voidtreckerexpress | A New Platform [Intro Post April!]

Entry tags:

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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Duo had asked, and now he was learning. Though the explanation on team colours gave him pause. Why hadn't he and Trowa been on that team? They were soldiers. Of a type. It made him wonder just what his team's deal was. But he'd ask later if he had the chance.

He just sat and he listened and he took everything in. And when Kaito was finished he was silent, just thinking through everything and getting it all settled in his mind.

He supposed that some of it made sense. No, a lot of it made sense. If you ignored the whole kidnapping thing, the rest actually was logical. The way things were assigned was good. Teams were good. There was at least some kind of order and that was fine with him. Even the missions sat well with him. It wasn't much different than what he was used to. Sitting around waiting to be called on. The only difference was he was with a bunch of people and not just a couple.

"That's... really interesting." Duo finally said, and smiled at the guy. "So pranks are a no-go, huh? Damn. There goes my idea of fun."

The origami vanishes, replaced by the cards again as he nods, going back to shuffles.

"It's a weird, weird world." He says philosophically, and laughs at that.

"Nah, nah. You just gotta pick your targets, better. Limited space and all. The Detective tolerates it, and he'll give back as good as he's got, although now we're without Hattori-kun, he'll probably not be in the mood for playing for a bit. Skywalker-san is fine, but maybe don't do any jump scares or wake him in the night. Danny-kun and Peter-kun are fine to prank, but avoid Gwen-san, as she can be scary! Some of the adults are pretty cool too."

Duo had been enjoying the guy's origami tricks. He'd never seen someone work that fast with paper before, especially while chatting a mile a minute at the same time.

"See now, having a list of people I can torment just isn't as fun!" Duo complained, but there was laughter in his voice. He wasn't about to go around causing havoc on his first day. Or even his first week. He wanted to get to know people first. He'd only torment those who were most deserving. And generally those people would not like it at all.

Kaito grins.

"A man after my own heart! But man, you might make friends I haven't - I only know who I know, after all. That's MY list. Might not be yours. Although you probably do wanna stay clear of Bucky-san too. He's awesome, but he's had trauma, you know? It upsets him when he wakes up to find he's tossed someone across the room on reflex."

"Bucky, huh?" Duo's laughter faded a bit as he gave a nod, taking that on board and filing it away for future reference. He wasn't inclined to actually cause people mental anguish. And he'd dealt with enough trauma in his life to know how shitty it was. "I'll make sure not to get tossed across the room by him." He promised with a gentler smile.

"If you ask nicely, he'll do it for fun, although I do suspect I confused him a lot by asking." Kaito admits freely.

"He's damn strong!"

"I'll bet it would have! I think I'll skip over asking to sling me across a room." Duo said with a laugh. Knowing his luck he'd end up doing something to knock himself out. "Sounds like an interesting guy though."

"He is! He's pretty cool in general - really patient with the young ones."

Duo smiled. "Sounds like you really like the guy, if he's left that good an impression on you." But he supposed if you were trapped in a train for so long, you would eventually make strong bonds like that.

"Huh, I guess I do, yeah." Kaito says thoughtfully. "It's always nice to find adults who don't think that just coz they're adults they know everything, you know?"

"I've yet to find an adult like that. I'll look forward ta meeting this guy then!" Duo replied cheerfully. Most adults either wanted to order him around or kill him, where he was from. Except maybe Howard. Howard had been good people.

"A lot of the adults here are pretty cool." Kaito nods. "Tony-san has a sliiiiiight tendency to try and adopt people. But he's also the source of all the cool gadgets around here, and he's really cool about trying to help you make whatever weird thing you want. We were trying for pink smoke bombs when I first came."

Duo pulled a face and then frowned. "... Are you shittin me? You're saying a grown man is going around adopting people and that's okay?" That was creepy as hell where he came from. But he supposed it was a different world here...

But Kaito said the guy was cool so Duo supposed he couldn't be all bad? He'd have to see for himself though.

"Did you manage to make em? The pink smoke bombs?"

Kaito laughs. "Not like. Legit adopt. But .. he's like the train dad, you know?"

In answer he grins, holds up a small pellet, and breaks it, releasing a cloud of pink smoke.

"Am pretty proud of this one. Took us a while to work out how to get the right sorta propellant considering how limited we are here."

"Ah, gotcha. Okay, so he's the train dad." Still creepy as hell but Duo would try and withhold his judgement. For now at least.

Duo laughed when he was shown that, yes, they'd managed to make the smoke bombs. And yes, they were pink. His eyes lit up. "So... you guys do have the means to make stuff like that?"

"Yep! Limited amounts, obviously - we gotta scavenge when we land in a place or buy stuff from the store, and there's only so much we can get."

"Scavenge..." A slow grin spread across Duo's lips then. "You can do that, huh? Interesting..." Not even on a mission and he was already formulating plans for how he would find himself the things he needed.

"Fingon-san brought back an entire log so he could make himself a longbow." Kaito informs him.

"The rule seems to be, whatever you can carry on your person. Like. A cart won't work. But a backpack probably would."

"Hmm... I can work with this." Duo filed away this new knowledge, it was very helpful to know. "Thanks for letting me know."

"Anyway, I've taken up way too much of your time!" Duo laughed and pulled himself up out of the beanbag he'd been sat in. "I've more of this place to see. But I'll see you around, Kaito."

"No worries." He grins and waves him off. "'s only fair to help out, considering how we're all stuck in this together!"

"Seeya around!"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

A New Platform [Intro Post April!]

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

no subject

no subject

no subject