A New Platform [Intro Post February]

[voidtreckermods]

On the Train

Three days after the Voidtreckers return to the void after their adventures on the biosphere world, they are awoken by a familiar announcement.

"Good morning passengers, it is day Sixteen of the month of Jelly. Points have been updated on the system."

They have indeed, and everyone can spend the morning shopping. Those who have been on the train for a while will also be expecting the second announcement that comes a few hours later.

"Shortly arriving into a designated void platform. Exit from void in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one." A lurch and a jolt and the windows fill with the fog that means they are at a platform. The fog seems thicker than usual and as they step out onto the platform they will find it is cold, very cold. Icy fog sticks to their clothing, makes it hard to see very far; the atmosphere is dark and gloomy.

As usual the first to leave the train notice nothing as they walk silently, rucksacks on their backs, towards the barriers: Alexis Rhodes, Elfnein, Itsuki Myoudouin, Ken Ichijouji, MT, Neku Sakuraba, Nike Lemercier, Noctis Lucis Caelum, Rainbow Dash, Rei Saotome, Taichi Yagami, Tsubomi Hanasaki, Yuri Tsukikage and Zechs Merquise all pass through the platform, not looking back before they disappear through the barriers and into the fog beyond.

But on the platform itself there are new faces. Wearing hoodies in all four colours, in various states of confusion.

For New Passengers

At first all they can see is steam, billowing around them as they come to their senses. As their eyes adjust, they will see they are on a platform, glass and dark stone rising in sturdy arches around them. Behind them is a set of barriers, and in front of them is a single track extending both ways into thick fog.

They are standing, in clothes that are not their own and a style they might not even recognise. They are carrying a rucksack on their back. For a moment it seems to just be them, alone in the white haze; then the steam begins to fade and they realise they aren’t alone.

The platform is not large with sixteen figures scattered around, all facing the tracks, all dressed in cargo trousers and hoodies. To both the left and right, tracks disappear into the mist. Then there is a roaring sound and out of the fog arrives a train. Jet black with gold writing on the side. The Voidtrecker Express. There is a hiss as the doors slide open and out step a strange assortment of people. Some are human, some are less so. Most are wearing the same hoodie in one of the four colours, red, orange, blue and purple, though some are sporting different clothes in a variety of styles.

The Train

After a short time, the doors hiss open again. Those from the train may encourage those on the platform to board. It’s not like there's anywhere else to go and even if there was, you feel a pull. A need to board, a feeling that staying on the platform would lead to something terrible. If that is not enough, there are plenty of people on the platform now, to encourage them onto the train.

Each ICP shows the same message and next to the screens there are stacks of leaflets written by those on the train, with further information (see
'Publications'). The store rooms have been restocked with fresh ingredients, including several crates of avocados, the ingredient of the month of Jelly, as well as all sundries.

For passengers that have bought items, these are also scattered around the luggage carriage in various suitcases and bags.

New passengers will find their ticket allows them into their cabins. They may need to negotiate for beds, especially if they want a top bunk!

Room is tight but there are storage cubbies at the head of each bed, beds fold up and the bottom bunks double as benches for the small table. There is storage under those benches full of spare blankets and pillows.

Departure

A second horn sounds to encourage any stragglers braving the freezing fog, and the doors slide shut. Veteran passengers know what will happen next, but they may wish to brief their new companions.

The train sets off, the fog obscuring the view again as it picks up speed.

"Welcome aboard, passengers of the Voidtrecker Express." A female-coded artificial sounding voice echoes throughout the train. "Please take the time to read the passenger information displayed on the Information and Communication points and familiarise yourself with the layout and emergency exits."

The train begins to tilt, leaving the ground and rising up into the fog-filled sky.

"Entrance into Voidspace imminent. New passengers are advised to remain seated. Entry into Voidspace in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one."

A shudder, a jolt, a lurch to the left. A flash of light, colourful and blinding. As quick as it happens it is done. The train seems to steady itself. The fog from the windows is gone now, replaced with a kaleidoscope of ever-changing colours.

Welcome to the Void!

Comments

[deage]

I had a conversation about what kind of books might be useful to have on board, so I decided to put my money where my mouth is, so to speak.

[ Sure enough, the package Haibara finds, addressed to SHIHO MIYANO, is pretty obviously books. Even wrapped in plain brown paper, the shape is pretty distinct.

Judging by their size, though, these are either textbooks or hefty non-fiction. ]

[tactlesstantei]

Nice, what kind of books did you order?

[By now she's looking for her own package, keeping an eye out for what had to be a pretty small item.

Masumi finds it, a small box that's just the right size to hold a phone, and wastes no time in opening it to reveal that yup, it's a phone.]

I just ordered in my phone, since it had some stuff on it that I wanted access to.

[deage]

A book on using computers, a book on computational chemistry, and a book on bioinformatics. [ You know. Some light reading. ]

And what do you have on your phone that's so important?

[tactlesstantei]

Huh. Why is she not surprised. Those aren't really topics she's too familiar with, but admittedly they could come in handy.

And then it's right to the topic she actually wanted to talk about. Now she doesn't have to go find Haibara to deal with this.]

Great question, since I was meaning to show you anyways. Not here, since I don't want random people walking in on this conversation, but it is important.

[deage]

Something to show me?

[ Curious. ]

Well, I suppose I can spare another conversation. It can be your reward for playing my escort. [ After all, her name was announced. You're the deterrent for Vermouth. ]

Lead the way.

[tactlesstantei]

Great, quiet room it is. [Then, after a moment-] You could have told me I was your escort before.

[She's not upset, just a bit surprised that she's now apparently Haibara's escort. Still, it's a long way to the quiet car from Luggage, so if Haibara wants an escort, she'll have her escort.

When they finally get up to the quiet car, Masumi picks the first open room and sits down, taking the opportunity to open the photo app on her phone and find the correct picture while waiting for Haibara to sit if she chooses to.]

[deage]

[ Haibara talks as they walk. ] The train announces your name when you have a package, and you come to pick them up in a predetermined location on the train. Somebody on board wants me dead. [ This is, Haibara presumes, something Masumi understands well enough.

tl;dr girl paranoid,

When they make it to the quiet room, though, Haibara will deign to sit this time. Last time, Masumi was a completely unknown quantity. Now, at least, slightly less so. ]

[tactlesstantei]

Her, I take it?

[Vermouth. Masumi can guess who she means here.

Finding the picture, Masumi turns the screen so that Haibara can see. It's that picture she took for the purpose of showing Conan back home, and then never deleted. It's certainly coming in handy now.]

It's my mom. I wanted to show everyone who knows about her, just in case she turns up at the platform one day. That way, hopefully someone will know who she is if it comes to it.

[deage]

[ You know, it's kind of funny, but this picture kind of reminds Haibara of her own mom. It's the hair. It's not something she'll mention, though - it's passé to say a woman looks the same just because of something like that.

She does comment, though, on something else. ] I heard that you studied in America, but I didn't know you're half. [ Half, in this case, being the Japanese phrase simply meaning half-Japanese, half-foreign. And the girl in this picture is clearly foreign. ]

[tactlesstantei]

Yeah, on my mom's side. My dad was Japanese.

[She's not mentioning her mother being British, since she had been told for a long time that they were hiding that fact and she's not quite ready to just spill every secret.]

Anyway, her name is Mary Sera. I know that she used to use Akai back when my dad was around, but she switched back to Sera after he vanished, so that's probably the name that would be used if the train grabbed her.

[deage]

I don't often meet other halfs. I went to school in America, too. [ Bonding?? Well, like she said, it's rare enough to meet somebody like her. That's all. ]

Anyway, I'll keep an eye out for her. But I imagine you'd find her before I do.

[tactlesstantei]

Wow, you were in America too? [Welp, now she has to go with the lie. Hopefully she won’t be found out as having lied about ever setting foot in America.]

Thanks. You’re right that I’d probably find her first if she showed up, but the more people who can keep an eye out, the better.

[deage]

[ That lie will last exactly as long as Sera doesn't try to speak English. ]

I don't go out onto the platforms when we arrive on arrival days, for obvious reasons. But I can scan the roster when we arrive.

[tactlesstantei]

[She'd better hope she never does, she uses the Queen's English accent of all things. Very definitely not an American sounding accent.]

Thanks, anything would be helpful if that happens. I try to at least get a look at the platform, but I know I might not always be able to do that.

[deage]

Having somebody keep an eye on new arrivals is useful to make sure no Organization members are slipping in, either. Though you don't know their faces... [ Useless, Sera. ]

[tactlesstantei]

No, I guess I wouldn't be good at spotting them, huh?

[She'd have to rely entirely on others to spot organization members, since she had no idea who to look for. Not ideal.]

I doubt they'd show up in the passenger roster with codenames, so I wouldn't be able to spot them that way either. I assume you might know what names to look out for?

[deage]

Not particularly. Those of us with codenames didn't go by our real names very often.

Those I know... Vermouth is already here. [ ...Renya Karasuma is a name far too dangerous to let her know. ]

...Maybe Moroboshi Dai.

[tactlesstantei]

Huh. That's unfortunate when it comes to knowing if any of them have shown up.

[Though to be fair, not being identified as part of a secret organization was probably the point. Still, any info is helpful, and Masumi perks up a bit at the new name.]

Moroboshi Dai? Who's that? [Go ahead, describe him to her. It'll be fine, promise.]

[deage]

Codename 'Rye'. He was... my sister's lover. He got into the Organization through me and my connection to her. He ended up being a NOC for the FBI, and might be dead, but you never know with him.

You might have seen him, or at least his face. Vermouth was disguised as him on board the Bell Tree Express.

[tactlesstantei]

[She’s quiet. Someone who might be dead, was with the FBI, and had been disguised as on the Bell Tree Express was a bit of a coincidence. But Masumi doesn’t want to go jumping to conclusions, so she decides to confirm her thoughts first.]

...By any chance, did the disguise version of him have a big burn scar on one side of his face? I’m just confirming something here.

[deage]

So you saw him, then. Or her - Vermouth in disguise.

I only caught a glimpse myself, but the scar got my attention even so.

[tactlesstantei]

[Deep breath in. Deep breath out.]

...That actually sounds like my brother. His name was Akai Shuuichi, and he joined the FBI when I was young. He died recently, but I don’t know what happened.

When I saw him on the train, I thought it was him. He spoke to me, and when I fell for it, he-uh, she tazed me unconscious.

[And now there’s an edge to her voice, at the thought that Vermouth had disguised as her dead brother.]

[deage]

Your brother is Dai? [ YOUR BROTHER WAS DATING HAIBARA'S SISTER???

Sorry, Haibara wasn't supposed to be the one receiving revelations here. GIVE HER A MOMENT. ]

[tactlesstantei]

I guess? He wasn’t in contact most of the time, so I had no idea he was infiltrating that organization!

[She didn’t even know he was dating anyone, let alone your sister, Haibara!]

What was Vermouth even doing disguised as him!

[deage]

[ Haibara is flustered by all of this. This is not usual for her in the least. She tries collecting her thoughts, pulling out the information to give Sera an answer. ]

The disguises were... they were part of a plan by a member of the Organization, Bourbon. Bourbon and Rye... Dai... Akai. Were rivals within the Organization. Nobody hated him more than Bourbon, but Bourbon also thought that nobody else could ever kill him.

He disguised himself to trick the people Akai was close to into giving away a hint that he might be alive. Vermouth did too, at least for the Bell Tree Express.

[ Man, it's a good thing Haibara is sitting down. She'd need to after this if she wasn't already. ]

I heard that all from Bourbon, while he was trying to capture me.