Slugterra Fanfic
Chpt 22: Train Wrecker

"Come On Eli!" said Derek, the little kid sitting behind Slugterras latest hero.
Eli urged Lucky forward pulling closer to the train.
"Just a little more, a little more." Eli muttered as he drew up next to the speeding train.
Trixie and Pronto were distracting the guards on the train, while Kord flanked the other side.
And Derek? Well the poor kid managed to get himself stuck on the train. Eli had managed to get him off but when he heard what Derek saw in there, he knew he had to stop the train.
"Now Eli!" Kord called as his Rammstone opened up a hole in the side of the train.
"Stay on Lucky, Derek. I'll be back." The little boy looked up wide-eyed at his hero, as Eli leapt at the hole.
He hit the side hard and had to pull himself up into the trains' great berth.
Regaining his footing he ran towards the control room, taking out any guards that stood in his way.

Reaching the door to the control room, he paused and loaded Burpy into his blaster, before stepping into the doorway.
The man at the wheel turned and instantly put his hands up in the air.
Eli motioned his blaster towards the door, a simple 'Get out now or get fried' gesture.
The man walked slowly past, Eli following his every move.
CRACK

Something hard hit Eli in the head from his other side.
"Ah!" He cried as he hit the floor hard, blaster skimming out of reach.

A tall lanky Darkbane loomed over him, a shotgun style blaster held in its claws.
It loaded the blaster and narrowed its eyes.
"I will enjoy this!" It hissed.
Elis eyes widened and he kicked his legs out, knocking the Darkbane off balance and causing the fired ghoul to miss his head, just.
Eli lunged for his blaster but had to quickly block a punch with his arms.
The Darkbane swung the blaster like a demented batter, Eli having to move fast just to dodge or block. Twice the weapon smashed a hole in the controls but the creature seemed not to notice.
Then the demon lunged at Elis chest, and as he dodged back, the blaster swung and knocked his legs out from under him.
Twice in a row, he hit the ground hard.

The Darkbane prowled towards him, a hellish fire in his eyes and Eli scrambled for his blaster.
His hands met the handle and he instantly aimed and fired.
His Xmitter shot straight at the Darkbane, who simply batted it easily aside.

"That all you got, Shannnne?" The beast drawled, the red light making it even more ominous.
Eli fumbled for his slug cartridges as the Darkbane came to claim his prize.
It loaded a Boon Death into the chamber, grinned
Aimed
Then a giant bolt of white electricity came out of the damaged control board and knocked the Darkbane unconscious. But not before lighting him up like a Christmas Tree
Eli risked a glance over at the ruined dashboard, to see the Xmitter sitting in its transformed state.
"No!" Eli cried as he realized that the train was no longer electrically operational.
He tried typing in the passcode and pressing the brake but nothing worked. The Xmitter had burnt it all out.
Eli checked the speed.
500km/ph. This thing was running on momentum
Not good, considering that these trains were impossible to stop.
"Guys," Eli radioed them using his earpiece, "We have a major problem."

"What?" Kord asked.
"How about a 'Speeding, unstoppable, runaway train' problem."

"Uh-oh." Kord groaned.

The train kept thundering past like a giant black snake, moving at incredible speed.

I was slumped on the table, groaning quietly. Twist was beside me with a bored look on his face.
School lectures were fine with me, but ones from Crazy Q? No floppin' way.
Even Blakk looked bored, his fingers drumming impatiently as Quentin discussed the anatomy, energy and all the other things known to mankind, about Darkbane and they're ghoul energy.
"Now as you see here, this object of mystery has been solved by yours truly. How? You may ask keenly, well I'll tell you!" He blabbed on and on until I couldn't take it anymore.
I needed to do something! I started to play with Skies control on my glove. I fiddled with the coding until I got an idea.
I nudged Twist, who, in turn, looked at me hopefully. I smiled once and nodded my head.
His mouth stretched into a smile and he turned his attention back to Crazy Q.

I quickly typed in a command into my control and listened hard, trying to block out Quentins nasally voice.
A first I thought I heard it but it was to quiet to be sure.
I typed Louder.

Definitely heard that.
I jerked my head up, pretending to hear something.
Twist watched me, "What?" He whispered.
Another bang sounded. Closer.
"Did you hear that?" I asked. Some of the guards in the room stirred and looked around.
Another bang and the shrieking of metal being torn apart.
Doctor Blakk raised his head, "What was that?" He demanded.
Crazy Q looked furious everyone wasn't listening to him again "I'm sure it was nothing. Now back to what I was saying…" He was interrupted by a roar and another bang, followed by a crash.
I stood up and walked to the door.
"Kaiya, wait!" Twists hand stopped on my shoulder.

I shrugged it off and opened the door.
WHOOF.

I gasped for air as all of my breath was pushed out of me.
Skies had head-butted me in the stomach and had lifted me up off the floor.
He was purring softly.
"Put…me..down." I gasped and he lowered his head obediently.
I slipped off and Twist caught me.
"Awww, geez. You've gotta hard head Skies. You could stop a train with that thing." I laughed as my breath returned.
Twist helped me keep my feet, "You got Skies to interrupt this thing? Seriously?" His breathe tickled my ear.
I grinned at him, "Wouldn't you?"
Quentin had hopped off his little stand and was making his way furiously to me.
"Kaiya. Why in all of the Deep Caverns, did your mecha have to interrupt my informative speech?"
I shrugged at the mad scientist, "I dunno, maybe he got bored?"
Quentin looked like he was about to blow his top, until Blakk stepped in.
"How about we take a break. Kaiya, you take care of your," He waved a hand at Skies, still standing in the doorway, "thing, while we grab a bite."
"Sure thing, Doctor Blakk!" Twist let go of me reluctantly and headed off with Blakk, while I mounted Skies.
"I've always wanted to ride you inside, let's see how this plays out."
Skies leaned forward expectantly, metal plates sliding underneath each other to make himself smaller and thinner, therefore more nimble on his metallic feet.
"GANGWAY!" I hollered as we pounced forward.

Skies dodged and weaved around every corner we came across, leaving me hanging on for dear life. I had never had so much fun in my life!
We leapt over the odd surprised guard and I always looked back to see their faces.
I straightened up when we hit a long stretch of corridor.
"WOO HOO!" I yelled as we rocketed past Twist who had just left an office.
I watched his startled face as we past, "Hey Twist!" I called, my grip slipping a little on Skies handlebars. My ride turned a corner and I lost my grip and went flying into the wall.
THUNK went the wall as I hit it hard and slid to the ground.
"Not again…" I groaned holding my head.
Skies immediately sensed my weight was missing and applied the brakes, leaving four marks of three claws in the ground as he slid to a halt.
Twist and Nicole rushed over to me, helping me up to my feet as I rubbed the back of my head.
"Thanks." I grinned weakly as my two friends helped me waddle over to Blakk, who was looking not impressed by what he had seen.
He strode over to me, stroking his forehead with his fingers, "Kaiya." He sounded a little more annoyed than usual, "When I let you live here, I expected you to treat this place with some respect. You have done so for the majority of the time here but I would've expected you to know that riding mecha beasts, especially YOUR mecha beast, in my citadel, is not allowed!" He glared at me.
I smiled sheepishly but cringed on the inside. "My apologies, Doctor Blakk. It won't happen again…"

"without good reason." I added silently
Doctor Blakk just glowered and walked back into his office.

Once Blakk was gone, Nicole ushered me to the medics office. I had asked Twist to take Skies to my garage.
"What's up with Blakk?" I asked as we made our way there.
Nicole frowned. "The Shane Gang hijacked a train earlier today, but something went wrong and the train stopped responding to all wireless controls."
"Soo, it can't be started?" I asked.
Nicole shook her head, "No. It can't be stopped."
I thought about this, "If all its power lines have been cut, how's it still moving?"
"Momentum, the tracks are long, straight and flat. It's maintained it's speed of 500 km/ph since the time it lost control."
"Which was?"

"Three hours ago."

"But then, why's Blakk so angry? It won't hit anything soon will it?"
Nicole looked grave, "Not exactly, but I looked at the blueprint of the track. In five hours, the train will hit a sharp corner in a busy town. It's current speed will ensure that it will derail at that exact moment."

"It'll smash the town?!"
"No, half the town."
"And that's better because?"

Nicole managed a sad smile, "The town is a major trade area. Everyone in Slugterra goes there to trade at least once. If that train takes out half the town, Blakk will lose half his contacts."
"Yeesh. We gotta do something." I said sympathetically as we entered the medic bay.
"I only wish." Nicole said before explaining my injuries to the medical staff on hand.

After getting patched up, I headed to my room, where I found Twist looking through my sketchpad.
"Hey!" I cried, snatching it out of his hands.
"What? I was only looking!" He shrugged, "They're pretty neat. I like the blocker design."

I flipped through the digital pages, finding the design he was talking about.
"This one?" I asked, showing him.
"Yeah that. Looks like it could stop the rouge train Blakks so worried about."

"It could" I muttered.
Then it hit me. I dropped the book and rushed off to my workshop and started to laser-cut bits of metal.
Twist followed in after me, still looking through my book while I scurried back and forth, trying to prepare Skies.
I stood back "That'll have to do." I said.
Twist looked up, "What'll have to do?" He asked.
"Come on!" I grabbed his arm, "I have a plan to stop the train and I need your help!"
"Uhh.."

"Call Nicole and gather as many ghouls or slugs as you can then meet me back here in ten minutes! Hurry. go!"
Twist just nodded and ran off.
After he left I took a deep breath and grabbed my ammunition belt and blaster.
It felt strange holding my Sound Stryker XL again. It was way out of date, compared to what I could do now but it still felt the same.
I clipped it on and continue to increase the strength of my mechas legs and sharpen the claws.
Soon Twist and Nicole turned up, each looking slightly nervous and curious.
"Grab your mechas!" I instructed, "I'll tell you everything on the way there!"
They nodded and rushed off again.
I hopped onto Skies and Jet jumped on behind me.
"Off, Jet." I said to my faithful companion, "I don't want you hurt."
But she ignored my command and stayed put.
I sighed, there wasn't enough time for this, so I just headed off.
I caught up with Twist and Nicole at Blakks gates and we headed off towards the trains final stretch.

Eli fired Chiller at the trains speeding birth. The Frostcrawler was tiring from being slung so many times but once again he constructed an ice wall ahead of the speeding machine. The train smashed through the wall like it was nothing.
"Kord! Is it working!" He yelled to his fellow mechanic.
The cave troll looked down at his screen, "Yeah, but its not enough. We're only down to 470 m/ph. It'll still bust the corner!"

Eli looked up in desperation. There was little him or his friends could do.

They were already there. I knew they would've been there.
I looked back at Twist and Nicole, making sure they understood the plan.
"Come on!" I called, "Let's go stop a train!"
I steered Skies down next to the railway, my two friends behind me, and pulled up next to Eli Shane.
He looked at me in surprise as he caught a Frostcrawler.
"Peace, Eli. We're here to help stop the train." I said calmly, "But we'll need your help."
Eli narrowed his eyes, "How? This thing is going so fast and all electronic controls are fryed due to my Xmitter."
"Xmitter? What- Never mind. I know. I have a plan."
Eli looked at me incredulously, "A plan?! To stop that?!"

I nodded, "Now you tell your teammates this. We need to slow the train down to at least 350 m/ph. Try anything. Build walls, block the wheels with sticks, just slow it down. We've got ghouls if your own slugs run out of puff." I indicated to his exhausted Frostcrawler.
"I'll pass on the ghouls. Are you sure this'll work?"
"It has too."
Eli looked uncertain but he told his teammates what I had told him.
Once he made sure everyone understood, he signaled me.
"Right," I said to Jet, "Lets' stop a train!"

I raced along side the train firing a Jollyfist alongside the Molenoids Jellyish. It spat a dark slime onto the tracks and the trains wheels thundered over them, getting caught in the slime.
The goo hardened to a pliable substance but it soon snapped as it was stretched to far.
Skies screen was measuring the speed
464 m/ph

"Hmm." I hummed, looking around.
I loosed of a couple of Dark Urchins, who shot spikes into the trains wheel.
The shrieking of manual brakes gave me goosebumps but it didn't last long as the spikes snapped from the force.
440 m/ph.
Twist and Eli firedboth fired some Rammstones in sync, towards the indigo cliffs, causing a landslide.
It was strange to see such similarities between them. I watched them as they reloaded their blasters.
Twist shot a scowl at Eli, he hadn't been to happy when I told him we would team up, but he got over himself.
Nicole, on the other hand, was having a great chat with the Cavetroll as they slung a few Frostcrawlers.
I turned back and watched as the train smashed through the boulders that had comedown via the landslide.
I weaved my mecha through the flying rocks.
"Twist! Eli!" I called.
"Yeah?" Came two unison replies.
I pointed ahead, "Take down that arch!"

They nodded and fired, ghoul and slug alike, streaking ahead.
I looked at my glasses calculations. It was at 400 m/ph and the city was approaching too fast. We weren't going to make it.
Twist pulled up next to me. "Now what?"

I didn't meet his eyes, "That rockfall should do it. Take everyone and head up the bank, I'll go ahead to make sure the train stops. Take Jet."

Twist nodded and signaled for the others to follow as Jet hopped on behind him.
I watched him go. I hadn't told Twist or Nicole about this part of the plan.

I just hoped they'd forgive me.

Racing ahead, I pulled ahead of the train and drove Skies onto the track, before charging him head-first to the oncoming vehicle.
Just as we were about to collide, Skies jumped and latched onto the front of the train with his tusks and claws.
The impact knocked my breath out again but I didn't have much time to regain it.
I carefully eased Skies back legs down until they skimmed the speeding trail tracks, then braced myself and plunged his feet onto the tracks.
A shrieking rang out as sparks flew from the cut metal, as Skies claws scythed through the bars like butter, digging into the ground in a desperate effort to slow down the speeding hulk.
I clenched my teeth and held on for dear life as the train continued speeding onward, with us, shaking on the front.
I risked a quick peek behind us and saw that the wall of rocks from the collapsed arch was looming up ahead.
Skies back legs had started smoking and I could see them start to turn red from the friction and heat.

I quickly fired a DarkBeek at the legs, a quick spray of water cooling them down.
It wasn't long before they started to heat up again, though.
I figured it was time to bail.
I pulled Skies legs up and launched myself off the front of the train.
We hit the ground and I bashed my chin on Skies dashboard. I could feel the wound start to bleed but I paid little notice as my phone started ringing.

I picked it up with one hand and answered it.
"Kaiya! You've got to stop! You'll get yourself killed!" Twist panicked voice sounded at the other end.
"Twist, I never intended on getting out of this alive." I replied calmly, my world shrinking down to the train, me and Skies and the phone.

"What?! No! You can't!", his voice was cut short by Nicole.
"Kaiya, please don't do this! You've got so much to live for!."

"And what would that be? All my friends and family are dead, my home-world is a toxic waste and I'm hated throughout Slugterra."

Twists voice came through again, "What about Jet? Or Nicole and Blakk? What about me?" His voice was quieter this time round.
I held back tears as Skies raced past the rock barricade.
"I'm sorry Twist. Take good care of Jet for me. Thank you guys for everything." I choked out, before hanging up.
I let the tears fall freely down my face, only to be whipped away by the wind.
A thunderous rumble echoed off the cliffs as the train smashed through the blockade.
I whirled Skies around and shifted gears.

390 m/ph read my glasses.
I took one deep breath, applied the instant-brakes, lowered Skies head and balanced out his frame.
I faced towards the hill were my friends were standing. A crowd of people had gathered to watch the final moments.
I sat up straight and gave one final salute.
Then, with one final roar, together we charged towards the oncoming giant.
I gripped the handle bars until my knuckles turned white and steeled myself.
The collision was hell.

The noise was an indescribable mix of shrieking, explosions and tearing metal.
The force of the impact made Skies head bury itself deep into the trains face, and his tusks were bent down so they gouged the track. Metal poles and limbs snapped but he stayed strong, allowing himself to be pushed backwards slowly.
His armour buckled and his engine whined so loud, it was at bursting point.
I, myself, got whiplash. I was flung forward abruptly, bashing my forehead on the back of Skies neck.
Shards of metal slashed at my legs and arms, slicing into my face. My glasses had been knocked off from the impact and lay shattered somewhere else.
An extremely large piece of metal had just missed my side. It lay quivering in Skies haunches.
Slowly the noise died down, leaving me with a ringing sound in my ears.
The train eventually slowed down as I sat numb on Skies back.
A loose wire touch the control on my glove, sending a jolt through my aching body and I heard a voice in the back of my head.
It was deep and metallic,

"Masssterrr" Skies spoke to me inside my head

" Not master, Skies…I'm just..your…friend" I was too weak to say anything else.
Through my blurred vision I could just make out a figure riding towards me.

Twist, I thought numbly.
A hissing sounded close to my ear and my mind clicked.
"No..Twist! Go back, Go BACK." I croaked, just before the front half of the train exploded in a flash of red and white light.
The shockwave knocked my clear off Skies back, leaving my to land in a heap on the tracks. Everything was mute to me but I could feel bones of mine snapping.
More shrapnel rained down on my as muted screams reached my deafened ears.
Then someone was leaning over me, I could make out a shock of blonde hair with my damaged vision.
Through the oncoming darkness, skulking at the edge of my vision, I could fell Twist lift me up carefully and carry me to safety.
"Kaiya, I'm so sorry.." He whispered before I lost complete conscious