Chapter 16 - Returned

The day started out like any other; dark and warm. The only light in the room was the flash of the alarm-clock, light emitting from underneath the baseball cap over top of it, as it blared the local rock radio station, some older metal band’s song crackling out of the old speakers. Out of instinct born of nearly four years of the same old routine, James Cooper sat up and flicked the green switch on the face of his clock, turning it off. The music silenced and the flashing stopped. Groggily James swung his legs over the side of his bed, groaning at the effort. He stretched, futilely trying to wake up. It only caused him to yawn and he resisted the overwhelming urge to lie down and go right back to sleep.

He rose and exited his room, passing through the doorway, sliding door already open, into the dark dining room. He cut through the room, past the nearly one hundred year old table, into the living room only about five short steps away. He rounded the green swivel chair and passed in front of the cream colored couch to the tall black lamp. He turned the dial to the lowest setting, dim suddenly flooding the room, but he still ended up squinting as he returned to the kitchen.

A set of luminescent eyes looked up at him and immediately the owner of those eyes began to purr loudly. The black and white form of the family cat, Billy, rose from his curled position on the couch and stretched out.

“Hullo, Bill,” James mumbled at the cat. He stopped and scratched the animal’s head for a few minutes before continuing on. Bill curled up again and fell asleep.

Passing through the dining room, and then into the adjacent kitchen, James walked over to the twelve cup coffee maker and began to make his usual morning coffee. He popped the lid of the tin of coffee grounds, the aroma of the precious grounds filling his nostrils. There was something different about them, something that James could quite place. He lifted the can, examining the brand. Red cursive style writing met his eyes and he smiled. It was Tim Hortons coffee.

He scooped the grounds and then poured the water, filling it to the ‘5’, preparing to make enough coffee for two cups. He might as well enjoy the little taste of home while it was there. He pushed the button to start the coffee maker and walked over to the white pantry. He grabbed the box of Mini Wheats with one hand while opening the fridge with the other. He took out the jug of milk and turned to go to the table, closing the fridge with his foot. He got a bowl and spoon as soon as he set the milk and cereal on the table and started to combine the two into a delicious breakfast. He did not grumble or complain, just happy to be back, tucked safely away in his little corner of the Omniverse.

As he ate his thoughts traveled unbidden to the memories of his little adventure into another universe. He missed his friends there, and he began to wonder anew what Sketch had meant. In fact, he began to wonder how he’d ended up in his house in Arizona at all, and what day it was. He drained the milk from his bowl and rinsed it in the sink. He walked over to the calendar, running his finger across the crossed out days until he came to a blank one. It was February twenty-fifth, 2007. According to this, he never left. The past month, as far as his universe was concerned, never happened. He sighed. At least he wouldn’t have to explain his disappearance to his parents.

James suddenly turned around sharply as he heard a shuffle from behind him. A grey and black clad figure, blond hair sticking out wildly from under his baseball cap, stood just behind the kitchen table, arms folded across his chest, his signature pose. Sketch pulled off his sunglasses, hanging them on the neck of his long-sleeved shirt revealing the black t-shirt underneath.

“I was able to pull a few strings on the Council,” Sketch began, moving around the table and nodding at the calendar, “And was able to send everyone back to the morning before things went crazy. And, for their sakes, I suppressed all of the memories of the merged universe… as far as they know today is just the next day in their lives.”

“That’s probably best, I guess,” James agreed. “So, why’d you leave my memory intact?” Sketch shrugged.

“I just figured you’d be able to appreciate the look into the what-could-have-been that the merged universe presented,” the Guardian explained. James nodded and stood quietly for a minute. Suddenly he looked up to Sketch, giving him a questioning look.

“Sketch, what did you mean when you told me that that universe wasn’t going to continue to exist?” Sketch was speechless for a few seconds, as if not quite anticipating the question. He looked down for a minute and then spoke.

“The universe that you spent the last month in was not actually a universe, per se. When Jar tor Ell used Jeremy Grey’s suppressed time travel powers to go back in time, he somehow caused two universes to merge together. It created a universe with traits from both universes. And the merge would have been complete and permanent too, had all the conditions been right. They weren’t though. There was one factor that was taken out of the picture when Jar opened the rift in space/time that sent him back.” Sketch paused, letting James draw his own conclusion.

“Me,” James finally said, shaking his head.

“’Xactly! Because you were no longer present in this universe when it merged, it caused the resulting universe to become unstable, allowing for the ‘refugees’ to cross over from the old universes; Alex, your team, Andrew and his team, and the hundreds of others.”

“So, wouldn’t the universes have eventually split off from the instability?” James asked.

“I don’t know. This is the first case that the Council has ever encountered of two universes merging at such an instable level. In theory, yes, the universes would have eventually corrected themselves… but that’s all it is; a theory.” Sketch stopped to let the information sink in. He glanced around the kitchen, his eyes flashing slightly as he recognized some of the items in the room. He ran his hand over the one hundred year old wooden table.

“I remember this table. My dad inherited it from his parents when he moved out,” Sketch drifted into his own memories as he stared at the table. After a few moments he looked up at James, and he felt as if he was looking into a mirror.

“Believe me; if could, I would have saved the merged universe,” Sketch explained. He sighed and continued, “But there was really nothing I could do. I was faced with a difficult choice. It was either stabilize that universe and destroy the original two, or save the two resulting in the loss of the third. The choice was obvious.” James nodded. He knew his original anger was misplaced, that Sketch did what he could. James couldn’t ask for more.

“Yeah, I understand.” James patted Sketch on the shoulder. “You did your best. That’s all anyone could ask for. That’s all that matters.” The eighteen-year-old Guardian nodded.

“Thanks,” Sketch said. He paused for a moment and then continued.

“Anyway I got to go. I’ve got a Multiverse to look after.” He turned to walk away, but stopped. He turned back around. “By the way, I hope you enjoy the coffee.” With that he disappeared. No flashy effects, no slowly fading away; just there one minute, not there the next.

James smiled as he stared at the spot Sketch had been. His life might not be what he wanted it to be, but at least he had his friends and family. He couldn’t ask for more, not after what he’d seen.

He turned to the phone and picked it up. With a beep he accessed the caller ID and scanned through the numbers saved there. Suddenly he stopped, seeing the number he wanted. He held the phone there, pondering whither to call or not. It had been a while since they’d talked; too long maybe. What if she didn’t want to talk to him? What if… He ended the thought abruptly. There were a zillion what-ifs that he could ponder and none of them able to bring him any closer to a decision. So, taking a deep breath, he made one.

He hit the talk button and with a beep the phone automatically dialed the number. It rang twice before anyone answered. Suddenly the phone picked up and a tired voice spoke on the other end.

“Hello?” said the voice. The familiar voice brought a smile to James’ face and he remembered that very same voice in his mind pushing him on. James, don’t give up on the ‘me’ of your universe just yet, okay?

Okay.

“Hey, Rochelle; its James…”