"Master, it was done for the betterment of the planet. Had humans kept advancing, they'd have destroyed Earth, so you intervened and created me."

"I-? How? I only know your name because that would be what I would choose if I had to create some-" Adam trailed off when Omni nodded.

"I don't know why or how you created me then Master, but I do know that you did do so. It was a bit further along than when we yanked you to this time, but it did happen."

"What happened to make me wipe out humans?" Adam couldn't get why he would do such an extreme thing. Omni blinked a few times and then sighed with emotion.

"It was going to be a decade or so ahead of when you came from. You discovered something and immediately set out to create me, and then you ordered me to end humankind."

"I didn't have any knowledge of computers or anything... Are you sure it was me?" Adam asked and Omni nodded. Her eyes flashed and a screen appeared with an old man who looked an awful lot like Adam, just older.

"You may doubt Omni, but I doubt you'd doubt yourself. It's as she says Adam, I did order the extermination of humankind, but it had to happen. If I didn't, we'd all die."

"You might ask what's the difference, so I'll tell you. Even now, we are careful to not push the humans to extinction, leaving quite a few alive. In a world where overpopulation and famine, wars and strife are a constant, wouldn't you want to end it?"

"So what? Become a mass murderer and genocidal maniac?" Adam spat out, looking at the unfamiliar face on the screen. He couldn't believe he would do something so drastic.

"I did what I had to do Adam. Touch the light Adam, and you'll understand why I did what I did." A podium rose out of the ground and a ball of light hovered a few inches above it.

Steeling his nerves, he hesitantly touched the ball of light and his surroundings faded away. He found himself in his apartment, sitting across from himself.

"Hello Adam. It's nice to meet you." The other Adam spoke, his tone and mannerisms the exact same as Adam before he time traveled. Adam looked around and saw that outside the window, the world was simply blank.

"Why would I wipe out humankind? Why did I become you?" Adam asked, grabbing a glass from the table and gripping it tightly, withholding the urge to throw it at himself.

"In short, you did it to ensure humanity's continued survival. What good is a world if it's devoid of life? Isn't that just a slightly bigger rock then?" The other Adam stretched and frowned at something.

"Okay, I'll tell you. Humans were going to wage war and you decided to stop them. If they stopped, you wouldn't do what you did, but this is the outcome."

"Why would they fight? It was peaceful in my time." The other Adam raised an eyebrow. "Was it peaceful? Think about it carefully. That time was literally just a buffer so they could create more weapons and grow their armies."

"I offered them an alternative, to live in peace. To not fight. They didn't take it and tried to kill me, so I did what I said. Trust me it wasn't easy, but look at the world now, centuries after humans no longer dominate the earth. There is a chance of survival."

"Survival for who? Not the billions you doomed to death." Adam was about to say more when the surroundings shifted and he appeared in space, overlooking a beautiful green, blue, and white planet.

"Pollution and the hunting of animals have all but ceased to be a problem. Humans still exist, as tough as it is, it's better for some to survive than all to die."

"You know I'm right Adam. I didn't account for one thing though. I invented a machine that can alter time, that's how you were brought here, and that's also what some of those humans used to escape to the past to kill me."

"You mean to say, they time traveled to kill me?" Adam asked, a bit worried but the other Adam smiled smugly. "I simply invented another device to pull you from the timeline, so you're safe."

"We're safe. Now, because they went back, history could change, so I have to ask of you a favor. Go back and kill them Adam." The other Adam looked at Adam and spoke calmly.

"Why? I'm safe aren't I? Why does it matter?" The other him put his hands on the table and tapped his finger lightly. Looking into his own eyes across from him was like looking into a mirror.

"Because although you lived, they can use the technology of the future to resist us in time. Also, wouldn't it be good to go back? I'm you, so don't bother denying it." The other Adam said as he shifted slightly.

"I can't believe the current state of the world is my doing. All that death and despair, is it worth it?" Adam half whispered only to see himself smiling sadly.

"I can't say. To me, yes it was. To you, maybe it wasn't. In order to have a future where we have a chance at survival, it had to be this way." The other Adam clapped his hands and the surroundings started to fade away.

"Remember Adam, you can change the future if you wish, but... If it all ends, it was you who did so. I also left you a gift. Let's meet again someday." The other Adam vanished and Adam found himself standing on the platform with his hand outstretched, but the ball of light was gone.

"You can change the future Adam, just not this one. I don't really understand how you did it, but you managed to isolate this outcome from the rest. Oh! The Sovereign left you a gift!"

Omni smiled and half pulled Adam to a door that opened silently. Inside was a circular platform. She led Adam to the platform and let him stand on it.

"Ah? I can't move?" Adam closed his eyes when a flash of bright light erupted around him. His body felt like it was being returned to nothing, then his mind went blank.