Dominion (Futuristic Four)

"You Haven't Seen Anything Yet."

The leap through time was a short one. Hiro parked the time machine on the roof of the presentation showcase and set it to turn invisible. His eyes scanned the area for anything suspicious, or any sign of himself.

"There's three Hiros at this building right now," Hiro mused. "I wonder if there's a limit to how many can exist at one time."

The night and booming music from inside did nothing to answer his questions. He hung off the edge of the roof for a moment before dropping to the floor far below. The back entrance was only a short distance away. I have to find a way to check if it's Other Hiro or Young Hiro I'm talking to. I can't afford to mess this up.

He took a deep breath. "You've got this, Hiro. Just be honest. Tell him the truth and he'll have to figure it out for himself. And maybe throw a little pep talk in there too if you can."

He laid a hand on the back door. If his calculations were correct, Other Hiro was on the other side of the door right at that very moment. Hiro could fix things right then. He pushed open the door.

The storage room was dim, meaning it took Hiro's eyes longer to adjust than he would have liked. His eyes scanned the crates and boxes.

There. Other Hiro was slumped over a box rubbing his head.  He already had his memories back.  Good.  Maybe it will help him understand. I was too soft last time. I have to be more blunt.

Hiro hesitated.  He had lived through that himself, getting his memories fixed and being betrayed by his friends. He had more sympathy than anyone else could ever possibly have for . . . himself.

"It hurts, doesn't it?" he finally asked. Other Hiro's eyes flickered open. He didn't say anything, only watched as Hiro continued to speak. "I tried to keep you from that. The memories. The pain. The deaths. They all die, you know. We could have stopped that."

They all will die if I can't save them for us.

"Who are you?" Young Hiro growled. He sounds like he hates me. Why is that? "Kyuubi?"

Oh. That explains it. He thinks I'm Him. Poor guy. "What a ridiculous name." Hiro shook his head. I can't waste any time. Wilbur will be back soon. "I can't believe you trust them. You realize this is what they wanted, right? They're using you. I knew who you were the moment I saw you outside of Aunt Cass's. I knew what they were trying to do."

"We'll stop you," Young Hiro said as he stood up. Hiro frowned. He doesn't understand. How can I make him understand?

"You've only made this more complicated," he finally said. "So you healed this timeline. Fine. I can't come back here any more without risking blowing up the universe." Too many Hiros, not enough time. "But there are other timelines we haven't touched yet." Other choices we can make. "You think losing your memories was hard? You haven't seen anything yet."

Hiro turned turned to walk away. His blood was boiling beneath his skin. How could his other self be so blind? So what that he just got his memories. It wouldn't do him any good if he couldn't save Tadashi. Hiro paused next to the door. He forced himself to say something nice, anything nice. "Maybe you don't understand now, but you will. We're going to save lives, Hiro."

He opened the door and stepped back outside into the inky darkness. "Why isn't anything going my way?" he demanded to the sky. First he couldn't save Tadashi, and now he was trapped in a game of cat and mouse while trying to convince himself that Wilbur would mess everything up. "Work with me here, time! All I need is one good turn! One thing to happen when I need it to happen!"

A faint beep sounded from Hiro's pocket. He pulled it out. It was a small device, almost like a cell phone. Hiro had found it in his room and modified it so that Wolf could contact him if needs be. The message displayed on its surface was a brief one.

Wilbur found. Download coordinates?

"Finally," Hiro hissed. He pressed a button and waited for the time machine to receive the coordinates and come pick him up.

It was time for some sweet revenge.