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

[quadjumps]

Haah?

[ way to approach someone, dude! ]

We didn't sign up for this.

[andjerry]

[Thomas is starting to believe no one else on the station has heard of involuntary psychiatric holds]

I didn't think we signed ourselves up- [that shutdown wilts him and he sighs, impatient with himself]

But it probably doesn't matter how we got here.

[quadjumps]

Yes, it does. Because whoever brought us here knows how to bring us back home.

[ thomas did not sign up to deal with this brat ]

[andjerry]

[look he's freaking out too, just. internally.]

I don't think it's going to be that simple...

[quadjumps]

Yeah? Got any better ideas?

[andjerry]

[kids hate the police, so that can't be helping; Yuri's already defeated him]

I think we should see why we're here first.

[quadjumps]

There's a meeting or something happening in an hour, isn't there? Guess we'll find out then.

For now, I'm guessing that this is all some kind of experiment.

[andjerry]

Like Stanford Prison. That's... I don't think it's a good sign.

[quadjumps]

It has to be. What other reason would they make up some kind of rule like "murder someone and get away with it to go home"?

[andjerry]

Is it real? Scientists use a lot of fiction in thought experiments. If their subjects think it's real, it's as good as if it is.

[quadjumps]

Someone here's bound to take it seriously. People have reasons for wanting to go home; we might be good as dead.

[andjerry]

No. They can't let it happen. [you're so vehement it's starting to persuade him a little]

They probably... want to see if we still trust each other.

[quadjumps]

Well I sure as hell don't trust anyone here.

[ does that mean yuri's going to kill? no. (at least, not yet.) just that he doesn't trust that no one would come after him. ]

[andjerry]

[you know what, Yuri? good call. sometimes the people you trust the most are the ones who are least trustworthy.]

I don't know if we can, either.

[quadjumps]

[ FINALLY. someone who gets it!! ]

No. Not when they're trying to encourage everyone to kill each other. There's no room for that kind of shit.

[andjerry]

If we start acting like we don't, though... someone's going to do it. They won't think they have anything to lose.

[quadjumps]

So what are we supposed to do, then? Get all buddy-buddy with potential murderers?

[andjerry]

No. [oh god]. But don't you have to keep your enemies close?

[quadjumps]

That's bullshit. Enemies are enemies; they don't deserve any of my time.

[andjerry]

You don't want to spend time around them, of course not, but...

[quadjumps]

Strategically it's the smarter thing to do. Yeah, yeah. I already know.

[andjerry]

I'm not thinking about strategy. This isn't something we "win". If someone starts killing, we all lose.

[quadjumps]

The way we "win" is by figuring out how to escape from this shithole. I'm not staying here forever, but I'm not gonna kill anyone, either. That's stupid and only a real jackass would stoop that low.

[andjerry]

I hope we don't get that desperate.