A New Platform [Intro Post June]

[voidtreckermods]

On the Train

The days following the mission are relatively uneventful as people once more get used to the rhythm of life on the train. "Good morning passengers, it is day sixteen of the month of Fiddlesticks. Points have been updated on the system."

They have indeed and everyone can spend the morning shopping. Those who have been on the train a while will be expecting the second announcement that comes a few hours later.

"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. It is a cool day, clouds gathering threateningly though it stays dry luckily.

As usual the first to leave the train notice nothing as they walk silently, rucksacks on their backs, towards the barriers. Leviathan, Atsushi Nakajima, Spinel, Peggy Carter, Evie Grimhilde, Cal Kestiss, Gwen Stacey, Renee Corbin, Lan Jingyi, Waver Velvet, Aoko Nakamori, Namine, Jak and Marcus Wright all reach the barriers, show their tickets and disappear through, vanishing into the fog.

But on the platform itself there are many new faces. Wearing hoodies, in various states of confusion.

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 the steam begins to fade and they realise they aren’t alone.

The platform is not large and it holds twenty six figures all facing the tracks, all dressed in cargo trousers and hoodies. The air is cool with a slight breeze. 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. Most are wearing the same hoodie in one of the four colours, red, orange, blue and purple though some are sporting different clothes in a variety of styles.

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 plenty more bacon as well as other staples.

Passengers who are not brand new will notice a new carriage. A second gym. This one is outfitted for training with mats, fighting pads, balance beams and even climbing apparatus to help get everyone ready for the missions ahead.

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!

Comments

[hotheadwarmheart]

Lea had only just gotten off the train a moment ago when the sound of sobbing caught his attention. He quickly homed in on the source, moving to crouch down by the girl's side, concerned. Was she hurt? Or was it just emotional shock from being suddenly somewhere else? He couldn't tell; she wasn't bleeding or anything, but that wasn't necessarily an indication.

"Hey," he said gently, "are you OK there? If you're hurt, I can get someone to help."

[spikelet]

Bleeding she wasn't, but there were bruises and scuffs on her hands, and redness around her white eyes from more than just crying.

When she was addressed, her sobs didn't... stop, exactly, but there was a startled hitch in her breathing that interrupted the gasps enough for her to blurt,

"Who's there?"

Someone to help? She'd been looking for someone to help her for days. Where was she, that she got a bite immediately when it no longer mattered?

[hotheadwarmheart]

"My name's Lea," he said, omitting his usual catchphrase under the circumstances. Why were her eyes white? Was that normal where she came from, or...? He thought he recalled seeing someone with eyes like that once in a movie, but couldn't quite recall what it meant under the circumstances.

He reached out to gently rest a hand on her shoulder. She seemed to be moving alright, and there were no obvious injuries he could see aside from a few scrapes and bruises. "Is there anything I can do to help?", he said. "I can tell you're probably really freaked out right now, but you're safe. No one here's gonna hurt you."

[spikelet]

Lea. She looked up, not fixing on any particular point, but enough to get a look at him. Red hair, green eyes... He looked like a demon or fae spirit. He was in the same clothing she was. Was that important?

But her reaction didn't show on her face, she just kept staring at nowhere in particular. Even when he reached out, she only flinched when he made contact. Really freaked out, that was for sure, she was barely keeping herself from hysterics.

"You... Where am I?" And because she couldn't help it, "How do you know it's safe?"

[hotheadwarmheart]

"You're on the platform for the Voidtrecker Express," Lea said. "It's a weird train that brings people from a lot of different places and times together."

"And I know it's safe because if anyone here tries to hurt you, I'll kick their butt." He gave her bit of a cheeky grin at that line, intending to both reassure her with a bit of bravado and indicate that he wasn't someone to fear by the sheer cheesiness of the statement under the circumstances. No way anyone could possibly be afraid of this dork, right?

The smile and tone quickly settled into something more gentle though. "Seriously though, whatever was going on where you were, nobody here's gonna hurt you. We're all in the same boat- or rather the same train-, and we don't bite, honest."

[spikelet]

She wanted to react to his grin, his irreverent promise, but it was so close to what she'd been looking for all this time that she almost didn't trust it. No group this big didn't have their troubles. Maybe he was just powerful enough that he hadn't noticed them...

Hm. So, logically, if she stuck around near him, she'd also experience safety.

She reached up to hook one hand around his wrist, meaning to just give herself more of a warning if he moved, but the warmth had her grip tightening before she realised it. To cover up her embarrassment, she repeated back some of what he'd said.

"Brings people from..." She paused, eyes widening. "From other times? Brother Lea, if someone was dead, would it... would it be able to bring him here? From when he was alive? He's really strong, I'm sure he'd be a big help--"

[hotheadwarmheart]

His smile became a bit more encouraging as her hand tightened on his wrist. It felt like progress to him at least.

His expression shifted to something a bit more thoughtful as she mentioned someone she hoped would bring to the train. Someone who had died, and it seemed she'd been close to somehow. "It's possible," Lea said. "No one here has any way of controlling who gets brought here, but there's always a chance. He could even be here already. What's he look like? That way I can tell you if I've seen him around, or keep an eye out for him later."

[spikelet]

"Um..." She inadvertently remembered the way he'd been described by his friend, and had to suppress a shudder. "I think... He's tall. Fine looks. His sword has frost patterns along it... And he might not have eyes."

How long ago before they met had he been blinded? Would he have been rescued from before that? She had no idea. She hastily tacked on something less morbid. "He laughs a lot, but he's terrible at telling stories. He's really kind."

Tears had started trickling from her eyes again, but she didn't notice. Too intent on knowing if Lea recognised the description.

[hotheadwarmheart]

Lea thought for a moment, but then shook his head. "Doesn't ring a bell, sorry," he said.

Crap, wrong answer. She was crying again. Hastily he added, "Hey, it's OK though. He might still be on the train, even if I haven't seen him. What's his name? We can check the passenger roster to see if he's on there. And even if he isn't, he could always turn up. The train picks up new people every two weeks."

[spikelet]

She hesitated, not wanting to give him all the information she had, but... What if he was here?

"It's Xiao Xingchen--" But if he didn't know him by sight, then would he know the name? She waved a hand as if clearing the air. "Ah, it's fine, I was just... You're right, maybe he'll come later. I'm a-Qing."

[hotheadwarmheart]

"Xiao Xingchen...", Lea repeated, making sure he had the name memorized. "Can't say I've heard that name, but I've only been here a couple weeks myself, so no way I've met everybody."

"Anyway, it's good to meet you, A-Qing. Whenever you're up for it, we can go ahead and get on board. I'll show you how to check the passenger roster, and then you can find somewhere more comfortable to sit for a while than the floor of the platform. And you'll want to be sitting down, trust me; that first step into void space is a bit of a doozie."

memorized huh

[spikelet]

"Mm, okay." That sounded like a solid plan, especially when a strange, alien fear was starting to rise in her throat as she sat there. She wanted to be on the train, which... was that normal?

Suddenly suspicious of the feeling, she paused halfway through standing up. "What happens if we don't get on board..?"

It's a catchphrase thing. X3

[hotheadwarmheart]

"Honestly?", Lea said. "I don't know. But I was advised by a person who's been here longer than I have that it wouldn't be a good idea to stick around to find out, and I tend to agree with her. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that this place only really exists while the train is picking up more passengers or something like that, which is why it tries to kind of mentally nudge you to get on."

wrap soon?

[spikelet]

"That doesn't make sense," she argued, even as she finished getting up. "How can something only exist sometimes?"

But she'd let herself be pointed towards the train, in any case. She trusted her gut, and her gut was telling her to board.

Yep. A couple more tags should do it.

[hotheadwarmheart]

Lea shrugged "The same way a train can yank all of us here from across time and space," he said. "AKA, darned if I know. But that's the impression I get. At the very least, it's generally agreed that something really icky is likely to happen to anybody who doesn't get on board, and I, for one, don't intend to be the guy who tries to prove that idea wrong."

o7

[spikelet]

"Me neither." It's decided, she's not gonna stick around. "Maybe if someone really bad shows up, you can try it on them..."

Hm, maybe a bit ruthless. She shook her head. "Or not. Is it this way?"

Re: o7

[hotheadwarmheart]

Lea frowned. "Yeah, that's probly not gonna happen," he said. "There's only maybe two people I'd even consider it for, and they'd be too smart to fall for it."

He nodded at the question though. "Yeah, right over there. It's kinda hard to miss, you know?"