retrospec | (no subject)

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Looks like some of you have been pretty busy. Mostly for the better, I think. I hope.

I've been talking to past employees, tracking them down now while things are falling into place. They still don't really know about their past history with the company, but the knowledge was still there if you can believe that. Ask a few questions, you can bait anybody into answering.

I can go into details later for anyone who's curious, but I'll keep this short and sweet. With the next string of programming and adjustments, we can have three tries to check into alternate timelines. Nothing will stick during those trials, but let's think about it this way. Check out a chain of events, see how it pans out, close the loops to make it a new reality.

When everything became about actual reality-bending, I'm not sure. I don't think this is what any of us signed up for, but what's done is done.

Mr. Murdock raised an interesting proposition that I think is worth considering. And a few other have, too, you know who you are. So the question is: what chains of events can we all agree on? A check is just that. It checks how things might go without actively ruining everything…I think. The power used might downgrade the more we check in which is why three's the limit, but the potential's there which is probably better than anything else.

Talk it through and get back to me. It's your future. You should get a say in it at this point.

Zee Carlisle
Hiring Manager
Retr

spec Incorporated

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I lean more towards saying "nothing" specifically because we don't know what will happen. Starting over in any capacity seems like a lost cause, because there's no guarantee of anything. We're closer to the end of the project now with all this information we've been getting, so why waste the time trying to have a perfect do-over and relive it all again?

I suppose my thought is a little too much trying to have my cake and eat it too.

Things could get better, but there’s room for them to get so very very much worse. If messing with something in the past would only affect the person that did it, then there’d be no objection.

...

The thought we had. We drafted an alteration to the Retrospec contract that would force Retrospec to reveal themselves to everybody they consider to be on the lowest ‘layer.’ But it would only go into effect after one world has been restored. So. Soon. But not now.

How does it go wrong?

Restoration doesn't mean anything if the world isn't accessible. If it is, you're going to get people demanding theirs next, or that it isn't fair, pick whatever impatient, entitled demand you want.

There's going to be people like me who hudt want to wipe everything, what happens when people find out Retrospec exists and they're restoring my world, and I don't even want to go back? People like that get angry. Then you have uncontrollable mobs on your hands. It's always easier to control others if you keep them in the dark.

I don't want to control anyone, or for anybody to be controlled. Retrospec's plan isn't even going to apply to everyone in this city, not everybody is a viable person to put another soul into like we are.

Managing the people who know about the project, learning to deal with them as they crop up, and doing things out in the open. I think that's what Retrospec should have been doing all along.

Yeah, and they didn't. Most likely to keep control over the situation.

It's not about you, it's about them.

But would my idea force it to become about us? The way I see it, the consequences are going to fall on Retrospec's heads. I'm trying to get them to finally face judgement for what they've done.

They'd have to deal with that, or let us all go. Stop the program. And you'd get that guy out of your head.

Thath might be an improvement, but my problems go far beyond Retrosoec's reach. They just made everything worse with the memories and... him.

I can't tell you how successful your plan will be. But if Retrospec wanted to take responsibility, they would have done it already.

They don't want to. That's why we've got to make them.

Hell, I actually think you're right in that trying to change the past is a dumb idea. I just thought. Maybe. By putting in a time component. So that it doesn't change the past before now, but it could change soon. If we did that, we could get..

..whatever it is we're fighting for at this point. Justice? Vengeance?

I don't know what it is that I'm fighting for anymore.

But you're still fighting?

I'm still here, aren't I?

Good answer.

We've talked about hopes and dreams enough times, so let's talk facts. With where we stand now, can we get to where you really want? Be it Retrospec destroyed, Vanderweele dead, or just a punch in the face to whoever is responsible?

Well, since we can't go back and stop my parents from meeting each other, and Retrospec isn't going to pay me monetary damages for ruining my life, I'm going to have to say "No, not really."

I've been so focused on the criminal possibilities, I didn't even think about the approximately 400 civil lawsuits headed Retrospec's way if we pull this off.

Joke.

Except not.

Which of those would you rather, then? Try to rewind it so none of this ever happened? Or move forwards and get something out of Retrospec in return for what they've done?

I wasn't in a great situation 2 years ago and I'm not in a great situation now.

I just want to wipe my memory and forget about everything, if I had a choice. And take the money so I would have less things to worry about, I guess.

Then I guess I really need some specifics out of Zee for how to separate out the soul energy, hunh? Let the world That Guy comes from go back to normal, but leave him, specifically out of it.

That one's still pie-in-the-sky. But okay. If that's what you're shooting for? Let's ask Zee how to get it.

As for the money? Can you think of a better way than what I proposed with the Contract? Anything specific that you'd put into the Contract?

Uh no, leave his world alone. It deserves to be dead.

I don't know about contracts. As I'm sure you're aware, I don't have much faith in any sort of... authority, legal systems, things like that. I doubt they'd follow through, anyway... Maybe something about survivor compensation, but hey, I didn't even graduate high school. You can't expect me to know how to write that sort of thing.

Like I said before. I don't want to really undo anything, or go back. I just want this to be done and over with and to forget all about it. The damage is done, and even without Retrospec, my life sucked anyway. All of them. That's not something you can fix with a mere contract.

The whole world? All of it? Not just him?

Not what I thought your tune was. What happened to change your mind?

He didn't even want to be alive. That's not exactly a place I think that should be restored. Not after what I've seen. It's already dead, so let it stay dead.

I know a lot of us have seen someone, remembered someone that would make that world worth saving. The other Togusa's colleagues, his family. Their world needs to still exist, for them.

But. I'm guessing that doesn't apply to you?

Siblings.

But that world is already gone and they aren't here, so don't try to make it sound like I'd be doing anyone a favor.

Well.

Tell me about them. If their world isn't going to get restored, then somebody should remember them.

They were both older and looked after me.

Don't try to play me. Obviously I remember them.

I'm not!

This isn't some manipulation. Malik, whatever end to this helps you sleep at night, fuck, that's all I want. I was just surprised, I thought you were okay with that world still existing. That's not true anymore, okay. We work for a solution that gets you out entirely.

It's complicated.

Other Malik was worse than I am now, and his siblings did everything they could to put him back on the right path. But. In the end, all they had was each other. Nothing else. The three of them had been working towards freedom from their old life, which makes mine look like a walk in the park... Giving all of that back to them seems cruel and unnecessary. If his soul is here, and they're still there, then they suffered for nothing. And I sure as hell am not going back there.