☞ 031. (text + action)

[wouldnotkindly]

If anyone see's an irish man who calls himself Atlas
Or a man named Frank fontaine
Let me know ASAP
Please

[Jack has seen this enough times before to know there's a chance of his appearance here, however slim it may be. In the meantime, though, he's going to go about his daily business.]

( OOC: absolutely open to all fourth-wall harassment, action or network replies or whatever, and feel free to run into him wherever! )

Comments

[wouldnotkindly]

[There's only one way to figure out just what the hell is going on, isn't there?

He switches on the video as well, staring into the camera with a solemn look. The only span of time between him and this man on the other end is a matter of hours, he's sure, but the scars on his face and at his throat speak to far more than that.

He types again:]

So am i

[unkindly]

[Jack can only stare in shock.

This isn't possible. It can't be.

There's a very long moment of silence as Jack stares, unable to come up with anything to say...

...until finally he manages to stammer out a question.]

What... what happened?

[wouldnotkindly]

If i tell you it wont change anything
You wont be able to remember anything from here after you go back to rapture

[Assuming, of course, that this other Jack will be going back to Rapture. He isn't sure what to think about the alternative.]

[unkindly]

[Well that sucks. That really sucks.

Still, Jack wants to know.]

...Tell me anyway.

[wouldnotkindly]

[He isn't surprised. Should he be surprised by himself? Hell, this is weird.]

Like i already said
Fontaine is a bastard

[unkindly]

They all said he was dead, though.

[All of them. Ryan, Atlas, Tenenbaum, every single Audio Diary he finds... Fontaine is dead. It's the one thing they all agree on.]

[wouldnotkindly]

Thats a lie
Fontaine faked his death
And then he came back as Atlas

[unkindly]

[The look on his face is one of complete shock. Complete shock as his stomach drops out and his world starts to crumble around him, though he doesn't know why just yet, or even completely comprehend what it means.]

...no.

[wouldnotkindly]

Yes

[It's hard, but he wanted to know, didn't he?]

It was all a trick
All he ever wanted was to kill Ryan and loot the city
And he used us to do it

[unkindly]

[He needed to know. And even as... even as he told himself what the truth was, and it started to tear at his mind and everything he thought was true and real, he still needed to know.]

...no.

[It hurts.

It hurts so badly.]

[wouldnotkindly]

[And that's not even the worst part of it.

Of course, this might just be the worst part of it all right now: watching himself struggle and suffer with this knowledge all over again.]

Thats why he needs to die
He cant get away with everything he did to us.

[unkindly]

[All he can do is hide his face in his hands as he tries to cope with everything he's finding out.

He struggles to breathe deeply, normally, struggles to anchor himself and keep from getting lost in all of it.

Focus, Jack. Focus.

Focus.

He nods, finally looking up and back at... himself.

Apparently the only person he can actually trust.]

Okay.

[wouldnotkindly]

[At the very least, he isn't finding out mere seconds after murdering Andrew Ryan with his own golf club. But that's small comfort when he considers that he won't remember a damn thing after he leaves here (if he leaves here, and what the hell is he going to do if he doesn't?).

Even so...]

The things youre about to go through
The things i already went through i mean
Theyre going to be hard
But you cant give up

[unkindly]

[He breathes, he nods, he's fine. He's fine.

He's already been through hell. He can go through more.

He can.

He can.]

[wouldnotkindly]

[He knows he can. He already has, after all. But he feels like he needs to convince his own self as much as he does this other self.]

I dont know yet if were going to get out alive
But the only thing that matters is making sure Fontaine doesn't

[unkindly]

[He takes a deep breath and... yes. There's the resolve. There's his persistence, his focus.

He nods.]

Right.

[wouldnotkindly]

[Somehow, that's more reassuring than he'd thought it would be.

Then something else occurs to him.]

One more piece of advice
Use your voice while you still can

[unkindly]

[He's noticed the scars, he's noticed the other not talking at all.]

Because of...

[He gestures to his own throat, not knowing how to refer to something he doesn't actually know about.]

[wouldnotkindly]

[He considers telling himself about the surgical machine, about the incredible pain and how it's necessary, goddamn necessary to keep after Fontaine. But it doesn't really matter, does it?]

Yes.

[unkindly]

[He swallows, because he can't even imagine what that feels like, and nods.

Jack takes a breath, wanting to ask more, wanting to know everything but not really sure how to ask himself that. His brow furrows instead and he's at a loss for words even though the other... him just said he should use his voice but... he doesn't know what to say.]