Master of Time

The kids love the magic show.

It isn't too complicated since I just need a large enough table cloth to hide the fact that I had used my power to duplicate plates after plates of pancakes.

Pancakes that I had cooked previously for Christina earlier in the day.

My temporal duplication technique allows me to basically steal from the past timelines without having to deal with the consequences, at least that is what I believe.

It is hard to confirm whether that fact is true or not, but by simple logical reasonings, it shouldn't really affect the present prime timeline.

Just like I continue to exist in the present despite originating from an alternate future.

A future that is probably still exists somewhere in the timestream.

But it might also be because of what I actually am, the Aspect of Time.

Is there only one instance of me in all of time and space? Probably not, considering that my past-selves do exist until I decide to jump to the past and merge with them, but not too far into the past.

It is quite difficult to fully understand time itself, as time is not really linear. It seems to branch out like a root of a tree, infinitely. That just means there are infinite parallel timelines running alongside with the prime timeline.

Mind boggling, not to mention incomprehensible to most people.

In any case, I am practicing how to steal from an alternate future through the same technique without actually having to jump to the future myself. The warning in my private databank tells me that I should not jump to the future anymore for whatever reasons.

Since I am unable to determine the authenticity of that warning message other than the obvious fact that someone somewhere was able to upload the private message into my private databank without leaving any traces behind, I should probably abide by the warning.

At least for now.

I don't really want to deal with another temporal rift extinction event, and that event isn't fully averted yet since deep space observatory informs me of discovering temporal rifts forming in orbit around the planet.

Just great. Just fucking great.

"Wow. Can you do that again, Mr. Maxwell?"

Susan asks. She and her trio of friends have arrived at my place shortly after Stephanie and her siblings did. The four of them had breakfast already, but that didn't mean they couldn't have more.

Plus, I insist.

They seem to love my pancakes, just like my mother and Christina, so take that Anti. See? Daddy isn't a really bad cook, so why don't you like my foods, Anti? Why!?

Antigone didn't pay me any attention whatsoever. She takes a liking to her older sister after just a few songs, and here I have initially thought that there will be some sort of sibling rivalries going on.

Maybe next time then.

Am I planning to adopt more kids in the future?

I am not really sure, but if Christina works out well, I wouldn't really mind, considering seeing so many children sitting at my breakfast table.

Besides Joshua, they are all girls. Somehow that feels important to me.

"Only if you manage to finish your plate, Susan."

I answer with a smile and keep my eye on her. It is strange to see her now after witnessing my adopted-grandfather's memory in an alternate timeline.

Susan manages to survive the starvation apocalypse longer than all of her friends, but in that timeline, she is a rival to my mother, at least in school. Weird.

In the prime timeline, Susan will probably become best friends with my mother.

The other two girls, Anna and Daisy as well.

I am not too sure about Becky, and I don't feel like finding out. Not really important to know.

Susan looks down at her plate before looking at her friends sitting around the table, and like them, as much as much loves my food, she wouldn't be able to eat finish her plate. Still, she will try to since she has been taught to always finish her plate.

And Susan becomes the last person to leave the table because of that.

"Thank you for the meal, Mr. Maxwell."

Susan thanks me and puts her plate into the sink before joining her friends in the living room. Christina is getting ready for school there, and she is really excited.

It would be the first time in four years since Christina attended school in the United States. It will be a great experience for her. A welcome experience in my opinion.

"You are welcome, Susan."

I response and wipe down the table before joining them. It is time to head to school together.

Antigone is joining them too in her stroller, which is being pushed by Stephanie.

Susan, Anna, Daisy help out as well. Not so much from Becky, but she is sticking closely to them. It was not long ago that these four bullies my mother for quite stupid reasons.

Now, they are all friends.

Surviving dangers together can turn even most hated enemies into friends.

Christina walks with Joshua as the boy is closest to her in age while Misha is riding my shoulders since she is the youngest, being only five.

Antigone isn't jealous of that, fortunately. She is just enjoying her ride while shaking her shaker toys.

Did I just adopt a bunch of kids?

Nope. But it feels like this will be a normal occurrence from now on.

Since school start at 8am, the same time that Terra Entertainment starts its business hour, I did send a message to the receptionist that I will be late due to family matter, so she should inform the rest of the departments.

I am not too worry about the meeting with Steve Jobs and Bill Gates since it is in the afternoon. It did take a bit of effort to bring those two to the table, considering Terra Entertainment is not a tech giant like their companies.

It is an entertainment giant. Will be an entertainment giant. Not at the moment. Nevertheless, thanks to my little legal stunt with copyright lawsuit, a lot of people are starting to take notice.

A lot of major companies too.

Lexi is actually already at Terra Entertainment, sitting in the lobby and waiting for me.

I did state that she can come and work for me if she wishes.

She is overly dressed, readying to start her day as my sexy secretary. Not a sex-secretary, just a really sexy one. There is a huge difference between the two. One would land me in lots of trouble normally, but not really.

Maybe I should test Lexi for the job first since she has never ever work as a secretary before. Her ability to seduce others regardless of gender allows her to skip all of that.

But that will not fly with me, however.

Alright, maybe it can fly a little.

While I am immune to her superhuman ability, I am not really completely immune to her natural looks since I am still male. An alpha male in her mind.

Feels like there is going to be a lot of fucking with Lexi after hours. Not that I mind, as long as she does good work during work hours.

I shake my mind off the thought and help the children across the road to join a bunch of other children heading towards the same school with their parents, mostly their mothers.

It is still the 90s, so most men are at work while most women are at home. That will drastically change in the upcoming years as more women enter the workforce and fight for equality.

That will become quite a mess.

Of course, it is not as bad as in the future, especially when virtual intelligences are a thing. Let just say some children are born and raised to adulthood without ever seeing their parents once.

What a future we will live in.

In any case, quite a lot of people looks at me since I cannot possibly be the father of all of these girls, considering that I am in my early 20s. That is the first impression anyway, but they quickly change their mind as they recognize me.

I have become quite famous after the kidnapping stunt. It is due to my connection with the local police, which composed of 60% Hydra or Shield agents. Probably more. Likely more.

Might become 100% in a couple of years or so, but that is only because forcibly replacing all the police with my agents too quickly will raise suspicion, so for now, I only replace all the higher ups.

Those are the ones with any kind of power.

In any case, most people in the neighborhood know who I am, and they have been asking around, only to meet with the same basic information. It could be a problem, but I suppose I will have to deal with it now than later.

Hopefully no idiot is stupid enough to break into my home, trying to rob me. They will be in for a world of hurt if they do, and it is not from me directly.

"Alright, we are here. Stephanie, can you take Joshua and Misha to their classroom first, and I will pick you all up if your dad can't make it in the afternoon. Nice to meet you, Susan, Anna, Daisy and Becky."

I tell the girls at the front gate of the school, where most of the parents are only accompanying up to.

"Tina, come with me to see the principle. It is to get you enrolled at this school, okay?"

I tell Christina after trading Misha for Antigone with Stephanie. My mother then takes her brother and sister to their classroom with her friends while I head to the principle office.

However, Becky runs after me to hand me an envelope. It is from her mother to her father, who is the school principle. It is the reason why many teachers are turning blind eye to Becky and her bullying.

Of course, it will be very different next year when Becky enters Junior High at the end of this year. She will not be able to continue her ways, at least not so blatantly.

"Mr. Maxwell. Can you give this to my dad when you see him? He also wants to see you to thank you for what happened to me. Mum said that I should thank you too, so thank you."

I smile at the girl and nod. This is why I don't like punishing children for whatever wrongs they did or going to do. They are not completely lost yet, and I shouldn't be too harshly on them.

If anything, I will punish their parents instead for failing in their responsibility to their children.

"I will. By the way, I am curious to why you start bullying Stephanie. Was it because you are jealous of her of having a loving mother and father?"

I am curious to know what the truth is.

I could get it out of her mind by infesting her with micromachines but asking her directly works too. I do have a good idea, considering how estranged her parents are in comparison to John and Edith, at least on the surface.

Becky lowers her eyes on the ground. She shakes her head in denial at first before nodding.

"Just because your father and mother don't love each other, doesn't mean they don't love you, Becky, so you shouldn't feel sad about it, especially when you have a lot of friends, but they will only be your friends if you treat them as your friends, so you shouldn't alienate yourself because one day, they will leave you."

I point out. A bit harsh for her age, but I need her to turn back from the path she is taking. I also point out that Christina has it much worst than her, and yet, Christina appreciates whatever she has even if it is not much.

"Go to class now, Becky. The bell will ring soon."

I tell her afterwards and take my daughters to the principle office. Only I am allowed to be inside, so I left Antigone with Christina outside with the receptionist.

The receptionist is quite a looker, but that isn't why I am paying her attention. It is her background, as she was once a soldier. That is interesting.

"Ah, Mr. Maxwell. I am glad to see you."

A well-dressed man with an impressive gut greets me in the office.

I mean it literally as he is way overweight. Most people in the United States sitting behind the desk all day usually are, especially for administration jobs like this.

Actually, it is common for most people anywhere in the world. But good thing that I am not like most people despite sitting behind a desk all day long at Terra Entertainment.

"I guess I am happy to see you too, Mr. Collins."

I greet back as Selene displays his profile and history for me to review. I wonder why I bother to review such a thing since he is really a nobody, but I suppose I like to be informed.

"Please. Have a seat. I must thank you for what you did for my daughter. For all those girls. If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't have them all safely. Have the police found any suspects yet?"

The man asks me, and I take him up on the offer, not that he needed to offer me.

Would be weird if I was to stand about.

"You will have to ask the police about that, Mr. Collins. I might have some contacts at the department, but I am still a civilian. They are not allowed to tell me anything, you know."

I point out with a smile. He did try to ask more questions in regard to that, but I dodge them all since I know what he is trying to do. He wants to build connections. Men like him needs connections.

Powerful connections. He probably tries to learn who I am through his own connection, but they likely come back as empty. I am not someone he can learn about readily asides from public information, of course.

"Ah yes, of course, my bad. So, what can I do for you?"

He eventually asks, allowing me to get to business.

"I would like to enroll my daughter at your school, Mr. Collins. She is my adopted daughter, obviously. Her name is Christina Maxwell. She is 9, so she should be in Grade 3. However, she has been overseas for the last four years, so maybe she needs to be in a special class to catch up."

I answer thoughtfully.

"You do know that there are only a few months left of the school year, Mr. Maxwell? While I can enroll her, it is probably more beneficial to her to have a private home tutor instead."

Principle George tells me with a frown.

"I have thought about that, and I will hire one as soon as I get some recommendations, but for now, I prefer my daughter to attend school, just so she can make some friends. I hope there will not be any problem. Money will not be an issue. I will of course pay for the entire school year."

I response and take out my cheque book. I would prefer to use wire transfer, but smartphone isn't a real thing yet, so pen and paper it is then.

The Golden Emblem of Chrono Reserves make his eyes shine. Money do make the world goes around but being valued member of Chrono Reserves do make the world revolves around me, as not anyone can have such a powerful status.