A New Platform [Intro Post October]

[voidtreckermods]

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!

Comments

almost missing the train

[irrationally]

God.

Why are so many people like this? Alice isn't the one who helps him onto the train, since she spotted someone else shoving the guy onto the train at the last possible moment, but she sure is watching as it happens. How come there's some idiot every single time who feels like tempting fate? It's always men too! Go figure. Geez.

"Did you not hear it beep?" She just ends up asking Zechs, her arms crossed across her chest, facial expression fairly unimpressed.

[zechs_isonfire]

"It seemed rather insistent," Zechs told her in a deadpan delivery, looking at the woman. There's a bit of a cynical smile twitching at the corners of his lips, but otherwise? His expression is pretty calm. "Has there been anyone to miss the train, before?"

[irrationally]

"Not as far as I know." Alice at least offers up that bit of information - it's not like it's a secret or anything, anyway. It's followed up with a slight shrug of her shoulders though. "But I can't say I'm always the most attentive person here when it comes to those sorts of matters."

Paying attention to other people? Being social? That sounds dreadful, please.

"Why, were you that eager to test out what would happen if you were to miss the train?"

[zechs_isonfire]

"If I were, I would be on that platform still," Zechs told her, nonchalant. "But I can't be the only individual who didn't meekly climb on board without testing the boundaries of our new prison first."

[irrationally]

She lets out a sound - it sounds somewhere midway between a huff and a sigh - that seems to indicate that no, he indeed not the only person who decided to test that. If Alice would get money for every single time she witnessed someone trying it out...

"Funnily enough the last person I witnessed trying to do the same was wearing the same colour as you." Wow, this sure must be saying something about the red team, huh. Maybe that's why Alice is wearing a purple hoodie herself. It's a sign that she has more than two active braincells, she figures.

"But he too ended up stepping on the train before it left."

With some nudging on Alice's part, but still.

[zechs_isonfire]

The most important thing to take away from that was ... Zechs’ eyes narrowed. His tone was dry.

“So, there’s a significance to our assigned colors. I hadn’t seen many wearing red on the platform.” A bit of an understatement, but he’s good at those.

[irrationally]

"Yes, there are only a few in either red or blue. Most seem to appear wearing either orange or purple."

Like her. She kind of wanted red too though, it suits her better.. But at least she's not wearing orange, so, whatever. Alice can live with it, she supposes.

"Though I'm not sure what that tendency to almost kill yourselves says about you red people."

[zechs_isonfire]

"I suppose that depends on what purpose the colors serve," Zechs pointed out dryly.

[irrationally]

Ah, right.

Alice only seems to realise it now. If he was only dragged on the train at the last moment, he probably hasn't had the full explanation about this place yet. One of those flyers - or whatever they use nowadays to explain stuff to new people. Alice doesn't care enough to pay attention to it.

"The train sorts us into teams for some reason. That's what the colours are for. Each team gets a different task on the missions it sends us on."

Does that help you any, Zechs.

[zechs_isonfire]

His eyes narrowed, slightly, and Zechs glanced about the train car. Confirming once again he was in a minority.

"So what illustrious missions," ah, sarcasm, "are we chosen few on this red team suited for?"

[irrationally]

"Destroying things."

If his sarcasm affects her at all, it sure doesn't show. Alice still speaks on in the same tone of voice - calmly, but dry, like she isn't taking all of this very deeply seriously either.

.. In case that answer by itself wasn't enough evidence of that.

"Generally speaking, anyway. You should consider yourself lucky! They sound by far like the best parts of any given mission."

[zechs_isonfire]

It figured, Zechs thought, that he was seen by these kidnappers as nothing more than a blunt instrument. He'd rather shown that any attempts at finesse lead to destruction either way.

"Given your opinions, I do wonder why you were chosen for a different team," Zechs looked at her now, analyzing. "What is the job of yours?"

[irrationally]

Tell her about it, Zechs. It's the same thing Alice has thought about before. People love describing the red team's parts of the missions as either dangerous or destructive, and that's what Alice has been dealing with for most of her life, so she honestly has no idea either.

"Purple?" It's a little harder to summarize as easily, and she seems to have to think about it for a moment. "Usually it involves fighting to protect some place, or helping out people in trouble." Which involves socializing. Ugh. Please, no. She's already making a bit of A Face at the very thought of it.

[zechs_isonfire]

Fighting to protect, or help people. Zechs had claimed those motives in the past - but again. It made all the more sense if whatever group had kidnapped him judged him incapable now.

Of course, he wouldn't voice these sorts of thoughts, especially to a stranger.

His eyes narrowed, just a little. "And which part of that do you have such distaste for?"

[irrationally]

There's absolutely zero hesitation in her answer. It comes out almost a little too quickly, like her brain doesn't even have to think about the answer before it's already rolling out of her mouth.

"Having to talk to people." Absolutely! The worst!

"I would prefer it if they just let me fight things instead."

[zechs_isonfire]

Zechs nodded; she wouldn't be the first soldier he'd heard that complaint from. Those sorts were better suited to the initial assault, and kept well away from the subsequent detainment and occupation of the conquered area. If at all possible.

It often wasn't.

He inclined his head. "Perhaps, if there are so few of us, you can steal something red and join us despite your assignment."

[irrationally]

"It's what I did last time. Well.. aside from the stealing part. Despite the train feeling the need to sort us into teams like this, it doesn't seem to care as to whether we truly stick with that assignment or not."

Alice sure didn't feel anything different when she went with the red team last time around as opposed to sticking with purple..

"It's just that it's quite annoying that this train pretends to know us better than we know ourselves."

[zechs_isonfire]

"Seems poorly implemented, if those who kidnapped us wanted us to perform a certain job," Zechs noted dryly. However, to her complaint, he pointed out, "Yet if there's no enforcement, the annoyance is minimal. I'm rather used to being weighed and evaluated even before acting - my actions will be what overrides those annoying assumptions."

[irrationally]

"Used to?"

She repeats the words. It's just Alice's natural curiosity rearing its head again - so she can't help but wonder as he says that.

"Were there people constantly judging you back home?" Okay, she is well aware that most humans are constantly busy judging others. But she's curious about a few more specifics than that.

[zechs_isonfire]

"You make it sound so ..." Zechs wasn't certain of how to term it. He crossed his arms. "All people tend to have a certain impression of others, even after mere moments. I am no different."

And Zechs decided his past had no place among strangers, if he could help it.

[irrationally]

Whatever she imagines he was about to say, she doesn't seem offended in the slightest. There's not even the bat of an eyelash.

"Sure. But most people would not be weighed very often." Most humans don't care about others, after all. Or so Alice has found. "I doubt people would be paying enough attention to someone like me to judge my actions very often, for example."

If not just because she straight up killed a guy and got away with it--

"You must have had a lot more eyes on you then."

[zechs_isonfire]

“I was a more public figure,” Zechs allowed. “And I was a soldier - that alone puts you under a certain amount of scrutiny, and rightly so. Those who have a certain position of power and strength, if they behave in ways unchecked, will do far greater damage than good.”

Zechs smirked a little. “But I doubt any of that matters here. As another person kidnapped, I’m now equal in position to any other.”

ugh i'm so sorry, dw ate this notif!

[irrationally]

A soldier! See, that's exactly the kind of information she was digging for. Alice doesn't even need much more explanation than that, really. Just this is enough to satisfy her, so instead she just nods at the last thing he says.

"This train does truly make us all more or less equal. I believe that there are even people aboard this train who are considered to be gods where they come from."

See, she's even willing to offer up that piece of information in return for what Zechs said. That's totally fair, right.

no worries :)

[zechs_isonfire]

That got a very, very skeptical eyebrow. Magic was difficult enough to believe, though he had a demonstration. But actual gods? Zechs found that hard to swallow.

But he just gave Alive a diplomatic nod, and even made light of it - though Zechs' sense of humor was hard to pick up on. "Very well - just so long as none of them ask for veneration, neither will I demand salutes from anyone."

[irrationally]

"Well, just don't run into the overly loud book then."

Yes, she said book. This is pretty normal by Alice standards, hence why she doesn't sound any different when she talks about it than she did a moment before.

"I believe he is a god-- or, well, he certainly seems to believe so himself. But he is an utter moron who only likes harassing people and claiming he is much greater than him."