middleofsomewhere | Fighting Headstrong in our Final Hour: Ongoing

The endless see of Void seems to take an age to move through, and who truly knows when it was time themselves that they swam within. But eventually a scene begins to play around them.

Xela, a woman with silver spidery marks across her skin, is speaking. “Using the catastrophe system we will travel back to before the destruction of our world. We can’t get past the five hour limit. That’s not a safeguard but a craft issue. However we have managed to force the system to recognise the point of destruction as a catastrophe that we can avert. I have also found a way past the limit that prevents us retredding time we have already trodden.” She looks pale at that, Vian reaches out to touch her arm but she shakes it off.

“Obviously we don’t have time to figure out what those shapes were and stop them.” Vian takes over. “And so our focus is to evacuate everyone. That will mean getting to Enrara and tethering as many people as we can to as many craft as are in dock.” She looks across the room, meeting Kiel’s eyes, who nods reassuringly.

“We’ve also worked to take off the safeguards for tethering. It will allow us to tether without using a tethering station at all. Perhaps even remotely.”

An explosion of noise comes from the orange section of the room.

“Vian that is madness.”

“How could you...”

“Do you know how dangerous that is?”

“Listen to her!” Kiel growls.

Xela’s face is furious. “Vian, you...”
“There’s no tethering stations on Thistea.” Vian says softly and Xela stops in her tracks. The others fall quiet as well.

Vian continues. “I know it is dangerous. That is why some people will remain on board and others will go to Thistea and remote areas of Enrara to attempt to form focus points...”

She trails off, there are exclamations and a flurry of activity/ Those who have swam through time will realise they are here, solid, visible. In this scene from the past.

Things are hectic for a moment- tense, focused, like diving through a storm in a chute, trying to get to the end. But then things seem to clear. Soldify-

Katsuya lands almost literally so- hands out for balance, half crouched like someone expecting to fall over. He has the look of someone breathless and excited- but most of all tense. There is little optimism here, even if he tries to keep his tone light.

"WH-OO- !" Comes the brief and breathy exclaimation, wide eyes taking in the scene. "Hoo! ...Alrigh'...w...we here? We make it?" He asks, briefly looking around to see that the others are indeed filling the abruptly fuller room.

"Cool!"

He looks back to the original Treckers, so to say. "That thing yer about t' do? ...Don' do that."

Someone else should probably take point here.

Jonouchi...

[Ryou glances at his friend as he realizes that they made it to the past, aware that just telling the former voidtreckers not to go through witb their plan probably won't be enough to stop them from doing this.]

Sorry about this. He's right though, you shouldn't do this. You'll only create a time paradox and erase your world from existence.

[That sure is a big claim!]

"It ain't gonna work. Simple as that."

Because he can't blame them. He'd risk the whole of the universe to save the people he loves. Even now he's not here because he cares all that much about everyone. He's just got a few people to look out for.

"And if you're armed, don't point 'em at us. Your train rigged us up with these SCAs and it'd be real complicated to have to wake up in a trunk right now. Just hear us out."

As he's saying it, he's holding it up and flashing it and hoping that they don't do something stupid at the whole 'no time to explain' bullshit happening to 'em.

"We understand what you are trying to do, but... they are right."

Yugi at least could understand that much at least. That want to help or save people. Yugi wondered if he had been in this situation himself would he have done it?

"Sorry that you have to hear it."

There are weapons pointed at them, every person in a red hoodie in the room is on their feet and the weapons are pointed before Yondu even tells them not to. There is hesitation though, as they take in the uniforms, the SCA's.

Vian and Xela seem to be in shock as the words tumble out. Don't do it? As if these strangers knew their plan. Time paradox? Erase their world?

"Our world is already gone." It is Kiel who growls at them, stepping forward. Vian reaches out to stop him, physically shaking herself as she gets it together.

"I am Vian Tail, acting captain of the Voidtrecker Express. You have three minutes to explain who you are and how you got on our voidcraft."

She looks almost surprised at her own words. She's not the only one.

“Nozomi Yumehara, Cure Dream. Member of the Voidtrecker Express.” She spoke up. “The others will explain who they are, hopefully, but you’re making a big mistake.”

“What you’re planning? Is going to be worse. There’s another train coming. Another you. It’s gonna cause a time paradox that’s going to not only destroy you, but this universe.”

[Ryou slowly nods, his hands up at the sight of weapons being pointed at the group.]

My name's Ryou Bakura. We're from a future version of the Voidtrecker Express.

[Deep breath, trying to find the words.]

The paradox completely erased all trace of your system from existence. Aside from the train, it's like it never existed at all.

Katsuya nods- and his expression goes grim. There's no bringing humor into this anymore, and he almost looks out of breath as he speaks- like he's trying to get as much out as possible with the time they have. "Us? We worked w' yer ministry, after gettin' 'm to even realize this train was real. What yer abou' t' do? It doesn't just fail t' bring it back. Y' erase it. The train? No one knows it exists. Yer planet? No one knows it exists. Anyone who survived tha' lived there? No one knows they exist. An' if that ain't enough?"

He looks across the group, swallowing. "We didn't even agree t' get on that train to begin with. That's how far y' pushed this thing," he emphasizes. "Train couldn't even get help from anythin' that knew what the void WAS. Had to pull all of us in instead, all at random, no warnin', and then let us figure out the rest."

[Yondu ends up looking around for something plantlike. Not that he plans to do anything unnecessary or violent- it's his protective nature and that these kids are doing their best to explain their place. So he's trying to be helpfully protective.]

We're all Voidtreckers that happened after you. This don't work. You're not stoppin' it this way. You're not savin' it. Your minimal chance is a bad gamble. Even Osiga's dead now. I'm not tellin' ya to do nothin'. Just, y'know... somethin' that ain't this.

[But he's gotta ask.]

Is there some emergency contingency that if somethin' happens to y'all this train starts snatchin' people from Void inactive places?

Yugi listened to what the others said first because for him he didn't have much to say beyond what the others were already saying. But he at least admitted to himself that what if there could be another way. He would like to think that but wouldn't say it out loud.

He wanted to wait to see what was said next before speaking again.

There's an outburst of noise as about six people began talking all at once before Vian raised her hand and they stopped. They all look incredulous but order is still reigning for now.

She looks pale, at this bunch of strangers who appeared on a voidcraft in the void- something that should not be possible. At this bunch of strangers who seemed to know what they had just planned to do. At this bunch of strangers who were claiming to be from the future.

"You are saying that we somehow cause a paradox." Xela next to her has a face like ice but she says nothing. "That we caused ourselves not to exist. That you are from a Voidtrecker Express of the future." Those were the facts she got from their explanation though she looked quizically at Yondu's question.

"No. There shouldn't be..."

"Unless we turn off the safeguards for tethering. That would allow this craft to tether from nowhere." That was Xela, unable to stay silent anymore. "You wonder why it is r'ith. This is why it is r'ith!"

"Yeah. And you know what the real shit is? Nobody knew a damn about Enrara when we started showin'. We been chasin' around anything we could lookin' for info. They buried it. Diagad got eat up and there was no evidence it existed. All its stories seemed to get destroyed. We struggled to find a nursery rhyme worth of story on Enrara. You do this shit, not only does it not work but y'all run the risk of gettin' swept!" He emphasizes the idea with a sling of his arm. "The only reason we're findin' out more about it now is because whatever is wrong with the void is past the point of hidin'."

He'd been told that they had ended up all connected to the train somehow, but he'd not been told anything about that firsthand. If it's true, he doesn't think he could adequately present that.

"...What does r'ith mean?"

"I think it means 'forbidden'. O-Or 'taboo'. Whatever it translates to in our languages, they and we shouldn't be doing it." Nozomi said. "And if they do, it's going to fail. And, well..."

Part of Nozomi wants to reveal their fates - that they're gonna end up as souls trapped in the train's frame.

"What he said," Katsuya says, as much as half of Yondu's words were his own as well. "And...what she said," he adds a little more lamely, quietly, between Nozomi and him.

"...Look...I..." The blond takes a breath. What he says comes from older memories, ones from another life. Ones where he died. "...I get...why y' all went for th' option. If there's no way t' known how bad it goes, or why...y' wanted t' bring 'm all back."

(An entire village is nothing compared to a planet, but the sting of a people lost feels the same.)

"...I get tha'... ...But this won't do it. ...An' more than tha', these...things already went after other planets. Th' others are doin' their best to stop them now, but righ' here? At this point?"

He swallows. "...We can't save...the ones we lost. ...But you guys ain't lost yet."

"...so please. ...Don't do it." There's desperation and despair all in one in those words.

(He doesn't want to reveal their fates either. He hopes it doesn't come to that.)

Yugi nodded slightly. "Yeah we get why you want to do it, I mean if I was in your situation... I would understand the thought of wanting to try if it was an option. But you need to trust us when we say to not do it. If there are other ways... I assume you have tried to think of them."

He couldn't think of anything, but he knew they needed to avoid what they were trying to do anyway.

[Ryou nods.]

I'm sorry. I know what it's like to lose people you care about. [In this case, his mother and younger sister. Nothing like losing an entire system of course, but.]

But this won't work. At all.

"Yes." Xela nodded at Nozomi, giving her an odd look. "It means it must not be done."

Vian frowned at them all, confusion clear on her face. She looked from each to every one of them, her face shadowed in pain and loss.

"What's the alternative."

Because here they were, claiming the plan they had cobbled together would not, did not, work. But what else could they do?

"Coming with us, and luring all the world eating shapes bullshit away to save your home, and the systems that fell after." He stands with his tail flicking behind him, otherwise keeping his body posture as relaxed as he can.

For a guy also standing with his arms crossed over his chest.

"We have a beacon. With it set up, and breaches held open, lure them in, seal them off."

He stared at the rest of the ones who'd been talking, jerking his head particularly toward Yondu. "You all know, you say."

"And that ain't the end of the solutions other people can come up with. Fixin' don't need to end there. We can get ya more intel." About the bastard from Diagad and his abilities. About the way worlds they come from work and the miracles they present. "But we gotta get a move on with this one."

He backs Jingyi's take there, and considering he's been ready to throw himself in front of one of these kids if any reds looked especially spicy the whole ass time, he can't really fault the man on lookin' firm.

[Ryou's been quiet as Yondu and Jingyi speak, but now it's his turn.]

...And the train's been looking for you. She kept telling us to find you, her original crew. She had no idea what happened for a long time.

[He doesn't say what likely did happen to them, but he figures they should know that the train herselfself wanted them back too.]

Sometimes, digression is a better part of valor, gentle persuasion is not in Lan Wangji's purview at all. But this isn't an issue to stay quiet on:

"You should know that you tried, that is admirable. But another way will save many, many more lost souls."
He looks at the faces of those that have been or will be trapped and finds it a little nauseating.
"You have a plan that will fail. Our being here proves that. Now we offer you others that could succeed. Any chance is better than certain failure."

Nodding with the others, Katsuya gestures toward Ryou as he speaks again- what he says relates most to what they said. "...like I said, ev'n if th' planet was lost, th' rest of you guys ain't. ...but...th' reason f'r tha', is the same reason th' train could never find y' guys."

He swallows.

"...We came here t' tether y'. So that... ...In...instead 'f tha'..."

If Nozomi wants to clarify- if anyone wants to clarify, they're welcome- Katsuya at least, visibly can't bring himself to put it to words. He clutches his arms, and wishes there'd been a way to bring his pokemon with after all.

"Come with you?" Vian looked around at the crew, who looked a mixture of shocked and confused.

It was a strange turn of events, but they could not exactly deny what was being said when the impossible was happening before their eyes.

All eyes turned back on Vian and the weight of the decision seemed to sit on her shoulders.

"How? How did you get here? How do we return with you?"

Practical questions were better than the big unanswerable ones she had.

Another lash of his tail, more cat like than anything else, his shoulders hiking up. He's done this anchoring multiple times by now, though this one had been harder, stranger, the river a different sort of distracting call.

Still, it's a duty, and he's not one to neglect. Or hold back when it's easier to say:

"We're anchoring from the present Voidtrecker Express, right now. We've been chasing you down through time and the freaking void itself. It's been loud. We can anchor you, bring you back with us, keep you tethered and stable. We've had to do it for each other before."

It's the closest they can possibly get to pretending there's any practise behind what they do now.

"The Voidtrecker Express has been searching for you all for years. Let us help bring you home." A pause, his tail lashing one more time, line of his shoulders dropping, relaxing. "Please. You shouldn't be all... weirdly merged in with its metal or whatever happened last time, after everything fell apart once you traveled back. It started finding and tethering us against our will because of that. This? Whatever. The time bullshit."

A pause.

"Don't ask me why we're traveling time to save you, I think it only works because you're why the Voidtrecker Express abducted us in the first place. Or because we who weren't here before can take you to there where you haven't yet been? Ugh. Those fated to meet always will, or whatever."

Edited 2022-09-30 09:27 (UTC)

Fighting Headstrong in our Final Hour: Ongoing

BLUE

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

finally is here oops

(no subject)

(no subject)