Troublesome Trucks

Arc 20 Long live the King

After that was taken care of, Daniel slowly shunted me back into the siding. 

"Thanks." He whispered, I smiled, "No problem. Although I'm afraid we've made things a lot harder for our mutual friends." Daniel silently agreed as he shunted me back into the goods shed. The engines had bought my lies so easily, asserting my dominance and checkmating the Hat will be a breeze.

First order of business were the Jays. They were merely teenage ruffians and young rogue workmen. They had no way to manipulate the tides on the human side, guess it can't be helped. But they were a group of maybe ten or so people, a few new hands would do them good. More than that, they should show their affiliation and devotion to The Black King.

I asked Daniel for them to meet me at the shed where we'd first met. In a gap in the timetable, Daniel was able to slip me into the shed unnoticed. 

Later on that night, I heard several footsteps approach. Several loud knocks pounded against the wooden doors, I smirked. "Come in!" The doors opened and the Jays flooded the small shed with several flashlights. Now forming a small semi circle around me, the meeting began. 

"I never got the chance to congratulate you all on your work up at Callan. The fire was magnificent." Several of the Jays snickered amongst themselves. "I am aware that there has been a lot of pressure on you all, having been involved in my uprising." A lot of the Jays nodded, "As such, I offer you my most sincere apologies." A few of the Jays applauded, "Unfortunately, moving forward, this may become unavoidable. So I offer a solution." Several of the Jays leaned in with anticipation. "I wish for you all to come work for me. Under my card title 'The Black King' you will be my army to act in my name. You will be my eyes, ears and hands. My goal is to make the controller of this railway beg for mercy, to make him suffer, not physically mind you but mentally, as us trucks have. If that's not convinced you, think on this. What kind of reputation would you build after toppling a railway company? After Sodor, we'll move on to the next, and then the next. So, Who wants to have some fun?" I finished as the Jays applauded, whooping and cheering.

The Jays sought to terrorize, after my speech I asked why, their answer was simple. They weren't satisfied with their life situations, a majority of them came from poor backgrounds filled with mistreatment and prejudice. The two who were legally part of the railway would act as my Rooks, the rest as Pawns, Daniel as queen. As for Wolf and Break, with Louis out of action, I see no better fit for my bishops. The knights were yet to come. So it was decided. The Blue Jays, now The King's Army, were now under the rule of the Black King. May my reign leave behind a legacy.