Re: Chapter Seven - White Rabbit at Iterant Point

Notes from Iterant Point Re: Chapter Seven – White Rabbit at Iterant Point

Welcome back! While there’s a lot going on in this chapter, it’s more or less all on the page. But let’s see what we can say without just recapping the plot, shall we?

The first scene was written in its entirety in one of the last drafts, just before being sent off for editing. It and the scenes from the previous chapter with the ATV and Scarlett are an abbreviated version of what was a more drawn-out version of the “Kennedy quits” subplot. In fact, I had previously mentioned that the scene in the library with Quincy was originally two scenes. One of those would have come after Kennedy’s quitting, with Blake trying to get him to reconsider. I greatly prefer this abridged version, as the original lacked development on a scene-by-scene basis. It just kind of hung in the air. Now, we have Kennedy quitting in the ATV scene, considering the implications (through implication) with Scarlett, and then moving to resolve it when speaking to Blake on the stairwell.

I also prefer the way Blake’s anxieties are less explicit in this version, since he and Kennedy aren’t great communicators. Even with each other, they at best just “get” each other. At worst, they don’t say anything, as we’ve seen. Another thing I like about this short scene is the visual aspect to it, which I hope I managed to communicate. I have to see everything in my head, and I really like seeing visuals being used to tell a story. No surprise, given I went to film school! But the image of Sainne’s distorted reflection from a TV screen I think really captured how Kennedy feels towards him.

As they make their way with David to Iterant Point itself, we see a second type of time gate. Instead of being built into a wall, this one is free-standing. While it’s not explicitly said, because one of the two rings is embedded into the ground, only one would spin to activate the ring. Another thing that’s not said is why there is this second, distinct version of a time gate. Well, you’ll hear it here first, folks. This type of time gate (let’s call it a type-II) cannot create a rabbit hole. Or in other words, it cannot be used to travel along the meta-timeline. However, it is of the type far more commonly found scattered throughout the various timelines. Most type-I time gates will only be found on Iterant Point and wherever Anarakia keeps theirs.

Not much to comment about Iterant Point itself at this juncture, except that I had a lot of fun crafting Time Peace’s extra-temporal base of operations. I wanted it to have a distinct visual flair, but that’s true of most of the settings I want to use. Still, there’s something special about Iterant Point.

Going back to things not explicitly stated—the man in the waiting room of Square One Medical Center is suffering from the effects of being “looped.” Presumably, he was caught in some fight inside of an arena and someone tried to use a crystal ray or stun setting on an ATEP gun. After having to relive that second who knows how many times, the muscle memory still persists. Poor guy. Everyone manifests symptoms from getting looped differently, but this guy seems to have gotten a rather annoying one.

As for the conversation with White Rabbit, what can I say? It’s all there, on the page. We have a little call-back to the first conversation with her, or rather, not her. But we don’t learn all that much more, as the Hawk tells us directly.

Ah, and then there’s the Hawk himself. In a previous draft, I had the Hawk first appear in the flashback in Chapter 4, where Kennedy first steps through the time gate. That flashback would have also explained some of the basics of the war with Anarakia, though somewhat filtered for the sake of secrecy. In the end, I removed both the appearance of the Hawk and his recruitment speech. For one, the Hawk doesn’t need to be recruiting people, even in batches. He’s got more important things to do. Like meeting with Kennedy, apparently. Hmm…

But since the recruitment speech would be only half-true anyway, I didn’t feel any need to keep it. And more importantly, I thought that the first appearance of the Hawk should be a big deal. Combine that desire with the surprise of him just walking in, and it became clear that I had to move his introduction to this scene. I think it really gives everything that much more of a punch.

But yes, here we finally get confirmation that Time Peace has been lying to Kennedy, though we don’t get any answers. Instead, we get a mission related to this timeline’s flashpoint. More on that in future chapters. We also learn that our protagonists’ unit is a remedial one, that they are all there because of some concern Alpha Control has about them. Or if you’re a package deal, like Blake. However, David’s comments about himself don’t quite seem fair, do they? Something else for another chapter.

For next time, we’ll see how they prepare for their first real mission. Maybe, as Blake said, they can prove to be better than their squad’s name would suggest they are.

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