You will give me the truth. Do you understand?
Yes! Yes!
Good! Then let's get down to business. I eased up on the pressure, just a little.
Your name is Schneez. Correct?
Yes.
Excellent. Very good Schneez.This is a good start. Let's keep this rolling, shall we? I paused for dramatic effect, which was completely lost on him.
Now. Why are you in my head?
He didn't answer. So I squeezed a little. Aaaarrrck!
Let's review... when I ask you a question, you answer. Immediately. I can pause for dramatic effect. You cannot. And "Aaaarrrck!" is also not an acceptable answer.
So... again, why are you in my head?
You were to help me eliminate the octopuses!
Ok. Good. Now we're getting somewhere. Why am I supposed to help you get rid of the octopuses?
They are a parasitic race that travel from system to system, preying upon the indigenous inhabitants and stealing their worlds for their own use.
Wait. Octopuses are aliens?
Yes. They are not from here. They are not borne of your world.
Huh. I guess that explains how vastly different they are from the rest of the world... Ok. If they are aliens, then who, or what, are you?
I am also alien to your world.
I guess that makes some kind of weird sense too. Alright, you're an alien, the Octos are aliens...
A disconcerting thought came to me just then.
Am I an alien?
What? No. You are human. Why would you think you are an alien?
Oh, I don't know. Maybe it's just that nobody I know can do the things I can do. Nobody else I've ever met is jumping dimensions between universes.
...
Who are you here with?
Well, you're going to find this hard to believe, but I'm not here with anyone.
You were talking about some woman before!
You misunderstand me. I'm not here either.
You're not-
I'm not... anywhere. Not in the way you mean. I don't embody physical space. I'm not here, because I'm not anywhere. Strictly speaking.
How is that... where do you... what do you...
You live in a physical universe. You can see, touch, smell the things around you. I do not. I exist, but not in a physical sense. I am not made of atoms and molecules.
How is that even possible?
Let me answer that by asking, how is it possible that you can travel between dimensions?
Honestly, I don't know. I don't fully understand that myself.
It is equally as difficult for you to understand how I exist without a... "body", I guess you would call it.
Ok. Fair point, I suppose. So, let me get this straight. Octopuses are aliens.
Yes.
You are an alien.
Yes.
I am just a human.
Yes.
You are here to destroy the octopuses, who are here to prey on Earth.
Yes.
You are in my head, but you don't exist.
I exist, just not in physical space.
And you are here solely to protect the Earth.
...
I squeezed at the hesitation.
Aaarrrck!
I told you. "Aaarrrck" is not an answer.
I am here to destroy the octopuses!
And what about the rest? What were your plans after that was accomplished?
.... Aaarrrck!
Answer the question, Snotrocket.
She is searching! I don't know!
And who is "she"?
... Aaarrck!
Who is "she"? Don't make me ask again. "SHE". S.H.E. Superior High Embassador.
Superior... Does "SHE" know that you've promoted yourself to Superior? I wonder how she'd feel about that?
REALLY, SCHNEEZ? EVEN FOR YOU... I MUST APOLOGIZE FOR MY YOUNG FLEDGLING. MR. SIZZLE, IS IT? THIS IS HIS FIRST ASSIGNMENT. AND IF NOT FOR EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES, HE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN GIVEN ONE SO EARLY ON IN HIS SHORT CAREER. ALAS, TIMES ARE TOUGH, AND WE ARE IN A BIT OF A BIND.
I AM SHE. IT IS A PLEASURE TO SPEAK WITH YOU, MR. SIZZLE. IT SEEMS I SHOULD HAVE BEEN KEEPING A MUCH CLOSER WATCH ON YOUNG SCHNEEZ HERE. HE IS QUITE AMBITIOUS, IT WOULD SEEM. QUITE AMBITIOUS, INDEED... I HOPE HE HAS NOT CAUSED IRREPARABLE HARM.
Well, he has been a bit of a pain in my ass lately. Or, more precisely, a pain in my brain. Though some might argue there is little difference between the two. But he and I have come to an understanding, haven't we, Schneez?
...
Yes, well, anyway...
I SEE. THAT IS GOOD. NOW, I SUSPECT YOU HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS FOR ME. I WOULD LIKE TO LEARN FROM YOU, AS WELL. YOU MAY ASK ME ANYTHING. IF I AM ABLE TO ANSWER, I WILL.
Ok. Well, firstly, I must admit that I am a little shocked to hear that you, Schneez, and the octopuses are all aliens. Events in my life have only gotten stranger over the last year or two. I should probably no longer be shocked by anything. If you're not from here, then where are you from?
HMMM... THAT IS A TOUGH ONE TO ANSWER. WE DO NOT HAVE A PHYSICAL PRESENCE, AND THEREFORE DO NOT TRULY COME FROM ANYWHERE. BUT THE EASIEST WAY TO EXPLAIN IS BY REFERRING TO YOUR, ER, SPECIAL ABILITY TO JUMP FROM ONE DIMENSION OF REALITY TO ANOTHER. WHETHER YOU FULLY UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU DO IS ANOTHER MATTER, I SUPPOSE. REGARDLESS. YOU, HUMANS, LIVE IN A MULTIDIMENSIONAL REALITY, THOUGH MOST OF YOU ARE NOT AWARE OF IT. YOUR EXISTENCE LIES IN MANY PLANES. DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF YOU EXIST IN EACH OF THEM. YOU, MR. SIZZLE, SEEM TO BE AWARE. MORE AWARE THAN ANYONE ELSE. PERHAPS THIS IS WHY YOU AND I CAN COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER BETWEEN LAYERS OF THE OMNIVERSE.
Omniverse?
YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS OF REALITY. IMAGINE A UNIVERSE THAT HAS ALL OF THESE DIMENSIONS, AND THEN ADD YET ANOTHER LAYER OF REALITY. ONE THAT LIES BEHIND YOUR MULTIVERSE. THERE IS AN INVISIBLE CURTAIN FOR MOST BEINGS THAT PREVENTS THEM FROM BEING AWARE OF OUR LAYER OF REALITY. WE ARE AWARE OF THEM, BUT THEY ARE NOT USUALLY AWARE OF US. WE CAN'T DIRECTLY INTERACT WITH THEM.
YOU, HOWEVER, ARE NOT ONLY AWARE OF THE MULTIVERSE, BUT YOU CAN ALSO PERCEIVE THE OMNIVERSE. YOU ARE VERY SPECIAL IN THIS RESPECT. VERY FEW LIVING BEINGS ARE TRULY AWARE, AS YOU ARE AWARE.
Well... That is certainly a lot to absorb.
I AM SORRY. THIS MUST BE OVERWHELMING.
Ok. All of that aside... What do you want from me? Schneez seems to want very badly for the octopuses to disappear. What do you want?
AGAIN, I DO APOLOGIZE FOR SCHNEEZ'S BEHAVIOR. HE WAS OUT OF LINE, AND HE WILL BE DEALT WITH ACCORDINGLY.
I sensed a groan of dread coming from Schneez.
WHILE OCTOPUSES ARE OFTEN A NUISANCE IN THE UNIVERSE, THEY ARE NOT ALL, AS A RACE, A BAD LOT. THERE ARE A LARGE NUMBER OF THEM, TO BE SURE, THAT DO NOT PLAY WELL WITH OTHERS. BUT AS YOU HAVE LIKELY NOTICED, EVERY SPECIES HAS THEIR BAD EXAMPLES. SCHNEEZ HAS DEMONSTRATED THAT HE STILL HAS A LOT TO LEARN BEFORE HE CAN BE LEFT TO HIS OWN DEVICES.
I tried to teach him that very lesson.That one example does not represent a whole race. He wouldn't listen.
SCHNEEZ HAS HAD... UNFORTUNATE RUN-INS WITH SOME UNPLEASANT OCTOPUSES. THEY HAVE SADLY WARPED HIS VIEW OF THE RACE.
I am glad to hear you and I share the same view.
YES. THIS IS GOOD.
AND TO ANSWER YOUR OTHER QUESTION, WHAT I WANT IS YOUR HELP. Oh?
I HAVE BEEN CHASING A STRANGE SIGNAL FOR MILLENNIA. I HAVE SEVERAL PERSONNEL SPREAD OUT TO REMOTE LOCATIONS IN THE UNIVERSE WORKING ON FINDING THE SOURCE OF THIS SIGNAL. OUR MUTUAL ACQUAINTANCE, SCHNEEZ, CHOSE THIS WORLD FOR ITS OCTOPUS INHABITANTS, I FEAR. WHILE SEARCHING FOR THIS SIGNAL, HE HAD GOTTEN SIDETRACKED BY HIS OWN PERSONAL AGENDA.
WHAT HE ALSO FOUND, THOUGH, WAS YOU. AS IT JUST SO HAPPENS, YOU SEEM TO BE AT THE SOURCE OF THIS STRANGE SIGNAL THAT I HAVE BEEN SEARCHING FOR, FOR WHAT FEELS LIKE MY ENTIRE EXISTENCE.
What is this signal you're talking about? THERE IS AN ANCIENT LEGEND IN MY CULTURE. ONE THAT IS BURIED IN THE DISTANCE OF TIME. FEW KNOW OF ITS EXISTENCE. FEWER, STILL, BELIEVE IT TO BE ANYTHING MORE THAN JUST LEGEND.
THE LEGEND IMPLIES THAT EXISTENCE, ITSELF, HAS AN ORIGIN THAT LIES NOT JUST IN THE PAST, BUT ALSO IN THE FUTURE. IT IS DIFFICULT TO CONCEIVE OF AN ORIGIN THAT EXISTS IN THE PRESENT AND THAT CAN ALSO LIE IN THE FUTURE. EXISTENCE... EXISTS. NOW. RIGHT NOW. MANY ASK HOW THE ORIGIN OF EXISTENCE CAN BE ANYWHERE BUT BEHIND US IN TIME. THAT IS BECAUSE MANY CANNOT PERCEIVE OF TIME AS BEING ANYTHING BUT LINEAR. THEY BELIEVE THAT TIME HAS NO BEGINNING, IT CONTINUES THROUGH TO THIS DAY, AND WILL CONTINUE ON INTO THE FUTURE, INDEFINITELY.
WHAT IS THE FUTURE, IF NOT IN REFERENCE TO TIME? PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE ARE ALL MEANINGLESS WITHOUT THE EXISTENCE OF TIME.
If there's no time, there is no past, present, or future.
THAT IS PRECISELY THE ARGUMENT. BUT, THERE IS ANOTHER LINE OF THOUGHT. AND THAT IS THAT TIME... HAS AN ORIGIN. A SOURCE. A BIRTHPLACE. AND IT IS FELT, AMONG THOSE FEW WHO BELIEVE, THAT THIS ORIGIN OF TIME EMITS A SIGNAL. FINDING THIS SIGNAL SHOULD LEAD US TO THE ORIGIN OF TIME.
I CAN SENSE... SOMETHING... HERE. IT IS NOW MY BELIEF THAT YOUR PLANET IS HOME TO THE ORIGIN OF TIME.
But isn't time one of the 4 dimensions? There's 3D: Length, width, and height. And then there's time. The 4th dimension. How can time have a place of origin? It's time!
TIME EXISTS EVERYWHERE. AT EVERY LOCATION.
Yes, but...
AND IF MY INSTINCTS ARE CORRECT, YOUR PLANET SEEMS TO EXIST IN THE SAME LOCATION... AS THE ORIGIN OF TIME.
THERE ARE SIGNS.
What kind of signs?
THE SIGNAL, FOR ONE. I CAN SENSE IT. IT IS FAINT, BUT IT IS STRONGER HERE THAN I'VE EVER FELT BEFORE.
AND THERE ARE SIGNS, IF YOU KNOW HOW TO SEE THEM, IN TIME ITSELF. TIME SEEMS TO FOLD IN ON ITSELF MORE AND MORE FREQUENTLY THE NEARER I GET TO THE ORIGIN POINT.
What do you mean, "fold in on itself"?
WELL, TIME GLITCHES. EVENTS WILL MYSTERIOUSLY REOCCUR, OR REPEAT, IN EXACTLY THE SAME WAY IT HAD ONLY MOMENTS BEFORE. MOMENTS DO NOT FLOW IN THE NORMAL PAST-PRESENT-FUTURE DIRECTION. THE CURRENT OF TIME BECOMES DISTORTED. TIME GLITCHES. EVENTS WILL MYSTERIOUSLY REOCCUR, OR REPEAT, IN EXACTLY THE SAME WAY IT HAD ONLY MOMENTS BEFORE.
You just said that.
YES! THAT'S EXACTLY THE SORT OF THING I AM REFERRING TO! TIME, NEAR THE ORIGIN POINT, GETS FUZZY AROUND THE EDGES.
AND THEN THERE IS YOU...
Me?
YOU.
How am I mixed up in it?
YOU ARE HUMAN. HUMANS ARE NOT KNOWN TO JUMP BETWEEN DIMENSIONS. AND YET, YOU DO. AND YOU CAN COMMUNICATE WITH US. OUR RACES HAVE NEVER BEFORE DONE THIS, TO MY KNOWLEDGE. WE ARE AWARE OF YOUR EXISTENCE IN THE UNIVERSE, BUT HUMANS CANNOT TRULY PERCEIVE US IN RETURN. SOME HAVE VAGUE SUSPICIONS AND URBAN LEGENDS ABOUT GHOSTS AND SUCH. DON'T GET ME WRONG; GHOSTS EXIST TOO. ON ANOTHER PLANE, IN ANOTHER DIMENSION. BUT WE ARE LUMPED IN WITH THEM IN YOUR FIRESIDE TALES TO FRIGHTEN CHILDREN.
Ghosts are real?
YES. BUT THIS IS BESIDE THE POINT. HUMANS HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO INTERACT WITH OUR RACE. UNTIL NOW. UNTIL YOU.
Huh...
I KNOW. THIS IS A LOT TO DIGEST IN ONE SITTING. BUT YOU NEED TO KNOW. YOU ARE AWARE OF YOUR OWN INFINITE DIMENSIONS. YOU ARE SPEAKING TO ME THROUGH EVEN MORE LAYERS OF REALITY. AND TIME WARPS AROUND YOU.
MR. SIZZLE...
Just Sizzle. Please.
SIZZLE... YOU ARE THE ORIGIN OF TIME.
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