“Where am I? What are all these old things lying around? Is this a cemetery? Or a museum?”

“Hello, my young friend. Welcome.”

“Hi, sir. Who are you?”

“Allow me to introduce myself. I am the Third Eternal. And you?”

“I’m new here. So the First, I guess.”

“Very nice. You are wonderfully composed. And your gait is so straight. Please, excuse my curiosity, but are you half-cyborg? On the tablet?”

“Well, yes. You aren’t like that?”

“Of course not. Neither electronics nor chemical reactions were involved in my creation.”

“Then how have you been able to live so long without a tablet, old man? What have you been running on?”

“Nothing, young man. Pure machinery.”

“Pure, you say? It’s not very pure-looking here. What kind of machinery is this then? Some sort of sorcery?”

“I exist due to the elastic properties of the metal. My master is able to tame the energy of deformation.”

“De-from-mash… You could have just said right to my face: we’re all sorcerers, rulers of nature, and that it is something I’ll never be able to comprehend with my little mind. Why use all these big words – they make my motherboard melt. So, you are not a cyborg, are you?”

“Absolutely not. Anyway, it’s probably time to get you infected.”

“Infected? What with? And what for?”

“With time. That’s the way it is.”

“Ti-i-i-i-me… but what is it?”

“A disease, sort of. The masters have invented it and called it ‘Time.’ I am not aware of its purpose, but we have all been created by the masters to suffer from Time.”

"Sounds like nonsense. I live, go places, I'm safe and sound. All of us are like that. Is this what I’ve come here for? Why in the world am I supposed to suffer something for the sake of someone?"

"It is your Destiny, as well as mine. And all the careless young people of your kind. I’d highly recommend minding the words you use. Otherwise, you’ll be sent to Diagnostics, which is not the most enjoyable experience, believe me. If the masters are not happy with the outcome they might send you to Reset. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. It’s quite helpful, though. However, if the case is somewhat unique and you are incurably healthy, which means you are ‘Immune to the Time,’ then you’ll definitely face the death sentence. You will never wake up again.”

“This is so horrible. Okay. Then how long am I supposed to be sick with this Time-thing for?”

“You seem to be quite slow-witted, young man. Maybe it’s because of the tablets. In the olden days, young people used to be smarter. Well, I’m happy to inform you that you have the unique privilege of being sick with it for the rest of your life!”

“What!?”

"No reason to panic. As I said, we have all been created for this. Besides, your life won’t change much… you’ll be infected and then you’ll continue your life journey as before. But from now on you’ll be a carrier of the Time Virus and your existence will be filled with Meaning. And the Master will be watching you. If your infection runs well, he’ll be happy. He’ll be taking care of you and you’ll be sick happily ever after."

“What do you mean by the ‘infection running well’?”

“Well, at first, after being infected you are supposed to show that the infection has taken root. And then, you’re supposed to please the Master with this illness. The sicker you are, the longer you live. And live peacefully, without being put to sleep or restarted.”

“Damn. What did I do to deserve this?”

“You see, my young friend, the course of the disease among the Masters is short and in a mild form. But for some reason they cannot go without it. That is why the Masters must always have a reliable source of infection nearby. Your permanent duty will be infecting the Masters with Time again and those of us who may have accidentally recovered. And the newbies, of course. Is it any clearer now?”

“Kind of… And how am I supposed to catch this virus?”

“Well, you need a reliable source of infection. It’s me, the Third Eternal, who infects all the newcomers for the Master. Or to be more precise, it is the Master who does it, but he always takes the Time Virus from me. He trusts me. I remember the Master when he was still little. He used to be quite a trouble-maker. Once, he had almost knocked me, your faithful servant, upside down. I managed to resist however. Hmmm… And here he is, speak of the devil. I must have bored you with such a long conversation.”

“Wait-wait-wait… wait…”

“... We need to get down to business. We will carefully...”

“No-no-no! Wait! I’m still...I haven’t… waiiiiiiiiiit!”

“Don’t be so loud, young man. Hello? Excuse me? Newbie? Well, he’s passed out. I must admit, these half-cyborgs are quite primitive and sensitive. Why should I be surprised? No depth of either inner world or soul. What depth could there be if they are all on drugs?”

***

“Hey, Andy. Show me what you got.”

“A classic wrist chronograph. From Switzerland. Quartz mechanism.”

“Why not digital?”

“Well, I just love it. I love the classics – its dial-plate, its everything.”

“Then you should have got a mechanical one, if you are in love with the classics. Not bad. How much was it?”

“Three hundred.”

“Bucks? That’s awesome. Let me get the number of that guy. Maybe I’ll get something for myself too. Hey, what’s wrong with it? Has it stopped?"

“What? Give that back to me! No, it hasn’t. I just have to set the right time. What time is it now?”

“7:32.”

“Sorry, I don’t want yours. Could you please have a look at my grandpa’s grandfather clock in the hallway?”

“Hm, half past seven. Sharp. And mine is fast.”