Downtown Tidmouth, December 2nd, 2012
Time: 9: 18 A.M.
The streets of downtown Tidmouth were alive with hustle and bustle as the residents settled into morning rush hour. Across the street from the university dorms, the doors to a bakery swung open, and a short man dressed in purple and red clothes walked out, a bag in his hand.
"Hey, thanks for the scones, Mighty and Mac!" the man called to the owners of the bakery.
"Any time, Charlie!" the twin brothers replied before returning to deal with other customers.
Charlie let the sights and sounds briefly come over him as he joined the commute. He hadn't really been to Sodor before, only hearing from his superior that it was a peaceful island with a great history, especially where its railways were concerned. Being a lover of trains, and having quite the relaxed demeanor, Charlie fit into Sodor perfectly.
He would love to spend more time touring the shops...but that would have to wait. He was on duty, and he had some people he needed to track. Captain Lodge was counting on him, and he didn't want to let him down.
His stomach let out a loud, gurgling sort of growl. A few people around him heard it and turned to him with an accusing look. Charlie smiled sheepishly as he pulled out one of the delicious strawberry scones.
Yes, he would still do his duty...right after breakfast.
(Fantasy and reality collide in the strangest ways. This is the beginning of one of those stories…)
Iheartgod175 proudly presents:
Sodor Magic Crusaders
Story Created: July 25th, 2012
Story Written: July 12th, 2013
This Chapter: July 25th, 2013
Rated: T for Teen (dramatic moments, violence and depressing themes)
Summary: Seven pages of an immensely powerful book called the Book of Transformation are stolen by two mages named Edward and Percy, and in trying to escape from a sworn enemy, Percy heads to the Island of Sodor to hide, causing mages- both good and evil- from another dimension to bring their dangerous war there. When university student Thomas gets caught up in the fight, he is soon forced to become a mage to protect himself- and help Edward and Percy prevent the end of the world as we know it.
Author's Note: This next act will feature several new and old characters. Plus, Edward gets a little angsty here. Not a lot, but it's still there. Anyway, enjoy! UPDATE(4/8/14): Several parts have been changed, and a new part has been added.
UPDATE (10/13/14): I've also removed the lyrics.
Before I start, I just want to give thanks to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who is the reason that I'm still here and able to create stories like this one. Thank You for giving me this talent, which I will use to glorify Your name. Amen.
Disclaimer: I own nothing of Thomas or Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, AT ALL. Thomas belongs to Hit Entertainment, Britt Allcroft and the Awdry family-the late Rev. W. Awdry and his son Christopher Awdry. Nanoha belongs to Masaki Tsuzuki and Seven Arcs. I only own this story, and my original character, Amy.
Act 4: Facing the Music
Sodor University Dorms
9:20 A.M.
"Coffee?"
Edward perked up at Toby's offer. He turned to the short man and nodded. "Yes please. I take mine with one shot of vanilla cream and one lump of sugar," he said.
"Got it," Toby replied, and disappeared into the kitchen to get the drinks.
"So, let me get this straight: you and Percy are mages from another dimension looking for pages of a mystical artifact, pages that you ripped out, and now they're scattered over Sodor?" Thomas asked, a questioning tone to his voice.
Edward shrugged. "More or less. I don't think I could sum it up any better."
Thomas threw his hands into the air. "This is crazy. It sounds just like that anime I rented last week, about some girl who lost a bunch of cards and had to become the master of them or something like that."
"I don't think our situation is just like that," Percy replied, and groaned as he stretched outwards. He was currently sitting on the floor, a blue magic circle underneath him. "But it's somewhat similar."
"Even so, the character probably didn't steal the cards, like I stole the page-oh, thank you," Edward said, accepting his coffee with open hands. He took a quick sip, and let out a soft sigh. "Ah, that always manages to quiet the nerves. Anyway, I've told you most of what you need to know about the situation, and why we're here."
"But you haven't told us why you've stolen the pages, or why you and Percy are in serious danger," Thomas replied, pausing to take a sip of his sugar-laden coffee.
Toby growled, "I still don't believe a word of this."
"Then again, you are a normal person. Normal people don't deal with interdimensional wars," Percy noted. "But you do at least deserve to know why the pages of the Book are so important, and why Edward ripped them out." He turned to his mentor. "Edward?"
"That means I'll take it from here." Edward placed his mug on the coffee table and folded his hands in his lap. He looked at both of them with serious glares.
"The pages of the Book of Transformation that I stole weren't random ones. They're the most important pages in the whole Book, as they're needed to grant Diesel 10's wishes. The seven pages are as follows: Wisdom, Control, Power, Loyalty, Honor, Strength, and most important of all, Magic. Diesel 10 wants to make himself the emperor of the entire Dream Dimension, where Percy and I are from. However, I wouldn't be too surprised if he decides to take over the Earth as well," Edward explained.
"You've been here before, right?"
"Yes. I love it here. The atmosphere is so relaxed, unlike back at the Dream Dimension, where we're teetering at the edge of war," Edward explained. "In fact, I was thinking of making a home for myself here just to escape."
"Edward," Percy warned gently, "don't get off track. I know how you are sometimes."
"Oh, right," Edward remarked, and cleared his throat. "Sorry about that. I do have a habit of breaking off from a conversation."
"Getting back to the original point, Percy told us that Diesel 10's wish was maximum power. But from the way you're making this sound, I'm getting the hint that there's something else," Thomas said.
Edward nodded. "I used to work for Diesel 10, and I was promoted to be his VP a couple of years ago. I also overheard all the meetings that Diesel 10 held with several of the other members of his evil society-Den is his spy, 'Arry and Bert are presidents of the other branches of his company, and there are many more that I can't remember.
"Last week was the breaking point for me. Diesel 10 told them that once he got his hands on the Book, he'd use it to take over the entire Dream Dimension, and the people in it," Edward said. "When I heard that, I realized that my suspicions were right. I'd never really trusted Diesel 10 before, but I couldn't go against him, because I needed the money. But now, I knew he couldn't be trusted. That's why I stole them."
"That's great and all, but couldn't you have escaped to another place other than Sodor to hide?" Toby asked.
"I wasn't planning on hiding here. But when James and Henry attacked us, I had to go to Sodor alone. I barely had any power to transport to any other place in the Dream Dimension, and I would get caught easily there. I couldn't let all of Edward's hard work go to waste, so I teleported to the Island of Sodor. It was the only place I could get to without nearly killing himself," Percy finished. "Of course, I had no idea that Gordon was here until I arrived."
"Do you two understand what we're saying to you? This is not something that came out of some book or movie, or anime as you said earlier. This is real, and you're both caught up in it. I never wanted any normal people involved in this, but I see that I have no choice but to do so. I promise to repay you for this, both of you. Will you help me recover the pages of the Book of Transformation?" Edward stated, looking them both in the eye.
Thomas considered it for a moment before answering. At that moment, he remembered that most people in these types of situations have to deal with home and family life, not to mention their magical life. It was going to be difficult, but at least he could try it.
"Alright. I'll give it my best shot," Thomas said.
"I'm still not sure about this magical business," Toby added uneasily, "but I'll help out, too. I am Thomas' best friend after all."
"Good. I'm glad that I have your trust. It's been a long time since I've had someone to trust in. Now that you're a mage, Thomas, we're going to have to lay down a few ground rules. The first one is obvious: you can't tell anybody about your magical powers, or show them. A few good friends of mine nearly got killed for doing that," Edward said. "The second one is that you have to show up for the training sessions that I'm going to hold every day after school. You do have a lot of power, Thomas, but unless you learn to harness that power, there's no way you can win in a fight against people like the Counts. And rule 3: Don't do anything reckless. Often, the most reckless things get you into trouble-and I'm not talking about just the police."
"If you get caught in a magical incident, you're gonna have to take it up with the Bureau," Percy said.
"What's the Bureau?" Toby asked.
"They're what you would call the police, only it's a cross between that and the army. It's full of mages, sorcerers, wizards and other types of magical people who are there to protect the peace and magical artifacts from being stolen. Most people usually go to the Bureau for one of two reasons: they were asked to work there, or they're in trouble. You won't believe how many cases were the latter ones," Percy explained.
"They have these officers called Enforcers who are particularly aggressive at their job. They act like detectives, but they're also called in to do undercover missions and artifact recoveries," Edward said. "You don't want to ever run into an Enforcer on duty."
"Like what Percy said about the Counts, huh?" Toby said.
"Exactly. Oh, and don't mention a word about this incident to anyone. You never know who's who around here," Edward replied.
"I think Gordon proved that," Thomas snorted.
"Well, on that note, can I be excused? I need to call my university teacher and tell him that we need to reschedule our exam day," Toby said. "Of course, I'll have to come up with some sort of excuse for it."
"Go ahead." Just then, there was a low growl that came from Edward's stomach, and he smiled nervously. "Do you happen to have anything to eat? I haven't eaten since yesterday and I'm starving."
"Sure. There's some leftover lasagna in the fridge," Thomas said. Before Edward could even get up from his seat, there was a loud pounding on the door. After a few seconds, the banging continued with more force. Already annoyed about his exam days among other things, Thomas stormed over to the door, tipped off.
"Hey! There is that thing called a 'doorbell', you know!" he shouted. He unlocked the door and swung it open.
Standing in the doorway was a man who appeared to be slightly shorter than Percy. His black hair stuck up at odd angles as though he'd simply gotten out of bed without combing his hair, and he was wearing a purple shirt, red shorts and a white overcoat. A keychain necklace with the number 14 on it dangled in front of him.
Geez, this guy looks like a clown. And just what is it with those keychain necklaces?
"Listen, buddy, this isn't a rescue center. If you need help, go find somewhere else to crash!" Thomas said angrily. "We have enough people here as it is!"
He was about to close the door, but the man shot out a hand and blocked the door from closing. He still had that serious look on his face.
"On the contrary, it's you who needs my help," he said. Thomas stopped and looked at this short scrap of a human being. Sighing, he opened the door.
"Okay, you got me. What exactly do you want?" he snapped, still angry.
"Are you Thomas Billiton?" he asked.
Thomas blinked, amazed at this guy. "Um, yeah?"
"And are there two people in there named..." The man pulled out a small sheet of paper. "Percy Avonside and Edward Stewarts?"
Edward got out of the seat then. His eyes were filled with suspicion and surprise. "Yes, that's me. Percy is in the room, but currently he's-"
"Save it. I saw the whole thing on the feeds."
Nobody knew what to think when he pulled off a badge on his belt. It appeared to be your standard police badge, but it was colored rusty gold and black instead of the usual silver. On the surface were the words 'Dream Dimension Administration Bureau-Enforcer Rank.' Thomas looked at the badge, and then at the man, eyes wide.
"Wait a minute," he stammered, "y-y-you're a-"
"My name's Charlie, Enforcer for the Dream Dimension's Administration Bureau, and I'm here to place all persons here under arrest," Charlie said.
The plate that held Edward's lasagna pan hit the floor, breaking upon contact. Percy leaped off of the floor, only to nearly fall down again from not getting his wounds healed well enough. Thomas remained motionless, his mouth moving but no sound coming out of it. Toby, who was on the phone in the other room, nearly dropped the receiver.
"What?!" everyone yelled at once.
There was silence as Toby muttered something on the phone and then hung up. Afterwards, he came to the door, moving the stunned Thomas aside.
"What are we getting arrested for?" he asked.
"You're involved with the Book of Transformation incident, right? Diesel 10's not the only one after Edward and Percy; we at the Bureau are also after them. And since you two are were brought into this situation, you're coming with them," Charlie said.
"You can't do this to us!" Thomas said.
"I have my orders. Don't make me use aggressive measures to place you under arrest," Charlie said. He whipped out several pairs of handcuffs and snapped them on the four men. Toby gave Edward a dirty look.
"Nice job getting us into trouble, Edward," he said angrily.
"Now you see why I didn't want to get you involved?" Edward sighed as Charlie summoned his teleportation spell. A hollow chime entered the room as a large yellow magic triangle ringed with glyphs appeared beneath everyone. Thomas stared at the man in shock.
"Wait, I thought all mages had magic circles," he asked.
"Every mage has a different type of magic, and with each type, there are different symbols. I happen to use a form of magic called the Elemental Arts, which allow me to use lightning and light. All Elemental Arts users have magic triangles," he said.
"Where exactly are we going?" Edward asked. "Are we heading to the main base?"
"Yep. The captain himself has specifically asked to speak to you," Charlie said. Edward's jaw dropped, and Percy's eyebrows shot up in surprise.
"The captain…wants to talk to me?" Edward stammered.
"Yep. Now cut the chatter; this could be one bumpy ride," Charlie said.
Dream Dimension Administration Bureau HQ- 10:34 A.M., Dimensional Time
The Dream Dimension's Administration Bureau was different from all the other Bureaus that were around. Unlike most that remained in cities and towns, the DDAB was locked inside an alternate dimension, ready to head to other ones if necessary. To be frank, the place was a cross between the military and the government; they were called upon a lot by the actual government to make laws, and protected the Dream Dimension from any outside enemies. Filled to the brim with high-ranking captains, admirals, Enforcers and commanders, the Administration Bureau was one tough place. It was also known to many a mage that the place never sleeps, being busy with cases and securing the area.
With the Book of Transformation case now being publicly known, that statement couldn't have been more true. People who had retired from their Enforcer duties found themselves hired again on the spot. Sub-commanders and lieutenants found their days being increasingly difficult as they worked with stubborn, lazy and unmotivated new recruits. They needed every mage to help pitch in and work on the case, and with all the problems going on, it just caused everything to fall out of place.
That is, until the newly appointed captain took charge.
Duke Lodge, who had retired from active duty years ago, found himself back on the job when a friend of his had recommended him to the previous captain. Seasoned in leadership roles and having a tough grip on authority, he put everything back into order in a span of a couple of weeks, and soon had the Bureau running in tip top shape. During his stint as captain, he gained two officer cadets-Sir Handel and Peter Sam, who happened to be younger friends of his from school. Despite the clashing personalities, the three worked well together.
Originally, Duke was going to go and track down Edward and Percy himself, but workloads forced him to stay behind in office, which was the only reason why he send Charlie. When they'd gotten word of the magical pressure incident in Sodor, Duke knew something rather serious had happened. Only the pages of the Book of Transformation could release that much power.
As the captain reviewed these thoughts over in his mind, the door to his office slid open to show a short man with dark brown hair and wearing a blue suit. On his shirt, there was a tag that read Falcon. Duke looked up to see his officer cadet and smiled.
"So, Sir Handel, has Charlie come back yet?" he asked.
"Yep. He's brought everyone who was involved in the power explosion incident. One of them won't stop complaining," he said.
Duke stood up. "Well, that won't do at all! We'll get the complaint out of him alright! Send them in," he said.
"Sure thing, Granpuff," Sir Handel teased, and rushed out of the room before his superior could say another word. Duke merely shook his head, a chuckle escaping his lips.
"I don't know why they think I'll go back to my days as a drill instructor if they call me that…"
Toby whistled softly. "Okay, I'm no sci-fi fan, but even I'll admit that this is nice."
The interior of the building was by far the most expensive and futuristic-looking building Toby or Thomas had ever seen. Everyone in the building was wearing military uniforms, and all sorts of various computers were on the wall; they were mostly operated by holographic keyboards that the officers used. The floors were made of silver marble, and outside of the base appeared to be a mass of swirling purple and blue clouds.
Thomas was practically drooling.
This was not an exaggeration in any way.
"Yep, this is home," Charlie replied. "Most of the technology here won't even be used back on Sodor. I can tell. It's one of those places that seems to cling to their past."
"Tell me about it," Toby replied.
"Charlie, there you are! Duke said to send them in already!"
All heads turned in the direction of a man who was shorter than even Toby, if that was possible. His uniform was rather plain, colored dark blue with the shoulders and arms colored black. The man himself had dark brown hair and deep blue eyes that reminded Thomas of the ocean. A small metal cartridge, colored silver with some blues, hung from his waist.
"Thanks, Sir Handel. I'm ready to get rid of this complainer over here," he said, pointing to Thomas.
The man called Sir Handel looked him up and down. "Well, look here mister, you just watch yourself. We call Duke 'Granpuff' for a reason, but he was a drill instructor in his early days. You don't want to tick him off, and one thing that really gets under his skin is complaining. If I were you, I'd keep my mouth shut."
"Geez, a short guy with a short temper. That sounds like someone I know," Thomas smirked.
Sir Handel's face went as red as a tomato. "Hey! Quit making fun of our short statures!" he sputtered.
Charlie also turned around to admonish him."Yeah! What if you got picked on because you were short?" he said.
"Trust me, I know what it's like to get picked on because I'm short," Thomas replied. "Before Toby came along, I used to be the shortest kid in my class."
Charlie was about to reply when another short man appeared from behind Sir Handel. He had short, light brown hair and green eyes, and wore a blue uniform like the officer cadet. He looked a little nervous about intruding on them.
"Hey guys, I hate to interrupt, but Duke's waiting in the office," he said.
"Thanks for reminding me, Peter Sam," Charlie said, shooting a not-so-subtle glare at Thomas. "We'd better get going. I know that Granpuff doesn't like to be kept waiting."
A few moments later, they reached the large doors of the captain's quarters. Sir Handel walked over to the walls and pressed a button on the keypad.
"Yes?" A deep voice bellowed from inside.
"Charlie's back with the suspects, sir," he answered. "May we come in?"
"One moment." A few seconds later, he then said, "Alright, come in."
The doors hissed open, separating from top to bottom. Sir Handel led them inside the office, which had various pinups and military decorations on the walls. In front of them was a large wooden desk that looked as though it had been recently polished, and sitting in it currently reading a hologram was the man himself, Captain Duke Lodge.
Thomas could see why Sir Handel and Charlie called the man"Granpuff". With lines around his eyes and mouth and cloud white hair, the man was older than even Edward. His eyes, though, had a certain fire to them that could have melted steel in a skyscraper. The man may have been old, but he had a fire in him that refused to die with his age. He wore brown and gold suit, as well as a black dress shirt. His hazel eyes brightened slightly as he looked up from his hologram at the four standing in front of his desk. Without looking down, he pressed the button on the hologram, shutting it off.
"Good morning. I'm Captain Duke Lodge of the Dream Dimension's Administration Bureau. I'm pretty sure you all know why you're here," Duke said. Charlie released the four from their handcuffs, and Duke pointed at the various chairs scattered over the room. Toby picked the chair farthest from the desk, while Thomas, Percy and Edward sat in the chairs in front of it. Duke looked up to see Charlie still in the room.
"You may go now, Charlie, Sir Handel. Thank you for your services," he said.
The Enforcer and Office Cadet saluted him. "Yes sir!" they said, and turned and walked out the door.
Once the door had closed, Duke turned towards the three sitting in front of him, his expression serious. "So, you're the young man who got caught in this whole escapade, huh?" he asked Thomas.
Thomas nodded. "To be honest, I did it because I wanted to. Percy was in trouble, and I ended up taking him in, along with the pages of the Book of Transformation," he explained. "When Gordon came and tried to attack us, Percy gave me Raising Heart to defend myself." He pulled out the small red jewel, which he had put in his pocket. Duke was surprised.
"Hm, interesting in your case, Thomas. It appears that you are the only one fit to use that Device, judging by the amount of power you can use," he said. "Of course, with the right control, you'll become one of the most powerful mages in the history of the Dream Dimension."
Thomas brightened. "Really? Thank you, sir!" he said.
"Well, now that we've gotten the good news out of the way, I will have to bring down the bad news." He then looked at Edward and Percy in turn. "You two weren't being hunted after by just Diesel 10. We at the Bureau take dimensional artifacts very seriously, especially if they're stolen. It's because of you two that I'm even back on the work force. Why did you steal those pages, Edward?"
Edward explained everything that had happened to him and Percy from beforehand to when they had reached Sodor. While he tried to keep it brief as possible, it took about fifteen minutes of explaining. After he finished, Duke sighed.
"If you had only come here earlier, Edward, we might have helped you with that," he said.
Edward hung his head dejectedly."I know that now. I should have never taken something like this into my own hands. But by the time I realized how dangerous this situation was, I knew it was a matter of time before I would get caught. That's why I didn't want to get Thomas involved, or Toby, because I'd be bringing them down with me," he said. "If it helps at all, I'd like to do this assignment on my own."
Those words snapped everyone to attention, but Thomas was the one who reacted first. He jumped out of the chair so fast it went clattering to the floor. Duke looked at Thomas with a look of bewilderment.
"Edward, what are you saying? You just told me that you needed my help to get these pages back!" he shouted.
"I don't think you realize what kind of damage I've caused, Thomas. Because of me, a dimensional war has been brought to Sodor, endangering millions of lives," Edward responded. "Plus-"
"Plus nothing! You asked me for help, and I never let any of my friends down! I originally took this thing because I wanted to defend myself, and protect my friends. But like I said earlier, I'm doing this because I want to do it," Thomas said. "Ever since I was a kid, I always wanted to have superpowers. And not because I thought they'd be cool; I wanted them because then I'd be able to protect every person out there who's in trouble, and put right what went wrong. I have that chance now…and I'm going to use these powers to help you get the pages back!"
For a moment, the room was completely silent after Thomas finished. Edward stared at Thomas, wide-eyed. Duke blinked twice in surprise, unable to say a word. Percy and Toby were equally astonished. Once he realized that everyone was staring at him, Thomas' face went tomato red.
"S-Sorry…I didn't mean to go off like that," he admitted.
"No…actually, I deserved that," Edward said quietly. His voice was run over with emotion. "For the past few days, I've blamed myself for this whole thing, and I've dealt with all sorts of pressure, especially from the Counts and Diesel 10, to just give up and turn myself in. I was half tempted to, as I didn't want anybody to know what I've done. But when you said those things, Thomas, I realized exactly why I did what I did. Well, to put it in a better way, I remember why I did what I did. I didn't do steal the pages to get attention; I did it for the people I want to protect. I used my powers to get myself into this mess…and now, I'm going to use them to get out of it."
He turned to Thomas, emotion in his eyes. "Of course, I can't do this on my own. I would gladly accept your help, Thomas. It would be foolish to decide otherwise."
Thomas sighed in relief, and Percy smiled, and placed a hand on Edward's shoulder. Duke merely nodded, a smile on his face. On the other side of the room, Toby watched in amazement.
"Geez. We haven't even been here for an hour, and you're already starting to sound mature, Thomas," he remarked.
"As for you, Toby," Duke said finally, "you will have to keep your friends' secrets. It might be a little hard for you, but I'm sure that you can manage."
"I had this talk with Edward earlier. Trust me, I won't mention a word of this to anybody," Toby replied.
"Good. Now, as for you three," Duke stated, reaching over and picking up a couple of papers from a folder, "for now, you three will have to fill out these record forms. You'll need them if you're going to be going on the next assignment I'm giving you soon."
Thomas looked at him in surprise. "We're getting assignments now? Does this mean we're not in trouble?"
"Well, I would issue a punishment for Edward and Percy, as they were the ringleaders behind this mess. Seeing how they are both willing to get the artifacts back, and how good their reason is, I don't see a need for it. Besides, I think Diesel 10 and his Counts have punished them enough,"Duke said matter of factly. "Thomas, in order to really get the hang of using a Device like Raising Heart, you need to practice on that every day. Since Edward used to be a teacher in magic, he will be your tutor."
"Happy to be of service. It's been years since I've tutored anybody," Edward replied.
"Oh boy," Percy snickered, a motion that earned him a look of slight annoyance from Edward. Thomas was confused. "Don't worry. I'll explain it later."
"Ooooo-kay..."
"As for you, Percy, you need to head to the medical ward to get yourself checked out. You look like someone tried to barbecue you," Duke replied.
"Does he ever," Edward cracked. Percy sent a small glare at the older man.
"Also, neither of you are allowed to use magic recklessly. That sort of thing will get you killed in battle, even if you have taken out your enemy with you. I should know...it nearly happened to me once." Almost instantly, a dark shadow passed over his eyes, revealing more emotions than Thomas would have thought humanly possible in a captain.
When he caught their glances, the darkness left as quickly as it came. "Ah, sorry. I was...just going down memory lane, if you will. But aside from that, I do believe we have finished up here. I trust that you will follow my advice?"
"Yes sir!" they replied.
"Good. I'm going to send you to Falcon's office. He has some training materials for Thomas and Percy," he said. "You can leave now."
As the four stood up to leave, Edward turned to Thomas. "Thanks for helping me out back there. I don't think I'd be able to handle such a thing on my own," he said.
Thomas smiled. "Hey, what are friends for?" he said. Edward was rather surprised.
"You barely know me and you already consider me to be a friend?" he asked.
"Well, I should say I consider you to be more of a mentor than anything. You definitely look the type as Percy said," Thomas said.
"It comes with being old, I suppose." Edward's features relaxed into a smile. "But I'm glad that you've decided to call me a friend. Other than Percy and Duck, I don't really have a lot of immediate friends."
Thomas was curious. "You have a friend named Duck?"
"Yeah. His real name is Montague, but everyone called him that because the way he walks is similar to a duck's. He didn't like the nickname at first, but it stuck, so he prefers being called Duck nowadays," Edward explained.
"For a second, I swore that was the guy's real name. I know a guy whose name is Checkers."
Edward was astonished. "Who would name their child that?"
"Parents who love tabletop games, apparently. He has an older brother named Domino."
Edward sighed. "Oh dear..."
City of Easter, Sylvania
Time: 11:00 A.M. Dimensional Time
It had been a long time since Diesel had gotten to see some serious action. The last few months where he had to take extended leave to take care of himself had been pure torture for the Devious Count. He wanted to hurry up and get back to work- and his idea of work was tricking people, causing disasters and blowing stuff up.
It had been an hour since Diesel 10 had given him the directions to head to the Device Labs and acquire the new Device that Whiff McPherson had created. After getting some directions from people, he finally realized that the Device labs were in Sylvania's capital city, which was where most of the Devices in the Dream Dimension were made.
Well, since everyone I asked pretty much knew who I was talking about, of course he'd work there, Diesel thought. Plus, that's where all the big Device makers work. How in the world does the manager of a garbage dump get a job as a engineer? I've heard of one man's trash being another man's treasure, but that story about how he made a Device out of discarded Device parts is ridiculous!
A hollow chime entered the air, catching Diesel's attention. He looked down at the small black scythe that hung from his neck, which was currently pulsing a soft purple. "Yes, Vulnificus, what is it?"
"Master, target has been located. Location is very specific."
Diesel looked on his wrist computer as the Armed Device uploaded the coordinates. The big red dot in the middle of the maze indicated that his target was deep in the labs, and the bright yellow dot next to it showed that it was the Device he was looking at.
An evil smile made its way across the Devious Count's lips. "It's very specific alright," he said. After donning his Knight Armor and activating the scythe, he took to the air, leaving a trail of smoke behind him that carried the distinct smell of diesel fuel.
"Come on, Vulnificus," he said, the psychotic smirk never leaving his face. "Let's show those eggheads how we used to do things in the old days."
The Armed Device's reply couldn't have been more enthusiastic. "Yes, sir."
(Eyecatch 1: In a bright blue background, a star flies out of the upper left hand corner of the screen, landing on the lower right hand corner. The Sodor Magic Crusaders logo appears as the star lands in place, set to relaxing piano music.)
(Eyecatch 2: Duke is seen pointing at the screen as though issuing orders, and Edward and Charlie are seen below, Barrier Jackets donned and Devices at the ready. Diesel and Whiff overlap them, with the former pointing a charged Vulnificus at a terrified Whiff. Suspenseful music plays as the Sodor Magic Crusaders logo appears in lower right hand corner.)
Sylvanian Device Laboratories, same time
"Whiff, make sure that the different forms are compatible with each other. The Device should be able to switch to its different modes on command."
"I know, Arthur. I am the creator of this thing, after all."
Arthur, Whiff's lab partner in this endeavor, sighed. "Just wanted to make sure. I know how forgetful you can be sometimes."
"I'm not that forgetful," Whiff replied.
"Remember what happened when you walked out to get some lunch and left a very unstable Device out alone?"
"...I thought we swore to never speak of that again."
"I'll keep bringing it up until you remember what to do with Devices," Arthur teased.
Whiff groaned. "I am never going to live that down, am I?"
"Nope." Arthur's reply was flat and simple.
"Anyway," Whiff said huffily, trying to stay on track, "there's one more form that I need to test out before we can decide on what else needs to be added. Test Subject BD-01, Scythe Form!"
"Scythe Form, Set up," was the reply of the weapon as it shifted into its newly installed form. It was a black staff in the shape of a 17th century axe. A yellow jewel was seen at the top. The axe head flipped upwards about 90 degrees and a curved blade of yellow energy emerged from the gap. Upon seeing how quickly it reacted, the scientist smiles in approval.
"Quite impressive," Arthur noted.
"Indeed. That's good for now. You can return to Standby Form now, BD-01," Whiff said to the Device.
"Standby Form," BD-01 replied, and there was a bright white flash before the scythe changed into its Standby Form: a small gold triangle that appeared to be made out of gold.
"You've spent a lot of time on that particular Device, haven't you, Whiff?"
Whiff sighed. He readjusted his glasses, which nearly came off while he was writing down the results of his tests. "Well, it is my latest Device design, Arthur. I want to make sure that it'll work perfectly before I make any more," he said. He took BD-01's small triangle and placed it in his pocket.
"So, what kind of people are you making this Device for?" Arthur asked.
"It's really for people who want to get physical. As for shooting spells, it's able to shoot powerful projectile spells, but it's mostly meant for cutting things in half," Whiff explained.
"You think anybody's gonna steal this thing?" Arthur asked as the two walked out of the lab together.
"Of course not. The facility is guarded from top to bottom, and nobody can get past the security of thousands of well-armed guards," Whiff said. "Anybody who thinks they break in here is pretty stupid in my book."
"And anyone who thinks their security can outmatch me is pretty stupid in mine."
The voice that had entered the fray caught Whiff's and Arthur's attention. What they saw stole their breath, and not in a good way.
Whiff and Arthur knew everybody in the labs, but the man who strode into the door was unrecognizable. A square faced man dressed in red and black leather stood in front of them, his black eyes piercing into their very souls. In his hands was a large black scythe that appeared to have a rifle magazine at the base of its head. Behind him, two security officers were laying on the floor, holes blown through their uniforms.
Whiff stared at the man in front of him. "What the-who are you and what are you doing here?" he sputtered, going on defense.
An evil smirk crossed the man's face, which made Whiff take a step back. "Are you Whiff McPherson?"
"Y-Yes?"
"Good."
Whiff felt a sense of foreboding come into his stomach. "W-Why is that a g-g-good thing?" he stammered out.
"Because I've been hired to find you, and I've been going four hours without eating breakfast," Diesel snapped, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Whiff sighed. "If this is about Device repairs, you'll have to come back at a later time. My friend Arthur and I were about to eat-"
"Shut up," Diesel snorted. "I didn't come here for lame excuses. I came here to get that Device you're working on."
"What ever for?" Arthur shot back.
"My boss wants it for a project he's working on. He also gave me permission to drag you out by force if you don't surrender peacefully."
That did it for Whiff. "I'm not going anywhere with you!" he yelled, and whipped out a pistol from his pocket.
Diesel just laughed. "Launch forth, Vulnificus."
"Chain Sweep."
One swing of the massive Armed Device caused the head of the scythe to glow a bright black before the head separated from the staff entirely. There was a sound that resembled bolts locking as a long, thick chain shot out from the staff's shaft. It circled the room, trapping the two scientists and allowing no chance of escape.
Hands trembling, Whiff's fingers barely pulled the trigger before Diesel swung the staff downwards. A crackle of lightning followed, and the chain was covered in black electricity. The pistol slipped out of his grasp and it crashed to the floor. Arthur looked at him as though he were crazy.
"Whiff! Why did you drop you-"
And then the world exploded into black sparks. Whiff felt his legs tense up at the power of the spell and heard Arthur's agonized scream.
The next thing Whiff knew, he was through the wall of the next lab, where other professors were currently working. Most of them rushed over to help him, but just then, another blast of black lightning blew the men backwards. A series of terrified screams filled the air and the floor reverberated with the sounds of footsteps as the professors ran away from Diesel, who was currently walking into the room.
Whiff managed to pull himself up the moment Arthur jumped onto Diesel's back, Whiff's discarded pistol in his hand. Diesel backhanded him with Vulnificus, sending Arthur into the inferno that was their laboratory. Whiff could only stare in horror as Arthur crashed into the wall and rolled onto the floor, unresponsive.
"ARTHUR!" Before he could move, five black hoops snapped onto his body, lightning crackling from them. He stared at Diesel, who was still giving him that soul-piercing glare.
"I'd surrender if I were you…unless you want me to use more of these 'aggressive negotiations'." His tone was dangerous.
Whatever was left of Whiff's bravado vanished in an instant. Absolutely terrified of the man now, he nodded very slowly. "Alright. I surrender. Just...just don't kill anybody I know, alright?"
Diesel looked pleased. "Much better. I think Diesel 10 will be happy to hear that I didn't have to beat anyone up too badly," he said. "Do you have the Device with you?"
"Y-Yes...it's in my pocket..."
"If you're lying, I'll be more than happy to make you pay for it," he said. "Thanks for making my job easier. The sooner I get it done, the sooner I can eat."
Roughly hauling the scientist to his feet, Diesel pointed the scythe at the ceiling. A massive beam of black energy shot from the head of the Device and crashed through it, sending plaster and rock falling down on top of people. Ignoring the damage, he leapt into the air, gaining altitude as he flew away from the scene. Below, he could hear the sounds of sirens blaring throughout the lab.
"The Bureau's not going to be too happy about this," he snickered. Behind him, Whiff gulped at the sight of his workplace in ruins. A pillar of smoke rose from the building, and a few flames sprouted from the damaged roof.
He'd never really been much of a religious person, or even prayed that often. But with the ways things were at the moment, now would be a really good time to start.
The doors to the control deck slammed open and Duke, Sir Handel and Peter Sam strode into the room. The three had been in the middle of discussing a potential solution to the Book of Transformation mess when the alarms came in. From the look on Duke's face, Thomas figured this was not the news he wanted to hear. He quickly stepped aside as Duke walked to the large chair in the center of the room.
"Captain Lodge, we've had a problem at the Device Labs. Someone's broken in and destroyed the place," Charlie said. He pressed a key on the keyboard in front of him, and live news channels appeared on the screen.
Thomas gasped at the damage done to the laboratory. A massive column of smoke was rising in the sky, and from what he could see, there were small embers around the massive hole in the building.
"Give me the status report."
"Many security officers were attacked, and a few professors were caught in the blast, but we don't have any casualties. However, the most startling report we've gotten was that the culprit has kidnapped a scientist by the name of Whiff McPherson," Charlie said. "Apparently, he was testing a new Device when the attacker burst in."
"Was the culprit aligned with Diesel 10, perhaps?"
"That's what I think, sir. It could be one of his elite," Charlie said. "Perhaps 'Arry or Bert, sir?"
"Impossible. 'Arry's not the type to do such things, and Bert's been in jail for a while. There must be someone else," Duke said. "Did anybody get a good look at the attacker?"
Charlie was about to answer, but the doors slammed open again before he could speak. A short, broad shouldered man with silver eyes and dressed in a blue suit stood outside the door, panting heavily as though he'd ran a marathon.
"Forgive me for...being late, sir!" he gasped.
"Freddie, what took you so long?" Sir Handel asked. "I told you the next time you ran late it would cost you that promotion."
"I was on my way to work when I tuned into the radio, and they were talking about the incident at the labs. Uh, that is what the meeting's about, right?"
"Just get on with the point, Freddie," Sir Handel groaned.
"Oh, right. Well, they questioned everyone in the labs, and one scientist, who happens to be Whiff's friend Arthur, was awake long enough to identify the attacker before he passed out," Freddie replied breathlessly.
Duke swiveled around to face Freddie. "Well, who was it?"
Freddie actually looked somewhat fearful. "It was Diesel, sir. The fact that the scientists described his attacks as big balls of black lightning pointed to that."
Thomas was confused, as he didn't know who this Diesel was, but everyone else in the room looked as though someone had just stepped over thier own graves. In fact, nobody even seemed to be breathing at the moment. Percy's face had gone pale, and Edward's eyes widened for a moment before they narrowed. Sir Handel was squeezing the armrests of his chair so hard that his knuckles went white, and Peter Sam looked like he'd been struck dumb with horror. Duke's expression told him that this was not what he wanted to hear, and Charlie, though he seemed neutral from a distance, had a small, blazing aura coming from his body. It sent jitters up Thomas' spine as he it washed over his body.
Whoa. Whoever this Diesel guy is, I don't think he's liked very much, Thomas thought.
"I should have known," Duke said at last, breaking the silence. "Only Diesel 10 would send the most destructive member of his regime to commit this crime. Did they mention what he was after?"
"A prototype for a Device that McPherson was working on, sir. The official reports said he had it in his pocket," Freddie reported.
"If Diesel's out there causing a ruckus, we need to be out there to stop it before he can cause any more damage. I need a group of officers to chase down Diesel and rescue Whiff, while another group has to head to the labs to get everything under control," Duke ordered. "Who volunteers to go first?"
To everyone's surprise, it was Charlie who came forward. "Sir, I'll be happy to do the job," he said. The fire in his eyes was unmistakable.
"Very well then, Charlie. Anyone else?"
"I'll go, too. Charlie might need some help," Edward added.
"An old man would just slow me down," Charlie retorted.
"You need someone with a good bit of combat experience against stronger opponents to help you. Plus, I'm not as old as you think I am," Edward replied. "If you're going up against Diesel, then you need to have another person with you to fight him. That's the only way I can explain it."
Duke studied him carefully. "I take it that you've fought against Diesel before?"
"He's challenged me to a couple of mock battles, back when I was working under Diesel 10. I was never able to win on my own, because he was that strong," Edward explained. "He's like Gordon in the sense that he can easily toss around smaller opponents. He'll make a punching bag out of Charlie if he goes it alone."
"As long as you two don't do anything that adds more to our problems, then I'm alright with the situation. You two have my clearance to leave. The rest of you will report back here in ten minutes to receive your new assignments," Duke said. "Dismissed!"
As everyone exited the meeting room, Edward pulled out S2U's standby form, which was a small metal card. Out of the corner of his eye, Charlie was looking at it with a peculiar expression.
"I didn't know you had a Device," he said.
"This one I got recently. My first one was destroyed years ago. I'm still learning how it works, and what type of magic it uses," Edward said.
"Huh. I've had my Device for as long as I can remember-back when I was a kid in fact," Charlie said. He smirked. "That means I'm way ahead of you in terms of Device using, Eddie."
"We'll see how good you are in a little while," Edward replied. Then he turned to the shorter mage with an amused look. "Did you just call me Eddie?"
"Yeah. I like to nickname the staff all the time. Sir Handel's real name is Falcon, but he used to train under this rich guy named Sir Handel, and he started insisting that everyone call him that. However, he was always reckless, so I always teased him by calling him Sir Handel. It eventually stuck, though. Even Granpuff rarely calls him by his real name anymore," Charlie explained.
"'Granpuff'? You mean Duke, right?" Edward asked.
"Yeah! We call him that because the guy is the oldest member on our staff! It's a wonder he didn't refuse the position," Charlie said.
"Maybe he just likes bossing around smaller people," Edward snickered.
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Charlie said.
Edward chucked lightly. "Yes, I think you and I will get along nicely, Charlie."
Charlie's face relaxed into a smile. "Same here, Eddie." He brightened up when he saw a familiar face walking towards them. "Hey, Harry!"
"For goodness sakes, Charlie, stop calling me that! How many times am I going to tell you that it's Harold, not Harry!" the man yelled.
Charlie smirked cheekily. "Sure, Harold," he replied.
The man in front of them sighed as he ran his hands through his red hair. Harold was about as tall as Edward, but only a few inches shorter, and was much younger than him, but clearly older than Charlie. His eyes were two small orbs of hazel that seemed to glint in the lights of the room. He wore a white flight jacket with red stripes lining down the shoulders and arms, along with white jeans and a red shirt. A long red scarf hung loosely around his neck.
"Oh, I don't think I've met you before," Harold noted.
"Harold, you're smarter than you look," Charlie retorted, earning him a look of annoyance from the man. "What? I'm just saying."
"Don't mind him. He's a bit of a prankster," Harold said. "The name's Harold Reeves. I'm the helicopter pilot for Duke's main forces, and I work for the Dimensional Navy."
Edward extended a hand. "I'm Edward. Edward Stewarts. I think most of the people recognize me from what happened a couple of days ago."
Harold stared at him in surprise. "Oh, now I remember! You're the bloke who started this mess in the first place!" His eyes narrowed slightly as he leaned in closer to Edward's face. "Why'd you do that for? I was enjoying my vacation until you decided to go and steal the pages, making me cut my vacation short."
Edward sighed. "It's kind of a long story. I'd love to explain it, but we do have a mission to do."
"Well, you can tell me while we're chasing after that psychopath Diesel. Duke wants me to take you and Charlie out there," Harold replied.
"Alright! This'll be a great time to finally try out my new jokes on you, Harold!" Charlie said enthusiastically.
"Absolutely not!" Harold huffed, and spun on his heel to walk away quickly, only to be dogged by Charlie. The Enforcer hopped along like a energetic puppy. "Charlie, I know you. One joke always leads to another one."
"Aw, you're no fun, Harry..."
"I'm telling you, stop calling me that!" Harold replied angrily.
Edward chuckled as he caught up with the two, who were quickly walking away from him. I do believe I'll fit in quite nicely here, he thought.
Next act:
Thomas: Are you saying that immediately after we get back to Tidmouth, there's a page that we have to recover from Vicarstown?
Duke: That's what the scanner reads. The Counts also know what's going on in this area, so I would advise for you and Percy to head straight to the town and recover it before they can.
Percy: Since I'm already recovering from my injuries, I'll be more than happy to take those guys down.
Thomas (groaning): Man, I'm never going to take my exams now…
Diesel 10: What do you have in the pocket, Whiff? A potential weapon for me to use?
Whiff: What are you talking about? I don't have any potential weapons.
(Diesel 10 reaches into Whiff's coat pocket, and pulls out BD-01. Whiff stares in shock while Diesel 10 gives him a dangerous smile.)
Diesel 10: No potential weapons, huh?
(Later, Edward and Charlie encounter Diesel at a power plant.)
Charlie: In the name of the law, I will place you under arrest!
Diesel: Just try to stop me. You think you and that old man can defeat me?
Edward: Old man? (Summons S2U) I think you're forgetting who you're talking to, Diesel.
Diesel (shocked): You-?!
Stay tuned for Act 5: The Crackdown
This chapter pretty much introduced us to the Bureau, who I guess you can say is full of all the narrow gauge engines from the show. Duke, Charlie, Sir Handel, Peter Sam and everyone else will get their roles beefed up over time, and a couple of one-shot characters may appear here and there. Duke replaces Admiral Lindy, Charlie more or less replaces Chrono's role, and Sir Handel and Peter Sam take up Amy's original role in the series. As I've finished watching Nanoha so I can have a better understanding of the series, I know know which character is replacing who, which is going to be fairly important later when two other characters appear. I'm thinking of doing a character sheet where I list all of the spells and roles for each character. But that won't be until much later in the story. And by later, I mean near the end of this story later.
Edward's been taking the spotlight a lot, even though the story's been focusing mainly on Thomas. I wanted to pretty much establish why he stole the pages of the Book in the first place, since doing so-and being angsty about it-is a bit OOC for his character. This chapter pretty much renewed his vigor, so the next few chapters, we'll be seeing more of Edward's regular personality, although I'll be exploring more sides to him throughout the story. Act 6 will have Thomas take center stage, so next chapter will be the last that Edward is shown in the spotlight.
As always, read and review!
God bless, iheartgod175