Jeb managed to discretely sneak back towards the tunnel with his load of artwork in tow, cackling proudly to himself.
"I did it! I beat Jim!" He chuckled, as he approached the dark tunnel. He rolled inside, and whistled proudly. Slim Jim woke up with a start, as did Bonnie. Jeb grinned proudly at them.
"Guess who just got rich instead of you losers!" He smarmed. Slim Jim looked at Jeb's load in alarm.
"Jeb, what is that?" He asked. Jeb grinned.
"Some paintings I stole from a stupid tank engine. Like taking candy from a baby." He smirked. Slim Jim took his toothpick out of his mouth and snapped it in half in frustration.
"Jeb, you idiot! These are way too high profile! The cops are going to be all over us now!" Jeb smirked.
"That's where you won't have to worry, Jimbo. This stuff is mine, and no one else's! Finally, I get a little cut of the profits!" Jeb chuckled in an unstable manner. However, Bonnie spoke up to Slim Jim as Jeb did this.
"Mistah Langley, is it time to take care of him?" Slim Jim frowned.
"I think it is, Bonnie." He walked over to Jeb and climbed into the cab, shoving out the thugs.
"Come on, Jeb, let's have a chat." Jeb stopped laughing as he was uncoupled from his trucks and began getting driven by Slim Jim away from the tunnel.
"Hey, where are we going?" Jeb asked, "I don't work for you anymore, Jim! Let go of me!" However, Slim Jim remained silent as he drove Jeb away, only polishing his revolver with his shirt. Bonnie chuckled darkly in the tunnel.
"It ain't very hard to rat out a rat, eh, Toad?" She smirked at the blinded brakevan in the back of the tunnel. She then blew a raspberry at Jeb as the terrified camelback engine was dragged away.
Jeb found himself looking over a river. Rain pattered down around him.
"What's the big idea, Jim?" Slim Jim walked stoically down from the cab. He went to look at the river, his hands on his hips. He chuckled to himself.
"You seem to forget who pulls the strings." Jeb's expression of confusion turned to one of fear.
"Um…" Jeb couldn't speak. Slim Jim turned around.
"Remember when we started doing this, back in the states, Jeb? You were the runt of the litter on our old line. You were scrawny, not as strong as the other engines. But when I decided to quit the cleaner job and become one of the most successful railway thieves since their inception, you wanted to come along. You said 'Oh, Jim, please take me with you to become a thief and explore the world' and all that jazz. You wanted power and prestige. Well, here's a bomb for you; You're a sniveling little leech, Jeb. You do nothing but complain no matter what I try to do with you, and you constantly just want things for you." Slim Jim climbed onto Jeb's running plate and kneeled right in front of his terrified face.
"News flash, Jebbie. The world doesn't revolve around you." Jeb gulped.
"Listen, boss, I got in a little too over my head, I get that! I can change! I swear!" He giggled nervously, as he saw Slim Jim reach into his back pocket and pull out something he didn't want to see; the revolver. Tears began to form in Jeb's eyes.
"Please! I swear I'll never betray you again! I won't even complain! Just don't shoot me, please!" The once mighty and powerful camelback engine whimpered like a pathetic puppy. Slim Jim tossed the revolver back and forth between his hands. However, to Jeb's shock, he put the revolver away.
"Maybe you're right, Jeb." Slim Jim hopped down and climbed into a relieved Jeb's cab.
"Phew." Jeb grinned to himself, "Glad we cleared that one up, huh, boss?" Slim Jim opened the regulator, and Jeb began to move forwards towards the buffers.
"Um, boss. I'm moving forwards, not backwards. I need to be moving backwards." However, Slim Jim hopped down from the cab and aimed his revolver at Jeb, who couldn't see him.
"I know." He pulled the trigger, shooting Jeb in the cylinder. The camelback engine howled in pain as he burst through the buffers. As Jeb tumbled down the riverbank, Slim Jim kept on shooting him and shooting him. Jeb screamed in terror and pain as the bullets pierced his frames, combined with the rocks and earth from the riverbank battering him from all directions. Finally, Jeb came to a weak stop in the river, the "diamond" part of his funnel snapped off, his rods bent, and covered in dirt.
"Oh…" He groaned in pain, but Slim Jim wound up for one more shot.
"It's been fun, Jeb."
"No, Slim Jim, you can't! Mr. Langley! Boss! STOP! NO! YOU CA-" With one final shot, Slim Jim shot towards Jeb's smokebox as thunder crashed, and the camelback engine's screaming silenced. He looked away before the bullet hit, and began stomping away in the wet rain.
"I'm getting out of here as soon as I can," he growled, "But first, I need to get an engine…" In the riverbank, Jeb looked up at his lamp. The bullet had hit it and broken glass fell onto his face. He let out a few deep breaths. He was alive, but only barely…
The twist! Jeb's out of commission, lying in a riverbank for his betrayal, while Slim Jim is on the hunt for a new engine. This scene was one I knew I wanted to write since I was planning this whole special out. Jeb's subplot was an absolute blast to write, and I think this scene was a great conclusion for it. But how will Jeb's actions effect Jim? How is Samson holding up now that he has broken the Earl's trust? And what does Slim Jim mean by "an engine"? Come back on August 25th to find out in Chapter 11: Blue Moon!