Welcome to the Program

[airlockedmods]

Good Morning, Champions. In the interest of maintaining healthy sleep patterns, a day/night cycle is in effect. Your presence is expected in the cafeteria in exactly one hour.

[The voice comes through not a large speaker, but through the device that's attached to each Champion's arm. Further investigation of the features of the device will reveal a list of profiles, a mini-map, and a list of rules. The hallways are shiny white and silver, with running lights along the floor and lights on the ceiling, and at the junction of the hallways is a sign with a knife and fork icon and an arrow pointing down the hall.

Welcome to the Excellence Program, Champions. Time to get to know your teammates.]

Comments

[andjerry]

[Thank you for dropping it, Max, thank you so much, and the relief almost vibrates off him as he brightens.] It's not a problem. It lets me try new things people wouldn't want to eat at work. What your audience wants and what you want to do are really different a lot of the time, aren't they? [He stirs in the cheese powder, confident hands but a cautious, skeptical eye.]

[theundertaken]

Welllll...yeah. That’s true.

[Still seems shady, but that’s not something he’s gonna press with a guy he just met.]

So you do, like, admin stuff?

[andjerry]

I take care of records. Sometimes I monitor the holding cells. I prepare meals every day. I didn't ever think I would be a peace officer, but it's a quiet town.

[please let's stop talking about me Max]

If it isn't too personal, I thought an artist could always have a job.

[theundertaken]

Meals for...the holding cell people?

[It's not a jail, right, they don't stay there that long?]

Yeah, sure, maybe. I just moved to a different town like, two days ago, I haven't gone and looked for something new yet.

[andjerry]

Everyone at the station. It might be why they still let me work there. [and there's a laugh, self-deprecating but maybe still a little proud, as he gestures towards a bowl like he could get it or Max]

Were you looking forward to it? Your new town?

[theundertaken]

Ever thought of just going into cooking?

[He reaches over to get the bowl, handing it to Thomas.]

Eh. I dunno, it wasn't really like that. I went there for family stuff.

[andjerry]

[and somewhere in the future there's an echo of francis york morgan. He shakes his head as he lays the bowl down and plans his next move.]

They need me there. It's the same as it is with my sister. Your family needed you, so you picked up everything and left.

[theundertaken]

Mmmmm. I've never had coworkers who were like family. Sounds nice.

[He looks down at the bowl as well.]

We could get coffee from Coffee Guy, set up a whole breakfast bar. But I dunno what this meeting's gonna be like, maybe people won't want it right then.

[andjerry]

["We" so quickly: he doesn't know what to think of that, so accepts it without commenting.] I hadn't thought of that. We can get it ready, and if we get bad news, I can warm everything back up later.

[theundertaken]

[Well why not, they’re literally collaborating on space breakfast. Max doesn’t seem to think anything of it.]

Yeah, sounds good. [He starts looking around for something to put over the bowl.] What do you think they want to meet with us for?

[andjerry]

[that's because Max has self-esteem and Thomas isn't used to people wanting to join him, even in something small like putting away a half-finished meal; he nods, back at work in a moment, and that work is the most familiar anything's felt since he's been here]

There's so much that doesn't make sense. Maybe it's a chance to ask questions.

[theundertaken]

[It's okay, he'll understand that a lot better later.]

What kind of mass kidnappers hold Q&A sessions?

[andjerry]

[]

It doesn't feel like kidnapping. It is, but- [he shakes his head, flustered momentarily as he tries to grab his meaning]

-kidnappers don't normally give people everything we've seen.

[theundertaken]

...yeah, it's weird. But I dunno what they could tell us that would make it not seem like kidnapping. I mean, half of us are actual kids.

[andjerry]

Some of them still sound like children. They shouldn't need to get mixed up in this, they should be finishing high school or out having fun.

[theundertaken]

Not that I disagree, but half of them sound like wizards or something. They’ve got shit on their plate back home that they shouldn’t have to deal with either. Whole thing’s screwed up.

[andjerry]

...that's true. But I think that makes it worse. There's a young woman here, Korra. She's convinced she has to go back home and save the world, and she looks like my sister who can't even drink yet.

[theundertaken]

Yeah. Wish I could say I’m glad they’re outta there, but this doesn’t look any better. You see the rules?

[andjerry]

I did, but- [he can't really wrap his head around them]

Do you think they really mean killing? This monitor on me shocked me when I tried to take it off, maybe they only want to see how far we go and then... they stop it.

[theundertaken]

Shit, dude, why’s everyone else fucking with those? Are you okay?

[He doesn’t exactly grab for Thomas, but there’s a motion like he wants to see his PIP arm.]

[andjerry]

[and he rolls up his sleeve where there shouldn't be any burns or anything strange, offering his arm to Max and looking away like he doesn't want sympathy.]

I'm all right, really! Someone had to find it out.

[theundertaken]

[He looks at it, and yeah, it looks fine. Not like he has any real idea what he would've done if it wasn't.]

Nooooooo, not really. You could've electrocuted yourself.

[andjerry]

If someone had gotten hurt, yes... but it's all right. We should warn everyone, though. I don't want to see someone die from something we could prevent.

[theundertaken]

Oh yeah, definitely. I've already had to tell like three kids not to try to rip out something that's embedded next to their fucking...wrist artery. Whatever that is.

[andjerry]

Ohhhhhh. They're scared. They aren't thinking straight.