(Edit: RP unpaused, in case it wasn't obvious. Sorry for the delay.) --- The van jerked forward, its electric power source meant it didn't use a transmission like an internal combustion engine. It sped through the city streets, the strange siren wailing as people rushed out of the way. --- [b]The Gadgeteer (Hits: N/A)[/b] [b][i]Mk.II Armor[/i][/b] [b]PsyCoins: N/A[/b] [b]Aether: N/A[/b] [b]Inventory: GamePlayer X+, 5 GamePlayer cartridges[/b] As the rail car sped along the tracks, the Gadgeteer noticed a switch in the track suddenly flick to the left into a dark, unlit tunnel. He cranked down the throttle, but was unable to determine where the brakes were. The rail car grinded along the rails and continued into the shadows. The Gadgeteer activated his goggles' night-vision, as the track wound back and forth in the darkness. Eventually it came to a dead end at a wall. "Uh oh." he said, frantically searching for the brakes. Fortunately, a mechanical noise was heard, and the wall separated to reveal more tracks leading into the darkness. The rail car slipped between the doors, which quickly closed behind them. They turned in a u-bend of tunnels and at the end of it all a light finally came into view. The rail car's breaks suddenly activated as a light on the control panel shone beside the words "emergency braking strip detected". The rail car finally came to a stop at a terminus where some sort of marketplace had been set up. A somewhat shady looking man was at the platform as if to meet them. He took a device out of his pocket and pointed it at them, and a beam of light swept over the two of them. When it stopped, he spoke into the device. Once he had finished a sentence, the device began speaking in english. "Welcome, fellow timeskippers! You've been invited to take a gander at the goods of the inter-timeline bazaar!" the device said in a computerized british voice. It repeated the same general phrases in the Privateer's variation of latin, in an accent most widely used in the area around Timeline 86's Rome. "Here, let us get you out of that cage first, ma'am!" the device repeated after the man, as a device descended from the ceiling, lifted the cage and placed it down on the platform. The cage, however, had been locked with a more secure method than was used for the usual prisoners. "Oh. I apologize. We didn't realize they had developed that technology yet..." the device said, and the man pointed it at the lock. It clicked open, and the Privateer was quick to kick the cage open. "Obviously you're wondering why we've brought you here. Well aside from it being good for business to save potential customers from certain death, we can't exactly have the locals knowing that there are timeskippers among them! Although judging by your situation, you must be new to this particular timeline! You may call me the Merchant, and as an incentive to use our services in this or any other timeline in the future, have these free Psychic Wallets!" the Merchant's device said. He tossed the Privateer and Gadgeteer each a small, unassuming fake-leather wallet. "Just put materials with high content of silicon, carbon, gold and/or silver into the main pocket, and the wallet will convert the materials into PsyCoins which can be used to purchase items from timeline locals in your travels! It uses all other elements found in the materials as nuclear fuel to create the PsyCoins, so it's very eco-friendly! And don't worry, the wallets will not degrade anything with high volumes of electricity including bioelectricity, so your fingers are safe from being taken off!" The Merchant then extended his arm as if to say "behold!" and spoke into the device again. "But don't think this little taste is all we have! Go! Sample some of our fine wares! Then when you have some Aether with which to purchase our exclusive products, come to any inter-timeline bazaar throughout the multiverse and shop to your heart's content... or wallet's bottom. Oh, I almost forgot to mention! Aether can be stored in the Psychic Wallet as well, but you'll have to figure out for yourself how to get ahold of it. It also doubles as "universal identification" in case anyone starts asking too many questions. Just flash it like so!" The Merchant pulled out his own Psychic Wallet and opened it up. Inside was a blank piece of paper behind a clear plastic sleeve, but the longer the Gadgeteer and Privateer stared at it, the more it looked like some sort of ID card was inside the sleeve instead. "And without further ado, I will leave you to your own devices!" the device translated for the Merchant one last time, turning away to return to his large shop which dominated the center of the strange marketplace. The Gadgeteer turned to the Privateer and spoke in her language. "So... Latin, eh?"