(no subject)

[vengeance_driven]

[Normally people take their first steps onto the Plane easily through a cozy shop that appeared inconspicuously in an area no one would think to look in. This time it's a little different. Niko has gotten his invitations, ignored the strange little shop because he has so much else to worry about, and generally not even noticed the machine's efforts to get him to visit.

With a small armada of police officers chasing him, he's in a panic. The desperation for a way out is what lets him hop onto the Plane, and by hop we mean a sports car goes flying onto the Plane, rolls twice, lands on its hood, and gradually spins to a lazy stop.

There's a crashed sports car on the Plane. Wheels up.

The figure inside swivels around, flopped down into the hood like it's a floor. He flattens himself out, staring out a cracked window at a confusing and vast array of stars. The window on the driver's side is already broken completely out, and that's what he uses to shimmy out of the vehicle. He's a battered sort of man, nicked scars on his face, short cropped hair as if it was done by a five dollar barber, a leather jacket over a turtleneck. Right now? He's apparently no worse for the wear from the wreck. This sort of thing? Happens to him a lot.]

Ah... This? This is not Dukes. [He turns and points at... is that a disembuildinged bar over there?] I was going to Jimmy's. This, whatever this is, is not where I was going. [His Balkan accent is thick.] I am also very dizzy. I am going to need a moment, because I am seeing stars and I do not think I should be seeing stars.

[He crouches down and puts his head in his hands. No, no he's pretty sure that he didn't dislodge some vital part of his mind with the wreck. There is actually no floor beneath him, that is a free-roaming bar, and he should... maybe figure out what is happening here.]

Alright. Can someone tell me what's going on. I've managed to misplace myself. I know this is not common mistake with GPS now, which is very useful, but I wrecked my car and I don't think the satellite will be able to find it here. [Niko? Already kind of okay with this strange thing. He's not prone to panicking under pressure, which is a bonus. He may be level headed, but he feels that it's his right to be very, very confused.]

Comments

[docinawall]

Waaah! [at the arrival of the crashing car, Doc yells and runs for cover--or at least to be out of its path. meaning he dives for the Plane floor, hands over the back of his helmeted head. once the car has stopped and Niko gets out, though, Doc pops up and then pulls himself to his feet]

Wow, that was some crash! [Doc rushes over to Niko, looking perhaps more cheerful than he should about that disaster] Are you injured? You should sit down until I have a chance to scan you. There might be internal bleeding! [that statement is definitely more cheerful than it should be. Doc hefts his scanner, ready to give Niko a once-over]

[vengeance_driven]

...Okay. Mr. Space Man.

[He sits down. He actually sits down, on the Plane floor, looking up at Doc.]

You know, I am going to have a word or two with Little Jacob. I think he might have left something burning in this car.

[Niko, however, is in perfectly good health. The car might not be, but he doesn't even have so much as a scratch.]

[docinawall]

Space man! [Doc laughs] I'm just from Delta Commune. Where are you from?

Really? [he gives him a nervous look at the declaration about something burning in the car] You don't want to find it, do you?

Okay, just stay still. [Doc's scanner glows green as he moves it up and down over Niko. after a moment, the light fades, and Doc studies the results] Hmmmm... [Niko isn't injured, but of course Doc's never been terribly good at his job] You're either just fine? Or you have some internal bleeding. But I know what will make it better! Let's find you some orange juice. [cheerfully, he offers him a hand up. don't worry, Niko, he always makes this little sense]

[vengeance_driven]

Liberty City.

[They hazy diagnosis is just as confusing as anything else, and he accepts Doc's hand to stand up. The car? ...Just sitting there still. Niko doesn't seem to be wounded by it's loss emotionally, either. He just spares it a glance before looking over at the strange floating sky bar.]

Either Jacob accidentally slipped me something or I think I think I might have died. Are you sure your instruments are correct?

[docinawall]

...where's that?

Oh no, you're definitely not dead. That's a totally different shade of green. [Doc scans him again] See, this shade of green is either perfect health or internal bleeding. But they're really close, so it's hard to tell which. [brightly] And since they threatened to sue me if I didn't start treating it just in case, that's exactly what we're going to do!

[he starts walking in the direction of the bar, beckoning Niko to follow] How much citrus have you had in the last 24 hours, anyway?

[vengeance_driven]

It's in America. In Liberty state.

I've not had any in a while, but I would prefer a hot dog I think. [Still he settles down on a stool, feet hooked in on one of the rungs and he's just.... still dumbfounded. Thanks to Badman he deals with confusion well, but still...]

Do you know what this place is? [Someone has been ignoring all efforts for the Plane to contact him because... he didn't know who he was dealing with.]

[docinawall]

Uh, Liberty isn't a state. Isn't that more like...a concept? Or an idea?

Now, now. [Doc wags a finger at him] Hot dogs might taste good, but they don't stop up internal bleeding. Now, are you going to follow your medic's orders and have some orange juice? Or are you going to risk bleeding to death? Because that's actually an option, if that's what you want. I just need you to sign a form first. While you still can.

This place? [the question is a surprise] This is the Astral Plane! Wait. [he turns, looking Niko up and down] Is this your first time here? [he laughs] Wow! And you brought a car with you and everything! And crashed it! That's amazing!

[vengeance_driven]

State. No... Like, location. Province. State.

[His accent comes out thickly with that. The Astral Plane thing just.... still makes him think he's dead. He looks around baffled.]

I was in a lot of danger and very much wanted a way out. [Very very much wanted a way out. There were some ways he would be okay with dying in, but the one he was faced with? Absolutely not.

[docinawall]

Named Liberty? [Doc gives him a skeptical look]

Oh, that happened to me once! Too bad you go back to where you left, huh? I mean, you could just live here forever instead, but it's really not the same.

[a beat before Doc adds:] Hey, since you already crashed your car, does that mean you're safe now? As long as you don't internally bleed to death.

[vengeance_driven]

Liberty State, by Alderney State....

[He looks over to the crash site, and...squints.] I can go back?

[He's going to need another car.] The car was only meant for me to get from one place to the other very quickly.

[docinawall]

[Doc is squinting at him under his visor] Yeah, I don't know if you know this? But that's not a state either.

Yeah! [he nods enthusiastically] If you think about being there, that's where you'll be. And you can come back here like that, too. It's great!

Oh. Uh... [Doc eyes the car] Did it make it?

[vengeance_driven]

I live in Liberty, man. You can't tell me that the place I live in doesn't exist, no matter how shitty that place is.

[He looks off to the side, off at nothing, and then back again. Y'know what? He's going to go for it.]

Think my way back.

[AND POOF, he's gone. But a moment later (ten, his time) he comes stumbling in from a few steps away and grabs the stool as he trips over his own feet. He's now got a light dusting of ash and he's more scuffed up, but he's not really hurt.

He climbs back up on it waveringly.]

Okay. Going to take a rest here.

[docinawall]

Yeah, okay. Whatever you say.

Yep, you ju--oh. [when Niko disappears, Doc moves in to take a better look at the car]

[at Niko's return, though, Doc just watches him] What happened to you!?

[desertdaggers]

[staring at the crash, though he can definitely spare a confused look for Niko.]

Ah… probably not! What is it?

[vengeance_driven]

A satellite? A GPS?

What is this? [He makes a motion all around them. Maybe if he'd walked in the front door and gotten a brochure, this wouldn't be happening.]

[desertdaggers]

Either of those.

Ah, this is the Astral Plane! The floor's solid enough, if you're worried about falling through.

[vengeance_driven]

[He looks down and toes the "floor" with his work boot, and then spins to look opposite the direction he was standing.]

I want to get away from the cops and somehow I send myself outside of the whole universe. I'm getting better at getting away, I think.

[desertdaggers]

It's a pretty good escape!

If you want to go back, though, you'll be in the same place you were when you left. So… probably best not to relax too much.

[vengeance_driven]

[He raises his hands and lets them flop back down.] Nothing can be that easy, can it? [Though finally he sees that kiosk off in the distance, beyond what seems to be a homeless bar, and he tilts his head at it. Then at Hawk. Just the littlest tip as he points at it, with the unspoken question of both what's that? and why is that even happening?]

[desertdaggers]

I suppose not. But you'll have time to think, at least!

[he glances off that way, and back to offer Nico a smile.] Ah, that's the kiosk over there- it's got a couple of brochures about this place, in case someone arrives and isn't quite lucky enough to run into someone at first.

[vengeance_driven]

[He wanders over to the brochures, and retrieves both versions. Then has the most bewildered look on his face as he turns towards Hawk as he's looking at Nathan's.]

Is this man a biker?

[He sounds like he could be a biker. This is most of the Liberty City bikers he knows.]

[desertdaggers]

A biker? [he just looks puzzled again, unfortunately.] He could be, I suppose. I haven't had the fortune to run into him so far.

[vengeance_driven]

[He does look through both, before tucking them away in his pockets.] Huh. I thought my way here and I can think my way back. I guess I wanted to be here pretty bad.

[He's making no budge to go back just yet, though.]

[desertdaggers]

Must have! You said you were running, didn't you? What happened?

[vengeance_driven]

[And he goes quiet for a little bit.]









Nothing important. [He finally says.]