voidtreckermods: (voidtrain)
VoidTrecker Express Mods ([personal profile] voidtreckermods) wrote in [community profile] voidtreckerexpress2020-04-01 05:27 am

A New Platform [Intro Post April!]

On the Train

Two days after they return from their mission they are awoken as usual "Good morning passengers, it is day sixteen of the month of Egret. The shop has been updated and points have been applied to passengers tickets."

Those that go to check the shop terminals will find they have indeed updated, with the option to buy larger items and also animals. The morning goes on until just after noon there is a second announcement.

"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 they are soon surrounded by the fog that means they are at a platform. Though the fog is thick, thicker than usual perhaps, there are patches on sunlight shining through and it is pleasantly warm.

The doors open and the first few to disembark do so with rucksacks on, hoods pulled up, silent and almost blank faced. Cu Chulain, Dio Brando, Disreputable Dog, Heiji Hattori, Loki Maedhros, Maglor, Naruto, Thor, Tobias Fangor.

They walk to the barriers, show their tickets and disappear.

But on the platform itself there are once again new faces. All are stood, waiting for the train.

For New Passengers

At first all they can see is 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 as people begin to shift or call out it will become apparent they are not alone.

The platform is not large and it holds eighteen figures all facing the tracks, all dressed in cargo trousers and hoodies. It's warm but foggy making it hard to see much, but there are clearer patches bathed in sunlight found across the platform. 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. 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. The store rooms have been restocked with an abundance of onions, in case the passengers weren't bored of them yet.

Passengers who are not brand new will notice that the train has gotten yet longer again with a sixth sleeper cabin for new arrivals.

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. 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. The fog from the windows is gone now, replaced with a kaleidoscope of ever changing colours.

Welcome to the Void!
maxwellsdaemon: (Try me)

[personal profile] maxwellsdaemon 2020-04-17 05:28 pm (UTC)(link)
Duo laughed and waved the apology off before he leaned back, dropping his hands behind him to prop himself up. "It is what it is. And if I need to fight here, I will." He'd just have to make sure that he'd let people know what they were getting into when they set him loose.

"I'm expendable. Just point me where I need to go and watch me shine." Duo grinned wickedly. "I'd rather fight so others don't have to."
luckybucky: (You think you're real clever huh?)

[personal profile] luckybucky 2020-04-17 05:40 pm (UTC)(link)
"Not here, you're not," he snaps, a frown twisting his lips. "I don't know what it's like where you come from, so I won't pretend that I understand what you've been through, but no one, no one. Gets to die for stupid, bone-headed reasons like that. Win or lose, live or die, we do it together. Besides, if I have to go chasing around one more self-sacrificing moron I'm gonna have an infarction. I may not look it, but I'm a hundred years old, you know." He's trying, a little, to take the edge off the scolding.
emerald_mirror: (Default)

[personal profile] emerald_mirror 2020-04-17 05:48 pm (UTC)(link)
Not that Xander isn't perfectly capable of telling people off himself. He is, it's just not his first reaction--he's used to trying to be more of a peacemaker. His twin is the prickly one, back home. Xander smooths all the feathers that Alex ruffles, literally.

He follows casually enough, furling his wings tighter so that he doesn't bump into anyone. Well, as best as he can--this train isn't as spacious as he could hope.

Glad he didn't have a bad case of claustrophobia, though...

"Really?" It might seem stranger, save he'd been adopted into his brother's foster clan, and if nothing else, they had food in copious amounts, available any time. "That's pretty cool, but where does it come from? Or did we just come from a restock station?" The latter concept made sense to him, at the very least...
maxwellsdaemon: (Default)

[personal profile] maxwellsdaemon 2020-04-17 05:49 pm (UTC)(link)
A slim brow arched as he was.... what? Told off? This was hilarious! It made him wonder what Bucky would think of Heero, the guy who had self-destructed a million times already. Maybe a slight exaggeration, but not by much, and at least the guy had managed to come back from his explosive exits.

So he took it, he listened, smiled, considered for a moment of kicking the guy in the balls, but managed to refrain. In the end he would do what he wanted to do. Win or lose. He'd rather go down knowing his friends would live on. He didn't want to die with regrets.

Duo cocked his head to the side and looked the guy up and down slowly, then smirked when he lifted his eyes back to Bucky's face. "Don't look bad for an old man, Gramps. I'll keep your dicky ticker in mind in future. But don't sweat it, eh?" He grinned. "Don't have to get all het up over me, need to pace yourself. Relax. Shall I get you a warm milk?"
emerald_mirror: (shock)

[personal profile] emerald_mirror 2020-04-17 06:02 pm (UTC)(link)
It wasn't like dealing with...say...Zohak, either. That presence had been young and confused before he'd incarnated himself; the train had a presence, but where Zohak had been little more than a baby, the train was more...inscrutable, a mystery.

Xander hated mysteries.

"Guess that's what we have to do, then. I mean, it's not like we were trying to hurt it..." Even if the peridexis had frightened the train, it wasn't like any of them had been actively making an attempt at harm. But then again, maybe there was a grain of truth in the opposite...that for whatever reason, the train was afraid of harming them?

It was confusing. "Beyond that, I've got nothing. My brother was the one who was the best at being a think-tank. Me? I'm the rebel." But Xander laughed at that.
luckybucky: (Sorry)

[personal profile] luckybucky 2020-04-17 06:30 pm (UTC)(link)
Bucky probably would have a heart attack if Heero were on the train.

Bucky's expression softens to a small smile, shaking his head a little. "Warm milk'd be great," he teases. "But I do mean it. No one's expendable here, and the missions we get sent on usually lend themselves to teamwork, anyway. We're more than just weapons." It was a lesson he was still working on learning, himself.
maxwellsdaemon: (Happy smiles)

[personal profile] maxwellsdaemon 2020-04-17 06:42 pm (UTC)(link)
Duo laughed, a good, honest laugh. He did so enjoy it when people actually played along with him. It made him actually want to go and get the guy that glass of warm milk. Maybe he would?

He tilted his head back to look up at the ceiling of the train, his laughter dying to a calm sort of smile. "More than just weapons, huh? Interesting concept. But... I think I'll trust you. For now... I'll trust you're right." That's as good as Bucky was likely to get from Duo, which was a lot more than some got. Duo didn't trust easily. But seeing the guy getting all excited over the idea he'd up and die for a cause was kind of... endearing.
unfavorableinstigation: Nita looking directly at the viewer, mouth slightly open, as if she's in the middle of an important or unamused expression. (Focused)

Have the go-ahead to skip the train this round; are we nearing thread wrap, though?

[personal profile] unfavorableinstigation 2020-04-17 07:05 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah.

Nita sounds disappointed - and thus, tries to surface from the connection to answer Xander properly.

"If we come back at this later, that also means time for brainstorming," she points out.
luckybucky: (A little happy)

[personal profile] luckybucky 2020-04-17 07:10 pm (UTC)(link)
Bucky would never turn down such a thoughtful gesture. Though he might tease Duo about it right back.

His smile warms when Duo agrees to trust him, and he chuckles quietly. "I won't let you down," he promises, at least not so long as he still has the ability to make his own choices. "Though if you do see me stalking around blank-faced, you should probably hit me in the head as hard as you can."
maxwellsdaemon: (Default)

[personal profile] maxwellsdaemon 2020-04-17 07:14 pm (UTC)(link)
Duo looked back at Bucky then, despite only seconds ago saying he'd trust him, now there was suspicion in his narrow-eyed gaze. "Yeeeeah, not fallin for that one again! I go and hit you and you sucker punch me in the gut. Been there, done that!" Admittedly with someone else, but still... Once bitten and twice shy and all that jazz.

"You do a zombie walk often then?" He asked as he pushed himself back up and then pulled his legs up onto the seat with him to cross them. "... And wouldn't you feel better sittin instead of standing over me like that? Getting a crick in my neck looking up at you."
luckybucky: (A little happy)

[personal profile] luckybucky 2020-04-17 07:20 pm (UTC)(link)
That got a confused look for a few seconds, but he shook his head. "No, and I shouldn't end up in that state again while I'm here," as he perches himself on the row of seats opposite Duo, now that he realizes he is, in fact, Looming a bit. "Back where I came from, I'd been used as a weapon, too, but they didn't want me making any decisions for myself, so..." he shrugs. "They took the option away. No one here knows how to do that, I don't think. The only one that might is smart enough not to try it."
maxwellsdaemon: (Creeped out)

[personal profile] maxwellsdaemon 2020-04-17 07:29 pm (UTC)(link)
Duo gave the other guy a critical look, tilting his head curiously. "... They can't de-program you?" He asked after a thinking his words over and realising there wasn't really a delicate way to say it. "I mean sure, if no one knows the magic words to turn you on, that's great. But what if someone shows up who does? Might he worth looking into how to reverse the brain wash. It was brain washing, right?" He leaned forward, arms crossed over his crossed legs. "You can tell me to shut up if this isn't somethin you wanna talk about though. I'll understand."
luckybucky: (Sorry I guess?)

[personal profile] luckybucky 2020-04-17 07:36 pm (UTC)(link)
He shakes his head in the negative. "Not as far as I know, and I'd have to trust someone pretty heavily to even let them try," he replies. The almost clinical way of talking about it is easier than some of the other reactions he's gotten. "Yeah, more or less, that's what it was. I'm still... a little fuzzy on some of the details. They were wiping my memory over and over again, too. I think I have most of it back, if not all, but they didn't exactly narrate the procedures," he smiles weakly.
maxwellsdaemon: (Hah)

[personal profile] maxwellsdaemon 2020-04-17 07:51 pm (UTC)(link)
"So... chemical?" Duo asked then. "They drugged you to wipe you or..." He gave his head a shake then and laughed low and humourless. "Guess it doesn't matter how, huh? What's done is done. You're lucky to get your memory back. That shit is messed up, the things people will do to others..." To be fair, he'd never actually gotten to that point himself. He was pretty sure that there were times when the enemy had wanted to try and re-wire him, but someone had always come and threw him a Get Outta Jail Free card and he managed to avoid it. Never managed to avoid the liberal beatings and torture though. Those things still sucked.

"Inconsiderate pricks. Least they could have done was be a good Bad Guy and tell you what they were doing as they were doing it." Duo rolled his eyes and then flashed a grin over at Bucky. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry they did something sucky to you. Please tell me you found the one who did it and kicked their ass though?"
luckybucky: (Sorry)

[personal profile] luckybucky 2020-04-17 08:05 pm (UTC)(link)
He shakes his head, he wishes it had been done chemically. "Electricity. I'm just lucky I don't scar," and he shrugs a little at the rest of that.

"The ones who put the programming in place were dead by the time I was rescued, but out of the more recent ones... well, I've been on my own for two years and let's just say they run when they see me coming." He smiles, but there's no joy to it. "I don't kill them because then I'd be what they made me into, but none of them are ever going to walk right again."
maxwellsdaemon: (le huh)

[personal profile] maxwellsdaemon 2020-04-17 08:14 pm (UTC)(link)
"Shit..." Duo hissed in sympathy. "Electricity is... not cool. I'd prefer the drugs." He shuddered, his own memories bringing a touch of anger with them. The only saying was that what didn't kill you made you stronger. For Duo is just pissed him off more.

Pushing his own thoughts aside, he gave his attention back to Bucky and smirked. "Point em out to me. I'll happily rid them of this mortal coil. No skin off my nose." It seemed only fair the God of Death come for them, he'd never heard of anyone more deserving.
dredefulchilde: (looking up)

[personal profile] dredefulchilde 2020-04-17 08:44 pm (UTC)(link)
“I’d say not,” Joss agrees. “Having a science fiction metal arm is not a trait one normally associates with typical human beings.” He rubs his shoulder ruefully. This is going to be sore for days.

He looks up at Bucky when he reveals a bit about his past, giving voice to what Joss had already mostly put together himself. “We have that in common,” he says quietly. “I—well, you were there, in the dream. You saw my dear old mum and what she liked to do if I wasn’t biddable enough for her tastes.” He sighs and straightens up. “Well, at least that’s long in the past now. Doubly so now that I’ve met with my miraculous resurrection. I could start my own religion, you know. Shall I start calling myself a messiah, I wonder?” He grins, laughing at his blasphemy. “I have always wanted to be worshiped.”

He allows Bucky to guide him towards the kitchen, bare feet padding silently on the cold floor.
schrodingersghost: (Fenton - Worried4)

[personal profile] schrodingersghost 2020-04-17 10:35 pm (UTC)(link)
"Or we get to all have disasters in new and exciting ways." That was still thinking positive, right?

"Huh. That's definitely different. I mean, there was this one genie ghost back home. But apart from her I don't know of any ghosts who lived in items. Mostly, they lived in the Ghost Zone."
schrodingersghost: (Fenton - Mischief)

[personal profile] schrodingersghost 2020-04-17 11:15 pm (UTC)(link)
"Hey,thanks! You didn't have to feed me, you know?"

He pokes at it a little skeptically.
schrodingersghost: (Fenton - Confident3)

[personal profile] schrodingersghost 2020-04-17 11:18 pm (UTC)(link)
"And is climbing in with the lions something you do a lot?"

Danny wasn't really one to talk, considering the kinds of things he got up to. But still, that was both seriously cool and kind of crazy.
sendiintheclown: (smile)

[personal profile] sendiintheclown 2020-04-17 11:26 pm (UTC)(link)
Trowa shrugged, almost bashful. "They like me. Almost better than their trainer. The male likes it when I brush his mane."

[personal profile] beastofthedeep 2020-04-18 12:12 am (UTC)(link)
Well, that was one way to look at it. He wasn't sure if he wanted to make friends during this endeavour, but he imagined that could be a comforting idea for others. "Exactly. And we're not alone in this, which gives us a better chance to get out of this situation."
sensitiveapple: (happy)

[personal profile] sensitiveapple 2020-04-18 12:31 am (UTC)(link)
"Oh!" Misa hadn't noticed the young man, because she'd been distracted with the droid. "Well, that's wonderful. At least you have something from home. My name is Misa."
sensitiveapple: (innocent)

[personal profile] sensitiveapple 2020-04-18 12:33 am (UTC)(link)
She sighs. No one knows what a House is, and she's almost afraid to explain it to people, because they always react badly. "I don't know why there are teams, though it might make dividing us up during missions a bit easier."
sensitiveapple: (comfort)

[personal profile] sensitiveapple 2020-04-18 12:34 am (UTC)(link)
"Well, actually, the currency is 'points' and you should have three points, just for arriving. We're still not sure how to earn more."