Everything was white.

The sky, the walls, the ground...

There was nothing here.

He wasn’t even sure there were walls at all.

Rubbing his neck, he tried to remember what had happened.

It felt like something important had slipped his mind.

“What is it like, daddy?”

He blinked and turned around.

Lucy was playing with her dolls.

They were in the recreation room at the Regency.

It was a small room, filled with toys.

There were other children around them, playing.

It had always been Lucy’s favorite place on Elphine.

He glanced at the window and saw the familiar gray buildings and gray sky.

Something was off, he realized.

And where had all the whiteness gone?

Halden frowned as he felt a little hand tug at his sleeve.

“Tell me again, daddy! What is it like?”

“It’s beautiful,” he heard himself say. “There are trees there—you’d love the trees. And rivers. And a clear blue sky.”

“Will you take me with you? Please?”

He crouched next to her, staring into her pretty green eyes.

“I don’t think your mother would like that.”

The girl pouted.

“It’s ugly here. And mommy’s never home. I don’t want to stay all alone.”

He remained quiet for a long time.

Too many thoughts were rushing through his head.

Familiar thoughts.

All of this...

It had already happened, hadn’t it?

Why did it feel so real?

He reached out with his hand and ran his fingers across his daughter’s cheek.

He could feel her flesh against his own.

This was no illusion.

No dream.

Tears came to his eyes.

“Why are you crying, daddy?”

Had he really cried that day, or was that him?

It was all him, of course, but which part was him now, which part was him then?

He couldn’t remember.

He couldn’t make any sense of this.

And how could his daughter, his precious little daughter, still be alive?

He was overwhelmed with emotions.

“I love you, Lucy,” he muttered.

As the words came out of his mouth, the world around him spun, and the whiteness returned.

“No!” he cried.

He felt himself fall, though there was nothing beneath him. Just more whiteness.

“Halden!”

He jumped and turned toward the familiar voice.

“Where have you been? I’ve been looking for you for hours.”

It was Rees. Lucy’s fiancé. They were to marry soon.

“Sorry,” he heard himself say. “I’ve been trying to find this old holofile...”

The other man snorted. “You really have nothing better to do?”

Something was off.

In the man’s voice.

He’d heard that tone before, but had never paid attention. He’d assumed it was stress.

But now, knowing everything he knew...

A knot formed in his stomach as the memories came rushing back.

This was the day.

He blanched.

No, no, no, no... Please, don’t put me through this again...

A light flashed on the TriVid screen.

Rees turned and walked toward it.

“No!” he said aloud.

He was sure he had never said that before.

It didn’t matter, though, as Rees did not seem to hear.

Maybe this was it, then?

He could act differently, but it would go unnoticed?

Which meant there was nothing he could do.

He couldn’t change what had happened.

Of course he couldn’t.

If he could, where would he be now?

Not that he knew where he was.

He glanced at the window as Rees answered the call.

It was night, but the sky was clear. There were trees in the distance, and a fresh breeze blew through the opening.

He closed his eyes and covered his ears as he heard Rees scream.

No, no, no, no... please no!

She had died once, was that not enough?

Why put him through this again?

When he noticed he couldn’t hear Rees’ voice anymore, he opened his eyes.

Everything had gone white.

What was going on?

What was happening to him?

The Fault!

It came back to him in a flash.

The blurry column.

The old man.

The latter shoving him into the former.

What was this place?

A tingling sensation spread through his entire body.

He looked at his hands, and they were white too.

They glowed.

And then he fell again.