Deep Dweller: Start

[voidtreckermods]

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)

Comments

[irrationally]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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."