Disclaimers:
-This story continues violence, gore, and other sensitive themes. If you feel that you may be disturbed by something in this story. Please do not read it.

-This story is based on an Alternate Universe that I have created. Please DO NOT take this as Canon! It's not. Do not use my AU or characters without permission

-Do not ask for updates. You guys know better

-Den Mother

Book One: The Stag

Chapter One: Three Mesas

The wind howls loudly through the ravine. Dust spatters against the rock faces. A building sits underneath of the cliffs. The ravine gives it shelter from the dust storm barreling across the bone-colored wasteland. Blue crystals poke out of the rocks. The windows of the building have long since been sun-worn. The inside of the building houses large machines. Dried blood is caked on the large saw blades which poke out of various corners of the building. Jars with mysterious mechanical parts suspended in gel-like liquid sit on the shelves. Hollowed out chassis of machines sit off in the corner.

This warehouse served as a slaughterhouse. Where engines unfit to work were sent to be torn apart and maybe recycled into something useful. The old wooden walls still echoed with the terrified screams of the engines. The ones who were unfortunate enough to land within it's walls. On quiet afternoons, it was said that those who pass by here could still here the roar of the machinery and the cries of every engine that were torn apart by them.

A narrow shaft of sunlight poked out from between two doors. One of the doors hung off the door frame at an odd angle. There was a single soul still trapped behind these doors. An orange, black, and white EMD sat restrained by rusty chains. Grey scars marked up her body. She idled, waiting for her clock to run out. The sunlight got temporarily blocked out as the dust storm blew over the top of the ravine. She shrank down. Black shadows closed in on the shed. Wind ripped through the cracked window in her room. She flinched her nose when dust scattered across the top of it.

A shadow cascades itself over the doors leading into the shed. A young engine looks around nervously. She pushes her white nose against the old wooden doors. The doors creak loudly. She whimpered when she saw the large claws towering over her. She got down as low as her axles would let her. This place didn't look like to be a good shelter from the sun. Her panel ached from the light. She knew this place would only be a temporary fix whilst she waited for the storm to blow itself out.

The female heard somebody enter the warehouse. She tugged sharply against the chains. Hoping that she would get their attention. The chains rattled loudly. The young engine turned her cab. She could see a shadow moving in the dark. She whimpered softly. "who-whose there?"

"help! Help me!" pleaded the shadow. "I'm stuck! I can't get out! I don't want to die! Please help!"

The young engine headed over to where the shadow was. She pushed the doors open with her nose. The EMD looked at her. The youngster gasped seeing the sad state of despair that the other engine was in. She quickly grabbed the chain in her jaws. She reared back enough to try and snap it. She could feel the other engine leaning away from her slightly. The two of them worked on freeing the trapped engine. She let go as soon as she felt the chain snap. The EMD panted in relief.

The youngster backed up to give the other one enough room to get out. The EMD looks around. "are you a survivor too?" they ask.

The youngster shook her head. "no. I was traveling through the area. I'm looking for shelter from the sun."

The EMD's face fell. "oh.."

The youngster smiles at her kindly. "what were you doing tied up? Were you abandoned by your handlers?"

"you could say that…"

The youngster frowns. "oh. Sorry. I'm glad I was able to help. I'm Hiroku."

"F19." replied the EMD. "that's what they called me."

The two engines huddled together in the shed. Hiroku could sense that F19 was nervous. "it'll be okay. I'll be right here then I'll be gone come nightfall."

F19 looked at her. "can I come with you?"

"of course. I'm heading towards the next city anyway. Three Mesas is North of here." That's when the shaking got worse. F19 huddled down on her wheels. "I can't go there."

"why not?" asked Hiroku.

"They brought me here. That's where the bad people are."

Hiroku looked confused. "bad people?"

"the ones that ran this place. The ones that cut up chuggers here." whispers F19.

"then I'll find a way of keeping you hidden. Trust me...it'll be safer at night. Not too many people out." comforted Hiroku. "you have my word. I have some people after me too." She leans up against F19. "by the way, F19 is a very silly name for a chugger. How about Tyne?" she suggested.

"Tyne? What does it mean?"

"Tyne means "river" in certain languages. My name, Hiroku, means "light" in Japanese. Though." Hiroku chuckles. "seems silly that I have to hide from it."

"how so?" asks F19.

"I suffer from Albinism. Chuggers like me can't venture out into the light. It hurts us. I was barely able to make the trip during the daytime." explained Hiroku. "I guess you could say I'm a scary vampire." Hiroku bares her fangs.

F19 chuckles. "oh no. Please don't suck my blood."

Hiroku grins. "so, what do you think of the name?"

"Tyne..I like it. It has a nice ring to it."

"good. I'm glad." Hiroku settles down next to her. The two of them watch the storm blow on outside. Tyne shifts a bit on her axles. She could still feel the chains hold on them. Sand blew in through the opened door. Almost as if it was trying to cleanse the unholy sins that were still attached to this place. A deep pit formed in her engine. She hoped deep down that she wasn't the only survivor.

The storm soon clears. Bright moonlight touched the tops of the ravine. It didn't touch the shed. The shed was cascaded further into darkness. Hiroku looked like a ghost in the dark. Hiroku started to roll out of the shed. Tyne followed in behind her. She rode Hiroku's back bumper until the two of them were a good enough length away from the shed. Bodies of fallen friends turned silver in the moonlight. The skies overhead were a pale silver color with white stars speckling it. Tyne gasped quietly. This was the first time she had seen the outside world since the first time she was taken. The crystals glow faintly in the shadows. They pulsated as energy flowed through the earth.

They cleared the ravine. The desert sands were a bone-white color. Blue flecks shimmered in the sands. Tyne noticed it. "what's with that blue stuff?"

"Phosphor. It appeared once the earth nearly died. It's more abundant in the wastelands than anywhere else." explained Hiroku. "there was this wicked solar flare that hit the earth a long time ago. I remembered my parents talked about it. Apparently the earth changed drastically after that."

"a Solar Flare? How long ago was that?"

"Long before I was born. I think about a few decades ago. I was born right around when the earth was still recovering."

"I remembered that it was super dark when I was taken." muttered Tyne. "I'm so out of touch."

"no worries. You'll get used to the change soon. C'mon. We're nearly to Three Mesas." Hiroku took off ahead of her excitedly. Tyne picked up the pace. Her axles groaned underneath of her. She ignored it and kept going.

A large set of structures appears on the horizon. They look like natural rock formations. The rocks have lights coming from them. A loud engine growls through the night air. The both of them look up to see a large flying shape in the sky. It's a helicopter of some sort. It's heading for the structures off in the distance.

The structures are natural rock formations that have been turned into skyscrapers. Large sets of tracks wind between them. There are also roadways for other vehicles. Tyne looks around. The Three Mesas has definitely changed a lot since she was last here. She stops to take everything in. Hiroku watches her. "so much change huh?"

Tyne nods quietly. She rolls up right next to Hiroku. "welcome to Three Mesas. The central hub for the Wastelands. I know a place where we can rest for the night until the Trade Center opens in the early morning hours. Once the center opens up, you and I can start looking for work." Hiroku takes her to another area of the city. This place looks to be more friendly towards traveling machines. It's a wider area. The buildings around here are made from the same rock formations as well. A large formation points towards the sky. It's shaped like a lopsided rectangle. Little windows with light stretch across it's surface. The moon shines off the side of it.

There's a set of sheds at the base of it. The both of them spot a Krauss-Maffei shunting engine getting ready to settle into one of them. The shunter had a red, blue, and white color palette. The front of it had light red and light yellow hazard stripes. The shunter watched as both engines pulled into lot. It shrugged before continuing to roll back into it's shed. The two engines pull into the sheds next to it. The shunter closed it's eyes, but kept a vent open to listen in on them.

Hiroku shifted on her axles in excitement. "I can hardly believe that we're here. It's taken me ages to even reach the wastelands."

Tyne smiled but only slightly. "we should try to get some rest then."

"you go on ahead. I'm rather excited."

The shunter shook it's cab in amusement. It watched as Tyne went off to sleep leaving Hiroku to stare off into the stars. "I've never seen you two around here before."

Hiroku jumped. She noticed that the Shunter was staring right at her. "are you new?" it asked.

"yeah. We're both new. Well she's been here before but I haven't. I traveled a long way to get here." replied Hiroku.

"are you two looking for people too?"

Hiroku gave a small shrug of her axles. "I guess you can say that. We're looking for work mostly."

"well I hope I'll see you two tomorrow in the Hub. I'm looking for people myself."

"what do you do?" asked Hiroku.

"I'm the Chef of Chug Patrol. I'm looking for more people to join my squad. Perhaps you would be interested in joining?"

Hiroku drags her axle across the track. "don't know. I'd have to be inside a lot. I can't be exposed to the sunlight."

"I see. Well you could work as a dispatcher."

"what does a dispatcher do?"

"A dispatcher is someone who receives the emergency calls that comes in and instructs us on what it is and where it is. I handle most of the instruction."

"will I have to be repainted? I kind of like the way I am."

The shunter shook her cab. "no. You'll just get hazard stripes and lights."

Hiroku sighed in relief. "I'm Hiroku."

"Calley."

"another question, how do I sign up?"

"well chuggers have to undergo a trial. That'll depend on how many willing chuggers I get tomorrow. Once you pass, you'll be walked through how we use the HQ then given your equipment."

Hiroku's eyes lit up. "I can't wait."

Calley grinned. "glad to hear it. I'm going to rest now. It was nice talking to you."

Hiroku nods. "it was nice talking to you too."

The next morning soon comes. Tyne wakes up to bright light shining off the side of the building. She looked to see Hiroku already gone. She must of already gone ahead of me. The problem is..I don't know where the Hub is. She grumbled in her head. Though she really can't be exposed to the sun. So I'll give her a pass for now.

One of the sheds clicked open. A dark green and black Burlington comes rolling out. It has white, yellow, and red stripes on it's body. There's a strange making on one of it's doors. Tyne moved back a bit. Her eyes narrowed at the Burlington. Another shed opened up. A blue and black GE Dash comes out. "alright Fletch, let's head down to the Hub."

Fletch nods. He takes off after the Dash. Tyne decided to follow the both of them. She hung back a bit to make it less obvious that she was following them.

A large building sits in the middle of town. It's shaped in a crooked cube. One of the corners on the cube is faced upwards towards the sky. It's made of a much smoother material then the rock formations. Almost as if it's from a far away place. The inside of the cube was huge. There was already a crowd forming inside of it. Humanoids, engines, and other machines were all gathered inside of it. Tyne scanned the crowd looking for Hiroku. She spotted Hiroku talking to the shunter both of them slept next to. Hiroku made eye contact with Tyne. She hopped up a bit on her back axle to signal Tyne to come closer.

Tyne drove over to them. "hey Tyne. Sorry I left you hanging. I should of told you to look for the cube last night."

Tyne chuckled. "it's no problem. I just followed a couple of engines to get here."

"Tyne, this is Calley. She's the Chief of Chug Patrol. She says I can be a dispatcher if I can pass her trial." said Hiroku excitedly stumbling over her words. The youngster didn't even bother to take a breathe between words.

"that's great. I'm glad you found something."

"you should join. They do rescues and stuff."

"I don't know. Not with what I went through. Tell ya what. I'll take a look around. If I don't find anything then I'll join."

Hiroku grins. "okay! Hopefully I'll have passed my trial by the time you get back."

Tyne grinned at her. She rolled away from the both of them. Maybe I should find those engines I found earlier. Maybe they have something.

Fletch groaned quietly. "so many people."

Zack chuckled. "well I did tell you that the Hub is huge."

A white and black engine with red stripes approaches them. "excuse me."

Both of the chuggers looked at her. "which one of you is Zack?"

Zack dips his cab at her. The chugger's eyes lit up. "I'm Taya. I'm interested in joining the chuggineers."

Zack eyed her over. "you look rather young. How old are you?"

"14, sir."

"what's your specialty?"

"electrical. I'm pretty good with figuring out wiring and such."

Zack thinks for a moment. "alright. You'll have to train for another year before you can officially be a member. You'll be a good fit cause a lot of what we do nowadays deals with electricity or essence."

She grins. "thank you, sir."

"what's ya name, kid?" asks Zack.

"Taya."

"Nice to meet you, Taya. The other lad with me is named Fletch."

Fletch smiles. "sup."

"he deals with all the digging we need done."

Taya nods. "it's nice to meet the both of you."

Fletch glances up. He spots Tyne watching the three of them. Tyne approaches the both of them carefully. Fletch gives Zack a small nudge on his panel. Zack looks up. "who are you?' he asked.

"I'm Tyne. I spotted you guys in the yard this morning and I was wondering what the two of you do. I'm looking for work."

"we deal with construction and repair jobs around Chuggington. Everyone on the team has a purpose. Fletch, as an example, deals with digging."

Tyne's face fell a little bit. "I'm very sorry to say that I really don't have a specialty. I don't know if I'll be much help then."

"can you lift beams bigger than you are? Are you capable of hauling heavy loads?"

Tyne nods. "then that's good enough for me. As long as you can do the work, I'm sure you'll be fine. However, like Taya, you may need to be trained."

"I see.." she looks at Taya. Taya was talking quietly to Fletch. "so do I have the job then?"

"as we're low on people yes. Welcome to the family. We'll be heading into Chuggington tomorrow morning. I hope you'll get along with everyone here."

"as long as it doesn't get ugly and they don't become an annoyance, I should be good."

Fletch scoffs. "I am not annoying! Tell her, Zack."

"that's debatable." muttered Zack.

"ey? I'm not that bad! C'mon old man!"

Tyne and Taya both chuckle.

Tyne headed back to where she last saw Hiroku. Hiroku is standing next to a Windhoff. The Windhoff had a ladder with water cannons on either side of it. It also sported the same color pattern that the shunter did. Hiroku had an excited look on her face. She beamed when she saw Tyne. "Tyne! I passed!" she exclaimed.

"that's great. Whose your friend?"

"Asher, this is Tyne. Tyne, this is Asher. He's a firefighter."

Asher dips his cab respectfully. "I see. I think I found a job. It's with the Chuggineers."

"that's great! Are you excited? We'll be working in the same town together."

"I guess you could say that, yeah."

Hiroku shifts excitedly. "at least we'll always see each other. I was beginning to worry we wouldn't be able to hang out with each other anymore."

"I would of found something. Trust me. Anyway, I guess I leave here tomorrow."

"same, we'll all be leaving at different times though."

Tyne saddens. "yeah.."

Hiroku nuzzles her. "don't worry. I'll be waiting for you in the depot when you arrive."

Tyne nuzzles her back. She amazed with how comfortable the youngster had gotten with her. The two have only been together for a day. She guessed that she was the only real company that the youngster has had since she left her homeland. Hiroku pulls away. She hears Calley clear her throat behind her. "right. I'd better get going. We have some ground to cover come nightfall. Don't worry too much, Kay?"

"I won't. And Hiroku…"

"yeah?"

"thanks."

Hiroku touch noses with her one last time before falling in behind Calley and Asher. Tyne watched the trio disappear off into the crowd.

The night hours soon came. The Chuggineers were settled in the sheds. Taya had decided to sleep between Fletch and Tyne. Taya giggled quietly as a firefly landed on her nose. "I like this bug." she mused. "it's very shiny."

"well get used to seein them, kid." commented Fletch. "we see them all the time where we're from. Except in some places they're in different colors."

"really?!"

Fletch gave a nod of his cab. "yeah. Some are green, some are red, and some are even blue. What's really cool are the ones that come out during a new moon. They're a very strange color of orange."

"I can't wait to see them! Are you excited about going to Chuggington, Tyne?"

Tyne gave a small shrugging motion. "I can't say I know too much to be excited honestly."

Taya looked a little disappointed. "but I think I will warm up to it eventually." added Tyne. That other response seemed to make Taya a bit happier. Fletch yawned. "well I don't know about you two but I'm going to bed."

"night!" chided Taya.

Tyne closed her eyes. She drifted off to sleep. She hoped that Hiroku had gotten to Chuggington safely. The rest of the world steadily blurred out around her. She could no longer hear anyone else snoring.

Tyne woke up back in the slaughterhouse. The blades were positioned on either side of her body. "no!" she screamed as she struggled to get out of the chains. One of the blades kicked on.

Wrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

She struggled a bit more. She let out a terrified scream as the blade got close to her.

WRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

Tyne's eyes flew open. She panted looking around. The sound from her own dream came from Fletch. Fletch was sawing wood in his sleep. She sighed. She felt somebody leaning up against her. She turned her cab to see Taya sleeping by her. She looked from side to side. She gave the chugger a nudge to tell her to move. Taya leaned away. She settled further on her axles. Tyne rolled her eyes. She closed her eyes again. She fell into a dreamless sleep.