Author’s Note: Jeff was initially stated to be 16 years old hence I will continue to use that age instead of the one listed in the previous chapter.
It was strange. There were two Jeffs in the room. One was a 16 year old boy only wearing boxers and standing in front of the computer. The other was a 43 year old man only wearing boxers and wrapped with a bedsheet, several feet behind the teenaged Jeff.
Jeff the teenager muted the computer to stop the noise and looked behind him to see Jeff the man still attempting to cover himself with a bedsheet. Jeff the man looked simultaneously confused and horrified, unsure of what was going on and terrified that he had accidentally fallen asleep in the same bed with an unknown teenage boy. Clearly Jeff the man had no knowledge on the Chronivac or anything that was happening.
“I’m so sorry! I… I… I’ll leave,” Jeff the man said awkwardly as he quickly headed to the locked bedroom door. He unlocked the door and placed his hand on the doorknob, about to exit, before he heard a shout.
“Wait! Don’t go! If you do, you’ll be in trouble.”
Jeff the man turned around to face the teenager, baffled at what he said. Was he threatening him?
“I mean… we’ll both be in trouble. Listen… I can explain everything. Just don’t leave until you hear me out,” Jeff the teenager pleaded. Although Jeff the teenager could remember everything that had happened involving the Chronivac, his memories as his dad’s best friend were nonexistent, purely residing in Jeff the man’s mind. This meant he had no recollection of what happened after he activated the gift transformation program and transformed, leaving him just as confused as Jeff the man. Not to mention having no idea what the Twinning Protocol was or what it did.
“Fine. I’ll hear you out,” Jeff the man said, making sure the bedsheet still covered him a good amount. For some reason he felt an odd connection with the teenager, making him more inclined to stay and trust him despite not knowing who he was.
Jeff the teenager then explained the Chronivac to Jeff the man, taking time to explain the details of the program before explaining how he used it on himself as a gift for his dad. He concluded his explanation by admitting he had no memories of anything that had taken place after transforming, only conscious after being turned back into himself and awakening in bed with Jeff the man.
Jeff the man could barely believe what he heard. So this kid was actually him? He couldn’t comprehend how that was possible. Not to mention the fact that he doesn’t really exist. It was all very frightening and confusing to be honest. And his slight hangover didn’t help.
“But, I exist! I have all these memories from my life. And I clearly remember myself as your dad’s best friend,” Jeff the man said, rubbing his forehead as he grimaced from the information Jeff the teenager gave him. “I feel like an actual real and separate individual!”
“From the way you talk and act, I believe it. It almost feels as if you’re me but from an alternate reality where I’m not my dad’s son but his best friend. It’s super jarring not to mention creepy.”
Jeff the teenager watched as Jeff the man sighed, distraught with an identity crisis, before he glanced back in the direction of the computer. All the pop-ups from before were still on the screen, the notification with the blinking yellow button in front. In his attempts to stop Jeff the man from awakening his dad and causing a big commotion, Jeff the teenager had forgotten about it.
“Wait! Jeff! I think I know how to fix this!” Jeff the teenager moved the mouse and clicked the button. Instantly a new window appeared, a text box that connected him with a customer service representative.
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Customer Service: Please state your problem and any necessary details and information.
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Jeff the teenager then began to type out everything that had happened before sending the message. After a minute a reply showed up.
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Customer Service: Because of the excessive alcohol the user consumed while transformed, the Chronivac was unable to properly turn the user back to normal. This falls under ERROR 26 and due to the error the Twinning Protocol was activated as a way to still fulfill the preset timeframe.
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Jeff the teenager then asked what the Twinning Protocol was. In an instant, another message appeared, explaining what it was and what has or is about to happen.