✪ 001: Video

[megazero_to_superhero]

[At first, there's only audio. A guy with a pretty thick Rhode Island accent can be heard muttering between keystrokes and clicks.]

—'Kay, where's da video option on dis thing ...

[And suddenly there's video. Oh, look, it's David, broadcasting from one of the library termninals! And boy, from the way he's slouching, does he look really worn out.]

—yeah, dere, dat works.

[In an attempt to try and not look so weak (and also so that people might understand him better through his fatigue), David straightens up with some effort and takes the unlit cigar out of his mouth and holds it between the fingers of his left hand before continuing.]

'Kay, so. All dat talk about da "Second Magic" and operating on parallel worlds got me curious.

See, we got all kindsa people in dis Tower, from all kindsa different dimensions. An' we're all here 'cause dat dimension-killing whatsit got loose in our home towns. But how many people here have actually been to other dimensions before gettin' brought here?

I ask, 'cause I'm one of 'em. It was a big deal where I'm from—even coined a name for our dimension, Primal Earth. Kinda have to come up with a name for da home team when you got entire alternate realities tryin' to make war on you, yanno? [Here, David briefly holds up two fingers with his other hand to illustrate what he's about to say—and he's actually careful to not do it in the way that's obscene to British people.] Went through two of dose. And we had to deal with dis punk who eats entire dimensions, Rularuu da Ravager. For a time I was thinkin' dat dimension-killing thing was actually him runnin' wild.

[David heaves a sigh as he puts the cigar back in his mouth.]

So yeah. I was actually doin' a lot of scoutin' missions for Portal Corp, helpin' explore unknown dimensions and watch for potential threats when da Tower nabbed me. How 'bout you guys? Any of youse done da dimension-hoppin' thing before?

Comments

[midgarhorizon]

Actually, think that's the part she didn't eat.

[megazero_to_superhero]

Great. Which'd make her da card-carryin' villain type.

[At least, that's David's reasoning.]

[midgarhorizon]

I think it's more complex than that, but I guess that works.

[megazero_to_superhero]

I dunno any other way to see it. I mean, if she knew Dax had some kinda conscience an' she didn't want any of it, dat's a ... conscious decision not to have morality, I guess?

[... Actually, putting it that way creeps David out, given the context.]

[midgarhorizon]

For all we know she might think it's a bad thing havin' it. You'd have to talk to someone who actually witnessed it though. Got no clue myself.

[megazero_to_superhero]

People were watchin' dat when it went down? Like, physically dere?

[midgarhorizon]

I think it was broadcast.

[megazero_to_superhero]

Jeez. What, Ruana wanted to gloat over takin' Dax out?

[midgarhorizon]

Hell if I know, I was gone by then.

[megazero_to_superhero]

Ah well—guess I'll ask around later.

[A beat passes in silence, before David looks a little uncomfortable.]

Uh—what were we talkin' about before dat?

[midgarhorizon]

Dimension hopping.

[megazero_to_superhero]

Oh! Right!

[David shakes his head as if to wake himself up.]

Yeah, I seen a lotta stuff workin' for Portal Corp. Well—not workin' for dem, but you know—takin' on requests an' missions' an' what not to monitor stuff goin' on outside Primal Earth.

[midgarhorizon]

Yeah. What's it like?

[megazero_to_superhero]

You see a whole lotta alternate realities. Sometimes, dey're as subtle as, I dunno, green stop signs instead of red.

[David stretches his neck, tilting it to the side for a moment.]

—Others, dey might share common history up to a point, den dey turn out really different. An' dat can lead to findin' worlds dat're lifeless wastelands, or—ones where humans never popped up at all.

[midgarhorizon]

Huh. Ever meet yourself?

[megazero_to_superhero]

Never had dat opportunity. Some people, it's real easy for dem—I met doubles of a lotta people, heroes an' villains. Usually you see it a lot with real important people, da ones who made history.

[David grins a little wryly.]

Might be for da better, though. Wouldn't wanna run into an evil twin or somethin'—odds of dat happenin' are pretty high.

[midgarhorizon]

Yeah, I've seen that here. And for just tossin' out there, meeting yourself is real weird.

[megazero_to_superhero]

It happened to you here?

[That's what David's getting from this at least.]

[midgarhorizon]

Yeah.

[megazero_to_superhero]

Huh.

[Well, Enoch had mentioned meeting another guy who had met another version of him—this sort of thing is bound to happen in a Tower that's collecting interdimensional refugees, right?]

How'd it go?

[midgarhorizon]

Real uncomfortable, if ya like seeing yourself mentally degrade through all the trauma shit.

[megazero_to_superhero]

[David grimaces, jerking the cigar-laden side of his mouth out in a twitch.]

Wouldn't be a real fan of dat, nope.

[But seeing how this Reno's held it together under the circumstances ...]

He was a bit different from da you in your world den, I gather?

[midgarhorizon]

Actually? Nah. He was from a different time point.

[megazero_to_superhero]

Younger den, I guess. Before he had ta deal with da kinda stuff you have?

[Adding onto that, David murmurs,]

If he ever will, dat is ...

[There's a strange quality to his tone of voice. It doesn't sound pessimistic or defeatist given their present circumstances—more like he's musing on something else.]

[midgarhorizon]

[Reno's heard that tone before. He can emphasize with it; there's been more than one point where he wondered, himself.]

Nah, he came from several months behind me right into another one of these hell worlds. I stayed on Gaia until the next fantastic fuck up. Then we came here.