Cubed

White. A hologram appeared. “If you are watching this, it means one of three things: I have forgotten something and need a reminder, I am editing this cube and am currently listening to this explanation wishing I implemented a skip function or the plan is in motion and a viable clone is watching this to gain context to their mission.” The hologram paused for a moment as a blue scanning beam crossed Lore from head to toe. “Judging by the subtle genetic variances and anomalies, congratulations are in order as it would seem the plan was successful. Welcome to the Identity cube.” The holographic doppelganger waved its hand, summoning a small, mid two thousands, Earth television and a small sofa into the vast nothingness they found themselves in. “Please follow me.” It walked over and sat down. Lore followed suit.

The Hologram picked up the remote and turned the television on. “This cube contains most of the memories of the Inquisitor formally known as Loren. It is designed to inform you of who you came from and the legacy that entails but also to train you to ensure you are as effective as they are for your mission ahead. This cube can be watched in museum mode, where you will view its events as if you are another participant, observing from the sidelines or they can be relived as they happened originally; in this case, you will have no control over your actions and you will view each event from the point of view of Loren.”
“Can I pick and choose?” Lore spoke sheepishly.
“That is allowed.” The Hologram sighed. “However, certain memories can only be viewed in one mode. Your birth, for example, can only be viewed in museum mode, as with a lot of your youth, however most of your adult memories have no such limitations. Either way, at the end of the playback, you will be fully equipped to move on to the Context cube to learn of your mission and its importance.” The Hologram navigated a series of menus on the television, eventually bringing up a chapter selection screen after opening and closing several menus and changing the input source twice. “So, the next question is where would you like to start?”
“Could we start at the beginning and then choose from there?” Lore was hesitant in their asking.
The Holographic doppelganger ran its hand down its face in exasperation. “That is… Permissible.” It sighed again.

The void changed as The Hologram stood. The sofa vanished, causing Lore to fall and land on their coccyx, and the once white nothingness became a small and ill lit hospital room. “Welcome to your birth.” The Hologram pointed at a small, plastic, crib. Inside was a baby; pink and completely unremarkable. “You weren’t born here, in fact, this hospital is about a fifty mile drive from the one you were born in; fifty miles and nearly twenty years.”
“I’m sorry, what?” Lore looked again at the child. They appeared to be a completely normal human child.
“You were extracted from your timeline owing to your high levels of TPE and your parent’s unfortunate mediocrity and sudden demises.” The Hologram delivered the information with absolute candour and no hint of emotion. “If you must know, your mother was a nurse and your father a tool maker; neither are really that important in the grand scheme of things.”
Lore found themselves stunned. “But I… They were taken from them. Why?”
“Because of their TPE. Temporal Potential Energy. An individual with high TPE has the capability to impact the timeline more than someone with a lower TPE. You were chosen specifically because your TPE was among the highest recorded and your natural life was supposed to end three days after your birth.” The Hologram saw the questions forming in Lore’s mind. “Every action, every moment, generates Temporal Potential. Most people are born with high Temporal Potential Energy but through life decisions or circumstance, it dissipates. This energy is expelled when a decision is made, when an action is completed. It allows an individual to change and influence their reality around them subtly. You were born with extremely high Potential so were removed from the timeline and brought to The Temporal Sciences Guild as a part of an experiment to see what would happen if that energy was directed and fostered. It is your opinion that their experiment was a success.”
Lore thought for a moment. “So… They could warp reality?”
“Not exactly, the theory of Temporal Potential Energy is just such, a theory. Many contemporary theorists, like your creator, believe it doesn’t exist and other explanations exist. It is only mentioned in this cube as it was the primary reason you were chosen over any other soon to be orphan.” The Hologram allowed them to linger for a moment before moving them along.

The hospital room restructured around them to become a nursery. The environment was just as sterile and a casual observer would be forgiven for mistaking it for a waiting room. At the centre, a researcher sat with the baby, stood around them, a gaggle of clipboards and assistants. They watched and made notes as the central researcher manipulated the child. “See how he is able to stand unassisted confirming that our Infostamps are able to successfully transfer muscle memory to any compatible mind.” The researcher moved away and produced a ball from her pocket. “Observe.” She threw the ball at the child; Lore watched as the child plucked the ball from the air and threw it back to the researcher with impressive accuracy.

“That is you at six months old. You have the muscle memories of a trained secret services agent and, if your vocal cords were properly developed, the ability to speak three languages fluently… They were going to teach you all of the European languages but thought that was a little too far. English, Welsh and German were chosen though they won’t know that part of the experiment worked until later.” The Hologram chuckled.
“But why?” Lore asked.
“Because you needed to be perfect.” It bowed its head, seemingly apologetically. “Now, moving on. Growing.”