The Pimpernel Plot

by Simon Hawke

  Andre stared at him, perplexed.

  “What he means,” said Mongoose, gently, “is that we changed reality. For a time, our reality was that which we knew, prior to the split. Then, we were dealing with another reality altogether. We changed that. We restored reality to the way it should have been, the way it was, the way it is. At this moment, as we sit here now, the incident that created the alternate timeline never occurred. That timeline, along with everyone in it, never existed. It was like a dream.”

  “A nightmare,” said Forrester, drinking deeply.

  Andre shook her head. “No, you can’t play tricks with logic to change what was. For a time, however brief a time from where we sit now, that timeline existed. Those people were real. There was another world, another universe!”

  “If we accept that,” Forrester said, “then we must also accept that you helped kill them all.” He held her gaze. “You understand?”

  She remained silent. She glanced at Finn and Lucas, but they wouldn’t meet her gaze. Both men stared down at the floor.

  “I need another drink,” said Finn.

  “So do I,” said Lucas.

  Forrester refilled their glasses.