Aaron Collins' EndG8 Part 5: Stringed Tensions and Exposed Traitors

by Psychoflop

The calm before the interdimensional war

EndG8

Part 5: Stringed Tensions and Exposed Traitors

Chapter 1: A Monday on Aaronworld-1989

Monday 1/4/16

12:00pm

Brampton, Ontario

Song to put on: Sevendust — Home

It wasn't at all correct to say that they were anywhere near the part of Brampton that the local Aaron lived in; rather, it was very much on the other side of the city. It also had a quality about it that was familiar to both of our inter-dimensional travellers, and both could place different parts of their surroundings based on their memories (though Aaron-Prime had less difficulty figuring out which memories belonged to the him of this world than Robbie did).

"There's Gage Park in front and to the right of us, we're on Main Street downtown." announced Robbie.

"Indeed we are. Just south of the Main and Queen Street intersection, to be precise." replied Aaron-Prime.

"So here, you were never caught trying to kill yourself before your 6th birthday?"

"That's correct. And I don't need the Porta-Cammy tracer for this one, I know I'm at home today."

The noise around them ceased in their minds, and they both collectively breathed sighs of relief to be momentarily relaxed, until Robbie remembered that the Aaron of this world lived at least 7 kilometres away by car and if they were to try walking, it would take them hours. Site to site transport was out of the question as Brampton was quite a densely populated area, and while public transportation was certainly an option, it would also pose a risk of accidentally sending the townspeople around them to Nth-Dimensional Space randomly. Aaron-Prime motioned that they walk towards the Poutine restaurant that the Aaron of this world sometimes frequented called Dare to be Fresh. The front door was actually a few feet behind where the sidewalk was supposed to end, so Robbie and Aaron-Prime knew that they had a bit of privacy, if only briefly.

"Can we site to site transport from here?" asked Robbie.

"That's a negative, Mr. Mawson. The dimensions have now converged so badly that any site to site transportation would greatly increase the risk of losing at least one of you in mid-transport." replied the Porta-Cammy.

"And there's always something of a cab shortage in Brampton this time of year. What with the increased level of alcohol consumption and all. Stick out your hand." asked Aaron-Prime.

Robbie did as asked, and Aaron-Prime followed suit. In a moment, 2 Presto passes appeared in their hands, 1 for each of them. They could literally bus anywhere in the Greater Toronto Area now.

"How come you have all of these gifts?" asked Robbie.

"Focus, Intelligence...Sorry, I don't even have an answer to give you for all of them. Public transit is the least objectionable option available to us, let's go" replied Aaron-Prime.

Robbie nodded as they walked North along Main Street. It was only 1 block to the downtown Brampton bus terminal, and they boarded the 502 heading for the corner of Main and Steeles (or Hurontario and Steeles, as the street changed names multiple times across a great distance)

"Isn't this where James got in the cab in your detective story?" asked Robbie.

"Yes. 65 Aaronworlds away and a couple of years in the future from now, but 3-dimensionally speaking, yes." replied Aaron-Prime.

There weren't too many people on the bus as Robbie and Aaron-Prime boarded. They slipped to the back without drawing any attention to themselves. Memories began to flood Robbie's mind, memories that he didn't want to ever see again.

"I'm dead here too, aren't I?" whispered Robbie.

Aaron-Prime nodded, before adding "Almost 2 years now, Brain Cancer. Without your death here, you wouldn't be here with me now as this is the world with the original you."

Robbie had to repress a touch of anger, as he knew Aaron-Prime had nothing to do with those events "No offence Aaron, but that is of no comfort to me whatsoever. I left behind a wife and 3 kids here. 1 of whom wasn't even 11 years old when I left this world. And it took me 33 months to die so..."

Aaron-Prime took no offence at all, even putting his arm around Robbie as he broke down and cried.

"Now you're a father to all of your children simultaneously, and to me, by helping me save this multiverse. OK?"

Robbie nodded as additional passengers boarded. Aaron-Prime took out the Porta-Cammy and began staring at the screen. There was a flashing red dot near them that wasn't a copy of Aaron, which puzzled Aaron-Prime greatly.

"Penny for your thoughts?" asked Robbie.

It wasn't Aaron-Prime who answered, but the Porta-Cammy itself.

"Someone 2 metres in front of you is near their death, and will likely not survive their bus ride."

Aaron-Prime was actually stunned, "Amazing, do you know the cause?"

"Congestive Heart Failure, recommend summoning a necromantic class inter-dimensional being to take him to whatever afterlife he believes in."

Aaron-Prime and Robbie looked ahead and saw an older gentleman dressed in an old World War 2 outfit, heavily decorated in medals. He had white hair, was nearly 90 years of age and was coughing heavily.

"That would likely strain Nth-Dimensional Space more than is needed." said Aaron-Prime.

"I got this." replied Robbie.

Robbie then turned invisible to almost all of the other human passengers on the bus (but Aaron-Prime could still see him). He stood next to the veteran, and if Aaron-Prime didn't know any better, the veteran could see him too.

"You don't have to talk. Just think it, OK?" asked Robbie.

"What are you?" thought the veteran. Aaron-Prime smiled (as he could hear the veteran's thoughts as well as Robbie could), as he knew that Robbie had just found out that he was special.

"So many names for us over the years. But you can call me the journeyman." was all that Robbie could answer.

"I'm dying, aren't I?" the veteran asked in thought.

"You are, you only have about a minute to go or so. Don't worry, there's seating in the front for you where you're going. You made right with the God that you believe in, and your wife will be the one to greet you. Your 3 daughters will be awhile though, 2 of them will even see their 100th birthday. One of your great-grandsons will even win some gold for Canada in a little while, and you'll see it all up there."

The veteran could feel a lot of pain in his chest, for his heart was starting to give out on him. Robbie knew that he needed a distraction, and saw one among his many decorations.

"Battle of Normandy, wow. Thank you for serving. We'd all be speaking German if it weren't for you and your buddies. You'll be the last in your boat to get there. Tell the tavern keeper the journeyman is buying you one on him, I'll settle up with him soon enough."

The veteran silently nodded as Robbie touched him, putting him out of his suffering. He then walked back over to Aaron-Prime and rematerialized to the other oblivious humans on the bus around them.

"Now how did you do that without making him completely disappear?" asked Aaron-Prime.

Robbie cleared his throat, preparing for a long speech "When we go invisible to most humans, our powers are weakened. So only his soul went up, as he was a non-prime version of himself. I don't know how or why primes die both before and after the copies do, but the prime of him was on Aaronworld-1516 and that one died almost 9 years ago."

Aaron-Prime nodded at the strange coincidence that the prime of this veteran was in his clockpunk world before Robbie continued "The dead, little kids, the mentally ill and animals can sometimes still see us when we're invisible, so I'm happy that none of them were on board when I vanished. He was every bit as good a man and soldier as I told him that he was. Religion? It doesn't matter what faith you are, everyone wants to be told that they did a good job before they go. Even if you're a genocidal tyrant, you still want some sort of final vindication. You're a creator of worlds, I just shuttle people over to the other side. Every inter-dimensional being has a different job, and I intend to continue doing mine until the multiverse ends. Oh, I have every confidence that you will solve all of this somehow. But I also have no delusions of grandeur that the multiverse will last forever. Somehow, someway, someone or some thing will figure out how to unmake us all and I will continue to...bring out the dead...until the day that happens."

Now that Aaron-Prime knew what Robbie's job in the multiversal scheme of things was, even if he didn't know if it was ever going to come in handy again on this adventure, he focused his attention on what was out the window. To his right was Shopper's World, a mall that he knew that this world's Aaron was a semi-regular in during his teen years, then he stood up, and motioned for Robbie that this was there stop. But before they got out, Aaron-Prime looked at the bus driver and informed him:

"You might want to check on the vet back there, I saw him drool on his uniform in his sleep."

"I will, thank you." replied the bus driver (a red haired gentleman named Shawn). He and Aaron-Prime exchanged nods before they parted company.

"So...we're on the Southeast corner of Steeles and Hurontario. Which bus is next?" asked Robbie, as he hadn't used public transit in Brampton on this world since he was a child (early 1970's).

Aaron-Prime thought it over before replying "The 511 Zum bus or the regular Brampton 11 will do. After that, We're walking if the 15, 15A, 13 or 16 isn't readily available as it's only about 4 blocks to the house. Then again, all of my information about this world is based on him as I spent 25 out of 31 years several thousand kilometres away more or less in the same room all of the time."

It turns out that the 511 arrived first, to which Aaron-Prime breathed a sigh of relief.

"What advantage does this one have?" asked Robbie.

"This one controls the traffic lights, the regular Brampton buses can't. Get your presto card out again."

Robbie nodded and pressed the Presto card up to the sensor inside the bus immediately after he boarded, then he put it back into his pocket as Aaron-Prime paid his fare. They immediately headed for the back row inside like the last bus, content to keep a low profile.

"Are people back at work today?" Aaron-Prime heard a red-headed teenager ask (presumably) his girlfriend.

"Yeah, good thing we have a double lunch and don't have to see too many adults on here." she replied. She was also a redhead but that was all that either Robbie or Aaron-Prime could ascertain from them before they sat down. Aaron-Prime actually smiled a bit as the bus took off, heading east along Steeles Avenue.

It wasn't long before they reached the corner of Steeles Avenue and Kennedy Road. It was an intersection that was very influential to the Aaronverse. Aaron-Prime pointed south, telling Robbie "The local Aaron went to high school 2 blocks that way. I used it in a story back home when I found out that Dr. Debideen, Dr. Hughes and Dr. Tong all went here."

"Centennial?" asked Robbie.

"No that's closer to Shopper's World. The local Aaron went to Turner Fenton." replied Aaron-Prime.

"They were once 2 high schools, weren't they?"

"Indeed. One was more academic and the other was closer to trades, they merged in 1992 here. The local me was there from 1997-2002."

Robbie then had a flash of visions fire through his mind rapidly.

"The local you did Heroin here, didn't he?" he whispered (and announced).

Aaron-Prime winced, wanting to avoid answering that question "Unfortunately, yes. For 4 years. It was the only way I could combat having well over 2000 students around me and that's not counting the 200 staff and faculty."

"When did the dragon chasing turn against you?" asked Robbie.

It took Aaron a moment to go through the local counterpart's memories "About halfway through. And...he may have been sober for a few years, but he isn't completely recovered. He can't even really go outside much anymore because his social anxiety is so severe. I know he's had dreams of my room at Glenwood, and he wants to switch places with me. I can't say that I blame him, as his friends here have a very bad sense of timing. Just as he gets close to even having the ability to try having fun with one friend, someone approaches him with an offer that upsets him, which starts the anxiety attacks, nose bleeds and the like. Which puts him back to square one."

Aaron-Prime burst into tears and Robbie held him. Tears of guilt that would last forever...

Bramalea Go Station was 3 times as much parking lot as it was a bus terminal. The bus terminal was located on the south end of the property, which necessitated a bit of a walk by Robbie and Aaron-Prime regardless as to whether 1 of the buses that they needed. Robbie was hit with another rush of deja vu.

"And this is where all of the Brampton people met up to travel to the hotel in the detective story...on Aaronworld-1924, right?"

"Exactly. I kind of want to revise that book and maybe a few other stories based on who's still a doctor at Glenwood on Aaronworld-Prime but that might alter the Aaronworld itself drastically. I admit I changed Aaronworld-Prime a bit when I went back shortly after our encounter in that bar but not on any significant level."

A Brampton #13 turned into the bus terminal just as they reached the meeting point.

"I've never been on the 13 in this world." stated Robbie.

"It only runs from the Bramalea Go Station to the Bramalea City Centre through mostly Bramalea Road and Avondale Boulevard. It's not a popular enough of a bus to even operate on Sundays. Actually it took them about 30 years just to be available on a Saturday. I think my local counterpart has never even seen a #13 half full before."

Aaron-Prime stopped talking as the bus pulled up. They boarded and pressed their Presto cards to the sensor.

"Shouldn't we have been getting transfers for each of these buses?" asked Robbie.

"Who cares? It's not our money." replied Aaron-Prime, which caused Robbie to chuckle slightly.

They were the only 2 people on the bus that were not the driver (which according to Aaron-Prime, was par for the course with this route at any given time) as it left the terminal turning left onto Bramalea road. Nobody was picked up at Bramalea (North of Steeles Avenue) or the stop on East Drive before the bus shuffled over all the way to the left to make the turn onto Avondale Boulevard. Robbie looked fondly over at Dearbourne Avenue (what the street was called if you turned right instead), as he lived off of that street as a kid. There were still no additional passengers at the corner of Avondale and Autumn or at the stop in front of the Avondale Shopping Centre (which was a generous label as the parking lot was empty save for what was likely employee parking in the back). The left and right most stores were the biggest (250,000 square feet) with 10 additional spaces composing another half million square feet altogether.

"Jesus, no grocery store?" asked Robbie.

"Nope. It closed down in June of 2014. It was only open for about a year or so, and the 8th grocery store in 20 years with gaps of emptiness in between."

"What about that space between the bank and the computer store?"

"The computer store was in the bigger (now empty space), then moved next door to downsize and save $."

"How's the bowling alley?"

"Abandoned since 2009."

"That's a shame, it was a great hangout." lamented Robbie.

"It was until the late 90's. Then the other lanes in the city started getting cheaper until Avondale and the one on Glidden Road was put out of business." explained Aaron-Prime.

They stood up and left the bus once they reached the corner of Avondale and Aloma. For both of them, it brought back fond memories of one of the better Aaronworlds as they walked up the right side of the street (as it had the odd numbered houses). Aaron-Prime had an unusual smile on his face as he pointed to a house on the left side of the street.

"Tizzard lived there." said Aaron-Prime.

"The kid who puked in my car?" asked Robbie. Aaron-Prime merely nodded as they continued. There were no other houses of note before they reached the local Aaron's house, but Robbie did notice one thing that struck him as scary. They stopped 2 houses short of the local Aaron's.

"What happened to the dense foliage all over the street?" he asked.

"Oh...right...you were dying when the ice storm happened." remarked Aaron-Prime offhandedly.

"ICE STORM?" shouted Robbie in shock.

Aaron-Prime was not so eager to explain "Yeah. Near the end of 2013 on this world, there was a violent ice storm. Hit the whole eastern seaboard but Toronto was hit the hardest. A third of the trees all around the city were destroyed. It took mom, our basement tenants, a couple of nice guys from down the street and the local me a few hours to get all of the branches that snapped off of the tree in front of...my...house. The local me could hear sections of trees snap off from up to 3 streets away, it was that quiet that day. Do you remember how the house backs onto a park?"

Robbie nodded as they resumed walking.

"That entire park looked like a war zone for weeks. The kids at Aloma school weren't allowed to play there until the following March."

They turned right and began walking up the local Aaron's driveway.

"Where's Lindsay?" asked Robbie.

"Grocery shopping, if my memory serves me correctly." answered Aaron-Prime as he knocked on the door.

"Why aren't you at work?" asked Robbie.

"Because my dear dead cousin, I've become too enveloped in writing the very adventure that you and my original are currently living."

Neither Robbie nor Aaron-Prime heard the door open, but there stood Aaron-1989, as if he had been waiting for them for hours. He waved both of them inside and they walked through the living room. Aaron-Prime was grateful that his local counterpart was in fact at home, but was a bit scared that this Aaron was already writing stories for adventures that were still ongoing. From the living and dining room was a hallway (common for Brampton homes built in the second half of the 20th century) and they followed the local Aaron to the only open door in the hallway. It was Aaron-1989's bedroom. A small, all-white room with a black dresser to the left of the door, a low-level futon on the opposite wall and a black desk between them. Sitting on top of the desk was a laptop which based on a quick glance by Aaron-Prime, contained this very adventure up to the very sentence that you're currently reading, constant reader old chum.

"Do you at least know how it ends?" asked Aaron-Prime half jokingly.

"Unfortunately, no I don't. Sorry, to both of you for not knowing anything you don't as well as not being able to hug you..."

"...Because you're going to go to Nth-dimensional space prematurely?" asked Robbie before Aaron-1989 could finish talking.

"No, because I'm more averse to being touched than I believe the other Aaron's and Erin's are."

Aaron-Prime nodded before adding "You're up there on the list, that's for sure."

Robbie looked momentarily terrified, but decided to explain why before anyone could inquire "This Aaron also has the emptiest stomach out of all the ones that we've summoned so far."

Aaron-1989 giggled, before adding "Yeah. I tend to forget to eat when I'm on a roll creatively. Is that a problem?"

Aaron-Prime gave a puzzled look at Robbie, who obliged the Aaron's curiosity "Normally no, it wouldn't be an issue. But I can literally see your digestive system as having had nothing in it for at least 36 hours. That level of starvation means that your body wouldn't survive the trip, and we already had the issue of Skull Girl before someone decided to screw up the entire multiverse."

Aaron-Prime scanned Aaron-1989 and was shocked "You're one of my more food-driven copies, what the fuck is the matter with you?"

Aaron-1989 nodded, silently agreeing with his original. "I suppose I could eat. Can...Inter-dimensional Beings eat normal food?"

Robbie waved Aaron-Prime off "We can, as it helps us blend into wherever we are. But we don't need to, and our taste buds are considerably more advanced than normal humans. Can you cook?" he asked skeptically.

Aaron-1989 smiled before answering "Well enough so that I don't kill myself if I have to. But I generally don't have to. Breakfast and Lunch I can manage on my own, but mom makes supper unless she wants a change of pace. With her grocery shopping, I don't have much in the house. I was actually ready to tell my quite broken psyche to fuck off and go out to eat for once, and I don't think anyone will notice or care that I have 2 guests with me. Do you guys mind Thai food?"

Aaron-Prime and Robbie smiled, knowing exactly where Aaron-1989 had in mind. Aaron-Prime took out the Porta-Cammy and spoke "Cammy, can you site to site transport us to 340 Yonge Street in Toronto?"

"Well as you're not going to heed my earlier warning, due to inter-dimensional instability, there is a 5% margin of error for this trip." stated Cammy.

Aaron-1989 was the first to calculate that distance in his mind "I'll take 2.1 kilometres away on what I assume is a near instantaneous transport to a place deemed as Aaronverse Headquarters. How does it work?"

Robbie took the lead that time "It scans every living thing within 1 metre of where the Porta-Cammy is, destroys it at the original site, then re-assembles it at the destination. And transporters have been refined so well since the mixed poker book that there is no worries about getting transcription errors."

Aaron-Prime then nodded before saying "Yes Porta-Cammy, we accept!"

Thankfully, they were most assuredly not 2.1 kilometres away from Salad King when they materialized, even Robbie knew that.

"This is the P.A.T.H. Great use of it in the detective story by the way." Robbie proclaimed. There was no one else around (no one was using this part of the elaborate tunnels and stores that were under downtown Toronto and the shops around them were closed for lunch or taking inventory for the previous week). The tiles beneath them were grey and there was a wide staircase 25 metres in front of them. All 3 of them began looking around to gain their bearings. Aaron-1989 was the first to find them, as he knew to look up.

"We're directly underneath Dundas Subway Station. That's close enough, I know the way gentlemen."

And he did. All 3 walked up the stairs which lead them into the main passenger bay of the subway station, which posed a problem for 2 out of the 3:

"Now how do you suppose that we get through this passenger traffic without touching anybody?" asked Robbie, aware of the ramifications if either him or Aaron-Prime touched anyone. Aaron-1989 looked confused at first, then noticed how pale they were, which triggered an idea.

"Start coughing." whispered Aaron-1989.

"What?" replied Aaron-Prime. Aaron-1989 didn't know if he was too quiet or too confusing so he clarified "Start acting sick, I'll take it from there."

Robbie and Aaron-Prime shrugged and began coughing, and Aaron-1989 shouted "NEW FLU PEOPLE, EVERYBODY OUT OF THE WAY NOW!"

Robbie even threw some dry heaves and Aaron-Prime faked profuse sweating, which alarmed everyone around them to no end. They continued the charade as Aaron-1989 guided them through Dundas Station while continuing "NEW FLU! NEW FLU!" until they walked up the stairs to Dundas Square. It was considerably more open than the subway station (being Toronto's answer to Times Square and all), and they stopped the charade immediately.

"We crossing diagonally?" asked Aaron-1989.

"Yeah, I don't want to try site to site transport again unless we absolutely have to." replied Aaron-Prime.

Each of the three of them loved the rare opportunity to legally cross a street diagonally, and they eagerly awaited for the traffic lights to switch to white light stick figure man that was part of North American culture. Robbie had an awkward conversation to start, as he knew that the relationship that he had with this Aaron was the strongest in the multiverse.

"I'm sorry that I died on you."

Aaron-1989 just nodded "It broke me. And I'll never be close to my old self again, but there's no need to apologize. Seeing you as an inter-dimensional being actually provides me with a sense of closure on the matter. I may not have the powers of my original over here, and my emotional state is...at best...scattered. But, I will help you guys fix the multiverse, no matter what it takes."

The "All cross" switch to the white stick figure men had triggered and they began crossing, heading North-West. It was only 2 blocks North to Salad King (which was located on the corner of Dundas and Elm), but like some stores in the area, space was at a premium, leading to "alternative" methods of customer accommodation. But first things were first, namely the sense of nostalgia shared between the 3.

"I'll never get used to Sam the Record Man not being there." whispered Robbie.

"Ryerson bought the sign. Which mildly upset Rick of Storage Wars Canada as he wanted to find it in a locker somewhere." informed Aaron-1989 as they walked into Salad King's first floor entrance.

"I love the customer review tweets in the artwork." remarked Aaron-Prime, before adding "Stairs or elevator?"

"Elevator!" replied Aaron-1989 and Robbie simultaneously.

Aaron-Prime pushed the up arrow on the keypad to the left of a stainless steel door. As there were only 3 floors total, the wait wasn't long. They walked inside (after a couple of Ryerson University Students exited) and Aaron-Prime turned on the second floor (without pushing the button).

"Impressive." stated Aaron-1989 sincerely.

"What's the third floor used for again?" asked Robbie.

"Management office, as we found out the hard way once." replied Aaron-1989 and Aaron-Prime simultaneously, which lead to them giggling and pointing at each other as the elevator doors opened. 1 of the managers (a mild mannered young Canadian-Asian gentleman named Alan) recognized the trio...sort of.

"Aaron, what a nice surprise! But there's 2 of you and a guy who looks like your dead cousin."

Aaron-1989 laughed and took the lead in making a cover story "We're location scouting for possible filming of the detective book. These guys are going to play Robbie and I in the movie. Surely, you guys got the contract sent to you for using your restaurant by now, or do I have to call Paramount's legal team again?"

Aaron-Prime took that as his cue to imagine a legal document that would cover what his local counterpart was suggesting, then telepathically sent it to Alan's inbox (as well as the other managers off-duty in an effort to cover their bases). It triggered a vibration in Alan's pants pocket, and he took out his phone, seeing the email with the attached contract.

"Just got it. Just you 3 for this afternoon?" asked Alan.

"Yes sir." replied Aaron-Prime.

Alan escorted them to one of the booth tables in the middle of the restaurant. Aaron-Prime was relieved, as that was the closest thing to isolation that Salad King could provide. There were 3 sections of seating in the restaurant altogether: Tables by the front windows for groups up to 4 people to be together but not feel so claustrophobic. Extra-long stainless steel picnic tables for people to be mixed together (and induce conversation with strangers, to which neither of the Aarons or Robbie liked) and a sectioned off group of booth tables (which were Aaron-1989's preference and the management knew of that). As soon as they sat down, a waiter named Travis brought over 3 complimentary glasses of water (a staple of Salad King as their dishes have a customizable spice level for each individual customer, in fact there's a chili chart on the bottom right hand corner of the menu that was already on the table for each guest). The menu however, was a formality for the regular customers, as they already knew what they wanted (and it wasn't technically on the menu).

"So...we're all getting essentially the same thing?" asked Aaron-Prime. Robbie and Aaron-1989 merely nodded as Travis returned.

"What'll it be, gentlemen?" he asked. Aaron-Prime was first to wave him in closer, making sure not to touch him accidentally.

"The secret, 3 chilli's with shrimp please." whispered Aaron-Prime as Travis nodded while writing it down. He then moved over to Aaron-1989, who also waved him in closer to prevent other customers from hearing him.

"Same as my lookalike but 5 chilli's, please!" he whispered. Robbie merely handed him a folded piece of paper that read "Same as them but no additional spice and chicken, please."

"Anything else?" asked Travis, making sure to address the entire table at once.

"An order of crispy spring rolls to start off with, we're OK with the water." replied Aaron-1989.

Travis nodded, knowing that it was against restaurant policy to even recap an order that had 1 "secret" order on it, much less 3. Ironically, it was one of the worst kept secrets in Toronto (as it was just panang curry on top of their hot Thai noodles). Aaron-1989 silently excused himself to use the washroom (which instead of being divided by gender, there were 6 single-person inter-gender washrooms which preceded 1 custom-made washroom for the physically handicapped.

"Thank god he picked somewhere known to serve you quickly." commented Aaron-Prime.

"Not much choice. If we took him to the last Aaronworld we have to visit now, he'd die immediately. Besides, I'm not entirely sure that he is actually using the bathroom. Isn't this one of the Aaronworlds where you sometimes fake using the bathroom in order to isolate yourself from the crowd of the restaurant?" asked Robbie.

Aaron-Prime nodded, knowing the point that Robbie was making "Probably also because he has this not entirely unfounded superstition that going to the bathroom will speed up the delivery of the food."

"How often does it work?" asked Robbie, his curiosity piqued.

"Better than 95% of the time, actually. It was loosely based on a trick that this world's version of our dad had, only he lit a cigarette. I'm glad most Aaronworlds banned smoking in restaurants without me having to...get involved."

"I can't help but agree with that decree. I doubt our main meals will get here before Aaron-1989 returns but we should at least get the spring rolls." offered Robbie. Aaron-Prime nodded in agreement, then turned his attention over to his pocket.

"Thank you for letting me ignore you, Porta-Cammy."

"I understand, Master Collins. He really was starving." was all that she replied.

Sure enough, Alan returned with the spring rolls. "Travis is on break, so I'll be dropping off the rolls today."

"Good man. Good to see you too, Aaron has told me so much about this place that I feel like a regular customer already." Aaron-Prime offered as a way of adding to the cover story.

"Everyone's like family here." offered Alan as Robbie saw Aaron-1989 coming out of the bathroom. Alan saw him too, and kindly got out of the way so that Aaron-1989 could retake his seat. There were always 3 spring rolls served with every order, complete with scratch made plum sauce. Division amongst the 2 Aaron's and Robbie was obviously straightforward.

"So those dreams I've been having of circuses, whirlyball and the supernatural...those are the affected Aaronworlds in this crisis?" asked Aaron-1989.

"Yeah. You wouldn't happen to know who's doing all of this, or even which Aaronworld where all of this started in is, would you?" asked Aaron-Prime.

"No, I'm afraid not. You could probe my dreams if you like." offered Aaron-1989.

Aaron-Prime looked around the restaurant, noticing that the dozen or so customers were deeply involved in their own lives, leaving risk of being noticed to a minimum. Aaron-Prime had his eyes still set to probe (based on what happened with Aaronworld-1326) so he fired a beam of energy at Aaron-1989. What came into the mind of Aaron-Prime was a montage of a quadruple flip on a trapeze, a bunch of his friends celebrating a Whirlyball victory, someone donating blood, Limit Ace-5 triple draw, Pot Limit 6 Card Omaha, Limit Badeucy, Limit Badacey, 5-Card draw high being played at both Pot-Limit and No-Limit stakes but no one abusing the laws of Quantum Physics. Aaron-Prime shut off the link, as he knew that their lunches will be arriving shortly and that further probing of the local Aaron's mind would be a complete waste of time.

"I suppose it was never going to be that easy." whispered Aaron-Prime.

"Sorry Aaron but, your problems were never easy for anyone to solve." countered Robbie. Aaron-Prime was momentarily offended, but it passed, as he knew Robbie was right. Travis then came with the food, all served on those cosmopolitan round bowls where the rim was uneven. Rice noodles, Panang Curry, Red/Green Peppers, Mushrooms, Broccoli, Onions, Carrots, Tomato, Garlic and their respective meat choices. Aaron-1989 dove right in, as he was obviously the hungriest. Aaron-Prime and Robbie were a little slower, but they each had fond memories of this place, and enjoyed the break as best that they could.

It was barely 10 minutes later and all 3 had finished eating. Aaron-Prime and Robbie weren't even close to full but Aaron-1989 was and that was all that mattered. Alan came buy with the bill:

Crispy Spring Rolls - $4

Islamic Noodles w/ Chicken - $10.50

2 x Islamic Noodles w/ Shrimp - $11

20% Friends and Family discount

Tax 13%

Total = $31.87

"Oh sweet, we got the insider's deal!" whispered Aaron-1989.

Aaron-Prime stared at the table until two $20 bills appeared on it.

"Local me, give that to either Travis or Alan as we can't touch them. Robbie and I will be waiting by the elevator." stated Aaron-Prime.

"You want to leave that big a tip?" asked Aaron-1989.

"Why not? They deserve it. Best restaurant in the multiverse." said Robbie while standing up. Aaron-Prime followed suit and he and Robbie walked towards the elevator, watching Aaron-1989 as he approached Alan.

"Thanks for the discount." stated Aaron-1989 as he and Alan shook hands.

"Hey no problem, you're one of us." replied Alan, taking the bill.

"My friends really enjoyed it, please see to it that Travis gets the tip."

"I'll see to it personally." replied Alan with a smile.

"Thanks." announced Aaron-1989, who turned around and left, heading straight for the elevator. As soon as it opened, the 2 Aaron's and Robbie walked inside. Once the doors shut and Aaron-1989 pressed the button for the ground floor, Aaron-Prime and Robbie touched Aaron-1989, with all 3 disappearing before the elevator reached the ground.

Robbie and the 2 Aaron's saw all of the strings of the Aaronverse, including the 3 that were converging.

"They're not as tight as I thought they would be by now." said Robbie.

"All the more reason for us to acquire the next me as quickly as possible." shouted Aaron-Prime.

"This is the most beautiful thing that I've ever seen." declared Aaron-1989.

"I felt the same way the first time that I saw it, not so long ago." said Aaron-Prime.

The Porta-Cammy flashed the 1 remaining Aaronworld left to visit on her screen, it took Aaron-Prime a moment to read it out.

"Access Aaronworld-2208, please." announced Aaron-Prime.

The appropriate string appeared directly in front of them.

"Locate the Aaron Collins of that world, January 26th, 2016, 12:00 in the afternoon local time, please." started Aaron-Prime. Upon a red dot being spotted along the string, Robbie asked "Put the red dot on a model of Earth as well, please."

The string followed Robbie's request, showing a globe flashing a red dot in the Western part of the North American continent.

"So, we're going to your home?" asked Aaron-1989.

"Not exactly, my fellow Aaron. OK Porta-Cammy, get us as close to him as possible." Aaron-Prime instructed to the portable Cammy unit. It took them a little longer to transport than usual, on account of the inter-dimensional stress.

"Why did you make worlds where the point of divergence is long after you and every other member of the Aaronverse naturally dies?" asked Robbie.

"I needed a challenge." replied Aaron-Prime, as a door opened.

Chapter 2: A Tuesday on Aaronworld-2208

Tuesday 1/26/16

12:00pm

Aurora, Colorado

Song to put on: Joe Walsh – Rocky Mountain Way

"I suppose that under the circumstances, we should be lucky that we're as close to this world's Glenwood as we are." stated Aaron-1989, happy to be in his home state for the first time in years.

"Agreed, we could've completely missed the state of Colorado. And even I don't want to risk site-to-site transport now as the margin of error would probably make things worse." added Robbie.

"OK. So short of a taxi conveniently stopping for us, let's start walkin'. I know I don't leave my room at any point today." declared Aaron-Prime.

As the three of them regained their composure and focus (as inter-dimensional transportation was getting more and more exhausting, even for the non-humans), they walked right by the "Welcome to Aurora." sign located on the I-70 on the easternmost edge of the city. Aaron-1989 (to his credit), was likely the most well adjusted of all of the non-prime Aaron's, as he knew from the very beginning that Fate wasn't going to make things easier on them.

"I remember taking the I-70 to see my dad as a kid, but that was all the way over in Pennsylvania. I never thought that I would see the other side of this interstate."

Aaron-Prime cleared his throat before correcting his counterpart "Technically, we did. Only we were 6 weeks old at the time because our dad had already transferred to a naval base in Norfolk, Virginia."

Robbie was getting a tad annoyed at his cousin and copies of his cousin "Guys, I hate to interrupt this history lesson, but do you even know how far we need to walk?"

"I'm just following my original's lead." confessed Aaron-1989 as he awkwardly shrugged.

"4 kilometres, Robbie. Give or take 100-200 metres." replied Aaron-Prime...eventually. He was confused that 2 different people of similar height were also walking along the I-70...

...towards them...a quarter of a mile away and closing.

"How do you want to handle them?" asked Aaron-1989.

Aaron-Prime merely grinned as he answered "Tell them the truth. We're 2 inter-dimensional beings from outside the multi-dimensional space-time continuum with a guest that's 219 worlds away."

Robbie overheard that answer, and was confused on a level that even Aaron-Prime could detect.

"They'll never believe it. Besides Robbie, enhance your vision at them."

Robbie obliged, and the only things that caught his attention was that 1 of them appeared to be reading newly collected scientific data and the other 1 was on a cell phone.

"So people...can actually detect us?" asked Robbie.

"If the technology is sufficient. And on most Aaronworlds, it is. Frankly, I'm amazed that no scientist picked up on us on 1 of the earlier Aaronworlds. Then again, we weren't on most of them for very long."

5 minutes later, the inevitable meeting took place. It was the male of the scientific duo who began the dialogue.

"Gentlemen, might we ask as to why we believe that you're the source of a large amount of electromagnetic energy that showed up on my partner's machine?"

"If that machine was worth its' wait in shit, it would've also picked up an opening and closing of an Einstein-Rosen bridge...or is it Einstein-Rosen-Padowsky on this world? So many worlds of my own design that I forget the trivial things unless I take an interest and write them in detail myself."

"Either way, we're required to place you under citizens' arrest and escort you to NORAD for questioning as you are definitely something of interest to them." replied the female scientist, who was still looking at her recently collected data (likely trying to find how she could even begin to present the data as the first official confirmation of the Einstein-Rosen bridge that this...visitor...just confessed to).

The 2 Aaron's and Robbie just burst into hysterical laughter. Robbie and Aaron-1989 assumed that Aaron-Prime would just knock them out or disable their gear. But Aaron-Prime was already way ahead of them with something even more devastating.

"Daniel Edison and Marie Eleanor Hofstadter. One of you is secretly a paedophile, and the other has a secret life as an illegal dominatrix during the night hours. Let us pass and forget everything that you saw today or Denver's FBI will have a very large stack of evidence dropped into their lap before we're even fingerprinted."

The 2 Aaron's and Robbie continued walking towards Glenwood without further incident.

The front parking lot to Glenwood Sanitarium was identical to the one on Aaronworld-Prime. The cars and the doctors were exactly the same. Aaron-1989 fell to a knee and began crying, and neither Robbie or Aaron-Prime knew why (or could even console him if they did).

"This is our home? This is where we would've ended up if that attempt to kill ourselves in Aunt Octavia's had been discovered?"

Aaron-Prime thought he now knew what was going on in his copy's mind, "Eventually yes, first there's a few years of changing hospitals across the continent."

Aaron-1989 stood back up, stared daggers into Aaron-Prime and whispered "I don't care that you're the original me, I don't even care what you can do with your eyes. You will NEVER be able to imagine the extent to which I envy you."

Aaron-Prime knew that killing Aaron-1989 at this point would just be putting him out of his misery, and stunning him unconscious would just make things more inconvenient for the group, so he did what so few did for him...he left him alone. Robbie felt a need to change the subject, in the interest of diplomacy.

"I don't need to ask what you do here, but how is this world different from Aaronworld-Prime?"

Aaron-Prime merely pointed up at the sky, asking both of his party "You know Halley's comet, right?"

Both Robbie and Aaron-1989 nodded.

"On this Aaronworld at some point in the early 23rd century, Russian terrorists are going to blow it up before it passes by Earth as a demonstration of civilian fusion reactor capability."

If Aaron-1989 was impressed, he was doing a very good job of hiding it.

"How are we going to get to the local Aaron's room?" he asked. Aaron-Prime didn't even need to think about that one.

"Robbie is going to play the role of Hollywood agent while we're coming to see if we got our 'make-up' right."

"Why the 2 of us?" asked Aaron-1989.

"I'm the stunt Aaron, you're the actor who will be playing Aaron."

"I've heard worse cover stories. Let's go!" declared Robbie.

They walked towards the main entrance, while Aaron-Prime mumbled something about hoping that the doctor on duty hadn't seen Robbie before when he was alive. When they were inside, Aaron-1989 was taken aback by the decor. It was blue, burgundy and silver as opposed to the standard whites that were in other hospitals and labs that he was ever in (the colours of the Colorado Avalanche hockey logo).

"Can I help you gentlemen?"

The gentleman who said that was a man in his thirties. Short (balding) brown hair, well under 6 feet in height. Aaron-1989 struggled to keep his composure, as it was his former best friend turned enemy turned frenemy, A Dr. Colin Michael Wright. Robbie took the lead in the discussion from that point forward, knowing that he never met Colin on any of the Aaronworlds (and just an inter-dimensional being pretending to be him otherwise).

"Yeah, how are you doin'? I'm with Skydance Productions and obviously these are going to be the guys that play your most famous patient. The tall one's the stuntman, and the short one is..."

Robbie leaned forward to whisper, waving in Dr. Wright to come closer.

"That's Daniel Radcliffe, made up to look like Aaron Collins." Robbie added.

Colin stared at who he thought was Daniel Radcliffe, glaring at him for any possible mistakes, finally giving up "May I see your guest passes, please?."

Aaron-Prime took them out of his jacket pocket. It was a White and Green laminated card exactly the size of a credit card with the word "Guest" printed on each one in black, along with a simple barcode to get into any room in the sanitarium. A red-haired woman approximately Aaron-1989's and Colin's age then came from behind the doctor and interjected:

"Sorry Doc, I had to inject my insulin. I can ride the front desk now, thanks for covering for me."

After checking the 3 passes, he replied "My pleasure. Go right ahead, guys. 1 suggestion for you Mr. Radcliffe: The real Aaron is paler, almost as pale as that giant Aaron lookalike next to you" as he handed their passes back to them.

Aaron-1989 nodded as the three of them took their leave, then headed down a hallway to the west wing. A few of the patients in their path were drawn to what they thought were lookalikes of their fellow patient, but they paid them no attention. Instead, Aaron-1989 thought to himself "If I were the local Aaron, I would have such an aversion to group therapy sessions, while maintaining a completely random and short sleep cycle and an almost inhuman level of focus. Although maybe there's something or someone else at work with our works."

After a few minutes, they reached room 131 (which was open so no need to stick their guest passes into the adjacent scanner), the only private room in the entire minimum security wing. They were in a room with all white walls, 1 window overlooking the Rocky Mountains on the north wall, a large mirror on the east wall, a steel door on the south wall, and boxes upon boxes stacked on top of each other on the south wall. Aaron-2208's bed in the middle of the room, and one would still have 7-8 feet from each edge of the bed to the wall. Aaron-2208 himself was in fact, sitting on the bed. He was wearing a Colorado Avalanche jersey (an older one with no name on it, likely a donation from goodwill or some other thrift store) and acid-washed blue jeans that while kept up with a belt, was at least 2 or 3 inches too big across all measurements for the one who was wearing it. He was also staring directly at his guests, in a way that some would call, the "Kubrick Stare."

"Sorry, we were expecting you to be more withdrawn. Sorry if we made you edgy, I'm not exactly sure where to begin..." opened Aaron-1989.

"Then let me take a shot at it." Aaron-2208 suggested as he walked over to a water cooler located by his bed. Upon pouring himself a glass and drinking the entire thing in one go, he continued talking: "You're Aaron Collins, just like I'm Aaron Collins. Thanks to the giant us that's with you and a gigantic version of our cousin who's been dead for almost 2 years on this world, you're travelling across multiple alternate histories because of some sort of emergency in the multiverse."

Aaron-1989 was astonished by that statement. Granted, he was also fully aware of Aaron-Prime and Robbie's arrival before it actually happened, but he was expecting a counterpart of him still residing in Glenwood to be on the latest medication to relieve at least one of his problems, not be this coherent. He stammered unintelligibly for a bit before finally stuttering "H-h-h-how d-did you know?"

Aaron-2208 smiled faintly as he collected thoughts of his own. "Two things. When you tried to kill yourself the first time back in '89, how close did you get?"

Aaron-1989 was quick to answer "Hesitation wounds only, the scars were completely gone in less than a year."

Aaron-2208 nodded thoughtfully before saying "Hmm. I wasn't so lucky." which he followed by showing his arms. "15 stitches on each arm. Secondly, I've been waiting to ask this to our original since a dream I had last night: Why is the point of divergence in 2208 when (for all intents and purposes), you died last year? Yet I'm still alive here...Shouldn't that lead to a bunch of Aaronworlds numbered Aaronworld-2014 with letters distinguishing each of them."

Aaron-Prime started laughing, knowing that at least a few hundred Aarons should be asking this question. "2 reasons: Ego and Heather Stitt."

Robbie and the 2 non-original Aarons raised their eyebrows at Aaron-Prime in total confusion.

"I purposely made myself unimportant enough in every alternate history that I ever wrote so that my life never had enough of an impact to really cause a point of divergence (unless I was bored and didn't feel like going through a bunch of history textbooks donated to me by Colorado University). Theoretically, you're right: Every difference SHOULD be an alternate history in and of itself. But quite honestly, so much history is so insignificant that no one should really give a fuck if you eat a bran muffin on a Thursday 200 years after you die. Secondly, in honour of Dr. Heather Stitt, Aaronworld-2014 is unique in that Scotland voted yes in its' referendum that year."

Aaron-1989 nodded at how awesome that mini-rant was, then turned his attention back over to Aaron-2208. "You're not gonna call us crazy or kick us out?"

It was Aaron-2208's turn to laugh "That would be ironic, given that we're in an asylum. But the evidence of your existence shot down any chance I had to even try to argue from the moment you arrived."

Suddenly, smoke began emitting from the pants pocket on Aaron-Prime's left leg. On reflex, he pulled out what was inside and immediately threw it into a small trash can by the door. Aaron-2208 then ran out of the room and found a fire extinguisher, he yanked it off the wall and ran back inside the room (which triggered an alarm across the entire wing of the hospital). Aaron-2208 sprayed the trash can until no one could see any more flames. The 3 Aaron's and Robbie bent over and looked inside the trash can.

"What was that?" asked the local Aaron.

"The Porta-Cammy. The...device that we've been using for travel and information. Unless there's a world-calibre scientist on the payroll in the hospital...we're stranded here."

"Oh...I may not be into quantum physics, but I'm sure I can help."

The men and inter-dimensional beings turned their attention to a woman staring at them from the edge of the door.

"How much have you heard?" asked Aaron-1989 rhetorically.

"Enough to know that if anyone other than Spaz was riding the desk when you came in here that you never would've reached our star patient and would in all likelihood be in jail by now."

Aaron-Prime could tell that this woman would keep things a secret and that she was just having a bit of fun screwing with them "Well normally my local counterpart would address you by your well-earned title and surname but I'm more informal. It's an honour to see you...Cosima." whispered Aaron-Prime.

The remains of the Porta-Cammy were placed on Aaron-2208's bed. All 5 of them stared at it for a few moments. Cosima seemed to understand it best amongst the humans in the room.

"I'm...amazed that you have a dimensional transporter the size of a cellphone. So you're the original?"

Aaron-Prime nodded. "The creator of the Aaronverse, my clever dread-locked stoner."

"Yeah I was clever when I was like 6." Cosima replied in a completely deadpan tone of voice.

Aaron-1989 started laughing hysterically, tears were rolling down his eyes as he had been holding it in since Dr. Niehaus arrived.

"Something wrong?" she asked.

"In my world, Cosima Niehaus is the name of a character on a TV show called Orphan Black. You're a clone on the show but, otherwise you're a dead ringer for the actress who plays her: Tatiana Maslany."

Cosima shifted her attention over to Aaron-Prime "You made me a clone? You bastard!"

"On that and many other worlds. In fact, Orphan Black-Prime is Aaronworld-1918."

Cosima rolled her eyes as the Aaron's and Robbie shifted their focus over to the Porta-Cammy, which Robbie had just finished examining the exterior.

"The problem is all internal. Thankfully the exterior of the device is fine."

"Great, now hopefully I can diagnose and fix the problem. Admittedly, not even I completely know how Cammy works as my imagination is quite extensive." replied Aaron-Prime.

"Do you know how to...open her?" asked Aaron-1989.

Aaron-Prime nodded and pushed a button located on the left side of the Porta-Cammy, causing her to open up completely. Robbie was completely oblivious as to what was in the Porta-Cammy while the other Aaron's and Cosima were able to discern at least some of its' contents.

"OK. So these are a partitioned series of displacement control microchips." guessed Aaron-1989.

Aaron-Prime nodded.

"These 3 appear to be unaffected." offered Cosima.

"Yes, those are the 3 chips needed for displacement in space. The first chip is very broad spectrum (to pick which galaxy you wish to travel), the second focuses on planets that are habitable by life (which there are hundreds, if not thousands in any given galaxy), the third focuses on geography (it knows land and water ratios and arbitrary land boundaries...continents)." explained Aaron-Prime.

"So these circuits, which appear to be completely fried are for...dimensional and temporal displacement?" asked Aaron-2208.

"Top of the class, local me. I purposely imagined separate circuits for each phase of travel because 1 of the main issues that I have with The Time Machine by H.G. Wells and the Back To The Future trilogy is that you could travel in time, but not through space so you couldn't go to Ancient Rome if you were in San Francisco. And under the original premise of Sliders, the displacement chip only had a variance of 2 miles and it could not be controlled (which only got worse when the new chip had a variance of 400 miles and was still random). I may have made the Porta-Cammy on the fly, but I had a very clear idea as to what I was doing." explained Aaron-Prime.

"Nobody is questioning your creativity. We are questioning whether or not you could unfuse the 2 circuits." clarified Cosima.

Aaron-Prime stared deeply at the fused circuits, focusing his mental energy at unfusing the circuits. After several tries, he merely shook his head.

"Are there suitable replacement parts on this Aaronworld?" asked Aaron-1989.

"There are, but with Porta-Cammy broken, we would have to use the internet for specific individual components from over a dozen locations. That could take weeks." replied Aaron-Prime.

"And as we don't have weeks...what if you remove the fused chips entirely and imagine new ones?" offered Cosima, ever the woman to offer third options.

"I guess that we don't have much choice." added Aaron-2208.

Aaron-Prime raised his eyebrows, as if he were saying "Here goes nothing". He focused his energy on the fused chips again, and after the third or fourth try, the fused circuits vanished.

"OK, we're halfway there." he whispered as he maintained focus. It took the better part of 10 minutes, but 2 new chips arrived in the place of the fused circuits.

"YES!" exclaimed everyone in the room. In a way that was half-whisper, half-shout. Robbie put the case of the Porta-Cammy back on himself, satisfying a need to feel useful. To everyone's delight, the Porta-Cammy turned itself back on almost immediately.

Aaron-2208's relief was so intense, he felt light-headed "Does this mean that we can leave anytime?"

"Not quite." was Aaron-Prime's mildly surprising reply. "The Porta-Cammy is running its' own diagnostics as she's aware that parts of her have just been replaced. I also want to run simulations in order to ensure that I imagined the replacement chips correctly, as we only have 1 shot to return to Nth-dimensional space."

"I admire your sense of caution. I doubt I would have that level of resolve." replied Robbie.

"You did with me." whispered Aaron-1989.

"How long will you need to run the tests?" asked Aaron-2208.

"A couple of hours." replied the surprising returned the voice of the Porta-Cammy.

"Good to hear that you're well again." stated Aaron-Prime while holding back tears.

"Thanks to you." was all she said before resuming the simulations and diagnostics.

Cosima merely stood in awe of the three different copies of her patient, and a distantly-connected version of the only family member of said patient that ever visited him.

"I think it's safe to say that you won science." was all that she could say.

"I hate to trouble you, Dr. Niehaus. But as being seen in a cafeteria might raise more questions than we want..." began Aaron-Prime.

"...Sure, I'll take orders for food." finished Cosima.

"I'll go with you. As I doubt that too many doctors will know me as I didn't visit this place often." offered Robbie.

"Vegan Gumbo for me, please." asked Aaron-2208.

"Make it 2, please." added Aaron-1989. He may never have been a guest at Glenwood, but he loved Cajun food like most humans couldn't.

"3." added Aaron-Prime as he stared at the simulations on the Porta-Cammy's screen.

"After you, it's your hospital." said Robbie to Cosima.

Long after her unexpected visitors had finished eating their vegan gumbo and Aaron-Prime had resumed his tests, Cosima, began feeling totally helpless and vulnerable. Everything that her patient had written about was not only true, but technically not even originally his work. The original writer looked like her patient but was taller, paler and apparently a lot smarter. A glance at her Swiss movement watch proclaimed the time was 2:46 pm. With a sigh, she walked over to where the 3 versions of her patient and the taller version of the man she had come to know as Aaron's cousin.

When she reached them, she noticed the version of Aaron that she knew the most intimately had had the good sense to turn in for a nap. For a long while, Cosima simply stood there, watching the original version of her patient staring at what she had come to know as the Porta-Cammy as he periodically altered parameters for simulations in an effort to make sure that he had repaired her correctly.

"Want another break?" asked Cosima.

Aaron-Prime looked at the clock over his local counterparts bed, not startled by her presence, to which he had long since grown accustomed back when he was a human on Aaronworld-Prime. He shook his head "Even if I did, I would still say no. Even if whoever is screwing up the multiverse fails in becoming like Robbie and I, 23 billion people in my beloved Aaronverse still die. I have to make sure that I didn't make a mistake."

"You're sure" Cosima said, completely certain. "You were sure before you even started running these tests. I may not be as knowledgeable in the Quantum sciences as you became in order to help with your writings, but I know when someone knows their invention better than the back of their own hand. The Aaronverse was your first true love, and If I was a jealous woman, I'd be afraid of the competition."

Aaron-1989 knew the implications of the end of that statement (despite the Autism that every Aaron and Erin shared), "I thought it was a conflict of interest to fuck your patient." he said as he pointed at his sleeping local counterpart.

"It is, but once he started making money for us by publishing and selling his writings, they look the other way at us being friends with benefits." was her smug reply.

Robbie nodded as he said "Guess money and sex even make every Aaronworld go around, though not enough to be worthy of a point of divergence. Although from what I know of Orphan Black, aren't you in a relationship with some woman named Delphine?"

Cosima burst out laughing, "The French girl working the cafeteria in the hospital basement? Fuck no, she has baggage."

Aaron-1989 focused his attention on Aaron-Prime, "Can she come with us? If nothing else, it would be another head in the think tank."

Aaron-Prime stopped staring at the Porta-Cammy to consider that request.

"Dr. Niehaus, would you permit me to scan you? As much as I know that all living Aaron's in this room can handle Nth-Dimensional space, I'm not sure if you can."

Cosima was legitimately shocked that she may have the rare opportunity to leave the multi-dimensional space-time continuum. "Of course, proceed. But be gentle with me, like I am with...you."

Aaron-Prime nodded and fired a scanning beam out of his eyes. To Cosima, it kind of tingled, but it gave Aaron-Prime the answer that Aaron-1989 needed.

"Absolutely not. The autoimmune disease that makes the fictional Cosima cough up blood (among many other symptoms) is in this Cosima as well, and while gene therapy and bone marrow transplants have kept the disease from turning on since she was...14?"

Cosima nodded, Aaron-Prime continued "It would turn on and the symptoms would in fact be more aggressive if she came with us to Nth-Dimensional space. So, I cannot allow it."

Cosima was confused "I've always wanted to know how I could have that autoimmune disease if I'm not a clone?"

Aaron-Prime was quick to answer "My best guess, a complication from a childhood surgery."

"But all I ever had was my appendix removed and...oh..." Cosima now understood, not saying another word on the matter.

"OK, Porta-Cammy. Please state all of the results from all diagnostic tests." announced Aaron-Prime

"I am operating at 100% capacity and project a 98.6% percent probability of a safe return to Nth-Dimensional Space."

"Explain the 1.4%, please." added Aaron-1989.

"The tension along the strings of all of the multiverse could theoretically snap and kill you in mid-transport."

"Can we do anything to stop that?" asked Aaron-2208, who was just waking up.

"No." answered the Porta-Cammy.

"We take the risk then." declared Robbie.

Cosima was in tears as she walked over and kissed the local Aaron.

"I suppose we crossed the lack of emotion in our relationship years ago, I love you too."

She then turned her attention to the original "Promise not to let my Aaron die on me?"

"You have my word." replied Aaron-Prime.

"OK, then you can make bathtub acid in Nth-Dimensional space for all I care." replied Cosima.

"Well if it puts your mind at ease, we won't play Rune Wars." was Aaron-1989's attempt at making her laugh, it succeeded.

"OK, Porta-Cammy. Take us back to where the other Aaron's and Erin's are."

"Why can't I be in an Aaronworld where I'm sleeping with an Erin instead of an Aaron?" lamented Cosima.

"14 of you in fact, are." replied Aaron-Prime.

Cosima smiled and waved farewell to her guests "Safe travels, and behave yourselves."

"No, and Fuck you...exclusively in that order." was Robbie's response as they vanished in a trail of blue light.

"I need a joint." whispered Cosima as she walked out of the room.

Chapter 3: Diverging from Home

Song to put on: Buckethead – Telescape 2

Their arrival was only delayed as they were just in Nth-Dimensional space and not the pocket universe that Aaron-Prime made into an apartment for himself. Robbie was grateful for even this partial success, as he had heard horror stories from the TV show Sliders where if the tunnel was too unstable for inter-dimensional transport, the people travelling through would "spread across the multiverse like a very fine jam" (to paraphrase the Arturo character). Aaron-1989 and Aaron-2208 could tell that something was wrong.

"Shouldn't we have gone straight to where our counterparts are?" asked Aaron-1989.

"That is where I requested to go. Maybe I didn't put Porta-Cammy back together quite correctly after all. Still, I consider this a success just the same." replied Aaron-Prime.

"Maybe we can put in the co-ordinates manually?" suggested Aaron-2208.

"Think about what you just said. Aaron-Prime's apartment is literally a needle within a haystack of basically infinite size." stated Robbie.

"I have always had the co-ordinates, Master Collins. Unfortunately, the 3 converging Aaronworlds (among countless others) have caused so much inter-dimensional stress that travelling there is impossible for me. See for yourself."

Robbie and the 3 Aaron's stared at as many strings of the multiverse as they possibly could, noticing that several thousand of them were like rubber bands, stretched as far as they could go.

"My counterparts, please tell me that I'm not the only one theorizing that once a dimensional string snaps, that that world ceases to exist, killing every living thing in it." offered Aaron-2208.

"More accurately, it unmakes that whole world altogether. Living, dead, other...all gone. But close enough for government work, my human counterpart." replied Aaron-Prime.

"I know you had several of us human versions of you here not too long ago." began Aaron-1989. Aaron-2208 began to feel pure dread as he asked "Hypothetically speaking, how long can we be here without a pocket universe to simulate human living conditions? I know that we're not kids, but I still have nightmares about what was done to Skull Girl."

"Not long. Frankly I'm amazed that we were able to stay as long as we did when we had 6 of you. And with the damage to the multidimensional space-time continuum being even worse now, I figure we have 2 minutes, tops." lamented Robbie.

"2 minutes to manually find a pocket universe? Not even I'm that good." stated Aaron-Prime.

"You don't have to be." replied Robbie with a smirk that suggested that he was about to outsmart his cousin.

"Oh what, Robbie? You just happen to remember the exact Nth-Dimensional co-ordinates to the pocket universe that I created? Or did you keep them in your pocket?" asked Aaron-Prime with more than a little frustration in his voice.

Robbie was undeterred, "2 Questions Porta-Cammy. 1, Can it be any pocket universe?"

"As long as it is hospitable to humans, then yes." she replied.

"Good. Secondly, as you are tuned into Aaron-Prime's brain, do you have any fail-safe protocols in the event that Aaron-Prime is injured?"

Porta-Cammy needed 3-5 seconds to process that question. "Supposedly...I do."

That was the last thing that Aaron-Prime heard before Robbie punched him in the face sufficiently to knock him out. Aaron-1989 and Aaron-2208 just stood there in shock as they were all transported elsewhere.

Song to put on: Buckethead – Spinal Cracker

It definitely was something in Nth-dimensional space that none of the Aaron's (including Aaron-Prime) had seen before (and that counts the jail that all of them were in), but Robbie knew the place well. When he first arrived here (after the original him died in March of 2014), he was informed that the brain cancer that he died of...was still growing inside of him. It supposedly happened in 1% of all humans that were selected to be inter-dimensional beings, and was a relatively easy fix for them. For Aaron-1989 and Aaron-2208, it was a whole new world and though they managed to keep their mouths from hanging open like a dead cod's, they couldn't wholly suppress their amazement at all of the incredible differences of this pocket universe around them.

Robbie was glad that he still remembered where this place was as it had been almost 2 years in standard elapsed time since he was last here. It was definitely designed for comfort, as if it had been designed by an architect with a fondness for feng shui. His chosen arrival point had, by chance rather than actual design, brought them in when it was not particularly busy. The closest that the Non-Prime Aaron's could come to describe it was: monastery meets hospital.

"You came here the day you died on my world, didn't you?" asked Aaron-1989.

"Your insight serves you well. People that are supposed to be inter-dimensional beings have a few very limited windows of opportunity to die and come here with nothing going wrong. Too early and you're lucky to become like the Skull Girl. Too late and whatever killed you is still active. They collect us correctly more than 99% of the time. But every now and then, they screw up. Later on, this place expanded to be a sanctuary for inter-dimensional beings who are injured but not phased out of existence entirely as well as humans who have died but weren't supposed to. Apparently, the collective Aaron's and Erin's have the record for most times arriving here prematurely by 1 person/his and her copies. But in any event, this was our last option. I had to take it to save your lives." replied Robbie.

"No need to apologize Robbie, thank you." said Aaron-1989 more sincerely than anything he had ever said before in his life.

"Agreed, thanks." added Aaron-2208 as he was surveying his surroundings.

One thing that surprised Aaron-2208 was the lack of machines in what was (for all intents and purposes), a medical facility. He remembered having dreams of Aaronworld-Prime and many other places across the multiverse switching to automated staff (in some places, automated almost everything). Things had either changed back or just preferred a more...organic approach here. The (what he thought was) check-in counter was manned by a (seemingly) female inter-dimensional being, who saw Robbie and the Aaron's (The original of whom was in Robbie's arms), looked up and smiled.

"Hi, Mr. Mawson, I wasn't expecting to see you here. Then again, with all that's going on outside, I suppose we should expect everything." she greeted cheerfully. "Oh my goodness, I don't think we've ever had 3 versions of Aaron Collins in this sanctuary at once before, what happened?"

Robbie was eager to clarify the mistake in her presumption "Oh nothing with these 2, they're fine. But we needed to get to a pocket universe that was hospitable to human life before they died, so I deliberately knocked out the original, knowing we'd come straight here as a fail-safe."

"Very good thinking on your part." she replied while nodding.

Before anyone could make any objections, Aaron-Prime was placed onto a large stainless steel table while several barely visible laser beams shot at his body. After the first dozen beams, an image projected itself onto the wall behind him, showing various parts of his anatomy.

"So It's true, his small and large intestines are reversed." began Aaron-1989.

"Also, his kidneys are way too small compared to a human being's" continued Aaron-2208.

"And his liver is too small as well. If he were a human being he'd be dead of liver failure." replied Robbie, who then saw something abnormal, even to him.

"Uh oh!" he whispered.

The female inter-dimensional being from the front desk walked in. "Oh my. You must be one of the stronger inter-dimensional beings to do that kind of damage to him."

Aaron-1989 and Aaron-2208 moved closer to the scanned image of their original.

"Is that what we think it is?" they asked simultaneously, before giggling and pointing at each other.

"Not exactly, as he doesn't have human anatomy anymore. But let's assume that he does for the moment: He has the equivalent of a concussion and a severed spinal cord between the second and third lumbar vertebrae. Our nanosurgeons work fast, but some things still take time. Should take what you humans would consider...about 12 to 15 hours." she sighed, as if a matter of hours to work the miracle of repairing a broken inter-dimensional spinal cord was unconscionably slow.

"I really didn't mean to hurt him that much, it was just one punch." said Robbie, who was riddled with guilt.

"There was another inter-dimensional being with several other versions of us, weren't there?" asked Aaron-2208 while looking at Robbie.

"Yes. After the nanosurgeons have begun to fix Aaron-Prime, could you please locate the pocket universe that they're in, so that we can travel to it and not need to come here again, please?" asked Robbie. The female inter-dimensional being nodded, smiled and said "They've already started, I'll take care of it personally." as she took her leave.

As she left, the non-prime Aaron's wondered if this loss of time would lead to the unmaking of the multiverse. Then again, human hands and eyes had no chance of repairing nerves, but maybe microscopically small robotic surgeons could. This female inter-dimensional being (who was pulling double duty as both a nurse and a receptionist) had a calm attitude that told them that this was the case, and they clung to her confidence as a real cause for hope.

"Is there anything we can do?" asked Aaron-1989.

"For your original? No. But this place has probably the greatest waiting room in the multiverse." replied Robbie with a smile.

Chapter 4: All in the Waiting

Song to put on: Buckethead – All in the waiting

The issue of letting 23 billion people die vs. Letting someone unmake the entire multiverse because they were a non-prime human trying to make it to Nth-dimensional space prematurely (among others, namely the Skull Girl) were in Aaron-1989 and Aaron-2208's minds now as much it was at one point, in their original's. The waiting room in this pocket universe was bigger than Washington D.C's National Library of Congress (a place that evoked fond childhood memories for Aaron-1989). For a moment, neither Aaron-1989 or Aaron-2208 knew where to start looking. This place wasn't like the libraries they knew on their respective worlds (which were still mostly books with just enough computer terminals to appeal to the internet generation). Here, there were surprisingly few books, but many, many more niches with computer terminals, on which one could access any information of any world in the multiverse in any time. Places like this existed, they supposed, because there would always be a need to help a few people transition themselves out of their old lives when they became inter-dimensional beings. The more information available to you, the more you had help to leave your world behind. They both strongly suspected that Robbie had spent days here when he first arrived from Aaronworld-1989, if not weeks. Both of the non-prime Aaron's walked into an area designated "Research".

There was no one else here (much like the rest of the place), so they picked a larger cubicle in the back corner where newly transformed inter-dimensional beings could use electronic and printed material and read in greater privacy.

"Do you think Aaron-Prime was ever here?" asked Aaron-1989.

Aaron-2208 shook his head before answering "If he was, it would've been in that story he wrote about himself and Dr. Hayes. He just went to that pocket universe pretending to be a bar and demanded answers."

Aaron-1989 nodded and asked "OK. What should we look up? Remember, we should be responsible and try to not know anything about our respective futures or other Aaronworlds."

"What about a bunch of maps?" asked Aaron-2208.

"Please specify the maps you which to access." was the line of text across the computer.

"Well, we have half a day to kill so...every map of every Aaronworld on the date of April 19th, 2016, please?" asked Aaron-1989.

To Robbie, it appeared to resemble a library on a Sunday across the worlds of the multiverse that had library capabilities were closed. When the Aarons heard him enter the wing that they were in, they looked up, first to see if it was someone they didn't know, then they smiled in unison when they knew that it was their cousin.

"Well?" asked Aaron-2208.

Robbie reached them quickly "No change, but Aaron-Prime will be fine. What are you guys looking at?"

"Maps of the Aaronverse. It's such a shame that I could never line up the person to make me maps for the stories that were being put into all of our heads." replied Aaron-1989.

Robbie shuffled over so that he was standing to the left of Aaron-1989 (who was sitting in a chair, controlling the computer directly in front of him). Aaron-2208 was standing to Aaron-1989's right. Aaron-1989 (ever the autistic one), settled into a pattern of changing the map every 5 seconds unless either the other Aaron or Robbie made a comment indicating interest. The maps were apparently set to random, as there was no discernible pattern to the 3 that were viewing them (other than they were Aaronworlds).

"So did you guys understand the whole nanosurgeon thing? Because that's beyond me and I've been here longer than your original." stated Robbie as they saw the world map for Aaronworld-1924 (which other than Chicago being somewhat smaller, was no different than their worlds.

Aaron-1989 took the lead in simplifying the answer "Essentially, they're computers the size of a single cell. They're kept in cryogenic stasis because all computers work optimally when they're cold."

They switched over to Aaronworld-1516, which shocked Robbie as Quebec was called East Ontario and France occupied what he thought to be Italy. Aaron-2208 continued from where Aaron-1989 left off "I don't know anywhere near enough about Aaron-Prime's anatomy to know if he could handle something that cold inside of him (as in, close to absolute zero), but I'm guessing that they would be placed in a liquid solution inside a syringe and injected near their objective."

They switched over to a map of Aaronworld-1720, which shocked the Aaron's more than it shocked Robbie, seeing that Japan, North Korea and South Korea were a unified country. Aaron-1989 then added "There's likely a storage facility somewhere in this pocket universe that keep them in separate containers for different functions...and I guess, the different forms of life that come here as each individual form of life would require a differently programmed nanobot."

"Then she wasn't just trying to make me feel better? He really is going to be all right?" asked Robbie.

Aaron-1989 was all too happy to respond "Barring some completely unforeseen complication, yes. In the Aaronworlds that have nanosurgery, one of the first significant uses of nanosurgery was in nerve and spinal column repair. They were able to make people who had been quadriplegic for years fully functional again, and...are you all right, Robbie?"

Hearing absolute confirmation from someone that he knew and trusted that his attempt to keep Aaron-1989 and Aaron-2208 alive by knocking out Aaron-Prime was not going to result in permanent injury to Aaron-Prime, Robbie's frazzled emotions completely unravelled at last. The only other time he had ever broken down, fallen to his knees and cried so uncontrollably in sheer relief had been after his wife had given birth to their third child...well into her 40's. While in the early 21st century, a woman having a baby in her 40's was relatively safe, a lot of the old stigma and propaganda were still in the collective subconscious of that society. He had somehow managed to hold himself together pretty well during that day because his wife and other 2 kids needed him, but he'd gone to pieces at the end. This stressful episode had gone on far longer, and its potential consequences had been equally dire, if not more so (and while this aspect of it was beginning to end, he knew that there was so much left to do). He hadn't been able to stop himself from crying when his second son came into the world and put an end to his wife's pain, and he couldn't stop himself now. Knowing that in a few measly hours that his cousin would really be in perfect health, all the stress that had kept him from falling apart dissolved, and he crumbled with it.

After several minutes, when the non-prime Aaron's figured out that they could touch Robbie here without any consequence (as they were already in Nth-Dimensional space), they lifted him up until he standing again. Robbie managed to haul enough frayed ends of his wits back together to speak. "I'm okay," he half-gasped, half-gulped, still shaking. "It's hysteria, I guess. I may not be perfect in a crisis, but when I have to, I can stay in one piece...until it's all over. Then I completely lose it. It feels like Aaron-Prime and I have going across the Aaronverse for months, and I injured him too much..."

Aaron-2208's worry dissipated. "Understandable. You're right, It's probably a kind of hysteria. I guess I'm not the only one in our family with anxiety issues and prolonged stress can do that when it's finally over. But he really will be all right, Robbie. The medical abilities of this pocket universe are amazing."

Aaron-1989 gave both Aaron-2208 and Robbie a thoughtful frown as the last of the Aaronworld maps had been shown (and they had stopped paying attention to them long ago). "Maybe we should head back."

"Why? We have plenty of time." asked Robbie.

"Because how much more are our sleep cycles screwed up because we're outside of the multidimensional space-time continuum?" he offered, speaking in a low register to demonstrate exhaustion. Robbie nodded, and they walked out of the library.

Once they'd talk Robbie into leaving the library, Aaron-1989 and Aaron-2208 focused more on their immediate surroundings as opposed to letting their minds wander (which they did often enough as it was). Every time that either one of them saw something unexpected, they remembered all of the exhortations they'd ever heard about knowing too much, and after the misadventures (both written and only dreamed about), they enjoyed the possibility of rest when the female inter-dimensional being escorted them to a private room with 2 beds (reminding each Aaron of their respective homeworlds holiday inns). Their internal clock was so badly out of whack, they were exhausted, and it was probably the one thing that either one of them could do that ran no real risk of getting them into trouble.

Due to each of their watches having their hands constantly spinning, they were both very grateful to see an alarm clock (which was actually a countdown clock as time basically had no meaning there) in the room (which had its' 4 walls in all grey paint, resembling an old bomb shelter that was sold by Americans in the 50's and 60's on some Aaronworlds). Aaron-1989 set the alarm to wake them up shortly before Aaron-Prime was due to be finished getting fixed. Aaron-2208 was reading a pamphlet that he found that explained that because of how complex the anatomy an inter-dimensional being is in comparison to a human being, nanosurgery took twice as long.

"Amazing, if it were 1989 or myself getting operated on it'd be half-done by now." he thought to himself (as Aaron-1989 was already asleep). What it promised in terms of restoring one's health and general fitness was quite remarkable, and Aaron-2208 hoped that he'd be eligible for it when it became available on his world (as patients in mental hospitals tended to get deprived of medical treatment if it was purely elective) just to see how much it could really do for a person, but he'd decided that he'd rather never be in a situation that required it instead. Unlike his original, he didn't need to put himself in situations that could risk breaking his back.

When Robbie came to check on them a few hours later, Aaron-2208 was sound asleep while Aaron-1989 was tossing and turning. He took out a tiny pamphlet of his own and began to read it silently as Aaron-1989 began waking up (with over an hour left on the countdown). Aaron-1989 wondered if Robbie himself was in poor health, but he quickly noticed that at least one thing had changed: Robbie's eyes were clearer, brighter, almost as if a clouding film had been removed.

"I just had a quick nanosurgery of my own. If I were still human, I would never need glasses again." Robbie said with great satisfaction. "For that alone, nanotech will be worth it to anyone who uses it on their eyes. I hadn't realized just how much my vision in general had deteriorated over the years that I was a human on earth."

"So no regrets?" asked Aaron-1989.

Robbie shook his head. "Absolutely not. I wish that I understood more about the methods they use to do as much as they did so quickly, but I suppose that if I did, that could be dangerous information. I suspect you 2 understand medicine in ways that I never will, and if I knew too much and tried to implement it by writing say, Robbieworlds (resisting the temptation would be very difficult), it could have a negative impact on the multiverse, if and when we save it from 1 non-prime human attempting to become an inter-dimensional being."

"When." was Aaron-2208's determined opinion. "Between you, my original and 8 copies including me, we'll find a way. What's the little card about? 'Tell your friends about us' advertising for the clinic?"

"They need advertising in Nth-Dimensional space? That's so shameful that it's worth a laugh." replied Aaron-2208.

"No, post surgery instructions. They're actually rather amusing. I'll admit, I feel better now than I have in my entire life, but I would never consider attempting anything I couldn't do before simply because I've been through this process. But apparently, some idiots think they can march right out of this inter-dimensional clinic and go scale Mount Everest solo, even though they couldn't walk a mile beforehand. It's mostly a warning telling people...and inter-dimensional beings to remember that improved health does NOT mean increased ability, and if they want to use the full benefits of the nanosurgery, they still need to go out and attain the correct level of fitness and learn the necessary skills, and that if they continue to follow bad habits, they'll wind up right back where they were or be in even worse shape, physically." Robbie chuckled ruefully. "In that respect, I suppose humans and inter-dimensional beings have something in common: We want to be healthy, but we want to keep all of our vices, too."

"That'll probably never change. I'm expecting the clinic to be finished with Aaron-Prime shortly, so I thought maybe we'd head over there, now that you're done. Will we wait in the main lobby, or back in the library?" asked Aaron-1989.

"Actually, I'd like to find something to eat. The one thing that they did recommend was a full meal as soon as possible, and even though inter-dimensional beings don't usually eat, I can understand why. The process does appear to be somewhat draining, and all the vitamin supplements in the multiverse can't restore immediate energy as well as simply eating the right foods. And I'm sure you 2 are hungry as well given what I know of your eating habits, unless Aaron-Prime changed your appetites when writing you..."

"No, I could eat." interrupted Aaron-2208.

"So could I, but something quick as Aaron-Prime is almost finished." added Aaron-1989.

"Well, in that case gentlemen, take my hands." asked Robbie with a smile.

If direction had any significant meaning in Nth-dimensional space, they would've travelled to a place directly above the clinic. Admittedly, any further and they would risk being stuck outside of pocket universes again, as they had been not even half a day ago.

"OK gentlemen, imagine the meal and it'll be in you almost instantly, you'll even receive artificial memories of eating it."

"Jambalaya for me." proclaimed Aaron-1989.

"Kung Pao Chicken for me." replied Aaron-2208.

"Beef Brisket, Roasted Potatoes and Garlic Green Beans for me." finished with Robbie.

True to Robbie's declaration, their stomachs were immediately full and they fully remembered eating it. When they arrived back in the clinic's waiting room, the female inter-dimensional being/nurse who had been on duty earlier was gone, but a much older male inter-dimensional being had taken her place smiled when he saw them. This was obviously a doctor according to the trio based on his coat and the way he carried himself "Everything's going to be just fine." he told the 2 Aaron's and Robbie before any of them could ask. Apparently, he had been thoroughly briefed on the situation, and also recognized at least the Aarons, and the Aarons thought that he looked familiar. "Your original's going to be coming out in about 15 minutes, and my fellow inter-dimensional being should be arriving almost immediately afterwards to take you to Aaron-Prime's pocket universe as the dimensional convergences aren't as bad as they were earlier. It's sort of like a thunderstorm in that the severity is so variable. Would you like a video projection of an alternate history or perhaps a book that your original wrote?"

"Uh...no, thanks." Aaron-1989 quickly decided, not wanting to know more about the Aaronverse than he already did.

"Just let me know if you change your mind." The doctor replied, then headed back to his work.

When the Aaron's and Robbie looked around the waiting room, a much smaller place than the waiting rooms that they were used too, they noticed for the first time that they were completely alone. There were no fretting, pacing fathers-to-be ("can inter-dimensional beings even reproduce?" Aaron-2208 asked himself), no worried families keeping watch and praying while loved ones were undergoing life-and-death operations, not even any magazines or books to provide distraction for those who did choose to wait. Apparently in Nth-Dimensional space, when you were required to use inter-dimensional doctors and hospitals with fast transport and even faster communications, most inter-dimensional beings preferred to wait in the comfort of their own pocket universes. It made sense, he supposed, and certainly explained why the doctor (who looked like an ancestor of Aaron's, but more futuristic in his clothing tastes) had expected that he'd wanted to do the same. But small as it was, the place was quiet and adequately comfortable, and he was able to relax, as Aaron-1989 and Robbie followed suit.

He was in the middle of a weird daydream he couldn't quite remember afterwards when an oddly familiar voice startled him awake.

"Now, how did you get the job of bringing Dad in here?" asked the inter-dimensional doctor (who sounded like the Aaron's but with a somewhat more American voice), faintly amused. "I thought you hated Nth-Dimensional Space."

Aaron-1989 opened his eyes as wide as possible and nearly fell out of his seat. The person who had been talking to him sounded a lot like Aaron and looked a lot like Aaron, only the way Aaron might've been born as a blonde. This pseudo-Aaron didn't have any ID tag with a name he could read, just a silver band on his breast pocket, along with a small embroidered caduceus, which probably meant that he came from a time period on an Aaronworld that was the future to Aaron-1989's and Aaron-2208's perspective. He looked middle aged, though in this Nth-Dimensional society's remarkable medicine and rejuvenation, he could've been considerably older. That he'd referred to Aaron-Prime as dad made Aaron-1989 wonder if Aaron-Prime had a secret love child somewhere in his past that not even he knew about. Unlikely, as Aaron-Prime was so withdrawn from even the doctors at Glenwood that he likely "died" and became an inter-dimensional being as a virgin. Most surprising, if it was so; he wouldn't have thought that his child would ever go for a career in medicine, but as Robbie was fond of pointing out back when they were human beings, freewill is a game-changer.

"I do, but it's a long story. Three negative numbered worlds are merging because a human being in one of them wants to become like you guys. It's doing significant damage to the entire multiverse and billions will die. The damage already done kept us from reaching...your dad's...pocket universe and Robbie knocked him out to come here automatically, but hit him too hard, causing the broken back."

This pseudo-Aaron thought about it for a moment, then nodded. "Actually, this explains a lot. Without revealing too much about the future of the Aaronverse, I come from a time period closer to the beginning of the 22nd century, not the 21st. And I suppose my existence is now in question with all of this going on, as temporal paradoxes are going to help destroy the multiverse. There's also a few things that've happened to my dad in my time stream that haven't happened to him yet based on these scans. So there's a few other copies of my dad here?"

"They're around here in Nth-Dimensional space somewhere. We haven't even met them yet. Aaron-Prime had to hand them off to another inter-dimensional being, then resume locating us. I don't even know why Robbie came with us."

Robbie immediately cleared his throat and began "Because every Aaron was...affected by being kidnapped and thrown into that inter-dimensional jail over the mixed poker game that they began killing themselves when they returned home. Only 2 of you were deemed mentally capable of not killing yourselves upon you seeing your original, and that number was increased to 8 when I elected to go with him."

This pseudo-Aaron walked over, in tears, and hugged Robbie.

"I finally get to meet you, my second cousin. I know that not many of my Dad's copies have kids, but all of Aaron's and Jessica's descendants love stories of you."

"Good to know that I left a legacy." replied Robbie, happy to hug what he knew now to be a future second cousin. The pseudo-Aaron then stared intensely at Robbie, like he was trying to read his eyes psychically.

"To answer your question, When a prime human dies, they become an inter-dimensional being with a set of gifts, weaknesses and a job to help maintain the multiverse. When a copy dies, they either stay in limbo until the prime arrives or if the prime has arrived, they're absorbed into the prime. Memories, tastes, everything."

Robbie was stunned that a question he had suppressed in his brain since the moment he came to Nth-dimensional space was finally answered. "I had no idea there was a genetic predisposition to blonde hair in our family."

"It came from mom's side. And no, I will not reveal the mom's name. Dad's nearly ready, and I haven't told him what I am to him on account of his time stream being so out of sync that he likely won't remember me soon enough anyway. Don't worry, everything went fine. I sent a telepathic message to the fellow inter-dimensional being working with the other dad copies, and he'll be here shortly. Just make sure that you don't need to knock him out again, you're much stronger than most of us."

Robbie nodded soberly, "I suppose even now, surgery like this has to hurt a lot."

But Aaron Jr.'s head shook. "Actually no, it doesn't. The nanosurgeons are almost completely non-invasive and they're very thorough in repairing just about every bit of the trauma that can be repaired. What's going to wind up hurting the most is the worst of the bruising. Which...these will eliminate that immediately, but he can't take them until he's been out of here for an hour or two."

Knowing that time had little to no meaning here, Aaron-1989 began blinking once a second while Aaron-2208 took the pills from Aaron Jr.'s hand and asked "What are these for?"

"They're to accelerate nerve regeneration; the medicine inside will help the repairs to heal very fast. Have a good trip back to Dad's pocket universe. I'd go with, but something is telling me he doesn't know that I exist yet. And he'll never get a chance to know I exist if you guys don't fix the multiverse. And no, Dad copy-1989, I have no idea as to whether I was conceived when he was human or not."

Aaron Jr. Turned to leave, flashing the trio a reassuringly confident smile. As he did so, the light hit his face in such a way that Robbie suddenly noticed that his eyes were green. Aaron-Prime's dominant genes were blue from each of his parents, yet his eyes were brown due to some Cherokee ancestry on his father's side. An automatic wheelchair then emerged, with Aaron-Prime inside of it. Moments later, the inter-dimensional being who first earned Aaron-Prime's and Robbie's trust arrived. He grabbed Aaron-Prime in a fireman's carry, Robbie and the 2 non-prime Aaron's touched this inter-dimensional being, and they disappeared in a flash of blue light.

Chapter 5: Home bittersweet home

When they finally arrived in Aaron-Prime's pocket universe, it was completely void of any living or inter-dimensional things that were supposed to be there (that they could see, anyway).

"This must've happened immediately after I left." stated the good inter-dimensional being.

"Would you mind telling us your name? Seeing that you've earned my trust and all." asked Aaron-Prime.

"My name is Barash. And if it's all the same to you, I'd like to take my leave of you now as I was summoned to assess damage on the other worlds of the mutiverse while we were in mid-transit."

Aaron-Prime understood Barash's request. He was not just a servant of the Aaronverse. "OK Barash, I'll go find info from the sphere, thank you for getting me home. The rest of you, look for other copies of me hiding about. Or maybe clues that they were abducted."

Robbie, Aaron-1989 and Aaron-2208 set about looking in every available hiding place on the ground floor while Aaron-Prime had something bigger to attend to. He pressed his right hand on his greatest creation.

"Cammy on, are you malfunctioning?" asked Aaron-Prime.

"Internal diagnostics show that I am operating within normal parameters, Master Collins." stated Cammy, quite flatly.

"That's better than I hoped for, given what's been going on. Were you able to see anything?"

"No. As soon as 3 other inter-dimensional assholes started materializing, we hid."

The last statement came not from Cammy, but from upstairs. How Aaron-180, Aaron-651, Erin-842, Aaron-1135, Aaron-1326 and Erin-1617 were all able to hide under Aaron's bed at once was a mystery, even to Aaron-Prime. Still, they were safe and that's all that mattered.

"Whoa, female copies, I wish I remembered more from that jail." exclaimed Aaron-1989.

"The jail was not all that much different from Glenwood. I almost literally had nowhere to run when I got tagged." stated Aaron-2208.

"He's right, the same thing happened with me." stated Aaron-Prime as he was looking around Cammy, checking for any external damage.

"I said I was fine, Master Collins."

Aaron-Prime continued examining her, undeterred. "I believe you Cammy. Were you turned off by something external or..."

Cammy didn't even need to wait for her creator to finish the question before answering "Oh no, I automatically shut myself off when I detected that someone was coming into your pocket universe and they weren't you or anyone that's trusted. It preserves my data core from being hacked, and by extension, prevents further damage to the Aaronverse."

Aaron-Prime was pleased that (if nothing else), he was clever enough to have built a fail-safe into his invention. He took the Porta-Cammy out of his jacket pocket, holding it in the palm of his left hand.

"You can have this back now, thanks for keeping me as safe as you could."

"My pleasure, Master Collins." replied Cammy as the Porta-Cammy vanished.

"Give me an update on the converging Aaronworlds, please." asked Aaron-Prime.

"Aaronworld-Negative 1991, Aaronworld-Negative 2492 and Aaronworld-Negative 5439 are 66% converged. If time meant anything to Nth-dimensional space or to me, all 3 worlds will be fully converged in approximately 9 hours."

Aaron-Prime grew worried, wondering if identical people from the 3 worlds were themselves converging into each other, or if the very attempt to converge humans would in fact, kill them before Aaron-Prime could fix the problem. "I suppose asking you for a visual as to who is doing this is out of the question."

If Cammy were capable of facial expression, it would be a face that screamed overwhelmed "Master Collins, I can't even begin to figure out which world all of this began in between the 3. However, I have noticed that whatever is making these worlds converge is using an artificial energy source that is highly unstable. Theoretically speaking, the instability of the convergences should provide a window of opportunity as to which Aaronworld that it came from when all 3 worlds are approximately 80% converged, and which specific human is doing all of this when the worlds are 90% converged."

Aaron-Prime (satisfied with that announcement), turned to his copies while rubbing his hands together.

"OK ladies and gentlemen who were here before I, Robbie and the last 2 copies showed up: It's time to use those supposedly eidetic memories. I need as detailed an account of what happened here as possible before I decide what we do next."

The first 4 Aaron and both Erin's took turns looking at each other awkwardly before Erin-1617 took the lead in the collective recollections. "It was about 10 minutes after Barash and the rest of us arrived here. By then I was learning the basics of Cammy, which is a marvellous piece of engineering by the way. I saw the blue lights of your unwanted guests start to flash in the elevator, and Cammy whispered 'everyone under Master Collins' bed now' before shutting herself off. That's all I got, sorry."

Aaron-Prime put a sympathetic hand on her shoulder before calmly telling him "More than I had 3 minutes ago. But how did they know to come here? I could've just as easily put you in a neutral pocket universe. In retrospect, I probably should have done that and memorized the co-ordinates so we could get there manually if we had to."

It was Aaron-1326 who took over in the verbal deposition "They have a tracer nearly identical to the one in the Porta-Cammy. The 2 key differences are that their tracer scans for all non-inter-dimensional being life that is in Nth-Dimensional space, not just you specifically. Secondly, their tracer seemed to be more affected by the converging worlds than your tracer was, as we obviously weren't found. I could only hear so much of the conversation hiding under the bed."

Aaron-Prime nodded, understanding completely "I now kind of wished that the worlds were more converged so that they might've been kept out of my pocket universe completely. But why are at least some of the inter-dimensional beings trying to sabotage my efforts?"

Aaron-1135 stepped forward "I overheard one of them talking to themselves. Saying something along the lines of being sick of you for taking too long to realize 23 billion dead is statistically insignificant compared to the destruction of the entire multiverse. So they would rather help their human ally succeed in becoming like you guys and speed up the whole destruction of the multiverse (as they can apparently start the whole thing over again) than have you here with any authority at all. No, I didn't hear who said human ally was."

"I suppose that would be too much of a lucky break for us." was all that Aaron-Prime could reply with.

"What would they have to gain from restarting the entire multiverse without you?" asked Robbie.

Erin-842 raised her hand, Aaron-Prime nodded at her to go ahead "It isn't just you, they just consider you an added bonus as you make the most trouble for what was the established order of things. But there are too many Marvel timelines, too many DC timelines, the Stephen Kingverse has been too big for them since right around the 4th dark tower novel, there's all the fallout from that thing on Galifrey with the 13 doctors. They want to start over with much tighter conditions, capping it to 100 worlds per being, no overlap or crossover...that's all I heard."

Aaron-Prime nodded, almost sympathetically "I actually understand their point of view on that one. My (and by extension, my copies) would be more well-adjusted members of society if we only had 100 Aaronworlds in our minds as opposed to the several thousand that we have now. Having said that, I could never in good conscience just erase over 90% of the worlds that I have created just simply because they're an inconvenience to me or anyone or anything else. I'm actually grateful to no longer be a human being as my psyche has begun to repair itself since I got here. If I had a solution for the Skull Girl, I'm sure that I'd be even more fully recovered. But one problem at a time, where are these fucking assholes now?"

Aaron-651 stared at one corner of the room very intensely. It was a trademark of all of the Aaron's and Erin's to do that for one of two reasons: When they were so deep in their own minds that no human being had any chance of getting them out at that moment, or when they were trying to remember something exactly as it happened.

"They have a pocket universe that is, for all intents and purposes, a meeting hall." began Aaron-651.

"I can only imagine why we're not allowed inside." muttered Robbie sarcastically.

"Some of them who respect you are allowed, from what I heard towards the end of their stay here, nearly all of the inter-dimensional beings are welcome. It's basically parliament for them, and can only be accessed by manually putting in the EXACT 22-digit co-ordinates into either their machine, one like it, or your mind."

"Putting in 22-digit pocket universe co-ordinates manually. I'll give it to my fellow inter-dimensional beings, they don't make it easy for me to figure out where to confront them. I don't suppose anyone knows who would have these co-ordinates."

Aaron-180 stared at Cammy blankly and began to recite "9074389467-788400362971. I saw one of them punch it in just before they left. I knew that it would come in handy someday."

Aaron-Prime smiled, "Did you get all of that, Cammy?"

"Indeed I did, Master Collins." replied Cammy.

"Every human in this room stay here! Your original and I have some business to attend to." declared Robbie.

"Whoa, Whoa, Whoa! You're just going to leave us here again knowing full well that we are completely defenceless in the event that those inter-dimensional bastards come back?" asked Aaron-1989 in a way that was more terrified than anything that he had felt in years.

"And what happens if they decide to look under the bed this time?" asked Aaron-2208.

"I am afraid that in my current state of programming, I can do nothing to protect your human copies, Master Collins. 70% converged, by the way."

Aaron-Prime was too busy focusing on his creation's choice of words to properly thank her. He walked over to her and asked "Cammy, will you permit me to...upgrade you?"

"Of course I will, Master Collins." she replied in a way that suggested that if she were capable of doing so, she would be smiling. Aaron-Prime put his left hand on her and said "May you now have that capability of shooting the energy beams that I shoot. All unauthorized personnel are to be terminated on sight. The password that you must ask all living things is...Joshua. If I give the password instead of them, it means that I vouch for them personally. Do you understand your upgrades and new parameters?"

"I do, Master Collins." was all that Cammy needed to reply with. Robbie and the human copies that had seen the movie Wargames started laughing at how appropriate that password was. She was a machine, but sufficiently advanced where the word "daughter" was not out of place for her relationship with Aaron-Prime.

The lift in Aaron's pocket universe opened...

"We are sick of your delays..."

"What's the password?" asked Cammy with as little emotion as she was capable of putting in her voice.

"What is this contraption doing asking me for a..."

Cammy fired, whoever that inter-dimensional being was, disintegrated instantly.

"OK, I think she's good to go." observed Robbie. The human copies (once they picked up their jaws off of the floor) began applauding their protector. Aaron-2208 then walked over and put the pills into Aaron-Prime's hand.

"To help with nerve regeneration."

"Oh, thanks." replied Aaron-Prime (who swallowed immediately). "I'll need the Porta-Cammy back now, upgrade to accept manual Nth-Dimensional co-ordinates if you need to first though."

Cammy began flashing a few lights at random points across her body (indicating that manual co-ordinates were actually not a part of the portable version of herself's original programming). In a few moments time, Aaron-Prime stuck out his right hand, right on cue. The Porta-Cammy appeared. Aaron-Prime touched the newest icon on the screen, labelled "Manual co-ordinates"

"Please type in all numbers and punctuation correctly." came across the screen in a simple, easy-to-read font.

"9...0...7...4...3...8...9...4...6...7...-...7...8...8...4...0...0...3...6...2...9...7...1." said Aaron-Prime as he typed.

"Co-ordinates verified as an actual place in Nth-Dimensional space. How many to transport?" asked Porta-Cammy.

"Just myself and Robbie, if you please." voiced Aaron-Prime's reply.

"As you wish, Master Collins." said the Porta-Cammy, just before Aaron-Prime and Robbie vanished in a trail of blue light.

Chapter 6: Inter-dimensional filibuster

Song to put on: Korn – Politics

"Looks a lot like Queen's Park in Toronto." announced Robbie as soon as both he and Aaron-Prime arrived at the co-ordinates. And his assessment was right (based on their shared perceptions): Same equestrian statue of King Edward VII at the origin point of the park's radial footpaths, same Victorian-era building at the north edge of the park, to which Aaron-Prime and Robbie began walking towards.

"I imagine that because it's the one legislative building that we're both the most familiar with, that's the one that it is to our eyes. By default really, as I know that no version of you ever saw a legislative building outside of Ontario and only copies of me ever saw any at all, namely the White House."

Robbie nodded as they reached the front entrance: an old oak door that may have been 16 feet tall and 8 feet wide and almost a foot thick.

"I almost expect there to have been a moat here at some point." said Robbie as he looked around him.

"In some Aaronworlds, there were. The moats were either filled by the city of Toronto or by order Queen Elizabeth II early in her reign, both in the middle 20th century."

Just then, the door was opened by 2 inter-dimensional beings. Aaron-Prime could tell that neither 1 of them knew or cared who he was.

"You're late gentlemen, right this way." said the taller of the 2.

"No thank you, we'd like to head in on our own if it's all the same to you. It's our first time in the inter-dimensional senate." replied Aaron-Prime.

"Of course. The building is yours to explore for as long as the emergency meeting is in session." stated the shorter of the 2. Aaron-Prime and Robbie jointly nodded, a non-verbal thank you if you will.

"Either they don't know that we're here, or they don't care" whispered Robbie in observation.

They walked through the hallway, leading to the main foyer. The bricks were a dirty golden cobblestone, common in 19th century buildings in the Toronto's that Robbie and Aaron-Prime were jointly familiar with. Paintings adorned the walls on each side, which both of our travellers took an interest in.

"Famous authors from years and worlds past?" asked Robbie.

Aaron-Prime nodded and began pointing at individual paintings "Edgar Allen Poe, Charles Dickens, Mary Shelley, Jane Austen...I think you get the picture."

Robbie nodded as they entered the main hallway. The doors directly on the other side of the room in relation to where Robbie and Aaron-Prime now stood, had voices coming from the other side. By both Robbie's and Aaron-Prime's estimations, there were dozens, maybe even hundreds of them inside (even though neither of them could make out what any of them were talking about).

"I take it that you don't want to just walk right in and say hello." stated Robbie.

"The 2 of us together could not take out that many by ourselves..." started Aaron-Prime.

...and then he noticed a staircase to the right of the doors.

"Although we could sneak in and eavesdrop from above." suggested Aaron-Prime. Robbie smiled, nodded and made the "after you" gesture. Aaron-Prime headed for the staircase with Robbie right behind him. It was a great facsimile of an old Victorian staircase (stained a very deep brown that with age turned almost black, spiral shaped). To a point where Aaron-Prime was momentarily afraid that the staircase would collapse with his and Robbie's combined weight on it, until he realized that this just a copy of a staircase in a pocket universe and not a real staircase. Aaron-Prime reached the top and stood in awe at the realism of such an insignificant detail. This was a storage facility for previous items that had been in the legislation hall in the past: Old chairs, desks and even old ceremonial robes were in this room of complete disarray. Robbie focused his attention on a royal blue, almost purple curtain.

"You think we should move it a little, peak in at what they're doing?" whispered Robbie. Aaron-Prime shifted his attention over to him and gave a thumbs up sign while whispering "Be Careful." to which Robbie nodded and peeled away the right side of the curtain only the distance that his right eye would need to survey the hall...

...It wasn't a hall...It was a coliseum. A coliseum filled with inter-dimensional beings (Robbie didn't waste his time to do a headcount, but there were about 200 altogether by his best estimates), all governed by the time honoured tradition of raising hands and speaking when a neutral party ("an arbitrator?" thought Robbie by himself) called upon you to speak your piece.

"The floor will now recognize Widz." spoke the arbitrator.

A shorter female inter-dimensional being stood up, cleared her throat and began to speak: "I think that it's time that we now go to ballot. What else is there to say?"

Most of the hall shouted "I second that." followed by a near-echo "I third that." and so on and so forth until the arbitrator slammed a large cane onto the floor, indicating that he wanted silence. By now, Aaron-Prime had peeled back the other side of the curtain.

"Very well." spoke the arbitrator. He snapped his fingers and ballots appeared in front of each being. Including Barash, who was sitting in the third row along the west end of the coliseum, trying to keep a low profile. They collectively began voting in silence and in secret. Robbie couldn't make out anyone's votes, but Aaron-Prime could by focusing his left eye on each ballot (1 at a time very quickly). When he ran the numbers in his head before the ballots were handed over to the arbitrator by (possibly) an assistant. Aaron-Prime turned away from the coliseum, looking like a broken shell (moreso than usual).

"Not looking good for helping you?" asked Robbie (again, in a whisper).

"Worse...no definitive winner at all, in fact it's a 4-way tie. 51 of them do in fact want to help us out (including our friend Barash), 51 of them want to use me to find out whoever's doing this and exploit them as an excuse to purge the entire Aaronverse out of existence, 51 of them want to stop whoever's doing this (thus resulting in those 3 Aaronworlds being destroyed, killing 23 billion people and teaching me a lesson in the process) and the last 51 have lost all hope at any solution and just want the multiverse destroyed altogether. I suppose that they would rather not exist at all than use even a semi-rational solution."

"The senate of the multiverse WILL HAVE SOME ORDER."

Aaron-Prime and Robbie took another peak through their respective ends of the curtain, this time seeing the complete pandemonium of all 204 inter-dimensional beings fighting each other in a way that resembled (to Robbie and Aaron-Prime at least) a soccer riot.

"What do you suggest that we do?" asked Robbie.

Aaron-Prime gave it a moment's serious thought before replying "Let them kill each other. Barash is cool and all, but other than him, you and those at the monastery, none of them have ever so much as tried to help me, not even in the case of fixing their own problems, namely Skull Girl."

"My dear cousin, you have truly lost your humanity and compassion." declared Robbie in a normal volume voice. He knew that he could talk at a reasonable volume with all the fighting in front of the curtain.

"Have I? Or did I lose it the second they started overwhelming my brain with all of my stories? Which I'm still getting even now after I've become one of them." replied Aaron-Prime with tears in his eyes.

"Fair enough, I trust your judgement." said Robbie with a nod, knowing that if he pushed Aaron-Prime any further, that he would snap.

"Thank you for not coming across as condescending like that bitch from Storage Wars Canada. Ursula nearly killed Aaron-1989 that way. Multiple nose bleeds and panic attacks later..." ranted Aaron-Prime.

"My pleasure." replied Robbie.

The volume of the fight behind them had decreased to nearly no volume at all. Aaron-Prime walked through the curtain, witnessing Barash killing (presumably) someone who opposed him. The arbitrator was long since dead, and Barash collapsed due to severe injury and exhaustion.

"ROBBIE! IT'S BARASH! HE'S HURT!"

Robbie came at a near-run of a pace as Aaron-Prime put his arm around Barash, comforting him. Other than the beings in the monastery and Robbie, this was Aaron-Prime's only friend up here.

"You fought with honour, sir." said Aaron-Prime while crying.

"Oh, I can't take all of the credit for this massacre." replied Barash.

"Go for it, we'll back you up." replied Robbie with an approving nod and smile.

"I really did vote to help you." whispered Barash.

"I know, I saw. Do you know how many inter-dimensional beings are against me, exactly?" asked Aaron-Prime.

"666 counting those who are not even here and excluding the ones who refuse to fight on either side." whispered Barash.

"Shit...I mean, realistically we can take out 100 at most before we get killed ourselves but..." stated Robbie.

"I think I can work around that. Barash, can you make it to the monastery?" asked Aaron-Prime.

"I can try, but I might not even survive the journey." Barash whispered. Then a light blue fluid came out of his mouth that Robbie and Aaron-Prime assumed was blood (as neither of them had bled since they were human, they couldn't really know for sure).

"Try to get there anyway, and get a message to every inter-dimensional being regardless of what side that they're on that I will have a decision the next time that I leave Nth-Dimensional space."

"Your cousin is right about being outnumbered. Those in the monastery won't leave and fight and I'm useless to you in my current condition. The rest who supported you are either dead or...me" said Barash, very scared that he was going to die.

Aaron-Prime didn't care about the odds at the moment as he assured Barash "Just get to the monastery and relay my message, you've done enough for this multiverse."

Barash nodded, vanishing in a blue light.

"OK Aaron, what now?" asked Robbie.

Aaron-Prime surveyed the massacre all around him.

"One way or another, there's going to be a lot more bloodshed no matter what option I take. Let's head back home, maybe we'll get lucky and Cammy will have found a solution by now."

Robbie nodded as Aaron-Prime spoke "return home" to the Porta-Cammy. In an instant, they vanished in a blue light.

They materialized back in Aaron-Prime's pocket universe, with all of his human copies safe for the time being.

"What's the verdict?" asked Aaron-2208.

"There is no verdict, they all killed each other as they were split in the vote. Cammy, status update if you please" announced Aaron-Prime to the reaction of gasps in the room.

"We are now close enough to total convergence to establish who's doing it." announced Cammy, who showed a holographic projection that was crystal clear to the male copies and gender inverted for the females. After 30 seconds, Cammy switched over to the images of each of the converging worlds.

"Oh my god, that's MOM!." stated Aaron-651.

"Interesting, they look so much better as our mother than as our father." replied Erin-842.

"I can't say that I'm all that surprised." added Aaron-1326.

"Why is there a fourth world being made?" asked Erin-1617 as she pointed at Cammy.

"Leftover data." answered Robbie, which actually shocked Aaron-Prime, as he knew Robbie was right.

"Cammy, are the people converging as well as the worlds?" asked Robbie.

It took Cammy several moments to answer "No. Every person on these worlds will be represented up to 3 times depending on whether or not they exist on all 3 Aaronworlds. They likely won't even find each other unless they live close together on all 3 worlds. Interesting, I would've thought that converging worlds would be leading to converging people and objects but everyone and everything is in tact, but with 23 billion people on one planet, they'll run out of air in approximately 3 days, no matter the outcome of this. In less than that, other affected worlds in the multiverse might converge here. This leftover data world as Master Mawson so eloquently put it appears to be small land masses that couldn't be converged. None of them are any bigger than the state of Rhode Island on most Aaronworlds. Hmm...odd...there's lots of large boats there too. I suppose it's like defragmenting a hard drive, there's always miscellaneous data left over."

Robbie looks at Aaron-Prime and states "You know your options: Let them die, or the multiverse is gone."

"I say we declare war on those other inter-dimensional beings who hate you. At least we go out swinging. Hell, I'd settle for an analogy of this problem in plain English." suggested Aaron-180.

"It's morton's fork with 2 very sadistic choices. And war wouldn't work: It's 666 inter-dimensional beings vs. 2 inter-dimensional beings, 8 human copies of one of them and maybe Cammy. At most, we'll take out a third of them before we get killed." answered Aaron-Prime.

Aaron-1989 began laughing nervously as he somehow articulated "There's always a door #3, a third option. Oh my original, you must be one of us that sucks at poker. You've always had an ace in the hole...actually you have thousands of them. Interface with me."

Aaron-Prime was confused, but indulged his copy and fired a low intensity beam at him, what Aaron-Prime saw, was perfection defined.

"OF COURSE!" screamed Aaron-Prime, who in a moment of loss of control, projected his idea to every copy of himself in the room (and Cammy).

"Oh my god, now this can be pulled off." shouted the human Aaron's and Erin's.

"Not quite. Porta-Cammy is one thing but...I can't completely leave this pocket universe." replied Cammy, hating to be the bearer of bad tidings.

"You don't have to, just put everything we need into getting the willing over to this leftover data world...after you send an audio message across the entire Aaronverse."

"I'll be happy to, Master Collins." stated Cammy.

"What's the plan?" asked Robbie.

"My dear cousin, do you remember the battle of Normandy?" asked Aaron-Prime who placed his hand onto Cammy, to take a message.

Chapter 7: A speech should be as thoughtful as an open letter

Song to put on: Quantic – Time is the enemy

What exactly is the Aaronverse?

A series of writings made by me that are other worlds of alternate history? No.

Within the last few decades, I did feel like that was the definition of the Aaronverse. The official new definition is that it is about any of you who have ever been in my stories (and a few of you who haven't). The glitter of my stories and the epic splendour of the characters that you are confuse my mind and confound my understanding.

Hitler always said the bigger the lie, the more people will believe it. My mother, a crazed, lonely person who wanted to become an inter-dimensional being like me and is close to getting it by converging 3 different Aaronworlds was only the first step in what may become complete annihilation of the entire multiverse. In other worlds such as Marvel Comics-Prime and Galifrey, heroes whose commitment to change and peace would make them dangerous to inter-dimensional beings who are hateful of the Aaronverse, all of you in it and are committed to war, will follow in being annihilated. Also destroyed by a lonely, crazed person who wanted to become something beyond human comprehension. Inter-dimensional beings who amplify my guilt by making multi-world genocide, a meaningless act of a loner.

You've all become Hamlets in your Aaronverse through no fault of your own, children of a writer turned inter-dimensional being whose peers still possess the throne and don't care if you get killed in all of this. The ghosts of the Aaronverse confront us with the secret murder at the heart of the Aaronverse itself. They force on us the appalling questions of what is our Aaronverse made, what is our citizenship, and more, our lives, worth. What is the future of an Aaronverse where my dearest friends can be assassinated under conspicuously suspicious circumstances while the machinery of other inter-dimensional beings scarcely tremble? How many more political murders of you and my human copies will be disguised as heart attacks, suicides, cancers, drug overdoses, how many airplane and car crashes will occur before they are exposed for what they are?

"Treason doth never prosper," wrote an English poet. What's the reason? Well if any one of my fellow inter-dimensional beings prosper none dare call it treason. The Aaronverse has yet to be so united. Why? The Aaronverse has yet to feel the benefit of the freewill that I bestowed upon you all outside of what I write. Why? There are hundreds of you that could help strengthen the entire multiverse. Why are you being withheld or censored by the other inter-dimensional beings? Each time I or you the Aaronverse have asked those questions, demanded crucial help, the answer from on high has always been related to 'inter-dimensional security.'

What kind of inter-dimensional security do we have when we have been robbed of our free will? What

inter-dimensional security permits the removal of fundamental power from the hands of my human copies that haven't died yet, from the hands of each of you and validates the ascendancy of inter-dimensional beings in the Aaronverse? That kind of inter-dimensional security, ladies and gentlemen...my dearest friends of the Aaronverse, is, when it smells like it, feels like it, and looks like it, you call it what it is:

FASCISM!

I submit to you that what is taking place on these 3 Aaronworlds, is a coup d'etat. Its most direct and tragic result could be the deaths of over 23 billion people in 3 different Aaronworlds, if not the complete annihilation of the entire multiverse. For death is the biggest business amongst my fellow inter-dimensional beings worth an amount to them that I cannot even begin to calculate. Most of my human copies and the entire multiverse are being murdered by a conspiracy that was planned in advance at the highest levels of inter-dimensional government and it was carried out by fanatical and disciplined cold warriors… in the inter-dimensional senate, witnessed by my cousin Robbie and myself, messaging you for help. It will be a public execution and it will be covered up by like-minded inter-dimensional beings in the Marvel worlds, the Stephen King verse, the DC Universe, and Galifrey. All the way up to and including the very inter-dimensional senate that Robbie and I witnessed, whom I consider deserving of their murders when there was dissension in the ranks.

The convergence has reduced me to a transient official. My job, my assignment (assuming that the entire multiverse isn't destroyed by all of this), will be to speak as often as possible of this Aaronverse's desire for peace while other inter-dimensional beings act as business agents in some new inter-dimensional senate that will make a new multiverse a totalitarian state.

Now some people say I'm crazy. A sort of caricature seeking higher office. Well there is a simple way to determine if I am paranoid: let's ask the two groups of people who will suffer the most from the destruction of the multiverse: All human copies of myself, Aaron Collins and your new victim of inter-dimensional stupidity, the Skull Girl to be released from a sentence of torture and servitude that no living thing should ever have to suffer from. Or the friendships that formed between each of you since I started writing in a multiverse that will be destroyed while possibly being photocopied.

All of your lives are yours. The Aaronverse's property. You pay for it. But because the inter-dimensional beings who want the multiverse to be destroyed since I got here consider you children who might be too disturbed or distressed to help me confront them (or because you might possibly lynch those involved?), they deliberately kept me from finding out that you are more important than I am in the Aaronverse.

If I were still a human being, I'd be in my early 30s, and most of my human copies have already shuffled off this mortal coil by now. But I'm already telling all of you that you're more important to the Aaronverse than I am. So that if you're still in the multiverse upon it possibly being rebuilt on this multiverse's destruction, on one glorious September morning, in the year 2038, you can walk into the inter-dimensional senate and find out why 1 autistic guy named Aaron Collins was worth all of this effort. They may even destroy the multiverse again, hell it may become a generational affair, with questions passed down father to son, mother to daughter, but someday, somewhere, someone may find out the damned truth. You better. You better! Or we might just as well let the multiverse be destroyed without a rebuild.

An American naturalist wrote, "A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against its

government." I'd hate to be in your shoes today, you have a lot to think about, you've seen much

hidden inter-dimensional bullshit that no human will ever see again. You know going back to when we were children, I think that most of you that can listen to this thought that justice came into being automatically, that virtue was its own reward, that good would triumph over evil. But as we get older we know this just isn't true. Individual human beings have to create justice. And this is not easy. Because the truth often poses a threat to power. And one often has to fight power at great risk to themselves. People like Me, Robbie Mawson, Skull Girl have all taken that risk, we've all come forward. I have here some 8000-10000 Aaronworlds in the Aaronverse—housewives, auction bidders, auctioneers, teachers, people that society call invalids. You are people who don't have to be my friends but do. You are the ones who kept me alive for far longer than I and my human copies deserve, who see

MY PSYCHE CONTINUE TO BREAK INTO MORE PIECES THAN I CAN COUNT.

Why?

Because you care. Because you want to know who I am. Because you want your Aaronverse back.

Because it still belongs to you… as long as you guys have the guts to fight for what you believe

in. The truth is the most important value that we have. Because if the truth does not endure, if the

inter-dimensional beings murder truth, if truth dies in the multiverse, then this is not the multiverse that I was born in and it's certainly not the multiverse that I want to die in.

Tennyson wrote, "Authority forgets a dying king." This was never more true than for the Aaronverse, whose murder will probably be one of the most terrible moments in the history of the multiverse. We the people, the friend system that I have chosen, represent the hope of humanity against inter-dimensional government power. In discharging your duty, and bringing the first war in

this house of cards against my fellow inter-dimensional beings, ask not what your Aaronverse can do for you but what you can do for your Aaronverse. Do not forget your autistic king. Show this multiverse that this is still a multiverse of the people, for the people, and by the people. Nothing as long as you live will ever be more important.

It's up to you.

"Cammy, audio transmission off" Aaron-prime whispered.

"You might very well destroy the multiverse if you succeed." announced Robbie.

"It's already heading that way. If it breaks, we break it. Besides, I've been speaking to them individually in their minds for months whenever they need to be pointed in the right direction. I do have one more to speak to that way. Cammy, audio transmission on."

John Luke (like many others across the entire Aaronverse by now) was having trouble sleeping, seeing visions of all of the worlds where he is an auctioneer across the tri-state area as opposed to being a doctor at Glenwood.

"John? Can you hear me?"

John woke up (identically to the way that Tara woke up on her last night in Prague), but he saw no rope, and had no desire to kill himself.

"Aaron? You're dead!"

"Not dead, technically. I...ascended"

"O...K. It's great to here from you. We miss you at Glenwood."

"I...miss the people of Glenwood too. But my verse is in trouble, and I'm not sure that I'm reaching everyone that I care about."

"What do you need me to do?" John asked, with a conviction that suggested that he was prepared to do literally anything to help.

"You're still on the night shift at Glenwood, right?"

"Yes, I go in in a few hours. Why?"

"Round up the night shift. The ones who handled me when I was still human. I'll give you the details en route."

An hour later, there were a sea of several dumbfounded faces surrounding a long, black-stained oak conference table.

"All of you can say no, but I wouldn't be here if I wasn't personally asked by the man himself. Some of you are only recent arrivals to the Aaronverse, whereas others..."

John paused his speech to stare at a lady Aaron's age with red hair wearing an all-white lab coat with a green tube top and blue jeans on underneath. There were no distinguishing marks on her other than a tattoo of the flag of Uruguay on the inside of her right wrist.

"Some of you have been in the shadows of the Aaronverse for years, even decades."

Another girl (who was younger than the first girl, brunette, and had distinctly pointed ears) stood up. "I'm in, I heard his invitation. It's time that I take a stand."

An older gentlemen nodded and said "I can't let Chiara and Fabio do something this epic alone. I'm in."

Yet another gentlemen (of unknown age but with medium-long black hair) stood up and said "If this is...the last day...then we go out fighting."

Several others in the room shared that sentiment by nodding at John. John was shocked that there was no one in the room who voted no.

"OK, you all go, I just hope you're not alone. Complete silence is needed on the matter, I'm sure he has already arranged...transportation. Let's get out of here, back to our normal duties in the hospital."

They all exited the conference room, with Dr. John Luke making sure to put some distance between himself and every other human being in the hospital (not too difficult to do on night shift).

"It's unanimous, they're going" he whispered, forgetting that just thinking it would suffice.

"I heard. All of you will be sent for shortly."

Dr. John Luke nodded, and tried to resume his normal duties.