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Bill is beyond relieved he can dodge the subject of what he was doing in the scientist’s home, all thanks to Ford’s insatiable curiosity. He knew he would, but he’s glad it happened all the same.
“Sᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇɴ’ᴛ ʜᴇᴀʀᴅ? Hᴀʜ! Gᴏᴏᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴅᴜᴍʙ ʀᴇsᴇᴀʀᴄʜ ɪsɴ’ᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴋᴇᴇᴘɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛɪᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜɪs ᴅᴜᴍᴘ, Sɪxᴇʀ. I’ᴍ ғʟᴀᴛᴛᴇʀᴇᴅ. Rᴇᴀʟʟʏ.”
Feet rise, crossed over on each other and upon a worn coffee table, scuffed with marks that had been left from the home’s most current tenant. Bill never resisted an opportunity to make himself out to be in charge. All this time, and so little had changed. It really was just like old times. “Wʜʏ ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴀ sᴇᴀᴛ? Mᴀᴋᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀsᴇʟғ ᴀᴛ ʜᴏᴍᴇ.” The latter comment was accompanied by one hand dug between couch cushions to produce a bottle, another to gesture to the seat across from him. “Tʀᴜsᴛ ᴍᴇ, ʏᴏᴜ’ʀᴇ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ɴᴇᴇᴅ ɪᴛ.” The seat and the drink, which Bill had taken directly from its contents before holding out to Ford as a less-than-generous offering.
“Tᴜʀɴs ᴏᴜᴛ ʏᴏᴜ’ʀᴇ ɴᴏᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴʟʏ ғʀᴇᴀᴋ ɪɴ ᴛʜɪs ᴛᴏᴡɴ ᴀɴʏᴍᴏʀᴇ. Tʜᴀᴛ ʀᴇᴄʟᴜsᴇ ᴡʜᴏ ᴄᴀʟʟs ᴛʜᴇᴍsᴇʟᴠᴇs ᴛʜᴇ ‘ᴏʀᴀᴄʟᴇ’ ᴡᴏɴ’ᴛ sᴛᴏᴘ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴏɴ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜɪs ‘ʀɪғᴛ’ ɪɴ ᴏᴜʀ ᴅɪᴍᴇɴsɪᴏɴ, ʜᴏᴡ ᴛʜᴇʏ’ʀᴇ ‘sᴀᴠɪɴɢ ᴜs’ ʙʏ ‘ᴋᴇᴇᴘɪɴɢ ɪᴛ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴀɪɴᴇᴅ.’” Lots of air quotes, all deserved. “Bᴜᴛ ɪғ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀsᴋ ᴍᴇ, ᴛʜᴇ ᴏʟᴅ ʜᴀɢ ʜᴀsɴ’ᴛ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴅᴏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏᴏ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ᴏғ ᴀ ᴊᴏʙ, sɪɴᴄᴇ ɴᴏᴡ ʜᴀʟғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴏᴡɴ’s ɢᴏᴛ ᴡᴇɪʀᴅ ᴍᴀɢɪᴄ ᴘᴏᴡᴇʀs ᴏʀ ᴀʀᴇ ᴊᴜsᴛ ғʟᴀᴛ-ᴏᴜᴛ ᴄʜᴀɴɢɪɴɢ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴛʜɪɴɢs ᴇɴᴛɪʀᴇʟʏ.” If Ford was watching closely, maybe he would see Bill’s confident smile falter, if ever so slightly. That secret would stay his and only his, at least for now. A quick change of subject ought to make for a convincing recovery.
“Aɴᴅ ʙᴇғᴏʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀsᴋ, ɴᴏ, ᴛʜᴇʏ’ʀᴇ ɴᴏᴛ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ʟᴇᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ɢᴏ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ʟᴏᴏᴋ ᴀᴛ ɪᴛ. Sᴏ I’ᴅ ɢɪᴠᴇ ᴜᴘ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍ ʀᴇᴀʟ ǫᴜɪᴄᴋ, sᴍᴀʀᴛ ɢᴜʏ.”
He nearly balked at being told to make himself at home within the four walls he had designed himself, but it wasn’t worth it to invite trouble over something like that when more important answers were just within reach. Likely that simple fact was why Bill was stretching out this faux casual scene, forcing him to wait simply because he knew that Ford would. The scientist took his seat opposite in an expectant silence, wondering faintly when exactly he had become so predictable.
Against his better judgement, as he tended to do when it was pitted against a forming interest, he accepted the drink, doing his best not to allow his thoughts linger too long on how long it might have been left shoved between the cushions of his couch. Really, it wasn’t particularly difficult; he found himself hanging on every word with increasing amazement as Bill explained the recent circumstances. A situation like this was almost too perfect, aligning so well with his scientific pursuits that it seemed the universe was conspiring to make it happen. It very well may have been, considering the fact that a tear in their dimension hadn’t simply killed them all... or worse.
Long forgotten were trivial thoughts about Bill’s presence in his house and even the continuation of the project he had dedicated the past three years of his life to pursuing, as was the bottle that rested untouched on his side of the table between them. He was already reaching into one of the inner pockets of his coat to retrieve his most recent journal, plucking a pen from another, and making a few brief notes to collect his thoughts before fixing his attention on the other man once more. Despite Bill waving him off the idea of seeing the breach in dimensions himself, he couldn’t quite catch himself before a challenging grin spread across his face, evidently not deterred in the slightest.
Honestly, there were at least a million questions he wanted to ask - whether this rift happened to be connected to one particular alternative world or drew on aspects of several for these fantastical powers, not to mention the details on how and in whom these abilities manifested, splitting into more and more questions as he considered each idea further - but he settled for one. Although he held to his intention to get more than a passing glimpse at this rift, it was best to begin on a simpler scale for the time being. Proof of concept, so to speak, for his eventual request to the person watching over it. Surely someone would be willing to demonstrate the changes brought about by the spatial phenomenon, if only he could find them. “Have you seen any of these ‘powers’ firsthand?”
