????

[strangerpeople]

WELCOME ABOARD


[The first sensation you feel is a headache. It's brief, slicing, sharp. It passes soon after you wake up, but it is there nevertheless, and the pain is not easily forgotten. Perhaps your eyes also blur as if roused from a deep sleep; perhaps your tongue also feels off, like you swallowed a bug. It's not pleasant.

More unpleasant, though, is the second sensation that dawns on you all-this is not your bed. This, in fact, is unrecognizable. It is not anywhere you recall coming to, willingly or otherwise. It's a room with a bunk, and there is a strange smell in the air that is hard to ignore.

No, you are no longer home. Any possessions you may have had on you are gone, save your clothing and a strange watch you can't get off, no matter how hard you try. And when you run into the hallway, well-you might find yourself running into others who might be just as confused and scared as you are as the area around you slowly sways, up and down, left and right.

What is this place? Why are you here? Who are all these other people?


What is going on?]

Comments

[jinglebros]

Several times.

I told you someone had it out for me because I know things.

[somuchshipping]

So it's probably not very common to see in a Capture Creature battle then. Are they just pets, or bred for meat?

[15unknowns]

Not necessarily, but it was an... interesting solution.

[superstylishsquid]

[Well...his entire body goes tense.]

How... [He growls and his eyes flare with a harsh light.] I served him because I wanted to. Notice how once he lost my respect, I took things into my own hands

[somuchshipping]

[Nearly without missing a beat-]

Then go ahead and solve it!

[15unknowns]

I know quite a bit about all of you. There is nothing significant in that.

[15unknowns]

And yet, if he were to find you, he could force you back in an instant.

How does it feel to be so powerless?

[superstylishsquid]

Says the coward hiding behind a TV screen and a kill switch!

[yesorwoof]

Bringing in any member of Public Safety can't possibly have been easy. I'm far from an exception.

If you had that amount of power, I don't see why you couldn't have used it in any number of other ways.

[hatesdeerstalkers]

A bell curve merely discourages students, you see.

[Pauses for a hot second as his brain finally catches up to what he just output on sheer instinct.

...Wait, was he a teacher?? That felt so natural. But he also knew inherently he was a bad person, so....?

...Hm. Things to think about when he's not talking with their current (underperforming) captor.

In response, he gives a polite, not meeting his eyes in the least, smile.]

And, of course, I suppose you will not - or cannot divulge more information at this time, beyond barest hints to string the rest of us along and keep us guessing.

Though I wonder if you'd entertain a question of mine, for a moment.

[autonomousthought]

[That feels targeted. Autonomy. Of course.]

Understood. Are you the person responsible for this scenario happening to begin with?

[15unknowns]

Now who's the one with no actual answers?

[autonomousthought]

You're a very honest person, aren't you? And you believe others to be just as honest, by default.

[She likes him. A good sort of person, the kind of person she's read about.]

I don't know. I need to learn to walk, and balance on my own. I can't keep relying on other people to help me forever. But I don't know if you'd know how to teach me that - it's the kind of thing many people take for granted isn't it?

Otherwise right now my goal is to learn about the other people trapped here, and hopefully identify common threads.

[exequte]

[It's just as well, maybe, that Makima is looking away, though Akane is already relieved that she's sharing a room with another woman. It's still polite of her to do so, and she smiles at her when she gets down, after almost stumbling on the last step and catching herself.]

Hm... Maybe....

[She steps closer to the door and begins investigation, though she doesn't have to look very far before spotting what appears to be a scanner panel. There's not a card reader attached to this one, and there's no number on the door, but she reaches out and touches it. There's a soft beep and a clicking sound, and a moment later when she tries it the door swings open.]

So it was locked... but not to keep us in. Maybe that's a good sign.

[superstylishsquid]

[His fists clench, his tail lashes the air like a whip.]

...I at least know one thing now: we weren't victims of convenience. You must've gone to a lot of effort to dig up information that obscure.

[15unknowns]

It would be most appropriate to confirm this.

Yes. I am ultimately the reason you are here.

1/2

[exequte]

Uh?

[autonomousthought]

But you blame fate anyway?

[not_a_lego_maniac]

But...then...why not just kidnap you? I don't understand, I've never met you before in my life-!

[15unknowns]

Indeed not. But, I am willing to entertain a question.

[unpossibilities]

Yup. I was the youngest trainee to pass all the assessments. So I was on my way to the stars until, uh....until this.

[And the game before that, but he's not saying that, not yet.]

And what were you up to before this? Any dreams of yours?

[15unknowns]

That's among the reasons I know about your past, yes.

[hatesdeerstalkers]

[blink blink.

And then he laughs.]

Wahahahaha! No, not quite. It is more in the mage sense, but I did have quite the weapons platform before coming here.

[GIVE HIM BACK HIS COFFIN-MACHINEGUN-MISSILE PLATFORM-LASER GUN, GODDAMNIT.]

[jinglebros]

So I should figure out why they're gone?

[autonomousthought]

[Okay. Anxiety, that's a start.]

And...it feels like there's something sharp just under my eyes, I think, and something heavy inside and near the bottom of my throat. [She moves one hand to touch the spot and...what is that texture...?]