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Title: Question and Answer
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
ellerkay (previously published under collectively)
Challenger:inkahootz
Challenge: Fox Mulder and Dr. Manhattan
Fandoms: The X-Files and Watchmen
Word count: 918
Summary: Mulder meets a normal-sized blue man instead of little green men.
Warnings: META AS FUCK and lots of random philosophizing.
A/N: I sort of feel like there should be more to this one in some way, but I’m not sure how or what would be there. Perhaps I’ll edit it someday. In any case I think it’s interesting enough.
He hadn’t heard a noise, but for some reason, Fox Mulder’s eyes snapped open and he knew something was wrong. He was in bed. There was a blue glow coming from under his bedroom door.
As quietly as possible, Mulder rolled over and grabbed his gun from the bedside table. He walked silently to the door and turned the knob, immediately aiming the gun around the door and following it.
There was a naked blue man sitting on his couch. He was glowing.
“Who the hell are you?” Mulder shouted.
“Jon; Dr. Jon Osterman. You have heard of me.”
“Yeah, buddy, I was obsessed with Watchmen in the ’80s, too. Who are you really?”
“I’ve told you the truth. Don’t worry; you’ll believe me in a moment. Then you won’t feel you need that gun.” He made a small gesture with his hand, and suddenly he was holding the gun.
Mulder looked at his empty hands and then put his arms down slowly. “I…okay, that was impressive. You’re telekinetic.” It occurred to Mulder that he hadn’t actually seen the gun move.
“I am many things. You are Fox Mulder. You are an FBI agent. You’ll introduce yourself to me shortly.”
Mulder walked to the couch. The man’s eyes were blank and white, yet they still seemed to follow him. He sat down, frowning slightly.
“All right, what’s your real name?”
The man smiled faintly. “I’ve told you my name.”
“All right, let’s say, just for the sake of argument, that I believe that you’re Dr. Manhattan.”
“Jon. Please. And I think that you do believe me.”
“Okay…Jon. What are you doing in my apartment?”
“I think I knew that you would understand; that you would believe me. You have a certain predisposition towards believing the impossible. It’s an admiral quality, in a certain measure. And you knew me already.”
Mulder ginned. “Listen, just because I was a Watchmen fanboy and used to fantasize about Laurie when I –” He stopped abruptly, face reddening. “I’m sorry.”
“You needn’t be. She is very attractive. It’s one of the reasons I cared so much for her.”
Mulder decided a change of subject was in order. “How did you get here?”
“I simply decided I would like to see other universes. There are an infinite number of them. More than even I could explore in a thousand or a hundred thousand lifetimes. Though I will see quite a few of them, I think.”
“Yeah, I know a little about quantum theory, although it’s a bit rusty. But how did you get here? I mean, how did you travel between universes?”
“It’s a simple matter of choosing to be somewhere else.” Mulder waited for further explanation, but none seemed to be forthcoming.
“Well, what made you choose this universe, then?”
Jon smiled. “I saw your program once, and I enjoyed it.”
“What program?”
“The television program that is your story, or rather, a part of your story.”
Mulder laughed, but Jon’s face didn’t change. “You’re not kidding.”
“No.”
“I – come on. You’re telling me I’m a fictional character?”
“Yes. Not here, but in my universe. Probably in some others as well.”
Mulder exhaled sharply and sat back, running his hand through his hair. “You expect me to believe that?”
“You consider me a fictional character. Yet here I am, talking to you.”
“Well, I haven’t completely ruled out the possibility that you’re an insomnia-induced hallucination.” Jon reached out and laid a gentle finger on his arm, and Mulder felt a burst of electricity like a static shock and jumped. Jon sat back again.
“I’m reasonably confident that hallucinations cannot produce an effect like that.”
“No, I guess not.” Mulder looked off into the distance for a moment, then shook himself. “Listen, if it’s all right with you, I think I may just try and not think about the possibility that I don’t exist for a minute.”
“Take all the time you need.”
Mulder looked curiously at him. “You still haven’t really said why you’re here. I’m sure the comic doesn’t contain everything about you, but I was under the impression that you were more interested in nature than humans.”
“They’re really one, but yes, I see the distinction you’re making. I don’t know. Perhaps I was lonely. I think – I thought – that I was past caring about humanity. But, superhuman as I may be, I cannot change the fact that I am human still.” He paused, thinking. “I didn’t want to see those I already knew. A stranger, especially one who is, to me, of a fictional origin, is more impersonal, and therefore less painful.”
“And less real,” Mulder said softly. “I mean…if I’m fictional, then none of this is real. I’m not real.”
“Nor am I. Yet here we are.”
Mulder shook his head impatiently. “That’s not what I mean. Someone else is – is pulling the strings.”
“And who’s to say that every atom in the infinite multiverse is not being controlled? Some intelligence, vaster than we can imagine and probably very different than anything we could ever conceive of, something that is behind it all.”
Mulder put his head back and squeezed the bridge of his nose. “Listen, Jon, you can stay as long as you want, and I’ll gladly talk to you as long as I can stay awake, because this is fascinating. But I sure would feel better about things if we took a break for you to become fifty feet tall and blow up a tank or two.”
Author:
ellerkay (previously published under collectively)Challenger:
inkahootzChallenge: Fox Mulder and Dr. Manhattan
Fandoms: The X-Files and Watchmen
Word count: 918
Summary: Mulder meets a normal-sized blue man instead of little green men.
Warnings: META AS FUCK and lots of random philosophizing.
A/N: I sort of feel like there should be more to this one in some way, but I’m not sure how or what would be there. Perhaps I’ll edit it someday. In any case I think it’s interesting enough.
He hadn’t heard a noise, but for some reason, Fox Mulder’s eyes snapped open and he knew something was wrong. He was in bed. There was a blue glow coming from under his bedroom door.
As quietly as possible, Mulder rolled over and grabbed his gun from the bedside table. He walked silently to the door and turned the knob, immediately aiming the gun around the door and following it.
There was a naked blue man sitting on his couch. He was glowing.
“Who the hell are you?” Mulder shouted.
“Jon; Dr. Jon Osterman. You have heard of me.”
“Yeah, buddy, I was obsessed with Watchmen in the ’80s, too. Who are you really?”
“I’ve told you the truth. Don’t worry; you’ll believe me in a moment. Then you won’t feel you need that gun.” He made a small gesture with his hand, and suddenly he was holding the gun.
Mulder looked at his empty hands and then put his arms down slowly. “I…okay, that was impressive. You’re telekinetic.” It occurred to Mulder that he hadn’t actually seen the gun move.
“I am many things. You are Fox Mulder. You are an FBI agent. You’ll introduce yourself to me shortly.”
Mulder walked to the couch. The man’s eyes were blank and white, yet they still seemed to follow him. He sat down, frowning slightly.
“All right, what’s your real name?”
The man smiled faintly. “I’ve told you my name.”
“All right, let’s say, just for the sake of argument, that I believe that you’re Dr. Manhattan.”
“Jon. Please. And I think that you do believe me.”
“Okay…Jon. What are you doing in my apartment?”
“I think I knew that you would understand; that you would believe me. You have a certain predisposition towards believing the impossible. It’s an admiral quality, in a certain measure. And you knew me already.”
Mulder ginned. “Listen, just because I was a Watchmen fanboy and used to fantasize about Laurie when I –” He stopped abruptly, face reddening. “I’m sorry.”
“You needn’t be. She is very attractive. It’s one of the reasons I cared so much for her.”
Mulder decided a change of subject was in order. “How did you get here?”
“I simply decided I would like to see other universes. There are an infinite number of them. More than even I could explore in a thousand or a hundred thousand lifetimes. Though I will see quite a few of them, I think.”
“Yeah, I know a little about quantum theory, although it’s a bit rusty. But how did you get here? I mean, how did you travel between universes?”
“It’s a simple matter of choosing to be somewhere else.” Mulder waited for further explanation, but none seemed to be forthcoming.
“Well, what made you choose this universe, then?”
Jon smiled. “I saw your program once, and I enjoyed it.”
“What program?”
“The television program that is your story, or rather, a part of your story.”
Mulder laughed, but Jon’s face didn’t change. “You’re not kidding.”
“No.”
“I – come on. You’re telling me I’m a fictional character?”
“Yes. Not here, but in my universe. Probably in some others as well.”
Mulder exhaled sharply and sat back, running his hand through his hair. “You expect me to believe that?”
“You consider me a fictional character. Yet here I am, talking to you.”
“Well, I haven’t completely ruled out the possibility that you’re an insomnia-induced hallucination.” Jon reached out and laid a gentle finger on his arm, and Mulder felt a burst of electricity like a static shock and jumped. Jon sat back again.
“I’m reasonably confident that hallucinations cannot produce an effect like that.”
“No, I guess not.” Mulder looked off into the distance for a moment, then shook himself. “Listen, if it’s all right with you, I think I may just try and not think about the possibility that I don’t exist for a minute.”
“Take all the time you need.”
Mulder looked curiously at him. “You still haven’t really said why you’re here. I’m sure the comic doesn’t contain everything about you, but I was under the impression that you were more interested in nature than humans.”
“They’re really one, but yes, I see the distinction you’re making. I don’t know. Perhaps I was lonely. I think – I thought – that I was past caring about humanity. But, superhuman as I may be, I cannot change the fact that I am human still.” He paused, thinking. “I didn’t want to see those I already knew. A stranger, especially one who is, to me, of a fictional origin, is more impersonal, and therefore less painful.”
“And less real,” Mulder said softly. “I mean…if I’m fictional, then none of this is real. I’m not real.”
“Nor am I. Yet here we are.”
Mulder shook his head impatiently. “That’s not what I mean. Someone else is – is pulling the strings.”
“And who’s to say that every atom in the infinite multiverse is not being controlled? Some intelligence, vaster than we can imagine and probably very different than anything we could ever conceive of, something that is behind it all.”
Mulder put his head back and squeezed the bridge of his nose. “Listen, Jon, you can stay as long as you want, and I’ll gladly talk to you as long as I can stay awake, because this is fascinating. But I sure would feel better about things if we took a break for you to become fifty feet tall and blow up a tank or two.”