April 8th - The Road to Tir na Nog

[Narrator]

Tir na Nog. It was an Irish myth, not that such things mattered in the war-torn landscape that Europe had become. It meant "The Land of Youth," and as the caravan got further away from civilized areas one might even believe it was the paradise that others had claimed. Trees were here, unblighted. Birds could still be heard. Indeed, it seemed that the mountainous wilderness of Transia had continued on more or less as it always had, unconcerned with the fate of the rest of the world.

The roads here were less finished than those before, though perhaps in better shape by the simple fact of the lack of violence being waged upon them. It was peaceful, almost pastoral. One could be... happy, here.

[RRR]

Zelera sighed lightly as she watched the idyllic scenery pass by the window.

"A shame this place is the exception to the rule."

[Robin Stanton]

"Yeah, even if it all kinda looks the same." Robin says, glancing out at the scenery while driving the car down the dirt road.

[Narrator]

And indeed it did. Especially to anyone who was driving a vehicle. The side-roads all looked interchangeable, and it was difficult to get a good sense of direction.

[Will Stanton]

"This is VERY peculiar..." Will said, a little warmer than he was the day before.

[RRR]

"Quite. The fact that you have an android driving the lead vehicles makes this part much easier."

[Robin Stanton]

Robin reaches for the radio built into the dashboard to contact the other car.

"Hey Talos? Any clue where we are? 'Cause I'm not sure when the last thing passed by that wasn't forest or this road..."

[Talos]

"Must be some sort of telepathic misdirection. I'm not affected, so we're on course as long as we stay together," Talos responded.

[Narrator]

Talos could indeed tell that they were still on the initial course that RRR had laid out for them, and hadn't gotten turned around. Landmarks were coming up for him with regularity, and his internal GPS was showing no anomalies.

The rest of the convoy, however, each saw the car in front of them turn off down a side-road, one by one. This was not what actually happened, at least by Talos' reckoning, but it's certainly how it would appear to the rest.

[RRR]

"Follow my instructions exactly."

Zelera used her mind-link with the other drivers to keep the cars together.

[Narrator]

This resulted in an odd sort of double-vision, flickering back and forth between the actual situation of the convoy all in a straight line, and the newer reality of the convoy turning off on one of the side-roads.

It was uncertain which was real, or indeed which was winning.

[Taliesin]

"I hate telepathy."

[Robin Stanton]

"Fuck this is giving me a headache..." Robin complains after a bit of that, reacting to it by shifting her eyes away.

[RRR]

"A little help Reaper dear?"

[Reaper]

"I'm on it." Reaper said, the voice cutting through her depression.

[Cailleach]

Vivien yawned, shifting a little and folding her cloak behind her. "Wake me when we get there, dears," she mused, closing her eyes.

[Stan Bowen]

Stan took several deep breaths, using a technique he had picked up years ago to help deal with the illusions.

[Daniel Uriel]

Daniel, still recovering from the bender he'd been on the night before, politely excused himself and, hovering alongside the truck with one arm on it to make sure he didn't get left behind, was promptly sick.

[Narrator]

The telepathic distortion fought them, but eventually the combined efforts of Reaper and Zelera were able to push back the mental fog. The path seemed clearer, landmarks more certain. The distortion fighting back had seemed almost reflexive, and with the realization that it had been counteracted, a telepathic voice rang in the minds of those present. It was scattered, fading in and out as if a chorus of voices were joined.

"...what do you seek?"

[RRR]

"These good people seek sanctuary in Tir na Nog."

[Narrator]

"You are... familiar to us."

"My land is the most delightful land of all that there are under the sun; the trees are stooping down with fruit and with leaves and with blossom. Honey and wine are plentiful there; no wasting will come upon you with the wasting away of time; you will never see death or lessening. You will get feasts, playing and drinking; you will get sweet music on the strings; you will get silver and gold and many jewels. You will get everything I have said … and many gifts beyond ken which I have no leave to tell."

"You will leave the vehicles and the weapons at the border marches. You are aware that the soil of Tir na Nog will not abide them."

[RRR]

"This is understood. However there is the issue of the android Talos. Will he be permitted?"

[Narrator]

"You know full well that he will be blind as soon as he reaches the border marches. So it is with all the false men."

[RRR]

"While he is a unique case, I will not press the issue."

[Narrator]

"Go on with our blessing, then."

"I said with my eyes that I recognized your chin. It was my long lost friend to help me from another lifetime. We took each others hands and cried like a river when we said hello."

With that, the strange telepathic chorus faded from the minds of those in the convoy.

[RRR]

"Well then, we'll have little trouble if everyone follows the protocol."

[Sara Stanton]

"That was... odd..." Sara mumbles, staring out at the now just normal looking forest.

[Will Stanton]

"It's kinda pretty, actually."

[Sara Stanton]

"It is. The only really peaceful place we've seen here."

[Narrator]

The road eventually wound up into the mountains, where there was a small village. There, people went about their daily business, seemingly ignorant to the war the rest of the world was experiencing.

At least, that's how it would look to everyone in the convoy but Talos. To Talos, the village was long abandoned and overgrown.

[Will Stanton]

"Wow...this IS kinda nice..." Will smiled.

[Robin Stanton]

Noting the distinctive lack of bullets being immediately thrown their way Robin lowers the window and leans her head out. "Look at that... I guess some urban legends are true."

[Nailah]

From further up in the mountain a silhouette slowly descends against the sky, flying a circle above the convoy.

[Talos]

"I don't see anything but a ruin," Talos transmitted.

[RRR]

"That is how they keep the Sentinels at bay. My best guess is either a highly advanced sensor jammer or a powerful technopath."

[Robin Stanton]

"Or it might be time to do maintenance on your eyes, buddy."

[Narrator]

The even trickier thing was that if any of the convoy stepped into the town proper, Talos couldn't see them, either.

[RRR]

"One of you will have to be his eyes and ears."

[Nanuq]

A pair of cool blue eyes watched from the window of the tavern.

[Will Stanton]

"Right," Will said, taking Talos' hand--the ice cold wouldn't affect him. "Let's go."