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The race marshals, expressionless as ever, skated out.
"This is Control! This is Control!" Control announced, "And now for the race that keeps going day and night, the final Trans-America trial for the championship of the world!"
The marshals snapped their flags ceremoniously as the back of the hill lifted.
"In track one: Greaseball the diesel with Pearl, the observation car."
Greaseball and Pearl skated out together and waved before he took her around.
"In track two: Electra the engine of the future with Dinah the dining car."
Electra and Dinah skated out together. She unhitched quickly, staying as far away while still being with him. Her eyes widened when she saw Greaseball with Pearl. She smoothed her skirt several times, very quickly as Electra pulled her around the yard.
"In track three: Bobo the French TGV with Ashley the smoking car."
Ashley leaned on her engine as they both waved. Bobo saluted before taking her around.
"And in track four: Rusty the steamer with Buffy the buffet car!"
Buffy also leaned on Rusty's shoulder and struck a pose. Rusty didn't do much of anything, he was too focused on staying calm, forcing himself not to think of anything else.
Over to the side Greaseball was holding Pearl in his arms. She touched his hair softly with a smile.
Dinah, behind Electra, fumed silently.
"Trains to your tracks."
The racers lined up, side by side, and moved into position.
Ashley looked over at Buffy, indicated Rusty with her head and smiled. Buffy shrugged and smiled back.
Dinah kept shooting Pearl dark glances, but the other coach didn't notice. Dinah reached over and "poofed" Pearl's hair, making it less then perfect. Pearl simply pulled her hair back, infuriating Dinah even further.
"Twenty seconds," Control called.
Once again one of the race marshals whooshed around the racetracks, making sure they were clear. As the siren sounded the four engines ceremoniously put their helmets on.
"Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one! Trains gone!"
AS they took off around the circle track Greaseball gave Bobo a shove, sending the French train spinning into the supports of the spiral ramp.
Greaseball took the lead with Electra close behind and Rusty right behind Electra. Bobo straightened himself out to be a distant fourth.
"Here's a surprise," Control commented, "Look at that Rusty go!"
The racers crossed the yard and up onto the tracks.
Greaseball pulled ahead and Bobo caught up to Rusty. The steamer turned on the power as he caught up with Electra.
"He's chasing Electra... "
Rusty braced for a shock as he passed Electra, but none came. Hugging the railing as he rounded the curve he passed Electra and gained on Greaseball.
"He's chasing Greaseball!" Control exclaimed, stunned.
Bobo was still in last place, due to his bad start.
"You cheaters!" he shouted at the others.
Rusty pulled even with Greaseball as they approached the bridge. The diesel sped up, but so did the steamer. Rusty couldn't pass him, but Greaseball couldn't pull ahead either.
Electra caught up and closed in. Now all three were even. As they crossed the bridge Greaseball unhitched Pearl, pushed Dinah out of the way and slammed into Rusty, hard.
Much harder then Greaseball had ever hit any of the others in his other race.
Buffy quickly unhitched as Rusty went down, gasping. Greaseball then fell, "hurt" as well. Electra looked at Greaseball and Rusty and then fell dramatically. Bobo skidded to a stop, swerved and bumped into the edge of the bridge.
"Oh my God!" Control shouted over the horrible clanging of metal as the trains crashed, "Race canceled! Race canceled!"
Bobo, in the best shape out of all of them, backed up and pulled Ashley away. Electra got unsteadily to his wheels. The two marshals pulled Buffy and Pearl away, trying to clear the tracks.
"Re-run in fifteen minutes!" Control said, "Re-run in fifteen minutes!"
Rusty vaguely heard that and he gripped the side of the bridge as it slowly lowered to where they could get off. He managed to get down into the yard, still trying to recover. The crash had knocked the wind out of him. He sat on all fours, panting, vaguely aware of Greaseball and his gang being near him.
The race marshals came over by Greaseball, asking what had happened.
"Rusty did it!" the diesel exclaimed, pointing down at the steamer, "He caused the wreck!"
The marshals looked up at Electra on the bridge.
"Rusty did it!" Electra agreed, "He caused the wreck!"
Dinah's jaw dropped and she glared at Electra, knowing full well that Rusty hadn't done anything. She started to argue but Electra pushed her away up the bridge and out of sight.
Rusty looked up, abosolutely horrified as he listened to the others lie. He forced himself up.
"He did it!" Greaseball's gang and Flat Top shouted, "Rusty did it! He did it! Rusty did it!"
Rusty rolled over to the two race marshals, trying to plead his case. The marshals crossed their arms and shook their heads. Rusty flat out begged, but they still wouldn't listen.
Greaseball had skated over to his gang.
"Shut it!" he exclaimed, silencing them, "I did it! He was good, he was fast, things looked bad, he could've got past... "
The marshals, who had still been talking to Rusty, skated away.
Rusty turned to Greaseball and his gang.
"They say... " he started, pointing off to where the marshals had gone.
"What did they say?" the gang asked.
Rusty took a breath and looked at Greaseball, "You said... "
Greaseball skated over to Rusty, coming uncomfortably.
"What did I say?" Greaseball asked.
"You to told the marshal I drove into you!" Rusty exclaimed, backing up slightly.
"The marshal's impartial," Greaseball said, almost shouting in Rusty's ear. Rusty moved his head away from Greaseball. "It has to be true," Greaseball continued, "Make sure it don't happen again."
He skated away from Rusty, and around behind him.
The diesel glanced at his gang, "I'm sure I don't need to explain," he added to them. He skated up the ramp and out of the yard.
His gang skated over and surrounded Rusty, shoving him.
"Hey kid, look what you did," they said, "You made the boss unhappy, so we're unhappy."
One of them gave Rusty a push, "Pull out of the race!" he ordered.
"Put a smile on his face," Flat Top added, brandishing his brick in front of Rusty's face.
"Make him happy," the gang ordered, "And make it snappy!"
Rusty pushed his way out from them. He skated out across the yard.
"I'm gonna race in the final," he sang.
One of the gang blocked his path and gave him a hard push.
Rusty rolled backwards towards the others.
"Now that's ungrateful," the gang sang, "We try to be nice, we give you advice, it's really hateful."
Another gang member grabbed Rusty's helmet and the two engaged in a fierce tug of war. The gang member finally yanked it away from Rusty.
"No gratitude, bad attitude," the gang continued, "he got no class."
They shoved Rusty over to two of the other gang members. They grabbed his arms, holding him firm. Rusty struggled, trying to pull out of their grip, but couldn't get free.
"Get the spanners!" one shouted.
"Let's teach him some manners!" another shouted.
Rusty's eyes widened in fear and he struggled again with renewed vigor, again trying to pull his arms free. The gang members held him tightly.
"Let's kick some ass, kick some ass!" the six shouted, closing in on Rusty.
The one holding the helmet tossed it backwards, accidentally hitting Flat Top in the stomach. The brick truck, caught off guard, staggered around and collided with the bottom of the bridge, knocking himself out.
One of the gang swung and punched Rusty. Another rammed him in the stomach. Rusty doubled up in pain. The two holding his arms let go and he went down. They gave him a kick in the ribs, forcing him to roll over. He was kicked in the other side, rolling back, to lay facedown.
The gang closed in on Rusty, all hitting or kicking him at once. As they attacked the horrible clanging sound of metal on metal filled the yard.
One of the gang grabbed Rusty's arm and hauled him up to his wheels. The steamer couldn't protest nor fight anymore.
The gang swung him around until he was thoroughly dizzy and then collided with another set of fists.
The gang member holding onto Rusty's arm let go. Rusty went flying and landed facedown on the ground. He twitched once or twice and then was still.
The gang looked at each other approvingly. Rusty would not cause any more problems tonight.
Greaseball came in with Pearl. She gasped when she saw Rusty's crumpled form on the ground. Pearl unhitched and quickly rolled down the hill.
"Rusty!" she gasped, dropping to her knees by his head.
His wheels moved slowly, but he simply couldn't move, and he didn't want to risk what else they might do to him if he got up again. Pearl was so close though.
Greaseball looked down at Rusty.
"Looks like Rusty's had a small accident," he said, he turned to his gang, "Right?"
"Right!" the gang shouted, a little too eagerly.
Rusty cringed at the sound of their voices. Pearl looked up in horror as she began to understand.
"You did this?" she asked, hoping that Greaseball would answer no.
Greaseball shrugged, "He took me on and he lost the fight."
Pearl stood up and carefully stepped over Rusty. She started to leave the yard. "I'll go tell the marshal... " she started.
Two of the gang blocked her way and she whirled, frightened.
"You're in it as well!" Greaseball shouted, going over to her. She backed away as far as she could, which wasn't very far.
"They'll only suspend you if you ever tell," Greaseball said.
Pearl looked around helplessly, he was right. She reluctantly took Greaseball's couplings.
"This wasn't how I wanted it, this wasn't what I saw," she sang, "Each time I try it seems that I get sadder but no wiser then before."
Greaseball pulled her up the hill and out of sight.
The gang skated off the other way, giving each other congratulatory high fives.
Flat Top followed them and then hesitated.
Alone now, Rusty pushed himself up, slowly and painfully. He winced in pain and rubbed one of his arms.
Flat Top skated over to Rusty, knelt and slid his helmet across the ground towards the engine.
Rusty braced, not sure if Flat Top was still with the gang or not.
"You alright Rusty?" Flat Top asked softly.
Rusty looked up at Flat Top, stunned, what did he think? No I am not 'alright'!
Flat Top exited the yard, rather quickly.
Rusty hugged his helmet to him and stood up. He staggered across the yard and half-grabbed, half-collided with the supports of the spiral ramp, not really paying attention to where he was going, trying to ignore his various dents and bruises.
There was a shout and Rusty looked up and then sighed. He had walked in on the Rockies.
The three boxcars skated up and down the hill, then turned and saw Rusty.
"Hey look who's paying us a visit," Rocky said.
"It's the champ." Rocky two agreed.
"It's isn't is it?" Rocky three asked.
"Shut it!" Rusty half-whined, half-shouted, rolling across the yard, "I was cheated!"
He grabbed the supports of the other spiral ramp, this time not quite falling.
The Rockies turned to Rusty and shadow-boxed for a few beats until the engine turned around.
"No point in complaining Rusty," Rocky said, "Sayin' that the system's mean. They keep us down by fighting dirty, you won't win if you fight back clean."
Rusty shook his head, no, that wasn't right.
"Once maybe you played a hunch, made it with a lucky punch," Rocky continued, all three of the boxcars punched the air, "At the right time and in the right place, rest of the time look out for your place."
"They won't give you the chance again," all three Rockies said, "Just sit quiet at the back of the train."
Rusty obeyed, sinking to the ground. He shifted, settling into a more comfortable position. Given that he still hurt whenever he moved that was a bit hard.
"Come on Rockies!" Rocky called.
"If I had the chances, if I had the breaks, could have been a winner, I had what it takes," the three boxcars sang, "But I wasn't in the right place at the right time." They moved around the yard together in perfect rhythm, as if they were one.
"Didn't have the rhythm, didn't have the rhyme I wasn't in the right place at the right time."
"Could've been a contender, could've been a star," they continued, "Never reached the final, didn't get that far."
The Rockies dropped to the ground in a row, on all fours.
"'Cause I wasn't in the right place... " Rocky, in the center, rolled to one side as Rocky Three pushed himself up and over Rocky to land in the center. "At the right time," Rocky Three rolled as Rocky Two jumped over him.
All three rolled over on their backs.
"Didn't have the rhythm, didn't have the rhyme."
The rolled back and pushed themselves up on their elbows.
"I wasn't in the right place at the right time."
The three Rockies jumped up.
"Okay Rockies, let's take it to the bridge!" Rocky called.
"R-O. C-K. I-E. S," they spelled, dancing.
The boxcars moved around the yard, moving perfectly together, showing off and working on their routine that they had been working on before they had been interrupted.
Rusty remained sitting on the ground, watching the boxcars dance through dull eyes.
The Rockies returned to upright positions, in a line.
Rocky pushed Rocky Two out of his way.
"Anytime they seem to open up the door they slam it in your face and knock you to the floor," the Rockies sang, "Tisn't only me son, Tisn't only you. All of use are losers all of us are through... "
They dropped to the ground going through their jump roll routine again.
"Cause I wasn't in the right place at the right time," they sang. Three jumping over One and Two jumping over Three. They stood up.
"Didn't have the rhythm, didn't have the rhyme."
The three Rockies dove to all fours, one at a time.
"I wasn't in the right place, wasn't in the right place, wasn't in the right place... "
They rolled and jumped back to their wheels. "At the right time!"
They lined up and skated over towards Rusty.
The steamer automatically cringed away from them, despite the fact that he knew the Rockies wouldn't do anything to him.
"Face it Rusty," Rocky said, a bit gruffly, "You're out of it!"
The three boxcars left, leaving Rusty alone in the yard.
He pushed himself up to his wheels and slowly rolled her across the yard.
He looked after where the boxcars had gone and sank down again.
"Guess they're right," he said sadly, "They cheated me when I tried fightin' fair." He blinked rapidly, "I complained, they treated me as if I wasn't there. They left me with nothing." He sighed, "Not even doubt. No one to help me, I'm down." He set down his helmet, "And I'm out."
He closed his eyes and bowed his head. No one else would come into the freight yard tonight, he would be alone until morning.
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