Anonymouse wrote:-kwsaahhhhcattershhhed-
Fragmented voices seem to coalesce around the CTCers, as the static grows thicker, like a fog--the patches of the real world around them grow less and less with alarming speed, until it seems like they're being driven through a Wonka-esque tunnel, images, smells, sounds, all melding into one, and--!
--The private is the first to awake, though the others will begin to come to gradually as he sits up, the ground--the sand--giving away under him slightly as he sits up. It's sunny out--sunnier then it had been in Muffinville--and the breeze is hot against his face, despite the shade of trees.
It's not until he hears the gentle sound of the waves against the shore that he realizes he's sitting on the edge of a small beach. He--and the rest of the squad; the robot, the sergeant, the scientist...but unfortunately not the van all seem to have been deposited on the shore of somewhere...tropical. He himself is leaning slightly against a tree, the start of the end of the beach, where it gives way to the beginning of something of a jungle.
Private Kyle Leverett groans as consciousness returns to him -- sluggishly at first, then more quickly as his implants respond to his condition and inject stimulants into his bloodstream. Feeling the sand shifting underneath his body, his eyes snap open, and he staggers clumsily to his feet, trying to bring his weapon to the ready as he looks around.
"Sergeat? Professor Serilde?" A quick scan of the area reveals his three companions nearby, also waking. The ED robot mechanically rises to its feet, remaining still as it conducts an internal diagnostic to analyze what happened. The professor groans, slower to respond due to her lack of combat implants. The sergeant is the most alert, leaving his weapon at his side while he takes in the surrounding area.
"Well, could've been worse..." Sergeant Meinhard murmurs.
"Sir?"
The sergeant lets out a sigh. "Well, we're obviously someplace else. Our esteemed doctor should be able to shed some light on where. If we're truly lucky, we're still on the planet, just somewhere more tropical." He starts switching through his comms, looking for the telltale GPS signals from the CTC orbital satellite network.
"And... if we're not?"
"Well... at a guess, I'd say we're in some pocket universe, tailored to some kind of tropical adventure story." He lets out a sigh. "For a few moments, I was worried this would be some kind of beach bimbo scenario, but... that kind of setting would take place around a populated area -- lots of hunky guys to show off for, and such."
Leverett blinks at that, swallowing involuntarily. "Er... sir?" he says, a bit confused by the whole context.
The older man chuckles. "You really are green, aren't you, kid? Better get up to speed. This place is about people getting turned into other things, right? With cute little schoolkids, or busty airheaded beach babes, it's gotta fit the context. Like the Sand Academy..." He pauses. "Oh, right, you arrived after that." He sighs, and takes another look around.
"Anyways... taking stock of the situation. There's no sign of human habitation at the moment, and the setting seems pretty pristine, with a tropical biosphere. So it's not a commercially developed beach. Maaaaaybe it's some remote island resort, where they're leaving it largely wild, but that seems too complex. I'd put my odds on something more 'Lost World'-ish, with tribal natives, wild animals, maybe dinosaurs, and the like."
The private nods. "That makes sense, sir... but... shouldn't the first question be 'how do we get back'?"
Meinhard glances over at the doctor, who seems to be finally coming to her senses. Glacing around in shock for a moment, the woman immediately starts examining her instruments, calling over the ED robot for assistance.
"That's the doctor's problem -- but you can bet I'm going to make sure she starts working on it right away, and doesn't get sidetracked trying to learn about this place."
"What... what if we can't get back?"
The sergeant glances over at his subordinate again, before patting him reassuringly on the shoulder. "Don't worry, kid... there's always a way. If nothing else, Fourth Wall will eventually track us down, and they'll find a way to pull us out."
Leverett hesitates, and then nods. "Y-yeah, you're right, sir..." He adjusts his equipment, and starts watching the treeline. "I won't let you down."
The older man nods, and walks over to the professor... although he can't ignore the cold knot in his gut from the minor lie he'd told. It was true that Fourth Wall could eventually track them down, but with everything going on on the Western Continent, it was likely that those resources were strained watching for other things instead. The odds of the command calling upon Fourth Wall to track down a missing four-man squad. Well... they probably would eventually, if only to find out what had happened.
For now, though... they were on their own.
