After Donovan cut Charlie free from his restraints, they both checked the room for a way out. But they were unsuccessful.
"There has to be a way out," Charlie said. "Where's the oxygen coming from?"
"Maybe it's not coming from anywhere."
At that moment, a cloud of blue sparkling dust appeared in the center of the room. And out of it stepped the Eliminator.
He looked from Charlie to Donovan, then back to Charlie. "You are an anomaly. It is impossible for you to exist here."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Charlie asked.
"You have a deviation factor of 10."
"You're joking," Donovan said.
"Our calculations are never wrong."
"What does that mean?" Charlie asked.
"It means that you're from ten universes over. All universes are set side-by-side. It's only possible to travel from one to the next. It's impossible to travel that far in one jump. How did you do it?"
"I didn't," Charlie said. "I don't even know how I ended up here. I mean, in the empty L.A."
"This calls for more study," the Eliminator said, before touching Charlie on his shoulder. Both of them disappeared in a puff of blue dust, leaving Donovan by himself.
