In an alternate universe, The O.S.I.R. Central Lab, Year 2021.
Everything was ready for the experiment. Head of Research, Dr. Jonathan Marcs and assistant researchers Dr. Jennifer Louis and Dr. Crown Hanson were discussing the last details and making sure that everything about Project Walker was ready and that all the other people who participated in it were in the right places.
"Everything is perfectly fine. I believe we can begin." Dr. Louis said to Dr. Marcs. He nodded and smiled in satisfaction.
"Ten years of research, millions of dollars and it's all going to pay off today." He said. "Are you ready for all the fame that's gonna come if we're successful?"
"More than ever." Dr. Louis smiled. She was only 30 and becoming a famous doctor at this age was something every other doctor in the world could only imagine.
"As I had explained to you and Dr. Hanson, the computer will randomly draw a name of someone in the O.S.I.R. database and that will be the man or woman that will be the subject of this experiment." Dr. Marcs said and smiled widely. "This is groundbreaking. If we succeed, just imagine how much money will flow in."
"Of course we will succeed. According to all calculations there's no way this can go wrong."
"Good, then let the computer run the names." Dr. Marcs commanded. "This experiment will start right now!" Dr. Hanson entered what looked like a code into the computer and they say names and titles of people who had worked in the O.S.I.R. running on the screen.
"All the people the computer is running are already dead, right? We won't be messing with existing lives, right?" Dr. Hanson asked.
"Of course not. That wouldn't be too ethical, now would it?" Dr. Marcs said. The computer kept running names for few more minutes and then stopped. One name was flashing on the screen, along with the person's profile.
Our universe, Year 2006.
The alarm clock rang and Lindsay Donner stretched out in bed and yawned loudly. It was already morning. Still lying down, she let her feet do their way towards the edge of the bed until they were more in the air than in bed. Slowly, she brought them down until she could feel the coolness of the floor under them.
"Oh," she sighed, feeling that this day will be somewhat different than others. Usually, she enjoyed getting up in the morning, even if it came after a sleepless night. She liked feeling the refreshing wind on her face as she went out for her daily jog in the park and the smells of the streets that accompanied her as she walked back to her apartment. The sweet smell of fresh bread, cakes and cookies being baked in bakeries and the slightly heavy smell of steaming coffee poured into the cups of early risers in coffee houses.
Now fully out of bed, she walked towards the window, gently moved the white drapes aside and opened it, letting the cold air encompass her and take all signs of sleepiness away from her. Now fully awake, she changed her pajama to white sweatpants, a dark blue sweatshirt with the title 'OXFORD' printed in yellow on the front that she bought fourteen years earlier when she came to Britain to study in the famous university, and her white Nike running shoes. Glancing in the mirror to check her appearance, although it wasn't necessary, she tied her hair in a tight ponytail on the crown of her head, so it would not interrupt her while she jogs. Then she threw her keys into her pocket and went out of the house, quickly choosing the stairs over the elevator, despite the fact that she lived in the 26th floor.
She jogged through the green paths of the nearest park, hoping to break yesterday's record and complete two whole rounds around the park in less than twenty minutes. She saw Jerry, a man who also jogged everyday in the park jogging from the opposite side of the path and waved at him, but he looked at her clueless, as if they never saw each other before and passed her by. She shrugged and kept running. Maybe he was in a hurry this morning and just didn't have the time to say hi. After completing her two rounds in less than twenty minutes, just like she had wanted, she walked back to her apartment and took a quick shower. Then she dressed for work, did her makeup and went out of her house the second time this morning, this time locking the door behind her.
She parked her car in front of the mobile lab and climbed the stairs, entering the combination code that unlocks the doors and entered, putting her jacket and backpack in her locker and walking into the conference room, where Matt and Peter waited for her.
"Hey, who are you?" Peter asked and looked at her with confusion.
"That's really funny, Pete." She said and took her seat next to him.
"That's not your new girlfriend, is she?" Matt teased him.
"I don't have a girlfriend."
"I am not his girlfriend, Matt." Lindsay said.
"How do you know my name?" Matt looked shocked.
"Come on, Guys, this isn't funny." Lindsay replied. "I know you're pulling a prank or something."
"I'm sorry, lady, we really don't know you. I don't think we ever met you before." Matt said.
"You must be kidding me. Guys, come on, don't tell me that the two of you suffer from amnesia or something." Lindsay looked shocked. Something was wrong if both of them didn't recognize her, just like Jerry the jogger did less than an hour earlier.
"Listen, miss, we really are not playing games with you. We do not know you. We never saw you in our lives before." Peter said, not sure where she came from, how she entered the lab, or how she knew their names, but pretty sure that he would like a date with her.
"But, that's impossible. I work here for almost ten years. Peter, you're my best friend, how could you not remember me?" Lindsay said, feeling fear creeping into her heart.
"We don't work together. I would know you if we did." Peter said.
"Something must be wrong. It's absolutely impossible that the two of you do not know me. I… I know the two of you for ten years. I've been with this team for so long, how can it be?" She knew that she was panicking, but how could she not panic when her colleagues for the last ten years didn't know who she was.
"Are you sure you've got the right mobile lab, lady? Maybe you're looking for another team." Matt said, not sure how his explanation could be even close to logical.
"This is where I come every day. This is where I worked for nearly a decade. You are the people I worked with. I know the history of our team. I've participated in every single case we have investigated. It can't be that I'm at the wrong place." Lindsay said.
"Certainly looks like you know who we are, but we still don't know who you are." Matt said. "Would you tell us your name?"
"Lindsay Donner." She replied.
"Lindsay Donner." Matt repeated her name. "And what is it that you do for our team?"
"Senior Data Analyst."
"Well, if you've ever been in our team, you must be in the organization's database." Matt said. "I believe you know your way around the lab, right?" Lindsay nodded. "So feel free to use our computer and look yourself up."
Back at an alternate universe, The O.S.I.R. Central Lab, 2021.
"Did it work?" Dr. Hanson asked and looked at the numbers that the computer was running.
"We did by the numbers." Dr. Louis replied.
"But should we just rely on the numbers?"
"No. Check the O.S.I.R. database, if the name's not there, it means we had managed to erase Lindsay Donner from history." Dr. Marcs replied. Dr. Hanson nodded and ran Lindsay's name in the O.S.I.R. database. "Dr. Marcs, we have a problem." He said. Dr. Marcs turned around and looked at the computer screen that showed that Lindsay Donner, or what was left of her still existed in this world.
"Review the numbers." He said to Dr. Louis. The young doctor looked at the numbers again, when she noticed a digression in one variable on the numbers the computer produced.
"I think I found the error." She said, realizing what the little number had meant. "Dr. Marcs, we did erase Lindsay Donner from history only that it did not happen in this universe. It happened in a universe where she's probably still alive."
"Can we fix this error?" Dr. Hanson asked.
"It will be difficult." Dr. Marcs replied, slightly distressed. He didn't care much about the woman he had erased, but did care about the money he won't be getting if he won't correct what happened and rerun the experiment with perfect results.
"But not impossible, now, is it?" Dr. Hanson hated thinking about what may have happened to Lindsay Donner in the other world. Dr. Marcs shook his head and sighed.
"There goes my vacation." He mumbled under his mustache and started reversing the numbers that went wrong.
Our universe, the mobile lab, Year 2006.
"I can't find myself in the database." Lindsay sighed. She was on the verge of tears.
"Try checking the national databases. See if you're registered there." Peter suggested and handed her the phone. She dialed the number of the Ministry of Interior. A woman answered the phone and directed her to the right department. She gave the person who answered her name, address and social security number.
"I'm sorry, miss, the name and social security number you gave don't appear in the database and the address you gave me is unoccupied. Are you sure you gave me the right details?" The man on the other side of the line asked.
"Yes, thank you very much." Lindsay hung up the phone feeling tears flowing down her face.
"They said I do not exist, Peter. I was never born." She said to him. "Peter, how can it be? I do exist, why can't anyone recognize me? Yesterday everyone did."
"I don't know, Lindsay, but Matt and I will do whatever we can to help you." Peter promised.
"Thank you, Pete. You don't know how much I appreciate what you just said." Lindsay said and hugged him.
"If you want, I'll say it again." Peter joked. He was glad to see the smile on her face. She was a beautiful woman, and he knew that he had never seen her before, because she had a face a man could never forget. It looked like it was craved by the greatest of artists, with perfectly shaped cheek bones, jaw and forehead, full lips and beautiful gray eyes that shone even through the confusing situation she was in. That was a woman he knew that his father would approve. He could imagine his father would say something like, 'Peter, this is the only choice you've made in your life that I consider worthy.' He smiled as the unspoken words echoed in his ears.
"What will I do now? They said my apartment is unoccupied and if I keep staying there I might get into some trouble." Lindsay's voice made his thoughts dissolve into the air.
"Well, why won't you come and live with me. You say that I'm your best friend, I'm sure it wouldn't be a big deal if you move in with me." Peter said.
"No, it wouldn't be a big deal. But I'll need some help with packing. Will you come and help me tonight? Maybe we could eat dinner together."
"Sounds great. I'll come and help you pack and then we can come to my place and make dinner together." Peter said and patted on her shoulder.
It was 9 PM when they finished packing all of Lindsay's belongings. Together, they pushed her huge suitcase into the trunk of Peter's car and went to his place. Lindsay had never stayed there more than a few hours and it felt weird when Peter made up the couch in the living room for her. He must have seen her distress, because he patted her shoulder and promised her that everything will be okay.
"Come on, let's go and cook dinner." He said and took her hand, gently pulling her into the kitchen after him.
"I didn't know you cook." Lindsay said with a smile.
"Well, I'm not a chef, but I know how to cook a great spaghetti Alfredo that will make you beg for more." He had a mischievous smile on his face.
"Oh yeah?" Lindsay smiled teasingly at him. He nodded and took a big cooking pot out of the cupboard and filled it with water. Then he put it on the stove-top and lighted the fire under it.
"There's a closed pack of spaghetti in that big container over there." Peter pointed at a brown cylindrical clay container that stood on the edge of the countertop. "Can you take it out of there?" Lindsay took the pack out and handed it to him. He thanked her and opened it. He put them in the water that started boiling in the pot. "Watch that, would you?" He said to Lindsay and took out the ingredients he needed for the Alfredo sauce out of the fridge. He cut the mushrooms and put them in another pot, and then added cooking cream and put the pot on the stove next to the other one. Lindsay was stirring the spaghetti slowly with a wooden spatula and looked lost in thoughts. Peter stared at her for a moment, once again examining her face, this time from the side. Her skin looked so soft and he couldn't help noticing the way a small honey-colored strand of hair curled around her ear and fell gracefully on her shoulders. He saw her milky white front teeth pinning the middle of her bottom lip and even this act that by anyone else would be counted as an act of despair, seemed so beautiful to him. The smell of the Alfredo sauce filled the kitchen and that was the sign for Peter that it was boiling and will be ready soon. "So, tell me a little bit about yourself." Peter's voice drew Lindsay back to reality, a reality where she did not exist.
"Well, not much that you need to know. I like reading and listening to music," She started.
"What kind of music?"
"Classical, Rock, some pop. You know, what most of the population likes." Lindsay replied. "Oh, and interesting fact about me. I'm William Donner's daughter." She could see how Peter's eyes lightened up.
"You're kidding," He said. She shook her head. "I always wanted to meet him. He must be a genius." Lindsay smiled widely.
"He is. But it's difficult being his daughter. He always had high expectations from me, being his only child. You probably know what I mean, being an only child of the family yourself."
"Yeah, tell me about it. My old man never approves of what I do." Peter smiled, but Lindsay could see that beyond the smile, there was a great pain.
"Despite what he thinks of you, I think you already amounted to more than he is." Lindsay comforted him.
"That's a nice thing to say." Peter smiled. "So what is your relationship with your father like? Is he as disapproving as mine?"
"He likes the fact that I'm a scientist, but I think he would have liked it more if I was married to a Nobel-prize winning scientist, rather than being one. I mean, I never won Nobel-Prize… That was a wrong choice of words." She smiled shyly.
"That's okay." Peter said and pointed at the spaghetti pot. "I think it's ready." The water was boiling over the edge of the pot.
"Oh, oops." Lindsay said and after turning off the fire under it, took the pot off the stove. "One more thing you should know about me: I'm pretty bad as a cook. I don't have many feminine qualities, as you can see. I guess it's because I have lived so many years with my father, without a woman's presence."
"Where was your mother?" Peter asked gently, knowing that he may be touching a sensitive issue.
"She died in a riding accident when I was ten." Lindsay said.
"I'm sorry. I know how it feels losing your mother so young. Mine died when I was twelve. She had cancer." He sighed and took some cutlery out of its drawer. He handed it to Lindsay. "Despite of the lack of your 'feminine qualities', as you called it, I believe you know how to set the table." He joked.
"Yes, I do." She smiled back and took the cutlery from him.
"Here it is." Peter handed her the now full plates and she put them on the table. "Just so you know, I think that for someone who grew up without a woman figure in her life, you're pretty feminine. It's a compliment; I hope it will be accepted as one." He smiled at her and took a bottle of red wine out of the fridge. He poured some into two glasses and put them on the table. Then he took his seat in front of her. "Bon appetit!" He said and they started eating.
"I have to say that it's the best spaghetti I've ever tasted." Lindsay said, moments later.
"I'm glad you like it." He smiled at her and took a sip of his wine. They kept eating rather quietly, each of them thinking about something else. They only noticed that the dinner ended when there was nothing left in their plates. "Would you like some more?" Peter asked her.
"No, thanks. I'm full." She replied and then the silence came back into the room. "You know," Lindsay broke it this time, "In different the circumstances, I'd consider this evening romantic."
"I hope that's a compliment." Peter smiled and Lindsay nodded.
It's been a week since Lindsay found out that she had never existed and things had calmed down a little bit. She gave up the idea that this was some kind of an everlasting nightmare and started trying to accept other possibilities. Peter and Matt had suggested that she might be a ghost, an astral projection or even an alien. She doubted the last possibility and was quite unwilling to believe that she was a ghost, but knew any of the possibilities could be proved right, if only the EMF levels around her were high, which they were not. For the time being, she was a very paranormal person that was living without even existing. Living with Peter was also a difficult matter. He was one of her best friends for several years, and living with him was almost like living with a boyfriend. A few times she had seen him watching her when he thought she didn't notice and it was awkward for her. What scared her most was the notion that he was attracted to her, a thing that she knew was going on way before she stopped existing. And for the first time in a very long time, she felt attracted to him too, only that it was more than just a friendly attraction, it was uncontrollable and she constantly thought of him, in ways she never believed her mind was capable of making. Not that she had considered herself to be virginal and innocent, but the thoughts of him were much more impure than she was used to and almost tempting. Having nothing to do with her time, she released everything she felt in running. First, she started running around the block, then she found the nearest park and ran around it five times in the morning and five in the evening, until she was too tired to think of anything but the soft couch that was waiting for her in Peter's living room.
"Hey, Lindsay, are you trying to be an athlete?" Peter asked one night when she came back from her evening run.
"No, I just like running. It's a great way releasing my aggressions…" Lindsay replied.
"Where do you go running?" Peter was sitting on the couch, somewhat refusing to let her go to sleep.
"In Maxwell Park." Lindsay replied and started pulling her pajama from under him. "Pete, can you please move a little bit, so I can take my pajama?" She asked. She really wanted to take a shower and go to sleep, but Peter seemed to be doing it on purpose. "Peter, please." She found herself begging.
"You're running in Maxwell Park at such an hour?" He looked at her with shock. She nodded slowly. "It's very dangerous for a woman to even walk near it at nightfall. There's no way I'm letting you go there again…"
"Peter, don't you start with me." Lindsay interfered, wanting this conversation to end.
"…on your own." He completed the sentence. "From tomorrow night, I'm accompanying you."
"Peter, I want my pajama." She said firmly.
"Did you hear me, Lindsay? I don't want you to go running there alone. I'll be coming with you." He said, being just as firm as she was.
"Okay, you can come with me to my evening run, but please give me my pajama." She said. He got up and let her take her pajama and walk into the bathroom, smiling as he heard her slam the door angrily.
The next evening, right after dinner they went running around the park. It was chilly and windy outside, but Lindsay didn't look like it bothered her much. She started running even before they passed the gates of the park and did her best to exhaust him, so he'll stay behind and stop following her. To her dissatisfaction, he was a fast runner and could easily keep track of her. Trying to escape his presence, she used every muscle in her body to run ahead of him and could already feel a sharp pain in her knee that grew stronger as she increased her speed. Her lungs were working overtime, attempting to supply her with enough air, but she beat even them. Hearing her own pulse, she hoped that she can stand one more round around the park. She was barely feeling the ground under her feet, almost floating in the air.
"Lindsay, watch out!" She heard Peter's voice and before understanding what he wanted from her, she tripped over a rock and fell on the ground, panting and hurting. Peter rushed to her side. "Are you okay?" She looked up at him, barely able to breath.
"Are you hurt?" Slowly she nodded and pointed at her leg. "Which part of it?"
"My ankle." She replied through strenuous breaths. Peter's fingers trailed down her leg until they reached her ankle. Gently, he took her shoe and sock off and examined her ankle. "It's not wounded, but it may be sprained." He said. "Let's go back home and put some ice on it."
"Home?" Lindsay repeated the word.
"Let's go." He ignored the question and helped her up. Slowly, they went out of the park and walked, or in Lindsay's case, limped back to Peter's apartment where Lindsay took a quick shower, walked back to the living room and took a seat on the couch. Peter handed her a cup of tea and put ice wrapped in a thin towel on her sore ankle. "I'll take you to the doctor tomorrow." He said.
"What doctor will check me up without a social security number?" Lindsay sighed.
"My coworker is a doctor." Peter said.
"Clair is a pathologist. I don't think she can take of a fractured ankle unless I'm dead." Lindsay said.
"You were never born, it's almost the same." Peter joked. Lindsay frowned. "Anyway, Lindsay, I insist that you let her take a look at your ankle tomorrow and of course, that you give up on your runs until we know that you're okay." Lindsay nodded slowly and sipped her tea. "Is it feeling better?" Peter asked gently and pointed at her ankle that was wrapped with the ice towel.
"A little bit." Lindsay replied. The cold took away the pain, but sent shivers through her spine.
"And you?" Peter knew she was tired and promised himself that he won't keep her up for much longer. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm not hurt, Pete, it's okay." She took another sip of her tea, letting the steaming liquid warm her up.
"That's not what I meant, Linds. I get the feeling that you're not happy here. Is there anything that makes you feel uncomfortable?"
"I… uh… I…" She wasn't sure what she should say.
"You hate it." Peter said.
"No, not at all." She said. "It's just that the only place where I feel at home is my home and I can't go back there, so it's…" She took a long sip of her tea. Peter nodded slowly, motioning that he understood.
"Is there anything I can do to make it better?" He asked tenderly.
"No, thanks, Pete. I'll be fine." She replied, hating herself for not saying that he could make it better and brighten up her day. Then they heard a weak thud and looking down, they saw that the ice towel fell from Lindsay's leg to the floor. Peter bent down and picked the ice up, wrapped the towel around it again and gently placed it on Lindsay's ankle that was a bit swollen and started getting a bluish color.
"It doesn't look good. It must be hurting like hell." He said, looking at her ankle. She nodded slowly. "I wish I could do something, Linds, I wish I knew what to do." He looked lost.
"It's okay, I can hang until tomorrow. Maybe if I go to sleep, I won't feel the pain as much as I do now." She said, hoping that it was true. Peter nodded slowly and then hurried to the bedroom and came back with a pillow. Gently, he placed her leg on it and then covered Lindsay with her blanket, as if he was a father putting his little girl to sleep.
"Good night, Linds," His lips fluttered over her cheek, forming some kind of a good-night kiss. "If you need anything at night…"
"All I'm gonna need is some sleep, but thank you for offering." Lindsay smiled and after saying goodnight to each other once again, Peter turned the lights off and left the room.
Lindsay did not sleep that night, because of the pain. She lied awake and stared at the ceiling, wondering if the goodnight kiss Peter gave her meant something. It was so illogical for her to fall in love with him. She usually went for strong men, people who reminded her of her father, people like Connor Doyle or Beecham, her teacher in Oxford, and Peter just didn't fit the description. Yes, he was a good friend, and a very funny guy, and a strong man, which was a quality she was seeking in a man, but he was not stronger than her. He was equal and he knew it. He never had any power Connor and Beecham had – the power to control her actions, telling her what to do, when and how. He didn't have any authority over her. Although… now he did. If he wouldn't have taken her in, she would probably have to live in the streets, maybe even starve. Now, Peter was above her, he was the master of the house, setting up the rules and the red lines. She owed him and… She moved her leg and could feel the pain getting stronger.
"Ah," She sighed and bit her bottom lip. It was so painful that she seriously considered cutting it off with a knife. Deciding that a painkiller could really help her, she slowly got up and limped down the hallway, towards the bathroom, using the wall as support. She opened the door of the bathroom and took the first step in, not noticing that…
She opened her eyes slowly, trying to adjust to the strong light in the room. Her head was aching and she twitched her face in pain. Peter was there, looking a little blurry. She could feel the light pressure of his warm hand on her face.
"Pete," She whispered. He looked at her with a mix of concern and relief.
"Thank god, you're awake." He sighed.
"What happened?" Every movement of her mouth was terribly aching.
"There was a leak in the bathroom. You slipped on the puddle lost your consciousness for a couple of minutes." Peter replied.
"Jesus," She sighed and rolled her head to the side, so she won't have to look straight at the light.
"Don't worry; an ambulance should be here any moment. You'll be just fine." He said and his hand moved down from her cheek to her shoulder, gently squeezing it. She didn't remember being taken to the hospital, maybe because everything happened so fast since the moment the paramedics came, but she found herself lying in a bed in a slightly dim room, wearing a hospital gown, going through a long series of head scans, X-rays and other different check ups with horribly difficult names. Six hours later, she was sent back home with some painkillers and a bandaged leg.
Peter unlocked the door and helped Lindsay in. She was feeling a little dizzy and nauseous, but was okay and that what was important to him. After assisting her to lie down, he took a seat next to her. She smiled at him, claiming that it wasn't necessary for him to sit next to her until she falls asleep, but he insisted and took her hand.
"I'm sorry for causing so many troubles, Pete." She whispered only a moment before closing her eyes and drifting into a dreamless sleep.
"You're not a trouble. He whispered and took her hand. "You're bliss." He stared at her and listened to her breaths, so concentrated in the sound of it that he could almost see the air going out of her nose and coming back in. He saw tears flowing down her face and heard her cry silently in her sleep. He heard that cry before, he knew. This silent cry that was almost unbearable to hear, he heard it on the night Connor was killed. He remembered it as if it happened yesterday. He was running outside of the Russian plant, hearing a series of explosions behind him. Just a few more steps towards the door and he was outside. Outside! He was hoping that Connor had changed his mind and followed him out. And then he saw her, standing outside, somewhat cheering him to run towards the team before he blows up with the plant and then he saw her expression changing when she realized Connor was not coming out.
"Peter, where is he? Where's Connor?" She was distressed and was about to run back into the plant and look for their case manager. He had caught her in the right time and pulled her to a place where she would be safe. They heard the explosion and felt the heat wave that was its result. He protected her with his body, although she fought him with all of her might, trying to run back into the place where Connor's life tragically ended. She fought him as a shower of dust and stones fell on their heads.
"Stop it, Lindsay. There's nothing you can do now." He commanded her, suddenly feeling like a case manager. She stopped and stared at him for a moment, slowly realizing that the man she loved was dead and then collapsed into his arms, sobbing quietly against his chest. Now he looked at her, her face was wet with tears and she was crying, just like she did that night. "Linds, wake up. Stop crying, wake up." He knew that they're gonna be tired in the morning, but had to do this. Her wet eyelids fluttered open and she looked at him with confusion. "I remember you. I just remembered the night Connor was killed and you were there."
"You remember?" She looked at him with shock, as if she was already used to be unidentified by everyone. He nodded slowly and a smile spread over his face. "Is it just one memory?" Lindsay refused to let go of her new reality, scared of a disappointment.
"Well, I have some others too. Like that day you and Marc had this huge fight right in front of the mobile lab." Peter said. "And you didn't want to talk about it. You were so upset that you didn't come to work three days after that."
"Wow, I barely remembered that." Lindsay smiled. "You remember, you really do." She felt a wave of happiness flooding her heart. Peter didn't disappoint, he really did remember who she was.
"I don't know how I could ever forget someone like you, Linds, but I swear that this will never happen again. You're too special to forget." He said.
"That's the nicest thing someone had ever said to me, Peter. You have no idea how good you just made me feel." Her emotions started overcoming her common sense and without thinking she wrapped her arms around his neck and captured his warm lips with hers. It took a moment until Peter's reacted, but once it happened they couldn't stop holding each other, as if they were separated for a thousand years. Suddenly, Peter pulled away from her.
"Linds, I know it's probably a bizarre question considering everything that's happened recently, but we know each other for seven years now and if we're gonna become involved romantically maybe we should live together, until we split up, if ever." He said, "What I mean is… I assume that you're back on the databases, so you'll probably want to move back to your apartment."
"That's an interesting idea, Pete, but… I don't know." She said and looked at him with slight disappointment, really wanting to go on with the physical affection him again instead of answering that question. "But if you kiss me… maybe I'll think about it." She grinned and wrapped her arms around his neck. "What do you say?"
"I say, let's get it on." Peter smiled and captured her lips between his.
Back at an alternate universe, the O.S.I.R. Central Lab, year 2021.
"We fixed it." Dr. Louis said and smiled at Dr. Marcs who didn't seem to care much. He wasn't really doing anything while the other two doctors worked to fix the mistake and now when it was fixed he intended to hide the unfortunate error, so he can get his money and fame.
"Are we ready to conduct the experiment again?" He asked.
"Not yet, Dr. Marcs. We need to reset the machine and program, so we can start again in a week from now." Dr. Hanson replied. He was always the bearer of bad news ever since he was assigned to this project. Dr. Marcs looked as if he was going to protest. "But Dr. Marcs, if we don't do that, the machine will explode, along with the whole building."
"Do I look like I care about the building?" Dr. Marcs asked.
"But you surely care about the people who might get hurt if this machine explodes."
"No, not really. Just get it ready for another experiment, without restarting it." Dr. Marcs said. "Dr. Louis, start going over the numbers, while I'm out for lunch." And before any of the other two doctors could say anything, Marcs left the room.
"Dr. Hanson, Imagine what would happen if Marcs would be worried about consequences all the time, like you usually are." Dr. Louis started. "He wouldn't be where he is now. None of us would. So stop worrying about other people and take care of your own ass." She said and started going over a paper full of numbers and formulas that no normal person would understand.
A large explosion shook the O.S.I.R. Central Lab. In only moments, all that was left in the place where the building stood was dust and body parts.
The End