AZ - Welcome to the Nexus

When Azrael woke again, he was standing in the doorway of the old and rundown bar, where the murmuring of the patrons stopped immediately as everyone looked towards the door.

The old man with the scar in his face threw a look over to the barkeeper, who nodded approvingly, upon which the old man broke out into a smile and began applauding, into which the other patrons quickly joined in. A few shouted 'Good job!' and 'Way to go!', while slowly the memory of where he was returned to him.

The applause faded and Sigma walked up to Azrael, still clapping his hands.
"I...I don't understand. Wait...I...I remember you. You're that old man..."
"No arguing with that. How have you been, Azrael?"
"Fine...though...I think I'm dead..."
"Meh, you're looking mighty fine for a dead man then. C'mon, let's get you a drink. The name's Sigma, by the way. Just to jog your memory."

Sigma lead Azrael over to the barkeeper. When they passed by the wall, Azrael noticed a strangely blank spot in the middle.
"I see you noticed," the barkeeper replied with a bright smile.
"What happened to the photo that hung there? I think it was..." but Azrael came up empty as he tried to look through his still foggy memory.
"I just moved it to the side. That's your spot, Azrael. The spot for you and your friends. Your story has been told. You've earned the right to be here. You may finally rest...ah, but where are my manners. Hold on, let me get you a mug."

The barkeeper turned around, fetched a fresh mug from the shelf and poured a murky red liquid into it, which he served to Azrael.
Azrael took a whiff, his face distorted into a grimace of disgust and he was just about ready to hurl, as he yelled, "What in blazes is that?!"
"Why, zombie blood. Your favorite. The last time you've been here, you drank it by the liter. But then again, things changed ever since then, didn't they?"

Azrael looked at the mug in disbelief, recalling the countless times he drank this gruesome liquid and how it tasted like the sweetest ambrosia each and every time. And yet now it was the most repulsive thing he had ever smelled and he had no doubt that even the smallest sip would leave him hanging over the toilet for hours to come.

At that point, Azrael realized it for the first time ever since he had been administered the anti-virus. He was, in fact, once again human.
The barkeeper took the mug back and emptied its content into the drain.
He crossed his hands and rested his head on them and asked, "Alright now...what would you like then? We've got everything you can imagine and then some more."
"...something strong then. I need to get over this..."
"Sure thing...though I think your dossier said that you didn't drink."
"One hell of a time to start with it, really."
"Yeah...yeah, you're right. Sorry, customer is King. Sometimes I forget that," the barkeeper laughed as he pulled up a bottle and poured it into a fresh glass.

Sigma chimed in, "Hey, Barkeep...don't you think you should get to the official part before he gets wasted? I think that might lighten his mood."
"Nah, I think that has time. Let him arrive."
"But aren't the others already waiting?"
"Hah, most of those guys are already on their best way getting wasted, it wouldn't be fair if Azzy here was the only one to be sober at that party."
"Wait, wait, what others? I...I don't understand."

The barkeeper placed down the mug, went around and motioned Azrael to follow him.
Azrael followed him only reluctantly, while everyone's eyes seemed to rest on him.
"Where are we going?"
"Just through that door over there. To fill that blank spot you noticed."

After the two of them passed through the door, Azrael was immediately greeted by a frenetical, "Azzy!" as Lily pretty much jumped him, tore him down and pressed her lips on his.
Another woman walked up to the two, "I don't know...I think I would be jealous or even furious if this wasn't so cute."
Lily let go of Azrael only just long enough to ask, "Leave me alone old hag! He's mine!"
Azrael raised his hand in protest, "I think the marriage registrar may have a different opinion."
"...wait...what? Who...who is that woman?"
"Lily, that 'woman' is my late wife, Amy. Well, at least she was late the last time I saw her."

Lily reluctantly got off Azrael and stood before Amy, who was just a wee bit taller than her and made her case, "Look miss, you lost dibs on her when you died, so be a dear and..."
Azrael also got up and said, "I'm sorry Lily, but as far as I remember, we never got together. I mean, you really tried and all that, but...we just never were like that."
"But...but, Azzy! Wh...I thought that what we had was special!"
"...I have one question, Lily...what is my name?"
"Well...Azrael...right?"
"That was the name of the Anti-Zombie...Amy, would you?"

"His name is Timothy. Timothy Wilfred Gunner. His nickname is 'Twig'...though he really isn't a twig any more...more like a real tree. You're looking good, Tim."
"You're...not angry?"
"Lily is right about one thing. I can't complain about anything you did after I was...well, dead. You had to get on with your life and if you had gotten it on with her...I won't lie, I'd be jealous, but you actually stayed true! Even through death and beyond! How many wifes can claim that about their widower?"
"None, because if they could claim that, the men wouldn't be widowers," Azrael laughed.

"Alright, alright, it's time for the photo! Everyone line up. And I don't wanna see any strange faces, you've got me?!" the barkeep shouted, walking over to an ancient looking camera.
John complained, taking his place next to Lily, who dragged Tim to stand next to her. Amy stood next to Azrael, Gordon stood behind John and Maria, their little Azrael stood before the two of them. Doc and Walter stood a good bit away and Walter said, "I can't believe I did all that...what has the virus done to me?"
"Men have done the strangest things, believe me..." Doc replied solemnly.

They were just about to go away from the happy bunch, when the barkeep shouted, "Hey, no running away here! This baby takes a while to make a photo, but at least it's one for the ages! And you don't wanna be missing, do you?"
"I...really don't think we should be on that photo..."
Samuel jumped up on his father and Doc, pulling the both of them into a hug and shouted, "No running away now!"

Tim walked up to them and said, "We all made mistakes during our time. And...I think, even all things considered, all of us had the best of intentions. I...would like you to stay and take this photo with us."
"...honestly?" Walter asked, full of disbelief before adding, "...after all I've done to you? To...all of you?"
"...you sacrificed yourself to save your family. That's the Walter I remember and also the Walter who is standing before me. And I'd be honored for that Walter to stay with us. As for you Doc...I will admit that your...methods were questionable at best, but you at least tried to clean up the mess you made. I don't even want to know how many of your colleagues and superiors made a beeline out of the condemned zone when things started to go south. You stayed. And you fought. And...just for this photo, I'll forget about what you did to Lily. Alright?"

Doc's eyes grew wide as Tim turned to Samuel and said, "You're not letting them get away, understood? We're taking this photo."
Samuel nodded enthusiastically and kept them close.

Tim went back to his spot and said, "Alright, time for our best smile!"
The barkeeper raised his hand to indicate that the photo would be taken, counting down from five.

When he was at one, John and the others broke out their mugs cheering loudly, causing Tim to turn his head when the photo was taken.

He turned back after getting them back under control and said, "Sorry about that. Can we take another one?"
However the barkeeper just smiled and said, "Nah...I think this one is just perfect. Come, take a look."

Tim went over as the group broke out into eager chatter, Lily trying to get Amy to relinquish Tim, whom she still called Azrael.

Tim looked at the picture and a smile crept on his face as he nodded, "You're right...this one is just perfect."

It showed a cheerful group who was just happy to be together after a tough fight in the mood for celebrating. It was just perfect.

After a while, the group dispersed and each went their ways, but the barkeeper pulled Tim to the side, holding a letter in his hand.
"What's that?"
"Something that's never happened before...a letter from my boss...for you. Even under your real name and 'Azrael' in parenthesis, just so I'll know whom to give this to."
"...is this bad?"
"It's a first. That's all there is to it. Don't you want to open it?"

Tim opened the envelope.
It contained two things. The first one was a letter, the other one was a self-playing video, which displayed two demographics. The first one showed a blue dot, spreading rapidly in a circular manner until the entire enclosed zone was a bright blue.
"What...what is this?"
"Oh, that's how the anti-virus spread...that was the result of what you did. How the virus was eradicated. But I wonder why he would send you..."
"Hold on, what in the...hey, what does this mean?!"
Multiple red dots had appeared all over the world map, spreading rapidly until the entire map was red and subsequently became black.

Tim took the letter and read, "Knowing you, you looked at the graphic first. The first one shows how you saved the world. The second one shows multiple outbreaks, which are to happen a hundred years later, after a few of the scientists who synthesized the cure sold their knowledge to the governments. They refined the virus to use it as a weapon once more. They thought they could control it. Alas, they could not. And because the virus had been changed, this time no Anti-Zombies were there to rise from the ranks of the infected and the entire world succumbed to the virus until all humans in the world were infected. And once the humans were gone, the Zombies starved and the world became empty."

Tim clenched his fist, crumpling the letter and yelled, "What the hell?! Does that mean that everything we've done has been for naught? That it'll just happen again?!"
The barkeeper took the letter, opened it again, read through it and eventually said, "...now that's definitely a first...read the last paragraph."

"...personally I'm a sucker for happy endings and this ending can not be considered 'happy' at all. That's why I'm offering you a chance. A do-over, so to speak. The barkeeper will return you to the day before the Zombie virus gets released into the world. If you can prevent that from happening, if you can destroy the virus, nobody has to die. And it can not repeat itself either."
"Now that's really nice of him..."
"But...but just one day? How am I supposed to..."
"I've just been given authorization to return you to the day before it happened. He never said that I may only do that once."
"What..."
"Listen pal...it doesn't matter if you die or what else...I can always return you to that one moment in time. Figure out how to do what you need to do and then do it. Take as many retries as you need to...your mug will stay right here and wait for you...now you go and save the world. This time, for real."

Tim looked over to the merry bunch, however the barkeeper just shook his head, "Only you, I'm afraid. And they won't just disappear either. The story you created...it's right here, in this photo. That will stay. The story has been told."
"Then...what's the point?"
"Reality is what we make of it. You're getting the chance to save the world from a fate worse than death. Take it or leave it."

"...I'll do it."
"I don't think you would've gotten this letter if there had be any doubt about that," the barkeeper laughed and escorted Tim to the door.

He came back in 46 times and went right back through each and every time. The 47th time he came back with a broad smile on his face, charred almost to the point of being unrecognizable and said, "I think this time I've got it."
"Let's take a look then..." the barkeeper said and pulled up his phone.
After speaking with someone on the other end of the line he nodded, reached past the door and in came another Tim.

"Okay, I don't get it, what in the world..."
"This is Timothy, the young man you saved. You are Azrael, the crazy bomber who destroyed a top secret research facility. That should resolve the little lovers quarrel you have at your hands. I've also been given authority to reincarnate you as a minor character at Lily's side...you're free to go, Azrael."
"I..."
"And if you ever need a break from life, just come on back. Your mug will be waiting," the barkeeper said with a smile, holding the door open for him.

"I...I don't know what to say..."
"Most people try it with 'thank you'."
Azrael took the hands of the barkeeper and kept thanking him a thousand times, while the other Tim asked, "Excuse me...but what is this place?"
"Nothing to concern you, really. Just be happy to be alive, alright?" Azrael told him and accompanied him out of the door.

The barkeeper went back to his place and started polishing his mug again, a bright smile on his face as he whistled a merry tune.
"Another happy customer served, eh?" Sigma asked.
"Yup."
"How many rules did you have to bend for him?"
"Reality is what you make of it, dear Sigma. You taught me that."
"Now honestly...you can tell me, there isn't really a boss, is there? That's all you, isn't it? You are making the rules."
The barkeeper shook his head and said, "Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. Make of it what you want...and make that your reality."
Sigma waved off and laughed, "Ah, suit yourself then!"

As Sigma left, the barkeeper went back to polishing his mug and whistling a merry tune, very happy with himself.