Zero is also taking careful note of the return addresses on the private correspondence he has been receiving.
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My Dear Good Man Zero,
You are being as careful and circumspect as ever. Dare I say ācalculating?ā
Itās good to see the old Zero is alive and well under the Psycho facade.
We all know
There can only be one
ā but one what?
Itās clear what the Kurgan thinks āoneā means. But English is an ever ambiguous language. In other languages the contextual cognate would be a plural or even collective noun.
Today, it is up to us choose our own language ā indeed for us to define what the āoneā will be.
Yours in Truth,
Mr. Collins
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[excerpt from The Diaries of Other Pendragon Ā© 2017 by TrilloCom LLC]
Disturbing incident on the subway this morning. As I waited on the platform, I felt the familiar vibration of a presence. Turning, I saw a man in an expensive suit striding toward me, his angry gaze locked on my face. Shoving other commuters aside, he drew a flashy Damascus blade from his crocodile-skin briefcase.
āDo you know who I am?ā he roared.
āWhy yes, I believe soā, I said, stalling for time. āDo I have the honour of addressing the esteemed Zero Demos?ā
āMy briefcase cost more than your car!ā he bellowed. āPrepare to die!ā
The train had arrived at the platform. Timing it nicely, I stepped back into the car just as the doors closed. With a yell of rage, he lunged forward and tried to pry the doors open with his blade. As the train pulled out, he followed it down the platform, hammering on the windows with the pommel of his sword and screaming incoherent curses in what sounded like classical Greek. Fortunately none of the other passengers seemed to notice.
āThe jokeās on youā, I mouthed through the glass. āI donāt have a car.ā
I feel pity for Mr. Demos. He is a troubled man, but dangerous. I must stay alert.
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Myfanwy,
Your message finds me at a difficult (yet perhaps apposite) time. I am struggling somewhat with the call of the Gathering, and it is impacting my behaviour somewhat; something I believe Other can confirm with you. I tried to discuss this with him when we chanced upon each other, but I think he rather misunderstood my intentions. Unfortunate.
I remember feeling somewhat as you do when I was as young as you. But that was so long ago. Itās difficult to retain innocence like yours forever. To be blunt; I have had a rather trying millennium or so - I canāt remember the last time I had a proper encounter with another immortal that didnāt end with a decapitation. However, in my more lucent periods, I can recognize some sense in what you say (despite the, if I may say so, somewhat patronising manner in which you express it). I feel rather alone and isolated. Maybe itās time I reached out - perhaps we can put our heads together and figure something out?
I enclose my details - have your people call my people - letās do lunch. I could get us reservations at Dorsia, they know me there.
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I think I finally found a home. Sometimes the best place to hide is in plain sight.
Zero, if you want to reminiscence about good (and not so good) times around the Mare Magnum, I sometimes drop by here on slow mornings.
Mr. Collins
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Have a care, Mr. Collins. No one has yet been able to control the berserk rage generated by two untreated Immortals in close proximity. Any meeting is likely to end in tears. Hang on a little longer, and keep yourself safe. I anticipate good news shortly.
Other Pendragon
Knight
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Zero:
Thank you for your reply. After Otherās description of your encounter, I worried that we could ever find common ground. You give me hope.
I apologize if I seemed patronizing. I spoke from the heart, and I truly believe what I said. Iām neither innocent nor naive. A millennium and a half will knock that out of you right smartly. (I could tell you storiesā¦) But my experience has been of a world where it is possible to get along, and I gather yours has not. That does not render either experience invalid, but I believe you may have absorbed too much of the aggressive impulses of those you have killed. I swear, some of the Immortals Iāve met seem to have spent their long, long lives as fourteen-year-old boys.
Iām sorry, but I really canāt accept your generous invitation at the moment (Dorsia, eh? Drool. Rain check?). Iām currently out of the country, but I expect to be back soon with some news that will be in your interest, no matter what your views on peaceniks.
Regards,
Myfanwy
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Looks at empty space on social calendar
plans trip to Metropolitan Museum of Art
or possibly Wales
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O my brothers and sisters, the time is come! This morning I nailed the following declaration to the door of Castle Messana, home to the tyrant @messana.
To the Tyrant Messana:
Sir:
Too many good people have died already. We the undersigned cannot in good conscience continue to fight our fellow Immortals for your incomprehensible purposes. We hereby withhold/withdraw our stances for the Gathering. Note that this declaration does not preclude our acting in our own defense in the future, individually or collectively.
Signed,
Other Pendragon @teknocholer
Mr Collins @David_Falkayn
Jane @MalevolentPixy
I call on all Immortals to join our cause!
Hier stehe ich. Ich kann nicht anders.
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I didnāt get into this business to have any relationships! I donāt want to join your goddamn union.
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Whatās that martial beat, that somewhat bloodthirsty tune, that wafts on the breeze like an exhalation from the mouth of Hell?
What is this voice from beyond the veil?
Oi, oi, oi
Oi, oi, oi
Oi, oi, oi
Oi, oi, oi
Oi, oi, oi
See me ride out of the sunset
On your color TV screen
Out for all that I can get
If you know what I mean
Women to the left of me
And women to the right
Aināt got no gun
Aināt got no knife
Donāt you start no fight
'Cause Iām T.N.T. Iām dynamite
T.N.T. and Iāll win the fight
T.N.T. Iām a power load
T.N.T. watch me explode
Iām dirty, mean and mighty unclean
Iām a wanted man
Public enemy number one
Understand
So lock up your daughter
Lock up your wife
Lock up your back door
And run for your life
The man is back in town
Donāt you mess me 'round
'Cause Iām T.N.T. Iām dynamite
T.N.T. and Iāll win the fight
T.N.T. Iām a power load
T.N.T. watch me explode
T.N.T. (oi, oi, oi)
T.N.T. (oi, oi, oi)
T.N.T. (oi, oi, oi)
T.N.T. (oi, oi, oi)
T.N.T. (oi, oi, oi)
Iām dynamite (oi, oi)
T.N.T. (oi, oi, oi)
And Iāll win the fight (oi, oi, oi)
T.N.T. (oi, oi, oi)
Iām a power load (oi, oi, oi)
T.N.T.
Watch me explode
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[Meanwhile, outside Forte Gonzaga in Sicily, two men approach the main door to discover a note with a conspicuous black spot has been stabbed into place. As they investigate, they begin to gesticulate and speak in an increasingly agitated manner.]
Salvatore: āEhi! Stugatz! Che cosāĆØ questo scherzo?ā
Paolo: āFanculo. Chi diavolo ha fatto questo?ā
[Paolo takes the note down from the door]
Salvatore: āPensi che Giacomo sia stato ubriaco di nuovo?ā
Paolo: āCazzo, hanno graffiato la porta. Che cazzo ĆØ questo, un pugnale?ā
Salvatore: āFranceso sarĆ incazzato. Cosa dice la nota?ā
[Paolo holds his head as he reads and re-reads the note, trying to make sense of it.]
Paolo: āAlcune stronzate di immortali che combattono ā¦ o non combattono ā¦ o merda come quellaā.
Salvatore: āSegaiolo. Quel ragazzo deve smettere di bere cosƬ tanto.ā
Paolo: āVafanculo. Andiamo a lavorare.ā
[The two men enter the fort and start their labors for the day as Paolo wads up the note and tosses it over his shoulder.]
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So be it.
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Several of us, especially Zero, know this place well ā even if the current structure is but a recent folly
So the archivist has (at least) three friends out there.
And theyāre a bunch of old Italian men that really donāt appear to give a fuck.
Lovely. We might get better luck getting their attention asking Jane to chase them around their compound with her jade axe. While I remain committed to the peaceful path, if more us of forced to fight against our will, we might want to consider to expanding our, āconversation,ā to include them. After all, theyāre apparently immortals, too. How do they resist the madness? Do they, really?
Even if we were to just camp out there, The Kurgan would findā¦ all of us.
While waited, the food would be fantastic!
Your In Truth,
-Mr Collins
p.s. This site is ancient. It contains multitudes. Zero has memories. I have records. and weāre not the only ones.
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Forte Gonzaga, also known as Castel Gonzaga, is a bastioned fort in Messina, Sicily.
ā Wikipedia
DAMN Google autofill!
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I forget my manners. Welcome to the Gathering, Comrade Kurgan. How convenient of you to show up just in time to make threats on behalf of your master.
Youāve always had good success picking off lone Immortals, especially from behind. How do you feel about facing three working as a team? Yes, my companions have been given the Mirror, the medication that blocks the receptors that drive us mad when we are exposed to the pheromones of other Immortals. We can still detect them, but they do not make us berserk.
We have no intention of fading away. (You do know what āimmortalā means, right?) We have plans. One of which involves you.
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