Intro: Into the Void

[voidtreckermods]

On the Platform

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 ten people all facing the tracks, all wearing similar clothing. 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 security gate. 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.

Boarding, it seems, is the only option.

The Train

A horn sounds and anyone not on the train will feed the need to board immediately. The train is empty. But it seems ready for you. The stores are full of food, the carriages are all clean. Every screen on the train is showing the same message.

The luggage carriage, strangely, seems full of luggage. Or at least the cases. Suitcases, bags, trunks. All empty. But it at least will make good storage for your own bags once you have unpacked.

Carriages

Just like the message reads, your ticket is required to enter your cabin. The names are written on screens outside each cabin but once you are inside bed choice seems to be up to you. It might mean there is a fight for the top bunk.

Room is right 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 find a pillow for each bed as well as extra blankets, in case it gets cold.

Departure

A second horn, to encourage any stragglers to enter and then the doors slide shut. It seems, for good or for ill you are riding this train to… wherever it is going.

"Welcome aboard, passengers of the Voidtrecker Express." A female-coded artificial sounding voice echoes throughout the train. The train begins to move, shuddering along the tracks, fog obscuring the view from the windows.

"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 tilts, the movement changes. It seems, as impossible as it might seem to some, that this train is flying.

"Entrance into Voidspace imminent. New passengers are advised to remain seated."
A shudder runs through the train. A lurch to the left, a jolt to right, the feeling of going far too fast and then a flash, bright colours that are almost 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 multicoloured ever shifting void.

Your journey has begun.

Comments

Lavender Murders: For Peter and Tony (disclaimer: no actual spider teens were murdered)

[hibana_incursa]

Gwen was in a bit of a bad mood by this point. It was a few hours after the train started moving and Gwen had tried three times to get into the front carriage to talk to whoever was driving this nonsense. But it was locked. And her spider-strength was of no use. She still had it, sure. She could feel it as she tried to pull the door open, but nothing. Even knocking didn't produce any results. So she went to explore the other carriages and everything was fine. Everything was fine and dandy, until she got to one particular carriage. Namely, the dressing carriage.

Something about it had her Spider-Sense tingling, almost unpleasantly. She could feel a faint bit of worry rising in her chest, but she wanted to know why her Spider-Sense wasn't fond of this room in particular. What was behind that door? How bad was it? Were people in danger? She's asking for a friend.

The friend is her. She is that friend.

And she's in trouble. Not to a life-threatening degree, no. But if her Spider-Sense is telling her something is wrong, and there were people on the train, she wanted to know how wrong so she could do something about it.

The second she opens the door, however, she's fully aware that it's only trouble for her.

While others may say the scent of lavender is very faint, Gwen feels like she was slapped in the face and lungs with it and her reaction is damn near immediate.

There's stumbling backwards as she rubs at her eyes, already feeling them itching and burning, and her lungs are trying their best to get the lavender out out out out right now get it out!

So backwards her Spider-Sense carries her, blinded for life she's sure, and coughing in what she thinks is her first asthma attack in years.

There's a voice behind her, one vaguely familiar, but she's too alarmed to notice and whoever it is gets walked right into.

Feeling herself falling backwards, one arm points upward and it's a quick press of her fingers to the button in the middle of her hand, activating her webshooters with a soft hiss and thwip and Gwen grabs onto the strand of webbing, keeping herself from falling over entirely.

Never mind the fact that this is going to raise a lot of questions, Gwen can't breathe, her head and sinuses are on fire and she needs a god damn minute to reorient herself, the door to the room of death still open and swaying with each rock of the train.

Really? Taken down by air freshener?

[runs_on_batteries]

This was by far, the most screwed up day ever. First, there was everything going on before he woke up here. But then, all the shit since waking up. Now, he was having to watch his.. intern (or whatever)- go fetch him a wheel chair of all things. This would be the second time he was stuck in one of those and he was not happy about this at all.

With a sigh, he resigned himself to the bench he was sitting on as he fidgeted with the silver and glowing blue disk he'd found in his rucksack. He was more than a little relieved to have it in this bizarre situation. He continued to brood quietly when a pretty blond girl strolled past him. She didn't look his way and quite honestly, he barely paid her any attention either. She was just one more stranger on this train to.. somewhere.

The next couple seconds, everything seemed to happen at once. The door opened to the next carriage and Tony heard Peter gasping for air. The girl who opened it was dropping back coughing and bumped into him so hard, he almost fell off the bench. He hit the glowing blue disk and it flew to his chest. With new adrenaline pumping in his veins, he was on his feet. A metallic suit clanked swiftly into place around him. He was just about to catch the girl when web shot from her wrists and she hoisted herself up.

Tony was stunned for the briefest moment before shoving her onto the bench. Once that 'issue' is contained for a moment, he bursts into the other carriage and snatches Peter up in his arms and carries him back to safety.

[hashtagparkerluck]

Peter had helped Tony to sit on a bench just so that he could get the door open-the moment he had the very sudden overwhemling scent of lavender assaulted his senses-making it harder to breath and difficult to see. However, he knows that Tony would say to forget the wheelchair if he knew about the Lavender scent so he takes what's a subtle deep breath in and slips inside, immediately trying to race to the other side and trying to rely on his spideysense to keep him from running into walls.

"S-Sorry!" Peter lets out as he bumps into-oh it's just the mirror. And his eyes back to being on fire and his throat and nose are burning as well. He coughs harshly and looks towards his goal. The wheelchair isn't too much further. He can make it, it's just beyond that door. He takes a few more steps. He can do this.

Except...

Breathing is getting more and more difficult and he can feel his chest restrict and tighten-like his lungs just won't inflate. It feels like someone stuck a bowling ball on his chest and if he didn't know any better he'd say he's having an asthma attack. That though spurs him to start patting himself down in the hopes that maybe by some miracle he has his inhaler.

He doesn't.

Of course he doesn't. He'd curse but he's far too busy trying to cough up his lungs and get in a good breath of air all at the same time.

He feels something hard and metal wrap around him and vaguely makes out the familiar sound of Iron Man's repulsers and just lets himself be pulled out of the room of death.

"Sorry, Mr Stark." He barely manages, sounding like there's no air in his lungs. "I couldn't get the chair."

[hibana_incursa]

Gwen only barely registers what is going on. The guy she passed who had been sitting on the bench is suddenly in armor and shoving her onto the bench, standing and moving towards the swinging door never mind the fact that he looked dead on his feet. She hears the coughing and wheezing from in that room and hears the voice. It's Peter. She's known him for a few short hours, but the idea that he's in that room, having the same issues she was having is enough to get her on her feet.

And that is enough to send her to the ground as another coughing fit racks through her body. Her eyes close tight as she slouches in a ball on the ground, hands laced through her hair as cough after cough hits her. The second both he and Tony are out of the room, she shoots another line of webbing and gives it a tug, the door to the lavender room slamming shut.

"Is he..." One sec. She's just gonna cough her brains out for a moment before straightening, tears running down her face and eyes red from all of the wheezing and coughing she'd been doing. She tries again to ask, but there's more pained coughing and she just can't get the words out. She can't even get up from her spot on the ground. She lives there, now. It is her home.

Let her die.

[runs_on_batteries]

Tony was so mad, he could barely see straight. He hadn't put Peter down but he knew he needed to before he shook some sense into the kid. He spotted a vent not too far from where they were and without asking, went and plucked the girl up right along with Peter and put them both near the freshest air in the room they could get without being able to open windows.

Ignoring the girl, he turned to Peter as his helmet slides back. "What the hell is wrong with you?! You had to have smelled that the instant you opened that door and yet you went in anyway?" Both hands land on his metal hips as he glared down at Peter and looked mad enough to rip his head off his shoulders like an angry toddler might their stuff animal. "After what I- I just get you back- Are you trying to kill me, Peter?! Now you two sit here and calm down while I go get this damn thing myself." He pauses and looks almost ready to tear into Peter some more before turning and pushing himself towards the door.. and.. he gets halfway before one of his legs buckle. He barely catches himself as he drops to his knees.

He growls out a few more curses that should not be repeated in polite conversation (or tags).

[hashtagparkerluck]

Peter finally manages to suck in a breath of air when he's over the vent but he's still coughing and chest still feels like something large and heavy is sitting on it. He gasps for a breath, tears trickling out the side of his very bloodshot eyes. He hears Tony well enough and several questions pop into his head for when he's not actively dying of an asthma attack. He doesn't even fully register he's not alone with his hacking.

He winces at that tone-the last time he'd heard it was after the ferry incident.He probably would have heard it on the ship but somehow managed to keep Mr Stark from getting that angry. If only he hadn't bumped into that stupid mirror then he wouldn't be having this problem.

He scratches at his skin beneath the purple hoodie, eyes downcast and looking like kicked, choking puppy as he keeps coughing. He would say something about the wheelchair but he gets the feeling that might make things worse. And then Tony falls and Peter can't help but move, his heart jolting uncomfortably as he goes to try and help as much as he can.

"Are you-" cough. "Okay-" cough. "Mr Stark?" Cough.

[hibana_incursa]

Gwen protests slightly at being picked up, more of an annoyed teenager-y grunt of sound. She feels like too much shit to do more than turn into a sack of potatoes. A very small, very light but no less solid sack of potatoes, but the very injustice of being picked up is gone the second she's near the vent. She can hear and feel the air coming out of it and leans above it, eyes closed, trying to breathe slowly.

Opening her eyes long enough to see what's going on, she notices Mr Stark fall and hears the worry in Peter's voice. An aggressive fit of coughing prevents her from doing much past watching the situation, but she moves like she's going to stand up. And kinda fails, thumping back in her seat with a huff.

"Web him out of there." Neither of them can physically go back in, but Mr Stark needs help.

[runs_on_batteries]

When Peter gets close, Tony looks up at him with a heavy sigh. He opens his mouth to speak and hears the girl suggest 'webbing' him. "No. I'm okay. I just.. I can't use the levitation system in here with how long the ceiling is." He looked at the door to the dressing room and decided it wasn't worth opening the door to let himself into the other room anyway. "You two, worry about your lungs."

After a few moments, he figures out how to use a tiny amount of the projecting force to get himself back on his feet and at least over to the bench again. At that point, the suit clanks again as it falls away, returning back to the silver and blue sphere at his chest.

His gaze goes to the girl. "So who are you? How do you have web shooters?"

[hashtagparkerluck]

"It's fine-next time I'll just hold my breath or something." He assures his mentor, still scratching at his arm and still coughing. Did something bite him while he was in there? Admittedly, he probably wouldn't have noticed. He makes a face and starts scratching the back of his neck. "I mean, I tried to hold it 'cause I'm sure you hate relying on me to get you places but the I bumped-" He isn't able finish his story though as he just starts coughing again.

He glances over at Gwen, and then up at Mr Stark, despite that Tony had specifically directed the question at her, it's Peter that answers.

"Oh! She's like me-" cough. " She has-" cough. "Spider-Powers."

[runs_on_batteries]

"There will not be a next time, Peter Benjamin Parker!" He snapped, voice in that said clearly any further argument would not lead to pleasant times. Although, it would be so much more convincing if he wasn't very obviously having trouble physically. "We can get someone else to do it. It's not.." He didn't want to say 'life or death' that had been right on his tongue. He couldn't bring himself to say that, not to Peter. For a brief moment, his expression looks pained before he shakes the emotion away.

It works out in his favor since the next words out of Peter's mouth have his jaw dropping. "She's what? What do you mean 'Spider-powers'?" He turns his attention to the girl for an explanation.

[hibana_incursa]

“I c-can talk,” Gwen manages while coughing violently, eyes closing tightly as a soft, pained groan escapes from behind her hands. She goes to talk again and then coughs more, clearing her throat some and trying again.

“I can talk for myself, Peter.”

And ooh what a dirty look she gave him for answering for her in the first place. “I’m Gwen Stacey. I was bitten by a radioactive spider when I was fourteen and at a gig with my band back home.”

Coughing fit time? Coughing fit time. Please hold while your Spider-Gwen reset

“I’m not from the same dimension as either of you, but I’m the only spider person where I am from.” And then a wince as she turns to look at Peter.

“Full name. Ouch.” Someone was in trouble.

[hashtagparkerluck]

Peter winces at the use of his full name. Tony's never done that before-that was the height of mad, Peter's pretty sure because he'd know if it had just been his first name that he was in deep. He coughs again and takes in another gasp of air, seated on the ground, and still scratching furiously.

"Yes sir, sorry sir-I just thought it'd be okay if I just held my breath and-" cough. "Closed my eyes." He admits, eyes downcast.

"a gig, really? I was on a field trip." He offers, glancing over at Gwen.

[runs_on_batteries]

The expression on Peter's face makes him feel like a monster. It sinks a knife in his heart as guilt spikes through his core. "Pete, stop. I'm sorry. I'm overreacting." The words come out much softer and instead of looking mad, Tony just looks old and exhausted. He looks down at his hands, feeling the powerlessness in them. It was such a contrast after holding such a powerful object not an hour before- or so it seemed. "I just.. I can't protect your right now. Not well, at least."

Since when did he get mature enough to say any of this crap? He didn't know, but he needed Peter to understand so he'd quit looking like a kicked puppy.

He thinks over the exchange between Gwen and Peter. He was curious about her and this other universe she was talking about, but Peter and his hurt feelings had been the priority number one. He rubs his face with his hands tiredly. "So if you're from another dimension, is this a third dimension we're in with this train? How do you know all of this?"

Now in the right god damn spot

[hibana_incursa]

“Stop scratching. It’s not gonna help,” Gwen says once she notices what Peter is doing. “It’s taking everything I have to not claw at my neck. I totally get you.”

And there are in fact hives up the side of her neck and on part of her cheek.

Turning to Tony, she hesitates because this doesn’t really seem like the time to say anything but he did ask.

“There’s a multiverse. I don’t know how many dimensions there are in it, and I know even less about where we are. Who knows? Maybe it’s the same void I fell through almost two weeks ago when I was pulled from my own dimension. But I don’t think that’s right.” This is all said with coughing and some tight wheezing but Gwen keeps going.

“See, when I was in the wrong universe, my atoms were very pissed off about it. I don’t know if they were trying to get home or trying to kill me, but every so often they’d flip out and it hurts so much worse than what I’m going through now. It caused cellular deterioration. But none of that is happening here. It even happened when I fell through the first time. But it hasn’t. At all.”

[runs_on_batteries]

Tony frowns at Peter when Gwen scolds him. He hadn't realized that was why Peter was scratching, but he gives the boy a warning glare. Don't make him come over there!

He listens as Gwen explains what she knows of the multiverse. It made logical sense to him even if it was a bit mind-blowing to think he was in yet another dimension after other recent events. "If that changes, you'd better let me know."

He needed to get these two some help. He hits the silver and blue sphere and again is encompassed in his metallic suit. "Friday. Set levitation at .05% and reinforce both balance and self-propelling features." The orders are said, to seemingly no one in the room. However his suit's power coils flip on and he gets to his feet, clearly with the assistance of his suit. "Don't move," he barks at the two kids and then half walks, half floats out of the room to his cabin. It's awkward and the heat from his steps could possibly be damaging the floor, but he needs to do it.

Within only a couple minutes, he returns. With a groan, he has it removed again. He looks at the teenagers, assessing their condition. "Peter, relax. Help's on the way."

[hibana_incursa]

Gwen needs him to stop scratching so she doesn’t start clawing at herself. It’s the only reason she said anything.

That’s a lie. She said something about it because he’s already her friend and she cares. She nods at Mr Starks request, watches him leave the cabin as she wonders to herself who Friday is and then, after another particularly fun coughing fit, she lets her head thud to the table. There’s a frustrated groan from her and then she mumbles something that sounds suspiciously like “the attack on my life has left me scarred and deformed.”

And if she’s trying to be funny, she must be feeling somewhat better.

Resting her head on her arms, still facing downwards where the vent is blowing, Gwen hears Mr Stark return.

“Who is coming?”

[enthunder]

Lo and behold, a slender pink-haired woman with a wheelchair casually slung over one shoulder and one judgemental raised eyebrow at the state of her cabinmates follows after him a few moments later. The wheelchair ends up next to Tony for whatever he wants it for, and she crosses first to Gwen, then to Peter. She's seen worse, but she's at a loss for how they got into this state in the first place.

"You weren't kidding," Poison? Allergies? She figures the magic won't know the difference. Esuna charges as she checks them, pink energy swirling and humming around her right hand until it reaches a strength she feels will be sufficient for the reactions she's seeing. The hum reaches the correct pitch, and she flicks the energy towards first Peter then Gwen.

And then, unable to resist, she glances at Tony sidelong, "Guess it runs in the family."

[hashtagparkerluck]

Peter nods at Mr Stark's words and tries to just focus on breathing for a moment and ignore the urge to just scratch his arm raw. And then Gwen speaks. He gets the reference immediately and starts to giggle a little before his laughter starts to grow and he's suddenly coughing even worse but still laughing-who needs air anyway?

"Lost my-" cough. "Breath. Like my will to live" He says through coughs. "just push me back in there." He offers and is still choking on his laughter when Tony returns with help in tow. He tries to take in a deep breath and then can't help but scratch.

"Oh hey-" He coughs. "S'up Mr Stark?" What's up is that he brought help and somehow, some way she's like an RPG mage that knows cure or something because he sudden feels refreshed and not itchy or like he's dying of an asthma attack.

[hibana_incursa]

Gwen's laughter follows soon after, the blonde girl coughing and wheezing and laughing herself into tears. Wiping a few of those away as the healing whatever helps her out greatly, she looks at Peter again.

"I really hope you understand this, because multiverse and all; Instead of a dog in a bowler hat in a room on fire saying 'this is fine'? It's spiders in a room of lavender. Still in the bowler hat."

God, please. Let him understand that. Boy, does she ever look hopeful.

This is in poor taste, she knows. But if she can make fun of herself, she'll be fine.

[runs_on_batteries]

While the healing is going on, Tony slips into the wheelchair with a pained groan. He was getting too old for this shit.

Tony put a hand over his face as he listens to the kids babble. He shakes his head and gives Lightning a shrug. "Apparently they're both allergic to the lavender fragrance in the other carriage." He talks whether one of the kids are speaking or not.

He was about to move on with the conversation, when he stops and looks back at Lightning confused. "Runs in the what?"

[hashtagparkerluck]

While Mr Stark talks to Lightening, Peter's still coughing and laughing himself to tears. He's feeling much, much better now though, so he's mostly just laughing at this point.

"Oh my god-" He wipes tears from his eyes. "Okay, okay-how about this one-that one picture of the little girl with a burning house behind her and then the caption- 'There was Lavender inside."

Well, at the very least, the kids seem to be in good spirits.

sorry i know i skipped but i had to.

[hibana_incursa]

And Gwen is dissolving so far into laughter, it's not even making sound. It's just her, dying but in a good way. She can picture that child. She can picture herself and Peter as that child and it's the best. She sits up and looks at Peter, enjoying his laughter and wanting more of it.

But as she tries to speak, it's clear that 1: she's probably lost her god damn mind and 2: she has the hiccups, a soft hic interrupting every few words or so.

"This...this bitch lavender! Yeet!"

Hiccup.

Also? Hang on a second. What Lightning just said has hit her and she's very much so alarmed into not laughing anymore.

"Runs in the...wait, what? No. I just met them like...I met Peter a few hours ago and Mr Stark like ten minutes ago. I'm not related to either of them."

[enthunder]

"... Right. I can't do anything for... whatever this is," she starts to add, eyeing the two hysterical teenagers. Lavender doesn't normally make people speak gibberish, but then what does she know about flowers from another dimension. Maybe it causes madness in anyone under eighteen.

Yeah. Uh, she's just gonna... go... Then their reactions to her off-hand comment hit, and she blinks. "Huh?"

[hashtagparkerluck]

Peter's still laughing for the time being, his giggles started to calm down but then-then she got hiccups and it's just so cute he can't help but start laughing all over again. Until she's suddenly not laughing and he makes a face.

"Related? No! We're not even from the same universe-well, I mean-I'm from the same universe as Mr Stark-but he's my-uh-I mean-I'm like his intern. For uh.. thing. Yup."

He glances back over at Gwen and offers her a sly smile.

"Also, some of you have never seen an internet meme before, and it shows."

[runs_on_batteries]

"This? This is kids being morons. It's a permanent condition that cannot be solved," he quips back, giving Lightning a grin. "Thank you, for healing them.. and.. earlier." He realized later after they'd talked that he hadn't thanked her for healing him. He'd been a little.. yeah.

However, even the kids were picking up on the slip about the family. He must've given her the wrong impression earlier too. He hesitates and listens as Peter also chimes in that they weren't related. For whatever reason, it was difficult to say the words on his side. Did Peter ever have this problem? "We're.. uh.. it's complicated. We're not blood related," he attempts to say it a different way. How could he possibly call Peter, not his family when he was in every sense of the word but legal? His expression lingers on the young man in question and his heart twists painfully in his chest.

He was ignoring the other ridiculous conversation they were having, but the sound of their laughter and amused chattering was a gift he didn't feel he really deserved. "Speaking of young people.. you haven't met a little girl around here have you? About this big?" He gestures an approximate height. It might be a little off since he was now sitting down, but it should be obvious who he was talking about if they'd met her. "She's going by Buttercup."