A/N: Yup. I can already imagine the WT... this chapter is going to get.
But honestly...I have to say like it, love, or hate it, I totally enjoyed writing this story arc. It is without doubt the one I had the most fun with.
Mostly because, as I said previously, it was the first Snowpiercer fanfiction I wrote, and I built the rest of my AU around this one story.
And I do (sort of) apologize. Another short chapter. But honestly, it was such a fun place to stop I could help myself.
Chapter 38 - Changes - Часть третья
Hurrying down the ladder, Melanie swore she nearly landed right on top of Layton, who just managed to get out of the way in time as she jumped the last few rungs. Landing on the floor, she took off down a corridor, calling after her for him to follow.
As they quickly moved down the corridor, Melanie began to explain to Layton what they were going to do.
"Below the main engine is where the primary wheels are housed. They are what really drives the train. The rest of the wheels are secondary to them. Because we set it up that way originally, all the other wheels down the train also answer to the main primary forward wheels. With the amount of power and stability they have, they could literally drag this train if they had to. Hopefully, once we get them freed of the ice, they should be able to start moving and the rest of the train should follow. As it moves, the other wheels should be able through friction to melt the ice enough to break free also."
"How long should that take?" Layton asked.
"With the amount of heat the other wheels will be building up, likely just a few minutes. But the other wheels are also closer to the main areas of the train, so they likely have been able to stay off the ice longer than the main wheels."
"But aren't the main wheels closer to the engine, which generates most of the heat of the train?"
"Which is exactly why they're also insulated against that heat." Melanie answered. "Otherwise most of their components would likely have melted after seven years."
Once they made it to the Wheelhouse gateway, Melanie quickly started pulling the small explosives out of her own pockets and lining them up on the floor. In front of them was a large panel that looked to Layton like little more than a large steel panel someone had set in place with a small instrument panel with several lights and switches set in the wall next to it that was at present, completely lifeless.
Reaching for the small door set in the larger steel panel, Melanie carefully opened it. All Layton could see past it was a glowing light further down the tunnel.
"Are you sure about this?"
Melanie nodded as she fumbled to hold the charges steady while attempting to light the individual fuses at the same time. Though between her hands shaking and the lighter constantly going out, she fail to be able to light even a single fuse. But seeing her struggling, Layton finally took the charges from her.
"Here." He said gently. "Let me help."
Not even needing to ask what he was doing, Melanie willingly relinquished the charges to him
"Just tell me what you need me to do." He said.
"Take five charges at a time and hold them up so I can light the fuse. As soon as they're lit, throw them one at a time into the gateway as fast as you can. You'll have approximately seven to ten seconds before each charge explodes once its lit. There are five chutes down the gateway leading to the wheels. Hopefully they will go down different chutes so they explode around different areas of the wheels. Once they explode, the force of the blast can feel quite strong. But don't worry about it. It isn't enough to damage anything in the main wheel house. And remember, it's spread out. So no single component is getting the full brunt of the five explosives."
Layton nodded as he arranged the charges and held them so each fuse was easily accessible.
Melanie looked up at him one more time before she started the lighter.
"Remember," she reminded him firmly, "seven seconds. The charges won't hurt the wheels, but they serious hurt or even kill us if they explode up here."
Layton nodded again.
Starting the lighter, Melanie lit each fuse in turn. As soon as the fuse took, Layton grabbed it in his other hand and threw it down the chute, watching briefly as it lit up the chute in its descent. But he hardly had time to pause as Melanie quickly lit the next fuse.
Five times they repeated the process. As soon as he threw the last one, Melanie shut the door.
With the first explosion, Layton thought Melanie seriously underestimated the power of the little charge. Grabbing Melanie, he pulled her under him as the successive explosions slightly shook the floor beneath them.
They sat that way for several moments. Waiting.
And waiting.
And waiting.
Finally Layton pulled up just slightly, even as he felt Melanie's body relax a little under him.
Breathing hard, Layton turned towards the tunnel.
"Ho...how long should this take?" He ask in a breathless whisper.
Melanie also had her eyes fixed on the door to the tunnel. "It...it should have been...almost instantaneous." She replied in a whisper.
Layton turned to her. "So now what?"
Melanie already was digging five more charges out of her pocket. "We try again." She stated.
They tried several more times, with Layton losing count of how many charges they used. But he knew they had used all of the ones Melanie had in her jacket and he didn't have many left in his.
After the latest try, Layton caught Melanie's worried stare.
"By my count we only have eight charges left." She told him. "That's enough for one more try." Her voice and expression took on the most fear filled tone Layton had ever heard from her. "After that, we're out of options."
Layton met her stare, trying to give her hope. "It'll work this time, Melanie. You'll see." he told her, holding out the charges. "One more time."
They repeated the process one more time, ending as they always had with him holding her under him to protect her as the explosions shook the floor slightly.
Finally pulling up, they both sat for few more moments, staring hopefully at the door. But finally Melanie lowered her head in defeat.
It had been their last shot. There wasn't another equation for her to work out. Another idea to try. And even if there were, she didn't have the time. The cold was creeping into the train like a thief they couldn't hope to stop anymore. The longer the train sat, the more frozen the components became and the colder the interior got.
They were going to freeze to death. Slowly.
"Hey." A soft voice called her out of herself as a hand rested itself on her shoulder. "We tried, Melanie. We gave it our best shot. YOU gave it your best shot. It just..."
"I still failed." She whispered back, turning to him with tear filled eyes. "I failed the train. I failed every person on it. And now what I fought for for seven years is going to end. And there isn't one thing I can do about it."
Layton gave her a slight shake. "STOP IT, Melanie! You are NOT to blame for this. You tried to save us. I don't think I've seen you ever try harder than you have to fix this. You gave everything you had. No one on this train tried harder." He soften his tone slightly as he managed a small smile for her. "And if there's anybody on this train I have to freeze to death with," He added, tucking a stray strand of hair back behind her ear, "I'm glad it's you."
Melanie managed a small smile in return. "And I'm glad its you." She replied quietly.
They sat that way for a few seconds more, eyes locked in that silent communication they always seemed to have with each other. But suddenly Layton grabbed her behind the head and pulled her to him, locking his lips over her's.
