☆TRACK VI: THE NEW AMERICANA

[interdimanagers]

Who: All the rescuers...and DAFT PUNK.
What: The rescuers enter Vista City for the first time.
When: January 20th, 2055
Where: The ship, the coast, and outer Vista City.
Warnings: Could basically be anything.

“Viral mess turned dreams into an empire. Self-made success now she rolls with Rockefellers. Survival of the richest, the city's ours until the fall. But we don't feel like outsiders at all.” ☆THE NEW AMERICANA Your arrival on Tera doesn’t exactly happen with a bang – though maybe that’s a good thing, given that this is supposedly a stealth operation. The ship firsts touches down somewhere in the ocean, at which point it hovers above the waves for a few hours while Shep “touches base” with some “contacts.” This is your time to get ready, to collect any gear you’ve been assigned, and to talk over initial plans with your new teammates. You’ve been given a rough outline of what to expect upon reaching actual land. You’re going to be dropped off in the ring of forested land outside of the city, at which point you are to access a hidden stash of supplies that has been planted there for you and head into the city, where a second stash of supplies will be waiting for you in the outer ring of the city. It will probably be a long walk. From the onboard supplies everyone will be given the following: ENGLISH LANGUAGE TRAINING: if your character doesn’t already speak English, they will be given some time with a crown like technological device that seems the be able to psychically teach people languages at a rapid pace. Whatever has been enabling communication so far won’t cover you once you enter the city, so it’s important that you’re prepared. How easily a person’s brain accepts this information will vary based on unseen neurological factors, and can range from perfect fluency to an uneasy second language. (On an OOC level, whether or not your character struggles with picking up English is completely up to you.) Most of this training will be done on the trip to Tera. THEIR DESIGNATED TOOLS: any items your character was designated on your application will be given to them now. They’ll have some degree of choice in what they get, but everything is limited in supply. There are manuals for everything, but how much you can be fucked to read them will vary. Also, some of them aren’t in English or anything else even remotely recognizable. COMMUNICATION DEVICES: Everybody will get a communicator, which are worn around the back of your ear and project a holographic field over your eyes when activated. The device itself must be manually switched on with your fingers, and from there on out your exact method of controlling it depends on the settings. Some of the more basic functions can be manipulated with “brain waves” (though nothing very complicated) and the rest is mostly voice or touch activated, though you can also set it up to be controlled with blinking and eye movement if you are a “pro”. Its functions include voice, voice-to-text, and a sort of janky manual text mode that you have to touch the screen to use. Video chat is not available, though it is capable of recording video from your POV to be shared manually after the fact. It can also share still images. Various channels can be set up and accessed, both private and public, much like a Teamspeak server is used in gaming. HOLO EMITTERS (LIMITED): The amount of these available are limited by “plot convenience.” Do you want your character to have to struggle with their alien appearance to get by constantly? Then imagine there wasn’t enough of them to go around and your character was unlikely or benevolent enough to not receive one. Would you rather they have access to one? Then you can have one. A holo emitter is capable of projecting a holographic image around your character and disguising their appearance, the complexity of which is entirely up to you. The major problems with it are that 1) it can’t conceal things that the hologram doesn’t actually touch – cow horns could be covered in a hologram to look like a hat, but it couldn’t make them look as if there is nothing there at all, and 2) the holograms have no mass, and so if anyone tries to touch them they’ll realize they are just light projections. Also, like most of the equipment, they only work for a few hours before running out of power. ☆STASH NUMBER ONE: THE FOREST Once Shep has made sure things are prepared and everyone has their stuff, the ship will very briefly skirt close enough to the shore for people to disembark. The beach seems totally free of witnesses, and once you’ve hit land it’s a short run to the tree line. A few random people will have map information uploaded into their communicators (Usagi, Saitama, Reborn, Pearl, and Sparks Nevada are the lucky winners) and will be put in charge of making sure everyone navigates to the first stash correctly, and then into the outskirts of the city where a meet-up point and a second stash of equipment is located. The directions are not complicated, but it’s a lot of people to shepherd around incognito. How everybody handles this is completely up to the characters. Meanwhile, Shep is piloting the ship back off into the ocean to hide it somewhere. He says he’ll meet you in the city at some point, and that he’ll keep in contact via the communicators. Stay safe, and good luck! The first stash is about a twenty minute walk into the forest, and should be found with relative ease. It is basically just a few large, plastic tubs buried beneath soil and moss, and has to be dug up like treasure. Inside of it lies the following: AMERICANA DISGUISES: Clothing, make up, the works – everything the average joe needs to pass themselves off as a resident of Vista City. Outfits are perhaps a bit more eccentric and flashy than you’re used to...or maybe a bit less, depending where you come from. Either way, it’s a specific look, and there should be enough here to accommodate new outfits for all the humanoids. If you’re a horse, you’re sort of on your own. What your character ends up with is up to you, though “space rave” is a good way to describe common aesthetics. There are also a lot of hooded coats, hats, and other articles that would be good for hiding inhuman characteristics. RATIONS: Enough food at water, tightly compact, to last everyone for a few days. It’s going to start to run out quickly, though, so the group is going to need some breadwinners sooner rather than later. A WELCOME CARD: A welcome message from these two with their selfie printed on the front. Written inside are the following messages: “Glad you could make It! ♥ –Gold” and ”Welcome to hell. ☺ -Silver”. They are both in the same handwriting. From there, the maps only lead further into the city. ☆STASH NUMBER TWO: CITY BOUND You'll quickly notice that Vista City comes with multiple levels - the ground level, that actually touches the earth, and then a second level of streets and walkways that occurs halfway up the mountainous buildings. Cars streak down both sets of speedways, and the signs of life scatter every inch of the towers surrounding you. At the same time, though, a city of this magnitude leaves a lot of nooks and crannies left frequently unseen - something you'll definitely have to take advantage of. In the outer ring of the city the population is less dense than it gets towards the center, so at the least it gives you the opportunity to get your bearings. You'll find that there is no shortage of people stalking around in the darkness, even as the sun sets and night totally takes hold. A lot of them are dressed pretty funny, too, and any insecurities you had about looking ridiculous can tentatively be put aside. The costumes you were left do allow you to blend in about as well as you could hope. If the navigation team holds true, you'll be able to make it to the next stash in good time. You've been advised to avoid talking to locals as much as possible, at least until you've figured things out better. There is a notable absence of homeless people on the streets, which could mean any number of things. The place you end up at is, unsurprisingly, a warehouse. One of the few entirely flat buildings in the cityscape, the maps will lead into the center of the building. You try the door. It opens. When you go inside, you aren't alone. The floor is littered in blankets and what passes for foam mattresses. Waiting with them is the silver helmeted figure from the welcome card earlier. They usher you in hastily and ask you some cursory questions about whether you've been followed. When they seem satisfied, they'll tell you that you can spend the night here. "This is the first and last time you can stay here," they'll say, gesturing around. "This was Gold and I's launchpad for the last little while, and we're junking it after this. I recommend you follow our example. Don't stay any one place too long, and don't travel in one huge group. If you do that, one bad night will pin you all down." Silver will pass out what is apparently enough fake IDs for everyone in the ship - complete with each individual's image (or a human approximation) and a made up name. It's enough info to get a job with, they'll explain, if you can manage it. Avoid pushing the forgery's limits, though, if you can. They made them themselves so they expect they are excellent quality, but you can never be too careful. "...Most importantly," they'll finish. "Don't go looking for the prisoners right now, as much as you might want to. If you fuck that up, you'll fuck this up for everyone - and I'll tell you right now, other people have already invested a lot more blood and tears into this than you have. Respect that." Silver will stay for a few more hours, and then Gold will appear to take over, bringing snacks and hot chocolate with them. Get a good sleep, you'll need it. “We are the new Americana. High on legal marijuana, Raised on Biggie and Nirvana. We are the new Americana.”

Comments

[flies_solo]

That had to have been a lie. Mammon's ability to hold a grudge was almost legendary within the various circles that were clouded by the veil of Omerta. But, just to get the Arcobaleno to shut up, Hibari conceded.

"A favor. To be called in whenever it's necessary."

It was simple enough-- and vague enough that Mammon would have to stay visible for a while.

[avidita]

How annoyingly vague. Mammon clicks their tongue. They'll have to accept it for what it is.

"I don't plan on staying around in our final destination for very long. Have you figured out how to use the communicator?"

[flies_solo]

Just. A look.

The irritation over Mammon's idiocy was almost palpable in the air, and Hibari felt that he didn't even need to express his feeling of insult over being taken for a fool. The communicator devices weren't terribly unlike what he was already familiar with from his timeline, so the adjustment for him was seamless.

Though he was no Yamamoto Takeshi, he picked up on things fairly quickly.

[avidita]

Their lips puff out in their typical frown. It's a temptation and a half to take that look out of whatever they're going to be owing him, but, frankly, they don't want to start anything with him right now. Not because they're concerned about themself, but because it would destroy a chunk of land or city.

That's the exact opposite of being subtle.

"I've never worked with you before and you're from a timeline different from my own. Of course I'm going to double check."

[flies_solo]

Subtlty wasn't something that the wild fighters within the Famiglia were known for, but they would all need to work on ammending that flaw for the sake of the mission at hand.

"I dislike illusionists, and you've been dead in my time for years. Try to be less foolish, Arcobaleno."

[avidita]

Oh. So this is the conversation he wants to get into.

Too late to back out of this one now, Hibari.

"The amount of alternate universes is limitless," Mammon snaps back promptly. "There's no way for me to know which one you are unless you actually manage to communicate. For all I could be aware of, your distaste for illusionists could be erased because you're from a timeline where you've married Chrome Dokuro."

[flies_solo]

He shot Mammon a sharp, disgusted look at the very notion of her suggestion. While Chrome herself was innocent, there was no way he would be able to tolerate such close association with Mukuro, even as an adult. The man had scarred his very pride-- it was something that he couldn't stand.

"Clearly that's not the case," he intoned on a cold, controlled voice. The only reason he didn't lash out was because his number of Rings was at a premium, and he didn't doubt that Mammon already suspected that.

The game was obvious now. They couldn't afford to beat around the bush.

"Let's make this plain, Arcobaleno. We're both Vongola and limited in our resources. You make one move to jeopardize the mission, and I'll have no hesitations in snapping your neck."

[avidita]

Even if it weren't January, the air around the two of them would be freezing to start with.

"You think I'll jeopardize the mission? Between the two of us, I'm the one who works best with groups of people. I'm the one who has abilities best suited to this sort of mission, and, even with the age you're at now, I have far more experience than you. Watch your tongue, or I'll snap your neck."

So far, the mission is going great. Obviously.

[flies_solo]

It was a lack of Rings that stayed his hand, but he would already have his tonfas ready to ram into Mammon's face had base materials not been a defining factor in this battle. The fact that the Guardians had destroyed the Vongola Rings had been weighing heavily on his mind since the problems with the Millefiore began, but never had it weighed heavier than they did in that moment.

Hibari swallowed his rage-- and slammed a bare fist into an adjacent tree, rattling the dead leaves that still clung to the withered branches in the frigid cold. The wood crunched and splintered, biting into the bare flesh seemingly without Hibari's notice.

The little bird peered out of a coat pocket with a worried little peep. "Hibari. Hibari."

Was it time to flutter off?

[jacktothefuture]

"Enough!"

The sudden shout comes before the disagreement can escalate any further. Normally, Jack wouldn't step in on something like this but their situation was dangerous enough without two of their members at each other's throats. By the time things escalated into actually threatening each other, he'd decided it had gone on far enough.

So, the samurai steps in between the two of them casting a sharp glare in both directions. His sword is still sheathed at his side but close enough at hand that it can be drawn at a moment's notice.

"I do not know what differences the two of you may have, but this is neither the time nor the place for this foolishness!"

[avidita]

After so many years of dealing with Squalo's volume and Xanxus' far worse displays of violence, it'd be hard for Mammon to be surprised. Hibari is someone they somewhat know as well, and the display just has them sneer.

Jack's intrusion is ore noteworthy simply because they hadn't expected anyone else to really care of whatever spat was going on. They stiffen up at his shout, expression otherwise hard to read as they watch his movements carefully.

"He was the one to approach me and take up insults," they murmur, slinging down the backpack from their shoulders. The heater is immediately shoved into it, and they don't waste any time in stepping away. "No takebacks, for the record."

[flies_solo]

An icy glance was shot in the Samurai's direction, as if to demand what the warrior thought he was doing. A traditionalist himself, Hibari born and raised within the Yakuza tradition-- this was more than a simple spat between two strangers.

"Hmph. Childish." he muttered, glancing away. They honestly needed to look at themself from an outside perspective, as Mammon was the one who started the argument in the first place.

But Hibari wasn't going to fall into childish tactics. Reaching up to gently scratch his little canary upon the head, he turned his back on the Arcobaleno and the Samurai.

"Don't forget, Mammon. We're associated. Your cooperation is appreciated-- but stay out of my way."

[jacktothefuture]

Hibari's cold glare was met by an equally unflinching glance from the samurai, holding until the other man looked away.

Jack sighed, closing his eyes as it looked like the brewing confrontation was at an end before it began. Honestly, he didn't care at all who started what and he could very easily say as much. Tell them how perilous their situation was and how indulging in this childish bickering would only doom everyone they'd come here with an the captives alike....

But instead, he just looks up frowning as the two of them make their parting shots.

"We will fail if we begin fighting amongst ourselves. The two of you must understand that."

[flies_solo]

An irritable huff was the immediate reply, and Hibari glanced back at the samurai with eyes that were too dark with grave understanding for a man who was only in his mid-twenties.

"Believe my words, Ronin. We're both more well aware of that than you think. There are things much bigger than any of us at stake in this mission."

Like the fate of multiple timelines and multiple parallel worlds. Some of the people missing were the final key to the puzzle that needed to be solved before anything could be done.

[jacktothefuture]

It's a familiar look, one the samurai perhaps shares although it could be more at home on the older man's face. It seems they both carry a large burden on their shoulders. Even if Jack's world hasn't yet fallen victim to these kidnappers, it's almost only certainly a matter of time before they turn their eyes there.

He almost shudders at the thought of what damage could be done if Aku's influence were to spread to those with such power. Or if he were able to take it for himself.

"Then it is all the more imperative that you set your differences aside, for your world's sake." His eyes narrow further. "... And I am no ronin."