middleofsomewhere | 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

"Are you?"

She's known him for the better part of a year. She's decorated him with flowers and kissed him without a worry that he'll push her too far. She's heard a lot of talk but not a lot of follow through. Persephone has met people who proclaim how good how they are, loudly, while hiding their cruelty behind closed doors. It's always been weird how loudly he proclaims to be evil when he's been anything but.

"Like, we've never really said the l word but you certainly don't act like someone who's too evil to fall in love."

"I'm the most evil Overlord in existence!" Zetta sputtered. "I have to be, in order to hold onto my position! But, as the most badass freaking Overlord in the entire cosmos, I also am strong enough to kick the ass of anyone who stupidly gives me crap about my incredible girlfriend."

He punctuated this with a satisfied nod -- and then a smirk. "If they CAN be that stupid. You pretty much radiate 'top of the heap' energy, y'know." In everything except raw mana power, though hers was something special for the majority of demons as well.

Persephone sputters a little herself, tucking back a lock of hair to cover up her flustering.

"What--I'm hardly top of the heap but thanks?" She waves a hand, "But you know you can be badass and not evil, right? Do you even want to be evil?"

"You are so!" Zetta, naturally, focused on the part of her statement that was more important. "One look at you and anyone'd rate you as a true and incredible beauty. Talk to you and they find out you've got real personality, a spark! And get to know you and it turns out you're pretty smart and clever too. It's a trifecta! It's inescapable!"

"Inescapable, huh?"

There's a flush to her cheeks, flustered but flattered all at once. A smattering of red flowers blossom at her temples.

"You're very sweet." She says it with a tone that says no arguing. If he's going to mercilessly flatter her, she's going to do something equally as flustering to him.

"Thoughtful, kind, loving. You can call yourself whatever you like, evil, not supposed to be into love or relationships. But we have one. And I like you just as you are. Not how you insist you are or how you should be."

"But -- " Flustering successful! She'd sunk so many low blows into his ego that he couldn't even fight back, just sort of quivering and looking poleaxed. "Look, I get that you believe that stuff, but... could you keep it quiet? I have a reputation to maintain and all!"

He couldn't change her mind! That much was obvious. All he could do was damage control!

Persephone leans in, kissing his forehead. Then she grins, in a smug proud sort of way. Doesn't she have the best retort?

"Isn't this where I say I'll kick the butt of anyone who makes fun of my boyfriend?"

"I dunno." Zetta squinted suspiciously up at her. "This is you. If you're feeling particularly sassy you might join in!"

But you know, that was part of her charm.

"I don't make fun of you. Or at least I'm not--do you feel like I'm making fun of you? I was just teasing between us."

Congrats, she looks concerned.

"None of this was supposed to be rude. I'm not going to be cruel to someone I--care about."

No kidding. Despite her sass, Persephone was unaccountably sweet inside.

"No, but you wouldn't mind if it was harmless fun, would you?"

To make sure she didn't take it too seriously, Zetta freed one hand to poke her in the side.

To a point. No one has tried to hurt the people she loves yet. She certainly looks sweet right now, squirming at the touch with a soft huff.

"No, of course not. That's why I tease you sometimes. You do the same to me, you know. I'm thoroughly convinced you do half the stuff you do to see me blush."

"I do the stuff because I want to, and that's a fun reaction! You could react in other ways that'd be fun, too." Zetta's terrible grin just begged for her to poke him or scold him or... well, react.

"Isn't that just encouraging you in your bad behavior?"

That's what all the older nymphs said. Of course, she kind of wants to encourage this particular behavior. Well, some of it. After a glance over her shoulder at the rest of the car, blissfully but temporarily empty, she tilts his chin up with a fingertip.

Zetta yielded to her gentle manipulations without resistance, his grin never wavering.

"It's encouraging behavior. You tell me if it's bad."

They're in public. They're very in public. Which is frustrating because no one wants to walk in on people making out and that's kind of what she wants to do. Her lips brush his, soft--then she pulls back and half floats in his grasp.

"W-Well, I'm going back to our room." You know. Just stating a fact. If he's interested in her whereabouts.

Zetta got very frustrated for all of a moment, before her not-at-all subtle hint penetrated the brainfog that her closeness brought over him. "Oh, I'll, uh, walk you back. There's something important there I need."

Or rather, there will be once they get there.

For the sake of everyone else in the train and their sensibilities, she floats off his lap, even if she'd rather let him carry her. Though she doesn't care about what people think that much since she wraps both her arms around one of his and tugs him along in a very obvious way.

"Oh good. I very much needed an escort."

She can't actually make him move, since he's floorbound, but she doesn't need to -- Zetta got to his feet and started moving with speed worthy of an Overlord. He may be, well, Zetta, but sometimes even he can see what's right in front of his face and what's coming!

Enemy Unknown: Conclusion

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