she reached the service elevator doors, “Talk to Colette for that. She would love any excuse to pummel someone. You’re no exception.”
She looked into the window and gave the signal to the scientist on the other side to open the service lift. He didn’t seem to notice Dr. Coomer at all. She turned to face Coomer only to see he had vanished. She whipped back to the window in time to see him punch the scientist square in the back, hurtling him into the control panel. He bounced off thick radiation-proof glass and slid to the ground in a bloody streak.
Gina let out a horrified gasp, “What the hell did you do?”
Dr. Coomer looked up at Gina, his smile gone. “You can’t deliver the sample,” he said.
Gina felt rage bubble up inside her, “Is that what this is about? Are you trying to sabotage the experiment? Are you trying to sabotage me?”
Dr. Coomer looked at her in a way she felt he could really see her for the first time. His eyes were full of sadness. “You don’t have to deliver the sample. Listen Gina, there’s something you have to remember. Right now, there’s a persistent feeling in the back of your head that I’m not supposed to be here and that none of this is supposed to happen. Right now you are fighting the feeling of obeying your one order, and that is delivering that sample. This will be hard for you to hear, but delivering the cart doesn’t matter in the slightest. It will still appear in the test chamber. It’s just how the event is sequenced. But remember that feeling! You are not constrained to this moment! Fight your directive!”
Gina stared at him. “Are you fucking crazy? Did you hit your head on the way here?”
Dr. Coomer closed his eyes. “Gina, I do apologize for this, but you’ll thank me later.”
He began to walk toward the wall with a burning determination in his eyes. Gina’s mouth hung open as he passed through the glass, as though it were a hologram. She stumbled as he approaches the cart, and with a mighty kick, he toppled it over sending the sample shattering across the linoleum floor.
“What the fuck!” Gina shrieked.
Dr. Coomer stretched his foot out with a wince, “Oh, that smarts! Remind me later to get new Kicking Shoes! These are not good for keeling over hazardous transport carts. Then again, I tend to use my arms.”
“What the fuck!” Gina screamed again.
He put up his hands, “Apologies, it’s much easier if I sequence break. It brings you out of your designated path.”
“What are you talking about! What the hell is going on!”
“Gina—“
“Shut up! Shut up!” She pointed an accusing finger at him, “Don’t even think about saying another word! You just sent years worth of important research shattering to the ground! And now you’re— you’re talking about sequences and— how did you walk through the wall? How could— how— how— how—“
Something was wrong. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Why can’t she move? The sample was no longer shattered on the ground. It was in the elevator being sent up to the testing chamber. She couldn’t move. This wasn’t supposed to happen. She just saw the crystal destroyed a few moments ago. Why can’t she fucking move?
Dr. Coomer was watching her with a mixture of hope and fierce pride. “Don’t panic! You’re glitching, but you can get through it! Remember why I’m not supposed to be here! Fight it, Gina! You’re almost there!”
Fight what? What is she fighting against? How does he know her name? Please move. Please don’t panic. Please god don’t panic. How— how— How was this happening. No panicking. Focus. What does she do next? The sample had been delivered. It was not broken on the ground, it was in the elevator somehow. Sequence breaking? She felt like she was falling, and she was terrified that if she opened her eyes and looked up she would see everything above her getting smaller and smaller.
I don’t want to see it, she screamed to herself. I don’t want to see it! Don’t make me look!
Her directive had been fulfilled. Go back to the lab. Just look away. Just go back. Just go back.
Gina finally opened her eyes. Dr. Coomer was looking back at her, eyes brimming with hope.
She gave him a level stare, and walked past him.
Dr. Coomer watched after her, “Gina? Is everything alright?”
“I’m just heading back to the lab,” she replied.
Dr. Coomer walked beside her, searching her face as though he expected something to grow there. “After all that? You’re just going back?”
“I’m just heading back to the lab,” she replied.
He scratched his head, “Well, I’m sure now that you’ve somewhat gained an intuition of how things really are, you don’t have to go ba—“
“I’m just heading back to the lab,” she replied.
He stopped and watched her continue walking down an all too straight path to the sealed doors.
“Oh,” he said softly. “You didn’t make it.”
“I’m just heading back to the lab,” she replied.
“Right,” Dr. Coomer nodded. “Well, don’t let me stop you.”
She walked away as a green glowing doorway flashed open in the wall and a despondent Dr. Coomer vanished through as the klaxon alarms began to shriek overhead.
Bubby flicked another can of soda at a nearby scientist. He hoped they would eventually react, but he felt boredom wash over him as crushed cans piled higher around the ankles of the unresponsive NPC. Tommy watched with mild interest, occasionally joining in with some of his own conjured up brand name sodas.
Their cola can escapade was cut off as a flash of green light etched itself into the wall and Dr. Coomer walked out.
“Any luck?” Bubby asked, kicking away the massive pile of soda cans.
Dr. Coomer’s grim face told him enough. He shrugged, “Well, onto the next one then. It’s a good thing I didn’t accidentally send you to convince one of those Vonnivault-whatever things to join us. I doubt they’d make good company.”
Dr. Coomer didn’t reply. Bubby studied him sorrowfully. “Look, I’m sure the next one will be more receptive. They all have a hard time remembering, you know.”
“Oh, it’s not that,” Dr. Coomer sighed. “I was so sure I would get to her. She was so close to remembering, I could see it. But she was just so... stubborn. She was set on staying on track with everything...” he gave a small chuckle. “Sounds like someone we know. She would have made an excellent addition to the team.”
Bubby shook his head, “Shame. Did she try to beat you up?”
“She definitely wanted to! God knows I would have let her throw a celebratory punch if she made it all the way! When I first met her, she seemed like she was already halfway there. She was saying things that were completely unscripted! It was an incredible discovery! But it was as though... she completely backtracked just as she was looking over the edge. It was one step forward and three giant leaps back. I just don’t know what happened...”
Bubby picked up the massive green portal gun and began turning dials and knobs. “She was close to remembering, she freaked out, and she decided ignorance is bliss! Can’t say I blame her. You could have just outright told her, y’know.”
Dr. Coomer kicked the pile of soda cans disdainfully, “You know it’s not that simple. They have to figure it out for themselves. That’s where the self-aware part comes in.” He frowned, “Gordon made it look so easy. I don’t think he was even trying!”
“Hey, I’m just saying there’s nothing wrong with a bit of a nudge! A forceful nudge. You could always let me have a go with the next one.”
Dr. Coomer eyed him, “You do know that means no guns. It freaks them out.”
Bubby shrugged again, “Well, I can’t promise that.”
Tommy begans cleaning up the indiscriminately messy pile of cans by picking them up one by one and flicking them out of existence. It fascinated Dr. Coomer that Tommy seemed so naturally adept with his newfound power. Then again, he never really questioned anything too extraordinary.
Bubby gave the gun a mighty thwack and it hummed back to life. “Damned thing. This really is some tacky temporal teleportation. Can’t we just create them with full awareness? We are getting the hang of that now. Or at least Tommy is,” he adds quietly.
Dr. Coomer watched Tommy flick more cans out of the air, “I... don’t think it’s that easy. I’m not an expert in the logistics of self-awareness, but it’s a journey they have to go on alone. The most we can do is push them in the right direction. Besides,” he gave Bubby an embarrassed smile, “Everything we create doesn’t seem to be wholly right in the head when it comes to being aware. It’s best to work with the iterations we already have.”
Bubby grumbled, “Lame.”
Tommy finally spoke, “Benry would know how to do it.”
There was a long silence between the three of them. Tommy flicked another can out of existence and Bubby replied with a small “I doubt that,” while fiddling deliberately with the portal gun.
Dr. Coomer sat up straighter, “Now, don’t feel down. I’m sure that Benry is doing just fine in the void your father popped him in. He’s probably playing on his PlayStation™ at this very moment in a fancy Gamer Chair™!”
“It’s actually one of our old sofas,” Tommy replied.
“Sheesh,” Bubby sneered. “Your dad could afford to buy out the Minions and a Chuck E. Cheese, but couldn’t bother getting a Gamer Chair for Benry? What a cheapskate.”
“I liked that sofa,” Tommy replied.
Dr. Coomer pat him on the shoulder, “Not to worry, Tommy. At least with a sofa we can all join him and comfortably Game™ together. I’m sure once Gordon returns we can all pay Benry a visit in his space prison.”
“Doubt it,” Bubby muttered again.
“But we don’t know if Mr. Freeman is coming back,” Tommy said. “Isn’t that why we’re doing this?”
Bubby and Dr. Coomer glanced at each other. “Well,” Coomer tried to save face, “That doesn’t mean we can’t visit. Anyways!” He swiftly changed the subject and turned to Bubby, who grappled with the heavy device. “Portal gun at the ready? Who do you have targeted this time?”
Bubby checked the screen, “Someone called npc_walter28. Terrible name, if you ask me.”
“Oh, I’m sure they’ll come up with a fine name once they remember everything! Righty-o, then!” Dr. Coomer adjusted his tie and put on his winning smile. “Let’s pay them a visit!”