For a long time, neither spoke.
Zero understood that much.
He had never intended to stand in anyone's way.
But intent didn't change results.
His decisions had affected events.
Those events had affected people.
And slowly—
the focus had changed.
Earth Zero moved toward the table and drew two lines across one of the papers.
"Look."
Zero approached.
At the beginning, the names appeared evenly.
Hiro.
Mia.
Other members of the group.
Different events.
Different roles.
Then further down—
Mia appeared more often.
Then again.
And again.
Hiro's name remained.
But the space around it became smaller.
Zero stared at the page.
"You're measuring this."
"Yes."
"How often their names appear."
"Not just that."
"Then what?"
"Where they appear."
Zero looked toward him.
Earth Zero pointed toward several lines.
"Who acts."
Another.
"Who changes the outcome."
Another.
"Who people talk about afterward."
Another.
"Who remains attached to the event."
