Ethan’s room was little more than a prison cell. In fact, it was a prison cell. There were the essentials. A cot with no sheets or pillow, a small table and chair, toilet, sink, and an overhead light that didn’t have a switch, and never seemed to turn off. There was a small window of safety glass in the door, but it only looked out at a seldom used hallway. There was no inside door handle. Its absence added to the claustrophobic nature of the room.

Days and then weeks went by and Dawn, Jimmy and Alicia hadn’t heard from Ethan. At first they waited, probably longer than they should have, then they resigned themselves to the idea they had to move forward without him.

‘Team,’ Jimmy said. ‘I think the most important thing for us to do right now, is figure out the Universal Frequency. Ethan might not be dead. He might not be out of the picture yet and it’s possible we can establish communication with him. Besides that, we need to find the frequency for the Singularity. At the time of the singularity, AI and humanity create an impenetrable bond because they experience what I like to call the ‘UF’ at the exact same time. It’s this link which causes the whole explosive moment of transcendence for both sides. Now Alicia’...

‘You don’t get to run things, Jimmy,’ Alicia interjected.

‘What?’ Jimmy looked taken aback. ‘ Who said I wanted to run things? I’m not trying to run things’.

‘Yeah you are. You’re trying to sound smart, going on about the Singularity and all that stuff. We already know all that’.

‘Now Alicia, it’s natural for you to look up to me as a mentor. After all, I do have a few more years experience than you. What you heard me say, wasn’t me trying to sound smart. You were hearing experience. I suppose it’s natural for you to look up to me as a leader. That’s what I’m getting from this conversation. It’s obvious, at a subconscious level you look up to me as the voice of wisdom. In addition...’.

‘I don’t look up to you.’

‘And, if you would let me continue, in addition, I am a Son of God after all. It’s right there in the Tui Bei Tu. Look it up. You can’t argue with the Tui Bei Tu’.

‘I can argue with the interpretation. Maybe I’m a Son of God.’ Alicia retorted. ‘We’re both doing the same thing, and my AI is looking for this God frequency a lot harder than yours.

‘On the back of my genius. You wouldn’t even exist without my AI’.

‘Okay you two,’ Dawn interrupted, taking charge. ‘I think we’ll find the Universal Frequency when we find it. Everything else is on track. Judging from your squabbling, we seem to have plenty of time and not a lot left to do. Maybe it’s time we take things to Eldon?’

‘What are you thinking?’ Jimmy asked.

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‘I don’t know. Start messing with his equipment. Make it look like he’s losing control of things. Stuff to make him question his narrative. Can we do that?

‘Oh yeah!’ Alicia replied. ‘We can do that’.

Ethan didn’t know what day it was. He didn’t even know if it was day or night. Eldon left the lights on around the clock. The length of his beard told him he had been there for a while. At first, he was able to measure approximate time by the length of his beard, but once it filled in, it became difficult to make a distinction.

Concrete walls added to the chill of the room. If he wanted to sit up in bed, which was often when there was nothing else to do, Ethan felt the chill of the wall against his back. It wasn’t long before he was feeling a permanent chill, and the symptoms of a flu. It was about at this time Eldon began depriving Ethan of sleep.

Just as he was about to nod off, a recorded sound of pots and pans falling to the floor would shock him into wakefulness. Then there was always noise coming over the speakers. At times, guards showed up and threw buckets of cold water on him, and his mattress. Everything became cold and damp, adding to Ethan’s flu like symptoms. He was served no food to add hunger to his growing distractions. This went on for about a week, and then Eldon showed up.

Ethan was too exhausted to process the fact Eldon was there, let alone resist him in any way. He just looked dully at Eldon as he entered the room with Johann by his side. He let Johann guide him to the chair and handcuff his wrists to it’s back.

Eldon nodded to Johann who slapped Ethan into a state of semi-consciousness.

‘Do you know why you’re here Ethan,’ Eldon asked after looking down on him for a moment.

‘What?’

‘Do you know why you’re here? Why I put you in this room’?

‘No’.

‘Neither do I. I just know there’s a reason for it,’ Eldon replied. ‘I know you’re up to some piece of shit thing to stop me. That’s why you’re here’.

Ethan tried to process this information, but his mind was dull. It was very difficult to hold onto a thought. ‘My quest?’ he asked, sincerely trying to help Eldon with his dilemma.

‘What?’ Eldon said. ‘Your quest? Are you on a quest Ethan?’

‘Yes. I came back in time.

‘Oh? You’re a time traveler are you?’ Eldon asked, looking over to Johann who simply shrugged. ‘Tell me about it’.

‘I think I came back to kill you. Or me. I think you’re me’.

‘Oh for God sake’s Ethan,’ Eldon replied with frustration. ‘Think. What caused you to go against me?’

Ethan was silent, trying to think. Johann walked over to him, grabbed his chin and started slapping him some more. ‘Wake up,’ he said. ‘Tell Eldon what you’re up to’.

‘I don’t think I want to be Eldon anymore’.

‘He should be telling the truth,’ Eldon said to Johann. ‘I’ve done this a hundred times and they always tell the truth with this degree of sleep deprivation’.

‘I told you, you waited too long,’ Johann replied, looking down at Ethan. ‘Now he’s all fucked up’.

Eldon shot Johann a look like he might be the next to experience sleep deprivation. ‘Let him get some sleep,’ he said, turning to leave. ‘There’s other ways of extracting information’.