“And… that’s everything Fuerza told me,” Lana finishes, reaching up and adjusting her glasses, the clamp on her temple looser than before. She glances down at the crown on the table, then up at Amber, who is still shaking, sitting beside her on the couch. Shari stretches her shoulder, sitting in the seat to Lana’s left, exhaling before Maxwell sits up from across the table.

  “So we can’t use the Golden Star on the crown, so our only option is to stick with the original plan. How much do you think Fuerza knew about the void?” Maxwell remarks, watching as Lana stares at the crown.

  “I don't know. We… spent a while in there, but they never brought up anything else about it.”

  “And, about the new weapon. Do you know how you did that?” Maxwell adds, watching as Lana looks down at her hands.

  “Fuerza and I had a bunch of ideas on what to try, and one of them was closing my hand before I flicked my wrist, and that seemed to do something new, so I kept trying it, and then it just worked. I don't know how I did it, but I… need to see if I can do it again.” She turns to Amber, watching as he breaths heavily, glancing up at her.

  “I…” he begins, gripping the armrest of the couch. She exhales, swallowing before leaning back against the couch. “I want… to help… once I… can,” he adds, taking a heavy breath with each pause, very slowly reaching up and grasping his head, his eyes flickering with gold light for a moment.

  “Honestly,” Maxwell begins, staring at Amber. “You’re a lot worse than you were last time… and Fuerza was a lot stronger.”

  “I… I know,” Amber adds, sitting up slightly. “Fuerza told me that… they’re much stronger than… last time, and…” he begins, stopping to catch his breath before continuing. “And that they might become… what they called a Celestial if I… manage to use… the crown a fourth time.” Maxwell exhales, glancing up at him.

  “You should just try to breathe. You can tell us more later.” Amber nods weakly before Maxwell turns to look at Lana, staring at her glasses. “And I can go make you another pair. I need to go do some work anyway, so they should be ready by tomorrow morning.” He pulls himself upright, turning to his room. “I’ll go get started. You should all get some rest.” he begins to approach the door, and Lana turns to look at him.

  “Thank you, I… I’m sorry I cracked the ones you gave me.” Maxwell nods, pausing for a moment.

  “It’s alright, you did good. All that matters is that we got the coordinates thanks to you. I can do work on those and see if they can be fixed, but not tonight.” he starts to walk again, reaching forward and grasping the doorknob, pulling the door open and stepping inside. He closes the door behind himself, inhaling slowly before closing his eyes and leaning against the wood. He exhales, opening his eyes and looking down at his left arm. He reaches for it, grabbing the metal as he takes a step forward, approaching a large box propped up against the wall.

  Lana leans forward, turning to look at Amber again.

  “How do you feel? Do you… still feel like yourself?” Amber nods, exhaling as he looks at the crown.

  “I… I still feel like myself, I just… I don't understand. You couldn’t even… use the crown? I just… I want to know what this… means.” He continues to pause repeatedly, taking breaths during the pauses. “But… do you still… want to have the sleepover?” Lana nods, looking into his eyes before glancing at Shari.

  “Yeah, and… I’ve been thinking. I think we should invite Shari.”

  “I agree, it… might be awkward if it’s just us,” Amber replies before Shari peeks her head over Lana’s shoulder.

  “Invite me? To what? Sorry, I… I wasn’t listening at first, then I heard my name.” Lana turns to her.

  “We were gonna hang out in the living room tonight, maybe read, or watch a movie. Would you wanna join?”

  “Yeah! I’d like that. Do you have any idea what movie we’d watch? I haven’t really… gotten any chances to see what movies you have here.”

  “Well,” Lana begins, glancing at the television. “What kind of movies do you like?” Shari’s ears twitch as she turns to look at the television as well.

  “What I like? I… well, I guess I like action movies… that and romance.” Lana nods, turning to her.

  “Oh, we like action too!”

  “You… do? What… kind of conflicts would they have? From what I’ve heard about this place, it’s… pretty peaceful.”

  “Most movies go off a thing we got from some really old movies. Those movies became… lost media a really, really long time ago, but we still got a common formula of worldbuilding from them. Basically, it’s a bunch of things that could go wrong with the world tossed into a single made-up one, then most directors use that world as a base for their movie. It’s a way to… it helps us appreciate what we have… at least, according to what I’ve read. It’s the same with games and stuff, we have this made-up world to base it on, and filmmakers try to think of lessons to put into them… or just use them to make cool stuff. Anyways, the movies are all under the table the TV’s on.” Shari nods, pulling herself upright.

  Maxwell grips the clamp on the front of the box, sighing before pulling it open, looking inside. Written in the underside of the lid, separated by black lines, are Shari, Lana, and then Amber’s name. Under Amber’s name is a neatly sorted collection of wires with magnets at the ends, made to hold the crown to his belt. Under Lana’s name is a collection of large glasses, ten pairs carefully stored in soft padding. Under Shari’s name is a collection of prosthetic arms, each slightly different from one another. He takes a slow breath, staring into the container before reaching up, feeling Lux. His metal fingers lightly clink against the glass, shaking slightly. His jaw trembles a bit before he inhales through his nose, slowly running his hand along his metal snout.

  “Lux… please tell me you’re close to updating the settings. I don't… want this blade anymore, I want to start using the prosthetic.” he glances over at his table, an arm made entirely of small disks, adjusted to make the shape of an arm lying on his desk.

  “Unfortunately, ever since you cut me off from your memories and had me delete most of the data, I do not understand your systems as well as I need to, so I have no idea how close I am to being done.”

  “I don't trust you, Lux. I did, and you… we agreed that you would report Maroon and Mark, that that was it, but you… I will never give you access to my memories again. I do not trust you at all. I would update the settings myself, but to do that, I would have to remove my machine from my body, and I’m not sure how long I can survive like that. Taking you out to repair that truck caused permanent damage, and I can’t risk that again.” Maxwell pulls his hand away from his snout, clenching his fist. “I was so… fucking stupid. After Maroon attacked, and those lasers weren’t needed anymore, I just threw them in a box for ten years. Of course they malfunction. I didn't realize they would be so sensitive to fire, and I…” He slams his fist down onto the edge of the box, a loud crash shooting through the room, any echo cancelled out by the soundproof tiles on the walls. He looks down at his hand, which is lodged in the large dent made in the metal box.

  “I never planned to modify my body, I… I was happy with how I looked, my health, all of that shit. I was on the way to changing… everything… even other worlds.” he rips his hand away, stumbling upright, turning to a large metal plate on the wall. He slowly approaches, his hand shaking slightly. “And then… Maroon came.”

  “I understand your frustration, but-” Lux begins, being cut off as Maxwell shouts.

  “Shut the fuck up! No, you don't, you’re not… you’re not an artificial intelligence, you’re just a… You don't feel emotions, you don't understand anything, you’re no closer to being alive than my medic bot is. I had a bright future, brighter than anyone else my age. I wasnt going to be like them, living a calm, simple life, I was going to be something greater, I was… I was days away from changing everything.” he raises his fist before smashing it into the metal plate, causing it to buckle, warping with a loud clang.

  “I can't eat, I can't sleep, I can't cry, I can't… I can't do anything anymore! Everything that made me Variant is just… so much of it is gone. After all of this is done, you’re gone, I’ll be done with you. You’ll be out of my head and into a computer.”

  “I do not understand. Please tell me what I can do to help. What did I do wrong?”

  “What you did… was tell an unknown organization information about people I… I care about. Shari, Lana, Amber, they all… You were only supposed to report Maroon, but instead, who knows if they’re going to come after us all now? And do you want to know the worst part?” Maxwell begins, turning to the table and slowly approaching, staring at the prosthetic forearm atop it. “I won't be able to join them. I don't have powers… I don't want powers. All I want… is for my world… my people… to be safe, cared for. I had so much going on for me, I was… I was so fortunate, but now that’s all gone. My friends, my family… my home. I was willing to trust you to get rid of Maroon, because she has taken so much… from everyone… from me. I didn’t… know Daric that well, but I admired him... I had… I started to love him. He reminded me so much of Cahnwell, my… my boyfriend, we were perfect together, even our names… and then Maroon, she… I’ll never forget it.” Maxwell grips the table, exhaling slowly.

  “I lost every single friend I had. Maroon killed each of them, one by one, along with my stepdad. Finding Amber, Lana… Shari… they… I was happy to have new friends, but now you’ve… you’ve ruined that, you’ve made them a target. And then, you casually decided to tell me that. You talked about it like it was no big deal. I want to explore the vast, see what worlds are out there, but I don't want to do it alone. If they’re a target, then I don't know if I can bring them.” Maxwell’s grip on the table softens, his breathing shaky as he stares down at the table, his face still dry.

  “I apologize, if you need anyone to talk to-” Lux begins, stopping as Maxwell raises his hand, making a blocking gesture.

  “Not you. I would rather kill myself here and now than treat you like my therapist. Just focus everything on updating the settings so I can get rid of this sword, then maybe I’ll forgive you… just a little bit. I want to start working on getting my body back to how it was before… at least visually. Lux, I can never fully trust you again after what you did, but I will continue to ask for your help, because that's my only choice. This arm will be my greatest invention, but until those settings are updated, I can't use it. I… I miss having two hands… I can’t pretend it doesn't bother me for much longer. I’m an inventor, building with only one hand is… painfully slow. You should know this, after all, you helped me rebuild the stargate. That is the main reason I still put some trust into you, because you have helped me… but don't try to act like my friend… nor my therapist.” he closes his eyes, taking a step back. “I… want to cry, but I can't. My body has been broken so much that I’ve lost the ability to do so many things. I can still… feel the arm, as if it’s there sometimes… but then I look, and get reminded that it’s gone. Whenever Cahnwell and I would meet after a long time, he would take a knee and kiss my hand. It was corny, and it… was followed by the dumbest nickname I’ve ever heard, but I loved it.” he holds the blade, his hand shaking slightly. “I got a tattoo under my fur… of a pair of lips on the back of my hand… but now it’s gone.” he eyes drift to the metal forearm on the desk, then to the red paint beside it.

  “I was going to paint a pair of lips onto the hand, but I… don't think it would help me. I’d just be reminded of him. It’s been nine years, now.”

  “Loss can-” Lux begins.

  “Stop. I don't want you to respond. I want you to say nothing. I want you to understand. I know you can't, but I still… It makes me feel… something… to say it out loud.” he sits down at his desk, staring at the limb. “Do you want to know the most pathetic part of it all? Right after Cahnwell died, I thought about trying to use artificial intelligence to bring him back, but then, I realized how fucked up that would be. He died, and I need to move on… I just wish that I… could have been the one to punch Maroon.” he reaches forward, gently running his hand along the surface of the forearm, watching as the disks quiver slightly.

  “Learning to use this thing is going to be hard, and until I get a good enough power source, it will be purely decorative. Once this is done, I will start making my body look normal again… getting rid of the metal and replacing it with stuff that feels more like skin.” he leans back in his chair, glancing back at the box. “I’ll go out there and talk to them tomorrow… her glasses aren’t broken, just cracked, so she’ll be fine until the morning.” He turns to the bed, the large metal frame reinforced. He then stares at the wires hanging from the wall behind it.

  Shari pulls a thin square case from the shelf under the television, flipping it over to look at the cover.

  “Fatally wounded by Allas Machit,” She reads aloud before turning it over to look at the back. “Lucas, wounded while trying to make it home to his son for starfall, his body crushed by a truck that had swerved off the road, finds himself rebuilt by a divine being, transforming him into an unrecognizable monster. Desperate to find his way back home to see his son, he must walk across the continent, his overabundance of arms, blood-red fur, and overly flexible joints scaring the people around him. Even though he worries he might lose everything, seeing his son again remains the only thing important to him.” She looks back at the front, staring at the image on it. On the cover is the image of a Variant with dark red fur and twelve thin arms. The whites of his eyes are blue, and his irises are white. He stands atop a car, staring at the camera, his shirt ripped and his body elongated and thin. She sets the movie on the table behind her, before reaching for another case, pulling it out, and turning it over to read the cover.

  “Twin by Selene Hatchet,” she reads, turning this case over as well. “Jade and Jake, two thirty year olds who are brother and sister, decide to take each other's place for a week, wanting to prove that their life is harder than the other's, only to find out that they prefer the other’s lives, and decide they want to swap identities, and see how long it takes for anyone to notice that they switched.” her eyes drift down to the rating before she reads it aloud. “Rated mature for vulgar humor, intense language, and nudity.” She turns to Lana, holding the case.

  “This… kind of reminds me of a movie I watched back home.” Lana leans forward, quietly chuckling to herself.

  “That movie’s pretty old now. It was one of Amber’s dad’s favorites,” she adds, watching as Shari puts it back and reaches to grab another one, before stopping to turn and look at Lana.

  “What’s Starfall? I kind of… ignored it, but is that a real holiday here?” Lana sits up.

  “You don't have it? It’s how we celebrate the end of the year. A long while back, our ancestors saw a meteor shower for the first time. Back then, according to history books, our kind was… not given as many opportunities to be educated, so when we finally became the dominant species, we had already made a holiday based on it. Eventually, we apparently merged it with another holiday from whoever came before us, making it a celebration of the end of the year. Now, once a year, we have a massive laser show, making it look like a huge meteor shower. We… might be able to have another one this year, now that Maroon is gone.” Shari looks away as Lana mentions Maroon, reaching forward and resting her hand against another case.

  “I’m… sorry about everything that happened, I… I don't… I know that sorry won't fix it, I just… don't know how to make things right.” Lana slowly inhales, glancing away before looking back at Shari.

  “I… will be honest. People will still be scared of you, you’ll have to do a lot to get everyone to… trust you.” Shari nods, glancing at Amber, who is wrapped in a multitude of colourful blankets, having fallen asleep.

  “I… at least have you all. And the people in the town where I met you, they… they know me.”

  “Yeah. You’re our friend… and when this is all over, we’ll help you get settled.” Shari swallows, nodding and looking back at the rack of movies, she grips her right arm, looking down at it as the tip of the blade softens, becoming somewhat rounded.

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  “Thank you,” She adds, taking a shuddering breath before releasing her blade, reaching forward and grabbing another movie. She pulls out the case, staring at it.

  “Soundwave by Zail Yelar,” it reads. She glances down at a sticker on the case, reading it aloud. “Given award for best movie soundtrack.”

  “What’s this one? I haven’t heard any of the music here, maybe we watch this one.” Lana looks at the cover, leaning forward in her seat to get a better look.

  “Oh, that one! The music is really good! And the movie’s pretty old, so way more music has come out since then. Once Maxwell gets the internet back up, I can show you some.” Shari nods, flipping over the case to look at the back.

  “Lost deep in space during portal testing, Vexa finds herself on a world filled with intelligent, mutated Variants from another time who see her as a threat to their fragile ecosystem. During lab testing, she stumbles across a lake made purely of visible soundwaves that imbues itself into her DNA, causing sound to distort when near, allowing her to control the elements around her with noise. She finds that her body has become stronger, faster, and able to emit music that guides her, helping her predict attacks and choose the right paths. Now, to prove herself to the people of this world, she has made it her responsibility to infiltrate the hundreds of nests filled with violent, machine-like entities and destroy them before they can destroy the city, that, while imperfect, she has grown attached to.” Shari pops open the case with her nails, looking at the thin metal square inside.

  ‘What… is this? How do I use this?” she remarks, turning to Lana.

  “Do you… not have MB’s?” Lana adds, leaning back in her seat.

  “No, we… we have something that sounds similar, but not… this,” Shari replies, inspecting the metal, turning it over to see the circular pattern on the back, a label with the name of the movie on the front. “What does MB stand for?”

  “Uh… I think it stands for Media box. You see that square frame on the bottom of the television?” she asks, prompting Shari to turn, looking at the square frame below the screen, the same size as the metal square. “You press the box into it, and that reads whatever’s on it.” Shari raises the square to the frame, aligning it before pressing it in, causing it to lock into place with a quiet click. “And when you want to remove it, you just press on it, and it pops out.” Shari looks up at the screen as it instantly turns on, noticing the large, bulky design.

  “This is an… oddly old-looking television… at least, it looks a lot like the older models from my world.” Lana sighs, resting her arms on the back of the couch.

  “It’s an older model that we found in the attic. The regular TV is stored… in the room you’re using, actually. The newest models work without internet, but there was one model that needed the internet to function at all. That’s the one we had before, since it was extra cheap. Once Maxwell has the internet working again, I might need your help getting it back into the living room.” Shari approaches the couch, glancing back as a menu appears on the screen.

  “Wow, there’s… no advertisements before the movie?”

  “Why would there be advertisements? We… we own the box, we already paid for it.”

  “I guess that makes sense,” she adds, sitting down beside Lana. “My world puts advertisements before the menu. They’re usually skippable, but they’re there.” Lana grabs the remote, pressing a button, causing a transition to play. Lana taps Amber’s shoulder, causing him to open his eyes. After the transition finishes, the movie starts.

  “Well, your world must love ads… like, a lot, because that's… very discouraged here. An entire company lost all its business because of that one time.”

  Maxwell leans back in his chair, dropping the blowtorch in his hand to the floor as he exhales.

  “Do you at least… have any idea how long it’ll take to get the settings updated?” he asks, staring at the arm on the table.

  “I do not have an exact timeframe, but I could have it done as early as this morning… or as late as next month. I do not know your tech as well as I did before you cut me off from your memory,” Lux answers. Maxwell then pushes back, his chair rolling to the center of the room before he pulls himself upright, turning to the door.

  “Just focus all your energy into that,” he adds, approaching the exit before raising his hand, grasping the knob. He turns it, pulling it open and stepping through into the hall, glancing at the television. His ears twitch as he hears a high-energy song coming from it, the woman on the screen’s fist ripping through a robot shaped somewhat like a Variant, the air around her visibly twisting. He then turns to the front door, starting to move towards it.

  “Oh, Maxwell, you’re still up?” Shari remarks, turning to him.

  “Yeah, the tests on the wind turbine should be done, so I’m going to go see if the power is ready to be turned back on. Then, I’m gonna go see what I can do about the internet,” He answers.

  “Alright, if you want to watch a movie when you get back, feel free to join us.” Maxwell nods, grabbing onto the handle of the front door, pushing it down before pulling it open. He steps out onto the porch, his ears twitching again as the door shuts behind him. he looks up at the sky, taking a slow breath before beginning to descend down the stairs. He turns to the truck outside the garage, Lux moving a small bit slower than his other eye. He reaches up as he approaches, scratching the top of his head.

  “Alright, Lux, set up the route to the wind turbines,” he remarks before a quiet chime echoes from Lux.

  “The route has been started, you have about thirty-five minutes until you arrive,” it replies. Maxwell grabs the car door, pulling it open before jumping inside.

  The truck’s tires screech as the vehicle slides to a stop before a large building. Maxwell then pushes open the door, a faint click coming from inside before he jumps onto the grass. He stares at the door ahead, beginning to walk towards it.

  “Lux, pull up the data,” he remarks, a square popping up in his vision. He stares at the numbers, watching as they constantly shift between four and negative four. He then looks up at the door, reaching forward and pressing his hand against it. The door slides open, revealing a chamber filled with consoles and overgrown vines behind it. He exhales as he steps inside, turning to the window. Hundreds of wind turbines stand in the distance, the blades still. He watches the blades, slowly approaching a console.

  “I really, really hope this works.” He places his hands against the lever, taking a slow breath. “These things were in shambles when I found them, it’s taken… probably two or three years now to get them fully ready.” He starts to push the lever, watching as the lights on the screen above begin flickering. The lever snaps into place at the end of the small guide, the blades of the turbines in the distance all twitching in a wave before slowly starting to spin.

  “It’s hard to believe I passed by Amber and Lana so many times without ever running into them. I guess I just never went through their neighborhood.” He watches as the blades pick up speed, spinning faster and faster. He watches them closely, his breathing quiet.

  “The current year is twelve, sixty-eight, one,” Maxwell adds, watching as the blades stop gaining speed, all of them spinning in unison.

  “That is incorrect,” Lux adds, causing Maxwell to furrow his brows.

  “What… are you talking about? We’ve kept our calendar very accurate, that’s the year.”

  “That would imply that your world is… two years younger than Athrin’s logged year, which is twelve, sixty-eight, three.”

  “So different realities have different years? That would imply that they weren’t all made at the same time, which would be… it doesn’t really mean anything to me right now, but that is interesting.” Maxwell steps back from the console, watching as the turbines in the distance spin. “I should ask Shari what the year is in her world when I get back.” He stands there, continuing to watch the window. “I find it nearly impossible for every single one of them to work perfectly, so I’m waiting to see if any fail.” his gaze drifts back to the numbers, watching as they shift more rapidly, reaching higher numbers.

  “I trust your work, I am sure-” Lux begins, being cut off by a faint crash. Smoke rises from one of the turbines as the blades begin to slow down.

  “It doesn't matter how good I am, nothing’s perfect.” he reaches forward, pressing three of the many buttons, causing the broken-down turbine to stop emitting smoke, the blades being forced to a stop. “I had to improvise many of the materials, so I have no idea which ones have parts I didn’t realize were low quality, and how many I just didn't do a good enough job on.” Lux stares at the smoke rising, pulsing purple.

  “Are you not upset about the broken turbine?” Lux asks. Maxwell shakes his head, stepping back from the console.

  “There are around four hundred of these, and if only one breaks, then I’d say that that’s incredible. I will come back tomorrow to make sure the rest are running smoothly. It’s best to disable any that break, that way they don't collapse. I’ll wait here for… maybe three hours, then I’ll go home.” Lux stares at the turbine as the smoke dissipates, the blades coming to a stop.

  Shari watches the television, staring at the screen as a man with blood-red fur stands in the middle of the street, his sharp teeth grinding against one another as he looks around. A collection of large trucks circles him. His fur quivers, electricity running through it as his many arms twitch. The camera turns as a man approaches, causing the man with red fur to snarl.

  “Lucas,” the man begins, staring at the many arms as Lucas turns to them. “Think, Lucas, think!” They tap on the sides of their head with their index fingers, approaching. “Look at yourself! You’re a monster. Do you really think your son will recognize you? Much less accept this? Your powers, your strength, your healing could revolutionize so much. You accepted our offer, but we could not agree to one of your terms, so you threw it all away? If your son sees you, then in the very unlikely scenario where he accepts you for the abomination you are, he’ll come snooping around, and we’ll have to kill him. We can make your story heroic, have it so that he knows you wanted to see him, but have the news believe you died… maybe even saving a life… but you can't see him. Don't you want credit for the people you helped? Don't you want your son to know the good you've done?” Shari scratches the side of her head, glancing at Lana.

  “Those trucks… they look kind of like the ones that the SWAT teams use back in my world… but I haven't seen any… heavily armed police the entire time I've been here, just a few regular-looking officers.”

  “Well,” Lana begins, turning to her. “It’s kind of our respondent forced turned up to the extreme. In the movies its more of a giant organization. It’s like how the movies have these holding facilities, we don't actually have ones at that scale. We deal with people who break the law using stuff like therapy, and it usually takes place at their home.” Shari looks back at the screen as the man finishes their speech, watching as a tear runs down Lucas’s face.

  “I don't care!” Lucas shouts, the electricity in their fur growing stronger. “He’s my son! He deserves to know the truth! I don't care what he thinks of me, all I want is for him to know the truth!” All of Lucas’s fists clench, his eyes closing. Shari then looks away at the screen, watching as the front door opens. Maxwell steps through, glancing at her.

  “Shari, can we talk?” he asks, watching as she nods.

  “Yeah, sure,” she replies, turning to Lana, watching as she reaches for the remote. “Can you… thank you,” she adds as Lana pauses the movie. Shari then pulls herself from the couch, turning to Maxwell. Maxwell approaches his room as Shari moves closer. He then pushes the door open, gesturing for her to enter. He follows behind her as she walks into the room, closing the door behind them.

  “Yeah? What do you need?” she asks, sitting down on the chair in the center of the room.

  “I want to ask you a few things… about your world, and ask a favor of you,” he adds, moving towards his bed before sitting down on it. Shari nods, waiting for him to continue. “What year is it in your world?”

  “Hm,” Shari remarks, reaching up and scratching her head. “Well… Last I remember, it was twenty seventy-six… but that was before I came here. That would mean that right now, it’s two thousand eighty-six.” Maxwell nods, glancing in a seemingly random direction.

  “That would mean that your world is more than ten thousand years younger than ours. For us, the year is twelve, sixty-eight, one… twelve sixty-eight three for the world we met that human in.” Shari glances around, taking a slow breath.

  ‘That’s… quite a large difference… I guess. I don't know what this means, though… does this change anything?”

  “Not right now… but this could be important information later… I just wanted to know. I also have a favor to ask of you.”

  “What is it?” Shari replies.

  “I got the turbines working, and power is ready to be turned on for this town. I want you to go through the houses and make sure that the abandoned houses don't have anything turned on that would drain a lot of power, as I need to stress-test it first. I also want you to go tell Amber and Lana this, as I am leaving to get the power started in just a few minutes. Can you do this? You can wait till after the movie is finished, though, as I don't plan to start the power for a few more hours.” Shari nods, turning to the door.

  “Yeah, I can do that. I’ll finish the movie, and then start going through the houses to make sure everything’s off.”

  “And if you forget a thing or two, that’s fine, I just can't have tons of power being used before I get everything tested.” Maxwell watches as Shari nods again, standing up and turning to the door.

  “Alright, I’ll do that, thanks for trusting me.” Maxwell nods before Shari approaches the door, pulling it open and stepping back into the living room. He leans back, taking a deep breath as the door shuts. Shari watches as the credits scroll up on the screen, a slower, emotional song playing. She looks up at the door, pulling herself upright.

  “It was a good movie, maybe tomorrow night we watch twins… or find another one. Maxwell asked me to go through the houses and make sure nothing’s gonna drain the power, and he’s already left to get it set up. He’s got the wind turbines fixed, so he’s ready to turn on the power. Amber looks up at her.

  “Don't… don’t go to the one directly across the street, Danial and Vivian might not be… ready to meet you.” Shari glances out the window, staring at the house across the street before turning to look at Amber.

  “Understood… I’ll leave them be. I’ll be back in a little while. I’ll see you later, maybe tomorrow morning, alright?” Shari adds, approaching the door. Lana stands, stretching as she turns to the closet.

  “Sounds good, I’ll see you whenever you’re back, Shari,” Lana replies, moving towards the closet as Shari leaves the house. Lana pulls open the closet door, reaching inside and pulling out a pair of rolled-up blow-up mattresses. She turns to Amber.

  “Do you still want to do the sleepover?” she asks. Amber nods, glancing at her.

  “Yeah,” he answers, watching as she approaches the center of the living room. He starts to pull himself up, inhaling sharply as he stumbles upright. Lana places the mattresses on the ground, flattening them before grabbing the wires hanging from the back and pulling them towards the outlet on the floor under the couch. Amber lowers to the ground, his hand shaking as he turns to her. She turns back to the mattresses, reaching for them and flicking the small switches, a loud hum emanating from the machines at the foot of the beds.

  “You feeling alright?” Lana asks as she glances at him. Amber turns to her, nodding.

  “Yeah, I’m alright, just a little sore,” he replies, sitting on the floor. “It’ll be nice to do this again… It’s been a while.” Lana nods, watching as the beds start to inflate.

  “It has… about ten years.” She looks back at the beds, taking a slow breath before Amber starts to speak.

  “It’ll be different… without everyone else. But it’ll be nice.”

  “Remember that… the dessert I’ve been saving?”

  “Yeah, you said you’re waiting until we have something to celebrate.” Lana glances at the kitchen, taking a deep breath.

  “I think it’s time… now that Maroon is gone,” She remarks, standing again.

  “Are you sure?” Amber adds as she starts to move towards the kitchen.

  “Yeah, I don't see why not, Maroon’s gone, and we’re hanging out again.” Amber looks down at the beds, his ears twitching as the sound of the freezer opening comes from the kitchen. After a few seconds, he hears the sound of ripping plastic. Lana remains quiet for a few moments before exhaling. “Nevermind… I should have expected this after eight years… It’s way past the expiration date. It’s supposed to be blue… It’s completely green now.” He hears the sound of something being tossed into the trash before Lana exits the kitchen.

  “Well, that’s too bad,” she remarks, approaching Amber before sitting beside him. He watches as the beds continue to inflate, one larger than the other. She and Amber sit there for a little bit as the beds finish inflating, the hum stopping. Lana stands, moving to the larger mattress before dropping down onto it, exhaling. “It’s crazy… Maroon’s finally gone, and once Gorlac is as well, I’ll still have some more work to do.”

  “Yeah,” Amber replies, climbing into the smaller bed, lying down on it, staring at the ceiling. “And then… I have some things I need to figure out.”

  “Like what?” she adds, turning to look at him.

  “I still don't understand these powers… I’ve just been… letting whatever happens happen, because that’s what I need to do, but… what if these powers become dangerous? What if they… For all I know, I could eventually just explode. I want Maxwell to experiment… to run tests on me. I also want… right now, I want to talk with you, about what we’ll do after… because whatever you decide to do, I… want to be there as well.”

  “How come? What about your dream? Have you given up on that?”

  “No… well, maybe, but I… I don't think I’ll be able to process all this alone. All this stuff, other realities, it’s all… crazy. Just a few days ago, we didn't know anything about all this, and now… I’ve just been trying not to think about it. This changes… literally everything. Just imagining an infinite number of people… it’s hard to imagine that every world is as good as ours… especially after everything we’ve seen. Maybe when everything is over… we can go places… explore the… I think they called it the vast. I want to see what worlds are out there… and maybe help people who are less fortunate than us.”

  “ I… like that idea,” Lana replies, watching as he turns to look at her.

  “But, I… don't wanna do it without you. You’re my best friend… you’ve been with me all this time… even when I didn't deserve it.”

  “And I always will be,” she adds, rolling onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. Amber swallows as she looks away from him, a soft smile appearing on his face as he closes his eyes.

  “Thank you…” he mutters, his voice a bit shaky. “That means a lot to me.” He rolls onto his back, looking at the ceiling as well. Lana closes her eyes, taking a slow breath.

  “Whatever you decide to do… I’ll be there for you. I don't care what happens… as long as we’re doing this together, everything will be okay.” A tear runs down Amber’s face as he stares at the ceiling, taking a slow breath.

  “I…” he begins, swallowing to stop himself from crying. “You… being your friend… has gotten me through so much. You mean so much to me…” he closes his eyes, listening as Lana rolls over to look at him.

  “And you mean so much to me, too. We’ve been friends for as long as I can remember, and I’ll always be your friend. Let’s get some sleep, and tomorrow we can get another trial out of the way.” Amber nods, remaining still as his breathing becomes steady. After a little while, he falls asleep, despite not having a blanket, nor a pillow.