I'm frozen in place, my mind unable to comprehend what's just occurred "Eve?" Javi checks. I blink a few times "he's stopped the train" I mumble, Javi tries to touch my shoulder to reassure me but I shrug him off. I hurry over to the computers and start stabbing the keys but they're not working. He's frozen our systems leaving us unable to even switch the lights back on. Which means for everyone but me it's going to get very cold very fast. Javi grabs a jacket and shrugs it on, he tries to give me the other but I shake my head "can't feel it remember" I mumble. I go back to the computer and start trying to get back some control of our systems. Ben enters, he's also grabbed a jacket "Javi, have you got comms with Mel?" He demands. I dodge round him and try the other computer but there's no change "We're stopped." Javi points out, he's also trying to unfreeze our controls. Ben tosses us gloves to the side "Yeah, I got that. Have you got comms with her?" He repeats the question. Javi shakes his head "I've got nothing." He goes over to the old radio and starts messing with the channels I bite my lip "Ben , Wilford's got complete control of Snowpiercer." I remind him. He shakes his head "She'll know. She'll know to go to backup."
"Melanie, Melanie, come in, this is the Engine." Ben says into the handset. There's a long pause, I fiddle with my hands nervously "Beautiful day out here." Mel jokes. I laugh, she's still with us "Yeah, a balmy 118 below zero. Let's get you back aboard." Ben teases. Mel has other plans "I'm at the connector. The arms are locked in." She reports. I shake my and take the handset from Ben "Hey, Mel, you can't disconnect us." I point out, we're far too low on power to ever get running by ourselves. She sighs "I know. We drained the banks too low
running from him to ever get moving
on our own again." She says "You were right, Ben. I fell for it". Wilford's has years to plan this game out, he knew how we'd react when we say big Alice and we were too caught up in the shock of it all to ever think of what he might try. "If I blow the uplink, at least you get the helm
and life systems back." She says. Ben takes the handset back "You've got
a sticky charge, yeah?" He checks, "Yeah, but I only have one."I then glance to the clock "Hey, Mel,
what's your suit temp?" I ask nervously. She's been out there far too long. The suit will protect her from the cold for a while but it's only a short term shield "You'll be going hypothermic in the next few minutes, probably even sooner" I warn her. She doesn't respond, all we can hear is breathing and the crunching of snow and ice as she runs "Melanie?". There's a loud clang and I wince, "Melanie, that's threshold. You know the signs; You'll get confused, You'll start losing your motor skills." I list. She pants a little bit seems determined to finish the job "I'm fine." She says breathlessly. A bunch of our computers come back online "She's doing it" javi says, "She's got us a hand free." I hand the radio to Ben and immediately start rebooting our systems "Mel, you did it. Let's get you aboard". There's a long silence "I'm not done yet.". I swallow thickly, she's pushing herself too far and I'm truly afraid she's going to topple over the edge. Javi curses under his breath, I spin round and notice what he's looking at. Our battery banks are far too low and it'll take ages to ever get them at the levels we've enjoyed for the last few years. I get up "need to work out what's going on in the tail" I mumble. I pick up the phone and press the button to connect to the handset on the old border. But no one answers, I don't even think there's a connection "shit, the lines are still down from the revolution" I press my head against the wall. He couldn't have chosen a better time to latch on and retake his engine. I take a reading of the temperature "-20 degrees" I state. I notice javi and Ben are both starting to feel the affects of the cold and it's only going to keep dropping until by some miracle we start moving. Suddenly there's a groan and then a screech as the train starts to move forward, our miracle we could only have dreamed of. Ben and javi seems relived with this turn of events, I tilt my head "is Mel onboard?"Ben picks up the radio "Melanie. Melanie, are you aboard this train?" He shouts into the radio. The radio is silent
"Melanie, get on the train. Melanie, are you aboard? Come in." I close my eyes
"Melanie, get on the train!". There's a hiss "There's something here. I think it's snowing." She responds. My eyes snap open "She's losing it, man." Javi says. I think that's probably the worst thing you can experience, hallucinations. It's the brains way of making your death kinder and yet it's so cruel "Melanie, listen to me. It's too cold to snow anymore." Ben reasons "Get aboard the train.". He's trying to be calm and reasonable but he breaks "Melanie, stay with me. Melanie!"
She seems to snap back, running to catch up to the train that she built "No" but we're speeding up "Ben, if you can hear me... I'm boarding Big Alice" right into the lions den.
YOU ARE READING
Inhumanity
Fanfiction"If I was to tell you I was built in a lab like this very train would you believe me?" Wilford spent his time investing in the future, before the global extinction that was me. Trapped together, round and around and around we go. Speeding on throug...