JANUARY SWEAR-IN: DEATH ISLAND

[ghoulking]

WHO: Everyone!
WHERE: Death Sacrifice Island, New Zealand
WHEN: 13th January
WHAT: SWEARING-IN TIME, on the beautiful Island of New Zealand, Sacrifice Island.
WARNINGS: None so far

Welcome everyone to Sacrifice Island, once known as “Death Island” (and still called so by many). Located in the beautiful country of New Zealand, and under their government’s jurisdiction, Sacrifice Island is a place where investigation and scientific development happens: it’s the headquarters for Onward Research Station, laboratories that hope to learn how to neutralize the effects on humans/animals of chemical/biological weapons.

But this island holds dark history as well. It was in this very same place that seven young imPorts permanently lost their lives on October 3rd 2008. This tragedy deeply marked the history of United States and all Heroes of the nation, and is remembered with heavy heart. With hopes to never forget these painful events but to also look for a brighter future, United States of America and New Zealand both joined their hands and decided to raise a memorial for the lives lost at the island.

This memorial will be inaugurated on the 13th January along with the Swearing-In ceremony for the new heroes who have arrived this month. Media has been invited as well as this is too a political event to strengthen relationships between New Zealand and USA. Old and new imPorts are all welcome to come and pay their respects to the Heroes who are gone, swear their allegiance to the US government (or not), forge relations with a foreign country or simply show their presences during this event. Whatever reason one has, they will be welcomed.


TRAVEL

Thanks to the interest of many, an airbus has been generously loaned for free in order to fly the imPorts to Death Sacrifice Island. The airbus includes a dining area and each imPort has their own little cubicle, with chairs that can be converted into a bed. The trip will take a while for sure, so the travelers are welcome to mingle while they are on air, meet the new faces, and try some delicious airplane food. Or they can try sleeping, if other imPorts are quiet enough.

Because it's a long flight, there will be many movies to choose from: there is a strangely big collection of Adam Sandler movies, and apparently the big hit has both Adam Sandler AND Jerry Seinfeld and tells the story of a Wasp that falls in love with a Human, while it leads a rebellion against the humankind. If you aren't into Wasp movies, well- good luck picking something else that isn't as amazing.

ISLAND

Miss the hot summer weather? Well, New Zealand certainly has a lot of it to offer. The weather is the kind that would invite anyone for a swim, even though it’s not one of the activities offered during the Swear-In; in fact, the island has no beaches as it’s surrounded by cliffs. The island itself is beautiful, with a lot of greenery indigenous to the country, forming large forests through the island’s surface and surrounding the research center. There are no animals roaming around, with the exception of some birds (do not expect Kiwis, though), but imPorts are warned not to go too deep into the island’s forests or they might get lost.

At the east area of the island, stands the top of the art Onward Research Station, near the only beach the island offers. The airbus will land not too far away, in a small flight track that crosses the green forest, and imPorts will be directed to the center where they will be greeted by scientists, politicians and, of course, a lot of media.

Onward Research Station is white, clean, and shiny. Everything looks like it has been double or triple sterilized and visitors can almost see their reflections on every surface. The technology is probably the best you’d find in the entire nation: quick silent hoover carts that transport people and objects from a section to another, trays that hoover with food, snacks and drinks, and holograms of several scientists that made a difference while working at the Research Station can be found on specific marked areas. ImPorts that wish to know a bit more about the place will have the chance to press a button for a holographic guide who will tell them the story of the Center, their researches and hopes for the future.

However, since Onward focus on chemical and biological weapon studies, much of the area is very much Off Limits to prevent accidental contamination. There will be security (physical and electronically) to stop people from snooping around and causing huge accidents.

The center has allowed local tourism to be part of this. New Zealand certainly wishes to show their own culture, and thus there will be many who are eager to share it with the new comers. Talks of their fauna and flora, their national bird as well, history of Maori who voyaged across the Pacific, good old Rugby, and of course mentions of certain really popular fantasy movies that have been filmed there – one can certainly become immerse in this lovely world. Not so far away, there is also a buffet area with a lot of variety, all typical New Zealand dishes, including Maori dishes naturally. Try Hangi, or lamb, or delicious sea food, and end your meal with good wine and cheese.

Photographers, journalists, paparazzi will be everywhere. Not just for US ImPort Heroes, but due to the political connotations this meeting has as well. It’s no surprise that apart from “who are you wearing”, heavier and much more serious questions will be asked, involving politics, past events, current political feelings, where and for whom imPorts stand for.

The nearby beach isn’t amazing, but they worked really hard to change that. The whole area was cleaned as well, with new, white and shiny pavement that leads visitors to a special area: the memorial. There is a huge marble wall with the names of those imPorts who’ve lost their lives; there is a screen as well, and whenever someone touches one of the names said screen will activate show a video of the selected imPort while a voice tells the visitors a little about their life and death. Nearly, there is another holographic guide who, when activated, will tell the story of Death Island.

MEMORIAL

Anyone can access this history by checking out the Memorial, but in the afternoon, everyone will be invited to the beach. Here, imPorts and everyone else will be taught the dark history of the island by a spokeswoman dressed in white, while the screen on the Memorial Marble wall shows the lost imPorts.

“A scientist who held hatred for the imPorts used this island as his private base of operations, where he built a deadly ray and threatened to use this weapon against the United States. Seven imPorts heroically followed to investigate, only to find this ray permanently end their lives. These heroes and their tragic deaths are today remembered by us all, a memory of a dark and sad past – but we too hold on to hope, hope their deaths were not in vain, and hope we can rebuild and move forward.”

The speech is met with solemn nods and soft applause, while the names of the Heroes show on the screen:
DAVID GREEN; Chosen, age 19
MAGENTA MOVELLO; Mauve Avenger, age 17
IRA BRAUNSTEIN; Power Prince, age 21
JUDE BYEON; Bludgeon, age 17
CAROL "CARRIE" KING; Reign, age 18
MASON LOCKLEAR; Entropy, age 16
MALIK ISAIAH MARCHETTI; Journey, age 40

After, the woman will give stand to few more people who will give their own words about the memorial and the events of Death Island, including a New Zealand Minister and also an imPort: Tohru Adachi.

Once speeches have been spoken, people are welcomed to leave white flowers near the marble wall and learn more about the personal lives of each lost hero by touching their names and watching the movie about each. For those who don’t wish to stick around, the buffet area is always open, and people are more than welcome to return to their activities.

RETURN

The event will be over late night, and all imPorts will be brought back to the airbus. Since there are records who came on the airbus, it’s better not to try to stay behind – as welcoming as they were, those who work at Sacrifice Island have no plans to accommodate everyone more than necessary.

Media will be the first to leave, followed by imPorts and finally every politician involved. Once up in the air, the airplane lights will be turned to minimum, to allow imPorts some well needed rest. That is, if they want. Sorry if your neighbor is noisy.

Comments

[solarcharged]

[ A mouthful of blood doesn't get much of a reaction from Apollo; there are worse things than vampires in the multiverse, and most of those worse things are human. What he does react to is something else entirely. Apollo levels an accusing finger at Cassidy as he reaches to rescue his wine glass from the table. ]

Flatterer. You're just saying that because you know I have a bar.

[ He sips his drink, then adds: ]

You don't drink from humans, right? Blood, I mean.

[crassidy]

[The "flatterer" comment just gets a brief twitch of a dark brow, because oh, yeah, he sure do flatter for the right sort of people, he won't even deny that one.

In fact that little suggestive quirk and smirk remains even as blood is mentioned. He doesn't sound too apologetic about his answer to it.]

Not unless they deserve it.

[solarcharged]

[ It would be grossly hypocritical for Apollo to pick apart what Cassidy means by 'deserving it', considering Apollo's colourful background as judge, jury and executioner. Eating the bad guys is at least slightly more efficient than just killing them. ]

Blood and booze. That just sounds greedy to me. [ He's joking, of course. Jenny Sparks would have found that hilarious, Apollo tells himself. ] I bet you're hard to buy a round for.

[crassidy]

Hah, I'm a greedy sorta fella. Easy to buy rounds for, hard to get drunk. Been drinkin' like a fish for over a hundred years now, that'll do somethin' for your resistances, like.

[Strangely, vampires from his world don't appear to resist booze and drugs any better than normal humans. Cassidy, however, has been at it so hard for so long, he's beyond inhuman with his abilities these days. When going too hard won't kill a guy like him, he just keeps pushing and pushing and pushing.]

Not much of a blood drinker anyways, keeps me topped up like, but ain't somethin' I'd choose over a good whiskey.

[Which is his attempt at saying he's not some blood crazed lunatic.]

[solarcharged]

Duly noted.

[ But a whiskey probably wouldn't fix the damage (Apollo hopes it isn't too much) inflicted upon Cassidy's palm. But there are other kinds of wounds that whiskey can heal, even if it comes in pint glasses rather than shot glasses. ]

So your power isn't super-puns after all. It's a super liver.

[crassidy]

[Whiskey won't fix it, but it sure will help him forget about it, and also allow him the chance of getting far worse injuries throughout the night. No down side to whiskey!]

That's about it, aye.

[A snorting laugh.]

And yours is prankin' naive vampires, is it not, Mr. Sunshine? Gotta be careful, there, there's a whole lotta us about.

[solarcharged]

[ It's weird, having to explain his powers to strangers; back home it was just common knowledge, just like any other regular celebrity gossip. He waves a hand dismissively. ]

I'm just a regular flying solar panel that can punch really hard. The vampire pranking is just an added bonus.

[ Not that he'd ever really thought about it before; dealing with the Vampire Nation had largely been Wetworks' deal, not the Authority's. ]

So how many are you talking about here - ten? A hundred? Do I need to check before I shake every unsuspecting hand that's put my way?

[crassidy]

In the tens or less, yeah. More than I've ever seen back home though. I think you're safe to be shakin' hands without question, just don't be surprised if you get the odd fella or lass set on fire or fall asleep when you do it.

[Cass still doesn't really understand how some of the other vampires work, but hey, he's sure they'll be fine. Hopefully.]

So, solar panel? That mean you aren't so shiny if you're away from the sun?

[solarcharged]

[ 'Fall asleep' earns a suspicious look; Apollo isn't entirely sure if Cassidy is being serious or not. But he errs on the side of caution and makes a mental note that if anyone falls asleep after touching him then they must be a vampire. Cassidy is the vampire expert, after all.

But at his question Apollo turns a little coy, raising his glass to take a meditative sip. ]

Something like that...

[ Apollo pauses to heavily glance at their surroundings, his eyebrows upraised as his gaze pointedly follows a reporter as she flit past them. Excuse him if he doesn't spill all the details on his weaknesses while they stand in a science research station full of media types, Cassidy! ]

Luckily most Earths have a pretty regular supply of sunlight. And the one's that don't aren't worth spending much time on anyway.

[crassidy]

[That vagueness gets a quirk of an eyebrow, glancing back and forth like he's expecting others to be listening in. Not too shady, he supposes, it makes sense that some imports might be a little more cagey about their powers than Cass, who tells everyone he meets what he is.

He won't push it, just this once!]

See, I wouldn't mind a bit less sun meself. Would do away with the bastard if it didn't make everythin' so bloody cold.

[But then a beat to consider a sunless world and...] Although. 'Spose I'd miss seein' it.

[solarcharged]

Oh, you'd miss it. [ Apollo flashes him an easy, confident smile. ] If only because everyone in the world would be so pale and depressed and crabby... Think of all the moaning! It'd be awful.

[ That's his theory, anyway. He takes a sip of his drink, eyeing the New Zealand sunshine beyond the research station's windows. ]

When was the last time you were able to go out in the sunlight?

[crassidy]

Like, properly sun on me face kind of out? That'd be uh, nnninety years now.

[But Apollo is totally right, a world without the sun would suck even more. At least a world with sun mostly just has Cassidy suffering, a world without would have everyone else suffering.]

I can go out in it now, just gotta wrap up. No sunbathin' on the beach, it's all long sleeves, hats and umbrellas. So, y'know, if you decide to be a shiny boi, just make sure I'm in the shade or under a blanket first, cheers.

[solarcharged]

To be honest, if I decide to be a shiny boy I think everyone else will be joining you under that blanket.

[ Not that a blanket will be any good to anyone, vampire or not. Also: ninety years without the sun? That must at least put Cassidy at over 100 years. Apollo looks impressed. ]

You look good for being over a century old, by the way. They do say that keeping out of the sun does wonders for your complexion...

[crassidy]

[His nose wrinkles in a light snort of a laugh. Sure, he doesn't know the extent of Apollo's powers, but that statement is enough to make it known that they must be pretty damn bright. It's sun related. It's gonna be and burny.]

Ah, cheers, mate! Had me 120th just last month, in fact. 'Spose there's some truth to the benefits of bathin' in the blood of your enemies.

[solarcharged]

Many happy returns for last month! You don't look a day over seventy five. [ Apollo lifts a hand to clap Cassidy's shoulder in a friendly way, but thinks better of it at the last minute. There's no telling how thin those clothes might be. Better to be safe than sorry.

Hey, let's change the subject. ]

So have you been to many of these Swear-Ins?

[crassidy]

[That hand is eyed, but Cass doesn't say anything. A shoulder pat probably would've been fine, but Apollo's probably right not to risk it.]

Been to a few, yeah! Come for the free booze, mostly, although I've learnt to leave early on. I don't mind a bit of drama, like, but there's some weird shite that happens at these things. Fifty fifty if it's gonna go fine or you get kidnapped.

[solarcharged]

Yeah, I heard the odds were fairly good when it comes to something awful happening.

[ Apollo doesn't look all that worried about it; if anything, he looks fairly relieved. He glances at their surroundings once more, appraising the level of sunlight beyond the glass windows with an expert eye. ]

Honestly? I would quite like to see someone try. I'd love it, in fact.

[crassidy]

Hah, mate, just make sure you warn me before you start fightin', alright? I don't much fancy my chances with what you can do.

[Cassidy knows that look, he gets it himself plenty when he's ready for a good ol' bar brawl. There's a pretty big difference between a bar brawl and a super powered fight though, especially with sunny boi here involved.]

[solarcharged]

[ Apollo throws him a reassuring grin that practically glitters with ambient solar energy. ]

I promise I'll give you a warning, okay? Long enough to find some sunglasses, at least.

[crassidy]

Sounds like I'd need a whole lot more than sunglasses if you got going. Unless you're little more than a tanning bed?

[Apollo sure could make a good living off being a portable tanning service in that case, Cass thinks.]

[solarcharged]

[ He's a hell of a lot more than a tanning bed but Apollo pulls a theatrical look of thoughtful consideration. ]

You know what? I never thought about opening up a tanning salon before. I've been wasting my talents all this time...

[crassidy]

Ah, you're welcome for that idea, man. I'd request freebies but I don't much fancy me chances, 'spose I gotta live the tanless life. Not really fair, honestly, only time pasty comes in is when the goths are back in fashion.

[And Cass is pretty tired of all those vampire wannabes. Well, he may not have tanned skinned but at least he's got a liver of steel, one he plans to test all night as he grabs a wine from a passing waitress.]

Other business plan: some sorta celebrity PT. I'm telling you, mate, you put those perfectly shaped arse cheeks on ads and folk will come flockin' for advice.

[solarcharged]

[ Apollo smiles. And winces. His expression is somewhere in between the two. It's a pained look. ]

As much as I love the compliment - [ he doesn't ] - I don't think I can help anyone build muscles. 'Find a psychotic scientist to bio-engineer your entire body to run on sunlight' isn't really the same as protein shakes and four hour gym sessions...

[crassidy]

[Look, sometimes Cassidy forgets people don't always need their body parts complimenting, but he truly does appreciate a fine ass.]

I dunno, in a world like this, I'd think "find a psychotic scientist" is actually a pretty easy task. We already got some weird bio-engineer shite going on with some of the locals, from what I hear.

[solarcharged]

[ It's okay Cassidy, it IS a fine ass. But the psychotic scientist news is actually more alarming right now than anything that anyone could say about his buttocks. ]

God. [ He throws his hands up in mock despair. ] Just for once I'd like to end up in a universe where there isn't a mad scientist wanting to do something spectacularly fucked up.