A sudden flash of light and then you feel like your body is falling into a deep abyss and just when you think you are about to reach the end, this abyss throws you to a different place, you feel the ground with your shaking feet and as your vision clears you think all of this was a bad dream; you know...the one in which you are falling and just before you hit the ground you wake up.

In a few moments we traveled from my world to hers. It feels unbelievable...but for now I had to believe what was told to me...different worlds...different time...it was all a cluster fuck in my brain and I had not come to terms with it. We teleported and Anna looked at me with a slight smile, “Home sweet home!” she said in a gleefully before she weakly sat down on her bed.

I went close to her to see if she is alright but she pointed to her drawer near her cupboard and said, “In there is an injection give it to me...hurry!” immediately her watch started barking, “Chronoton strength below threshold, Time dementia imminent!”

I rushed towards the drawer and tried to open it but the bloody thing wasn’t moving at all. She looked at me and gestured, “Put...hand...under...blue...light” any minute now she was going to faint and I had to hurry. I quickly put my hand under the blue light and the drawer opened itself.

I grabbed the injection and she gestured me to administer it beneath her left ear. I put the needle at that place and said, “This is gonna hurt!” and pushed the syringe. Anna gasped and stiffened her body. After a few moments she laid on her bed. Finally the watch had stopped it’s annoying warning and said, “Chronotons stabilizing Time dementia averted!”

After a little rest she got up and said, “This is what happens to you if you stay out of your time for too long, I was about to become a nut job like those scientists and then I would be dead! Well…Issac welcome to the year 2045! Window opacity zero percent.” she said as she moved towards a black wall.

In a second the wall changed colors and became clear. I gasped in amazement as I saw the future Hawkesbay...the city looked dazzling in the night, a levitating train, cars with no wheels roaming about, colorful and modern buildings...it all felt like a dream but this was Anna’s reality...this world was REAL! I asked Anna if this was her room and she replied, “Yes, this is a private apartment, my house is near the MSAT tower, that’s where Reed, Mary and my father live. I...you know I couldn’t teleport there.”

“Anyways, there is another room next to mine. Why don’t you change your clothes...wear something modern...and I could use a bath too. We’ll eat something before I show you around.”

I didn’t even know how to use the toilet and the shower, Anna had to show me, apparently everything here is automatic just speak like an idiot and voila it happens. The mirror showed me news and also recommended me what clothes to wear. I could even see how I would look in a dress before wearing it.

What a time to be fucking alive right?! Dinner was also served by a robot named Chef-20X . It told us the menu and served the food, the food was top notch. I felt like I was eating at an expensive restaurant. As we ate the food her phone started to ring and when she picked it up it was Mary, she got up and went to her own room while I sat at the table waiting for her.

A few moments later, Anna came rushing from the room and said to me, “I’m sorry Issac...I have to leave it’s urgent...there is a huge TV and a computer if you want to find out more about this world.” she taught me how to operate them and was about to leave when I called her from behind and asked her if she could take me to meet her.

I would like to see her in the flesh and well...I didn’t really care if she was old or wasn’t my Mary. I just wanted to see her again. She refused and said that now is not the right time, but also promised that she would take me some other day.

After Anna left and I finished eating, Chef-20X took the dishes away. I logged into a guest account and started using the computer. I just pressed a button underneath a glass table and a holo-screen popped up, I searched on many events that had happened in my world and found no trace of them here at all. I searched “Mary Maximus” and found her whole life on the internet.

In this world Tom had died leaving everything to Mary and her children. Mary had fallen in love with her husband Peter Luis at the university where she studied. Peter was an artist and for some reason he had no problems if his children bear the name of Maximus instead of Peter. I saw his website where he talks about his art. I saw his paintings and then finally his face. He was an okay guy but he didn’t have the rugged looks I have.

Then I looked into Reed Maximus, the current head and CEO of MSAT, what a guy! Taking the mantle of a huge tech company at such a young age and growing the company tenfold after such a short time, I was honestly overwhelmed by what he has achieved in such a short time as CEO.

He reminded me a little of Tom, but all successful people have some fucked up secret, I’m sure he does too. Lastly I searched myself and guess what? There was nothing on the internet about me. I searched “Detective Issac Wolfe” in hopes that maybe now something would come up...but nope...I didn’t exist in this world at all.

I searched “Jeffery Jackson” and yup Jeff was in the police department in this universe too, I was happy to see that he was happy with his wife in this universe and his mother was also alive and well. After seeing everyone happy in their lives I felt tired and decided to go to bed. Seeing the fluffy and comfortable bed, I went back to the time when Mary and I used to snuggle and sleep peacefully, it felt like a lifetime ago.

I laid down and closed my eyes trying to sleep, but I had this uncomfortable feeling that something was about to happen. Suddenly, I felt a faint vibration from the bed followed by a hiss of some kind. I moved to my pant and took my gun from the holster and slowly moved outside the room. There was someone sitting at the table and had turned on the Television.

The guy wore all black clothes and that’s when I recognized him, “Hey! What the hell are you doing here?” I asked as I approached him slowly. He turned around and said, “Drop the gun you can’t do shit to me with it. Remember you shot me and nothing happened!” he was right my gun had no effect on him in our previous confrontation.

“So Issac...how does it feel? Knowing that Mary is alive and well here, though she is too old and you are too young?” he asked with confidence.

“You know nothing about me...stop trying to get inside my head...what do you want?” I said in a firm manner. He started laughing at me and came closer to me, “I know everything about you Issac...I know your Grab-a-Grub dates with Mary...I know the turquoise ring you gave her when you proposed to her and I also know what...or should I say who was the reason for her death.”

“I know what happened that night Issac...the night Mary died! Do you want me to describe it scene by scene or do you still think I’m just a pretender and don’t know shit!” the things he told me froze me on the spot and engulfed me in fear. He knew everything about me, just who the hell was this guy.

Looking at me standing silent, he said, “I didn’t come here to upset you, I came here to warn you...Once you meet Mary face to face you will have this indescribable feeling, and an idea will pop up in your head once she asks you to help her out...I want you to forfeit the idea and look into Reed’s plans instead. Go to meet her with Anna tomorrow and act normal, I have to make sure this time it’s different!” saying this he operated his watch and teleported before I could ask him any questions.

After he vanished Anna opened the apartment’s door and came in. “Get some rest Issac and here is a phone, call me if you have any problem...and mom says she wants to meet you tomorrow!” It was just as the Overseer had told me. I nodded as she closed the door and locked it while I went back to the room to get some sleep, but in all honesty sleep was the last thing on my mind now.