a finer world, part 3 ( video )

[solarcharged]

[ Today he’s addressing the network from the cloud mottled skies above Nonah once again. It's a sunny day and the big guy is catching some rays, as he is wont to do, from beyond the clouds. ]

For those who don't know me, hi. My name's Apollo.

[ He raises a hand in a brief hello, sunlight haloed around him as he holds the camera aloft with the other. Apollo stares thoughtfully past it, squinting out at the sky beyond. ]

With all the incursions from other universes that have been happening lately I thought it about time to share what I know about things spilling out into different universes. I'm not sure how helpful all this will be, but if it inspires anyone else to talk about their experiences of interdimensional rifts, or if some quantum something-or-other scientist out there can use this info, then... I guess this will be worth it.

[ 'Quantum something-or-other scientist'. Because Apollo clearly isn't scientifically minded. Like, at all. ]

So given where we are, I guess we're all familiar with alternate universes, right? In my world we called the space between dimensions the Bleed. It's the barrier around this universe and every other universe that we've all come from. The artery wall between parallel dimensions. And yes, it's red, so I guess that's why they called it that. No points for creativity there.

Sometimes rifts can be made in the Bleed - doors, holes, fractures, whatever you want to call it. People, monsters, entire armies can travel through these rifts. Once, an alternate England sent an invading fleet of airships through a shiftdoor to attack our Earth. Another time, the Atlantic ocean from Alternate 995 came through a fracture, right into Johannesberg. [ Apollo's usually sunny expression darkens at the memory. ] You can imagine what that was like.

But none of these rifts were ever natural or accidental, all of them were due to something or someone opening up Doors in the Bleed itself. Normally by madmen, or bastards, or sometimes by mad bastards. Creating these rifts involved either advanced interdimensional shiftship technology or vast amounts of post-human power - I'm talking reality warping on a quantum level. Our shiftship was powered by a caged baby universe - that's the kind of power you need to travel through the Bleed.

[ And if anyone expects him to explain that last bit then good fucking luck, because Apollo doesn't understand it himself. ]

I'm not saying this is what's happening here, but this is my experience of 'crazy shit falling out of other dimensions'. As someone who's been through a hell of a lot of alternate universes, I know that there will be more variations on this theme than you can shake a very long stick at. So if anyone else has got any other insights on monsters-falling-through-rifts-in-time-and-space, then here's your chance to speak up. Maybe we can all compare notes or something.

Comments

Voice

[helpdesk_hero]

Interesting that you mention reality warping powers as related. Because I know a reality warper, and even he has a bit of problems moving between dimensions. That being said, the young woman who helped me and my team have a nice jaunt through our part of the multiverse, it was just something she could do. She drew on, I don't know, cosmic energy or something, and could punch star shaped holes, even in the air, through to the next reality. She could also use it to travel within a dimension itself in the same method.

This place definitely isn't using her as a power source. But tech doesn't seem to tear through the walls between worlds as much where I'm from.

Voice

[solarcharged]

Yeah. Maybe it's not applicable to all reality warpers, but it's definitely a thing some of them can do. [ And then, with the weariness that can only come from being a Single Dad (tm) to an eight-year-old reality-warping daughter with a lot of strong opinions on EVERYTHING: ] Control optional.

Maybe that tech exists in your world but it hasn't been discovered yet. I'm pretty sure all of the Bleed technology in my world was alien.

[helpdesk_hero]

I really hope the tech never exists in my world, because I guarantee it would be abused. Because that's just how people are.

[solarcharged]

Oh, it gets abused. No matter the universe.

[ Because that's just how things - and, yes, people - are sometimes. ]

The whole of Florida was destroyed because of it, back home. You have no idea how weird Heropa feels to me.

[helpdesk_hero]

Florida was what? That's insane!

[And he's definitely horrified. So many people would have died.]

video

[girlybruiser]

[ Oh gosh, he's flying isn't he? But as amazing as that is, Haru tries to not get distracted and focuses on the disconcerting topic at hand. ]

Some suspect the OTO, but there's been no news about them for a while it seems outside the raid Aegis conducted.

[solarcharged]

Yeah. Suspicious, isn't it? Considering the uptick in non-Porter related visitors we've had recently. That last monster was hideous.

[girlybruiser]

I'm not sure I like this quiet...

[ From them, at least. ]

If something was wrong with the Porter itself, with it porting in these other things, the government would have said something by now, yes?

[solarcharged]

[ Apollo glowers. ]

I wouldn't trust any government to tell us a God damn thing.

[ He pauses, relenting enough to admit: ]

But I personally don't think these infractions are Porter related. So chances are they're just clueless rather than wilfully hiding anything.

voice

[queenofseers]

You know, I'd tell you that this information would have been useful months ago, but who knows if it actually would have been.

[ Cassandra seriously doesn't know anymore, which says a lot. That said, this is more than enough to get the gears in her mind turning. ]

Thing is, are there any signs that..."the Bleed" exists here? Or that we can access it like you could?

voice

[solarcharged]

Hey, Cassandra. [ He sounds, uh, a little sheepish: ] The thought did cross my mind earlier. But it's not like I've got actual answers, so... probably not, no.

[ Apollo suppresses a sigh. ]

That's a good question. Find me a baby universe and maybe we'll find out.

voice

[queenofseers]

Ah, yes, I'll just go ahead and do that. Slot it in next to curing cancer and finding the meaning of life.

[ That's her attempt at a joke. She's changed enough in recent months that her tone is actually somewhat fitting of it being one, though. ]

But seriously, if the Bleed doesn't exist here, then we have to consider how deep this whole "alternate universe" thing goes.

voice

[solarcharged]

[ There's a pause as, on his end of the audio feed, Apollo thoughtfully scrapes a hand through his hair and considers her words. ]

Chances are it probably does exist here. I know it's antithetical to say there must be on constant between alternate universes, but it makes more sense for it to exist than not to exist. It's the universes themselves that are different, not the stuff around them. Maybe it's called different things, maybe it reacts in different ways, but there has to be something holding the world together and stopping it from overlapping with everything else in the universe...

[ A little defeated: ]

I'm just not sure how to prove it.

video;

[crassidy]

[Have a heavily squinting vampire.]

Hooooly shite, a bit of sunlight content warnin' would be nice next time!

[He's kidding. Mostly.]

[solarcharged]

[ ALARMED: ]

What? Does it -?

[ HURT YOU??? ]

[crassidy]

Yeah! I'm on feckin' fire now!

[He is... very obviously not.]

[solarcharged]

Christ, Cassidy! You shouldn't joke about that.

voice;

[a_good]

[That man certainly appears to be flying. Well then.]

You said someone or something?

[solarcharged]

Sure. Sometimes those someones weren't exactly human.

[a_good]

What were they?

[solarcharged]

Well, our shiftship for one. The Carrier was our sentient ship and she could travel through the Bleed at will. There were aliens too - I think Earth culture was considered to have discovered the Bleed too early or something. Not all of them tolerated our meddling.

video;

[bifroster]

[Jane has totally been taking notes as he had been talking.]

This is not the first time that I have heard someone achieving quantum mechanics and doing something like what you've described. But I haven't heard of dimensions acting like this before. The fabric of space-time would have to be fraying, as opposed to doors opening and closing. But I am from a different universe, so I suppose the rules don't always apply.

[solarcharged]

Honestly? 'The rules don't always apply' seems to be the only rule that ever does apply when it comes to transdimensional travel.

But you're right. I feel like either we're looking at a fraying situation or someone is experimenting really, really haphazardly. There's no rhyme or reason to it.

[bifroster]

It's really an awful rule. We need to get rid of it.

Have you seen the documents referring to how someone else from another universe is using this one to protect their own people?

[She shuffles some papers around, looking for the copies she printed out.]

[solarcharged]

[ Apollo winces; he's seen an awful lot of documents collated by different imPorts over the years but only half of them ever made sense. ]

Probably. Maybe. Do you mean Lachesis? Or is there some other transdimensional Someone we should all know about...