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<title>The Homestuck Epilogues: Candy - Chapter 39</title>
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<div>
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<h1>Chapter 39</h1>
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<div class="o-story_text o_epilogue type-rg type-sm line-caption line-copy pad-x-0 pad-x-lg pad-b-lg">
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<p class="no-indent"><span class="opener type-hs-opener-rg type-hs-opener-sm">O</span>n the
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other side of the continent, somewhere along the border between the
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Human and Troll Kingdoms, Dave and Jade navigate a densely jungled
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region. Though they’re high-ranking members of the resistance, they
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aren’t decked out in the full military regalia associated with
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their positions. They’re in camo fatigues, Dave sporting a
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patchwork of bright and dark reds, Jade in black and grays. This is
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the designated attire for those on scouting and reconnaissance
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missions, which is the nature of their current expedition.</p>
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<p>The orders came from Commander Vantas himself. This
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underdeveloped part of the border, mostly uninhabited for many
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miles, was unspeakably critical to the rebellion, according to the
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commander. When pressed on it, he’d claim the reasons needed to
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remain classified for now. Dave and Jade suspect the real reason is
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that Karkat can’t bear to put them in harm’s way, risking their
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Heroic deaths. But they’ve decided to do him the professional
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courtesy of believing his story. The way they see it, he’s finally
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earned a little respect by now. Besides, there’s some fun to be had
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out here, away from the fog of war. Just like the good old days,
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during their archaeological expeditions in search of Shitty
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Liberties.</p>
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<p>They fly side by side just above the thick jungle canopy,
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sweeping the horizon with sharp eyes.</p>
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<div class="chat type-rg type-hs-small">
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<p class="jade">JADE: i think i see another one!</p>
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<p class="dave">DAVE: oh snap</p>
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</div>
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<p class="no-indent">Dave squints. Sure enough, there does appear
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to be a large, rusted arm holding a torch, blurred by JPEG
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artifacts and covered in vines, poking out just above the canopy.
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It’s two or three miles off to the west.</p>
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<div class="chat type-rg type-hs-small">
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<p class="dave">DAVE: youre right</p>
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<p class="dave">DAVE: another shitty liberty</p>
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<p class="dave">DAVE: good eye jade</p>
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</div>
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<p class="no-indent">Dave takes a picture with his phone, then
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updates his report containing a comprehensive accounting of the
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locations of every ancient Statue of Liberty his alternate-timeline
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adult self once distributed all over this world as some sort of
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ironic, avant-garde goof. He’s spent a lot of time on Earth C
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wondering when adult-Dave got around to doing which specific
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legendary exploits in the pre-flood period of this planet when it
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was in the old solar system. So much time, in fact, that he turned
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into an adult-Dave himself. Was he the age he is now when he
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scattered these Liberties in one of the boldest postmodernist
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endeavors in human history? The thought is sobering. He can’t help
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but feel how appropriate it is that about five thousand years
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later, his work is being curated and appreciated by yet another
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adult-Dave. Who better for the task?</p>
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<p>Jade readies another tactical bundle to be deployed inside the
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distant Liberty. It includes an efficient pack of captchalogue
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cards containing tracking technology, military equipment, and
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powerful explosives. In the event this region becomes another front
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of the war, the commander wants as many Shitty Liberties as
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possible seeded with provisions useful to the rebellion, including
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the ability to detonate them at any time, so that they may serve as
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traps. Dave wonders if his other self ever imagined they’d be used
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this way. He’s sure adult-Dave would have approved, being a fellow
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freedom fighter himself. It’s too perfect, actually. Deploying a
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bunch of Shitty Liberties as bombs in the service of a kind of
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liberty that is entirely un-shitty. It makes him wonder if his
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other self on some level knew they would be used for this purpose
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one day. The thought of his double’s selfless sacrifices against
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clown tyranny makes him feel so proud, he wipes away a small tear
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forming at the edge of his eye.</p>
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<p>Old age has made him emotional. It didn’t used to be like this.
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Gotta keep it together, he thinks. Focus on the mission.</p>
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<p>Then, he notices something. Just below him, to the east a bit. A
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lumpy part of the jungle where the canopy bulges upward slightly in
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an uneven, somewhat angular way. It suggests a rigid structure
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beneath the overgrowth. Something man-made. Another Liberty,
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perhaps? No, this structure is different, more compact. More likely
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a ruined building from an ancient Earth city. It seems to call to
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him.</p>
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<div class="chat type-rg type-hs-small">
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<p class="dave">DAVE: yo jade</p>
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<p class="dave">DAVE: why dont you go ahead and rig that liberty
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ill be right there</p>
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<p class="dave">DAVE: i wanna check something out down here
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first</p>
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<p class="jade">JADE: what is it?</p>
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<p class="dave">DAVE: idk probably nothing</p>
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<p class="dave">DAVE: some ancient bullshit tucked away in the
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fucking jungle</p>
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<p class="dave">DAVE: doesnt hurt to be thorough</p>
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<p class="jade">JADE: ok dave</p>
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<p class="jade">JADE: be careful!</p>
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<p class="dave">DAVE: yeah</p>
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<p class="jade">JADE: i love you</p>
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<p class="dave">DAVE: i love you too</p>
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</div>
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<p class="no-indent">Jade swoops closer, gives him a kiss, then
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spins around and flies off to the distant Shitty Liberty. Dave
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watches his wife go, her tail protruding through the rear of her
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camo pants, swishing back and forth with a sense of unrestrained
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affection for her husband. He’s a lucky man, he tells himself. He
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knows he is. Before any decades-old doubts can resurface to haunt
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him, he dives through the canopy in search of the ruins. Those
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reservations, the tense feelings in his chest, that’s all in the
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past for him. He loves his beautiful, doggy wife more than anything
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in the world, and that’s all there is to say on the matter.</p>
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<p>The ruins are so overgrown with vines and the thick trunks of
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creeping trees, he can’t make out the shape of the building. He can
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barely see an inch of exposed surface, but something is clearly
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there. He flies around the perimeter, pushing leaves and branches
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out of his way. Here’s something. An old window, grand in design,
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but broken, busted in by a huge branch that extends deep inside
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from years of growth.</p>
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<p>It’s dark inside, hot and musty. He activates a small,
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military-issue flashlight. Bugs scatter and fly about. He scans the
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boundaries of the room, shining the light around. There are
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unrecognizably ancient, moldy paintings in frames hanging on the
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wall. And yet the wall seems to have no corners. He knows what this
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room is. He’s seen it before in films, under much better repair
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than this.</p>
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<p>He’s standing in the Oval Office of the White House. Plant life
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is covering everything, but all the fixtures are there. Moss is
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consuming the big desk. That flowering mass of thorny vines is
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where the couches would be. And over there... is something he
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doesn’t quite recognize. It doesn’t seem to fit in. He steps closer
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to investigate, wiping away at the layers of moss and dirt to
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reveal a surface he most certainly does recognize. It’s a
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transportalizer.</p>
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<p>Dave doesn’t waste any time. You don’t find something like this
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in the Oval Office and start agonizing over whether or not to use
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it. He steps on the platform, and in a blink his surroundings are
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completely different. The centuries of overgrowth are gone, and he
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appears to be in some sort of crypt, boxed in by walls of smooth,
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golden stone. At the far side of the room, something is hanging on
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the wall, encased in a sort of display. It’s a mounted god tier
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costume, about the size an adult male would wear. He recognizes the
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symbol. It’s the same one Jake used to wear when they were teens.
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It is the symbol for Hope.</p>
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<p>He steps toward the costume, hears a “click” under his shoes. He
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looks down and discovers he’s standing on a large button, which has
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just become illuminated under the pressure of his feet. The button
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bears a strange, angular symbol he doesn’t recognize, but before he
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can study it, something directly in front of him draws his
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attention. Thousands of bright particles swarm from an unseen
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origin and coalesce into a solid, luminous figure in the shape of a
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tall man. The radiance of the holographic image diminishes to
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reveal a man in a suit, with a strikingly recognizable face. Dave
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draws in a sharp breath and clutches at his chest.</p>
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<div class="chat type-rg type-hs-small">
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<p class="obama">OBAMA: Hello, Mr. Strider.</p>
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<p class="obama">OBAMA: I’ve been waiting a long time for you to
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show up.</p>
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</div>
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<p class="no-indent">Dave’s jaw hangs open. The legends have been
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confirmed. As well as several key headcanons of his. Without
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thinking, he drops to one knee and bows his head.</p>
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<div class="chat type-rg type-hs-small">
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<p class="dave">DAVE: m... mr president</p>
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<p class="dave">DAVE: its an honor sir</p>
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</div>
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<p class="no-indent">President Obama laughs amiably and gestures
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with one hand for Dave to rise.</p>
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<div class="chat type-rg type-hs-small">
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<p class="obama">OBAMA: Come on now, Dave. We can’t be having
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that.</p>
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<p class="obama">OBAMA: I’m nobody’s king. I’m a democratically
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elected representative who took an oath to serve his country and
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his people. People like you, Dave.</p>
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<p class="obama">OBAMA: If anything, I should be the one
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bowing.</p>
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</div>
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<p class="no-indent">Dave says nothing, at a loss for how to
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respond to such soft-spoken words of wisdom and humility. He idles
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for a moment, seemingly waiting for Obama to follow through with
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his promised act of deference.</p>
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<div class="chat type-rg type-hs-small">
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<p class="obama">OBAMA: Hahaha, I’m not gonna bow, man. I was just
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pulling your leg.</p>
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<p class="dave">DAVE: oh ok</p>
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<p class="obama">OBAMA: I just want to talk to you for a little
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while. Is that alright, or do you have somewhere you need to
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be?</p>
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<p class="dave">DAVE: oh</p>
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<p class="dave">DAVE: i...</p>
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<p class="dave">DAVE: no</p>
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<p class="dave">DAVE: no sir i dont have anywhere to</p>
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<p class="dave">DAVE: i mean</p>
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<p class="dave">DAVE: yes sir</p>
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<p class="dave">DAVE: its MORE than alright its such an honor
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to...</p>
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<p class="dave">DAVE: what i mean is</p>
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<p class="dave">DAVE: (fuck)</p>
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<p class="dave">DAVE: mr president what i mean is im a huge fan of
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yours and i hope this doesnt sound fucked up but on some level i
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feel like ive been waiting my whole life for this moment??</p>
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<p class="obama">OBAMA: I know, Dave.</p>
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</div>
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<p class="no-indent">Obama offers a warm smile. He looks down,
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adjusting the cuffs of his holographic suit with the casual manner
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of a skilled statesman. It’s the body language of a man getting
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down to business.</p>
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<div class="chat type-rg type-hs-small">
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<p class="obama">OBAMA: Now, you probably weren’t aware of this.
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But I’m familiar with the work you’ve done for your country in the
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past. For the whole planet, actually.</p>
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<p class="obama">OBAMA: Before you moved it, that is.</p>
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<p class="dave">DAVE: you...</p>
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<p class="dave">DAVE: you knew about him?</p>
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<p class="dave">DAVE: or i mean</p>
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<p class="dave">DAVE: me</p>
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<p class="obama">OBAMA: Oh, yes.</p>
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<p class="obama">OBAMA: Most people thought I was gone. But I was
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keeping an eye on events.</p>
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<p class="obama">OBAMA: Wouldn’t miss it for anything.</p>
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<p class="dave">DAVE: where did you go</p>
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<p class="obama">OBAMA: I was doing what you did back then, when
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the world needed you.</p>
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<p class="obama">OBAMA: I was doing what you’re doing now, under
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the same circumstances.</p>
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<p class="obama">OBAMA: I was answering the call.</p>
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<p class="obama">OBAMA: I went about it in a way no one at the time
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could understand.</p>
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<p class="obama">OBAMA: You see, Dave. No one can really see the
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big picture.</p>
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<p class="obama">OBAMA: That’s what real leadership is all about.
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Looking at the big picture, seeing the long road ahead, making the
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hard choices for the greatest good.</p>
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<p class="obama">OBAMA: Not just decisions that lead to a better
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tomorrow, or to make sure the next year is better than the last. Or
|
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even the next decade.</p>
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<p class="obama">OBAMA: You have to think about the next century,
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the next millennium.</p>
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<p class="obama">OBAMA: Sometimes, you may even have to leave
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people wondering if you’ve forsaken them entirely, because your
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real duty is to concern yourself with the final destination of the
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planet. To make sure it stays safe along the hard journey and ends
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up being the best home it can be for both the human race and the
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many newcomers to our world.</p>
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<p class="obama">OBAMA: Doing the right thing often means walking a
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long and lonely road, Dave.</p>
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<p class="obama">OBAMA: But I’m guessing you’ve already figured
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this out.</p>
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<p class="dave">DAVE: i guess so</p>
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</div>
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<p class="no-indent">Dave pauses, pensively fiddling with the
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pockets of his camo pants. He has so many questions for the
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ex-president. He braces himself, and presses ahead.</p>
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<div class="chat type-rg type-hs-small">
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<p class="dave">DAVE: if you dont mind my asking sir</p>
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<p class="dave">DAVE: i thought you died?</p>
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<p class="dave">DAVE: well i mean i KNOW you did where im from with
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the meteors and all</p>
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<p class="dave">DAVE: but from what i know about the history of the
|
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flooded earth timeline</p>
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<p class="dave">DAVE: you served your two terms then just</p>
|
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<p class="dave">DAVE: a little after that they say you
|
||
disappeared</p>
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<p class="dave">DAVE: so... you didnt die?</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: Oh, I certainly died, Dave.</p>
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<p class="obama">OBAMA: Just not when they say I did.</p>
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<p class="obama">OBAMA: Like I said, I was just answering the
|
||
call.</p>
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<p class="obama">OBAMA: Other brave heroes like you stepped in to
|
||
fill the void I left behind. As I knew you all would.</p>
|
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<p class="obama">OBAMA: And some say the death of those heroes was
|
||
in vain, or a waste, since the human race was wiped out anyway.
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Just like they say my supposed death was a waste, a loss that
|
||
humanity couldn’t endure.</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: But they were wrong.</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: Those heroes were fighting for something.
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Even if all you manage to accomplish is leaving behind a legacy to
|
||
inspire others in the future who need that Hope to go on. Even if
|
||
one of those in the future you end up inspiring is an alternate
|
||
history version of yourself, Dave.</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: Haven’t you been improved by the knowledge
|
||
of what you grew up to be in my time? Can you really say you’d be
|
||
what you are today without the memory of him?</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: Or the memory of me, for that matter?</p>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<p class="no-indent">Dave considers the question seriously. He’s
|
||
transfixed by Obama’s kind gaze and can’t seem to look away. There
|
||
are times when he feels relieved by the lifestyle decision he made
|
||
as a kid to wear a pair of aviator sunglasses at all times, no
|
||
matter what.</p>
|
||
<div class="chat type-rg type-hs-small">
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: no</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: but like</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: thats all good and totally inspiring and all
|
||
but</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: sorry if this is nosy but if you didnt die
|
||
when you disappeared then how did you die</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: Most of that is classified, Dave.</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: Rest assured, it was a Heroic death that
|
||
took place many years after my disappearance, upon which rested the
|
||
fate of Paradox Space itself.</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: There were loose ends to tie up. Baggage
|
||
from my distant past. You know how it is. Troubles from your
|
||
childhood tend to follow you. Even after you move into the White
|
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House. Believe me.</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: heh yeah i guess so</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: what happened to you as a kid</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: or is that classified too</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: No, it’s not classified. Because I never
|
||
even told the government about it.</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: Can’t classify what you don’t know.</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: damn</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: When I was a boy living in Hawaii, on my
|
||
thirteenth birthday I was visited by a mysterious stranger.</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: He was an older man with a mustache. Kind
|
||
of a corny, old-fashioned, adventuring type. He tried to convince
|
||
me we were related. Of course, I thought he was full of shit.</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: To this day, I’m not sure about that. Maybe
|
||
he was. I didn’t think much of his tall tale at the time, but what
|
||
did pique my interest was his story.</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: He was voyaging all over the Pacific
|
||
looking for a mysterious island, which supposedly had all the
|
||
answers he’d spent his whole life searching for.</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: During his travels, he set up outposts all
|
||
over the ocean to help with his search. Such as one near where I
|
||
lived as a boy. The outpost had a laboratory, an archeological dig
|
||
site, a network of underground tunnels, the works.</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: One time, I snuck in there and did some
|
||
exploration of my own. Somewhere in the maze of underground ruins,
|
||
I found a transporter pad, just like the one that brought you
|
||
here.</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: It sent me to a new realm. A place they
|
||
called the Medium.</p>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<p class="no-indent">Dave does his best not to show it, but his
|
||
heart is racing faster with every word Obama says. His mind races
|
||
too, with more thoughts than he can keep track of. Thoughts of
|
||
affirmation, exhilaration. i knew it... i knew it! his brain
|
||
repeats to itself. The sense of vindication is indescribable.</p>
|
||
<div class="chat type-rg type-hs-small">
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: Others were there. Kids my age. I made
|
||
friends that lasted a lifetime.</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: Over the years, I would return there now
|
||
and then, when I felt I was needed.</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: I made one final trip there after serving
|
||
my terms in office. As I said, I kept an eye on Earth events. But I
|
||
knew I could never return. Not with the work that still needed to
|
||
be done.</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: But before my Heroic death, I made sure to
|
||
have my affairs in order, to fulfill certain cosmic necessities of
|
||
the future. Such as our meeting here today, Dave.</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: holy shit</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: I captchalogued a ghost imprint of my
|
||
brain. You remember how to do that, don’t you?</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: I stored the imprint in this holographic
|
||
projection device.</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: You see, Dave, it was critical that I had a
|
||
chance to speak with you. But only when the time was right. Only
|
||
once you had made it all this way, standing ready to defend the
|
||
future of Earth C.</p>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<p class="no-indent">Tears are welling up in the corners of Dave’s
|
||
eyes. There go the fucking waterworks again. He says another quiet
|
||
prayer of gratitude for the shades John gave him. He’s got to keep
|
||
it together. He tells himself there’s nothing wrong with crying. Of
|
||
course there isn’t. Just... not in front of Obama. He’s GOT to keep
|
||
it together. He sniffs in deeply, with a theatrical stoicism, and
|
||
crosses his arms. But on his exhale, a small, choked sob escapes.
|
||
He seals his lips tight, but his mouth quivers and puckers under
|
||
the impossible pressures of restraint.</p>
|
||
<div class="chat type-rg type-hs-small">
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: I know what you’re going through. There’s a
|
||
lot to be emotional about in these trying times.</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: Hey, why don’t we take a walk. You’ll have
|
||
a chance to collect yourself. And there’s something I’d like you to
|
||
see.</p>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<p class="no-indent">Obama waves his hand toward a wall, and a
|
||
secret compartment opens up with the traditional stone-grinding
|
||
noises to be heard in any crypt worth exploring. He leads the way
|
||
into a dark corridor. They walk for some time, only one pair of
|
||
solid feet making audible footsteps that echo far ahead into the
|
||
darkness. The light from Obama himself serves as Dave’s torch.
|
||
Soon, he feels calm enough to continue the conversation.</p>
|
||
<div class="chat type-rg type-hs-small">
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: mr president</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: you said...</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: i reminded you of the adult dave from your
|
||
timeline</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: That’s right.</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: so wait</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: how did you know adult dave if you were from
|
||
the original timeline</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: Dave, come on now.</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: Surely you must know I’m no stranger to
|
||
timeline shenanigans myself.</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: oh yeah</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: of course what was i thinking</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: anyway no offense but</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: are you really sure i remind you of him</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: there are a lot of times where i dont feel
|
||
like im at all living up to that guys example</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: a lot of times i feel like im just going
|
||
along with shit</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: like my buddy organizes a badass rebellion
|
||
and im just like duh yeah alright</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: sounds cool guess ill scout around the jungle
|
||
and rig a bunch of shitty statues of liberty to explode if those
|
||
are the orders</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: Rig the what to do what now?</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: oh uh</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: yeah maybe never mind that</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: its just a stupid mission im on and tbh
|
||
karkat probably just sent us on it so we dont get ourselves killed
|
||
stupidly</p>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<p class="no-indent">Obama nods solemnly at this clarification. His
|
||
expression makes it clear that this is the type of executive
|
||
decision he understands all too well.</p>
|
||
<div class="chat type-rg type-hs-small">
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: but compared to that guy i apparently turned
|
||
out to be</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: i dunno</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: i feel like</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: a lesser version of myself somehow</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: not lesser maybe just like</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: i somehow ended up as the version of me who
|
||
didnt stay as true myself as i could have</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: like</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: i entered this world already considered a
|
||
god</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: already famous</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: already celebrated as a genius</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: what was there left to achieve</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: i still did a lot of incredible and stupid
|
||
shit that i guess im pretty proud of</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: idk</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: something feels hollow about a lot of what
|
||
ive done the last bunch of years</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: or i guess about a lot of stuff in
|
||
general</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: its not just accomplishments or stuff like
|
||
that it goes deeper i think</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: like karkat managed to rise to the occasion
|
||
and defend his people but i hardly had anything to do with that</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: it was mostly him</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: hes turned into someone pretty incredible
|
||
really</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: You still care a lot about Karkat, don’t
|
||
you?</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: uh well</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: yeah?</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: of course i do hes my friend</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: Are you sure that’s all he is, Dave?</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: i...</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: i love my wife</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: jade has been the best thing that ever
|
||
happened to me</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: the day i decided to marry her and like</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: get off the fence</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: stop insulting her by acting so casual about
|
||
it like our thing was no big deal</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: she deserved me being all the way into it</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: she deserves everything</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: and</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: i KNOW this is all true</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: But?</p>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<p class="no-indent">Here come the tears again. More than a drop or
|
||
two at the corners of his eyes. He blinks, and they run down his
|
||
face, racing beneath the lower rims of his shades faster than he
|
||
can turn away. He’s losing control now. His cool is a distant
|
||
memory, like a dream he’s struggling to remember. Obama puts a
|
||
flickering hand on his shoulder. Dave feels the dense light of the
|
||
hologram buzzing through the fabric of his clothes, grazing his
|
||
skin. It tingles, like mild static electricity.</p>
|
||
<div class="chat type-rg type-hs-small">
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: my bro died a long time ago</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: fuckin hung himself for some damn reason</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: for a little while i had a bro</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: i could talk to him about stuff</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: i did a little bit</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: but i dunno if we got THAT deep into...</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: whatever</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: You can always talk to me about anything,
|
||
Dave.</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: yeah</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: thanks man</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: i guess what im trying to say is</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: i miss him</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: a lot</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: I think Dirk would be proud if he could see
|
||
how you turned out.</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: In fact, I know it.</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: no</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: i mean yeah i do kinda miss him too</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: i try not to think about him much because</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: well thats a whole thing</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: what i meant was</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: i miss karkat</p>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<p class="no-indent">Dave falls to his knees. He slides his open
|
||
palms up beneath his shades and covers his face. He weeps quietly
|
||
as Obama looks down on him, smiling patiently, understandingly.</p>
|
||
<div class="chat type-rg type-hs-small">
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: i think i messed up</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: i didnt do the right thing a long time ago
|
||
and now</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: even though i love jade</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: i feel like im living a lie</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: i try not to even think any of this stuff but
|
||
now that im letting myself not only think it but say it i feel like
|
||
im panicking</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: i dont know what to do</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: i dont...</p>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<p class="no-indent">He’s hyperventilating now but catches himself.
|
||
He has to calm down. This is no way to behave in front of a
|
||
president. He collects himself, starts breathing steadily, and
|
||
looks up.</p>
|
||
<div class="chat type-rg type-hs-small">
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: mr president</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: can you keep a secret</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: Yes I can, Dave.</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: These days, keeping secrets is practically
|
||
all I ever do down here.</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: i think</p>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<p class="no-indent">He runs a hand through his hair, and looks
|
||
back down.</p>
|
||
<div class="chat type-rg type-hs-small">
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: i think im gay</p>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<p class="no-indent">Obama purses his lips in that trademark way of
|
||
his—thoughtful, serious, contemplative. He nods slowly, letting the
|
||
silence grow, as if considering precisely how to deliver the most
|
||
perfect arrangement of words any man has uttered in human
|
||
history.</p>
|
||
<div class="chat type-rg type-hs-small">
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: Over the course of our lives, we all tend
|
||
to believe we’re a lot of different things.</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: One year, you’re this. Another, you’re
|
||
that. Later in life, you start pushing forty, and start worrying
|
||
you’ve been believing the wrong thing about yourself the whole
|
||
time.</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: I’ve had my share of doubts about all that,
|
||
just like any other man.</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: And I’ve had plenty of the same kind of
|
||
struggles as you, Dave.</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: wait</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: you...</p>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<p class="no-indent">Obama nods, smiles wistfully. Dave arches his
|
||
eyebrows high above his shades. They stare at each other, and in
|
||
the look they exchange, they seem to say all that needs to be said
|
||
between two grown men on the matter.</p>
|
||
<div class="chat type-rg type-hs-small">
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: Identity, sexuality, gender, all that stuff
|
||
is about as illusory as I am, standing before you here.</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: Is this the real me? Who can really
|
||
say.</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: Depends on what real means, or what I even
|
||
mean when I say “me.”</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: For that matter, are you even the real
|
||
you?</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: Haven’t you been asking yourself that
|
||
question one way or another all your life?</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: yeah</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: Believing is the key to understanding the
|
||
truth underlying the words, the truth underlying the ideas they
|
||
represent, and the truth underlying who we are as individuals.</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: The power of belief, the power of Hope,
|
||
that’s what endows that which is intangible, ephemeral, or
|
||
uncertain with a sense of reality.</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: It brings focus to the insubstantial, the
|
||
mirages of the mind, the multiplicity of what is possible, of what
|
||
could be, and isolates it—concentrates it—to turn it into that
|
||
which is.</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: And the result of that, Dave, is what we
|
||
call truth.</p>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<p class="no-indent">Dave is still crying, but he doesn’t care
|
||
anymore. The tears are flowing down his face, but he won’t look
|
||
away. He’s perfectly unashamed of his vulnerability at this moment.
|
||
The only thing he knows is he needs to listen carefully to every
|
||
precious syllable. To listen with his ears, his heart, his entire
|
||
being.</p>
|
||
<div class="chat type-rg type-hs-small">
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: The truth of oneself can be very specific,
|
||
if one wills it to be.</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: Statements such as, I am gay, I am
|
||
straight, I am a man, I am a woman, these are statements about an
|
||
individual that gain strength through the power of belief we invest
|
||
in them.</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: But there is another more generalized truth
|
||
about a person that can emerge when such conviction is absent. When
|
||
the partitions of the mind dissolve, and the boundaries between
|
||
everything you are now and everything you might have become begin
|
||
to fade away.</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: oh</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: youre talking about that ultimate self
|
||
stuff</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: I am indeed, Dave.</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: wow</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: havent heard about that in so long</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: rose used to talk about it all the time</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: dirk would rant about it a lot too</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: He sure did.</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: wait</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: you mentioned dirk earlier</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: did you like</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: actually KNOW him??</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: Oh... we’ve met on a few occasions.</p>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<p class="no-indent">Dave blinks.</p>
|
||
<div class="chat type-rg type-hs-small">
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: thats</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: how is that possible</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: he killed himself</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: Did he, now?</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: are you saying thats not what happened</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: I’m saying you know as well as I that it’s
|
||
awfully hard to pin down exactly what happened to whom, depending
|
||
on which frame of reference we might be talking about.</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: wow</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: so like... he...</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: I learned a lot from him.</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: Met up with him as a young man, as I was
|
||
just beginning to explore the wonders of my session.</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: He taught me about many things. Combat,
|
||
philosophy, life, love...</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: love???</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: hold on are you saying</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: that...</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: Now, Dave. I can’t go around disclosing
|
||
everything under the sun. Plenty of this is still under the
|
||
umbrella of executive privilege.</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: Loose lips sink ships, as they say.</p>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<p class="no-indent">Obama winks again. Dave has actually lost
|
||
track of how many times he’s winked so far.</p>
|
||
<div class="chat type-rg type-hs-small">
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: right right</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: so... somehow he met you and uh</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: trained you and stuff</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: and talked about the ultimate self</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: i remember my dirk would go off the deep end
|
||
about that stuff sometimes</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: and maybe it made him fucking snap because
|
||
then he just offed himself and that was that</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: but rose used to talk about it too</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: probably even more</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: but one day she just stopped and never
|
||
mentioned it again</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: do you know what like</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: happened to her</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: She’s settled happily into the specific.
|
||
That’s her path now.</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: All of you have embraced that life, in this
|
||
safely sequestered version of planet Earth.</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: All of you until now, Dave.</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: This is why you’re here.</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: I believe you’re ready to wake up.</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: ...</p>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<p class="no-indent">Dave realizes suddenly that they’ve stopped at
|
||
a dead end of the passage. Obama holds up his arm and points his
|
||
open palm toward the wall. The wall lifts with the comforting sound
|
||
of ancient stones grinding against each other. The sliding panel
|
||
reveals a recess, and in the recess stands a robot. It’s a
|
||
gleaming, polished silver replica of Dave, but without shades. It
|
||
stands totally still, unpowered. Dave struggles to make sense of
|
||
what he’s looking at.</p>
|
||
<div class="chat type-rg type-hs-small">
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: Now, look.</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: A human body, even one that’s been elevated
|
||
to god tier status, cannot withstand the stresses put on it by the
|
||
awesome power of the Ultimate Self.</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: You’d quickly become sick and wither away.
|
||
We can’t have that.</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: So before I died, I made sure to create
|
||
this brand-new body for you.</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: I have to admit, it’s some of my finest
|
||
work. A real beauty.</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: It should serve you well in your new life.
|
||
A life where the world will need you more than ever, Dave.</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: Not only this world, but the future of
|
||
reality.</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: If this sounds confusing, don’t worry.
|
||
You’ll understand everything once I help you ascend.</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: So what do you say? At the end of the day,
|
||
this is a choice that belongs to you.</p>
|
||
<p class="obama">OBAMA: Are you ready to accept your destiny, Dave
|
||
Strider?</p>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<p class="no-indent">It finally catches up with him, what’s taking
|
||
place here. Dave is sobbing loudly now, beside himself with
|
||
feelings of joy, a sort of existential relief, and a true sense of
|
||
purpose. He takes only a moment to decide. Not to weigh the merits
|
||
of decision. He understands now that the decision was already made
|
||
the second he first laid eyes on the former president. He pauses
|
||
only to savor this perfect moment.</p>
|
||
<div class="chat type-rg type-hs-small">
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: yes</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: absolutely</p>
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVE: i have never been more ready for anything in
|
||
my life mr president</p>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<p class="no-indent">Obama nods once, curtly, and his smile
|
||
dissolves into a serious look as he closes his eyes. He extends his
|
||
arm and slowly pushes his hand through Dave’s forehead. The energy
|
||
from the dense lightform crackles and sends waves through the air
|
||
like ripples through a pond. It happens suddenly, a shock of white
|
||
light completely enveloping his and Dave’s bodies, intense bands
|
||
and lashes of pure Hope radiating from their silhouettes.</p>
|
||
<p>Dave’s eyes widen, his mouth opens as if to scream, but he
|
||
doesn’t make a sound. Infinite experience flows through his
|
||
consciousness, an unimpeded torrent of raw potentiality. He sees
|
||
everything. The roads not taken, the lives not lived, the thoughts,
|
||
desires, fears all unacted upon. The Doomed Daves, the Davesprites,
|
||
the Davepetas, life with Jade, life with Karkat, life with both,
|
||
life with neither. It’s like soaring through the clouds at
|
||
supersonic speed, too quickly to make out the shape of any single
|
||
puffy nimbus, like a breakneck jaunt through Skaia. Huge clouds
|
||
rushing by, small ones, clouds with visions, empty clouds, white
|
||
clouds, then a great dark one. And then, the briefest possible
|
||
glimpses—most too fleeting to be noticed—of Dirk.</p>
|
||
<p>And then, nothing. It all stops abruptly, and Dave collapses to
|
||
the ground, dead.</p>
|
||
<p>Obama is holding his hand up, and floating just above his palm
|
||
is Dave’s ascended essence. It flickers wildly in his hand like a
|
||
little kernelsprite. Obama holds it up to his face and blows it
|
||
away like dandelion fluff. It floats lazily into the chest of the
|
||
robot, and with that, Obama disappears, leaving the corridor in
|
||
total darkness and silence.</p>
|
||
<p>Seconds pass. And then a minute.</p>
|
||
<p>And then, time seems to stop altogether. As if the aspect itself
|
||
has suspended its forward motion, bowing before the unprecedented
|
||
transformation taking place. It defers to its greatest knight,
|
||
risen anew.</p>
|
||
<p>With a deep, reverberating electric hum, the robot’s eyes light
|
||
up, deep red, bright enough to light up the entire passage. Its
|
||
face comes to life. Its mouth, oddly pliable for a metal surface,
|
||
begins to smile a little. And then, very broadly.</p>
|
||
<p>The robot steps out of its recess and points its head downward,
|
||
the searing red beams from its eyes spotlighting Dave’s crumpled
|
||
torso. The robot—Davebot—shakes his head slowly. The doubts, the
|
||
confusion, the insecurities of the man lying here all died along
|
||
with his body. Davebot smoothly reaches down, lifts the shades off
|
||
the corpse, and puts them on his face.</p>
|
||
<div class="chat type-rg type-hs-small">
|
||
<p class="dave">DAVEBOT: its about fuckin time</p>
|
||
</div>
|
||
</div>
|
||
</div>
|
||
</body>
|
||
</html> |