All of the World (ARCHIVED & LESS BAD)

Part Five

It had been three weeks since Frances had escaped to the Dieselworks, and he had adapted to life there quickly. It was weird, being able to sleep as late as he liked, only worked when he felt like it, and there weren't any restrictions on what he could say.

Being able to have an hour alone with his thoughts was all he really needed to confirm that he had made the right decision. The diesels seemed free of all the stress he has been dealing with daily, and they had such casual yet dramatic banter that made being around them felt like he was living in a movie. Honestly, he was starting to feel more at home there than he ever had in Tidmouth sheds.

One night, after the obligatory watching of Star Wars, Splatter brought up the elephant in the room. "So, how are we gonna' keep Frances from gettin' caught? I mean, he can't stay here forever-" He was stopped in his tracks by Dawn, staring at him intently and clearing her throat.

"Well, I guess a little longer wouldn't hurt-" He spluttered, patting Frances on the knee awkwardly. After several hours of nothing, Frances found himself across the room, leaning against a wall.

He thought about his dads, and wondered if they were thinking about him. He remembered Gordon imprisoning him without hesitation, Henry not speaking a word in his defence. Was he really that worthless? Or maybe he was just exaggerating. Yes, that was it.

On the verge of tears, Frances didn't notice Dawn walking over until they poked him in the side of the head. "What're you now, a model?" But she noticed his expression and leaned down to look at him. "You alright, carrot cake?" Frances nearly fell over, his face reddening and his heart pounding. "Oh yeah, I'm fine, I was just thinking about home." The word came out and he regretted it immediately. What if they were offended by that small amount of attachment that was left?

But to his surprise, she wrapped her arms around him, and he found himself engulfed in the smell of metal and perfume. He felt heavy, like he'd fall through the earth and then lift back through it, like his heart was so full that it would burst.

His mind buzzed, his senses went numb and all he could think of was how badly he'd fallen. There was no doubt: he was in love, deeply and truly in love. Eventually, Dawn's ego got the best of her, and they let go, mumbling about having a reputation to uphold. Frances stood there for a long time, watching as she ducked under a doorframe and entered the labyrinth of hallways.

After a while, he rushed to his room to experience his raging hormones, switching between crying into the sink, screaming into a pillow, and laying blank-faced on his bed, drinking in satisfaction. When he returned to the front, the other diesels were gossiping about the latest development, with Dart trying to convince them to bet on what would happen.

Dodge was laughing as he turned around and saw Frances, though his expression was quickly replaced with exaggerated fear. "Oh great spaghetti god, protect me from this tiny child." He pleaded, raising his hands above his head. Diesel turned his head and motioned for the others to shut up. "So, are you two dating or what-" Splatter jumped on his back and sent Diesel crashing to the floor, cursing at the purple-eyed annoyance.

Frances laughed at the furious expression on Diesel's face and he yanked Splatter up by the collar and shook him around. He regained his composure and winked at Frances, turning away to finish his work for the day. Diesel did pretty much all of the work required, and he never complained. Sure, he sometimes used it as an excuse to get someone to do something for him, but otherwise, he never asked for any repayment.

When Frances asked him why he didn't ask for help, he responded with, "Your company and friendship is enough." Frances wished he had as much work ethic as him. With nothing else to do, he asked Dart if he could go out. "Why the hell not? Just don' be an idiot and don' get caught." The short diesel said gruffly, pushing a car of scrap parts out of the yard. "Why don't ya' do somethin' useful and take this to Whiff's place, eh? He won't tell."

So Frances took the car and began the journey to Whiff's waste dump. He made sure to stay far from the mainline, in case someone who knew about him crossed his path. He hoped that the large number of engines on the island would have kept Lady and The Fat Controller from informing everyone.

When he arrived after a long, stealthy journey, he was relieved to see that no one was around. It was slightly more difficult to move cars in his human form, but he couldn't afford to be spotted. After all, a redheaded human was much more inconspicuous than a giant orange steam engine.

As he started on his way back to the Dieselworks, he ran into Whiff, a short, stubby engine. "Oh hello, Frances, what brings you to the dump?" He said gently, face showing no sign of shock or alarm. "I just delivered that scrap car from the d- from the docks." He caught himself before he revealed his location, just in case.

"Are you heading back there now?" Whiff asked, adjusting his glasses. "Yeah, I am. I have a couple more things to do, so catch you later." Frances said, hurrying down the line towards the docks, and once he was out of sight, rushing through the underbrush onto the line to Vicarstown.

When he got back, Splatter ran out and pulled him into the main shed, where all the diesels were gathered."You motherfucking idiot, I thought you were dead!" Dawn yelled at him, shaking him roughly.

He had just noticed that Diesel was missing until he rushed in with Salty right behind him. "Oh thank god." He said when he saw Frances there. "They raided the docks. Dozens of humans with guns." He said, noticing the stares. "Aye, I suppose they were looking for Frances. Lucky he wasn't there, but I wonder why they did it. Life's been very quiet lately." Salty mused.

"Well, no better time for a drink than after you almost died!" Diesel said cheerfully, and Salty went into the back to grab some. Frances was surprised at how quickly life got back to normal after something so terrifying.

"What happened there?" Asked Bert, sitting next to Frances. He hadn't talked to the Ironworks twins that much, mostly because they were usually very busy.

He knew that they had a reputation for being very menacing and rough, but they were comparably quieter than the others, which was a nice change. "I only wanna' know in case something important happened, since everyone will be so drunk that they'll forget to ask." He added.

"I saw Whiff at the dump, and I told him I had come from the docks. He seemed fine then, but he must have told them. You guys were all gathered together when I got back, was that about me?" He watched Bert's face lighten slightly. "Not entirely."

Diesel overheard them and sat down. "It was actually why I was at the docks in the first place. Apparently, some of the steam engines have formed a sort of resistance. I guess you were a bit of a symbol to them. Don't ask me why, I have no clue." Frances couldn't believe that. How had the docile steam engines finally gathered the willpower to rise up?

"Who?" He asked eagerly, hoping that some of his friends had stood up for him. "Let me think... Donald, Douglas, Bill, Ben, Porter, Duck and Oliver are the only ones we know for sure. It's rumoured that Toby and Edward might join up eventually, and Whiff just told me today." Frances exchanged a glance with Bert.

"Diesel, Whiff saw me today and reported me." Diesel furrowed his brow. "Can't have been, Whiff went right to me after he saw you. Someone must have been eavesdropping." Frances felt a rush of gratitude towards Diesel and all the recruiting he had been doing.

It was strange to think of the group as a cause, a rebellion, but then again, what else had he though would happen? Whatever happened, he was glad that he had fought against the patriarchy.

The effects of alcohol and sugar dimmed the ominous mood that had set over them. They had allies, Frances hadn't been discovered, and they had sweets. Hope glimmered brighter than ever before.