Jack found out about the voice acting job that same evening.
He had just finished another hour of writing when there was a knock at his door. Jack saved his document, closed the laptop, and stood.
"Come in," he said.
Richard stepped inside, phone still in his hand, brows drawn together in a way Jack was starting to recognize as work mode. He closed the door behind him and glanced briefly at the desk, the neatly stacked notes, the open notebook filled with handwriting that definitely did not belong to the old Jack.
"You busy?" Richard asked.
"Sort of," Jack replied honestly. "But I can stop."
Richard nodded once. "This will not take long."
He hesitated, then sighed and rubbed his temple. "We have a situation."
Jack leaned against the desk. "What kind of situation?"
"An expensive one," Richard said. "The Invasion 3 is in post-production. Final voice sessions were scheduled for this week. One of the lead voice actors woke up this morning with a severe infection. He dropped out."
Jack blinked. "That's bad timing."
"It is disastrous timing," Richard said flatly. "Studio time is booked. Animators, sound engineers, editors, we are 70% through the recordings... everyone is locked in. Delaying would cost a small fortune and push the release back months. Marketing is already rolling."
Jack frowned slightly. "So you are looking for a replacement."
Richard met his eyes. "I am."
Jack paused. Something clicked. "You want me to do it."
Richard watched his reaction carefully. "You have done voice work before. Commercials, animated side characters, and even a lead role when you were younger. And you still have the range. You think you're up for this?"
Jack did not answer right away.
He remembered enjoying voice acting before he started seeking parties and attention. He liked being in a booth with a script and a mic. It felt like a performance with less exposure to cameras. Voice acting always felt cleaner to him.
"I'm going to get paid, right?" Jack asked.
"Yes," Richard said. "You will be paid, fully and properly. But here's the thing. You have to record months' worth of lines in a single week. It won't be easy."
Jack thought for a moment. It'd be hard, but it's a chance to prove that he's serious about turning his life around this time.
"What character?" Jack asked.
Richard straightened slightly, like he was shifting from negotiation to briefing.
"It's Jenson," he said. "The hero's old rival."
Jack's eyebrows rose a fraction. "The antagonist of the previous part?"
"Yes," Richard corrected. "He starts on the opposite side, clashes with the hero more than once, then realizes the scale of the threat. He joins the team in the third act."
"And?"
"And he sacrifices himself at the end," Richard said. "Buys them time to destroy the alien core. It is meant to hurt. Audiences liked him enough that his death is supposed to sting. And if this movie works, then it leaves an opening for a fourth one with Jenson as the protagonist in another dimension. So, you'll get to play the lead voice actor."
"Ah! So, the explosion sent Jenson to another dimension and the story picks up from there?" Jack asked.
"Yes. Since we are wrapping up the main story. Next, we are thinking of expanding the story to another dimension. But that's a long shot. This movie has to work for us to think about the future."
"When does recording start?" Jack asked.
"Monday morning," Richard replied. "You have four days to prepare."
Jack nodded slowly. "That's tight."
"It is," Richard agreed. "Which is why I would not be offering this to you if I did not believe you could handle it."
"Nah, I doubt you believe in me after everything I did. Call me paranoid, but I think you are desperate. If I were to guess, it's either that no one is ready to take the risk of doing months of work in a week or that there is no voice actor available at the moment who can pull this off. So, you want me to take it because if I fail, you'll tell me how disappointed you are in me for failing. Dang! You are good, Dad," Jack said with a nod. "You did the same thing a couple of years back."
"15 grand," Richard said.
'Fucking hell!' Jack said instantly. "Send me the script."
"I'll have it sent in the morning," he said. "Full script, character notes, director comments. You'll also have access to the animatics."
'Shit! Money... it was like a reflex. I couldn't say know even though I don't need the money at the moment. Ah, what the hell? Let's do it.' Jack straightened. "You do know I'm going to prove you wrong."
"I know," Richard said, surprising them both.
He moved toward the door, then paused with his hand on the handle. "One more thing."
"Yeah?"
"I actually thought you'd say no since you don't need 15 grand because of my credit card and your account already has enough. Not to mention the hard work hours you are going to face. Then I'd have said how disappointed I'm in you," Richard said with his rare smile. "But I'm glad you said yes. Always remember, some are watching for you to slip."
Jack met his gaze evenly. "Then they'll be disappointed."
"Only time will tell," Richard said before leaving.
...
[Thursday]
School ended with the usual chaos of lockers slamming and students flooding the halls. Jack went straight home instead of taking a detour. He freshened up, ate some food and started his practice.
He sat at his desk, laptop open, headphones on.
The animation played in the corner of the screen. Rough models, unfinished lighting, timing markers flashing by. Atlas stood at the center of the frame in his hero suit, while alien structures loomed in the background like skeletal towers. Jenson appeared a second later, scarred armor.
Jack paused the video and scrolled down to the script. He read the notes and descriptions on what his voice should be like. Jenson's voice should be like someone carrying years of resentment and guilt. Cold on the surface, but not empty.
That was the hard part.
Jack leaned back, closed his eyes, and took a slow breath.
"Alright," he muttered. "Let's do this."
He rewound the animation a few seconds and pressed play.
Jenson's mouth moved.
Jack spoke softly at first, testing tone.
"You still think this ends with victory," he said, voice low and even. "That there is a clean line between winning and surviving."
He stopped, frowned, and shook his head.
"Too flat," he said to himself. "Again."
He straightened, grounding his feet on the floor, letting the weight of the character settle into his chest.
This time, when he spoke, there was more edge to it.
"You still think this ends with victory," he said. "That there is a clean line between winning and surviving."
He paused the video.
'Better.'
He scrolled down.
The scene shifted. Atlas and Jenson are arguing in the ruins of a command hub, alarms blaring in the background.
Jack read Atlas's line silently, then answered aloud.
"You don't get to decide who pays the price," Jack said, voice sharp now. "You never did."
He let the silence sit, then continued with the next line, softer.
"But someone has to."
Jack leaned forward, elbows on the desk, replaying the delivery in his head. The coldness was there, but it needed restraint, like someone refusing to let the cracks show.
He practiced again, adjusting pacing.
"You don't get to decide who pays the price," he said. A beat. "You never did."
Another beat.
"But someone has to."
His throat tightened slightly, and he took that as a good sign.
A few hours later...
Jack skipped a few parts in between and opened the final act.
The chamber around the alien core pulsed with unstable energy. Janet's voice came through the speakers, desperate and strained.
Jack read her line, then answered.
"Janet," he said softly. "Listen to me."
He paused the animation again and shook his head.
"No," he muttered. "Not quiet. Controlled."
He tried again.
"Janet," he said. "Listen to me."
He continued...
"Someone has to stay behind to hold the gate. You know it. This... is my choice."
He paused for a few seconds.
"Tell him," Jack said, softer now. "Tell him I finally chose the right side."
Jack stopped there, hands resting on the desk, fingers curled slightly.
That was the ending dialogue. The one Richard had mentioned. The one that had to hurt without sounding like it was trying to.
Jack exhaled slowly and leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling.
Cold voice, real emotion.
He closed his eyes and pictured the alley, the gunshot, the silence, then the second chance that followed. Not to wallow in it, but to remember what it felt like to lose everything without warning.
He opened his eyes and tried the final line again with more emotion.
"Tell him," he said. "I finally chose the right side."
The room stayed silent after the words faded.
Jack reached up and pulled the headphones off, letting them rest around his neck. He sat there for a moment, then nodded to himself.
"Yeah," he murmured. "That'll work."
He glanced at the clock.
Late, but not too late.
Jack saved his notes, queued up the scenes he skipped, and leaned forward again, ready to keep going.
[After dinner]
Jack scrolled down the cast list while the animation buffered.
Lead roles, supporting roles, additional voices. He skimmed without much interest at first, eyes half-focused, brain still replaying lines and tone adjustments.
Then a name made him stop.
Dakota Fanning, Janet.
Jack leaned back in his chair and let out a quiet breath. "Huh."
In his previous life, Dakota Fanning had already made a big name in the industry at this point. He had watched more than a few of her performances while studying acting and sadly, he never got to meet her in real life.
'A dream of a past life might just become real in this new life...' He chuckled. "I sound like a fucking poet."
Just then, he remembered that this Jack had met her twice, two years back. According to his memories, she's popular in this reality too, just different movies.
"Son of a bitch didn't even keep in contact. What the fuck is wrong with this guy? Guess I will get to meet her again during the recordings," he muttered. "Fuck! How should I start a conversation? Even though I have the memories, it's me, not the old Jack and it's been two years without any contact. Shit! Whatever. Let's focus."
He shook his head once, refocusing. This was not the time to get distracted by celebrity thoughts. First, he gotta make a good name for himself, then it'll be easy.
He put the headphones back on and returned to work.
...
[Saturday]
Jack needed air.
After hours of scripts, timing notes, and emotional calibration, his head felt too full to hold anything else.
So he did the simplest thing he could think of.
Shopping.
The shopping mall was busy as usual. Families, couples, groups of teenagers drifting without urgency. The smell of coffee, pretzels, and perfume hung in the air.
Jack walked slowly, hands in his jacket pockets, letting the noise wash over him. He was in no hurry.
'Been a while since I went shopping. Actually, first time in this new life.'
He stopped in front of a storefront selling watches he definitely did not need and definitely could afford. 'Nice. Should I buy one? Nah, waste of money.'
He shook his head lightly and moved on.
Clothes stores blurred together. He walked past the shoes and electronics store. A bookstore pulled his attention for a few minutes, muscle memory dragging him inside before he realized what he was doing. He flipped through a fantasy novel, smiling faintly at the irony, then put it back and left without buying anything.
Jack turned a corner, slowing near a wide open section lined with benches and decorative plants. It was the food court and just then he realized he was hungry.
'Humm. KFC, Chick-fil-A or Popeyes? A tough choice. Should I go for Burger King's new double-stack Whopper?'
That was when he heard them.
"Jack?"
"Jack?"
Two female voices came from behind at the same time.
He turned.
Haley stood a few steps away with her phone in one hand and her sunglasses pushed up into her hair. She wore jeans, a blue top, and a loose black jacket. Next to her was Gloria, wearing a deep green dress with a bold neckline, looking striking as ever. She talked animatedly to Manny, who held a shopping bag and looked a bit overwhelmed by the whole experience.
The other girl was also a familiar one.
Dakota Fanning with her friends.
---