voidtreckerexpress | A New Platform [Intro Post September]

On the Train

"Good morning Voidtreckers, it is day one of the month of Nebula. 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 doors open. As usual, those who leave first notice nothing, walking silently, rucksacks on their backs, towards the barriers. A-Qing, Atem, Beauregard Lionett, Casper LeBlanc Jr, Donatello Versus, Frankie Bacon, Ichiban Kasuga, Kumoko, Lena Sabrewing, Mami Tomoe, Mono, Peter Parker, Reno, Shi Qingxuan, Tobari, Wen Ning; all pass across the platform, not looking back. And then they're gone, disappeared 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. The platform is open to a bright blue sky, speckled with a couple of clouds. It's very warm, enough that they will not want to stay in those hoodies for long. Behind them through the fogs is a set of barriers, set in a brick wall and in front of them is a single set of tracks extending both ways into that same 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 on the foggy, blistering hot platform; then the fog begins to fade and they realise they aren’t alone.

The platform isn't large, but it is enough to hold the 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, perhaps ten minutes or so, 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'). They will also find a bunch of posters around the train and might notice the new clock in the standard coach.

The store rooms have been restocked with fresh ingredients, the ingredient this month is a strange meat, yaddon tail.

For passengers that have bought items, these are also scattered around the luggage carriage in various suitcases and bags. There is a box labelled for purple team containing a stick of rock for each member of purple team, including those who are new. Join in your teams success!

New passengers will find their ticket allows them into their cabins. In most rooms, the occupied beds are obvious, leaving the spotless, empty spaces for the newcomers. 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 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 mean, that had been the plan. Was gonna talk to Watanuki or Kirk and Spock about some way to find you guys and offer help." Because she couldn't not help Danny."But then I ended up here. Without....most of my stuff."

"Wait, how long was it for you? Its been two weeks here."

He makes a face. "Yeah... I think the rule here is still one item. Good news is you can buy back stuff from home. Eventually.

"What?! I was on Diagad last I knew," she said.

".....seriously? Well....Aerith is family and I had it...hopefully that's enough to get the materia back, at least," she muttered.

A sigh. "Time mixup stuff. It happens here. I guess two weeks isn't bad, considering."

He nods. "Far as I know, we can get anything we had at home. Even weapons, although those are a lot more expensive. Speaking of which, let me know if you need a thermos. I just stocked up on some stuff from home."

"Hmmm, well, I don't remember the time. Probably fine," she said. As long as she diesn't get other nightmares.

Razzy stared at that. "What's a thermos?" She asked.

Danny blinks.

"....Vlad really sucked at sharing important information, didn't he." Not that that was too much of a surprise.

"Dad invented them. They're portable ghost containment devices."

"Depends on the information. He showed me a lot of devices. Guns, traps...." she taps her chin. "There was two for containing ghosts. It was a cylinder and a box with a hose."

Like Vlad woukd actually call their devices of questionable names by their name.

Danny rolls his eyes. "Of course he did. It was probably the cylinder. They're shaped like that because Dad used an old soup thermos to build it."

"So a thermos usually holds soup. Okay," she said.

And there is a. Pause.

"Okay, so this is like super important, how many secrets are you keeping, Danny? Because I haven't had to fight the 'I'm a clone, I don't know what a taxes is' questioning for like a year. Need to be ready if I have to save all those questions for you," she said.

"Very long story short? I'm not hiding being half ghost here. I kind of had to transform very publicly here to deal with something.... And weirdly people here are actually pretty cool about halfas being a thing." Here he pauses. "As for the rest, I haven't told anyone anything about Vlad or the whole cloning incident. So you can figure out what you want to tell people and I can go with that."

In other words he'd told some of the sillier stories, but avoided mentioning any of the actually serious incidents.

"I mean, from what I saw in the fight, people had a lot of powers. And usually powers means being okay with others with powers because that's...their normal?" She shrugged.

"But thank goodness, because its really hard to be discrete. I had gotten used to just not freaking out some locals temporarily, longterm would be so hard," she said with a relieved sigh.

"Even before the powers thing," Danny agrees. "I mean, I'm still weird for here. Seems like the ghosts back home aren't much like the ghosts in other worlds. But people here have been pretty okay about it."

No one had even tried to shoot at him since he'd arrived here. That was still weird to think about.

He gives her a warm smile. "Well, no worries that way. Seriously, like the one good thing about life here is not having to worry about hiding stuff."

"There is that. Most people don't seem to expect ghosts to be so solid," she said. She nudges his side. "But people are pretty good when they have an open mind to this stuff."

"That's good. I didn't even know to hide in Sabra and Edward is personal friends of the leaders of Amestris. As long as I didn't freak the locals, I could do whatever," she said. And thankfully Alchemy could be used to Explain A Lot.

He makes his face and nudges her back.

"Yeah, I've been getting that idea. Lots of people can't even tell I'm a ghost unless I tell them. Super weird."

He wasn't sure what to think yet about the new home Razzy had found. But so far it sounded like it was safe there. Which was the most important part.

And more than he could say for Amity Park, most days.

"Sounds nice," he says. "No ghost hunters over there to worry about?"

"Hmm, I mean, it is fair. I've met a ghost from another world. According to her, a lot of people had been unable to see her at all," she said. "I was one of the low number around who could. She was pretty upset by it."

She shook her head. "No, nothing like that. The ability to affect souls costs a literal arm and a leg to do. Anyone whose going to have the ability to be a threat would have to reach the level of supervillain. In which case, I can literally tell the army," she said. "And if I did ever meet someone like that, no one on Amestris is gonna be able to keep me on Amestris. Going to another dimensions is a great way to escape."

"And because of the stuff they do have their, I can just say I used 'Alchemy' if I did need to explain any weird," she added with a shrug.

"Sounds like a good place to stay," he says with a smile. "What's alchemy?"

"Its a science that seems a lot like magic. It does involve knowing the chemical make up of what you're messing with and some other stuff and transmutation circles. You can change one thing into another thing, like you could take raw metal, wood, and sand and make a clock in the time it takes to make the circle. It can also do elemental stuff like fire or ice because of chemical reactions in the air when temperature changes," she explained. "Its really cool. Edward and his brother are prodigies so they can make pretty much anything as long as they have the equivalent raw materials."

Also because they paid that limb fee, but that's their trauma.

A New Platform [Intro Post September]

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