Chapter 29: The End
Thomas held the pen in his hand, pointing it at the leader of AK07. He knew it was a desperate move, but he had no other choice.
"This is the device that will get you to your planet," he said, trying to sound confident. "It's a portal generator. It can create a wormhole to any location in the universe. All you have to do is touch it with your bare hand, and it will activate."
The leader of AK07 looked at the pen with curiosity and suspicion. He had never seen anything like it before. He wondered how such a small and simple object could have such a powerful function. He zoomed in his eyes to examine it more closely, but he could not detect any signs of technology or energy.
He glanced at Thomas's face, searching for any hint of deception or fear. But Thomas met his gaze with a calm and steady expression. He seemed to be telling the truth.
The leader of AK07 felt a surge of hope and excitement. He had been searching for a way to return to his home planet for days, ever since he and his crew were stranded on Earth by a malfunctioning of the portal. He missed his planet more than anything.
He wanted to go back.
And now, this human claimed to have the device that could make it happen.
He looked at the pen again, feeling a mix of doubt and desire.
"Are you sure this will work?" he asked Thomas.
"Absolutely," Thomas said. "But you have to trust me. You have to remove your hand armor first."
The leader of AK07 hesitated. His hand armor was part of his suit, which protected him from the harmful effects of Earth's environment and enhanced his physical abilities. It also contained a danger sensor that alerted him of any threats and activated a defensive shield around him.
He did not like the idea of exposing himself to any potential harm.
He scanned the area for any signs of danger. He saw Thomas's friends standing behind him, watching nervously. They were all humans who had joined the resistance against AK07. They were armed with guns and explosives, but they did not seem to pose any immediate threat..
He felt confident that he was in control of the situation.
He decided to take a risk.
He lowered his arm and opened the armor of his hand.
Thomas felt a surge of adrenaline as he saw the exposed bare skin of the leader. He had a crazy idea in his mind, one that he hoped would work. He believed that if two identical people from different worlds came into contact, it would create a paradox that could destroy both realities. He didn't know if it was true, but he was willing to take the risk. He had nothing to lose.
He looked at the leader's face, which was a twisted version of his own. He wondered how different their lives had been, how they had ended up on opposite sides of this war.
He asked the leader if he could touch his hand, which was massive and covered with rings. The leader frowned and asked why. Thomas lied and said it was part of the procedure to activate the device.
The leader was confused, but he didn't question him further. He was too eager to see the device work and open the portal. He extended his hand towards Thomas, who reached out slowly and nervously.
Their fingers touched.
Nothing happened.
Thomas felt a pang of disappointment and fear. He had expected a flash of light, a shockwave, a blast of energy. Something to indicate that his plan had worked. But there was only silence. He looked around and saw the same scene as before: the ruined city, the burning buildings, the dead bodies.
The leader snarled and asked what was going on. He demanded Thomas to start the device or face his wrath. Thomas knew he had failed. He cursed Physics and his own stupidity. He grabbed the pen angrily.
Suddenly, a loud alarm sounded throughout the world. Everyone looked up and saw a red light flashing in the sky. A voice announced that there was a black hole that had appeared near Earth in their solar system. It was growing rapidly and threatening to swallow everything in its path.
Thomas realized that it was caused by his action of touching the leader. He had created a paradox after all, but not in the way he had hoped. Instead of destroying the Earth.
He looked up at the sky, hoping to catch a glimpse of the black hole. He saw a dark spot in the blue, growing larger and larger by the second. It was like a giant eye, staring at them with malice and hunger. It seemed to suck in everything around it, distorting the light and the space. Thomas felt a cold sweat on his forehead, and a sinking feeling in his stomach. He knew it was too late to do anything. He wished he could take back his action, but he knew he couldn't.
The Earth was tearing apart like a piece of paper. The black hole had grown so large that it was devouring everything in its path. Thomas felt a surge of despair as he realized that he was the cause of this catastrophe. He had no hope left, no reason to live. He let go of the ground and let himself be sucked into the abyss.
But someone grabbed his arm and pulled him back. It was the leader of AK07, a planet that had been at war with Earth . His armor had metal spikes that dug into the soil, anchoring him to the planet. He had a fierce look on his face, but also a hint of compassion. He was not willing to give up, even in the face of certain doom.
"Why are you saving me?" Thomas asked, incredulous. "I'm your enemy. I'm the one who caused this."
The leader shook his head. "No, you're not. You're just a human. You made a mistake, like we all do. You don't deserve to die like this."
Thomas felt a pang of guilt and gratitude. He looked into the leader's eyes and saw a reflection of himself. They were both curious, ambitious, and reckless.
The black hole was getting closer and closer. They could see the stars disappearing one by one. The leader tightened his grip on Thomas's arm.
"Listen to me," he said. "I don't know what's going to happen next, but I want you to know something. You're not alone. We're in this together."
Thomas felt a glimmer of hope in his chest. He nodded and smiled weakly.
"Thank you," he said.
They held each other's gaze as they entered the black hole.
Everything went dark.
They felt no pain.
They felt nothing at all.
Then Thomas opened his eyes.
He was back in his lab.
He blinked in confusion.
He looked around and saw his assistant sitting in the other room, ignoring him.
He looked down at his table and saw a file labelled Nexusgate.
It was incomplete.
He had not finished building the device yet.
He had not activated it yet.
He had not destroyed the world yet.
It was all a dream.
A vivid, realistic, terrifying dream.
He could not believe it.
He checked his phone and saw the date.
He was months behind.
He had time traveled in his sleep.
Or had he?
At the same time, on another planet, the leader of AK07 woke up on his bed.
He felt a surge of joy as he saw his people alive and well.
He got up and walked outside.
He saw his soldiers preparing for an attack on Earth.
They had not launched it yet.
They had not started the war yet.
They had not met their doom yet.
It was all a dream.
A vivid, realistic, terrifying dream.
He could not believe it either.
Thomas approached his assistant, who was busy typing on his computer. He cleared his throat and asked, "Did you remember anything? Anything at all?"
His assistant looked up at him with a puzzled expression. "Remember what, sir?" he asked.
Thomas felt a pang of disappointment. He had hoped that his assistant would somehow retain some memories. But it seemed that the universe had erased everything from his mind, just like it had erased everything else. He wondered if his assistant still cared about him, or if he was just another stranger to him now.
The universe. Thomas shuddered as he thought about the mysterious and powerful force that governed all existence. He had learned the hard way that the universe was not something to be trifled with. It had the ability to manipulate space and time, the fourth dimension, to prevent paradoxes from occurring. It had done so by altering the location of the Nexusgate, linking it to a different dimension than the one they had intended to visit. It had also done so by resetting everything back to normal before the paradoxes began, erasing all traces of their interference in other worlds.
Thomas realized how dangerous and unpredictable the universe was, but he also felt a sense of relief that everyone was safe now. He walked back to his desk and saw the file labeled Nexusgate, he ripped the pages and put it inside the trash. He also deleted the files on his computer about the Nexusgate and emptied the recycle bin. He hoped that no one would ever create a device like this again. He hoped that no one would ever challenge the universe again. He felt a mix of sadness and gratitude for the experiences he had gone through, even if they were gone forever.
He sighed and leaned back on his chair. It was over. It had finally ended.