video;

[wegotlucky]

I've got a question.

Hadn't given it much thought before.

Has anyone ever beaten that game the terminals come with? The one where that thing is after you and you have to collect items? I've gotten up to seven, but no further than that.

[What he doesn't mention, however, is how unnerving the game gets after a while. Then again with everything he's seen it doesn't bother him as much as it used to.]

Comments

[wegotlucky]

You haven't been gone that long.

Where did it send you anyway, New York?

[Sorry dad, it seems it's a case of mistaken identity somehow.]

[trulybecomedust]

I'm relieved to hear that.

New York? No, no, I was in Neverland.

[Mistaken identity all around. Countdown until they realize they aren't the people they remember.]

[wegotlucky]

Christ, really?

I was there not long ago. It's nothing but a wasteland now.

[trulybecomedust]

Yes, but it wasn't a wasteland when I was there.

[wegotlucky]

What? That's not possible, that would mean that--

[Oh no.]

You're not him. Which means he's still out there.

[trulybecomedust]

[Don't do this to him.]

What are you talking about?

[wegotlucky]

[But he must.]

You're not--

You know that note you got when you woke up here, the one telling you the world was destroyed?

It was. And everyone in it, but you. I'm not from the same world as you, not technically. Something about it it is different.

...you see where I'm going with this?

[trulybecomedust]

[You are terrible, Neal.]

You're claiming that there was another me here from a different world from both of us.

[His tone of voice makes it pretty clear that he's not quite believing this, but he's not outright saying it's impossible because look at their lives.]

[wegotlucky]

[Dad, you got your powers by killing a slave to an evil lord how is this a hard thing for you to swallow?]

He left me this.

[And he switches to video, holding up the inert dagger. So technically it was the tower that gave him it, but at least it proves his point. Sort of.]