The Universe's Mixer

"I require forty-eight centimeters of copper tubing, the circuit board of an early twenty-first century Earth computer, a television antennae, 2.73 grams of gold, four double A batteries, and a detonator for a thermal nuclear reactor. Any Earth power reactor will be sufficient on the reactor," Spock stated in perfect clarity to the clerk of one of The City's hardware stores.

The clerk, a young boy of maybe sixteen, just stared back at the half-Vulcan with wide eyes and a dropped jaw. Spock waited for approximately 8.3 seconds before he quirked his brow, cleared his throat, and restated his request. Still, the boy stared at him. The kid didn't know what to think. First of all, the man had pointed ears like some sort of elf. Now this really shouldn't have bothered him. A talking cat came in the other day asking for spare radio parts. But the pointy-eared man talked funny. Like, well, like a computer. And he had weird eyebrows (also pointy) and a funny haircut. And when the boy leaned forward to get a closer look, he could have sworn that the man had a greenish tint to his skin.

Spock wasn't one to show emotions. He understood that humans had an inane fascination with him. It was highly illogical. As far as humanoids went, there wasn't much difference between Terrans and Vulcans. At least, not on the outside. Vulcans were, naturally, more superior in strength, intelligence, and technological advances. But, being Vulcans, they prided themselves on not being overly egotistical about their breed. That wouldn't have been correct in the ways of Surak.

"Do you require a written list to assist you in retrieving these objects?" Spock asked.

"Uhm, no. I think we have the copper. And the batteries. Maybe the TV parts. But I know we ain't got no gold and definitely no thermal nuclear whatchamacallit," the boy replied, after finally getting over his shock.

"The detonator for a thermal nuclear reactor."

"Yeah, that. I'm pretty sure we ain't got that, mister. But we got a nice toaster oven on sale. It toasts four pieces of bread at once, and makes these nice little lines on the bread kinda like bacon swirls. You know? Those wavy lines?"

Spock was at a loss for understanding the common vernacular of this human. Why couldn't humans not speak clearly and succinctly? Certainly that was one of the universe's greatest mysteries.

"It would be appreciated if you could retrieve what items you do have."

"Yes, sir. I will check the stockroom. Just a minute," the boy said, scurrying off to the back of the store.

Spock remained beside the register, arms crossed over his blue Starfleet uniform. He would have to practice subduing his human half. It could be so impatient at times. But in an environment such as this, it was very difficult. Very difficult indeed.

Another beautiful day in the City. Or at least it would be, if I had any damn clue what I'm supposed to be doing here...

So thought one Farley Claymore as he sat in one of the City's cafes, pondering his next move and coming up blank.

Looking for work had proved difficult - obviously the War Department was out, as the City didn't seem to have any (one of the downsides of living in Nowheresville) - but at least it was kind enough to help him get by until then. Hell, he could probably not work at all if he wanted, the way things were going...

But for all he knew, that generosity probably had a limit, and God only knew when it would run out. So, working for the military being an impossibility, he decided to take a chance on the Help Wanted ads.

Mechanic? Ugh, no, too lowbrow...

Teacher? Oh, hell no. I'd probably be ready to take over the world by the end of my first day...

All the while, the card he got from Savage was proving quite the temptation. While he was by no means a genius, he was competent at what he did, and the idea of working with potentially alien technology would be interesting, to say the least...

But while he was far more pleasant than Shiwan, there was no denying that the man could prove to be less than trustworthy, and the memories of his last encounter with the Shadow were a reminder of how far in over his head he'd been the last time he threw in his lot with someone like that...

He sighed, putting down the newspaper again. Well, at least the City wasn't boring...

[see here for the guest list]

Ice sculptures: check
Roast pig: check
String quartet: check
Candelabra: check

Although Vandal stood in the castle he'd known for around a thousand years, it was hardly recognizable. The cold, spare remnants of history were obscured by lavish party decorations. Vandal himself was dressed in his courtly attire, cravat and all. He paced a little impatiently, having completed preparations early and now waiting for the guests to arrive fashionably late.

He pulled a PDA out of his pocket to check the time, and waved to one of his staff. "Tell Dino to open the drawbridge. We are officially open."

After the weirdness known as Cupid (but in Violet's case she gained a friend in Lizzy) she realized something. "I am due for a trip to the salvage yard" as she scribbled a note in case anyone was looking for her before leaving the hostel. With a bag full of finds slung over one arm she was back to her usual self, nursing some ideas along the way. But anyone could see something was on the younger woman's mind, worry about her brother and sister and hope they were still able to duck Count Olaf. As she walked she scanned the rubbish bins for ideas and would on occasional stop to pluck a promising looking part or a piece of rubbish that gave her an idea. "Idea!" as she happily grabbed some broken glass,"This glass would make a good conduct for the auto feeder".

Elizabeth had found herself in this place in a state of bewilderment. She was an astute and clever minded woman but even her notions of propriety were challenged by being here alone with no connection, no one to properly introduce her to society. In some respects it had been a freeing experience, liberation of a kind she would never have dreamed possible. Women walked about and made themselves known to men with no chaperone. Men walked about with little or no regard for the ladies around them. People spoke most plainly about matters and had no issue with the so called delicacies of the fairer sex. How decidedly queer.

It had taken her days to settle in, she was still trying to understand so much but the boarding house she found for young ladies, was accommodating enough. Though she missed her family terribly, Jane most of all. Her beloved sister was her best friend and there was no other that could replace her in Elizabeth's bereaved and empty heart. How shall she ever manage? No pap to laugh with at the silliness of her sister, no Jane to be her confident and most trusted friend. No Charlotte to chat with over tea...tea..that would make her feel a bit better.

The boarding house had given her excellent directions to a tea shop a short walk away, walking for Lizzy was a joy. She had no mind about the short jaunt and took to it with great enthusiasm, her long skirts sweeping the paving stones as she made way to the shop. It was a store which sold only books, and they would allow one to read there! She was delighted with the place, in purest heaven to find such an escape.

The dark haired woman took her tea and sat at one of the outer tables while she sipped and enjoyed the works of a rather good writer. She was of no mind to read some of the more modern works, as they had been called. Filled with fright and subjects not fit for a gentlewoman to read. So sitting with her tea and her book Lizzy was quite content, for the moment.

With much improved weather Violet decided to brave a trip to the junkyard for more supplies (project wise of course). After leaving a message for Dr.Wilson that she had gone on a supply run she slipped on her coat and got her box, leaving for the nearby junkyard. "Maybe I can visit Gert later?" happy to have found a friend close to her own age while the youth hostel was being repaired. But as she walked towards the junkyard she was doing her share of thinking, the conference thing had been strange enough (and the notes in her notebook acted as proof). "Curious, its like things just keep getting more strange" she mused as she sat on the bench long enough to jot some quick notes into her book.

That was when an idea struck Violet,"Maybe there is a way to beat the weatherpeople at their own game!"

The City wasn't too up to speed on a lot of things that humans required in their daily lives. It liked order, and it liked rules. It also liked bending things around to fit whatever it wanted it to that particular day. But one thing that it was very sure of was that kids needed to go to school. In order for kids to go to school, they had to have teachers.

The concept of parent/teacher conferences was something that it had come across recently. It didn't quite grasp the idea that the parents were supposed to talk to the teachers and find out what their kids were doing, and if they were passing or having problems. It just thought that it was a time to get everyone in one room. Thus, it thought, it could be the same thing to have student/teacher conferences and accomplish the same thing.

It sent out a flier to all the school-aged kids that it had brought in as well as the adults he knew did teaching things within the City's walls. It hadn't previously realized how many of them it had collected, seeing the list of names, it became a little excited. Not to mention a little bit proud of itself. It was furthering the education of the youths!

There was absolutely no consideration to the fact that it was snowing very hard outside, and very few if any of these people had a vehicle. All it cared about was getting them all in the same room.

( OOC )

With so much snow laying on the ground, it didn't take much for the kids of the City to start playing with it. At first they hadn't known what to do, but instinct took over in no time. They were soon building things with it, making snow angels... and snow demons.... and then one kid had the brilliant idea to pick up some of it, turn it into a ball-ish shape, and hurl it at one of his friends.

It started a small war.

Soon enough, random passers by were caught up in it, forgoing everything else they had been on their way to do, and joined in.

About an hour later, everything in the City was closed so that anybody who wanted to could join the big snowball battle.

Errant snowballs flew, giving no regard to who they hit or how hard.

After the zombie madness Violet came to see she had to restock her supply of spare parts. So she decided to head for her favorite junkyard among the various ones within the City. Beyond the fact she was coming down with an ear infection (her ear still ringing) she was otherwise in one piece and was able to avoid being bitten. As she walked she felt the snowflakes land atop her coat,"Sunny would be loving this, young enough to love snow" she muses under her breath. Violet quickly wrapped her simple coat tigher to avoid being chilled even more as she walked.

Violet may have quite a few problems on her plate from finding new housing till the hostel is repaired to finding her friends to the ongoing question of a guardian. But for now she was happy to be heading back to the junkyard like any normal day. "But then when is anything normal here?" she admits to herself while ducking into a small coffee shop for some tea and to survery her stash of parts,"Lists help, especially on a day like today". As she worked she just listened in and was using what she heard to make notes,"Find a small heater" making a note on her list.

Violet Baudelaire came to realize something: the last few weeks had not been her idea of a good time and finding out she was also newely homeless only made matters worse. The youth hostel that had been her home would need major repairs before anyone could move back in so she was back at square one. The only difference this time was her actually knowing a few people that might help or at least understand her.

So after getting her things she just walked through the city in hopes of finding a place to spend the night. The only thing that was not helping besides her current state of affairs? She was ankle deep in an ear infection and could really use some meds to stop her ear from ringing. She was alone once more and anyone could see how the last few weeks had effected the young inventor. "At least I got my stuff out of the hostel before things did hit the fan" she muses while walking.

Violet was offically angry and it was starting to show. She made a last ditch raid of the various parts of the church and had found a decent amount of weapons plus a few of her own. "I move we make a break for it an join the fight, we have to fight back!" as she got the hostel group back together. Between the 7 of them they had a slingshot, 2 handguns, Violet's crossbow and a few odds and ends. "Plus we have Old Lace on our side" shooting a look of support towards Gert. One of the boys added,"We have to help out somehow, we can't sit here and take this sitting down!" as the little band moved towards the doorway with weapons in hand.

(hopefully this makes more sense, been out with a cold)

continued from here

There were less people than he'd thought there would be. Which was good, he supposed, in the way that they didn't really have to worry about supplies. But it was bad, because it either meant that people hadn't seen his sign, or that they'd all been bitten and there wasn't anybody to come find shelter here.

It worried him.

It also worried him that he hadn't seen Buffy. She hadn't come back to check in, and she hadn't sent anybody in this direction. Nobody wandered in carrying her name on their lips to assure him that she was okay.

There were others he was worried about as well. He'd not seen hide nor hair of them, and he couldn't help but fear that they were monsters now too.

Aside from Zoe and the kids, a few of the City's regular residents had popped in for shelter. Those who didn't come from some place or time outside of this one. They had no special abilities. No extraordinary skills. It was easy to forget about them in day to day life, because they just tended to blend in with the background. These were the people who had no idea that their city was alive, because they'd always lived with it. These were the people who didn't think it was bizarre how the streets and buildings shifted. How people popped in and out of existence. They were the people that needed the most help in this.

Jesse sat, looking out one of the holes in the stained glass in the choral balcony. The streets seemed dead outside. In more ways than one.

His new neighbor had been kind enough to inform him that there were dead people walking around outside, eating other people. He wasn't sure if he would have noticed it before, as there hadn't seemed to be many of them when he'd first left the Manchester, but the longer he stayed out, the more they seemed to multiply. It seemed to him that every few minutes a dozen more of the things were shambling around in large groups looking for meat.

Jesse spent some time collecting what he could in the way of supplies, but he couldn't do very much he found. He got the very basics from about a dozen stores around the city. Everybody seemed to be collecting what they could, however they could. And he wasn't about to punch out a little old lady just to get his hands on one extra gallon of water.

It was all locked away in one of the only churches the City had. It was the biggest, and had actual pews instead of seats, which none of the others did. Big, heavy wooden doors, and no windows low down where they could be broken into easy. There was the added bonus of the choral balcony, where anybody could look out onto the rest of the city below. Perhaps a sniper could be set up there. The unfortunate thing would be the breaking of the stained glass. It wasn't the religious loss for Jesse, but the aesthetic one. As much as he might have disliked God and the church, he couldn't deny the beauty of the stained glass. But it would have to be done.

There was room enough for a lot of people there. Plus a basement they could hide in if it all came to that. There was a confessional for extra hiding, as well as the sacristy just in case. And a small hallway leading to the priest's quarters which had a kitchen, and an additional bathroom.

He could take care of people here. And hopefully they'd show up with additional supplies. There was just enough butcher's paper and paint in the supply closet for him to make a sign that he hung over the front doors.

It read, simply

"SAFETY"

Halloween.  Tony Stark's favorite time of the year.  The weather was perfect, not too hot or cold, trees around the city were changing colors.  And he had no reason in the world to complain here.  He and Pepper were together, and it'd been a blissful few weeks since their initial union.  For the first time in years, Tony could say he was happy and satisfied.

He'd sent out invitations city wide in hopes of drawing in the citizens to his home for him to have a chance to meet them.  He hadn't ventured out much since he'd been here, mostly because even if he was ever the social butterfly, Tony was too focused on fixing the once damaged relationship between him and Pepper.  Now that was all taken care of and here he stood in his bedroom putting on his costume.  He'd laid his choice of cstume out on Pepper's bed for her to put on, chosen since she'd lost to him in a little game they'd played to determine what they'd spend this night as.  It was custom tailored to fit her form perfectly, having taken the dress she'd worn for their first night together and used its measurements.

He stared at himself in the mirror, thinking that his goatee would make wearing the mask a little awkward at best, but he didn't care.  He thought since he should play the mysterious host of the night, that he should don the look of someone just as mysterious.  Taking a step back from the mirror, he attempted to twirl the cape, almost tangling himself up in it the first few times until he got the hang of it and smiled.  Affixing his mask to his face, he smirked as he gave his appearance one last once over.

The Phantom of the Opera was ready for his grand entrance.

[ooc: If you're character is showing up, feel free to start your own thread under this.  Tony will attempt to greet everyone but might not for getting sidetracked by others.  If you plan to crash the party, I will start a separate thread after a day or two to give people a chance to do regular party stuff.  Have fun, and don't be shy with your characters!  This is a very social log!]

Sam had pointed out the flier a day or so earlier, but the problem was, there hadn't been any dates or times on the silly thing.  Fred wasn't sure when she should go, but she supposed that it wouldn't hurt at least to look for the Community Center, not that she knew there was one in the first place, and then ask about meetings.  She was a little stuck as to which she should show up for, but eventually invention won out over creepy time.  Sure, she'd have loved to meet other people who'd met the bumps in the night, but she had a few ideas about the place and wanted some sort of input.  She needed brains.

It had taken her a good part of the afternoon, and she'd had to stop for at least one snack on the way.  She was such a pig, but the walking was helping.  After passing the Library a few times, the Hospital a few more than that, and the Police Station once, she finally came upon the Center.  Well, it seemed big enough to hold everything.  The scientist even wondered if maybe she could get a swim in, that'd work off any fat she hadn't burned off with all this walking around.

She walked in, a little surprised that there were people already there using the facilities and that there were even sign up sheets for things.  Unfortunately, she couldn't find anyone who seemed to be in charge, so she wandered around finally finding a door with a sign reading Inventors Welcome Here!  That had to be the place.  As she stepped through the door, Fred hoped she wasn't the only one who showed up.

Ace had lost track of the both the Doctor and the TARDIS. But, she wasn’t worried; they both would show up when she needed them. They always did. Meantime, she needed something to do. So after playing with Godzilla (How bloody cool was that!), she just wandered around the City. This whole place was starting to remind her of one of the Doctor’s little tests, the one where he wants her to figure out what they have to do to save the universe. If it was one of his tests, she wanted to figure out why he had brought them here before he should up with his vague clues. So if he wanted to leave her here alone until she figured this out, that was fine with her.

( She'd show him. )

"Eliza..."

Henry's face gleamed with pride for having finally (and completely!) conquered the pretentious guttersnipe. Her voice in his parlor, announcing her return to him, signified his success. His success at getting her back! Marry Freddy? Ha! If she had gone off and married Freddy then she would have been the most selfish and ungrateful trollop this side of the known universe. And she would have deserved all of the misery she got from marrying a flouncy mama's boy with no money and no means for taking care of himself. Henry almost wished she hadn't come back. Then he could have mocked her for the rest of her life! That would have pleased him very much.

But, perhaps, not as much as the pleasure he received from knowing that he had won once again. Not only had he turned that squashed cabbage leaf into a princess in front of the entire world, but he had convinced her to return to his home at 27A Wimpole Street, to live with him for the rest of her days. Or until one of them got bored. Why, that's what it was all about after all. Not for the sordid love affair or the lust or the chocolates. But for the fun of it! They played off each other so delightfully well. And now the game would continue. And, naturally, Henry would have the upper hand.

He didn't go crawling to her, after all. (Although he did go whining to his mother.)
( Where the devil are my slippers? )

It had only recently become aware of the concept of monster movies. In this new body, this new form, it had taken to doing some more human things. One of them had to been to visit something called a video store, rent some videos and find some place to watch them. Since it was The City itself, it just made a house with everything it needed.

One of those videos happened to be Godzilla, featuring a giant angry lizard. It sat intrigued through the whole thing and bolted to it's feet at the end, fresh with a new idea.

There would be a zoo in The City. It would collect animals to put them on display. The City didn't currently have a zoo of it's own, which was sort of sad for the children. But they'd grown up here so they didn't really have a concept of what a zoo was. They would love this.

It would get Godzilla. The monster couldn't be that big, could it? After all, it had ransacked and Japan was a small place to begin with. Just an island. Sort of like The City, only ... different. Plus it had stayed mostly in Tokyo. One city.

After Godzilla, it would get some dinosaurs maybe. A unicorn. A phoenix. Dodo birds. Things that people would know but had never seen in their lives. It would be fantastic. Everybody would be filled with wonder. They would be pleased by what The City had given them.

Retrieving Godzilla as it had everybody else, The City suddenly realized that it had not only misjudged the creature's size, but also it's intelligence and determination. The cage that had been constructed turned out to be rather flimsy.

Just as one of the lesser writers for The City Voice was receiving information about the zoo for an article, Godzilla broke loose.

( OOC )

Peter Venkman strutted around on top of a folding table outside the huge doors of the old firehouse. He pulled a few silly dance moves and mock "rock-out" faces to the delight of the children, as Ray Parker Jr.'s (now official) anthem played on a vintage 1990 boombox.

"If there's somethin' strange," Venkman crooned into his micophone along with the music, "in your neighborhood ... who you gonna call?" He held out his microphone and the children answered him enthusiastically.

Beneath his feet, draped over the table, was a banner indicating an Open House. Stickers and temporary tattoos bearing the logo were stacked here and there, as were pamphlets about the services the company rendered (with no mention of price ranges).

He hopped off the table, strode over to one kid's attractive mom and put his hand on her shoulder. Microphone still in hand, he continued to follow the music. "Lemme tell you somethin' - bustin' makes me feel goo-ood!" Then, retreating to the table again, he spoke. "All right, you guys. That's all for Doctor Venkman right now. I'll be around signing autographs later. Remember, kids, you can pick up an official Ghostbusters T-shirt for twenty American dollars. Just ask your parents' permission. Sad puppy eyes - that's the key. Tug on those heartstrings, kids. All right, thanks! You've been a wonderful crowd! Good night, City!"

A bit breathlessly, Venkman trotted into the station. "Hey anybody see a ghost somewhere? Hi. How's it going. Enjoying yourself? Whoop! Watch it with that thing. I'm not wearin' my proton-proof vest." He proceeded to mingle, looking for anyone with a question.

The pale brunette teen could not stop the shaking and it showed. She had been trapped in a youth hostel during the recent murders and she also had to face more than her share of Olaf related flashbacks in the process. But now the young woman known as Violet Baudelaire was trying to reembrace life as she went looking for the junk shop. "But now I can try to unravel my own mystery and the mystery of this place" as she went inside to locate some parts for a current project.