Welcome to the Program

[airlockedmods]

[Each Champion is awoken by an alarm ringing from a machine attached to their non-dominant arm. Whatever they were doing, whatever state they were in, they're in a bed now, in good health. And maybe a bit different since the last time they looked in a mirror.

There's a text note on the device attached to their arms.]

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

[Your surroundings look like your normal everyday space mall. But if you look at the functions of the device on your arm, there's Not-so-familiar profiles, some rules, and a mini-map that'll show you the layout of the mall.

You are free to explore at your leisure...For an hour, at least.]

Comments

[daughterofthemark]

[Wh...at are you talking about]

I awoke here a moment ago.

[ratherdoweddings]

It's the same with me. Looks like it's that way for everyone else, too. Maybe that artifact acted up...

[daughterofthemark]

Artifact?

[...she has been dealing with weird ancient stuff lately.]

[ratherdoweddings]

Right! The last thing I remember, two different sides were fighting over an ancient artifact, and we tried to destroy it and ended up just stealing it from both of them.

[daughterofthemark]

...oh.

[why fight]

And you believe it may have brought you here?

[ratherdoweddings]

[to stop war!]

It could have, but that doesn't explain everybody else. Unless the Jovians have been doing something we're not aware of, the people who can survive those jumps without help are in the single digits.

[daughterofthemark]

I see. [This time she actually does get the gist of it.] So only you should have been affected?

[ratherdoweddings]

Unless there's a lot going on I didn't know about, but... hmm. Either way, I think there are too many gaps to go with that as a workable theory.

[daughterofthemark]

My own situation offers few alternatives. I suppose there could have been geomagnetic energy that sent me here, but to draw in people from elsewhere?

[ratherdoweddings]

Right, that would only apply to whatever certain place you already were, and I haven't heard of it teleporting people like that.

[daughterofthemark]

...could everyone have been brought here by different means? It seems unlikely, but if there is no one method that would affect us all...

[ratherdoweddings]

It's probably more likely that our captors have something none of us thought of.

[daughterofthemark]

I would not be surprised. There seems to be much here I do not understand.

[ratherdoweddings]

Maybe I can help! What's the first thing that you don't recognize?

[daughterofthemark]

[Arianna helplessly looks around, and gestures to RoombaVille.]

[ratherdoweddings]

Oh, those are cleaning robots! You've never seen one before? Don't worry, they're simple. You just give them a routine and they'll vacuum for you so you don't have to sweep.

[daughterofthemark]

So... they perform the work of sweeping on their own? How do they hold the brooms?

[ratherdoweddings]

They've got little swirling things inside them that suck up the dirt and things like that! Then you'd just have to clean them out every so often.

[daughterofthemark]

My, how clever! Like a broom and dustpan in one!

[ratherdoweddings]

A little! I don't know how society got by without them.

[daughterofthemark]

And I cannot say I ever realized there was a need for such things. It is fascinating how quickly things can change.

[ratherdoweddings]

Advancement's never done, is it? People will always keep inventing ways to make life easier.

[daughterofthemark]

Indeed! For instance, I never knew this until recently, but explorers have an item called an Ariadne Thread that allows them to instantly return to town.

[ratherdoweddings]

Wow, really? That must be so convenient! We don't have something like that back home -- and it works for everybody?

[daughterofthemark]

It does! I have used it myself on occasion. It is most useful when one finds oneself wandering, lost.