Part 399b - The twice rewritten part

In the time I spent writing this part, I grew to hate it, more and more and more. It disgusted me, and now I'm retiring it to do a total rewrite. The good(??) news for Patreon-goers is that you'll get to read this garbage, but it won't be canon after this. I'll reuse probably some of it in the final cut, but now you get to read the first edited draft, as well as the second.

Enjoy, I guess???

--------------------------------------

Part 399b Failed Attempt 1:

My heart pounds and my mind races, but no ideas come to mind. I can't even lift my arms or twitch my fingers. My body is completely paralyzed, all while this red-haired nerdy bitch just stares at me and waits for an explanation. Lora is in a different situation. She looks to be able to move and mostly unaffected, but the suit she's wearing is fighting her somehow, using her own strength to keep her pinned to the ground.

"Marie... you're making a mistake... I'm not the other-"

She shoves her glasses up her nose and smiles. "You aren't the other Wordsmith? I'm a fairy princess, if that's the case. You made several key mistakes, imposter. You didn't do your research, for one. Jason 12F always contacted me anytime he went on a mission into the labyrinth once he returned, and he would always broadcast the all-clear code. I would be willing to overlook that, but you also had to let your assistant open the door, you spoke to me far more formally than he would, and you made plenty of other amateur mistakes he probably couldn't make if he tried."

Marie calmly walks over and sits in my chair then kicks me in the gut just to knock me around. It doesn't hurt thanks to my invisible armor and the Hypersuit, but this feels more like an attempt to humiliate me.

"Fine. You caught me. What's your game plan now?"

As the energy continues to hit me, it eventually turns into something more akin to a dull pain as I stop resisting it. Fighting it is futile, and only serves to weaken me. Maybe I can talk my way out of this situation. I don't like the alternative.

She stares at her nails thoughtfully for a few moments. "What universe are you from?"

She ignored my question and responded with nonsense. What the hell? "I don't know what you mean, lady."

Marie puts her hand on her lap and stares at me questioningly. "What? Of course you know. Don't play stupid with me. I've met more than enough of your kind to tell when a Jason is lying. Jason's don't just fall from the sky, you're like cockroaches. You continue to create new universes without regard for the continuum."

My mouth unhinges and slowly I gape at her as my eyes narrow. "Multiverses? I haven't the faintest clue what you mean."

She reaches up and rubs her forehead hard. "It's not possible. This is a Source universe. I've confirmed it multiple times. You can't have two source Jasons in the same universe. If you can, it's never been done before." She pauses to look up at the ceiling thoughtfully. "Unless the other Jasons have some sort of agreement to lie to me... but that wouldn't make sense. Why would they lie?"

She continues talking and I try to put the pieces together. Unfortunately, I'm coming up short. This is coming out of nowhere, and I was unprepared. Still, maybe I can trick her...

"Christ. Fine, you caught me. I am from another universe."

Her look of confusion immediately clears up. "For god's sake, you should have said so from the start. Stop making things hard on me. What was your previous universe's identifier?"

Oops. "Uhh... 9B."

Her look of relief sours immediately. "Moron. The number-letter convention is for Jasons. The first number identifies a key string, while the letter indicates a personality type, and occasionally other identifiers. Obviously universes have their own form of identification."

Crap. "I knew that."

She smiles at me and stands up. "You didn't. I can tell by that stupid look on your face. You're a Source Jason. I thought there were only two, but apparently not." She looks up at the ceiling. "Samuel, privacy mode. Activate Test Program Sigma."

The male robot voice speaks from the ceiling. "No problem, Head Engineer! I will stop recording all correspondence and shut down! Have a pleasant day!"

He's way too nice for my liking. Sounds totally fake too. I roll my eyes as the room goes quiet for a few moments. Finally, a different robotic voice speaks from the ceiling.

"Hello, Marie Becker 12B. It has been a few million years since I spoke with you."

The robot's voice is female, and while the first voice was overstuffed with emotion, this AI has none at all. I suddenly wish for the cheerful male voice, because the female one creeps me out.

"Let's keep this brief, Umi. I don't want the Volgrim detecting a Level 1 AI inside the Supreme Commander's personal office. It will complicate things." Marie reaches into her jacket and pulls out a cigarette, lighting it and stuffing it in her mouth a few seconds later.

"Understood. Ask your questions as quickly as your mortal brain will allow, and I will return to stealth mode afterward."

"Do you know whether this man is a Source Jason?"

Umi beeps in response. "That information is being withheld. You are not of a sufficient clearance level to have that question answered."

"So he is." Marie puffs on her cigarette and flicks the ashes onto the floor. Nasty. "That explains why the others always seemed to hide information from me. If I am part of a Source universe, then that means..."

She glances down at me again. "It's your lucky day, punk. I think I understand the situation now. This is truly an interesting situation we have here.

--------------------------------------

That was the first attempt, I did a partial rewrite and ended up with this second go below. It should be obvious what I removed and then added. The problem is, the entire part is convoluted, uninteresting, and BLAND. I could cut the boredom with a knife. Marie is supposed to be a badass, not an expositional garbage dump. The New Jason is supposed to be cunning, but here he's a helpless idiot chimp. No thanks!

So now you will see why even I have bad writing days. From now on, I refuse to officially publish anything I consider too shitty to put out.

Enjoy!!(??)

 -------------------------------------- 

My heart pounds and my mind races, but no ideas come to mind. I can't even lift my arms or twitch my fingers. My body is completely paralyzed, all while this red-haired nerdy bitch just stares at me and waits for an explanation. Lora is in a different situation. She looks to be able to move and mostly unaffected, but the suit she's wearing is fighting her somehow, using her own strength to keep her pinned to the ground.

"Marie... you're making a mistake... I'm not the other-"

She shoves her glasses up her nose and smiles. "You aren't the other Wordsmith? I'm a fairy princess, if that's the case. You made several key mistakes, imposter. You didn't do your research, for one. Jason 12F always contacted me anytime he went on a mission into the labyrinth once he returned, and he would always broadcast the all-clear code. I would be willing to overlook that, but you also had to let your assistant open the door, you spoke to me far more formally than he would, and you made plenty of other amateur mistakes he probably couldn't make if he tried."

Marie calmly walks over and sits in my chair then kicks me in the gut just to knock me around. It doesn't hurt thanks to my invisible armor and the Hypersuit, but this feels more like an attempt to humiliate me.

"Fine. You caught me. What's your game plan now?"

As the energy continues to hit me, it eventually turns into something more akin to a dull pain as I stop resisting it. Fighting it is futile, and only serves to weaken me. Maybe I can talk my way out of this situation. I don't like the alternative.

She stares at her nails thoughtfully for a few moments. "What universe are you from?"

I hate it when people reply to my questions with more questions. "I don't know what you mean, lady."

Marie puts her hand on her lap and stares at me questioningly. "Of course you know. Don't play stupid with me. I've met more than enough of your kind to tell when a Jason is lying. Jason's don't just fall from the sky, you're like cockroaches. You continue to create new universes without regard for the continuum."

My mouth unhinges and slowly I gape at her as my eyes narrow. "Multiverses? I haven't the faintest clue what you're talking about."

She reaches up and rubs her forehead hard. "It's not possible. This is a Source universe. I've confirmed it multiple times. You can't have two source Jasons in the same universe. If you can, it's never been done before." She pauses to look up at the ceiling thoughtfully. "Unless the other Jasons have some sort of agreement to lie to me... but that wouldn't make sense. Why would they lie?"

She continues mumbling to herself and I try to put the pieces together. Unfortunately, I'm coming up short. I don't have enough information to go on, and the possibility that she's telling the truth makes my head hurt. Still, maybe I can trick her...

"Christ. Fine, you caught me. I am from another universe."

Her look of confusion immediately clears up. "For god's sake, you should have said so from the start. Stop making things hard on me. What was your previous universe's identifier?"

Oops. "Uhh... 9B."

Her look of relief sours immediately. "Moron. The number-letter convention is for Jasons. The first number identifies a key string, while the letter indicates a personality type, and occasionally other identifiers. Obviously universes have their own form of identification."

Crap. "I knew that."

She smiles at me and stands up. "You didn't. I can tell by that stupid look on your face. You're a Source Jason. I thought there were only two, but apparently not." She turns to look over at Lora. "Is he anyone special? Perhaps a mind-controlled Jason 12F?"

I shake my head, but the energy that small movement takes is enormous. "The commando is a woman named Lora. She was with me in the labyrinth."

"The labyrinth... hmm." Marie finishes her cigarette and throws it on the carpet, stomping it out afterward. "If you're a Source Jason, then what does that mean? The others have only told me of two Sources, so based on what I know of their traveling properties, that would mean..."

She paces back and forth, irritation evident by the increasing speed she stops and turns. "It's millions of years too early for you to show up, if you're traveling to the cryopod flashpoint. It's tens of millions of years too late for you to have appeared at the origin flashpoint, and shouldn't be possible since 12F already arrived there. I even confirmed there were no stasis pods in the arrival area."

I gaze at the woman with ever decreasing levels of interest. I have no idea what she's talking about anymore. "Can we start over? Maybe explain things from scratch?"

She immediately shakes her head. "Not a chance. If you're a Source Jason, in a universe with another Source, it upends everything I've ever known about Jasons. Further, I can't explain the details of time continuity to a Source. We did that once and it turned out disastrous."

I notice that despite the unending torrent of neutralization energy flowing into me, the pain is nearly gone at this point and has been replaced with mere paralysis. I can't move anything, yet I can still speak. The disconnect between my brain and the rest of my body is disorienting, but with the pain gone I can think a little more clearly.

"Look, Marie, all I've gathered is that you represent a group of people that... control time... or something. And there are other Jasons, beyond myself and that Supreme Commander guy. Is that about it?"

She smiles condescendingly at me. "That's about the level of understanding I'd expect from a Jason, especially a Source Jason. Few Jasons are ever any good at understanding the finer nuances of time manipulation."

Her words are driving me crazy. The way she talks to me, like I'm inferior to her... there isn't a chance that she could beat me without trickery or deceit. It pisses me off how she lords over me like she's big shit.

I quickly look down at my arm and notice that it's twitching. I can't feel my lower body at all, but if I direct thoughts at them, they still seem to respond a little bit. The pain in my body is entirely gone now, like my brain has disabled all of its relevant receptors. Just a bit more...

I look back up and notice her staring out a window. "If you keep talking down to me instead of explaining things, of course I'm not going to understand. For a genius, you're a real idiot. I bet you laugh at ants because they can't understand your vast intellect either."

Marie turns back around and her smile is gone. "I can't divulge anything related to the time continuum or other universes to a Source. One of the others did that, and it resulted in a terrible series of events that I'd rather not get into. I've been rather privileged to live in a universe with a Source, but now that he's gone..." She halts and stares at me. "What did you do with him, anyway."

"Killed him. He didn't stand a chance."

She nods slowly. "Yes, I imagine he wouldn't. 12F hated fighting. He was a total pacifist, only involving himself if he thought he could put an end to a conflict." She walks back over to my desk, grabs a pad, and flips through some files. I can't see what she's doing, but soon a large television that takes up the entire wall opposite me activates, showing the perspective of a figure with tinted glass covering his vision. A commando, I'd wager. After a few seconds I realize it's a replay of when I fought all those commandos just a day after arriving in the Labyrinth.

"12F wasn't like you. You seem quite adept at combat, but very primal. Most Jasons are brutish, stupid, insecure in their manhood. In that respect, you are not very different. 12F, however, was a special one. He was the only Jason I know of to be completely non-violent. It made for a fascinating case study."

She slumps down into a chair beside me and sighs. "And you say you killed him. I hope for this universe's sake, you're wrong.