"Doctor?" the unnatural smile on her face had been bothering Vivia, "What did you imply by collecting the sample 'as is'?"

Dr. Northumber cast a surreptitious glance at her phone. 'Lure is set'. The message elicited a slight dilation of her irises but her face remained otherwise unmarked. She texted back, 'Engage the target'.

Then, she faced her guest, "As I said, we found wild Pterygotus samples and I sent one to you,"

Vivia could not comprehend the implications, "A wild pterygotus? How? Where?"

The doctor permitted herself a grin. "I know this is exciting news but I must warn you, once you know the secret there is no going back,"

"I signed the NDA, Doctor. Please trust me when I say I cannot afford a lawsuit with Wisteria Labs,"

"Alright, listen up." Dr Northumber exhaled as if she were about to begin a long story, "Wisteria is an endeavor of the future. And I mean the literal future."

Vivia's face contorted in confusion. She was expecting a punchline but the doctor maintained an earnest expression.

"You might have heard the term parallel universe?"

"Yes, but it's only a theory," Vivia returned, "Each universe is an isolated entity free from external interference,"

"Correct, like so many bubbles in a bottle of soda water,"

'Why would you bring it up?', thought Vivia.

"I like your impatience when it comes to knowledge," chuckled the doctor, reading her face, "I was trying to draw an analogy. I guess that was unnecessary. In our case, our parallel worlds are variations in time."

"Time variants?"

"Let's put it like this. Every human existence in time is a linear progression. However, each time you take a major decision in life, the timeline splits to represent your path along each possible decision. Some of these recombine with the main timeline. Others just branch off into short-lived oblivion. A few promising ones, however, continue as a strong divergent path."

"This sounds like the multiverse trend we keep seeing in all these sci-fi and superhero movies,"

"What?" the Doctor was caught off-guard for a moment, "Superheros? I guess in some timelines, you can be superheros. But that's besides the point. It takes many viable divergences to create an alternate timeline for a single person. Similarly, if you take a look at the geographic timeline, there have been several strong points of divergence leading to the present day."

"That's true. Imagine if all life had been wiped out at the Great Dying. Or if mammals had remained a nocturnal species. Or,"

"Yes, while those are interesting scenarios, I was implying a more practical approach to the situation,"

"How's that?"

"Imagine a world free from disease. An abundance of crops that adjust to the needs of the population. No unnecessary deserts. No global warming. A perfect world. That sounds a bit optimistic," the maniacal look was returning on the doctor's face, "It sounds humanly impossible. I concede it would take tremendous effort across lifetimes but we would get there."

"How?" Vivia was almost too afraid to find out.

"Excellent question. That's where our plan comes in. Imagine if humans could oversee all of history. Guiding all of life to a suitable outcome. The human outcome. Favoring the evolution of certain species, reducing harmful ones, eradicating pests permanently."

That piqued her interest again, "But then we'd have to rewrite history itself."

"Yes, to create the best version of us,"

"The best version? How would you determine that?"

"We plan on taking several things into account. Physical strength, a healthy cardiovascular system, higher average intelligence, herd immunity to disease. But also, a balanced ecosystem, cleaner technology, efficient power consumption. A healthier human race."

This explanation was more vague than the last. Vivia could not help asking, "These are all highly subjective parameters. Who determines all this?"

"If things go according to plan, than you shall be one of those decision makers,"

The prospect of deciding the evolutionary future of humanity loomed threatening overhead. Her mind was conflicted. No matter who made the decision, their own perspectives would be limited by the physical bounds of time and space of their existence. Any human acting as 'God' would try to create a world conforming to their own version of morals. Was this the right thing to do? Could there ever be an impartial judge?

"Honestly, it sounds a lot like Eugenics, Doctor. I'm not sure if I'm the right person for this,"

"I have read your other papers. They may be unpolished but, in your writings, I can see a visionary. Surely, given this rare opportunity, you cannot be thinking of backing out,"

Vivia let out a deep sigh, "You're right, Dr. Wisteria. I would like to know more. How did you theorize this possibility of parallel worlds and a better biological version of humanity?"

"You are mistaken, Vivia" she replied, "it's not all a theory,"

"But it's impossible to prove,"

"Come with me,"