Part 1

[walk_ins]

There's a bump and a lurch felt through the entire Academy as Serenity docks, unwelcome. Claxons blare. In the main dining hall the Students stir and murmur, confusion more than ever writ large on their face. The Advanced Students in their special cafeteria have less of a reaction; the outside world matters less and less for them.

In the staff dining hall, the doctors, teaches and nurse exchange looks and outbursts of confusion and consternation themselves. Theories fly around; a meteorite, maybe, or an unexpected docking. Or something gone wrong with whatever madness the Doctor is up to. Only Dr. Sergio Lin actually bothers to leave the room.

In the Special Wing, the Doctor and the Graduates wait for their door. Whatever it is, the guards will take care of it.

It only takes a few of the Blue Hands to guard the dining halls, under normal circumstances, and the rest are here in the Security Lounge. It's a narrow space, with a sterile stink to it; some indefinable imprint of their inhabitancy. Crowded tonight; there're guests in town. The room is decorated with watercolor paintings, all turned upside down. When Serenity arrives, their heads all swivel as one in the direction it came from, and as one they stand and move towards the doors, drawing pistols and slim blue wands from their jackets. They meet Dr. Lin as they come out, and he confuses the situation with semi-hysterical and self-contradictory orders.

And at the docking point, the doors burst open, and with no further ado quite a lot of heavily armed people burst into the skyplex.

Things have begun.

Comments

[young_tmriddle]

*He pushes past the rest of them and places his hand flat on the surface of the door, seeking.

Every door wants to open, is made to open, and this one is no different.

He Opens, and as he does, the lock clicks and the door swings wide.*

[walk_ins]

The Graduates swing around the corner, guns at the ready, but hold their fire.

There's no point in shooting a sealed door.

They stride quickly, and take positions outside the door; three of them preparing to firet, and the fourth kneels by the lock panel.

They are machines made for one purpose, but they have many functions.

[lastgunslinger]

They enter the room. There's nothing in it but another door, on the other side.

There's lettering on this door, and unlike all the other doors, it's made of wood.

Ironwood.

They're letters that he recognizes...and that no one else will.

They read: THE GRADUATES.

Roland looks at Tom. "This one, too. And -- I think -- this one goes to another world."

[young_tmriddle]

*He is panicked as he places his hand on the door. He's not good yet at Opening into places at great distances. He's only ever Opened into Milliways from London Below a handful of times and each one was difficult.

He feels for the doors in this portal and seeks the one where they need to be. It's not Milliways, it's not Serenity, it's where they need to be. As muffled sounds come through from the locked door behind them, Tom says,*

Everyone grab hold of my arm, and I'll pull you through.

*He stretches out his left arm, taking Anthy's hand. River and Roland can hold on, but he needs to take Anthy's hand for this.

Then he Opens.*

[walk_ins]

When the Graduates open the door, there are no targets inside. But there are things they recognize very well, lying in a heap in front of the door.

Weapons. One of them, a tall thin boy with close-cropped red hair, strides forward and grabs up one of the sneetches (one of several from Tom's pocket, and we tell God thankya for pyros) and sees the timer. Zoltan, brother of Karl, blinks at it.

00:01

And then only light.