voidtreckerexpress | A New Platform [Intro Post May]

Entry tags:

A New Platform [Intro Post May]

On the Train

Like clockwork, the Voidtreckers are awoken by a familiar message this morning.

"Good morning Voidtreckers, it is day one of the month of Llama. Points have been updated on the system."

With points updated, everyone can spend the morning shopping. Most people will 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 air is sticky and warm, the windows almost immediately dewing over with the humidity outside.

As usual the first to leave the train notice nothing, walking silently, rucksacks on their backs, towards the barriers. Azula, Prisoner, Amery Vallet, Dyme Graydon, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, Yoite, Piccolo, Bulla Brief, Xie Lian, Kurosaki Ichigo, Hua Cheng, Renee Corbin, and Ran Mouri; 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 find themselves on a platform, rich wood and pale stone forming a natural, tree-like structure overhead. Behind them is a set of barriers, and in front of them is a single set of tracks extending both ways into thick fog. The air is rainforest-hot, and the sound of frogsong can be faintly heard over the drip of the artificial canopy.

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 fog begins to fade and they realise they aren’t alone.

The platform isn't large, and seems smaller with twenty-eight figures scattered around, all facing the tracks, all dressed in cargo trousers and hoodies. 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 pours a strange assortment of people, over a hundred at least. 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.

Behind them, the doors close, and the train is cloaked in the same fog that hides the world beyond the platform.

The Train

After a short time, the fog clears and 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 nori, the ingredient of the month of Llama, as well as all sundries.

For passengers that have bought items, these are also scattered around the luggage carriage in various suitcases and bags. For each member of Purple Team, a small silver box with their name on it contains a glittery cupcake.

New passengers will find their ticket allows them into their cabins. They may need to negotiate for beds, but at least they won't be alone in their confusion - since the sleeper carriages are now double-decker, and experience isn't going to avail the passengers in finding their rooms.

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.

The new double carriage's transfer ICP is active, allowing people to move to a double room should they meet the requirements with another person, though they'll have to move their belongings themselves.

Departure

A second horn sounds to encourage any stragglers taking advantage of the fresh air, 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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"I don't limit myself to conventional human morality," is the easy response. "By my nature that would result in some rather unpleasant psychological problems rather quickly." Where did anything come in being good for a civilization, though? His confusion doesn't show, but it's there. Clearly he's missed something, he just doesn't have an angle to address it properly.

Besides, there's a meal to be had, ideal or not. He COULD go decades without blood but ... why?

While he doesn't know what a prion is, he knows about bacteria and viruses! It makes sense a predator wouldn't get violently ill off of their preferred diet, and he's got a pretty good grasp on evolution theory.. "Do you consider the memories a requirement or merely an interesting bonus?"

That might be the tofu part!

Though what tofu was, is a bit of a mystery. He has a dim recollection of some sort of mushy square during one month or another.. "I have many 'fun abilities', but if there's more than one sort of vampire I've yet to encounter it!" He sets one hand on his hip, looking thoughtful. "I can do capes and ruffles though it fell out of fashion quite a while ago, but the train prefers.. this." Which is far too loose for his comfort.

"God, right? It's like we're at a prep school. Give us some gear options at least."

Murphy makes a face. He's still wearing a polo shirt under that jacket that matches his red skin. He can't wait to get out of that. But to the question he just tips his head and shrugs. "Sometimes they're a pain in the ass so I don't slow down enough to take them in. I just dig in or blend it into something." Which is... strange... to get away with talking about this so freely.

Kinda novel.

"Like there'll be just some trash about the thing they did yesterday or a basic skill in knowing how to get grease off your hands after working with machinery- which is olive oil by the way, if you didn't know." A mostly useless bit of knowledge for him that came from a zombie who worked in a garage.

He leans on the counter. "Just heard stories myself. Never thought I'd actually meet a vampire." How old is the guy, he wonders? "The name's Murphy, by the way."

"I've always used palmolive. Does using another oil work better than simply using a soap?" He sounds mildly curious. Palmolive was older than he was, it's a staple in his life and he was pleased to find out it survived to modern era! But.. olive oil? It might be pointless trivia but at least it can be used for something!

If Dio ever gets his hands full of motor oil now he knows what to do about it if the soap doesn't work. But he'd still need the soap after, to get the olive oil off..

There's more refined ways to work on a drink, but Dio's treating it like it might as well be a glass of beer instead of the delicate sipping vampires are supposed to do. "We are.. somewhat rare, as far as I can tell." Not many stone masks to go around, and the Speedwagon Foundation's destroying them when found.. "I am Dio. Tell me, how do ordinary people categorize you? I've heard of brain-eating 'monsters' before, but they are always fairly mindless and rotten besides."

"Apparently it makes it less sticky? Thins it out? I'll accept it." Warren was always the one who worked on cars. She knew what she was doing. Unless she tried to make a plane run on vodka. That hadn't worked.

"I classify myself as a Blend. I'm not dead. Not completely. I came back all the way after I died. Other people might classify me and my kind under the broad definition of 'zombie'. You know, like the old movies where brains are delicious and you want to maul anything that has one? Those, but I'm a little more civilized."

He goes to popcorn another bit of brain. Theoretically he's a little more civilized than that.

It seems more civilized than just eating it like an apple, and Dio very nearly says so, thinks better of it, and dismisses the idea. He has no grounds to talk, at all. "I'm not familiar with a lot of movies, though I did see The Terminator recently."

The fourth wall and Dio's entire world are loosely affiliated. "I'm familiar with zombies, I've made a few in my time, but you're ... certainly not of that sort." He rubs his chin, looking thoughtful. "I suppose returning to life would affect that a fair bit.." His way was a one way trip as far as he knew. "Does the train supply all your needs? I've always been inclined to do a bit of browsing when it makes stops, but I've no need of anything but blood.."

There's always a brain left over when he's done!

"You make them?"

There's a curious look that crosses his face. He grabs a tupperware to scoop the cubes he's made into. If Dio just saw the Terminator, that sort of explains the aesthetic. He'll ask about years later.

"The train's can keep me going. But hell, if you're offering I'm not gonna turn down leftovers." It does taste better than when it has nothing.

Going back to the golden question. "...Can you control them? The Zombies?" Because Murphy might sound a little interested.

"Not often." But yes, he does. There's many issues with it, if he doesn't select his victim carefully, but sometimes you just need minions, and Dio didn't shy away from that.

The World generally did not approve. "..Well! In that case it is convenient we are on the same team, we may be in proximity at the time!" Fresh and hot, the way blood and brains are meant to be served! It truly is convenient, it's not like he bothered to hide the corpses afterward, but if someone else can make use of the leftovers..

There's a pause, and a slow nod. "And the vampires I can also create. Bound by my blood or essence, they must obey. Only powerful sunlight-related abilities may disrupt my hold."

That is pretty convenient, actually. If he left a body, Murphy could easily take advantage of that. Not that he needed a lot of food, and sometimes the cravings made that still human part of him feel like a freak, but the zombie part of him was angry and vicious and wanted to be satisfied. More importantly, it felt free.

"...I can make Blends," he admits. "Ones more alive than me. Same immunities. I can communicate with them. Most of them came to me for it because it meant the zombies would leave them alone. And because I could fix some of their health issues." Including chemical imbalances. He can make people happier in a world where no one makes drugs anymore. "A couple were just assholes that I wanted to keep an eye on."

He didn't trust 10K not to kill his daughter. His passion for killing zombies was overwhelming to someone that felt the constant waves of their dwindling emotions. And Dr. Merch? That bitch put him in this position. He just wanted to make her pay for it.

"It takes a special vaccine to break mine away."

It sounded as if Murphy's method was less death-requiring than Dio's. The vampire looks thoughtful, rubbing his chin a little. There weren't any immediate practical applications of the differences at the moment, but it would certainly be worth exploring in the future. "Should the world be suitable when next the train stops.. it might be interesting to see how, or if, our methods can combine. My zombies could hardly be called alive, but grants great strength and durability. I wonder.."

But that would require hunting worthy prey first, and removing them from public view. Just any victim wouldn't work, he'd need someone who would deserve the worst outcome should it happen, and that could take a fair bit of searching. "The train, of course, returns us should we fall, but I wonder if your method or mine might be viable for returning a fallen comrade immediately to their feet, and let the train handle the rest later."

Utterly morbid, that. "Though given our mutual holds upon our servants, I am reluctant to attempt it without knowing our fellow travelers may be freed afterward."

His didn't require death, but they didn't give the strength Dio's did, either. Murphy's considering it too, to be honest. What would happen if they both hit up someone. Not that he's out specifically to spitroast someone in thrall bites but if it works out specifically they could get someone real damn useful out of it, maybe.

"I was honestly ready to try it myself if I had to but I wasn't going to tell anyone that. People get a little-" he does a finger gun "-but seeing if both could work? Especially if they were someone we'd want to keep in a fight?"

He sneaks one more bite out of the tupperware before putting a lid on it.

"I know how to counteract my own bite and already ordered a vaccine. I might be able to counteract yours to if I got the right equipment and a blood sample. The two disease experts I ate were both very good at their work. Actually the second one wanted me to do it so I'd remember her skills, too." It's possible he could come up with something to counter Dio's. Or one of those magic purifying thingies could handle it- but honestly he's crazy curious as to what goes into being a vampire and now he has the borrowed intelligence to try and understand it.

"Red tends to be fairly open about things that work even if they are disturbing to some, or .. at least it used to be." How much had things changed? So long as the end result was good, did the method really matter? "I would not try such with Blue however."

They might not get a choice, if something goes bad enough; Dio would rather people get out of things intact than die on some strange world for .. the sake of honor or whatever dumb thing they'd think of next. "Depending on if you want to study vampirism or zombiism, that would require two different samples." But he doesn't really sound against the idea. "I would consider it less a disease and more.. a symbiotic parasite? I am unsure the terms now, things have changed so much in a mere century!" And even more, for worlds far more advanced than his own. "But ways to break my hold or even restore a subject back to their original state would be immensely useful, should Fate continue its antics."

There's a long, looooong thoughtful pause, then: "Do you require the entire brain to gain the expertise of your subject? Or merely pieces? If I carved out some of mine, would it be useful, or--"

He stops himself before he continues, then frowns. "..Mm, no on second thought, I, Dio, might suddenly wind up your master even temporarily."

"Yeah, the lead seemed fine with what I am, anyway." He'd been avoiding talking about it beyond the 'undead' part which he couldn't really hide. But his abilities are useful.

"I might be able to handle it. You, I mean. The reason I'm red is that I could take a flesh-eating bacteria that should have dissolved me alive. Instead, I evolved. So if it was worth the risk, I'd take it." But, y'know, best to give it a shot when eating the brain leftovers is worth the risk. "I might be able to get something out of a good chunk of surface area if I eat it slowly."

Well, that gives him some idea of how old Dio is. A 'mere century' isn't anything to sneeze at.

"You know what! We'll never know unless we try." He pops the tupperware in the freezer. "I'll order some specific supplies at the next platform- which won't help on this mission but fuck that, people can deal if they're stupid," a dismissive wave, "and if you're into it I'll do some blood testing. Maybe the neurologist I know can help out, too."

This Dio considers with all evidence of actual interest. "Be warned, my methods are not precisely.. bacterial. Or viral, for that matter. A small test may be advisable to begin with.." But not large bits until he knows it's not going to suddenly have wild side effects.

Benefits of the experiment:

Nothing at all, Dio's just curious. He's never met a zombie he didn't control before.

"I, Dio, will be happy to indulge these blood tests of yours. You may have to explain the results, science was never my forte." But he's willing to give it a go, because why not!

"Ahhhh I'm curious as to what your methods are. Even if they're 'magic', if it's in some observable way? Information I can use. I didn't care anything about science either until I got a taste for it."

He points and winks.

"Lubin' up my slip 'n' slide to hell with that joke."

No, it's not dressing like actual satan that would make him hellbound. It was a pun.

"...It might well be magic." He has no idea, but viruses and bacteria don't just fall out of stone masks!

Actually they do but he doesn't know that. "But indeed the process is observable!" There is no getting a taste for it when it's his sort of vampirism, though he rather envied the ability a little. It does however draw a snort of not-quite-laughter. No, it'd be horrible to laugh! He has manners! He's a gentleman!

"Though a further warning, unless you have great need for understanding the bylaws of Victorian courts, or an intimate familiarity with the bottom of the ocean, you may not learn much of worth from devouring my brain."

"Don't worry. Same. I'd probably taste like hot garbage." From anyone else the suggestion/warning not to eat them would be ill met, but there's a little more of an understanding he gets here.

"I wasn't planning on eating any of the crew anyway unless it was an emergency. People get touchy about that kind of thing and I've seen enough drama in an enclosed space. It's pitchforks and fire or guns or it's sudden totalitarian rule or I just find myself in gay baby jail for a week with a Hannibal Lector mask."

But then he admits, "If I have an excuse though and someone really needs to part with some information? I'm absolutely going to throw myself on that grenade."

He did have to admit he was mildly curious as to what a zombie of another sort might even taste like, but whether or not Murphy even bled was currently up for debate. What if it was all congealed? While Dio could make do there was no reason to 'make do' on the train in quite that fashion. "If opportunity and necessity ever arises, I will be certain to tell you how you taste. For posterity."

Unsurprisingly there's no sense that he has any itching need to actually do so. There's a lot of words Murphy uses next that have SOME sort of context but not enough to quite catch ... all of it.

What the hell was gay baby jail?

What's a hannibal lector mask?!

"The train selected us for a reason, and if that reason is merely that we can and will do what the others are too squeamish to.." The vampire shrugs. "Then we all do what must be done. If the pitchforks come out, I'll deal with that myself." So far, nothing on this train could compare with The World, he's certain of it! "..But as I recall we should be making a stop sometime this week, maybe there'll be an opportunity for something interesting."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

A New Platform [Intro Post May]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject