Brighton Works

1520 hours

Current Conditions: Raining

It had been about 2 weeks since the last chapter, since then, a lot had happened. It was Wednesday, the restoration of Eastwood High's Engines was almost done. They had all been taken apart to their rivets and bolts while new boilers, wheels, cylinders, and side rods were fabricated and installed to properly restore the engines to former glory. The students visited the place daily to see what they would be driving and helped in any way that they could. At the moment...somehow, despite needing the most modifications....the LBSC E2XX was the furthest along and was mostly complete, it just needed fittings and its paint.

Andy: "Wow..." he trailed off, admiring his engine, "It looks beautiful."

Worker 1: "Yeah, we kept her looking as close to original spec as possible." he said, "But everything you asked for is there."

Peter: "Damn." he whistled.

Emerald: "You'd think it'd take much longer to upgrade a steam engine like this." she said.

Worker 2: "Well, it would, but since she was built here we're more familiar with the platform and we could finish faster." he replied, ".....unlike your other engines."

Worker 6: "I never thought I'd say it..." he said, walking past, "But I hate the A4 Pacific. I hate it."

Andy: "That bad huh?" he asked, sympathetically.

Worker 2: "Yeah, Sir Nigel Gresley was a brilliant man but he did not make it easy to upgrade his engines in another railway's shops." he replied.

Emerald: "So, what can we help out with today?" she asked.

Pops: "Well, kiddos." he said, walking in with multiple paint cans, "Since your engine is done, you can help by painting your engine."

Emerald: "Ooh!~" she said, darting over.

Pops: "Yup." he chuckled, "This is always the most fun part of any restoration work, getting to paint the engine."

H. Samson: "Yes, and you can make it any livery you want." he added, "But leave the lettering and numbering off, we have people who will handle that part."

Andy: "Yes sir." he nodded.

Worker 1: "Welp, we'll leave you lot to it." he said, "There's a ton of work to be done with the other engines."

With that the workers and the headmaster left to help the other students leaving the trio to paint their engine.

Peter: "So, what's the plan boss?" he asked, "What are we gonna do to make our engine really stand out?"

Emerald: "Ooh! Ooh! I know~!" she shouted, raising her hand.

Peter: "Other than painting it bright pink." he retorted.

Emerald: "Oh boo!" she pouted, "What was your idea then?"

Peter: "Maybe an...industrial grey? Modern White?" he said, mulling over what the livery could be.

Emerald: "Oh pah! She ain't a modern girl." she said, "If anything we need something retro."

Peter: "I dunno, I just don't wanna look too Gaudy." he said, "Women don't like seeing a man rolling around in a bright pink vehicle."

Emerald: "I call bullshit to that." she shouted.

As the pair of them bickered Andy walked over to the paint and examined all the colours before snapping his fingers.

Andy: "Got it." he said, "Esme! Grab a bucket of pink and a bunch of red paint."

Emerald: "Whatever you say boss." she saluted, skipping off to grab the pink and the red.

Peter: "What? We're seriously painting it pink?" he questioned, throwing his arms up.

Andy: "Just trust me, grab some navy blue, a lot of black, and some white." he ordered .

Peter: "Righto." he nodded.

Andy grabbed the brushes and began painting. They started by painting the running board white while the buffer beam and the sides of the running board were painted red, once they were done with the running board they switched to the wheels, painting the 6 small wheels black. While that was all drying they grabbed ladders and began applying a pink undercoat to the body of the engine sans the cab roof and the smokebox, everything was covered in a pink undercoat and then they waited for it all to dry.

Peter: "That looks so unmanly." he winced.

Andy: "The pink won't be visible when we're done." he said, patting Peter's back comfortingly.

Emerald: "Huh?" she questioned.

Peter: "What do you mean it won't be seen?" he asked.

Andy: "It's an undercoat, made to make the actual colour pop." he explained, "Once it's dry get the Navy Blue ready. Oh and grab some gold while you're at it."

Peter: "Yes sir." he said, running off to grab the gold paint.

Emerald: "Yes sir." she pouted.

Andy: "I can make it a brighter blue if ya want." he offered.

Emerald: "......how much brighter?" she asked.

Andy: "Royal Blue." he replied.

Emerald: "Sky Blue." she bargained.

Andy: "We can combine the shades of blue, make a compromise." he said.

Emerald: "Deal." she nodded.

Andy: "Alright then." he said, turning to Peter, "Pete!"

Peter: "I heard!" he called.

Soon, the pink paint dried and the trio got to work painting the first coat of Royal Blue paint over the undercoat then they waited for it to dry, then when it dried a coat of Sky Blue paint was put on, then they waited for that to dry, this went on for 2 more coats until finally they finished with the blue and began doing the lining which was mainly black with a gold border, it lined the bunker, boiler, and side tanks though it probably looked a bit too much like BR Express Blue, it still looked good. Once it was all dry they sealed the livery in a nice clear coat of varnish to protect it from the elements and make it shine in the sun and then they were done. When all of it was done and drying Andy held up both his hands for High 5's which his crew gladly gave.

Eastwood High

1220-1300 hours

Current Conditions: Drizzling

2 days after the restoration work the trio were back in class, seeing as it was Friday the entire school was in a good mood. Since Fridays were half-days so the students were excited to be home before Lunch, also because Fridays were half-days the Clubs and the Varsity kids were excited to get to work training their asses off for various events. It was currently English Class, the last subject of the day. The teacher for this class was a sweet old lady named Ms Stephens.

Ms Stephens: "Good morning my dears." she greeted, kindly.

Students: "Good morning Ms. Stephens." they greeted back.

Ms. Stephens: "How is everyone today?" she asked.

Student 1: "Excited to go home!" one quipped.

Emerald: "Eager to learn!" she said.

Student 12: "Tired!" another joked.

Student 5: "Ready to leave!" the last one shouted.

Ms Stephens: "Ok, a very wide range of emotions." she giggled, "Which is a nice segway into our topic for today."

As they were about to start however the rumble of 2 Diesel Engines filled the campus as a familiar BR Class 04 and a very unfamiliar Santa Fe Super C rolled into the Rail Yards.

Ms Stephens: "Class, please remain seated." she said, trying to steady herself with the table.

Student 4: "Jesus Christ! That thing is huge!" he shouted, looking up at the Super C.

Peter: "Who the hell are they?" he asked.

Emerald: "Instructors perhaps?" she guessed.

Peter: "Probably not, they would bring more engines." he said.

Emerald: "Maybe they're here to help pad out our numbers." she said, "Most Schools have 2 shunters and 2 strongest engines."

Andy: "Unlikely." he said, "The woman who operates that 04 works the tramway running through the City and she's a little over 30. Even if she is joining our team, I really doubt that she's going to be a frequent member."

Peter: "Maybe it's a kid borrowing her engine." he shrugged.

Andy: "Yeah, probably." he sighed, "Let's hope they aren't assholes or something."

Emerald: "Oh relax." she giggled, "It's not like they're gonna be here and gloat."

Peter: "Yeah," he agreed, "but off topic question, does this person have a kid or something?"

Andy: "Mavis? Not sure," he replied, "why?"

Peter: "No reason." he said.

Andy raised an eyebrow but refocused on class, not seeing what Peter was getting at.

English Class would continue for a few more minutes before a knock came to the door.

D.H. Phebe: "Excuse the intrusion Ms. Stephens." she said, peeking into the classroom, "2 new students have been added to your class and are currently waiting outside."

Ms. Stephens: "Not a problem dear." she said, standing up and making her way to the front, "Please, send them in."

The Deputy Headmistress nodded and left the room, beckoning the pair of new students in. One of them was a young girl, probably 14 turning 15 or so, she looked similar to Mavis but she had a blonde head of hair instead of Mavis's black, also unlike Mavis she had bright blue eyes and absolutely rocked the uniform....the other guy was a very close friend to Andy.

Ms. Stephens: "You may introduce yourselves darlings." she said.

Vicki: "Hello everyone, I'm Vicki Drewry." she greeted, "My parents help run the tramway and my mom is a bit of a hero in town so I wanna live up to her legacy and follow in her footsteps."

Ms. Stephens: "Very good Ms. Drewry." she said, turning to the other figure.

Before anyone could talk the guy, an 18-ish year old dude who was over 6 feet tall and had all the hallmarks of a battle scarred veteran finally locked onto Andy and recognized him, gaining a bright smile.

Alex: "Well, well; if it ain't my lil brother figure." he boomed, immediately shutting everyone up, "Didja miss me Andy?"

Andy: "Alex! What are you doing here?" he laughed, standing up pleasantly shocked.

Alex: "What? You think you can conquer the world of Rail Wars without me? No way jose!" he laughed, heartily, "I'll be making sure we bring home the gold."

Ms Stephens: "I see you 2 know each other already." she giggled.

Alex: "You bet your sweet caboose we are." he said, wrapping an arm around Andy and giving him a noogie, "Andy here is like a little brother to me and I couldn't just let him have all the fun."

Ms Stephens: "Oh? Is this true?" she asked.

Andy: "Yeah." he chuckled, "He was more of a brother to me than my actual brother."

That sentence made everyone pause out of sympathy...though the murderous aura from Alex told Andy he was pissed.

Ms Stephens: "I see." she nodded, "Well, I'm sure Andy and his teammates will be more than welcome to having you on the team. Now, you may take the seat beside Andy."

Alex: "Thank ya kindly." he said, giving Andy a few headpats before sitting down.

Andy sat back down himself as the lesson began but he couldn't focus, he had his brother from another mother move all the way across the Atlantic to be close to him. It filled him with hope that his life was in fact on the up and was going to continue climbing for the foreseeable future.

Peter: "Well, looks like you've got a proper brother now." he said, leaning over Emerald.

Andy: "Guess so." he chuckled, "Still trying to wrap my head around....all of this to be honest."

Emerald: "Well, you can't deny the guy has a lotta spirit." she said, watching Alex being his eccentric American self, "I think it's kinda sweet that he moved all the way across the Atlantic to help you out."

Andy: "Can't argue with that. And in no way am I complaining." he said, "It's just...a lot to take in, y'know?"

Emerald: "Yeah, I feel ya." she said, nudging Andy playfully.

Peter: "On the topic of family, you still keeping your after school activities secret from your ma?" he asked.

Emerald: "Of course! When I do tell her, it'll be after we win." she said, grinning widely.

Peter: "So...hopefully soon? Or are you gonna hide it if we lose the first match?" he questioned.

Emerald: "Wha-? No! We have Andy and Alex! The dynamic duo! There's no way we're gonna lose!" she said.

Andy: "There're still a lot of factors, Bert Spencer may not be able to outpace the other high speed engines, me and Alex are gonna compete in separate competitions, we're all new to the sport except me and apparently Alex..." he trailed off.

Emerald: "Shhh. Shh. Shh." she said, covering Andy's mouth, "No negativity allowed in this conversation."

The trio had a good chuckle at that as Ms Stephens finally got the class back underway.

As the class and the school day came to a close and Ms Stephens left for the day, Andy packed up his things. Since the steam engines were ready to run there was to be a training session after school but the instructor was running very late so the trio had some time to kill.

Alex: "Alright little brother, what say we blow this popsicle stand and you show me around?" he said, practically bursting with excitement.

Andy: "Sure Alex," he chuckled, "lead the way, I've got the feeling that this is just the start of a really fun ride."

As they began walking away on the impromptu tour Andy couldn't help but glance back at Peter and Emerald who were both grinning at the pair.

Peter: "Take care of our boy Alex!" he called, "We still need his ass!"

Alex: "You got it, my friend." he called back.

With that the pair left.

Eastwood High Railyard

1900 hours

Current Conditions: Clear

As the sun slowly set over the horizon, the crews of the School's Rail Wars team were busy in the yards. The instructor told them to drive their engines and meet her at Hither Green Marshalling yard for their first day of training. They were all very excited to work with their engines for the first time as they lit their engines' fires and made sure they had enough coal and water to make the distance. The History Buffs had taken the Stirling Single and kept it mostly as is....except for making the Paintjob a rather hideous compilation of gold; red; white; and black, the Basketball players had taken the A4 and had kept it mostly the same; only adding a bit of text on top of its paintwork, and finally the Anime Club had taken the 9F....and had given it various Anime Boy and Anime Girl stickers alongside a very bright paintjob leaving the E2XX as the only engine who seemed to have a shred of dignity. All the engines had been given the School's old crest, a black shield with a bright blue upper half and a white lower half, with a black outline of the E2XX on top of the pattern. On the black outline, written in bright white, was the year the school was founded in, 1920. On the sides of the cabs (and the bunker in the E2XX's case) were the numbers of the various engines. The Super C was 3, the A4 was 4, the Stirling Single was 2, the Class 04 was 6, the 9F was 5, and the E2XX was 1.

Alex: "That just looks wrong." he laughed, looking at the outlandish paintjobs of the other engines.

Toby Todd: "What do you mean?" he asked, leaning out of the Stirling Single.

Emerald: "Why didn't we get that kind of paintjob....?" she whined.

Peter: "Because they look stupid." he said, "I'm not even gonna attempt to get any of those guys hooked to a significant other."

Vicki: "Mother'll set em straight." she groaned.

Andy: "Mavis is that strict with ya?" he asked, his engine building steam beside the Class 04.

Vicki: "Wha-? Oh, no, mom isn't that strict...it's mother you have to worry about." she explained.

Emerald: "What the heck do you mean by that?" she questioned.

Vicki: "You'll see." she replied, shivering.

Andy: "I thought Mavis was married to a guy." he commented.

Vicki: "Hm? Oh! She forgot to tell you?" she questioned.

Andy: "Tell me what?" he asked, confused.

Vicki: "...nothing, you'll find out." she replied.

Andy: "...weird." he muttered, turning back to the gauges, "Ok, steam pressure's at nominal levels."

Peter: "Fire's burning bright." he said, shovelling a bit more coal into the fire.

Emerald: "Control's given clearance to depart." she reported, "Though there's a late night intermodal we have to dodge on the way out."

Vicki: "Roger, follow me out." she said, opening her throttle and rumbling away.

Andy: "Well, you heard her." he said.

Andy released the brakes and turned the reverser to forward before opening the throttle. The cylinder cocks automatically open and the tank engine slowly puffs forwards, blowing its high pitched whistle to tell the others to start moving. Alex starts first, falling in behind Andy after navigating a bunch of points....the others however struggled to start, stumbling around themselves before finally getting moving. The 6 engines slowly drove down the tramway at about 5 mph making as little noise as possible to not disturb the residents or the police as they passed by though the A4 and the 9F were barely controlling themselves, repeatedly ramming into Alex's rear bufferbeam while the Stirling Single was barely keeping up with the group, having not built up enough steam.

Alex: "Yo, you guys are falling behind, what's happening back there?" he asked.

Billy Stevens: "Sorry! She's a shy steamer!" he replied, "We'll catch up on the mainline!"

Andy: "Ya can't be slow on the mainline!" he snapped.

Billy: "We know! We know! We're working on it!" he called.

Andy: "Hurry up!" he said.

The consist of old machinery slowly rumbled up to the junction which connected the tramway to the busy Southern Mainline. The junction ran parallel to the mainline for a few kilometres before merging together, this was mainly to lessen the congestion on the tramway, so when a train was waiting at the junction there wasn't also a traffic jam caused by the waiting train. Currently, the switch was against them and the signal was red.

Andy: "This is the intermodal you warned me about earlier, right?" he asked.

Emerald: "It should've passed by now." she replied, "I'm checking with control to see what the hold up is."

Peter: "Maybe it's a mail train." he suggested.

Andy: "Pretty sure those are discontinued, planes and cars taking the work and all." he said, "Fish train?"

Peter: "No, it's not prime season for any fish." he said, checking a calendar on his phone, "Maybe it's a stopping train?"

Andy: "Probably not knowing the hour." he said, checking his watch, "Maybe a midnight express?"

Emerald: "You're both wrong." she said, smugly.

Peter: "Well? Out with it then, who's coming though?" he asked.

A shrill whistle echoed all around as the Tornado double-heading a late night excursion train with Flying Scotsman roared down the mainline at about 90 mph. Andy smiled at the sight, leaning out of his cab to watch the pair of engines go by at speed.

Andy: "Wow...." he whistled.

Emerald: "Beautiful sight, huh?" she said, leaning out of the cab with him.

Andy: "Yeah, absolutely beautiful." he smiled.

Once the excursion train had disappeared the signal turned green and the points changed to allow the convoy onto the mainline.

Hither Green Marshalling Yard

2000 hours

Current Conditions: Cloudy

As the convoy arrived in the marshalling yard, a small storm was beginning to roll in, blocking the view of the stars and further darkening the yard, as the engines arrived, the various points changed and switched making the engines diverge from one singular track to 6 separate tracks parallel to one another.

Alex: "I can't see shit!" he complained.

Toby: "Join the club pal!" he called, "Shoulda put on the Express Headcode instead of the one for Light Engine."

Billy: "That's a breach of railway policy!" he yelled, "In any case, we should come to a halt before we hit something-"

As if predicting his fate, the Stirling Single crashed headlong into a random tanker, shoving it forward and across a pair of points onto the E2XX's line, causing Andy to slam on the brakes.

Andy: "Whoa! All engines stop!" he ordered.

The squeaks and groans of brakes brought the various engines to a screeching halt, as they stopped, the spotlights surrounding the yard flashed on revealing a bright pink USA Tank across the way from the E2XX, an LMS Duchess across from the A4, a 'Fairy Queen' with intricate ornaments and decorations was across from the Stirling Single, and a Union Pacific 4000 Class was across from the Super C. On top of the USA tank was a woman, she wore military cargo pants, a leather jacket, a very unnoticeable Kirby pin in her bright red hair, and a white tank top.

Rosie: "EVENING MAGGOTS!" she roared, using a megaphone, "Welcome to bootcamp! Every night you will drive your engines here and participate in various exercises to give you the best chance of winning your respective competitions as possible."

The screen faded to black, the scene focusing on Rosie.

A/N: 

Andy: Thanks for reading everyone. 

Thomas: This version of Rosie is scary.

Rosie: Thomas!~

Thomas: Oh dear lord! Look at the time! Gotta go!

Thomas races off as Rosie puffs into view.

Rosie: Oh, hello Author, have you seen Thomas? 

Andy: Um, he's gone to his branchline for the day.

Rosie: I see. Well, take care, I must be off. 

With that Rosie left in the direction of Thomas's Branchline.

Andy: Looks like Thomas has his own Yandere problems. dieHero, take it away, I have to make sure Rosie doesn't find out how to fuck Thomas

With that, Andy ran off.