01 | Video

[nickovitch]

[ Illya intends to introduce himself properly. That is what you do in a hostile land, isn't it? Not quite name, rank, serial number, but close enough. He's been fiddling with the video functions of his communication device, after wandering around the environs of his new home just to get a quick impression of things. And then he started reading the welcome brochure in full.

He's holding it in one hand now, although the paper looks a little crumpled, like it's been balled up and thrown once or twice. Or five times, but whose counting. Illya himself is composed, more or less; a fair-haired gentleman in his thirties, dressed in a dark turtleneck and jacket, his mouth twisted into a faint frown. Blonde, blue-eyed, and handsome, he's physically close to the epitome of Aryan perfection. The punchline of that particular assumption drops when Illya opens his mouth, though. Because: ]

Why tattoos? Surely there is some other way of marking newcomers -- imPorts as it says here -- to keep track of who arrives and departs. Sufficiently advanced technology, and it comes down to tattoos. Words instead of -- I don't ...

[ That's right. This particular imPort is Russian, judging by the thick accent lacing each word. He isn't bothering to hide it, either, speaking in a controlled, somewhat clipped tone. While his overall demeanor is calm but guarded, those accustomed to closely reading others might guess he's more disturbed by the topic than he lets on. Illya takes a breath, glancing down at the paper and then back up. ]

Where I am from, there was a terrible war fought because groups of people were gathered in specific places and marked with similar tattoos before being slaughtered. [ He shrugs casually, as if he is aware (or assumes) personal biases won't make much difference in this world. As if what Hilter did doesn't still piss him off. It has only been twenty years in his world, though, and of what he has read about the rift between America and Russia, it is this detail that stands out. Aside from 'Russians R Bad'. ] But perhaps I am overly sensitive to such things. Perhaps it is not a problem here.

My name is Illya Kuryakin. I am from Moscow. [ Yes, that Moscow. ] Does anyone else come from outside the United States? It seems a great many people are from America, or places influenced by it. Or, if you are American, how does your world differ from this one?

[ Look, aside from the secret agent skills, he dabbles in other areas, including science and maybe a little psychology. (Researching personal weaknesses ftw.) Right now, throwing tantrums and breaking things isn't going to get him any answers on what's going on. So he might as well start collecting information by asking those who've been in his position. Especially if the government actually wants him to register. The more you know, right? ]

Comments

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[pandorasboombox]

[The girl is sitting on a work bench, bouncing slightly from just the sheet amont of energy she's got pent up. In her hair, rather than a bow, is a lovely blood splattered mask]

Ehhhhhh, not buyin' the sale. People always up and dying, playa. What they do. Shit hits the fan and gets all battle dome over what peoples got. Unless you're just a psycho-face. Totally just 'bout the shootin' with those bitches.

But, uh, yeah. Lady Tina Tina, the one and only Pandora rep in the whooooole world. Hi.

Hi, hi.

[nickovitch]

[ Blink, blink. Illya's face betrays surprise and a healthy dose of confusion for a few seconds. He's pretty sure that's English, but the words are put together in such a way as to render their meanings somewhat incomprehensible. ]

Hello, Lady Tina. [ Ugh, titles. ] What is a Pandora?

[ Aside from the Greek myth. He knows about that one. ]

[ Video ]

[dualismum]

The tattoos also show our status towards the government. Registered, unsettled, criminal, AWOL... However, they also do work to let the government know how many imPorts are there, they have nanites that will revive us, they work as American Passports, and also allow us to access the network mentally.

[ he doesn't really like them either, so he understands ]

I'm from Japan myself. It's the first time I'm in America.

[nickovitch]

I see. [ And Illya does. It just turns his stomach a little. Too close to tattooed numbers. ] They should find something better.

[ His head tilts in a vaguely thoughtful way. ]

From where in Japan, if you don't mind question?

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[divaricate]

[She might not be from his general time, but yeah, she's not going to lie - she sort of side-eyed the tattoos too when she first got here. That was ... yeah, kinda like what she'd read about in history books.

When she speaks, her accent is also more Eastern European. She'd been ported out back home a few months ago, and when she came back with thirteen more months of memories form home, she also came back with a slightly less noticeable accent -- but only slightly. So, it's still there. To the ear of a person without a Sokovia in their world, the accent would sound vaguely Serbian, so if they knew what that sounded like, they could guess.]

My name is Wanda Maximoff. [That introduction she says in Russian. But she switches to English, because she isn't sure if he'd prefer continuing to speak in his native language or not in conversation: ] I am from a place called Sokovia, which in my world is in Eastern Europe.

[nickovitch]

[ It is (was) an abrupt reminder of how evil can flourish in the world through human greed and hate. The Russians lost so many to the Nazi war machine, and that's not even counting Jews and other victimized groups.

His eyes light up briefly at the use of his native language. While her country does not exist in his world, the accent is close enough to the Eastern bloc states controlled by Russia. It is appreciated after all the propaganda he's read. ]

I have not heard of your country, Miss Maximoff. [ He replies likewise, the first part in Russian and the second in English. Using the mother tongue calms a little part of him. ] That is our loss, then, if its citizens are like you.

[ See, Solo? He can flirt when he wants to. Not that his partner is around to have his nose rubbed in it. But the thought counts. ]

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[beautifullies]

[The tattoos, yes. They do remind her of a certain war just lived through, but she's s not supposed to have lived that yet. And she knows nothing of the Soviet situation - that's still a couple years off for her in 1945.]

Claire Fraser. Displaced English woman who actually came here by way of Scotland.

I admit the tattoos are discomforting.

[There, she can say that, at least.]

I'm not enjoying the way they glow in the dark.

[nickovitch]

They glow in the dark? [ He tucks that bit of information away, thankful to the woman for the reveal. If he ever does anything under cover of darkness, it'll be necessary to cover the damn thing up for something other than identification. ] How unfashionable.

It is pleasure to meet you, Miss Fraser. May I ask where in Scotland? Or England, if you like.

voice;

[unwiseheart]

So everyone else can tell what we are at a glance.

[ Which is probably just as an uncomfortable thought as any other. Though more importantly, the voice replying is similarly Russian, and only voice because this particular Russian does not care for video. ]

I'm from Astrakhan. [ In the south, not even close to Moscow. ] Anyone give you trouble yet?

[nickovitch]

Less red tape, I'm sure.

[ Very uncomfortable. There were yellow stars once, and pink squares, and a host of other symbols to separate people by ethnicity and religion. Then it simply didn't matter. Anyone different was carted away.

But Illya pushes aside those memories in favor of the Russian voice. ]

Ah, a fellow countryman. [ Still counts. ] Not yet. But I am prepared if they do.

What is your name?

video;

[fistofthejoestar]

There seem to be a great number of imPorts hailing from Japan, as a matter of fact. It's a little curious, but I suppose not any more so than the rest of this is.

[the Porter had its whims, after all. who could really say why it seemed to favor that nation so heavily compared to the hundreds of others?]

I myself happen to be English. There are a few of us here and there, although I'm afraid I couldn't say how this Great Britain compares to my own.

[as if Illya probably couldn't tell immediately from that crisp English accent of his. it seemed a little silly to say in light of the obvious tells, but he takes it in quiet good humor. sometimes you couldn't avoid such things in conversation.]

[nickovitch]

I suppose Japan must import its citizens with the audacity as it does everything else.

[ This isn't exactly a slight on the country. But Illya remembers stories of fierce, if suicidal warriors, from his childhood, and occasionally seeing the Japanese ambassador at important parties when he was a boy. ]

As you say, I do not know how this Russia compares to the one of my heart. What is your home like?

video

[dendarii]

[ Miles' own accent is distinctly Russian but quite difficult to pin down. Mostly because he's a space Russian from the future. ]

Nice to meet you, Illya. I'm not even from this planet, so I sympathize.

[nickovitch]

[ That is an interesting accent you have there, son. Consider Illya very, very intrigued. Because off-planet? With a dialect he can't place. Interesting. ]

Likewise, tovarisch. [ He pauses. ] My country colonized space?

[ TAKE THAT, 'MURICA. ]

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[huntergames]

[ The girl that appears is young — no older than nineteen. When she speaks her accent, German, but possibly a bit off-sounding, reveals she's most definitely not American. ]

There is no United States where I am from, or a Moscow. Maybe a long, long time ago?

[nickovitch]

It reminds him a little of Gaby, to be honest. Take that how you will. ]

Where are you from?

Audio

[cantwalkwithoutit]

[ The accent is vaguely Scottish, but beyond that he doesn't volunteer MUCH information on where he's from. ]

Were you treated well on your arrival, Mister Kuryakin?

[ Because given the general attitudes of the people that brought him here, he'd be surprised if he was. ]

[nickovitch]

[ Well. The accent is a little helpful, but being in the business he is, accents can be faked. It doesn't sound overtly false, though, so Illya isn't thinking along those lines yet. Only that the voice sounds casual. He'll take casual. ]

I suppose so. There is a lack of being jailed or provided with security escort.

[ He's not ruling it out, depending on how the next few days go. ]

Were you treated well, Mister ... ?

Video

[liverletdie]

You almost sound a little bitter about this whole thing. Tell us how you really feel.

[ Sensitive he is not. ]

[nickovitch]

Do I? [ Let's just add some sarcasm to the mix. ] I will try to restrain it in the future.

[ Also it takes one to know one. Just sayin' ]

voice

[ghemnotgem]

( tej's own accent resembles that of australia, if someone had founded australia in space out of a grouping of smugglers and pirates and mercenaries. )

I'm not from Earth at all, and even if I was, it's been hundreds of years since the United States existed.

( maybe a thousand? tej can't remember -- history was never her strongest subject. or one she was taught much of in the first place. )

[nickovitch]

[ He is familiar enough with Australia to note both resemblance and dissonance of the accent she bares. Also, the country he knows was founded, in part, by a bunch of rogues and scoundrels, so. ]

Hundreds of years? That is difficult to imagine, for me. Where are you from, Miss?

[instars]

Namibia, originally.

[And her accent says it's true.]

[nickovitch]

[ Huh. He blinks, interested and surprised. ]

I've never met anyone from Namibia. Where is it located, if you don't mind answering such a question?

[guruofspeed]

[There isn't really much on the network that keeps Max's attention. This, however, does. He starts off with-more-than decent, if still American-accented Russian with:]

On my Earth, the Cold War ended with the breakdown of the USSR in the early nineteen-nineties.

[And then he returns to English.]

I'm Max Crandall.

I agree, the parallels are concerning, but unfortunately we don't get any choice about not having the tattoo, regardless of nationality.

[nickovitch]

[ Illya responds almost in reflex. Accented or not, someone else who speaks fluent Russian deserves some consideration. ]

In the nineteen...

[ That would be thirty years, more or less, from his own time period. He's not sure what kind of emotional reaction to have, especially in light of this world's Soviet Union. He switches to English, out of the same consideration. Russian-accented, of course, but relatively fluent. Ish. ]

Mister Crandall. [ A nod. ] I would say very concerning. I do not want to a repeat of what my country -- my world suffered. Perhaps with so many different people being brought in, someone can find an alternate way to count new arrivals.

text;

[tacticianing]

It is troubling that the situation you describe bears some similarity to this one. To answer your question, I'm from Japan.

text;

[nickovitch]

[ It takes him a little white to figure out the text feature. Eventually: ]

It saddens me that evil walks openly in more than one world.

I have talked to others from Japan. Do you miss it?

Permavid

[governorkang]

You may want to broaden your horizons beyond Earth.

[He sounds amused, and he's smiling, if Ilya can tell with most of those very sharp teeth visible. His own accent sounds similar to the eastern european or russian ones of earth, but not quite, and he's speaking something that is also not quite English, but easily close enough to be understood.]

I had never heard of this planet until being brought here.

Permavid

[nickovitch]

I --

[ Illya refocuses on the little video screen just in time to be alarmed. Meeting other human (looking) people from alternate dimensions is alarming, but at least they match his definition of normal. This ... being, creature, reptile (???) does not. ]

What are you?

[ Totally smooth, Kuryakin. ]

text

[failureisntachoice]

Technically from the United States, but it's a few centuries ahead of this place. We've spread out a helluva lot farther than Earth.

How much shit has the government here given you for being from Moscow?

[nickovitch]

Humanity or Americans?

[ This is a reasonable question, okay. ]

I am treated with - how do you say

gloves made from baby sheep. Or goats.

video

[juniberries]

[I mean from the video alone you can probably tell this girl is not from the US, let alone Earth.]

I am not even from this planet.

video

[nickovitch]

[ Well, sure. And he's probably staring a little too much.

But can you blame him? (Answer: No) ]

That would mean you are from space.

[ Obvious conclusion is obvious. ]

[aglonby]

I am from Korea and Canada, but went to school in the United States. [ he pauses. ] There was a war like that in my world too.

[nickovitch]

Dual citizenship?

[ Illya frowns. The boy is, or seems, young. ]

I hope it was not in your lifetime.

text; anonymous user

[nastygram]

ok i get what you're saying but if your biggest beef/uncomfy comparison is with the tattoos and nothing else of the fucked up shit we're being subjected to

idk what to tell you

text; anonymous user

[nickovitch]

It is not. But the problem is more easily addressed than others. And the possibility exists of changing it, in the future.

You do not have to tell me anything.

text; id: namless | archer

[nockpoint]

Perhaps it's meant so that we can be reminded of what we are to them? Chipping would have been equally effective, and yet... here we are. This world seems to follow a timeline very unlike most others, but you're not alone in making the connection.

As for myself, I'm not from America either. [ just a computer on the moon, you know??? ]

[nickovitch]

Chipping? I am not sure what that is.

[ As advanced as computer knowledge is in 1963 Russia, the concept of microchips isn't a widely known one. And, even when it is, they are more likely to be something used in a science fiction story. ]

video

[airshow]

Question! [ an easy, lazy grin. ] What would you prefer to the tattoos? Not that I'm a fan, mind you — but as far as tracking goes, I can think of a whole lot of way more intrusive and extremely uncomfortable methods of keeping track of semipermanent superpowered interdimensional immigrants. So. Gift horses and all that.

[nickovitch]

I don't know. [ Shocker, isn't it? ] But being branded without my consent or knowledge ...

There is an unfortunate precedent for where such things end. Gift horse or not.

video

[ringen]

I'm from East Germany.

[ which Illya, of course, already knows, and the smug, knowing grin on Gaby's lips says that she knows that he knows, but she's going to state the obvious regardless. ]

[nickovitch]

[ His lips twitch just once, signaling some form of amusement, face remaining (for the most part) impassive. ]

Is that so, Miss Teller? I never would have guessed.

video

[cleptes]

I was born and raised in England, but I moved to America a few years ago.

[She hasn't lost any trace of her accent, which sounds a little clipped and yet at the same time, Bela uses a casual tone. ]

Never actually made it to Moscow. I'm sure it's a fascinating city.

[nickovitch]

It is the most beautiful city ever built.

[ And if any government censors are having fits, he really doesn't care. Moscow is the finest city to any true Russian. And Illya is, if nothing else, a loyal son of his homeland. ]

Why did you move to America?

[assays]

That terrible war happened in my world too.

[Although, it was a lot more recent for Peggy.]

In answer to your question, I'm from England. I haven't been back home for a while.

[nickovitch]

You have my deepest sympathies, then.

[ Most of his sensibilities recoil to know that, true to form, other dimensions have suffered the presence of the Third Reich. A tiny part is gratified that others do see the warning. That they know what might be at stake. ]

I have met several of your countrymen. England is beautiful. I was there briefly, some years ago.