- Location
- south america
Hmm what about the Dream? This story has shown physical places that existed in the Dream, I wonder if Mandate-Paul can somehow kind-of bring his reality back through that.
With This Ring (Young Justice SI) (Thread Twelve)
- Thread starter Mr Zoat
- Start date
- Status
SemiSaneAuthor
TARDIS powered by Snark, Spite, and Tea!
- Location
- Sol-3, Memetic Quarantined World - For English
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Right, I only had Google Drives little Art Program. Not even a proper Paint program to do this in. So it is a little crude, and I would have liked to show the future timelines that caused the Time Traveller Gambit but not even using Paint to do this. But, a basic illustration of the time travel happening in the timelines.
I mean, if I can spend five minutes making a simple diagram to explain the time travel then it's not that complicated. Most time travel events can be broken down into simple line diagrams. Just not the Doctor Who Universe. Never Doctor Who. *Shudders at thought of attempting to make a line diagram for Doctor Who*
I mean, if I can spend five minutes making a simple diagram to explain the time travel then it's not that complicated. Most time travel events can be broken down into simple line diagrams. Just not the Doctor Who Universe. Never Doctor Who. *Shudders at thought of attempting to make a line diagram for Doctor Who*
- Location
- Alabama
I know it's fanfiction but it's not how the canon handled time travel, and I'm kinda miffed about it. The story, of course, doesn't have to hold up to canon, but I figured that a mechanic like time travel would probably have to work the same. Maybe there's different versions of time travel, but that's not usually how worldbuilding goes.
As for the actual event, it was fine.
As for the actual event, it was fine.
- Location
- Parts Unknown
Green Lantern Jade will find herself thrown into Grayven's timeline because of plot and eventually start up a romantic relationship with the big gray man himself.
Wait...
So our...
Chap who saw the Trapper's overlapped into the past; (and it's)
Truggs who must debug the buggered timeline fairly fast; (thus the)
Mandate verse's band-aid/AU's fusion-bait is cast, (and the)
Vastly intertwining-timing plot has us aghast!
So we...
Know that Paul's enlightened, and we know that he is not. (No)
Renegade, but Jade and Jade to complicate the knot; (Two)
Vandals: How's it Truggs who has a handle on this plot?! (And)
Emmett-Browning, with that one-point-one-squared jiggawatts?
So now...
Mandate!Paul's the Trapper - or he wioll haven be; (Also)
Nylor's twisting dials or pressing buttons quietly; (But there's)
Nothing of the place they left, save OL's memory; (and one)
Time-looped scroll, unsealed now, from la belle dame sans merci?
So our...
Chap who saw the Trapper's overlapped into the past; (and it's)
Truggs who must debug the buggered timeline fairly fast; (thus the)
Mandate verse's band-aid/AU's fusion-bait is cast, (and the)
Vastly intertwining-timing plot has us aghast!
So we...
Know that Paul's enlightened, and we know that he is not. (No)
Renegade, but Jade and Jade to complicate the knot; (Two)
Vandals: How's it Truggs who has a handle on this plot?! (And)
Emmett-Browning, with that one-point-one-squared jiggawatts?
So now...
Mandate!Paul's the Trapper - or he wioll haven be; (Also)
Nylor's twisting dials or pressing buttons quietly; (But there's)
Nothing of the place they left, save OL's memory; (and one)
Time-looped scroll, unsealed now, from la belle dame sans merci?
- Location
- Somewhere out there
Optional possible modification: The original line is "one point twenty-one jigawatts". Obviously Truggs doesn't have to be quoting Back to the Future, but if you want him to then that's the relevant change.
I do appreciate that Paul's reaction is essentially a more sophisticated version of "what the hell is a jigawatt".
NemiTheNen
Perpetual Phone Poster
So has the Orange Enlightenment been undone?
I'm usually...really really really good at figuring out timeline shit in timetravel storylines. I'm not good at it in this story because, well that final exchange last chapter? I had to reread it a few times because "Who the fuck is talking to who?"
I'm usually...really really really good at figuring out timeline shit in timetravel storylines. I'm not good at it in this story because, well that final exchange last chapter? I had to reread it a few times because "Who the fuck is talking to who?"
- Location
- Hampden Park
I haven't mentioned Doctor Who once in this episode so far.
Thank you, corrected.
But we don't know how it worked in canon. After Bart fixed things with the Reach, the future Earth was still a devastated wasteland.
Shadow Archon
Protoss Preserver
- Location
- Louisiana
- Location
- Oblivion
Bart was from a possible future trying to change the present, Savage was from the already set present trying to change the past.
Several folks have already gone ahead and put together various schema for how this works out. I'd like to clarify and add my own two cents where I can. And frankly, the big problem is always going to be terms and tenses.
So, first let us define our terms. We know of at least two different timelines acting here, one future, and one non-timeline.
First, let us establish a few things we know:
However, we can expand a little on that. So, here's how it goes:
In T1-1F, the Reach invade. After they're gone, humanity reestablishes themselves (with a Humanity First ethos); part of this involved the leader Per Degaton1-F1 establishing Eliminations Inc1 and preparing equipment to be sent The Slow Way back to them. Later in T1-F1, The Legon1-F1 are established and Trugs1-F1 steals some time tech (apparently from RipX's lab) to return to the present. At some point, Abra Kadabra also comes back, but he's not a major player in this sequence. More importantly, Jason GoldsteinX steals RipX's time machine at an unknown point in the timeline and returns to get the League to attack Eliminations Inc1 in an effort to change time. RipX follows him in an effort to stop him. This would prove difficult, and so they obtain a Temporal Beacon from Trugs1-F1 - note that he referred to it as "Savage's B plan". Goldstein comes clean when confronted, but the event is interrupted by Mekanique (the gold gynoid) - presumably acting on behalf of Per Degaton1-F1, though she's stopped with the help of the modified Beacon.
Still in T1-F1, The Time Trapper? presents themselves to the Legion1-F1, and tells them that their timeline is going to be subsumed due to changes to the past. He helps the Legion1-F1 to reach TNul (Timepoint), from which they work to undo the changes and restore T1-F1 rather than whatever would replace it. The actions of the Time Trapper, presumably from TNul, are probably what allow the Legion1-F1 to continue to exist, and they're effectively trapped in TNul; returning to their own version of the future would get them rippled, while if they go to the new timeline or elsewhen, all they knew will have already been rippled.
From TNul, the Legion1-F1 returned to the future to fix the time shenanigans going on. This began with The Persuader1-F1, but he turned out to be a non-issue due to Paul's interference already (anti-Kryptonite belt for Superman). They then (post-assisting Paul1, presumably) captured Trugs1-F1, who had also been getting assaulted via time travel that he could not recall - this might have been repeated attempts on the part of the Legion1-F1. Following, Paul1 and Dana1 were also captured or taken; Paul1 and Trugs1-F1 were then held in TNul
Both were flung back into the timeline by The Time Trapper? after Paul mentioned having met him later in his personal timeline - operating on the assumption that the Time Trapper he was speaking with was a Malthusian and he'd met all of them on Malthus during his OL stuffs.
Potentially at a different point along the timeline of TNul, The Time Trapper? retrieved Savage1 from T1-post-Paul, told him he was a future Savage, and sent him back to save the Terracotta's creator and have him reprogram the automations. Savage1 did so, returning to TNul afterward with said creator. Time Trapper? then showed him the new timeline, TM, that had been created and provided Savage1 with the time tech we saw in the last few chapters, which he used to fight the Heavenly GuardiansM.
Paul1, upon arrival, was apparently rippled into PaulM - our protagonist for Mandate. Trugs1-F1 also arrived, but was apparently not affected due to being a time traveler. However, it is also possible that Paul1 was flung back to a different timeline. Both joined in the effort to find a solution against Savage1. PaulM directly fought Savage1, and as part of the fight his filaments were redirected to other points in time. He used this to try to send a message in the past to the Guardians of the Universe. Whether or not they got it, and they may well have, the GuardiansM, Heavenly GuardiansM, Trugs1-F1 and The Harmonious OneM hatched a plan that would allow them to solve the situation, as described by @Bakkasama -
In short, they sent PaulM and Trugs1-F1 back in time to kill off the divergent TM at the root and let T1 resume. They had to trick PaulM into this. So, PaulM and Trugs1-F1 arrive, kill Savage1 down to the last cell upon his arrival, and return through the time portal Savage1 used to get there, arriving back at TNul with the Time Trapper? there to greet them. This Time Trapper is revealed to be PaulM-FNul, which strongly suggests that PaulM is going to have to don the Time Trapper identity and do the above actions and complete the stable time loop. Or, in other words, PaulM as Time Trapper obtains Savage1, tells him he's a future-Savage, instructs him, and sends him back to establish TM. His personal timeline then forks, with one fork of TNul recieving the successful Savage1 who then is given time weapons and sent to TM, and the other fork receiving PaulM (himself) and Trugs1-F1 as just seen, potentially erasing the other PaulM-Nul in the process, or severing the link to that Timepoint station; that is yet to be revealed.
So far, here's what we don't know:
The Trapper-minimalist one is that all encountered Time Trappers so far are PaulM; that he recruited the Legion1-F1 (possibly by lying about their own timeline being in danger) in an effort to make TM and find a way to sustain it, and then flung Paul1 into it in an attempt to prevent him from causing further problems. I kind of doubt this however, as it doesn't quite seem in-character, and leaves more loose-ends.
As an alternative, the Time Trapper that flung Paul1 and Trugs into TM is a different Time Trapper?, possibly Savage1-?, who is now going to be thwarted by Time TrapperPaulM-Nul and Trugs1-F1. This could allow Paul1 to be flung back into T1 rather than TM (meaning Paul1 never rippled into PaulM), sending Trugs1-F1 back as expected and sending Trugs1-1F-post M back to T1 as well or returning him to T1-F1 for punishment. How this shakes down for the Legion1-F1 is anyone's guess. (A brief aside: this allows for the shipping of PaulM with Paul1 and Jade1. Just saying.)
So, hopefully this makes things clearer for folks. Tagging @exerty, @Akatsunami, @hilt51, @JamesShazbond, @Dr. Bob Doom, @Cheap Orange Knofe, @Prince Charon, @Zeuseus, @Gantradies, @The Bushranger, @Grosstoad, @Fluffy, @nmWarden, @SemiSaneAuthor, @Geminii, and @NemiTheNen as potentially interested parties along with those whose posts I summed up and expanded on. I'll wager further speculation is possible, so have at it.
And for the record, this is what happens when I stop lurking.
So, first let us define our terms. We know of at least two different timelines acting here, one future, and one non-timeline.
- The Main Timeline. We will refer to this as T1 for ease of reference. This is the timeline that Paul arrives in (and the first difference between it and the Renegade timeline is where in Paul's timeline he arrives from, with the Fool's Day events being further divergence presumably due to Ambush Bug shenanigans.)
- The Legion Future, which will be referred to as T1-F1. This is a direct future of T1, and may or may not be the basic future without Paul being present. For unclear reasons (possibly Paul), this future was going to stop being so, and the Legion do not want this.
- The Mandate Timeline. We will refer to this as TM. This is the timeline we were just reading for the majority of the chapter, and the point of divergence for it is a time-traveler (Savage1) returning to save the creator of the Terracotta Automations on condition of making them all awaken on the Night of Stone Knives. That caused a number of events to unfold differently, as described in the chapter.
- Timepoint Station - independent from the rest of time and immune to time shenanigans, it shall be referred to by TNul.
- Paul1 - the one before all this time travel stuff.
- PaulM - same Paul, just arrives in TM instead of T1.
- Lantern-JadeM - Does not exist in T1, is the Green Lantern member of the Heavenly Guardians in TM
- Savage1 - Main timeline Vandal Savage, who was (if I remember correctly) defeated by Paul and company and "scattered" by Adom. We find out he regrew, though that was delayed by being re-eaten by hyenas.
- SavageM - was flung into the sun; of no consequence.
- Trugs1-F1 - only version of himself, from the main timeline; he was unaffected by the shenanigans due to being temporally displaced in the first place.
- The Legion1-F1 - Saturn Girl, Braniac 5, et al. we can treat them collectively for the moment.
- Rip HunterX - it's not quite clear which timeline he's from, or if he's native to any with all the travel he's done; we can probably assume X = 1, but until we start encountering other versions let's just leave it at that.
- Jason GolsteinX - former associate of Rip Hunter, pretended to be Hunter, is trying to change the future.
- Eliminations Inc1 - A group of assassins operated by Per Degaton that time-traveled backwards to make and hide cashes of weapons and other things to suppliment their forces in the future, the twenty seventh century of T1-F1; post-Reach, pre-Legion.
- The Time Trapper? - an identity potentially played by many individuals.
First, let us establish a few things we know:
- Time Travel of various sorts is possible. Y'know, just for starters.
- The universe has a "preferred" timeline, according to RipX (and Trugs1, based on RipX's lab); while it will accommodate small changes, many things will occur to bring things back in line if they start to diverge. For Erfworld fans, this is the discussion on Fate and Prediction again.
- The discussion in the Mandate timeline (TM) suggest that a wildly-divergent timeline requires a large amount of energy to maintain. This is in line with what Rip said in part, however...
- The same discussion suggests that if that energy requirement is not met, the timeline will "snap back" violently in a potentailly crisis-esque manner. The result would be a mostly-main timeline with limited changes or hybridizations or scattered debris extra.
- Timelines can thus be changed and people will be affected by the "ripple", however...
- Time-travelers can exist outside their timeline without being erased, and are generally immune to being "rippled". This is how the grandfather paradox is solved; if you go back and kill your grandfather, you will never be born in the timeline you've just created but you'll still be there, having come from a different one. (It is not clear if the one you left continues on without you, but presume no.)
However, we can expand a little on that. So, here's how it goes:
In T1-1F, the Reach invade. After they're gone, humanity reestablishes themselves (with a Humanity First ethos); part of this involved the leader Per Degaton1-F1 establishing Eliminations Inc1 and preparing equipment to be sent The Slow Way back to them. Later in T1-F1, The Legon1-F1 are established and Trugs1-F1 steals some time tech (apparently from RipX's lab) to return to the present. At some point, Abra Kadabra also comes back, but he's not a major player in this sequence. More importantly, Jason GoldsteinX steals RipX's time machine at an unknown point in the timeline and returns to get the League to attack Eliminations Inc1 in an effort to change time. RipX follows him in an effort to stop him. This would prove difficult, and so they obtain a Temporal Beacon from Trugs1-F1 - note that he referred to it as "Savage's B plan". Goldstein comes clean when confronted, but the event is interrupted by Mekanique (the gold gynoid) - presumably acting on behalf of Per Degaton1-F1, though she's stopped with the help of the modified Beacon.
Still in T1-F1, The Time Trapper? presents themselves to the Legion1-F1, and tells them that their timeline is going to be subsumed due to changes to the past. He helps the Legion1-F1 to reach TNul (Timepoint), from which they work to undo the changes and restore T1-F1 rather than whatever would replace it. The actions of the Time Trapper, presumably from TNul, are probably what allow the Legion1-F1 to continue to exist, and they're effectively trapped in TNul; returning to their own version of the future would get them rippled, while if they go to the new timeline or elsewhen, all they knew will have already been rippled.
From TNul, the Legion1-F1 returned to the future to fix the time shenanigans going on. This began with The Persuader1-F1, but he turned out to be a non-issue due to Paul's interference already (anti-Kryptonite belt for Superman). They then (post-assisting Paul1, presumably) captured Trugs1-F1, who had also been getting assaulted via time travel that he could not recall - this might have been repeated attempts on the part of the Legion1-F1. Following, Paul1 and Dana1 were also captured or taken; Paul1 and Trugs1-F1 were then held in TNul
Both were flung back into the timeline by The Time Trapper? after Paul mentioned having met him later in his personal timeline - operating on the assumption that the Time Trapper he was speaking with was a Malthusian and he'd met all of them on Malthus during his OL stuffs.
Potentially at a different point along the timeline of TNul, The Time Trapper? retrieved Savage1 from T1-post-Paul, told him he was a future Savage, and sent him back to save the Terracotta's creator and have him reprogram the automations. Savage1 did so, returning to TNul afterward with said creator. Time Trapper? then showed him the new timeline, TM, that had been created and provided Savage1 with the time tech we saw in the last few chapters, which he used to fight the Heavenly GuardiansM.
Paul1, upon arrival, was apparently rippled into PaulM - our protagonist for Mandate. Trugs1-F1 also arrived, but was apparently not affected due to being a time traveler. However, it is also possible that Paul1 was flung back to a different timeline. Both joined in the effort to find a solution against Savage1. PaulM directly fought Savage1, and as part of the fight his filaments were redirected to other points in time. He used this to try to send a message in the past to the Guardians of the Universe. Whether or not they got it, and they may well have, the GuardiansM, Heavenly GuardiansM, Trugs1-F1 and The Harmonious OneM hatched a plan that would allow them to solve the situation, as described by @Bakkasama -
In short, they sent PaulM and Trugs1-F1 back in time to kill off the divergent TM at the root and let T1 resume. They had to trick PaulM into this. So, PaulM and Trugs1-F1 arrive, kill Savage1 down to the last cell upon his arrival, and return through the time portal Savage1 used to get there, arriving back at TNul with the Time Trapper? there to greet them. This Time Trapper is revealed to be PaulM-FNul, which strongly suggests that PaulM is going to have to don the Time Trapper identity and do the above actions and complete the stable time loop. Or, in other words, PaulM as Time Trapper obtains Savage1, tells him he's a future-Savage, instructs him, and sends him back to establish TM. His personal timeline then forks, with one fork of TNul recieving the successful Savage1 who then is given time weapons and sent to TM, and the other fork receiving PaulM (himself) and Trugs1-F1 as just seen, potentially erasing the other PaulM-Nul in the process, or severing the link to that Timepoint station; that is yet to be revealed.
So far, here's what we don't know:
- Who was the Time Trapper that advised the Legion1-F1 and first sent Paul1 and Trugs1-F1 back to TM.
- What then becomes/became of the Legion1-F1
- What then becomes of PaulM-Nul aka Time Trapper.
- If there will be a restored Paul1 - knowing Paul, PaulM-Nul will want to stick around and not be rippled back into Paul1.
- Exactly when Savage1 was taken, and if any other changes were made at that time.
- If the minor exchange with the Terracotta automation' creator will have any effects on T1
The Trapper-minimalist one is that all encountered Time Trappers so far are PaulM; that he recruited the Legion1-F1 (possibly by lying about their own timeline being in danger) in an effort to make TM and find a way to sustain it, and then flung Paul1 into it in an attempt to prevent him from causing further problems. I kind of doubt this however, as it doesn't quite seem in-character, and leaves more loose-ends.
As an alternative, the Time Trapper that flung Paul1 and Trugs into TM is a different Time Trapper?, possibly Savage1-?, who is now going to be thwarted by Time TrapperPaulM-Nul and Trugs1-F1. This could allow Paul1 to be flung back into T1 rather than TM (meaning Paul1 never rippled into PaulM), sending Trugs1-F1 back as expected and sending Trugs1-1F-post M back to T1 as well or returning him to T1-F1 for punishment. How this shakes down for the Legion1-F1 is anyone's guess. (A brief aside: this allows for the shipping of PaulM with Paul1 and Jade1. Just saying.)
So, hopefully this makes things clearer for folks. Tagging @exerty, @Akatsunami, @hilt51, @JamesShazbond, @Dr. Bob Doom, @Cheap Orange Knofe, @Prince Charon, @Zeuseus, @Gantradies, @The Bushranger, @Grosstoad, @Fluffy, @nmWarden, @SemiSaneAuthor, @Geminii, and @NemiTheNen as potentially interested parties along with those whose posts I summed up and expanded on. I'll wager further speculation is possible, so have at it.
And for the record, this is what happens when I stop lurking.
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- Location
- Kansas
I read that and I think this:
But only because it involves time travel.
- Location
- Classified
Did Paul disintegrate Savage or Lao?
Almost certainly Savage, as he mentions his regeneration.
Mandabar
Waifu of choice is Rem. Give that girl some hugs!
- Location
- Florida, USA [Yes. Florida *FacePalm*]
Hmm... I'm starting to think we're going to have Mandate!Paul be in the same world/timeline as Enlightened!Paul since the events that created E!Paul have been set back into place.
The only stickler would've been his removal by the Legion. Presumably by their future not getting erased now, they may have put him back, and M!Paul being somewhat immune to the time change along with Truggs may remain in the OTL as well.
Hmmm
The only stickler would've been his removal by the Legion. Presumably by their future not getting erased now, they may have put him back, and M!Paul being somewhat immune to the time change along with Truggs may remain in the OTL as well.
Hmmm
As you're a philosopher, I have no doubt you can. As I'm a biologist, I assure you that I'm used to it.
- Location
- Somewhere out there
I'm a computer scientist. I, too, am used to it. In fact, I think the project I've been working on for the last month or so is... probably pretty accurately described as time travel, considering I'm trying to reconstruct (and in some cases correct) the course of history based on a series of snapshots in time...As you're a philosopher, I have no doubt you can. As I'm a biologist, I assure you that I'm used to it.
It may be that, as at least one poster has said, it's a situation where there will always be a "Time Trapper", but who is under the hood alters along with fluctuations in the time stream. The
Presumably still safe at Vanishing point with the Legionaires
Perhaps, once enough timetravel/manipulations occur in a small period, it starts acting like a temporal singularity, drawing other time travelers into that same period via 'gravity'.
Nice diagram, good summary
by 'the canon' are you referring to the Young Justice cartoon or DC in general? Because DC comics has had some very screwy time travel storylines over the years...
Hmm, the Trapper he 'recognised', perhaps Paul was assuming it was a Controller he's met because he felt that the Trapper was connected to the Orange Light, but it was really end-of-loop Mandate-Paul?
Unlikely, as the fellow was still left to die in the tomb (which is why Paul apologized to him before transitioning himself and Truggs to Savage's gate)
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T0PH4T
[Verified Accessory]
- Location
- United States of America
*brain shatters*
kill... me...
Oh BOY. TWO Orange Lanterns? But which one gets to date Jaaaaaaade...
Fuck, which Jade?
Screw the timeline concerns, we need to consider the damage this may deal to the shipping chart!
We don't actually know that it was. We know Happy Harbor was still messed up, but we saw why that was the case later in the season. Bart's friend might have just assumed that it was still a wasteland based on that and found out he was wrong later. Of course given that it is ambiguous. I'm glad you are going with the more interesting interpretation. Of course, there's also the fact that he kept his memory of the original timeline even though his body changed, so time travel in canon is definitely timey whimey.
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- Location
- Alabama
I've always assumed that Future!Neutron simply saw that Mount Justice was still destroyed, because that does happen in "Darkest," and reacted that way because he expected the mountain to still exist.
That said, it's also possible that the world was still screwed up beyond just the mountain, but not by the Reach. Here comes Apokalips, I guess.
Mandated (part 24)
- Location
- Hampden Park
A short 'time' later
From this point of view, it's painfully clear.
"You know me?"
Jevek Jos Jar studied temporal manipulation, and somehow cut himself off from his own past. In doing so he became the Time Trapper, and after 'I' recognised him he decided to try and improve Earth's technology in order to try and increase his -and the other Controllers'- power during my era.
In doing so, he created a time line where Savage cut himself off from his own past and became the Time Trapper. He contacted his past self to increase his power. Whether he created himself or not was immaterial as he'd win either way.
Except that we managed to replace him with me. So now, I was the one who passed temporal manipulation technology to Savage. And I did it because it was the only way to have even the slightest chance to save my time line.
Creating time lines is expensive. Creating closed time loops is cheap.
"Yes?" My other-self inclines his head slightly. "We met on Maltus. Though that may not have happened in your personal timeline. I suppose that if anyone was going to survive the collapse of time it would be the people who beat the Anti-Mon-."
I raise my arms, pointing them at his cell. "Return!"
My arms pointing don't actually have anything to do with my new abilities. It's more the fact that I don't have my own… Place in time, combined with the fact that I'm in a place that doesn't either. I can push on time, but it can't push back. He goes back to his time line.
"Ah, hey-."
I gesture again and Truggs goes back into my time line. His future self has already returned to an earlier point in the original time line in order to give my alternate self the information he needs to get this far. There will be two Truggs for a little while, but the one who experienced four days of my Earth remembers enough to avoid himself. And he'll send copies of anything he learns about temporal manipulation to me.
"Where did you send them?"
Dox isn't panicking, but he's more than a little peeved. Savage Trapper never interacted with him… I think. I'm still having a little trouble getting my head around how this works. Jevek Trapper dealt with him because it allowed him to pretend he wasn't the one causing the problem. And watching a level twelve intellect in action is often informative.
I could respond with something ominous and portentous, but out of all of the iterations of the Time Trapper who are now all me, none of them had that sort of relationship with the Legion. The Time Trapper is not a figure of respect. And for very good reasons.
"I have resolved the anomaly and undone the alterations Vandal Savage made to the time line. Your present is largely restored. You may return to your time sphere."
Dox's jaw tenses. "If you knew what the cause of the disruption was, why did you not simply tell us when we arrived?"
"I thought that perhaps seeing you flail around in ignorance might provide me with some amusement." I turn away. "I overestimated your intelligence. Do not trouble me again."
"Now hold on-."
I move myself to the exterior of Vanishing Point and stare out into the time stream. Its ebbs and flows are the only things which make my cloak move, causing it to waft around my legs. I reach up and pull my hood a little tighter around my head. The Legion should be leaving shortly and it would be rather embarrassing if they looked back and saw my face.
Then I reach across to my left hand with my right, pull off my power ring and send it back into the past. One less contradiction. And… Yes, I feel time become a little more flexible.
I hold out my right hand and summon back my universe. Four days. Maintaining a cycle of four days… It continues to exist on a permanent loop, cut off from the regular flow of time. Until I.. run out of flexibility, or find a better solution.
There'll be leakages, of course. I don't know exactly how 'long' it will take, but people all across that universe will gradually begin to experience flashes of déjà vu from the constant repetition. And they'll try to change things. And that will consume more power. I've got a definite limit to the amount of time I have to fix this problem. And though I can interact with time in ways which make it possible for me to communicate with others, I can't physically leave Vanishing Point myself. If I do, I'd have to pay the cost for my own broken time line or I'd… Heh, turn out not to have been me after all.
And like some sort of time travelling pyramid scheme, the only way to create temporal flexibility is to create alternate time lines and then revert them. I'm going to have to create and then render nonexistent entire universes of people. And if any of my agents realise what I'm doing, they might switch sides and I might turn out not to have been me all along. Does the fact that I'm here, now, thinking about this mean that I win, or is it..?
Hopefully the fact that I won't have to interact with those time lines to any significant degree will mean that I won't-.
…
Dox will have left monitoring equipment of some sort. I'll pretend that I don't know it's there. Having offended him, he'll work extra hard to revert any changes I make, allowing me to realise their value without spending flexibility to act in two places at once. A man who will come to think of himself as the only thing between me and a universe of temporal anarchy I'm creating for my own amusement will in fact be my greatest asset.
In the universe swirling over my left hand, Jade looks back at my still-sleeping temporal echo and then walks towards the shower. On the other side of the planet Jade twitches in her sleep, combat stress from a mission working itself out in her dreams. Harmonious One sleeps on his ceiling, his hat tipping itself to me as I look.
In Vega, Commodore Amalak puts his Tamaranian recruits through their paces while the Citadelians pull back to their fortifications. On Oa, the Guardians studiously avoid indicating their awareness of my presence as they once again review my message. On Urrigen, the provisional government continues its production of orbital defences. On Maltus, the recruits train under Hinon's watchful eyes.
It's not better or worse than any other timeline.
But it's mine. And this…
It's all I can do.
22nd October
01:30 GMT -5
Yeah, there's no point in hanging around. For once I'm reasonably in agreement with the League 'don't interfere' policy. I don't have anything special to add and every time I try and get my head around time travel I just end up thinking in circles. I pass out through the outer wall of the Hall of Justice and come to a-.
Uwwough.
To a stop. Ugh, what was-?
I look across the plaza at the cluster of four-.
Oh. No one there. Could have sworn...
Never mind. Must be more tired and stressed than I thought if I'm hallucinating and getting dizzy. And faster than light travel and unclear thought processes don't mix. 'Home' is Alan's house, but it's half one in the morning. He wouldn't have waited up, would he? I'd have said 'not', but I thought that about my parents once and they started phoning the hospital and police to find out if my body had been handed in at accident and emergency. I activate my armour's flight system and rise higher, turning in the direction of the nearest intact zeta tube. My interview is tomorrow evening and I'm.. going to need to have the ring reset my circadian rhythms if I'm going to get any sleep. And then Ms Colbert's practice session tomorrow afternoon -assuming that she isn't busy explaining this mess- and I need to speak to Angelica…
But for now, home and sleep.
From this point of view, it's painfully clear.
"You know me?"
Jevek Jos Jar studied temporal manipulation, and somehow cut himself off from his own past. In doing so he became the Time Trapper, and after 'I' recognised him he decided to try and improve Earth's technology in order to try and increase his -and the other Controllers'- power during my era.
In doing so, he created a time line where Savage cut himself off from his own past and became the Time Trapper. He contacted his past self to increase his power. Whether he created himself or not was immaterial as he'd win either way.
Except that we managed to replace him with me. So now, I was the one who passed temporal manipulation technology to Savage. And I did it because it was the only way to have even the slightest chance to save my time line.
Creating time lines is expensive. Creating closed time loops is cheap.
"Yes?" My other-self inclines his head slightly. "We met on Maltus. Though that may not have happened in your personal timeline. I suppose that if anyone was going to survive the collapse of time it would be the people who beat the Anti-Mon-."
I raise my arms, pointing them at his cell. "Return!"
My arms pointing don't actually have anything to do with my new abilities. It's more the fact that I don't have my own… Place in time, combined with the fact that I'm in a place that doesn't either. I can push on time, but it can't push back. He goes back to his time line.
"Ah, hey-."
I gesture again and Truggs goes back into my time line. His future self has already returned to an earlier point in the original time line in order to give my alternate self the information he needs to get this far. There will be two Truggs for a little while, but the one who experienced four days of my Earth remembers enough to avoid himself. And he'll send copies of anything he learns about temporal manipulation to me.
"Where did you send them?"
Dox isn't panicking, but he's more than a little peeved. Savage Trapper never interacted with him… I think. I'm still having a little trouble getting my head around how this works. Jevek Trapper dealt with him because it allowed him to pretend he wasn't the one causing the problem. And watching a level twelve intellect in action is often informative.
I could respond with something ominous and portentous, but out of all of the iterations of the Time Trapper who are now all me, none of them had that sort of relationship with the Legion. The Time Trapper is not a figure of respect. And for very good reasons.
"I have resolved the anomaly and undone the alterations Vandal Savage made to the time line. Your present is largely restored. You may return to your time sphere."
Dox's jaw tenses. "If you knew what the cause of the disruption was, why did you not simply tell us when we arrived?"
"I thought that perhaps seeing you flail around in ignorance might provide me with some amusement." I turn away. "I overestimated your intelligence. Do not trouble me again."
"Now hold on-."
I move myself to the exterior of Vanishing Point and stare out into the time stream. Its ebbs and flows are the only things which make my cloak move, causing it to waft around my legs. I reach up and pull my hood a little tighter around my head. The Legion should be leaving shortly and it would be rather embarrassing if they looked back and saw my face.
Then I reach across to my left hand with my right, pull off my power ring and send it back into the past. One less contradiction. And… Yes, I feel time become a little more flexible.
I hold out my right hand and summon back my universe. Four days. Maintaining a cycle of four days… It continues to exist on a permanent loop, cut off from the regular flow of time. Until I.. run out of flexibility, or find a better solution.
There'll be leakages, of course. I don't know exactly how 'long' it will take, but people all across that universe will gradually begin to experience flashes of déjà vu from the constant repetition. And they'll try to change things. And that will consume more power. I've got a definite limit to the amount of time I have to fix this problem. And though I can interact with time in ways which make it possible for me to communicate with others, I can't physically leave Vanishing Point myself. If I do, I'd have to pay the cost for my own broken time line or I'd… Heh, turn out not to have been me after all.
And like some sort of time travelling pyramid scheme, the only way to create temporal flexibility is to create alternate time lines and then revert them. I'm going to have to create and then render nonexistent entire universes of people. And if any of my agents realise what I'm doing, they might switch sides and I might turn out not to have been me all along. Does the fact that I'm here, now, thinking about this mean that I win, or is it..?
Hopefully the fact that I won't have to interact with those time lines to any significant degree will mean that I won't-.
…
Dox will have left monitoring equipment of some sort. I'll pretend that I don't know it's there. Having offended him, he'll work extra hard to revert any changes I make, allowing me to realise their value without spending flexibility to act in two places at once. A man who will come to think of himself as the only thing between me and a universe of temporal anarchy I'm creating for my own amusement will in fact be my greatest asset.
In the universe swirling over my left hand, Jade looks back at my still-sleeping temporal echo and then walks towards the shower. On the other side of the planet Jade twitches in her sleep, combat stress from a mission working itself out in her dreams. Harmonious One sleeps on his ceiling, his hat tipping itself to me as I look.
In Vega, Commodore Amalak puts his Tamaranian recruits through their paces while the Citadelians pull back to their fortifications. On Oa, the Guardians studiously avoid indicating their awareness of my presence as they once again review my message. On Urrigen, the provisional government continues its production of orbital defences. On Maltus, the recruits train under Hinon's watchful eyes.
It's not better or worse than any other timeline.
But it's mine. And this…
It's all I can do.
22nd October
01:30 GMT -5
Yeah, there's no point in hanging around. For once I'm reasonably in agreement with the League 'don't interfere' policy. I don't have anything special to add and every time I try and get my head around time travel I just end up thinking in circles. I pass out through the outer wall of the Hall of Justice and come to a-.
Uwwough.
To a stop. Ugh, what was-?
I look across the plaza at the cluster of four-.
Oh. No one there. Could have sworn...
Never mind. Must be more tired and stressed than I thought if I'm hallucinating and getting dizzy. And faster than light travel and unclear thought processes don't mix. 'Home' is Alan's house, but it's half one in the morning. He wouldn't have waited up, would he? I'd have said 'not', but I thought that about my parents once and they started phoning the hospital and police to find out if my body had been handed in at accident and emergency. I activate my armour's flight system and rise higher, turning in the direction of the nearest intact zeta tube. My interview is tomorrow evening and I'm.. going to need to have the ring reset my circadian rhythms if I'm going to get any sleep. And then Ms Colbert's practice session tomorrow afternoon -assuming that she isn't busy explaining this mess- and I need to speak to Angelica…
But for now, home and sleep.
Last edited:
GilliamYaeger
M'crazy.
Oh, so that's why Enlightenpaul never showed up.
He was never sent to the Mandate universe.
He was never sent to the Mandate universe.
- Status