Pancakes dreams destroyed

<snipe>
"No way!" Said Rosette. "Captain Chrysler wants that box bringing back to the Blue Dwarf. He thinks Eckerslike is up to something weird and we need to investigate. "
"I don't think so." Said Justin. "This is my future! I HAVE to deliver it!"
And with that he ran away from them. Running as fast as he could out of the mail room and following the signs for the "Corridor of Infinite Perversions" - like he had been doing his entire life.
</snipe>
Who: Justin Pancake
Where: Running towards the corridor of infinite perversions
When: Before bumping into Micky
Justin followed sign after sign. Throughout his life, the time traveller Potential had been writing the same message everywhere, guiding him to make the decisions which would bring him here today. Potential had shown Justin a glimpse of his future, just enough for the neurotic pervert to really believe that his life was going somewhere. He could be Captain, Captain of a powerful ship, with Hymenoptera technology. He smiled as he thought about it.
Another sign told him to go right. Which he did, but then stopped as he saw a black mark on the sign just after the final letter "s". He moved his head closer and saw it was a spider. Just a small garden spider, which must have arrived to the station on some fruit.
Potential had told Justin that the Hymenoptera were important in Humanity's future. They were a powerful enemy. One that couldn't be stopped easily. They hadn't encountered the Hymenoptera properly in a few years now, but reports were that they were spreading themselves around the galaxy, invading planets and slowly building up their army. Human starships disappeared without warning, presumed destroyed by the Hymenoptera. It was only time until they launched an attack to destroy Earth again.
Eckerslike had told Justin that they either had to join the Hymenoptera, or be destroyed by them.
Justin put his hand onto the sign and allowed the spider to crawl onto his hand. It walked over his fingers and he admired its six legs. He wanted Humans to join the Hymenoptera. It was the only way they could rule the galaxy. Together.
If the JMC shared technology with the Hymenoptera, the Space Corps would follow. And then the rest of Humanity.
Justin didn't know what was in the box, but he knew it was something to do with the Hymenoptera. Eckerslike had given him the impression it was. Maybe this was the first step towards an alliance with their insect friends. Justin was pleased that he was here, he is here at the start of a great friendship. Its like two giant superpowers, America and Russia coming together as friends (like that would ever happen!).
All Justin had to do was deliver this parcel to a man named Roebuck in the "Corridor of infinite perversions", if he did that – the lives of everyone in the entire galaxy could be different.
It hadn't even occurred to Justin that this might all be an orchestrated plan by Potential.
<snip>
Justin rounded a corner almost in a full sprint. He was moving too fast to avoid colliding with Micky, the parcel flying off one way, while Micky and Justin clattered to the floor in a tangled mess.
"Get out of my way! I need to deliver this package!" Justin whined while trying to scramble to his feet again. Micky grabbed his ankle and pulled his leg from under him, making him collapse back to the floor.
"You're coming back to Blue Dwarf with me."
<end snip>
--------------------------------
Who: Justin Pancake and Micky Pratt Bellhorn
Where: Quarantine, Blue Dwarf
When: After Chrysler sent them to Quarantine
"Noooooooooooooooooo!!!" Justin howled for the third time in a row, slamming his fists against the wall of the quarantine cell.
"Oh shut up!" Said Micky behind him. As they both had the same disease, Dr Keto had put them in the same quarantine room, locked away from the rest of the ship – although the disease had already began to spread amongst the crew.
"No. You shut up!" Justin said, pointing a finger at Micky. "I could have had it all! I was going to be Captain!"
Micky shrugged. "So?"
"So, you messed it up!"
"How?"
"All I had to do was deliver a parcel. Potential said that my life would go better if I only delivered that parcel. All I had to do was deliver it into the hands of someone else, and my entire life would be better. Eckerslike would trust me, and he'd make me Captain one day."
"Who says?" Micky asked. "You'd still have to work here, doing the same stinking job you've always done on the Blue Dwarf."
"Potential said." Said Justin. "He said that I'd be Captain. He's a time traveller. He showed me."
Micky was surprised to hear Justin mention that name. "Potential?"
Justin nodded.
"Tall man with dark hair and a cloak?"
Justin nodded.
"Really big smegging eyebrows?"
Justin nodded.
"Attractive blonde girl called Annie as a sidekick?"
"I dunno, I've never met her." Justin admitted.
Micky shook his head. "The man's a jerk. He's a manipulative evil tosspot."
"Why?"
"He owes me fifteen years of my life. The scumbag!"
"Why?" Justin asked.
"Because he sent me through time, fighting wars and battling with a race called the Zograth. Remember those smegging monkeys with their brains showing?"
"Ahh."
"Well he wanted me to kill them, but to do that he send me around the galaxy, through different time periods."
"So was he training you up so that you'd kill the Zograth emperor?"
"Yes, but no. What he was actually doing was making sure that I had contracted as many diseases as possible so that when I did meet him, I'd give him enough diseases to kill him."
"Did it work?" Justin asked.
"Of course it worked, didn't you see all the Zograth die?"
"Oh yes." Said Justin. "I'd forgotten."
"Fifteen years that took." Micky said, spitting the words out. "Fifteen years of my life, just so that bastard Potential could kill someone. He's like a puppet master, behind the scenes pulling all the strings and controlling everything."
"He's not! He's making my life better!" Justin said.
"By doing what?" Micky asked sceptically, allowing Justin to explain before shooting him down.
"He wants me to be help Humans and the Hymenoptera to become friends. Then I can be a Captain of a Human/Hymenoptera spaceship."
"Bollocks!" Micky said. "He wants the Humans to become slaves of the Hymenoptera."
"No!" Said Micky. "Its not like that."
"It is. Its exactly like that. Hymenoptera are evil monsters!" Micky said. "We can't be all buddy buddy with them. They want to eat us!"
Justin sighed.
Micky continued. "If that Potential were here now I'd...."
A third voice in the cell took them both by surprise. "You'd what?"
Micky turned to see Potential stood there, complete with big eyebrows and cloak.
"I'd punch you right in the face." Micky said and stood up, but Potential moved too quickly.
"Remember I've seen the entire timeline all laid out." Potential said. "I know everything you're likely to do, and so I can avoid it."
"You ruined my life, you smegger!" Micky said, and punched again but missed.
Justin stood up and confronted Potential. "I thought you told me I'd be a Captain. That will never happen now." He sat down again, sobbing into his hands.
"Okay here's how it works" Potential said. "Micky. Punch me." He said, and pointed to his face.
"No." Said Micky. "You'll just move again and I'll look like a tit."
"Just try." Said Potential.
Micky swung for him but missed. Micky fell over and looked like a tit. Justin giggled, and wiped away his tears.
"Every action causes a different timeline to split off." Justin explained. "That simple action created three parallel universes. One where you tried to punch me. And one where you did punch me, but I knew about this one so avoided it. There's also another where you punched yourself to try and confuse me. I'm aware of all possible timelines. It's my job."
"What about one where I punch Justin?" Micky said, and smacked Justin across the face.
"That creates a universe where Justin hates you." Potential said.
"I already do." Justin said. "He stopped me from being Captain!"
"This does pose a problem." Potential said. "Because the package wasn't delivered, the entire alliance with the Hymenoptera is in jeopardy. It's not impossible, but it requires some extra work."
"By alliance, do you mean hostile domination?" Micky said sceptically, but Potential said nothing.
"There's still chance to break out of here, steal the package and take it to Roebuck. He's booked a room on the Corridor of Infinite Perversions."
"I'll do it!" Justin said. "Which room?"
"It's room #388" Potential said. "The package has been sent to Rufus' lab for investigation. You still have time to steal it and take it to Roebuck."
"I'll do it!" Said Justin.
Potential grinned, and disappeared.
"Micky. I hate you. But I'll forgive you if you help me break out?" Justin said. "Please?"
<tag Micky, will you help him break out and get the Parcel?>