ICEBREAKER
Part XX - Main Track Again
The whole forward engine crew was on their feet, staring in wide eyed disbelief out the front window of Snowpiercer's engine.
A rolling wave of sound had just passed over the train, instantly catching everyone's attention and causing a rush of bodies to the front window.
Off to the side, in the distance, a building column of smoke could be seen rising high into the air, fueled by the flames beneath it.
Bennett had already been at the helm when the sound of the explosion caught them from the side. Usually his analytically mind would have been running a series of possible explanations for the sound. But currently, it had focused on only one as he stared out at the rising column of smoke in utter desolation.
Jackson already had his small communicator out and was furiously tapping code into it, desperate for any response.
A firm hand laid itself on the Second Engineer's shoulder.
"Steady on, lad." Came the quiet whisper next to him. "It could be something else."
Bennett slowly turned to the train's current leader, who was trying to offer some thread of hope to hold onto.
Hes had been in the engine room for several hours, watching to make sure everything ran smoothly as they approached the Moscow Juncture. He had faced the rising plume of smoke with the same desolated expression as the others in the engine room. But true to his nature of taking the role of leadership very seriously, he had tried to keep the others calm and focused. Now especially his Head Engineer.
"What!?" Bennett all but hissed back at him. "What else is out there? What else could possibly have created that kind of explosion?"
"That's the very point." Hes answered him. "We don't know."
But Knox just shook his head as he got out of the helm chair and headed for the door leading out of the engine room. He had to get away from there or the entire engine room was going to get treated to seeing just how much a man could fall apart.
As he walked past them, every apprentice's eyes were on him, looking for some answer. Some hope that their one shared thought was not true. But as he walked past them, unable to give them that reassurance, each head lowered, now fearing the worse.
"Snowpiercer."
A sudden voice called over a crackling communication line.
Bennett turned to the sound so fast he nearly lost his balance. In seconds he pushed past several senior engineers who had started to crowd around him, trying to offer some sort of consolation, and all but ran back to the helm.
"MELANIE!" He shouted into the communications speaker.
"Snowpiercer?" Came the call again. "Can you hear us? Snowpiercer?"
"Melanie! We hear you. Please confirm."
"Snowpiercer?" Came the same call, now sounding more desperate.
Behind those gathered at the helm now, hope lighting ever face, Jackson stood in the background still, quickly tapping out code on the small communicator.
"Melanie!" Knox called into the speaker once again. "Please answer! We hear you. Confirm."
But the speaker stayed silent.
"Melanie!"
A voice spoke from the back. "She won't answer, Mr. Knox."
Bennett turned back to Melanie's assistant, only to be greeted by a small, gentlemanly smile. "While the signal between the trains seems to be only one way for the time being, I am able to contact her via our communication devices. Perhaps Snowpiercer's communication devices suffered some damage from the sound wave that hit us."
Bennett simply stared back at the man for a few seconds, slowly processing what he was saying. Getting up from the helm chair again, Bennett immediate grabbed two senior engineers as he headed back to where Jackson was standing and shoved them towards the engine room doors. As well trained as they were, practically able to read the Second Engineer's thoughts at times, they immediately headed out the doors, equally grabbing and taking several additional senior engineers with them as they headed off to check the communications lines.
"Is she alright?" Bennett quickly asked Jackson, coming up to where he stood reading the message flashing by way of the small cube. "What happened? What was the explosion?"
Jackson stood silently for a few minutes, still working to decipher the coded message into words. "She and Mr. Layton appear fine." He stated slowly, translating the message. "Something about a gas tank eruption. I'm not sure..."
"The fuel station!" Bennett suddenly exclaimed, bursting into a relieved laugh. "It was the fuel station that exploded. Not...not the engine." He finished in a quiet rush of words, each one laced with his own solace.
Jackson was still staring at the small cube as the lights continued to flash. "She says they are trying to make up time and still meet us at the juncture." He spoke even as he typed out a short reply.
When he finished the little cube flashed out a final message.
"Oh." Jackson said, reading the message, and not seeming overly comfortable in relaying it. "Ms. Cavill..."
Bennett waited for a minute. "What else?" He asked. "Was there something else?"
Jackson tucked the small cube back in his jacket as he turned back to the man staring at him as though any word he had to speak was the most important thing in the world to him at that moment.
Clearing his throat, Jackson set a stoic stare on the man. "There was a message added, directed specifically to you, and wishing to indicate a... certain level of affection."
A small smile crept over the man's face as he let the words settle in. Finally he favored the man with a wide smile. "Tell her I love her, too."
With a deep sigh, Jackson reluctantly fished the small cube out of his jacket pocket as he met the man's stare. "Of course, sir." He replied with a deadpanned expression, noting his reluctance with what he considered trivial matters.
Figuring he had best check on what he always referred to as 'the snake', Hes headed down to the cell where Wilford sat, looking like at any moment he was prepared to physically come through the wired bars of the door.
At the sight of the man's approach to his cell, Wilford was on his feet in a matter of seconds and up at the door.
"What was that sound?" He demanded. "These...automatons...you have guarding me won't answer a single question."
"Not automatons." Hes replied with a smile. "Just better training now. And more loyal than were to you."
"Wonderful to know." Wilford answered in a none to pleased voice. "Can you tell me then what has happened? That was a significant explosion, very close by." He reasoned out, then paused even as he tried to hide a small smile. "Surely nothing has happened to our dear Melanie and that troublesome little puppet of her's?"
Hes took a deep breath, considering saying nothing and letting the man stew in his own thoughts for a while. But finally shook his head.
"Disappointment today." He replied. "Train leaders fine. Heading still for Moscow."
"Then what in the...!" Wilford started, but stopped himself as he gained control of his tone. "That what 'exactly' was the cause of that explosion?" He asked.
"Fuel station." Hes replied in a stoic tone.
"Wilford looked confused for a moment. "Fuel station?" He asked, but then gave an enlightened exclamation. "Ahhhh! One of her little pet projects. Yes, I do seem to remember something to do with storing fuel should the trains need it. Wasted effort of time and money. And look at the end result!" He stated empirically. "A massive explosion that likely rendered those tracks well beyond any repair effort. Thousands of gallons of fuel now just a...smoldering pool of in the middle of nowhere." Wilford gave a deep sigh. "Pay close attention, my good man." He stated, turning back to Hes as he shook a finger at him. "Think back on all that Melanie's poor decisions have cost this train so far. Everyone's worry, the time, the expense in resources better used elsewhere. If she had followed my advice to begin with and simply waited out the repairs on the main track, none of this would have happened."
Hes gave his a tight lipped smile. "Would also not have found third engine." He replied.
Wilford didn't back down one inch. "For what? So now you have three trains, all running over an already strained track...for what!? So you have Icebreaker now? What does it benefit you, Hesphaestus? THAT is what you need to ask yourself in all of this. What good is that third engine going to do for you? Mark my words, it's nothing but trouble. That's why it ended up on a back track to begin with. Take my advice, my good man, and as soon as you have your crew back on board, leave that engine in a train yard in Moscow and forget it ever existed."
The smile remained. "Will consider words." Hes replied. "Will also hear what Head Engineer has to say when all are back on board."
Wilford pressed himself up to the door. "She wants to dock that train." He whispered through the bars.
Hes nodded in reply. "Mentioned this, aye."
Wilford shook his head quickly. "Don't let her do it, Hesphaestus. It will spell disaster for this train. Icebreaker is unstable. What happens one day when you are traveling down the tracks, and your lead engine fails? And the trains stop? No motion. No electricity. The other two trains even together could not move Icebreaker off the tracks. It's too large and heavy. All life on these trains...on YOUR trains, Mr. Jacobs...will freeze." He added with emphasis. "Do NOT let her dock this train. Only you have the power to stop her from dooming your trains."
Hes stared back at the man with an almost bored expression.
"Will see what Head Engineer has to say." He replied simply.
"She will LIE to you. To get you to do what she wants."
"No need to lie to Hes." Came the solid answer. "Once back on train, Ms. Cavill and Mr. Layton lead train. Hes goes back to forge." He paused, then added with a small smile. "Maybe snake goes into ravine."
Wilford gave the man a decidedly unfriendly look in reply. "You are making a great mistake, Mr. Jacobs. You could still take control of this train. You could still be it's leader. But you are running out of time."
"Are also making great mistake." Hes replied. "Are still talking, and time is done."
And with that he turned and left the holding area.
As they traveled down the track towards Moscow, Melanie had already released the small Trak Scaler from it's safe harbor in the engine's back bay, allowing it once again to begin doing it's job of scanning the track ahead of them for any issues.
A few miles down the track Layton heard the now familiar scream sounding over the warning system on Icebreaker.
"Now what?" He asked, pulling himself up slightly in his chair and preparing for what new disaster had risen up to try and stop them from reaching their destination.
"Settle down." Melanie stated from her own helm position as she read over the report the small Trak Scaler was sending back. "It's just registering that it arrived at the junction and wants to know how to proceed."
"Does the switch look clear?"
Melanie nodded. "I'm sending it the code to open the switch for us back onto the main track."
"Then what happens to it?"
Melanie shrugged slightly. "We can send it onto the nearest train yard where it can get off the main track as the trains pass. Then Bennett can issue the code to get it once more on the main track and send it back to the others so it can continue it's work on the tracks."
Layton turned back to the front window with a small sigh. "I think I'm going to actual miss that little three-wheeled mechanical dog." He commented wistfully.
"Well, think of it as a border collie, if it helps." Melanie replied, giving him a less than sincere look of pity. "It wouldn't be happy sitting in a docking bay with nothing to do. Besides, we're going to need the bay cleared when we meet up with Snowpiercer again."
He was about to asked why when a sudden sound echoed through the air. Glancing to the side he watched as pure relief lit up the engineer's face at the sound. Loud and resounding, he bet Snowpiercer's horn could be heard for miles.
Grabbing hold of a rope hanging from a hole that it ran through in the ceiling, with a small laugh, Melanie gave it a sharp pull. He had asked her about the rope earlier, and when she told him what it was for, he had deemed it 'old fashion' and out of place amid the ultra sleek design of the engine's main helm.
Melanie had simply explained it appealed to her.
The low but powerful blast of Icebreaker's own horn answered back to the call, announcing that they would soon be back with friends and family.
Making the switch well ahead of the other trains, Icebreaker made its return from a long overdue absence amid a spray of snow pushed off the juncture track as it seamlessly plowed its way back onto the main track.
As soon as the engine joined the main track, Melanie slowed the engine to a stop and sent out the signal to switch the juncture back to the main line. Once the operation was complete, she slowly moved the lever on the control panel down and felt the engine begin to move forward once again.
"Well, this is better." Layton said, looking out the helm window. "Looking at where we're going rather than where we've been."
Melanie gave a slight nod of agreement, but her mind was somewhere else entirely, thinking that after days of trying to make it back to the main line, she would soon be back with friends and family. And the bonus in it all was that she had back her beloved engine. And with the addition of Icebreaker, the strain on the other engines would be greatly reduced. She would have liked to have considered detaching Big Alice, pulling the juncture pin at one of the cars in the Tail to reduce the load on the train as a whole. But she had come to the conclusion that the more space people had to spread out, the less friction there would be. And with Icebreaker, no one would have to suffer the cold anymore.
As the engine roared down the track, Layton kept an eye on the rear camera, watching for Snowpiercer's approach.
Melanie had reduce their speed to allow the other trains to catch up to them, stating at that point Big Alice was likely using push to move the trains as Snowpiercer could most probably offer little by way of assistance with it's batteries already drained to critically low levels.
But after only a few minutes back on the main track, Layton suddenly called out, "Contact." as Snowpiercer's engine pulled over a small hill and headed for them.
Layton turned to her with a smile. "Well, I guess I know who's going to be the main attraction in the cafeteria car tonight."
Melanie only gave him a small nod again, her attention still fixed on soon being back with her family.