Next Chapter →
← Previous Chapter
Back to the game page
TV Host: Returning to the observatory for what he hopes is the final time, the man feels anticipation and dread in equal measure. Soon, he knows, he will have what he needs.
Rachel: Hello, I was expecting you. I’ve already taken care of the imaging array, but you should still look into securing the primary coolant flow. With some luck, you may be able to light the area before these things even show up.
Rachel: Very good! I believe we’re ready to look into the sky.
Wake: I’ll be right there, Doctor!
Rachel: Look out! You need to protect the telescope, or we can’t complete the signal!
Rachel: There, I have it! But I wish these things would stop blatantly violating the laws of psychics in my observatory. That’s just rude. Are you all right?
Wake: I’ll live.
Rachel: I’m glad. I’ll send the lift down to you. I remember our previous encounters very clearly now, but technically, if this really is a loop in time, we’ve never met before! I don’t know why our awareness persists, but it’s bloody fascinating.
Wake: Doctor.
Rachel: You know, I know physicists who would give fifteen years of their lives for a chance to experience something like this.
Wake: I’ds imagine that being stalked by horrible axe murderers would curb their enthusiasm a little.
Rachel: Clearly, you’ve never met hardcore physicists.
Wake: I’m glad that you’re in such good spirits, but —
Rachel: The signal, yes! It’s completed.
Wake: Finally! If all goes well, this should be the last time we go through the loop.
Rachel: You know, I just realized that I don’t have any memory of what happens after you leave. What does that mean?
Wake: I don’t think it means anything. If everything goes well, you just keep going. I don’t show up here like this again. No more bad guys. Things go back to normal.
Rachel: Let’s hope you’re right. I’d love the opportunity to look into this in more detail.
Wake: Looks like you’ve accepted the situation.
Rachel: I’m a pragmatist. If this is a delusion, at least my first psychotic episode is anything but boring! Really, Mr. Wake, at the end of the day, I’m a scientist. I love mysteries. I love not knowing. Whatever else this might be, it’s absolutely fascinating! I wonder how far this reaches. Is everybody in the world experiencing this?
Wake: Who knows? I think reality’s probably pretty fragile right now. Doctor, I can see you’re very enthusiastic about this. I’d appreciate a bit of discretion.
Rachel: Are you suggesting that we should suppress this?
Wake: No, you can do what you like. But I want you to leave me out of it.
Rachel: But surely, with the things you know, the things you’ve experienced — you can replicate any of these results. We could —
Wake: Let me be blunt: if you drag me into this, I’ll deny everything. I’ll lie like my life depended on it, and writers are damn good liars. Word of advice: this is “things man was not meant to know” territory. You get into this, chances are you’ll open up a door into a world of hurt. Believe me, I know.
Rachel: I see.
TV Host: In a strange way, he feels at ease. He is armed with his own words, and when the time comes, they will be enough, or they will not. For now, he’s content to let the currents take him toward the final confrontation.