THE FRACTURED WORLD: ARRIVAL

[modormenace]

 

A

rrival for some goes all but unnoticed. It's a sudden shiver, the sensation of being watched... and then nothing at all. Life continues serenely as it always has. The only indication of any change comes with sleep, wrapped in dreams: vague and distant echo imagery of another life, melting away in the morning.

 

F

or others, arrival is a sharp jolt. In the space of a single blink, they find themselves in an unfamiliar world, surrounded by the trappings of a life they have not lived. They are replacements, spirits taking possession of bodies belonging to people very much like themselves...

 

A

nd for the rest, arrival is a procedure. Routine. Those ported in to the Fractured World wake hazily in the comfortably dim light of the Porter room, laid out on an exam table. Their wounds, if they remember having any, have been healed— and even those who remember their own deaths find themselves miraculously restored. As they regain consciousness, an automatic audio-visual presentation is triggered. Regardless of their backgrounds or physiology, all imPorts 'see' and 'hear' this message as if in their own language:

"Greetings, imPort."

The voice is calm and gently authoritative, almost certainly selected by committee.

"On behalf of the Synod and all imPorts it represents, we welcome you to the planet Earth."

A decidedly non-humanoid robotic arm holds out a palm-sized device and rather insistently demands the new arrival take it. This is the imPort's comm, used for accessing the Porter's database of information, as well as the communications Network— though it won't receive communications from outside the Porter building until carried through one of the many Gates set up in a long, crescent-shaped array on the far side of the room.

As each Gate is approached, information about the faction it leads to flashes up on the comm device's screen. Which will you choose?

THE WHITE TOWER SANCTUM AURORAE KRAKOA HOUSE OF M EMPIRE OF LIGHT EQUALITY BEFORE LAW THE TWIN CITIES OLIN VALE EDEN SEEKERS OF THE NEW DAWN NORTHWESTERN IMPERIUM GREEN PIECE MAD BURNISH LUMINARY

Comments

II

[helixian]

[ Meg optimised the word wallflower. She prided herself on being able to blend in. She was not expecting to be attacked by cameras. ]

Uh... Yeah, actually that would be great. Do they always do this?

[ Meg was still watching the press warily ]

[houseparty]

Often enough to be predictable.

( She might be watching the press, but he's watching her so briefly, a sideways glance while he escorts her away through the parting crowd. ) It's Meg, isn't it?

[helixian]

[ Meg grinned, making a small mmmm sound, agreeing with Tony. ]

Maybe. depends who wants to know?

[He gets an eyebrow arch. A girl can never be too careful. ]

[houseparty]

Your Chancellor, ( he told her smoothly, happy to play along, of course. )

[helixian]

( Okay, so he was the big wig... fantastic. Maybe if Felicity played her cards right she would find something of use. First of all, she wasn't Felicity, she was Meg, and she better start acting like it or well she didn't want to think about that.

She plucked a glass of Champagne of a tray acting like she was considering Tony's words, but she was using the moment to ground herself. When her eyes returned to Tony, she gave him a small smirk.)

Should I be worried that you know my name? A girl like me just can't have information like that floating around willy nilly. Or maybe I'll be impressed.

[This was said coyly, with a flash of a grin, before she morphed into serious mode. ]

So, Mr. Chancellor, is my name all you know?