No Place Like Home: The Return

[voidtreckermods]

---

NO PLACE LIKE HOME: THE RETURN

---

a silence broken...

It's been a very difficult few days. Rocking and rolling into the void and out again. Watching their friends out of the window as they wander from world to world. Meanwhile those lost on worlds continue to wander unable to return to the train at all.

"All attempts at returning those who left have failed. This voidcraft cannot do it alone. It is lucky that unlike those that have left before them, I can still sense them.

But I cannot bring them back alone. This is perhaps too advanced for Voidtreckers, but you have done the improbable before. You say you wish to help. This is how you help."

Their SCA's light up with a message. Or rather, a series of instructions:

In the unlikely event a tether gets stranded on a liminal space platform or between their own world and the platform space, you should, in the first instance, contact the Void technicians who monitor their non-travelling self. However, in the case they cannot be reached or there is a mass displacement of tether, an anchoring procedure can be carried out.

Ideally, this will involve two fully tethered individuals to retrieve the lost tether. One should be a stationary anchor. They should be outside of their void craft, if possible, and in physical contact with it. The second should be a roaming anchor reaching to draw the tethers back. In situations of mass tether displacement the stationary anchor can hold mutiple roaming anchors but it is recommended to not exceed five. In this situation, it is recommended that anchors rotate between stationary and roaming.

To start an anchoring of this kind, those anchoring should activate their anchoring program. Those staying station should reach out to the tethers of those they plan to steady. This might cause some emotional upheaval, and they will need to stay steady, especially if connecting to more than one roaming tether. Roaming anchors then must hold the person they search for in their thoughts and move towards them. It is recommended that the lost tethers activate their emergency beacon to facilitate being found and returning but this is not a necessity.

Once the roaming anchor has found the lost tethers they must keep hold of them and guide them back towards their craft, the stationary tethers must draw them back, pulling them through.

There is an additional note at the end, in different font.

It is as Anan told you. Your minds should visualise it. Be strong Voidtreckers.

... a short-lived dream

The doors open and anyone who wishes to try this can leave onto the platform. It is empty, devoid of the figures they had seen before; and, beyond the fog, devoid of anything. But searching requires their SCAs, not a path, and as people get into teams, they can activate their anchors and begin.

For those who will roam, their minds become filled, visualising light, void, voices and chaos; their bodies feel less stable, like they might unravel if not careful. But for those who will stay, when they touch the Voidtrecker Express, they will feel more stable, grounded. The fog shifts, but the world moves around them without pulling them in.

Thinking of the person they wish to keep stable, a mental and emotional link will be established, and they will feel each other as the roaming anchor sets off to find their missing crew.

---

Outside the train...
For those that had left - either by choice or by strange happenings - they have found themselves back at their anchor point during Poi 26, regardless of where they were before. For those unfortunate enough not to have a world to return to, or those who were stuck between in the first place, they will find themselves alone, in a fog filled space where no matter how far they walk, nothing greets them.

All those in fog or back in their world receive the same message from their SCAs.

Hold fast. Press your evacuation button. Your friends come.

---

RETURNERS: FLEETING HAPPINESS

But it's likely before the message arrived, that something wrong has been noticed by those outside the void. More than the bizarre ability to travel between existences, an inability to move far from where they appear. Back at their anchor points, they may notice - in time - colours sometimes flash across the sky, streaking through clouds or making trails in a night sky. At first not much, something to be easily dismissed but it builds. People talk, wonder at what is happening.

For the colours aren't the only thing. Across worlds, in cities, kingdoms, villages, underworlds and space stations, people are dreaming. Bright colours, vivid dreams. Prophets spring from nowhere, people claim to know the future or to have seen the past. Some talk of places and worlds they could not have seen.

Perhaps at first it can be explained away, there are always such people. But more people talk, from urchin children to commanders, people dream and the colours dance.

ANCHORERS: A STEADY HAND

While the stationeries will feel grounded, they aren't blind to what's happening to their roamer. It's as if they're both linked, intimately, meshing together, and they will need to work to keep their feelings separate; hearing each other's thoughts, their feelings. Images of what the other thinks and memories shared between them.

And then there is the search for their teammates, amongst the multiple of realities. Existences move past the roamer, threatening to lose them in the mess, but they must persevere, keep their thoughts on the individual, their stationary anchor to help them. Until finally, they appear - in a world they perhaps know, don't, the kaleidoscope colours of the void faint above their heads.

Speak to each other, keep each other focused, certain, and find who you came to save.

BOTH: HOLDING ON

Searching for individuals, the anchorers will find themselves at a character's anchor point; if they haven't moved far from here or another world, it will be easy to locate them. Now is the time to convince them to come back, and then the eventual work of doing so.

It can be in agreement, or force. Taking a hold of the person, the anchorer can pull them into the mass of chaos. Just like when they helped the guests return to their worlds from the false Diagad, all parties become battered by images, voices. Voices like sirens; 'Just stay,' the voices encourage. 'Just let go and drift into the chaos. It will be easier.'

But they must be strong, move towards their anchor and towards the craft. The crossing doesn't take too long, perhaps ten minutes each way, and once they get to the craft the person they are rescuing glows gold and vanishes. The anchors will know instinctively that they are safe on the train.

And indeed, the rescued will find themselves within the luggage carriage - exhausted, but safe.

TRAIN: AN INEVITABLE RETURN

Exhaustion is something all parties will experience, once everyone is returned to the train and the adrenaline wears off. Those who anchored will be hit with a total exhaustion, leaving them unable to do much more than eat and sleep for a few days. Those rescued won't be as bad, but if they decide to join in with the efforts, they'll too face the soul-tiring experience that other anchorers are.

There's likely to be efforts, to help soothe people over this time. And as people return to their life on the train, they will see the marks of the last few days for those who stayed behind. Broken ceramics, books out of order in the library; the ICPs in the standard coach, storage, sports and games carriages broken, and some damage to furniture.

But for the scars brought on by this event, surely, they will heal - eventually.

OOC NOTES

OOC post. Ask questions here. New second part OOC post here.

First phase of the event took place during Poi 22 to 25; the second phase takes place during Poi 26 to 28 (20-25th February).

VISITING WORLDS: While during Poi 26, it will be possible to go back to wherever they were, or other spaces. However, they will have increasing difficulty doing this, and will feel themselves getting more lost if they try world hopping too much over the next 3 (void) days. It's like something is trying to pull them back, or pull them, but into nowhere.

SCAs: The SCA's comms will not be active at this time.

Comments

Bucky/Soldat | MCU | OTA

[worthallthis]

I. A Noisy Anchor

What Soldat is best at, ironically, is knowing who and what they are, and holding fast to that-- as well as knowing who and what someone else is, and holding fast to that. They remember the feeling from not-Diaghad, and they put a hand on the train. "Let me keep you safe," they tell anyone heading out to roam.

Though anyone who accepts their offer and head out into the void mist gets to learn a little more than they might have wanted to about who and what Soldat is, because when thoughts start to leak across the anchoring bond, with Soldat's voice come other voices, which mostly sound like them but also clearly... aren't them. (Ah hell, this again? WHAT DO YOU MEAN AGAIN? This happened back in Beacon. You weren't here then. Focus. Yeah, yeah, okay.) Then Soldat's voice: (Sorry, try to ignore them.)


II. A Determined Rescuer

It's a good thing the instructions suggest switching off, because Soldat would probably wind up vibrating out of their own skin if they had to keep from looking for people themselves. They venture out into the void with an anchor of their own more than once, with the sense of them and the noise of their own mind for company, a chewing pendant in their mouth to help keep their body in their perception against all the distractions, and the picture of people they love firmly in their mind.

Otoha. Buttercup. Yondu. Devero. Eva. Anyone they know and miss and know needs to be brought home, even if this isn't the home they wanted.

They swim out of nothing into something, into a new world, and look around, hopeful for a familiar face.


III. Somebody Doesn't Know the Meaning of the Word "Break"

The only concession to resting Soldat takes over these three days is constant snacking. No sleeping, no. There's a mission to complete, and they are laser focused on that mission. They've gone longer than this without sleep, even counting the few days leading up to this where sleep was hard to catch. It's fine.

When the last person is back on the train, Soldat... just kind of collapses into a chair in the standard car, cradling their lantern in their lap and catching their breath. Somebody else better have a handle on dinner today, because they don't think they can get up.

Even once they do manage to move again, it's to stagger back to their cabin and sleep for most of the day, with the comforting sound of people all around them again. They groggily emerge to eat, and can be found throwing some long-simmering stew on a stove and writing down unsteady instructions for people more awake than them to stir.

II

[bakegarasu]

The fog clears, solidifying into a street. It’s dark, but the lights of construction still blaze on. There’s signs written in what translate fine, but if Soldat focuses they can see that it’s a strange mix of kanji, hanzi, and hangul. There’s a crater in the street that’s half-repaired, and the buildings around him are still partially full of holes.

They don’t get a second look from the people around them, few though they are. A couple of drunks, some guy with a woman in red, and a few men in long coats that could definitely hide weapons.

And a man pacing, his expression dark. Otoha doesn’t know why he can’t leave this area when he could go so far before, but he can’t and he hates it. He’d pressed the stupid button, but he’s not certain anyone will come and get him. Why would they?

[worthallthis]

Oh, ye of little faith. Soldat breaks into a jog at the sight of him, trying to get to him faster, in case their time here is limited somehow. Otoha's their first active retrieval, and they're not entirely sure of their ability to bring him back.

But they're absolutely going to give it their best. So they call ahead of them, "Otoha!"

[bakegarasu]

His head snaps up at the sound of his name, cringing slightly at how it seems to echo in the street. But the source of the noise -

“Soldat?” How is he - right. The message. He doesn’t move, but he does stare. “How did you… never mind. I need to get away from here.” There’s an injured venom in his words, one he’s never had while speaking of his city before. “What do I do?”

[worthallthis]

They're going to worry about that injured venom bit later. So long as it's not aimed at them, and it's probably not. They hope it's not, anyway.

"I. I think you come with me?" This is new. The last time they did this they were sending people out, not bringing them back in. "I'm supposed to keep hold of you. And guide you back in."

[bakegarasu]

Keep hold of him… great. He knows neither of them are wild about physical contact, but he goes over and grabs Soldat’s hand. Immediately there’s a sense of anger and despair that flows from Otoha through to his friend, and he nods.

This is fine.

“Let’s get going, then.”

[worthallthis]

Ouch. That's... not entirely unexpected, anger and despair at having to leave, Soldat supposes. Otoha doesn't get emotions from Soldat, as such, but he can hear the echo of, (Let's go, come on, before we get stuck here, too. Go.) It's like Soldat's voice, but at the same time, clearly not. The first is much more casual, the second loud and firm and flat. Sarge and the Asset. They sound even more distinct inside Soldat's head, compared to just using the shared body and voice out loud.

Soldat takes their advice and pulls Otoha behind him, careful not to yank or go too fast.

[bakegarasu]

"I can hear them." He's a little surprised, but if this is some kind of metaphysical thing then hearing them makes sense. The despair eases slightly and he steps along with Soldat, the world around them growing foggier and foggier.

"At least.. there's people waiting for me at the train." It's better than nothing, and he'll take something over nothing at this point.

III.

[subcircuits]

Devero should be helping rescue people. He knows he should. He's done it before; he's back and safe and there are still passengers unaccounted for. There's work to do and he needs to pull his weight.

But he... he can't. He's too weary and fragile following (what felt to him like) weeks of turbulence and fear and uncertainty. He doesn't want to be the person who loses someone to the Void because he pushed himself too far.

So he finds another way to pull his weight-- he's out on the platform with the rescuers, having convinced Claudette to let him secure an empty trunk from luggage to her back. Said trunk is now full of mission rations, raided from purple team's communal stores, which Devero is pressing on anyone who's not currently in the middle of a rescue.

Soldat will feel a tap at their elbow as Devero comes up beside them. He doesn't say anything, just silently offers them a piece of lembas.

[worthallthis]

Soldat offers him a wan smile, but accepts the bite, pops it in their mouth and chews it down straight away. "Thanks." Then, after a pause, "It's good to see you back." They heard Koumyou find him, of course, but they haven't been inside to check on him since then.

[subcircuits]

"It's good to be back." There's an Atlaic weight of weariness in his voice as he speaks; Soldat probably even has an inkling why, having been witness to the tumultuous mental reunion between Devero and Koumyou.

Speaking of: "It wasn't just Koumyou who brought me back, was it?" He knows the anchoring for this rescue is taking two people, and though his attention had been focused on the beloved man who'd died in front of his eyes, he'd still caught impressions from beyond their immediate connection.

[worthallthis]

"I helped," Soldat confirms. They duck their head a little, "We tried to keep quiet. You two deserved that much."

Even so, Devero probably caught the occasional stray comment that didn't quite sound like Soldat, in there.

I (hope this is still okay, if not that's fine!)

[goingthroughaphase]

Kitty was absolutely set on heading out into the void to find people. She had just been looking for someone to partner with when she sees Soldat, and at their words she manages a smile.

"Okay," she says with a nod. "I'm counting on you." Honestly, she felt safer with them as an anchor, and trusted that they'd be looking out for her.

it's great <3

[worthallthis]

"I won't let you down," Soldat answers solemnly, and reaches over to wrap their hand around her wrist a moment in a grounding grip. "Keep whoever you're looking for in your mind." A pause, and then, "And try not to get distracted by me. Us."

<3

[goingthroughaphase]

"I know you will." There isn't a doubt in her mind that he would take care of her. To be honest, she was more worried about letting them, and the people she was setting out to rescue, down.

And she can't help, for just a moment, needing a bit of comforting reassurance, and she reaches to embrace them. She knows physical touch can be a little of an issue for them, so she tries to keep it brief. Just a quick gesture to help brace herself.

[worthallthis]

They twitch with surprise, but they've been practicing this lately, what with all the farewells, so they just catch her and, for a beat, let James do the normal thing and hug her warmly, both arms, with their head dropping a moment against her hair. He's the best at it out of all of them, and he's the one who wants it the most.

Even then it's not long before he sinks back in, and they step back a little and put their hand on the train, instead of Kitty. "Go on. I've got your back."

[goingthroughaphase]

The full hug is a little unexpected, but she accepts it readily. When they pull back, she takes a breath and nod, before turning and heading into the void.

It was almost a weightless sensation, and the way her body felt less...together was actually not foreign to her. It was almost similar to how it felt when using her powers, phasing through something else. But it was everything else - the void, the sudden cacophony of voices and the barrage of light - that made it much harder to concentrate.

[worthallthis]

(HOLD ON THERE, KITTY.)

That's not Soldat, that's James. He's still close to the surface, and he's going to be hanging onto her, himself.

(We've got you.)

That's Soldat proper.

(Focus on us, and on the person you're looking for.)

And that's Sarge. The difference between them is slightly more pronounced when they're not using Soldat's physical voice to speak, but they do both still sound like Bucky Barnes in some fashion.

[goingthroughaphase]

The familiar voices do at least cut through the rest of the noises around her, and it helps Kitty calm down a little more and brings her focus back.

"Okay...okay." She takes a breath - or she thinks she does, she's not entirely sure - and tries to pull her thoughts together on one of the people she's trying to find.

"I didn't realize it would be like this," she muses, mostly to herself. She hadn't attempted doing this back in Diaghad, so she hadn't really known what to expect.

II (this too)

[galactichero]

As much as T'Challa wanted to go out looking for those lost in the void, being a still relatively new passenger meant that he didn't quite have the connection yet to the people around him in order to search for them. There was really only one person he knew so well, even if he was from a slightly different universe.

But he could be a stationary anchor for others. Despite the harrowing situation, he could at least manage to remain steady for the others. And while he didn't know Soldat entirely well, he knew enough to trust him to find a someone that they were both looking for.

[worthallthis]

"I'll find him," Soldat promises soberly. Though this mission is sadly doomed to fail (Tobiramu is the one properly collecting Yondu), Soldat is still going to try. Then they step out into the mist-- into the void-- with T'Challa's steady presence at their back.

(You sure you've never done this before?) That's... not Soldat, not exactly; it sounds like them a little, but the tone is all different, the accent far more strongly Brooklyn, and there's a different kind of world-weariness to him. But it's pretty clearly directed at T'Challa.

There's something like amused resignation coming from Soldat themselves as they stretch out the link.

[galactichero]

While he had been prepared to share in Soldat's thoughts and emotions, the voice that spoke out to him was...not the one he had been expecting. There is a jolt of surprise through the connection, but he manages to calm himself after a moment, despite the lingering question.

"I can't say that I have," he manages to reply after another moment. "I just have some experience keeping a cool head."

[worthallthis]

(Sorry, I should have warned you.) That's Soldat's more familiar intonation. (We kinda share this brain. It gets noisy sometimes. SOMETIMES? Okay, a lot of the time.)

Soldat continues their trek out into the void, but they're steady despite the chatter. Or maybe because of the chatter? They explain, their voice coming with the overtones of embarrassment: (That's Sarge. Hi. And James. HELLO. There's also the Asset, and the Bottomless Pit. With any luck, they won't talk much.)

[galactichero]

"I see," T'Challa says after a moment. The surprise is still evident, but it's not enough to cause any kind of waver or problem through their connection. "It's nice to meet you all. Even if the timing might not be the most convenient."

Still, he's good with rolling with the punches, and he focuses on remaining a steady anchor for them.

[worthallthis]

(Timing's never convenient, honestly. At least this gives us something to talk about. THEY'RE ALMOST BETTER AT FOCUSING IF THERE'S TALKING GOING ON. I'm just used to you guys bickering all the time.)

There's warmth to Soldat's voice. They're comfortable with their headmates, now, even James. Even though James isn't always comfortable with them. They're like old friends. And the chatter does, indeed, help them stay focused on themselves amidst the light and sound of the void.