Rhys had experienced a lot of weird additions to his cybernetics over the last few weeks. To be completely fair, at least this wasn't a fully-realized AI of his childhood hero. It was just a text popping up in his ECHO eye, which surely could have been a glitch from his own tinkering. He'd added a few mods since installing new hardware, trying to get some ideas for, you know, actual tech he could develop for this once-dead company he's now running.
But a text from himself? And one he doesn't remember writing? That's enough to give him a nervous feeling.
How does he even respond? Does he just... talk? Sure, he can do that. It's one of the few things he's good at.]
Uh... hello? I mean, uh, yeah, it's no Helios, but I think I'm doing a good job fixing up Atlas to her former glory.
[Making a few good deals, hopefully hiring some people and paying them a living wage, starting to fix up Pandora in the process...]
[ Okay. Wow. Does he always act like such a noob? (Rhys ignores the answer.) ]
Atlas? Ew. Okay. Hang on, I'm gonna take this one from the top.
[ There's a pause. It's not too long before Rhys's voice is in his own ear. ]
--ing a tunnel, I get it, I get it. Yeah. Me? Can you hear me now? [ He laughs. ] Of all the times to get shitty reception, huh? What are you doing messing around with Atlas?
[Hey, if they're the same person, you're as much a noob as him! It's... just that this other Rhys (which he knows it's him, because it's his voice) seems like he's still stuck thinking like a company man.]
So you're... actually contacting me? This isn't some really weird prank I'm playing on myself? Or- is it Vaughn? Dude, come on, don't you have a colony to run?
[He sounds a bit indignant when he continues.] Besides, Atlas is cool! It went under, sure, but it's not as shady as Hyperion, you know? And if I've got the deed... didn't you see Jack had the deed?
Geez, am I always such an ass when I meet people? Here I was just complimenting your good looks.
[ No, he doesn't know what colony Rhys is talking about, but that's hardly a pressing issue. ]
It's cool if you're into that retro stuff. Not really, y'know, practical. [ He sounds doubtful, trailing off. There's something on the tip of his tongue already, a suspicion, but Jack doesn't seem concerned and that's enough for him. ]
So why're you offering business deals left and right? [ Regardless of the name of the company. ] Don't you have a flunky to do that for you?
Or a... flunky's flunky. A bunch of flunkies all reporting to each other in a pyramid. You know, like bowling? A corporate org chart.
Yeah, I wasn't intending to be one, but considering that we've been marinated in Hyperion's corporate culture for years now... it's probably natural that we're always gonna come off ass-ish? Ass-adjacent? Eh.
[It's a little more practical than trying to kiss ass for Hyperion again, but Rhys will keep that to himself. It seems like this... him... hasn't seen everything that's coming. Should he try to warn him? Would it even work, with Jack listening in? Ugh, just thinking about his 'old buddy' listening in gives him the heebie-jeebies.]
Well, usually I'd have one, but we're kind of indie right now. As in, I kind of need some patents and some money before I can afford to hire a flunky. And then some extra cash for... ooh, bowling is probably a good company holiday party shindig, right?
Oh... that's... [ It seems like Rhys is trying to choose his words carefully, but that ends fast. ] That's really sad. Are you okay? Should I be offering you money or something?
[ Rhys doesn't sound offended at the insult to Hyperion. He hears much worse. ]
I can--here. Hold on.
[ A pause. ]
BANK ACCOUNT: +$6969
Great! So, you buy something nice, upgrade that arm when you can, let me know how Bowling Night goes.
Dude, no it's... okay, haha, very funny, but I really didn't need the donation. I'm not a psycho bandit yet, you know.
[He smirks a bit, though. He kinda forgot how nice it felt to have money to burn, and it's taking all his effort not to go splurge on some ridiculously fancy vest, or some edible gold froyo. Nah, he's gotta save this for stuff that'll matter.]
Hey, my arm isn't that bad! I'm sure I can manage a few strikes with this bad boy. Maybe I'll challenge you to a game.
...Unless us meeting would somehow cause a time break? I think there was a training video on that, but I was kinda playing Solitaire through it.
[ So apparently this Atlas!Rhys has something in common with him. He pauses, listening, before responding. ]
Nah, if that was gonna happen, I already screwed up the time stream by talking to you. It's entirely safe.
[ Probably. Eh. ]
Though, gotta be honest? I've got more on my plate than you do. Hard to find the free time. Budgeting, meetings, interviewing secretaries...[ He laughs. ] Nope, okay, just canceled all that. Vacay day!
[If they had anything in common, neither of them had paid much attention to the possibly very important training seminar. He wishes he'd actually focused a little more now that he's dealing with this whole situation.]
Yeah? Are you still working for Hyperion? Did you, uh, get a promotion?
[Is this some alternate version of him that wasn't completely screwed over by Vasquez? Seems hard to believe, but he's... happy for him? Honestly, he's not sure now if that promotion would be better than going on that big adventure, finding acquaintances and maybe a little more purpose.]
Youuuu could say that. I'm not Executive Janitor if that's what you mean.
[ Rhys sounds relaxed, smug even. He's probably leaning back on something with his shoes on a desk. ]
Lemme just say it pays off to have friends in high places. So no, I'm not working "for" Hyperion. But hey, sounds like you and I have different priorities. I wanted to run my own business... You wanted to run your own, much crappier business...
[Wait a second... okay, hang on just a second. Rhys is picking up on what the other him is putting down, and he has a very bad feeling about what it implies.]
Wait... hang on here. Are... are you still working with Jack?
[He hisses out the words like he's afraid he's being wiretapped. And in some ways, he sort of is.]
I don't want to tell you how to live your life, dude, but you've got to get out of there or you're not gonna have a life right away! Don't you know what he's planning?
[ Rhys laughs, but for once, there's a nervous strain. ]
Well, he's not planning to drop me off on some backwater crap-planet to cobble together my own business.
We both know how he comes off at first, but it's gotten better since then! Way better. Have you seen the cool stuff in his office? My office. Our office.
Not just the arm! Have you seen the whole body attached to the arm?! Or is that something he's waiting to spring on you after a couple dozen free pizzas?
[He groans through his teeth and runs a hand through his hair.]
What, do you think he didn't like me? It was the same with him! He thought I'd love the idea of being a meat puppet for the rest of my undead existence!
...I'm just trying to warn you. Something seriously messes him up when he's in the system. Or maybe he's just always that murderous, I don't know. But you've gotta stop him.
[ Okay, that one hits deeper. Rhys hasn't seen a body--the arm's only resting on the desk--which at least makes the other him's warning easier to ignore. ]
I'm not just in it for the pizzas...
Jack is - I mean - you've met him, right? Working with him would have been the chance of a lifetime even before he bit the big one and without him announcing to everyone I've ever known how I'm the freakin' President of the company.
He trusts me. And that's mutual.
[ He hears something and relaxes, the grin audible through their connection. ]
Plus, he keeps giving me cute robot children-pets. That's not something you do to a future mindslave.
[Pizza is great, sure, but even he knows there was far more temptation involved in being Hyperion's CEO, more than just free meals. He feels sympathetic for this other him, really. It's hard not to get suckered in when Jack gives you what you thought you've always wanted.]
I get it's a huge step. Of course I do. I was the same as you, okay? Desperate for any chance to move up the ladder, because that's the only thing I knew how to strive for.
...So I wouldn't warn you about this just to get you out of there. I'm warning you because something... something happens to him in the Helios system. I don't really know what, but he changes, and fast.
We trusted each other too. And then next thing I know, he had a buzzsaw pointed at my gut.
[And as much as both of them are assholes, not even Rhys' brand of asshole deserves that.]
You can't seriously still trust him over yourself! I know we're a little different, but we've got to be from similar situations? Like, I'm pretty sure I'm just further down the timeline than you? If that's how this is working.
B-But even if it's not!
[He groans and rubs a hand over his face, listening to his own bullshit excuses. Most of them are ones he would have made for Jack too, to be fair.]
He didn't need to explain himself. He already told me his plan. He thought I'd be excited about it... making an army of robot Jacks, with him in my body at the helm of it.
I... dunno. You seem a little more emotional than I am. [ See, he's not even offering insults about this other Rhys's weird grudge and bad temper and poor corporate structure. ]
Look. Let's say you're me from the future. Wouldn't I remember talking to myself like this?
And if you decided to fund a Hyperion competitor, then either you ran away with corporate intel and a bunch of cash--which you don't have. Or you failed and Hyperion would have killed you--which they didn't.
So clearly this isn't a timestream thing. You're like, an alternate universe version of myself who makes bad decisions. Which means that if I do what you tell me to, I'd be stupid too.
[Okay, okay, yeah, he is emotional. It is for a good reason, but this is not going to help his point. He takes a deep breath, struggling to keep his voice even.]
Listen, I don't know about remembering that, but granted, we don't know a lot about time travel. This could be another grandfather paradox thing, right?
And the reason I'm not working for Hyperion anymore is that after Jack attacked me, the entire station kinda crash landed on Pandora. Yeah, that's coming too. It's... a lot to process.
[Rhys is still struggling with whether or not he made the right choice.]
I may not have made the best decisions, but I also know that one of those bad decisions was trusting Jack as long as I did. You're making that same mistake right now, buddy. And I don't want you getting your dick sawed off, okay? We both know that'd be a tragedy.
You're on Pandora. Right? I'm grabbing your coordinates. [ He's oddly curt. ] I'd rather see you face-to-face. Find out if you can live up to these threats.
I'm the President of Hyperion. No matter who you are, people don't get to say shit like that to me without consequences anymore.
Wait, threats? What are you even talking about? I mean, I was the president of Hyperion too-!
[But he's gone, and Rhys can't seem to get through the connection. The trouble of communicating through time, he supposes. Though shouldn't that mean this Rhys wouldn't be able to find him?
[ Rhys doesn't respond. Not audibly. Not on purpose. Although, thanks to Hyperion tech, it's not long before he gets to the other Rhy's location. ]
[ Sort of. Give or take. It's a big planet, okay? ]
[ What the other Rhys overhears is probably something like this: ]
CRASH!
[ Muffled muttering.]
Thunk. Skitter. Silence.
--'s hiding. Obviously. If he's got any survival instinct at all. [ A pause. ] No, I'm not gonna--"There can only be one." [ A laugh. ] No, seriously, I've got a weak stomach. But it's like you said... [ His voice trails off. ]
[...Well, shit. Rhys overhears the noises, and some of the muttering, from his office doorway. There's a stun baton right by the door that he snatches up, not that he really has interest in using it against himself, while he leans out the door to try to overhear more.]
...Jesus, is he seriously...?
[Sounds like the Jack in his head might be encouraging a death match, but Rhys is determined for it not to reach that point. He pockets his baton and comes out of the room unarmed.]
Hey there, buddy. Did you happen to sign in at the reception desk? I'm gonna need to see a visitor pass.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ninetydegrees
yada yada yada somethin about speaking through time, we'll figure this shit out.
Rhys had experienced a lot of weird additions to his cybernetics over the last few weeks. To be completely fair, at least this wasn't a fully-realized AI of his childhood hero. It was just a text popping up in his ECHO eye, which surely could have been a glitch from his own tinkering. He'd added a few mods since installing new hardware, trying to get some ideas for, you know, actual tech he could develop for this once-dead company he's now running.
But a text from himself? And one he doesn't remember writing? That's enough to give him a nervous feeling.
How does he even respond? Does he just... talk? Sure, he can do that. It's one of the few things he's good at.]
Uh... hello? I mean, uh, yeah, it's no Helios, but I think I'm doing a good job fixing up Atlas to her former glory.
[Making a few good deals, hopefully hiring some people and paying them a living wage, starting to fix up Pandora in the process...]
You looking to make a business deal or what?
Love your IP address tho.
Atlas? Ew. Okay. Hang on, I'm gonna take this one from the top.
[ There's a pause. It's not too long before Rhys's voice is in his own ear. ]
--ing a tunnel, I get it, I get it. Yeah. Me? Can you hear me now? [ He laughs. ] Of all the times to get shitty reception, huh? What are you doing messing around with Atlas?
LMAO i'm not seeing it, what is it?
So you're... actually contacting me? This isn't some really weird prank I'm playing on myself? Or- is it Vaughn? Dude, come on, don't you have a colony to run?
[He sounds a bit indignant when he continues.] Besides, Atlas is cool! It went under, sure, but it's not as shady as Hyperion, you know? And if I've got the deed... didn't you see Jack had the deed?
starts w 69.....
[ No, he doesn't know what colony Rhys is talking about, but that's hardly a pressing issue. ]
It's cool if you're into that retro stuff. Not really, y'know, practical. [ He sounds doubtful, trailing off. There's something on the tip of his tongue already, a suspicion, but Jack doesn't seem concerned and that's enough for him. ]
So why're you offering business deals left and right? [ Regardless of the name of the company. ] Don't you have a flunky to do that for you?
Or a... flunky's flunky. A bunch of flunkies all reporting to each other in a pyramid. You know, like bowling? A corporate org chart.
waggles eyebrows
[It's a little more practical than trying to kiss ass for Hyperion again, but Rhys will keep that to himself. It seems like this... him... hasn't seen everything that's coming. Should he try to warn him? Would it even work, with Jack listening in? Ugh, just thinking about his 'old buddy' listening in gives him the heebie-jeebies.]
Well, usually I'd have one, but we're kind of indie right now. As in, I kind of need some patents and some money before I can afford to hire a flunky. And then some extra cash for... ooh, bowling is probably a good company holiday party shindig, right?
no subject
[ Rhys doesn't sound offended at the insult to Hyperion. He hears much worse. ]
I can--here. Hold on.
[ A pause. ]
BANK ACCOUNT: +$6969
Great! So, you buy something nice, upgrade that arm when you can, let me know how Bowling Night goes.
no subject
[He smirks a bit, though. He kinda forgot how nice it felt to have money to burn, and it's taking all his effort not to go splurge on some ridiculously fancy vest, or some edible gold froyo. Nah, he's gotta save this for stuff that'll matter.]
Hey, my arm isn't that bad! I'm sure I can manage a few strikes with this bad boy. Maybe I'll challenge you to a game.
...Unless us meeting would somehow cause a time break? I think there was a training video on that, but I was kinda playing Solitaire through it.
no subject
[ So apparently this Atlas!Rhys has something in common with him. He pauses, listening, before responding. ]
Nah, if that was gonna happen, I already screwed up the time stream by talking to you. It's entirely safe.
[ Probably. Eh. ]
Though, gotta be honest? I've got more on my plate than you do. Hard to find the free time. Budgeting, meetings, interviewing secretaries...[ He laughs. ] Nope, okay, just canceled all that. Vacay day!
no subject
[If they had anything in common, neither of them had paid much attention to the possibly very important training seminar. He wishes he'd actually focused a little more now that he's dealing with this whole situation.]
Yeah? Are you still working for Hyperion? Did you, uh, get a promotion?
[Is this some alternate version of him that wasn't completely screwed over by Vasquez? Seems hard to believe, but he's... happy for him? Honestly, he's not sure now if that promotion would be better than going on that big adventure, finding acquaintances and maybe a little more purpose.]
no subject
[ Rhys sounds relaxed, smug even. He's probably leaning back on something with his shoes on a desk. ]
Lemme just say it pays off to have friends in high places. So no, I'm not working "for" Hyperion. But hey, sounds like you and I have different priorities. I wanted to run my own business... You wanted to run your own, much crappier business...
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Wait... hang on here. Are... are you still working with Jack?
[He hisses out the words like he's afraid he's being wiretapped. And in some ways, he sort of is.]
I don't want to tell you how to live your life, dude, but you've got to get out of there or you're not gonna have a life right away! Don't you know what he's planning?
slams "TRUST JACK" in every situation. he's a trustworthy guy!
Well, he's not planning to drop me off on some backwater crap-planet to cobble together my own business.
We both know how he comes off at first, but it's gotten better since then! Way better. Have you seen the cool stuff in his office? My office. Our office.
THERE IS NOTHING TRUSTWORTHY THERE, MY GUY
[He looks around as if he could see a blue flickering hologram somewhere in his office, but of course, nothing is there.]
I've definitely seen the 'cool stuff' in his office. Including the freaking exoskeleton he wants to shove into us so he can be the real CEO!
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[ There's only one way to interpret that. ]
I can guarantee it's not like that, okay? I don't know what he told you, but he likes me. We're partners. But, n - j - business partners.
no subject
[He groans through his teeth and runs a hand through his hair.]
What, do you think he didn't like me? It was the same with him! He thought I'd love the idea of being a meat puppet for the rest of my undead existence!
...I'm just trying to warn you. Something seriously messes him up when he's in the system. Or maybe he's just always that murderous, I don't know. But you've gotta stop him.
i'm jack's special boy ouo
I'm not just in it for the pizzas...
Jack is - I mean - you've met him, right? Working with him would have been the chance of a lifetime even before he bit the big one and without him announcing to everyone I've ever known how I'm the freakin' President of the company.
He trusts me. And that's mutual.
[ He hears something and relaxes, the grin audible through their connection. ]
Plus, he keeps giving me cute robot children-pets. That's not something you do to a future mindslave.
ONLY UNTIL HE KILLS YOU YOU DIPSHIT
[Pizza is great, sure, but even he knows there was far more temptation involved in being Hyperion's CEO, more than just free meals. He feels sympathetic for this other him, really. It's hard not to get suckered in when Jack gives you what you thought you've always wanted.]
I get it's a huge step. Of course I do. I was the same as you, okay? Desperate for any chance to move up the ladder, because that's the only thing I knew how to strive for.
...So I wouldn't warn you about this just to get you out of there. I'm warning you because something... something happens to him in the Helios system. I don't really know what, but he changes, and fast.
We trusted each other too. And then next thing I know, he had a buzzsaw pointed at my gut.
[And as much as both of them are assholes, not even Rhys' brand of asshole deserves that.]
which he hasn't YET so
That...
[ He's quiet for another 30 seconds or so as he takes a face journey. Sadly, since the other Rhys can't see him, it's basically dead air. ]
So...
Pal, I'm sorry, but you got a buggy model. Of the ship or of your data port or of an ID drive--who knows?
Did you give him a chance to explain himself? Those buzzsaws have a hair trigger or something, apparently.
no subject
B-But even if it's not!
[He groans and rubs a hand over his face, listening to his own bullshit excuses. Most of them are ones he would have made for Jack too, to be fair.]
He didn't need to explain himself. He already told me his plan. He thought I'd be excited about it... making an army of robot Jacks, with him in my body at the helm of it.
no subject
Look. Let's say you're me from the future. Wouldn't I remember talking to myself like this?
And if you decided to fund a Hyperion competitor, then either you ran away with corporate intel and a bunch of cash--which you don't have. Or you failed and Hyperion would have killed you--which they didn't.
So clearly this isn't a timestream thing. You're like, an alternate universe version of myself who makes bad decisions. Which means that if I do what you tell me to, I'd be stupid too.
no subject
[Okay, okay, yeah, he is emotional. It is for a good reason, but this is not going to help his point. He takes a deep breath, struggling to keep his voice even.]
Listen, I don't know about remembering that, but granted, we don't know a lot about time travel. This could be another grandfather paradox thing, right?
And the reason I'm not working for Hyperion anymore is that after Jack attacked me, the entire station kinda crash landed on Pandora. Yeah, that's coming too. It's... a lot to process.
[Rhys is still struggling with whether or not he made the right choice.]
I may not have made the best decisions, but I also know that one of those bad decisions was trusting Jack as long as I did. You're making that same mistake right now, buddy. And I don't want you getting your dick sawed off, okay? We both know that'd be a tragedy.
no subject
You're on Pandora. Right? I'm grabbing your coordinates. [ He's oddly curt. ] I'd rather see you face-to-face. Find out if you can live up to these threats.
I'm the President of Hyperion. No matter who you are, people don't get to say shit like that to me without consequences anymore.
no subject
[But he's gone, and Rhys can't seem to get through the connection. The trouble of communicating through time, he supposes. Though shouldn't that mean this Rhys wouldn't be able to find him?
...Guess they'll just find out.]
time skip here dwurp
[ Sort of. Give or take. It's a big planet, okay? ]
[ What the other Rhys overhears is probably something like this: ]
CRASH!
[ Muffled muttering.]
Thunk. Skitter. Silence.
--'s hiding. Obviously. If he's got any survival instinct at all. [ A pause. ] No, I'm not gonna--"There can only be one." [ A laugh. ] No, seriously, I've got a weak stomach. But it's like you said... [ His voice trails off. ]
no subject
...Jesus, is he seriously...?
[Sounds like the Jack in his head might be encouraging a death match, but Rhys is determined for it not to reach that point. He pockets his baton and comes out of the room unarmed.]
Hey there, buddy. Did you happen to sign in at the reception desk? I'm gonna need to see a visitor pass.
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Posted by:feel free to not even have vaughn reply. make rhys deal with his [...] dialogue choice for once
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Posted by:it's a weird choice to call a prosthetic 'robotic' but i'm following canon here
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