CODES

T W E L V E

Walking through the memory seemed unnatural. Surreal. I fought the urge to interact with them as Xerses continued to work on the data in the background. I thought if I did, if I did something I shouldn't have, I'd break a loop some way, somehow. And I knew as long as I moved through the memory, the parts that were broken and unclear would fix themselves.

Like the soldiers that'd move through me as I passed by their tents. Our interaction never occurred, so they didn't react to me. And they weren't physical, either. When their bodies met mine, they'd break apart, pixels falling in the wind. I'd be lying if I said watching their data lift and connect back together once they moved far enough away wasn't mesmerizing.

It was. Like magic.

"Sir?"

I heard someone speak but wasn't sure to who. As it was behind me, I saw no reason to turn around. My goal was to keep moving, allowing Xerses the time to fix the data.

"Sir?" Again, the voice.

I stopped because this time it felt like it was meant for me. My fingers itched, my legs twitched. I glanced down at myself before turning around. And that's when I held my breath. "X?" I said, hoping Xerses was paying attention.

It took him a moment, but eventually, he said, "What's up?"

I wasn't sure how to explain what's up. If he was looking at the screen, he'd see what I was seeing. And why the weird occurrence at the restaurant made sense.

The soldier who addressed me was Pete. Wearing casual clothes, his dog tags clashed against his white tee. His hair was bright as though kissed by the sun. The subtle differences in his appearance didn't make him a separate person. Rather, a younger person. A bit timid. Not excited like the Code who'd been eager to serve me pizza.

Pete held a notebook in one hand, a pen in the other. "Are we advancing today, Sir?" he asked me, browsed raised. "They've deployed the troops."

"I think I found it," I said to Xerses as I stood straight.

"Found what?" It sounded as though Xerses fiddled around his computer desk. "The error?"

"Yup." I inhaled through my nose. "I'm looking at him. At Pete."

The Pete in my memory loop looked as though he waited for a response. I couldn't remember what I'd actually said or else I would've responded.

"Oh, shit." Xerses hummed for a moment. "Let me see if I can figure out exactly where the hole is. Give me a minute."

"Take all the time you need," I said, scratching the side of my face.

Pete straightened in front of me, confusion etched on his face. I watched him glance into one of the tents to his left, then into the one on his right. It only made sense that his reactions would've been normal; who knew what I said to him on this day over fifty years ago.

I just... didn't expect him to hear me. Now.

"Take all the time I need for what, Sir?" he asked.

I froze.

Pete tapped his pen on the side of his notebook. "I only need to know if I need to get the men ready. We're one of the last troops still stationed here."

This isn't happening...

"I, uh..." I wasn't sure what to do. The memories were data, saved, and recorded from my previous life. To have this Pete react to me, respond to me, wasn't supposed to happen. And I wasn't sure whether to go along with it or run away.

Covering my mouth, I dropped my voice to a whisper and prayed Xerses could hear me with no problem. "X, something's wrong."

"Well, yeah, I got that, Rog," Xerses muttered, his voice low in my ear. "Why are you whispering?"