The Warehouse of 21,000,000 Blink Drives

Bliffy stood frozen in the doorway, blinking into the dark.

Rows upon rows of glowing Blink Drives stretched across the endless warehouse floor. Each one identical. Each one possibly—hopefully—the real one.

He walked in slowly, the click of his boots echoing across steel.

Somewhere in the back, a soft bonk.

Bliffy jumped.

A figure rolled out from under a shelf, blinked twice, and yawned.

It was Bonk. Sleeping in the stacks like he owned the place.

Bliffy waved nervously. S-sorry, carry on.

Bonk gave a thumbs up, then immediately collapsed back into his nap.

Bliffy took a deep breath and picked up a drive.

Then another.

Then another.

He remembered now—he'd been here before. Last night. Desperate. Frantic. Digging through identical tokens like a man searching for a pulse.

He'd checked 25.

There were 21 million.

His math said it would take 39.95 years.

And now he owned all of them. The entire supply.

And he was still screwed.

Bliffy leaned against a crate. I did it. I bought them all.

No answer.

Then—

Bliffy's head snapped up.

A figure stepped out from between the stacks.

Tall. Worn…

And a face Bliffy somehow recognized instantly.

W-wait, Bliffy whispered. Are you—?Yeah, the figure said. I'm you.

Bliffy blinked. No way. No. Absolutely not.

He stepped closer. Squinted. I need to call you something, Bliffy said. I can't just call you me. That's—annoying.No names. I'm just Bliffy.Okay, so JustBliffy.Stop.Bliff-2?No.BliffPrime.Mate.Fine. Bliffx… X comes before Y…

Silence.

Bliffx sighed. …Fine.

He opened a holoscreen.

A glowing NFT spun in the air.

The Real Blink Drive.

Sold last night. Black market. Huge sum.

You weren't chasing the real thing, Bliffx said. They took your actual Blink Drive and wrapped it in an NFT. The memecoin? Just a decoy. Hype bait.

Bliffx added. You were never going to find it among the twenty-one million.

He looked away. Voice low.

I know. I tried. Every single one. Six years. Two mental breakdowns. One brief marriage to a Roomba. Still didn't find it.

Bliffy stared.

…Holy sh—Yeah, Bliffx said. So don't do that.

There was a long pause.

Bliffy scratched his head. I still can't remember… anything. Like, I barely know who I am.

Bliffx smirked. Yeah. That's normal.

Bliffy narrowed his eyes. Normal?They'll come back, Bliffx said. Trust me.

Bliffy squinted at him. You sure?

Bliffx nodded. Eventually. Probably when it's the least convenient.

Bliffy frowned. What is my deal, anyway?You'll figure it out, Bliffx said, already walking toward the stacks. But right now, your deal is surviving.

Finally, Bliffy stepped forward. Why are you here?

Bliffx's face darkened. Because my timeline's breaking apart. Bitcoin isn't what it was. It's infected. A memetic parasite slipped through. Hides behind smart contracts, cloaks itself in tokenomics. But I know who it is.

The Rugpuller.

Bliffx nodded slowly. He crossed the Neon Bridge. Hid inside a coin. Now he's burrowed deep into Layer One.

Bliffx shook his head. It was. But he's not after money anymore. He's after meaning. Consensus. Narrative. Finality.

Bliffy stared. So what now?You're my checkpoint, Bliffx said. If my world falls… yours has to survive.Wait… you think I can stop him?No you need to avoid him! Listen….Whatever you do—do not bring the Rugpuller with you back to bitcoin.

Bliffy blinked.

Wait. I make it?You do. But not yet. First— Bliffx glanced toward the shadows. You have to survive what's coming.

Bliffy's stomach turned. What do you mean?

Bliffx looked him dead in the eye.

The Rugpuller. He's here. Hiding in Pumpopolis. Waiting for the right opportunity. You're not ready for him yet.

Bliffy opened his mouth. And one more thing, Bliffx said, stepping backward into the dark. You can't leave without her.…Her?If you cross without her, it'll start a war.

Bliffy blinked. Who the hell is 'her'?!

Bliffx's eyes narrowed.

END OF SEASON ONE.