Could you look at Samantha's origin story and help me figure out a better way to present it? Actually sporking the story would involve me finding lost files or rewriting parts of a fanfic that I hate and want to start over on.
The interrogation room was similar to its counterpart seen on many cop shows. It was a box with a single door, the entirety paneled in generic surface. On one wall, where a large two-way mirror should be, were instead a series of tiny windows that did not try to disguise the darkened room beyond. A large table with a bar affixed to its surface stood between two pairs of chairs that were bolted to the floor.
A female humanoid with dark hair and pale skin was chained the table's bar. She perched on the edge of the chair so that the manacles didn't dig into her wrists. She shot to her feet and bared her fangs as the door opened, but the chains prevented her from going anywhere. She seemed embarrassed as she sat again and tried to arrange herself for the least discomfort.
A bipedal bull in a black uniform entered, followed by a bearded man in a business jacket.
“Hello, I'm Agent Phillip Lowe,” the man said. “I'm sorry about the wait. There was a slight paperwork issue, but we've got it sorted out now.”
“I have the right to legal counsel. I am an American citizen,” the prisoner argued.
“Unfortunately we are not part of any country, and your rights are limited. The good news is that I'm in charge of reviewing your situation. If you are open and honest with me, we should be able to find the best outcome for you.” He gave her a broad smile.
He didn't mention that they had already determined that she wasn't really a person, according to a record-search of World One. This time it was merely a formality, thanks to her author's self-insert avatar. Lowe's job was to judge if she was a redeemable character or should be disposed of as a Mary-Sue.
She glowered. “The woman who brought me here said that she would take me with her, but she neglected to mention that it would be to a jail.”
“We'll get to that eventually. This temporary holding area is for your safety as well as ours. Don't worry, leaving that world willingly is a point in your favor,” he said, flipping through the folder and scribbling a note.
Lowe pulled out his CAD. The agents had been using an analog CAD for that mission, so their recorded reading was a non-standard “needled out and broke.” Even if they had been using a model that he was familiar with, he preferred to trust his own readings. Hiding his trepidation, he pointed his CAD at the prisoner. [Samantha, female vampire, original character, 20% non-canonical.] Lowe frowned and scribbled his finding in the relevant margin.
He flipped back to the first page of the file to remind himself of the important details. The summary read: standard “sucked into known media” plot, class five reality disruption that stabilized quickly, naturalization occurred, but in a non-canonical AU.
“Well, we have the agents' report, but we are interested in your point of view. Keep in mind that this discussion is a small part of our process.” Lowe flipped to the second page, smiled, and said, “Let's begin at the beginning. Tell me about how you arrived in that world.”
It was a moment before Samantha spoke. “I remember not knowing how came to arrive in Janos' home. I am unsure if it was because I felt sorry for him and made a bad wish, or if that is how I justified it afterward.” She paused. “When I arrived there, I only had a moment to think. I recognized where I was, but did not have time to consider the repercussions before I acted.”
Lowe made a mental note to ask about the repercussions later. “And then what happened?”
“Thanks to me, Janos survived what was supposed to be his death, and the Sarafan took me to their stronghold. I lost consciousness when they were torturing me, and when I woke up, Kain had rescued me. I hoped that by helping him, I would be allowed to return home.”
“Why did Kain help you, and why did you focus on him?”
“Kain said that something drew him to me. I believe that he could sense whatever was allowing me to defy the temporal laws of his world. He would have used my strange influence whether I was willing or not. I was fortunate that he did not hurt me when he learned that I had knowledge and refused to share it immediately.”
“You said that helping Kain might take you home?” Lowe prompted.
“It is his game, well, also Raziel's. Kain is where the story began, but he was also standing at the end. The fate of Nosgoth rests on him.”
Lowe scribbled a note about “helping the hero” in the file and said. “You mentioned something about breaking the rules of that world.”
“There are two forces in that world. Destiny dictates the important events in their lives, and there is almost nothing they can do to escape it. History will prevent a time-traveler from altering significant events.” Samantha clenched her fists. “I should not have been able to save Janos Audron. There were too many events that were tied to his death.”
Lowe gave her a moment as he turned to another section of the file. “It says that you kept influencing the main characters even after that.”
“The damage had been done, and the consequences would have been far worse if I had said nothing. I could only convince them to follow the path that they would have taken without my interference. I am glad that Raziel did not learn the truth of his Destiny from me, but there are events that would have been difficult. I eventually would have been responsible for my own sire's murder.”
He noticed how much angst-fuel Samantha had, and wondered how much therapy it would require to make her well-adjusted. “It says that you asked to be made into a vampire.”
“I would not have chosen the dark gift if I were not dying. All souls are consumed by a horrible creature and I was desperate to avoid that fate.”
Lowe decided that he couldn't stand much more. He decided not to ask about a tragic childhood because her present was depressing enough. The file indicated that she had even suffered an existential crisis about being a vampire. “Let's talk about what you did when the agents read your charges.”
“I fear I that got distracted when they mentioned 'trans-dimensional.' I imagine that I interrupted them when I demanded to know if they were responsible for my predicament,” Samantha admitted. “I should have been more wary. They wanted to remove me from Nosgoth, and I happily followed them when they assured me that the original time-line would reassert itself once I was away. Was this the case?”
“Don't worry, restoring canonical time-lines is the primary mission of the PPC,” Lowe assured her. “Reading the charge list is more of a formality, but I have a copy right here if you are curious.”
At her nod, Lowe flipped to the appropriate page and began reading. “Being a Self-Insert and causing a Class 5 reality dysfunction, having such a high Sue reading that it broke the CAD, creating an alternate universe, causing main characters to care about and fight over you, causing main characters to have rule-breaking powers, asking to become a vampire, having an important vampire change you, having angst about having to drink blood, having angst in general, posing as an oracle, using time-travel to create a deus-ex-machina, having main characters confide in you above other canon characters, causing a character's girlfriend to cease existing, and telling a main character about said girlfriend to instigate romantic feelings but pretending not to be interested.”
Samantha's nails dragged on the table, producing an unpleasant screech. “I certainly was not interested in Kain! He is a monster, and preventing his doomed romance had very little to do with my intentions.” She composed herself. “There were times that I regretted interfering, and I sometimes did question my choice to become a vampire. Of the rest that I understand from that list, there are things for which I could not be held accountable.”
For the first time, Lowe stopped smiling. “We determined that the charges stand, and the only thing left is decide what to do with you. We can't remove your vampirism, so we can't send you to any place other than Nosgoth. But if the rules of that world don't apply to you even after we remove your memories, we will simply have to dispose of you.”
Samantha snarled as she stood, but she only bruised her wrists on her restraints again. She breathed heavily as she stared at Lowe in anger. “I do not wish to die. However, it is preferable to die here than to be sent back to Nosgoth, even if I become ignorant of what will happen when the inevitable comes.”
“There is one more possibility. We at at PPC are always recruiting new agents; people who go into other worlds and remove intruders. The hours are long, the pay is nonexistent, and in my opinion you would go flamethrower-crazy in less than a year. But I could ignore my better judgment and forward your file to the Marquis de Sod. There's no guarantee that you'll be accepted, but it may be worth a shot.”
Samantha was silent for a moment, then made a sound between a cough and a laugh. “Yet another choiceless choice. By all means, send my file. It would not do to refuse this opportunity.”
Charge List:
Being a Self-Insert and causing a Class 5 reality dysfunction
Having such a high Sue reading that it broke the CAD
Creating an alternate universe
Causing main characters to care about and fight over you
Causing main characters to have rule-breaking powers
Asking to become a vampire
Having an important vampire change you
Having angst about having to drink blood
Having angst in general
Posing as an oracle
Using time-travel to create a deus-ex-machina
Having main characters confide in you above other canon characters
Causing a character's girlfriend to cease existing
Telling a main character about said girlfriend to instigate romantic feelings, but pretending not to be interested
I cannot decide if Philip Lowe is actually there to examine her, or if he is a sociopathic testing instrument that has no actual say in whether or not the file gets forwarded to the appropriate department.
The readout if they had been using a normal CAD would be [Nope nope nope *POP*] as the magic smoke leaks out.