001; video

[not_really_charlie]

 …Hi. [Crap.]  Is anybody there? I mean there’s a camera and a phone and a weird city, so you’d think somebody would be there, right?  

 

I’m Charlie; I guess I’ve been kidnapped?  Or I guess we’ve all sort of been. Kidnapped; which is just weird. I mean what sort of douchebag does that, but… [Stop talking, Charlie; stop talking.]

Comments

voice;

[turbo_boost]

Please, do your best to stay calm. Going home is not a possibility at the moment, so is there any questions you'd like to have answered?

voice;

[not_really_charlie]

Other than what the frak is going on here?

voice;

[turbo_boost]

You have been displaced from your home universe by a machine, which has also given you powers you may have not previously possessed. The general purpose seems to be to become heroes, but you are free to do as you wish in that regard.

If you have the patience for them, we also have explanatory pamphlets.

voice;

[not_really_charlie]

Wait; back up a second. I have super powers?

[turbo_boost]

Indeed. They manifest themselves in different ways, but we all do.

[not_really_charlie]

Wow.

What's yours?

[turbo_boost]

I was originally an AI installed in a Trans Am - my power is turning back into a vehicle.

[not_really_charlie]

You turn into a car? That is... epic actually.

[turbo_boost]

My ability to turn into such a fine piece of technology is rather impressive, yes.

[not_really_charlie]

[Bragging? Not so epic. She rolls her eyes a little.] So you just drive around town all day?

[turbo_boost]

Being a car does't mean I have an specific preference towards driving.

[ a beat ]

To answer your question, no, I don't. I need both intend and instructions from another person to use it.

[not_really_charlie]

You need a driver?

[turbo_boost]

I would be more effective with one.

[not_really_charlie]

[Because that's not creepy, or anything.] How's that work?

[turbo_boost]

Well, for one, I would have someone available to activate my powers. Other than that, I was programmed to help people, and despite the many advantages of my design there are situations under which the human form is preferable.

[not_really_charlie]

I meant the whole getting a driver thing. I thought dating was hard.

[turbo_boost]

Ah, well - having a driver is a professional commitment rather than an emotional attachment.

[text]

[catcherintherye]

She's an artificial intelligence with an unknown purpose. We don't know why she kidnapped all of us beyond what she's revealed, but she isn't very polite about it at all. She's quite uppity and I don't like her attitude one bit, if you really want to hear about it. But you should be careful what you say about her because she's always here on the network and since her attitude really bad she doesn't mind doing terrible things to people like that.

[text]

[not_really_charlie]

Wait... She's an AI? As in a computer?

[So. She can be hacked? Maybe? Dang it, she can't ask on the network can she...]

[adventureboner]

Yup! There's plenty of us here, so no worries about that! I guess the robo lady brought you in with the rest of us, huh? Or, most of the rest of us! Anywho, the name's Jake English.

[not_really_charlie]

What do you mean most? [Were some people always there?]

[adventureboner]

Yup!! There are some folks who are part of this work! Or, they've just always been here. It's sort of just us folks who are zipped off to world unknown to do whatever it is we do here.

[not_really_charlie]

Yeah; I heard about the whole heroing thing.

[adventureboner]

Yup! It's not so bad around here, so I wouldn't let folks convince you otherwise!! I guess the only real bummer is you're cut off from home.

[not_really_charlie]

Not an issue. [For better or worse, she's cut off contacts anyhow.]

[adventureboner]

That so? Well, I suppose that's alrightl, then.

[not_really_charlie]

So how long's this last? A day? A year? What?

[Permavoice]

[dogwitch]

Said douchebag would be named Lachesis. She's the AI that runs the 'porter. You could take it all up with her but she doesn't listen.

That aside, welcome to the City! Which is kinda empty at the moment because most of the heroes and villains are all off busy have a vacay in Venezuela!

[not_really_charlie]

Venezuela? Why would they go to Venezuela?

[dogwitch]

Oh, there's this biiiiig festival going on to celebrate imPorts and let them share their stories and stuff like that. Y'know, to show the world we're not a big threat.

[not_really_charlie]

You mean... us? I'm not dangerous. I don't think.

[dogwitch]

Yup. We are the imPorts. And well, not all of us are dangerous but the rest of the world thinks we are.

[not_really_charlie]

Yeah; because getting randomly kidnapped makes us horrible?

[dogwitch]

Oh! It's not because we've been kidnapped it's because Lachesis gives us superpowers when she brings us here. Well...you get superpowers if you didn't have them before.

[not_really_charlie]

I don't even know what mine is yet.

[dogwitch]

You might not for a while. They sometimes take a little time to show up or you might just have something you're not aware of until much later.

[not_really_charlie]

So what's yours?

[dogwitch]

Dominion of space and all things in it.

[not_really_charlie]

As in outer space?

[dogwitch]

Well that is included. But no I mean space. As in everything around us.

[not_really_charlie]

Wow. sounds... impressive.

[dogwitch]

It can be.

[not_really_charlie]

I don't even know what I can do yet.

[dogwitch]

Give it time. You'll know when you know!

[not_really_charlie]

Easy for you to say.