middleofsomewhere | Enemy Unknown: Conclusion

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Enemy Unknown: Conclusion

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"I've not--it's more like a metaphor than an actual one to one experience. I've been in positions where my powers didn't work or I've felt as helpless as a mortal. This wasn't even as bad."

Sure, it was disconcerting. To reach for things that didn't come, to feel nothing where there had always been something. But it didn't really bother her on the fundamental level that it had bothered Zetta. They could never really take who she was from her.

"Huh. Being your type of goddess must be different from what I thought."

He'd lost things he'd literally never lost before. Senses. Status screens. In a way it had been like losing an eye and an arm.

But then Zetta grinned. "What if you'd ended up with human colors? THAT would throw you for a loop, right?"

"There both is and isn't much difference between the deathless gods and mortals. I assume too much difference and even Zeus wouldn't want to--you know."

She waves her hand back and forth in a dismissive sort of way. Who wants to talk about his exploits, after all.

"Oh--I haven't learned how to manipulate my form that much. I can't decide what colors I'd go with. Humans tend to very basic colors at home. Everyone is much brighter here." Persephone runs a hand though his hair, bright red and all. Even if he's not human, there are plenty of ones here with a range of hair and eye colors.

Zetta didn't get it. Demons came in a vast range of shapes and sizes; one learned to appreciate them all, generally!

"Not manipulate! I mean suddenly it happened. Bam, we're on a mission, color-change human-looking 'Sephe!"

"I mean it'd be weird? I think if I lost my form and my powers, that would be too much. But one or the other is...well not doable but I could manage without freaking out too much."

But essentially becoming human would be weird. Persephone taps her fingertips on the back of his hand. It's weird enough that the gods come in human colors in other worlds.

"I mean, how would you feel about me become all human looking. With their brown skin and brown hair." That's not precisely the full range of human colorations but it certainly seems to cover a lot of the ones who live near her. Various shades of brown.

"You'd still be hot as hell," Zetta said, immediately and without any need to think about it whatsoever. Priorities. "Plus I can't imagine anything taking down that sass of yours, so not really much of a difference, right?"

"The very most one track mind," Persephone snorts and bumps his shoulder, "So if nothing is taking down my sass, nothing is ruining your one track mind. Even a stupid mission that tries to take us down a peg or six?"

"I mean, I can get that back on track, if you really want me to. How about a shot of them goods?" Zetta lifted his head and turned to look down at her, with an air of bright expectation that of course wasn't real. As if she would!

Persephone raises her hand, taps her chin. Then suddenly pokes his cheek. Not too hard but certainly not gentle.

"I was implying that nothing stops you from being yourself! Ridiculousness and all!"

Heedless of her retribution, Zetta grinned and drew himself up straighter. "Ogling you and lusting after you are key points of me being myself! I wouldn't be Zetta if I didn't do that!"

"I don't know that they're key points. They're certainly the parts that you're loudest about."

She's not sure what there is to ogle in a hoodie and pajama pants. It is his hoodie and so is incredibly oversized, baggy and comfortable. It's not something she wore to look cute or make an effort. But he is Zetta after all. Innuendo is mostly a sign that he's feeling better.

"Being loud about it doesn't make it important."

But she DID look cute. She always looked cute, but especially in that big ol' oversized thing. And he could make out some curves there -- she wasn't exactly subtle in that department, after all.

Then again, who cared what she wore? Zetta thought she looked incredibly attractive in pretty much anything. Being loud about it was his way of handling the power she actually had over him -- not that he understood that on any conscious level, of course.

"But important things are worth being loud about!"

Persephone pokes his cheek again. Annoying man. See what she puts up with?

"You know what I mean and you're just being contrary. I know how it is." She lifts off the seat high enough to ruffle his hair, sneakily adding in a few white flowers here and there.

"I was serious!" If she was gonna lift up and make herself vulnerable like that, he would take ALL the advantage! Snaking an arm around her quickly, he tugged her into his lap. "Volume counts for a lot!"

It's a measure of her time to heal and her trust in him that the snagging doesn't even phase her. She makes a noise rather like a protesting cat and whacks at his hands without much actual force, laughing the whole while.

"Hey--I was doing something very important!" Persephone grins as she settles in his lap, "And volume means nothing with this. Just means you're more likely to be overheard. I don't think someone needs to hear that."

Considering he'd let her go at the slightest sign of legitimate resistance, she had nothing to worry about. And he was glad she knew that, not even secretly.

"Actually," he said, with a self-important grin, "everyone knowing how damn hot you are is super important. I want everyone to feel crushingly jealous."

"If they don't think I'm attractive, you spouting off about it is not going to change their minds." Persephone shifts on his lap to face him, hands up in his hair again. She's going to make him beautiful.

"You did look good in a suit you know." For a complete non sequitur in his eyes. Look she's thinking about his attractiveness, makes total sense.

"Of course I did. I got the same deal you got -- I'm so naturally gorgeous, I look good no matter what."

Modesty was for people who weren't Zetta.

Now pink flowers are being added to the mix, just for variety. It's boring to have all one shade, right?

"You make it utterly impossible to compliment you if you just act like I'm saying nothing you haven't heard." She kisses his forehead and leans back to admire the effect, "Is it not special to hear it from me?"

"What's special is what you do." Like that little forehead smooch right there? That totally had him giddy and holding on to his dignity was actually a bit of effort. Hell, just having her tucked close in his lap was really, really something. "I'm an action guy, after all!"

Oh, well that's fair, isn't it? She adores touch, sitting on his lap or hugging out just leaving on him. Words are nice but this is what she'd been missing for months.

Her hands slide down to cup his face, tilting his face up just a touch. She kisses his forehead once more and then softly on the lips.

"This better?"

If Zetta was the most badass Overlord in the freaking cosmos... what did that make Persephone, who at this moment has said Overlord completely and totally wrapped around her little finger?

"You... can make it difficult to be too loud," Zetta admitted, with a little grin that nobody else had ever seen and probably would never see. He might not even be aware of it himself.

A wave of pride and affection washes over at this grin. She'd been trying her best to cheer him up and the success is as pleasing as the kiss. Not that she'd admit that to him.

"Well I do my best." Another kiss. They're short and sweet, being in public, but her quietly loving expression is very intimate.

Obviously, Zetta wouldn't hesitate to kiss her till her toes curled, although hopefully stopping right before she exploded into butterflies again... but hey, sticking to what she wanted had been working out surprisingly well so far! "Heh, your best is terrific. Sure does it for me!"

"Aw, look at you, giving me compliments that aren't about my looks. I might faint from the shock of it all."

She's teasing, because he makes it easy, because it's fun. There's no bite to it, though it perhaps is slightly too on the nose. Never let it be said that she doesn't know who she's dating.

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