Open the door!

Go on...

I don’t have a lot of time, so I’ll cut to the chase.

There is an fault in the clones. In their firmware. I made this error when we were working together on the same floor.

What kind of fault?

It doesn't matter! The important thing is that clones have retained their repressed aggression, and will start killing people in the future because they consider them to be imperfect.

And what do you want from me?

You must stop me from making this mistake!

Right, I see! You're crazy. Please leave my home before I call the police!

Evan, I'm not crazy! I know what will happen to you tomorrow, next year and even further ahead! I know everything about every employee on the 25th floor. But most importantly, I know what mistake I’ll make myself! You must help me! Just listen to me!

How can you prove that you’re from the future?

I knew that you’d want to make sure.

Looks like someone is knocking on the door. Will you open it?

We invented a time machine, but it only has enough power to get us into the past for 15 minutes. I don’t have time to get to myself and explain everything.

But you got to me somehow?

The present me lives in a guarded house for young geniuses. There’s no way in.

What about work?

I won't even talk to myself at work. I was quite an arrogant jerk!

It’s useless to talk to the young me. You have to gain access to my terminal and fix the code.

But I don't know how!

It's easy, I'll explain everything.

And what if I fail?

If you don’t help me, I will have only one option - to kill myself here and disappear forever. There’s enough time to take one shot. Although I would prefer not to.

And what about the fault?

It won’t carry over to the new version of the firmware, and the clones won’t become aggressive. We’re running out of time, Evan!

If what you say is true… I am ready to help!

I am ready to help. But for a small advance payment!

Fine, you'll get your advance payment.

This is some kind of joke. I don't believe a single word you say! The future, killer clones, time travel... It’s all nonsense!

But Evan, it's true. All of it.

I’m not interested. Get out!

Why don't you tell me the password for your terminal?

Because the password kept changing... Keeps changing. The Pass Office issues a new password every day.

How did the clones end up going crazy?

The firmware is installed over a clone's repressed identity. If you do not seal the hole - the identity of the carrier will break through. And the Carls have long been sick and tired of obeying...

How did you survive?

I was working at a top-secret fortified scientific site. We didn't use clones: they were too dumb for the job. So we survived.

And the others?

I don’t know. Communications collapsed almost instantly. And then the clones began to attack. One of the anthropologists said it’s because they have no other goals left.

We have watchtowers with machine guns, but those creatures grow in number every day.

Is there no future technology that can fix the fault?

There is... But before anyone can use it, they’d need to deal with all those clones who’ve already lost it! And there are too many of them!

Why?

Cloning technology seemed like a great solution to most of our problems. Clones replaced anyone who could be replaced for the sake of improvement. But we came to our senses too late.

And how did the Great Leader react? Did the authorities do anything?

I do not think he was told. Yes, even if he had been - he was already in bad shape after 138 heart transplants, and after 167 he became very weak and barely understood a thing.

I don't even know whether he’s alive or not. We didn’t receive any news from the outside after the incident.

Since everyone had forgotten about the disease, there was no medicine to treat it. Only patients in the infection wards and our group of scientists were saved.

How did you manage?

When the authorities learned about the epidemic, all the geniuses were relocated to an underground bunker, where there were no clones and no connections to the outside world. As you know, I was among them.

You're something else, Horatio!

I'm a genius! Otherwise I wouldn’t be here.

You’re unlikely to find a vaccine for Borean fever. Even in this time, it's a long-forgotten scary story.

Here, this is a revised vaccine, the composition of which is completely identical to the one that we injected into the clones. If you inject all the Carls with it, you’ll stop the epidemic before it even starts.

That’s going to be difficult.

It’s going to be even more difficult for all those people in the future who die from bursting eyes and boiling blood.

Anything else?

I have to go. Figure it out.

New business - new prepayments!

Keep your paper. It’s useless in my time, anyhow.

Horatio, or whatever your name is. I already got involved in your crazy project once, and now you’ve come to tell me that in some future, someone died from a disease that only encyclopedias know about?

But it's true! You know that I’m a scientist - I can’t lie!

To begin with, I don’t know who you really are. Do you have any documentation?

What kind? I have a chip in my head - do you have a mu-frequency scanner? You can check!

What about fingerprints?

What about them? Look here, I have a scar on my finger!

That's way too fresh.

I have more important things to do than study the operational principles of can openers! We still use cans on our base, and those military blockheads don’t bother doing anything!

How do I know what’s in this tube?

You don't.

Evan, I know that I can’t prove anything to you, because every time I come it changes the future. All the people I’ve known all my life aren’t the same as before. Some have died. Some I’ve killed with my own hands.

What?!

Evan, when the Borean Fever takes over, it is better to shoot someone so that they does not suffer. That is a scientific fact. Yes, they themselves are asking for it.

I don’t believe you!

Scientists always lie when they believe it can be of benefit to science.

But it’s true! What could be more important than science?

You, the you who’s here, once told me that people are just petri dishes to you.

It’s not like that, Evan! You don't have to do anything - I can do everything on my own and kill myself! I'm ready! I’ll sacrifice myself for the future!

Well, that's nice! I pass.

Fine, I’ll help you!

Fine, I’ll help you! But for a small prepayment!

Keep your paper. It’s useless in my time, anyhow.

Sorry, Horatio! I may look gullible, but not enough to believe in stories about the future.

You and I could get rich. If you had done everything like I asked, you’d have a big pile of money on your desk right now!

But you betrayed me... All traitors have one price - this is your reward!

Horatio...

It would've been better if the future died then... Goodbye, Evan!

Horatio, I'm tired of these stories.

This isn’t the first time you’ve come to me uninvited. “Evan save the future”, “Evan this”, “Evan that”... Enough of this nonsense! I’ve had enough of it! Get out!

Ah well? Then get it!

And you just came to me, sprinkling ashes on your head and asking for help! Go to hell with your money!

I knew we should've just used it for experiments…

And actually, I have to go. You're doing fine. Good job.

You...

Good luck, Evan! Take care of yourself!

Give me that money! I wasn’t expecting it, but I’m not going to turn it down!

That's the right attitude! How often do you have the honor of receiving money from the hands of the brightest mind of your distant future?

Well, actually, it's just money.

Well, actually, I didn’t expect that you would appreciate the moment. You never came across as the smart type.