Chapter 2 - Disappointment

Thomas had told Faith to get as much sleep as she could that night, but she was restless; the discovery she made was more than she could have ever expected. Sure, she was sent to be trained and become the next controller of the Sodor Branch of Scrap Yards, but she didn't know she would have to scrap engines that were still alive!

No wonder they said the number one rule in Scrapping Philosophy is not to get too close…heh…haha! I'm going to go insane here, or die trying, aren't I?! Faith thought in realization, a twisted smile creeping onto her face as tears once again threatened to spill from her eyes.

The small and foreboding shed she was kept in didn't help her rattled state, especially since it was locked from the outside, and the only source of light was a dim red light on the back wall.

Just then, a loud CLUNK could be heard from outside, and the door split open to reveal Thomas; he was wearing his leather and mask again, which didn't surprise Faith much anymore. What did surprise her was that he was back so soon. Has a whole day really gone by?

"Up an' at 'em, Faith," was Thomas' quick statement before backing away to let Faith out into the main room of the Scrap Yard.

"When can I go back outside?" Faith couldn't help but ask, glancing at the entrance/exit of the facility that felt so close yet so far.

"You've only been in here for about twenty four hours, and that's being generous. You'd better get used to seeing the same bloodied walls for a looong time because you're not leaving without my permission. Either way, you're sworn to secrecy from this moment on."

Faith's eyes popped wide, "You don't tell everyone what you're doing? That's wrong! They deserve to know!"

In the blink of an eye, claws swung down, clinging to Faith's cab and wheels and digging into her boiler until she was lifted off of the tracks; she cried in terror and pain, and even behind his mask, she could tell that Thomas was wearing nothing short of a cold glare.

"You mean, they deserve to know they're all being lead on by false hope and deceit, that there's always going to be a merciless and inescapable death waiting for them?! All because they can't help being made of metal?!" Thomas boomed at the top of his lungs effortlessly, making Faith's ears ring.

"I-I…I didn't-."

"If I let it slip that that's what's waiting for them, it would cause a huge panic!"

Even as Faith was being lowered back onto the tracks and the claws let go, blood leaked from the fresh puncture wounds on her boiler; although, the hooks on her wheels kept their tight hold on her, rendering her immobile. A few more metal arms reached down to remove Thomas' mask, so that he could finally show Faith the consequence of her incompetence; just as Faith expected, he was gritting his teeth and there was a raging fire in his eyes.

"Don't ever let me catch you thinking about their welfare again," he hissed like there was poison on his tongue, and his eyes burned through to Faith's soul; her gaze locked with his for what seemed like an eternity.

"O-Ok…ok…I'm sorry," Faith eventually apologized, her voice stronger than she thought it would be despite the trauma.

Thomas spoke again, softer yet still powerful, as his mask was being put back on, "You must know that everything I do is for the sake of keeping balance. If traditions dating back centuries were broken because one little, yellow-bellied engine like you couldn't do the job, the world around us would collapse."

"But why us? Why were we chosen to lie to them?"

"No one would see it coming. They see us smaller engines as mere paperweight, only capable of handling smaller, much simpler tasks. And that's one of the best parts about all this—we get to crush their hopes in their final moments." Faith didn't know how, but she could practically see the growing smile behind Thomas' mask as he chuckled.

"W-Wait a minute…" Faith stuttered in realization, "Why did you bring me out here?"

"I'm glad you asked. You're going to Scrap your first engine today."

"What?!"

"You're going to, whether you want to or not!" Thomas' voice echoed throughout the facility as the claws on Faith's wheels lifted her up once more; they didn't cause any pain like last time, but she cried again as she swung around while being carried all the way to the Scrapping Chamber, and Thomas puffed below her.

"The chamber Edward was in was Row Three, Section Five. All chambers in Rows One through Three use fire for the Scrapping process. But there has always been more than one way to skin a cat—or engine in this case," Thomas informed, his grin remaining as they came up to a room towards the back of the long corridor.

"This is Row Eight, Section Sixteen." Faith was finally set down when Thomas said that, but she was put down inside a pitch black chamber while Thomas stayed outside and the doors closed.

"Since you're a beginner," he went on, his voice coming through with slight static on the intercom system in the closed off room, "I thought you should start off with something simpler. Activate Guest Mode!"

Three high-pitched beeps rang through the air to confirm Thomas' command.

"There. Now, you can tell it what to do."

Just then, the lights were switched on to show Faith what she was really dealing with, but she threw up in her mouth in seconds flat, luckily swallowing it back; like she had been moments ago, a narrow gauge engine with dark red paint hung from giant hooks that dug into his boiler, two of which stretched his cheeks as they poked through.

"Hel…ne…" was all he could say with his significantly limited ability to speak, as he stared down at Faith with bloodshot eyes.

"Faith, meet Skarloey, the number one and oldest engine on Mr. Pericval's narrow gauge railroad. I'm sure you know why he's here by now."

"N-No…he looks just fine! He shouldn't be here!" Faith argued, unable to look away from the helpless engine before her.

"Looks can be deceiving. Mr. Percival himself said Skarloey was getting too old and breaking down too often, and that he needed to look for a new engine to take his place as soon as possible. It's just the way of the world."

At that, two large blades were lowered in front of Skarloey's face.

"Rows Seven and Eight use computerized blades with precise aim and measuring to disconnect the engine's entire nervous system from the brain. Not only does it kill them faster, but it's the quickest pain we can offer here. It's much less painful than being burned to death, at least, and I didn't want that weighing on your conscience."

"H-How am I supposed to do this?" Faith honestly didn't want the answer, for she never wanted to hurt Skarloey from the moment she saw him. If anything, she wanted to help. But she knew she couldn't, not with Thomas here.

"All you have to do is say, 'Remove the brain'," Thomas simply replied.

"No! I can't!" Faith shouted in utter terror, as the blades continued to whir while adjusting to the size of Skarloey's face and find the proper area of nerves to sever.

"What did I tell you?! You can't be weak! Do it!" Thomas scolded, "Activate Thomas and Guest Mode!"

Three more chimes sounded to obey his command.

"If you don't do it, he'll suffer." Thomas paused and glanced at Skarloey. "Remove the brain! Start with point-two speed!"

The blades drew closer until the finally cut into the skin of Skarloey's face, cutting at the very edge at agonizingly slows speeds. It was too much for Skarloey, letting out a blood-curdling scream as soon as the blades entered him.

"Make it stop!" Faith begged, but she didn't expect it to actually happen; the blades immediately ceased their cutting, awaiting her next set of instructions.

"It can't stop! That's not how Scrapping works! It must continue!" Thomas retaliated.

The cutting continued. Skarloey screamed again.

"No, I won't let it! Stop!"

The cutting stopped. Skarloey huffed and coughed up blood. By now, Faith was sobbing uncontrollably, to which Thomas was not amused with.

"Deactivate Guest Mode," he stated firmly, waiting for the three chimes again before continuing, "Continue with point-ten speed."

Faith couldn't blink, but it all happened within a flash; the blades whipped around, and the hooks through Skarloey's face yanked it clean off, revealing a crimson wall of flesh behind it, as his glossy eyes and bare jaw were now visible. A third arm soon came down with a curved spade, which went to work on removing the rest of the flesh that blocked his firebox. It wasn't even taken away, but instead dropped into a dried pile of gore in the corner, which was swarming with flies.

Faith finally closed her eyes, letting out the sobs and vomit she had been holding back since yesterday. Thomas rolled his eyes and the doors opened, letting him in to examine the carnage with a closer view.

"Get back to your shed," Thomas sated softly.

"What?" Faith questioned in shock.

"Now."

Faith flinched at his tone, but complied and exited the room she now feared most, and headed back to her shed without another word.

"We've got a lot of work to do," Thomas sighed in defeat, glancing up at Skarloey's face still hanging on the hooks above him, which still remained in one piece and looked like Edvard Munch's The Scream, "Oh, don't give me that look, Skarloey. You're the one that wouldn't shut up."

Once he was sure the Scrap Yard was locked up good and tight, with Faith still inside of course, Thomas left by the time the sun was setting to get back to Tidmouth Sheds. But before he would turn in for the night, he stopped by the wash down station to get his mind off of Faith's pathetic first day of training.

But in the darkness, Thomas failed to notice that he wasn't alone as he was being gently scrubbed.

"I thought I was the only one who took a late Sunday wash down," a familiar voice chuckled from the other side of the station. Thomas knew immediately who it was.

"Hello, Glynn," he greeted dryly, not even bothering to open his eyes to be pulled from his relaxation.

"So, how's the new kid?"

"Absolutely disappointing."

"She failed her first Scrapping, didn't she?" Glynn inquired matter-of-factly.

"Is it that obvious?" Thomas huffed in exasperation.

"Mostly. But remember, you were young and fragile once, too. I remember when you couldn't finish Scrapping your first engine either. I had to do it for you."

"Hey, I was young and emotional back then!"

"Exactly. So, maybe you shouldn't be so hard on Faith. You may not see it, but she was just like you when you were her age."

Thomas scoffed, "You're one to talk. You locked me in with a rotting corpse for three days."

"I was helping you build character, and look where it got you," Glynn calmly protested, "I really am proud of you, but just know that you need to be patient with her. Do you know how many times I've thought of Scrapping you because you wouldn't stop crying in your sleep? I dealt with your petty bullshit for years, and you've only had Faith for a day and a half, so don't talk to me about disappointment."

The two engines were silent through the rest of their wash down, and it wasn't long before both were rinsed and dried off. Glynn was first to puff away and head home.

"I don't want to hear anymore complaining anytime soon," he instructed firmly before disappearing into the night.

Thomas stared out with a grimace, even when there was nothing else to focus on in the darkness, "Whatever you say, Boss."

The first day is never usually easy, especially when it involves murdering in cold blood. Poor Faith.

Until the next chapter, I'm TRikiD, bye-bye!