WEEK ZERO: ARRIVAL - OVERFLOW

[gatonina]

ARRIVAL

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PASSENGERS: 41 You know how the story goes by now. One minute you’re somewhere familiar, and the next you’re suddenly somewhere else. Unlike previous times before, the source of your rude awakening isn’t a mystery. A harsh jostle causes your body to lunge forward as a tire jumps over a pot hole in the road. Try as you might, it’s hard to ignore the steady thrumming of an engine and the gentle sway beneath you. The faint scent of gasoline seems to waft from the outside, but as you look around you’ll notice that the windows are locked, tinted, and impossible to see through. Likewise, the door ahead of you appears to be locked as well. Perhaps the scent is your imagination…? Regardless, though the lighting is a tad dim, it becomes apparent that you’re inside a large bus dotted with the occasional seat and amid a jumble of other bodies. The people you were last with may be among your fellow passengers. Perhaps they are not. But worry not; there’s plenty of time to look around and get to know one another on this long, strange trip. It may even be wise to examine the staircase at the other end of the bus. Who knows what awaits you on the other floors? Ah, but before you move too far it may be best to assess the situation. On the bright side, any injuries you incurred have been healed! Isn't it nice to have your limbs in place again? Miracles happen. But...what happened to your clothes? You’re fairly certain you weren't wearing this t-shirt before...and what's with the denim shorts? Maybe you were fortunate enough to get the knee-length version, but for those of you waking up in bootyshorts...well, we're sure you look great! And what better way to tie the whole look together than white socks and tan sandals? At least you'll be comfortable for the ride. Lucky for you, your new threads aren't the only gift you'll receive upon waking up. Attached to your waist is a high-quality bag filled with some fun goodies for every passenger! For those of you who unzip your bag to check its contents, you will find: -Dry shampoo -Wet wipes -Deodorant -Travel pack of toilet paper -Travel toothbrush + toothpaste -Poncho -A stylish travel guide No other items are on your person at this time, even if you were holding onto it as you began your previous departure. That's a bit troublesome, isn't it? Not really; it's still a bus. Be grateful for the extra elbow room, alright? Oh, and one last thing...on the wrist of every passenger is a small, equally fashionable white scrunchie. Not your style? Perhaps it's a good idea to give the travel guide another read. Searching the bus from top to bottom will net zero results in the way of an escape. All of the windows are similarly tinted and locked, and the only exit door appears to be the one on the first level that can't be opened at this time. But hey. You're all old pros at this, right? You know what to do next! Get to know the people around you, trade stories with your fellow passengers, and...well. Buckle up for the bumpy ride ahead.

Comments

[hydrogenetic]

Oh. So science-y stuff...if that's where the bus is really going I'm not sure the rest of us will be much use there.

[applechemist]

More like alchemy stuff, but I guess it's kind of like science.

... Anyway, I can't say for sure that we're headed anywhere like that... Or if we are, that the ruins would be anything like the ruins that I'm used to.

[hydrogenetic]

I haven't ever used it, but I've heard of it. [So that's a start.] It'd be sort of nice if we were heading to some ruins though. At least we'd have some kind of idea what we're looking at even if they aren't the same.

[applechemist]

[ It's refreshing to have people not be too surprised by the concept of alchemy! Nice. ]

Yeah, that's true... To be honest, I'd be happy going anywhere that lets us get some fresh air.

[hydrogenetic]

Man, tell me about it. [Give him a moment to pause as he stretches out his shoulders a bit.] This bus is getting too cramped already and it's only been a day. But wouldn't ruins smell kind of dusty?

[...what do you think ruins are, Percy.]

[applechemist]

Well... A little bit? But there's so much open space, and the monsters keep things from stagnating too much, so it's not too overwhelming.

And there's also the smell of grass and moss and flowers - so it's kind of nice.

[hydrogenetic]

[That sounds nice because he does like being outside, but uh.] What kind of monsters?

[applechemist]

Slags, mostly?

[ Helpful. ]

[hydrogenetic]

Okay. I have no idea what that is. [Escha help.]

[applechemist]

Um. They're like...

[ She gestures, but it conveys absolutely nothing. ]

[hydrogenetic]

So kind of like...[He's making a different gesture which is equally useless.]

[applechemist]

[ ..... Sure! She nods. ] Yeah!

A lot of them are artificial lifeforms left behind by the alchemists of the past.

[hydrogenetic]

So they're like robots? Or mostly organic with some mechanic pieces? [What does this mean.]

[applechemist]

They're mostly organic.

Automatons are a whole other thing, they're peaceful and the few that are still in operation look after cities and towns and stuff.

[hydrogenetic]

The automatons we have tend to vary depending on what their orders are. Some are nice, but some are designed to kill us if we look at them the wrong way. So...it's sort of nice to hear otherwise.

[applechemist]

They're all artificial lives, but it seems like they were designed very differently depending on the goals.

... I can't even imagine most automatons trying to fight.

[hydrogenetic]

If they're programmed wrong, or they're given an attack command, they have no choice but to follow it. [Hm.] Then again, we have a dragon automaton on our team so some of them are pretty okay.

[That's not even touching. Like. A lot of other stuff.]

[applechemist]

It's interesting, isn't it...? That they're following commands given to them so long ago.

[ Well. The ones Escha is used to are all ancient, anyway. ]

Even if the context of those commands may have changed over time.

[hydrogenetic]

Can yours be reprogrammed at all? I know it might be pointless to ask, but who knows? Maybe wherever we're going will have something similar.

[applechemist]

I... It's kind of complicated. We managed to reason with one of them, but... I'm not sure what it was that really did it. And I think most of them can't be changed...

[hydrogenetic]

Don't worry about it too much. Just figured it was worth asking.

[applechemist]

Yeah. It would be nice if there was a way... It would be fun to try to look into it.

[ But. Well. Circumstances. ]

[hydrogenetic]

Who knows? Maybe where we're going will have research tools or whatever for people who're into that. [Percy, unfortunately, is not one of those people. He is not the brains of the operation.]

[applechemist]

Hehe, maybe.

[ She doubts it, but. Who knows. ]