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

Senku Ishigami

[10billionpercent]

The Placement

Senku had been hopping in and out of his world. Thinking, ruminating, scheming and trying to come up with something as well as keeping tabs on this mess. He knew. He knew something was going wrong. The sky was glowing a strange mix of colours.

Ha. Poetic in its own way. This was another puzzle. Was his world broken again? Was his presence causing the rift? He liked puzzles but honestly, looking at the sky he was just exhausted.

Then, of course, came the point he could no longer venture away from his tether point, and so he sat down in the dirt, just looking at the world as it was. He'd be found sitting there, quiet.

Focusing on Senku, trying to breach into this space he occupied would not be easy.

I. A Rescue

A first glimpse, in the fog, Senku is not the adult, but rather a child, maybe four or five years old, his hair was still standing on end and he's in a pair of pajamas. They were covered in rockets and he was opening the door to his bedroom.

Inside the room are gifts, textbooks, equipment...a lot of things that would belong in a high school lab, not a pre-schooler's bedroom. Behind him, Byakuya Ishigami stood, smiling fondly at the surprise and wonder on his kid's face.

An ominous sound then, slightly distorted but it still sounded like Senku's voice, albeit synthetic. "WHY?"

II. The Return

Getting on board the train again was less than pleasant really, but Senku was exhausted.

Did the train think he wouldn't fight through that to cause a fuss?

He walked right up to the engine room door, banging on it.

"Hey! I need some answers!"

It was possibly entirely fruitless, but he was going to try anyway. Everyone probably wanted rest. Senku needed rest too, all the same, he was going to make a fuss in the hopes that something happened.

the placement ig

[blitzcheer]

Nothing about the anchoring, the roaming to even come to the place that anyone is in is easy. Realities passing one by, all the different existences a blur around him, trying to keep it together by the hold of his stationary, while Tidus plunges into the rapids of the void.

But he knows who he wants to find - he sees Senku's light, his thread, and he follows him to that world. Ishigami Village -

-- and like every single time, Tidus bumbles his landing into every new place, nearly falling on his face. But his hands meet the ground first, skidding, but letting him catch himself on his knees and palms.

Ugh, give him a second...for calling out...but he will definitely be making groaning sounds.

[10billionpercent]

Nothing interrupted one's train of thought like Tidus graoning over there awfully dramatically.

He glanced up with a little arch of an eyebrow.

"Are you seriously injured over there?"

He couldn't help himself but offer a sarcastic question.

hey hi ree needed a stationary anchor so here i am.. DON'T MIND THE VAGUE TIMEY WIMEY STUFF ssshh

[flatteries]

It helps that Inigo saw Senku's world back during those few days of being lost out there. It definitely makes it easier to reach out towards Senku in the void after having been dragged back to the train himself. Ending back up on the train after all that was tiring enough that Inigo felt it better to be the one staying on the train, providing the stationary anchor that could hopefully draw Senku and Tidus back there.

So he just tries to focus the best he can. Thinking about Senku until he can sense that Tidus must have arrived at his destination, though with that groaning...

'Are you okay?' is Inigo's main thought at that, sending it over towards Tidus. But if Senku focuses enough, then he might be able to hear it too - a voice somewhere in his head, reaching out to him from further beyond.

[blitzcheer]

No time for sulking, Senku, Tidus has arrived!!

"M'fine, m'fine," Tidus grumbles, resigned to his fate of just never making a good landing. Getting finally on his knees, and then looking around to take their surroundings - wherever they were, whatever there was to see from here.

There weren't any sounds of people, that one was certain. But what could be seen from this point...?

[10billionpercent]

The island they were situated on, was mainly a gathering area so it was clear of vegetation, just dirt. To Tidus' right a large hut on a platform existed. There would be no sounds of people, just birds. He'd be able to see the suspension bridge, and across the way several stone statues curled up in balls among the various huts there. The huts were mostly made of wood and straw.

Senku caught Inigo's response, that strange mental connection that flared open, and not something he bothered to block out either way. He was used to having something in the back of his mind all the time, thanks to his connection to Eva.

"My world is usually a lot more lively than this." Senku commented dryly.

The distortions that were causing feedback from the world were alive and well, and could be picked up on. Various human voices expressing sorrow, or fear. A kind woman's voice who's thought is simply. I trust in Senku.

Another ominous response in that distorted synthetic version of Senku's voice. 12,800,000 metres, one second. 12,800,000 metres, one second.... It was repeating the command on a loop.

It was hard to say if the voices were in real time, or from the past or future of the world.

[flatteries]

At least seeing Senku's world through the link isn't too strange to Inigo, even though seeing the state it is in does hurt him a little all over again. It's just too cruel, the way some worlds seriously got screwed over just because the train pulled them away at the wrong time.

In fact, it was a lot easier when he visited the world with Senku the other day. At least then he didn't hear these voices calling out. It makes Inigo pause for a moment, trying to listen for the actual Tidus and Senku in the middle of all of this. So far away from it all, it's hard to try and tell apart what's happening in real time and what isn't, especially while he's trying so hard to focus on both their presences.

Just keep calmly breathing, Inigo. In, and out.

'Is that Senku speaking?'

/tracks this time

[blitzcheer]

The voices were as disorienting as Tidus's ungraceful landing. He winces, but he's managing to get some semblance of sense going. Except it's difficult, taking another look around, hearing what Senku says, and then feeling Inigo's thoughts about the state of Senku's village.

"Wait... what happened?" There's only two things, neither good, and the panic starts to fill Tidus's chest. "Are they still alive? Are they petrified?"

Which was it? But Tidus doesn't ignore Inigo's question, a 'I think so?' given, not exactly sure. 'Some kind of radio?' he thinks himself, a message - and at least this way, if not having his own memories to go off, Inigo will better understand what Tidus means by a radio: a device that can transmit a message, keeping it on loop.

But there's also another thought. 'Or maybe the void...?'

Was the void messing with their heads?

[10billionpercent]

"Both." Senku responded. "Their petrified forms are intact, so they are still alive. They can come back."

WHY, the voice asked again.

"I've had time to think about this. If the train is not involved, I know what to do...I just need a lot of time to do it." Senku admitted. "I don't have what I need, I haven't been successful in getting what I need..."

He just shook his head, a little tired looking.

"I don't want to leave it like this." He admitted.

[flatteries]

It's a lot, getting all of these thoughts in his head. Trying to sort them all out, just in case he might lose contact or the ability to pull both Senku and Tidus back if everything gets too muddied. It's like a cluster of yarn he's trying to detangle over here, trying to separate what's Tidus, what's Senku, and what might be weird void influences on the line he's got with them.

It's hard, but as long as he focuses, it's possible. And it helps that he's so in tune with everything going on here. Able to understand Tidus's explanations just by sharing a mental link with the other. Able to stay in touch with Senku's emotions about all this.

I don't want to either, Inigo sends out towards the two, first and foremost. He wants to make that much clear. He doesn't want to leave things like this either. He doesn't just want to ignore the way the train has screwed up worlds, but.. It's dangerous to stay there though. I don't know how long we have.

There's a small pause, and then he adds..

Definitely not long enough to do all that.

Because Senku is admitting that it'll take a long time. And they don't have that before the train moves on. And he has to pull the two of them back before that happens, no matter how bitter the realisation is.

[blitzcheer]

At least petrification meant life. It's not entirely relieving, the state leaving the questions of what happened, and what can they do? Nothing that would be open to them at this point, but leaving the place behind like this-

Would it be like this if Senku had been on the train? What about Gen?

(And what's that weird voice...?)

"Can't we try removing the petrify?" It's a response to Inigo as much as it's a question. They don't have a lot of time to do what probably needs being done, but. "There's the spell on the manadrives, and I've got something... wait!"

Can he get anything out of his arms band like this? Tidus brings his hand out in a grasping motion, and out appears an aerosol-like can. Now he's giddy seeing it appear, and he holds it out to Senku.

"Here, try this - see if it works. There should be enough for a few people. Then you can tell them what to do, right?"

[10billionpercent]

"Let's try it on my body first." He didn't want to subject some innocent person and if he broke his own statue...

He was going to hope for the best.

Senku got to his feet and took the can from Tidus, tilted his head and started walking towards the bridge. When his foot hit the wood of the suspension bridge, there would be another memory in feedback.

Darkness. There was nothing. There was no sensation at all. Just counting. 800,910. 800,911. 800,912... This voice was Senku, but not slightly distorted. It was his proper memory.

Senku felt it, frowned and pressed on. "This way."

[flatteries]

It's worth a try. Inigo can agree with that too - though he wonders if things might just not revert the moment Senku goes back to the train.

But he tries to suppress those more worrisome thoughts, if not just because Inigo knows they're born from the fact that he fusses more about this stuff than your average person. Instead he just focuses on the other two as they start to move, thankfully helped by the fact that he remembers the route he took together with Senku before to go see the other's body.

Okay, just.. don't take too long, he sends over towards the other two. He'd mostly send it to just Tidus here, since he doesn't want to rush Senku while the other is concerned about his own world, but it's hard to selectively send messages when he's so tuned into both of them right now.

There's something.. weird. Interfering.

Or something that's making it harder to tell everything apart and hang onto their bond, anyway. Inigo can't tell that they're memories, after all, but he can hear the memories all the same. He can still suppress them enough to focus on Senku and Tidus in the present for now, but he doesn't know if it isn't going to get harder.

(Especially when his brain is trying so hard to figure out what it is that he's hearing.)

II The Return - more or less

[fun_thementalist]

It would've been nice to get answers.

Was the world Gen returned to even real? Was it all a cruel trick? Was it an actual glimpse in how his reality was right that moment - but now they were doomed without anyone 'awake' there? No answer he could think of would be a good one. He didn't even know what the least awful scenario would be.

But at least on the train - selfishly - there's a bright upside.

Gen's not completely surprised to find Senku banging down the engine room door. He can't imagine his reality had been any better off with him abducted onto the train, than it had been in Gen's where Senku was likely dead.

"If you get one, I'd like to hear it too," Gen said wryly, leaning on the doorway behind Senku for a moment, just - drinking the sight of him alive in.

[10billionpercent]

Senku banged on the door once more, these signs of annoyance were very rare really, and it indicated he was downright furious. He exhaled and glanced over his shoulder.

"Mm." Senku made a little noise of greeting, before running his fingers though his hair.

"Nothing." He said, after a moment. "Train's not paying attention to me, and hasn't been for days."

[fun_thementalist]

"Since when has the train really paid attention to us?" Gen asked, a bit more bitterly than he usually every would when the train's in earshot, but. Look. Considering what he'd been through - what it implied for his reality -

Gen didn't hold back any longer, and came up to hug Senku, lean against him - "I just - for a moment -"

[10billionpercent]

Senku didn't protest as Gen wrapped his arms around him and leaned against him. He raised a hand and gently rested it on Gen's head, quiet permission and encouragement.

"Alright." He murmured at the question.

"Yeah, well I need to know what happened, what I walked back into."

[fun_thementalist]

"I'd like to know that too," Gen said, closing his eyes. Senku smelled the same as he always did. Was just as warm as he always was. Alive and real, even if 'his' Senku was likely long dead and buried -

He shuddered. "I don't know how you did it for six months. I don't know how I'm going to do that for even longer. I didn't find a miracle cave, whatever their version was, I'm going to need to figure out how to make it all from scratch -"

Gen realized he's babbling, sounded a little spooked, things entirely out of character for him. He took a deep breath in and immediately apologized, "Sorry, my dear. Apparently I need another moment."

[10billionpercent]

"That's it then." Senku murmured, that confirmed for him that whatever happened in his version of the world, happened in Gen's.

He sighed at the apology and moved the hand on his head to rest on his back, to allow Gen to stay as he was.

"I'll tell you what to do." Senku promised. "If you don't have any other source, it will take about two years."

That likely sounded very daunting at the moment. "I...did what I had to, Gen. That's all."

[fun_thementalist]

"Two years?" Gen asked, unable to keep the alarm from his voice.

He can't help but cling more tightly to Senku just then, his breathing uneven. Two years. Two years completely and totally alone. He'd go nuts. He didn't want to do it.

He had to do it, though. There wasn't any other choice. Eventually returning home had to be the end goal, or his world was fucked.

Gen tried to calm himself down again, but - he had to calm down. There wasn't any other choice. He had to calm down and he had to -

[10billionpercent]

"On average." Senku added with a wince. "It's not foolproof every time, that's why it takes so long..." That was not helping and he knew it wasn't helping.

"...Sorry." He said with a little sigh.

"I wasn't expecting...that, when we went back."

[fun_thementalist]

Gen breathed out again and shook his head. "It's not your fault. This - this is the opposite of your fault. If you were there -"

He shook his head again. "I wasn't either. I don't know what I was expecting, or what happened. It's not like I could ask anyone. I just - there's just what I saw."

[10billionpercent]

"Right. No one to ask. If the train's not involved, and since it was both our worlds I'm going to hypothesize it's not."

Senku sighed heavily. He felt tired all of a sudden. "Well, somehow, Whyman got the command off. How, or why, I don't know."

[fun_thementalist]

"That's assuming what we saw was real, of course," Gen told him, frowning a little. "Maybe to drive us back to the train. It's - we've been subject to so many other illusions already."

[10billionpercent]

"I'm leaning towards yes." Senku responded gently. "I...realize it was broken in some way, I tried walking to one of the other sites but couldn't get further than eight kilometres." He explained.

"Had to walk." He grumbled, just a little bit.

"But when I got too far, I ended up on the platform and..." He waved his hand. "I saw some other places."