six months in the making: a post
His thoughts were interrupted when a black diesel rolled up next to him.
"His excellency wants you at the monthly meeting tonight, and based on his tone I don't think you'll be able to get away with skipping it like you've done with the last few." Diesel said.
"Ah. Yes. His excellency. I know exactly who you're talking about." The Bronze Diesel said, not having a single clue who the fuck Diesel was talking about. "and where might this meeting be, exactly?"
"...The Dieselworks, as usual." Diesel said. He looked over at the metallic steam engines for a moment. It seemed like he was about to say something more, but he didn't, he just rolled away as quietly as he arrived.
***********
ok just pretend there's something here. I would have put something here but it already took months to write the rest of this post, but imagine there was like, a few thousand words here, k? See, having stuff here really would have helped in another regard because it would also help display the passage of time between these two scenes.***********
The Bronze Diesel rolled over the junction off of the main line that lead to the Dieselworks. He had taken notice of the engines he saw on his journey from Brendam to Vicarstown. He recognized a couple, Norman, Derek, Beelzebub, but other than that it was entirely BR diesels. Not one steam engine. Whoever "his excellency" is sure did a hell of a job exerting their will over the railway.
It wasn't how he would have done it. He wasn't a real engine, he had no stake in this... racial conflict. Steam engines are just as viable for servitude to the horned one as diesels. During the second coming of the Great Horned Beast, all who accepted him in their hearts would in turn be accepted by him, and those who didn't would burn for eternity.
Hell, his closest allies in the merch squad were steam engines. ROBOT CHARLIE was a fearsome second in command, and Harley Quinn Millie... Well, she didn't compare to his beloved Priori, but she was a fun distraction. Admittedly, he found himself slightly surprised when she told him that engines don't do romance. It made sense, romance is just a natural extension of the reproductive relationship, and engines... Don't do that, but it still just struck him as odd. He found it difficult to understand the mind of an engine.
It wasn't like he couldn't think past human desires, he found the desires of his kobolds quite understandable. They lived in service of their dragon, and had no room for romance with eachother. Any relations between them were simply to create more servants for their dragon. He had managed to become their "dragon", through a mental game of power and dominance, and had noticed some of the offerings that his kobolds would present him with were... Oddly sexual. He had no interest in such forms of servitude, but he often wondered how actual dragons responded to such offers. He could at the very least comprehend the dynamic, from a psychosexual perspective. When one's inherent desire to further their own ends were replaced with a desire to serve a master, it made sense that sexual desire was redirected towards said master, in a way.
...He probably shouldn't use his kobold army in the fight against Metalicana. He could never be sure how they might respond to seeing an actual dragon, and he wasn't keen to find out.
Anyways, engines in a way had their own desire to serve, but it didn't ring remotely the same as the relationship between him and his kobolds. From what he could tell, engines had an inherent desire to work, to be useful, but it felt less as though they were serving a physical master like their controller, but one more metaphorical, that being the railway itself. Their controllers were simply a part of the railway to them, the brain of the being, whereas the engines were the limbs. At least, that's how the Bronze Diesel saw it. It was still all so foreign to him.
Before he knew it, the Bronze Diesel found himself at the entrance to the Dieselworks, a massive neon sign hung above the gate, reading "Citadel Ten". Finally, it clicked in the Bronze Diesel's mind, who "his excellency" was. He had never paid much mind to the clawed diesel, even though he was technically a side in the War of the Shards, his desires were so simple and he didn't even really seem to know what the prism shards were.
...That begs the question of how the fuck he actually took power in this... Whatever this is. He can't have just outright won the war, there has to be some other part to this. He'll have to look into that later. The mechanism of the massive gate slowly whirred, revealing the Dieselworks inside.
The Bronze Diesel had only been to the Dieselworks once during his time as an engine. His engine form simply didn't require maintenance or fuel. Well, he did require fuel, but not oil. He had set himself up with a magical siphon that would give him and his apprentices enough energy to run as engines for well over a century. Man, those orphans really didn't see it coming. Good times.
He remembered the Dieselworks as desolate, uncharacteristically desolate for Sodor. Dusty, piles of scrap strewn around, generally an unpleasant place. But what he saw before him was incomparable to that. Right after the gate, the ballast below the rails shifted to a rich red hue, almost emulating a red carpet, and the rails above shifted to a reflective golden hue, just as shiny as himself. It was like he rolled into the Vegas strip, neon signs all over the place. He almost found himself awestruck as he rolled towards the main Dieselworks building.
"Magnificent, isn't it?" Diesel 12 said, having snuck up alongside the Bronze Diesel while he took in the sights. "There's been a lot of work put into this place over the past few months to make it truly fit for his excellency. Of course, you would have known that if you'd shown up to any of the past, what, seven meetings?"
The Bronze Diesel did fairly well at concealing how the large diesel had startled him. He looked at the numbered diesel with disdain. "I'm here now."
Diesel 12 didn't respond, letting the silence sit between them as they entered the large building in the center of the Dieselworks. The inside of the building was just as glamorous as the outside, the interior resembling more of a mansion than a workshop. Nearly every surface was coated in what appeared to be marble, and a crystal chandelier hung above the central turntable. The Bronze Diesel's attention fairly quickly turned to the other engines around the turntable, of which there were five. On the top level, the left of three track was occupied by a large orange and green diesel with two claws that the Bronze Diesel vaguely recognized as Diesel 11, his resting expression a scowl expectant of the right hand man of a dictator. On the lower level, the first of two engines as a shunter, whom the Bronze Diesel knew to be either 'Arry and Bert, though he did not know which specifically. Next to him was a diesel that the Bronze Diesel didn't recognize, a blue diesel around the same size as Derek, though in a different shape. On the opposite side was a long green diesel, brass plates on its cabs reading "Anderson". The Bronze Diesel stopped alongside Anderson, while Diesel 12 was lifted to the second level by the turntable, finding his spot on the rightmost track.
Anderson was the first of the six diesels to speak up, his voice nasally yet smug. "Well, it seems for once we're all here."
The blue diesel sighed. "Regrettably."
"Don't get snippy, Richmond." Diesel 12 interjected.
"His mind is not in the wrong place, brother." Diesel 11 said, his gaze quickly darting down to the Bronze Diesel. "Our metallic friend here has shown great disrespect to his excellency through his absence. Care to explain?"
The Bronze Diesel didn't know what exactly to say, so he feigned indifference to Diesel 11's inquisitive behavior. "I'm a busy engine."
Richmond rolled his eyes. "Oh, yeah, spreading your horned engine bullshite. The diesels of Sodor need no false idol before us."
"Before me, you mean." came the recognizable voice of Diesel 10, as he rolled into the center line around the turntable. Richmond quickly shut up, a mild blush appearing on his face, and all the other diesels redirected their attention towards their superior. "There is no need for you to concern yourself with that, I plan on addressing that very issue later in this very meeting. First, however, we must of course get through the mundane. Iron 'Arry, scrap report."
'Arry immediately started his spiel. "Scrap output is down all around, which on some level is not unexpected, it only makes sense that output would go down as the cleansing continues, and there are progressively less steam engines available to scrap. What is unexpected is it happening this soon and with so many north western engines unaccounted for."
"I am well aware of that concerning truth." Diesel 10 said. "The recent capture of Gordon's sect of the resistance has been a great boon, but unfortunately all captured engines have kept their lips tied. Their remains shall be delivered to Peel Godred within the week, so you need not fret about your quota. It is far from your fault that the resistance has been able to operate so effectively." Diesel 10 glared at Richmond.
"Y-you must understand the position you have put me in, your excellency. Sodor may be far smaller than Anderson's jurisdiction, but the conditions-"
"Oh, do continue if you feel you are not up to the task, for I am inclined to agree."
Richmond remained silent, and after a moment Diesel 10 redirected his attention to Anderson. "Speaking of Anderson's jurisdiction, I believe you have some news of your own."
"Yes indeed your excellency," Anderson said. "The last of the National Railway Museum's steam engines have been apprehended. The entirety of the mainland has been cleansed of all steam."
"Do not be so certain, Anderson." Diesel 10 said, squinting slightly. "The crackdowns on traffic between Vicarstown and Barrow-in-Furness have largely eliminated the Resistance's influence on the mainland, though you should not count them out entirely. Need us not forget of the disappearance of several goods trains in East Yorkshire, and the escape of Stepney and Captain Baxter from the take-down of the Bluebell Rebellion, neither of which have been accounted for. That being said, the fire of the National Railway Museum being finally snuffed out for good is an accomplishment that should be commended. You have done well, Anderson."
The Bronze Diesel has only known Anderson for a matter of minutes, but he can already tell that extra praise is the last thing he needs. When Diesel 10's gaze meets his own, the metallic diesel maintains his poker face.
"And I believe that leaves you, Bronzie." Diesel 10 said, his voice harsh.
"Is there a problem, your excellency?" The words rolled out of the Bronze Diesel's mouth uncomfortably. If there's one thing Everard Elgabalus Phyphyxylstyx was not, it was a natural servant.
"I think you have known this to be a long time coming." Diesel 10 said darkly. "It's time to give up your little pets."
The Bronze Diesel had to think for a second, his face visibly falling when it clicked what Diesel 10 was referring to.
"Excuse me?"
"Don't play a fool, chrome-head, you know damn well what I'm referring to."
"As long as I am alive, Percy Silver and Thomas Gold shall continue their training as was prophecised."
"And how much do you value your life?"
Most of the other diesels around the turntable backed away slowly, leaving room for the argument between the metallic and numbered diesels. Diesel 12 hesitated for a moment, but backed down just the same.
The Bronze Diesel remained silent for a moment. He considered his options carefully. His magic potential was limited in his engine form, but not remotely nullified... No, attacking in the heart of the beast would be suicide. Potentially he would have to give up one of his apprentices to keep the other. The choice would be easy, he had passed off Thomas Gold as a failure long ago. Percy Silver had it in him to become Silvestron, he just knew it.
The staring match between the two diesels was ended, when a voice rang out from the entrance of the Dieselworks. At the entrance of the building rolled in Diesel. "Your excellency, there is a problem."
"Now is not a good time, Diesel."
"I think you will find it relevant to this meeting, your excellency."
Diesel 10 signed, grinding his claw in frustration. "I sure hope for your sake that you are correct. Go ahead, Diesel."
"The engines you sent me to apprehend are missing. The engines working the docks at Brendam have been taken in for interrogation, but none have been able to explain the absence of the two steamers. Silver Percy and Gold Thomas are unaccounted for."
Diesel 10 instantly turned back to the Bronze Diesel, fury clear on his face. The Bronze Diesel was deeply confused, but smirked. He had underestimated himself, of course he had planned for this moment. "As I said, your excellency, they will remain alive. I took the liberty of getting them out of your way, you shall have no issues from now on."
Diesels 11 and 12 whispered something to Diesel 10 that none of the other diesels could quite make out. Diesel 10 closed his eyes and took a deep breath, his face still slightly red with anger. It was evident in his voice that he was trying to remain calm when he spoke up. "Well, I believe that was everything I intend to cover. Meeting adjourned." Diesel 10 rolled back whence he came at a sharp pace, the other two numbered diesels following behind him. The other diesels on the lower level of the turntable followed in suit, backing out towards the entrance to the Dieselworks, except for Diesel, who waited until he was alongside the Bronze Diesel to start moving back. Diesel was the first of the two shunters to speak up.
"Quite the disappearing act from your two associates."
"Yes, I did not expect to have to put my contingency plan into motion so soon." The Bronze Diesel was partially telling the truth, as he had no knowledge of his own plans to begin with. This whole situation was just... bizarre.
Diesel stayed silent for a moment before speaking up. "I'm sure you're quite interested in finding out how they're doing."
"I know they're doing just fine, I taught them well."
"I more-so meant where they went."
"Exactly where I told them to go when the time came." Again, as far as he knew, he was telling the truth. However, Diesel was right in his own way, as the Bronze Diesel knew nothing of the location of his apprentices.
Diesel paused again. "...Right."
The two diesels said nothing as they left the Dieselworks, going their separate ways. The Bronze Diesel wasn't sure where he should go next, though retracing his steps before he 'awoke' was a priority.
***********
Den was used to a simple life. That's what running the Dieselworks used to be. The facilities weren't always great of course, but he never truly minded, not like the other diesels. He was just content to live out his days with Dart, repairing what few diesels were on the island. There used to be so much downtime for him and Dart to talk... Or well, most of the time Dart would talk and Den would listen. That's how he liked it.
But that was before. Everything was complicated now. He and his partner had been moved away from general repairs, and placed in charge of the science and engineering division of Diesel 10's empire. It was... a change, for sure. Early on it wasn't too bad, I mean making rail based weaponry wasn't all too different from his old work, so Den and Dart managed. But the most recent task put in front of them was like nothing they'd ever had to deal with before. The "Automatic Programming System" as Diesel 10 called it was an enigma to the two shunters for a long time. A neural interface between the mind of a sentient vehicle and the vehicle's controls, allowing for a vehicle to control its own movement... It just seemed unthinkable. Even with modern computers the idea was farfetched, and yet the original model was built in the 1960s. They didn't even know where to start when they got Diesel 10's requests. It took two years just to understand how it worked, much less even get started on applying their knowledge.
Dart was always the one who explained why they were behind schedule. It was just easier that way. He always managed to give a passable excuse to Diesel 10, but every time it would end up seeing an even further departure from their old life. Den supposed it was the only way, but when he looked around these days, his life was unrecognizable. White shunters bustled around the small yard that the division had been given, pushing flatbeds of parts to all different places. Den and Dart had been repainted in the same livery, meant to be representative of a lab-coat is what he had been told. Dart never seemed to catch a break, he was constantly in three different conversations at once trying to keep the various projects on schedule.
Den's reminiscence was interrupted when Diesel 10 himself rolled into the engineering yard, accompanied by Diesels 11 and 12 at his sides. Den froze as the numbered diesels approached him. Diesel 10 wasted no time before speaking. "I do hope you have good news on the APS project."
Den struggled with every word. "Well, progress has been incremental, I mean the reverse engineering is far enough along to make... passable progress, but then the actual... inner workings... they..."
"Your excellency, what he means is, we've made a breakthrough." Dart to the rescue as usual.
Diesel 10's eyebrow raised slightly. "Have you, now?"
"Well, yes. We are still far off from being able to produce more APS models, but in the mean time we applied our current knowledge and found an interesting quirk of the APS. We think it might explain how P.T. Boomer was able to have influence over you."
Diesel 10 scowled at the mention of the name. "At no point did I request anyone look into Boomer."
"I know that, your excellency, and I promise this has not taken resources away from reverse engineering the APS, but-"
Pinchy snapped right in Dart's face as Diesel 10 shouted. "I care not for what any man may attempt to do to me! I am Diesel 10, Oily Overlord, Onslaught I, and I am untouchable!"
"I think we should hear the little one out, brother." Diesel 11 said. "If there is a vulnerability, then we should know about it, especially if we are to eventually produce additional APS systems."
Den decided not to point out that the S in APS already stands for system.
Diesel 10 eyed his brother with annoyance for a moment before turning back to Dart. "...Very well. Explain yourselves."
Dart didn't have to be told twice. "Okay, so as you know, the APS uses a neural interface to connect with a diesel's mind and translate it into electrical signals to operate machinery. Our epiphany is that the same can be done in the other direction, in a way. The body can influence the mind just as the mind can influence the body, with some clever working. That's what we believe P.T. Boomer did to you, he used your APS to influence your mind."
Diesel 10 remained silent for a moment, before finally speaking. "I ask again, why this is something you deemed worth spending your time on."
"W-well, I believe your original intent was for the... test subject to be eliminated after the APS was properly reverse engineered, correct?" Dart stammered. It wasn't often that Dart got anxious, but Den felt that he had a valid reason.
"That is correct." Diesel 10 said, clearly tired of the conversation.
"Well, while I don't mean to question your judgement and believe your original decision is... suitable, I believe that this new discovery of the APS's functionality might allow for the test subject's non-compliance to be lowered, or even potentially removed entirely."
All three numbered diesels looked amongst eachother, having some kind of wordless conversation with their eyes. Den didn't understand it. He barely even understood mouth conversations sometimes, much less eye ones.
Diesel 12 was the first to finally speak to the shunters. "Is this purely hypothetical?"
"Well, the extent isn't fully known, but we're more than capable of producing effects." Dart said.
Diesel 10 immediately responded. "Right now?"
Dart's eyes widened, but he quickly composed himself. "W-well, not right away, but in... I don't know, tw-thirty minutes?"
"I can wait." Diesel 10 said, looking Dart directly in the eyes.
Diesel 11 sighed, whispering to his brother. "Thomas's execution is in thirty minutes, brother."
"Not anymore, we'll do it tomorrow. This interests me far more." Diesel 10 said, grinning devilishly.
Well, until he noticed that Den and Dart hadn't moved. "What are you waiting for?! Just because I can wait doesn't mean I want to!" Neither of the shunters needed any other encouragement, and scurried off to prepare for their demonstration. As Den looked at his partner, he could tell his mind was racing. Den's wasn't. His train of thought was a slow goods, each van carrying "this job is going to kill us."
***********
Thomas stared at his bufferbeam. He didn't understand. He had all day to think, and that was all he could do. It was all he could think to do. All he could think to do was think. It didn't make sense. Diesel 10... won. He knew that much. But won what? The numbered diesels wouldn't do this, not anymore at least, not while Walkins and that eccentric trillionaire were around. It didn't make any sense. He'd been here for a while, he'd figured out. There were cobwebs behind his buffers. There were cobwebs behind his buffers, and Gordon was rusting, and he was rusting, and the tracks were rusting, everything was rusting. Thomas hated rust. All engines hate rust, but right now Thomas especially hated rust. Diesel 10 had an empire to run, that's what he said. Diesel 10 said a lot of things that didn't make any sense, and Thomas didn't understand them. Empires aren't built in a day. No, the saying was that Rome wasn't built in a day... Whatever, Rome was an empire. It's in the name, Roman Empire. Thomas didn't know much about the Roman Empire. He didn't think about it that often. He didn't even really know where Rome was. He had no interest in going to Rome. Thomas thought Rome sucked. Right now Thomas especially hated Rome. How did Diesel 10 have an empire? Why couldn't Thomas remember how he got here? He didn't understand. It didn't make any-
Thomas looked up suddenly as he heard the sound of a diesel approaching from the entrance to the yard. He's back. This is how Thomas dies. Diesel 10 said he was gonna die later today, and it's later today. Or well, it's the present today, but in reference to the past, now is later. He's gonna die, and he won't even understand why. Actually, he'd understand why, but not the how, or the when, or the where. He'd know the who though.
Thomas was quickly proven wrong, as the who revealed itself moments later when Diesel rolled into view. Not Diesel 10, regular Diesel. The Un-Numbered Diesel. You'd think he'd be the antithesis to the numbered diesels but he really wasn't.
Fuck's he doing here?
Diesel stopped a few meters away from Thomas and spoke up. "Your execution has been delayed, his excellency is occupied with other business."
Thomas rolled his eyes. "Oh, his excellency, eh? Give me a big fat break, you call him his excellency?"
"Well, it's important I keep up formalities."
"Oh, yeah, formalities. The formalities of schizoids with heavy machinery on their heads."
"I don't feel the ableism is necessary, Thomas."
"Okay, fuck you, if you're not gonna kill me then just get out of here, leave me to my spiraling."
Diesel paused for a moment. "...I assume you remember the arrangements."
"Yes, of course I remember the arrangements." Thomas thought it a stupid question. Surely Diesel could see that Thomas knew of his impending death.
"Good. I'll be here sometime tomorrow."
"Yeah, I'm sure you'd never miss it."
Diesel lingered for a moment, staring at Thomas as if trying to read his mind. He said nothing else as he rolled away, leaving Thomas to think about how nothing made sense. Except Diesel. Diesel was simple. Thomas knew he had Diesel figured out. Thomas decided to keep thinking about Diesel for the next few hours, because everything else made no fucking sense.