"So are you trying to tell me that I'm not from the "main" timeline of the universe?"

"no, no no...OK, look. There may not even be a main timeline of the universe, that might just be one of our anthropic delusions."

"But a main timeline is like the number 1, without it all the other numbers are going to have a difficult time existing. 1 needs no other numbers. I do not think it even needs zero. In fact, I think zero and 1 might be the only two numbers who cannot have even a part of each other in them...well, I digress I suppose. the fact of the matter is that we are talking about you bringing me "forward" in time to your time. And then curtly informing me that you cannot now send me back - and don't give me any of this, 'oh don't worry, you are still there. You have also not left', quantum uncertainty BS!"

The researcher stared thoughtfully at the man they had brought forward in time. This man had no uncertainty training when he was a child. Therefore, his mind would have trouble grasping some of the aspects of the universe that the researchers had come to not only accept, but employ and exploit.

The researcher took a few slow steps towards the man from the past. "Sir, I may be jeopardizing our research here - which is important because I am a researcher - but you are still a living citizen, and therefore you do have certain rights...You can request to go further forward in time if you wish."

The man from the past blinked a few times and then asked as to why he would wish to go even further into the future.

The researcher gave a weak smile, "we are in fact working on re-creating universal states. In other words, we are working on the past.

"I can go home in the future?"

"Well, we may be able to re-create that quantum state from which you came...or, yeah, whatever. you can go home."