The Failed Jump

“P-Please… No…” A scared woman backed up against the dirty, slightly damp wall of the back alley she had hidden in. She had thought it was secluded enough to effectively make her invisible to the creatures, however it proved futile as she was now staring down the shapeless monstrosity that would surely be her end. Tears rolled down her cheeks as the beast grew closer. The thing only gurgled a merger apology as it drew nearer.

The woman clenched her eyes shut and prepared for the end, only for a loud gunshot to force her eyes open again. She let out a horrified shriek as the limp mass of flesh fell onto her, drenching her in it’s sickly yellow blood.


The man removed his helmet for a moment and regarded the woman who’s hysterics only grew as she scrambled to push the creature off her. He shook his head and continued on his way, nothing he could do here. The entire night had been like this, not just for him, but for the whole of the Junction Police Department. He had lost track of how many of these things he had killed by now, not many of them went down as easily as that one had. When the night started his team was seven strong, now it was just him. Despite how bleak this all seemed, at least from the reports he was getting from other squads, things were finally under control. A small buzzing in his right ear spiked his interest however.

“Attention all units, attention all units. Several citizens seem to be displaying a secondary form of mutation. No standard has yet been seen on how these mutations affect the individuals, however this secondary mutation seems to not affect cognitive or physical stability and is being used to fight against those infected with the primary mutation. Be advised, those shown with the secondary mutation are to be treated as allies. Top brass has dubbed these individuals “Seekers”. You’re new orders are to support the Seeker’s at all costs. Over” The man listened intently to the message and grimaced.

“What the hell is going on!?” he shouted as he readied his rifle for the next encounter. “First fucking mutants now we’re supporting civilians? What the hell is this world… This city...” The officer frowned as another cry of fear could be heard nearby. Without a second thought he rushed off to try and do his part.




“These so called Seeker’s are Junction’s only hope now.” Annabelle’s cold stare froze the rest of the room. The Governing Council sat quietly as she kept her eyes fixed on the book in front of her, the number fourteen written in brilliant gold decorates the front. ”They are out there, whether by choice or not, risking their lives to kill these things. They have the potential to do so. To stop all of this. If they are willing to help us, we need them. Any who disagree are welcome to stand up, leave, and go out there into that mess to find a different solution if you wish.” She waited for a moment, her stern yet understanding eyes panned her fellow council members whom remained still.

“I thought no-” Annabelle began only to be sharply interrupted by one of her advisors.

“How can you be so sure of this? You knew this was coming didn’t you! Admit it!” he shouted standing to his full height, a tall imposing man made seemingly out of tightly bound string.

“That is not the concern of this meeting. Nor should it matter at this time. All that matters is that we push forward in accordance to the strategy I have laid out. Now. Shall we start the official vote?” Her uncommon icy gaze chilled those in the room to their core. Annabelle knew when she had to be strict to help her people, though he cold hard sternness of the situation compared to her usual self was extremely unnerving. And thus the voting begun.



The wind of the new world whipped through his coat, sending a shiver through his bones. He waited here patiently for news of the operation's success or failure. It had been several hours since the jump, and had all gone according to plan he should be hearing from his plants any second-

“Hm?” his attention was perked as a small vibration in his pocket signified he was getting a call. He waited for his ringtone to get to the good part before answering. “Yo…”

“It’s done. I kept watch over them all. A few of them tried to kill each other and I had to be the buzz kill and stop it… Don’t worry though, everyone made it out in the end.” The twin voices on the other end made him smile slightly and let out a chuckle.

“That’s to be expected… From here on out it’s all on them, we did what we could.” He said with a hardly contained chuckle.

“Yeah, I know. Just don’t forget our deal, Traveler.” The Being’s voice grew slightly sharper with each word.

“Wouldn’t dream of it… You’ve done well, do what you need to.” The Traveler didn’t bother to wait for a goodbye, he knew it would only bring more yelling, something he didn’t need at the moment. The night, and by extension the festival, was drawing to a close. It was time to begin his next steps.

And the Traveler was gone.



One thing all worlds share in common, is the passage of time… The morning after the Failed Jump as it had been deemed by the general public, was a difficult one. The City of Junction had faced its most harrowing trial and survived, but not without casualties. Between the loss of life to the Corrupted, and the Corrupted themselves, well over one hundred thousand lives were lost that night… Had it not been for the speedy response of the Junction Police Department, the loss may have been much greater. Between the overwhelming power of the JPD and the newly awakened power of the Seekers, the Corrupted threat was all but eliminated. At least on the surface, who knows what lurks in the unexplored and abandoned catacombs of Junction...  Yet, life goes on. The loss of life was not the only effect of the Failed Jump. Mass looting in the wake of the tragedy pushed some smaller business to the brink of failure and would have spelled doom for much of Commercial ward had it not been for the intervention of Toha Heavy Industries, who offered to pay for all lost revenue and damage. Allowing life to go on for now.

Objectively… Compared to a population of approximately ten million registered citizens, the loss of a mere one percent didn’t seem to affect much. However, to the hearts and minds of the civilians themselves, the loss echoed deep. The next few days were spent in mourning, anger, and confusion. What had happened and how were they so unprepared for it? Some zealots had begun taking the streets of Commercial Ward to preach of the end times. That this world was the one that Junction had been intended to visit, that the corruption was the only path to salvation and we were fools to reject it. Others simply claim that this was an inevitability of chance. That one day Junction was doomed to randomly stumble into a world they could not handle… Yet none of this could be confirmed yet as Junction had yet to lower its projective dome, which had been activated to both keep whatever was out there out, and the Corrupted in.

However, today, a mere seven days since the Failed Jump, the governing body of Junction has announced that the barrier shall be disabled and the exploration of this new world “Permanence” shall begin.

“But what of the messages from the Fungeon?” The people ask. “What of the Seeker’s and the Traveler?” They’d whisper in hushed voices. “What of him” Their murmurs lost on those who had no answers. Rumors start to spread of the power of persona or of the power of Ego. Of the ones who displayed powers far beyond any organic ability ever displayed by any species who calls Junction home. Rumors of who the Seeker’s are and what they seek begin to circulate, some saying they caused the failed jump, some say they’re the native species of Permanence. Rumors of the Blue gates and red doors that appeared shortly after the jump, of the people who seem to disappear through them for hours at a time.

As for the seekers themselves, no word from the one known as the Traveler, no contact from the Velvet room or the Red Broadcast unless they seeked it out. They were alone unless they sought to change that… Cinder’s presence could be felt by those she’d met, watching from the shadows. Dime’s creations could feel him in their blood, and those whose minds were now host to the fungus could feel the craving for more. The ones who tame the dark would become astutely aware of their coordinator's abilities, and the Demonic would feel something pulling them down, to the very depths of Junction’s Under.


(You are now free to explore Junction in it’s entirety, if you wish to venture into the Under, meet with Gate, missions from the people of Junction calling out for help from the Seekers will soon be posted in the CWIS System message boards. If you wish to investigate a particular section of Junction or simply explore, PM Jack with the details of what you wish to do and it will be set up. Please wait until the first set of missions are posted before doing so. To those of you in awakenings still,do not worry, you will be allowed to finish your awakening but need to do so before you can start another event.)