THE MOMENT
"To the end of the line...," Brandy raised her beer at Miller. She sat at a quiet, dim bar next to her good friend and known Grim Reaper. It was still late afternoon on a weeknight and the bar was relatively empty. The pouring rain outside did its part to deter casual visitors who might've chosen the bar just because they were in the area.
"To the end of the lap..," Miller chuckled with his own toast.
"Yeah, yeah, don't rub it in...," Brandy whined playfully, then took a big gulp. She set the glass down, then shook her head at him. "I know why you're surviving but I'm supposed to be immortal!"
"And you are," Miller nodded. "As long as there's a universe for you to be immortal in; no universe, no immortality."
"You've helped me out of other dying universes before; why is this time different?" She asked. The pair of friends had known each other long enough for Miller to understand she wasn't actually annoyed at the situation. But, she'd always had a curious streak.
"It's not any one universe this time...," Miller shook his head. "All universes are ending."
"I get that part," Brandy nodded. "But, you said it's being restarted and you're coming back with the new multiverse. Can't you smuggle me in too somehow?" she asked. Miller shook his head.
"I would if I could," he said. "I'm sure you can imagine that restarting the multiverse is kind of a big deal with lots of security in place. And, it happens, that this particular reset is starting from one of the most secure timelines there is. Every change is scrutinized before it's made."
"Wait, that's what you said about this timeline we're in, right? I thought 'Aurelio's Sun' was the most guarded section of time...," Brandy asked. Miller nodded.
"Technically, it was when I told you that," he said. "But, that's only because the 'Pineapple Cup' was off-limits for everyone. I didn't consider it guarded so much as 'inaccessible'."
"Pineapple Cup?" Brandy giggled and shook her head. "Aurelio's Sun, Toku-high... I still don't understand why you don't just use dates. You can travel to anywhere in time in any universe, can't you?"
"This isn't the first time the multiverse has been reset, remember?" Miller replied. "Dates can change. And, each Earth has its own individual time stream. It's easier to give the sequence of events a name everyone recognizes."
"Okay," Brandy shrugged. "So, tell me about the Pineapple Cup since I'm not going to get to see it. I can understand why you didn't mention it before if it was inaccessible. Why was it off-limits? What changed?" Brandy also wanted to ask who exactly decided it was off-limits and enforced it; but, she fought off the urge for her own peace of mind. Miller had tried to explain that once to her before; but, even as an immortal, his explanation sounded far-fetched to her.
"You ready for this?" Miller asked her with a chuckle. Brandy wasn't sure that she was; he only used that when warning her something major was coming. "The Pineapple Cup is the first major tournament sponsored by Sharp Development," he said. "It was off-limits because that's when Dana Sharp tried to kill God," he said. "Obviously, no one wants a repeat attempt."
"What? Wait!" Brandy shook her head with wide eyes. "Don't gloss over that. What do you mean she tried to kill God!? At a roller derby tournament!??" They'd had several conversations about God in the past. Him being a Grim Reaper allowed Brandy to ask all sorts of questions about the afterlife she was missing out on. Miller chuckled.
"Dana Sharp, the owner of Sharp Development, attempted to murder God," He nodded. "...at a roller derby tournament. But, she promised not to do it again."
"You're kidding me...," Brandy couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculous statement. "You believe her?" she asked. Miller shook his head.
"Personally, I don't," he shrugged. "But, I'm not the one that makes decisions."
"Do you know why?" She asked. "I mean, do you know why the multiverse is being reset from the Pineapple Cup? If it can be started from any other point, why that one?"
"You've heard of the new AlterNet patch, right?" Miller asked. Brandy nodded. Being immortal meant she had a lot of time for games and she spent most of her days playing in the AlterNet. "Sharp Development is applying the patch retroactively, so that includes the Pineapple Cup. And, since it's getting a new patch, the powers that be want to go back and watch it play out again with the new changes; and, without attempted deicide."
'The powers that be'. The Council of Courts. Whatever he called them, Brandy always considered it mind-boggling that so few people controlled the fate of the multiverse. They could stop and start it on a whim. And, from what she understood, they treated it like a game. This latest news from Miller only reaffirmed that in her mind.
"Maybe it's better that I'm not there after the reset...," Brandy decided. "I've had a long, long life across hundreds of Earths. Taking a break wouldn't be so bad; I'll be born again when the new timeline gets to Aurelio's Sun again, right?" she asked.
"Someone that looks like you and is named 'Brandy' will likely be born," Miller nodded. "I can't say it's guaranteed that version will get the same soul you have now; in fact, it's more likely that you don't."
"Another toast, then," Brandy giggled and lifted her glass. "To the gods of RNG...," she said. "To immortality randomly gained and a life randomly lost. And, to a version of 'Brandy' that might be me; or, she might be better."
"...it wasn't random though...," Miller chuckled. "You know what you did; immortality was supposed to be a curse," he said.
"Oh shut up," Brandy shook her head. "The multiverse ends tomorrow; let me have this one thing, okay? Now drink!"