Author's Note: Firstly, apologies for the length of this chapter. A lot happens here and it didn't feel right to split it up into two chapters. Secondly, there is a warning for one instance of bad language. I can't believe I'm nearing the end of this fic, but have no fear, there are still a few chapters left! It's a rollercoaster from here on out though!
"You're losing your touch, bro!" An equally shiny electric train sidled up to Electra, flashing a grin before checking himself out in the reflection of his paintwork. "What made you so late?"
"The usual. A signal failure," Electra rolled his eyes at his brother.
"Ah, humans! They expect us electrics to be punctual yet they are the ones who are so unreliable!" Sparx shook his head.
Electra and Sparx were known as "double trouble" at the station. The twins had arrived with such fanfare and celebration earlier in the year; hailed as the newest generation of locomotive. Built to be faster, reliable and more fuel efficient than their diesel counterparts. They attracted quite a crowd with their flashy blue and red paintwork and their dazzling Mohawks. They were an immediate hit with the coaches, who practically fell over themselves fawning over them, and idolised by the younger trains. Both trains basked in the attention. They had been glorified on the front of newspapers and magazines, featured on TV and there were even suggestions of a release of model trains, complete with their extravagant hairstyles. They were the talk of the town, by trains and humans alike.
"Excited to be heading to New York?" Electra nudged his brother.
He hadn't made any attempt to conceal his jealousy at Sparx being selected for deployment to New York, although he couldn't stay mad at him for long.
"Sure am! I can't wait to check out all the coaches!" The electric ran a hand effortlessly though his hair. "I heard the New York ladies are a catch!"
At that, Electra wrinkled his nose in annoyance. When his brother didn't respond, Sparx laughed and gave him a playful punch on the arm. "Cheer up bro! I'll be sure to bring a pretty one back for you!"
At that, Electra's lips curled into a smile. "You better or I'll disown you!"
Jut then, the station tannoy announced the next departure to New York.
"That's me! Best be heading!" As Sparx pushed forward toward the platform, he glanced over his shoulder to his brother. "Don't miss me too much!"
As he wasn't scheduled for departure for another hour, he decided to see his brother off properly and follow him up by the separate track which swept up the hill to give him the perfect view. After a few moments, he heard the whistle declaring departure and Electra dashed ahead up towards the hill. He grinned with delight as he reached the viewpoint; his brother wouldn't be impressed that he got there first. The electric watched as his brother glided effortlessly along the single track, picking up speed. He glanced to the side and gave a brief whistle of acknowledgement which Electra returned with a grin. Then, something caught Electra's attention in his peripheral vision.
It all happened so fast.
A frantic blast of a horn. The screech of brakes. An almighty smash. The crushing of steel. Then, just mangled and twisted metal remained, an eerie silence falling. Electra couldn't tear his eyes away from the scene.
It had only taken five seconds. Five seconds and his brother had been obliterated in front of his eyes, torn to shreds. Ripped away mercilessly. Electra had watched as several humans crawled out of the wreckage of both trains, many clearly injured. He watched as a young girl, no older than five or six, scrambled from the wreckage, seemingly unscathed. Their eyes met. The girl, pale as a sheet, stared at him blankly, her face devoid of emotion. In that moment, Electra was overcome with rage and hatred.
Human error; that's what the police had concluded in their investigation into the crash. The dispatcher responsible was charged with negligence and sentenced to two year's imprisonment.
"Ah, humans…they are the ones who are unreliable!" his brother's fateful words echoed in his ears.
Once they had completed their investigation, the remnants of his brother had been sent to the scrapyard. There, the humans stripped what little they deemed sellable, before the remains were unceremoniously shredded. They had no respect for trains. Sparx hadn't deserved that kind of send off. Electra could only watch on in anger.
A shrill whistle reverberating in his ears snapped Electra awake. He untangled himself from the sheets, soaked with sweat, and sat on the edge of the bed. He could never escape from that reoccurring nightmare. Some nights, he would just hear his brother's voice. Other times, he would relive that fateful morning, minute by minute. But every time he would see that horrific image; the grim aftermath of the head-on collision. He would always wake full of overwhelming rage and he loathed the world in those few minutes after awakening. Normally, Electra would simply head out to the gym before the rest of the yard awoke and work it out but today was different. There was only so many times he could withstand seeing those haunting images and do nothing.
He was going to do what he'd always set out to do and nobody was going to stand in his way.
He would get his revenge.
"It's today! It's today!"
Luna burst into the bedroom like a whirlwhind, fuelled with excitement as she jumped up and down on the bed. Greaseball groaned, covering his head with a pillow. He could prepare himself for the girl's loud nature on early mornings that were more predictable: Christmas Day and Luna's birthday perhaps. But today did not justify disrupting the peace and quiet he had been enjoying. Dinah, on the other hand, couldn't help but laugh at the girl; she wouldn't have it any other way.
"C'mon Greaseball! You gotta get up!" the girl cried, making an attempt to snatch the pillow from his head as she continued to bounce.
Underneath the pillow, Greaseball grinned and decided there was only one thing for it. He leapt up and gave a playful roar as he made to grab Luna by the waist, hauling her down and tickling her, filling the room with her bubbly laughter. Beside them, Dinah propped herself up on one arm, watching on with a smile, Luna's laughter music to her ears.
"So Luna, who do you want to win today?"
Dinah had promised Luna that after her fifth birthday she could watch the races and ever since that day two weeks prior, the girl hadn't stopped talking about it. Today was the heats and everyone was pumped for it.
"You and Greaseball!" Luna exclaimed without hesitation, throwing her arms in the air, before stopping to consider this further. She furrowed her brow as she proceeded to count off the other trains on her fingers. "But I have to cheer on Pearl and Rusty and Aunt Ashley and Aunt Buffy…oh, and Joulie and Volta!"
"So…just about everyone then?" Greaseball chuckled, ruffling the girl's long hair.
Luna nodded furiously.
Well, I have no doubt you'll be the best cheerleader!" Greaseball said as he finally rolled out of bed.
"Come on then, sunshine," Dinah smiled, tapping the girl's nose playfully. "We better get some breakfast!"
Later that morning, Dinah and Greaseball rolled up to the racetrack, Luna in tow on her new bike. Having outgrown her pink bike and no longer requiring training wheels, Rusty and Pearl had gifted her a new bike for her birthday. This time, the frame was a sky blue with a streak of purple, with pink streamers flowing from the handlebars and a white wicker basket at the front, perfect for Saffie to accompany her on cycles. Seeing the other trains huddled together as they chatted excitedly before the heats, she quickly pedaled ahead. But, as she got closer, she was abruptly stopped by a heavy foot on her bike wheel. Luna visibly squirmed and shrunk in discomfort as her eyes met Electra's ice cold glare.
"And just where do you think you're going?" the electric towered over her, further intimidating the girl.
Luna gulped. Before she could try to respond, Greaseball stormed over, having witnessed Electra halt the girl in her tracks. "Leave her alone, Electra!" he cautioned
By this time, the other trains had heard the commotion and had gathered round. Once again, Electra had an audience.
"The racetrack is no place for a child," Electra growled, his jaw clenched.
Dinah joined his side, arms folded. "She isn't gonna be on the track. She's just hear to watch."
Seeing Luna's anxious expression, Greaseball shoved the electric off of her bike. "Back off from her! She's just a kid! She's no threat to your precious race!" His last sentence was full of mockery and it only served to further agitate Electra.
"Control! Control!" The familiar authoritative voice over the tannoy interrupted them. "Heat one in fifteen minutes!"
Nostrils flared, Electric gave the girl a final glower before he turned to leave to find C.B. The other trains dispersed to prepare, leaving just Pearl, Dinah and Greaseball.
Greaseball's eyes bored into Electra's back as he left. "I'm gonna make sure I kick his electric ass today." He turned to Dinah. "Meet you at the starting line."
With that, he too rolled off. Dinah had approached Pearl yesterday and had asked if she would mind watching Luna whilst she raced with Greaseball seeing as she and Rusty were in the second heat. Pearl, as expected, was more than happy to help.
The younger coach crouched down to the girl's level, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "You ok, sweetpea?"
Luna's smile quickly returned at the term of endearment. "Yup!" she nodded firmly.
With that, the pair guided Luna towards the edge of the track by the grandstands. Dinah knelt to the girl's level, resting a hand on the girl's handlebars.
"Alright Luna, you stay here with Pearl, ok? Now, see that line?" The dining car carefully pointed out the thick white line that marked the very outer edge of the track. "You mustn't cross that line, you understand? It's very dangerous out there on the track when the races are on."
"Don't cross the line. Got it!" the girl gave the thumbs up.
Content that the girl would be safe, Dinah stood. "Alright, see you at the finish line," She turned to leave.
"Dinah!"
She hesitated and gently turned her head.
"You're gonna win," Luna said with a confident smile. "I know it!"
"Three….two…one….trains gone!"
The first four sets of trains launched themselves out onto the track:
Bobo and Buffy, Hashamoto and Volta, Greaseball and Dinah and Electra and C.B. Electra confidently bolts ahead to take the lead, much to Greaseball's frustration, making him work harder and build up more speed. The heat was remarkably uneventful which made Greaseball wary. It wasn't like Electra and Caboose not to play dirty. As they rounded the corner nearing the finishing line, Electra grinned. Now was his moment. Falling back slightly, allowing Greaseball and the others to briefly get ahead, he eyed Luna at the edge of the track, the pretty first class car standing just behind, distracted as she spoke to Rusty. He outstretched his arm and used his magnetism on the girl's bike to shift her front wheel and pull it forward. Luna, enraptured by the race astride her bike, at first doesn't register the subtle movement of her bike. As the trains thundered down the track with the finishing line in their sights, a sudden pull throws her bike out into the centre of the track in front of them. Greaseball is the first to clock the flash of blue and purple. He slammed on his breaks, causing him to skid and uncouple Dinah and sending them both careering into the path of Bobo and Buffy. Buffy shrieked as Dinah collided with her and they roll off the track, narrowly missing being struck by Hashamoto and Volta as they pass on the outer track lane. Dinah clipped Hashamoto as she rolled off the track, throwing the Japanese train off course and sending him and Volta off the track too. Only Electra and C.B manage to escape unscathed, rolling to a stop at the edge of the track. The racetrack fell silent as the dust settled. Frozen in the middle, Luna was trembling, tears streaking down her cheeks, her heart pounding. What had just happened? How had she ended up on the tracks? Her eyes wide with fear, she desperately whirled her head around in search of the dining car.
"Dinah!" she howled, her voice breaking as she sobbed.
But it was Pearl who was first to respond to the girl's cries, racing over to her and skidding to a stop.
"Luna! Are you ok?"
But the girl ignored her question. "Where's Dinah?" she whimpered, unable to move from her bike. Her hands were gripping the handlebars so tightly her knuckles were white.
Dazed, the racers began to lift themselves from the ground. Ashley raced over to the two coaches as Dinah helped a shaky Buffy to her feet, the buffet car's face covered in cuts from the collision.
"What the hell happened?" Greaseball demanded.
But nobody had the answer. Leaving Buffy with Ashley, Dinah dashed over to Luna and effortlessly lifted the inconsolable girl into her arms. She turned and gave a look of disbelief at Pearl beside her.
"You were supposed to be watching her," the dining car said, her voice steady and firm. She couldn't even look the younger coach in the eye and she turned her back to the pink coach as Luna nuzzled into her hair.
"Dinah, I-"
"I asked you to watch her because I trusted you!" Dinah spun around. The outburst, so out of character for the usually sweet and gentle coach, made Pearl stagger back.
From the sidelines Electra watched, grinning ear to ear. He was tearing them apart, piece by piece. His plot may have failed but he'd taken another step towards getting rid of the brat. Causing tension between the coaches was a sure fine way of making the girl more vulnerable. Ashley and Buffy joined Dinah's side, the buffet car still visibly shaken from the crash. Ashley wrapped an arm around her in support.
Without tearing her eyes away from the pink coach, Dinah spoke. "Come on, girls. Let's go."
As the coaches rolled off towards the diner, the smoking car cast a sympathetic glance back at Pearl over her shoulder. The pink coach could only watch as her friends left, a single tear trailing down her cheek. It had all happened so quickly. She couldn't explain it; how Luna had ended up on the tracks. One minute she had been happily sat astride her bike watching with excitement as the trains approached the finishing line, the next she was paralysed in fear on the track. Rusty quietly rolled up behind her and squeezed her hand.
"I've let everyone down," she whispered, not lifting her eyes from the ground. "I just…don't know how it happened."
Rusty wrapped his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder. But for once, Pearl couldn't find any comfort; one question niggling away.
How did it happen?
By the time Dinah reached the diner with Ashley and Buffy, she was dealing with an unfolding tantrum whilst also trying to keep her own anger in check. There was so many thoughts swirling in her head. Why had Luna disobeyed her? Why had Pearl not been keeping a closer eye on her? None of which she had answers for. "I bet he thinks I can't race! But one day, I'll show him!" Surely she hadn't been trying to prove herself to Greaseball? Maybe she'd gone out on the track to race them at the final stretch and it went wrong?
"Dinah! It wasn't Pearl!" Luna cried for the umpteenth time.
"Luna, enough!" the dining car sighed as she reached into the freezer for a bag of frozen peas and passed them to Buffy to nurse the bruise that was blooming on her cheek.
But Luna was insistent. "NO!" she shouted, hot tears in her eyes, her fists clenched, her foot stomping the ground. She needed to be heard. "This is not her fault!"
Dinah could feel her patience wearing thin. She knew the girl would be quick to defend Pearl; she was fond of the younger coach so it was only natural. But it didn't help the anger that was boiling within her. She felt betrayed. Hurt. She had entrusted Luna to the first class car. She thought she'd be safe.
"Luna, stop it!"
The girl climbed into the bar stool next to Ashley with a scowl on her face and slammed her hand on the counter.
"It wasn't Pearl! My bike moved! It wasn't Pearl! My bike…" Luna hesitated, searching for the word. "…was pulled."
Dinah froze. Perhaps Luna was just saying that to protect Pearl but hearing her say those words sent a chill down her spine. Something didn't feel right. Buffy, tending to her bruised cheek, raised an eyebrow.
"Did you say pulled?" she turned her stool to face the girl.
Luna nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes.
Buffy paused and her gaze fell into her lap. She thought back to the race, recalling how she'd thought it was odd that Electra had fallen behind. She'd seen him outstretch his arm from the corner of her eye as she and Bobo had past him…He had tried to sabotage the race.
"That son of a-"
"That brat needs to go!" Electra burst into the diner, striding towards the counter.
Dinah whipped around the counter, her patience snapped. "Now just you wait a second-"
"You saw what happened back there! She could have killed someone! This is exactly why I wanted her rid of in the first instance! Humans can't be trusted!"
Before any of the coaches could speak, Electra made his move.
"I'm finishing this once and for all!"
He made a grab for Luna's arm, just as Dinah and Ashley leapt into action, the dining car shielding Luna as she blocked his hand, the smoking cart twisting his other arm behind his back. Electra smirked.
"You'll be sorry you ever protected her."
As he shocked them both, Pearl raced into the diner, having heard the commotion and took Luna's hand, guiding her out of the diner. Electra spun around and made a move towards them before Buffy blocked his path. This time she would stand her ground.
"Go ahead!" she said brazenly, head held high. "You'll never get Luna!"
Pearl took the opportunity to escape as the electric shocked the buffet car. As she heard her friend gasp, she had to force herself not to look back; she had to save Luna. As Dinah and Ashley recovered to their feet, they made their getaway. Ashley stopped in her tracks and turned back for Buffy. She refused to leave with her. Electra recharged, preparing to shock her again.
"Ash, go!"
Buffy leapt up and pinned the electric against the wall as the smoking car hesitantly obeyed, racing out of the diner to follow Pearl and Dinah. The buffet car looked Electra in the eye.
"You're a sick, twisted piece of metal!" she growled.
Furious and overloaded with electricity in his rage, the electric tightly gripped Buffy's shoulders and delivered another shock with a cackle.
Outside, Pearl had regrouped with Rusty, Greaseball, Volta and Joule by the components sheds, Dinah and Ashley catching up behind.
"We have to keep moving," Ashley urged, trying to catch her breath. "There's only so long Buffy will be able to hold him off for."
But they were too late. They could hear the furious buzzing of the electric train as he approached, storming towards them, C.B. shadowing behind. The group could see the blue flashes of electricity as it circulated through him. He was wired and ready. In response, Greaseball pushed Dinah and Luna behind him as the others formed a protective chain, standing their ground.
"This is over Electra!" Greaseball cried, his eyes narrowed in defiance.
Electra silently rolled up to the diesel, his eyes wild and frenzied. Without warning, he shocked Greaseball with a single jolt of electricity, causing Dinah to gasp. Greaseball tensed, his fists clamped tight as he gritted his teeth, bearing the searing pain as it rippled through him. He refused to let himself fall.
The electric laughed. "You can't win, you fool! The girl is mine!"
At that, another shock struck. A cry ripped from the diesel's throat as the pain brings him to his knees. Dinah, now exposed, grips Luna tighter. Rusty races to their defence only to be stopped by a blow from C.B, knocking the steam train to the ground. As Rusty tries to get back to his feet, another punch knocks him back down. Pearl flinches beside Dinah, as she stifled a cry.
"Not such a tough steamer now, are you Rusty!" C.B mocked.
Electra smirked, his arms outstretched. "Does anyone else want to have a try?"
Then, the dynamite truck rolled forward, quick as a flash and caught C.B. off guard. She kicked him down to the ground before Electra grabbed her from behind, lifting her up from the ground by the throat.
"I bet you thought you were being smart disobeying me!"
Joule choked and flailed frantically as his grip tightened around her throat.
"Not my sister, you bastard!"
Volta ploughed full force into the electric, knocking him to the ground, releasing Joule. Seeing their chance, Ashley, Pearl and Dinah made a run for it with Luna. Electra cried in fury as he shocked the sisters, before rising to his feet. He pulled C.B up from the ground.
"Stop them!" bellowed the electric, as the pair bolted after the coaches. C.B. set his sights on Pearl as she desperately tried to keep up with the older coaches. As she slipped behind, Caboose powered up and grabbed a fistful of her pink hair, pulling her to the ground. Her scream makes Ashley falter and look back as Electra approached. The smoking car quickly falls victim to his powers and Dinah could only watch helplessly as she crumpled to the ground, paralysed by the crippling agony of the shock.
The chain weakened, it was now just her and Luna. Electra narrowed his eyes at the dining car.
"Hand her over, Dinah. Don't make this difficult for yourself."
Dinah glanced down at the girl as she clutched her hand. She was shocked by the girl's eyes that met hers. There wasn't a trace of fear in her features. She looked calm; almost serene.
"It's ok, Dinah. I'm not scared of him."
Just then, she felt the child release her hand and before she knew it, the girl was slowly approaching the electric.
"Luna!" Instinctively, she went to grab the girl back but felt a strong grip restrain her. Greaseball had joined her side.
"Let her go, Dinah," he whispered into her ear as the dining car looked on.
Luna stopped in front of the electric, her face soft.
"I know you're hurting."
The simple words made Electra freeze. He looked at the girl, her long brown hair whipped by the wind. Surely she couldn't know. It was impossible…
"What did you say?"
"You're hurting," the girl repeated, her voice steady. "You've felt alone all these years but you were determined to be the superstar train you were before."
Electra cast a glance back at Joule and Volta; just two parts of his component entourage that had made him who he was.
"Humans became your enemy; a threat. You blamed them for what happened. What you forgot was that others were hurting too."
A flash of a memory; the crash. The noise. The dust. The girl.
The girl pulled from the wreckage. There to serve as a reminder that he wasn't the only victim that day. It wasn't just his brother involved in the crash; it was human lives too. The crash had been a tragedy on many counts. Whilst Electra had lost his brother, other people had also lost their loved ones: mothers, fathers, sisters, sons, daughters… Electra recalled the newspaper headline the following morning: 150 dead after train crash tragedy. The girl. How her vacant blue eyes had bore right through him…he had been stunned at how blue they were. Those very eyes were now staring back at him.
Electra, for the first time, felt powerless. He sunk to his knees, the other trains watching in disbelief as they slowly gathered around. The girl took another step towards him as he lifted his head, revealing tears in his eyes. Suddenly, he was overwhelmed; a multitude of emotions washing over him. The girl had made him feel again. After his brother's death, he had shut off his emotions, only feeling anger. Now, the true scale of his actions hit home. He didn't want to be this monster, this beast that had reared it's ugly head before his brother had even been shredded. He looked at the girl, then to each of the trains around him, one by one, each of them bearing the scars of his conflict. His war. And for what? He now realised disposing of Luna wouldn't have achieved anything; it wouldn't bring his brother back. In fact, it would have broken the yard apart, this family unit like no other. It would have been him that would have destroyed it all.
"I'm sorry," he uttered, shaking his head.
To his surprise, when he lifted his head, his eyes met Greaseball, his hand outstretched. He hesitantly took it and rose to his feet. Before he could find the words to say anything, he was interrupted by the smoking car.
"Wait," Ashley looked around frantically. "Where's Buffy?"
I'd love to hear your thoughts! Please feel free to review or send me a PM with your comments.