Blades' optics were wide as saucers, his mouth open as he stared at the collective of bots in the bunker. His finger slowly moved over the group, "One, two, three, four... Boulder-"

"Blades," Boulder stepped forward to intercept the copter, "Blades, look. I can explain-"

"You told me nothing was going on!"

"No, I told you 'nothing out of the ordinary,' and with everything else we've dealt with on this island, nine new mosaics aren't exactly out of the ordinary for us."

The copter suddenly changed shape in a flash of orange sparkles, his rotors turning into fluttering wings like a dragonfly's that sent gusts swirling along the floor, and his body disconnecting at the joints, but hovering in place together like a kite connected by tiny strings. Definitely the air mosaic Boulder had said one of his brothers was.

"You dumb tractor! I could have been here, I could have helped!" He argued, his voice echoing a bit like many voices at once. Even Boulder seemed a little startled.

"I know, I know! But I wanted you to get your break, and we've been doing just fine so far-"

"How much sleep have you gotten!? Energon? We can't afford to be wearing ourselves out with Chase missing and Heatwave down!"

"He's been getting his sleep and fuel, Blades..."
Boulder looked relieved when Graham came to his rescue, "I've made sure of it. Everyone here has been taking care of themselves in your absence..."

Blades looked at the human engineer for a moment, and then reverted back to normal as he landed on the ground again. "Fine. Fine. It's fine... Go on."

"Okay, so first? Introductions. This is Cranky, Diesel, Thomas, Percy, Edward, Gordon, Henry, James, and Emily. They are the Sodorian Mosaics from the island of Sodor in nineteen-twenty-five."

"...Wow."

"Yeah. Anyway, they arrived about the same time I sent you off, so just a few days. I've been working with them to try and figure out how they got here and why, and we think we've determined something- Now, keep your cool about this one, Blades."

Blades frowned, "What's that supposed to mean...?"

"So... We think that what happened was that... another anomaly took Chase and Cody and put the Sodorians here as a replacement."

Blades was stiff for a moment and then gave a slow, hesitant nod. "Okay... go on, go on. What proof do we have of this assessment?"

"So they showed up about the same time Chase and Cody vanished. We can't get their signals anywhere, but these nine popped up like daisies in the snow. Their memory of Sodor is different enough from the Sodor I found them on here that I'm pretty sure they're alternate Sodors-" He looked back to the engines, "-I will get to that."

"So someone took Cody and Chase, put the Sodorians here to try to hide it, and Mother found out and now is tearing into them and demanding their return." Blades took in a deep breath, and then closed his optics. "...Okay... So what do we do in the meantime?"

"For now, I'm focusing on helping the Sodorians get grips on their elemental powers. I don't know if they'll retain them when they return to their own world, but for now, I'd like for James and Emily to not set themselves or anyone else on fire."

"Fire. That's new."

"Agreed."

"Okay, okay... So, any air?"

"Possibly one, but it's still early."

"O-Okay, okay, just give me a minute." Blades closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath. "This is... a lot, on top of everything that happened out in Crown City too? I don't-"

"What happened out in Crown City?"

Blades opened his eyes again, "I uh... I may have gone a little demi-anomaly on Megatronus...!?"

"You saw Megatron?"

"No. Megatronus. Like... the Big One."

Now it was Boulder's turn to have to calm himself down, "What the...what...!?"

"I know!" Blades hovered up over Boulder's head, "And ever since, I've felt different! More... fidgety, I guess? It's hard for me to sit still. I don't know if it's just the nerves are taking longer to settle or what, but I had this feeling you weren't telling me everything when I checked in with you. I didn't like it, so I came back."

"You're right, I'm sorry, I should have told you the truth. I just... I didn't want you to have to deal with the burden on top of everything else."

"Boulder..." Blades landed again, "I'm your brother, and you were carrying the burden. I'm also your teammate, which means we are supposed to carry the burden together."

"He has a point, Boulder..."
Edward stepped forward, "We have to work together on heavy loads, or else we'll get derailed. Sometimes... You need help."

Boulder looked to the engines, and then gave a sigh. "I know... That being said, I think it's only fair I tell you guys everything that's going on... Blades, me, and our two brothers all came here a number of years ago from far off... We set about helping the humans here when they were in trouble, but sometimes our efforts made enemies out of the humans that were causing the trouble."

"Why would they do that?" Thomas asked.

"Remember, Thomas?" Percy peeped, "That pirate who came to Sodor looking for the treasure? He got you half-submerged in the ocean all night long!"

"Oh... Right. I remember now."

"Anyways, one of those enemies attacked us several days ago." Blades admitted, "We were unprepared for it. They seriously hurt our brother Heatwave, hurt Boulder and Blurr-"

"-And took my little brother Cody hostage." Graham informed, his hands clenching into fists a little. "Boulder and Blades' other brother, Chase, went after them... and now, both of them are missing."

"I left the island a few days ago to ask a friend to help us search for them, leaving Boulder to keep an eye on Heatwave."

"The..." Thomas looked down to the floor, "...The broken one."

"Wounded, not broken." Blades bent down to him, "But don't worry, he'll wake up soon."

"What if he doesn't?"
All eyes looked to James, "I mean... What if he's too damaged to be useful anymore? What happens to him then? Or to us? Or-"

Blades' eyes widened, and then he walked over to James, "It's James... right?"

"Yes...?"

"...Is that why you all are so desperate for work to do? Because you're afraid of being thrown away if you're not useful to us?"

"I... Maybe? I don't know...! It's just that..." 

Thomas stepped forward, his hands folded together. "Nobody really knows what happens to an engine when they're not useful anymore. When we break down, they take us to the Steamworks or the Dieselworks, and we're repaired, but... when you can't be repaired anymore... when the railway can't use you anymore, you just... disappear, and you're never seen again. We put so much time and effort into being really, really useful to Sir Topham Hatt and the passengers, because if we're not-"

"Then you think you're not worth anything anymore."
Boulder gripped Thomas' shoulder a little, "Guys... I don't know how things are on your Sodor, but here, value doesn't come from what you can do for other people. We're not going to stop seeing value in a life just because they can't do something for us, because living itself is a purpose."

"Just... being here can be a purpose?"

"Yes!" Blades beamed, "But you know what else can be a purpose? Making things with your hands- painting, sculpting, making music! Sharing stories with each other to pass on to the next group that comes! Everything you do, whether it's for your own pleasure or to help someone else, it can still be a purpose! and sometimes, what you're meant to do in the moment, is rest... to just sit, and listen, to experience what it is to be alive...! Boulder-"
Blades looked to his brother, "-Have you shown them the Lookout Spot?"

"Not yet. The bunker's the only part of the island they've been so far."

Blades grinned, "Tell you what. Tonight, Boulder and I can take you up to Lookout Point. You can see the whole island from up there, and we can show you what resting- not just waiting for another job- is like."

The engines shrugged, not seeming to fully understand, but appearing willing to try.

"Perfect. Right now-" Blades headed for the elevator, "-I wanna let Dani know I'm back. Oh, and Heatwave will wake up, everyone... I know it in my spark."

Boulder nodded in agreement as Blades disappeared, "Heatwave's been through enough close calls before. He's too stubborn to call it quits now, not while Cody and Chase are still missing..."

"And... Do you think Chase and Cody are okay?" Edward asked.

"Yes." Boulder put his hands on his hips, "I know Chase too. He won't stop protecting Cody and keeping him safe so long as he can draw breath through his vents and his spark's still beating... I'm sure they're both fine... Somewhere..."

_____________________________________________________________________

"You sure you know where you're going?"

"Don't you trust them, Gordon? They're hundreds of years old, they've probably walked these tunnels hundreds of times!"

"Good. Cuz I lost track of where we were as soon as the door closed. Ope! That's a tree root. Watch your head, Cranky."

"Thanks for the heads up..."

Boulder grinned as the engines chattered behind him as he led the way through the tunnels under Griffin Rock. "Not to worry, guys. We're almost there."

"So," Emily asked, "Where exactly are we going?"

"When the four of us first arrived here, Cody brought us through these tunnels and up to a cliffside that overlooks the town below." Blades announced from a little ways ahead, "It was the first time we got a really good view of our new home, and it's become a good place to go when you need some space from everything."

"You guys have been staying with us for over twenty-four hours now and still hadn't gone up to ground level." Boulder marched up to the top of the slope, opening up to the open air, and gave a smile. "Time to change that..."

He stepped aside, allowing the engines and Cranky to all step out into the open air again.

"Welcome to Griffin Rock..."

"Whoa...!"
Thomas was the one to lead the charge, running out closer to the edge of the cliffside and looking out over the glittering lights of town below. "Look at how bright it is!"

"And look at the water!" Percy pointed out to the ocean off in the distance, "Wow, it's amazing...!"

Blades pointed to several places, "Over there are the Docks, where the ferry comes in with visitors and supplies for the island. Off that way is Mount Griffin- you can't see it very well right now in the dark, but the top of it has a rock that resembles a griffin, which is where the island got its name... Below it is the canyon, and up there-" He pointed to a building nestled on the edge of the mountain, "Is Doc Greene's lab! It's up there that he conducts experiments and builds new tech for the island."

"What're those glowing spots out there in the water?" Emily asked.

Boulder smirked, "That's where the shield towers come from when it's activated."

"Shield towers?" Edward asked.

Boulder nodded, "Doc Greene invented a special shield for the island. When really bad weather comes in, like a hurricane, we can activate it. Massive towers rise up from the water, and then energy walls form between them and keep everything out."

"Over the entire island?" Henry asked, "How does that work?"

Blades shrugged, deciding not to try and explain plasma generators at this time. "It just does?"

"So this is all we're doing up here?" Gordon asked, "Looking?"

"Exactly."
Blades sat down, dangling his legs over the edge of the cliff, though none of the others seemed comfortable to get so close. "To just sit, listen... Be."

"And that..." Cranky pointed down into the town, "The red brick building. That is the Firehouse where we just were?"

"Right!"

"We walked all the way up here from there!?" James gaped, "No wonder I got lost so easily."

"See why I made it a rule not to enter the tunnels alone?" Boulder grinned, "They spread out across the entire island, but some of them are more treacherous than others. Like the ones that lead to the local volcano."

"You have a volcano too?" Percy rubbed his head, "Goodness, your island has everything!"

"Heh, not everything, Percy..." Blades was quiet for another moment more, and then stood up once more. "Okay, so I already know that James and Emily are fire, and based on what happened back in the Bunker-"

"Sorry..." Diesel mumbled, looking up as Boulder put a hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay, but you're definitely an electrical mosaic... Boulder said that we might have another air mosaic in your ranks too?"

Henry wrung his hands together, "Erm... That would be me...? I mean, I can jump really high."

"Like, 'jump up and hit his head on the top of a train tunnel' high." Emily replied.

Blades smiled, "Well, it's a start! To be honest, when I first used my powers, I didn't really know what I was doing either. Let's start with something simple," He walked over and took Henry's hands gently in his own, holding them out and then placing a small stone in them. "Close your eyes, and just try to feel the breeze around you..."

"What's the rock for?" Gordon asked.

"In a minute. Just let yourself relax and feel the air... feel it brushing on your plating, wrapping around your body and then going on its way..."

"I...I feel it... I don't even feel the rock in my hands anymore..."

"Good... then open your eyes."

Henry did so, looking at the same thing Henry was- the reason he no longer felt the rock, was because it was hovering over his hands, slowly floating on a gust of air in front of him. He gasped and then the stone fell into his palms once more, but he was grinning. "I...I did it!"

"You did it." Blades spun around and the wind followed his movements, whirling up some leaves up with it. "And with practice, you can hold up even larger things than a rock."

"Hey!"
They looked behind them, finding Percy had repeated the same trick, "I did it too!"

"Well done, Percy!" Boulder applauded, and the two green engines beamed to each other.

"Me next! Me next!" Thomas announced, "What's mine!?"

"Well, I don't know, Thomas." Boulder bent down to his level, "Have you noticed anything unusual about yourself?"

"Well obviously. I have arms now!" He smiled at Percy as his friend giggled, "But when it comes to controlling something, I guess not."

"Well, we'll be certain to keep an eye out. Sometimes it happens when you're around a lot of that element. Like me, for instance." Boulder tapped the ground and a pillar of dirt and stone lifted up for him to lean again, "As an Earth mosaic, I almost always have some sort of material to use, though I'm still learning how to control stuff like sand, which isn't very solid on its own."

"That being said..."
Blades looked to Cranky, who raised a brow in response. "When you calmed Diesel earlier this afternoon... I think you're also an Earth mosaic."

"How so?"

"When you grabbed Diesel, you should've been shocked, but instead you redirected the electrical currents down your framing to the ground, like a living lightning rod. Plus, it makes sense." Blades gently nudged the crane's leg with his foot, "A crane like yourself could benefit from being able to ground themselves into the soil and stone more in order to pull heavy loads without straining."

For probably the first time since Boulder had found the Sodorians, Cranky's expression looked a little less- well, cranky. He hummed softly to himself, a look of contemplation on his faceplate. "...Fair enough."

"Well, if anyone else could handle heavy loads, it would be me!" Gordon announced, "Hauling the Express every day is no easy feat, unless you're me...!"

The other engines all rolled their optics, as if this prideful proclamation was a regular occurrence.

"Okay, so two air, an electricity, possibly two earth, two fire..." Boulder overlooked the two remaining blue engines, "...Water, perhaps?"

Edward shrugged, "Hard to to test that out here."

"Agreed. Maybe tomorrow when we visit Sodor, we can find some puddles to test with. But that's a matter for tomorrow. For now... Let's just enjoy the nice evening."

"Say, what's on at the Drive-In tonight?" Blades asked, "We can make this an official first night on the island!"

"Minus the rampaging dinosaur, of course."

"Excuse me, the what?" James asked.

"Long story. Come on, it's not that far of a walk..."