Marcus woke up with a horrible headache.
His skull felt like it was splitting open. His stomach was a mess. He hurried to the bathroom to throw up but there was nothing to throw up.
Irene rushed up to him. "Marcus are you alright?" She handed him a glass of water.
Marcus drank a couple of sips. "Now I am back to Marcus again?" He forced a smile.
"Well he left yesterday. Is that why you have been so tense since yesterday?"
Marcus nodded. "This is it Irene..." He got up and hugged her. "He might die. Tom might die..." He gulped. "My friends and family... they could all die..."
He tried his hardest to block the headache. The throbbing behind his eyes. The weight of two lives pressing down on him.
"And today when I sleep I will be thinking I can help. But I will just be watching."
Irene leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. "You did everything you could. Both for his world and for him."
She took his hand. "Come. Let's make breakfast."
Marcus forced a smile and walked with her to the kitchen. Tyler was there, sleepless. He was trying to make a sandwich but his hands were shaking with exhaustion and excitement.
"Tyler you didn't sleep?"
Tyler only noticed them after the question. He looked tired but incredibly energetic at the same time. His eyes were bloodshot but bright.
"Broo..." He was waving the poorly made sandwich. "I was busy... yeah I skipped..."
"What is going on?" Marcus asked.
"You know the idea of producing the Tech Seed? I talked with my audience and everyone was interested. A couple of them said they have money to buy one if it gets made. So I was awake all night making the Kickstarter page."
"It's good you're excited but get some sleep, alright?" Marcus patted his shoulder. "You don't want to skip school and your streams."
"Yeah correct." Tyler headed to his room. "Good morning to you lovebirds. I will be sleeping the whole day..."
After Tyler left, Marcus and Irene started their breakfast and work date. They ate together. Took their orders. Answered their emails. The routine was soothing. Normal.
It was going great.
But in the back of his mind Marcus couldn't stop worrying about his counterpart. About the war being fought on a world light-years away.
A phone rang.
Marcus looked up and noticed it was his phone. The caller was Mr. Hudson.
"Hello Mr. Hudson."
"Hi Marcus. Is it possible you come by my office?"
"Sure. What is this about?"
"Please come alone. I..." He stopped for a couple seconds. "It is important."
"Sure." Marcus was surprised but he had time for his business associate. Making deals and keeping a business afloat required social skills. Keeping people around you happy. An important lesson he had learned from Aldric.
When he closed the phone and got up, Irene was looking at him with questioning eyes.
"Mr. Hudson wants to meet in his office."
"Why?"
"I don't know. He said it's important. Are you okay alone? We have frozen pizza in the freezer."
"Marcus don't start. I am okay. I feel amazing actually." She smiled.
"Okay beauty. If you say so." He leaned to her and kissed her and waved goodbye.
He took Irene's car and drove to Mr. Hudson's office. But his thoughts flooded his mind the whole way. The other world. The worry. It was too much. Without noticing he arrived at the facility.
When he entered the office Marcus was shocked.
John Pressley was there. He and Mr. Hudson were laughing together like old friends.
"Ahhh Marcus, welcome! I was chatting with my old friend. Please sit." Mr. Hudson showed him the third chair in the office.
"Welcome Marcus." John Pressley nodded.
Marcus removed his jacket and sat down with a puzzled face. "What is this?"
Mr. Hudson was still giddy from whatever they had been discussing when Marcus entered. "Nothing, nothing. Just melting the ice."
"It is not an ambush Marcus." John said, turning to him. "I wanted to apologize and make it up..." He was gesturing and trying to form sentences but failing.
"Long story short Marcus." Mr. Hudson waved his hand. "You are a smart kid. My friend here is a little old school, alright? So he failed at connecting with his daughter. But he wants another chance."
"Sir..." Marcus started.
"Wait." John stopped him. "When you two came back again I acted like a jerk. Again. I am understanding now. You needed me and I tried to take advantage. And once again I tried to buy my daughter's love and respect."
"Sir..." Marcus tried again.
Again John stopped him. "Sorry. I just want to say I want to..." He bowed his head. "...connect with my daughter again. I don't care if I have to beg you..."
"Hey... John." Mr. Hudson tried to stop him. But John's eyes had watered. He raised his hand and stopped him.
Marcus's phone rang. He squeezed it off through his pants.
"Give me another chance." John continued. "I underestimated you. I thought you were a lost kid without any aim in life. Yet you showed me not only were you more mature than me but you have more ambition than me."
"Sir... I will say it again. I am not angry with you. Not for anything against me or for your behavior toward Irene. I can't vouch for Irene's feelings but in time we can fix your relationship with her. You just need to do one thing."
Marcus's phone rang again. He squeezed it off through his pants.
"Tell me. I'll do anything."
"Time. Be there for her."
His phone rang again. He pulled it out and saw Irene calling.
"Irene? Did something happen?"
But the voice from the other side came crying. "Marcus... Alex is at the door... Please come..."
Then a cracking noise came from the phone.
And the call cut off.
"No." Marcus whispered.
His face went white.
John Pressley was already on his feet. "What happened?"
"Alex." It was the only word Marcus could manage.
"What about him?" John asked.
"Did you really fire him?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Irene just called. Alex was at the door. And then the phone cut."
Marcus was panicking. He stood up. Sat down. Stood up again. His hands were shaking as he tried to call Irene back.
No answer.
"Call the cops Marcus!" Mr. Hudson shouted.
"No." John stopped him. "Alex is unstable. We should go to the house. I can convince him."
"Are you still protecting him?" Marcus raised his voice.
"No. He can do stupid things under pressure. I don't want him hurting Irene. After we get her out..." He squeezed his fist. "I'll kill him."
Marcus and John rushed out. "Let's drive together. Get in Marcus." John pointed at his truck.
Marcus was busy trying to gather his thoughts. All his mental and physical training seemed to be blowing away in the wind.
Get it together Marcus, he told himself. It's just Alex. You're facing god knows what on the other side. This is nothing.
He slapped his face with both hands. Hard.
Mr. Pressley drove the car rapidly through traffic. "Are you okay son?"
"Yeah. Yeah. I'm getting over the shock."
"You stay in the car. I'll deal with Alex."
"No. Of course not. Do you have a handgun in this car?" Marcus asked.
"I said I'll deal with him."
"You said you respected me. I won't sit in the car." Marcus was shouting now.
John sighed. "There." He pointed. "Open the glove compartment and pull the bag behind it."
Marcus opened it. Pulled out the gun. Checked the ammo. Made sure the safety was off.
Then he remembered Tyler was at the house.
He started calling him. On the third ring Tyler picked up.
"What is it Marcus?"
"What do you mean what is it? Alex, the crazy employee, is raiding the house! How are you still asleep?"
"What?" A pause of a couple seconds.
"Tyler! Tyler are you there?"
"I took a pill. I didn't hear anything." Another pause. "He is actually in the common room with... MARCUS HE HAS A GUN!"
Marcus's blood turned to ice.
"He didn't shoot Irene, right?"
Silence on the other end.
"TYLER!"
"She's alive. She's tied up. Marcus, he's walking toward me. Marcus, I don't know what to—"
The line went dead.
John floored the accelerator.
The truck roared down the street.
Marcus gripped the handgun so tight his knuckles went white.
Please, he thought. Please let them be okay.
On another world, his counterpart was bleeding in the dirt.
On this world, the people he loved were in danger.
And Marcus Chen could only be in one place at a time.
