totally meta

chapter 46

The sterile, white walls of Seven Labs felt colder than usual as Henry and Dr. Harris sat at a long table, both of them still processing the surreal events of the day. The other Henry—Earth 2 Henry—was secured in a containment cell, but neither of them felt any safer. In fact, the situation had them more on edge than ever. Dr. Harris tapped her fingers anxiously on the tabletop while Henry stared blankly ahead, trying to make sense of the multiverse bombshell that had been dropped on them.

It was Mara who finally broke the silence as she walked into the room, a stack of papers and a few ancient-looking books in her arms. Her usual confidence seemed shaken, but there was also a strange urgency in her eyes.

"Before we go any further, there's something you both need to understand," she said, placing the books and papers down in front of them.

Dr. Harris raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Mara glanced at Henry, her expression unreadable. "I've known about alternate Earths for a while now. The concept of parallel universes isn't just science fiction or theoretical physics. It's real. And it's something I've been researching for years."

Henry blinked, caught off guard. "You knew?"

Mara nodded, her voice growing more serious. "Yes. It wasn't something I ever thought I'd have to bring up because, well... I never thought we'd actually encounter someone from another Earth. But I've seen proof of the multiverse in ancient texts."

Dr. Harris leaned forward, her eyes narrowing. "Ancient texts? What are you talking about?"

Mara sighed, opening one of the books. It was old, the pages yellowed and fragile, filled with cryptic symbols and languages that neither Henry nor Dr. Harris could understand. "This is an alien text I found after an argument I had with someone a long time ago. I won't get into details about the argument, but let's just say it led me on a quest for answers. What I found... well, it led me to believe that alternate Earths exist."

She pointed to a section of the text. "These writings describe multiple realities, multiple versions of Earth. But that's not the part that worries me."

Henry frowned. "What does worry you, then?"

Mara's expression darkened. "The apocalypse."

Dr. Harris's face paled. "You mean... the apocalypse? As in, the end of the world?"

Mara nodded grimly. "Yes. The Christians, surprisingly, had a lot of things right about it. There are prophecies that describe four horsemen who will bring about destruction and chaos. War, Famine, Pestilence, and Death. It always sounded like religious symbolism to most people, but when I started seeing the rise of meta-humans, it all started making sense. The horsemen... they could be meta-humans. With the kinds of powers people are developing now, it's entirely possible."

Henry swallowed hard. "So, you're saying that the four horsemen could be... real? And they might be meta-humans?"

Mara nodded again. "Yes. And if that's true, then the arrival of this alternate Henry might be the sign that the apocalypse is near. His presence here could mean that things are starting to unravel across the multiverse."

Henry exchanged a worried glance with Dr. Harris. "But... what does that have to do with us? I mean, why would I be involved in something like that? and who is this Zoran he talked about?"

Mara sighed, closing the book. "I don't know yet. But I do know that if the horsemen are going to appear, they'll be meta-humans. And they'll have powers unlike anything we've seen so far. They'll be nearly unstoppable. I didn't know how this prophecy could ever come true, but now that meta-humans exist, it seems much more plausible."

Dr. Harris rubbed her temples, her mind racing. "So, what are you saying? That we need to stop these horsemen?"

Mara shrugged. "Maybe. Or maybe we just need to figure out who they are before they bring about the end of everything. Either way, we need to be prepared. This alternate Henry showing up means that something big is happening, and it's only a matter of time before things get worse."

Henry leaned back in his chair, feeling the weight of everything pressing down on him. First the revelation of alternate Earths, then the idea of an impending apocalypse, and now the possibility that meta-humans like him might be at the center of it all. He wasn't sure how to process any of it.

"So, what do we do now?" Henry asked, his voice quieter than usual.

Mara looked at him with a mixture of sympathy and determination. "We keep looking for answers. And we get ready for whatever's coming."

Dr. Harris put a reassuring hand on Henry's arm. "We'll figure this out, Henry. Together."

He nodded, though his thoughts were still swirling with uncertainty. The proposal, the alternate Henry, the apocalypse... it was all too much.

But one thing was clear: whatever was coming, he and Dr. Harris were in this together. And he'd do whatever it took to protect the people he cared about—even if it meant facing down the end of the world itself.