week 13, shove baby out of the cradle

[antagonize]

[When the gang arrives, they'll find themselves smackdab in the middle of what appears to be a busy college campus. It seems clean and well maintained; no graffiti, no obvious piles of trash, and a couple of green areas for students and staff members to enjoy. Students move hurriedly from one class to another, bookbags on their backs and overly expensive books tucked under their arms. If Adam, Elizabeth and Luke aren't very careful, they might get run over by some of the more frazzled students. Nobody has any time to watch where they're going during midterms, it seems.

A glance to their left will easily reveal where they are. On a nearby wall, the institution's logo is displayed. Gotham State University, it says, in an obnoxiously large font. Further in the distance, there's a lot more campus left to explore. A glance to their right, however, and they may notice a small group of students amassed around a table, signing and picking up brochures about some subject or another. Some of the students are wearing matching society shirts, pushing a clipboard and a pen at any unlucky straggler they find along the way. One of them, situated further away from the table, seems pretty familiar.

Weird.

What will they do now?]

Comments

[antagonize]

I don't give a damn about what you guys need.

[He's blunt, clearly pissed off by now. Gone is the friendly attitude from earlier as he watches all three of them carefully. It doesn't seem like he's armed for a confrontation, but it might not be a bad idea to stay light on their feet. Luke's threat from earlier still hangs in his mind, after all.]

You can't expect me to believe all of this is fake. Coming here, causing a scene, telling me I died — do you seriously believe that makes you trustworthy? [He shakes his head, clenching and unclenching his fists. His hands are uncovered, which is likely a rare sight for two out of three here.] This is real. I would know if I died, so... Whatever stunt you're trying to pull here, it's not going to work.

[Except, the more he thinks about the scene Elizabeth showed him, the stronger his headache becomes. It's better to focus on other things, isn't it?]

[baptizer]

It's not a stunt!

[ That was the last straw. Despite how emotionally and physically draining it was, she takes offense. It's hard to accept, she knows that heartbreak. She knows that despite everything, maybe it would be better to live in this blissful. But since the first trial, Jason did his best for the good of the ship. ]

I wouldn't so recklessly display something like that to you - never to you. Jason, it's hard to imagine but this is all... It's what you've wanted. After dying, I suppose this is what your ideal world would be. You don't remember... But I promise you... We aren't lying.

[ She tries to just stammer it out, get the painful memories out but - ]

Adam and Luke - we're your friends. We met because of... poor circumstances...

[antietam]

[ Adam nods to Elizabeth to encourage her to keep going. He's also becoming frustrated but honestly, he can't blame Jason. They haven't made themselves the most trustworthy or clear. ]

What do you think we're doing this for? All you have to do is believe us. You're stuck in something that's showing you everything you want, we're going to bring you back to reality. That's what you trusted us to do.

[chiseler]

[This is tricky, he thinks. Elizabeth's upset and Adam's doing his best to support her and Jason's being frustrating. He lets the others say their piece and he keeps his arms folded over his chest carefully, hand running over his scar.]

I really don't like being the bearer of bad news, but they're right. You trusted us to jump in here and pull you back out to reality and you know? Reality sucks. But it's a lot better than this where nothing's even real. [There's a pause.] What do you remember prior to this moment? What memories do you even have of this place?

[antagonize]

Yeah. Because everything I want is a normal life with 18 credits worth of classes and an overbearing parent. Sounds about right.

[Come the weekend, this will be extremely hilarious in hindsight. But for now, it's Jason stating exactly what this is all about. A normal life. A normal young adult experience. A normal, if not still slightly strained, relationship with his adoptive dad. It's a stupidly simple desire, and he's totally going to be mortified about it once the gang is successful.

But for now, his face twists as he tries to answer Luke's question. It's— Trying to find the answer makes him feel wrong.]

What are you getting at? I graduated high school. Enrolled here. I have tons of memories of this place. This is real.

I FUCKED UP I DIDNT KNOW YOU TAGGED.

[baptizer]

Think, Jason.

[ Elizabeth knows this all too well - so, she'll take it upon herself to dig into the hoodie and - look, it's a handkerchief. It happened to her in both Columbia and in her cradle, so she offers Jason something to wipe away at his nose if his memories continue to conflict. ]

Adam's right... you trusted us. Sincerely. Try and think deeper. Past this place - dates, times, feelings... They don't add up, do they...?

[ She sounds crushed to be so blunt... so she gives him an apologetic, tearful glance. ]

You died, Jason... before you could have any of this.