Chapter 5 - Keep an Eye Out
The crack of dawn over Sodor created a silver lining over the horizon, and a certain diesel engine biding his time at the Diesel Works had a perfect, serene view of it all. But the tranquility was short-lived, as three distinct engines could be heard puffing in the distance.
Diesel Ten smirked as the three engines approached, for he knew they would be back under unique circumstances, "Hello, Gentlemen."
"Gentlemen? You must be talkin' about someone else!" Bash scoffed.
"Yeah, we're 'The Locos' now!" Dash laughed hysterically.
"That's right!" Ferdinand pointed out with a sinister grin.
"What ever you call yourselves makes no difference. Now, I assume you've-," Diesel Ten began calmly, but Dash interrupted him.
"Hey, don't assume anything!"
"Why not?"
"Because it makes an ass out of u and me!" All three engines burst out laughing at Dash's joke, but Diesel Ten only found it half-baked and cringed in aggravation.
"But joking aside, we have come back for a good reason," Bash informed after calming down, wiping away a tear of joy with a single use of purple-colored magic.
"Pray tell," the diesel simply demanded.
"We need you to be our eyes of Sodor, if you will. Keep an eye on everyone here, and tell us if you find any threats to our plans."
Diesel Ten chuckled, "Oh, please. You three idiots could never come up with anything remotely clever. Who are you really working for?"
"Guess diesels aren't as stupid as we thought," Ferdinand muttered under his breath.
"No kiddin'," Bash admitted before looking back to Diesel Ten, "Our boss wants ta keep a low profile right now."
"I understand. A good evil genius makes sure to avoid spilling their secrets. Very well, I'll do what I can to keep you updated on the whereabouts of the morons on this island, but on one condition."
Luckily for Diesel Ten, the Locos were too dimwitted to notice his knowing grin, as he refused to inform them about a certain red E2 engine; he was quite certain that information like that was far too valuable.
"That depends," Dash growled threateningly.
"Why did you decide to make me corporeal again?"
The Locos all grinned maniacally at each other before Bash spoke for them, "Let's just say our boss knew to one of your previous masters."
Tod's boiler bubbled with far more excitement than usual, for today, Henry was taking him to the quarry to show him how to work with heavier loads.
"Who are we gonna meet today, Henry?" Tod asked with a smile, his eyes wandering all over the rocky walls when they entered the quarry.
"Well, most of the engines in the quarry are diesels," Henry politely replied.
"Like Lucky?"
"Exactly. There's the twins, Ben and Bill—they're tricksters, so be careful around them—oh, and then there's-."
"Hey, Henry!" Diesel's guttural voice echoed across the quarry, as he approached the said green engine in curiosity, "Get a different schedule this time? What brings ya here?"
"Oh, no. I was given the task of watching after the newest addition to the railway," Henry explained while Tod rolled into view beside him, "Diesel, meet Tod."
As soon as Diesel got a good look at the red engine, his oil ran cold; the mere similar appearance to the monster he knew way back when made his heart stop, for he feared all of Sodor was in danger once again.
"S-Sorry, but I really gotta g-get back ta work!" Diesel stuttered fearfully, his engine sputtering as he made a quick get away.
Henry quickly noticed the confused look on Tod's face, "Oh, don't worry about him. He's probably just stressed and wants to get the day over with."
"Uh-huh…" Tod simply stated while following Henry, but he couldn't take his mind off of the engine he just met and heavily pondering, Diesel…why does that name sound so familiar?
Soon, though, Henry's kind voice pulled the young engine from his thoughts, "Ok, Tod, I'm going to show you how to work with troublesome trucks today."
"W-What now?"
Tod blushed in embarrassment when Henry chuckled, "These trucks here have minds of their own, so you need to be careful and don't let them have their way. Here, watch me…"
With that, the green engine puffed forward as the trucks cackled while scheming to trick him, but he proved them powerless when he rammed into them. And after literally knocking some sense into them, the trucks were too dazed to focus and let Henry couple up to them, pulling the empty trucks back towards the loading station.
"Ha! Dazed and confused!" Tod exclaimed in amusement while following Henry.
"I guess you could say that," Henry laughed, "Now, let me show you how to place the trucks underneath the loading station correctly. It takes patience and precise movements…"
But just as Henry finished his sentence, he passed underneath the loading station and debris was accidentally unloaded too soon, showering him with rocks and covering him in dust.
Tod instantly started snickering at Henry's misfortune, making the latter blush in embarrassment. But when Tod burst out laughing, Henry couldn't help but smile, too.
"Oopsy daisy," Henry giggled.
"It's ok, Henry!" Tod quickly reassured when he finally recollected himself, taking Henry by surprise, "If there's anything you've taught me so far, it's that you should always have faith in yourself. And I have faith in you."
"Who's being cheesy now?"
As the teacher and student continued to laugh away, Diesel watched from afar, refusing to take his focus off of Tod; he knew that however Tod came to be, it could only be related to Thomas. And due to past experiences, Tod would no doubt become the same monster.
"Who's that?" Ben asked as he and his twin brother rolled up to Diesel, looking down at Tod in curiosity.
"What the-? He looks like Thomas," Bill pointed out in shock.
"I know. His name's Tod," Diesel grumbled and paused, "I need you two to do me a favor."
"What kind of favor?" the twins questioned in sync.
"Watch out for Tod, and let me know if you see anything weird."
As evening approached, Daisy and her son, Lucky, headed to the quarry together in search of a certain ebony diesel engine and go back home with him. And the engine they were looking for a was plum tuckered out from the day's work, as he uncoupled from the last freight cars he had to shunt.
"Hoo, if I never shunt again, it'll be too soon," Diesel grunted in exhaustion.
"Oh, must you complain about everything, Dear?" Daisy joked as she and Lucky approached; the two older engines gently buffering up to each other in what seemed like a lovingly embrace, much to Lucky's disgust.
"Ew, gross!" Lucky gagged at his parents.
"Ya know, I thought the same thing before I met your mother," Diesel retorted with confidence.
"Is there a point to this?" Lucky asked flatly.
"Not now, but maybe someday. L'amour vous trouvera!" Daisy added cheerfully.
Their son only scoffed at that before chuffing away in an attempt to explore, to which Diesel quickly added, "Your mom and I need ta discuss something, but be ready ta go in a few minutes!"
"Is something wrong, Amour?" Daisy questioned worriedly.
"I'd bet on it, but we gotta talk somewhere more private," Diesel replied under his breath, and lead his wife towards a siding that ran up a hill.
Meanwhile, Lucky smiled and said hello to Henry when he passed by, even asking if Tod was around; his smile grew even bigger when Henry told him yes, and quickly set off in search of his new friend.
But when Lucky did find Tod, he was surprised to find him sitting alone by some buffers in a narrow, shadowy rock gap.
"Hi, Lucky!" Tod greeted happily when he noticed the said young diesel.
"Hey, Tod. Uh, what're doing over here? And where are your diver and fireman?" Lucky asked out of great confusion.
"One of my levers sounded a little squeaky, so they went looking for maintenance to go get some oil."
"Oh…well, anyway, have you met my dad yet? His name's Diesel."
Just as Lucky said that, Tod glanced up to find Diesel and Daisy going up the hill, grimacing at the memory of earlier that day, "Yeah, I have…"
"Well, whaddya think?"
Tod couldn't help but feel guilty when Lucky expressed high hopes, so he was determined not to crush them—too much, "I dunno. He seems kinda…tough…towards me."
"Yeah, but he's a real big softy once you get to know—trust me, I know. I tell ya, my parents are the biggest…"
But as Lucky went on, Tod's attention was suddenly averted to a few crumbling rocks from the tracks that Diesel and Daisy had traveled down; more importantly, the pebbles soon became rocks and rocks became boulders. Until finally, one giant boulder was pushed off of the track, and threatened to crush an unsuspecting Lucky below.
Tod didn't even have time to warn Lucky, for the boulder tipped over and succumbed to gravity, making him close his eyes tightly to avoid seeing his friend's demise—but the bone-crunching, metal-twisting sound never came.
The red engine reluctantly and slowly opened one eye, in which tiny trails of a red aura crackled from the edge of his iris, and both eyes instantly opened as wide as dinner plates. The boulder was supported just mere inches above Lucky, and engulfed in a sparkling blanket of crimson.
"Um, Tod? What's goin' on with your eyes?" Lucky cut off his story when he noticed that Tod obviously wasn't paying attention, as well as the strange red colors flaring from his eyes.
In a blind panic, Tod blacked out for a split second, which resulted in the boulder finally dropping with a loud thud on the side of the track. This finally caught Lucky's attention, as he moved back a few inches and stared at the large rock in amazement.
"Holy horns! That thing could've killed me!" the diesel exclaimed in surprise, but suddenly started laughing hysterically, "I guess that's why they call me 'Lucky'!"
"I guess so," Tod whimpered.
"Lucky, c'mon! It's time ta go!" Diesel boomed as he and Daisy oiled back down the same hill, but they failed to notice Tod.
"Coming!" Lucky shouted back and backed out to catch up before adding quietly, "See ya later, Tod."
"But are you sure they're related?" Daisy whispered to Diesel, making sure their son didn't hear their conversation when he got closer.
"Trust me, I've seen and experienced what Thomas could do—I could never forget his malicious face," Diesel growled in response, "Be careful around him, Daisy, and keep Lucky close. We can't have him fraternizing with a traitor."
Meanwhile, too stunned to say goodbye back, Tod only sat there in silence while trying to comprehend what had just happened. How could it happen? Why did it happen? Why did the boulder stop only because he wished it to? And more importantly, what caused the boulder to fall?
"Tod, there you are!" Henry exclaimed when he found the said young E2 engine, just as Tod's driver and fireman returned with the oil to loosen up the squeaky lever, "It's time to go home—hey, are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost."
True to Henry's word, Tod's face was as pale as snow and his pupils had shrunk down to shaky pinpricks. But not wanting to alarm his caretaker, Tod quickly recomposed himself.
"Uh, yeah, no! I-I'm perfectly fine, just, uh…a little tired?" Tod lied with a sheepish smile, to which Henry luckily bought.
"No need to worry about that. You'll be tucked up safe and sound at the Steam Works in no time."
Tod lay awake that night, even though Victor and Kelly slumber peacefully close by and crickets chirped a calming lullaby. Nothing could calm his nerves. He wanted answers, needed them, but there was not a single soul he could trust with this information. Trust…who could he trust?
Then, albeit by utter random, Tod had a theory: Maybe Diesel pushed the boulder. He didn't want to believe that the father of his friend would do such a thing, but Diesel didn't act so kindly towards him either. And at the sheer thought Diesel, Tod thought of another engine, the very same one who warned him about who he should trust.
Tod needed to speak with him immediately, but he knew he could do nothing since his driver and fireman had already left for home hours ago.
What am I gonna do? I can't do this without anyone knowing, Tod thought in frustration, if only I could move on my own…
Just then, Tod felt his entire being jerk forward and his wheels creaked ever so lightly; he gasped when he realized he had actually moved, and his heart raced at the thought of moving without any help.
H-How…how is this possible? Tod pondered as his wishful thinking caused him to move again, this time a yard backwards. Almost instantly, he thought of Victor and Kelly and their reactions if they saw him, so he quickly yet quietly puffed out of his ward. Much to his relief, the Cuban engine and pink crane were still deeply asleep.
And with that realization, Tod knew one thing for certain as he snuck past the two and left the Steam Works, If anyone can shed some light on this, it's you, Diesel Ten.
Just as Diesel Ten expected, he heard the familiar chuffing a certain red E2 engine getting closer, as he waited just outside the dimly lit Diesel Works. A shadowy figure quickly approached him, and his red paint was revealed due to the light coming from within the building.
"Hello again, Tod. Miss me?" Diesel Ten greeted boastfully.
"N-Not exactly…I-I need some answers," Tod replied shakily.
"Oh, I get it. You're all alone, so you come to me."
"I-I'm not alone."
"No, I mean, you're literally alone—you think I didn't notice your cab was empty?" Diesel Ten paused and approached Tod's right side, extending his claw and patting his boiler comfortingly. "Have no fear, Tod, I have all the answers you need—but quid pro quo, you have to promise me something."
"Anything, I promise! Please, just help me!" Tod begged, making Diesel Ten grin in appeasement.
"You can't tell anyone about me or our meetings, not a single soul. Do you understand, Little Steamie?" the diesel hissed, clamping his claw to emphasize his point.
Tod audibly gulped in fear, but complied, "Yes."
"Perfect. Now, what is it you wish to discuss first?"
"Well—you said I should be careful with who I trust…"
"That I did."
"A-And I think you're right."
"How so?"
The young engine's drifted about in reluctance, "I think…I think someone tried to kill me, or maybe my friend."
Tod failed to notice Diesel Ten's smirk return, "Did they succeed?"
"No, actually. I…I…"
"You what?"
Tod finally looked Diesel Ten in the eyes, and his pupils once again shrank in utter terror. But what Tod didn't notice was the tiny spark of crimson fizzing at the edge of his irises again; though, Diesel Ten immediately noticed and smiled brightly, but thought it was best not to expose this shaken engine to the truth just yet.
"Very well. If you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to. We'll come back to that later," Diesel Ten reassured.
"Thank you," Tod sighed in relief.
"But there is another important matter we must tend to. Tell me, who do you think tried to hurt you?"
"He's some diesel engine who works at the quarry. His name's Diesel."
The mere second Diesel's name rolled off of Tod's tongue, Diesel Ten's smile turned to a grimace of clenched teeth and his eyes widened while flashing bright red.
"Diesel," he repeated in a sinister snarl.
"You know him?" Tod questioned, shuttering at Diesel Ten's glowing eyes, but left it alone for the sake of not angering him more than he clearly already is.
Memories of when Diesel and Norman helped him capture Percy and threaten Thomas came flooding back to Diesel Ten, but more importantly, the memory of how Diesel got away unscathed and betrayed him.
"Yes, I knew him for a time," Diesel Ten growled and oiled back into the building, "You should go."
"But-."
"Now." Diesel Ten's voice echoed within Tod's mind, effortlessly striking fear into him and involuntarily making him back out of the Diesel Works. Not only was this clawed diesel unpredictable and dangerous, but…
But he's also the only one who might have an idea as to who or what I really am, Tod confirmed.
So, Tod has discovered new abilities that are impossible for all other engines to accomplish, and Diesel Ten is the only one who can teach him how to make use of them.
Until the next chapter, I'm TRikiD, bye-bye!
