Chapter Text
Ame had never really gotten along with other Ame’s. There’s something perturbing about a face that was almost hers yet wore an entirely different life. A small scar above the eye of the Ame in front of her marked the vast gulf between them. Well, that and the garish colours they wore. She’d never be caught dead in green polka-dots let alone in a dress unfortunate enough to be emblazoned with them. Guess you have to liven things up if you’re working reception, she thought to herself. As Green Ame gave her her ticket, she smiled the kind of smile that marked an Ame as a newcomer. It was a common mistake early on in your Ame-ing to forget that everyone else knows your face. A fake smile could never work on a real Ame. Ame fake smiled back in an attempt to help her realise her folly. She usually didn’t give out such charity but today was a day of exceptions, being back in the Citadel for the first time in years had reinvigorated her Amelia spirit. What is this place for if not for helping out your fellow Ame? Of course, she knew the answer to that question, but decided to ignore it till her meeting with them. Her ticket said 3 hours ago in the main hall. Looks like for once they weren’t too behind on their duties. She brought out her watch and set the coordinates.
Another new Ame mistake was arriving early for a meeting. As time travellers it was their right to arrive precisely when they needed to and not a moment earlier. This was especially true when it came to meetings with the High Council, since they fill every moment of their day retroactively it was actually worse to arrive early. Such thoughtless action would throw the whole system into disarray. So when your ticket says 11:32, you arrive at 11:32 exactly as Ame did.
“Amelia #1337, what is your business with the council?” A dour Ame in a white judge’s wig greeted her. Neither the two Amelia’s flanking Judge Ame on the platform nor any head judge Ame had seen before had worn such a thing which sort of threw her off. She struggled to stifle a laugh thinking about this self-important Ame.
“Did you read the report I submitted?” Ame said after composing herself. She snuck an inconspicuous look at the ticket, “Amelia #449 I do trust that you understand my concerns in regard to this matter.”
“I’m afraid I don’t #1337, I trust that you will be able to explain yourself,” said Judge Ame.
“Well you’ve seen this event yourself right? Whenever Kiara and Cali go on their vacation either one or both of them don’t come back, but this time they both made it back happy as can be. Surely this is an anomaly?”
“I’ve consulted the register and there’s nothing anomalous about the event you’re describing #1337.”
“But you’ve been through it right? It never goes well for anyone involved. I mean I’ve seen this one over a hundred times. Surely there’s something? You aren’t going to tell me that every time one of them came back alone, that was anomaly?”
“That is precisely what I’m telling you #1337. I’m not sure where you got the idea that those two weren’t supposed to be together, but it seems that Time has corrected itself in this matter.” Ame was stunned by this revelation. The judge continued to ramble on about Time like it mattered. 113 times. 113 times she watched in horror as two of her best friends suffered, unable to save them. 113 times she could’ve changed their fate. Why was the judge still talking? Didn’t she understand? Ame had killed her friends 113 times. She was a monster. What had they made her?
“You need to shut up.” Ame could feel the despair turning in on itself. The pain was welling up inside her, begging to be released. She had a choice: anger or sadness. Pain could only ever be those two things. She chose anger and the universe was doomed.
“I beg your pardon #1337, I would advise you think very long and hard about the next words that come out of your mouth.” Amelia Watson #1337 did not comply with the request.
“You can take your bureaucracy and shove it, Amelia.” She’d laced those last words with as much venom as she could. It was taboo to address a judge in such a vague manner. The High Council and their rules. Ame could feel the hatred she’d tried so hard to ignore finally coming out.
“#1337, I demand that you cease your insurrection or I’ll hold you in contem-“
“You’d like that wouldn’t you? You’d like to control every aspect of my life, that’s the dream of everyone on the High Council. An army of mindless Ame’s doing their bidding without question “for the good of all Ame’s”. Well I’m done. You took everything from me when you sent me that watch. You took my life; you took all our lives and we’re supposed to be grateful?” She gestured wildly at the two Ame’s flanking the judge both of whom were making themselves as small as possible in an attempt to escape the tirade.
“You sit up on your pedestal shrugging your apathetic little shoulders at the deaths of MY friends and wipe your blood-soaked hands of MY problems. You empower nobody. You cower in fear here at the end of the universe and for what? Do you know why Kronii ignores the citadel? Why she lets us wander around unimpeded? Because this whole system is worthless. We’re nothing but insignificant specks upon the Wheel. Nothing you or I have ever done matters in any way.”
“Amelia #1337 I hold you in contempt of this court and am placing you under arrest for the next 24 hours so you can have some time to reflect on your words,” said Judge Ame calmly, rising to her feet.
“I realise now what’s wrong with this system, Amelia. I realise now what I have to do. If this establishment is built on making up the rules, then I’ll make up some of my own.” She took in a deep breath and shouted as loud as she could, “I, Amelia #1337 have decided that my friends are now off-limits. To anyone. Because I’m going to save them all.”
“What the hell are you talking about? Surely you can’t mean…”
“I do Amelia. I’ll stop any harm that comes to them. Don’t try and stop me.”
“You can’t! You have no idea what kind of destruction such unrefined time-tinkering will cause. You know that Ina can’t-”
Ame cut her off. “It can’t be worse than whatever you idiots have cooking up. I’m in charge now, and I get to decide how this story ends.” With that she brought out her watch and vanished with a click. Ame #449 slumped down into her chair and hung her head in her hands, the white wig slipping off of her head and falling to the ground. This was not a report she wanted to file.