Bedouin Tracks [Domiona Travel - Cadets]

As much as the Princess tried to seem upbeat, she seemed a little deflated by the reply. Tediore LLC., she remembered walking through such an eccentric weapons R&D facility. They did seem to be quite a decent amount of weapons designed that interested her and even Julius, but their managing supervisor had some... radical ideas. It was almost uncomfortable trying to talk through the many explosions that hummed through the walls that were supposed to be sound-proofed. It made her wonder how any of the employees there never lost their hearing.

As the conversation went on, Maria seemed to tune most of it out from a lack of interest. She was staring out of the window, letting the desolation fill her sight. So much death and so much destruction, it eerily reminded her of the Divide. Rarely any place in Endymion brought such horrid and painful memories like the outside world. How much of the destruction spread? How much of it was left to have it sink in?

As she was drinking in the view, Maria's ears perked up at the sound of scraping in the booth. Her eyes flitted towards Isaac's direction where it was coming from. He seemed to be carving something, probably to pass the time as the train had quite a long way to go. At one point, the Cadet would've been satisfied enough to watch and wait to see what his craft would produce. But at another, her curiosity won her over.

Isaac had almost completely tuned out the conversation that the princess and the robot were having. Something about a research facility. Isaac still was trying to find something in the conversation to pique his interest, but found it impossible. It wasn't until he felt eyes on him that he glanced up, and saw Maria looking at him. He gave her an easy smile and continued with his work.

"What are you making there, Isaac?"

The smile froze on Isaac's face. He hadn't expected her to ask him so bluntly. He probably should have, really, but.. "Oh this? This is..." It took him a moment to consider his options. Option A was to lie. But Isaac didn't lie so that was right out of the question. Option B was to down play it, or redirect the conversation to something else. Isaac had never been much good at that. He didn't really want to ruin the surprise though..."It's a gift for someone, actually." He replied confidently, after a moment's deliberation, trying to make it look like it had just taken him a moment to register her words. That happened sometimes when he was working like this, after all.

She had certainly taken his initial words... A lot better than what his first impression of the other had led him to expect. The albino had little to say further on his apology, or his explanation to his actions. Frankly, he was getting a bit nervous at her initial silence, so when she did start speaking, what she said came as something of a surprise. His expression softened somewhat. She was right, every word of it. He never really thought about the matter from that perspective, but she was right, he wasn't the only victim.

As much as his initial opinion of the female made the youth hesitant to agree, he'd be a liar and a fool to do so. A liar he might be at times, knowingly, but a fool, he at least liked to think he was not. So, he offered a nod, albeit a fairly stiff one, accompanied by a low "You're right."

What came next though, surprised him. As he finally got some answer to the... severity of his folly. Not very, so she said, and one could see the massive sense of relief that the young man did not try to hide, going so far as to sigh in relief. Though he quickly let that show of emotion pass, standing up straight again. "Your answer and your advice are both immensely appreciated. And I honestly mean it when I say that." Gozai would speak, accenting his words with a heartier nod this time. "You are correct, I should offer up apology and explanation, and that is my intention." With that said, he'd step over to the door, opening it partially before turning his head slgihtly to face the female.

"Will you be stepping in as well, or would you like to stay out and... Enjoy the scenery a little more?" The sarcasm in his voice was evident with the last bit, albeit in a rare case for him, it seemed more good-natured than anything.

Shockingly enough Kurosoko listened to her advice and would promise to heed it. Susan had become so used to her advisory being written off as nagging or background white noise so little did people listen to her outside of missions, so it was a pleasant surprise. At least a handful of individuals would could appreciate a solemn survey over the situation and an appropriate course of action.
"Oh I often am," she smirked away from the younger Cadet at his insistence that she was correct, though it could be heard in her voice. She slowly turned as he began moving, thanking her for her input. Her face was very neutral, perhaps slightly piercing though she was never very good at smiling to show good faith.
"You are very welcome, I am happy to help. When you do appologize be certain in it. It shows you understand what you are appologizing for and are sincere. It makes a world of difference."

Gozai stopped at the door and joked darkly. But he happened to be correct even if on accident. She didn't have much intention of going inside quite yet. Susan was calm but it was difficult for her to think in a crowded train car, with the nearly assured constant rush and inevitable dog and pony show of meeting with the King of Domiona ahead of them she would like to squeeze in all the alone time she could. There would not be very much of it. Besides, what was a wasteland to many, some nondescript deserted area, was once a place she had seen and been. Teeming with life and greenery back in the day.
"I believe I'll stay out here just a while longer..." she folded her arms, "I'm dating myself a little but I was in my 20's when the Divide had happened, not so young that it's a distant memory or hazy in anyway, or that the world I knew before is that far away. ...I haven't seen outside the walls in nearly 3 years, I'd like to see what has become of what I knew before, places that I've been. Say goodbye, in a sense..." A certain tightness gripped her chest. It was difficult to place but she could place what she felt: longing. A sort of homesickness. To see the world as it was before, where she was still a hopeful undergrad with her future ahead of her. Yet she was on the clock, and wouldn't be wistful for long.
"Besides, I'm not completely innocent myself. I'm a little aggravated at the moment, I won't say at who or why but I would like at least a minute or two alone to find my center and focus on the task at hand. Please, if anyone inquires about me tell them I was feeling a little cramped and needed to stretch my legs."

Susan would leave Kurosoko to his devices, re-entering the train car or what have you and sidled against a railing with her back to the sun. She slid her hands in her pockets as she relaxed and let her blank eyes run over the quickly passing scenery. And she remembered what it was like before the worst happened and everything changed, when the future became uncertain and extinction became a promise. She could imagine the roads clogged with traffic and the old billboards they passed, even what was on the radio back then. 106.3 The Curb and the dumb little radio talk shows they would have with phony guest stars and crank callers. And all of it was gone. Even if humanity could take back the night and their surroundings she doubted life would ever be the same but that was how it went at times. The past has ended already, the future was still there to shape and decide. The short woman sighed and let the moment wash over her, fantasizing about... honestly picking an unoccupied corner in the Starbucks and studying so she could have easy access to good coffee. The noise there was pretty drowning, she wore earphones back then. Overall it was a happier memory. Susan pushed off the railing to head inside. She could forget her predispositions for a time.


The older woman gingerly opened the door to the car and stepped inside, closing it behind her just as carefully. "Sorry for taking a little longer than I should have. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to stand, we'll likely be sitting for some time." She took her seat looking much more relaxed now away from the heat and having worked through what she had against specific gregarious children who spoke their minds. But she buried her nose back into her tablet, only commenting to make light conversation and pretend that she liked doing such things so she could return to studying the upcoming meeting while everyone else chatted cordially around her.
"...I believe we've passed Chillicothe. I noticed some barren trees along the way, I do remember the parks that used to be there."

"I couldn't tell you, but the last time I was there I still remember hearing a few explosions." He admitted. He didn't hear much in his glorified broom closet, but he knew the sounds of explosions when he heard them. "I haven't been back there for a while now. My creator doesn't work for them anymore, and I haven't had much time to visit, with how busy things have been. I've only awakened recently, but I feel like I gained a lot of valuable combat experience." Jackie admitted. Perhaps the most valuable lesson of all was also one that was good to learn early. Never get too over-confident, because that was when things went south. "I think Tediore's gotten a bit better though! It was only one explosion an hour instead of a series of them, after all!"

the albino would look at the older woman for a a moment before nodding. After a small pause, he would follow up with an "Alright. I'll let them know if they ask." It was... Strange, talking to this woman. It was one of those rare times when he had not been constantly considering what it was he might possibly gain from the situation. He'd gotten into this conversation unwillingly, had been hesitant to continue taking part in it much of the way, and in the end had come out of it with a valuable piece of advice. But at the same time, he could see that she too was hurting, that they had something, perhaps more than one thing, in common. As he stepped back into the car, Gozai found himself exiting the open air with a newfound sense of respect for someone.

He honestly did not expect that to be a thing when he got out of bed this morning.

Off course, as nice as that was, it didn't change the fact that what had to come next was something he was NOT looking forward to. The walk to the booth wasn't a long one, but it certainly felt quite the contrary, ever step of the way the young man had to psyche himself up for what he'd have to do... Swallow his pride and apologize. Just the thought irked him, every step felt a bit heavier than the last, but at the same time the thought of what might happen if he DIDN'T do it... He couldn't help but feel a shiver run down his spine at the thought.

Finally, at the door, he would knock on the doorframe twice, before opening the door, and stepping into the doorway, but stopping there. That done, he would lower himself down onto one knee and bow his head. "Your Majesty..." Gozai began, the words almost getting caught in his throat. "I wish to offer my sincerest apologies for my actions. I will not attempt to excuse my actions, I admit I lost control. And I acknowledge that the way I acted was completely inappropriate for someone of my position." The one hand on his knee would probably be going pale at the knuckles, if he wasn't already so pale.

"I promise to not let it happen again. But should your Majesty believe my continued presence could risk jeopardizing the mission, otherwise sees myself as unfit for this task, or wishes to place any other consequences on myself, then I will accept this without question." It almost hurt to say,  but he kept his head bowed, trying his best to keep himself from shaking as he recited these words. It wasn't easy.

Maria cocked her head to the side in confusion at his apparent hesitation. It was rather odd the fairly confident Isaac would find himself stalling. But he seemed to be making something for somebody and probably was better off left alone. "I see... That's nice, I actually didn't know you could carve. You do it as a hobby?"

"I'm just glad they've been making some waves for safety. It just would be a shame if they end up getting indicted for any unfortunate mishaps." Serenity sighed with some relief at this. Though she seemed to raise an intrigued eyebrow as the A.S.S.W. shared much more about themselves. "Interesting... What would your creator's name be? I recall many of the projects tend to be a collaborative effort, did they handle your maintenance alone?"

She doubted there were a lot of individuals who could be trusted to handle the entire process by themselves nowadays. These things cost potentially in the hundred thousands or even millions. Such a project would cause such trepidation in an individual person to be responsible for the amount of expensive equipment and funding. But there were a scant few who had the skills and even the confidence to man the effort.

Before either Serenity or Maria could indulge even further in their respective topics, the sound of the door shuttering open caught her attention. The albino returned, he seemed more compliant and composed than last time to the satisfaction of their Princess. Though she seemed remarkably uncomfortable at the show of subservience.



The sudden sound of metal groaning and shrieking filled the air. The cacophony was loud enough for the occupants in the royal car to hear. Suddenly came the lurching and the violent shaking as the train began to be derailed off its tracks. The force of the derailment was enough to cause anyone standing to lose their footing or even their seat and perhaps collapse to wherever gravity would desire though wherever they end up wouldn't be life-threatening or physically debilitating enough. Maria, if the knife managed to slip from Isaac's hand, would smack it away from anyone before allowing the blade to sink deep into ceiling to prevent anyone from being harmed. Though the Cadet would violently be smacked against the window, causing the glass to procure a small crack from the sheer force of her shoulder hurtling against the transparent surface before her body would collapse down against the floor. A wide cloud of dust filled the windows as the train hurtled off its path into the barren earth. More screeching followed after with the damning sound of crashes happening outside... until there was silence and no movement. The lights were off, shuttered to dimness from the crash.


Maria barked out as she gingerly pressed a hand against her painful shoulder. She noticed nothing was broken, but it was going to bruise a little. Nothing the Cadet couldn't handle. Even if she was still operable, the others were another thing entirely. The Princess gave a grunt while waving away any concerns with her hand to show she was fine and unharmed while nursing what seemed to be the side of her head. With the cue given, the lead Cadet moved quickly as she darted her attention to Susan while getting up to her feet. "Susan, what's your situation? Can you set up our communications right now? We'll need to check outside, the conductor is not saying anything."


As the dust continued to surround the long line of derailed and toppled trains, out in the distance came a stirring. The creatures that inhabited the long forgotten buildings were sifting curiously as their eyes began to land on the accident. But, they weren't the only ones interested in this unfortunate disaster. A pair of eyes watched the destructive result with interest... and with ambition.

Isaac smiled at Maria's response. He wanted to say something like "just wait and see" but that would give it away, so he'd bite his tongue for now. Instead, he focused on her follow-up question, smiling at her easily. "Yeah, I've been doin this since I was in boyscouts years before the Divide. You know, back when Boyscouts were a thing." He shrugged, looking out the window.

When Kurosuko came back and appologized, Isaac found himself both sympathetic and respect. It took guts to admit you were wrong like that, even if all he'd done was display a bit of undue emotion. Isaac couldn't have even blamed him anyway. But it made Isaac think about his own actions. Not their intention, but their impact. He folded the knife on his knee and turned to Susan, but before he could even open his mouth there was a terrible screeching sound, and the entire car shook. He dug his heels in and pressed hard against the wall to keep from flying out of his seat, but with not enough to hold onto he found himself propelled forward and upward, but caught himself on the metal rack overhead that was supposed to carry small bags and things. In this instant, he'd wished his sword was up there. Another crash had him torn loose of the overhead rack. Or rather, the rack couldn't support his weight and he falled to the floor between the seats.

As the dust settled in obscuring plumes outside the window, Isaac quickly pushed himself to his feet. He gave a cursory glance around before darting through the doorway, careful not to step over anyone who was on the floor. He didn't have healing skills. He didn't have any skills right now. And Maria probably didn't either. He Swung around the sliding door, now left ajar from the crash, and opened the other compartment where their weapons had been stored. There were other effects in there, but without knowing what was what or who's, All he knew were needed for sure were these. He Hefted Grigori onto his back, and uncerimoniously picked up the coffin in which Maria carried her weapon. He carried it as deftly as he could over to the door and stood at the doorway, finally speaking now that he had fixed what he saw as the biggest initial problem in the situation: Their defensibility.

"Here, Maria." He would either offer the coffin to her with both hands if she was close enough. "Sabotage it is then, I guess. Is everyone alright? What are our orders?" He had a few ideas about what they should do, but he wasn't about to break rank now, given the circumstances. He was sure Maria and Susan would come up with a better plan than him leastwise.

Skills:

Combat Strengths/weaknesses:

Exactly has she had wanted, no one was interested in her passing remark about where they were or might be in the old world. Which was fine with Susan, she was content enough to passively listen to conversation and not be spoken to about anything. In the midst of brushing up on old state history for a wider range of colloquialisms and on little studies about the lexicon, she'd started Fruit Ninja at some point. All work and no play made the mind weary and it would occupy her with something marginally non-stressful, at least for a time. Susan did not get far into her game.


Time froze for a moment in between the sound of crunching metal hitting her ears and the jolt of the car. Susan did not understand it right away until it was happening but she knew immediately in that split second what was about to befall her:

Danger.


The short woman yelled and was thrown to the ground with the lurch of the car. As the luxury coach heaved and tossed and debris was thrown along with bodies Susan curled up and covered her head, letting lose with a sharp scream in the midst of the chaos.
"AAAAAAIIIIIIEEEEEE...!!"
As the train car heaved and writhed she tucked into herself and prayed as hard as she could that this wouldn't be it. Multiple bodies lay on top of her as she twitched and sniveled, her body was bruised, even as everyone else sprung to their feet and into action she was hesitant to leave the safety of the floor. Maria was quick to gain control of the situation but Susan was much less so, whining and wishing she was somewhere else.
I'mgoingtodieI'mgoingtodieI'mgoingtodieI'mgoingtodieI'mgoingtodie
It would take her more than a moment but she would slowly recover, the paranoid thoughts of death needling into her brain as anxiety gripped her mind and she sat upright.
"I-I-I-I....! I-I-I don't know....! J-j-just let me think, I-I need to think...!"

Character Weakness:

She stood and held her arm, shrinking against the cracked glass as her mind struggled to process. Her eyes were wet, on the verge of tears and her mouth was quickly moving as she muttered silently to herself. Words of affirmation, fears, events, plans, things to calm herself, prayers, a quiet soup of anxious clawing for some sort of control over the situation. Terrified eyes glanced around the room as the businesswoman fought to break out of her terror. Isaac's initiative managed to get her brain moving quickly enough to jump start it.
"U-u-ummm... A-a-assess... A-assess damage to personnel. U-u-ummm, f-first a-aid, Boy Scouts, F-Fairweather this will be y-your job..." She sounded unsure starting out but the wheels began to spin quickly. The businesswoman would do things by the numbers.

"U-ummm...! E-equipment...! W-we will g-gather our things from the car, I-I will go first f-f-for reasons. L-line up after me, s-stay orderly." Following her own plan much quicker than she could communicate it Susan hurried for her bag and briefcase. She removed her P90 from the case and inserted a magazine, pulling the charging handle and using the sling for her weapon to attach the briefcase to her backpack. She quickly exited the car for the next person and kicked off her shoes, slipping her sneakers on. Susan didn't recover her shoes, they were less important.

She waited by the outward-facing door to give instruction, much more secure now that she could think somewhat clearly but evidently rattled. Susan could be confident in that she had a plan but what was clear to her was that they were stranded outside of Endymion. They would be attacked. They needed to keep moving if they wanted to survive and it needed to happen immediately. She feared the worst but kept that to herself.
"P-Please listen, s-staying mobile is our only protection, w-we n-need to keep moving...! U-umm, w-we will a-assess damages to our transport and board if possible. W-we will take a diamond formation, Princess Serenity must stay in the middle o-of all of us at all times a-and we will move at once. L... L-Let's go...! Take position...!" Susan would open the door and usher everyone out, touching each person on the shoulder as they exited to apply her monitoring mark. She would be the last to leave and watch the rear of the car, grimacing as she made her best attempt not to cry or begin hyperventilating.

Susan's Stats:

Action:

Modifiers:

That... had gone over much better than he'd been expecting. Much better. "Y-your Highness. Your kind words mean m- Aaaaah!" Gozai was just standing up as he spoke those words, only to be cut off by the sudden, violent motion, his own cries being drowned out be the noises of the train. Him being in the process of standing up, combined with the sudden violent jerk, sent him toppling backwards out of the booth, staggering back a few steps before hitting the back of his head on the opposing wall. The albino fell, the back of his head dragging against the wall, leaving him in a half-sitting position, a small red streak having been smeared onto the wall by the back of his head.

His head felt a bit fuzzy, but the voice calling out asking if they were alright would elicit a hiss and a sudden huff for breath from the male. With one hand he would push himself away from the wall, while the other traced to the back of his head, to the burning heat emanating from it. A wince ran through him as he got a bit too close, prompting him to retract the hand, bringing it in front of him to see. The red fluid that had left a small stain on his index- and middle-finger stood out quite blatantly against his pale hand. Thankfully, it wasn't that much. "I seemed to have suffered a small, bleeding cut. Nothing major" He would manage to call out after a brief pause.

That said, he pushed himself, seemingly uncaring that he further smeared the red onto the wall as he reached out to it for support. "What the hell even happened? Did they derail the whole damn train or something?" There was a clear sense of anger in his voice again, anger and perhaps a bit of pain, but he hadn't lost control like before.

It was surprising really, to see Groves, or Susan, as Maria had called her, so.. Shook. Still  she seemed to be trying to get the situation under control, or something of the sorts. At least she had some idea of what the hell to do about this situation, unlike himself. He would follow the instructions to retrieve their gear, waiting his turn until he got in, picked up the leather satchel that had been tossed to the floor, and put it to the back of his belt.

What the hell could have done this though? Trains were huge, they had to weigh thousands, if not tens of thousands of pounds, they shouldn't just derail like that. Not so violently. As he waited for the others to prepare, he'd draw his gun, popping the cylinder to check the ammo. Six shots. He'd then peak into the small pouch attach to the holster, one three-cartridge speed loader with regular ammo, two more with cartridges that had slightly bluish bullets to them, and... More loose rounds than he remembered... some of them bearing some kind of weird stamp. Those weren't there yesterday. He'd simply shrug, the more the better, he imagined. He pushed the cylinder back into place, though keeping the firearm drawn as he exited the train, keeping his eye on the Princess and the others.

Stats:

Passive effects:

Jackie was fully planning on answering Serenity's question with a simple 'I don't know his name'. Unfortunately, before he got the chance, he was cut off by the screeching of metal and-

System Restored.

Jackie had managed to stay seated in the apparent crash, and once his minor crash was restored, he shook his head clear. He could only partially process voices. "Ugh...is everyone alright? I think I hit my head...my system's up and running again now." Jackie got out of his seat. "If anyone's wounded I can't do much to heal physical wounds." He made sure all of his limbs were still connected. He produced his soulbound, and opened it up, pulling out a small box...? that he slipped inside. He closed the bag/weapon and tapped it against his knee, causing to the box inside to expand into it's real form, his minigun. He followed Susan's orders, not having time to question why they needed to spring into action. All he knew was it was time to get to work.

Though, he stayed at the back of the pack, keeping an eye on the princess. He stopped to glance at the Business Woman, though. "...We can do this Officer Groves." He glanced around the surroundings, keeping his cool as best he could. "It's only a train crash. We've survived worse before, and you've guided us through worse. Just...take a second to calm down. If we make a scene, we're more likely to draw attention, right?" With that said, he exited, quietly cursing himself for not bringing the most appropriate equipment for the desert region. He had been sure it wouldn't be a problem at first, but now...it was starting to seem like he'd made an exceptionally poor decision in that regard.

He glanced around, producing his aviators-now cracked in one lens-out of his pocket, and putting them on. He'd sworn off wearing them, but the situation called for it. Plus, he'd probably look little really damn cool standing in the desert with a minigun and aviators. Maybe it'd scare off some potential bandits. "Let's just all take it easy, alright? We don't know anything bad'll happen. We should try and see if we can get in contact with the train station, or something. Getting back to Endymion, or to our destination now...it, um, seems a bit harder. Maybe just ignore me though, I'm not exactly built to know everything about transportation...sorry." Jackie sighed. He stood at the ready regardless, optics carefully taking in every detail.

"I-I'm not sure... But there's no way... This train had several levels of security and necessary clearance to get any kind of access to this car or even train for that matter." Serenity groaned back to Kurosuko as she gave one final gentle rub to the side of her head. It still was aching, but there was no reason that it would serve to debilitate her at all. There were far more pressing matters at hand than a bruise on your cranium. She gave a pained smile towards Jackie while wincing from her still aching head. "Contact is our best bet right now. We need to get to the lead car and the Conductor to decide what our next moves are to be."

As Maria was getting up on her feet, she noticed Isaac taking the quicker initiative to retrieve their weapons. She nodded towards Isaac in thanks as she retrieved her trusted coffin back in her hands. Though she seemed worried at Susan's current conduct, but was glad she was starting to gain back some coherence, especially with some assurance from a fellow team member helping her gain back confidence. She began giving more orders with the utmost urgency in her voice. "I want a bandage on Cadet Kurosuko, Isaac. Just as Cadet Susan and Jackie said, all of you set up a formation around her Highness and head to the Conductor in the lead car to see what's going on. I'll keep an eye out outside. With a crash like this, the demons are going to notice something happened from their hellholes. Move out!"


The door would be opened, allowing the harsh sunlight to gaze upon their figure. The air was dry, but it wasn't remarkably too hot. There was sand everywhere they can see, but there was the sound of something inhuman murmuring in the distance. The sound of a bestial roar far away from them, but it was difficult to pinpoint where exactly it was coming from. The team could now see the remains of the train. It was a mess of several cars toppled over to their sides, derailed off the tracks, and all of their metallic coupling holding them together roughly hewed off. Worse yet, even as some of the cars were derailed, they still blocked laid on the tracks preventing any other train to travel up the tracks. Nearly all of the cars had their wheels demolished, decimated. And perhaps strangely enough, there was what appeared to be a mound of earth and metal separating the lead and royal car from the rest of the cars. If there was only one hope from all of this devastation, it was that the lead car that pulled the rest of the train cars on the track before had all of their wheels intact. But that too was derailed slightly enough off the tracks to prevent it from traveling up.

There were even some passengers poking their head out of the trains to take in the view to even get an idea what just happened.

"I'll keep an eye on them. Go." The blue-haired Cadet urgently gestured the team over as she grimly flitted her eyes across the hellscape. It wasn't difficult to even enter the lead car at all. In fact, one of the personnel opened up for them just in the nick of time. Incredulity was apparent on his face, he was speechless at the amount of devastation the derailing had caused. This was an absolute disaster. Knowing of his disbelief, Serenity called out to him. "Sir? Sir! Is everyone inside safe?"

He blinked. Once, then twice, before directing his attention towards the team of Cadets surrounding the Princess of Endymion. At first, he forgot who they were, but the realization quickly sunk in.

"I... Y-yeah! We're alive... I--Holy shit. You guys are 'dem Cadets, right? Conductor wants to see ya'll." The man managed to reply through his stutter. He seemed to have some hope in his eyes, keeping them from being eclipsed by complete despair of the situation. It was difficult having to see this. The man offered the entrance to them as he stepped aside. But just as they did, they then began to hear the announcement finally blare out through the internal speakers. "Ladies and gentlemen, please remain calm and remain in your seat. Help will be coming, your patience is well appreciated."

As the team entered the car and ventured further inside, they would see a team of personnel talking tersely among themselves behind what appeared to be the controls for the system. One of them noticed the Cadets approaching before another began to greet them personally.


"What's the situation?" She was quick to the chase.

The conductor's smiling features grimaced before replying. "Good news or bad new-- Ah, screw it. You probably saw it by now. We got derailed. Don't know how, but it sure as hell ain't something on our end. No way we can push tons of metal back onto the track unless you guys and your Persona powers can do something about it. Otherwise, we got contact with Endymion. No way they can send a train our way if we got some cars on the railings blocking the way."

"Some of the cars were derailed off, but they're blocking the tracks. I take it that's the bad news." She was beginning to show even more worry.

"Yeah. Shit. We're getting a hold of the Domiona guys. But it'll take time for them to haul themselves here. That's gonna give those demons out there time to make chow out of us. Got any plans?"

The businesswoman considered themselves fortunate things were not worse than they already were. They had wounded. Kurosoko had sustained a head injury, her minor-to-moderate bruising felt particularly small in comparison. But he was still functional and that was the important part. Everyone's wounds were unimportant as long as they could keep moving. They needed to. The scenarios had been spinning in her head as soon as she had gotten her bearings.

The jerk of the train meant that they had taken damage, either they had hit something or had gone off the tracks. But now they were stopped. There is absolutely no reason to stop out here, mobility was their only protection. Which meant that the train was either temporarily or permanently halted. The demons would come for them, they had no defense against them.

If they could not begin moving again everyone would die. They could not handle the onslaught of every demon outside of Endymion's walls.

Time was of the essence.

She quivered and shook as she ushered everyone out, desperately clinging to any semblance of strategy as her eyes ran over her surroundings, a ray of hope in the darkness she could begin sprinting towards. Jackie's words did give her some aspect of calm, at least that's what she would show.
"Y-y-y-you are r-r-right... I-I-I can do this... *h-haaaa* I-I can do this..." Susan gasped. She would need to be able to do this. The alternative to being incapable was a grisly death. It sowed panic into her mind but a sense of focus as well. Despite how terrified she was she would need to come up with something before they were all killed.

Her hands trembled on her P90 as they stepped into the dry atmosphere, taking formation as best she could and scanning the environment for threats. The damage led her to the correct assumption: they had hit something. What they hit was a mystery at the moment but it was enough to leave them stranded. But that was currently unimportant, something to muse about once safety was reached. The howling sent a shiver down her spine.


"Y-You are being watched, proceed," Susan replied in affirmation to Maria. She could see and hear what was happening to Maria through her perspective, if anything happened to her they could respond immediately. But it reminded her that they weren't the only ones out here. There were civilians. This now became a rescue mission, not an evacuation. The more complicated this became the lower the chances of their survival from this.

Susan took ragged breathes as the princess and the conductor spoke, her mind overclocking and lashing out in desperation for anything that would get them out of danger.
"Th-th-the tracks," she echoed fearfully, "Th-they cannot be monitored, i-it is an impossible. W-we were likely ambushed, p-pay attention to the ground for s-subterranean attack..." Another potentially terrifying element: an attack they could not predict ahead of time or prepare in advance for. But that was not all. Communication was important but it would not happen fast enough. Backup was not an option, it would take them hours to get here. They could not fight for that long, it was impossible. Escape was the only option. Susan shook her head.
"Th-there is no time, we have no time for that...! .....M...Mobility is the only protection w-we have, w-we need to keep moving at all costs...! C...Continue to hail until you get a response, b-but we are n-not waiting, we can't afford to...!" The fearful woman was frazzled, not very confidence-inspiring to the civilians but at the same time she didn't let on just how terrible this situation was. If they could not find a way to continue moving the only thing the tram from Domiona would find would be empty cars and bloodstained sand. Susan dashed off without another word to assess the damage to the train and if, by some miracle, they could get it moving again. She took a gem from her briefcase and crushed it in her palm to feel the coolness calm her mind. It would be one of few opportunities she would have to do so. Every single microsecond from this point forward was of the utmost importance.

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Isaac nodded as he was instructed to give first aid. Sword slung over his shoulder out of the way, the boy pulled a few small first aid items from his pouches on his belt and went to Gozai. "It's Gozai, right? We have a club together, if you remember me." His smile was easy and good-natured despite their circumstances. "First thing's first. Look at me for a sec..." As the other boy looked at him, he lit a small ball of fire between their faces, off to the side a little. Not enough to burn anything, but just enough to create a sudden flash of light, to check the boy's eyes were dilating properly. After studying him for a moment, he went around to the back of his head. "I don't think you have a concussion. I'd tell you not to go to sleep immediately, but it's not like that'd be an option anyway. So you should be good to go, or well enough. Hold still while I bandage you up."

Gozai bandaged up, he would give everyone else a quick once-over, especially the princess, who was rubbing her head. It wouldn't do for her to move around if she was too rattled. But everyone seemed to be mostly fine. Except Susan. But Isaac got the feeling she wasn't about to let him inspect her head. She looked like she might be in shock. She was shaking. It made Isaac worry for all of them. Susan was a shot caller, and he appreciated that about her, but with her in this state could she make the right calls? It was out of his authority to say, but it worried him.

One by one they hopped out of the train and down onto the sands. the heat was harsh, and he was suddenly glad the uniform breathed as well as it did. Still, as they hopped down, he unbuttoned and shrugged off the jacket of his uniform, and tied the sleeves around his waist. Underneath he was wearing only a low-cut sleeveless white shirt that had an iconic videogame character jumping on the front of it, with boxy letters that said "Jump Life."

When they departed with Maria, Isaac was visibly torn. He didn't believe in leaving people alone on a mission or otherwise, yet this was the second time he'd been expected to do so in less than a week. The only reason he didn't open his mouth to offer to stay behind himself was Susan's Eye of Horus, which would keep her appraised of Maria's condition.

When they arrived and the lead car, and the princess and Susan started talking to the conductor, Isaac's fears were realized. Susan's panic seemed to be getting worse, not better. He couldn't say there wasn't good reason for it, considering their situation, but still. His brow furrowed, and his hands found their way to his hips. He wished Maria were here. But he didn't have time to worry over her. "Move and go where, Susan? We're miles from anywhere that matters, and we've got civilians to look after. We should gather them up into one car and protect them as best we can until another train arrives. I don't see much other option, unless you think our combined strength can push a train back onto it's tracks. Pardon me for saying so, Ma'am, but I think you should sit down. It's a tough situation, but you look like you're fraying around the edges, and we need you sharp. Sit down, take a breath. Please. You might be suffering from shock." He handed her his canteen, thankfully full, but it wasn't huge. "Have a drink. We'll get through this. No worries." He gave her a good-natured grin.

"Hey, Mr. Conductor. What cargo are you carrying? Just passengers, or is there other stuff?" Depending on what there was, something might be immediately useful to them, but he couldn't begin to postulate what that might be without knowledge of their cargo. He faintly wished Tamsin was here. She would probably know a thing or two about the train and how to get it back on track.

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Yeah, first aid. Not a bad idea, at least for the long run. He merely looked at the other cadet , something of a wry smile on his face. "I remember." Was all he really gave as an answer. The flash of fire caught him off-guard, the young man stepping back slightly while he clenched his eyes shut. There was the initial desire to cuss the other over the increased discomfort to his eyes, but he would, somewhat reluctantly decide against it. He'd given off a bad enough impression as was.

At least the job of patching him up was much less aggravating, though he imagined that getting the red stain out of the hair on the back of his head would be a hassle once he finally got back home. Somewhat uncharacteristic of him, Gozai actually offered a small "Thanks" before moving on out of the train with the rest.

It was... Quite something. Several of the cars toppled. It seemed they wouldn't be going back the way they came. But what drew his attention most was the wheels of the trains. "What could have done that much damage? Surely not just derailing? Aren't train wheels supposed to be solid steel or something like that?" He presented the questions aloud, not that he really expected to get an answer. Still, the idea that there was someone, or something, out here that could do this kind of damage... It was frightening.

He'd move with the rest, minus Maria, to the front car to find the conductor. Damnit, that one was derailed as well. His overall mood was not improved in the slightest by Susan, who seemed to be loosing it real fast. The hell was she thinking? Get moving? Even if they were to just leave the civilians, there's no way they'd have supplies necessary for that kind of long-distance travel. And if they did decide to try and drag the civilians all the way to Domiona by foot... He didn't let himself finish that line of thought. Sufficed to say, it would get ugly.

At least Isaac was proving useful beyond his firs aid by tring to get Groves back to her senses. And further still by asking a very good question regarding what the train had been carrying. "And if I may further inquire along that line of questioning." He'd speak, his words directed to the Conductor. "Beyond our group from the royal car, how many civilian passengers are there on board the train? Surely you've a list or something?"