A new platform [intro post September]

[voidtreckermods]

For those on the train

“Good morning passengers, it is day one of the month of Bassoon.” The train announces the morning the month changes. It seems the train counts months in days of thirty. Team Points have been updated on the system.

The day continues as most days do, chores, eating, getting ready for another day. But those who suspect that a change of month may bring something else are correct. It is only an hour or two later that there is another announcement.

“Shortly arriving into a designated void platform. Exit from void imminent.”

By now they should know to hold on as the train jerks and jolts. There is only fog outside the windows but the train soon comes to a stop. The doors hiss open.

As they exit into the fog they may notice Evie exiting from the luggage carriage door. Much like Hibiki the last time they were on a platform. She leaves the train, backpack on her back as she walks through the station. She heads no call, reacts to no words and cannot be stopped as she walks to the ticket barrier and disappears through it.

Strange. But even stranger still is that there on the platform that whole time is Evie. Dressed in purple, backpack on back, with her are others. Waiting for the train.

For new arrivals

At first all they can see if 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 your 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 very large, but it hold twelve figures 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 ticket barrier. 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.

Out step a selection of people, some less human than others, wearing clothes just like those worn by those on the platform.

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.

Once on board there is lots to explore. Passengers both old and new will hopefully be delighted to see the boredom of this train journey is somewhat alleviated by the introduction of a game carriage. Plenty of games, both familiar and new to play with your new travelling companions.
Each ICP shows the same message. If Red team go and look they will find a box in the luggage compartment that contains their prize. A dralite themed cake lolly each. There are enough for the new members of Red team too, share in your teams previous success!

The food stores have been topped up with new fresh food. Salmon has taken over as the primary ingredient of choice. Hopefully everyone likes fish!

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. For those who boarded two weeks ago they will know what is coming next.

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."

Hopefully someone warns you that you really want to heed that warning because a moment later there is 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 voidspace.

Comments

[filmnotyetrated]

“Hell yeah, red, I can heal from anything. Like Wolverine, except he’s totally copying me and not the other way around. Totally original IP over here. Ripped in half isn’t even the worst I’ve come back from, and trust me, people have tried to keep The Pool down. Nobody’s done it yet.” Wade said proudly.

“And thats just how tall, chrome, and steel-balled likes to show his affection for me.” He leaned in to whisper loudly. “Guys really got some anger issues to work out.”

[afterburner]

"Ohhh anger issues. Yeaaah you have no idea." Mostly because she had a bunch of her own. But so did Logan. Lots of people liked to describe him as "short, angry, and Canadian", because hey, the shoe fit, right?

As for the "showing his affection", Renee just snickered at that. "Kinda makes me glad he's not at the Institute when I am." Not that the timelines weren't messed up as it were.

[filmnotyetrated]

"I have a pretty good idea, but he really needs to just let go. I've worked through most of my anger issues, you know? Shot a few things that needed to be shot, stabbed a few things that needed some stabbings. You know, the usual sort of thing you do to relieve stress." It was odd, to see someone from what had to be a parallel universe, and what seemed to be a mostly similar one and not get any idea about who they were. He shook his head, stopping halfway through the motion, realizing that just randomly shaking your head in a conversation might be a bit weird. No reason to raise red flags.

"So who do you got? It seems like I only ever see the same three people at the Nerd School in my universe, these days."

[afterburner]

"Lots of kids, it's more a training ground kinda thing now. Cyclops. Emma Frost." Not that Renee sounded very enthused by the latter, not at all. "Hank McCoy, Logan." She shrugged then. "Lots of 'brave teachers' covering your normal school subjects." Which might just mean that Renee couldn't remember names. She could point out faces if she saw them, but...

It meant caring, and Renee just didn't do that enough. If he was nodding or shaking his head, it didn't faze her. Much.

"Yeah, letting go. It's why I punch things. Totally looking forward to a world mission, because I could really go for some punching things." And stuff on the train wasn't that resilient, one, and Renee was also trying to behave. Such as it were.

[filmnotyetrated]

"Fuck yeah, punching things, let that rage out. S'healthy. I'm more of blades for days and guns galore sorta guy, but if you ever wanna duke it out I'm indestructible, basically and know how to take a beating." He offered up. "Don't know what sort of space Spirit Tracks has but that's never stopped me."

Wade shrugged.

"What's this about missions? Are the kidnapping train gods forcing us to do stuff that involves violence?" He rubbed at his chin. That didn't seem very good-guy-y, but it did seem very up his alley. Not like anyone who mattered was around to see him making bad choices like obeying train gods or letting mutants he just met beat the shit out of him.

[afterburner]

"Eh, I could, but I dunno if that'd set a bad precedent, even if you're fine with it, you know? Squicking the normies." Renee's got a long history of being told NOT to do that, even if Wade himself is perfectly comfortable with doing so. It's fine as far as that goes, but Renee needs to exist in her own comfort zone, too...

"Yeah, sounds like they are. I don't know details, as I haven't been on one yet, but I'm told the train gods give us information and we're split into teams and then set loose." The latter, of course, is what she wants and can't wait for. Just to be able to fly and not have to be stuck on the ground for a while. Cut loose and punch the shit out of something that deserved it.

Wade might be okay with being punched, but he didn't deserve it. Well. Yet? He was okay in Renee's short list of people who were, so she doubted he ever would deserve it.

[filmnotyetrated]

“Yeah, yeah, fo’ sho’.” Wade waved a hand around. “Whatever tickles your pickle and all that, don’t wanna weird anyone out with fighting. Def understandable. Ain’t no thang.” Even if the train seemed to be mostly jam packed with small children he could see wandering around, he could probably pick a fight with at least one adult. If they had missions certainly there would be a gym or something. He really should have read any of the information screens hanging around.

“That’s like, totally suspicious though, right? Disembodied train voices winding us up like toy soldiers and setting us loose wherever? Or am I just crazy?” He turned to look down the train, away from Renee. Nobody he could see or had seen seemed overtly dark side, like they’d just go ham for no reason but soldiers in secret missions, in his experience, rarely knew what they were fighting for.

[afterburner]

There was definitely a gym, and that was usually where Renee spent a lot of time anyway. Mostly because she was big on keeping in shape, now that there hadn't been a ton to do. With the appearance of a game car, that might change.

Even if that was fucking weird.

"In this case...I don't think you're wrong." Or crazy, for that matter. "But from what I understood they give us reasons? Apparently we're supposed to be some sort of saviors." Though that made Renee snort, because she couldn't even save herself.

i am a disaster being who is so late i am sorry

[filmnotyetrated]

"That's gonna be a big yikes from me, dawg. Saviors? Psh." Wade snorted inelegantly, making a face. "That sounds like the sorta story you spin when you're getting duped." Almost exactly like the shit Francis had pulled with his stupid Weapon X program. Saviors his ass.

"Nothin' we can do, though, I'm guessing. Think they'd send someone home for causin' trouble on one of these jobs?" He was smirking. The kind of reprimand that came from being an asshole would definitely say what kind of people they were working for here.

these things happen!

[afterburner]

"Yeah I hear you there. Negative, Ghost Rider, the pattern is full." Renee could only nod. She did sort of feel like the X-Men were sort of just using her, sometimes, but she was getting something out of it, so a lot of the time, she just let it slide.

What else could she do--and then Deadpool practically echoed her thoughts, and she had to cackle like a hyena for a few moments. "Yeah, no, probably not. I'm not even sure they'd be sent home for causing problems? But truthfully I'm not even sure. Haven't had a mission yet and...at least so far, I'm not the type to try."

Even if she didn't want to admit it, Renee was a bit more heroic than she gave herself credit for.

[filmnotyetrated]

Wade scoffed dramatically. “Where’s the fun in that? Can’t be afraid to stir the pot. That’s how you keep people on their toes.” he brought up a hand to rub his chin. He definitely reveled in the idea of wreaking havoc on a mission, assuming of course they were being used. There was also a chance they really were mean to be Big Damn Heroes.

Hm.

“So what do you, like, do? You said you were in training, but you must do something cool to be here. You just hit shit real hard?”

[afterburner]

"Naw, that's basic. I can make knives out of kinetic energy and throw them. And I can fly." There was probably other things she could end up doing someday, but for now those were the major points.

"Oh, right. I can shield stuff too." Can't forget that. "But yeah, hitting shit real hard tends to be the one people remember."

[filmnotyetrated]

"You can make knives? Fuck that's cool. I just buy and steal mine like a chump." He whistled. "And you can fly, you're way cooler than the losers I know."

Even he sounded lame compared to her, and he was the coolest badass he knew, save for maybe Cable. "Like, how hard are we talking about hitting here? Normal people punches or do you get some of that energy behind it?"

[afterburner]

"They're kinetic energy, so yeah, I can control that, so I make them." Though Renee's expression went startled for a moment.

"Uh. I have more strength than normal people--ya know, I never thought of putting energy behind it. I ought to work on that--though I'm not sure I could do it here. Breaking the train with people on it. Kinda sounds like bad juju, you know?"

At least there were some people she liked on the train, so she didn't want to hurt them...

[filmnotyetrated]

"Isn't the train like indestructible or something, I feel like that information was somehow beamed into my brain. Besides, I doubt the aliens would go through so much trouble to kidnap us just to not have any sorta protection in place. You should definitely try and power fist a wall and see what happens." Wade greatly enjoyed dispensing advice, even when it was objectively bad advice.

But man it would be cool to see someone punch a whole train apart.