ICEBREAKER
Part VI - Accessing The Past
Layton turned to the wall of steel, then back to Melanie. "This is who-breaker?"
Excitement seemed to be winning out in her as she turned to him now with a smile. "Icebreaker!" She stated with building enthusiasm. "This is the third train we built."
Layton only returned a confused look. "The third tra...how many of these things did you build?"
"Several." She replied, looking over the partially revealed plate with pride. "But only three were built to completion. Snowpiercer. Big Alice. And Icebreaker."
"Why three trains?"
Melanie had turned now and was retracing her steps back to where they had started. "Snowpiercer was the original concept train. The one that would carry people. Big Alice was ..."
"A supply train. Right. So...what was this train for?"
"Just what it's name implies." She stated as she stopped and turned to him. "It was suppose to proceed Snowpiercer on the tracks to keep them clear and reduce the friction and effort of Snowpiercer to move over the tracks."
"So...this isn't just a train car." He quickly reasoned. "This is...another engine?"
Melanie quickly nodded. "The largest one we built."
Layton looked over the object again. "No lie there, lady." He turned back to her with a perplexed look. "So what is it doing out here?"
Melanie carefully, but lovingly laid a hand against the train's side. "I don't know." She stated. "But I'm going to find out."
Turning, she headed back to where they had first come up to the wall of steel and began chipping away at the side again.
"It has to be here somewhere." She muttered as she worked.
Layton stood for a moment watching her. "What are you looking for?" He finally asked.
"A door!" She all but yelled back at him. "There should be an emergency door somewhere close to this area."
"A door?" Layton asked. "Snowpiercer doesn't have any doors this close to the front that someone could access from the outside."
"I said it was an 'emergency door'." Melanie replied. "Something those on the inside could used to escape if...something were to happen."
"So why doesn't Snowpiercer have one of these emergency doors?"
"Because it wasn't necessary." Melanie replied, turning back to him. "Now are you just going to stand there and asked questions, or help us find a way in?"
Layton gave a sigh, then stepped up to her. Grabbing the pick axe on her next back swing, Layton took it from her and stepped up to the train. Within several swings, he had managed to clear away a large section of the ice and snow covering the side of the train, but no door was visible.
"It has to be here!" She stated. "I know my train!"
Giving another sigh, Layton secured the pick axe in both hands, and pulling back, swung it once more at the train. But this time with the flat side of the pick axe striking the train's side.
The force of the hit was enough to shake the air around them.
When the silence returned, Layton listened for a moment as a creaking noise could be heard echoing around them.
Grabbing Melanie by the shoulders suddenly, he pulled them both quickly away from the train, managing to get clear just as a wall of ice and snow broke off of the train and came crashing down where they had been standing.
Turning back to the train from where they were laying in the snow, Layton could clearly make out the outline now of a door in the side of the train. Turning back to Melanie, he favored her with a smile.
"Door." Was all he said.
Melanie pulled herself up and walked over to him. Grabbing her pick axe, she gave him a none-to-friendly look in reply. "You could have buried us under that!" She stated, pointing with the pick axe to the pile of snow and ice now piled up against the train.
"Still found the door." He replied. "And with the piled up debris, we can even reach it now."
Melanie turned back to the train and noticed that the door was indeed now just a few inched off the top of the debris pile.
With a huff she turned and headed for the door.
Pulling himself up, Layton hurried after her, his self-appreciating smile still firmly in place.
"How are we even going to open the door?" He asked when he reached the door she was now standing next to. "There's no power."
"The door has an escape mechanism. It can be opened from the inside or the outside."
Layton was about to asked her what was on the train that everyone would want to get away from so quickly. But he suddenly shifted focus to a small box Melanie had pulled out of one of the pockets of her suit.
"What's that?"
"A small heating unit. The mechanism is likely frozen solid. We'll have to melt the ice off of it to get the door open."
Within a few minutes after attaching the small heater to the side of the train, Layton watched as Melanie worked a panel free near the door and reached her hand inside. A small popping noise was followed by door loosing from the side of the train enough that Melanie could get the tip of her pick axe inside and pull the door loose.
Once inside, Layton found them facing a small tunnel of stairs that was remarkably clear considering the circumstances.
"Shouldn't there be...I don't know...ice or something here?" He asked.
Melanie was already starting up the stairs. "In order for ice to form there has to be water. Icebreaker is a very well insulated train. From the time it stopped, if it was sealed correctly, there should be no ice or snow on the train anywhere except around outside components."
"Like the wheels." Layton reasoned.
Melanie nodded. "And if we can get him powered up, Icebreaker should be able to deal with that himself."
"How?"
Melanie stopped as they reached a ladder leading up into a black corridor. She turned back to him with a proud smile. "Icebreaker is a very unique train, Mr. Layton. You'll see."
Layton shook his head as he followed behind her up the ladder. "Why do I hate it when you give me that look?"
Melanie stopped as they reached the bulk door at the top of the ladder, turning back to him for a moment. "Because you're paranoid and mistrusting." She answered.
Turning to the bulk door, she reached up and began turning the wheel to open it.
"Wait a minute!" Layton stated suddenly.
Melanie turned back to him.
"Shouldn't I be the one in the front opening that door?"
Melanie returned a confused look. "Why?"
"Because we have no idea what's in the other side."
Melanie gave a soft laugh as she turned back to her work. "Layton, I have a great deal more knowledge of what's on the other side of this door than you could imagine."
Layton frowned up at her. "I find that statement somewhat insulting."
"Well, you shouldn't." She replied, turning back to him once more. "It's just a statement merely emphasizing the fact that I built this train. So naturally I would know what's past this door."
"But what if there's...someone or something on the other side?"
Melanie sighed, then pushed against the door. "There isn't. We already discussed this. There is nothing living on this train." A loud grunt put a finer point on her effort to open the door.
Layton waited for a third attempt before speaking again.
"The maybe you just needed someone in front of you who COULD open the door." He commented.
Melanie refused to turn back to him to see what she already knew was a far too self satisfied smile looking up at her.
"Fine." She replied curtly as she swung herself around to the other side of the ladder. "Feel free."
Layton climbed further up the ladder, stopping just opposite her, the smile still there none-the-less. "And I am neither paranoid nor mistrusting." He stated.
"Just open the door, please."
Layton climbed up a bit further, then, putting his back to the door, pushed up as hard as he could.
The door refused to budge.
Watching his efforts from her position on the ladder, Melanie couldn't resist getting some of her's back at him.
"Put some effort into it this time." She called up to him with a smile in her tone.
Layton paused, then stepped back down to her, mock irritation on his face. "I don't recall your efforts being so successful, Ms. Cavill." He reminded her.
Melanie pointed back up the stairs. "Would you just get back up there."
But Layton held his hand out. :"Where is that heating unit you had?"
Melanie pulled it out of pocket on her pants leg. "It won't help, Layton. This has nothing to do with ice."
"Then it won't hurt either." He replied, climbing back up the ladder.
Attaching the small unit to the wheel, he turned it on and waited a few minutes. Reaching up and removing the device, Layton put his back to the door again and gave a solid push.
At first nothing happened. But then a small popped sound was heard and the door gave way, opening on its own now against a pair of lift arms on either side.
Layton quickly ducked back down the ladder and waited a few moments before venturing back up the last few steps again.
Peeking over the rim of the hatch door, he was left speechless at the sight that greeted him.
Even through the ice covering the front window, enough light was getting through to illuminate the front area of the train.
If this was the engine room, it didn't begin to correlate to the one he had come to know on Snowpiercer. Even through Snowpiercer was one of the most futurist, modern trains he had ever be in, Icebreaker's engine room somehow managed to make it seem almost ancient.
Crisp clean lines of grey metal seemed to accent every part of the room. And not a single item he could see appeared to be haphazardly placed. Everything was neatly and concisely arranged right down to the placement of the chairs in the room.
"Layton!" Melanie called out from below, breaking into his awestruck surveillance of the room.
Layton pulled his head back down as he stared down at her.
"You built this?" He asked.
"Yes."
"Are you some kind of closet neat freak?"
Melanie hit his leg. "Will you just get out of the way!" She stated. "I need to see what state the engine room is in?"
Layton quickly lifted himself through the hatch door, then turned to help Melanie through.
"Does 'Pristine' start to describe this place?" He asked.
Getting her feet, Melanie pulled herself up and seemed for a moment to fall into the same awed silence as she surveyed the area around her.
"Perfect." Layton heard her whisper through the communication device in her suit. "It's absolutely perfect."
Layton continued to look around himself as he walked around the room. "Not quite." He stated.
Melanie quickly turned to him.
"No power." He answered her look. "And I doubt even with the extra power packs we brought for the suits that we could so much as charge up a light in this room."
But even as he was speaking, Melanie was already on the move.
"That shouldn't be a problem for long, She stated. "Icebreaker had solar panels that run the length of the engine. And turbines are built into the sides to utilize the wind as it's moving." She explained, heading for another ladder in the back of the room. "We can access the top of the train through this hatch and clear the snow and ice off the panels. That should start to give us at least some electricity that we can use to work with to see if we can power up the engine."
Layton grabbed her arm before she started up the ladder. "Wait a minute, Melanie." He stated. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves here."
"Meaning?"
"No matter how may solar panels this thing has, I doubt in a few minutes they will charge anything enough to even light a candle, let alone power up an engine that's been frozen for...who knows how long?"
"Under seven years." Melanie quickly answered. "And we're not using electricity from the panels to try to start the engine. Just to start the process."
"The process? What process?"
Melanie turned back to the ladder and started to climb it. "Nuclear fusion."