Parallel Predicaments

14

The gunshot echoed, leaving silence in its wake.

Opening my eyes, I saw the woman, my doppelgänger, collapsed before me. Her body gradually dissipated like disintegrating particles. Nearby, Officer Lee stood with his gun, stunned by the disappearing corpse.

"Officer Lee, how did you..." My vision blurred before I could finish, and I lost consciousness.

When I awoke, I was in an ambulance, with Officer Lee and a paramedic by my side. Grateful for his timely intervention, I inquired, "Officer Lee, how come you were there?"

He explained, "I've been tracking you these past few days. Seeing you enter the tunnel, I found it odd and followed, not expecting to encounter such a situation."

"Tracking me? So you suspected me all along?"

Officer Lee offered an awkward smile, "Sorry, it's just part of the job. I hope you understand. Though, I think I saw someone in the tunnel, but my memory is hazy." It seemed memories unrelated to future events were reset.

He then handed me an object, "Is this yours? Found it in the tunnel."

It was the transparent chip—the core of the quantum device.

After hospital checks, I was admitted with a broken leg but otherwise unharmed.

That evening, I studied the chip, wishing Sheldon were here to decipher its workings. The thought saddened me, pondering over future Nami's plight without Sheldon, knowing she must have seen everything through updated memories. Her love for Sheldon made this loss unimaginable.

Distracted by these thoughts, tears fell anew. As I placed the chip on the table, my phone rang. Beside it, the chip flickered with blue light. The caller ID was empty. Could it be future Nami?

I answered hastily, "I'm sorry about Sheldon. I couldn't stop it. Are you okay?"

"Odd, I was calling Coco. Who's this?" the voice on the other end asked.

"I'm Nami, from 2024. Don't you remember?"

"You're saying you're me from ten years ago? How's that possible? Isn't this a crossed line?"

Her voice and tone were unmistakably future Nami's, but she didn't recall me. Mentioning Coco indicated she was still alive in her timeline.

"Wait, what's the date there?" I asked urgently.

"Today's March 17, 2034."

March 17, a day before Coco's murder in my timeline, but here it was April 19. This call had crossed a month's gap.

Recalling future Nami's first words to me, I firmly said, "Nami, you must believe me. Tomorrow at noon, dial your number. You'll reach 2024's you. Tell her Coco will die on March 18 at 10:40 PM at her home. Warn her not to chase the man in black. This time, we must succeed!"