Log:Apostate's Redemption, Scene 6

Apostate's Redemption 2019/01/15 	 Amelia Apostate Fortune Moonshadow Radical Timewarp Revenant Grimm

6

The heroes had just talked down Apostate from destroying the pocket dimension, which would have likely killed everyone inside of it at the time. In the following discussion, they found out that while his background was similar to Radical's, the end result was very different. He claims his entire universe was destroyed. It might have been hyperbole, but it's likely that the world he was in was severely damaged or even destroyed.

Alternate dimensions. That's the concept of the day or week. Some metas from a more orderly (read Dictatorial) Earth arrived, chasing two fugitives. One, a bounty hunter going by Desperado, was chasing another man capable of ripping through the dimensional barriers. That latter man is the one known as Apostate.

The heroes determined that Apostate was likely an alternative version of a local hero going by Radical. Using Radical's knowledge about dimensions, they were able to track Apostate to his home, this pocket dimension of floating rocks in a seemingly endless void.

A fight ensued, and the heroes had just talked down Apostate from destroying the pocket dimension, which would have likely killed everyone inside of it at the time. In the following discussion, they found out that while his background was similar to Radical's, the end result was very different. He claims his entire universe was destroyed. It might have been hyperbole, but it's likely that the world he was in was severely damaged or even destroyed.

Amelia asks, "So you built that time platform to go back before the damage was done to stop it happening? What was your plan to do that?"

Fortune comes across what appears to be a rip in the air itself in an alley in Colonial Bay. Upon further investigation, and touching it by accident, Fortune is transported through tear in dimensions...and deposited on the workshop asteroid where most of the heroes are talking to Apostate.

The exceptions are Radical, who is operating a dimensional tracking device on another of the rocks at least 50m away, and Revenant, who is guarding the former.

Apostate looks to Amelia, "I was working on...'proof of concept'. I hadn't gotten far enough to try to come up with a solid plan about what to change and how."

Fortune while surprised, was hardly startled. He was pretty sure he was coming to form the opinion that the multiverse was just out to get him at this point...

Apostate flinches at the new arrival of Fortune. "Another of your friends?"

Moonshadow says, "I've never seen him before. Amelia?"

Amelia points to Timewrap, "Proof of Concept; proven. Let's talk plan to fix what happened." Then she adds, "And while we're at it, fix your dimension hopping gizmo so it doesn't rip apart the fabric of time and space."

Radical says to Amelia over their communicator, "Looks like things have settled down? We'll be over shortly."

Fortune stares at the assembled heroes, trying to avoid the fact his sudden apperance forced him into the center of attention, and says "I don't think I know any of you. Though you might have broken space..."

Amelia sends back, "Sounds good." To Moonshadow, "I'm sure I would remember if I had. But anyone that cuddly has to be on the good guys side, right?" as she looks at Fortune.

Moonshadow remembers the Sta-Puft marshmallow man and shivers.

"The dimensional walls must be torn to shreds if people are just wandering through," Grimm mutters.

Radical reconfigures his dimensional harness to its normal setup, and both he and Revenant step foward, taking only about four steps total. But in those four steps, they teleport twice, from rock to rock to rock...ending up with the others.

"I mean come on, rabbits? This guy broke the multiverse," Grimm jerks a thumb to Apostate.

Fortune tries to ignore the cuddly comment. "I wouldn't say that would automatically make someone good... but I guess you could call me that? I don't like people dying or reality being broken if that is whta you mean..."

Timewarp says, "Just for the record: proof of concept time machines are usually a bad idea. Because knowing sort-of what you're doing with time travel usually goes badly wrong. Also, you're likely to attract the attention of various authorities."

Jak spins his pistol idly as the other heroes talk to Apostate. He is a gunslinger not an interdimensional magician or scientist, so its no wonder he's quiet. Still, he's grateful for the brief repreave to discuss an alternative to the end of all their lives in a pandimensional temper tantrum.

Apostate looks over Radical for a long moment. "I'm guessing that's me? Or a version of me?" Radical nods, "Looks like it." Their voices are similar, though Apostate's sounds more gravelly. Like he was a smoker for a bit, not like he's trying to emulate Christian Bale's Batman.

"Alright so we've got Radical and his evil twin." Jak says under his breath to Moonshadow, "So now we've got two big brains to help us think some of these things through. Which is good- because if someone starts spouting off equasions I'm going to get bored." He grins and turns his attention to one of the asteroid rooms in the distance.

Apostate nods to Timewarp. "Well, I needed to test it to see if what I proposed was even a possibility. If it wasn't, there wasn't any point of trying, correct?"

Timewarp does her best to sound like she knows what she's talking about when it comes to time travel. She doesn't mention that most of what she knows she got by read a few notes she has yet to make in a lecture she hasn't attended yet. "True - all I'm saying is that people on the whole are lucky if they make it to the prototype."

Radical says, "I can take a look at your gear to see what's causing the dimensional rifts, if you like. My harness doesn't have that kind of issue, so hopefully it won't be too difficult." Apostate considers it for a long moment and then says, "Alright. I don't want to cause more collateral damage than I already have." He removes his long coat and his own rig, handing it to Radical to look at.

Radical, for his part, heads to the workbench to grab some tools and tinker with the device while the others talk.

Revenant folds his arms and remains silent for the time being. He doesn't want to jinx his chances of getting home himself.

Grimm takes a look around to study the pocket dimension, trying to determine if there are any other massive dimensional tears in need of fixing.

Grimm glances at Revenant. "So what's this guy's deal again?"

Fortune was looking about the pocket dimension. He wasn't focused on the scentific talk, he could sort of keep up but knew enough to know this was someone else's job to fix.

Radical says as an aside to Grimm, "Another version of Spirit. From the same dimension that Topaz came from. The one that's kind of, well...fascisty?"

Moonshadow says, "He's helping out in exchange for a ride home."

Jak chimes in at Grimm's question, "He's a dupe from another reality I guess. One full of people who prefer rules to common sense if the rest of his old team is anything to go by." Jak smirks. "So far though, he's kept to his end of the bargain. Ours is getting him home.

Grimm wobbles her hand. "A little fascisty. Are we supposed to send him home?" she whispers to Radical. "I could get him a quick ticket there."

Grimm senses just one...right in front of her, that Fortune came out of. It might have been an aftereffect of Apostate's singularity that he created with teh intention of destroying the pocket dimension.

Timewarp asks Apostate, "Did you do something in particular to upset those Fascist-world people? Or just they got upset at your destroying reality and junk?"

Apostate shrugs, "I think the latter. Though they get upset at lots of things. Like...anything being out of place."

Radical nods to Grimm, "If you want to do the honors, you can. I was going to transport him back when we were done here.

Amelia nods, "Order bound." she comments distainfully.

"If it were me, I'd stay. Authority-ville sounds awful." Jak muses to Amelia with a shrug.

Moonshadow says, "But for him it's home."

Apostate says to Fortune, "Sorry for the inconvenience. I'm sure that someone here will be able to return you home."

Fortune says, as he turns to Apostate, having been listening in on the conversation about the facist world "Doubtful, and I am still very much on the fence on if I want to go. Back to the world I just came from would be nice, however."

Grimm studies Revenant thoughtfully. "Well, I -could- just send him back now. But maybe he can make himself useful for the favor," she comments as she starts weaving her hands to seal the rift that brought Fortune here.

Revenant looks at Grimm, "I agreed to act as Radical's bodyguard. I suspect I've already been useful." His tone is...flat.

Radical continues to tinker...and then has an 'ah hah' moment. Literally. "Ah Hah! There's the issue." He makes a few adjustments, and hands the harness back to Apostate. "That should help. I can give you the technical details of what I did later, if you like."

Amelia nods, "Yes. Revenant has upheld his end of the deal. Now it's time for us to do the same. Grimm, do you want to do the honors or shall I?"

Radical grins at Apostate. "I wouldn't want Jak to get too bored, after all."

Apostate takes a look at the harness, seeing what Radical has changed, "Hmm. Yes, I'd like to compare notes. Thank you." He puts it back on, and then slides his coat back on.

Grimm makes a Marge Simpson grumpy sound, then wraps up her fixing of the rift with some time. "I've got it," she says as she waves a hand towards Revenant. "Stay still for this and I'll send you back home," she says, not even asking where he's from. Should he stay still, dark energy flows from Grimm in long sheets, moving to try and envelope Revenant.

Revenant nods to Grimm. "Thank you." He nods to each of the heroes...and then over the span of a few seconds, he disappears, presumably sent back to where he came from.

Amelia turns away before she lets her face crease into an amused smile.

Radical says to Amelia, "You know he's going to go after Topaz, right? You were hoping he would."

Timewarp says, "It's kind of hard know what to do when dealing with a place where the government seem to be bad guys...."

Amelia shrugs, "What Revenant does is up to him. I wouldn't blame his for going after the person who abandoned him on an alien dimension. Hopefully the fallout will discourage them from visiting us again." she tells Timewarp.

Timewarp nods. "I kind of hope so too. If we're not going to do anything about their government, the best thing is that they have nothing to do with us."

Apostate tries out the new harness, teleporting a few feet. "Much better. I can feel the difference." He nods to Radical "Thank you again."

Apostate then turns to the others, abruptly changing the subject, "You were mentioning that I would need to make small changes to the past to get things to change effectively? I can't just...alter one major event?"

Jak appreciates Radical's consideration. He'll have to treat him to a beer later, somewhere nice. Like Fiji.

His smirk at Radical's comment spreads to a smile at Amelia's stance on Revenant going after Captain Fascist Topaz. "Now we're talking. Screw those self-righteous jagoffs." Jak chimes in.

He looks to Radical and Timewarp for an answer to Apostate's question. They might be a bit more conviencing then his loose analogy to diverting a river with pebbles. That sounds stupid even to him.

Radical shrugs, and looks to Timewarp, "I only know the theory. I'm really more of a...lateral dimension hopper? If that makes sense? Not so much with the time travel. Though I was able to look back and forth in time in a prior life."

Moonshadow says, "You said there was an argument. Who did you argue with?"

Grimm slides her hands into her pockets and listens. "Wouldn't this just cause a paradox?"

Timewarp says, "Several smaller changes is usually the way to go. It's like, why meet something coming at someone head on? It's easier to nudge it aside so it misses what it's aimed at. Changing one event *can* work, though."

Grimm is just a bit of an HG Wells fan. "Meaning...if his universe doesn't get destroyed, he's never here to tell us to go back to fix it kind of thing?"

Timewarp says, "The other thing is, it's putting all yours eggs in one basket. Oh, and if it's only one thing it's easier for some other time traveller to put stuff back like it was before."

Timewarp says, "And yeah. Breaking the universe entirely is a bad thing."

Fortune Fortune thinks. It isn't like he had a lot of experience with this kind of thing, but he also wasn't a dummy. "So if you try to change the past with changing a big event, you don't end up having a lot of control? Sort of like trying to remove a tumor with a single stab of a sword, rather than a delicate surgery?"

Timewarp says, "Oh, that's a good way of looking at it!"

Apostate nods to Moonshadow, "My family has a history of being...magicians. Beholden to a higher power. I refused to participate, and I ended up in direct conflict with my cousin over it." He thinks about it a bit more. "Though...now that I consider it more, it was the instability of my dimensional shifting that was the reason he was looking for me in the first place."

Grimm rubs her chin. "So go back in time, fix this guy's gear, and the big bang never happens?"

Radical furrows his brow, "Seems too simple, I have to admit. There might be more to it than that, but it seems like a good place to start. The issue would be...convincing the original person to be willing to allow the change to his gear."

Moonshadow says, "Did you develop your gear entirely on your own, or did you have assistance or reference materials?"

Amelia nods to Moonshadow, "Excellent question."

Timewarp says, "We also need to make sure he doesn't un-fix it. And doesn't try to use the unfixed version at all at some other point."

Apostate shakes his head, "Entirely on my own. Well, with some reference from what I remembered from the magic texts at home. I managed to steal a couple to work from."

Amelia grins, "There's the solution." she says, maybe a bit cryptically.

Radical nods slowly, "That would explain why it was a rougher version of what I designed. Though it's admirably close."

Moonshadow says, "Do you remember the titles?"

Moonshadow says, "Maybe if you had just one more..."

Apostate nods, "I have the titles that I stole over in my library." He points to another floating rock. "The titles of others, I vaguely remember."

Amelia shakes her head, "No. No. We intercept the nooks he stole and rewrite the contents so his efforts produce a working non-harmful version."

Timewarp laughs and claps her hands. "Brilliant!"

Moonshadow says, "Nooks? Not Kindle?"

Moonshadow says, "Pretty much what I was thinking."

Moonshadow says, "Perhaps we should move to the Library."

Timewarp says to Apostate, "At least, assuming you're very careful with your research. That might not be enough if you misread...."

Radical raises a brow, "I suppose that would work. Change one of the books here and swap it out with the one in the past."

Moonshadow says, "Ummm...Aren't they the same book?"

Moonshadow says, "Maybe you could swap for another copy first?"

Timewarp says, "Best to use a copy, yeah. Less problem with paradox."

Apostate lets out a long whistle, "Only if you have a way of copying them easily. Those are not the kinds of books you buy in a bookstore."

Timewarp says, "At least there's one good thing about the universe being destroyed. It means there won't be any time travellers from its future complicating things."

Moonshadow says, "I was thinking that Radical might know where to find one."

Timewarp asks Apostate, "Do they take magic to make or something? Or is it just a matter of writing it out by hand and aging it enough and junk?"

Apostate shakes his head, "No, it's just a matter of writing things down. I think. I could be wrong." Radical speaks up at that point. "It depends on the tome. Some will have magic infused, others will not."

[To Radical] Moonshadow says, "Would your cousin have a copy?"

Timewarp says, "I can copy stuff if I have to. But finding another copy would save me a lot of work!"

Amelia says, "Shouldn't be an insolvable problem. If I say it myself I'm a fair enchantess."

Radical shakes his head. "Un...likely? I mean, my uncle was the Cartesian, and then me. And then the mantle moved on to another lineage entirely. I don't remember any of my cousins being involved in the arcane. Not that it's entirely out of the question."

Moonshadow says, "Your replacement, then."

Apostate looks at Radical at the mention of 'the Cartesian', but doesn't say anything in regards to it. There's been no indication that it was that specific mantle that Apostate refused up to this point, of course.

Radical nods. "I have had little to no contact with my replacement. And I doubt she's going to want much contact with me, based on how I parted ways with the Lords of Order."

Moonshadow says, "Perhaps we could contact her? For an exchange of identical copies to prevent paradox?"

Apostate takes a deep breath. "Well, we can look at my library and see if there's some commonality. Going back in time doesn't require speed. It just has to happen sometime."

Timewarp says, "Ok. So, we have a plan. And the good thing about the plan is it targets the timeline early. So if it's not enough we can try again later."

Moonshadow says, "Indeed."

When the library is looked at, Radical actually recognizes a couple of the books, "These are similar to those in the library my uncle has. We might be able to use one of his books to swap."

Moonshadow says, "Did you use your uncle's books when you designed your harness?"

Radical nods. "To a degree. But a lot of it was from my prior time working with magic. That's the main difference. He refused from the outset. I utilized it for a while, and incorporated concepts from it into my devices."