neverjoinyou | lastvoyages IC Inbox

Sure. But in terms of, I don't know, your own will to survive, I would think it was more about your own continuity.

IT'S MORE LITERAL THAN YOU THINK!

WE ALL CAN ALWAYS SEE EACH OTHER, AND MOST OF US SHARE MEMORIES! ANY OF THEM WOULD DO THE SAME THING FOR THIS VERSION OF ME, BECAUSE WE'RE THE SAME!

[Having briefly been another version of himself, Luke is sure he would not enjoy this. At all.]

Oh. I guess that makes a kind of sense. So what does that... mean?

IT MEANS I'M GOING TO BRING BACK THIS OTHER BILL, AND ONE OF ME WILL BE ALIVE!

I really hope you don't think I'm that stupid. You know I mean how.

WELL, YOU KNOW HOW I DIED. THEY ERASED STAN'S MIND! SO I'M JUST GOING TO MAKE HIM REMEMBER!

Okay. So his memory of you... keeps you alive.

Then what?

OH, THAT'S IT! THAT SHOULD BE ENOUGH TO LET THE OTHER ME POP BACK UP AGAIN IN HIS OWN TIMELINE!

And that's it? You just... go on existing, and everyone's fine?

YEAH!

Can I ask why whoever it was erased Stan's mind?

[Ignoring, for now, the absurdity that doing so erases people.]

BECAUSE I WAS IN IT.

LOOK, THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN MY FILE. I WENT INTO HIS MIND BECAUSE I THOUGHT IT WAS STANFORD'S. I NEEDED SOMETHING. THE REAL FORD ERASED HIS BROTHER JUST TO CATCH ME IN THE BLAST AND IT WORKED.

[Maybe now is not the time for Luke to admit that he doesn't really understand a lot of what's in Bill's file. But he does remember some of it.]

That's not what I read, though. We're not talking about borrowing a spoon or something. Look, I'm not backing Ford's actions but I keep hoping you think better of me than to think I don't remember you were trying to take over the world.

WELL, WHAT DID YOU READ?

LOOK, I JUST WANT TO BE ALIVE! EVERYTHING WANTS TO BE ALIVE, EVEN SINGLE-CELLED ORGANISMS THAT DON'T KNOW HOW TO WANT STUFF. I'M DOING IT.

That you had trapped the Pines family so you could... well, I don't know exactly what you wanted to do, but it involved a lot of people getting hurt. I'm willing to hear your side of that story, but I'm not willing to be party to you hurting people to get your way.

Even if I do agree that you have a right to be alive and want to be alive. It can't be at the expense of others.

FORD HAD SOMETHING I NEEDED IN HIS HEAD, I JUST TOOK THE KIDS TO MOTIVATE HIM.

... EVERYTHING COMES AT THE EXPENSE OF SOMEONE ELSE! THAT'S LIFE. YOU'RE NOT GOING TO TALK ME OUT OF THIS!

That's something we're going to have to talk about, at some point. Sure. I eat food--obviously that costs... something. To something. But what I mean is, your existence isn't more worthy than theirs. Your freedom isn't, either.

WORTHY AND UNWORTHY DON'T MEAN ANYTHING! I FIGHT FOR ME, THEY FIGHT FOR THEM, AND WE SEE WHO WINS! THAT'S IT!

But why?

I don't mean why should you fight for you--that's fair. I mean why does your winning mean there has to be a loser?

THAT'S JUST THE WAY LIFE IS!

No, actually, it isn't.

I get that you're older than me, and smarter. That doesn't mean you've got everything right.

NO, BUT IT DOES MEAN I GOT THIS ONE RIGHT!

EVEN WHEN YOU ACT IN GOOD FAITH - WHICH I DON'T DO - ACTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES THERE'S NO WAY TO EVER FORESEE! SOMEONE ALWAYS LOSES, INDIRECTLY AND WAY DOWN THE LINE!

Fine. I'm not saying bad things never happen--but I am saying that entering into actions when you know the consequences hurt others is not okay.

WHY?

[This isn't a naive question, unsurprisingly: he's just wondering why he has to give a shit about that.]

It's part of being alive--being part of a community. I know you haven't really had that. But there's a... I think if everyone acted only out of their own interest, it wouldn't be long before there wasn't anything left to enjoy. I know we've talked about this before, but it's true.

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