Chapter One – The Family
Alberta, Canada. 2012 C.E.
Joshua grunted as he lifted the last of his luggage into the small, fifth story apartment he'd rented. He surveyed the one-room pad with disappointment. "Much smaller than the website had advertised." He thought.
As he lay his belongings out on the bed, he spotted a door off to the left of the entrance. "Well at least there's a bathroom." After a few minutes he finished moving in his suitcases, and took a small package from his bag. It was a half-full bag of cheap coffee. "Alright, we're getting somewhere…" Joshua mumbled sleepily. Coming all the way from England to Canada was rough, and the jet lag had worn him out like a cheap sweater. A metallic glint from the luggage distracted him from the coffee, and he reached out for its source. A large tin of spearmints. "Finally, something's going well today." He thought as he promptly emptied the entire tin into his coffee.
19 year old Joshua Joestar had only recently arrived in the university town of Blackmore, Alberta, but already he felt like he'd lived there for months. It just had that homecoming feel to it, like this town was where he'd always belonged. He'd travelled here to Alberta in order to study Archaeology, the province being the fossil capital of Canada, but there was a secondary reason to his immigration from his homeland of England.
His family, the Joestars, though well known for its contributions to the sciences, had become deeply dysfunctional as of late, beginning when family patriarch Joey Joestar was found slumped in his chair clutching a weathered headband, his heart stopped. He was survived only by his grandson, Joshua. By 2012, the family fortune had dwindled away to almost nothing, and with nothing left for him in his homeland, Joshua abandoned the family estate and set his sights on the new world…North America. Finally, he was here. Ready to seek his own fortune, and see what the True North had to offer.
Joshua Joestar was enjoying his favourite breakfast drink when he received a call on his new landline. Odd, he had no contacts here, and he hadn't told his cousins where he'd be staying… Josh traipsed over and picked up the phone. "Hello, this is Jen from the Blackmore University! We'd like to thank you for joining our student body this semester!" the phone crackled into his ear. Joshua slumped back against the wall, a sigh of relief escaping his lips. Just some old University representative, nothing too worrisome.
"Is there anything I can do for you?" Joshua replied.
"Just giving you the directions to your campus, since you're starting tomorrow!" She answered cheerily. Joshua's eye twitched slightly. The website never said anything about it starting on the third of August. All the site calendars gave the date of the first semester as September, nowhere did it say anything about August. Regardless, Joshua accepted her directions, and thanked the representative for her time.
He grabbed his mug, and bent over the windowsill. "There goes the whole week." he thought as he stared glumly out over the small town of Blackmore. Joshua frowned at the mug he held. The spearmints in his coffee had almost entirely melted. "What a day."
He spent the rest of the day making himself at home, and shopping for a vest, to weather the autumn months ahead. The next day, he made sure to get up early so he had time to prepare. He mixed himself a mint coffee, got on his vest and began his walk to the campus.
"Turn… left, at the intersection?" He looked down at the directions he was given, and back up to the old back street they were leading him to. Something had to be off, Joshua thought. That alleyway looked too small for a takeout shop, let alone a University. "Maybe it's one of those modern-type places, where most of it's underground." He reasoned.
Satisfied with his deduction, he made his way further through the passage. Water dripped from miscellaneous pipes onto the concrete, flowing across the stale ground and into an equally nondescript sewer grate. "Well, looks like a dead end up ahead, I better head back." Joshua thought as he turned around. When he looked across the alley, he saw that his path was blocked by a shadowy figure framed against the lights of the street behind him.
"O ho-hoh! You seem quite a bit younger than Niko reported! Just my luck, this pick-up's gonna be easy as cheese!" The man said in a rough cockney accent. Josh arranged himself into a defensive position. "Who are you? Did you send me that phone call?" Joshua was ashamed of himself, falling for such an obvious trap. There was no way a world-class university would set up shop in such a dingy place.
The man laughed. "Aye, that was Niko's business, not mine, and that doesn't matter anyway! You can't ask questions, bastard, not when I'm attacking you!" With one expert motion he tossed a throwing knife squarely into Joshua's shoulder, spraying blood all across the gutter-street. "Gotcha!" he shouted. "Now my stand, Aqualung, can fully take effect!" Joshua's eyes widened, distracted by the man's words in spite of his own injury.
"Stand?!" His mind raced. He'd only met one other man who knew of "Stands', and that was his grandfather, Joey. It was bizarre to think there were people in this small town like Joey and himself. If this man facing him truly was a "Stand User', then there was no time to waste in defending himself. Soon, his suspicions were confirmed when he noticed the skin near where the knife had hit him was turning pale and numb, and a transparent liquid was flowing from the wound. Remembering a cowboy movie he saw, Joshua ripped a sleeve off his shirt and tied it in a donut shape around the knife, applying pressure to stop the flow. He wasn't quite sure what the liquid now inside him was, but he knew it couldn't be good.
The mysterious man began to clap slowly. "Oh bravo, good sir! You've stopped the blood flow, but you'll never stop the effect of my Aqualung! You see, Joshua, mine is a stand which affects liquid, which was coating the dagger I threw at you! Whatever fluid it touches turns into a unique substance only created by my stand, including your own blood!" Joshua looked at his arm. Almost the entire limb was going pale with the clear fluid produced by Aqualung. "And this liquid has many interesting properties." He continued, producing a lighter from his pocket. "Not least of which is its extremeflammability!" He yelled as he tossed the lit lighter onto Joshua's shoulder, setting it ablaze with green flame.
Joshua's teeth gritted in pain as he slumped back onto the wall. The man slowly walked towards Joshua's body. As he got closer, Joshua could more clearly make out the form of his assailant. He wore ratty jeans and an old striped shirt. His face was an image of bizarre contrast, shiny, spiked hair adorning his scalp, and a greasy brown beard hanging beneath his chin. But as he approached Joshua he noticed something strange, the boy's arm seemed… strange. His shirt sleeve made it seem much thinner than it should be, even considering his burns. He hesitated a moment, but continued on regardless.
"So, lad. Remember this fight for next time, don't try an' cross Jamie White unless you- OOF!" Joshua suddenly leaped forward, and smashed his arm into Jamie's neck, sending him flying backward into a brick wall. "W-What? Your arm should be burned to the bone! There's no way you could have the strength to attack!" The impact tore off what remained of the burned shirt, revealing what had happened. From the shoulder down, Joshua's arm had been replaced witha long metal cylinder, badly bent from the attack against Jamie. "Oh ho! So this must be your stand power! I gotta say I expected something…flashier, from a Joestar, but if it makes my job easier I ain't complaining." Joshua replied: "I can swap out parts of my body at will with objects from the environment. This is the ability of my stand, Fastway."
Jamie scoffed. "Whatever you say, kid, the battle was already decided when you entered this alley! Haven't you realized I've been doing, you dense bastard?!" Jamie shouted. "All this water around you on the ground… My Aqualung has meshed with all of it!" Jamie tossed a lit match forwards, landing it squarely in the puddle around Joshua and blasting green flames up into the sky. Joshua scanned the walls for an escape route. There! A rusty old fire escape just past the flames. He braced his muscles, and jumped. He swapped out, and caught the bottom of the fire escape, and clambered to the landing as fast as his legs could carry him. He took a breather at the top, and thought out his situation.
"Who the hell is this guy?! And how did he know my name was Joshua? More importantly, how did he know I'm a Joestar?! God, this is just fantastic."
The whole reason Joshua had come to Canada was to get away from his ridiculous family and all their schemes and rivals, and now here in Alberta was a whole other set of wackos, ready to ruin his quiet student life.
Unfortunately, he had no more time to ruminate. The green flames were writhing below like the spectral hands of dead souls, seeking out the vitality of the living. As it turns out his analogy wasn't far off, for the flames soon coalesced around the wall beneath Joshua, and began their journey upwards across the wall.
"Oh ho-hoh! I was really worried for a second there! I thought I'd killed you too fast to use my favourite move!" Jamie sneered, pointing up at him. "You didn't think all Aqualung could do was look awesome, did you? Idiot! Once it infects a liquid, my Aqualung becomes an automatic stand! It will follow you wherever you go, to whatever heights!" At this point Aqualung had risen to the fire escape landing, and Joshua ran to the next level above. Instead of pressing through the holes in the metal like a normal liquid, it simply rose through it, melting the inch-thick iron like it was wet paper. "What the hell am I supposed to do against this?" Joshua thought. "I can't fight fluid! What I should focus on is running. It may be able to follow me anywhere, but it's just a puddle. It can only move so fast."
As he raced up to the rooftop, Joshua finally took the time to inspect his injured arm. The entire surface was covered in a patchwork of burned skin and burst veins. "It's a good thing I swapped back during the jump, maneuvering with that hunk of metal would make this almost impossible. But still, running around these sharp metal corners with my bleeding arm is almost as difficult!" Joshua made it to the roof without incident, but Aqualung was close behind him, its green glow becoming more and more intense every second. He examined the rooftop's perimeter, but there was no exit in sight. Just when he was ready to give himself up, he spotted it! He began sprinting towards the edge of the building.
"That idiot! He's trying to leap to the other side, he'll never make it!" Jamie thought. Joshua jumped right across the gap between buildings, Jamie's eyes following him as he soared through the air, and landed neatly in an open window, knocking over a nightstand. He immediately turned and closed the old, musty window through which he'd entered. He could hear the muffled ravings of Jamie from the street below, which although he couldn't hear the exact words, could make an educated guess at their meaning.
"This should buy me some time, since Aqualung's all the way across the street." He thought as he scanned the room. He was in some kind of apartment above a shop, and it looked like no one was home. Lucky! That was one less thing to worry about. He wandered through the two room area, looking for something he could use to his advantage, when he saw a light was on in the bathroom. He froze. "Was there someone in here after all? No, that would be ridiculous. Anybody would hear the racket I made coming in. Unless…?"
He walked on tip toes over to the door, and opened it a crack. Sure enough, an elderly man was brushing his teeth, blasting music on his headphones. "Christ! He has no idea I'm in here! If he sees me he'll probably call the cops!" He sidled back to the bedroom. "But what's even worse is that if I want to make a move now, I'll have to wait till he leaves! That cockney bastard's got a massive head start on me now!"
He looked over, seeing that the man still hadn't left the bathroom. Every second he waited was another second Aqualung crawled closer. He weighed his chances, and made a break for it. He dashed across the room and flung open the door, taking the stairs down to the main shop. When he opened the entrance to the store, he was greeted by dozens of shovels, rakes, and other yard tools. "This must be the garden supply store, then. That means I'm damn close to my building!" He spotted the street entrance, and made his way towards it.
As he got closer, he realized that he was in big trouble. The entrance was barred by a metal curtain, which a large "CLOSED" sign on the door declared not to be opened until 9:30 am. "9:30?! That's 10 minutes from now!" He muttered under his breath. He was completely trapped in the Garden Emporium until then, and all the while he'd have Aqualung chasing him. He looked to the east wall expectantly, the wall adjacent to the alley he'd fought Jamie in. A green light was steadily growing brighter behind it. Joshua readied himself for the unavoidable fight ahead. The green mark glowed white hot, and Aqualung entered the room. It flowed across the ground towards him, nothing slowing its progress. "It seems like Aqualung's flaming liquid can't be harmed, so all I can do is try and escape."
Joshua stopped, lost in thought. "Hang on..." Joshua ran across the room scanning the walls. "It's an idiotic plan, and it could get me killed, but it might work!" He found what he was looking for- the fire extinguisher. He aimed it at Aqualung, and pulled the trigger, covering the puddle in a carbon dioxide fog. "Could the answer be that simple?" He thought.
The smoke cleared, and Joshua's stomach dropped. The mass was still burning, and Joshua was in no position to escape. "I have to think of something, and fast." He spied a shovel near him, and had an idea. "Fastway." He called. Instantly, a blue figure appeared behind him, in a hazardous materials suit. The figure had no legs, and countless rubbery tubes hung from its floating upper half. Joshua made a quick motion with his head, and his stand moved out and hit a shovel, which flew towards Joshua's leg, replacing it. He was unbalanced for a moment, but he managed to stabilize.
"Walking with this is going to be hard, but it's the only way I'll survive." He leaned over to Aqualung, and stuck out his shovel-leg. The flaming puddle began climbing on to it. "Nice, Aqualung thinks the shovel is a part of me, and is attempting to cover it! It'd probably be easier to use a swapped arm instead, but I don't want that goo near my head."
He took quick steps across the floor, as he made his way to the entrance. Every movement was a brush with death, as Aqualung's flaming form stuck fast to the shovel. Intense heat emanated from the green flames, making Joshua sweat profusely.
He wobbled over to the entrance, and rubbed the leg up against the rigid metal gate. Just like he'd expected, it began to melt. He eased back to avoid getting any on himself. Soon enough he'd created a hole just big enough to clamber through, and walked over to the side in order to swap out safely. "Fastway, swap back." He said, and the shovel fell harmlessly to the ground, revealing Joshua's leg, unharmed.
He rubbed his leg, and exited the shop. "Only problem with this ability is that I always get so stiff when I swap back, must be something to do with getting the blood flowing again. Now I should defeat the user, Jamie I think his name was, before I head home. He didn't seem like the type of guy who'd just stop chasing someone, and I don't want him messing up my apartment."
As he was about to search the alley, He heard a rough chuckle behind him. "Oh-hoh, look who's just shown up!" Jamie said. Joshua smirked to himself. "Perfect timing. Hey dude!" He shouted over to Jamie. "I'm glad you showed up. I was worried I'd have to look all over the block for you, but here you are! Hope this won't take too long, so I can beat your ass and be back before the place locks up. Might be a while for you though, with your slow-ass puddle." Jamie gritted his teeth. It was smug people like this who really pissed him off.
"Grr… You're just a kid! You don't have half the experience I do, you greaser!" Jamie shook his head, and stepped back. "Calm down, Jamie." He whispered to himself. "Remember what Niko told you, remember his training. My stand has no weak points, no exploitable flaws. As long as I keep a cool head, I can prevail! There's no way this guy's cheap tricks can stand up to my invincible Aqualung!"
He drew himself up to his full 180cm, and sauntered towards Joshua with renewed purpose in his eyes. As he walked, an intangible liquid began to separate from the burning pool in the store, and float towards Jamie, coalescing. "Oh-hoh… Watching your stand back there… It gave me some ideas! You think you can't fight a liquid? Think again!" Joshua stood his ground, and watched as Aqualung's form was absorbed into the ground.
"Is this a bluff?" Joshua thought. "No, this guy's too stupid to do anything besides a straight on attack. Either way, I'll play it safe with a quick jab." Joshua drew out Fastway's physical form, and gave Jamie a right hook for his troubles. "ORA-huh?" Instead of the crunch of bone he'd expected, there was only the soft "squelch" of a flesh wound. Jamie grinned. "Oh ho-hoh!" Joshua tried to move his arm, but found he couldn't. Fastway's arm was being held tight by Jamie's fist.
"What?! What's this guy's deal, aren't people unable to touch stands?" He tried to free his arm from the man's vice-like grip, to no avail. "Heh heh… My stand can't hit like yours, but that won't stop me from winning this duel!" Twisting Fastway's arm backwards, he yelled out and punched the stand square in the chest. Joshua fell on to a trash can, breathing heavily. "Ah… Ah… Dammit, what's his secret? How did he block my stand's punch with his bare hands?" He said pulling himself up.
"There's no way a person can interact with a stand! Unless… Wait… His stand's made of Liquid! Could it be?" He jumped up, and got into a fighting position. "Now's my chance!" Joshua ran across the sidewalk towards Jamie, and threw out another punch. Jamie chuckled. "Oh-hoh! You still don't get it, do you? Looks like I'll just have to beat you some more, and maybe then you'll learn your lesson, punk!"
Jamie juked and jived like a professional boxer, before sending out his fist to meet Fastway's. The two attacks rocketed towards each other, but just before they connected, Fastway's arm seemed to stretch up and over Jamie's hands, nearly reaching his face before snapping back, sliding neatly between Jamie's fists. "Hahaha! Are you serious?! That was your big attack, Josh boy? God, that was pathetic!"
Joshua took Jamie's insults like a brick wall. "Eh, I guess I could have done better than replacing my arm with a motorcycle drive belt for a little extra reach, but by allowing me to perform that move, you've just lost yourself the fight. You see, now I know the secret of your attacks. My fist grazed your arms on their way over, and now they're covered in some kind of residue. Just as I thought, you've covered your own arms in Aqualung's body, allowing you to interact with stands! I took a gamble on whether my hypothesis was correct, and it looks like it paid off!" Jamie cracked his knuckles and walked forwards, his stand-coated fists shimmering in the sunlight. "Well good on ye, kid, but mere knowledge won't save you now! I'm gonna beat you brown and red!" Joshua smiled, and looked down at Jamie's fists.
Jamie frowned, and diverted his gaze to his hands. A faint green glow emanated from his fingers. "The hell's that?" He thought, and opened his palm to reveal a bright green flame roaring across his flesh. "What the fuck? I was watching you the whole time! How could you set fire to me that quickly"? Joshua smirked. "My stand's speed and ability are perfectly suited for trickery. I didn't miss your face by accident, I was grabbing something. The matches from your front pocket, to be exact. Using the momentum built up by my stretch-punch, I got up enough speed to light it on your arm!" Jamie gritted his teeth. "Dammit, this isn't good. I'll need to call back Aqualung if I want to stop the flames! Aqualung, return!" He shouted, and the stand of liquid began fading away. "And now, you're all open!" Joshua yelled, and dashed over to Jamie. "Time to finish you off! ORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORA ORAAAA!" Although Fastway was weak in physical strength, a repeated attack was more than enough to take down any human. A loud snap from Jamie's right arm announced his loss.
Jamie exploded backwards, coughing blood, and landed among the trash bags near the alleyway entrance. Joshua adjusted his vest, and sauntered over to Jamie's cowering form. "Now… I was just gonna run away before, but I've gotten interested in this 'organization' you spoke of. Why don't you tell me about them, huh? Then maybe I won't break BOTH your arms, eh?" It wasn't like him to interrogate, but if there were other guys sent after him, he would have to know.
Jamie spat out a broken tooth, and picked himself up woozily from the garbage heap. "Oh… Hoh… Yeah, you think you're tough shit, huh? That you scare me, boy? Don't play that game with me. All this fight you've just been running and hiding, coward!" Joshua fought the urge to swing. The crusty man's trash talk was beginning to get on his nerves.
Jamie pointed a crooked finger across the alley towards Josh. "Heh, you'd duck and run like a coward all day, but when one measly opportunity shows itself you come on all high and mighty like you just beat me fair and square! Jamie snarled, as he crawled slowly backwards. "And don't get cocky thinking you won, you bastard!" Jamie yelled. "You're not the only one with a trick up his sleeve! While you were busy explaining yourself, I made a little phone call! My associate Niko'sgonna be here any minute now, and he ain't a fan of guys who make a fool outta me!" "Niko?" Joshua thought.
He'd heard that name before, back when he'd first encountered Jamie in the alley. The silence was broken by heavy stomp of leather on concrete, as a shadowy figure made its way into the road, silhouetted against the lights of nearby apartments.
"James? Are you around?" A gruff voice called. "I really didn't think you'd have this much trouble, and honestly, it would be better for your growth and development for me to leave this one alone."
"Oww, Dad! Just this once! He's a slippery one, he is, and his stand's not too bad either!" Jamie shouted.
The figure took a long sigh. "Of course, I'm not doing much at the moment, so I suppose I can deal with him for now. But next time, don't come crying to me about every idiot who hits you too hard." The man, presumably Niko, walked closer to Joshua, and took a small, skull-patterned smartphone from his pocket. Joshua tensed up. "Another attack?" He thought, as he looked for anything in the vicinity he could use to his advantage. "Either way, what's most important right now is to find out his ability." Joshua laughed. "What are you going to do, old man?" He yelled to Niko. "Hack my email?" Joshua knew from his father that stand users were arrogant, and would almost always stop to explain their power if insulted. Niko merely sighed, and pressed a button on his phone. Instantly, Joshua's world went black.
Stand Name: Aqualung User: Jamie White, 20 years old
Ability: Aqualung is a liquid stand, with no combat ability. When it touches any kind of liquid, that liquid becomes infected by Aqualungs ability, and will burn hotter than molten lava when lit on fire. The liquid will automatically track its target, melting only that which gets in its way.
Stand Name: Fastway User: Joshua Joestar, 19 years old
Ability: Fastway's main ability is that of "swapping" parts of its user's body for objects from the environment of a similar mass and shape. It is unknown where the user's body parts go when swapped out, or whether they move at all.
15 minutes later, an old man walked down from his apartment to find his gardening store ransacked, and the entrance completely twisted and melted. "Ruffians all about…" He muttered, as he walked over smashed pots and shovels to inspect the gate. He saw two men carrying a third over the shoulders outside, and asked what they were doing. The shorter one said "None of your goddamn business, geezer!" and spat on the ground. The old man sighed, and trudged back up to bed. This seemed like a good day to sleep in anyway.
After spending what seemed like weeks half-asleep in the darkness behind his eyes, Joshua awoke in a tiny grey room. "How the hell did I get back to my apartment?" he whispered softly to himself, but as his vision slowly focused he could see that was not the case. The hard, concrete walls of his chamber were more reminiscent of a prison than anything else. In the corner opposite him, the tall mysterious man he recognized as Niko was perched on a stool, polishing his black leather boots. "Whathe… whatthe… whatthe hellshgoing onhere?" Joshua said in a slurred voice. He attempted to sit up from the flimsy mattress on which he lay, but only managed a childish flailing.
"Hold yourself, kid." Niko said, sitting up from the stool. "You're still weak from Rhinestone Eyes, it's still going to take a while before all the pits are purged from your system." He sat back down calmly when he saw Joshua had finished. "Don't you worry, we aren't going to hurt you. Or at least I won't, anyway." Joshua collapsed back on the bedding, feeling defeated. If this was a stand effect, he was just going to have to wait this one out. He spent the time as he recovered thinking of his fight with Jamie, and how he'd gotten his information.
It was no mystery how he'd known of the Joestar family, seeing as they aren't exactly the most discreet bunch, but how had he known of Joshua's arrival? Joshua thought he'd tied up every loose end when he left on that fateful night, but apparently someone had tracked him here, entirely without his knowing. And why did his GPS lead him directly to an ambush? He had a whole lot of questions inside him, but if Niko's apparently co-operative nature was any indication, he'd have plenty of opportunities to get answers. Content with this reasoning, Joshua slowly rolled over, and drifted into a deep slumber.
He awoke next to a knocking on the door to his room, followed by the clunky sound of Niko's heavy boots as he entered the room. "How're you feeling, kid?" He said. "That was probably the first real stand battle you've got yourself into, and I gotta say, you did pretty well. You probably would've beaten James, if I hadn't gotten there in time." Joshua sat up, and rubbed his eyes. "Oh yeah, means a lot coming from you, you kidnapping psycho. I could've been killed by that fire-throwing idiot!" He snapped back at Niko. "Well, he wasn't trying to, if it's any consolation." Niko replied, taking a seat in the corner. "James just likes doing his job, and doesn't like losing to a young'un like yourself. You have to understand."
Niko got up with a sigh, and beckoned to Joshua. "It doesn't really matter, anyway. Let's go get lunch, you must be hungry after all this time." He motioned for Josh to get up, and the two of them walked out. After passing through numerous stone hallways, they eventually got to a small cafeteria-like area. They sat down, and Niko dropped his hat on the table. "So, you're probably wondering why you're here. I can't tell you much right now since you haven't become a part of our family, but there's definitely some questions I can answer, so go ahead." Josh cleared his throat, and went ahead.
"So where are we?"
"Mr. Polo's private estate, the leader of our organization."
"Who's he?"
"A very important man."
"Fair enough. Why am I here?"
"Because of your abilities. That, and Mr. Polo has a proposition for you to consider."
"…"
Joshua was silent for the next few minutes. Niko produced a strange-looking salad from beneath the table, and handed it to him. "Eat up." He said. Josh ate his meal in silence.
"So what happened back there? In the alley, after my fight with Jamie?" He asked. "Was that your stand? Rhinestone Eyes, you called it."
Niko remained silent. When he finished, Niko left the table and motioned for him to follow. Get yourself ready, Joshua. It's time for you to meet with Mr. Polo, and find out why you're here."
This "Polo" character Niko had mentioned must be important, if not the boss if the posse, so Joshua had to act accordingly. He straightened up, and followed Niko out the door respectfully. "You got any mints?" Joshua asked as him and Niko walked down the narrow stone hallways of the building. "I usually have one in the morning." He gave a hopeful glance towards his captor. "Sure thing." Niko answered, producing a tin of spearmints from his coat pocket. "Help yourself." Joshua emptied the tin in to his mouth, and chewed vigorously.
When he'd finished with the mints, he decided to ask a few questions. "So why am I here? What are you going to do to me?" Joshua asked. "I'm sorry, but I doubt I'd be allowed to answer that." Niko replied. "However, there are a few things I can tell you. Number one. The man you are about to meet must be treated with the utmost respect. I will not tolerate anything to the contrary. Number two. I don't think I ever told you my name. It's Niko. Niko White." "Yes, I heard from your son, just before you knocked me out." Joshua replied. Niko shook his head, and muttered. "Ah, that's just like him. Always blurting things out. Anyways, just try and behave yourself, right? I know that it's rough being forcibly captured, but it's all for a greater purpose."
"Greater purpose, eh?" Joshua thought. "Funny, some team of common criminals thinking they have some higher purpose." All these fancy crimelords were alike, to him. They all talked about how they were the most skilled, the toughest the richest, some dressed in suits, some like cowboys, and some even in togas, but they were all the same in the end. Just a bunch of murderers and kidnappers with a stupid gimmick. "Just like the bastards who killed my Dad." He thought, almost biting his tongue.
Niko led the young man down a series of twisting concrete corridors, lined with heavy wooden doors. On each oaken slab was carved an eye, and a jagged, nine-pointed circle surrounding it. Eventually they came to a great hall. The concrete room was enormous, and built like a bunker. Thick cement pillars loomed high into the air, culminating in a ceiling just before they faded entirely from view. From each of these hung a white banner, emblazoned with the same jagged icon he'd seen on those doors.
On the far end of the room was a white dome, covered in metallic struts and wiring. A dull silver light came from the only visible entrance. "Enter." Niko ordered. "I will not go any further. You must have your meeting with our great leader by yourself. Only then will you understand our goals, and realize your place in our society." Joshua began to walk towards the door. Though it was only a few metres, it seemed as though years had passed after every inch. Each step he took felt like the slow, deliberate movement of a glacier. Eventually he made his way to the glowing dome, and entered the chamber within.
Unlike the shining exterior, the inside of the dome was a uniformly dull grey. Medical equipment of all kinds lined the walls of the small room, and a low mechanical whine filled the air. At the far end lay a hospital bed, occupied by a man so old as to look almost skeletal. The man stretched his arm out. "Joshua… My child… Come closer." The old man could only spoke, as he beckoned for Joshua to stand by his bedside. "Finally… The last of my family is brought to this place..." Joshua took a step back. "What the hell are you talking about?! I'm a Joestar born and raised, and I've never seen you in my life!" He pointed an accusing finger at the man. Joshua couldn't help but be unnerved by him. Something was strange about the way he talked, like his face didn't move quite as much as a normal person's should. The old man wheezed, and began to speak once more.
"It is only a metaphor, my child, for we are all family on this hallowed ground. You are only one of many who have been "kidnapped" as you say but every last one of them have joined our order of their own free will. Once you hear what I am about to tell you… You shall join their ranks as well."
Joshua took a seat by the bed. "Others? Family?! What is this place, and who are you? What do you want? The old man sighed, and sat up, revealing his bare body. Every last inch of it was covered in wires and tubing, connected to the medical machinery throughout the room. "Thank you. I was worried you wouldn't hear me out." He cleared his throat, and continued. "My name is Marko Polo, leader of the Illuminati.Perhaps you have heard of them?" Joshua was in total shock. "The Illuminati? THE Illuminati?!" He said. "You're the leader of the most powerful organization in the world?"
Joshua's world had flipped completely. He'd always heard of the Illuminati since he was a kid, but he'd never believed anyone! He'd thought it was made up by adventure novelists!
Marko chuckled. "Ah yes, I suppose we have built up a reputation over the years… We're really just misunderstood, is all. For example, ours being the "most powerful organization in the world" is total nonsense, anyone with the slightest idea of how we operate could tell you that. We don't care for "world domination" or any of that melodramatic garbage, either. It is only personal enlightenment we seek."
Josh raised an eyebrow. "Personal enlightenment? What do you mean?"
"Enlightenment" is exactly what I mean. The Illuminati's goal is to gather those with "Spiritual Potential" in the country, and help them realize their inner strength by finding great truths within themselves. You are one of those lucky few gifted with this potential, which has manifested as your Stand!"
Joshua was beginning to worry. This whole Illuminati group seemed like bad news, world domination or not, and now they were talking about gathering stand users? Joshua didn't want any part in something so crazy.
Just then, something clicked about the old man lying before him. Joshua stood up and looked around the room. "Where is he? Who's speaking right now? Your jaw hasn't moved a muscle since the start of your speech!"
Marko sat up, and began to "speak" again. "I suppose you've discovered my secret. The husk you see before you hasn't been capable of speech in over 3 years." Joshua looked up, and saw a small, dark figure perched on the headboard of Marko's bed. It dropped down, and started talking to Joshua. "This is my stand, London Calling.Only through its form am I able to communicate with my disciples, and mislead those who would wish to end my life. Although it seems like a separate identity, I can assure you Marko and London Calling are one and the same."
Joshua frowned, and stared intently at the tiny figure. He couldn't have been larger than 20 centimetres. "You'd think such a powerful spirit would have a stronger stand…" He muttered. The little robotic stand sat down on Marko's chest. "Yes, well… I suppose it isn't quite as flashy as yours or Jamie's, but it changed my life when it appeared to me 3 years ago. You see, the ability of my London Calling allows me to see backwards in time, all the way to the day of my birth."
Joshua leaned back, deep in thought. He then leaned closer to Marko, and spoke. "But that ability… It's useless!" He told Marko. "It just lets you look at how badly you screwed up over the years, and even then you could just remember what happened, couldn't you?" Marko sighed, and continued. "There's a long story of how this stand- and subsequently this organization came to be, and perhaps I shall tell it to you some time when you're older. Right now, I have a good mind to just let Niko take you away for another night, if you keep up such disrespectful talk. We need all the help we can get in order to realize our goals. Niko will make sure you join us regardless, but it would be much better for you to join us willingly. So, I have an idea for you- a deal of sorts. The enemy I spoke of are responsible for the death of your grandfather, Joey. Join us, and you will have the opportunity for vengeance when the time comes."
Joshua was shocked, and shouted back at Marko. "What?! Are you serious?! Tell me right now, who were the bastards that did this?!" Marko lay back down, and replied: "They are an ancient society of mystics who attempt to thwart our progress at every turn. They are known as the Hamon Tribe." "Woah." Joshua replied, sitting back down. "When the police took his body away, they said it was a heart attack, but I always suspected he was taken out… The Hamon Tribe, you said? I think I've heard of them, but weren't they teamed up with Joey? I know my Dad was a big gambler, and I thought that might've been why he was knocked off, by the mafia or something, you know."
"I don't know myself why he would be murdered by his own allies, but it is clear from their actions against your family and ours that they aren't to be trusted. But for now, to get to the real question, will you join us? As you have seen, the threats of this work are great, but the rewards to be gained from our field research will be earth shattering, for both yourself and the rest of society. What do you say?"
"Yes." Joshua stated boldly.
Marko Polo seemed surprised. "Really? Without even thinking about it? Heh, I suppose the dead Dad card was stronger than I thought…" He thought. "Well, I can understand your enthusiasm, considering what's at stake. Now take off your shirt."
To this, Joshua reacted with a bit of apprehension. "Wait, what? What does taking my shirt off have to do with joining the Illuminati, huh?!" Marko sighed, as London Calling stumbled over to Joshua carrying a large metal branding iron. "Just show me your back, and this will go smoothly." Joshua gingerly lifted his shirt up around the back, and sat down. Shortly, a searing pain flowered throughout his body. "JESUS CHRIIIIIIIIST!" Joshua fell to his knees, scratching at his back.
"Ooooh noooo..." Joshua moaned, as he clawed at his blackened flesh. London Calling emptied a comically large bottle of rubbing alcohol into a cotton swab, and dabbed it on Joshua's back. "I can see you're in pain, but this is a necessary evil if you want to join us. All stand users here share the mark of the True Trinity. Now, you share it too." With the little stand's help the pain subsided, and Joshua stood up again, using his cellphone's camera to take a picture of his back. Emblazoned on his back in scorched flesh was a nine-pointed star, in the centre of which rested a single unblinking eye. "Welcome to the family, Joshua." Marko said as Joshua returned his clothing to its prior position. "I see great things in our future partnerships, my child. Great things."
Stand Name: London Calling User: Marko Polo, age unknown
Ability: London Calling allows the user to see their own past laid out before them, from the day of their birth to the present.
Stand Name: Rhinestone Eyes User: Niko White, 43 years old
Ability: Can steal the sight and consciousness of its opponents, but the full extent of its capabilities are unknown.
Joshua Joestar wandered the streets of Blackmore as he made his way back to his apartment. There was still a lot to unpack from his meeting with Marko Polo, and more specifically his statement about the killers of his father. He'd already accepted Marko's offer of alliance, but he still wasn't sure.
"I was damn shaken when he told me the truth about my father's death… I definitely wasn't in the right mindset for making decisions then. I was an idiot for even giving him a straight answer."
He kicked a small pebble as he continued down the road. "Ah, whatever. I woulda been a part of this anyway, and I can't say there isn't still a part of me that wants to avenge Joey." He travelled up to his apartment, hung up his vest, and flopped down on the bed. "The Hamon Tribe" Marko had said. Joe had often told his child of the mysterious power he'd been born with, known as Hamon Energy. Joshua recalled it was that same energy which allowed Joey to defeat Kars the Ultimate Life Form in 1950, a story Joey had told the many occupants of the Joestar estate on numerous stormy nights.
But something didn't add up. "Why would the Hamon Tribe kill Joey, an invaluable friend to the group? What had he done to upset them so? And why would they attack Marko? Weren't they supposed to be the good guys? Had something changed in the society since Joseph defeated Cars?"
These were difficult questions to sleep with, and Joshua needed rest. He glanced at the calendar hung above his bed. "Looks like the semester really does start in September. I guess that phone call from the university was a fake. So that leaves… one more month left." He tried to clear his mind of these worries, and drifted off to sleep. He had a big day ahead, at his new full-time job.