Train Junkies

Jamie and Dallas Take Nate to Dallas

Summary: Fifteen-year-old Jamie and Dallas Jones take their younger brother, thirteen year old Nathaniel 'Nate' Jones on his first official mission in Dallas Texas.

Dallas Jones enjoyed riding trains. They gave her great comfort, as well as a reason to enjoy the scenery outside of Hernzwire Academy. That's why she always requested that she and Jamie take missions out of region.

Jamie, on the other hand, seemed almost reluctant to use the train. Despite their mutual love of engineering, trains were something the Jones twins couldn't agree on.

So, in a last-ditch race to beat out the other, the twins had volunteered to escort their younger brother, Nate, on his first out of region mission. And Dallas though she was sure to win over the intelligent lad.

The short walk to the train station was occupied by both girls talking to their brother about the train, and their experiences. Jamie brought up all the accidents she'd heard of in the news recently, whilst Dallas brought up the safety, speed, and luxury of the machines.

Nate, for whatever reason, seemed to give zero shits. The small blond boy only seemed interested in getting to his first mission. Every time one of his escorts would bring up the train, he'd change it into talk about their first out-of-region mission, in New York.

Dallas was not amused. She could have sworn that Nate, her favourite brother (don't tell the others), would immediately join her side of the argument. He was smart, and had her sense of humour. He had to like the train.

As they reached the station, Nate's deep, blue eyes had started to light up. "Wow," he murmured, looking around in surprise at the decor. "Those light fixtures are magnificent!"

Jamie stopped walking, looking down at the boy. "The lights? Really? What about the giant metal death trap parked in the middle of the room?"

Nate rolled his eyes from behind his glasses. "I couldn't care less about the train. I'm impressed by their care in the design! It's superb!"

The twins stared down at their brother in confusion. How could anyone notice some stupid decorations when there was an engineering masterpiece sitting right in front of them?

That's when it first hit Dallas. Nate wasn't a tech nerd like his sisters. He was all about aesthetic intelligence. No wonder he steered clear of anything that belonged to Jamie. The girl was practically design-blind.

Nate shrunk away in confusion, shifting his eyes from twin-to-twin. "Uh, can you stop looking at me that way? It's, ah, making me nervous."

Jamie backed off right away, adjusting the welder's goggles on her forehead carefully. "Whatever, bro. Let's just get on the damn train."

Dallas shuffled after her siblings, her mind a jumble of thoughts. If Nate's way of thinking was more design-oriented, than how come their views were similar?

She thought over this for quite some time. Before she even realized it, they were all settled in for the long trip. Jamie had removed her hoodie and bunched it up in the corner of the bench, using it as a pillow once more. Her false arm almost glittered in the artificial light.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Nate asked, gesturing to their sister's prosthetic limb. Dallas looked back in confusion, watching as the young teen adjusted his white frames to get a better look. "I believe that Mom did a fantastic job crafting it, the way the metal flows and all. It's so highly, how should I put this, Jamie, but so sleek at the same time! It's lightweight but oh, so strong. Wouldn't you say so, too, Delilah?"

Surprised at the use of her real name, Dallas reached for an appropriate answer. "Well, yeah, sure. The engineering under that sturdy, outer layer is flawless! A true masterpiece if I've ever seen one."