Ongoing: All Teams

[voidtreckermods]

The first few days are taken up with solving the problems in the various sectors, all the while getting closer to their goal. The Great-Winter, Great-Summer, Great-Spring and Great Autumn.

On Day 9 of the month of Jelly they will see on their map a clear indicator of where to go. As they draw near it will be obvious what they are looking for.

The Overseers

In the centre of each of the sectors there is a large metal tube, hundreds of pipes lead from it, spanning up to the ceiling above and down below, creating a field of pipes and tubes to clamber over and crawl under to reach the central tube. On the tube itself there is a panel, wrapping around it in a circle. The SCA's of the Voidtrecker show an exclamation mark, if they click on them they will see the message.

Reach the panel, enter the inner systems and give your aid.

As Voidtreckers step towards the tubes it will seem as if the world shifts around them. Instead of metal and wire they will see trees. The Great-Spring is a tree in blossom, pink leaves spreading up across the canopy. Great-Summer has strong green leaves, Great_Autumns leaves are brown and falling and Great-Winter has no leaves at all.

The panel is still there, the only part of the scene that doesn't look organic. As the Voidtreckers move towards their goal the tree begins to move, branches fighting against those trying to get through the roots. The aim seems to be to push intruders away, going as far as flinging them back with higher branches.

The branches aren't the only security measures in place. As they push forwards they will find creatures coming at them from the trees.

Strangely the creatures look like creatures from their own worlds, any creature they would expect to see in a tree. Regardless of species they attack with claws and with lazers from their eyes. They don't move far from the branches, but try and stop invaders from getting close to the trunk.

For those that get through they will find that as they draw close to the 'trunk' the attacks stop, as if they have reached an eye of a storm.

Going Further

The panel is a simple glowing screen, there are no instructions but their SCA's will beep softly and if they press their SCA to the panel they will find everything vanishes, the trees, branches and weird animals.

Or perhaps it is they themselves that vanish as they find themselves in a large white room, everyone is together here. No matter what sector they had travelled through and which overseer they entered through.

There are four tubes filled with liquid, pink, green, orange and white towering over them.

"Our systems have been compromised." The four voices ring out. "Heal what has been harmed, destroy what should not be here. Find the source and purge it from our world."

The overseers and the room vanish and the voidtreckers find themselves in a forest, a forest that is slowly being choaked by red sickly vines.

The Voidtreckers themselves will find themselves looking different, almost like the hard-light holograms of the Helpmates though they certainly feel like themselves. They are carrying a sturdy stick but nothing else and depending how imaginative they are will quickly find they can alter their appearance to fit their wishes.

Heal and Destroy

The voidtreckers will find themselves drawn towards the vines, if they touch them they will be able to soothe, a glowing blue light from their hands that runs down the vine before it fades away, freeing the trees that it held in its chokehold.

There are many pathways, many vines and it will be a long task to clear it all. It is not long also before the first threats find them. Threats that look like mongeese, small creatures that will lunge at them, teeth bared and claws out.

Luckily the Voidtreckers will quickly learn the ability to soothe is not the only power gifted to them.

On the Outside

For anyone who does not enter through the panel it will seem like their fellow Voidtreckers have entered a deep trance. The area they are sat around the tree is calm, no threats enter there. But outside that area there are still threats, the branches attack, the animals attack and sometimes Helpmates try to evict those they see from the area, claiming it 'restricted.'

Comments

[blue_ice]

Kaiba ruffles his hair, clearly regretting this whole thing. "The main thing is getting out when we're done. Both times, it was an attempt to imprison me---and once, to hijack my body by uploading another consciousness into it."

He's still quite worried about that, judging by his face. "The train wouldn't knowingly trap us...but it doesn't know everything. Also be aware that things are more...in flux than in the real world, but it looks like you already figured that one out."

[subcircuits]

"Rust and ruin! That's possible--?" Uh, Devero? Maybe not the time. He gives his head a shake. "Never mind. You'll have to tell me about it later."

He raises his hand to his Interface again, touching it where it rests against his temple and then drawing his hand in an arc in front of his face, across to the other temple. As his hand moves, it reveals something different from his usual monocular device: a high-tech, wrap-around visor. "Yep," he says, as if the demonstration wasn't confirmation enough. "Got that figured out. Can we use it to our advantage?"

[blue_ice]

"I'll tell you when we get back. Long story."

Kaiba watches the visor with interest. He has something like that back home...it wouldn't be of much use to him now, but he did like the look.

He's seen what Devero had done, and mimics it, transforming his holo-body into a more streamlined version of his dueling clothes. Bracers, black spandex suit, glowing blue lines...he'll leave the coat and belts off for now, he's learned a lesson after being snagged by branches.

"As far as whether we can use it...that depends. I don't think we'll be able to interface so easily. I'm definitely not equipped for that. But we must be purging a virus, or something similar."

[subcircuits]

Speaking of a look-- "Sharp," Devero says with a tip of his head as Kaiba alters his appearance.

He looks around at the forest, choked with virulent red vines. "--Yeah. Must be. Guess the system's trying to-- anchor our minds with imagery it thinks we can understand, or something."

He turns to the nearest tree, reaching out for a vine with every intention to tear it free. When he sees blue light start to gather under his fingers, though, he yanks his hand back like it was burned. "The fuck!?"

[blue_ice]

Kaiba looks a little self-satisfied. He's still on-edge about the mission, but he's going to look good doing it.

Stick in hand, he follows behind, watching with interest. What did Devero just do?

"Were you...communicating with it? I think I saw it start to twitch."

[subcircuits]

"I don't know what I was doing," Devero says blankly. "I mean, I wasn't trying to do anything except grab one of these...." He's reaching hesitantly out again as he says it, and once again a light starts to gather under his hand.

This time, he doesn't yank his hand away. He doesn't feel anything-- no heat, no electric tingle, nothing that would warn him away-- so he touches the vine with just his fingertips. The blue light seems to sink into it and spread, subsuming the length of the red tendril in a few seconds. The whole thing gives a brighter pulse, then just-- disappears.

He looks wide-eyed back at Seto. "You saw that too, right?"

[blue_ice]

Seto watches with increased interest. It's clear that this is the helping they're meant to do.

"I did. You pushed back the infection---at least, that's what it looks like."

[subcircuits]

"I think so too," Devero says. He steps slightly to the side and touches another vine, to see if the effect repeats. It does.

He looks at Kaiba again. "You try," he says. "See if you can do it too."