Jonas was propped up in bed, a half-empty bottle of whiskey on his night table. He looked up at me with sullen eyes and shook his head. “He was such a good kid. As a father, you want your son to be better than you. He was better. A lot better.”

His words made my eyes burn. “Jonas, back in the Manta, you asked me how returning to Vostok could save my son. The answer is complicated but—”

“The answer is no. As my soon-to-be ex-wife so aptly pointed out, my choices have led to enough loss of life.”

“As have mine. And I need that sub to rectify things.”

Mac grabbed me by the biceps. “You heard the man.”

“Let him go, Mac.” Jonas stood, staggering close enough for me to smell the alcohol on his breath. “All right, Dr. Wallace, I’m listening. Tell me how returning to Vostok gets your son outta whatever trouble he’s in.”

“There’s more than just an alien ship down there. Inside is a portal, a junction that allows one to access the higher dimensions. Jonas, I can go back in time to a different point in my life and prevent these events from ever happening.”

“A time machine? That’s what this is all about?”

“Not exactly. How did the entity explain it? Every choice we make creates an infinite number of alternate universes. David, for instance, could have leapt the sub over the net or gone under it, or swerved around the tanker. The possibilities are endless, and each choice leads to a parallel existence. Consciousness is the variable that differentiates a potential outcome from reality. I died multiple times in Lake Vostok, but after each death the entity kept bringing me back, until I followed the path where I acquired the knowledge of zero-point energy it intended me to have. The portal allowed me to explore multiple existences until I found the one that led to my survival.”

Jonas fought to dissect the information. “Say you go back and jump into another parallel universe… how can you be sure it’s one where David survives, where your son’s not kidnapped?”

“The extraterrestrial that communicated with me definitely has an agenda, but it’s one that I sincerely believe is intended to help humanity. I’ll ask it to allow me to go back to a multiverse where I can change the events that took place in Washington, D.C. Before the congressional hearing takes place, I’ll use the media to expose MJ-12’s false flag event, preempting it while saving hundreds of lives. That will force the Colonel to cancel the attack, prevent the kidnapping, and remove me from today’s events.”

Jonas stared at me, red-eyed. “There’s no guarantee your absence today will change a thing. David may still die.”

“I won’t stop jumping multiverses until I find one where I can warn you.”