[ WP ] Your life is a wreck . You somehow manage to travel back 10 years in time to start over . But things just feel ... Wrong . Something is very off .

There it was about twenty feet in front of Lawrence. For the first time in years, everything was going right. Lawrence had emptied his savings to pay off the guards at Los Alamos National Lab. He did n't even question why they were so willing to take his thousand dollars. Lawerence was stretched to the limits of his desperation and needed everything to work. 
 
 The past ten years had been stressful, to put it mildly, for Lawerence. Everything had been slowly falling apart since his parents died. He had n't realized how much they had impacted his life until his fiancee called off the wedding and left him with massive debt. He managed to take care of the creditors, but his savings was drained. The University of California fired him after he received poor reviews from his students. The events were spread over the past decade, but the depression slowly ate him away. 
 
 Six months ago, everything changed. He held a razor in one hand while he sat on his toilet. His phone buzzed in his pocket. He glanced at the number out of habit. Jack. Jack always called at inconvenient times. He pressed the red button and set the phone on the bath tub wall. He took a deep breath summoning the courage to make the first cut. The phone started buzzing again. He glanced again. Jack. He pressed the red button and flipped the phone over. The phone rang again. He picked it up and answered. 
 
 `` What do you want Jack?'' 
 
 `` Lawman,'' Lawrence hated the nickname but never could get Jack to drop it. `` They did it! They sent it back, and it worked,'' Jack exclaimed into the phone. 
 
 `` What are you talking about?'' 
 
 `` I ca n't talk about it over the phone. It's all hush-hush. Come in so I can talk about it.'' 
 
 Lawrence looked at the razor in his other hand, `` I kinda had other plans.'' 
 
 `` Trust me, it'll be worth it,'' Jack insisted. 
 
 Lawrence sighed audibly and agreed to go in. Jack called him twice while Lawrence was driving as Jack's excitement continued to grow. They met in Jack's office, where Jack showed him the results of the time travel prototype. The Los Alamos National Lab had sent a radio back in time. As Jack explained the theory and how it worked, Lawrence saw a way out. He'd go back and fix his life. 
 
 Six months later, he was crouched behind some equipment racks looking at the time travel prototype. The device was smaller than he expected. They made some improvements, he thought. According to Jack, they run the same test every night in two minutes. He watched the scientists intently as he bid his time. As expected, they turned the device on. A small portal opened and gradually grew. 
 
 Lawrence did n't delay. He launched himself toward the portal covering the gap in a couple seconds. As he ran, he thought maybe he had gained a glimpse of Jack smiling. He pushed the thought out of his mind as he forced himself into the portal. When Lawrence hit a wall with a thud, he realized that the portal was more like a pool of water than a pool of jello. 
 
 Lawrence checked his limbs before standing up. He glanced around as he stood up to see a large empty room. He thought to himself, I guess the lab has n't begun work in here, yet. He oriented himself and started making his way out of the lab. After making a few turns, he bumped into a security guard who was making rounds. 
 
 Lawrence cursed at himself as the guard looked him over suspiciously. Then the guard smiled, `` Professor Lawrence, was n't expecting to see you here. Late night to be at the labs?'' 
 
 Lawrence looked at him with hesitation. `` Yeah. Just finished up. I'm on my way home.'' 
 
 `` Have a good night,'' the guard sidestepped past him. 
 
 Lawrence continued walking and tried to remember if he ever visited the lab ten years ago. The building had n't changed much since he was here ten years from now, he thought. Lawrence snickered to himself at the absurdity of that statement. He started thinking about all the changes he would make based on the knowledge he know had. 
 
 He got to the front doors and pushed. They did n't open. He tried pulling, and they swung freely. He walked through the doors and tried to reconcile his memory where the doors had to be pulled when he arrived. He knew memory can be a fickle thing, so he shrugged it off. 
 
 He started walking to the front gate when he noticed someone waving at him from across the parking lot. He tried to ignore the figure and walked with his head down. 
 
 `` Professor,'' the figure called to him. He knew that voice. Why did he know that voice, he asked himself. He turned to acknowledge the voice. 
 
 `` Professor Lawrence, what are you doing here, `` she asked. 
 
 The voice suddenly clicked. Lawrence's fiancee, Juliet. He had n't heard her voice in seven years. His eyes felt the emotion building. He wanted to hug her, but cautioned himself, `` I had a late night.'' 
 
 `` You look like it, `` she said while looking toward the sky with hesitation. `` We best be getting inside.'' 
 
 Lawrence tried to come up with an excuse to stay out of her hair when he noticed a group of stars shining brighter than he remembered. The stars looked like they were moving. He felt Juliet grab his arm to usher him toward the closest building. `` Juliet, what's going, `` he started to ask. 
 
 `` Juliet, you never call... `` Juliet looked at him with a sudden realization. `` Professor, I'll explain everything inside.'' She pulled him ten feet up the sidewalk to a building marked Flag Offices. 
 
 She pushed open the door and followed him inside. `` You're here. Let me look at you. Oh, you made it, `` she rambled. 
 
 `` What are you talking about?'' 
 
 `` They came when the lab opened the first dimensional rip.'' 
 
 `` You're going to have to back up, Juliet.'' 
 
 `` Okay, for starters, stop calling me Juliet. It's Doctor North. I know this is a lot to take in, but you are n't where you think you are.'' As if on cue, the air outside filled with a dark orange mist. `` What did Jack tell you?'' 
 
 `` He said it was a time portal. The labs could send things back ten years. Wait. How did you know Jack tol...'' 
 
 `` Oh, so he lied to you,'' she cut him off. `` That's how he got you to jump. You did travel ten years back, but this is not in your timeline. You are in a parallel timeline. They sent a radio six months ago. Every week we can talk with Jack to get a status update. He established contact with three other timelines. Every day they talk to one of the lines to get a status update. According to Jack, we are the only line that had that side effect.'' She pointed to the air outside. `` It does n't come through vents or open windows. If anyone is outside, though...'' Her voice trailed off. `` We lost so many people that first night.'' She shook off the emotion. `` It's all about survival, now.'' 
 
 Lawrence walked toward the glass doors. `` What is it?'' 
 
 `` We do n't know, yet. We have some theories, but so far nothing.'' 
 
 Lawrence turned to face Juliet. `` Earlier, you made it sound like Jack wanted me here. Why?'' 
 
 `` He did. He made sure the guards let you through. He helped you choose the right day. Think about it why you chose today? Was n't it because the guards suggested it. You are here because Jack trusts you,'' she tried reassuring him. 
 
 `` Trusts me? Trusts me to do what? This is outside of anything I've ever thought possible. I would n't believe it if I was n't seeing it right now,'' Lawrence remarked incredulously. 
 
 `` Well, there's a couple people you need to meet, like our Professor Lawrence and our Jack. Why do n't you come with me and I'll introduce you,'' Juliet beckoned him down the entrance hall. 
 
 He turned to face the orange mist again so he could process everything before continuing down the hall where his only option lied. He wondered how different this timeline was. Were his parents still alive? What about the friends he had back then? Would they even be willing to share friendships with him and their him? Lawrence sighed to himself, he wanted a fresh start and wondered if he bit off more than he could handle. 
 
 `` Lawman!'' He did n't turn right away to greet Jack, but let a small smile creep on his face as he heard the familiar nickname. Not everything is different after all.
