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

[photoshooter]

What are those?

[andjerry]

[He could handle the shock of waking up to a monitor shocking him when he tries to pull it off, is still standing instead of panicking at being in a suspiciously sterile hallway, can manage people knowing far too much about him, but a nervous young man asking him what deer and bears are: this is what breaks him. He laughs, eyes wide, and shakes his head like everything's crashing down around him... but Prompto's earnestness makes him realize-]

...you're not making a joke.

[photoshooter]

[Thomas, buddy.]

Uhhh, no. I know I'm the joker type, but this doesn't really seem like the moment? You okay, man?

[andjerry]

[all right he's losing it a little here; he isn't going to acknowledge it]

Sorry... You've really never seen a bear? [maybe this will anchor him] They're massive, big brown shaggy things that eat whatever they can find. If you stay out of their way, they won't bother you, but not everyone tries to do that.

[photoshooter]

[Big, brown, shaggy, won't bother you if you leave them alone...]

You mean garulas? I've seen tons of garulas, they're all over the plains.

[andjerry]

...not quite. They're not peaceful like a buffalo. [garula is a northern wastes word for buffalo right] They can smell food for miles, and if you're between its fangs and your cooler when you're out camping... [he winces]

It's so strange to be talking about bears like they're an exotic species when we should be, well... [he waves a hand. "doing something about this", maybe?]

[photoshooter]

Oh, uh, right.

[???

Are they not an exotic species? Prompto's been all over the place, and he's literally never heard of them. It's not like he's a wildlife expert--he prefers cute, domesticated pets--but you'd think he'd at least recognize the name.]

I haven't found anything that looks like a way out yet, but there's still places we can't get into. So maybe it's there?

[andjerry]

[and as they both try to move past that cultural insensitivity...]

It might be. The announcement might explain what's happening, but if we leave first...

[photoshooter]

[He nods.]

If we leave first, it doesn't matter what's happening.

[andjerry]

No. [And as he heads a step or two around the corner, he sees space through a window for the first time and stops.]

I think it's going to be a lot harder...

[photoshooter]

[Prompto peers around Thomas and stops in his tracks as well.]

...You know what, dude, I'm just gonna go back to bed.

[This! Is not fun!]

[andjerry]

[this is terrifying!!!]

We're in a lot of trouble. I don't know what you have to get back to, but...

[photoshooter]

[Wordless gesture at the window!]

Definitely not that!

[andjerry]

No, not that. But we've both got to get back to somewhere...

[photoshooter]

Yeah, but I don't think I can call a rental chocobo to ride home in outer space!

[andjerry]

No, I don't mean that! I think we're stuck with... the announcement.

[What does it mean if he's this far away? What happens back home? He has a murder investigation to support and grieving family to support and potential victims to keep safe- but he has to get out before he can think about that, and he wraps his arms around himself as if to literally hold it together.]

When we find out, we can figure out what's next.

[photoshooter]

I... I guess so.

[Can't he just go back to that room he woke up in and hide under the covers, at least for a little while?]

It's probably not going to be anything good, though.

[andjerry]

No... it really isn't.