A New Platform [Intro Post March]

[voidtreckermods]

On the Train

Once again passengers are awoken by the morning announcement.

"Good morning passengers, it is day One of the month of Kazoo. 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 is thick, the air is warm and humid and there are rumbles of thunder, the air heavy with the promise of rain.

As usual the first to leave the train notice nothing as they walk silently, rucksacks on their backs, towards the barriers: Alfredo Martini, Daia, Enna Alchiba, Lord El-Melloi II, Natsuno Yuuki, Nita Callahan, Saku Gyousou, Sakura, V and Wen Qing

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, and seems smaller with twenty-seven 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.

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'). Those not new to the train will note the addition of an eighth sleeper carriage. The store rooms have been restocked with fresh ingredients, it seems the month of Kazoo is defined by the tomato and there are plenty of them.

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 as thunder rumbles further and the storm threatens to break. 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

[helborn]

He sits down across from Soldat, the raven landing on the back of the chair. If he could be displaying any emotion on his face rather than a static beak it would be suspicion.

Casper does not know Russian, but he knows a few phrases thanks to traveling with a scion of The Citizen. The title makes him feel faintly sad, but he does his best to not let it show. “Yeah, I. It’s complicated.” Wait, he’s being rude. “Sorry, I’m... Casper.” The ‘sorry’ definitely gives his accent away - he’s Canadian, specifically a Montreal Anglophone.

“... Do gods exist in your world? And if they do are there multiple pantheons?”

[worthallthis]

Soldat is... not great with animal body language, frankly. Birds especially. The only animals they're really good at understanding are cats and one specific spirit-dog back in Beacon. So the big black bird? Complete mystery. They're not actually even sure whether poor Bob is a crow, a raven, or some other mysterious black bird.

"As far as I'm aware, no gods, no," they answer. "Not ones that people can actually contact and hear back from. No magic either, if that helps. My roommate says he's Death Incarnate, though, so I'm. Kind of familiar with the concept."

cw: Nazis, experimentation, filicide

[helborn]

"Death incarnate? I wonder if he's... ah, I'll have to find him later. Okay. So. Um. In my world, there's a lot of pantheons. Greek, Egyptian, Chinese, the works. All of them have myths, and all of them are true. Or... mostly true? I don't really know how like twelve different creation myths are all right at the same time but I've kind of given up on trying to apply logic to stuff like that now. Anyway, the gods are stronger with more belief, but just because people don't believe in them doesn't mean they die out. My mother's from the Norse pantheon - Hel, goddess of the dead."

So that explains that half. Now for the other half. "I thought my dad was a normal human, but he... wasn't. He's older than he looks. He's a mage, which... I don't really understand what they do, entirely, but I know they're very strong and from what I've been told he's not... a typical mage. He has fewer morals, which is. It makes sense given that he..."

He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "... So I don't know if a war called World War Two happened in your world, but he was on the side of some... really bad people. He didn't care about their ideals, just the money they gave him for research. He and my mother had a kid before me, back then. The only full sibling I know I have. ... Had." He'll get to that. "I don't entirely know what they did to him, but I know that they experimented on him until he was some..."

How to put this. He gestures towards Soldat's general physique. "Kind of like that? Big and muscular and... too dangerous for them to control, so he got put on ice and eventually the lab stuff got moved to America. I don't know when or how. My father wasn't exactly giving out details. ... Anyway I got a mission to go wreck up some secret Nazi lab in America and I went to do that and... he got freed, somehow. I don't know how. But he was rampaging around and I was trying to fight him and I didn't know he was my brother and then my father showed up and shot him. I don't know with what, there might have been magic in the bullet or the gun, but he died. And then I found out he was my brother."

He runs his hands through his hair and sighs. His voice hasn't even gone flat - it's clear from how he's not really giving off too much of a stress response other than the understandable frustration that he's seen much worse than that.

[worthallthis]

Soldat is very, very good at keeping a calm, neutral expression. And also, they've had so many people between Beacon and the train that hit strange parallels to their own life that this feeling isn't entirely unfamiliar. But the whole... experimented on by Nazis and then put into cryofreeze thing is a little closer to home than usual.

"You know none of that is your fault," they start with, because the whole reason they're doing this is because Casper seems like he needs to talk it out. Gives them a little time to process, too. "You didn't know. And I'm guessing he wasn't going to stop. Because he didn't know, either. Your brother didn't know who you were." (Mission. Exactly, Asset.)

[helborn]

"... No. He didn't. There's no way he could have. And I... sorry. It's not that I feel guilty over what I did or didn't do, or he did or didn't do. It was just a little... bit of a shock to see someone who looks like he did?"

How to put this. "A lot of that... situation is more... just... kind of being horrified over what my father did and my mother allowed? They weren't the only ones associated with my pantheon doing fucked up shit at that time... heard some real frustrating and horrifying things that were a result of Grandfather Loki's actions." Ugh. He... doesn't even want to think about that one right now.

"I've... been through a lot to try to process how bad of a person my father is, especially. I just... um. Sorry." He's rambling, he's not making sense... he'd shut off his emotions but that's just going to make the problem worse. "Not... not your problem. I didn't mean to dump on you." His gaze falls on the metal arm and he huffs quietly in amusement.

He pulls up his pant leg to reveal a hint of ivory-colored metal. "At least I'm no tthe only one here, either."

[worthallthis]

"It's okay." They are a little surprised at how much Casper had to say, but it's not anything they have a particular connection to, now that the story of the brother is over with, it seems. They feel bad for Casper, but it's not upsetting their own equilibrium. There might be some new nightmares tonight, but that's okay, they're used to it.

They smile lop-sidedly at the leg. "That seems like more of a pain than an arm. Does it respond well?" He didn't notice any limping earlier, so it must.

[helborn]

"It does, yeah." He taps a point right near his knee. "It's up to here... it's made by one of the children of Hephaestus, Greek god of the forge and also the group that owned the base we were at. It's off the coast of Hawaii, underwater."

Information that doesn't matter, right. Anyway. "Got runes on it to help me channel another set of abilities. One of them's basically a power scan. ... Some types of creatures notice it, though. Gentry." He spits the word like it's a swear word and curls his lip a little bit. "... Got my original one shot off by a former teammate who left me to bleed to death."

Bob squawks. ".. Shit, too much info. Sorry." He just met this guy... he can probably take it but it's still rude.

yikes I'm sorry I lost this one D:

[worthallthis]

That really kind of is a lot of info, there, Casper. And most of it goes right over Soldat's head. They've lost what little knowledge of mythology and folklore that they had before, so the names of gods and the fae fly right by them.

But they're nothing if not observant, and if Casper's comfortable enough to overshare, they can be, too. "I don't know how I lost mine. Most of my memories are gone, and that's not one I have back yet. The metal one's bulletproof, though, and wired into my spine."

[helborn]

"... I'm sorry. That... really sucks." It might not be one he wants back, even. Which would be fair. "... Thank you. For... not just brushing me off." Which this guy very easily could have, but didn't.

[worthallthis]

"Why would I brush you off. You clearly needed to talk about it," Soldat says simply. "And I have the time. I'm trying to be here for the new people. I know it's hard." And being in a strange place with strange people with a strange new mission means everything is just more. They know this. They understand.

[helborn]

"I... yeah. Thanks. Been a while since I was new somewhere... kind of forgot what it was like." Better than transferring into a high school in a new country, that's for sure. "... Did you make these cookies? They're really good..."

[worthallthis]

"Yeah, I made 'em. I spend a lot of time in the kitchen car." They have another one of the cookies, themselves. "Each team has chores every month. It's Orange team on cooking this month, but I traded for someone there. You're Purple, like me, so you'll be on cleaning again this month."

[helborn]

"Oh! Right, I saw that on the terminal... cleaning's not so bad. I'm not a neat freak, but I do know how to navigate a broom and dustpan." Though he hadn't needed to really clean his room in Liminal, he'd done it occasionally just for the sake of the process. "... Cleaning bathrooms might be an issue with how sensitive my nose is, but I can just hold my breath, I guess?"

Or peple could not wreck the toilets, that's an option too. Hopefully.

[worthallthis]

"Spray a lot of bleach cleaner around, that'll override any smell," Soldat suggests with a wry little smile. "I know how it is. Mine's pretty sensitive, too." Maybe not as sensitive as Casper's, they don't know, but the serum did a number on their senses, too.

[helborn]

"Bleach is also bad, but at least it's not embalming fluid. I never minded helping with it, but the stuff has a smell that sticks to you for forever. Got beat up for that, too." But he doesn't sound pained by it, at least. He's processed it, mostly.

[worthallthis]

That gives them a moment of pause, just the casual mention of being beat up. Geez, this poor kid. (Is that what it feels like when people deal with us? I don't know. Maybe. No. Yeah, maybe that's a good reason to keep it more to ourselves, huh.) They decide, ultimately, to just let the mention go by rather than trying to dig in. They've made Casper talk bout enough trauma today.

"I guess," they suggest, "it's just about whatever smell you like less. The smell of a stinky bathroom or the smell of strong cleaners. Though if it helps. I haven't found the bathrooms that stinky."

[helborn]

"That's good. It means people have enough sense to keep things clean enough." As long as it doesn't take him like half an hour in there he'll be fine. He can always set down the cleaning products and take a breath outside the bathroom, after all.

"Mm. I like this train already, considering it has a library. It could do with being wider, but it reminds me of the underwater base off of Hawaii I was at for a bit."