Participants:
| Scene Title | Magnes Makes a Good Decision |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | and Peyton makes a friend for the end of the world. |
| Date | December 22, 2011 |
The Hub, Magnes' Room
Acoustics are strange underground. Things far away sound close by; things near by sound like echoes. Eventually, footfalls near Magnes' door and instead of fading away again, stop before a knock comes.
Peyton stands outside, giant headphones around her neck instead of over her ears, the cord trailing to the CD Walkman that's hooked to her belt. She holds a stack of something close to her chest, as she waits for the person within to answer. To bide her time, she takes a moment to peer through Magnes' eyes — because she has better things to do than stand outside of his room if he's not there.
Peyton can see Magnes' vision going close up and far away from a theoretical physics book talking about higher dimensions. He reaches over to flip pages before going back to what are clearly pushups.
He stops when he realizes there's a knock though, and stands up, opening the door in a plain white t-shirt and jeans, with his black combat boots. "Oh, hey, Peyton!"
"Hey!" she says, cheerfully — a little more cheerfully than she's been in his presence. "I hope I wasn't interrupting anything important." She peers past him into his room, before looking back at him. One hand lifts to push a strand of blue hair, now faded a bit to sort of a periwinkle, behind one ear. "I wanted to say hi and, I don't know. Apologize for being a bit of a bitch."
She offers him what she's carrying, which is a stack of a dozen or so comic books in varying condition. Some are torn, all of them are a little yellowed or wrinkled, and none would have been worth anything in the time he left behind. But here, their worth is something different, because there's no Amazon or Barnes and Nobles or corner comic store to buy them at. "I heard you like comics so I tried to gather up all the ones I could find for you."
"Oh, thanks! Yeah, I could probably use a break from physics books. I can't even imagine what would be happening this many months behind." Magnes takes the comics, then stares down at them for a few moments, before he looks up and suddenly says, "I mean years. Come in."
He walks in, and she can see sketches of black holes, wormholes, random drawings of timelines and references to dimensional space. It's not very scientific, but he's clearly trying to work something out, as his walls are covered.
She steps into his room and looks around, eyes widening a little as she peers at the drawings. A very real, unfeigned shiver runs through her, visibly making her shudder. When she looks back at him, Peyton actually looks fearful, her dark eyes big and round.
"This looks a little… I don't know. What's that movie with Russell Crowe where he's brilliant but insane? Not that I think you're insane." The last is said in a rush, in case she's offending him. "What are you trying to do?" she asks, moving closer to one of the drawings in particular, and reaching up with one hand to straighten it so she can look at it better.
The drawing that she chooses has a rough diagram of a 'gravity well', and arrows pointing to the other end of it, with little notes about ripping through it. "I'm trying to figure out how to make a wormhole. I think I know how, I just need enough power to do it. What I have now isn't enough, but… if I'm right, I should be able to tear a hole in the universe and get us all the hell out of here."
"No big deal." he says with a slight laugh.
Peyton's brows draw together, and she studies the drawing for a moment, frowning, before she turns to look at him, searching for his eyes.
"That sounds… I don't know. Violent." She goes to sit down on his cot, picking up his pillow to set on her lap. Make yourself at home, Peyton. "How do you know people would make it anywhere alive? Where would everyone end up? Can you even control that? What if we end up somewhere worse?" It's hard to imagine worse, really. "I mean, I think you should still try. I'm definitely not trying to talk you out of it. I want to believe."
"I've gotten a lot of ideas, between reading these books, and reading Borges. I believe that 5th dimensional space are the immediate timelines after major, recent events. Where the changes aren't drastic, but they're different enough. There are certain things that always happen." Magnes takes a seat on the bed next to her, and his demeanor with her is a little different from last time as well.
For one, he isn't oggling her, he's significantly less nervous, and he seems to be incredibly focused on his task, and explaining it. He doesn't seem as… fragile as the last time they properly spoke. "For example, in most timelines, I'd meet Isabelle, Elaine, a few others. These are what I'd call generally fixed points in time, though obviously there's no such thing as a perfectly fixed point."
He stands up again, because of course he's not going to sit for too long. Then he starts pointing at pictures as he explains, as if he's gotten all of this down at some point. It really does all look like the insane scribbles of a, well, insane person. But this is what happens when he truly vomits his brain into physical form.
"If I came here from another universe for example, the reason is because this timeline was incredibly close to mine, but with a particular difference." He points to one of the models of the timelines he has on his wall. This one says 'version 14'. It's the newest version of his dimensional maps. "Getting to timelines that veer further and further off course might actually be nearly impossible, or require access to higher dimensions. I believe that we only have access to fifth dimensional space."
Pointing to another chart, that explains, in ridiculous detail, what he's learned so far about the different dimensions, at least going on these books. "From what we know about the currently aborted timelines, I believe that we'll either get back to my world, or one of the others. I don't believe there are actually that many. At least two of them are awful, but not as awful as a world with a deadly virus."
To her credit, Peyton looks like she's genuinely trying to understand it. And looks like she's genuinely frustrated when she doesn't. She shakes her head, once, then twice. "I don't understand," she says, frowning, as she hugs the pillow to her. "So there's other mes in the other … dimensions? How can I be in more than one place at the same time?"
She studies the drawing he points at, and shakes her head again. "How do you know what the other ones are like? And this it the worst one? Why the fuck do I have to be stuck in the worst one?"
She's not the best student.
"You've been to at least one of them, haven't you?" she asks, finally. "Because you said you've met Izzie and Elaine in other timelines. Why would you know that, otherwise?" Her tone isn't accusatory, but curious. There's the undertone of fear with a little of excitement. "It's possible then. Like for real."
"Let's say that I have, let's say that under some circumstance I've been to another timeline." Magnes walks over to her, and sits back on the bed, watching her. He can almost see how she searches for hope, and he can't squash that. "Let's say that there's a timeline where you're a big socialite, and we met by chance in the lobby of some fancy apartment. Let's say that there's a timeline where you weren't the most nice person, but I really thought you were cool."
He turns around and sighs, hunching over slightly. "Let's also say that there's a timeline where I specifically went to save you from a crazy megalomaniac, but I ended up here in this timeline instead."
He laughs, shaking his head. "I'd say that if I'd go through so much trouble to try and save you there, I'm not going to stop just because you dye your hair now and became pessimistic."
She tips her head and watches him, her utter lack of a poker face betraying most of her emotions. Confusion, fear, hope… the expressions pass over her face like the shadows of clouds on an otherwise sunny day.
Finally, she laughs when he does, a little nervously, reaching up to touch her hair. "Am I a terrible person because I dye my hair blue?" she asks. "I'm a terrible person for other reasons. The hair is the least of it."
She reaches to touch his shoulder, lightly. "Did you try to save me? Like, for real? You're… you're here because of me? I mean… the other me, I guess. I can't imagine anyone trying to save me. In any timeline." Her eyes are glassy with tears. "Shit. Maybe you are just a crazy person."
"We were supposed to be there to save the world. I was over it, I was tired of that life, tired of constantly saving the world, tired of putting my life in danger. More bullet wounds, stab wounds, getting attacked by goddamned robots. I once got my arm bitten off, but as you can see I got better." Magnes reaches for his short sleeve and pulls it up, showing off the clear scar of, well, having lost his entire goddamned arm.
"At first I thought you chose to be there, and then, when I realized how fucked up that organization was, I started to think otherwise. Of course, then I got there, and you were carrying the megalomaniac's baby, so…" He shrugs, and he has to laugh again, at just the absurdity of it. "I don't honestly really know the full story, I don't know if you were a victim, I don't know if you chose it. I turned into a black hole and ended up here, so I never really got answers."
"Blue hair you is nicer, it's just hard to imagine the Peyton I knew doing it." he notes with a bit of a smile. "I tried to date you so many times. I never thought to just be your friend. I had a lot to learn."
But, going back to one of her original questions, he reaches on the floor for a Rubix cube, sitting it on the bed in between them. "But to answer why you can be in multiple places at the same time, well, let's say that we exist in the third dimension, which is this cube. Time is the fourth dimension, which you can imagine as more cubes, cubes getting older going forward, and newer as you go backward, until it no longer exists."
"Now, imagine the fifth dimension, which isn't time, but possibility. There are different degrees of possibility, based on what I've been reading. The closest to time is something I can only think to describe as 'near possibility'. Think of the closest version of you after a large disaster, or the aversion of a large disaster." He reaches for two blocks, likely something he got from Elaine. Then puts a red block to the right of the cube, and a blue block to the left of it.
"Think of all three of these blocks as the same block, but different possibilities led to different outcomes. In some bizarre way, at least this is what I personally think based on how I'm interpreting the reading… all of these 'near possibilities' exist in fifth dimensional space. A dimension that we can't perceive, it's beyond our comprehension."
Motioning to her hair, he continues. "Your hair might be a different color here, but you're still Peyton, all Peytons are real, you're all connected in some way. You branched off from each other, but I believe if there was, say, an alien who could perceive fifth dimensional space, he'd see some sort of quantum connection between all Peytons, an entanglement. Human life is… far more complicated than DNA, that's what I believe now."
"I was carrying the megalomaniac's baby?" Peyton echoes, but quiets as he begins to explain again, watching the blocks with concentration as if they might do tricks or like she might be tested on the material. At the end she shakes her head. "I don't get it but I do, at the same time, I think," she says, quietly. "I mean, I don't get the explanations, but I get the gist. There's another New York with another me, possibly pregnant, where you came from. And you were trying to save me."
She turns to look at him, reaching to touch his hand. "I was mean to you? And I'm nicer than the other Peyton? Jesus, she must be a bitch." She curls her fingers around his hand. "If we're all connected, do my apologies count for anything? Since she can't apologize to you?" she asks, a small, almost shy smile tipping her mouth upward.
"I mean I guess your apologies are quantumly entangled with her's. But it's okay, I don't think I ever knew you that well, which is my fault. Where ever we go after here… I'll make sure we hang out and have an awesome time." Magnes smiles, then stares down at her hand and considers. "I had a whole plan to try to sleep with you here. You have no idea how badly I wanted to sleep with you. But, well, I guess we all have to grow up some time, you know? If you call getting involved with my alternate universe ex growing up."
Peyton raises a brow, tipping her head to look him in the eye when he looks down. "Elaine? Or Isabelle? I'm pretty sure Izzy wouldn't mind if you did," she says, her tone playful. "Cardinal wouldn't care either. We're not married or anything. But,"
She lets go of his hand, before bringing it up to his cheek, her fingers curling at his temple and then running along his ear, "I wouldn't want to make you feel uncomfortable." She leans forward to press a kiss against his other cheek. Mostly chastely.
"You are a genuinely nice guy, Magnes. I hope you find your way home. I mean, I kind of hope you find all of our ways to your home, if it's a nicer place than this. It kinda has to be, right? Even if I'm some insane asshole's knocked up girlfriend." She tips her head again. "Can there be more than one of us in the same dimension or is that a para… paragon?" That's not the right word, and she knows it.
"Elaine. And you know, the Elaine from my world probably wouldn't have minded, but this Elaine that, well, I just kinda sorta got pregnant and engaged to all at once probably would." Magnes laughs, apparently taking all of that in stride. He smiles at the kiss to his cheek, leaving it at that, and then shakes his head.
"I doubt it'd be a paradox. We've had so many people time travel it's insane. I met my daughter from the future, I fought a copy of myself who I'm not sure is a compulsive liar copy of me or me from another dimension. We never really solved that." There's a shrug, and he starts to fidget with the Rubix cube out of the blue. "I'm sure it'll be fine. I once time travelled to the past and accidentally started a fire, and everything turned out great."
"Did you know there's an algorithm to Rubix cubes?" he asks, starting to very meticulously fiddle with the thing. "There's a specific algorithmic pattern that you can follow to solve one of these things. I learned it when I was a kid. My asshole dad was trying to teach me to be better at problem solving, that there's a solution, no matter how convoluted, complex, or crude, to every problem."
He holds up the fully finished Rubix cube. "And that, my friend, is how you deal with the frustration of turning down a girl you've always wanted to sleep with."
Peyton drops the hand on his face, though she doesn't pull back the one on his hand. "I think, yeah, if you're engaged and pregnant, that's probably the right call. It's too bad. I've never had a nice guy before. It would've been a trip," she says with a smirk, glancing down at the cube as he works his magic on it. "Time travel… I've heard it's real, but I don't know anyone who can do it. I didn't really know anyone who was special, you know, or at least didn't know I did, until after we were all in here and couldn't be. Except, you know, people like Lynette and Ruiz and Cardinal." Those few and others who use their abilities. She doesn't speak of her own.
She reaches for the Rubik's cube, turning it in her hands to examine it. "Impressive. Will it make you feel better if I lie to you and say I'm a terrible lay?" She grins at him. "Anyway. I think…if you'll have me, I'd like to be your friend. I don't have that many here."
"I'd be halfway done by the time your clothes were off. I'm a guy with simple needs." Magnes does nod, though, and offers his hand. "There's more Magneses out there, though I guess my niceness is kind of a crapshoot. I hear there's a world where me and Sylar are cop partners. Y'know, the guy Kazimir is inside of. But anyway…"
He places his hand onto her's. "We'll be friends. You seem lonely here, you can hang out with me and Elaine, be wholesome, it'll be fun."
"Quite the selling point," Peyton quips back, regarding his 'simple needs.' She shakes her head again. "Wholesome. That might be asking a little bit too much from me. I think I was last wholesome in like eighth grade."
She squeezes his hand, and stands up. "Congratulations. I think you'll be a good dad," she says. "Let me know if you need any help with solving the puzzle. I don't know what I can do, but," she shrugs, "I want to get out of here, and you're the only person that's made that seem remotely possible. So that's something." She moves toward the door, before turning to toss the cube back to him.
Magnes reaches up, as if to try to catch the cube in a very cool, nonchalant way, and then it bounces directly off his forehead.