Chapter 20 Chapter Nineteen
Charles Paulson's personal office is located in a building in Burbank away from the studio.The building is also shared by three other production companies, two offices, a start-up technology company and a nonprofit dedicated to combating thrush.Paulson's office occupies the entire third floor, and a group of people press the elevator button.
"I shouldn't have eaten that last enchilada," Hurst grimaced as they walked into the elevator.
"I told you not to eat it," Hansen said.
"You also said that there are food safety laws in the twenty-first century," Hurst grumbled.
"I don't think food safety laws are going to protect a stomach that eats three pork enchiladas," Hanson replied. "It's not about food safety, it's about eating too much pork fat."
"I want to go to the bathroom," Hurst said.
"Can you hold back?" Dahl said to Hearst.The elevator reaches the third floor. "This is a very important meeting."
"If you don't go to the bathroom to fix it, you will regret having me in the meeting later," Hurst said. "Terrible things will happen."
The elevator door opened, and the five of them walked out.Down the aisle to the right there is a sign for the Men's Restroom.Hurst trotted all the way stiffly, and rushed through the door.
"How long do you think it will take him?" Duvall asked Dahl. "Time is tight."
"Haven't you ever had a taco accident?" Dahl asked rhetorically.
"No," Duvall said. "I'm glad to see the consequences."
"He's probably going to be squatting for a while," Dahl said.
"We can't afford to wait," Kerensky said.
"Yeah," Darl said.
"You guys go first," Hansen said, "I'll stay here to make sure Hester is okay. When he comes out, we'll wait for you in the office lounge."
"Are you sure?" Darl asked.
"Well," Hansen said, "he and I were only going to be listeners anyway. It would be fun to read magazines in the lounge. You know, it's fun to read gossip from 350 years ago. "
Dahl smiled. "Okay," he said, "thank you, Jimmy."
"Don't forget to let us know if Hearst's gut explodes," Duvall said.
"I must be the first to tell you." After Hansen finished speaking, he walked towards the bathroom.
Dahl, Duvall and Kerensky walk into Paulson Productions.The receptionist smiled brightly when he saw Kerensky. "Hello, Mark," she said, "nice to see you again."
"Uh." Kerensky didn't know how to react, Dahl stepped forward and said, "We are here to find Mr. Paulson, and Mark arranged this meeting for us."
"Yes, I know," the receptionist said, glancing at her computer screen. "It's Mr. Dahl, right?"
"it's me."
"Please take a rest there. I'll inform him that you're here." After she finished speaking, she smiled at Kerensky again, then picked up the phone and dialed Paulson.
"I think she's interesting to you," Duvall said to Kerensky.
"She thought she was flirting with Mark," said Kerensky sharply.
"Maybe something happened," Duvall said.
"Stop it," said Kerensky.
"I just want to help you recover from the breakup," Duvall said.
"Mr. Dahl, Mark, and this lady," said the receptionist, "Mr. Paulson is available to see you now. Please follow me." She led them down a corridor to a large office where Paul Mr. Mori is sitting at a big table.
Paulson stared gravely at Kerensky and said, "I'm going to see these friends of yours, not you." He said, "You should go back to work."
"I'm working," said Kerensky.
"It's not your job," Paulson said. "You're supposed to be on set, on set. If you're not there we can't shoot. If we can't shoot, you're wasting production time and money. .The studio and the Corwin Channel have been urging me for a long time. We are already behind schedule this year, and you are not cooperating at all."
"Mr. Paulson," Dahl said, "maybe you could call the set and make sure Mark Corey is there."
Paulson stared at Dahl again, as if meeting him for the first time: "You look familiar. Who are you?"
"I'm Andrew Dahl." Dahl sat down in a chair at the desk, then pointed to Duvall in another chair. "This is Maya Duvall. We're working on the Intrepid. .”
"Then you should all be back on set," Paulson said.
"Mr. Paulson," Dahl repeated, "maybe you can call the set and make sure Mark Corey is there."
Pointing to Kerensky, Paulson said, "He's clearly here."
"No, that's not it," Dahl said. "That's why we're here to talk to you about it."
Paulson narrowed his eyes. "You guys are just wasting my time," he said.
"Jesus," Kerensky said exasperatedly, "couldn't you just call the set? Mark's there."
Paulson stared blankly at Kerensky for a while, then picked up the phone on the table and pressed the dial button. "Yes, hello, Judy," he said, "you were on the set... um, okay. Is Mark Corey there?" He froze, then looked at Kerensky again. "Okay, how long has he been here... ok. He acted weird today? Like a different person... ah, ok... no, no need to ask him to answer the phone. Thank you, Judy." He Hang up the phone.
“That was my executive producer, Judy Melendez,” Paulson said. “She said Mark had been in for makeup since 6:30 and had been there ever since.”
"Thank you," said Kerensky.
"Well, you stump me," Paulson said to Kerensky. "Who the hell are you? Mark obviously knows you, or he wouldn't have arranged this meeting. You're literally his twin brother, But I know he's an only child. So what's going on? Are you his cousin? You want to be in a show too? Is that the thing?"
"Are you going to let your own relatives act?" Dahl asked.
"We don't say it publicly, but it does happen," Paulson said. "I cast my uncle in a role last season. He was about to lose his Screen Actors Guild health insurance, so I asked He played a ship commander who tried to court-martial Abernathy. I also had a small role for my son—” He stopped abruptly, without saying a word.
"We heard about your son," Dahl said, "and we all regret it."
"Thank you." After Paulson finished speaking, he fell silent again.The aggressive aura of a big producer disappeared, and he turned into a tired ordinary person. "I'm sorry." He said after a moment of silence, "It's really hard."
"I can't imagine that," Dahl said.
"You should be glad you can't imagine." Paulson said, picking up a framed picture from the table, holding it tightly in his hand, and staring at it. "Stupid kid. I told him to be careful when it rains." He turned to the crowd, showing him with a young man in a motorcycle jacket, smiling at the camera. "He never listened to me," he said.
Duval pointed to the photo and asked, "Is this the son?"
"Yes," Paulson said, handing them the frame. "His name was Matthew. He had just finished his master's in anthropology when he told me he wanted to try to be an actor. I said to him, if you're going to be an actor, why should I pay you to do a master's in anthropology? But I put him in the movie anyway. He did a little supporting role for a few episodes, and then he..."
"Andy." Duvall handed Dahl the photo.Dahl was stunned when he saw it.
Kerensky also leaned over to look at the photo. "You're not joking," he said.
"What?" Paulson looked at the three of them. "You know him? Do you know Matthew?"
The three of them were also staring at Paulson, when a woman's scream came from the corridor outside the door. "Matthew!"
"Oh, hell." Duvall jumped out of his chair and rushed out the door.Dahl and Kerensky followed suit.
In the lounge, the receptionist was pestering Hearst, weeping happily.Hester stood there, letting her go around, with a confused face.
Hansen saw his three companions and walked over. "We just walked into this room," he said. "As soon as we walked in, she screamed a name, pushed the table and rushed. What happened?"
"I think we've found an actor for Hearst," Dahl said.
"Okay," Hansen asked, "who is it?"
"Matthew?" Paulson's voice came from the hallway.He also went out with his three guests to see what happened. "Matthew! It's really Matthew!" He rushed to Hurst, hugged him tightly, and kept kissing his cheek.
"Charles Paulson's son," Duvall said to Hansen.
"Is that the unconscious one?" Hansen asked.
"That's him," Dahl said.
"Oh, wow." Hansen couldn't help but marvel, "Wow."
Hearst said in a weak voice, "Help me." The three of them looked at him.
"Someone has to tell them who Hearst is." Kerensky said, and together with Hansen and Duval, they looked at Dahl.
Dahl sighed and walked over to Hearst.
"Are you okay?" Dahl asked Hearst.They were in a private hospital room, and Matthew Paulson was lying in a bed, with all kinds of tubes in his body to support him.Hearst silently looked at his unconscious self. "I'm much better than him," Hurst said. "Hurst." Dahl stopped him, worried that Charles Paulson in the corridor outside the door would overhear their conversation.Luckily no, Paulson was in the waiting area with Duvall, Hansen and Kerensky.Only two people can visit Matthew at a time. "I'm sorry," Hurst said, "I didn't mean to be rude. I just...well, everything sorts out now, right?" "What do you mean?" Dahl asked. "About me," Hearst said, "you, Duvall, Hansen, and Finn are all very interesting because you all have rich background information, so you can also die clearly. Finn was Killed by his old acquaintance, right? And you, probably dead on the way back to Furshan. But I'm nothing special, I'm just a mediocre grad from a high school in Des Moines Guy, joined the Yulian fleet, went home after a little eye-opening in the universe. Before I came to the Intrepid, I was just a weirdo who didn't fit in. That's all. "But it all makes sense now, because I wasn't asked to do anything special, right? I'm a complete secondary. Just a role for Paulson's poor son, etc. He gets bored of acting and goes back to his PhD. Even my only ability - to drive a shuttle - is only because the show needs someone to sit there, so why not let the producer's son have fun What? Make him feel really special." "I don't think that's the case," Dahl said. "That's the way it is," Hurst said. "I just took a seat, that's all." "No, that's not true," Dahl said. "No?" Hester gave Dahl a blank look, "Then what's my name?" "What?" Darl asked. "What's my full name?" Hearst repeated. "Your name is Andy Dahl. Then there's Maya Duvall, Jimmy Henson, Anatoly Kerensky. Hell, Hester is my last name, but what about my first name? You don't know that, Andy?" "You have a name," Dahl said, "I'll look it up when I get on my phone." "But you don't know it," said Hurst. "You never use it. You never call me by my first name. We're good friends, and you don't even know my full name." "I'm sorry," Dahl said, "I just never thought of calling you anything other than 'Hurst.'" "You're on point," said Hurst. "If my friends never think about what my name is, doesn't that mean I'm not a big deal in the world?" He looked back Matthew Paulson, still in a coma. "So what's your name anyway?" Dahl asked. "Jasper," Hurst said. "Jasper," Dahl repeated. "It's my name," said Hearst, "full name is Jasper Allen Hearst." "Do you want me to call you Jasper from now on?" Dahl asked. "Oh bah, don't," Hurst said. "Who wants to be called Jasper? It's a rotten name." Dahl tried not to laugh but couldn't help it.Hearst laughed too. "I'll keep calling you Hester," Dahl said, "but let me tell you, inside of me it's Jasper." "If you like," Hurst said. "Jasper Jasper Jasper," Dahl said three times in one breath. "Okay," Hurst said, "come on, I don't want to kill you in the hospital." They set their sights on Matthew Paulson again. "Poor boy," said Hurst. "He's your age," Duvall said. "True, but I seem to outlive him a little bit," Hurst said. "Our times are different." "Maybe," Dahl said. "That's the problem with living in the twenty-first century," Hurst said. "By our time, if he had the same accident, we could fix him. I mean, Andy, you To think you survived so many horrific encounters." "That's because it's not time for me to die," Dahl said. "It's like Kerensky's invincible self-healing ability, thanks to this bloody plot." "Does the cause matter that much?" said Hurst. "I'll tell you the truth, Dahl, if you were dying and you survived, would you care if you were cured by completely imaginary methods? No, because You're not dead. Our storyline kills us whenever it wants, but it's not all bad." "You're just trying to find evidence and justification for your obscurity," Dahl said, "but you don't necessarily like the plot." "I didn't say I liked it," Hearst said, "but let's not forget, I'm the only character who didn't have to die a tragic death just to please the audience." "That's not bad," Dahl said. “The show we’re in is a piece of shit,” Hirst said, “but that shit works for us every once in a while.” "Until it kills us." "Until I kill you." Hearst corrected, "I might survive, don't you forget." He pointed at Matthew and said, "And, if he comes to our world, he might be able to be saved .” Hearing this, Dahl was silent, and he stared at Hester thoughtfully.Hurst glanced at him and asked, "What's the matter?" "I was thinking about something," Dahl said. "Thinking of what?" Hester asked. "Make the plot work for us," Dahl said. Hurst didn't look him in the eye: "I'm sure I can't get away with it, right." "Yes, Jasper," Dahl said, "exactly."
"Are you okay?" Dahl asked Hearst.They were in a private hospital room, and Matthew Paulson was lying in a bed, with all kinds of tubes in his body to support him.Hearst silently looked at his unconscious self. "I'm much better than him," Hurst said. "Hurst." Dahl stopped him, worried that Charles Paulson in the corridor outside the door would overhear their conversation.Luckily no, Paulson was in the waiting area with Duvall, Hansen and Kerensky.Only two people can visit Matthew at a time. "I'm sorry," Hurst said, "I didn't mean to be rude. I just...well, everything sorts out now, right?" "What do you mean?" Dahl asked. "About me," Hearst said, "you, Duvall, Hansen, and Finn are all very interesting because you all have rich background information, so you can also die clearly. Finn was Killed by his old acquaintance, right? And you, probably dead on the way back to Furshan. But I'm nothing special, I'm just a mediocre grad from a high school in Des Moines Guy, joined the Yulian fleet, went home after a little eye-opening in the universe. Before I came to the Intrepid, I was just a weirdo who didn't fit in. That's all. "But it all makes sense now, because I wasn't asked to do anything special, right? I'm a complete secondary. Just a role for Paulson's poor son, etc. He gets bored of acting and goes back to his PhD. Even my only ability - to drive a shuttle - is only because the show needs someone to sit there, so why not let the producer's son have fun What? Make him feel really special." "I don't think that's the case," Dahl said. "That's the way it is," Hurst said. "I just took a seat, that's all." "No, that's not true," Dahl said. "No?" Hester gave Dahl a blank look, "Then what's my name?" "What?" Darl asked. "What's my full name?" Hearst repeated. "Your name is Andy Dahl. Then there's Maya Duvall, Jimmy Henson, Anatoly Kerensky. Hell, Hester is my last name, but what about my first name? You don't know that, Andy?" "You have a name," Dahl said, "I'll look it up when I get on my phone." "But you don't know it," said Hurst. "You never use it. You never call me by my first name. We're good friends, and you don't even know my full name." "I'm sorry," Dahl said, "I just never thought of calling you anything other than 'Hurst.'" "You're on point," said Hurst. "If my friends never think about what my name is, doesn't that mean I'm not a big deal in the world?" He looked back Matthew Paulson, still in a coma. "So what's your name anyway?" Dahl asked. "Jasper," Hurst said. "Jasper," Dahl repeated. "It's my name," said Hearst, "full name is Jasper Allen Hearst." "Do you want me to call you Jasper from now on?" Dahl asked. "Oh bah, don't," Hurst said. "Who wants to be called Jasper? It's a rotten name." Dahl tried not to laugh but couldn't help it.Hearst laughed too. "I'll keep calling you Hester," Dahl said, "but let me tell you, inside of me it's Jasper." "If you like," Hurst said. "Jasper Jasper Jasper," Dahl said three times in one breath. "Okay," Hurst said, "come on, I don't want to kill you in the hospital." They set their sights on Matthew Paulson again. "Poor boy," said Hurst. "He's your age," Duvall said. "True, but I seem to outlive him a little bit," Hurst said. "Our times are different." "Maybe," Dahl said. "That's the problem with living in the twenty-first century," Hurst said. "By our time, if he had the same accident, we could fix him. I mean, Andy, you To think you survived so many horrific encounters." "That's because it's not time for me to die," Dahl said. "It's like Kerensky's invincible self-healing ability, thanks to this bloody plot." "Does the cause matter that much?" said Hurst. "I'll tell you the truth, Dahl, if you were dying and you survived, would you care if you were cured by completely imaginary methods? No, because You're not dead. Our storyline kills us whenever it wants, but it's not all bad." "You're just trying to find evidence and justification for your obscurity," Dahl said, "but you don't necessarily like the plot." "I didn't say I liked it," Hearst said, "but let's not forget, I'm the only character who didn't have to die a tragic death just to please the audience." "That's not bad," Dahl said. “The show we’re in is a piece of shit,” Hirst said, “but that shit works for us every once in a while.” "Until it kills us." "Until I kill you." Hearst corrected, "I might survive, don't you forget." He pointed at Matthew and said, "And, if he comes to our world, he might be able to be saved .” Hearing this, Dahl was silent, and he stared at Hester thoughtfully.Hurst glanced at him and asked, "What's the matter?" "I was thinking about something," Dahl said. "Thinking of what?" Hester asked. "Make the plot work for us," Dahl said. Hurst didn't look him in the eye: "I'm sure I can't get away with it, right." "Yes, Jasper," Dahl said, "exactly."