First thing you need to know is that you're a timetraveler, but not like the superhero kind. Unfortunately, for now, you need to take a temporary drug to make the whole timetraveling thing happen. The drug is called Ridge, and you basically have a lifetime supply of it since you are a time-traveling agent. The public has to pay for their timetraveling, and you are not the public. You are a timetraveler, a time traveling agent, if you will.
[[I want to time travel RIGHT now!]]
[[What is a time traveling agent?]]
The room is dark. The walls are black. The pill bottle stares at you from the coffee table. You grab it with shakey hands; the back of the bottle is still sticky from the resendue left by your fake label.
[[Take more of the drug]]
[[No, I don't want to]]A part of you is almost surprised by how quickly you made your choice, and just as quickly as you swallowed the pill, that part of you dies. You've never been more confident that you're alone--a thought so chilling that you instantly regret acknowleding it.
A fear overwhelems you, and your fight or flight kicks in. Your head is pounding but you're frozen still. You are motionless as //''it''// starts happening.
The room [[collapses]].
(set: $nohesitation to 1)You don't even have a choice. By the time the thoughts in your head, the pills are already swallowed. You barely have time to look before //''it''// starts happening.
The room [[collapses]].Before you realize what you're doing you're halfway down the hall. You burst into the bathroom. Your hands shake so bad you barely get the top off before the entire bottle, cap and all, falls into the toilet; the remaining pills float to the surface. You put so much wait onto the toilet handle that you fall on your knees as the pills get flushed away. The cap goes with them, but the bottle itself gets caught and floats back up as the water refills. Before you know it, you're throwing up...
A lot...
More than you ever have before...
It's like withdrawel all comes in at once, less so from the chemical imbalance, and more of your brain realizing what path you've chosen, and it's punishing you and your body for it.
[[Wipe your face off]]
You wipe the resendue of vomit off with your sleeve; there's no dignity left to lose. You stand up and flush what remained of your stomach down the drain. You pull back the shower curtain and sit on the outside wall of your shower, with your elbows placed uncomfortably on your knees and your head somewhere between them, staring at the dirty tile.
[[Check your phone]]You force yourself to reach for your phone and your arm relunctantly pulls it out of the pocket of your jeans. You have one miss called and five unread texts.
[[Check your texts]]
[[Check your call]]
You have three texts from David and two texts from your plug, who you have labeled as the "Head of the Time-traveling Guild." Ironically, both reasonings explain why you don't know his name.
[[Read messages from your plug]]
[[Read messages from David]]You have one missed call, from David. He called you Thursday at 2pm. He never calls you. You check and see that it's only 2:30 now, you should be able to call him back.
[[TEMPORARY END]]Your plug texted you twice, the first time was Thursday night at 11:38, must have been just a few minutes after you picked up your supply from him.
"Look man, I know you said you got some big party thing going on, and I believe you, I do, but you just don't seem like that crowd, no offense. If those are all for you, just be careful man. I know you got a crazy high tolerance from all that shit you be doing, but just don't do anything stupid alright? Or you're gonna have to start talking to someone else for all this."
He texted you again, Saturday night at 10:43.
"Listen man, I know I was harsh, but I gotta take care of my clients alright, and I wanna make sure you good. I got some less harsh shit I think you should try, see what it does to you. Just try something new for a while. Let me know how the party went. Be in touch soon."
Even your plug was concerned for you, enough to text you twice. Your plug checked on you not once but twice. Your plug, twice.
[[Read messages from David->Read messages from David2]]
[[Check your call]]David first texted you Friday at 5:32. He vaguely remember him saying he was going to leave at 5:30. He must have just gotten in his car, not even pulled out of the parking garage.
"Hey man, I meant what I said earlier--" What did he say? "If you need anything this weekend just let me know. I won't be that far away, at all. Seriously dude, I wanna know how to support you anyway I can."
The next text is Sunday; he gave you a day to respond, and it apparently worried him you didn't. At 11:30AM he said:
"Morning sunshine. I assume you didn't see my text, or just got to emotional from the kindness of my heart that you didn't know how to respond. I get it, you're not great with words, that's fine, but seriously, know that I'm here for you man. I'm not saying you need help, outside of learning how to talk to girls, maybe, but I'm just saying call me if something's up or if anything happens. Here for you dude. I'll be back soon."
The last text is from Tuesday. Another day to respond.
"Alright, I don't know what's up, and I don't have to tell me, that's fine, but you've been radio silent for a while now, and I am a little worried, not that I don't think you can't handle yourself, but I just don't want you to think you're alone. Give me a call man." He hates calls, and so do you.
[[Read messages from your plug->Read messages from your plug2]]
[[Check your call]]David first texted you Friday at 5:32. He vaguely remember him saying he was going to leave at 5:30. He must have just gotten in his car, not even pulled out of the parking garage.
"Hey man, I meant what I said earlier--" What did he say? "If you need anything this weekend just let me know. I won't be that far away, at all. Seriously dude, I wanna know how to support you anyway I can."
The next text is Sunday; he gave you a day to respond, and it apparently worried him you didn't. At 11:30AM he said:
"Morning sunshine. I assume you didn't see my text, or just got to emotional from the kindness of my heart that you didn't know how to respond. I get it, you're not great with words, that's fine, but seriously, know that I'm here for you man. I'm not saying you need help, outside of learning how to talk to girls, maybe, but I'm just saying call me if something's up or if anything happens. Here for you dude. I'll be back soon."
The last text is from Tuesday. Another day to respond.
"Alright, I don't know what's up, and I don't have to tell me, that's fine, but you've been radio silent for a while now, and I am a little worried, not that I don't think you can't handle yourself, but I just don't want you to think you're alone. Give me a call man." He hates calls, and so do you.
[[Check your call]]Your plug texted you twice, the first time was Thursday night at 11:38, must have been just a few minutes after you picked up your supply from him.
"Look man, I know you said you got some big party thing going on, and I believe you, I do, but you just don't seem like that crowd, no offense. If those are all for you, just be careful man. I know you got a crazy high tolerance from all that shit you be doing, but just don't do anything stupid alright? Or you're gonna have to start talking to someone else for all this."
He texted you again, Saturday night at 10:43.
"Listen man, I know I was harsh, but I gotta take care of my clients alright, and I wanna make sure you good. I got some less harsh shit I think you should try, see what it does to you. Just try something new for a while. Let me know how the party went. Be in touch soon."
Even your plug was concerned for you, enough to text you twice. Your plug checked on you not once but twice. Your plug, twice.
[[Check your call]]*You turn the page to the labeled, "How to Time Travel"*
Beyond the linguistics of time travel, which are important, you need to understand the rules of time traveling.
1. The first rule, which is the most important (I hope you would understand that, at least, especially since you are a time-traveling agent and all), is that you have to have a mission when you time travel. There is no time traveling for the means of exploration or discovery or any of that crap. Your actions here WILL effect the future, so you have to time travel carefully. This doesn't apply to the public, their version of Ridge, the time traveling drug, is completley different. They can see the past but not change the future. You get to be the past, and you get to change the future alright.
2. The second rule, which is the second most important, remember that, time-traveling agent, is that you must stay until your mission is done. There's none of this "I'm scared" "I wanna go home" or "Take me back now" bull crap that other people put up with. You're a time-traveling agent, dammit. You're here to get shit done alright?
3. The third rule, which you should understand it's importance by now, is that you cannot bring anyone back with you and you cannot take any supply of Ridge with you. The past stays in the past, and the future stays in the future. You can visit both, and you can change both, but keep them seperated.
(if: $Whatisatimetravelingagent is 0)[ [[What is a time traveling agent?]] ]
(if: $Whydoesthislooklikeajournal is 0)[ [[Why does this look like a journal?]] ]
(if: $WhatisRidge is 0)[ [[What is Ridge?]] ]
(if: $WhatisRidge and $Whydoesthislooklikeajournal and $Whatisatimetravelingagent is 1)[ [[What is my mission?]] ]
(set: $IwanttotimetravelRIGHTnow to 1)*You turn to the page labeled "What the Hell is this Thing?"*
First off, it’s not a journal, it’s a time-traveling guide only given to time-traveling agents. It’s paperbound because they don’t really have iphones or nintendos or computers “back then” now do they dumbass? If our guide was digital we wouldn't be able to give it to all of our agents across all of time, but no matter where you jump to, no matter where you find yourself, there will always been some pen and some paper hidden away in someones junk drawer. Nations will rise and fall, but that junk drawer, and this time travel agent guide will stand the test of time.
(if: $Whatisatimetravelingagent is 0)[ [[What is a time traveling agent?]] ]
(if: $IwanttotimetravelRIGHTnow is 0)[ [[I want to time travel RIGHT now!]] ]
(if: $WhatisRidge is 0)[ [[What is Ridge?]] ]
[[What is my mission?]]
(set: $Whydoesthislooklikeajournal to 1)*You turn to the page labeled "What Is a Time-traveling Agent?"*
A time-traveling agent is you (If you're not a time-traveling agent please put this book down and return it where you found it... or else). Now, who are you? You're someone who travels through time, but not like other people. You have a mission, and you are going to change the future. You have your special grade Ridge, and together, the two of you can change the world, one mission at a time.
(if: $IwanttotimetravelRIGHTnow is 0)[ [[I want to time travel RIGHT now!]] ]
(if: $Whydoesthislooklikeajournal is 0)[ [[Why does this look like a journal?]] ]
(if: $WhatisRidge is 0)[ [[What is Ridge?]] ]
(if: $WhatisRidge and $Whydoesthislooklikeajournal and $IwanttotimetravelRIGHTnow is 1)[ [[What is my mission?]] ]
(set: $Whatisatimetravelingagent to 1)*You turn to the page labeled "Ridge & You: You're New Best Friend"*
Ridge was the new hit drug created by some scientiest back in the eighties, perfected by some junkies in the 2040's, and since then has been widely acccepted and distributed to the common public by just about every government you can think of. It's taken in pill form, and no perscription is necessary for the lower doses.
For the common people, Ridge is their recreation of joice. There's nothing like you and your buddies getting together to go back through time together to go see who can poke the biggest dinasour or whatever, but there are some sticks in thet mud who are "anti time-travel" or *whatever*. With that being said, it's still common cortosy not to use around others who, sick in the muddiness aside, don't want you using around them.
For the not-so-common people, like you, Ridge is a government supplied drug that allows time-agents to travel back in time and complete their government/god given missions. Your title of time-travel agent allows you access to this limited edition Ridge, and there is no other way to gain access, and, if somehow access is illegally gained, it is punishable by death due to treason of the United Nations (and of god himself).
(if: $Whatisatimetravelingagent is 0)[ [[What is a time traveling agent?]] ]
(if: $IwanttotimetravelRIGHTnow is 0)[ [[I want to time travel RIGHT now!]] ]
(if: $Whydoesthislooklikeajournal is 0)[ [[Why does this look like a journal?]] ]
[[What is my mission?]]
(set: $WhatisRidge to 1)*You turn to the first page, labeled "YOUR MISSION"*
Your mission is simple. There's this girl named Ava. She's twenty and has brunette that's cut not an inch past her shoulders. She has brown eyes, and eyebrows that almost make her look angry but not quite. She has a few freklez scattered across her face, not anyt in a particular pattern, except for a more clustered patch on her nose. The two of you knew each other back in college; in fact our record says you dated for quite some time. Your mission is to save her life; we in HQ need her to survive to our present. The only way for you to save her is for the two of you to continue dating, only for for another day, if nothing else. If you manage to continue dating her for one more day, she will be saved. If not, she dies.
Your dose of Ridge is set to take you to the day you two broke up, June 17, 2046. All you need to do is keep your relationship together for that one day, and her life will be spared. Don't ask us to explain it, but our sources are never wrong. This is your mission, and you will see it through. When your ready, take your dose.
[[Close the book]]
*You close the book and place it on the coffee table in front of you.*
Your roommate is gone for the weekend, and, even though you know he doesn’t mind you using, you know he prefers you not to use while he’s there, even though he’s never directly said that. (if: $WhatisRidge is 1)[*You start to realize he's one of those sticks in the mud the book was talking about*]
It’s just you and him in the [[apartment]]. He used to have a dog--one that you really liked--but neither of you had the time to take care of it, so it lives at his girlfriend's apartment now, which is where he’s at now. *You start to look around*
It’s not a bad apartment, but both of you don’t have any sort of high expectations for it. The living room, where you are now, has walls that are somewhere between gray and white and a ceiling fan that is running pretty slow even though it should be on the medium setting. Two of its lights are burnt out, but, lucky for you, they’re on opposite sides, so there’s no need to change them just yet, even though it does make the walls appear much greyer.
There’s a few plants scattered about, two guarding the [[TV]], one small one on the coffee table, with its twin being on the corner table on the left side of the couch, and then two more on both sides of the window, which has dark curtains concealing it. Sunlight’s not really good for the whole time traveling thing, and the plants are fake so it doesn’t really matter
Beneath the tv there is just enough room for a little bookshelf, divided into four even sections–two for you and two for David. Your side, the side on your left, farthest from the window, is filled with books, mostly British romantic poetry–namely Wordsworth and Coleridge, although your Wordsworth collection has much more noticeable dust on it. That’s all on your top shelf, and on the bottom one you have your rom com collection, which is embarrassing, but just as embarrassing as [[David]]’s lego collection, which spans both of his book shelfs, which is even more impressive considering he has more at his girlfriend’s/dog’s apartment.The two of you have been roomates for what feels like, no, what has been forever. He's known you as long as you've known him, which was the day the two of you were born, or at least that's what it feels like. That's a bit of an exageration, but not much. Sure, the two of you didn't meet until you were bumped into each other around a bar a few years back, but that's been thousands of years ago now. You two of bonded, had a lifetime together, and still at least another lifetime to go.
[[So...when can I time travel?]]
''Time traveling!'' How could you forget! You need to find your (military grade) Ridge supply.
[[Check the coffee table]]
[[Check your pockets]]You barely lean forward before you see an orange pill bottle sitting on the underside shelf of the coffee table, directly in front of you, just a few inches below the book. You don't know how you missed it. There's even a cup of water (on a coster of course)) on the edge of the table, waiting for you.
[[Pick up the bottle]]
(set: $Checkthecoffeetable to 1)*You slide your hand into the right pocket of your lose jeans; it's instinctual.*
You pull out, to your surprise, your phone, which, to no surprise, has no missed messages.
[[Look at your phone more]]
(if: $Checkthecoffeetable is 0)[ [[Check the coffee table]] ]
(set: $Checkyourpockets to 1)
Upon a closer examination, you realized your phone is on airplane mode. *Must mess with the time traveling business* Besides that there's nothing out of the ordinary as far as you can tell. It's just a phone, yours to be exact. Your lockscreen is some green hills, a nice stock photo, you've definitely seen it in some type of cliche post before.
[[Check the coffee table]]*You pick up the bottle and hold it gently in your hand, like its made of glass*
It's just, well, a plain prescription pill bottle, childlock cap and eveyrthing.
[[Read all the labels]]
[[Open the bottle]]This takes a bit longer than you care to admit. The front doesn't take long. Simple drug title--one that is far too complicated for you to pronounce, but you spot a "ridge" near the end which makes a lot more sense.
The back label is what takes forever. So much of, well, nothing you can make sense of. There's a lot of random nutrients you've never heard of, but that's only half of it. The other is small print advice on how to take the pill. Weirdly enough, there's no warning labels, and all the side effects seem pretty positive, including increased hair growth for balding men over 43.
You rub your eyes from trying to unscrable the incredibly small, and a blit burry, text.
[[Open the bottle]]
(set: $readallthelabels to 1)After one emberassing try, and another successful one, which was much more determined, you manage to open the bottle. You pop one of the pills in your hand, being careful not to let any spill over. You carefull place the singular pill on the table and place the bottle back on its little cubby hole.
You pick up the water glass and pick up the water glass.
*Your hands are sweating.* (if: $readallthelabels is 1)[But you're reasured by the thought of avoiding any chance of balding any year past your forty third]
[[Take the pill]]*You barely blink before you swash the pill down with the water* If this was a race, you've won.
You nervously anticipate when **it** will kick in and notice the sweat forming on your forehead. A glance up confirms your fear, that the fan isn't running. You could get up to turn it on, but you're worried about **it**.
[[Wipe the sweat off of your forehead]]
[[Get up to turn off the fan]]By the time you gain the courage to move, the beads of moisture are caught in your eyebrows. You pass them onto your forearm, obscuring your view, and when you lower your arm, you're sitting in a college dorm room. You’re looking at Ava, but you're still sweating. The two of you are alone and sharing her bed. Your back is against the concrete wall, and she is laying with her head on your lap, her feet pulled up so they don’t dangle over the edge of the bed frame. She turns her attention to you.
“You alright?” You’ve never seen someone hold so much compassion in their eyes.
(click: "You alright")[You gulp, distinctly enough it problem made a noise. "Am I alright? Are **You** alright?"
[[She laughs]] ]Still racing against no one in particular, you stand up quick enough that you almost gain airtime. You stare at the fan, making sure you don't miss your target, and since half the lights are out, luckily you don't have to squint that much. Your hand flys to the string cord and you pull it, triggering a distinctive click.
As the sound enters your ears the texture of the ceiling, to somehow something even cheaper than your incredibly mediocre appartment. You look down. you're sitting in a college dorm room. You’re looking at Ava, but you're still sweating. The two of you are alone and she is sitting on bed. You're on top of a chair, barely manage to balance. She is staring at you, and her eyes tell you that despite her posture she's ready to catch you at any moment
“[[Are you alright?]]” You’ve never seen someone hold so much compassion in their eyes.*You now find the time to wipe the sweat off of your brow.* "Am **I** alright?" You look back up, realizing you were screwing in a lightbulb; your fan is gone, and the burnt bulb rests in your hand. "Are **you** alright?" You nervously laugh, and she chuckles.
"I'm just fine." She taps on the bed to the spot on her left. "'Cmon, you can just chunk that old one."
*[[Where is the damn trashcan]]*"You're on something today aren't you?"
You shrug. "Nothing more than my normal. Why, do I look like on something?"
"You look like a dickhead for starters." There's a grin on her that takes control of you, making an identical one appear on your face.
You roll your eyes; this is textbook. "[[Oh please, could a dickhead do this?]]"She catches you looking around. "Oh my god, it's over here." She kicks one of her dangling legs towards a small open air closet with a white trashcan touching the wall beside it.
[["Thanks, this is my first time here."]]She laughs as you joing her on the bed. You rest your back against the concrete wall, and she is lays down with her head on your lap, her feet pulled up so they don’t dangle over the edge of the bed frame. [[She turns her attention to you.->She laughs]]*You close your eyes as you both lean in* When you open them again, you're lying on her bed, and so is she, with her right arm and leg gently resting on you.
[[Something woke you up]]It takes you a second to realize it, but something **did** wake you up. You take another look at Ava, she is shaking. Not rapidly, but intense deep pulses that take over her entire body. She is sobbing, and he hand twitches with each breath.
"[[What's wrong?]]"
[[Gently rub her back]]Her hand turns into a fist.
"You know exactly what the fuck it wrong." She looks up you; her eyes are red from either the tears or the anger.
You better figure something out //quick//.
[["I didn't mean to hurt you."]]
[["I'm sorry."]]She looks up at you.
The pain in her eyes makes her feel like you're holding an injured puppy. She barely manages to speak.
(Click: "She barely manages to speak")["Why do we keep doing this."
It punches you in the gut. You don't even know what to say.
[[We love each other]]
[[I don't know]] ]The room is dark. The walls are black. The pill bottle stares at you from the coffee table. You grab it with shakey hands; the back of the bottle is still sticky from the resendue left by your fake label.
[[Take more of the drug]](click: "No, I don't want to.")[
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[[Take more of the drug]] ](click-replace: "No, I don't want to.")[ [[Take more of the drug]]
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[[I said I don't want to.]]]
No, I don't want to. (align:"<==>")+(box:"X")[ [[TAKE THE FUCKING DRUG ]][[TAKE THE FUCKING DRUG ]][[TAKE THE FUCKING DRUG ]][[TAKE THE FUCKING DRUG ]][[TAKE THE FUCKING DRUG ]][[TAKE THE FUCKING DRUG ]][[TAKE THE FUCKING DRUG ]][[TAKE THE FUCKING DRUG ]][[TAKE THE FUCKING DRUG ]][[TAKE THE FUCKING DRUG ]][[TAKE THE FUCKING DRUG ]][[TAKE THE FUCKING DRUG ]][[TAKE THE FUCKING DRUG ]][[TAKE THE FUCKING DRUG ]][[TAKE THE FUCKING DRUG ]][[TAKE THE FUCKING DRUG ]][[TAKE THE FUCKING DRUG ]][[TAKE THE FUCKING DRUG ]][[TAKE THE FUCKING DRUG ]][[no, i said that i don't want to ->I said no]][[TAKE THE FUCKING DRUG ]][[TAKE THE FUCKING DRUG ]][[TAKE THE FUCKING DRUG ]][[TAKE THE FUCKING DRUG ]][[TAKE THE FUCKING DRUG ]][[TAKE THE FUCKING DRUG ]][[TAKE THE FUCKING DRUG ]][[TAKE THE FUCKING DRUG ]][[TAKE THE FUCKING DRUG ]][[TAKE THE FUCKING DRUG ]][[TAKE THE FUCKING DRUG ]][[TAKE THE FUCKING DRUG ]][[TAKE THE FUCKING DRUG ]][[TAKE THE FUCKING DRUG ]][[TAKE THE FUCKING DRUG ]][[TAKE THE FUCKING DRUG ]][[TAKE THE FUCKING DRUG ]][[TAKE THE FUCKING DRUG ]][[TAKE THE FUCKING DRUG ]] ]
(set: $nohesitation to 0)Boards, splinters and all, pipes, tile, cords, and every other part of the building falls upon you, flying through you. You feel it all collect in your stomach, and //''it''// is still happening. (if: $nohesitation is 1)[ You can't make yourself even blink, and the pain is so intense that you just now rememebr to [[scream]]. The fabric of humanitiy and all of its construction is still flying into you and through you. ]
(if: $nohesitation is 0)[ A small part of you, so small you hardly understand what it’s doing, catches itself, and the storm, although still raging, slows down around you--enough so that it's harmless at its current state. You're grateful, but you know [[it won't last.]] You don't move, as to not distrub whatever part of you is keeping this all together.]You open your mouth and the first note of your yell silences the entire storm. Your feet are on the ground, you're standing in the living room. You don't know where your pills are.
[[You need to find your pills]]
[[What is happening to you?]]With only one thought in your head, you look aimlessly around the room. You search for hours, even days, they are nowhere to be found. Not in the couch cushions. (click: "Not in the couch cushions.")[Not in your pockets.](click: "Not in your pockets.")[ [[Not anywhere]]. ]There is no [[you]]."[[Where are they?]]"They call and you respond. You hear them. You know exactly where they are.
[[They're in the walls.]]You walk over to the wall behind the couch. Your knees are trembling and you can barely stand. You're horrified, but you hold out your finger as gently as you can. It starts with one speckle of paint, but quickly the entire wall is gone, crumbling to dust as a tsunami of pills flood out from it. You take a deep breath, and they [[drown you]].When you pull your head above the water, you're catching yourself (and your surfboard) after a whipeout on the beach. Ava is just a few meters ahead of you, her toes barely touching the water. You grab your board and hurry towards her, trying to make it all seem as intentional as possible. She notices, and [[laughs]] at you, and it's the kindest smile you've ever seen.
[[TEMPORARY END]] You are done for.
the
world
goes
[[dark]].Your entire body is ice cold. You can barely feel yourself at all. Your feet are in the air. You don't know where you are, or what is where, or who you are. You are the [[void.]]You sit, lay, stand (you're not sure) there for years maybe. Finally, something breaks the silence. One light, in the distant. It's far, but it has a voice, and it's approaching. And it brings a [[gathering]] with it.Thousands, then millions, then oh my god you can't even see all of them--countless stars flood your view. They begin circling you, swarming you. They're not hurting you, but they are surrounding you. Their light intensifies as the swarm grows tighter and tigher.
[[You are everything]]You're in the are, just barely above the clouds. Your feet are flirting with the top of the highest one. You're standing on it even though you don't feel anything. A gust of wind, gentle but still noticeble, flies by you, knocking the cloud away, but you remain.
You are flying.(click: "You are flying.")[ The space where your cloud once was reveals a whole skyline, a huge city, the biggest one you've ever seen. You think about flying down to it, but you're not sure how. Not longer after the thought entires your mind, you start moving.](click: "you start moving")[ The clouds are how you notice. At first they fly above you, but then you realize you're flying below them--well, you're moso just moving, not flying. Your body is still completely straight up. Until now you've been too afrraid to lean forward.](click: "lean forward")[ Naturally, as your body leans forward, the sky moves with it.
You're really flying now.]
(click: "really flying")[
You boldly head down, dodging cloud]
(align:"==>")+(box:"=X")[(click: "dodging cloud")[after cloud]]
(click: "after cloud")[After cloud]
(align:"==>")+(box:"=X")[(click: "After cloud")[After Cloud]]
(click: "After Cloud")[After Cloud.]
(align:"==>")+(box:"=X")[(click: "After Cloud.")[After Cloud..]]
(click: "After Cloud..")[After Cloud...]
(click: "After Cloud...")[(align:"=><=")[
You're flying straight down,]]
(click: "straight down,")[(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[
and it's the fastest anything has ever gone.]]
(click: "fastest")[(align:"=><=")[
The wind tears at your face,]]
(click: "face")[(align:"=><=")[
pulling so hard that you're scared your eyes will be ripped out.]]
(click: "ripped out")[(align:"=><=")[
The wind tears at your clothes and threatens to take every part of you. It's horrifying,]]
(click: "It's horrifying,")[(align:"=><=")[
and it's the most beautiful thing you've ever seen.]]
(click: "the most beautiful thing")+(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[
You're soaring,(click: "soaring")[ but the city is approaching.]]
(click: "approaching")[(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[
=|=
it
=|=
is
=|=
here
|==|
]](click: " here")[(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[
=|=
and
=|=
it is
=|=
giant.
|==|
]](click: "giant")[(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[
=|=
tall towers
=|=
sprout out
=|=
from every
|==|
]]
(click: "sprout out")[(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[
=|=
single inch of
=|=
the ground that
=|=
approaches you.
|==|
]](click: "approaches you")[(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[
=|=
You cannot stop it.
=|=
It's stronger than you.
=|=
It is bigger than you.
|==|
]](click: "stop it.")[(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[
=|=
IT is flying to you now, QUICKER,
=|=
THAN you ever thoought YOU
=|=
EVER thought you even WERE.
|==|
]](click: "YOU")[(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[
=|=
GIANT structures of metal SURROUND
=|=
YOU, they tower over you more and MORE
=|=
AS you keep getting closer to their BASE.
|==|
]](click: "MORE")[(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[
=|=
THEY CONQOUR YOU. THEY HAVE CAPTURED YOU.
=|=
THEY LAUGH AROUND YOU AS YOU PLUMMET TO
=|=
A HARSH REALITY WAITING FOR YOU AT THE [[END.]]
|==|
]]By the time you open your eyes it is freezing cold. Your entire body is numb but you can still feel the harsh concrete you're resting on. As you come to you feel jagged bricks holding your back upright. You open your [[eyes.]]You're somewhere dark, and your vision is too blurry to tell you anything else. You can't move your arms, otherwise you'd rub your eyes. For now you [[blink]] as hard as you can.Despite your attempts, your poor vision remains, and it only sharpens after you hear your name.
(click: "your name")["Arthur?"]
(click: "Arthur?")[
You turn your head, and a sharp pain races up your back. You ignore the pain and try to focus. You're in a dark hallway. A blinding light marks the end of it. You can't see beyond it, and you still don't know where you are. A figure emerges from the light.]
(click: "the light")[
Despite your sight, you recognize, and it's confirmed by her voice. "Oh my God, Arthur..." Her footsteps hacen, and tears interupt her speach. "Oh my God..." [[She grabs you]].]For a second you worry how she is going to be able to lift you up, but your worry is quickly replaced by confusion as she grabs something out of her pocket.
"What are you--"
(click: "What are you--")["[[Just hold still]]"]She holds a small white cylinder in her hand. A glimmer of light reflects off of it as she quickly slams it into your neck, before you can move or even scream.
Your blood begins to boil.
(click: "Your blood begins to boil.")[Now you [[scream.]]]Right then, it all [[stops]].This is your [[end]].(enchant:?page,(text-colour:black)+(bg:white))I come undone.
(click: "undone")[Everything goes silent for a moment, and my [[vision]] comes back to me.](enchant:?page,(text-colour:black)+(bg:white))''David'' is still holding me, and I'm not sure why it's him and not Ava.
[["What the hell happened to me?"]]
[[Where did she go?]]
[[TEMPORARY END]] (enchant:?page,(text-colour:black)+(bg:white))"Who?" David's face goes from anger to confusion.
[[TEMPORARY END]] (enchant:?passage,(text-colour:cyan))Hi there! Author here again! Sorry for the inconclussive nature of this temporary ending, but I promise I'll do it justice soon. Hope you enjoyed this story!Somehow that small parts of you finds itself, settles its footing, and catches its breath. A fraction of who you are stables, and it presents you with a choice–one so polarizing that you are confident it will be your last.
[[Call out for someone.]]
[[Scream with everything in you. ->scream]]Your mouth unhinges, and your lips flex, desperately eager to call out to someone--anyone for help. But you know not a single name. No one who can help you. You remember that you are entirely alone. (click: "you are entirely alone.")[ Just for a second, the eye of the storm picks up life again, but it freezes as the fraction of yourself re-claims its ground. There has to be someone, just //one// person who can help you. ] (click: "one person")[
A few names come to mind. Your lack of confidence in each of them places a weight in your stomach. You start to realize that these may be your last moments, and that none of these people will be here to witness. The debree caught in the eye of the storm begins to shake.
[[Cry out Ava's name.]]
[[Yell for David's help.]]
[[Pray to God.]]
[[Cry for your mom.]] ]You notice a smile in the room. You don't even see her teeth really, just her smile--her lips and teeth finding their place after some hell of a joke, with small but still noticble dimples forming just out of reach from the outer crevice of her smile. Above each of them are the tiniest indention of crows feet; she must be really laughing now.
The roar seems to dissappear, and for a moment, you think you can hear her laugh.
By now, you notice her eyes. (click: "her eyes")[They're ony the most beautiful pair of blue--well maybe green--eyes of ever seen. They had this light in them that was like nothing you've ever seen before. Your eyes didn't have that type of light, just some brown shit color that for some reason people felt the need to compliment you on. Your eyes could never be as good as hers; in fact, no one could ever have eyes like that, only her.
Even if someone did somehow have the same eyes, it just wouldn't be the same. Hers complimented her hair too well. The dark brown waves of hair that barely reached past her shoulders made everything about her face stand out even more. [[She was gorgeous]] ]Someone bumps into you, pulling you out of your trance.
You have to talk to her.
You have to marry that woman.
Ok, no, a bit too far.
You have to at least get [[her name]].With that one mission in mind you swim through the crowd and make a b-line towrads her. Like a sailor jumping ship to dive towards the siren's song, you leave your spot in the line to the bar behind. You don't care about your next $7 beer or your friends who were waiting for you back at your table. You leave everything behind to get to her, including your ability to [[talk]].Luckily, she does most of it for you. After so many "I um--"s and "you uh--"s, she started to smile the same way as earlier, with those tiny crows feet finding their resting place again. You were nervous, and she knew that. "I don't mind."
(click: "I don't mind")[ You manage to stop yourself from stumbling back. "Excuse me?" You have no clue what you were talking about before or what she is referring to. Something has put you in so much shock that you completely forgot what you had asked her.]
(click: "Excuse me")[She smiles, she seems almost entertained by your confusement. Maybe that's what she was referring to! She doesn't mind that you're nervous. "I said I don't mind..." Her voice trails off at the end in an almost playful sort of way.]
(click: "I said I don't mind")[You follow her hint and hope you're doing this right. "You dont mind if..." Your voice trails as well, with the slight raise in pitch at the end, indicating you don't know what the hell is happening.]
(click: "what the hell is happening")["I don't mind if [[we get out of here]]."]Your entire brain gets whiplash. You rember now. You'd asked her if she wanted to get out of here with you, and, well, she had actually said yes--the shock of which made you entirely forget what you had even asked in the first place.
You laugh and try to throw on a grin to mask your nervousness. "Perfect, well, uh--" You make a motion with your arms that mimics a doorman inviting in a guest at a fancy hotel. "[[Shall we]]?"
She laughs and follows your lead, walking with you side by side through the obnoxious crowd. "You're so wierd."
The two of you gracefully navigate your way to the exit. A dark wooden door (maybe mahagony? it doesn't matter) is the only thing left between the two of you and "getting out of here," which still had yet to be defined.
You grab the handle and push the glass door open, looking through it made you realize for the first time how dark it is outside.
(click: "how dark it is outside")[As you open the door, it confirms the impossible thought you had: there is nothing outside. Nothing, not the road, not any people, not a single building. You try to jump back to avoid falling into the void, but your foots already too far ahead, and you fall forward. ]
(click: "fall forward")[ But you don't. Your foot lands and you catch your breath. It scares you how sturdy the void "ground" beneath you is. You look over at... Ava. You haven't asked her for her name yet, and you make a mental reminder not to reveal that you kow it. But for now you have bigger things to worry about, things that she hardly seems to notice. "[[Everything ok?]]"]You take a deep breath. "Yeah um... just a little darker outside than I expected." //What the hell is happening//
"Oh I know!" She almost laughs. "I can hardly see a thing. Always takes a minute for my eyes to adjust." Her calmness is horrifying.
You remember something now, having stood on top of the void for a few seconds, about the limitations of time travel. It's limited in scrope--particularly in range of the area it effects. It takes concentration to make it effect a larger space.
(click: "concentration")[You try to remmeber the details of when you and Ava first met, but shit it's been six years. It's no easy task. However, you do remmeber a streetlight.]
(click: "streetlight")[//WHOOMPH// There it is; with a small gust of wind a streetlight appears to your right, illuminating nothing but darkness.
You concentrate harder, you remember you meet at the bar, but you're done with that part. Was it at
[[The mountains?]]
or
[[The city?]] ]//Right, that's right, you met in the mountains.// It forms all around you, instantly. In the distance, the peaks of mountains rocket into the sky. Like geysers bursting from the earth, countless small and quaint stores and restaurants surround you and the neighboring blocks. Before you can even breath a whole city has appeared before you.
"Where are we?" Jane looks at you, puzzled.
(click: "Where are we?")[ //Shit, not right. Wrong place.// It must've been the city. You concentrate hard, and skyscrappers erupt out of the mountains, like arrows piercing armor. The mountains crumble to the ground, their debree perfectly forming into smaller buildings, apartment buildings, hosptials, and the works. You look over at Ava, hoping she hardn't noticed.
Still, Jane goes, "[[Where's the beach?]]"]
(set: $citylast to 1)//Right, that's right, you met in the city.// It forms all around you, instantly. Thousands of rays of light flood your vision as sky scrappers, apartment buildings, hospitals, restaurants, all of it, pops into scene. It's beatiful, and it covers everything that was once blank.
"Where are we?" Jane looks at you, puzzled.
(click: "Where are we?")[ //Shit, not right. Wrong place.// You concentrate on the mountains, and they erupt from the ground, crumpling the cityscape in seconds, filling the horizon with gorgeous mountain tops, while small and quaint stores stand in front of you.
Still, Jane goes, "[[Where's the beach?]]"]
(set: $mountainslast to 1)You hear thet waves in the distance, and you hate yourself for forgetting. //That's right, the beach.// A gust of wind nearly knocks you down. the entire landscape is swept away. (if: $mountainslast is 1)[ From the distance, the mountain range is dissolved into thin sand. Moving quicker than it should, it washes over you, carrying the stores with it. It forces you to close your eyes, and when you open, you're on the corner of a boardwalk, standing right outside the bar, just how you remember it.](if: $citylast is 1)[All of the skyscrapers go first, quickly dissolving into thin sand as they're carried away in the wind. Moving quicker than they should, the waves of sand wash over you, carrying the rest of the city with it. It forces you to close your eyes, and when you open, you're on the corner of a road that ends with a boardwalk, standing right outside the bar, just how you remember it.]
(click: "how you remember it")[It's a well developed but still relatively humble part of town. Across the street is another bar, that is neraly identical except for the neon sign, while yours is lit by bulbs. You're facing it now, and two your left the town stretches on: one road with countless stores and dive bars scattered along its path. To your right is the beach, with the ocean stretching on for just as long.
You look back at the other bar, and something deeply bothers you about it. //Shit, shit, shit, shit// You realize //that// is the bar you meet at. You have to get this right. You concentrate, and the entire world moves beneath your feet. The bar steps towards you in an instant; with a small gust of wind you're on the other side of the street without ever taking a single step.
Jane looks at you as if nothing even happened. You assume she's not able to see all the weird time traveling stuff, just you. "[[Ready to go?]]"]Her smile carries the weight of all your worries. You feel a calmness inside of you. Side by side, matching each others' pace nearly perfectly, the two of you walk down the beach's sidewalk, occasionly swerving your path to avoid patches of sand blown onto the concrete by the wind. Later it would be that same wind that betrays you. But for now, you walk, and you talk.
"So um... your name?" You figured it would be best to get that out of the way, before she figured you out.
(click: "your name?")["Woah now, let's not take things too quickly. Let's start slower: what's your biggest fear?"]
(click: "biggest fear")[You smirk. "Well, besides my fear of not knowing peoples names... probably being alone." You forgot how good you were at this.]
(click: "being alone")[She doesn't laugh, but her tone tells you that she at least thought about it. Maybe you're not //that// good. "That's a lame fear--the being alone not the fear of not knowing names."]
(click:"a lame fear")[In return, you twist your words with sarcasm. "I agree, but if I would've known I was going to get greated on my deepest darkest fear I would've answered differently.]
(click: "answered differently")[She laughs, and you decide to follow up before she can think of a response. You point at a spot in the sidewalk where nothing in particularly is, but you scream as is a monster is in front of you. "Ah! Oh my god!" You stop in your tracks and keep pointing.]
(click: "stop in your tracks")[You are good, she grabs your arm. "What? What? What is it?"]
(click: "What is it?")[You pretend to catch your breath and keep walking. "Nothing, I... I was just thinking about how I still don't know your name."]
(click: "don't know your name")[She lets go of your arms and gives you a not so gentle hit with her elbow. You put a bit too much effort into not letting it lose your balance. You didn't realize how much effort you were puttingn into walking straight until now. How many beers had you had again? She laughs softly, and your thought fades. There's a silence; she's hesitating on something. "You know what's really scary?"]
(click: "really scary")[You clear your throat and try to prepare for the explanation for the tension in the air. "What?"]
(click: "tension in the air")[She takes a deep breath. "Being known, like, being completely and entirely known. Having someone know every part of you, ins and outs and all the in-betweens." She looks at you. "Do you know how must trust that takes? To give yourself entirely to someone." She looks ahead and then looks down at her feet, watching her steps. You watch them too. "And then, if they leave, what does that say? That someone knew all the worst and best things about you and finally someday decided that the bads outway the goods? //Fuck// what are you even supposed to do after that?"]
(click: "Fuck")[ //Fuck// is right. You pause. "You're right." She looks back up at you, and you talk calmer than you ever have before. "But that trust, it's a two way street. You trust them and yourself. You trust that even if they leave, you keep going, and that there's at least some of the good in you that makes this all something worthwhile."]
(click: "worthwhile")[She sniffles. "I hate that..." You pry just a little. "Hate what?" "That's it's all just some math equation. As long as your pros are greater than your cons, you're in the clear. How the hell is that fair?"]
(click: "fair")[You laugh, and you hardly recognize it. "It's not! It's not at all. That's why we all need someone who trust us on our bad days, knowing that even then, when the cons are so piled up, that one day the pros will come back, even if it takes some time."]
(click: "takes some time.")[You both stop walking at the same time. She turns towards you, and you turn towards her. Her eyes capture every single one of your thoughts, except one--to lean in. And then there's the //betrayal//.]
(click: "betrayal")[The wind picks up and catches your hat, gently but swiftly carrying it out of reach and onto the beach. You barely open your mouth before she says. "I'll get it."] (click: "I'll get it")[You stammer. "What? No, no, let me get it."]
(click: "let me get it")[She grins with an idea in her eye. [["Race you there?"]] ]You roll your eyes, and in that split second she already has the advantage. Something inside you awakens, maybe from your childhood days of playing take, maybe from running track in highschool, but you run like a hunter outrunning a bear. In a few seconds you are out of breath but side by side her, a little over halfway to the now sandy hat.
You kick it into another gear, (click: "another gear")[and you [[kick yourself in the ass]].]Any pain that should be felt in your body is replaced with discust as you spit out a mouthfull of sand, which is the only thing that prevented you from biting your tongue clean off. A guardian angle, no, maybe God himself, lifts you back up to your feet. Your eyes lock with your good samaritan, and Ava is nearly crying from laughing. She lets go of you and bends over to catch herself from falling down with laughters. She squezes out a "you ok?"
(click: "you ok?")[You laugh it off as you dust the sand (as best as you can) off your clothes. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." Your smirk finds it place again. "But are you ok?" You replace the expression on your face with concern before she notices your plan."]
(click: "your plan")[She cocks her hed to the side just a little. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Why?" She begins examining herself as if she had broken a bone without realizing.]
(click: "Why?")[//There it is.// You really are good. You dash off towards the hat. She yells with rage, "Oh fuck off!" Like an olympic sprinter (or like a healthy woman racing a drunk man) she is beside you once again. You are mearly inches ahead of her, but it's enough. You focus on not falling and prepare yourself to reach out and grab it, maybe even dive if necessary. And right then, is the second [[betrayal]].]You really should have seen it coming. The time you spent falling and getting back up gave the wind just enough time to catch its breath. Even stronger this time, it picks up the hate and launches it forward, quickly headed for the waves. The two of you both mumble multiple expletaves and pick up your speed, but neither of you are fast enough. It barely rests upon the sand again before your hat finds itself in the air agian. The two of you slow down, realizing there's nothing you can do to stop it as it falls into the ocean.
(click: "falls into the ocean")[You can tell it bothers her, and she can tell it bothers you. She tries to remidy the situation with a, "Well maybe the tide will pull it in."]
(click: "pull it in")[It only takes a few seconds to realize the tide is in fact pulling it out. You only have maybe a minute before it'll be in full neck deep water. "That's my favorite hat," you say with the voice of a kid who lost his first football game.]
(click: "favorite hat")["That settles it then" She starts taking off her shoes.
You stand in awe. "You're joking, right? You're actually joking."
One shoe off. She shakes her head. "Not even a little. Hurry up, you're about to lose the race."
You realize how far behind you are, and the urge to win overcomes any hesitancy you once had. You rip off your left shoe, socks and all, in one fell swoop. You both take off your last shoe at the same time, although hers are noticeably in better condition.
Within a few paces, the two of you are treading [[through the waves]].]It barely slows you down. Admist the wind, the crashing waves, and the sound of you two running through the water, you hear her laugh, and you're already addicted. As the waves make pull your hat farther out, you find yourself laughing too. You laugh so hard it slows you down--just enough for her to get the lead and snatch your hat out of the water. She raises it above her head, like a wrestling belt, and turns to you like a kid who just won their first t-ball game. The sight is enough to make start to uncontrollably laugh. You try to bend over and put your hands on your knees, but you realize that would put your head in the waves, and the thought of that only makes you laugh more.
You regain yourself just enough to say, "What the hell are we doing?"
(Click: "What the hell are we doing?")[ She smiles. "I was running the best 40 yard dash of my life. I'm still not sure what you were up to." She puts on //your// hat and wades over to you.
You gulp, like a kid talking to his crush. That's all you are really. "It looks good on you."
She points up and makes a face as if she didn't know it was there. "Oh what? This little thing?" She waves her hand as if to say you've said too many kind things. "It's nothing; I just bought it actually."
You meet her halfway.] (click: "You meet her halfway.")[ "Oh really? It looks expensive! I'm surprised you wore it out to a dump like this."
She laughs; you're less than a few steps away now. "I'm just glad you brought me out here, really."
You smile. "I don't know if I really had a choice. I think the wind had a different night in mind for the two of us."
She gives a "uh huh" that's genuiley doubtful, and it throughs you off guard.]
(click: "uh huh")[ You decide to trust your gut, despite her doubts. "It must've been meant to be."
She rolls her eyes. "I don't believe in 'meant to be'." She gestures air quotes. You can tell her tone has changed, severely. She was having fun, but now she's been realistic.
You start thinking of some lines, most bad than good, and you keep coming back to one options. It's risky--time traveling risky. But the fate of the world (and your hat, and the woman who you're starting to think is the love of your life) is at risk. So you [[go for it.]] ]"Oh really?" You add some sarcasm to your tone and pray this isn't agains the time traveling rules. "Why's that?"
She sighs. "Because, it's spring break--" It is! At least now you know //when// you first met. "And you're either going to be some local or some guy who goes to college 200 hours away."
You get cocky. "And what if I'm both." //Dammit.// She laughs at your blunder and insists, "No, no, go on?" You clear your throat. "Excuse me, what if I'm neither. What if we're from the same college, and we just so happened to meet at that little bar just so the universe can merge our paths for us?"
She throws her hands up. "Ah! The universe. How could I forget! The odds of that are nearly impossible. Besides, I think it's a bit soon to talk about "merging paths" when you don't know my name."
(click: "nearly impossible.")[ You realize she's right. Not about the name stuff--you're time traveling, who gives a damb--but about the colleges. You know you two dated in college, but you barely remember whether or not it was at the same college, or if one of you transfered to the other's school, or whatever else the hell happened. //Shit// You've gone all it, can't stop now. "I completely agree! So let's make a bet, right here right now." You grab the hat off her head, either quicker than she can react or she lets you grab it. EIther way, you take it in your hand, and wade a few steps back, just shallow enough for you to set this up.
She follows you. "And what bet may that be?"
"//IF// we go to the same college, out of the millions--"
"Thousands."
"Thousands, thank you, of colleges in the continental U.S., then obviously it is fated for our paths to align. And if it's fate that brings us together..." One of you knees touches the sand. "Then why not get married?" You hold up the hat like a ring. ]
(click: "like a ring.")[All of your cards are on the table. You don't feel like that kid asking out their crush anymore. You feel like that kid who's scared of hieghts and just got stuck upsdie down on a rollercoster. Every milisecond feels like an hour. After a few beats, she laughs and shakes her head. "You're crazy."
"Let us not forget, I'm not the one who ran into the ocean."
"Oh you're welcome by the way."
"So that's a yes?"
"To ''marrying you?'' No, that's a no."
//Brush it off, man.// "Ok, fair enough." You stand up, still holding the hat. "What about the bet?" There's still some hope in you.
The wind blows, and she stumbles one step closer to you. You're maybe two feet apart. "Sure, why not. If we go to the same college, [[then I'll mary you.]]"]Somehow, you get even more nervous than before. Better pray you were right. "Ok, so do we do a count of three or what?"
"Sure, I'll count us down." She takes a deep breath. "One, two, three--"
You don't remember what you said, or even what she said, just the look of shock and confusion on her face. You were right.
(click: "You were right.")["This is some kind of prank or something." She's in awe.
"Oh my god." Your heart is racing faster than before. You saved the day.
"You saw my student ID or something, right?"
"Oh my god."
"Come on, there's NO way!"
"Oh my god."
"Alright, alright, alright." She waves her hand in a motion that calls it off and snaps you out of it. "Name ''one'' professor and what classes they teach."
Your pulse stabelizing itslef as an overwhelming since of cockiness fills your veins. You recall that you were a tour guide for your university, and damn where you about to give one hell of a tour.]
(Click: "one hell of a tour.") [ "Well, that depends... are you looking for Dr. Storti in the English department, who teaches all freshman literature classes as well as sponsores undergraduate research such as James Holding's work within our on campus tutoring labs? Or maybe you're looking for Dr. Brassell in the history department? Or maybe even.." You stop yourself before you make yourself seem like some sort of stalker.
"Who the hell are you?"
"Only Arthur Cromwell, the tour guide of the year for this past year."
She laughs out of disbelief. "You have to be fucking kidding me."
You hold out your hat. "And who do I owe the honor?"]
(click: "And who do I owe the honor?")["Ava, Ava Hansley. Not a tour guide of any kind though, hate to disappoint." She eyes the hat. She's thinking on it.
"So... is that a--"
She takes the hat. "Yes. Our paths can intertwine." She closes the distance and wraps her arm around your back. "But that doesn't mean we're getting married."
You can't take your eyes off her. She can keep the damn hat, she wears it better anyway. "So just like a really long engagement or--"
[[She kisses you.]] ]Something beyond fireworks.
Like a hornets nest shaken inside the pit of your stomach.
A bonefire with dancing people circling your intestine.
An entire war being fought inside your gut.
And it all comes back to you.
(click: "it all comes back")[2 years later you're in a shitty college size shower, the two of you intertwined.]
(click: "intertwined.")[ On your first valentines day when it rained on your picnic so you moved it to the car, only for her to insist you go out there still, where the two of you then kissed until you both started to shiver.]
(click: "shiver")[Her waking up during a cold night and wrapping around you for warmth. Even in her sleep, she wanted nothing but you.]
(click: "nothing but you")[Her looking at you--really looking at you, every day in a way that told you that you've never been known like this before.]
(click: "known like this")[The two of you sharing everything, every last little thing, within the first month of your dating. By the end you could mention your childhood toy's names and she would tell you what color they were.]
(click: "By the end")[Both of you, so foolishly confident, that this would [[never end.]] ]You open your eyes from the kiss, but she's gone. You're completely dry, standing in the middle of the void. It doesn't bother you. Because now you remember--her, you, the two of you, all of it. It was damn near perfect, and you can't remember why you broke up.
(click: "broke up.")[But you wouldn't break up. Not this time, surely. Right?]
(click: "Right?")[You feel a deep tug in your gut--a pull so strong it nearly knocks you down. There's something here. A part of you wants it, and a part of you dreads it. The two ends feel like they're about to pull you apart. There's not a single doubt in your mind that it's about Ava, something you've forgotten over the years. Something you--nevermind. You're sure it's about why you initially broke up, but you're not sure if you want to or even should know. For now, do you:
[[Remember why you broke up.]]
[[Let it stay in the past.]]
[[Why did you say neverymind?]] ]
Instant relief feels your entire body--you feel better than ever, maybe even a few years younger. You breathe a sigh of relief, which quickly turns into a yawn. You didn't realize how tired you were... or how [[comfy]] you were.''I said nevermind.'' Now, do you:
[[Remember why you broke up.]]
[[Let it stay in the past.]]
[[But why?]]
''Forget about it. Now.''
Do you: [[Remember why you broke up.]]
Or do you: [[Let it stay in the past.]]
[[why won't you answer me?]]
''Play the fucking game or face the consequences.''
[[Remember why you broke up.]]
[[Let it stay in the past.]]
Those are you're //only// two options. One more slip up and I will start deciding things for you.
[[Who are you?]]
''You have heard your last warning.''
NOTE: I'll come back to this. Another area for him to show doubt; would open up some new dialouge options later Within one breath, you see, feel, smell, and experience //all// of it.
The first thing you're sure of, above all else, is that you're an addict. Nothing crazy, sure, but still an adict, and something tells you this may be your first time you've admitted that. For so long, it had always been "...it's just booze; calm down."
(click: "...it's just booze; calm down.")[It was that exact phrase that started your first fight. You had pre-gamed something, and pre-gamed ''hard'' at that, even for your standards. Worst of all, it was something that was clearly not an event you needed to be drunk at.
But you were. You thought she, the woman who knew you better than you knew yourself, wouldn't notice. But, she did, and she wasn't the only one. She was the first to spot your sin, then her parents, and well, that fucked you over. Well, it wasn't really that moreso than it was the times after that(click: "times after that")[, and the times after that], (click: "and the times after that")[ [[and... you get the point. ->and the times after that]] ] ]
The argument in her dorm room... the original day you first broke up. It was about the booze.
(click: "It was about the booze.")[The pulling sensation returns, stronger than before. Something wants you to stop. Not out of desperation, but out of necessity. //If you keep moving forward you will be hurt mentally, physically, spirtually, emotionally, all of it.// The pain in your stomach tells you that this could be what kills you.
[[Stop. Save yourself.]]
[[Keep prying.]]]The pain focuses into an acute sensation, a knife being twisted into your core as you remember the worst parts of it all. It wasn't just the booze... it was how you used it, to control her.
(click: "control her")[She wanted nothing more to heal the world, and you were always her first little project. Not that you always needed fixing, but after a while, after you had already committed so much to each toher, it became apparent that you did, and who was she to leave you now?
You knew this--that she had an obligation to stay and to be with you "through it all" like you always promised. And boy did you fuck her over with that.
It was always, "this will be the last time," and "I promise I'll get better for you," and "thank you for helping me through this," and "I couldn't do this without you..." Sure, you meant what you said, but you meant it too much. You're not dumb; you knew what you needed to stay to keep her to stay, regardless of whether or not you got better.]
(click: "you got better")[Something in your chest lightens, and you remember: you did get better. You smile and breath in. There's a joy in you.
But then the pull returns. It's too late. It tried to warn you about how you got worse, after you got better. You brain fills like it's going to split into as it tries to uncover the details. You still can't remember most of it, but you know you got worse at drinking and maybe even picked up some new addicitons on the way.
You never could stop, you never had a chance. You were always [[doomed]]. ]You back away, quickly. As you turn to run from the internalized ledge you previously stood upon, you lose your balance in your own hurry, falling swiftly onto your back.
The void doesn't catch you...
You continue to fall, gaining speed as you plumet towards nothingness.
[[You scream.]]Your father. Your mother. This is all their fault. You don't remember your childhood, at all, but you remember the feeling. The terror, the guilt, the anger, all of it not belonging to you but for some reason residing deep within you. A lot of hurt placed it there. You ball your fist.
Your nails dig into your hand, andthe pain causes you to wince.
(click: "wince")[When you open your eyes, you're back in your bed, but the intense emotion is still swirling within you. You //wish// you could remember what the hell they put you through, but your curiosity is squashed by fear as you recall that the world may be ending, right now.
You quickly [[head into the living room]]. ]You rub your eyes and pull the blankets off of yourself. You forget one of the many perks of time travel is waking up in a cozy bed after every mission. You still don't really understand that part, but it doesn't matter. You just saved the world, or you hope you did at least. You through on some sweatpants and a shirt and [[head into the living room]].Well, if the world has ended, it definitely doesn't look like it. There's no noise besides the typical city buzz outside.
(click: "city buzz outside")[Now that you think about it; the buzz is kind of quiet. You stand up, and it gets louder. You realize the room is entirely silent, except for a sharp piercing sound in your ears. //Shit.// You rub your ear canal with your finger, fearing you've gone deaf. ]
(Click: "rub your ear canal")[Your stomach meets the floor; your finger collects a mixture of dried and new blood. //Shit shit shit shit//. Your breaths quicken, and you start to panic, until you hear the familiar sound of a book quickly opening, it's hard spine smacking the coffee table.
You can hear. You're alright. Hurt, but alright.] (click: "You're alright.")[You lean forward and watch the words form onto the page. You find it harder to read than normal, which, if it wasn't for the blood leaking out of your ears and the uncertain fate of the world, would really bother you.
"Holy shit you're actually alive! We thought we lost you there, seriously. I'm surprised you manage to hold yourself together, and it seems like your brain managed to get a little raddled along the way, but we can work with that! [[How are you feeling?]]]The blankets wrapped around you remove the falling sensation. Your voice feels sore, comfirming that your scream is what woke you up. With the addreline still pumping in your system, you quickly [[head into the living room]]."Because we love each other." God, it sounds even cornier now that you've said it. You simply pray that it works.
It breaks her down even more, she collapses onto your chest. You think (?) it's progress-as much progress as you can make in these sorts of things.
She tries to speak, but it's unintelligible. You need to think of something better than "we leave each other."
[["And that's enough for me."]]
[["We don't have to keep doing this."]]"I... I don't know." Something tells you this is the most honest you've ever been with each other. Something else tells you that you really don't know, as in, you don't now but you didn't even know back then.
She shakes her head in silence. Neither does she.
She breaks the silence with, "Are we doomed?"
(click: "doomed")[//Well the world is only ending if we manage to still break up after this conversation, so,// "No, no, we're not doomed. Not us."
She wipes some of the tears off, but it's hardly effective. "Thank you, I needed to hear that."
Something in your heart says it for you, [["We don't have to keep doing this."]] ]You decide to lay on the cheesiness. "And that's enough for me." You hold her tight, and she cries even more, which you're not really sure how to interpret.
She manages to speak just for one sentence.
(click: "one sentence")["Thank you for loving me."
Something tells you that //you// should be the one saying that. You remember that the world is at stake and decide to put down a promise you could never keep. "And I always will."
She looks up at you, and says clearly, "Promise." It's as much as a command as it is a question.]
(click: "Promise.")[You know you'll never keep it. "I promise," you say in a manner that she'll hear as confidence.
[[You can't believe that actually worked.]] ]You're even surprised at your honesty, but it really slipped out before you could even stop yourself. You realize how risky it was only after you say it.
It... calms her down? "You're right. We don't." She catches her eyes, and you've never seen someone so desperate. "We can change, right?"
(click: "right?")[Your healt falls to the floor of your stomach, which is barely able to catch it. You take a deep breath; you can't fuck this up. "Yeah, we can change. I know we can." You hold your breath.
"Promise?" She is begging you to pull her out of this pit of sadness.
You hardly have a choice. "I promise." Your mind races with all the different ways that promise could be broken. You don't stand a chance.
She rests her head on your chest and wraps her arms around your back, pulling herself into you. You breath out. For now, you're ok.
[[You can't believe that actually worked.]] ]Some time goes by in silence, while you listen to your heart beating in your ear. She eventually leans forward, lifting herself off of your body, and looks you eye to eye. "Ok, I can work with that."
"We, uh, so can I?" You're nervous, and she doesn't mind.
She grins. "Then we have a deal." She kisses you, gently and just for a brief moment. "You're the worst, you know?"
You sound concern. "Like at kissing or just in general or--" She cuts you off, and [[the two of you]] re-intertwine. The anger, for a moment, dissipates. "I know--" You take a sigh of relief. "But that doesn't change what you did."
The word fly out of your mouth, like you're a pro. You've done this a million times before. "I know, and I wish I could change what I did. But I can't. And neither can you. But it won't happen again."
She looks at you. The anger is gone, mostly, and it's twin, sadness, is taking its place. "That's what you said [[last time]].""I'm sorry!?" You've done it now. "That's ''all'' you have to say is that you're //sorry//?" It's every argument you've ever seen from every movie, except worse.
"I... I--"
"No, don't even bother. I'm sick of this! Of all of this." She takes a deep breath and composes herself. "I can't keep putting up with this."
She stays quit just long enough for you to speak. "Then don't." (click: "Then don't.")[ You're only hoping this somehow works. "You won't have to deal with this ever again. I can change. This is the last time."
The angers gone. She looks defeated. "How can I trust you?" Hell, she has a point.
"Do you believe me when I say I love you?" You're a genius. Holy shit you're a genius. You're going to do it. You're going to save the world.
"Yes." There's a faint trace of hope in her voice.
"Then that's how you can trust me. I can change for you, because I love you." You're knocking it out of the park. "This isn't about me. This is about me loving you."]
(click: "This is about me loving you.")[She sighs. "Ok. I believe you."
You look at her, trying not to show how surprised you are. "You do?"
She nods, with a tear in her eye. "I do."
[[You can't believe that actually worked.]] ]Well shit, if only you could remember last time. "I know, and I'm sorry for that..." She goes to say something, and you realize that wasn't nowhere near enough. You cut her off before she lays it into you. "I just hate seeing you like this. I mean, seeing how much this hurts you." There you go. "And I don't want to hurt you again. Ever again." That part was new, you can tell, because boy does it work.
She almost, //almost// smiles. Instead, she says. "How can you be so sure?"
(click: "How can you be so sure?")[You take a deep breath. One, because you're nervous, and two, because you don't know what to say. She notices your pause, but let's you take your time. You both realize how important this is.
"Because, I love you more than I love myself. And if this is hurting you, then that's it. I'll change, and I know I can change, because I'll be changing for you."
She pauses, and you show her the same respect she showed you. "Ok."]
(click: "Ok.")[ "Ok?"
She nodes. "Swear on it."
You nod back, like your parent just let you off easy. "I promise. I'll change for you."
[[You can't believe that actually worked.]] ]
The next few minutes all compound upon themselves as your mind blurs. You don't remember any details except that it was perfect, she was perfect, and the two of you were everything either of you had ever wanted. You fixed it. You actually saved the world. You see the two of you in harmony, days from now(click: "days from now")[, weeks from now] (click: "weeks from now")[, years from now](click: "years from now")[, and then [[it all blurs.]] ]With a bright flash, it's just you and your appartment, and the couch you're sitting on. You've gone cross eyed from staring at the blank TV. You squeeze your hands. You're alive, and you're back.
//Holy shit you actually did it.// You nearly chear, until you see ''the'' book appear in front of you on the coffee table. Shit. You nervously pick it up.
(click: "pick it up")[You struggle to make out the faint sound of a pen scribbling on paper. You flip through the pages until you find the source. A mostly blank page, except for the top, which [[reads...]] ](text-style:"bold","italic","outline","tall","rumble")[ [[WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO]] ]The shaking, however it's workig, doesn't stop, but the rest of the page slowly fills in, and you can feel the anger errupting from it, even though none of it is shaking as bad as the first line. You hold you breath as each line appears.
(click: "as each line appears")[ (text-style:"tall")[ You had ONE fucking job, ''ONE''!
But apparently even that was two much for you. ] ]
(click: "for you")[ (text-style:"tall")[Do you even know how much shit we're in now? By the way, by "we" I do mean the ''whole FUCKING planet!''] ]
(click: "planet")[You don't even have to check outside, because the sound of it surrounds you. In the distance, the familiar sound of cars honking, but it's louder than anything you've heard. It's not just noise; it's pure chaos. You set the book down and [[run to the window]] and throw back the heavy curtains.]
//Holy shit.//
It takes you eyes a while to focus, but even then it's still blurry. Despite the blur, you can tell that it's bad, incredibly bad.
(click: "incredibly bad")[ The entire road is just a convaluted flood of cars and people and of people running over cars and cars running off the road and cars even running over people and it's all just too much.
There's people everywhere, screaming, crying, trying desperately to get out of the city. But none of them can, because there's a million other people trying to do the same thing.
You don't know how it happened, but you know you did this. It's [[your fault]].]
But no, it can't be your fault. You saw it; everything ended perfectly. You fixed it. You stayed together, forever.
//What the hell happened then?//
You rush back to the book, which hadn't stopped writing.
(text-style:"tall")[ Yeah go ahead and take a look you piece of ''shit''! Look at the damage you've done! Soak it in buddy because this is the last thing any of us will see because you doomed us all!]
(click: "doomed us all")[Your eyes catch the "all" write as it's being written. You've caught up to the invisible pen, or whatever is writing this thing. It's seemed to calm down a bit.
"Do you even understand what you've done? You've fucked us, all of us." It's definitely still mad, but it's slowly fading to [[despair]].]
You have let us all down.
(click: "You have let us all down.")[We all believed in you.]
(click: "We all believed in you.")[And you failed us.]
(click: "And you failed us.")[The dissapointment presses on you from all sides, making it hard to breath. You're not sure if you were sweating before, but you are now. You manage to say, "I can fix it."
//Lie.// You know you can't. But you still want to try.]
(click: "you still want to try.")[The book responds. HA! You... oh...
The book reads the emotion on your face.
Oh, you're not joking. Not even at all. Ok... It's too late now. There's not really anything any of us can do.
[[I'm sorry.]]]The book doesn't respond for a while.
''Sorry?'' Look, that's sweat, but this is the end of the world. That doesn't fix anything.
You've been thinking it for a while now, but you finally say it. (click: "say it.")["Let me go back."]
(click: "go back")[ Another pause.]
(Click: "pause")[ Look kid, there's no way that's going to happen. You need to accept that. Text your loved ones or whatever the hell you're supposed to do, but you can't go back. With how close we are now to the end, that would take an unprecidented amount of Ridge. Besides, dosages anywhere NEAR that ballpark always kill the time traveler. Your body would be ripped apart and sent into separate times, with your upper half somewhere in the jurrasic and your lower half someone a few tomorrows from now. It just can't happen."
[["I don't care."]]
[["I can handle it."]] ]There's no pause this time.
Did you hear me? It's impossible. 1) You're asking for an insane amount of Ridge 2) even if I COULD get that shit to you, you'd die. There's no beating the odds here or being a miracle case or being a hero or whatever you're looking to get from here. You wouldn't even make it back there before you become timeline roadkill.
(click: "whatever you're looking to get from here")[You yell, at the book. "You're right! If there's no point; if I'm guaranteed to die from it, but the world is guaranteed to end, then why not let me do it? I'll die soon anyway, so will everyone else. There's nothing to lose here."]
(click: "There's nothing to lose here.")[...hold on...
The book closes.]
(Click: "closes")[You wait for a few seconds, before realizing that it may take a while for the book to open again.
[[Look around the appartment.]]
[[Stare at the book until it opens.]] ]No you can't. No one can't. Your first issue is that there's no way I could get you //that// much Ridge. And even if I somehow could a large enough supply, it would kill you instantly. There's no maybes about this. It's a guarantee death; there'd be no point.
(click: "no point.")[You yell, at the book. "Exactly! If there's no point, I die anyway, let me try this, since the worst is already about to happen. If I die, it changes nothing. But if I pull it off, it would be worth it. Let me fix this; you have nothing to lose."]
(click: "you have nothing to lose.")[...hold on...
The book closes.]
(Click: "closes")[You wait for a few seconds, before realizing that it may take a while for the book to open again.
[[Look around the appartment.]]
[[Stare at the book until it opens.]] ]
''NOTE; Don't click apartment it doesn't work yet''You decide to sit and wait. You don't call anyone. You just sit and think about what you can do different, how you can prevent all of this. You can hardly hear the noise, the screams of panic, outside, and you're only interrupted by the sound of pages turning. Words hurridly fill the once empty page.
(Click: "Words hurridly fill the once empty page.")[Ok. You can do it, on a few conditions. First, most importantly, you cannot mess this up. You need to pick a day to go back to that will guarantee that the two of you stay together, don't dick around like last time. You have one shot at this. Your dosage will allow you to stay longer, but you don't have any time to waste. On the topic of dosage, that brings us to my second point, it's barely enough, and I mean barely. It's not as high as I was thinking we'd need, but it's still going to kill you, or at least it should. There are a few people who have survived this dosage, but it took them years to recover, and they were some of our best, and you're... well, you're the one who got us in this mess.]
(click: "you're the one who got us in this mess.")[You nod, and, as if waiting for your response, the page continues to form.
Your dosage is ready to go; you should find all you need in your bottle, which we've placed in your bathroom. It may look like a few, but it's a much more dense supply than what you and everyone else are used to. Only take them when you're absolutely sure you have a plan. But, also, hurry, you only have a few more minutes before the world collapses in on itself.]
(click: "a few more minutes")[You nod again. "Thank you, I won't let you down."
You stand up to head to grab the Ridge, until you hear the page filling in its last few words.
''[[Don't die out there.]]'' ]You take a few deep breathes and try your best to stay composed. You need to do something quick; the evergrowing sound of terror echoing in the city streets remind you of that every passing second.
[[Try to create a plan.]]
[[Take what could be your last look around.]]
[[Hurry up and take the Ridge.]]
''NOTE: for now "hurry up and take the ridge" is the only working option. The other ones would add variety to the dialogue but for now just click that one''Ok, a plan. Yeah, that'll work. You just need a plan to save the entire world from collapsing in on itself, and the good news is your only hope is making the one that got away, well, not get away.
You sigh like you've already been defeated.
(click: "sigh")[Ok, whatever just get your shit together man.
You take a few more deep breaths. You have a few options here. Obviously, you were a shitty person back then, cool, fine, whatever. You could [[apologize for being shitty]], which you've done a million times before, but hey maybe this time you crack the iceberg. You could somehow [[stop yourself from being shitty]], which, again, would only be the millionth time you've done that.
There has to be something else...]
(click: "something else...")[That's it. You can't change yourself, sure, but [[you can change her]]! Or at least how she sees you... surely, right?]
You don't have any time to waste. You rush to the bathroom, looking for your new supply of Ridge. It's not on the counter in a little red bow, like you had hoped, but after some frantic ravanging, which left most of your toilitress scattered on the counter and on the floor, you found your new supply in the back of your medicine cabinet. You open it to see just a few pills, no more than five.
You can tell just from the smell that these are stronger than what you're used too--a lot stronger.
(click: "a lot stronger")[Thinking about it, about what could happen, makes you panic. You freeze, just for a small moment of time.
The building rumbles, either from an explosion or an earthquake or something worse. You quickly put the pills in your mouth and push them back with some tap water.]
(Click: "something worse")[You realize you still hadn't planned anything. //Shit.// You need to go somewhere that you could guarantee would allow the two of you to be something new, to start fresh and stop all this from happening.]
(click: "to start fresh")[The night you met. That's it; that's perfect. You can be a different person; the two of you could become different people. You just need to go back to then!
But you can't remember when that was, or where it was, or anything about it really. You just remember being nervous, much like how you are now.
You start panicking and find it hard to breath. You try to calm yourself, but you lose your balance and [[fall backwards]]. ]"Hey watch it man!" Someone does the courtesy of pushing you for falling into them, and, by the looks of it, making them spill their drink.
"S-sorry!" You stand up and catch your breathe. The dude you fell into sighs and turns back to his friends, leaving you alone.
(click: "leaving you alone.")[Well, not alone, really. There's a swarm of people around you, and they're all taking over each other and beside each other and together with one another, and you can't hear a single thing anyone is saying. It all just creates this suffocating roar.
You look around, trying to decipher any familiar faces, or even a friendly one, but everyone is already talking with people they know or wantt o get to know, and you seem to be the only person not in a group. You start to worry.]
(click: "You start to worry.")[You've never been here before, and you don't even know what you're looking for, but you stand in one spot, scanning the room in circles, looking for any ray of hope.
You search causes you to stumble. You're not even sure what you saw, but something caught you off guard. You try to find it again, but everyone is moving just enough to make noticing the same spot twice a near impossible task, [[but somehow you do it ->Bar Scene?]]. ]You're taken aback. //What?//
[[I'm fine...]]
[[Is everyone ok?]]
[[Did I save the world?]]Well, uh... that's ''complicated'' to say the least, but, for now, let's say yes!
Arthur, you saved the world.
(click: "Arthur, you saved the world.")["Ok, but obviously I didn't."
The words pause; it seems to be sighing.]
(click: "pause")[No, no you did. You just didn't save humanity. But you did save the world itself, which is an incredible improvement considering our last state of affairs. The fact that you're back; you're alive, and that the world still exists--that's huge. That's all we need.
"What do you mean I didn't save humanity?"]
(click: "What do you mean I didn't save humanity?")[Well, ok, you saved just a few people, well, a lot of people, but relatively a few, sure. There's maybe a few hundred thousand people left, which isn't bad!
You start shaking. "Oh my god."
Ok! Ok hold on! It's bad; I get it, trust me man... But just calm down and [[hear me out.]]
Everything in you [[wants to scream]].]*FOR NOW* click on "did I save the world" these will offer similar info but with a different focus *FOR NOW* click on "did I save the world" these will offer similar info but with a different focus You take a few deep breaths.
I understand the grief you're in; I do. But you need to acknowledge the accomplishment you just achieved. You saved the world and a large quantity of humans, and you survived. You were right; you were able to beat the odds, ''which shouldn't be possible.'' Which means--
The words hesitate for a moment.
You can beat the odds again. It's clear that there is something going on here; you're some kind of special case. You're able to take more and do more with Ridge than any traveller at your experience or hell above your experience. You're not just the best we got--[[you're all we got]].*COME BACK TO* *FOR NOW* do the other oneYou think about it for a second, with your mind racing with what the book may ask you to do next, while the blood still congeals in your ear. But then again, you remember what you accomplished, and you almsot feel selfish. Regardless, the words continue to form.
We're sorry. All of us are sorry for doubting you before, but you truly are some form of anomoly. My collegues and I think that you can do some serious good here, beyond saving the world. We have a plan, to save all of us, and to better humanity, if you are interested.
(click: "if you are interested")[You don't say anything. You really don't know how to even feel. You've already given so much, but this is your fault anyway right? The words feed off your doubt.
Look, you've already saved the world and just enough humans for us to probably come together and survive hopefully. But what we're asking is for you to make none of this happen, for no one to have died. Beyond that, we think that if you go back and make sure that this time y'all stay together, forever, then when you come back (we believe that you really could come back again) then you would have helped humanity become an all new better version of itself. We don't know what that would look like, of course, but our estimates is that overall happiness in the globe would produce tenfold. It'd be how we all have once dreamed we could be.
You start thinking about that dream, [[your]] dream, and how beautiful it all would be...]Thunder booms in the distance, so fierce that you jump a little. You quickly glance out the window to see sheets of rain hurling itself against the appartment building. You blink, and it's gone.
(click: "You blink, and it's gone.")[//What the hell?//
The book begins to write itself, with the words forming louder than before, the invisible pen pressing hard to get your attention.
See, that's the thing. You need to decide quickly, very quickly. You saving the world was very dramatic, and the timeline is very mendable right now because of how much you shook everything up. Right now there's a potential for two other dramatic events: you staying or going back. Until you decide, the timeline will stay in anticipation, jumping between realities that never existed.
You've already almost made up your mind. "How would I go back?"]
(Click: "How would I go back?")[Don't worry about that part; we've got you covered. I've arranged for our entire supply of Ridge to be condensed and delivered to you in pill form, and when I say our entire supply I mean //our entire damn supply//.
"Would, that not kill me?"
Look kid, you've survived getting blasted by a fucking rocket launcher directly in the face. This is the equivalent of getting shot by a tank in the face. The point being, if you survived one you're going to survive the other. Sure, the chances are worse than before, but your success has proven this isn't about the chances. [[This is about you]], and we want to give you all the tools you'll need.]*COME BACK TO*
this will then shift to him either going back or not (likely going back). I'll either merge these two scenes to flow better or give Arthur another chance to say no after he initially agrees to go back. But, what's not included now will be opportunitites for him to explore the apartment and piece together pieces, and I think those clues will impact what kind of resistance he can show here. For instance, if he realized he's been printing out fake labels for his pill bottle then he'll be able to ask stuff like "what's going on" and whatnot, which I can control with variable expressions
BUT FOR NOW, just jump to the [[End "no' Thing]] with that rough concept in mind
↶↷First thing you need to know is that you're a timetraveler, but not like the superhero kind. Unfortunately, for now, you need to take a temporary drug to make the whole timetraveling thing happen. The drug is called Ridge, and you basically have a lifetime supply of it since you are a time-traveling agent. The public has to pay for their timetraveling, and you are not the public. You are a timetraveler, a time traveling agent, if you will.
I want to time travel RIGHT now!
What is a time traveling agent?