And we believe that once he dies, he just jumps into a version of himself, and that is how he was able to keep a full T-DNA.,'' explained Eske.


    Marie Sue shuddered.


    ''So he might be somewhere close,'' said Eske.


    ''Not necessarily.'' said Vihann.


    ''Why?'' asked Marie Sue.


    ''Because he might be alive in a world where he didn''t die.'' said Vihann.


    Eske, feeling the need to explain the situation to his team better, grabbed a whiteboard and markers from the corner of the control room as he began to draw a series of intersecting lines representing the various timelines they had explored over their lives while building their own timeline, Earth 3.14. Vihann and Marie Sue gathered around, watching intently.


    With a steady hand and a focused gaze, Eske meticulously marked the points of divergence, moments where events had shifted drastically and sent each timeline on a different path. As he connected the lines, a complex web of possibilities emerged, a visual representation of the intricate and often baffling nature of their quest. He then began to detail each key event in the story, starting with Nona''s disappearance and working his way through the various discoveries and setbacks they had encountered. As he drew, his voice was tinged with a mix of determination and frustration, conveying the gravity of the situation and the urgency with which they needed to find her.


    ''.604241965 and .502884197 were the last two timelines Nona downloaded. Day was on both timelines at the same time, so an obvious glitch. For some reason, Nona insisted that time tasted like an overcooked steak, and also, she couldn''t remember anything. Not even me or Ava.''


    ''And she thought you were a cat.'' added Vhiann.


    ''I don''t see how that could be related.'' continued Eske. ''However, seven years ago, she said time tasted like pennies and rust, and ended up landing on Skylab-84, that at the time was a rusty junk in space.''


    ''Flavours are related? I mean, they are related to an event but not on their present timeline?'' asked Marie Sue. ''Is she predicting future events?''


    Vihann nodded his head. ''Pretty much, but what we know is Nona''s head has its own timeline. It could be cycling information that didn''t happen yet. Hence the memories of flavours that she didn''t actually already taste. However, this is a lot of data, Boss, and I don''t see how we can piece it all together.''


    ''Alice.'' said Eske. ''Alice''s timeline, which is not on the record, since it was previous to ours, that timeline had Day. He died at 19. And the flavour tasted like wet paper. Somehow I feel like this is important, but I can''t put my finger on it. Alice consumed... Nona. And it altered her T-DNA, and it went up as it went down when she over consumed it.''


    Vihann and Marie Sue listened intently, their eyes glued to the whiteboard as they tried to absorb the wealth of information being presented to them. Eske''s explained: ''And we have Ava Garcia, her T-DNA changed after... Nona made her soup.''


    The three stared blankly at the board, waiting patiently while Eske struggled to recall every detail about the incident. Finally, when he ran out of steam, Marie Sue spoke first. ''You think Nona did something to change Ava and Alice''s T-DNA?''


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.''The same way she did for Day. I feel I have forgotten something. Something that happened with her, and I can''t remember.'' Eske nodded slowly to himself, his thoughts racing as he tried to piece together the fragments of information that might hold the key to their current predicament. ''Nona has some sort of latent ability that allows her to manipulate T-DNA in others.'' he mused, tracing his fingers along the lines of the whiteboard.


    Marie Sue''s eyes widened in realization. ''You mentioned that Nona insisted time tasted like overcooked steak when she landed on those two timelines. And earlier, when time tasted like pennies and rust, she ended up on Skylab-84. What if those flavours she mentioned aren''t random? What if they''re actually clues to help us understand her T-DNA manipulation abilities? And what if she has previously tasted where she is now.''


    Vihann looked thoughtful as he considered Marie Sue''s words. ''That could be a possibility. If we can find a pattern or correlation between these flavours and the events that took place, we might be able to uncover the key to understanding Nona''s location, or at least have it narrowed down.''


    Eske''s eyes lit up with determination. ''We need to go back through everything we know about Nona''s past experiences and interactions, as well as any similar cases we''ve encountered. If we can find a common thread between the flavours she mentioned and the T-DNA changes, we''ll be one step closer.''


    The trio worked tirelessly, scouring through records, notes, and old conversations, looking for any hint of a connection. As the hours ticked by, their efforts began to bear fruit. They discovered that each time Nona mentioned a specific flavour, it correlated with a significant event that led to a change in someone''s T-DNA.


    The realization struck them like a bolt of lightning: Nona''s T-DNA manipulation abilities were not only real, but they were also the key to finding her. Now, armed with this new knowledge, they had renewed hope in their search. The answers they sought were right in front of them, hidden in the flavours that had puzzled them for so long. And with each new discovery, they drew closer to finally bringing Nona home. Finally, Eske asked: ''Can someone contact Nancy Santos, please?''


    ''Who''s that?'' asked Marie Sue, puzzled.


    ''Our real estate. Check if she is still alive.''


    Eske took a cigarette from the pack and lit it, taking a deep drag as he leaned against the whiteboard. A contemplative expression spread across his face as he began to wonder if he had subconsciously planned the whole thing.


    ''What do you mean?'' Marie Sue inquired, noticing the change in Eske''s demeanour.


    Eske exhaled a cloud of smoke before replying, ''I''m just thinking... what if I have somehow guided us to this point without none of even realizing it? What if I had to build a plan all along for something bigger, and we''re simply playing our parts in it?"


    Vihann raised an eyebrow, intrigued by the idea. ''You told me I was recruited before our timeline even existed. And I still haven''t recruited you.''


    ''Alice''s timeline still exists. A timeline where he died and could just be back.''