voidmissions | [M15] ENEMY: UNKNOWN

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[M15] ENEMY: UNKNOWN - THE INTERVIEW

On opening their eyes, Voidtreckers will feel a sense of disorientation, a dizziness to their vision and inside their head. Both clear quickly, letting them remember where they came from: in the midst of a mission, some unknown entity jumping them, and then —

They're here. Wherever here is.
They stand in an empty room. The lighting of the room stings their eyes after how dark the rest of the station has been. The walls, ceiling and floor are all bright white, tiles. There is no visible door, no windows.

After the disorientation comes fear. The hairs on the back of their neck stand up. For those with danger sense, these senses are going haywire, even though any other abilities are still not working. The feeling can be pushed down, it is similar to the air of expectation at the start of a horror film, the anticipation of fear rather than being in a truly dangerous situation. It might be that they have been on the train long enough to have felt it before.

Heavy footsteps sound, it is almost impossible to tell where they are coming from as the echo through the empty space. The feeling of dread grows until part of the far wall slides open with a mechanical hiss.

Filling the doorway are two huge figures, around seven foot tall and bulky. They are in large metal suits, almost like power armour, black with highlights of gold. They wear a mask that covers their whole face. It is impossible to see the figure inside at all. Their breathing comes through heavy and raspy and when they walk their footsteps are heavy. The door closes behind them and their presence makes the room feel smaller. One of them scans a green light over the voidtrecker.

"Do not be alarmed. Under sections ninety six of Inter-dimensional law and on behalf of the Void Ministry we have intercepted Voidcraft designation Voidtrecker Express as part of ongoing investigations. You have been taking part in a simulated excercise to gauge your skill and strength. No harm shall come to you or your crew, you are protected by inter dimensional law. You have been chosen for questioning and we ask that you comply. You have the right to refuse our interview but we have the right to hold you until our investigation is complete or one week in standard void time has passed, whichever is longest. Complying with us will ensure our investigation is more efficient."

The inspector talking pauses here, as if giving the voidtrecker time to take in that information.

"Do you accept our interview?"

ENEMY: UNKNOWN

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"Of fucking course. Not enough that I'm a criminal in my own universe, I have to go break some interdimensional laws too."

Rich glares back at the two beings, partly due to the harsh light, but mostly because he's pissed off. To be snatched out of nowhere and dumped here to be interrogated doesn't seem particularly friendly, but he holds his tongue.

"I'll do an interview, but no promises I'll answer the way you want me too. Always been bad at pop quizzes." If he complies, then this'll go faster, and he'll get out of here, back to the people he's worried about.

The inspectors, clad in gear that makes their face - and the rest of them - obscured, react little as Rich speaks. But the air of the room does seem to relax with his agreement.

"Thank you for your cooperation," one of them speaks, while the other gets straight to it. "Please state your name, age, and your length of time in the void."

Edited 2021-10-13 08:00 (UTC)

The air is easier to breathe now, but Rich holds back from relaxing too much, still searching around the room for any means of escape in case this happens to get ugly.

At least these are easier questions to answer. "Rich Goranski. I'm 17. Think I've been on the train for over five months now."

"Thank you," they both answer. "Do you know the designation number for your home planet?"

"Can't help you with that one. Don't know your weird codes for planets off the top of my head. I'm from Earth. The only planet that we thought had sentience on it. There's humans on it, and animals, and then not much else."

"Noted. Anything you can tell us during this interview will be appreciated, Rich Goranski," one speaks. "We are looking to put together a profile of the people that are tethered to the Void by the craft Voidtrecker Express, and events it has been present to."

They use the same calm tone that's heavy behind their helmets, but by the time taken to give some explanation, it's far from cold indifference.

"So you did not consent to being tethered to the Void, and do not know how it occurred," one of the pair says for confirmation.

"If this is true," the other speaks, "can you tell us what you remember before you were brought to the Void, and your arrival."

"Just Rich is fine. I only get called my full name if I'm in trouble." He tries to laugh, but it comes out a little strained. "If you want a profile of the people... the train seems to think it's taking people with the 'potential' to be heroes. I've tried to argue that I'm not in any position to do that, but it's not super observant, apparently."

The comment about consent makes him falter for a minute. "Are you... are you trying to get us back home? Because I definitely didn't consent to this, and if I did, I wasn't in control of myself. I-I mean, I was in a fuckin' full body cast in Beth Israel's ICU, for Christ's sake! I had been there for maybe a week? Barely had the ability to think for myself again before I showed up on that platform. I was damn lucky there were healing potions. I probably could have gotten septis if someone hadn't noticed me."

"You were taken in the middle of recovery." One speaks it, to echo what Rich said, before the other asks, "Does the voidcraft stock a suitable amount of medical aid to help with its passengers?"

"As for your query," the other Inspector speaks up, "we are investigating the well-being of passengers part of the voidcraft Voidtrecker Express, and recent events that have occurred surrounding it, and the missions it deposits you on. We cannot promise an outcome to our investigation, but we will document your issues and concerns, and they will be discussed to decide a course of action. However," they continue, "untethering passengers without understanding how the tether was established, as is the case with the voidcraft you are a part of, would be dangerous to your wellbeing."

"The Ministry does not seek to bring unnecessary harm," speaks the other again.

"Yeah, I'd say no. They have the basics, maybe, but they don't always have stuff like my ADHD meds. Or testosterone. If you want that, you've gotta pay for it. Which I mean, I guess is normal in America, where I'm from, but I was kinda hoping a magical space train would be different."

He folds his arms over his chest, just a bit self-conscious, but the comments the two strangers make do seem to settle him just slightly. "There are a lot of us who don't have a decent well being since getting on this train, especially since a lot of us were just dumped here. If we're lucky, we have powers we can use. In my case, I'm an average human without a lot to offer to the table. Half the time when I try to help, I make shit worse..." He hates admitting that, but he knows it's true. He's not cut out for this kind of thing.

"The train takes you to locations to fulfil missions. You do not find your skills suitable to the tasks necessary for these missions?"

"If you are willing to speak of your experience with missions and the work asked of you, this would be appreciated." They speak up, a small pause after the other has done. Giving that moment and speaking clearly, not rushing.

"Yeah, that's one way to put it. Simply, I'm not cut out to be a 'hero' like they claim I am."

He takes some time to try to even decide what to say, and then try to form it into words. "There're four teams on the ship, sorted by colours. The Orange team is the one I'm on. We usually handle stuff like repair work, or stuff that's kind of tech related. Sometimes it's fixing leaks in a biodome, sometimes it's trying to help map out areas and sneak into labs and stuff. It's... I mean, at least I don't have to fight very often, but I'm a high school student, right? I'm not exactly smart enough for a lot of things. And I'm not exactly, uh, great under pressure.

"A lot of the missions recently have involved illusion magic and stuff too. I have a bit of PTSD related to that, so those missions certainly aren't helping me at all, and from what others have said, it's been hard on them too."

"How many missions have involved illusions, and how many were you present for?"

One asks the question in a straight-forward manner, when the next then explains, to clarify: "We understand missions in systems #2207385, #86525656412355 and #93426194992 -" all said without missing a beat "-contained some degree of illusions, as well as the manifested system that people were tethered and pulled into."

A pause. "You may know the mission locations better as: White star Crysohale IV. Planet Erda. City of Kamakan."

"Yeah, I remember all of those. Erda not as much, I was kinda... not myself when that one happened." But that was on Handsome Jack, and wasn't so much the train's fault.

"There was a city that kind of messed with us too, sorta. Jinnjar. Making us believe that we'd always lived there, giving us shit we always wanted, that kind of thing. It's not really healthy, to be left questioning what's real after every mission. Hell, for all I know, you guys might not be really here."

After a brief moment of hesitation, Rich does step closer to one of them. Just maybe to see if he can tell if they're real enough.

The Inspectors don't move when Rich does, standing in silence for a moment, before one asks, "Do you often have trouble distinguishing what is real and what isn't since your time in the false city of Jinnjar?"

From looking at them, they will appear solid enough. Nothing changes about their appearance, standing as real as Rich does.

"What? No... If you think I'm crazy or something, I'm fine. I'm over it now."

That's more than a little defensive, but Rich is tired of having his mental state challenged by authority. "It was just... frustrating."

"Understood," speaks one of them. There is a sense of it too - of understanding, in more than just words. Sympathy. "What you went through would be difficult for anyone, but you have been dragged into situations, untrained."

"Was there anything about the life you led in this city reflective of your own life, before being taken by the Voidtrecker Express?" asks the other Inspector, after a beat. "Or was this false life unlike your one back on your home planet?"

Rich isn't sure if he wants pity from these strangers, but he doesn't lash out any more than he could, just huffing under his breath. "It's difficult for all of us. You don't gotta treat me like a special case. I'm not even the only person without powers."

He considers the question, but he supposes there's no point in hesitating. "Not much was the same. They gave me a different excuse for the scars and a different family... I had a friend there, I guess? Someone I recognized from home, but he was different too, and he didn't come with us when we got back on the train." He sighs heavily. "If I was to guess, it was giving us all a life we wanted to have."

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[M15] ENEMY: UNKNOWN - THE INTERVIEW

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