As quickly as it had begun, it was over. Each of the five heroes, (prospective), found themselves standing on a black, mirrored floor that appeared to be tiled in tightly packed hexagons, roughly an inch across. The wall behind them also was tiled the same way, and having looked at the wall, they all saw each other:

A beautiful woman in a bathing suit, hair still damp from her swim.
A middle-aged man holding a beer can.
An athletic man, face flushed with either cold or excitement.
What for all intents an purposes appeared to be a man made entirely of plants.
Another middle aged man, in good shape and with an expression of surprise on his face.

They stood roughly a foot apart, the hexagons at their feet dimming from a deep yellow to black. The air was warm and tasted stale, especially to the Green Man. There was a large console about ten feet from them, situated in the middle of the room and angled in such a way that they couldn't see what controls it held. The room itself was tiled in sandstone colored hexagons, much like the black ones upon which they stood; the black gave way to the sandstone no more than a foot away from each of them.

And behind the console, a hexagonal archway, sealed.

The odd electronic 'plunk' that each of them had heard from their respective robots filled the room, followed by a voice. "Welcome Force, Enigma, Anatah, Green Man and Fool. I am Zen." The accent was generic European - polite and crisp. It seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere, much like the lighting of the room they all occupied.

Joe looked around the odd room, unmoving, still in semi-shock from the trip.  His fingers flexed around his beer and his eyes darted about as they discovered the details in his surroundings one at a time.  He hadn't quite registered that there was anyone else there when he finally asked aloud, almost absently, "Where am I?"

"You are aboard the ship," replied the voice of Zen politely.

Nikki recognized the voice as that of the robot who had spoken to her at the lake.  Apparently there was something, or someone, at work here who was more powerful than anything she could imagine.  Caution seemed the wise course of action, so she stood quietly and observed the strangers reactions around her.

Aaron gave out a joyous laugh and darted back and forth between his new comrades. Other than one brief pause to tip an imaginary hat to the bathing beauty, and another brief pause to take in the Green Man's awesomeness, he talked non-stop. "Oh my god, this is the coolest thing ever. Robot purse snatchers, teleporters that go 'plunk' and a talking ship..."

The smile left Aaron's face. "... a talking ship that called me Fool?"

"Confirmed," replied the voice of Zen.

Jeremy took a look around the new room. These people had actual teleportation technology. He looked at the black tiles around him. Actual teleportation pods! The coloring and pattern was off, but it was so Star Trek. He looked up and saw the console, only vaguely registering the voice and the reflections. There was no sign of an operator. Zen, or at least its op, must be somewhere else. Then some babbling jock jumped in his face.

“Gah!” Jeremy recoiled, partially raising his arms in a defensive posture, but the man was already moving on. Jeremy looked around slowly, rotating his head first one way then the other. His unchanging amber eyes watching the others warily.

"Gah!!!" Joe jumped sideways after he suddenly realized that he was standing next to an animated tree, or large shrub.  They didn't move like that and they most definitely didn't talk.  Trees were lumber.  They made good studs.  They did not have... were those eyes?

"What the hell is going on here?" he asked, looking at the others in turn.  "Pardon my language," he added as soon as he realized that there was a woman amongst them, in a bathing suit no less.

"No," the surprised man said. "You had it right." He was of average height but solidly built. His surprised expression quickly became a scowl. His brows creased as he took in the plant man, and for a moment it seemed like he might actually back-hand the energetic man when he came near. Hazel eyes took in the floor, the walls, the ceiling, the console--everything. His entire posture was the epitome of a "fight or flight" decision waiting to happen. "What the hell is going on?"

"Whoa, easy boy," Aaron threw a supportive arm around Chris' shoulder. "I don't know what's going on either, but you have to admit it's pretty cool."

Chris shrugged the arm away. "Get off me, man. I don't know you." He gestured vaguely to take in the room. "And I don't have to admit it's 'pretty cool'--" he said the last two words with disdain--"because a moment ago I was in my apartment talking to a Star Wars extra on my porch. I don't know what the hell is going on, who you are..." he paused, gestured toward the plant-looking man. "What the hell that is, or anything else." He returned his gaze to Aaron. "So just back up, slow down and leave me alone a minute."

"Excuse me, but this what also happens to be a who.", Jeremy replied, wondering why this guy was getting so bent out of shape. Couldn't he understand the nature of what was going on here?

Moving away from the hostile man beside her Nikki took a defensive posture.  Lightly balancing herself on the balls of both feet, knees slightly bent, she backed up until she felt the wall behind her.

"The names Aaron, by the way." He gave a small wave to the group. "Sup?"

Nodding to the most outgoing member of their little group, she replied.  "My name is Nikki, but I think Zen is calling me Onatah.  It's nice to meet you."   Speaking in a calm voice she hoped to diffuse the rising level of hostility within the room.  She figured they must all be confused at what had just happened to them, like she was, but right now the only danger she could sense was from each other.

"I don't know what has happened, but it doesn't feel like we're in Kansas anymore," she quipped, hoping the commonly-known reference might put them more at ease.  She smiled reassuringly, despite the stress and confusion she felt, and tried to meet each of her companions gaze in an attempt to deduce their mental state.

"As you can see, I was swimming when a robot appeared and spoke to me.  The next thing I knew I was here...."  her voice trailed off, hoping they would each tell their tale.

Joe glanced at the woman but didn't reply.  The initial shock had given way to an urgent need to move, so he let his legs do their thing.  He stepped off the platform and walked casually if somewhat jerkily from the extra adrenaline over to the console.  He remembered the beer in his hand and took a sip while he let his contractor's eyes study the console for form and function, and clues as to how it might have been built.

The surface of the console was smooth and black, mirrored. He could see himself, the beer, the ceiling (also tiled). There were no switches or nobs or dials present.

Chris again took a moment to study each person in the room, lingering extra long on the plant man. He still didn't say anything, but his eyes tracked everyone's movements as best as possible. After a moment he followed after the man with the beer.

"I'm Chris," he said by way of introduction.

Joe turned and warily looked the man up and down - he seemed normal enough.  Nothing else was, though. 

"Joe," he replied.  "What's this?" he asked Chris, pointing at the console.

It's flat black surface reminded Joe of a powered off cell phone, one of those new smart ones that everyone seemed to be carrying around these days.

Chris shrugged and gave a slight shake of the head as he, too, studied the console. He shoved his hands in his pockets as if making an effort not to touch anything.

"INFORMATION," Zens crisp tones filled the room. "The console is used to activate and run the teleport, and can also be used to access the zero-core datasphere and ship sensor arrays. It has been powered down for your protection." The door behind the hexagonal arch irised open, a small hole appearing in the center, expanding rapidly to reveal a hallway ending in another door, which was also opening. The soft ambient light that filled the teleport room also filled the new passage, and the passage beyond that. Small hexagonal lights began to glow in a line upon the floor, the color an odd greenish-blue against the black. "Please follow the lighted path to the bridge. There is much to show you and explain." 

Without hesitation Nikki pushed away from the wall she had been leaning against and began walking toward the doorway.  None of the others seemed to have any answers, or even be willing to share information so following Zen's instructions might be the quickest way to find out just what was going on here!

As she passed by the friendliest of the bunch (what was his name...Aaron?) she gave him a quick glance to see if he was going to follow the lights as well.

Aaron did not quite follow Nikki. Actually, he vaulted over her and ran down the tunnel with a happy "woo hoo!" It was the best day ever.

Chris watched the woman head immediately to the tunnel. His thoughtful frown returned as he turned back to Joe. "Do you have any idea what's going on?" He glanced down at the beer in Joe's hand. "And I don't suppose you brought more than one...?"

Joe sighed.  "I didn't really plan this out," he said before offering the beer to Chris.

For a moment Chris just stared at the offered can. He wanted to politely refuse--you just don't take a guy's last beer--but in the end he took the can with a grateful nod and took a decent-sized drink before passing it back. "Thanks."

Jeremy grinned as the door opened. Everything that had happened was all around awesome. He didn't really understand what the others were getting all worked up about. He dashed after Nicci and Aaron, pausing just long enough by Joe and Chris to blurt out, "I'm the Green Man. Nice to meet you. See you on the bridge!" before running after the other two. Some time he'd have to take a look at the teleporter controls, but right now there were other things to do.

Chris watched the green man go by with not-quite open mouthed surprise. "Or maybe something stronger?" he suggested to no one in particular. Deep inside he was sure this had something to do with his density-altering abilities, but as much as he wanted to use them right now he was still harboring some hope that this was all a joke,  a misunderstanding...even a hallucination. He wasn't sure he was ready for whatever it was he was being made a part of. Not that he appeared to have any choice.

He sighed. "Guess we ought to head that way." He started walking, hands still in his pockets.

Joe looked around the odd hex-filled room.  He stood there, alone, and his eyes carried little of the eager excitement of the Fool.  They were too busy being worried about what he'd stepped into, and about what his daughter was doing right about then.

"I hope this doesn't suck," he declared before he finally followed the others down the lighted path. "Confirmed," Zen's crisp reply followed Joe out of the room, the door irising shut behind the worried construction worker.

OOC:

Coolio - last tag closed (thanks dave!). I'll be posting "The Bridge" either later on tonight or tomorrow. Note, Sean will be out over the weekend so she'll probably be last to reply to some stuff