voidtreckermods: (voidtrain)
VoidTrecker Express Mods ([personal profile] voidtreckermods) wrote in [community profile] middleofsomewhere2020-07-09 04:39 am

Deep Dweller: Start

After the dreams some of the voidtreckers report on day Four of Grasshopper those that have been on the train for a little while will be expecting what comes the next day. Their SCA's glow with the colour of the void and a holographic image will appear.

Preparations and Arrival

As promised the dressing carriage is opened for optional extras. There are flight suits, similar to those they wore into space but without the helmets. There are instead hard hats and some basic climbing gear as well as bags to put supplies in. There are even a few red tents if any of those planning on tackling red's mission want to grab one, they hold six people in two inner compartments and are relatively easy to put up and take down.

They have a few hours of preparation before the announcement comes. Soon approaching system #789327772. Planet Terra. Drop order: Orange, Red, Blue, Purple. Orange to doors. Leaving the void in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. A sharp jerk, a judder and the view from the window changes from the void to dark cloudy skies and very red sand.

They land smoothly, and indeed it seems they have landed on train tracks. A few moments later they pull up outside a huge metal and glass building.

Orange Team

Arrival

Jumping down from the train they will find themselves outside large metal gates. Noticable is the spotlights that shine even in the day time, reflecting oddly off the red sand. It is hot and dry outside, a slight breeze sending red dust rolling around their feet.

The gates aren't locked. There is no lock though they will notice devices that are probably security cameras. The doors are glass and inside is light and airy. They enter into a large lobby, a large circular desk in the centre and a glass walled waiting room to the side.

It is empty. No people at all. All the lights are on. Time to explore.

Exploration

Going up two floors and down five the lab is large and full of all manner of interesting things. Scientific equipment, monitoring stations measuring chemical levels in the air, temperature, water levels. Where to even start is a good question. The lights remain on, which might be annoying at night.

Red Team

Arrivals

Red team to doors. The train continues travelling along the train tracks, looking out the windows they will see endless rolling red sand. Factories rising up from the ground, dotted across the landscape. As the train gets close the air outside seems hazier, through the fumes. They may even see in the distance, strange silver floating orbs.

Eventually it pulls up at a station. Just a raised block really, but easy enough for red team to disembark.

The land stretches out around them. Train tracks criss cross the surface but apart from that there don't seem to be any boundaries. No fences, roads or sign posts.

It won't take them long to find the first orbs, strange silvery spheres and seem almost liquid, until they are not.

Night Time

It grows dark quickly after sunset here, which might take them by surprise. Taking them more by surprise however may be the scraping, scuttling noises in the dark. Skittering close. There is no light out here on the surface, they are far away from the research facility that Orange found themselves in.

If anyone manages to catch a glimpse they will see grey, long limmbed creatures. They shy away from light but anyone in the dark is likely to be attacked. They fight with claws and teeth.

When the sun rises they are gone.

Blue Team

Arrival

Blue team to doors. The train continues across the landscape, passing more orbs, just floating there silently. It stops at the entrance of a cave.

The cave slopes downwards into darkness and soon turns into small tunnels. They don't need to go far when they meet the first ground of Gry. A group of young Gry, practising with spears in an wider section of cave.

Despite being very surprised at the sudden visitors no weapons are pointed at the voidtreckers, instead they are met with curiosity. They are soon led further into the tunnels and soon come to the living areas.

The Gry lead simple lives but they are all pretty fascinated to see their visitors and will allow them to look around their home and answer any questions they have.

Night Time

Most of the Gry sleep in a large communal sleeping area and the Voidtreckers are welcome to join them, though the Gry won't be insulted if they choose to seek out a more private area.

If the Voidtreckers awake in fear in the night, after strange dreams they will find they are not alone. Many of the Gry have awoken too and will reassure the Voidtreckers, tell them it is an honour to communicate with The Burrower.

Purple

Arrival

Purple team to doors. The train continues on the tracks and soon enters a tunnel itself. It's a bit of a bumpy trip, this train was clearly not made for warren systems but after some uneasy twists and turns they pull to a stop.

They are at a train station, not that it's easy to see because it is pitch black. But it is clear there are people around, some looking very confused at the very odd train.

Once the last of those going on the mission leave the train it speeds off into the darkness.

The Terran's are large and tower over most of the voidtreckers but they are friendly enough, if a little confused, once it is explained that they are here to help. They will be led over towards the collapsed section of city.

There is a lot of activity. People digging at rubble, others using their sheer size and strength to hold up beams. There is an array of rescue equipment and a group of official-looking Terran's holding large devices that are comparable to a tablet-computer and discussing solutions.

There is plenty to do to help, smaller rubble to clear, injured people to tend to. Worried Terran's to calm and reassure. Those brave enough can volunteer to use their smaller size to help get supplies through to those trapped and those with any scientific know how, great strength or magic can put their skills to good use.

Rest Time

Throughout the day people are rescued and other parts of the tunnels stabilised. There is more work to be done but the Terran's seem to be working in shifts and they will encourage their surprise allies to rest as well. They will offer to host them.

They live in large groups and will happily invite the voidtreckers into their homes. They will be curious about the voidtreckers but will also answer questions. Telling them about the strange storm and the collapse of the tunnels. They are urged to sleep early and the next day it will be back to work.

(OOC: Information is here)
irrationally: (and set sail for dreamsy)

[personal profile] irrationally 2020-07-12 03:57 pm (UTC)(link)
That last part manages to earn him a bit of a stare. She's willing to let the dirt slide, because even if he'd go and find some way to get himself clean, there's no doubt that he would just get dirty all over again sooner or later. They're not exactly doing clean work over here.

But the part about food is a little less tolerable. Sure, Alice believes that Duo probably is more used to going without food than the average person, judging by what she's heard about his life, but that still means there's no need to deprive himself of it when it's right there. And especially not when he still has those dark circles under his eyes. At this rate he might just start to look like her, and not in a good way.

"Hmm." It's a half-sceptical sound. "You could do that, or you could come with me to get some actual food."

There's a pause, just a beat, and then she adds: "I saw some of the younger people here with food that actually managed to look appetizing, and I need your smile to get them to share."

Is she making up an excuse so it doesn't seem to him like she's fussing over him? Or is she instead trying to convince herself that it isn't just because she wants to take care of him? It's hard to tell even for Alice herself at this point. She isn't used to this.
maxwellsdaemon: (Aint I a cutie)

[personal profile] maxwellsdaemon 2020-07-15 08:48 am (UTC)(link)
Duo hesitated some. Go and eat or... just stay where he was? But Alice threw him a curve-ball and he knew there wasn't a way he could say no. He knew it. She knew it. He gave her a lopsided grin and laughed.

"Yeah, yeah I guess actual food'd be good. And if you say something looks edible over there, I'll trust you." Honestly, Duo appreciated the effort. Even the mild manipulation he could forgive. He knew he should eat, there was no reason not to. He just hadn't realised there was something he could eat!
irrationally: (be the last one)

[personal profile] irrationally 2020-07-16 01:36 pm (UTC)(link)
"I'm not sure whether or not I am the best person here to trust on that."

Listen, is Alice a slob? Or an absolutely dumpster diver? No, she's not. She likes to think she has at least some dignity, which is why she's not too fond of the whole insect-based diet around here.. But she's also aware that she's not exactly developed the best eating habits back in the asylum, where she barely got any, and out on the streets of London, where she.. also barely got any.

But she likes to think she can at least slightly tell if some kind of food is something most would enjoy or not.

"Come along then. You aren't so tired that I would have to carry you on my back, are you?"
maxwellsdaemon: (Default)

[personal profile] maxwellsdaemon 2020-07-18 03:44 pm (UTC)(link)
"You... did just tell me that you thought there was food over there that looked like it could be eaten, right? I'm not startin to hallucinate or somethin, am I?" Because that would suck if he was starting to see things. He didn't think he'd gotten that bad yet, but maybe he was? Maybe he was hearing things again...

Still a bit confused, Duo shook his head.

"Nah, I can walk." Though the idea of Alice carrying him on her back nearly had him laughing. He toned it down to a chuckle and fell into step beside her. "I'm a high functioning tired person, I'll have you know!"
irrationally: (you know they could make us cold)

[personal profile] irrationally 2020-07-20 06:04 am (UTC)(link)
"Save that for when you end up falling over." At least she doesn't sound entirely serious about that one. It's just a very instinctive deadpan retort to what he's saying. So far Duo has seemed to be able to keep himself upright for this mission, so she'll at least trust him to not randomly fall asleep in the middle of walking.. yet, anyway.

Besides, there's that other matter he began about, which is a little more important to clarify. Alice pulls her shoulders up into a shrug as she walks.

"And yes, there is edible food. I'm just saying that I might not be the best judge of what is edible and what isn't, considering I have had asylum food for about ten years."

At least it feels easier to talk about that in a relatively more casual way with Duo of all people. Even though it's just factually true rather than some deadpan exaggeration.
maxwellsdaemon: (Default)

[personal profile] maxwellsdaemon 2020-07-24 07:02 pm (UTC)(link)
"Nah, if I fall over I know you'll catch me!" Duo said with all the confidence of a guy who honestly believed that Alice would. Or at least would have thrown something under him to catch his fall. He wondered what else she had hidden in her weird place she pulled out weapons from. Maybe a nice pillow?

"Sweetheart, I spent the first years of my life living on the streets. I can tell you in detail what rat tastes like. Dumpster diving was a skill." The things he'd eaten just to stay alive was something he didn't much like to think about. So really, if all there was were insects, he probably would eat it, if there was nothing else. And no, don't think he missed out on Alice saying she's been in an asylum for ten years. He just didn't immediately comment on it because... well... his brain was not working as well as it should. And it was said in such a blasé way that he figured it wasn't supposed to be something to comment on. Still... he had to ask. "... Hospital food as always sucked, no matter what world you come from!"
irrationally: (how delightful it will be)

[personal profile] irrationally 2020-07-26 03:19 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh no, don't worry about that at all, Duo. Alice may not have Inspector Gadget levels of things hidden in her hammerspace, so there's no pillow or something to grab him with.. But if he were to fall, he'd be certain to find himself held up and carried by Alice's manly, manly twig arms that somehow hold much more strength than anyone would think!

Thankfully it seems unnecessary for now though. Even though she doesn't mention it, Alice feels rather relieved to still see Duo walking by himself, despite his condition.

So instead she can just reply as dryly as ever: "I don't think you and I are quite thinking of the same kind of hospital." .. Hopefully? Duo seems better than her on the sanity scale, she thinks, but he also seems to be below the average when compared to most people. The last thing she'd want is for him to ever end up in one of those, especially if they're as bad as the one she was in for so long. "London has a way of making just about everything several grades worse than anywhere else. And no asylum is a good place to begin with."
maxwellsdaemon: (Default)

[personal profile] maxwellsdaemon 2020-07-29 05:38 pm (UTC)(link)
Alice wasn't the only one with twig-like arms that were deceptively strong. Duo didn't really look like much at all. He wasn't some muscle bound guy like some men were, but he could hold his own. Which was why he was able to walk by himself perfectly fine, even though he felt like his head was full of cotton balls.

"I figured." Duo glanced over and up at Alice with a small smile. "I was tryin to make a joke about hospital food in case you didn't wanna talk about it... I was gonna go into why lime jello is the worst and is genetically engineered to make you feel worse so you're forced to stay longer in hospital so they can get more of your money." He laughed quietly and then looked away. "But if you wanna talk about it, I'm all ears."
irrationally: (but now i know it's going to take)

[personal profile] irrationally 2020-07-30 07:35 pm (UTC)(link)
"I don't mind talking about it with you."

She starts the sentence slowly, like she's thinking about it, but the words start flowing out more easily near the end. It's true, after all. If there's anyone who isn't going to give her odd looks for the stories about her past, it's Duo. She's learned enough about the screwed up things he's gone through. And sure, those may be very different than what she has experienced, but on a level he still might be able to understand.

"I can't say I have ever heard of this "jello" before, but back at the asylum I believe I haven't had much more than gruel for all those years. I suppose it didn't help that I was catatonic for most of it, so I couldn't eat by myself. I only remember those years from random scattered moments, really." The bridge of her nose wrinkles, though she keeps looking ahead of her as she walks rather than at him. "But I do remember it being disgusting. It tasted like something that came straight out of the sewer. I wish I could've told them to stop feeding me that."
maxwellsdaemon: (Default)

[personal profile] maxwellsdaemon 2020-07-31 03:44 pm (UTC)(link)
"Wow. Okay, so there's something worse than lime jello. Noted." Duo thought for a second and then grinned. "You brits call it 'jelly', I think? But yeah... Your asylum sounds like a shit time all around. How'd you get outta there?" He was imagining an epic break out. Though if she was catatonic, he couldn't see how that could happen. Unless she broke free of that as well somehow. Duo had so many questions, each one more personal than that last and he wasn't sure of the wisdom of asking now... when he might only remember fragments later on.
irrationally: (paid all our dues)

[personal profile] irrationally 2020-08-02 02:25 pm (UTC)(link)
Sorry, Duo, she may have to disappoint your expectations here for a moment.. Although at least the truth as to how she got out is simple enough that he might be able to actually remember it once he's no longer sleep deprived.

"The same way anyone does. I eventually got declared sane enough to be let out, though very few people seemed to believe it to be true once I did get out." Everyone had made sure to remind her of her reputation once she was out on the streets of London again, after all. No one seemed to believe she was actually sane.

Most days she doesn't believe it herself.

"Half of the time people threatened to have me thrown right back in there. At least that's something I don't have to deal with on the train." If not just for a total lack of an asylum aboard the train, thank god.
maxwellsdaemon: (Default)

[personal profile] maxwellsdaemon 2020-08-04 05:12 pm (UTC)(link)
Duo gave her a rather thoughtful look then, and had to ask.

"Alright... So lemme ask you this... Are you loopy because if the asylum, or because people said you were, so you figured it had to be true?" Or was she like him, who would pretend to be sane to be let out. Give them what they wanted until they decided that he was as normal as normal could be and then let him out so he could enjoy his crazy with the rest of humanity.
irrationally: (and i can see the love in you)

[personal profile] irrationally 2020-08-04 06:13 pm (UTC)(link)
She goes quiet for a moment. It's tempting to dodge the question, or to shut down the whole deal. This isn't something Alice likes to admit, even though she knows it to be true.

And while Duo is probably the person on this train who is the least likely to judge her over it.. It's still scary. What if even he would think badly of her? Where would that leave her then?

"No, I'm.. fairly sure that I'm truly insane, even now. I must just have seemed better to the doctors at that time." Thankfully, because by god, does Alice not want to spend a single day of her life more in Rutledge. "It's quite obvious to me that I am not like other people. Even on this train."
maxwellsdaemon: (Default)

[personal profile] maxwellsdaemon 2020-08-04 06:45 pm (UTC)(link)
Duo was quiet for a bit then, thinking over what Alice said. Considering his options. He supposed if she'd been told often enough she was insane, then yeah, she'd believe it. But other than having anger management problems he'd honestly never really seen any real signs of psychotic behaviour from Alice. Or maybe that was just a sign of his own lacking mental stability that he couldn't see it in others?

"If you don't mind me askin... What makes you think you're insane? I mean, if the yardstick you use to measure normality is the people on this train, I'd have said you were way more normal than some! No one's like anyone else here. Everyone's different. So... so what makes you think you're more insane than anyone else?"
irrationally: (that could make us cold)

[personal profile] irrationally 2020-08-05 07:18 pm (UTC)(link)
Alice frowns, though it doesn't seem angry as much as it just looks conflicted. She really doesn't like talking about this out loud - especially since she hasn't. Aside from the things that might be obvious to others, like her being quick to snap with anger, she's never explicitly talked about her symptoms. It makes her feel too odd. Too different from everyone else.

You look decent enough. But appearances deceive: I know you for an unstable and violent person!

Radcliffe's voice booms in the back of her head just thinking about it.

But despite that, she does slowly speak up, chosing to trust Duo.

"I see things that others don't. I.. speak to my rabbit, and he speaks back to me, even though others have informed me back home that the latter is not the case. I react in violence much more easily than other people. Back when-- when that thing happened.."

The Wester incident, she means, but it's hard to even put it into words without feeling the anger boiling in the back of her mind again. So her words end up rather vague.

"I wanted to kill him for exposing all those young, innocent people to such a thing."
maxwellsdaemon: (Mirror to the soul)

[personal profile] maxwellsdaemon 2020-08-10 05:12 pm (UTC)(link)
Duo listened closely and felt the strangest urge to laugh. Those were some of the things that he thought made him nuts as well! Though maybe less the reacting in violence part. He didn't react that way, but given his choice he could do some damn fine damage with very little in the way or remorse. If the damage was deserved.

"Why didn't you?" He had no idea who 'him' was, but it was the natural question given what had been said. If there was someone who had done something bad, why hadn't she killed him? If he was still alive, did she need him to go back to her world and ruin his life for her? Because he would. In a heartbeat. If it hadn't already been ruined of course.
irrationally: (we walk under ladders)

[personal profile] irrationally 2020-08-11 07:32 pm (UTC)(link)
She lets out a soft breath. The emotion behind is pretty hard to pin down.

"Don't tell me you don't think people wouldn't look too kindly upon anyone on the train who did that."

Not to mention.. a friend had stopped her. Someone she didn't want to disappoint. But that feels like such a weak and vulnerable answer, and Alice still desires to sweep anything too weak or too vulnerable under the carpet as quickly as possible.

"I would have been ostracized. I've had enough of that already back home."