You were the first one to make it apparent that time travel was even theoretically possible. That it's been proven—at least where you're from. [Not where Clarke's from. If there were time travel, she would give up her entire life to ensure that the Earth was survivable. The problem would be giving up all the other lives: making it so that so many others never lived.]
It led to me thinking that—well, my friends are actually a good point to start with. They ... last recall a time in my past. But I know they were there in my future, and never here.
[It's a complicated thing to start with, but she feels like that's enough of a conversation opener. She had been content to assume it was weird time travel, but other people's insistence had led her to think differently. It could be some type of induced amnesia, but she doesn't feel comfortable considering that outcome quite yet.]
[ Oh, so the Bobbi Paradox exactly. Fascinating that it's occurring to other universes and timelines. Perhaps he'll pursue the spacetime angle with his fellow captives, although theorising explanations requires a bit of groundwork — and his conclusion could be disheartening, particularly for his dearest friends. ]
You are experiencing a time travel paradox first-hand. [ a beat, for considering if he's allowed to mention Bobbi, even anonymously. ] And so am I.
[ He sips his drink. This, at least, isn't overly taboo conversation. His research into spacetime and interuniversal travel has revealed it as a topic of interest on the neural networks. Though theoretical, some corporations have fringe research projects in progress. Naturally, Fitz aims to join one such project in future, as soon as he gains credibility in the field. ]
If you accept that the past can be changed through time travel, [ "if", seeing as he's uncertain. ] inconsistencies emerge in any given timeline. Colloquially, we call it the grandfather paradox. If you travel back in time and kill your grandfather, preventing the conception of your father or mother, you no longer exist — only if you no longer exist, how did you travel back in time and kill your grandfather in the first place? [ he pauses, letting that settle. ] And yet, we're confronted with potential evidence of inconsistencies in our lives now.
[ How did their friends travel here and return, seemingly unaffected, never mentioning this to anyone? How did the future remain unaltered? Amnesia's a possibility, but Fitz thinks it unlikely. ]
[Clarke considers his words, but mostly, she's glad that she came to him. She's careful to put most of her food away, opening up a bit of biodegradable plastic to take out a fruit-filled pastry. It's far sweeter than anything she's ever had before this—barring some of the things she had in Mount Weather so she could "pass" as she planned her escape—so she'll likely only be able to eat half of it before she moves on to the savory good in her bag.
After swallowing a bite, she looks thoughtful.]
And we're absolutely ruling out amnesia, even though we're all experiencing it to some degree. I assume you've already gone over that yourself?
[The inflection in her voice makes it apparent: she's relieved and grateful, but also firmly willing to believe and take any theory he has to offer.]
Can't rule anything out, I'm afraid. There’s no disproving in science — you can only ever prove your theory. [ he tips his hand this way and that, bagged food still clutched in his fingers, even as he indicates his uncertainty. ] Retrograde, post-traumatic, or dissociative amnesia have merit as theories. perhaps individuals were specifically stripped of their memories through outside meddling.
[ their captors are prone to meddling, it must be said ]
We've all travelled through spacetime, regardless — from 1891, 2017, Earth, other planets, and so on — to now, here. [ that seems substantiated by the multiple accounts of divergent universes. ] If it is a case of our friends being pulled from earlier points, it could be that the inconsistencies right themselves in some way through further interference. [ so this never happens etc etc. ] Could also be that our friends are from a parallel timeline — a parallel universe, even, rather than the ones that perfectly match our own.
[ if it's not amnesia, it's that. you can't change time. it just is, so any discrepancies indicate one of many the infinite, parallel universes. ]
Okay, if we're not ruling things out, we have to determine why that level of tampering happened. Every answer seems to lend itself to us being watched still. Why would they erase months of Murphy and Bellamy's memories? [A beat, slow, steady. She doesn't like the next thought the occurs to her. Clarke's steps slow as she closes her eyes with the realization.] Unless whatever it is that they used to keep us from remembering that time has side effects. Some people have experienced further ... damage.
[Like a concussion, but lasting. Clarke had ruled out potential trauma and psychological effects with her friends, only because she feels that they'd already have shown signs of that. They've been sent to a "different world," so to speak, and told to survive. That's the strange part of this, how they're both prepared and ill prepared.]
I'm not even sure if there's a way to test for that. If there's some past trauma to the brain? [It seems like it could be possible, if they're including the possibility of erasing time from someone's mind. That's seemingly impossible on its own.]
Why not watch us? [ he waves his hand, still clutching his half-finished pastry. ] We've been experimented on and provided with a means of integrating with society. I doubt they expected us to die after the drop-off. If anything, it seems they'd like us to disperse.
[ why bother giving them implant otherwise? ]
As for the trauma... In my experience, there should be other symptoms beyond amnesia, if it's related to that. Think short-term memory issues, loss of motor skills, trouble with everyday speech. [ his mouth thins as he considers his own brain injuries and subsequent symptoms. ] Only that's Strange's territory, not mine.
[ Fitz is an engineer, mad doctor, quantum physicist, and crime scene investigator. His knowledge of neuroscience is limited to research done on he and the team's behalf. ]
[Her mind flickers to Jasper. Lost. Trying to find a reason to live. His trauma and his reaction to it was definite. No one could deny the cause. They may have been frustrated with him, but they knew how he got there. Even Clarke couldn't hold it against him. He forced her to act at times, but she knew why he was the way he was, as well as the path he took there.]
Yeah, Murphy's not the type to forget anything recent. I'd have noticed if anything changed that. [Minor slights. Little points of humor. Ways to be critical and slyly correct. Murphy in a nutshell. He's a better point of reference than even Bellamy in that regard.]
I don't think we need to ask Doctor Strange to confirm that. I was already pretty keen to rule it out in the first place.
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no subject
It led to me thinking that—well, my friends are actually a good point to start with. They ... last recall a time in my past. But I know they were there in my future, and never here.
[It's a complicated thing to start with, but she feels like that's enough of a conversation opener. She had been content to assume it was weird time travel, but other people's insistence had led her to think differently. It could be some type of induced amnesia, but she doesn't feel comfortable considering that outcome quite yet.]
no subject
You are experiencing a time travel paradox first-hand. [ a beat, for considering if he's allowed to mention Bobbi, even anonymously. ] And so am I.
[ He sips his drink. This, at least, isn't overly taboo conversation. His research into spacetime and interuniversal travel has revealed it as a topic of interest on the neural networks. Though theoretical, some corporations have fringe research projects in progress. Naturally, Fitz aims to join one such project in future, as soon as he gains credibility in the field. ]
If you accept that the past can be changed through time travel, [ "if", seeing as he's uncertain. ] inconsistencies emerge in any given timeline. Colloquially, we call it the grandfather paradox. If you travel back in time and kill your grandfather, preventing the conception of your father or mother, you no longer exist — only if you no longer exist, how did you travel back in time and kill your grandfather in the first place? [ he pauses, letting that settle. ] And yet, we're confronted with potential evidence of inconsistencies in our lives now.
[ How did their friends travel here and return, seemingly unaffected, never mentioning this to anyone? How did the future remain unaltered? Amnesia's a possibility, but Fitz thinks it unlikely. ]
no subject
After swallowing a bite, she looks thoughtful.]
And we're absolutely ruling out amnesia, even though we're all experiencing it to some degree. I assume you've already gone over that yourself?
[The inflection in her voice makes it apparent: she's relieved and grateful, but also firmly willing to believe and take any theory he has to offer.]
no subject
Can't rule anything out, I'm afraid. There’s no disproving in science — you can only ever prove your theory. [ he tips his hand this way and that, bagged food still clutched in his fingers, even as he indicates his uncertainty. ] Retrograde, post-traumatic, or dissociative amnesia have merit as theories. perhaps individuals were specifically stripped of their memories through outside meddling.
[ their captors are prone to meddling, it must be said ]
We've all travelled through spacetime, regardless — from 1891, 2017, Earth, other planets, and so on — to now, here. [ that seems substantiated by the multiple accounts of divergent universes. ] If it is a case of our friends being pulled from earlier points, it could be that the inconsistencies right themselves in some way through further interference. [ so this never happens etc etc. ] Could also be that our friends are from a parallel timeline — a parallel universe, even, rather than the ones that perfectly match our own.
[ if it's not amnesia, it's that. you can't change time. it just is, so any discrepancies indicate one of many the infinite, parallel universes. ]
no subject
[Like a concussion, but lasting. Clarke had ruled out potential trauma and psychological effects with her friends, only because she feels that they'd already have shown signs of that. They've been sent to a "different world," so to speak, and told to survive. That's the strange part of this, how they're both prepared and ill prepared.]
I'm not even sure if there's a way to test for that. If there's some past trauma to the brain? [It seems like it could be possible, if they're including the possibility of erasing time from someone's mind. That's seemingly impossible on its own.]
no subject
[ why bother giving them implant otherwise? ]
As for the trauma... In my experience, there should be other symptoms beyond amnesia, if it's related to that. Think short-term memory issues, loss of motor skills, trouble with everyday speech. [ his mouth thins as he considers his own brain injuries and subsequent symptoms. ] Only that's Strange's territory, not mine.
[ Fitz is an engineer, mad doctor, quantum physicist, and crime scene investigator. His knowledge of neuroscience is limited to research done on he and the team's behalf. ]
no subject
Yeah, Murphy's not the type to forget anything recent. I'd have noticed if anything changed that. [Minor slights. Little points of humor. Ways to be critical and slyly correct. Murphy in a nutshell. He's a better point of reference than even Bellamy in that regard.]
I don't think we need to ask Doctor Strange to confirm that. I was already pretty keen to rule it out in the first place.