realityshifted | (no subject)

Nothing so trite as that. I was infected with anti-time. It was hardly ingenious.

Things take time, but I am certain you can learn. Is it alchemy you study, then?

Anti-time?

In a sense, yes. My mentor is one of the supposed inventors. He's been able to live for several centuries using 'magic', so he's been teaching me in our spare time. Our jobs are demanding, so it isn't often, but what I have learned so far has proved useful.

Yes.

Could you show me what you've learned?

Well, I meant, what is that, exactly? It sounds contradictory.

{Thoughtfully before he nods} I suppose there's no harm. Some of them are a bit more destructive {Like blasting out peoples' chests}, so I'll just ignore those for now.

{Just like that, Dietrich disappears, though not be dropping off the plane nor by simple acceleration; he simply disappears before reappearing right behind the TARDIS} There's simpler things like teleportation. Or control of elements, like I mentioned {at which point a small flame appears just above his palm}. But those are more like parlor tricks in comparison to some of the higher 'magics', but those are a little more dangerous to practice here.

It is. It is the antithesis of our universe. I had to contain it so that it could not destroy everything, so that it would not burn away all Time from this place. I believe it was a piece of another universe, the divergent universe, within which I currently reside, because he cannot exist in our universe any longer.

[watches him, seemingly unfazed when he disappears and reappears, and nods thoughtfully] Fascinating. You've learned to manipulate particles at the molecular level and reorganise them for your own use. That is quite ingenious.

And you were able to use that to project...ah, another form? That's quite impressive. It would seem that using it at all would be dangerous.

It took quite a bit of time to learn, honestly. It's painful if it doesn't quite work, but there aren't any adverse effects otherwise. There are some others that increase my own physical strength temporarily, but those are purely for dealing with unruly vampires. Even if some people insist otherwise, after all, I'm only human. One of them could kill me quite easily, so it's never good to be caught unawares.

The exposure segmented my personality and the negative aspects of my being took the shape of the Brigadier -- this form you see now. My other half was relegated to ethereal voices and weaker, smaller manifestations, without the aid of Zagreus -- the anti-time, I should say.

How is it you've come to learn these things, and to combat vampires? Are they a blight upon your universe, as well?

Hm, fascinating. It must be very useful, at least. For those smaller manifestations, do you have control over their appearance? Or, rather, are you able to consciously pick and chose what you'd like to look like?

Well, that's in relation to Armageddon. We call it Armageddon, but it was really just a massive war. It's estimated about a millennium ago, as a solution to the population boom, we sent colonists to Mars in hopes that we could live there. Unfortunately, there was a virus, or rather, nanomachines on the planet that caused strange symptoms. But the most notable part of it was the fact that they destroyed red blood cells, so in order to live, those colonists had to drink blood to replenish what the 'virus' was taking away. But eventually, they returned back to Earth, but the humans on Earth didn't want anything to do with them, since they were vampires of myth and legend. Tensions just continued to grow until finally there was an all out war between the Methuselah and the Terrans that destroyed nearly everything. Now, Earth has returned to a social structure like that of the Middle Ages; all power is centered around the Roman Catholic church and Europe is the country of power. The vampires still remain in their own country with their own government, but there's been a kind of cold war since. Most of them remain where they should, but those that leave are smugglers, thieves, and terrorists who kill humans indiscriminately, either for blood or for their own enjoyment.

...{As an afterthought} They killed my parents and most of my hometown. They're nothing more than ruthless monsters. They're more than a blight, and I will never understand why the Vatican has all its dogs upon leashes rather than allowing them to do their job. But as far as my education, for the most part, the things I've learned have been self-taught. Everything else has been my mentor.

I am no longer segmented, and therefore have no need of lesser manifestations, but I can control how I look at will, yes. [and just because, she cycles through her different shapes to show him] I have chosen these forms because they mean something to me and the Doctor, otherwise I would simply be the Grey Lady.

[listens to his explanation intently, storing all the information into her databanks for later use] If they must feed on blood and flesh, how do they sustain themselves without killing off the humans in your republic?

{With interest} So the Grey Lady is one that you created?

One moment. {Dietrich drops off the plane only to reappear within a few minutes with a glass of water and a deep red capsule in hand. He drops the capsule into the water, and within moments it fizzes lightly before gradually turning a thick crimson color and becoming more viscous} Hemoglobin tablets. It's ironic because they're made with the blood of humans, but this how it was peacefully decided that the vampires could get their blood.

She is the proper representation of my consciousness, yes. She walked my engine rooms long before Zagreus ever infected me.

Fascinating. [gets close to the tablets, examining them and the reaction to the water as thoroughly as possible] Might I keep one for my own testing? This should positively enthrall the Doctor.

I see...Well, if it's the one I'm thinking of, it seems very fitting for you.

Ah, of course. {He holds out a few spare ones} They're fairly inexpensive, so if you need more, don't hesitate to ask. They're interesting enough, but if you'd like to know more about those, I can tell you all about them. It's...not a enjoyable job, but I do make them from time to time for work.

And why do you say that?

[takes the vials gratefully and stores them away on her person] How do you get the blood for these, then?

Hm, I meant for your personality. If it's the one I'm thinking of, it just seems like it fits. It's hard to explain, I suppose.

{Murder, of course. Most of those are made from the Rozencruez's Orden's 'rejects'} Blood banks. People get paid quite well to donate their blood for the manufacture of the blood capsules, so it's common practice amongst the poorer people.

Is it something specific to my personality? Ah, perhaps this will help. [say hi to the Grey Lady] We have not known one another long, so I am curious as to what it is about me that you find typical of this form.

That seems logical enough. And this keeps the peace between your peoples?

{Has to consider it for a moment} Well, there are certain images that you get of people from first impressions. Most of the time it might just be a name, but you still tend to get a general picture of a person even from that. Like when a name doesn't seem to fits a person's looks for whatever reason. But with this, it's like that, but backwards, in a way. I met your personality first, so seeing your "appearance" after that, it fits. So by first impressions, you seem, to me, to be very intelligent, strong-willed, and inquisitive, definitely. So the appearance of that form matches those traits, I think.

For the most part. There is a sort of black market for 'higher quality' blood capsules, for whatever traits in blood they find desirable where people are killed for their blood, and some of them enjoy the hunt as much as the meal, so...

Is that so? [smiles faintly] So you feel this appearance is the most befitting of me? That pleases me greatly.

How many of these vampires are there in relation to humans?

Ah? Well, you're welcome, I suppose. It's truthful, at least.

There are far fewer vampires than humans. They're mostly confined to a single, but large city, so I would guess one vampire for every 500 humans, perhaps. They aren't kept track of very well or easily.

And yet you fear them, though your numbers are greater?

I personally do not. I have confidence in my abilities.

However, even if our numbers are greater, only perhaps 10 out of those every 500 are willing to fight. And the vampires have strength far greater than most people to the point that the only hope most people have would be to have a priest of the Vatican at their side. It's why many people have guns with silver bullets, but they're even fast enough to dodge those.

[nods] How do these priests have power you do not? Religion is, at most, a flimsy belief in the extra planar and has no real bearing in science or the workings of the universe.

That is to say, technically they do not. However, the institution backing them up has power and money to equip the priests with what they need. Well, and there is a rumor that the Vatican keeps quite an unbelievable monster with eyes the color of blood. I'm not sure how much truth there is to that story, though.

I find most religious organisations keep an 'unbelievable monster' at their disposal, as it is the only way for them to keep power. Fear goes a long way in subduing the masses and culling any original thought.

In past times, though, it was only words. Some of my associates have confronted this monster. Though, the ones that met it directly did not return. It is said to be a vampire that feeds off the blood of vampires.

It's a very ironic beast for the Vatican to keep.