Napalm Keys

A machine that could manipulate any point in time and space thudded onto his desk.

The technician wiped his nose on his sleeve. 'I've replaced the video card. Now, when you turn it on a prompts gonna come up.'

'When I turn it on?' He asked.

'When you turn it on.' The technician repeated. 'A prompts gonna come up. Type Napalm, that's the password.'

The technician spelt the word. After the man had left, he slipped the headset on and tapped the power button. The laptop whirred to life, the screen flashed turquoise and the fans buzzed - a white textbox appeared onscreen. Above it, was a single symbol.

?

He tapped the keys.

N-A-P-A-L-M

Earth exploded. The windows shattered, and the pillars moaned. The streets below morphed into chasms of flaming gel and the skyscrapers combusted like trees in a bushfire. Fists of magma punched into their floor, his colleagues and the three lily plants by the elevator glowed bright white, then vaporised.

His section of the frazzled carpet was untouched. His eyes were still dry from the air-conditioning unit that was now sludge. He blinked. He was untouched. That was puzzling, the computer posed him another question.

?

He accepted the question. He wheeled his chair in closer and straightened up. The daydream that played every Thursday morning flashed in his mind. It gave him an idea.

A-GOLD-NUGGET-ON-MY-DESK

A gold nugget glinted orange rays at him. Its lustre was impeccable, it was like a priceless ball of crumpled paper. His palm enclosed around it. Its bumps made him feel wealthy.

?

He typed as held the nugget.

UNDO-ALL

Every neutron and electron in the universe un-wove. The computer, himself and the carpet witnessed a subatomic unravelling of existence. It flickered and tangled in trillions of strands. His stomach tangled with it.

'No, no.' He muttered.

UNDO-ALL-QUERIES

Nothing.

UNDO-ALL-COMMANDS

His floor materialised. The three lily plants by the elevator bobbed in an invisible wind. The nugget vanished, he felt the rush of air where it had been. His level was deserted.

He groaned.

?

BRING-ALL-PEOPLE-BACK

A canopy of screams hung over the streets. The skyscrapers' windows broke and out streamed people - the buildings were like leaking pipes.

'Oh, dear no.'

UNDO-PREVIOUS-COMMAND

He sat motionless.

?

He snatched off his headset and leaned back, he rubbed his eyes.

EYE-DROPS-ON-MY-DESK

He screamed.

UNDO-PREVIOUS-COMMAND

?

EYEDROPS-ON-MY-DESK

He blinked in the juices.

REVERT-BEFORE-COMPUTER

The universe ceased. Abyssal blackness surrounded him. 'Definitely no.'

?

He rested his chin on his hand.

?

He tapped the keys.

WHAT-I-REALLY-WANT-AND-NOTHING-ELSE

The world popped back. People hollered, and phones blared. The computer had vanished, and the gold nugget hadn't reappeared. The technician was walking away.

He sighed. He really wanted coffee.

'J-Joe?'

His eyes widened, he whirled around, his mouth was agape. 'Cynthia?' He said. 'It's you?' He sat dumbstruck.

'Joe. I-I don't know why I'm here.'

'It's you.'

'It's me? Was I gone? Everything's muddled.'

'Cynthia.' Joe breathed.