voidtreckerexpress | A new Platform [Intro post~ August]

For those on the Train

"Good morning passengers, it is day sixteen of the month of Apple." The train announces as always as everyone wakes up the morning of the sixteenth. "Due to your success on Hub World #5739 your team points have been updated on the system. The on train shop has unlocked new stock."

For those going to investigate it might seem like the boredom of the last two weeks will be alleviated a little. More so after a few hours when there is a second announcement.

"Shortly arriving into a designated void platform. Exit from void imminent."

By now they should know to hold on as the train jerks and jolts. There is only fog outside the windows but the train soon comes to a stop. The doors hiss open.

As they exit into the fog they may notice Hibiki exiting from the luggage carriage door. She hasn’t been seen since the Hub World and they might be forgiven for believing she stayed behind. But here she is, backpack on her back as she walks through the station. She heads no call, reacts to no words and cannot be stopped as she walks to the ticket barrier and disappears through it.

It is impossible to follow. But you soon may be distracted because this platform is far from empty.

For new arrivals

At first all you can see if steam. Billowing around you as you come to your senses. You are standing, in clothes that are not your own, styles you might not even recognise. You are carrying a rucksack on your back. For a moment it seems to just be you, alone in the white haze but then the steam begins to fade and you realise you aren’t alone.

The platform is not very large, but it hold twelve figures all facing the tracks, all wearing similar clothing, even if one of them is a spider. The tracks stretch left and right into steam, or perhaps fog. Nothing can be seen to either side. There is a wall around the platform and the only entrance is a ticket barrier. It cannot be open, nor do there seem to be any staff.

What there is, is a train. Jet black and gleaming where it stands on the rails.Voidtrecker Express is emblazoned in the engine in gold. There is a hiss as the doors slide open.

Out step a selection of people, wearing clothes just like yours.

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.

Once on the train there is plenty to explore. A new sleeper carriage has appeared as has a medical bay. Neither were there before those already on the train had disembarked to meet their new travelling companions.

Each ICP shows the same message. The food stores have been topped up with new fresh food, though it seems that eggs are still predominately on the menu.

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. Those who boarded two weeks ago will know what is coming next.

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

His eyebrow raises at the different name, but he doesn't challenge it. Not yet. He'll give this kid a chance to hide while freaked out by the situation. However, he's totally on to you that you're weird. You're not acting like a tiny thing should. But Buttercup didn't act like she should all the time either so.. whatever. Also, you clearly didn't react to his name either.

"Nice to meet you Conan. I've been to Tokyo a couple times. I don't recall that name specifically." He shrugs, not all that concerned about it. "Let me know if you need anything. I'll answer whatever I can for you. Does it say on your ticket which cabin you're in?"

"My ticket?" He hadn't gotten as far as locating that yet.

"Yeah, look in your rucksack. You'll find clothes, supplies, and at least one object from home. From what I can tell so far, there hasn't been any kind of pattern with these items except that they fit in this bag." He crouches down and opens Conan's bag for him. He shuffles through it till he can point at the ticket tucked besides his notebook. "There's your ticket."

He helps himself to the ticket, pulling it out and reading it. His eyebrows rise. "Well, you're in with a married couple and a young man who is part of the military force back home. Dread, the husband, is a giant but don't worry he's harmless. I wouldn't go being mean to his wife though since Dread and I both will have to kick you in the ass for it." He gives Conan a teasing wink for that. "Now.. maybe you can tell me why your name is listed on here as one thing and you've given me a different one."

He gladly seizes his shoes when he spots them in the bag, although he can't help the slight flinch at the realization that literally every item in the bag was labeled with his real name.

"Because that's not my name," he lies, pushing down the familiar mix of guilt and longing that came with his real name. It wasn't safe to claim it, here or anywhere, no matter how much he would have liked to. "Shinichi is my distant relative. Maybe someone got us confused?"

Tony washes curiously as the kid's item from home turns out to be.. sneakers? Maybe they were some long lost aunt's as people around here had several items from loved ones. Whatever, he didn't really care.

He stares at Conan a moment before rolling his eyes. Wow. Just.. wow. "Okay, kid. A few things. One, no one gives a crap what your real name is since there's a very small chance anyone is here from your world. Two, that is a particularly bad lie. I mean, I'm not saying you shouldn't like about it if you're that uncomfortable but you're going to need to come up with something a lot better. Personally, I'd go with you have a nickname and Shinichi is your father's name or something like that. The entity that brought us here hasn't made a mistake yet so.. Lastly, I really am here to help. I'll let you off the hook for now about the name since it doesn't matter to me one way or the other, but I'm an ally and my goal is to keep everyone on this train safe."

The boy's painfully forced smile instantly drops into a scowl. There was no point in pursuing the lie when it was obvious that it wouldn't be believed.

"A small chance isn't the same as no chance. I'd rather not build a lie that any person from my world could instantly spot." Not that he entirely believed this story about different worlds. He'd play along with it for now, but he hadn't seen any evidence yet to support such an outlandish theory.

"That's fair," Tony concedes much easier than the boy probably expected. "I take it you're wanted for some reason and you're now having a code brown underoos because of it? I don't know if we have any artists, but we can get someone to maybe make some patches for you to put over the name on your bag and in the hallway at your cabin door."

He went over what kind of material they had on the train. There were extra blankets he might be able to rip a section off of. It wouldn't look anything like the material on Conan's rucksack though. Hmm. They also didn't have any way to embroider the name like it was now. This problem might take some thought.

Ever want to be judged by a seven-year-old? Because Conan was judging Tony hard right now. He doesn't even dignify that comment with a response.

"Let's just say, where I'm from that isn't a safe name to be connected to."

Well fine, Tony will laugh at his joke. He had a sense of humor.

He'll also judge you back because come on, what are you? You're not a typical kid obviously. Either way, he kind of liked this kid. Something about him was amusing and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't curious about this boy's story- he clearly had one!

"Right." That's what he said, wasn't it? "If anyone on the train gives you any trouble, just come find me. I'll protect you from anyone but Sarai. You piss her off, you're on your own."

He would be the first (and most likely only person) to claim was a perfectly normal kid. Apart from lying about his name due to something that obviously scared him. But as long as no one suspected that he was also lying about his age, he might still be okay.

"I can take care of myself," he insists.

The kid had some spunk in him to not want to rely on an adult in a situation as foreign as this was. He shrugged. It didn't matter all that much to him if the kid wanted his help or not, it would be there. However, if it made the boy feel better, he'd move on to helping someone else on this platform.

"Alright then. You know my name and where to find me." He straightened and gave the boy a wave.

And he was fooling himself if he thought he'd just acted like a normal kid.

A new Platform [Intro post~ August]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject