August 22, 2099.
The day everything changed.
Your name is Micheal Peterson, and you are Head of Marketing for Union Pacific. Today, you depart from Seattle, Washington on your first trip on the UP Executive Train. This year, the exec. is lead by UP 844, with 4014 and 5053 in for rebuilds. The backup unit is SD70ACe 1989, the D&RGW heritage unit. You were sat in Car 3, the Dining Car, drinking your coffee. It was currently 9:16 AM, 13 hours before the disaster. No one knew what would happen at 10:37 PM.
Spokane, Washington
11:02 AM
The Exec. sat on Track 5 in the Spokane yards, ready to depart for Missoula, Montana. You watched out the window as a Kansas City Southern freight, lead by two SD40-5T units, passed on Track 3. As soon as the FRED was out of sight, 811 gave a whistle and the train departed.
Missoula, Montana
3:39 PM
The Exec pulls smoothly out of Missoula. Lunch at the local bakery was nice, but the train had a deadline to reach New Orleans. Many of your fellow executives were drinking coffee or eating bagels. You pulled a pillow from your bag and laid your seat back.
Pocatello, Idaho
8:52 PM
"Hey, wake up! Do you want dinner?" someone yelled. You groggily sat up, clearing your eyes of sleep.
"Huh? Oh, naw. I'm not hungry." You replied.
"If you say so..." your colleague said, momentarily looking at you before disembarking the train.
You sighed, laying your head back on the pillow and returning to the sweet embrace of sleep.
Topeka, Kansas
10:37 PM
You woke up suddenly, startled awake by... something. Suddenly, the lights shut off. Many people tried to turn their cellphones on, but nothing would work. Then, everything faded to black.
Topeka, Kansas
4:15 AM
8/23/2099
Everyone awoke with a start.
"What the fuck happened?!" someone shouted. You blink, then look down at yourself. Fur. All you see is fur.
"AHH WHAT THE HELL!" you yell, jumping up from your seat. You look yourself over. You are a red desert fox, with plush-like fur. Your face pushes out into a snout in the middle. Your long tail often brushes against your neck.
You have two plausible options: Stay with the train, or explore Topeka.