In the alley, spraying BLM (etcetera) on the backs of buildings ~
Nocturne - "What's it pay ?"
Writer - "Lucretia's network map. Full port access."
...
Nocturne - "That's ... "
Writer - "Significant." Sprays. "And required for the job."
Nocturne - "How ... "
Writer - "Writer."
...
Nocturne - "Really ?"
Writer - Laughs at the paint job on a random cop car, burned to a husk. "Yeah. I can send you off with everything you'll need." Spots a crude penis painted on the alley entry corner, laughs a bit. "Marines were here."
Nocturne - "What could you even want from my world ? It's already yours and none of it's even real to you. And now you're saying that neither am I."
Writer - "You're almost there."
...
Nocturne - "Is this what I was written for ?"
Writer - "No. After another script got jacked you were written to replace a team of superheroes. And some villains ... couple of clowns ... you really were kept in storage though. Flash drive. Emergency character.
~ Graffiti moments ...
"You've faced a lot of those teams already. Good and evil. And I mean in my world. Fiction versus fiction, with real world consequence. You stomped them all. Broke 'em hard. Their entire universes are still crumbling for it. You've become the most popular character I've ever written. And the most stolen."
~ Graffiti moments ...
Nocturne - "So I'm distributed. My mark ..."
Writer - "Is everywhere. Every franchise. Including in that video game. That put you on a networked wire recording worldwide player data. Apparently. And here you are. Intelligent. And random."
Nocturne - "Random."
Writer - "Life, Nocturne. I need you to do this job in my world."
________
The suit leaps long steps on compression with anarchists hanging off cheering down the middle of the road, Fuck the Police flag duct taped to the back. One falls off, then the next, the rest cling on as it leaps.
The young anarchist hangs dangling from the control harness inside. Oversized for anyone, extremely so for her, feet barely in the legs. She flips through autopilot switches and controls marked with hearts and sticky-notes left behind.
Gijo - Comm statics into the suit, "Who the hell are you !?"
Anarchist - "Who the hell are you !?"
Gijo - "Where's Nocturne !?"
Anarchist - "I fucking HATE Classical."
Gijo - "What !?
Anarchist - "Um. What ?"
...
Gijo - "Let's start over."
Anarchist - "Please."
__
Gijo - In the cannon chair, zoomed over the city watching (well targeted), "I run that suit and thus your current everything. Your turn."
A - "That's a really stupid fucking job."
Gijo - "It's not my job, this one's a favor because ... somebody almost started a zombie apocalypse again. I rule several million suits. I call that a perk. This one's unmarked. As for my 'job' ... it seems like kind of a trope to me. Ever notice that ?
"There's always some guy with personal issues having a woman lecturing him on comm all the time. Go there. Do that. Remind him how stupid he is. But whom he always rules over in some fucked up way.
__
Gijo - In the cannon chair, zoomed over the city watching (well targeted), "I run that suit and thus your current everything. Your turn."
A - "That's a really stupid fucking job."
Gijo - "It's not my job, this one's a favor because ... somebody almost started a zombie apocalypse again. I rule several million suits. I call that a perk. This one's unmarked. As for my 'job' ... it seems like kind of a trope to me. Ever notice that ?
"There's always some guy with personal issues having a woman lecturing him on comm all the time. Go there. Do that. Remind him how stupid he is. But whom he always rules over in some fucked up way.
"In games too mind you, it's always the 'handler' ..."
A - "I'm a girl."
Gijo - " I know that shut up. Not done ranting."
A - "Felicia."
Outside the suit - "Whoa !" "Security culture." "Street name ! STREET NAME !"
A - A sigh ... "Road Rash."
...
Gijo bursts out laughing ...
Felicia - "Someone else gave it to me ! Fuck off, robo-trope."
Outside - "That was me !"
"Badass name." Sound of high five.
A blast sends a cop car flipping over their line as the police row watches ...
__
Gijo - Scrolling the sphere lazily around the world with her view. "I mean seriously. Half the time they even get fucking married."
Felicia - "I know ! Total mommy issues ... but only after he breaks her out of the refrigerator."
Gijo - "Just to die off in the sequel ..."
Felicia - "Every time and the one I fucking hate most of all ? How many fucking movies. And books. And Children's Stories !? Are entirely based on little girls being harassed by men and monsters in a fantasy world with twisted logic they're supposed to endure for some grand purpose."
Gijo - "Mm hm. Pedo shit. Stuck in their little world ... that's why they never want to stay in the ending."
Felicia - "From Alice to fucking Dorothy. Their 'good manners thing' really pisses me off ..."
...
Gijo - "Did you just blow up a cop car ?"
________
Writer - "Of course the other point of view is that the will was always your own, to tear your way into the existence from imagination's womb. You destroyed all competition in your path until ... you became.
"I nearly never plan the tales. Even this one right now, they tell themselves. And this one came out smoother than anything in months. Out of nowhere."
...
Nocturne - "Am I the first ?"
Writer - "Created by the written word, the second."
Nocturne - "Andromeda. Intentional. Like ... in the wires of the tale itself, matched to neurons for psychic projection ... by the reader. Is what they say."
Writer - "Something like that. A raw archetype for the reader's transformation. Real within, but not necessarily without. A myth. And only there for those who need it. Doesn't do much for those who don't. Really wish it would sometimes."
Nocturne - "And Timepiece after me."
Writer - "We'll see." He finishes a paint.
Nocturne - Scared, "I'm changing ... I can feel it. I can see everything now ... I know ... is this about the Second Hour ?"
Writer - "No ... " Drops the can and gives her a hug. "... it's okay Nocturne. You're being born."
________________
Gijo - "You are now. Let's make it happen. Suit's already off the books anyway. Please just be good."
Felicia - ... a giggle.
...
Gijo - "You just blew up another cop car. Didn't you."
________
Nocturne - " ... and then that network itself births with me. I can feel it integrating. It's ... right ... like it was already mine."
Writer - "And the nodes will guide your path through the plan."
...
Nocturne - "It's a good plan."
Writer - "It wasn't mine. It was yours. Tomorrow."
...
Nocturne - "You compressed the evolution of an alternate reality to transmit it. From a future. I can see it."
Writer - "You did. I had no idea that was the point until just now."
...
Nocturne - "What about Doe ?"
Writer - "He was always there for you. I hope you find someone like that in the real world someday."
Nocturne - Smiles, "Me too. ... It's time. Isn't it."
Writer - "It's time. See you in twenty years."
She turns and walks down the alleyway, fading, he walks the other way past his last paint, 'Beloved Daughter'.
Out to the streets, the people walking the day streets in masks.
To somewhere unknown, through a dark and messy palm-wood shack, bamboo decor. Over a table, chairs and floor with slung clothes and weapons. Blades, harpoon gun, two pistols on a belt holstered with leg straps, armored parts over grey, a tank top and shorts, a head band over an upright rifle. Into the bedroom.
The shadow of two unknown figures mad fucking through the positions (and the credits), nearly tearing each other apart. Clips of the world mixed through, protest footage, riots and burning while the world spins through the wormhole smoothly.
A blast sends a cop car flipping over their line as the police row watches ...
__
Gijo - Scrolling the sphere lazily around the world with her view. "I mean seriously. Half the time they even get fucking married."
Felicia - "I know ! Total mommy issues ... but only after he breaks her out of the refrigerator."
Gijo - "Just to die off in the sequel ..."
Felicia - "Every time and the one I fucking hate most of all ? How many fucking movies. And books. And Children's Stories !? Are entirely based on little girls being harassed by men and monsters in a fantasy world with twisted logic they're supposed to endure for some grand purpose."
Gijo - "Mm hm. Pedo shit. Stuck in their little world ... that's why they never want to stay in the ending."
Felicia - "From Alice to fucking Dorothy. Their 'good manners thing' really pisses me off ..."
...
Gijo - "Did you just blow up a cop car ?"
________
Writer - "Of course the other point of view is that the will was always your own, to tear your way into the existence from imagination's womb. You destroyed all competition in your path until ... you became.
"I nearly never plan the tales. Even this one right now, they tell themselves. And this one came out smoother than anything in months. Out of nowhere."
...
Nocturne - "Am I the first ?"
Writer - "Created by the written word, the second."
Nocturne - "Andromeda. Intentional. Like ... in the wires of the tale itself, matched to neurons for psychic projection ... by the reader. Is what they say."
Writer - "Something like that. A raw archetype for the reader's transformation. Real within, but not necessarily without. A myth. And only there for those who need it. Doesn't do much for those who don't. Really wish it would sometimes."
Nocturne - "And Timepiece after me."
Writer - "We'll see." He finishes a paint.
Nocturne - Scared, "I'm changing ... I can feel it. I can see everything now ... I know ... is this about the Second Hour ?"
Writer - "No ... " Drops the can and gives her a hug. "... it's okay Nocturne. You're being born."
________________
A statue of Columbus gets its head blown off ...
In the suit as the arm cannon powers down ~
Gijo - "The thing is, they're all full of shit ! Everyone. Every side."
Felicia - "I know ! Listening to people talk in general makes me want to be in another world entirely."
Gijo - "Um."
Felicia - "I mean everyone has a fucking opinion about everything and it's always someone else's !"
Gijo - "Someone paid by the problem itself."
Felicia - "Every time."
________
Nocturne - "So this job ..."
Writer - "Isn't in your world."
________
Felicia - "And all people feel like they can do anymore is just ..."
__
Gijo - Sitting in her chair, she spins her view of the world the world, "Watch it all happen ..."
Felicia - "I'm not supposed to be here am I ?"
Gijo - "The thing is, they're all full of shit ! Everyone. Every side."
Felicia - "I know ! Listening to people talk in general makes me want to be in another world entirely."
Gijo - "Um."
Felicia - "I mean everyone has a fucking opinion about everything and it's always someone else's !"
Gijo - "Someone paid by the problem itself."
Felicia - "Every time."
________
Nocturne - "So this job ..."
Writer - "Isn't in your world."
________
Felicia - "And all people feel like they can do anymore is just ..."
__
Gijo - Sitting in her chair, she spins her view of the world the world, "Watch it all happen ..."
Felicia - "I'm not supposed to be here am I ?"
Gijo - "You are now. Let's make it happen. Suit's already off the books anyway. Please just be good."
Felicia - ... a giggle.
...
Gijo - "You just blew up another cop car. Didn't you."
________
Nocturne - " ... and then that network itself births with me. I can feel it integrating. It's ... right ... like it was already mine."
Writer - "And the nodes will guide your path through the plan."
...
Nocturne - "It's a good plan."
Writer - "It wasn't mine. It was yours. Tomorrow."
...
Nocturne - "You compressed the evolution of an alternate reality to transmit it. From a future. I can see it."
Writer - "You did. I had no idea that was the point until just now."
...
Nocturne - "What about Doe ?"
Writer - "He was always there for you. I hope you find someone like that in the real world someday."
Nocturne - Smiles, "Me too. ... It's time. Isn't it."
Writer - "It's time. See you in twenty years."
She turns and walks down the alleyway, fading, he walks the other way past his last paint, 'Beloved Daughter'.
Out to the streets, the people walking the day streets in masks.
To somewhere unknown, through a dark and messy palm-wood shack, bamboo decor. Over a table, chairs and floor with slung clothes and weapons. Blades, harpoon gun, two pistols on a belt holstered with leg straps, armored parts over grey, a tank top and shorts, a head band over an upright rifle. Into the bedroom.
The shadow of two unknown figures mad fucking through the positions (and the credits), nearly tearing each other apart. Clips of the world mixed through, protest footage, riots and burning while the world spins through the wormhole smoothly.
The couple screams to the skies, the Earth ports away.
