After escaping the losing battle with the help of Mirai, we manage to sneak into a small, abandoned cabin, maybe at most ten metres square. Mirai seals all of the doors and sets up a barrier to deflect any signals toward the cabin. Then, we sit down in the centre of the room. We take out the protective suit.
- What time is it up there, Mirai?
- Late afternoon. About six o'clock.
Now that she says it, sudden exhaustion strikes my body, quickly spreading throughout my body. I have been staying awake for quite a long time, and it is only now that the effect kicks in.
- How long have I been running around?
- Three hours. I am impressed that you can last for that long. And thanks to that I can finish the hacking. No Intruders are around.
- Lucky. I almost get killed.
- And you must thank the fact that I have encountered this type of Intruder before.
Mirai takes out a bullet that resembles a metallic needle, with a blue liquid inside.
- What is that? - I ask.
- A specialised venom that only targets any Intruders with a breakthrough ability. The liquid inside temporarily paralyses them and reverses the breakthrough ability. However, it does not mean that after the injection, the Intruder is harmless in any way. That is why I need you to run away. Luck may not be on our side like that time.
- Oh...
- Then, after I finish cracking down and breaching their whole system, my priority is to help you, and as I expected, I caught you in an almost impossible scenario to escape. But then, you know the rest. That boss is the type that I can deal with.
- Then you shot him?
- Yep. I find high ground and get my railgun ready. I just wait until the time is perfect, then send you the list of instructions and shoot. The needle hits its vein, so the liquid takes less time to affect him.
So miraculous that I start to doubt whether this is just a dream, or I am still alive.
- Now, let's recharge your energy. Food or nutrition dose? - Mirai shows a can of food in her right hand and a syringe of essential nutritional liquid.
- Food, of course. - I grab the can of food without any second thought.
In the light of the cabin coming from the only lamp Mirai places on the floor, I devour my food like a predator animal left hungry for days. And to clarify, the can of food is also a product of Mirai to make sure that I do not regress into my obese-inducive and sedentary lifestyle. On the other hand, Mirai is doing checks on the suits and her vitals.
After I gobble up all of the food and make a satisfying burp, I wait for the food to be ingested before I can go to sleep. I talk to Mirai.
- Well, I know that you come from the future, and I do not dismiss the idea of time travelling as a person of science. But, can you help clarify, how has the timeline been affected?
Mirai puts the suit on the floor and turns to me.
- Yep, no problem. So first, you are fully aware that the future would not change, aren't you?
- Yea. I have read sufficient books to know that. The timeline only deviates into another branch, right?
- Correct. But there are things that until 2050, humanity has not fully understood about time travelling.
- Such as?
- First, whenever something is sent back to the past or the future, such actions open up a gate called a Time Fracture. With a proper coordination process, the item enters the time fracture, travels down the space-time fabric, and finally, exits the Time Fracture and arrives at a specific location and era different from before.
I nod in agreement. Although not fully proven, I am aware that such concepts exist.
- But then you know, a time fracture is like a wound, and whenever a wound is inflicted, blood flows out. This is when the timeline deviates. And with two Time Fractures linking a period, at least within the period, a new branch of the timeline grows from the main timeline tree.
- Wait, so does this theory imply that in the end, all timelines will converge into the main timeline again?
- Supposedly. However, since we cannot experience multiple timelines at once, the conjecture can never be proven. It is what it is.
I slowly digest the information, like how my stomach digests the last bits of food inside.
- Wait, one more thing. When the Intruders attack me on the first day, why do they disappear?
- Here comes the second point. I use a wound as an analogy for a specific reason. What happens to the wounds in the long term?
- They heal?
- Yes. Whenever there is a Time Fracture, the timeline will attempt to correct the fracture by closing it. That is why most time-traverse deliveries are harmless because when the calculated consequences are not severe, the fracture closes rapidly, and it is as if there is no deviation in the timeline at all. Examples are when you send a letter to the past to inform yourself of the answer to the exam tomorrow. At most, you pass the exam, but there are no consequences. But our case is entirely different.
- I can imagine the two distinct outcomes...
- Yep. This action completely changes the course of humanity and the Intruder empire. In the flow of time, unaffected by massive bodies, it takes an eternity to close the Time Fracture, but on Earth, you see the Intruders immediately disappearing after five minutes. At that moment, I sigh in relief, because I know that the timeline branch has changed.
- Although you are just a tablet then?
- Stop being so strict with my word choices. And this tablet has a proper name, the Codex. It means an ancient book that contains the endeavour of humanity then. - Mirai starts pouting and hits my back rapidly with her fists.
Oh, yea, I have almost forgotten that this tablet has a name. Well, I would just name it in whatever way I feel comfortable.
That conversation is as good as a lullaby, and after I stop feeling full, my eyes feel heavy enough to force themselves closed. I take out the blanket from the hotel that I have sneaked in before we leave, lay it down and sleep.
In my subconsciousness, I feel my head placed on a soft object. I barely hear some whispers, before my mind completely shuts down from the exhaustion before.
- Enjoy this new modification I made. With the new motor and connector system, the size of the necessary frame to maintain my weight on my legs has plunged to exactly the size of human bones, and thus I replace the cover of my legs with synthetic muscle-like material. At the expense of near-invulnerability, this modification is specifically designed just for your health. Now, have a good sleep on my new lap.
The lights are turned off. The threat of being exposed can be left aside, at least until tomorrow.
__________
- Good morning, sir. Is there anything that I can help you with today?
Currently, the applied science department of the University of New South Wales is receiving some visitors. Or to be more exact, some people in military uniform, with weapons attached to their sides, are standing in front of the Head of the Department room.
- Hi, we are from the Australian Defence Force. Our radar detects a small explosion in one of your collaboration sites, the Huntly Mine. The explosion may pose some hazards to both the mine personnel and the staff of this university working here, so, please allow us to place some surveillance measures around the university compound and the mine, in case another explosion occurs.
- Well, I do not know how these measures help, but let me consult with the board of directors before I can permit you. Meanwhile, I hope you can wait.
- No problem. Thanks for your cooperation, sir.
After exchanging handshakes, the two military personnel leaves. The emblem showing a wounded pigeon wing shielding the globe shines in the light, as they walk away.
- Wow, since then did the Australian Defence Force change its symbol? Never mind, it may just be a specific division.
The head of the department notices something, but he brushes the thought off. He has lots of work to do.
After leaving the building, the two people get into a car. The car moves out of the university compound, and they tune in to communicate with their higher-ups.
- Report to Lieutenant Colonel. This is the Counter-Extraterrestrial Association, Australian division, unit 1, squadron 4. We have deployed our people across the Huntly Mine and the university to track the third-party mingling among these people. Waiting for further instructions.
They receive a laugh of contentment.
- Good job! I have noticed something odd about this event. This is the only knot that we need to untangle before reaching the end of the secret. Continue to increase surveillance, and do not let even an ant make it through unnoticed.
- Yes, sir.
The radio communication is shut.
In a branch located somewhere in Asia, Lieutenant Colonel still cannot control his joy after discovering such a breakthrough. The clues are spoon-fed to him, chunk by chunk, in this mine of information in and around Asia. After countless days of hard work, fixing his eyes on the dancing numbers sent by multiple satellites, anomalies finally pop up, and it all comes to this moment. The higher-ups have granted him this opportunity, and he will follow it until the end of the world.