{"id":11008,"date":"2018-08-22T06:00:43","date_gmt":"2018-08-22T11:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.confabulatorcafe.com\/?p=11008"},"modified":"2018-08-22T06:00:43","modified_gmt":"2018-08-22T11:00:43","slug":"timeline-unlimited-inc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.confabulatorcafe.com\/?p=11008","title":{"rendered":"Timeline Unlimited, Inc."},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cNo, that\u2019s not it at all, Mr. Evans. \u00a0There is no such thing as travelling through time. \u00a0It is a bit of a misunderstanding in the public to be sure, but our company cannot, nor will it ever, send anyone back through time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I blinked a few times, \u201c…Okay\u2026 Well, what exactly do you do then?\u201d \u00a0I sat on the visitor\u2019s side of a solid oak desk. The papers were stacked perfectly. \u00a0A pristine chrome-ish pen sat upright in its stand reflecting light from the desk lamp like a beacon. \u00a0There were no pictures frames.\u00a0 Nothing out of order.\u00a0 No clutter at all.\u00a0 Just a stack of papers, the pen, and the desk light.<\/span><\/p>\n

The rest of the room was just as polished. \u00a0Beige tile floor, no dust to be found even if I was looking on my hands and knees. \u00a0Bookshelves in perfect order along the walls on either side of the desk. A door behind me, and a blank wall in front of me. \u00a0The lighting was a warm yellow, which gave life to the otherwise sterile room.<\/span><\/p>\n

Across the desk, sitting in the captain chair was the sales rep. \u00a0Broad shoulders, square jawline, and even a muscular neck. His suit pressed handsomely, and not a dimple or mole or freckle anywhere on his immaculate skin. \u00a0Maybe he was 50 years old judging by the gray peppered throughout his dark head of hair, but honestly, I had no idea. His smile was wide and toothy like a curious teenager. \u00a0And it never left his face.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mr. Smith was pretty goddamn pleasant considering the mystery which surrounded all of this.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m glad you asked, Dan. \u00a0Can I call you Dan?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEh\u2026 Sure.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, you see, Timeline Unlimited is not a time travelling company. \u00a0We simply give people the opportunity to send their memories back, changing their personal timeline,\u201d he shifted in his chair, \u201cIt\u2019s not like the movies. \u00a0In the movies, you\u2019ve got Van Damme jumping back and forth through time trying to save his wife by changing events in the past. But in real life, that kind of thing is impossible. \u00a0Pardon my French, but it\u2019s bonafide bullshit.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah…okay,\u201d I stuttered, \u201cSo, I wouldn\u2019t personally go back in time, just my memories…\u201d \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cExactly. \u00a0You\u2019re getting it. \u00a0When-\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut the rep at the conference didn\u2019t make that very clear,\u201d I interrupted.<\/span><\/p>\n

He chuckled to himself, diffusing his gaze downward for a second or two, \u201cNo, I suppose they don\u2019t, do they? \u00a0I\u2019ll level with you. We\u2019ve gotta make sales, and the other guy got you into this chair so I can explain everything to you, didn\u2019t he? \u00a0You\u2019re nodding, but I can tell you\u2019re skeptical. Listen, everyone has a skeleton in their closet, and some people\u2019s lives are unfortunate enough that it was let out for the world to see. \u00a0For others, they missed an important business opportunity which could have changed everything. Or maybe it\u2019s some long-lost love. But for all of us, there are <\/span>what-ifs <\/span><\/i>bouncing around in our brains like itches that can\u2019t ever be scratched. \u00a0Tell me, Dan, which one of those scenarios is it for you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I turned my head to the side, desperate to withhold eye contact, \u201cThe girl, I guess.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHeh. \u00a0Yeah, that would\u2019ve been my guess for you. \u00a0The guilty ones get all jittery when they come in. \u00a0That\u2019s obviously not you. No offense, but those purple bags under your eyes tell me it\u2019s a girl. \u00a0What\u2019s her name?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Excuse me? \u00a0Just who the hell are you? \u00a0You don\u2019t get to ask me that! \u00a0She\u2019s mine, you prick, and I don\u2019t need you or anyone else disrespecting her. \u00a0I\u2019ll knock that fuckin\u2019 grin right off your face. What do you have to be so happy about anyway?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s Sunny.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHuh?\u201d mild confusion on his face, \u201cWell, I guess I\u2019ve been inside all day. \u00a0It was cloudy when I-\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHer <\/span>name<\/span><\/i>,\u201d I clenched my fists below the desk, \u201cis Sunny.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAh\u2026\u201d This time he was the one to break eye contact, \u201cRight. \u00a0Well, your girl, Sunny. I don\u2019t know what happened between you and her, but imagine that you could fix whatever went wrong. \u00a0Imagine you and her could live happily ever after. That\u2019s where Timeline Unlimited comes in. <\/span><\/p>\n

“You send your memories back, and your past self receives those memories with a full understanding of how they came to him. \u00a0He\u2019d remember this very conversation and all the pain you\u2019ve felt before it, except he\u2019d be living at the time before it all went to hell in a handbasket. He\u2019d understand the path he was about to embark on, which is apparently a different path than Sunny\u2019s. \u00a0He\u2019d have all the knowledge as to why things went wrong, which, I gotta say, by the time people get to me, they\u2019ve already spent a lotta time getting all those details straight inside their heads. So the Dan Evans from the past can make decisions with your current knowledge, and then he can change things. \u00a0The Dan Evans from the past can create a new timeline in which he and Sunny are together again, makin\u2019 babies like rabbits.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou keep saying \u2018he\u2019, as if Dan from the past is a different person than me. \u00a0But it\u2019s the same me. <\/span>I<\/span><\/i> will be the one who receives my memories, and <\/span>I<\/span><\/i> will be the one to change it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell,\u201d he took a deep breath through which seemed to be trying to communicate <\/span>how do I explain this to you?<\/span><\/i> \u00a0But of course, he knew exactly how to explain it. \u00a0He did this every day. But he had to play the part of the good ole\u2019 boy, didn\u2019t he? \u00a0\u201cNot exactly. You ever heard of Alternate Timeline Theory?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, not really.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s quantam physics. \u00a0Goes way back to the 1700\u2019s with Newton who started suggesting ideas which would lead Schroedinger in the 1950\u2019s to develop it even further. \u00a0It\u2019s the idea that every decision we make from day to day creates multiple realities. As long as there exist more than one option, a timeline gets created which fulfills one of the options. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“So say you wake up and are trying to decide if you want to make some toast for breakfast or if you want to go out to eat. You following me so far?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t say anything.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, you end up choosing toast, but since it was the day of your big presentation at work and you\u2019re nervous, the carbs burn off real fast. \u00a0You get lightheaded during your speech, and have to sit down. They end the meeting to make sure you\u2019re okay, and your idea never goes any further.<\/span><\/p>\n

“But simultaneously, Schroedinger would say that an alternate timeline was created when you chose toast. In the other timeline, you chose to go out for breakfast. \u00a0In that timeline, you coincidentally run into the CEO buying coffee. You introduce yourself, chat for a few minutes, and end up making your presentation directly to him. \u00a0He loves it and you get promoted. You\u2019re now working with executives day in and day out and your life is completely different.\u00a0 But the idea is that those timelines both exist at the same time.<\/span><\/p>\n

“And if you were to find the right process and mathematical formula, you could transfer data across them. That\u2019s what we do at Timeline Unlimited. We send your memories from the toast version of yourself so that the other Dan Evans knows that toast is a bad idea. \u00a0The question is whether you want to be an executive or whether you want to eat toast.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve got to be kidding me. \u00a0I don\u2019t have time for this bullshit,\u201d \u00a0I started to get up to leave.<\/span><\/p>\n

He placed both hands calmly onto the table. \u00a0Perfectly trimmed nails and thick, masculine hands, \u201cI assure you, I am very serious.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I paused, not really sure what was about to come out of my mouth, \u201cOkay, let\u2019s assume for the sake of conversation that you\u2019re not a total fuckin\u2019 lunatic.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d he smiled, \u201clet\u2019s assume.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah\u2026 whatever,\u201d my speech was choppier than I had hoped it would be, \u201canyway\u2026 let\u2019s assume this is real, which it\u2019s not. \u00a0What the hell happens to the toast guy? Nothing changes for him. He just continues on in his life in his miserable existence. \u00a0He doesn\u2019t win the day. He just helps the other guy who\u2019s already successful. Why would anyone want to do that?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAh, yes. \u00a0That\u2019s the real question. \u00a0Please, Dan, sit back down. \u00a0There we go. Be cool, my man. \u00a0We\u2019re gettin\u2019 there,\u201d he scratched the back of his head, \u201cYou\u2019re a smart guy, but you need to understand I just presented the options of a fictional scenario to you. \u00a0And it\u2019s one where you know a lot of info which no one actually has. You see, I just told you the two possibilities so you could wrap your mind around the idea. But in real life, you have no idea what other possibilities exist.<\/span><\/p>\n

“It\u2019s very possible that the version of you who went out for breakfast crashed his car and got killed before he met the CEO. The toast Dan doesn\u2019t know what other timelines exist. To him, all he knows to do is tell his past self not to eat toast.<\/span><\/p>\n

“To you, today, in this timeline, you have no idea if any other version of yourself got the girl.\u00a0 But sending your memories back creates a new timeline in itself.\u00a0 With more information to go off of, you might very well be creating a new scenario which was otherwise impossible.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I relaxed my face a little, letting my eyebrows down, which must have told him it was okay to continue.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou see, Dan, right now, you have no reason to hope that Sunny will ever be yours in any timeline. \u00a0But we can change that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Well, he sure knew how to make a sale. \u00a0It\u2019s because he knows what he\u2019s selling. \u00a0He\u2019s not getting people to buy the life they always wanted.<\/span><\/p>\n

He\u2019s selling hope.<\/span><\/p>\n

Oh, Sunny. \u00a0I\u2019ve missed you more than I could have ever expressed that day in the garden. \u00a0But there\u2019s one thing this greaseball doesn\u2019t understand, baby. He thinks I\u2019m the one who needs to be saved. \u00a0But it\u2019s you, Sunny, my heart. And I swear on every bit of my soul that I\u2019ll save you.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cOkay,\u201d I hesitated, \u201cWhat does something like this cost me?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He smiled the smile that only salesmen know how to do. \u00a0All at the same time, sweet, empathetic, and controlling like the F\u00fchrer.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, it\u2019s simple, Dan. \u00a0It costs you everything.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The look in his eye made me nervous. \u00a0He let it hang there giving me enough time to feel my skin start to crawl.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHeh\u2026 Could you be more specific?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI meant what I said, Dan. \u00a0It\u2019ll cost you everything. You\u2019ll sign over your car, your house, your inheritance, any assets in your possession, bank accounts, retirement accounts. \u00a0All of it.\u00a0 We have the legal team to make it happen.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat? \u00a0Why would I\u2026 Ugh\u2026 Look,\u201d I felt like I was coming out of a stupor, \u201cI still don\u2019t know what you\u2019re saying is real. \u00a0If all you ever do is send data to another timeline, how can you ever possibly confirm that it was successful?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBecause, Dan, this very timeline we\u2019re in was created through the first successful data-transplant. \u00a0The Founder of this company, G.K. Ozymandias, was the receiver. Some other Ozy in some other timeline sent his memories to our very own commander in chief in this specific here-and-now. \u00a0It was because of that data-transplant that he was able to take the patent which he had almost completed in development on his own, and navigate through the upcoming political disasters which would have otherwise plagued his beautiful idea. \u00a0Believe me, he\u2019s told us stories about all the fanatics who were going to oppose the company. The health ambassadors, religious sects, human rights groups. All those nuts who were going to come out of the woodwork and destroy the project.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHuman rights? \u00a0Why would human rights groups get involved?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell it\u2019s because I haven\u2019t told you what else it\u2019ll cost you to have the procedure done.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c…What, is it going to hurt a lot?\u201d I scoffed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, it won\u2019t hurt at all. \u00a0In fact, you won\u2019t feel pain ever again, Dan. \u00a0No one survives the procedure.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat the fuck?\u201d \u00a0I stood up again, \u201cAre you talking about murdering people?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOf course not, Dan. \u00a0We\u2019re not monsters. Call it euthanasia. \u00a0Or assisted suicide.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHoly shit! \u00a0Where the fuck am I? \u00a0I\u2019m getting outta here!\u201d \u00a0Already on my feet heading toward the door.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mr. Smith stood up swiftly and moved like lightning to my person. \u00a0I stumbled backward into the bookshelf and wasn\u2019t able to get away. \u00a0He grabbed my collar with both hands and brought his face an inch from mine. \u00a0His face contorted with a grimace that would scare Pennywise the Clown.<\/span><\/p>\n

He spoke quietly, but forcefully. \u00a0\u201cListen, you little shit. You\u2019re here because you\u2019re desperate. \u00a0You\u2019ve got no other options. You\u2019re a lowlife. If it were up to me, we\u2019d only offer a chance like this to people who deserve it. \u00a0High society. Not fucking scum like you. You think I care about your fucking girlfriend? Sunny? Moony? Whatever the fuck? But Ozy gave me my orders, and he\u2019s the man with the plan, you understand?\u201d He cocked his head to the other side as he said it, \u201cNow sit the fuck down.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He let go of my collar, but I was too afraid to move.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI SAID SIT THE FUCK DOWN!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

My ass landed in the chair before I realized I was moving.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cListen, Dan,\u201d cool and smooth again, sitting in his chair, \u201cYou\u2019ve got a choice now. \u00a0You\u2019re desperate because you lost the love of your life. You can either win her back and live happily ever after or you can go home and probably commit suicide anyway.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I slowed my breathing. \u00a0<\/span>Shit. \u00a0What the hell am I going to do?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re a thug!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou can think whatever you want of me, but it doesn\u2019t change the choice on the table. \u00a0Don\u2019t you even care about Sunny?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cListen here, I-\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Dan. \u00a0You listen. \u00a0You\u2019re going to sign my paperwork. \u00a0You\u2019re going to come back tomorrow at this time, and you\u2019re going to get into the data-extraction pod. \u00a0Sunny will be in love with you and Timeline Unlimited will be that much richer because of your… contribution.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I shook my head, \u201cHow do I know it would even work? \u00a0I\u2019m talking about dying here. The only evidence you\u2019ve got is the word of some guy. \u00a0You gotta throw me a bone, man.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOzy\u2019s not just some guy. \u00a0He\u2026 you know what? Nevermind. \u00a0You\u2019re going to have to trust us.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut you\u2019re a maniac! \u00a0Based on your admiration of him, I gotta imagine that Ozy is, too. \u00a0I can\u2019t trust people like you!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh, be real, you delusional prick,\u201d he rolled his eyes, \u201cYou have no other options. \u00a0You look like shit, because you\u2019ve let yourself waste away on the memory of your girlfriend. \u00a0Your skin\u2019s as white as a ghost. And speaking of the dead, you\u2019re as skinny as a goddamn skeleton. \u00a0You\u2019ve got a crazy person\u2019s look in your eye, your face looks 100 years old, and you\u2019re tweaking. They got a name for people like you: \u00a0junkies. Let me guess:\u00a0 you started the habit after she dumped you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I just looked at the floor.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s the only thing you\u2019ve ever cared about. \u00a0You\u2019re desperate, and we\u2019re the only ones who can help. \u00a0You want proof? You\u2019re not going to get any. In fact, I don\u2019t think you actually want proof. \u00a0You just want justification to make yourself feel better about doing something irrational.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow close am I to the truth of it all, Dan?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Yeah, you asshole, fine. \u00a0Shooting H into my arms made it easier. \u00a0But my girlfriend didn\u2019t dump me. I\u2019m not a teenager. \u00a0My <\/span><\/i>wife<\/span> was <\/span><\/i>killed <\/span>in the car I was driving.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cWhatever.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah…whatever\u2026 Time to sign, Dan. \u00a0We\u2019ll take the next 24 hours and shore up all the legal stuff so we can take everything from you. \u00a0Our lawyers are pretty damn efficient. But you gotta be cool. If you sign now, you\u2019re not locked in to a decision. \u00a0It just gives them the permission to dig into all your stuff so they can prepare the paperwork for tomorrow. That\u2019s when the real show begins.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I stood up, took the pen out of its monumental gantry, and said, \u201cI can sign now, and it doesn\u2019t mean I have to kill myself?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just a formality so that we can have permission to access your accounts and put the paperwork together.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRight here, Dan,\u201d he said pointing at a line at the bottom of the last page in the stack of papers in his hands, “Social security number here… Initials here, here, and here.\u00a0 Great.\u00a0 All done,”\u00a0 His smile was bright, but his eyes were dead.\u00a0 He must have been through this cat and mouse a million times. <\/span><\/p>\n

Mr. Smith let me out the door, this time without a slam into the bookshelf, and I walked the hell outta there.<\/span><\/p>\n

Not 40 minutes later I was standing in my bathroom looking in the mirror before a shower. \u00a0I was naked, and the hot water flowed out of the spout like Niagra, steaming up everything.<\/span><\/p>\n

He was right, my face looked decades older than my 35 year old self. \u00a0Bags under the eyes, and wrinkles spidering out all over my forehead and gaunt cheeks. Maybe it was the cigarettes. \u00a0Maybe it was the smack. Either way, it was time to shoot up again before cleansing the filth off my body.<\/span><\/p>\n

The juice hit my vessels and I flew away like a rocketman. \u00a0Goddamn, was it good.<\/span><\/p>\n

And there I was in the garden in our backyard. \u00a0Sunny prancing ahead of me with a bottle of wine hanging from her left hand like a little girl\u2019s dolly. \u00a0Her long legs in the short yellow sundress sang that Dave Matthews ballad to me: <\/span>Hike up your skirt a little more and show the world to me<\/span><\/i>. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

She really was the world.<\/span><\/p>\n

Her face had slim features without being sharp. \u00a0Almost elf-like, underneath her blonde hair. She moved like she was constantly in some kind of irish community dance, almost skipping around full of pep and excitement. \u00a0Sunny belonged on a celtic coastline calendar, overlooking the crashing waves on high cliffs. Displaying awe through her person at every little glory-filled detail.<\/span><\/p>\n

That warm October day, we made love right out in the open. \u00a0I\u2019d been her husband for 3 years, both difficult and passionate. \u00a0We had played at adulthood, but we were just bright-eyed kids who couldn\u2019t see that life was really all about disillusionment.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHey, baby,\u201d she had said to me when we were finished, just a blanket between our naked bodies and the warm Autumn sun, \u201cI can\u2019t believe how far we\u2019ve made it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, no kidding.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou crossed the country for me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I\u2019d do a hell of a lot more than that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know, Danny-love,\u201d a pause, \u201cIs California all you thought it would be?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know. \u00a0I haven\u2019t been able to see it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhaddaya mean? \u00a0We\u2019ve been here since our engagement.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, California and it\u2019s long stretches of beach and sun and sharks – I can\u2019t see it because you\u2019re the only thing I see. \u00a0What? Don\u2019t give me that look! You\u2019re my love. My heart.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She stared into my soul, and kissed me deep like the ocean.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou know I\u2019ve been thinking\u2026 I know you said you didn\u2019t want to have a baby until we could actually buy our own house, but the barista thing doesn\u2019t pay really well, and neither does your social work\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSunny, what are you saying?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m saying maybe it\u2019s time,\u201d her blonde hair trickling across her eyes, and she tried to hide behind it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell\u2026 maybe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, that\u2019s all I\u2019m saying. \u00a0Maybe,\u201d she said trying to hide back her smile. \u00a0It broke through after a second, though, and the world got a little brighter.<\/span><\/p>\n

We sat, looking up into the white clouds, a giant bubbly rabbit moving slowly through a nimbus hole.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, you\u2019d be a really good mother,\u201d I said after a minute or so.<\/span><\/p>\n

She placed her hand on my chest, \u201cYou think so?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI do.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The rabbit\u2019s ears kind of morphed into a ponytail. \u00a0It wasn\u2019t really a rabbit anymore, but more like a squirrel lead-singing Round and Round by Ratt. \u00a0A guitar even seemed to materialized in the creature\u2019s hands.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s go get some more drinks. \u00a0I think if I might be pregnant soon, I better get in all the drinks I can for now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I looked at her and smiled, \u201cBaby, that\u2019s a great idea.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Standing up, naked like the day I was born, I grabbed the keys. \u00a0There was enough foliage on the edges of our yard that there was no way the neighbors could see us.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDanny! \u00a0What are you doing? \u00a0Put your pants on!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou gonna come out from under that blanket and make me?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She giggled and started putting on her bra.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFine,\u201d I conceded. \u00a0I grabbed my Fruit of the Looms and pulled them up my hips. \u00a0Pants and shirt, and I was walking toward our back door.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHey Danny,\u201d she was hesitant, \u201cyou sure you\u2019re okay to drive?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCome on, Sunny. \u00a0It was only one bottle of wine.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, but you drank most of it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I turned around to reassure her, but her face looked different, and I stopped. \u00a0She had dark eyes which normally accentuated her platinum hair, but the whites were gone. \u00a0They were completely black like two holes in her face.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSunny, what\u2019s wrong with your-\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGet in the fucking car.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I was standing right next to the driver\u2019s door of our Ford Fiesta. \u00a0But how did I get here?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSunny, what\u2019s going on?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She was on the passenger side, and those wrinkles I saw on my face in the mirror had overtaken hers, too, now. \u00a0Her hair wasn\u2019t platinum anymore, but white and thin, like an old witch. She was grinning, but it wasn\u2019t sweet like before. \u00a0It was conniving, and she had a few missing teeth.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSunny! \u00a0What the hell happened to you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She cackled, \u201cYou delusional prick. \u00a0You\u2019re desperate. He\u2019s the man with the plan, you understand? \u00a0Now take me to the bar and fuck me like a whore you picked up on the corner.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I backed up, and tripped over the curb, falling onto my butt, \u201cCome on, Sunny. \u00a0What\u2019s wrong with you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She stalked toward me from the other side of the car, hunching forward like Igor.\u00a0 Face even more mutilated now. Her cheeks were molten lava oozing off the side of a volcano. \u00a0Dark blood dripped from her nose and her mouth.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t you loooooooove me?\u201d \u00a0The skin on her face was melting onto the ground like the Witch from the West.<\/span><\/p>\n

Oh, shit!<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t you wanna put a baby in meeeeeee?\u201d \u00a0She dropped her head backward all the way to her shoulders and let out a piercing laugh which jolted the nerves all over my body.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSunny!\u201d \u00a0I was crawling backward trying to get away, \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong with you?!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Cold water hit my skin. \u00a0The water heater had apparently run out of hot water. \u00a0How long ago did that happen? I was in my shower. The husk of Sunny gone now.<\/span><\/p>\n

The next day, I woke up sober. \u00a0Such a fucking terrible feeling. Aches all over, and a foreign solidness under my feet when I walked. \u00a0I much preferred the floating sensation. Though with that damn trip yesterday, maybe I wasn\u2019t going to put another track mark in the arm. \u00a0But who was I kidding?<\/span><\/p>\n

That day in the garden was 11 months ago. \u00a0We never made it to the bar, because a steel pipe had found its way through my precious Sunny\u2019s chest when I crashed into the trailer of a semi truck. \u00a0It turned onto its side and projected its contents through my windshield.\u00a0 Her frail body didn\u2019t stand a chance.<\/span><\/p>\n

What I wouldn\u2019t give to get her back. \u00a0What I wouldn\u2019t give to take back that bottle of wine. \u00a0Why couldn\u2019t we have just stayed under that warm blanket and maybe had another go at each other? \u00a0It was the sweetest moment of my life, and I threw it away for the hopes of one more double Jim Beam neat.<\/span><\/p>\n

I ate a bowl of cereal alone in my kitchen standing over the sink. \u00a0Cookie crisp. I didn\u2019t really like it – too chocolatey – but it was Sunny\u2019s favorite. \u00a0So I ate it every single morning since her death.<\/span><\/p>\n

Was it even still morning? \u00a0These days, I didn\u2019t much keep track of time. \u00a0I only kept track of how long till the next high. \u00a0How long till the next time I could see her again, even if only in my opiate dream. \u00a0The clock on the oven read 3:42. AM or PM?<\/span><\/p>\n

The sun was out. \u00a0Mr. Smith would be waiting for me in the next hour.<\/span><\/p>\n

Would I kill myself to save her? \u00a0Of course I would.<\/span><\/p>\n

But these fuckin\u2019 guys at Timeline Unlimited\u2026 who knows if they\u2019re real or a scam?<\/span><\/p>\n

Does it matter? \u00a0You\u2019re a desperate prick. \u00a0You\u2019ve got no other options. \u00a0You\u2019re a lowlife.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Sunny was gone, and even if the whole company was a fraud, at least I wouldn\u2019t have to keep poisoning myself with heroin. \u00a0It would be over. Done. <\/span>F\u00edn.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Should I trust them? \u00a0Would I really get to save Sunny? \u00a0Could she live?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

They were terrible, taking advantage of people\u2019s hopes and desperation. \u00a0Mr. Smith was a wolf in sheep\u2019s clothing. All of them were, if this was the choice they forced people to make. \u00a0They were liars, but were they lying about the offer? The technology? <\/span><\/p>\n

Was it worth the chance?<\/span><\/p>\n

I hadn\u2019t worked in a month, and this would be the second month I didn\u2019t pay my rent. \u00a0I only had enough for the highs. It would be the streets for me, pretty soon. I haven\u2019t talked to my family since the funeral. \u00a0No friends anymore. I wouldn\u2019t be giving up much of a life, anyway.<\/span><\/p>\n

And Yeah, I would die for you. \u00a0In the end, that\u2019s what matters. \u00a0Isn\u2019t that the only question that really holds any bearing?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

On the other hand, I could clean up my act and move on with my life. \u00a0I got fired from my job at the hospital for \u201cdecreasing work ethic and apathy toward the mission of the organization\u201d, but I could easily find another gig as a social worker. \u00a0Honestly, helping people felt good. Not most of the time, because my clients were usually just trying to take advantage of the municipal services, and they had a sense of rude entitlement which made me want to reach over the desk and squeeze their necks. \u00a0But every now and then, I\u2019d help someone who really needed it and whose life I actually helped step up to the next level. Those ones made it worth it.<\/span><\/p>\n

I could get back on the horse\u2026 if I could just give up the Horse. \u00a0It would be hard, but it was possible.<\/span><\/p>\n

Maybe I\u2019d even find another girl.<\/span><\/p>\n

But Sunny\u2026 my love\u2026 my heart.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

I walked into Mr. Smith\u2019s office, and it was filled with eight other suits standing there with outstretched arms holding contracts. \u00a0I made my way around putting x-y-z on the dotted line and signing away everything.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mr. Smith was grinning, once again like Hitler and Bob Ross at the same time.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDo you know what date you\u2019d like to send back your memory for data-transplantation?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOctober 9th, 2019.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHuh\u2026 More recent than I would have thought,” he scribbled on his clip board, “Time of day?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026It was after lunch. \u00a0Maybe 1pm?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPacific Standard Time?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, Come with me, Dan.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

We moved into a long corridor which lead to another room. \u00a0The only thing in this room was a large steel pod, shaped like a kidney bean with a cut out of a reclined seat in the concave bend. \u00a0Computer screens whizzed on the sides of the machine, and a vitals monitor rested above the head of the seat.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mr. Smith motioned me to sit down, so I did. \u00a0Two large metal prongs stuck forward, hovering parallel with my head on either side. \u00a0A technician started an IV in my arm, which didn\u2019t take him too long considering the scar tissue which had built up in the past year. \u00a0They hooked me up to the monitor, wires coming off me like the tangled tentacles of a kraken.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDan, you\u2019re making the right decision. \u00a0That red button next to you is all that stands between you and getting your girl back. \u00a0Now, I can\u2019t legally tell you to lift the glass cover and push it after we\u2019ve left the room. \u00a0So you just do what you think is right. And remember, Sunny is probably out there fucking some other douchebag right now as things stand. \u00a0Goodbye, Dan.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

And he walked out of the room along with all the other staff and technicians.<\/span><\/p>\n

There was a framed sign on the left side of my head, directly at reading level:<\/span><\/p>\n

Timeline Unlimited, Inc. holds no liability whatsoever if you decide unlawfully to consume any restricted substances today, including propofol, ketamine, and FDA-unapproved endocerebral nanobots. \u00a0The paperwork you signed before entering this room confirms this. No physician has prescribed any medications for you which reside in this room. Taking these medications is unlawful, and under the circumstances in which you choose to steal them from Timeline Unlimited, Inc., in which you consume them, and in which you survive after taking them, you will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. \u00a0This is in accordance with the federal and state laws which are applicable on the subjects of food and drug restrictions and assisted suicide.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

And next to my right hand, another one read:<\/span><\/p>\n

Do not push this red button under any circumstances.\u00a0 It will cause the injection of sedative medications and death-inducing nanomachines.\u00a0 This reminder is in accordance with the federal and state laws which are applicable on the subject of assisted suicide.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

I lifted the glass cover and paused.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sunny. \u00a0My love. \u00a0My heart.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cNo, that\u2019s not it at all, Mr. Evans. \u00a0There is no such thing as travelling through time. \u00a0It is a bit of a misunderstanding in the public to be sure, but our company cannot, nor will it ever, send anyone back through time.\u201d I blinked a few times, \u201c…Okay\u2026 Well, what exactly do you do […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1168],"class_list":["post-11008","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fiction","tag-time-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.confabulatorcafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11008","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.confabulatorcafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.confabulatorcafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.confabulatorcafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.confabulatorcafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11008"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.confabulatorcafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11008\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.confabulatorcafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11008"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.confabulatorcafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11008"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.confabulatorcafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11008"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}