middleofsomewhere | What their Eyes See: Optional Ongoing

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What their Eyes See: Optional Ongoing

By day eight the Voidtreckers have made a good deal of progress in all their tasks but there is still a lot to do to help the people of the city.

It is around mid morning when there is a message on their comms. For those that want to help it is easy to either find Anan herself or ask for netpoints and scanners to be brought to them by Chiff.

Illusions have gotten worse, uncertainty and fear are rising across all tiers and the situation is becoming more chaotic by the day. Indeed especially on the first and second tiers it seems that the voidtreckers themselves are being targeted, with creatures stalking them and attacks on their minds to make them believe that what they are seeing is real.

Same inside the Spectura system, the vines seem to almost be on the offensive against the voidtreckers though things are getting better outside the game system as more of the vicitms are freed and wake up.

Almost opposite to the situation on the lowest tier, which is getting more chaotic by the day. Anger is bubbling over, people are frightened and in a place like this the only real way to express that fear is through anger.

There has been a lot of progress but there is still a lot of work to do, especially as many of the voidtreckers have started to realise, this all seems a little too familiar.

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“Mm. Some people have gotten rather comfortable,” Gen agreed. He thanked Senku for the food before taking a bite for himself, humming a little.

“Delicious, of course.” Gen was going to ask what sort of info Senku managed to get before blinking. “Ah. Nothing too dire happened when you switched them briefly, I’m going to guess?”

If Anan agreed - and she knew a lot more about the practical ins and outs of void tech than they did - it probably wasn’t that dangerous. Still. Senku being suddenly mind controlled was lingering ever in Gen’s mind.

Edited 2021-05-25 02:55 (UTC)

"Glad you like it." Senku said, in a bit of a murmur.

"Mm, nothing out of the ordinary happened at all. It felt the same as the tether we all have which is just as fascinating as any other outcome." He smiled.

"I was a bit surprised she agreed, but she did and she made no move to disarm me or take advantage while I was vulnerable without an SCA, no matter how brief." He gave Gen a look and tore off a piece from the loaf of bread.

Gen met that look with raised eyebrows, and sighed a little, lips in a bemused smile. “Yes, yes. I know I’m paranoid. The atmospheric reader seems to be accurate, but something could’ve happened to you just from the world. And I hadn’t trusted her enough to do that same experiment, sure, but - you’ve pretty definitively proved me wrong, haven’t you?”

Despite it all, though, there’s fondness in his smile as he shook his head. “Fine. She can be trusted. Tentatively. It could be a longer ploy to get something from us, but at least that still means she’s not going to hurt us until then. But your instincts are usually pretty good, Senku-chan. You know I’ll follow your lead on this.”

"I realize I already broke my word, but I didn't intend to. It wasn't an opportunity I thought I was going to get again." Senku apologized properly.

"I'm glad that tentatively she can be trusted. I don't think I'm wrong about her, but we'll see what happens. The best we can do is try to be cooperative with her, I think."

"That's fair enough," Gen appreciated the apology and rewarded him with a more genuine smile. "I doubt there'll be so many of those opportunities, either, so it was a unique chance."

Gen hummed and nodded. "Cooperative, appreciative, and supportive. If she's our ally we should treat her like one, of course. If things are simply a one-way transaction, she might resent us - even if it's only unconsciously."

"You're right, I'll prepare something for her." Senku said as he took another bite.

He was really dancing around the subject though and he sighed, rubbing his forehead. "If we ever get information again, I'll let Tidus talk to people. I'm not doing this again. They're just..." He exhaled.

"I even asked if I was being misunderstood, like they thought I wanted to kill the train or something. I don't. I just want to go home. That may not be a shared sentiment, it would appear."

Gen didn't quite frown, but Senku could read him well enough. He didn't exactly ... approve of whoever got that exhausted expression onto Senku's face. His eyes narrowed slightly and his smile was thinner.

"I know there's some who probably are escaping things," Gen told him. "Their own death, maybe - being alive is better, most of the time, I'd think, from their perspective. Maybe they're escaping war, or famine, or something terrible. Not everyone has the same drive as we do - a desire to fix the things wrong with the world."

Or at least, that's become his drive since learning about Senku. Since learning it was even possible.

"But it's selfish of them to assume that there aren't people who'd like to go home," Gen said with the same thin smile. "And short-sighted not to think of how the situation can be changed - so more people like them can come here, and more people like us can leave."

"I know. You know I don't have a problem with that." Senku said, as though that was a statement. "If they want to stay, I'm fine with that. I'd just like people to have the choice. There was a great debate about whether or not the train is withholding information - which it is. You and I both know this."

Senku sighed and paused to take another bite. "A lot of discussion about the things the train has told us and I'm being met with skepticism, like if we just tried harder it would work with us. It was..."

Demoralizing, if he was truly honest about it. "Exhausting. And I really did my best to keep things level and polite, I didn't push too much, but Gen, they're offended I call this kidnapping for fuck's sake."

"Well," Gen pointed out, "it is a kidnapping. I'm not certain you did anything wrong - not per se. It sounds as if they'd be hostile to any sort of idea that involves painting the train in a negative light. Like they need it to be their friend, or - perish the thought - they could be in the wrong for feeling grateful to it."

He shook his head. "I also don't think there's anything wrong with wanting a choice. You realize we're on the same page as all of this."

Tilting his head, Gen asked, "They might even try and sabotage our efforts to keep things between the passengers - and try and share what we learn with the train itself. We can't be certain it's always listening, but ..."

"I know, I'm just frustrated." He speared a piece of meat to make the point and put it in his mouth, listening.

Senku frowned. "I...did ask them not to. I'm hoping they understand the situation well enough for that. I also asked them not to get in my way, so to speak."

He shook his head. "I think it's definitely listening on board. The comms. The ICP. All of it. That's how it works on Anan's vessel, at least the ICP and the comms. I don't know about the rest. We have to be cautious. If it turns out I've trusted the wrong people..."

"We'll deal with it then."

Gen told him, "And you've got every right to be."

He's eating a little more slowly, worried and thinking about their situation. There's only so much he can do, encouraging everyone they're in this together, that they need to work together. Apparently people thought that meant they had to work indefinitely to help these random worlds.

And it wasn't as if that was a bad goal! But abandoning their worlds to help another ... it didn't seem like a good trade, to Gen. That's why it needed to be about choice - about people who'd volunteer.

"I'm certainly going to keep praising and thanking the train when it can hear me - while reminding passengers that we're homesick and that we've been kidnapped. I'm very specific about my word choice," Gen didn't think that was news, though. He gave Senku a sympathetic look. "You're the trusting type, my dearest. I'm overly paranoid. Sometimes you'll be right - and sadly I'll be right. I'm always rooting for you to be correct."

"I don't have a high track record of being wrong, and I hope I'm not." Senku said honestly. "I just thought other people might like to know what I learned. Basic information that we all should have. The fact we don't even have that makes me question the train's motives."

He shook his head again. "Why not offer us training manuals at least? I don't get it."

"Well, if I were the train - I'd be really worried about my kidnapped passengers using any manuals to hurt me - no matter what other motives I had," Gen said. "If it's sentient? It's interested in self-preservation. It's one thing to know a surgeon knows how to operate on you - it's another thing to have a hundred miniature potential surgeons living inside you and possibly able to cut you up."

He paused. "On the other hand, if it actually wanted to work with us, and probably got to know some of us and trusted some of us - it'd make sense it'd let some of us have those manuals. But as I told Anan, it's really hard to psychoanalyze a train that might not be sane to begin with."

Senku was quiet for a moment or two, considering his thoughts as he kept eating.

"All I mean is that speaks to something sinister going on here. I don't know if it's the train or the people after the train, but even Anan doesn't know what laws we broke. That bothers me too. Laws should be easy to discern right?" Senku asked.

"I get that the train thinks it broke laws, maybe it did, but what did we do wrong?"

Gen quirked an eyebrow. "We were kidnapped. We were taken and given missions as if we were trained and armed Voitreckers, and sent off into dangerous situations with only our wits and skills in cooperation to help us. We didn't do anything except decide - yes, helping people is good - and no, we didn't agree to come here."

He shook his head. "It's ridiculous to consider that we'd be held responsible for a sentient thing that abducted us, but that's probably what will happen anyway - laws don't always make sense, and law enforcement isn't always fair. It's all shrouded in mystery - so as much as I distrust the train? I distrust the Ministry just as much."

"You're not wrong." Senku responded. "I have no reason to trust the Ministry, but also know I have no reason to trust the train either." He frowned.

"If it was at all possible to contact them without putting anyone else at risk, I'd do it." He pressed his lips together.

"At least go ask for information if nothing else. I don't know, pretend I want to get into void travel, or get a job or something."

"Hm," Gen considered that hypothetical. "We'd need to have a world we could convince them we're from. Our reality isn't void-active - and I'd assume they'd know that. I have no idea if there are ... void tourists. Or void reporters. Void travel agents?"

Finally he began to eat in earnest - this kind of thing was more in his wheelhouse. "Asking for employment is dangerous. Applications mean background checks. And without access to their systems for doing so, we can't trick their systems for doing so. No, if we ever want to go with this ploy - we would need to be an outsider, but one they would conceive of."

"More research is required." Senku agreed after a moment, taking a few bites. "That's really the position we find ourselves in." He sighed.

"At least I can be patient. I want to know more. I'm just...frustrated."

Gen gave him a small, understanding smile - a little pained. "Honestly, I am too. You'd think in a whole train filled to the brim with kidnapped people ... some complacency is expected, that's just human nature. But I wouldn't have guessed the extent of it."

He completely felt where Senku was coming from was very, very reasonable.

"No, I wouldn't have either. I know things, you know, but this..." He shook his head.

"Alright well, that's enough dwelling on it for now. It's a problem I can't solve over dinner. Would that I could." He snorted lightly. "It's been a long day."

Under the table, Gen tapped Senku's foot lightly, his smile turning a little craftier. Did this mean that Senku was looking for a distraction? "A very long day, my dear, and you haven't even put any of our research or that nice man's advice to any use, yet."

Senku gave him a bit of a look. "Really?"

"What -" Gen placed a hand over his heart. "You're saying that you're not looking to spice up our marriage, my dear? After an endless time floating through the void, our every move listened to by the train, we finally have some alone time ..."

He waggled his eyebrows, "We could be adventurous! You were all for it earlier ..."

Edited 2021-06-19 03:49 (UTC)

"Sometimes, you're a pain in the ass." Senku informed him and leaned forward to steal a kiss from Gen, but also swat his shoulder at the same time.

"Did that conversation align with your interests?"

Gen had to giggle quite a bit, blushing just slightly from the kiss - he was always pleased when Senku was affectionate. Slugging his shoulder for teasing him was also affectionate.

Humming, Gen said honestly, "That conversation involved things I'd be doing with you, so, yes. Really, any activity where you're super interested in what we're doing - and, also, focused on me - is one I'm into. Which includes fun activities like telling you how much you're like a Capricorn and you arguing about how unscientific that is."

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