voidtreckerexpress | A New Platform [Intro Post October]

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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

[Nita's smile is sympathetic if not empathetic.]

It's hard to know for sure, especially these days; it's a wide, wide multiverse, so it's easy to read more or less into something than we really need to.

[And then she grins outright.]

No, it's not a problem! This train is only so big; to some extent you get used to it.

[And in times when that wasn't enough, there was the Quiet Car. Or soundproof shields.]

What are your names, then?

My name is Ken. This is Wormmon.

I'm Wormmon.

[ He's Wormmon.

....Now for the tricky part, though. Ken nods to the Mutual Wearing of Orange. ]

I suppose we'll be in your care, Nita-chan.

[Nita immediately gains the tell-tale look of the flustered.]

I- Thank you, but I'm not Team Lead or anything! That would be Eva Iden'no and Curufin.

But... I look out for the people I work with, you can count on that.

[There's a pause as Nita calms down.]

So- want any help finding a less-fictional book, any questions you think I can answer, that sort of thing?

If you don't mind...

[ Only if you don't mind, anyway. Nita - Nita is the person Kaiba-kun had mentioned, isn't she? ]

...I did happen to hear you knew something. About the "train's memory".

[ Wormmon can tell this is going to be one of those long conversations about things he doesn't understand but that Ken-chan will explain for him later. He hops off to explore the library some more, so he can report to Ken-chan what he found.

If this turns into him standing atop the train-shaped bookshelf making "choo choo" noises to himself, no one may judge him. ]

[Fortunately, Ken is right!

Nita's smile fades into a more neutral expression as she nods.]

From the time we were on the island where people saw each other's memories, you mean?

[The peridexis may be recording Wormmon's cuteness for posterity, saving the video only to Nita's Manual and nowhere else. Not that it'll tell her the footage is there.]

I wasn't given context.

[ But maybe he should provide some, so she knows where he's coming from. ]

Kaiba Seto-kun approached me. He showed me the letter from the Void Ministry, as proof of how little the passengers know.

[ And, more to the point, how little the passengers can trust. The Void Ministry clearly has its own interpretation of the Voidtrecker Express's existence. But is that, in and of itself, accurate? ]

...I suppose I'm wondering whether anything is certain.

[ Choo-CHOOOOOO!!! Wormmon is the conductor of a space train that goes on fun trips with Ken-chan! And sometimes they go out to look at the stars together~~~ ]

[Nita nods, seeing that she's skipped a little.]

'If we can't trust our own experiences, what can we trust?', you mean?

[Because boy, has she EVER been there.]

Well, what I can say is, we ended up on an island called Jema'grethy, and what happened there was that some among us ended up mentally bonded to each other. Feeling each other's emotions, seeing their memories.

Three of us - Minako, Enna and I -

[Not that Enna's listed that way on the roster, oops.]

Ended up seeing memories, not just from each other, but from what could only have been the train, if the prior experience in void missions was anything to go by. Something none of us passengers could have had or made up.

[ Even the conductor of the amazing Ken-chan space train is looking over now, and listening. He still doesn't get it, but that's okay. Ken-chan will get it. Wormmon has complete faith in his partner. ]

In other words, the circumstances made the content seem trustworthy.

[ He....thinks he understands. Not entirely, it doesn't sound like the completely same experience, but -

Ken's felt that, hasn't he? Someone else's heart, beating in time with his. Someone else's belief, their pulse running through his body. He hadn't known what to do with it in the moment, but it had been the beginning of the best years of his life, years that are continuing to this day, and the boy who'd been scared and afraid to accept that feeling nearly seems like a completely different person now.

No, not a different person. The same person, but freed. ]

What were the memories?

It'd be hard to prove it wrong without getting more information.

[Meaning they had to accept it as-is... not that they had to express blind faith or anything.]

And it- might be easier to read them; Eva and I made some transcripts before we left the island. Though I can show them directly, too; all that requires is your permission and direct contact; a handshake will do.

[Or just tell him, but those would still be summaries.]

[ She can transmit...?

He'll roll with it. Ken's face sets determinedly, shoulders even squarer than usual, and he holds his hand out. ]

Please.

[ Wormmon is watching with big saucer eyes. And leaning....leaning....

In danger of tipping off the train shelf.... ]

[Nita catches that leaning, so before she grasps Ken's hand she asks:]

Wormmon? You can come over here if you want to see them, too.

[Since she has no idea how these two are related, exactly; she can't assume the memories will be transferred automatically somehow.]

[ Wait, him too?! That's exciting! ]

Okay!!

[ Whoop, leaned too far. Wormmon tumbles off the shelf but thinks fast, shooting a string of web from his mouth. It sticks to the train's "smokestack" and slows his fall, so he can descend to earth in a leisurely fashion.

Detaching his web string, he waddles over, climbs up Ken's back, over his shoulder, and down his arm. Now when Nita touches Ken's hand, Wormmon can lay a claw on top! ]

I'm ready.

[ Ken remains standing stalwart, completely accustomed to being Wormmon's jungle gym. His partner is...rather excited he's ended up on the tall side.... ]

[There's a distinct chuff in the back of Nita's head; apparently the peridexis is amused by Wormmon's antics, moreso than Nita herself at the moment.]

Right, then.

[She takes their hand, sharing the first memory, the one Enna had received and been confused about during their descent to Jema'grethy.

The sense of hollowness, of being emptied of all sensation, still strikes at her even now. All emotions, however painful, being drained away... leaving only a purpose. A mission, one could say.

It is a short memory; Nita surfaces, blinks. Waits one second, two, before asking,]

Are you all right?

... Let me know when you're ready for the next one. There's three, total.

Ngh...

[ ....emotions, more than images? That horrible emptiness is almost familiar. And that clarity....that sense of purpose...

The "memory of the train"....so this is what had been meant. ]

Ken-chan, was that the train?

Possibly.

[ That's what they're all trying to figure out, isn't it? And - no wonder the people who'd received these felt they could be trusted. Ken's been subjected to illusions before and this....this wasn't....

But if he lets himself be overwhelmed by that, by the questions this is raising and the answers it can't quite provide, he won't be able to move forward. ]

Let's keep going.

Edited 2020-10-04 01:28 (UTC)

[Nita nods, lets both Ken and Wormmon process.]

Right. This next one bounces around the perspective a little...

[And it won't take long for them to realize in what way Nita means that: there's at least ten distinct points of view in the second memory.

Again, Nita gives them a couple seconds to resurface from the memory and reorient themselves.]

What stuck out for you two, about that one? Anything at all?

[If it's like something they've done at home, she'd like to know.]

They all worked together.

[ Ken thinks about the question. With so many different perspectives, there's a lot he could say, but: ]

If I had to choose....

[ Ponder. ]

The fact we're repeating something that's happened before. Four colors, four teams, with different specialties.

[ Kaiba had said Orange tended to get the investigations, didn't he? So that made Red - offense? Purple - assistance? Blue - defense? He can't be certain. With just one mission to go on, there's no way to draw anything like an actual conclusion. ]

I can't say what that might imply, though.

It's supposed to be some kind of convention. Whether it's just for the Voidtrecker Express, or for so-called Void Missionaries as a whole, we don't know yet.

[Ken will be getting more examples as time goes on - or even just if he asks Lightning for her mission notes.]

Your guess is probably as good as ours, even the long-termers. We haven't gotten any big clues yet, and most of those who were looking for patterns just left today.

[Nita sighs, closing her eyes, before opening them again and setting her expression to something a little less... vulnerable.]

This is the last memory, now, and- there's a lot of death, I'll warn you.

No bodies, but it's pretty definite as to what happened.

[ They left - today? The same day Ken joined?

...No, he's not going to draw that connection. What can he do now? He can learn. This can't be easy on Nita, but she's offered to do it anyway. For him.

He's not backing down or getting distracted now. ]

I'll be all right.

It's okay, Ken-chan. If it's scary, I'll hug you tight!

[ The legs holding onto Ken's wrist tighten in indication. This is, of course, one hundred percent Wormmon being a good partner and not at all Wormmon nervous about viewing a memory with "a lot of death" in it. ]

[In fairness to Ken, they'd been 'disappeared' for some time.

Still not pleasant to think about.]

Hugging might be in order anyway. Here-

[And down came the pull of memory. Home of a legend, a space battle, and then-

Destruction. Grief. And above all, a plan.

Nita doesn't ask if they're all right, though she's watching both of them carefully once they resurface.]

[ Ken's teeth are clenched, and he's sweating a little. But he's standing strong, even as he's starting to lose circulation in the wrist now vice-gripped by a bug.

Wormmon sniffles. ]

It's so sad. The train is sad.

...If that was the train.

[ And not....Residue of past passengers? No, not just passengers. Crew. Crew, who, unable to accept the consequences of their actions...

Ken frowns. Now he isn't just wearing the expression of someone who's reliving past grief, his own or others'.

Now he's putting pieces together. ]

[Nita moves her hand; not away, but toward, as a comforting gesture - to Wormmon if not Ken himself.]

We still don't know for sure, but I can only sense one mind when I try to talk to the train.

Meaning either just the train got away in the end, or there was only one mind left to make that jump.

[However that mind had been salvaged...]

[ She can sense minds....? And she says "try", which means she isn't wholly successful.

He doesn't really like thinking out loud, not unless he's sure of something. But he also knows she has a perspective that may be helpful for him, so for whatever it's worth, he'll offer his own. ]

There's a concept of - balance, where we're from. Weakened boundaries between worlds collapse those worlds upon themselves. Until only darkness remains.

That's what Ken-chan and I fight to stop.

Right.

[ Ken looks at Nita, and he's steady, he's all right. There has to be something he can do. Something.

Something for someone who knows what happens when you try to go back instead of forward, because you can't accept the present. ]

Despite their good intentions, it's possible the crew might have caused something similar.

[Nita's mouth forms a thin line; she nods again, considering.]

We have something like that, too, where I'm from, though in different ways. There, world-walls thin naturally when there are enough people in one place.

There's balance, if a fragile one, caused by the cycle of Life and Death and the dance they have with each other...

But those shadows are something separate, not something caused by the presence of those Voidtreckers.

We only know that because we came just shy of dealing with them ourselves, a few months back. We were given a mission with vague parameters, trying to help a kingdom evacuate from some sort of threat, only to be yanked out of the world by the train itself, when those strange shadows appeared in the sky.

... I don't think that world exists anymore, either.

Then we can't just sit by.

[ There's something else at play, in addition to the train. The train is - no, he can't be sure if it's trying to repeat past glory days or simply following a set program, devoid of a crew, or any number of other possible interpretations. There's not enough details yet.

--And yet Ken knows. This might not be the thing the Voidtrecker Express has summoned him to do. But this...this is the thing...

"Ichijouji-kun, it's such a shame."

The teacher looks up from his career sheet, takes a deep breath. His disappointment hits Ken like a wave, but Ken presses his elbows against his sides and stands firm, as if his body, and not just his high-collared high-school uniform, has been starched.

"We'd all been rooting for you, you know. You were the pride of our school. Peaking before you even hit middle school - "

He tosses the paper to the desk, as if he can't stand to glance at the words "Police detective" written in the number-one career choice slot. Beneath it, the other students' sheets are stacked neatly: "Company CEO." "Doctor." "Programmer." "Stock market trader."

"You could have made something of yourself."

"I'm grateful for the school's faith in me." Ken bows. This is where he would have apologized, once - where he has apologized, every time he's stood in one of these offices, having one of these conversations.

His elementary school principal had been hurt. His middle school principal had been derisive, thinking he could goad the boy genius into caring about his grades again, drag him back into the limelight.

Now he's just a disappointment. Eight years....Eight years of being normal, and everyone's still dazzled by a star burning itself out. Yet the sky once the flames had cleared now seems, to Ken, so much more beautiful. It's peaceful. It's serene.

Just because it happens every day doesn't mean the sunrise isn't exceptional.

"But this is the person I have to be." ]

Anything spreading darkness to other worlds needs to be stopped.

Edited 2020-10-04 17:37 (UTC)

It's not just that.

[Abruptly Nita stops, gaze drifting to where she'd been checking some books in...]

I don't think the train's homeworld is the only one that's been destroyed.

[She looks back.]

Want to look through them with me? Call it research.

A New Platform [Intro Post October]

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kaiba namedropped nita to ken. should i liquid time it or can that have already happened?

I can go either way! Whichever's easier to write.

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PUTTIN' PIECES TOGETHER...

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HEADCANON AND SPOILERS

;a; Ken...

"what should our toy commercial be about" "....the negative effects of pressure on gifted children?"

"let's crack 'em like eggs"

preeeettty much

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