I had to really twist the Another Time end to make it fit my headcanon. Of course, you have to really twist it to make it fit ZTD canon, so I don't think there's any real loss there. As a bonus, I finally got the chance to write Dr. Sigma Klim going full Termites and did so with gusto.


? wandered through the corridors of Rhizome 9. His head ached with confusion. Akane had just told him that he was not Kyle Klim, even though that was the body he occupied. Though ? knew that was the undeniable truth, he still couldn't comprehend why he only had memories of Kyle's past and the Nonary Game Kyle had played a role in, rather than memories of his own.

The thoughts of that Nonary Game directed ? towards the one last place where he might find the answers he needed to understand his identity. The last puzzle room that Sigma and Phi had needed to solve was the Q room – the home of the quantum computer – and the mysteries of their game had finally started to reveal themselves there. Maybe the same would happen for ?.

He made his way there; he knew where it was, just as he knew everything else about the Rhizome 9 facility. As he entered the Q room ? was momentarily blinded by the sheer uniform whiteness, but then he saw a figure he did not expect the see.

It was Dr. Klim.

"Doctor?" ? asked, stumbling back with surprise. "I thought you were supposed to be sleeping."

The Doctor turned around, spreading his arms; a welcoming gesture turned sour by his actions as Zero Sr. and the imposing silhouette it cast. "I was, for a time. But I was kept awake. You see, I was thinking about the nature of perception."

"Hell of a thing to keep you awake. I think Akane has been rubbing off on you," ? replied.

"That is exactly what I am talking about," Doctor Klim said, "You see me acting in certain ways or others, but perceive Akane rather than myself. There are more extreme examples, of course. From the inside, a person may see themselves as the centre of everything that happens around them. But when they finally get the chance to see themselves from the outside, not only do they see themselves entirely differently – that is, as others see them – but they also see themselves as only half-there, a mere projection as it were, compared to the vibrancy of their inner life. Perhaps it is only by moving to another medium that a person like that can be entirely present, their true selves, even when perceived by the third person."

? fidgeted. "That's very interesting, Doctor," he said, trying to prevent his impolite frown from forming, "but… I came here looking for a way to find out who I am. I don't think I'll be able to really appreciate any philosophy until then."

Doctor Klim smiled, faintly. "I am beginning to believe that the thoughts that kept me awake are entirely related to your situation. After all, your presence here has everything to do with the abilities of espers and the morphogenetic field. There never are any coincidences with this, are there?" Doctor Klim paused for a second, thought deeply, then continued. "You have spoken to many people within this facility since you awoke. All of them had at least some inclination that you were not Kyle Klim, and Phi and Akane knew outright. I suspect Luna did as well. You must have noticed that none of them ventured to ask where you had come from, only discussing your past in the vaguest terms possible."

"That's right!" ? exclaimed, "Why wouldn't they…"

"They were worried about perception," the Doctor interrupted, "They have only known the one timeline resulting from the Mars Mission test of 2028: that of Radical-6. From your perspective, you have one specific history, which is either from that timeline or not. From ours, we have been constantly afraid, from the moment you woke, that our knowledge of the timeline of the outbreak would guarantee that past for you. The future affecting the past."

"You're worrying about Kyle, right? You're worrying about where he's gone to?"

"Always," Doctor Klim replied.

"But… But, but, but!" ? spluttered, "Even I don't know where I came from! I don't have any memories of any Radical-6 outbreak, or anything else! I don't have a past!"

Doctor Klim bowed his head. "Exactly. Your uncertain history makes our perceptions all the more dangerous." For a moment, the Doctor clasped his hands together, moving them from side to side uncertainly. Then, he came to a conclusion. "Perhaps a different model is necessary. Consider, for instance… the termite."

o-0-o

Doctor Klim swept his arm around, gesturing at the wall. Where his palm passed over them, the white panels rippled and unfolded, opening up the compartments within. ? knew about the puzzle components that they had previously contained, but this time they revealed something different: an entire termite farm extending into the room. As the termites that had been on the surface of the five towers of the mound scattered, fleeing the light, ? peered in curiously.

"I know you like these things: after all, you used them to give that lecture to your younger self. But what do they have to do with me?"

"Everything. At least, I think so." Doctor Klim pointed towards the bottom of the mound, at a termite that had been sluggish in retreating back inside. "Each individual termite knows very little of the situation that surrounds the mound it lives in. It obeys its genetic programming and the chemical signals laid down by the rest of its colony. That is the lowest possible level of knowledge. That termite knows less than you, who has lost his memory entirely.

"That the individual termite knows little does not prevent the colony as a whole from knowing much more. It is clear that the colony is able to react to information from its surroundings, detailing soldier termites to respond to threats and worker termites to harvest sources of food. For its limited cognitive capabilities, the ability of a colony to build its mound, nourish and defend it is quite impressive.

"But outside of the termite farm, our knowledge and understanding is infinitely greater than that of the colony, never mind the individual termite. I believe that it is that greater understanding, that Third View, that will save you."

? snorted. "That was very impressive, Doctor, but I think you are going to have to explain it a bit more straightforwardly."

"Very well." Doctor Klim pointed straight at ?. "You have lost your memories, and know only about the situation you are in and nothing about your past. Your view, the First View, is unfortunately limited."

Then, the Doctor reversed his finger, pointing at himself. "We, the residents of Rhizome 9, know some things about the timelines that possibly followed that Mars Mission and to your history. We have a limited ability to react to your condition and make choices that will prevent the worst case scenario, just as a termite colony is capable of defending itself. Indeed, that is what everyone has been doing from the moment you arrived here. But the full, true nature of the situation eludes us; we cannot act outside our bounds."

"And the Third View?" ? asked.

"It is possible that there is a viewpoint that has seen everything leading up to this moment." The Doctor gestured again, reaching out his palm in a direction that seemed to ? to be completely at random. "For this Third View, my worries are a trivial epilogue to a completed story; Kyle is already safe in the timeline I never got to see. And, just as these termites have relied on me for the past forty-five years to provide food and shelter to keep the colony alive and stable, so I must place my absolute trust in this Third View. As such, I have decided that it is time for me to finally tell you who I think you are."

"Finally!" ? exclaimed, "Please, tell me!"

Doctor Klim took a deep breath. "First, remember everything you have been told so far. It was all true, from a certain point of view, and thus entirely necessary to understanding your situation. You were, indeed, an extra variable in the scenario of the Mars Mission test site. Though it seemed that everyone had accounted for your presence, you turned up where no-one had expected you and changed everything, again and again and again.

"Akane must also have told you that the rules do not apply to you. I'm not entirely sure exactly what she meant by that, but it is clear that in reaching this place, you have faced and then broken out of the restrictions that bind most espers. One in particular should have brought you to death's door and yet here you are, entirely healthy.

"And finally, the most important thing of all. Akane told you that you were the only one who could save the world. That is entirely true. After all, we would have had no chance at all of preventing the outbreak without you… Carlos."

o-0-o

Memories rushed into ?'s mind. 'Carlos'. That… that was his name. And that name came with a past: several pasts, in fact, linked by an inextricable web of time-travel. But only one of them applied to the Carlos that had arrived in Kyle's body; once that one was locked down in his memory, Carlos' turmoil was over. "How did you know?" Carlos asked.

As Carlos watched the man in front of him, a wide, beaming grin appeared on his face: one alien to the solemn and seemingly cruel Zero Sr., but entirely suited to Sigma. "I know myself," Sigma replied, chuckling, "and I know you. There was no other way this could have happened." For a moment, Sigma shivered, his internal conflict controlled in his remaining natural eye but unambiguously conveyed by the swivels of the replacement right eye. "I have to ask, now… Which timeline did you come from? Where did Kyle go to? Did Radical-6…?"

"It was contained," Carlos replied, "Destroyed, even. Radical-6 won't be infecting anyone, ever again."

Sigma exhaled, pressing his right arm against his chest as though to keep his heart from exploding. "Thank you, Carlos. I never quite believed… that we'd ever succeed in defeating the virus, in any timeline. I guess my perceptions are as wrong as everyone else's. I'm glad of that."

Sigma and Carlos just stood with each other for a while. Mutual relief made it unnecessary to say anything at all; they just soaked up the moment and everything it meant. But eventually, even that moment passed.

Sigma sighed. "Carlos. I guess it's finally time for you to decide what you are going to do now you are here. After all, this is an entirely new timeline for you. You could choose to stay here, on the Moon, in Rhizome 9. You'd be welcome, here."

"Hmm…" Carlos murmured, "I'm grateful, but it doesn't sound… right. You know?"

"I figured you'd say that," Sigma replied, "There's an entire world down there teetering on the edge but ready to finally start thriving once more. I wouldn't say life down there is comfortable, but for someone like you… what you do down there will be incredibly meaningful."

"You do know me," Carlos said, chuckling, "So, where should I start? Any fires really need putting out?"

"Steady up there, Carlos! A fireman needs a fire-station to start from, after all. And I know just the place."

Sigma waved at the other wall of the Q room, where the panels slipped aside to reveal a large screen. A map of the world appeared there, before it started the zoom in, first on the United States and then on the southern half of it. As Carlos blinked, the map was colour-coded: a swath of vibrant green cutting across the murky red along the banks of the Colorado river.

"That's one of the largest communities to have formed since humanity recovered from the outbreak and the nuclear winter that followed. At its centre is a town named Fire's End. Not many people know it, but the version of you from this timeline was one of the founders."

"That sounds interesting," Carlos replied. He was still uncertain, and it showed through in his voice.

"There's something else," Sigma said, "There are two people who live there. I'm sure they'll be able to convince you to go. Two people who I'm certain you'd want to see again." Two portraits appeared, superimposed across the map. Both showed faces that Carlos recognised very well.

"Tenmyouji… and Quark?"

"You'd know Tenmyouji better by his first name. He's aged a lot since then, but Junpei is still basically the same person you knew in D-Com," Sigma explained, "Quark's actually a relative of yours: a great-nephew."

Eagerness rose in Carlos' chest, followed by panic. "They've just left! How am I…"

"You've got time," Sigma interrupted, "They're still getting on the shuttle that will take them home. If you hurry, you'll make it. And don't worry: the shuttle has three seats. I checked it myself."

o-0-o

Carlos ran. He ran all the way to the pressure exchange chamber that led to the shuttle bay. His pace was nowhere close to what he wanted it to be – the weak gravity kept interfering with his stride, and his new body was a lot weaker than the one he was used to – but his intense determination carried him along. Eventually, he arrived in the PEC.

He needed to put on a protective suit to go further. Fortunately, Carlos had years of experience in using even the most bulky and complicated of firemen's turnout gear: the space-suit was not that much harder to use. Carlos had it on and completely sealed within moments. With that, he could pass through the airlock and into the shuttle bay.

As Carlos entered, he could see the shuttle towering above him. Its door, close to the ground, was open with steps leading down. And of the two other suited figures in the shuttle bay, one was already climbing those stairs and almost inside the passenger compartment.

"Junpei! Quark! Wait!" Carlos cried out.

Both figures turned towards Carlos. His desperate plea must have carried to them across the radio. Carlos bounded forward, stopping only when he was close enough to see inside their helmets. It was Quark who had been climbing the stairs; the taller figure, just behind his grandson, was Tenmyouji.

As Carlos saw their faces, both Tenmyouji and Quark saw his. "Look, Kyle," Tenmyouji said bitterly, "I already told you. We're not staying here. There's nothing for us, and there's no way I'm sucking up to the bastard who forced us through that."

"Wait, Grandpa," Quark interrupted, using the extra height the steps gave him to place his hand on Tenmyouji's shoulder, "I… I don't think that's Kyle. There's something different. Like, in his eyes."

Tenmyouji leaned forward, his helmet shifting on his suit so that the visor continued looking forward. Carlos stepped forward to meet him, and soon their helmets were an inch apart. They could see each other clearly as though there was nothing in between. In that moment, their eyes met.

"Carlos?!" Tenmyouji exclaimed, "How is that possible? How the hell are you even here?"

"It's a long story, Junpei," Carlos said. He gazed upwards at the magnificent spacecraft that towered above them, reaching onwards towards Earth. "Junpei, Quark. I think it's time for us to go home."


That concludes the Firetruck Trilogy. If you came to this story directly, you may want to read the whole thing since they are quite interlinked: e.g. that ending really belongs at the end of The Fire's End, but can't go there for obvious spoiler reasons.