POV: Time Variance Authority

Elias was momentarily stunned. Sliding the first page aside—the exclusive license—he found more sheets behind it, consisting of experimental data and reports pertaining to that miraculous chemical compound. It looked like instructions for its safe preparation:

"Professor, didn't you say you'd only consider selling this compound after you finished developing the cryonics fill-liquid?"

Professor West chuckled, giving Elias a friendly pat on the shoulder.

"I've been in this field a long time. Just from that earlier manuscript you gave me, I could tell it was legitimate."

He continued, smiling with genuine warmth:

"Not to mention, you've now helped me patch the errors and correct the formulas. With those 'answer keys' at my disposal, I'll complete the fill-liquid soon—maybe tonight, even! Once that's a done deal, it doesn't really matter whether I sell this 'failed compound' now or a few days later, does it?"

Sifting through the license pages again, Elias noticed it lacked any mention of price or profit distribution.

"But Professor," he said, "there's no price or revenue split. And under 'licensor'—"

West promptly folded the papers, stuffed them back into the folder, and pressed it into Elias's arms:

"I've already granted you an exclusive license. Now it's entirely yours, including all profit rights. You can sell it for whatever you want."

"As for what you owe me—" he patted the newly corrected cryonics manuscript lying on the table "—didn't you already pay in full? More than enough."

***

Without waiting for rebuttal, West nudged Elias out of the lab.

"Formal paperwork can come later. Hand this data over to your company's R&D folks—they'll understand it just fine."

With that, he closed the door, diving back into his research. Elias stood there in the hallway, a thick envelope clutched to his chest, still reeling from how abruptly this had fallen into his lap.

"All this? Just like that?"

He recalled what Ms. Harrington had said: a license alone for that "failed" compound could easily be worth millions. Add in future revenue streams, and the total soared. Overnight, he'd effectively become a multi-millionaire.

Still, this was West's heartfelt gift of thanks. Refusing might seem insulting. And if West did finalize the cryonics fill-liquid, there'd be no shortage of money or accolades—he'd be the darling of science worldwide.

"I guess I'll accept," Elias decided, stepping outside to hail a cab back to MH Cosmetics.

***

The Morning Meeting

He misjudged the rush-hour traffic near the university, so ironically, the cab ended up stuck for over an hour. By the time Elias arrived at the office, Ms. Harrington's regular Monday meeting was already in session.

"Ugh, late."

With a soft sigh, Elias rapped on the conference room door. The Finance Group Leader paused mid-report, and every head turned.

He slipped inside, meeting Miranda Harrington's stare.

"Apologies, Ms. Harrington. I was—"

"Have a seat," she cut in. "You can explain when it's your turn."

He nodded, quietly taking his usual place at the far end of the table. Some of his fellow group leaders frowned or raised eyebrows at him, but he only smiled sheepishly. A friend from the Logistics Team whispered in a mock-scolding tone about him being "bold" enough to come in late.

Soon the Finance Leader finished, and the R&D Leader started speaking. She lamented how impossible it was to create a competitive new product on such short notice—most items were too raw to present at the upcoming brand launch. A half-baked release could harm the company's image, so perhaps they should delay the event. Then the Marketing, PR, and Advertising leaders chimed in similarly. All of them indirectly blamed the absence of West's moisture compound. Without it, the nascent Rhine brand seemed doomed to fade into a sea of similar products.

Morale was at rock bottom. Everyone stared at Ms. Harrington, hoping she might reconsider and chase after West again, but she said nothing in defense—just listened carefully, taking notes.

From the last chair, Elias studied her stoic expression. In truth, he admired Ms. Harrington. She'd always treated him kindly, and the MH Cosmetics environment suited him well.

I'll give her a hand.

He told himself. No point selling the license to someone else when I can benefit Ms. Harrington—and maybe earn enough trust to discover more about her connection to the TVA.

He'd be especially curious about the letter Ms. Harrington had hidden behind that double-locked office door. If one day her trust allowed him access—perhaps he could stealthily examine the contents. Because if she had indeed joined some ominous group from the future, he needed to understand it without rousing suspicion.

Safety first.

Only living people could keep changing the future.

A hush fell when the Logistics Group Leader finished talking. Ms. Harrington lifted her gaze to Elias.

"Your turn, Elias. Any updates?"

He nodded, sliding a thick envelope into the center of the table.

"Everyone's mistaken about Ms. Harrington. She hasn't given up at all—quietly, behind the scenes, we've been working on it. You probably all heard about Professor West dropping by last week?"

He paused, letting the surprise register. "Well, I went to see him again first thing this morning, and we've now secured an exclusive license for his chemical compound."

"..."

Dozens of wide eyes locked onto him, laser-like in astonishment.

"So…" Elias said, smiling faintly, "we can restart the 'Professor West Moisturizer' plan. Rhine brand has life yet!"