Chapter 12: Good Choice

Time: 2048
Location: Berlin, Global Innovation Center – Core Room

The flickering live feed stabilized, revealing Theo’s double, standing beside the man from Havana, both looking calm—almost too calm. Theo’s mind reeled as he stared at his own reflection, not in a mirror, but through time itself. It was unsettling. This wasn’t an alternate version of himself lost to some distant timeline; it was him—same eyes, same face, same presence—appearing in two places at once.

Helena’s voice wavered as she whispered, “How is this happening? You… you’re standing here with us.”

Theo didn’t have an answer. His pulse pounded in his ears. “This doesn’t make sense.”

On the other side of the projection, the double gave a knowing smile. “It makes more sense than you think.” His voice was eerily familiar, but the way he spoke—calm, deliberate—felt entirely different from the Theo standing in the present.

Helena’s hands hovered above the console as if unsure whether to intervene or observe. “What do you want?” she asked sharply, trying to mask her fear.

The double tilted his head slightly. “To fix what’s coming.”

00:01:12 since temporal collision detected.

Kalen stepped forward, folding his arms as he studied the double with a glint of amusement. “Let me guess,” he said, his voice thick with sarcasm. “You’ve traveled back from a broken future to save us from ourselves.”

The double smirked, but there was no humor in it. “Something like that.”

Theo clenched his fists. If this is really me from another point in time... what has happened to bring him here?

The man from Havana—the one holding the briefcase—shifted slightly, his expression neutral but watchful. “This timeline isn’t what you think it is,” he said, speaking for the first time since the connection opened. His voice was deep, calm, and deliberate. “You’re only seeing fragments, pieces of a much larger puzzle.”

Helena narrowed her eyes. “What’s in the briefcase?”

The man’s gaze didn’t waver. “Answers.”

Kalen chuckled softly. “Answers? Now, there’s a classic.”

The double ignored Kalen’s remark. He leaned forward, his gaze locking onto Theo’s. “I know you have questions. I had the same ones once.”

Theo’s heart raced. This is me. But… different. More calculated. More assured. “How do I know you’re really me?”

The double smiled—an expression that felt both familiar and unsettling. “You’ll see soon enough.”

00:04:22 into real-time interaction.

Helena’s voice cut through the growing tension. “If you’ve come from the future, then you know what’s causing the anomaly. Why don’t you just tell us?”

The double’s expression darkened. “Because the answer isn’t something you can understand yet. If I tell you now, everything falls apart.”

Theo felt anger bubbling to the surface. “That’s not good enough. You expect us to stand here and trust you without knowing what’s really going on?”

The man from Havana shifted again, placing a hand on the briefcase. “Some truths need to be earned.”

Helena threw her hands in the air. “I’m so tired of cryptic nonsense! Just give us a straight answer for once!”

Theo’s double met his gaze. “You’ll get your answers, Theo. But first, you need to make a choice.”

00:06:10 into interaction – Divergence Warning Active.

The core room lights flickered, and a sharp vibration ran through the floor as the diagnostics flashed another alert: “Divergence Point Imminent.”

Theo shot a glance at Helena. “What does that mean?”

Helena scanned the console in disbelief. “It’s a convergence event—two timelines overlapping, both trying to exist at once. If we don’t act fast, both timelines could collapse.”

Kalen leaned against the console, his grin widening. “Oh, now things are getting interesting.”

Theo turned toward his double. “What’s the choice?”

The other Theo stepped closer to the edge of the projection, the faint distortion of time warping around him. “You have two paths. One keeps this timeline intact but dooms the future. The other... creates a fracture so deep it may never heal.”

Theo’s throat tightened. “What do you mean by fracture?”

The double’s gaze was steady. “A break in time. Something irreversible.”

Helena’s voice was sharp. “And you want us to cause it?”

The double nodded slowly. “It’s the only way to prevent what’s coming.”

00:07:43 – Divergence Imminent.

The core’s glow shifted from blue to a deep red, signaling that time was running out. Theo’s mind raced. A fracture. An irreversible change. It wasn’t what they had planned, but neither was being caught in a loop with no way out.

“We’re out of time,” Helena warned, panic edging into her voice. “If we don’t choose now, both timelines collapse.”

Theo’s gaze flicked between his double and the man with the briefcase. Trusting myself—or someone pretending to be me—is insane. But the alternative was just as dangerous: doing nothing and letting everything unravel.

“What happens if we choose the fracture?” Theo asked, his voice low.

The double’s expression softened, just slightly. “You won’t know the outcome until it happens. But it will set things in motion—things that need to happen.”

Helena grabbed Theo’s arm. “We can’t risk it, Theo. We need to stabilize the timeline. We can’t make things worse.”

Theo pulled away gently, his eyes locked on the man with the briefcase. “What’s inside it?”

The man gave a faint smile. “The truth.”

00:08:59 – Final Choice Window.

Theo’s heart hammered in his chest. What if this was the only chance to break the loop? What if the fracture was the answer they needed?

Kalen’s voice was calm, but there was an edge of challenge in it. “Better decide fast, kid. Tick-tock.”

Theo closed his eyes for a brief moment, forcing himself to breathe. There was no certainty. No perfect answer. Just the weight of the unknown and a leap of faith.

When his eyes opened, he made his choice.

“Fracture the timeline,” Theo whispered.

Helena’s eyes widened. “Theo—”

“It’s the only way,” Theo said firmly, stepping toward the console. “We can’t stay stuck in this loop. Whatever’s in that briefcase—whatever truth it holds—we need to let it happen.”

The double gave a slow nod. “Good choice.”

00:00:00 – Divergence Initiated.

The core pulsed violently, sending waves of energy rippling through the room. The timeline fractured, splitting apart like shattered glass. The man with the briefcase vanished in an instant, along with the projection of Theo’s double.

The core dimmed, stabilizing as the new timeline locked into place.

Theo stood in silence, his heart pounding. Helena exhaled sharply, disbelief etched across her face.

Kalen clapped slowly, his grin widening. “Well, that was fun. Let’s see what kind of future you’ve just unleashed.”

Theo stared at the empty space where the projections had been, his mind swirling with unanswered questions. What was in the briefcase? What had the fracture set in motion?

There was no way to know. Not yet.

But one thing was certain: The game had changed.