voidtreckerexpress | 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

Danny rolls his eyes.

"I know, I know. It sounds ridiculous. But my town literally gets attacked by ghosts all the time."

"I don't fine it necessarily ridiculous. I just didn't expect things like spirits or...ghosts to be a thing elsewhere. Though it's hard to explain in my case." At least certain parts of it anyway.

Danny rubs at the back of his head sheepishly. "You know, that's been one of the toughest things to get used to here. Back home, before the ghosts started showing up, people used to laugh at ghost hunters and ghost scientists. Like it was a joke. But here, I keep running into people who've met ghosts before, or who are ghosts."

He sighs.

"I should probably just be happy that I haven't met any hunters yet." He shakes off the thought.

"So what kinds of ghosts have you met before?"

"It's this type of situation is a place where all walks of life can come together and see things in another way, or learn things one might never have learned back home." He liked to try and see it in some kind of positive way at least.

"But I am glad there haven't been any hunters, but as for me...ghosts were more spirits and lived in items. At least two items anyway"

"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."

"Maybe." He wouldn't honestly be that surprised. he would like the break to not have things happen, but that's wishful thinking really.

"Ghost zone sounds obvious as to where ghosts come from then. But yeah... it's hard to explain thee spirits. However I was friends with one of them as I had one of the items."

"That's cool." A bit of a sadder smile this time. "At home a lot of people are too scared of ghosts, spirits, whatever you call them. Anyway, you don't see humans willing to make friends too often."

"I know people are afraid of ghosts and I can understand why. The whole lack of understanding can be considered scary. I know when I first solved the puzzle how scared I was because of the fact when he took over I would blackout and would recall nothing." Which really was terrifying. What did he get up to during that time?

But once Death-T Happened things changed and became less scary for him, but more because they could at least recall what happened.

"But I think if people do understand one would think it would be less scary and more likely to get along. It worked with me after all."

"You got overshadowed? More than once?" Danny winces, suddenly feeling a little guilty over all the times he'd used that ability. Not a lot. Sometimes it was the only way out of a situation. But still, a little.

"And you might have something there. Ghosts got a loss less scary when I became one. Of course human ghost hunters got a lot scarier around the sametime."

"Only till a certain point, then I could always recall what happened after that." Except one time, but that was for a very different reason.

He nodded slightly. he figured he was on to something that way, I mean getting to actually know a spirit or ghost was helpful with him after all.

"Exactly. Minus the ghost hunter thing... We didn't have anything like that. But it's like getting to know a person when you think about it and that can be hard for some, but ultimately you get a better understanding at the end."

A New Platform [Intro Post April!]

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