THE MOMENT
Marcus was comfortable waiting. That wasn't always the case; but, after a few years of being forced to wait he developed a familiarity first, then the skill itself. He sat in a white glowing room in front of an empty desk. Both, the desk surface and the leather seat behind it were barren; and yet, he stared forward at nothing. It was a handy habit by now. He'd spent an unknown number of years with his body frozen in time; but, his mind was still free and active. He did a lot of panicking at first and a lot more thinking over the years. Not only did he have the time for self-reflection; it was his only entertainment. It was all he could do to keep his mind active and not go mad. He was okay waiting another eternity and was pleasantly surprised when he could move one day.
He was home alone when time froze and being able to suddenly move was not the only new development. As he wiggled and stretched his body to test his new freedom a swarm of red nanos gathered in front of him and spoke. He was mildly amused when he was asked to 'wait here' after being brought to the white office. He didn't know how long he waited and it didn't matter. He hadn't even glanced at the clock once since he started moving again.
"Mr. Eldrige...," a woman walked into the room as she spoke. She passed by with a polite nod and then, sat behind the desk. "...Chronos said you have something important to communicate about the situation on your Earth," she looked at him expectantly for a moment, then she shook her head. "I apologize, I am somewhat in a rush; but, that's not your problem. My name is Anna, I represent Rad Industries in this matter and Chronos said you have important information that you couldn't give to him for some reason." She introduced herself with a warm smile; but, her tone was still somewhat rushed.
"I didn't want anything lost in translation, I haven't seen an A.I. like Chronos before...," he shrugged and Anna nodded politely in understanding.
"I'm real sorry," he apologized. "I have a ton of questions and I didn't feel comfortable talking to a swarm of dots...," he said.
"Then, you have nothing to report and you just wanted a human?" she asked. Marcus quickly shook his head.
"I have something to report!" he said. "but.. also.. I have questions. I followed Chronos through a portal, where am I? Was it you that started time again? How did it get stopped?" Anna sighed; but, she nodded.
"I understand you've been through quite a bit," she said. Chronos could have answered those questions for you, but since we're here I can give you some quick explanations to hold you over; maybe you'll give Chronos another chance after this."
"Thank you," Marcus nodded. He honestly didn't try to talk to the A.I. swarm except to ask to be put in touch with a human.
"You are currently in Area 51," she said. She continued talking even as Marcus' eyes opened wide. "It was Chronos that restarted time on your Earth; yes, your Earth. There is an infinite multiverse full of alternate Earths. As well as very powerful people that freely travel between them. Generally speaking, they are known as Unique Souls, and you will learn more about them later. For now, the part to highlight is that it was a Unique Soul that stopped time on your Earth. Chronos is a Unique Soul also, and he was able to restart it."
"Why? I mean, why were we stopped?" He was trying to keep up. Anna's assurance that he would get more answers later eased his mind; but, he was still going to ask what he could. The sudden existence of alternate universes was a shock; but, it was made easier by explaining where they were. He had questions about a corporation running Area 51; but, it was a different Earth. Things were liable to be different.
"No idea," Anna shrugged with a smirk. "It could've been intentional, it could have been an accident. We weren't able to identify the Unique Soul, just that it was caused by one."
"Oh, I see," Marcus said. He felt she'd answered his most pressing curiosities and he wanted to live up to his part of the arrangement. "What I wanted to report to someone was that I was conscious the whole time," he said. "Even though time was stopped, my mind was still working."
"Yes," Anna nodded. "...and...?" she asked.
"That's my report; it seemed important," he said.
"Okay," Anna nodded, then stood up. "Thank you for your report, Mr. Eldridge, I'll arrange for Chronos to take you back to your Earth and give you more in-depth answers," she said.
"Is that.. all?" Marcus got to his feet to ask her before she left.
"Marcus...," she used a gentle tone. "May I call you Marcus?" she threw the question quickly after her familiarity and he nodded. "We've determined that your Earth was frozen in time for 17 years,' she said. Marcus was genuinely surprised. The largest gap he imagined was four, maybe five years. He did his best to pay attention to the passage of time and it turned out he was no good at it.
"You weren't the only person that was locked in time; it was everyone on your Earth. You've had 17 years to think, and you thought you were the only one?" she asked. "Chronos can be in several places at once; that's why we use him to help get people caught up to the multiverse."
"I...," he did think that. But, it wasn't until her question that he realized he wasn't thinking about it at all. For 17 years he assumed he was the only one capable of thinking. She smiled at him as she turned and walked out of the office.
"Another couple of years could've changed your thinking a bit. Even without being time-locked, you can practice it. Maybe think about yourself a little less and the world a little more."