A New Platform [Intro Post January]

[voidtreckermods]

On the Train

After a very quiet latter half of the month of Catfish the calendar clicks over. Passengers wake up in their beds as usual to the passenger announcement. "Good morning passengers, it is day one of the month of domino.".

Those that have been on board a while know that new months usually come with new people and so the message a few hours later will not be a surprise. "Shortly arriving into a designated void platform. Exit from void imminent." A lurch and a jolt and they are soon surrounded by the fog that means they are at a platform.

It will come as a relief that no one leaves this time, no one with packed bags to walk silently towards the barriers.

Added to that the platform itself holds more people then it ever has before. Twenty one figures, all the colours are represented. The ground is icy and their breath pools in white clouds around them.

For New Passengers

At first all they can see if steam. Billowing around them as they come to their senses. They are standing, in clothes that are not their own, styles 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 but then the steam begins to fade and they realise they aren’t alone.

The platform is not large and it holds twenty one figures all facing the tracks, all dressed in cargo trousers and hoodies. The air is cold, the ground icy beneath your feet. Both left and right the 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 into the cold step a selection of people. Some are human, some are less so. They are wearing the same hoodie in one of the four colours, red, orange, blue and purple.

The Train

The doors hiss open. Those from the train may encourage those on the platform to board. It’s not like there is 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 not be a good thing also it’s very cold out on the platform. The train is warmer.

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. The store rooms have been restocked and it seems that water chestnuts are the month of Domino’s ingredient of choice! Any of orange team who who go to check the luggage cart will find a parcel containing gingerbread snowflakes, decorated with icing. One for each of the orange team, including new members, come share in the reward!

New passengers will find their tickets allow 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 and you will hopefully find a pillow for your bed if it has not been nabbed by a roommate, there are also spare blankets for if it gets cold.

Departure

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

The train sets off, the fog obscuring the view 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."

Hopefully someone warns you that you really want to heed that warning because a moment later there is 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. The fog from the windows is gone now, replaced with a kaleidoscope of ever changing colours.

Welcome to voidspace!

Comments

[knifewithnoname]

"I did be seeing lightning before, yes." She nodded with a grin. There were often storms in Gauig, over the sea. Some of the lightning displays were pretty amazing.

[myblueskies]

"I think so sir. Before I came to the train I was in a world that wasn't the world I was on before that. There were lots of people from different worlds there so that's a lot already. Now there are more people on this train from different worlds and they went to different worlds as well. "We went to two worlds on this train and um... I think maybe the platforms are on a world but I don't know if it's the same world or different worlds!"

[yilingdaddy]

[ Family is so very important. Wei Ying has loved this boy from the moment they'd all trekked up to the Burial Mounds. His heart had hurt so much when he'd believed Yuan dead. Now that they're reunited, and as a family...he doesn't want to miss a single moment of it. He only wishes Wen Ning and Wen Qing were here too.

Well. Maybe Ning more than Qing, but not by a large margin.

He grins and nods encouragingly, reaching up to pretend to pinch Sizhui's cheek. ]

How else do I have a radish son?

[ He laughs a little uncomfortably, smile clearly sheepish at being caught. ]

Aaah, A-Yuan! You're too much like Lan Zhan it's not fair! [ He scolds, shaking a finger at him with a grimace. ] ...I couldn't focus past the voices until Lan Zhan blindfolded me and got them to be quiet. I'm used to it now.

[ Aaaaaaaaand back to the embarrassed laugh. ] We were using the wrong soap. There are machines that take most of the work out of cleaning clothes, but we still have to use them right.

[deductiongeek]

Ordinary for most people, perhaps. But there was more than enough information here for someone who'd spent ten years obsessively developing observation skills to match Sherlock Holmes.

A moment of close observation, and Conan steps back and stares straight up at Bucky as he adopts the more adult-like language and tone of voice he used when he wanted to be taken seriously.

"You were in Germany recently, although you are from America, probably New York. You were formerly in the military, probably as a sniper, and you've been keeping a diary or journal recently." He pauses here and tilts his head. "You also haven't been sleeping enough recently. Although that isn't unusual for this train."

Considering Conan was one of the many people here with trouble sleeping, he didn't really have room to do any lecturing there.

[flatteries]

There's a slight pause before he answers. Mostly since the true answer to that would involve either him saying he's a prince or saying he's actually been raised in the middle of a postapocalyptic hellscape, and he'd prefer to keep both of those things to himself.

So instead he settles for telling the truth, but just ommitting some details.

"Near one, I'd say. My father was close with some of the people from there though, so due to that I often ended up seeing them as well. One of them was-- well, I suppose you could call him my babysitter when I was younger. Can you imagine? One day you're swinging a huge axe around to defeat the bad guys, and the next day you're busy trying to wrangle three small children."

[marriedanidiot]

"Some do, and some don't. There is no pattern that I have been told - although you could ask Mister Tony Stark, who has been keeping records, I believe. I have been extraordinarily fortunate, in that regard, although I do have a rather unusually large family to draw from, I suppose."

[signseeker]

Will shakes his head. "I think I am alone here. I haven't seen anyone here yet that I know."

He wasn't exactly unbothered by this, but it was something that he thought he would need to get used to.

[signseeker]

Will bows slightly in return. "In the name of the Light, and of the Old World before the Dark came, I greet you. I am Will Stanton."

[flatteries]

He slowly blinks. Inigo has heard of people not having heard of trains before - he's one of them. But he never thought about how life in space might be different enough that some places wouldn't have horses. They're such a normal part of his own world, after all. And they're actual living creatures, unlike trains!

"Are you saying you have never seen a horse before..?"

[marriedanidiot]

She smiles, delighted at the curtesy, and tips her head curiously.

"Well met, Will Stanton. The Old World before the Dark came?"

[signseeker]

He shakes his head. "It is not a world that I ever saw. I am lastborn of my kind, and I was born long after, in the days before the last battle against the Dark. But I have heard stories of that time."

[happyends]

It's at least nice to hear both of them reassure her like that, but Ignis' question seems to at first just draw surprise from her, and before she can think or say anything else, Tony is already pulling her into a group hug instead, leading to a 2x surprise combo.

Which means the surprise lingers for a few moments longer since she just didn't see any of this coming. But once the initial surprise ebs away, Madoka quickly shakes her head.

"Of course I don't mind..!" Really, if Tony and Ignis are sweet enough to offer a hug to comfort her, then who would she be to refuse? It feels rather nice now it's happening anyway, and she moves her arms to cling to Tony with one hand and Ignis with the other once he's pulled closer, leaning into the hug.

Madoka smiles, seemingly rather content. She isn't even getting flustered, apparently.

[sensitiveapple]

She shakes her head. "No. The arm is as it is." She says with a shrug. "For the pain and suffering you went through, I am sorry. No one should be made to do things." But, she's being trained to be a courtesan and doesn't see it as the same thing.

"Bad people abound, it is our response to them that makes us who we are. If you had no choice, you are not a bad person." It's something Jocko and Freema have taught her. "But you are not made to do them now. You have a chance to become something more than who you were."

Which is important. She smiles, huffing a small laugh. "No, I'm not afraid. You are not the first I've seen with an arm such as this, telling of horrors."

[marriedanidiot]

"My, but that sounds interesting. Perhaps later, though - with my son. He is a bard you see, and he would love, I'm sure, to learn new tales. But for now, perhaps I can see if I can help you, any?"

[flatteries]

Those words he seems to at least take in a little more seriously. Inigo may be a flirting idiot, but he at least is not dismissive of things other people find important - unless they're totally ridiculous. But what she was doing back home doesn't sound like it falls anywhere near that category.

"You wouldn't be the only person in that situation. It seems more of us were pulled to this place in the middle of important situations. So whichever force is behind it must care little for whether we have time to be here or not."

[flatteries]

"I get it." Inigo recognizes that reaction. Because while he doesn't share the exact depth of his feelings about it on the outside, it's the exact same thing he thought when he first showed up here. "There are people who need me too. Or.. well, I'd hope so, anyway." His light tone makes it sound like a joke though.

"But it seems that whatever force drew us here is not interested in whether we had business elsewhere or not. We are all stuck here without any way to go back-- so I suppose if that fits your definition of being held hostage, then that may be it."

[hashtagparkerluck]

The situation seems to just keep escalating and Peter really needs everything to calm down. The sensory overload is probably making things feel a lot worse than they actually are but it really isn't helping that he keeps coughing. Is he actually short on air or does it just feel like that because of the panic attack?

Peter coughs harshly into his arm as he's pushed in Happy's direction, if he didn't feel like he was on fire he might have stopped to ask what the medical car would do but he kinda has to agree that something needs to be done.

"Can someone just make it stop?" He asks frantically, his words obviously hindered by his swollen tongue.

[cepicorpus]

And lo, it is capable of speech. Therefore his assessment on intelligence was right.

Unfortunately with what he knows of speech-mimicking birds, and birds in general, there's really not much at ALL to tell him whether he's dealing with male, female or something other. Birds had too much control over their tones to base it on that.

Well. It didn't really matter.

"...Yes. But often with other things in them, like fruit." Or raisins, or chocolate chips or all kinds of things he suspected he's never really thought of. "...Presumably a cake could be put in a muffin tin." And then become muffins.

He frowns, turning back to his current ... less than stellar efforts, deciding the crow.. raven .. person is surely going to assist. "You aren't from Australia, are you?"

[thinhammer]

[ He reassesses himself. Realises that somehow the addition of a giant spider to his situation hasn't really made the barf situation worse (though it hasn't helped either) but as the train levels out, he definitely realises the problem is becoming less of an imminent one and more a slight possibility now. So that's. Cool. ]

I'm.. good, I think. Not so bad now I stopped thinkin' about movin' around, y'know.

[ He takes the bin anyway. Just to be safe. Then he eyes up the little thing she's using to speak to him. ]

Is that.. [ Go on, Naruto. Guess what it is. You've never seen even the slightest bit of technology in your life, but go ahead.

He rephrases. ]

What is that?

[thinhammer]

[ Train being prepared something something, Naruto didn't hear the rest because he was too busy being entirely confused over what Inigo said before that. ]

Ya haven't heard of chakra? Ya mean at all? Never?

[ He gives Inigo a close up look, then kind of. Shuffles away a bit. ]

Are ya dead? Are ya some kinda ghost?

[ Look, okay, this kid has been brought up knowing only that chakra is like life energy and if it depletes you are in danger of passing out-- or dying... so his adjustment isn't the smoothest transition. Cut him some slack. ]

[thinhammer]

Naruto fist pumps so violently that there's this hilarious kind of whoosh sound following the action. Something about him having wind affinity, probably. Or just shounen powers.

It's been less than a day since he's last had ramen, but even that feels like an eternity, so being told that ramen is not only possible but having someone who's apparently down with just making it for him is as good an outcome as he could have hoped for.

"Any kind'a topping is good as long as ya do the base right, y'know!" Says the guy who cannot cook and is only just capable of putting boiling water into cup ramen. He has no place at all to be acting high and mighty here.

"Can ya make some right now? Or do we have to wait.. till dinner time or somethin'?"

[thinhammer]

Man. Maybe it's just because this stranger is wearing blue and being a grumpy asshole, but Naruto is getting flashbacks to being thirteen and getting called stupid by a face he had no choice in being a teammate alongside. Except this time its a grown dude, and instead of being teammates they are sharing a bunk-bed. Crazy how these things happen.

"You're probably right, but either way ya might as well tell me about it. If we're gonna be sharing a room and stuff, then we're probably gonna be seein' a lot of each other so it'd make sense to just get it out now."

Naruto shrugs his shoulders, which is impressive considering he's still hanging upside-down.

"Besides, I understand a lotta stuff. Ya never know, I might get it."

[anewhero]

Like I said, I'm not... exactly your normal "human." "I'm a cyborg, half human and half terminator."

"I eat and drink but I don't need to sleep."

[flatteries]

...

[ That question seems to catch Inigo so off guard that he just stares blankly at the other for a moment. He opens his mouth as if to say something, but then seems to rethink that and closes it again for another moment or two. ]

Listen, I understand that it may be shocking to see a stunning appearance like mine. [ Keep dreaming, Inigo. ] But I'm very much alive. This place isn't the same place as you came from. Most people probably haven't heard of chakra here.

[ Naruto has been the first he's heard that word from, anyway. ]

[thinhammer]

[ Ninja kid?? Naruto looks as confused as one should, and is about to comment that yes he certainly is a ninja kid and does some arguably weird hand stuff, but then he's yanked around the corner and is listening with only half his attention span to what Deadpool is doing with the extinguisher.

In other circumstances this might even be informative, but as it is Naruto doesn't really have enough time to really learn anything, especially not when Deadpool rounds the spray of the extinguisher on a guy Naruto has never seen before. The guy in charge? Naruto's brain wars with him - one part that sounds like Sakura telling him that if he's in charge then he certainly won't find a burst of water to the chest funny, while the other that has a voice like Jiraiya-sensei's points out the very swaying fact that while he might not appreciate it it still would be very funny. Ultimately Naruto can't really react in enough time to stop if he'd wanted to, so instead just watches as Train Boss takes a shot to the chest, reflexively crowing with laughter.

At Deadpool's question, Naruto's eyes light up. ]

Only kids run away, y'know!

[ He's just utilising what he knows. He forms a quick hand-seal and by the time the smoke clears there are two identical copies of Naruto standing either side of him, having apparently sprinted to the two carriages bracketing this one, stolen the extinguishers and are fast following Wade's instruction and proceeding to pelt Mr Train Guy with two dual streams of water right to the face. ]