Axel's odyssey had been arduous to say the least, but he had finally reached his intended destination on the stolen "CTE FR-2302-K Civilian Freighter". His choice of ship had been justified when he was able to slip through Manhattan's docking ring without so much as a second glance from the drones controlling the gate. Every planet had one docking ring to restrict the flow of traffic to a more manageable size. If they allowed ships to enter the atmosphere at any point it would be impossible to monitor it all. Axel always thought of the docking rings as the giants Gog and Magog. In the old Sol Bible of Christianity they were generally depicted as negative beings, but were still believed to hold an important task: guard the City of London. Axel liked the imagery.
The drone that he imagined being Gog, judging all who entered, had given his shuttle permission to enter Manhattan's atmosphere. Magog, surveying those who departed, paid him no attention. Axel had thanked Gog - he was always courteous, even if it was to a machine - and was quickly descending to match the altitude the skyscrapers stretched to reach. He imagined them like the arms of children reaching for a piece of chocolate, their designers like children themselves. Just a little bit further.
He liked this imagery because it also helped explain the number of people centred around them. If the arms were reaching for a food of some sort, then the people were like starving ants. Desperate to also reach the sustenance and continue their petty, pointless existences.
The cities of Manhattan, spanning across the horizon for hundreds, if not thousands of miles, were like a banquet of commercialism and capitalist business for these ants. It was seen as the planet all others aspired to imitate. What was shown to the people of Sirius was a thriving metropolis, the profits of business being lifted upward like a helium balloon.
It was his first visit to Manhattan, and he had chosen his timing perfectly. Here was the business-centre of the world, so surely he could find some... shady individuals who supplied what he needed. Methyl isocyanate primarily. But also test subjects, a lab and contacts in which to gather information. He had nothing, so needed to get back onto his feet. Build an empire, then return to Rheinland and spread terror. Manhattan would be his playground.
[17:45:39] Wolfs Ghost (Murphy): Tom, you have problems. Go kill yourself.
[19:25:12] Johnny (Jam): Tomtom, I will beat you with a spoon.
[14:22:56] Prarabdh Thakur: KILL HIM WITH A SHEEP.
[17:40:48] Eagle (Junes): Tom should be slapped with a spoon.
[11:32:18] Warspite: Thank you for being so awesome Tom. <3
[18:17:36] Metano: I love you tomtom
[20:06:24] Warspite: I will seriously give you epic head.
' Wrote:Edit: also, Tomtomrawr, fappin' like a boss.
Oooo! Ooooooo! Fischy! Fischy! By this point Axel was immersed in the throngs of people moving between point A and B as they lived their lives. The weather reflected his mood: gloomy. Winter was putting up a fight, refusing to allow the warmer season to takeover. The clouds were a depressing grey, threatening rain. Most of the people he pushed past were wearing thick coats and keeping their umbrellas on stand-by. The voice had broken his train of thought as he considered how to establish contact with individuals that could secure the supplies that he needed.
What? His thoughts were filled with irritation. Here this thing was, plaguing his mind and disrupting his operations. He'd be glad once he found a way to rid himself of it.
Oh don't think thoughts like that, Fischy! Damn, Axel thought. The thing's ability to sense what he was thinking was, for him, a extreme security risk. He didn't like others knowing what he was thinking.
What's the plan then? Are you just going to wander around Manhattan all day or what? Questioning him. Asking incessant questions. Axel hated whatever it was, and yet he knew that if he didn't answer then it would just continue to pester him.
I wish to secure accommodations first. Then I shall have to acquire funds. Funds which shall be used to purchase various supplies from a black market vendor.
You and your "various supplies"! The voice giggled, which sent a shiver down Axel's spine. It spoke with his voice. I know something much better you could spend money on. Transport to Leeds.
Axel was surprised. First by the thing's knowledge. It must be accessing his own brain and using his own memories and knowledge, he thought. Second by how it wanted to go to Leeds. Why would it want to go to Leeds? It seemed to be about to explain, but Axel cut it off.
You are a guest in my body. An unwanted guest. You do not get to make demands on me, or suggestions, or anything. You are simply along for the ride, until I find some way to rid myself of you. Do you understand?
Their argument continued. To spectators, Axel seemed to be growing increasingly furious with himself. His face contorting into various poses, restrained but easy to distinguish as those of rage. It was going to be a long day.
[17:45:39] Wolfs Ghost (Murphy): Tom, you have problems. Go kill yourself.
[19:25:12] Johnny (Jam): Tomtom, I will beat you with a spoon.
[14:22:56] Prarabdh Thakur: KILL HIM WITH A SHEEP.
[17:40:48] Eagle (Junes): Tom should be slapped with a spoon.
[11:32:18] Warspite: Thank you for being so awesome Tom. <3
[18:17:36] Metano: I love you tomtom
[20:06:24] Warspite: I will seriously give you epic head.
' Wrote:Edit: also, Tomtomrawr, fappin' like a boss.
The accommodations that Axel ended up choosing was a cheap hotel. A single room, a fake name. No questions were asked regarding proof of identity. Just pay cash up front and use your room. It was the perfect place to keep a low profile and spend as much time as possible alone in the room as he attempted to follow leads into the whereabouts of the black market.
He didn't know where to start. He had no experience tracking organisations down. He knew none of the people in the area, and nobody knew him. He had no connections. Using the name Axel von Fischer on the streets would probably earn him a long detainment in a prison cell, if his exploits on Hamburg had reached Manhattan.
But those were worries for another day. When he'd first come out of his eighteen year long coma, he'd contemplated trying to find a way to remove the need for sleep. But now he thought that that was mad. He enjoyed sleep far too much, and it was a time where his mind could rest and prepare for a new day. He'd even had some of his better ideas whilst asleep.
The room was satisfactory. It was very utilitarian: a fold-up bed which could when flipped over doubled as a dining table, a small en suite with a standing shower. No toilet. Did they really expect people to urinate whilst in the shower?
He didn't care about this now. All that he could think about was his head landing softly on that pillow. He closed the blinds of the window, stripped down and slid under the duvet. He enjoyed the silence for a few moments. Even the voice of that thing was quiet. Maybe it needed sleep as well, he thought. He drifted off with those thoughts.
[17:45:39] Wolfs Ghost (Murphy): Tom, you have problems. Go kill yourself.
[19:25:12] Johnny (Jam): Tomtom, I will beat you with a spoon.
[14:22:56] Prarabdh Thakur: KILL HIM WITH A SHEEP.
[17:40:48] Eagle (Junes): Tom should be slapped with a spoon.
[11:32:18] Warspite: Thank you for being so awesome Tom. <3
[18:17:36] Metano: I love you tomtom
[20:06:24] Warspite: I will seriously give you epic head.
' Wrote:Edit: also, Tomtomrawr, fappin' like a boss.
Axel's mind drifted off into sleep, but his body was far from receiving its rightful rest for the day. The thing took its opportunity to take control. It slowly extended out of the recesses of Axel's mind that it had been occupying, its influence slowly stretching across more and more of Axel's brain. An hour after Axel had fallen asleep, the thing's tentacles of influence had spread along his entire neuron network. It was time to take this body for a spin.
It raised Axel's arms, pushing the sheet away. For a moment it examined Axel's nude body, interested in how it could work it as effortlessly as its owner. It began to access information on how the body worked. The circulatory system, the respiratory system, Axel was very well educated in these areas. It knew exactly the limits of its new host.
It slid Axel's legs around ninety degrees until they hung off the side of the bed. The linoleum floor was cold, and this new sensation sent shivers up Axel's spine. Which he was renting. Every area of Axel's body had been at the same temperature under the duvet, but now his body was out of the warm cocoon. After a few seconds of adjusting to the floor, it pushed itself from the bed and managed to stand for a few seconds, before falling back and almost snapping the bed off its hinges. Standing was something it would need to practice with.
Planet Manhattan - February 4th 819A.S.
Two hours later, it was watching casually down a street. It was growing accustomed to the repetitive motion of walking. And breathing. It'd taken half an hour to realise that Axel's body was automatically breathing. The diaphragm contracted, increasing the volume and decreasing the pressure in the lungs. Air flowed down the airways. It was glad that Axel was so well educated in these functions, as it was fascinated by how everything worked.
Despite the time of day, Manhattan was still very much alive. It was the planet that never slept. It was the home of the rich of the Sirius Sector, and many of them loved one thing: parties. The thing was strolling down a street that Axel had walked down a few hours before, when it was still light. At that time it had been deserted. But now the buildings were alive with vibrant neon signs and the streets were packed with people that each seemed to be unique. It was hard to find two people wearing clothes that shared the same style.
As he walked past them on the pavement, he was given a sample of the music being pumped out of every club. Most sported the same type of modern pop. When he glanced inside, he saw that all the people inside wore the same style clothes. The pavement held every fashion every conceived, but the clubs were like a filter. Each fashion stayed in its respective place.
'Oh, the shark, babe.'
It stopped on the street, and turned a sharp ninety degrees toward the source of the music. It sounded different from the rest.
[17:45:39] Wolfs Ghost (Murphy): Tom, you have problems. Go kill yourself.
[19:25:12] Johnny (Jam): Tomtom, I will beat you with a spoon.
[14:22:56] Prarabdh Thakur: KILL HIM WITH A SHEEP.
[17:40:48] Eagle (Junes): Tom should be slapped with a spoon.
[11:32:18] Warspite: Thank you for being so awesome Tom. <3
[18:17:36] Metano: I love you tomtom
[20:06:24] Warspite: I will seriously give you epic head.
' Wrote:Edit: also, Tomtomrawr, fappin' like a boss.
The first sensation Axel experienced when he woke up in the morning was the hangover. He recognised the symptoms - not because he'd experienced it before, but because he'd researched them. Alcohol only served to turn intelligent men into fools, and fools into apes. He felt as if he had an unquenchable thirst, his eyes felt too tight in his sockets, and his head ached. Even the gentle hum of the water pump system in the walls caused a stir in his head. His brain felt like it was made of pins and needles.
The next sensation was the presence of something else in the room. Next to him, specifically. Next to him in the bed. His eyes snapped open then closed again as the sunlight burned his retinas. The curtains were open, and it was late enough in the day for the sun to be at full intensity. He opened them again and glanced at the face of the woman next to him in bed, under the duvet.
What he first registered was her dull, lifeless stare. The shine of her eyes was gone, and he guessed it had been for several hours. Her face's pale skin was drenched in her blood.
Morning Fischy! The thing said in a sing-song voice. I'm sure you'll be delighted to know that I had a wonderful time last night!
Axel was quick to answer the thing now. He needed to know what it'd done to him.
Oh, I know what you're thinking! Don't worry, she didn't have any diseases or anything. Now, what I did last night... I met Swing, and I stayed in the club I found it in for hours on end, drank my way through beer after beer before meeting this fine young lady and bringing her here for a lovely night of fun.
What's your definition of fun? Axel quickly retorted before the thing knew what he was going to say.
Well, at first it was what she assumed: sex. But then I decided that it was a grand opportunity to indulge my desire to explore how the body worked. So I took her apart. And trust me, all the King's horses and all the King's men certainly could not put this woman back together! The thing entered into a fit of giggles as Axel's thoughts went into a rage.
How did that thing control me? Removing his need to sleep was looking like a better idea, if he was stuck with this thing in his head for the rest of his life, he thought to himself. No! That was his answer to his own suggestion, a defiant statement. He would find a way to rid himself of that thing if it was the last thing he did.
[17:45:39] Wolfs Ghost (Murphy): Tom, you have problems. Go kill yourself.
[19:25:12] Johnny (Jam): Tomtom, I will beat you with a spoon.
[14:22:56] Prarabdh Thakur: KILL HIM WITH A SHEEP.
[17:40:48] Eagle (Junes): Tom should be slapped with a spoon.
[11:32:18] Warspite: Thank you for being so awesome Tom. <3
[18:17:36] Metano: I love you tomtom
[20:06:24] Warspite: I will seriously give you epic head.
' Wrote:Edit: also, Tomtomrawr, fappin' like a boss.
