Tim:

“Hi Rod. There is something I need to ask of you,” I say. Rodger chuckles at that.

“As long as I can do it while in a bed, then I’ll help,” he shifts in the bed, and props himself up. I place a pillow beneath his head.

“You have to keep Wei in here, while we are transported to a safe place,” Rodger furrows his eyebrows at me.

“I thought that we are safe in here,” he says. I shake my head.

“There is a big possibility that Gorgon can strike here, in New Ursula 590. We can’t endanger the people here, Rod. You, of all people, must understand this,” he looks torn at that.

“Wei won’t go willingly,” he says, I nod. I figured as much, by myself. “We haven’t been married for a month, and already I must lie to him.”

“I know it will be hard on you. If you distract Wei, I can turn off all the screens in the crystal. Wei won’t notice, when Tony takes his crystal in the rocket,” Rodger chuckles, at the last part.

“So, Tony is not only an emotion thief. He is also a smuggler now?” Put like that, Tony does sound like a shady character. Yet, my father has never hurt anyone. At least, as far as I know.

“So, will you help?” I ask Rodger. His response is him reaching out towards his phone. When he takes it, he dials Wei, and then places the call in hologram mode.

“Wei, dear, I know you have an important meeting, but can you come over here? I need you to kiss me so that I won’t feel lonely,” I can see that Wei really wants to snap at Rodger. His nerves must be at an end. Yet, his inner conflict seems to be over as soon as it began. His eyes soften, and he nods.

“Everyone, we will speak about our plan going forward after this,” Wei then turns off the phone call. Rodger looks at me.

“Where are we going, Timmy? Please don’t say a rock in the middle of a galaxy without solar systems,” I sigh then.

“Look, I trust Tony when he says that no one goes there. He called the place the edge of the New Cosmos. And no, there is no star, or even a moon, where we are going,” Rodger seems to wilt at that. Then, he claps his hands.

“I will create them, then. I have been getting the hang of the entire terraforming thing,” this surprises me. Just when did Rod have the time to practice?

“Well, I...” I am interrupted, when Wei comes inside the hospital room. He is carrying a basket in his hands. A bottle pokes out of the lid.

“Picnic in the sheets?” Rodger teases his husband. Wei blinks, when he sees me. During the call, I stayed away from the phone. Maybe, it would have been best, if I have left the room before Wei came in here.

“Timmy, about what you did. For me, for all of us, really,” Wei bites his lower lip. I wait for him to tell me that I should go out of the crystal, and forget about him. He is a nice guy. Never ever harmed anyone. So, I’d understand such a reaction coming from him.

“I’d do it again, in a heartbeat. You are my friend, Wei. A fellow dungeon core. I will always have your back, and Sandy’s as well,” I stand there, waiting for his verdict. He smiles then.

“I am glad that I have a friend who thinks so highly of my life,” Wei says, and then takes something out of the basket. “This will help you sober up. Just know, that if you are about to do something drastic again, I’d like to know.”

“So, you can stop me?” I ask him, still worrying my bottom lip.

“So, I can help. The situation we are in, calls for drastic measures. Nothing escapes me in my mind palace. I know that you spoke with Tony about what we should do next. What is his plan? And don’t you lie to me,” Wei says.

I watch him. He is still in a suit, but this one is blue, with black motives. Instead of a tie, there are a pair of sunglasses resting on his shirt’s collar. Which is ironic, seeing as we are heading towards a chunk of a rock in the cosmos. I ponder on how he would take both Rodger and I going behind his back. Yet, Rodger makes the decision for the two of us.

“I can’t do this. Sorry, Timmy. We are all going to stage our deaths, Wei. Skip through wormholes, until we end up at the very edge of the New Cosmos, if such a thing exists,” Wei looks first at Rodger, then at me.

“I see,” he says, as he places the basket on the bedside table. He takes the bottle he was offering me again, and comes to me. Placing it in my wax hands, he closes my fingers around it. “Then we must stage our deaths properly.”

“You are going along with this?” I ask Wei. He nods.

“Few people will chase after us, once they found my cracked crystal,” I begin to shake my head, but Wei keeps on talking. “Relax, Timmy. It will be just a replica.”

“And what of all the people who are going to have to stay in the crystal for First Core knows how long?” I ask the older dungeon core.

“I am the Supreme Overlord,” Wei says, with all the authority that comes with the title. “Their safety falls in my hands. Now, go and speak with Nathaniel. He can’t be allowed to leave, while we are on the move. He will get lost in the Cosmos.”

“He doesn’t want to see me,” I say. Wei pats me on the head.

“Which is the only reason you need, to be there for him. He is outraged, but will see that you only wanted to protect everyone. That said, you are ending up reprogrammed, Timmy,” I open my mouth to argue, but Wei just pats me on the head some more. “Not with a chip in your brain, but with a dungeon contract. I am selfish, Timmy. And you are strong enough to make sure that we survive this.”

A screen appears before me. There, in bold red letters, it states that I will go in a coma, if I do something to harm Wei. I look at him, with something like betrayal in my eyes.

“You don’t trust me?” I ask him.

“This is just for show,” Wei says, as he busies himself with taking out the food from the basket. “Something that you can show Nathaniel. To calm him down.”

Put that way, it does sound like a deal that I should take. I don’t have time to ponder on these things. I must act. With a heavy heart, I sign away my freedom. Hopefully, this safety net will save my marriage.