voidtreckerexpress | A New Platform [Intro Post October]

On the Train

"Good morning passengers, it is day sixteen of the month of Horsehoe. Points have been updated on the system and new stock is available."

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. The first thing they may notice is that this platform is inside a basic shelter, making it warmer than the last couple at least.

As usual the first to leave the train notice nothing as they walk silently, rucksacks on their backs, towards the barriers. Adora, Alex Hashimoto, Catra, Cloud Strife, Elizabeth Midford, Feanor, Gerome, Gladiolus Amicitia, Glimmer, Ifrit, Isabella D’Oro, Maru, Nari Reno, Noctis Lucis Caelum, Prompto Argentum, Scorpia, Siobahn Chereshei, SXT-2, Tamamo-no-Mae, Tony Stark, Uta, Zidane Tribal

But on the platform itself there are many new faces. Wearing hoodies in all four colours 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. The second thing they will notice is it is gloomy, even without the steam and fog. They are in a wooden building, open to the tracks on one side. It in a creaky shelter, cobwebs hang from the rafters and there is a peculiar whistle as wind finds its way through the cracks.

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 nineteen figures all facing the tracks, all dressed in cargo trousers and hoodies. 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 gloom 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.

Indeed whereas usually there is plenty time for people to be met and brought slowly onto the train, the whistles blow a lot quicker this time, as if hurrying the passengers along.

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… teddy bear shaped luncheon meat being the main ingredient to be found. There are plenty of other staples.

A new carriage has been added, those that go to investigate will find a room full of lockers, designated as the Armoury. Even for passengers without weapons it is somewhere to secure possessions. There are instructions on how to use the lockers and enough for everyone to claim one.

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 over the noise of the hail stones to encourage any stragglers braving the snow 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

He looked over when she spoke, doing a small double-take when he realized she had tentacles. At the end of the day it wasn't the weirdest thing he'd ever seen, so he didn't stare for more than a second or two. He didn't want to be rude.

Glancing back out the window, he said, "Does it? I've always imagined the void as nothingness." Like what he saw when he scryed. Maybe that was the void, and this was...something else. "This is..." he didn't finish, gesturing vaguely at the window. It was like what some sci-fi movies showed certain ways of travel as.

Eight pulled her eyes away from the window, an audible "Mmmeeyoouu..." as her eyes readjusted to stability. She thought she had been used to the strangeness of the Deepsea Metro, but this was something else entirely.

"It hurts to look at... like we're not supposed to." A quick eye rub and she looks to the boy, wondering if he's fairing any better.

He nodded; he'd noticed that, too. "It's weird." After a moment, he added, "Everything about this train is weird." Including the occupants--but he didn't want to say that. It would have been rude.

"I don't know what's out there, but it's-" he struggled to find the right word for how the void outside the windows looked "-psychedelic."

The word was enough to get a wry comment. "You're not about to say 'for shizzle,' 'my skillet,' and 'home slice,' are you?" Not that she expected for him to understand the reference, but those were... rather contentious words should he decide to use that particular set of lingo.

He frowned, brow furrowing. "No? Why would I?" Had he missed something vital here? He knew he was out of the loop with the whole kidnapping thing, but maybe it wasn't the only loop he was out of.

"It's... nothing." Just a personal negative experience that was so traumatic it practically seared itself into her very soul.

"It's... ah... something very disagreeable people on my world would say. Along with things like 'totally rad' and 'absolutely wicked.'" She paused, feeling a wave of embarrassment run across her face. "I'm sorry, that was a rude presumption."

He'd heard all of those phrases before, but he'd never known anyone to have such a negative reaction to them.

"It's alright," he said. "It's not the first time people've made presumptions about me." And he doubted it would be the last. But he wasn't offended.

That statement only made her feel worse. She tried to be sympathetic, since on her world she was seen as the outsider. She knew what it was like to be treated poorly.

"I'm sorry." There was a deeper regret in that apology. Instead she returned to the window. "It's... strange... like outside is pressing against the car and is miles away... If I were to hear it goes on to infinity, I would believe it..."

"Don't worry about it."

Now, the void outside the train was another matter. "I wouldn't be surprised if it was infinite. Space is, after all." But if the void was infinite, it would also make getting home all that much harder.

Her eyes were screaming at her to stop looking and yet she persisted. "Do you think our world is really out there somewhere?"

Considering it for a moment, he nodded. "It has to be," he said quietly. "How else are we going to find our way home if it's not?"

"Yeah..." She takes a moment to continue to look, well past her eye's informing her not to.

In fact when she finally does pull away she is nursing a hell of a headache and experiencing some significant vertigo.

She wasn't going to say anything. The pain felt like what she was experiencing in her heart.

A New Platform [Intro Post October]

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