A Taste Of My Own Medicine (IV)

Part IV – Me, Myself, and I

I went back to the doctor’s office the following day.

“I’m glad to see you’ve returned.” Said the doctor.

“What do I need to do?” I asked.

“That’s entirely up to you. I told you the rules yesterday. That being said, the first trip is mandatory; after that you’ll be free to go back and forth as long as you follow the rules and check in with me every twenty four hours.”

“So…what do I need to do?” I repeated.

              “Isn’t it obvious?” he asked. “You need to go back to yesterday and prove our point.”

              I was too excited to ask any more questions, although I probably should have.

              “Take me to the machine.” I said.

              The doctor and I went back to the basement, and I watched as he explained the controls to me so that I would be able to use the machine by myself. He handed me a tablet of chronominaphine and I took it. I stepped into the lung. Then, he gave me a set of keys to the office and the time machine room. The hinged hydraulics shot out a small burst of steam as the door shut, locking me inside. I was a bit frightened. For all I knew this guy was about to run 50,000 volts through me. I reminded myself of what and who I had seen the previous day and found the thought reassuring.  

A bright flash of light filled my eyes. A strange, indescribable whirring sound filled my ears. My body felt like lightning on fire. My brain felt like a pile of mashed potatoes being squished between two pop-tarts. I closed my eyes out of fear, just for a moment, until the whirring stopped. When I opened them, I saw that I wasn’t in the lung anymore. I found myself back in the hallway leading to the room that the lung resided in. But now, I faintly heard the voices of three men talking.

              “What are you, like a mad scientist?”

              Holy shit. “This is real.” I said quietly to myself. I just travelled through time. I approached the open doorway and stood inside for a moment, waiting for my cue. The first doctor looked at me and began to smile. The second doctor had his attention fixed on the other me, who still had his back turned to me.

              “What if I don’t believe you?” he asked.

              Now was my time to shine. I remember what happens next.

“He’s telling the truth.” I said.

              The other me stood steadfast and didn’t budge an inch.

              “You can turn around. I did when I was you.”

              He turned around.

              “I didn’t take any of this yet…” he said, looking down at the bottle of horse pills.

              “No, but you did tomorrow.” I said.

              The second doctor cleared his throat, drawing the attention of myself and I.

              “The dosage for this drug is tricky. I had a lot of trouble when developing it. Essentially, it continues to work for everyone affected by the paradox for as long as at least half of the parties involved in the anachronism are under its influence…usually. You took it tomorrow, but it works today. Make sense?” the first doctor asked.

              “Not really.” The other me said.

              “It doesn’t have to.”  Said the first doctor. “Just take it before you travel and you’ll be fine. If you don’t, there can and will be oversights.”