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Info Written by What becomes of a vehicle meant to take you home when there is no home to go to? Me every time I'm on an airplane: *goes through existential crisis* Special thanks to: |
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You can't wait for this journey to end.
After waiting for so long, you had finally crossed the boarding gate. You're now seated in a partially empty airplane. Looking over the headrests, you see fellow passengers appear in other seats. Everyone shares the same weary gaze, resigned to a long flight ahead of them.
Good day, dear passengers, welcome to flight 1784XBA8JLP.
If you haven’t already done so, please store your luggage underneath the seat in front of you or in the overhead compartment. Loose objects or persons risk no-clipping through the floor. We will be departing shortly, so please take a seat and fasten your seat belt.
SURVIVAL DIFFICULTY:
Class Aleph
- Safe
- Virtual Existence
- Extreme Time Dilation
Boarding
Sublevel 36.1 is a looping commercial airplane interior with a capacity of 300 passengers. It can be entered exclusively from Level 36 and acts as a bridge between the Infinite Airport and a destination level. It only manifests when necessary for a flight; if multiple flights are active simultaneously, there will be multiple instances of the Airplane. After completing its round trip, it vanishes from existence.1
Similar to a standard Frontrooms airplane, the cabin is segmented every 20 seat rows and has different airline classes.2 The front and back ends of the aircraft are seamlessly linked together, such that one will start to see the economy class again after first class, as it loops back to the beginning. In the section dividers there are restrooms, exit doors, and locked provision cabinets. There is no pilot cabin.3
Upon entering the sublevel, wanderers will be seated at a random seat in an arbitrary section.4 Each seat is automatically equipped with a travel bag, containing: a tiny toothbrush and toothpaste tube, an eye mask, a blanket, earplugs, and occasionally, Babel Balm. Despite the freedom of changing seats, it is best not to squabble over the more luxurious seats, as there are consequences for not following the take off procedure.
Well, this is not a packed flight. And you don't see any old people or annoying kids who might be in more need than you…so you speedwalk to the first class section and sprawl into a fancy seat. You've never liked airplanes, so you might as well make yourself comfy.
Take off
Dear passengers, we will be taking off after this safety announcement. When the seatbelt sign is on, you must fasten your seatbelt. We strongly advise that you keep it fastened throughout the flight, especially in case of dimensional instability.
There are no emergency exits on this aircraft, as there will be no emergencies. In case of turbulence, fasten your seatbelt and secure yourself to your seat. Do not be alarmed by anything seen outside the windows. Do not attempt to exit or tamper with the structural integrity of the airplane.
We wish you a pleasant flight.
Not having the seatbelt fastened during takeoff may result in the wanderer being sent back to Level 36, falling through the floor into the cargo hold, or ejected into the Blue Channel. The static noise outside grows into a deafening roar as the plane takes off. Puke bags are available on the back of each seat for those who may suffer from the intense vertigo.5 However, most wanderers can attest that the rest of the flight is smooth sailing.
Passengers who tamper with the plane's structure also risk slipping into the cargo hold. The lower compartment of the aircraft is a cold, cavernous space originally intended for luggage and submerged in complete darkness. The air below is not regulated like in the cabin, and may reach freezing temperatures.
Though some passengers have made it out, there is no reliable exit from there, so what truly lurks in the cargo hold remains unknown. The most likely hypothesis is a scattering of errant luggage, but more exaggerated theories include: the elusive pilot cabin, entities that also use the plane to spread to other levels, human corpses. As long as it stays below, none of this should concern the passengers above.
Cruise
Personal screens are fitted on the back of each seat, as well as mounted on the section divider walls. After choosing a language, one can navigate through 3 main sections. It should be advised that watching the screens for prolonged periods will cause the eyes to strain and tear up.
World Map displays an icon of a plane tracking the current flight trajectory over an incomprehensible map full of complex connections, which morphs as the plane travels through it. This is likely a higher dimensional representation of the structure of the Backrooms, with each node representing a level.
Inflight Entertainment has several pages filled with blank film posters. When clicked upon, the "movie" shows a black screen with no visuals or audio whatsoever, but the time slider progresses for what feels like 1-2 hours. Every single movie acts exactly like that, and yet some passengers may nonetheless choose to watch one.
You were itching to check out the entertainment options but now you're instantly disappointed. Well, this is some avant-garde bullshit, you think; it's like when modern art museums frame an empty wall and call it art. Without a crumb of entertainment, this is bound to be your most boring flight ever. Who would willingly stare at a black screen??
Flight statistics list nonsensical statistics about the aircraft, such as:
ALTITUDE: 432j ; 684 ; 1611k ; 763 ; 952i
SPEED: 299792459
TEMPERATURE: -272
DISTANCE TO DESTINATION: 36184
TIME TO DESTINATION: 0
None of the numbers are presented with any units of measurement, which makes it difficult to translate the data to anything remotely near human understanding. Even more bizarrely, the Time To Destination is constantly 0 from the very beginning of the flight to the end. However, passengers can track the progress of the flight with the Distance to Destination statistic, which gradually (but not linearly) counts down.
Although the Statistics page intrigues you at first, the numbers bore you quickly. You switch back to the Entertainment tab, but no, all the posters are still blank. Irritated, you play an arbitrary movie. Maybe it's a joke and there's an easter egg somewhere, or a secret message, or something, anything…
This is dumb. You quit halfway.
Dear passengers, our flight attendants will now proceed with the in-flight catering. Even if you don't feel hungry, it is mandatory to eat your fill. Nutrition and energy are crucial when travelling long distances, and we would be dismayed if one of our passengers didn't survive the flight. We hope our meal selection pleases you.
Depending on the duration of the flight, between one and three meals will be served. Facelings acting as flight attendants emerge from every section divider with a food trolley, and offer each passenger a choice of beverage and food.
| Beverages | Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Almond Water | Scrambled eggs and sausage | Pasta chicken alfredo | Royal Rations |
| Lucky O' Milk | Smiley potato fries and bacon | Rice butter chicken | Mashed potatoes and gravy |
| Seer Tea | Apple pie and pastries | Shakshuka with lentils | Fish filet and green beans |
| Agrugrua Juice | Grand Jungle Açaí Breakfast Bowl | Spinach and mushroom quiche | Couscous with vegetables |
You take the plastic menu in hand and look where the Faceling is pointing at the "Lunch" column. You chuckle. There's no discernible time in this flying black box, but sure, it's lunchtime now. With your first bite, you realize some things are the same in every reality. The food definitely does not taste as good as it looks.
Descent
The cabin lights turn off as the plane enters night mode, leaving only a row of dim LEDs that glow softly. The temperature drops to a noticeable, but not uncomfortable, cool atmosphere. Unfortunately, it is physically impossible to sleep. One may feel very sleepy and relaxed, but still be stuck in the first stage of falling asleep.6
After several instances of almost dozing off, only to jerk awake, you sit upright and take off your eye mask. This is extremely irritating. Are you awake, or perhaps dreaming of being awake? You blink slowly, unsure if your eyelids are open or closed. Was the latest meal breakfast or lunch? Neither makes sense since you ate dinner 3-ish hours ago.
You watch a "movie." Maybe you're losing it, but this time, peering into the depths of the blank screen, you feel something. Perhaps it's just your imagination filling in the blanks. Yet, before you know it, the slider hits the end. You watch another movie. And again another, and another. One makes you cry, with tears streaming down your face. One opens your mind, and you finally understand. For those who have been waiting for eons and desperately wrestle against the incessant numbness of boredom, even just watching a black screen is still doing something.
Your frustration at the level-induced insomnia fizzles off into exhaustion. You feel too tired to be alive, yet you feel too much to be dead. Defeated, you let your gaze wander outside your window. Silent, still, and weary, you watch as the eternal darkness tries in vain to fill itself.
Millions of stars dance and twinkle in the void. An upside-down sunset slices the heavens into vibrant hues. A myriad of clouds morph into every imaginable shape and size. Hazy skyscrapers whizz by in a deep, disorienting blue.
There's another airplane in the distance, with a person in the window: it's another you, face pressed behind the glass mirroring your own, eyes entangled. You blink, and there's nothing again.
Spacetime itself blurs beyond meaning. Tomorrow is not a time anymore, but a place in front of you, and your destination is not a location but an event in your inevitable future.
A tear rolls down to your broken smile. You can almost believe you're back on Earth, on the last leg of a holiday trip, finally flying back home.
Floating in limbo between wake and sleep. Suspended between reality and nonreality.
| All that you are | and all that you know |
is an immense, overwhelming, longing for |
home. |
Landing
Dear passengers, we have arrived at our destination safely and on schedule.
The seatbelt sign has been turned off, and you may exit the aircraft by using the exit doors. Please ensure to take all your personal belongings with you; anything remaining on the aircraft will be deposited at the Airport upon our return.
We hope you had a pleasant flight and wish you good luck on future travels.
Gently, the cabin lights turn back on.
You blink several times to adjust to the brightness. The windows glow pure white, flooding you and the interior with a pristine, cleansing light.
It feels like you've travelled through the far reaches of the universe, yet it flew by in an instant. You can already tell the imminent jetlag will be tremendous. Both your body and your mind feel out of place and out of time.
Despite having dried tears on your cheeks and the messiest hair of your life, you stand up with renewed vigour. The exit door beckons you—wide open and shining—promising a new destination. A new goal. Maybe, possibly, even a new home.
You can't wait for your next journey to begin.
