voidtreckermods: (train)
VoidTrecker Express Mods ([personal profile] voidtreckermods) wrote in [community profile] middleofsomewhere2021-10-13 04:32 am

Enemy Unknown

"Good Morning, Voidtreckers. Today is day 21 of the month of Nebula."

The voice echoes through the train as passengers wake up in their beds. It is as normal of a day as any, as people make their way to the dining car, to the kitchen, while others head to the showers. For most of the day, everything is normal. Friends meet, the training gym is put to use; an art class is in session. Lunchtime comes and goes.

...and then by 3PM, everyone's SCA glows with the colours of the void, and a holographic image appears.

As strange as it seems, it's time for a mission.



ENEMY: UNKNOWN
TL;DR notes version of event/prompts: (click to show)



EVENT BASICS:


Day One
~ They arrive into a hanger, after some searching they will find a device that allows them to register their SCA's to enter the main station.
~ There are two main directions. North (purple and red) and West (orange and blue).
~ They will find the door to the next section but be unable to get further yet.
~ After exploring they will be found by security bots and then invisible monsters. After the chaos calms down many of the voidtreckers will find themselves trapped in sleeping/living quarters for the next five hours.
~ Jake, Ansem, Inigo, Danny, Kitty and one of the Lan Wangji's dissappear.

Day Two
~ Once the lockdown is over they will be able to explore more eventually gaining access to more staff areas. In these staff spaces their powers will work though they will not be able to escape the station and any life or energy sensing powers will not give any answers.
~ In the staff areas they are more likely to find invisible monsters, but less likely to run into the bots.
~ The surroundings are a lot less stable here- rusty bridges, exposed wires etc. There are less places to hide and the choice is powers here or a slightly safer time back in the first area.
~ Tidus Masumi Sera, Ken Amada, Rich, Essek and Xehanort vanish during day 2.

Day Three
~ Demyx, Elidibus, Freeza, Zelda, Lan Jingyi and Zagraeus vanish during day 3.
~ It becomes more obvious that there doesn't seem to be anyone to rescue here, just the invisible monsters and weird bots.
~ Those that are still searching and investigating will come across the Engine control rooms These however seem to be a set of puzzle rooms, rather than a true engine...
~ OOC note: You can decide whether your character can get through to the engine rooms and how successful they will be. This is a separate thing to the trick or treat.
~ Those that succeed in solving the engine room will find themselves in a large empty hangar bay with no doors for the final night...

A conclusion will go up on the 20th October

For those whose characters were chosen to vanish please go here. If you cannot see the post please make sure you have granted access to voidmissions. If you still cannot see it please speak to a mod. For everyone else~ the post will be made public on the 20th so everyone can see what happened!






DAY ONE
arrival. THEY EXIT OUT OF THE TRAIN INTO DARKNESS, THE SLOW PULSE OF RED EMERGENCY LIGHTS TOO DIM TO MAKE ANYTHING OUT. The quiet hum of energy under metal flooring is the only sound that greets them. Putting on the SCA flashlights will help to see better the farther corners, a mostly empty docking hangar. A single craft sits to the side, locked. There are three doors, LED lighting making them stand out, two with press panels to open them.
Trying to access the two larger doors will lead to a buzzing, and reading on the panel: SCA UNKNOWN. PLEASE REGISTER YOUR SCA. APPROVED PERSONNEL ONLY.

The third and smaller door, however, is accessible. It leads into an office with a few lockers and small washroom at the back, and a messy desk of small square devices that sit in labelled trays inside. A computer is also here, requiring a USER ID and PASS to be accessed.

Luckily, Lan Jingyi and Idia will find searching around a screen and handle device, which sci-fi fans or tech-savvy people will assume correctly as a scanner. This is the SCA registering device they need. Everyone will need to log in with a quick scan and approving beep, registering them as VISITOR. Thankfully, two more spares can be found, and the front doors will finally open further into the station.

Doing this will be the only way in - by now, many may have noticed their powers don't work. Superstrength, magic, ki - no one will be able to pull off more than the strength of an average human, unless they're built stronger.


normal. MOVING FORWARD, THERE ARE TWO DIRECTIONS VOIDTRECKERS CAN GO. Though their SCA doesn't show a complete map it does show a recommended route. Both lead into waiting halls, submerged in the same dimly lit red light. Their footsteps echo; there's a front desk, visitor lavatories, and inaccessible staff rooms that make their SCAs beep with too many door handle waggles. STAFF ONLY appears from their devices.

However, the other doors work fine. As the voidtreckers explore in both sections, they will find them similar, if different in layout.
The north route - where Purple and Reds are led - leads to a series of meeting rooms along corridors, with different layouts. The west route - Orange and Blue's way - leads into classrooms, with desks and wash basins, most with holographic projectors in place that shows the different presentations on both sides being held. There's signs of use in most of the rooms, of personal belongings and drink bottles left behind. In some, people may knock over props; a cardboard cut-out of a company mascot, or in a classroom, an innocous large board - which when walked in front of, trips a splat gun, covering the poor person in illuminous paint.

On both sides, the Voidtreckers will find their first proper hurdle with enough navigating: the next larger doors leading to SECTION 2 will be locked, a keypad beside it. Trying their SCA's current access level to it will lead to be a beep.

DENIED. LVL 2 ACCESS REQUIRED.

Attempting to use the SCA scanner will ask for a pin. Voidtreckers will be forced to search and investigate: back to the front desk, through the abandoned meeting and classrooms. As they search in the dim red lighting, the near silence, they don't always feel so alone. A door will randomly slide open; the lights flicker; a cheery tune comes from a forgotten cellphone, when they're deep in investigation. The sound of footsteps may be heard outside, or even directly behind someone.

But there's no one there.


too quiet. IT TAKES AN HOUR OR SO, BUT FINALLY, THE VOIDTRECKERS REACH DEEPER IN. The doors lead them into a corridor that promise to connect the two groups, and the walls they face as entering shows a map that outlines the corridor they're in. However, before they can think to meet or get very far, a beeping greets people at their feet from the dark - small spider-bots, just above ankle height. They skid along the ground, and beeping in what's morse code, a holographic message appears above to share the same message:

WARNING, WARNING. THIS STATION IS IN EMERGENCY LOCKDOWN. UNKNOWN ENTITIES PRESENT. PLEASE TAKE SHELTER.

They may give some people a scare, but they don't do anything more than to shine a light towards the closer doors. There then comes a sound heard at the farther ends of the corridors. People will feel a vibration from their SCAs, then a beeping. Those wearing their synced earpieces will hear the beeping clearer, and whatever that sound belonged to is coming - and fast.
Chaos ensues. The spider-bots repeat, TAKE SHELTER, TAKE SHELTER, as they skid down the halls - if they're not attacked by Voidtreckers. The Voidtreckers will need to think fast, but some may not come to the right answers. Fortunately, some take refuge in the rooms as directed, or head back in through the way they came. Or they might try and fight, against invisible entities that fight fast and ruthlessly. For those who do fight they will learn that the blasts are meant to stun, to knock down and even knock out. But they won't take any lasting damage from them.

For those that do manage to get to shelter they will here banging from the doors, thudding hard against them. For whatever reason, they won't open to what's outside in the hall. A silence eventually settles.. except amongst the Voidtreckers. Separated, they will have questions over the SCAs. Counting heads, figuring what happened. Who saw what? Who's where? No one saw anything.

And they will figure in time that Jake, Ansem, Inigo, Danny, Kitty and one of the Lan Wangji's aren't answering their SCAs.

Access to the Sector 2 corridor will be denied. Attempting to open any of the doors will bring up a message from their SCAs. SECTOR 2 HALL BREACHED. LOCKDOWN FOR FIVE HOURS. Even if they wanted to leave the rooms they entered, they can't. They're stuck, with whoever's with them, for five hours.

With nowhere else to go, the Voidtreckers will be able to investigate the areas they've gotten locked into. There's lounges, sleeping quarters, and kitchen available to end up in, other than the previous hall. The rooms are only lit by their doors, and by what appears to be ICPs set in the walls, one by each door. However, all that seems to be working are sending messages to different rooms within the residential sector.
DAY TWO
access. AFTER FIVE HOURS, THE PANELS BY THE DOORS FLASH FROM RED TO GREEN, AND WITH THIS, THE VOIDTRECKERS CAN LEAVE THEIR ROOMS. Out in the residential hall, no one is present, but there are pieces of SCAs trashed beyond repair. The spider-bots are in the same state, tossed and forgotten.
Now is a good time to explore, but Voidtreckers will need to be careful. Too much noise will make the Unknown Entities appear, and they are especially attracted by groups larger than three or four people. They cannot enter most rooms, but they lurk the halls - and one is sure to be patrolling when Voidtreckers initially leave the rooms they've been stuck in.

The spider-bots continue to patrol the halls, and will scan anyone they find. They approve of anyone with a staff level access, but get noisy and lead anyone else into rooms to hide.

Voidtreckers will learn they need to practice patience as they investigate. This work is a matter of tedium, but also of being aware of one's surroundings, and searching through the darkness. There is a computer library and gaming room, which create labyrinths of tables and machines, and in these two rooms, Voidtreckers will hear a hissing, the noise of something moving around other than themselves, a beeping from their SCAs. A dining hall is completely trashed, tables toppled over and cracks in the walls where hard contact has been made. However, no bodies can be found, though a few shreds of clothing and trashed SCAs and other devices can be found, in total disrepair.

Unfortunately, as the Voidtreckers will find that despite the noise the security spiders make, damaging the spider-bots is what causes rooms to go into lockdown for five hours. This might happen again, if they come across the spiders again. The best policy seems to be to stay hidden and quiet, avoiding the bots and listening out for the beeping from the SCA's for warnings of invisible monsters.

However, searching around will provide the key to finally being able to give Voidtreckers staff level access, after a few hours. Allowing them better access to different areas, including areas where their powers work.

workers halls. WITH THE STAFF ACCESS, MOVING AROUND BECOMES EASIER, BUT MORE DANGEROUS. A message greets every door that promises to leads them deeper into the station, with the workers' halls and and a way to the secondary hangar available through traversing corridors.

STAY OUT
KEEP OUT

LISTEN TO SCAS


GO BACK

The areas get more shabby, away from the gleaming metal of the main space station and down to more service areas. Metal is rustier and some walk ways don't seem entirely stable. They are less likely to meet the spider bots here but more likely to hear the beeping that signals monsters are near.

Here there are less places to hide, and though there are rooms with beds and places to rest they don't seem to have the same protection as the rooms in the main space station area. It seems to be a choice between having abilities, or being in the relatively safer areas.

But is anywhere truly safe? Because they may learn, from listening on comms or just noticing themselves that ›Tidus Masumi Sera, Ken Amada, Rich, Essek and Xehanort have disappeared over the course of the last few hours. Their names still solid on the SCA but not able to be contacted.
DAY THREE
dwindling hope. By the third day it is becoming more apparent that there is no one to rescue here. Or if there is they are like their own comrades, somewhere inaccessible. Because as the morning of day three comes to an end it is clear that yet more voidtreckers have vanished. Demyx, Elidibus, Freeza, Zelda, Lan Jingyi and Zagraeus are nowhere to be seen.

The space station remains eerily quiet and those who are still searching will find themselves going deeper into the workings of the space station.

control sector. Eventually they will come to a sign KEEP OUT: ENGINE CONTROL ROOMS.

Their SCAs will allow them through. But straight away it is clear this is no normal set of engine rooms.
The first room has a floor full of tiles with symbols on them leading over to the door. Any flight and teleportation powers do not work here. It is not a difficult puzzle to solve, a basic pattern recognition but anyone who steps on a wrong tile will find a sleeping gas shoots upwards and they will awaken at the door again, having lost around half an hour.

The second room if they get through the first is less a room and more a series of small compartments with sliding doors. A little like a maze though there is no way any one can get through it alone for it requires people pressing different buttons at different places in order to work their way through. A teamwork puzzle where a wrong move could leave someone stranded in a small box cubical.

The third room is made of a large console with all the buttons and levers that any good science fiction fan could wish for. There are computers to hack, passwords to guess and secret compartments to open. Even voidtreckers who are not hackers or computer geniuses will be able to follow the clues to get through the systems. This might seem a little suspicious. Or they might just be relieved that it is not impossible.

If passwords are put in wrong too many times or the wrong steps are taken and not corrected quickly enough their SCA's will beep and invisible monsters will flood the room attacking them. Voidtreckers will come to just outside the door to the first engine room.

However if they manage to get to the end of the sequence the lights will flash green as all systems are restarted...

And those in the final engine room will find themselves in a large hanger bay. It has no doors, no windows and nothing inside. But, they will be glad to hear, no monsters.

Be it in this hangar bay or elsewhere in the space station the voidtreckers will spend a final uneasy night...



agathokakological: lots and lots of alcohol ([039])

[personal profile] agathokakological 2021-10-25 08:14 pm (UTC)(link)
Crowley isn't sure why he's being pulled away like a schoolboy, but it makes sense that Yondu had seen something. Because he's Crowley, however, he has to comment on it.

"You know if you wanted to get me somewhere more private you really only had to ask." he teases, amused as he settles against a wall in the new room. Even through his nonsense, he can see the point in Yondu's next suggestion.

"That bad, huh?" he mutters, glancing back at the door. "You ever wonder if they can be spooked back?"

Is that a mischievous grin on Crowley’s face? Maybe, yeah. After all, it's been a really long time since he's been given the demonic opportunity to scare someone shitless.
yondu: (0 8 3)

[personal profile] yondu 2021-10-26 12:53 am (UTC)(link)
He gives Crowley a mean little chuckle at the comment about taking him somewhere more private, one brow raise to go with it, but he still watches the corridor from inside the room with wary eyes.

Dammit, he wishes he at least had the pepper.

(No he doesn't, using the pepper after the salt yielded no response was a terrible idea.)

"As long as you don't get shocked." He starts looking around for something that could be used as a warning sign. Items to clutter the floor outside with or anything.
agathokakological: ngk. ([168])

[personal profile] agathokakological 2021-10-26 03:37 am (UTC)(link)
Crowley busies himself with adjusting his collar, then notices Yondu beginning his search and looks on with interest.

"What're you looking for?" he asks. because there's a good possibility he can produce it. At least there is a fair possibility, considering hkw frequently their stops seem to undermine his miracle abilities. He honestly hasn't tried them here, yet.

Crowley moves across the room, but he'd just as easily start tossing things of his into the hallway if that's what it took. It's all replaceable, anyway. "Wouldn't kill me if I did. Probably."
yondu: (1 9 0)

[personal profile] yondu 2021-10-26 05:37 am (UTC)(link)
"Anything. Pills. Box of odds n' ends. These things don't tend to walk by little stuff, they'll go over it or around it. Even papers scattered could- actually that ain't a bad one."

He veers off to check something else.

"They won't kill ya. They seem to be makin' a point of it. I got shocked all kindsa times as a kid harder than that. When I got arrested by real pissed-off officers too. I can tell they're just tryin' to stun an' disable and not like, punish ya for nothin'. It don't even leave marks later."

But then, realizing that's sort of a horrifying story to tell (even though it's to a demon who has probably seen worse) just turns and shrugs. Between that and becoming a mercenary occasionally prone to being arrested, having the space equivalent of a picana jammed into him every once in a while just became a casually accepted way of life. Helped build up a tolerance.
agathokakological: (Default)

[personal profile] agathokakological 2021-10-26 06:03 pm (UTC)(link)

Since Yondu shrugs his own words off, so too does Crowley. His glasses hide his expressions most of the time, but there is sympathy present behind them until he gets the sense that Yondu doesn't mean to dwell on it.

"Right. Well, in either case, I can handle it." he assures him, helping search the room for paperwork to crumble or whatever else he can get his hands on. "At what point do we just cause some sort of distraction and make a run for it?" he asks, "Find our way back?"

yondu: (1 0 8)

[personal profile] yondu 2021-10-27 01:04 am (UTC)(link)
He's often used to people being horrified by it. If he's not, then they're less. And he has a weird mental disconnect about the whole thing. "Not just back. I think I wanna put us along that safe route to the engines so we don't have to deal with this shit."

Of course he picks the room with no paperwork, though. Figures.

No jar of pencils. Not even a wayward bag of chips.

"I just wanna get out of this area. This don't even feel like a real emergency. We shoulda found everyone by now if they was still here."
agathokakological: big dumb flightless bird ([265])

[personal profile] agathokakological 2021-10-27 01:53 am (UTC)(link)
Crowley exhales slow and long, thinking. He'd throw his glasses out there, but they're only one item. They're also Valentino, if that counts for anything. 


"Alright, I have an idea." he huffs, and then gives Yondu a look. "Try not to react too loudly to what's about to happen. It'll be loud enough as it is." he warns, stepping into the center of the room to give himself space. 


The sound Crowley’s wings make when they open up behind him is sort of what one might imagine hundreds of umbrellas opening in a room at once might sound. They're large and black, immaculately cared for, but Crowley thinks he can find a few feathers ready to shed.
yondu: (1 7 7)

[personal profile] yondu 2021-10-27 02:03 am (UTC)(link)
He doesn't shout or scream or anything, no, but he does duck at the sudden sound, and only looks at Crowley when he has his wings spread already.

Yondu's seen a few winged species, but nothing quite like that. Most of them attached to their 'arms', or their bodies are more birdlike. Generally, it's a new thing for a man whose life has gotten real damn old, and he appreciates new things (even in stressful environments). That it's suddenly attached to Crowley makes him feel like he just unlocked some kind of secret.

"Well, hell..." he mutters, brow raising at the mass of feathers. He honestly deserves a medal for not immediately asking if he can touch them.
agathokakological: w e l p ([269])

[personal profile] agathokakological 2021-10-27 02:13 am (UTC)(link)
It's Yondu's lucky day, probably, because Crowley’s going to need help shaking down these loose feathers, especially if they want to make good time.

"Hell is right." he mutters, one wing curling around in front of him so that he can start preening through his primaries. "Come help me find some loose feathers, I think we can find enough to scatter the hall."
yondu: (1 4 7)

[personal profile] yondu 2021-10-27 07:44 pm (UTC)(link)
"I just started learnin' to help the girls with their hair. This'n's real new to me."

Which now Crowley can enjoy the idea of Yondu dealing with a teenage girl's hair despite having no kind of hair experience. If Peter needed his cut there was always Tullk or Kraglin to handle it. Xandarians had Terran-like hair. They could do it.

Now Yondu's super out of his depth but he's also getting to pet feathers for the first time in his life, and he doesn't know the meaning of loose but he's going to assume if his hand catches on it and it falls out, then that's loose. Right? Right. Petting the outside of his wing has commenced, but in slow wondering swipes just because, well...

It's a pretty wing full of feathers.
agathokakological: ([028])

[personal profile] agathokakological 2021-10-27 07:53 pm (UTC)(link)
"You'll be fine. If it's ready to fall out, it will." he says just before he finds a molting feather himself. He pulls it from between the healthy feathers and holds it out, "See?"

As soon as Yondu's hands touch his other wing, the feathers puff up slightly. Crowley shivers, letting out a slow exhale, not used to feeling anyone touch them. They're nearly always tucked away in a pocket dimension, not getting much attention, and it feels odd. Not bad, just new.

"Sorry-- it doesn't hurt, I'm just not used to this."
yondu: (2 4 9)

[personal profile] yondu 2021-10-27 08:19 pm (UTC)(link)
Oops. Maybe oops? He hesitates when he feels the rustle of the wings. Was this like pulling hair? Which you know, you try not to do in casual grooming situations anyway. In other situations that might be- you know what, this is a train of discussion for another day.

Oh, okay. It's fine.

"Don't worry, you're more used to it than I am," he jokes after his moment of alarm. But adds more thoughtfully, "Actually I never touched another person's wings before." 'Person' being the operative word here.
agathokakological: uhh ([122])

[personal profile] agathokakological 2021-10-28 02:16 am (UTC)(link)
"Mn. It's different... you know, when someone else touches them." he tries to explain, then shakes his head because he doesn't like how it sounds, and it's probably less awkward to just forget it.

"Anyway, point is, I'm sure there will be enough for the hall. They'll either crunch under footsteps or be swept into the air by movement past them, I think."
Edited 2021-10-28 02:16 (UTC)
yondu: (1 3 1)

[personal profile] yondu 2021-10-28 02:34 am (UTC)(link)
He huffs a quiet little laugh. "Let me know if you ever get the notion to try it in a situation that ain't steeped in life or... well, it's not death, it's painful inconvenience."

But hopefully it's enough to get them all the way back on the safe trail.

He picks up one of the feathers though, a bigger one, and holds it up. "...Can I keep this or is it weird?" It's not a little figurine, but it's something special from a friend.
agathokakological: You can stay at my place if you'd like. ([273])

[personal profile] agathokakological 2021-10-28 02:59 am (UTC)(link)
Crowley looks back curiously at that question. His expression softens as he realizes Yondu is asking for a token of their friendship, then nods.

"Call it payback for the gift you've given me." he replies, "I still have it, you know."

It's kept somewhere safe, but the little piece of metal that was given to him is one of the best things he'd been given on the train, and so Crowley doesn't think it's weird at all.
yondu: (0 7 5)

[personal profile] yondu 2021-10-28 03:41 am (UTC)(link)
He takes the feather and, for lack of somewhere else to put it, puts it alongside the darts at his shoulder. Should be safe enough tucked under them. He'll do something sturdier with it later.

"...Ya did?" He grins again, finally, looking a little hopeful. He'd lost some of the other people he'd given them to, either through loss or drifting. But he's glad it meant something.

He's glad he meant something.

"I'll get ya somethin' prettier next time."
agathokakological: ([035])

[personal profile] agathokakological 2021-10-28 04:06 am (UTC)(link)
Crowley pulls a few more loose feathers from his wing, making a small pile. It isn't much but added to whatever Yondu's managed it's probably fine. He nods in response to the first question. Crowley is a being of little needs... he enjoys luxury and often a lot of the finer things in life are managed due to pure miracle. What do you get the demon who has everything?

Well, almost everything. Crowley's never had much in the way of friendship outside of Aziraphale, and Yondu has become easily one of his favorite people. Maybe Yondu himself doesn't think the little hunk of metal is very pretty, but Crowley can't think of anything more beautiful than what it symbolizes.

"Don't spoil me." he teases, letting the wing he'd been picking at rest back behind him again. "Any luck back there? I've had moderate success, myself." he continues, offering Yondu a handful of feathers.
yondu: (0 9 2)

[personal profile] yondu 2021-10-28 05:59 am (UTC)(link)
Yondu scoops up the feathers that he's dislodged from his awkward petting (forgive his lack of preening skills).

"Should be enough to get us to the safe route."

Then he wrinkles his nose. "Kinda funny that someone pointed out a safe route for us to find, ain't it?" He veers of sentiment to note how off that little detail is, too.
agathokakological: Could I tempt you to a spot of lunch? ([289])

[personal profile] agathokakological 2021-11-02 11:17 pm (UTC)(link)
"Worried it's a trap?" he asks, adding his feathers to the pile. He contemplates putting his wings away or keeping them out. They could provide a quick escape, but then again they're bulky and could get them caught. After a moment of deliberation he opts to put them away. They disappear as strangely as they appeared to begin with, the only trace of their existence the feathers in Yondu's hands.

"Does seem awfully easy." he comments, taking a deep breath. "Might be worth making a plan."