Enemy Unknown: Conclusion

[voidtreckermods]

The third night is as long and creepy as the others...

It might be that they found the engine room, solved the puzzles and found themselves in the hangar bay with no way out. It might be that they were still in the station hiding from the invisible monsters. Or it might be that they had been plucked from the mission and were waiting in their holding room.

Either way morning dawns on the fourth day...

---

ENEMY: UNKNOWN

---

DAY FOUR

the trapped. THOSE WHO SOLVED THE ENGINE ROOM SPENT THE NIGHT IN A LARGE HANGAR THAT DOES NOT SEEM TO HAVE ANY DOORS. Their SCA's are working, so they can still communicate with those in the station, perhaps talk them through the engine room puzzles or tell them to stay clear. As morning comes all the lights in the hangar come on. Brighter than any lights so far in the station, harsh white light after the eerie red of the rest of the mission.

Everyone still in the station wakes where they fell asleep - if they slept at all. It's not long after most people are up and about that they will hear a high-pitched beep from their SCA, and then a blue light will envelop them and those around them. It might be they spot their friends vanishing before they too disappear.

They arrive in the hangar, reunited with those who spent the night there. All their gear is with them at least, but that doesn't solve the problem of being in a hangar with no obvious way out. Nor are any of those who vanished during the last three days here, their SCA's still go unanswered.

---

the vanished. FOR THOSE IN THE HOLDING ROOM, THEIR NIGHT HAS PROCEEDED MUCH LIKE THE NIGHTS BEFORE. One of the screens showed the hangar, and those that had succeeded in completing the engine room task. The lights had dimmed for sleeping and turned on again bright in the morning. For those watching the screens they will see those in the station vanish in blue light and turn up in the hangar.

Around half an hour later a voice sounds in the room. "Please gather your belongings and prepare for release."

It's another ten minutes, allowing them to make sure they have all their things before their SCA's beep. They are then surrounded by a blue light, taking them from the room they had spent the last few days in.

REUNITED

reunion. AN HOUR PASSES AFTER FIRST ARRIVALS PASS IN THE HANGAR. Suddenly, there is another flash of blue light, and the missing eighteen Voidtreckers appear with the rest of their crew. They will find they had all their gear as well, including their missing weapons.

They are left to their own devices for a small while, a time for reuniting with friends, but not long enough to exchange stories before a voice rings out in the hangar:

"THANK YOU CREW OF THE VOIDTRECKER EXPRESS FOR YOUR COMPLIANCE. YOU MAY RETURN TO YOUR CRAFT."
There is a loud mass of beeping as everyone's SCA's flashes at the same time, holographic messages popping up too fast to be able to read them in their entirety.

Voidtreckers come in.

All Voidtreckers return to the Voidtrecker Express

Voidtreckers evacuate now

Voidtreckers do you read?

Layers of holographic messages pile on top of each other but a moment later everyone's SCA's glow gold and everyone vanishes from the hangar...

LUGGAGE CARRIAGE

return. EVERYONE ARRIVES INSIDE THE LUGGAGE CARRIAGE, PACKED LIKE SARDINES BETWEEN SUITCASES AND TRUNKS. There is no announcement, no warning of returning to the void; just a lurch that is likely to throw anyone on the train unaware of what has just happened off their feet, no matter the carriage they're in.

They return to the void at what feels like breakneck speed. Colours fly past the windows, and it is a good few hours before they seem to slow to their normal travel speed.

---

Comments

[dnaofahalfa]

"Are you sure? Are all your memories in place? Personality? You don't feel an overwhelming urge to get psychotically protective?" She asked, rapid fire, pulling away as she looks him over critically.

[schrodingersghost]

"Razzy, I'm fine, promise. The whole thing was honestly pretty boring. They just wanted to ask some questions. No experiments, no brainwashing, no cloning. They didn't even ask me about my powers."

[dnaofahalfa]

"What kind of questions? Who was questioning you?" Razzy asked, testing his range of movement with his arms, JUST TO BE SURE.

[schrodingersghost]

"Some government goons. Same group as I ran into before, way back." He frowns. "They wanted to know if our world had ever had any encounters with the void before."

[dnaofahalfa]

"Well, that's not omnious. Did you just refuse to talk or lie to them?" She paused. "Or did you tell the truth?"

[schrodingersghost]

"Eh, they didn't seem as bad as the government goons back home. I figured it wasn't a big deal to confirm that our world didn't really have any contact before this. Also they said they'd work on finding a way for us to find out what's going on at home."

[dnaofahalfa]

"....."

There is a long, long pause as Razzy just stares at Danny and then her hands go to his shoulders, head bowed.

"Danny, I thought you got eaten by a monster for the last three days. The best case scenario is they're stupid and don't understand how that sort of thing affects a person. The other choices are they don't care, or worse, wanted that reaction. But trust me, experience says all three are extremely dangerous." Her grip tightens on his shoulders, and there is a small tremble through her frame. "It took until day three for me to realize it was a game master, and it was only then I was fairly sure you were still alive, because game masters need a carrot, but you never, ever trust an impersonal game master."

[schrodingersghost]

....Oh. That actually made a lot more sense.

"Razzy," he says as he reaches out and pulls her into a hug. "I'm fine. Promise. I'm getting the feeling that it was a lot worse for all you guys who were stuck out there. And you know, give me a little credit? If they had actually been trying to hurt me, I would have made some kind of scene. Even without my powers."

[dnaofahalfa]

Oh.

She is going to hug back, tight. "The only thing that was bad was you being gone. Fighting monsters, exploring dangerous places, that's normal enough, but you being gone..." Danger was fine. Danger she could deal with. Loss was a lot scarier. "Information is dangerous given to game masters. If you don't know what they want, anything could be a weapon used to hurt you. Never give them more than what you have to, and never trust their intentions are good. Not until you know them. The most dangerous ones aren't the ones who come at you with a knife."