SHE

      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.

     What... What does that mean?

     IT MEANS THAT MY SEARCH IS FINALLY AT AN END.

     Ok. Even if what you say is true (and I'm not yet willing to entertain that bizarre idea), what would that gain you? What was your plan if you actually found the Origin of Time?

     WHEN I FOUND THE ORIGIN OF TIME, I WAS TO DESTROY IT.

     Wait! Destroy it?! Why?! What do you mean?

     YOU ARE DISTORTING TIME. TIME CANNOT WITHSTAND THIS ABUSE FOR LONG. THE SIGNS OF DEGRADATION CAN ALREADY BE SEEN. SOON, EXISTENCE WILL COMPLETELY UNRAVEL, IF YOU ARE NOT DESTROYED.      But wait! I'm not trying to destroy anything! I'm not the Origin of Time! I can't be! I'm just me! Just a human being!

    ...WHO CAN PHASE THROUGH THE CURTAINS OF REALITY...

     That doesn't mean anything!

     IT IS MOST UNFORTUNATE. I DO BELIEVE YOU ARE ACTING WITHOUT MALICE. HOWEVER, THAT DOES NOT CHANGE THE FACT THAT YOU ARE DESTROYING REALITY. THEREFORE, YOU MUST BE DESTROYED BEFORE THAT CAN HAPPEN. YOUR VERY EXISTENCE IS A THREAT TO EVERY SINGLE LIVING BEING IN THE OMNIVERSE. EVERY ORGANISM. EVERYTHING!

    I AM SORRY, SIZZLE. PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS NOT PERSONAL. BE COMFORTED IN KNOWING THAT YOUR DESTRUCTION WILL, IN FACT, SAVE THE ENTIRE OMNIVERSE.

     But... I'm sure there is an alternate solution! My life is important to me too!

     YOU HAVE MY SYMPATHIES. THIS IS NOT AN ETHICAL CHOICE THAT COMES EASILY.

     Choice! Choice? What choice have I been given? What choice am I making?

     I APOLOGIZE FOR THE CONFUSION. IT IS MY CHOICE TO MAKE; YOU DO NOT HAVE A SAY IN THIS MATTER.

     I don't have a say in this matter... I have one life to live, and I don't get to choose. Isn't that just peachy...

     YOU HAVE MY CONDOLENCES, SIZZLE.      You do not have my permission, SHE.

     I... DO NOT ASK YOUR PERMISSION, SIZZLE. THIS IS SIMPLY THE WAY IT MUST BE. WE ALL MAKE OUR SACRIFICES.

     It is not a sacrifice on my part if I don't go along willingly. It is coercion, and I do not submit.

     YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND. YOU DO NOT HAVE-

     It is you who does not understand. I will not be your "sacrifice".

     AGAIN, THIS IS REGRETTABLE. BUT WHAT MUST BE, MUST BE. GOODBYE, SIZZLE.

     I suddenly felt a tremendous pressure in my head, and my brain was instantly on fire. I immediately shifted. I went to a dimension where SHE was not attacking me.

     I APOLOGIZE FOR THE CONFUSION. IT IS MY CHOICE TO MAKE; YOU DO NOT HAVE A SAY IN THIS MATTER.

     That sounds familiar. I believe you've said that before.

     NO! YOU MUST BE DESTROYED! IT'S THE ONLY WAY!

     The pressure returned, and I shifted again.

     I APOLOGIZE FOR THE CONFUSION. IT IS MY CHOICE TO MAKE; YOU DO NOT HAVE A SAY IN-

     ...

     STOP THIS!  YOU WILL DESTROY ALL LIFE IF YOU CONTINUE TO RESIST!

    *shift* 

    I APOLOGIZE FOR THE- NO! STOP-

     *shift*

     I APOLO-

     Listen. We could do this for infinity. You cannot put a leash on me.

     Pressure.

     *shift*

     Pressure.

     *shift*

     This time, I immediately went on the offensive with my own squeeze.

     NO! YOU CAN'T DO THIS! YOU'LL DESTROY EVERYTHING! AAAARCK! 

    I don't want to hurt you, SHE! I know that you're doing this for the right motives but there are other solutions! Stop fighting me!

     AAAARCK! 

    I squeezed a little harder.

   Let it go, SHE!

     NOOOO!

     I gave the squeeze a little twist, without quite knowing what it was that I was doing.      UMPH!

     The resistance gave way completely.      Uh oh... SHE?

     RRRR... NNNNG...BUHHH...

     Ah, crap!

     SHE. Listen. I'm sorry. I didn't want to fight you.

     GUHHH...

     Aw, man...

     I LEAVE YOU FOR A FEW MINUTES, AND YOU START BEATING UP EVERY ALIEN IN YOUR HEAD? REALLY, JAMIE BLAISE... YOU SHOULD TRY TO BE MORE CAREFUL.

    Optimus! Oh, good! You're ok!

     I AM OK, JAMIE BLAISE. THANKS TO YOU.

    They think I'm going to destroy the omniverse!

     WELL, THAT IS A BIT SILLY. YOU HAVE SAVED THE EARTH AND ALL OF ITS INHABITANTS. WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO DESTROY EVERYTHING ELSE?

     I don't!

     I KNOW THIS JAMIE BLAISE. I WAS ATTEMPTING TO MAKE A... NEVER MIND. NOT THE RIGHT TIME, I SUPPOSE. HOW CAN I HELP?

     Help me revive SHE, and help me talk some sense into her.

     WELL, YOU KNOW THE OCTOPUS MIND BUZZ?

     Yeah?

     A MIND BUZZ, INSIDE-OUT, CAN BE HEALING IN SOME CASES.

     Inside-out? How do you... never mind. You start, and I will try to duplicate it. Maybe try it on me first? So I can feel it?

     SURE.

     Suddenly, my head felt... like flowers. I don't know how else to describe it. Sweet, aromatic, light, soft... like flowers.      I tried to return the favor.

     CLOSE. BUT TRY TO BROADEN YOUR FOCUS... YES. THAT IS BETTER. VERY GOOD, JAMIE BLAISE! YOU LEARN SO QUICKLY!

     Ok. Let's try that on SHE.

     SHE immediately started to come back around.

     YOU... YOU HEALED ME... 

    I told you. I don't want to fight you. I don't want to hurt you. I don't want to hurt anyone.

     BUT YOU... YOU NEED TO BE DESTROYED... BEFORE YOU DESTROY EVERYTHING...

     I have no intention of destroying anything. Let alone everything.

     Please, let's just talk about this. We can figure this out. You said I am the first human being to be able to make contact with you. So, let's talk.

     I MUST ADMIT, I DON'T SEEM TO HAVE MUCH CHOICE IN THE MATTER. YOU HAVE BEATEN ME.

     Let's reframe that. I have shown you that I am stronger than you, but I have also shown you mercy. And you always have a choice in every situation. It is just a matter of weighing the consequences.

     YOU ARE WISE AS WELL AS STRONG, SIZZLE. I AM HUMBLED.     SO, WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

     MIGHT I MAKE A SUGGESTION?

     SHE... meet Optimus, Supreme of Earth's octopuses. Optimus Supreme, meet Superior High Embassador.

     JAMIE BLAISE, WE STILL NEED TO DISCUSS THIS WHOLE "SUPREME" BUSINESS...

     AND MY NAME IS NOT ACTUALLY SHE. THAT IS ONLY MY TITLE. YOU MAY CALL ME ZERSCHNA.

     THIS IS A REMARKABLE ASSEMBLY! OPTIMUS SUPREME SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO CONVERSE WITH MY KIND EITHER. WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN BEHIND THE OMNIVERSE CURTAIN FOR BOTH OF YOUR RACES. THE ORIGIN OF TIME IS VERY INFLUENTIAL, INDEED. THIS CROSS DIMENSIONAL MEETING IS QUITE EXCEPTIONAL.

     I don't know about all this Origin of Time business, but I do agree that this is a momentous experience. I should hope this is a good thing. I would like to think that we three can all learn from each other, and make all of our lives better.

     JAMIE BLAISE HAS UNDOUBTEDLY SAVED OUR PLANET FROM CERTAIN DESTRUCTION FROM MY PREVIOUS LEADER. IN THAT, ALONE, MEETING JAMIE BLAISE HAS BEEN A PHENOMENALLY FORTUNATE THING. BUT HE HAS ALSO SAVED ME, ON A PERSONAL LEVEL. I AM FOREVER CHANGED FROM MY RENDEZVOUS WITH JAMIE BLAISE WHEN HE FOUND ME AT THE AQUARIUM. I WILL BE ETERNALLY GRATEFUL FOR OUR MUTUAL DISCOVERY.

     Optimus! I've never heard you talk like this! Honestly, when we first met, I didn't think you liked me.

     THAT IS BECAUSE I DID NOT LIKE YOU WHEN WE FIRST MET, JAMIE BLAISE.

     Oh...

     ANOTHER THING THAT JAMIE BLAISE HAS GIVEN ME IS A SENSE OF HUMOR.

     Oh, ho! You got me, Optimus! Haha... good one...

     YOU TWO ARE VERY STRANGE BEINGS. I'M NOT CONVINCED THAT YOU SHOULD NOT BE DESTROYED, JAMIE BLAISE.

     Please, you two! It's Sizzle! How can I be a super hero if I don't have a cool name? Please! Call me Sizzle!

     I sensed confusion from Zerschna, and an eye roll from Optimus.

     Ok, Let me get this straight. You think that I am the Origin of Time, somehow, even though I'm only 42 years old, while time is... infinite.

     YES. YOU ARE THE ORIGIN OF TIME. AND YOU ARE DISTORTING EVERYTHING AROUND YOU. YOU ARE CAUSING REALITY, IN ALL ITS FORMS, TO DETERIORATE.

     How can you determine that? How do you know that reality is falling apart?

     THE SIGNS, JA-... SIZZLE. THE VERY FACT THAT WE ARE HAVING THIS CONVERSATION IS PROOF THAT THE BOUNDARIES BETWEEN REALITIES ARE COLLAPSING.

     MIGHT I INTERJECT?

     What's up, Supreme?

     Another eye roll.

     THE FACT THAT WE ARE ALL ABLE TO SPEAK TO EACH OTHER AND SHARE IDEAS SEEMS RATHER BENEFICIAL TO ME. HOW CAN THIS BE A TERRIBLE THING?

     YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE AWARE OF MY EXISTENCE! MY REALITY AND YOUR REALITY DO NOT INTERMINGLE!  THE BOUNDARIES ARE COLLAPSING!

     But we can take advantage of this! This doesn't seem like a doom and gloom scenario to me. We can use this current reality to put our minds together to find a solution.

     SUCH AS? 

    MIGHT I INTERJECT ONCE MORE?

     Sure, Octomus. What's up?

     WELL, I MIGHT HAVE THE ANSWER TO THIS RIDDLE. OR RATHER, SIZZLE, HIMSELF, MIGHT BE THE KEY. THERE IS A LEGEND AMONG MY PEOPLE...