Rose paces next to the card table, her cell phone pressed to her ear. (Vriska) can faintly hear Jade's shrill voice on the other end. After a minute or so, Rose says, "I'm sorry. I don't know how to help you."

There's a short pause. Rose responds, "No, that's not how my Seer powers work. I can only see which actions will lead to the most beneficial outcomes."

Jade says something which (Vriska) can't make out.

"I'll…" Rose sighs. "I'll give it a shot. I'm sorry, Jade, I miss him too. But I'm sure he wouldn't just leave you, leave us without a really good reason."

Rose looks tired, so tired, more tired than she should look even for her age. She furrows her brow in empathy, deepening the creases in her forehead.

A longer pause this time.

"No, Jade… he'd never do that. Dave would never. He knows better than that. We've been over this. He's given up on Karkat. He'd never…

"Jade, you're being unreasonable. Please, remember how much you love logic? Focus on the facts.

"If you want to stop by later, we can talk this over, maybe over drinks or something if you want. But for now, you have to take a deep breath and relax. We'll never find him if we're not in the right mindset."

Rose exhales, hangs up, and sits down heavily. She rests her chin in her hands. "Sorry you had to listen to that," she says.

"It's fine. Jade's just 8eing hysterical."

Rose nods. "She has a history of doing so."

(Vriska) contemplates asking after Dave, but she decides not to. After all, they're here to discuss other, possibly more important matters. And another of their number is missing.

"Where's Kanaya?" she asks.

"Uh, I assume she's held up with work in the infirmary."

Just then, Kanaya sprints down the hall. She pulls off her latex gloves inside-out and shoves them in her pocket as she sits down. A surgical mask hangs around her neck.

"Im Dreadfully Sorry For My Tardiness"

(Vriska) shrugs. "Every8ody's got schist to deal with. You sure you 8eing here won't result in people dying?"

"I Doubt It" Kanaya replies. "My Team Is Reliable And Trustworthy"

"So!" (Vriska) cracks her knuckles. It's time for Exposition Interlude, Part 2. "You guys claim you've figured it aaaaaaaall out, huh?"

"I believe we have, yes," says Rose. "It took a while and a great deal of both research and creative thought, but yes, it's safe to say we have a solid hypothesis.

"I asked John for help with some of my research. He's had an interest in space ever since we were kids. He was fairly helpful, if much more confused than I was."

Kanaya interjects, "Has He Yet Noticed That His Phone Is Missing"

"He has not. Oh, speaking of which, I struggled over the aforementioned issue of cellular communication functioning between both the Furthest Ring and this planet, which would not be plausible if Earth C was inside a black hole. Then Kanaya suggested something quite brilliant, if I do say so myself."

"I Wondered If Earth C Was Not In The Black Hole At All"

Rose nods. "And that's when I had a breakthrough. No, Earth C's not inside the black hole. It's on the other side. It's outside of a white hole."

(Vriska's) eyes widen. Then she realises that she has no idea what Rose is talking about. "What the hail is a white hole?"

Rose adopts an all-too familiar expression, the look that means that she has a lot of information to share and is just raring to give it to somebody. (Vriska) wonders if she made a mistake by asking about it. Well, it's too late now.

"A white hole is, essentially, the polar opposite of a black hole. Instead of being an infinitely steep gravitational well, it's an infinitely steep gravitational mountain. So, objects don't get sucked into it like they would into a black hole; instead, they are repelled and are driven away by it, by the energy constantly emanating from it.

"The First Law of Thermodynamics states that neither matter nor energy can be created or destroyed. Yet a black hole seems to discredit this concept, as anything dragged into its unprobable depths can never be dragged back out. So scientists theorised that each black hole might have a white hole counterpart, to recreate, so to speak, all the matter which the black hole sort of destroyed. So white holes are comparable to an inverted garbage bin. Nothing can be put in; it'll fall right back out. And each black hole bin leads to a corresponding white hole bin."

"Okaaaaaaaay," (Vriska) interrupts, "8ut what does any of that have to do with Earth C?"

"Oh, lots! In fact, I have a theory about Earth C's actual shape, since nobody has been able to garner any proper satellite imagery, and might not even be able to do so, for reasons which will become clear in a moment. You see, Earth C's not just outside of the white hole. It's around the white hole."

"It's….. what?"

"Think about it this way. Our planet is like a chocolate coating on a spherical piece of candy. Then there's a space, filled with the gooey caramel tidal wave of energy, separating it from the white hole nougat on the inside."

(Vriska) furrows her brow, trying to comprehend the mental image. "Are you trying to make me hungry? 8ecause it's working."

Kanaya chuckles. "In Other Words When You Look Up At The Sky Youre Gazing In The Direction Of The White Hole"

(Vriska) gapes. "So the white hole's 8een right a8ove our heads this whole time? How come we've never 8een a8le to see it?"

Rose drums her fingers on the table. "The astrophysics department on this planet is rather lacking, as the lock industry used to be. Hopefully, there will be a need for one now. Anyway, there's probably some sort of weird space schist preventing us from seeing the white hole itself. Nature doesn't permit a naked singularity. I'm not sure about the specifics - astrophysics was never my strong suit - but it might explain why the sky is such an unnatural shade of blue all the time."

(Vriska) drags her mind away from the oddly compelling mental image of a naked singularity. "What a8out the stars?"

"Oh, right, the stars! Have you noticed that they change position every night?"

"They… oh my God, they do." (Vriska's) eyes widen. "Then….. are they really stars?"

"Probably Not" responds Kanaya. "Come To Think Of It They Might Be Glimpses Of The White Hole Itself"

Now (Vriska's) interested. "Then what does this, what does this make the sun?"

"Really Damp Small"

"This, this is forking wild. We're literally on the INSIDE of this planet? How are we not falling 8ack inwards towards the white hole? And why does the ground look like it's curved like a normal planet?"

Rose replies, "Because the white hole is producing the opposite of gravity, in a sense. Instead of pulling us towards it, it's pushing us away, into the surface of the planet. As for the curvature of Earth C… I have to admit, I'm not sure. It might have something to do with our brains tricking us into thinking that since the pull of gravity, or the push of inverse gravity, feels normal, that we're on a normally shaped surface. Again, this is why we need to improve the astrophysics department. I'll have to talk to John about that."

(Vriska) nods, lost in thought. She's pretty sure she gets it now. So Earth C is like a ring, and everybody's on the inside, and the white hole is in the centre of the ring, and it's emitting energy and some sort of reverse-gravity that's pushing everybody towards the outside of the ring and creating the illusion that everybody's on a normal planet. But they're not literally in the black hole, so text messages can be sent from here to the Furthest Ring and the other Earth C.

Kanaya adds, "There Are Other Anomalies Too Such As How There Can Be Breathable Air Here And What Phenomenon Explains The So Called Stars And How The Sun Can Be Either So Small Or So Far Away Considering The Size Of The Planet But Those Are Less Important Questions For The Aforementioned Astrophysics Department To Eventually Handle"

After a moment of hesitation, she continues, "Also Theres The Question Of How The Planet Was So Mysteriously Inverted When The Likelihood Is That Other Alternate Versions Of Earth C Are Structured In A More Conventional Way"

Rose thinks for a moment, then laughs to herself. She says, "This is a story all about how Earth C got flipped turned upside down…"

The reference to a well-known sitcom is lost on both Kanaya and (Vriska). They both stare at her blankly.

Rose awkwardly continues, "I'd like to take a minute, just sit right there, and… you know, Dave would know how to finish this parodic rap."

"Speaking Of Which Where Is Dave"

Rose shrugs. "I just had a conversation about Jade regarding the exact same topic. She's in hysterics over his unexplained disappearance."

"Thats Not Good"

"Indeed it is not."

Rose sits quietly for a minute.

"Did You Forget About The Reverse Order Thing" asks Kanaya.

She sits upright. "Oh, right! I have a rather concerning theory about the purpose of the black hole and what it means for our planet."

"Wow, I thought you were done for once," (Vriska) snarks.

"Watch Your Tone Of Voice Young La-" Kanaya stops mid-sentence, remembering who she's reprimanding. "Sorry"

(Vriska) chuckles. It's been a week, but Kanaya still mixes up her and Vriska on occasion. It doesn't help that they're sharing both a room and a wardrobe for now. Plus the fact that they could pass as identical twins.

Rose proceeds to recount her theory, unhindered by (Vriska's) sarcasm. "From what I've heard from Meenah, she was present during the battle against Lord English. Therefore, she must have entered the black hole after you did, and yet she emerged before you did. I've talked to a couple other dreambubble ghosts, and their accounts of what they were doing both before and after their trip through the black hole seem to corroborate my hypothesis."

"What the fork does corro8or8 mean?" asks (Vriska).

"It means to verify or confirm. Anyway, I believe the black hole operates on a Last In, First Out principle. In other words, whatever enters the black hole last, chronologically speaking, will be expelled from the white hole first. However, Meenah clammed, I mean claimed, that Lord English was krill- KILLED, probably by being sucked into the singularity. This occurred after you entered. So, I have to wonder, why is there an exception to the LIFO order made for Lord English?

"My hypothesis is that the black hole was created as a prison for him, so of course it would force him to linger in the singularity, perhaps to ultimately annihilate him. Of course, it raises the question, is it possible that Lord English could get out of jail free, so to speak, and emerge here? I believe it's very likely."

All (Vriska) can do right now is stare at Rose. She stares right back at her.

After about a minute, (Vriska) finally rediscovers her voice. "Well….. That would be pro8lematic."

"Extremely So" adds Kanaya.

"Remember, all that I've said so far is mere speculation," Rose clarifies. "The reality of the situation may be vastly different; only time, and a real astrophysics department, will tell. But yes, I believe that it's entirely possible that Lord English will escape his prison, and that by doing so, he may very well destroy this planet. Given the nature of a white hole, you could claim that he's already here."

(Vriska) cups her forehead in her palms. "8ut, 8ut you're s8ying Lord English could come through th8 sky? Like I did? Th8t's REEEEEEEEALLY forking 8ad!"

Rose merely nods. "It is terrible. But, since we're on the other side of a white hole, you could say we're in a doomed timeline. So… we should face our imminent demise head-on, with a grim expression, and not be afraid to die if it comes to it."

Rose seems surprisingly calm given that she's bandying about IRL headcanons regarding the destruction of the planet. Kanaya also appears to be taking this news in stride. Then again, she takes just about everything in stride.

"Oh, by the way," Rose continues, "I recommend that you not tell anyone else about this, in order to avoid mass hysteria. I've sworn John to secrecy already; he took the news surprisingly well. Then again, he has been weirdly nihilistic these past couple of years."

"So You Want Us To Face The Apocalypse With Dignity"

"Precisely."

"I Can Do That"

(Vriska) interjects, "8ut, 8ut shouldn't we at least prepare to 8attle Lord English? You know, just in case?"

"We Most Likely Should" replies Kanaya. "But If Both Whatever Was Contained In The Juju And The Singularity Were Unable To Properly Destroy Him I Dont Believe We Would Be Able To Put A Dent In Him"

(Vriska) stares at Kanaya.

"Do You Have Your Affairs In Order" she asks, completely deadpan.

"Ah fork, I need to update my will," mutters Rose.

"Th8t's not….. Th8t's not….. AAAAAAAARGH!" (Vriska) slams her fists down on the card table. A tinny clang reverberates down the hallway.

"I c8n't 8ELIEEEEEEEEVE we just h8ve to ST8Y here 8nd W8 while forking L8RD ENGLISH prep8res to MURDER US 88888888LL! Is th8re 8NYTHING we c8n do to f8ght 8ack? Do you h8ve ANY expos8tion….. I c8n't 8elieve I'm 8sking this. Do you have 8NY exposition th8t could P8SSI8LY help? Or 8re you fresh 8ut?"

"I am an endless barrel of exposition!" retorts Rose. "But yeah, I'm done."

(Vriska) has always wanted to flip a table. And she takes the opportunity now to make her wildest dreams come true. Both Rose and Kanaya flinch as the table sails through the air and clatters noisily on the tile floor.

"Please Calm Down" Kanaya reaches out a concerned arm to (Vriska). "Flipping Tables Wont Help Prevent Lord English From Coming"

"Y8U'RE telling M8 to C8LM DOWN? Why d8n't you st8ck a r8d-hot P8KER up your 8xe, you SCH8ST-E8TING-"

"You Sound Exactly Like Karkat"

That shuts her right up.

Rose stands up and looks (Vriska) directly in the eyes. The look she's going for is probably sympathy, but given her tendency to Kubrick-stare pretty much constantly, she looks vaguely threatening. "Please, (Vriska). Relax. Don't worry about it. Don't worry other people. I'm concerned, too, but this is all for the best. It takes bravery to face death with dignity. So relax."

(Vriska) relents and nods. The tension goes from her shoulders.

Of course, that's all on the outside. Her emotional state on the inside is a very different story.

No, (Vriska's) not going to relax any more. She's spent long enough doing that. She's not going to sit still and patiently wait to be killed. She's going to knuckle down and figure out how to escape this bizarre forking inverted planet. For Terezi's sake. For her own sake.

She's not done living quite yet.

If you can't tell, I'm inordinately fond of astrophysics and am very grateful for the opportunity to work some into this fic.

Hope you're liking the story so far! Next chapter's a comparative behemoth; it might be a week until I post it, though I'll try to have it ready by Friday. See you when it's ready!