CHAPTER ONE

[perturbator]

[The video comes in rather unfocused at first, until some noisy fiddling brings a pair of 80s style Air Jordans into view.]

There's probably other things I should be asking first, but I only have two questions right now. One: How's the weather in California this time of year?

[If this place really is different, the forecast won't be nuclear fallout. People will be there again. America might be whole again.

Quickly, the camera shifts to a small coffee table with several different newspapers strewn all over it, but with a DVD copy of Terminator 2 on top.]

Two: How the fuck do you rewind this thing?

Comments

video

[huntergames]

I've never been to California, but I hear it doesn't get that cold. Maybe in the winter months?

[video]

[perturbator]

[The poster is still off camera, distracted by whatever the hell he's doing.]

Yeah? [He didn't expect kids to show up on here. Isn't much used to kids at all, really, not in the shitholes he's used to.] Got a friend from out there, told me San Francisco could get pretty windy. Just wondered if it's the same here.

[huntergames]

[ She's peering around her screen, as if by doing that she'll be able to see his face. ]

I think I've heard about it having cool winds... and fog. [ She rolls her shoulders. ] It must be the same. I don't know if cities change that much between [ slight pause ] universes? Those cities, anyway.

[perturbator]

[People don't usually see his face, and for good reason. But these aren't security cameras, are they? As if he just notices her curiosity, he turns the camera around to face him, though only the varsity jacket he's wearing and some of his chin can be seen. He's not great at operating this thing yet.

You'd be surprised. He doesn't say that, though.]

You're not from around here, then?

[Or there. Or whatever all that shit meant back at the base. Maybe he's hallucinating again.]

[huntergames]

Eh?

[ The questions throws her off a moment. ]

None of us are. The people with these devices.

[textualhealing]

[Something resembling a genuine laugh. This is proof that there needs to be an 'ImPort's React To...' show on whatever youtube version there is.]

Rewind. I like that.

It's a DVD. You just... put it in and play. No rewind necessary. [But my God does he remember the days of having to rewind rentals.]

[perturbator]

[Don't be jealous that he's from 1989 Jeff ok]

No rewind?

[His voice, despite his situation, has stayed fairly blase, but he almost sounds appalled now.]

How do you go back, then?

[textualhealing]

[He is so jealous. Great times, man.]

Just skip back. I mean you can still technically rewind but now you got chapters and crap for ease, or just skip frames.

[perturbator]

Individual frames? No shit.

[He may have found this DVD player in a dumpster. It may not have a remote. He'll get there.]

[textualhealing]

Yup. Motherfucking wizardry. And pause actually pauses crap now, rather than sends the whole screen into some crazy jive. And wait until you see blu ray on a hi-def TV.

Video

[timeshares]

[This is the straightest of faces.]

It's like the cassettes, man. Put your finger in the hole and spin in backwards for a bit. Then it's good to go.

video

[perturbator]

That joke was hilarious when CDs came out.

[A thing he remembers. The silent "asshole" on the end of his sentence hangs there pointedly.]

[timeshares]

[The grin from the jackass on the other side is not at all shame faced.]

Hey, if you've got those, I'm just going at assume you're trolling for the best replies. Someone has to call the classics.

[perturbator]

They only play music where I come from.

[You've found the most humorous guy in the room. Totally.]

I'm so sorry.

[timeshares]

These do too. We call em soundtracks.

[animalage]

Why would you need to rewind it?

[Kids from the 2000s just don't understand.]

[perturbator]

You ever watch a movie at home?

[Man from 80s understands even less.]

voice;

[slightlyoffchilt]

Interesting priorities.

[video]

[perturbator]

[You're resting on top of a pizza box now, Chilton. Enjoy the view of a half eaten pepperoni with extra cheese.]

Scouting geography, taking in culture.

[No really he's just super hype that the sequel actually happened.]

[slightlyoffchilt]

You must be a nice parallel to the film. An individual from the past flung into the future watching an individual from the future sent into the past.

Either way, we conclude where we begin: questioning our very agency.

[perturbator]

Fuck, don't spoil it, I didn't watch it yet.

[That much is on the back of the box and kind of obvious from the first movie, but. This guy's asking too many questions without saying them.

You will never see the full picture, and it's all your own fault. The man in the mask said that. Did he mean this, or what happened at home? The visions hadn't returned yet, either. Was he alone here, truly? For once?]

Not much to question. I don't think anyone chose to come here, from what they told me.

permavoice;

[worstever]

You can check the weather yourself now, actually.

[Well, if he doesn't know how to rewind a DVD, he probably doesn't know about weather apps...]

How far back are you from?

[There's no way he could date those sweet kicks. For Wash, the 80s are like the stone age.]

[permavoice]

[perturbator]

Why would they have the weather for Cali around here?

[He can't even afford cable, cut him some slack.]

Twenty five years ago, according to this place.

[worstever]

Guess you have a lot to catch up on.

If it makes you feel any better, some of us are from five hundred years in the future.

[perturbator]

[He picks up the DVD case again, armed with his new knowledge, and pops it open.]

Well this is where I plan on starting.

[People last that long into the future, though?]

Guess the robot apocalypse didn't happen.