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Isaac looked at himself in the living room mirror as he struggled with his light blue tie. His fingernails, painted a bright pink, stood in stark contrast with the tie and darker blue suit jacket.
In his reflection, he could see Penny enter the room, wearing a dark green suit herself. “Still at it, huh?”
“Hey, Doctor Mayhem didn’t wear ties, and neither does Dr. Marquez. I’m out of practice,” he grumbled.
“I still can’t believe you wore a clip-on when you got the Nobel Prize. Here, let me help you. Miss Doe wore them semi-frequently. And I wear them, too.” She winked and started properly tying the tie. “Got to say, I love the nails.”
Isaac smiled. “She insisted on it,” he said, referring to his and Penny’s adoptive child.
“I’m more partial to green myself.” When Penny finished with the tie, she leaned towards him. “Now, how about a tip?”
Isaac planted a gentle kiss on her lips. “I was thinking, later…?”
“We finally finish that Monopoly game?” she said.
“You’ll rue the day you took the Scottie dog piece away from me, leaving me with the worst game piece of all time—the thimble!” he joked.
“Uh oh, rant alert! You are a nerd.”
“No, really?” He pretended to look shocked. “Really? The geneticist and biochemist is a nerd?”
Their kid peeked in and rolled her eyes. She held an equally annoyed Gibson. “Mom, Dad, can we please go? We’re going to be late.”
“Can’t believe I’m missing a raid to watch two humans flirt,” Gibson complained.
“Your two favorite humans flirt,” Penny corrected.
“Nah, your kid’s my favorite human,” Gibson said, and the child grinned and scratched behind Gibson’s ear. The cat purred.
“What? She’s your favorite now?” Penny pouted, looking actually bummed. “Well, it was bound to happen eventually.”
“Okay, okay, we are wasting time now. To my subcompact hatchback we go,” Isaac said.
__
They arrived at the run-of-the-mill elementary school, with its totally normal 1960s exterior and flat roof. It was dark out, but light was practically pouring out of the windows. People walked towards the lit up doors like moths to a flame.
“I wonder how it would’ve been like to go to school here,” Penny said wistfully as Isaac drove into a parking space. Old Gibson was napping on her shoulders.
“Eh. You didn’t miss much,” her kid said. She held her flute case.
The family got out of the car and started walking through the parking lot; Penny made sure the sleeping cat was securely attached to her.
“I doubt that. For instance, you get to play in a band! That’s so cool,” Penny said.
“Trueeee. And flutists get to be in the front row.”
“Where would you like us to sit, honey?” Isaac asked as they walked into the lobby near the auditorium.
“Um, wherever. Just don’t embarrass me, please.”
Penny scoffed. “C’mon. How would we do that?”
Another family passed by. They were pretending not to look at Isaac but were doing a terrible job trying to hide it. “Is that the Dr. Marquez?” a woman whispered too loudly.
“Too late,” their kid groaned. “Not only are you guys famous, but you’re kinda dressing in suits. Everyone else wears crocs and sweatpants. Oh, and our cat is with us and has a weird visor thingy.”
“Hey, our little girl is playing a flute solo! We need to look our best,” Isaac argued.
“That’s right!” Penny said. “And Gibson’s presence is non-negotiable for big family outings, since he’s part of our family. Even though he sleeps a lot lately.”
She sighed. “Sorry, Gibson. But the suits? Really? It’s fifth grade band! Isn’t all that stuff thrifted, anyway?”
Penny looked down at her thrift store steals. “She’s got a point. The sticking out, I mean, not the thrifting, because screw fast fashion. If this was a heist, we’d be doing bad.”
“Penny, we’re civvies with regular jobs. We don’t do heists anymore,” Isaac said. “And I’m very proud of our kid getting a solo in her first ever concert. You’re the one that wanted to dress up.”
Penny sighed. “I know, I know… just hard to shake my mask instincts.”
“Welllll, see you later,” their kid said, and she started heading to the band room connected to the stage, her flute in hand.
“Good luck, honey!” Isaac called out, and she literally started running to get away from her parents.
“Oops,” he said.
“She gets the attitude from you,” Penny joked.
Isaac and Penny entered the auditorium. It was about three-quarters filled, with people scattered around the room. People were avoiding the front row, Penny noticed. The kids hadn’t filed out onto the stage yet and were still preparing in the band room.
Gibson swatted at Penny’s face from his place on Penny’s shoulders. “Front row, please, so I can see her better,” he whispered.
“Oh, hey, you’re awake!”
“Been awake for a while. Just didn’t want to interrupt your kid roasting you. Smart kid. She’d make a good cat.”
“Gee, thanks,” Penny said, and she led Isaac over to the middle of the front row.
They both sat down. Then, just seconds later, people’s phones started buzzing and ringing. Isaac took out his phone.
“The fuck,” he said, his mouth agape.
“Excuse me, we’re in an elementary school. Should you say that word right now?” Gibson hissed.
Isaac said nothing as screams and panic erupted around them. Looking stunned, he just tilted his phone’s screen towards his partner and Gibson.
There was one notification. It read: BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.
Penny took out her own phone. It had the same notification. “Oh, FUCK! We need to get out of here!”
Gibson hopped off Penny’s shoulders with more speed than he had in awhile. “I’ll get our kid. Stay here, so I know where you are!”
“Gibson, wait!” Penny shouted, and Isaac and Penny stood up and watched helplessly as Gibson weaved through the panicked families rushing for the exits.
“You can get out of anything,” Isaac said. “What should we do?!”
Penny embraced Isaac. “I don’t know, I—“
There was a flash of light, and Penny shut her eyes.
…
“Penny.” It was Isaac. “Penny!”
“Hmph,” she mumbled into his suit jacket, still deep in their embrace. “Are we in hell?”
“Not yet,” he said. “Look.”
When Penny opened her eyes, the world was still intact. Reluctantly, she let go of Isaac and looked around the room at the other people.
Everyone, including those that had been running around, was frozen. It was like someone had paused the movie, except for Isaac and Penny. Penny waved her hand in front of the face of a man who was mid-run and mid-scream; there was no reaction.
“Is this some sort of top tier mask shit?” Penny wondered.
“Nope,” said an unfamiliar voice behind them. “Not a mask. Not a cape. Just me.”
They both swiveled around to face the source of the voice. It was a youngish woman standing where the band conductor was supposed to stand. She had long black hair streaked with a few premature grays; yellow goggles pulling back her hair like a headband; red shorts; a matching red short-sleeved cropped jacket; a black top underneath the jacket; fingerless gloves; a black utility belt; yellow knee and elbow pads; and combat boots. She jumped down the stage to join them at the space in front of the first row. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah… yeah, I think so,” Penny said. “Nice outfit.”
”Thanks! It has pockets!” the stranger gushed.
“Um, I’m sorry. What the fuck just happened?” Isaac said.
“Yeah, what the fuck?” Penny agreed.
She suddenly looked ready to cry. “You almost died in a nuke.”
Penny was speechless. Something that happened only rarely.
Isaac took off his glasses and rubbed his eternally tired eyes. When he put them back on, they looked a little crooked. “Uh huh, I inferred that,” he murmured finally. “More talking about people being frozen and how we didn’t die in a nuke.”
The stranger glanced around at the frozen crowd of panicking people. “Well, I… Oh no! Where’s Gibson…?”
“He went to go get our kid right after we got the nuke alert,” Penny said, and she looked relieved. “Shit! Our kid!” Penny started frantically looking around for an exit not surrounded by frozen people.
“Your child is fine!” the stranger called out. “Just temporarily frozen like everyone else. I promise, they’ll be ok. They just won’t remember this. Um, you two already have a ten-year-old kid?”
“We adopted her when she was eight, and she’s eleven,” Penny said. She turned around and approached the stranger with fire in her eyes. “Hold on. Who the fuck are you, how do you know Gibson, and why are you asking questions about my kid?”
“Uh.” She bit her lip and took a step back. “Let me explain. Penny, your Passenger told me about this particular timeline where you are with Doctor May—I mean, Isaac, but then 4K unleashes nuclear weapons all over the world. Obviously I couldn’t let that happen, and I wanted to see how you were both doing here before I fixed everything and left.”
“My… Passenger?” Penny said. “Oh, you mean my Head Voice. Well, they are interdimensional, so I guess it makes sense. Weird how I haven’t heard from them in a while…”
Isaac’s eyes widened. “4K? Oh, shit,” he said after a beat. “Are you talking about HATE-4000? That omnicidal digital warlord from Crimr?”
“Hey, 4K is pretty cool when you get to know them!” the stranger said defensively. She looked at their horrified expressions. “Uhhh. Yes, I know they just tried to nuke you. I’m not excusing them, but they have PTSD, emotional programming constraints, and are just struggling to connect with people. In other timelines, they really help humanity! In fact, as of five seconds ago because I just went through their whole arc, they’re now LOVE-4000 and won’t try to kill humans again.”
“Huh,” said Isaac. “You’re a time traveler?”
“Yes, and timeline traveler.”
“Oh, okay?” Penny said. “Well, anyone who’s a friend of my Head Voice is a friend of mine.”
”The sentient computer that almost vaporized us… now suddenly helps humanity…,” Isaac said slowly. “Does it cure cancer in other timelines? Or, would it have cured cancer in this timeline if you had intervened sooner?”
“Err, no, but—“
“Ha! I knew it!!” Isaac pumped his fists in the air victoriously, and he got a manic look in his eyes. “I knew the world needed me. Not even just the world—the multiverse! They remember DOCTOR ISAAC MARQUEZ! HAHAHA! I showed them, or will show them—all those bastards who didn’t believe in me!”
“It’s ‘gigaverse,’ and your research doesn’t always work out the way you think,” the stranger said quietly, looking at her shoes. But Isaac was too caught up in himself to notice.
“Woah, woah. You’re sounding kind of ‘mad scientist.’ Full blown evil laugh and everything,” Penny said to her partner. “Maybe take it down a notch?”
Isaac took a deep breath and lowered his hands, looking embarrassed. “Shit. You’re right. My therapist would be disappointed... I’m glad I made a positive difference in the world and maybe even in other worlds?”
“Much better.” She reached out and straightened his glasses carefully, causing Isaac to blush.
“Anywayyy,” the stranger started, “I’m so sorry, but I need to go. I have a book to burn. Darn it, that sounded bad. It’s a book that could kill everyone. Trust me!” She started to glow at the edges, and the air in the room got weird and wobbly. “Things will go back to normal as soon as I leave, and only you’ll remember.”
“WAIT!” Penny grabbed the stranger’s hand, and she solidified and the world stilled. “Who are you?” Penny asked.
Penny, that’s Farsight. Don’t you recognize her?
Head Voice! Or, uh, Passenger? Is that the name you prefer? You’re back! It’s been months. Where’ve you been?! I missed you.
I helped this timeline’s Farsight realize her potential and fight Continuum so that she would eventually become Captain Infinity.
Damn, without me? I would have loved to give them a piece of my mind. How did you manage that? Nevermind, don’t tell me. Spoilers.
Remember the Lock and Key Heist you did for Isaac a few years ago when he was still Doctor Mayhem? Remember Danielle?
I could never forget Danielle! I mean, she was adopted by Isaac’s parents, so they’re technically siblings now. I see her during holidays. Oh, wait, Farsight, she was there at that heist and helped Danielle too! I remember now.
The stranger was studying Penny’s face. “I’m— Hey, are you okay? You’re really zoning out.”
“Give her a minute,” Isaac said. “The voice in her head, probably.”
“Oh. I’m all too familiar with voices in my head.”
“That’s… that’s concerning.”
Penny ignored them and continued talking to her Head Voice. So is this the same Farsight you helped earlier? I mean, this timeline’s Farsight?
No. This is a different one. Different timeline, different choices. So, I helped this timeline’s Farsight, allowing Farsights from other timelines who also ultimately became Captain Infinity to cross over.
Wow. Confusing.
Yeah, tell me about it. I keep rereading this fanfic and worrying if it makes sense.
I’m sorry, rereading WHAT?
“Okay, now I’m getting worried,” Isaac said, and he gently shook her shoulders from behind. “Penny, my dear, are you good in there?”
“You’re Farsight,” Penny said, locking her eyes on the woman she was holding hands with. She realized how similar the Farsight she knew and this one looked; this Farsight just looked a little older with a couple streaks of premature gray hair, and she wore different colors. “But you’re not this timeline’s Farsight?”
“Looks like you’ve been filled in by your Passenger.” The woman blushed. “I don’t think we talked much in this timeline, actually, so I get why it took you a bit. I’m Captain Infinity, not Farsight anymore, in my present time. Because Continuum friggin’ sucks and made me into Farsight,” she said.
“Yeah, fuck Continuum,” Penny said, and Isaac nodded in agreement.
Penny and her were still holding hands, and Captain Infinity wasn’t making an effort to let go. “It’s… always so nice to see you, Penny. You too, Isaac.”
“Hold on, you’re really Captain Infinity? I admired you so much as a kid,” Isaac said. “Wait, oh god. You must get sick of people telling you that. Uh, it’s an honor, ma’am?”
Captain Infinity laughed. “It’s really weird to hear you talk to me like that. Nice nails, by the way. Do you always paint your nails? I only ever see you wear gloves.”
“Ah, that was my daughter’s doing, though I wouldn’t be opposed to painting them a different color…”
“Do we see each other a lot in your timeline?” Penny asked Captain Infinity. “Do we help you with important missions and save the world?”
Captain Infinity glanced between Penny and Isaac awkwardly, not saying anything. She let go of Penny’s hand and fidgeted with her goggles.
“Look, normally I’m against spoilers, but now I’m concerned about preventing any potential apocalypses,” Penny explained. “Do you need our help here?”
“I’m always down for spoilers if it’ll make the world better,” Isaac agreed.
She sighed. “Yeah, I’ve worked with my versions of you. Isaac has cured cancer in my timeline, just like here, and my wi— I mean, my Penny and I are working together to prevent all the dead ends across the gigaverse. Unfortunately, there’s a LOT of dead ends, but we’re trying to fix all of them... But it’s like I said before: I just wanted to check in on this timeline’s version of you before leaving, not make you join forces with me. You deserve a peaceful ending. Both of you,” Captain Infinity said. “I better get going, now, so no one’s mind gets devoured by a cosmic horror. Goodbye!”
“Will we see you again?” Penny said as Captain Infinity started fading away and the world wobbled.
“Hopefully not me, but I know the Farsight in this timeline could really use a friend,” Captain Infinity replied, almost completely faded away now. “Contact her, okay?”
“I promise,” Penny said, and the world unfroze. Isaac and Penny’s ears were met with the off-tune sound of a fifth grade band.
“Um, what?” Isaac said.
The couple glanced around; everyone was sitting in their seats, and all the fifth graders had already set up and started playing. Parents were looking at them angrily, and the conductor looked like they were considering restarting the song.
“Hey, sit down!” the same guy Penny had waved her hand in front of hissed. “I can’t see my kid.”
“Hey man, chill,” Isaac said, glaring at him.
They sat back down in their front row seats, and Penny reached over and held Isaac’s hand. He leaned towards her and kissed her gently on the cheek. “Everything’s fine, my dear,” he said over the banging of the percussion.
“I know.” Penny returned the kiss and smiled. A mistake, maybe, because she could feel their kid’s embarrassment from here.
Gibson came back in and curled up on Penny’s shoulder again, interrupting the lovers’ moment. “Did I miss her solo?” he said in her ear.
“Not sure, honestly. Where’d you go?”
“How are you not sure?! Sheesh. It’s so loud at the front. This was a mistake. I had to answer a call from one of my raid members. He thought I had just forgotten to join the raid because I’m old and didn’t know I was skipping.”
“Sooo, not sure about the solo… but you did miss something else,” Penny said.
“Huh?”
“Tell you later when trumpets aren’t blasting our ears. But I think we might have someone new join us for game night.”
After around ten minutes of choppy ensemble music, their kid finally raised her flute to her lips and started her solo. It was terribly off-tune, yes, but it was beautiful nonetheless.
And life moved on.