A/N: Hello. Here is another chapter for "Infinity Train: Book Two: Return to the Beach City Car". :) After seeing the first 5 episodes of "Infinity Train: Book Three" and a little bit of some famous scenes with Agent Trout from "We Bare Bears: The Movie", I've decided that in my story, that Marc Evan Jackson should voice the main antagonist named Zenith. And Kellen Goff would voice another main antagonist known as Polaris. More than that, I won't say yet. Also, I plan on releasing a canon version of "Robyn's Big Adventure" based upon Misaki's recommendations sooner or later. :) For now, enjoy this chapter.
Infinity Train: Book Two: Return to the Beach City Car
Chapter 9: The Tape Car
Outside, on top of a train car, Tulip, M.T., Pink Steven, One-One, and Atticus were waiting as M.T. looked at the cuffs on her wrist with one vacant spot on the other end.
"So, what's the plan, M.T.?", Pink Steven asked.
"Simple. We're gonna sit here for however long it takes, wait for one of those weird pod things to fly by and as soon as it does, we hijack it for ourselves, ride it back to wherever it came from.", M.T. responded.
"Well, there's no need for that. If the pod gets damaged, it automatically returns to the tape car, which is also the Number car by technicality.", Glad One responded.
"Really? That's great.", Tulip grinned.
"Also, hijacking of any kind is illegal.", Sad One added.
"Oh. Well, so long as we're legal about this.", Pink Steven spoke.
"Yeah. Passengers get a number somewhere before waking up on the train.", Tulip agreed.
"And then, I'll find a way to get a number.", M.T. spoke.
"And look for Amelia while we're at it.", Pink Steven added before Alan Dracula's head suddenly sparked and poofed up before he shook the poof off, returning his fur back to normal.
"Exactly. Now, that Jesse is gone...", M.T. began before hesitating and then turning to Alan Dracula.
"Look. You're all we've got. We need you to be ready. No turning into stuff that'll slow us down like a snail or a broken car or...", M.T. began before Alan Dracula laid his head down on M.T.'s laps, attracting her attention before she then brushed against his fur with her hand on the deer's head.
"You know, once I get my number, i-it means I'm eventually gonna leave the train. And...I don't think I can take Alan Dracula with me.", M.T. spoke as Alan Dracula snorted.
"Even if I could, he wouldn't be happy out there. Getting off the train is my journey. It wouldn't be fair to force him to leave. This is his home.", M.T. added.
Then, Alan Dracula looked up before M.T. started to shed tears and she spoke to him.
"You're not my pet. You're my friend. You know that, right?", M.T. asked before the deer licked her.
Then, M.T. stroked Alan Dracula's head again as the deer scratched his head with his back left hoof.
"Guys? Look. There's a pod heading down this way.", Tulip spoke, pointing to it as it was spotted floating above the small hallway before M.T. hopped on the pod first, losing a bit of balance before it was regained in the process.
"Let's follow her.", Tulip spoke to Pink Steven, holding One-One, before he nodded, holding Alan Dracula as well, before they then started running at a fast speed and caught up to the pod with Tulip on one side of the pod and Pink Steven on another.
Inside the pod, a slightly old man wearing business clothes was asleep when the video with the giraffes in view was playing.
"...which is my 16th favorite kind of giraffe you'll see on the train.", Glad One finished.
"Necks are kind of weird, right?", Sad One commented before M.T. busted a hole on the pod with a punch.
Then, just as M.T. was opening it frantically to make room, the pod beeped with a small red square flashing on the side of it before the passenger started to wake up.
"Huh? What's going on?", the passenger puzzled.
"Sorry, sir, but this is kind of urgent.", Tulip apologized before M.T. picked the passenger up, abruptly stopping the pod.
"Please remain in your pod.", the pod's voice spoke.
"Don't you think that's going a bit too far, M.T.? We're only here to get him out, not force him out.", Pink Steven commented.
"And what are you even going to do with him anyway?", Tulip asked.
"Highly suspicious, I'd say.", Sad One commented.
"But at the same time, that sounds interesting.", Glad One responded before Pink Steven turned to the passenger.
"Look, this is for a good cause. Trust me.", Pink Steven assured.
"Rest assured, we'll get back to you in a jiffy.", Glad One added, still being held in Tulip's arms, before the passenger then suddenly got twice as scared, prompting the group to turn to notice Alan Dracula in spider form, which then jumped up and roared, scaring the passenger off as he tumbled and took off.
"Okay, A.D., was that really necessary?", Pink Steven asked exasperatedly.
"Is that guy gonna be okay?", Tulip asked.
"Don't worry. He'll be fine.", Glad One assured.
"Probably...", Sad One added.
"Please return to your pod.", the pod spoke in Glad One's voice.
"Come on, guys. Get comfortable.", M.T. spoke before she went in as Tulip and Pink Steven laid down on their stomachs and pressed their hands hard on the pod to hold on tightly as Alan Dracula then stepped aboard and shrunk down.
"Thank you for returning to your pod.", the pod spoke before it then started on its way back with Alan Dracula then morphing back to normal before then turning into a metallic hood ornament.
"Wheeeeee!", Glad One shouted in excitement as he was held by Tulip just as tightly.
Meanwhile, M.T. was squeezing herself in while another video popped up with One-One dressed in a construction hat and belt with a wrench and screwdriver.
"Greetings, passenger, if you're watching this, it means we've run into an unforeseen problem. But not to worry. For every problem, there's a documentary.", Glad One spoke.
"Aw, give me a break.", M.T. sighed, pressing the button to try to turn it off, but to no avail.
"We're now en route to the tape car.", Glad One spoke, wearing a traditional wizard's hat.
"Off, please.", M.T. spoke.
"This is where all the magic happens.", Glad One spoke before the video then went over to One-One wearing a judge's wig.
"And by magic, I mean numerical algorithmic judgment.", Sad One added.
"Ah, just saying it makes me warm and fuzzy inside, because very soon, your pod's gonna get fixed and you'll be sent back on your way.", Glad One grinned.
"Too bad you're asleep and you'll never hear this.", Sad One spoke.
"Hm. I suppose this documentary's more for me than anyone else. Maybe it's time I stopped.", Glad One guessed.
"Yes, do that!", M.T. urged.
"Instead, I'm gonna guess what Atticus is doing right now.", Glad One spoke, peeving M.T. as she groaned.
"1, barking. 2, rolling over.", Glad One spoke as M.T. covered her ears in annoyance, not knowing that Tulip and Pink Steven were peeping from the pod the moment they heard Atticus' name.
"3, he's dead. A pile of dog bones on the side of a long-forgotten road.", Sad One added.
"4, he's only playing dead. A pile of not bones on a not-forgotten road.", Glad One added as M.T. started drowning out the video with her "la-la-la's".
"Woof. Good thing Atticus wasn't there for that.", Tulip commented.
"You're telling me?", Pink Steven agreed as the pod continued across the train.
About half an hour later, the pod slowed down to a halt.
"What happened?", Pink Steven puzzled.
"I think we're here.", Tulip guessed.
"Could be.", Glad One added before Tulip and Pink Steven looked down from the hole with M.T. sleeping with a snore, about to wake her up when the video popped up.
"We're here!", Glad One spoke after making a bugle sound.
"What?", M.T. puzzled.
"Don't get excited. It doesn't look very special.", Sad One spoke.
Then, M.T. rubbed her eyes and then looked out to see that they're only halfway outside the car.
"Well, he's right about that, at least for the outside.", Pink Steven commented.
"Fun fact: the tape car is the only car where the universe is projected on the outside.", the pod spoke in Glad One's voice.
"It's what's outside that counts.", the pod added in Sad One's voice.
"Honestly, I'm more curious about what the inside actually looks like.", Pink Steven commented before a hole opened up beneath the pod before it descended through it with the hole closing afterwards.
Then, Tulip, M.T., and Pink Steven looked around, noticing the pods on the walls as well as the porters in charge of keeping track of them. Eventually, though, the pod then faced down and went back to the wall, causing Tulip, Pink Steven, M.T., and One-One to fall off before landing on the ground before standing back up.
"Is everyone all right?", Pink Steven asked.
"Yeah. We're good.", Tulip responded.
"I thought that was a good slide down.", Glad One commented before one of the porters was shown stepping forward as M.T. and the others tried to hide with the porter passing by them without a glance.
"There's not much use trying to hide. They're programmed to do their jobs, which is looking after the pods.", Glad One assured in a "6-inch voice".
"Alan Dracula.", M.T. whispered before he then went over to her, turning into a snake, wrapping himself around her.
"All right. Let's get going.", Pink Steven spoke.
Then, the group walked down the stairs and looked down amidst the fog on a catwalk before a tape-like rope suddenly went up, catching them by surprise.
"Wait. Is that...?", Pink Steven puzzled.
"Yep. That's a tape.", Tulip responded.
"What's going on down there?", Pink Steven asked.
"Maybe one of the fresh passengers down there are getting formatted for a number.", Glad One responded.
"And by formatted, I mean getting their memories imprinted on tape before they get their number.", Sad One added.
"There's gotta be a way down there to know for sure.", Pink Steven spoke.
"How about down there?", M.T. asked with a smirk, pointing to the pipe.
"Yeah. That can work.", Tulip grinned before M.T. grabbed onto the pipe and slid down as Tulip and Pink Steven jumped out and went down just as steady as M.T.
During their descent, they observed several things which mystified. It looked as though they were entering a sort of foggy forest, only it was not actually a forest. Also, they could not understand how the tapes would manage to get made from the passengers memories and ascend upward seemingly to no end. Then, suddenly, M.T. landed on the ground butt-first before then landing on her back only to get brought back up toward the pipe as Alan Dracula returned to normal form and size before M.T. landed on her back again as Tulip and Pink Steven landed, but it was of no consequence as the pipe only gave her a slight headache and the ground below was as squishy as jelly and quite soft.
"You all right, M.T.?", Tulip asked.
"That was quite a nasty bump on the pipe back there.", Sad One added.
"Yeah. I'm okay. You okay, Alan Dracula?", M.T. asked before the deer snorted in response.
Then, M.T. turned around and noticed how squishy the ground is.
"Ugh. What is this place?", M.T. spoke in disgust.
"This is where passengers get their memories processed into tapes so they can be played to help us determine what number they each have so they can figure out how to get it down to 0.", Glad One stated as he and the others walked across a field of tapes.
"Yeah, but where are all these tapes coming from?", Pink Steven asked.
Just then, M.T. gasped upon noticing a porter before instinctively laying down to hide herself while Alan Dracula shrunk down before the porter passed by. The small deer them gave a cute bleat before M.T. shushed him with the deer attempting to eat the tape.
"Hey, don't eat that.", M.T. whispered, moving Alan Dracula away from the tape before giving a blade of grass to Alan Dracula, who ate it.
"Whose memories are those?", Pink Steven puzzled before he held the tape and saw a few scenes correlating to the events prior to the passenger's arrival.
"Mom, this one!", the girl spoke excitedly.
"That's a bearded dragon.", the mother spoke before skipping over to the next scene with the girl trying to set the rock down.
"Do you need some help?", the mother asked.
"No. I can do it.", the girl responded before going to the final scene which proved otherwise as the lizard was seen lying on the ground dead with his tongue swollen.
"It was an accident!", the girl sobbed, hugging her mother.
"Honey, I told you not to...", the mother began before Pink Steven gasped in shock.
"Steven! Are you okay?", Tulip asked.
"Huh? Oh. Y-yeah. I think so. It's just that...this girl. I think she and I may be alike under similar circumstances.", Pink Steven responded.
"What is this?", M.T. asked.
"If that's what bothers you, then I wouldn't suggest looking down beyond the tape.", Sad One warned.
"How come?", Pink Steven asked.
"Let's just say that's going to bother you a lot more.", Sad One responded before M.T. only pulled out a strand of hair before pulling on the ground to see the face of the girl from the memories, gasping in shock.
"I don't think bothering us a lot more does it justice, One-One.", Pink Steven commented before the little mini versions of One-One flashed red three times and then flashed green as they beeped and squeaked before moving away from the tape.
"Aw. These little guys actually look cute.", Tulip grinned.
"I know. They're like tiny me's.", Glad One agreed.
Then, a porter arrived, took the tape off, and then ate it, slurping it up before its eye glowed red, puzzling, if not worrying the others. After a moment, though, the eye then turned green before the porter then swam down toward the ground and swam away.
"Okay. I am so glad I was not awake for that when it happened to me. Twice.", Tulip commented.
"They...don't care about me.", M.T. guessed seeing as the porters didn't seem to notice.
"See? I told you there was not really any point in hiding. We're practically invisible.", Glad One responded as M.T. stood up with Alan Dracula regrowing back to normal size.
"Hey, weirdo!", M.T. shouted only for the porters to pass by, doing their jobs.
"Wow. You weren't kidding.", Pink Steven spoke.
"So, where to next?", Tulip asked.
"Next up, we got a long way down to the ever-famous number machine.", Sad One responded.
"Well, as long as we get there.", Pink Steven shrugged.
"Come on, Alan. Let's get out of here.", M.T. spoke just before the girl then started to come down, unwittingly causing M.T. to go along with her as she stepped through a hole.
"Alan, stay back!", M.T. urged.
"Hang on, M.T.! We'll get you out!", Pink Steven urged before he and Tulip rushed over to M.T. and tried to help pull her out only to wind up going down with her as One-One went over to Tulip.
"Alan?", M.T. asked frantically before she was drowned out in muffles.
"Oh, boy! That looks like fun!", Glad One grinned.
"A.D.! Looks like we might get sidetracked! You go look for Atticus and the others if they get to the tape car and get them to the number machine. We'll catch up!", Pink Steven urged while tossing some grass to Alan Dracula before Tulip and Pink Steven both wound up falling down along with M.T. as meanwhile, Alan Dracula picked up the grass with his mouth and then took off with a bleat.
Meanwhile, M.T., Tulip, and Pink Steven were sliding down inside the vein as they spun around twice.
"Sorry.", M.T. spoke, passing by a few passengers before One-One laughed excitedly.
"Okay, guys. Ready to jump?", Pink Steven asked.
"Ready.", Tulip responded.
"One..., two..., three!", Pink Steven shouted before the trio jumped off to get outside the vein and landed on the ground.
Then, they looked up to see a sort of series of veins as far as the eye can see.
"Wow. That's where passengers end up?", Tulip puzzled.
"Actually, that's just where they get dropped off. The real destination is just ahead.", Glad One spoke just as a passenger passed by, still sleeping as she slid down.
"And I think I know where we're headed. Come on, guys.", Tulip spoke before she, Pink Steven, M.T., and One-One followed the passenger as she floated down an apparent river.
"When all this is over, you and Jesse are gonna laugh about this. This'll be funny.", M.T. spoke to herself before a green glow shone brightly, prompting her, Tulip, Pink Steven, and One-One to look up.
"Oh, would you look at that? We're here.", Glad One spoke.
"It was so worth going down the slide.", Sad One added before Tulip, M.T., and Pink Steven looked on in wonder to see where the passengers are headed and saw a big screen monitor where the porters are as one of them took out the tape in its mouth labeled "Danny Nougat" and then placed it inside an apparent vhs hole to play the tape as it then showed a few scenes in his life prior to his arrival on the train.
"Thanks.", Danny spoke in one moment.
"I can't leave at 8:30.", Danny spoke over the phone at another.
"This proposal's ridiculous.", Danny ridiculed in the third moment.
Then, a porter walked up to Danny and held up his hand with Tulip, M.T., and the others looking up as the number machine powered on before then going down to Danny's hans with a small stick at the end emitting a small green light before then imprinting a number on his right hand which says 5,128.
"Whoa.", Tulip spoke in wonder.
"So, that's how numbers get grafted on your hand?", Pink Steven asked.
"Yes.", Sad One responded.
"The process is relatively painless, though.", Glad One added.
"Yes. Oufta. I better get a smaller number than that.", M.T. spoke as she, Tulip, One-One, and Pink Steven walk by the passenger as the number machine goes back up.
When it did, the pod appeared out of nowhere and opened up, traveling down before scooping up Danny and then closing with the water squirting out of the 6 holes before the water below the pod gets drained, clearing the way for a hole to open up, allowing the pod to go down and zoom backward before the hole closes with the water filling back up again, allowing another passenger to receive a number just as M.T. went in the river by the passenger with Tulip, Pink Steven, and One-One still on the ground.
"Sorry. I need this more than you.", M.T. apologized as the next passenger's number read 226 this time before she was the next to be escorted in a pod that was sent down as the water was drained and then filled back up again with M.T. and the girl approaching the center just as one of the porters put in the tape showing the three memories that Pink Steven saw before, but in fast motion.
"Come on, hurry it up!", M.T. urged.
"Take it easy. You don't need to be pushy about it.", Pink Steven commented.
Then, a porter went by and lifted up the girl's right hand just as M.T. looked at hers and smirked as the number machine went down. Sadly, though, the moment M.T. placed her right hand above the girl's, the machine's laser only went through M.T.'s hand surprising her, if not shocking her as Tulip and Pink Steven were puzzled as the girl's number was at 86.
"It didn't work?", Tulip puzzled.
"Let me guess. Denizens can't get numbers either?", Pink Steven guessed sarcastically.
"I'm not sure. Honestly, I didn't think a denizen would try to get a number.", Glad One responded before a pod arrived to pick the girl up and then went down the hole before zooming backward with the hole getting filled back up again with water.
"No! I'm here! Give me a number!", M.T. urged before the number machine only went up and retracted with M.T. starting to freak out.
"M.T.? Calm down. Find your happy place.", Tulip urged worriedly only for M.T. to growl angrily and then shout out to the porters.
"Listen to me! You don't think I deserve a number, do you?! Well, you gave a number to some lady who was sad about her dead lizard! How is that fair?!", M.T. shouted.
"Ouch. That's cold.", Sad One commented.
"Hey, take it easy, M.T. Calm down before you do something you might regret.", Pink Steven urged nervously.
"What? Do I need a sad lizard story?! Is that it?", M.T. asked before a porter seemingly ignored her while taking the tape out of its mouth, making it the last straw for M.T.
"Look at me!", M.T. shouted, grabbing the porter's face by force, making Tulip gasp.
"Wait, M.T.!", Pink Steven shouted.
"Ooooh, this is getting good.", Sad One smirked.
"I AM A PERSON! I DESERVE A NUMBER!", M.T. shouted, starting to break the porter's face, literally, as it cracked.
"No, no, no, no, don't!", Pink Steven urged only for M.T. to lash out and break the porter's face apart and shove it to the ground before it landed and then, after a moment, raise its hand with the tape on it and let go before letting it drop to the ground, making Pink Steven inhale sharply.
"Ooh. That's gotta hurt.", Tulip commented.
"And that porter was one day away from retirement, too...", Sad One sighed before M.T. started to become emotionally unstable as she started to get sad only to get angry again and reach for a pipe before breaking it off.
"M.T.! Wait!", Tulip urged, heading out for her, before Pink Steven stopped him as he put his arm in front of Tulip.
"No, Tulip. Stand back. This could get dangerous.", Pink Steven warned.
Then, M.T. went and whacked another porter to the ground and then doing the same to 2 others, panting before noticing the number machine and prepared to destroy it in a fit of rage as she raised the pipe. But when she thrusted downward, her wrist was caught by a metallic hand with three fingers.
Play Infinity Train Music: "The Conductor Appears (0:31)"
"That's quite enough!", a distorted voice exclaimed, making M.T. worried before she was backed up and forced down toward a wall before the steward laid down its 4 metal tentacles around M.T. and then lowered its face close enough to be shown in view before M.T. gasped in shock.
"You've really made quite a mess of things, haven't you? You must've went through a great deal to break in here and try to get your number.", the familiar robot spoke as a red wave moved.
"Amelia?!", Tulip and Pink Steven exclaimed.
"Wait. How do you guys know that thing?", M.T. puzzled.
"She's no thing. She's the passenger who took over the train for 33 years.", Sad One responded.
"Hello. That was quite a smashing job you've done guarding the place until I came back.", Glad One grinned.
"Wait. She's a passenger? Then, that means that she's...", M.T. began in realization.
"That's right. I'm the engineer.", Amelia spoke before the pod acting as a head for the suit opened up, showing Amelia working the controls.
"But you can call me Amelia.", Amelia greeted with a grin.
Infinity Train Music: "The Conductor Appears (1:02)"
A/N: So, what did you think about this revelation? Pretty surprising, isn't it? At any rate, after this story, I plan on making a story for Book Three sometime soon while I focus on my other stories as well. And I heard that the show is facing the threat of being cancelled. Not on my watch, it isn't and the petition on twitter could help make sure of that. You can bet on that. ;) I won't reveal any more details about my Book Three story than that until I post the last episode for the story. Until next time. :)