Chase Hatter's Origin of Pangaea

Chapter Twenty Four

Andrew Valentine had found himself in a wild predicament that most Pangaeans strive hard to avoid. He had spent the entire night sitting up, contemplating a few topics of interest. He first recalled the question that had brought him out of his home and into a den of beasts with sharp, unwavering memories:

Does the order in which a Pangaean lives their lifetime desires matter?

Since Andrew was a child, he had been groomed to become a poisoned Pangaean patriot. This was not a mistake. It was an intentional move made by Axel and Jack to ensure that his loyalty would stay with Pangaea, especially because the future of Pangaea would lie in Andrew's hands someday. Andrew's future as the leader of Pangaea was predetermined from birth, but that didn't mean that the scholar didn't have other aspirations and goals.

Andrew's dreams varied as he aged. With the skills he shared with his Complex Conjugate, he dreamed of being an acrobat. After helping Jack pull lobsters out of the sea, he dreamed of being a professional fisherman himself. Watching Professor Riley throw lines of code into a console got him interested in the world of hacking and he dreamed of living a black hat lifestyle himself, always one step ahead of the law. And finally, given his access to Pangaea's smartest men, he dreamed of helping to build the Grant Twins had to offer and spreading it as far as he could. But not all of these dreams could be achieved in Pangaea.

At one point, his research question had excited him. It tore hours of sleep away from him and brought on stress that he never realized was possible. Now, it was nothing.

All night, Andrew sat in the hangar on a crate in the corner and tried to debug and ponder his mistakes. Or maybe the mistakes of Professor Riley who had intentionally altered the order of his trip. But, honestly, would order have mattered?

As the sun began to rise, so did the sleeping soldiers. One by one, they passed the hangar and made their way to the dining hall. All except for one.

"Are you okay?" Joel asked.

"I need to go home." Andrew said.

"... Now?"

"Yes." Andrew said. "Now. This terrible experiment is over, left to be conducted by a man stronger than myself. Could I ask a favor of you, Joel?"

"Of course. Anything."

"Could you borrow a jet? I need a ride to San Francisco. Embarcadero, please?"

Andrew couldn't hear himself think inside of this flying death trap, despite the earmuffs. All he could hear was Joel's voice echo in his ears every time he spoke. As an acrobat, the sky sometimes felt like home, but that was only because he wasn't trapped inside of a giant missile. He felt peace when San Francisco appeared from beyond the clouds.

As Andrew prepared to jump from the jet and propel down into the streets of the busy, vibrant city, he turned to Joel once more.

"Good-bye, Joel. I will see you in another lifetime." With that, Andrew released himself into the air and let gravity have him. As Joel watched the Pangaean descend, he found himself uttering the strange farewell that would never be heard.

"See you in another lifetime, Andrew Valentine."