How is she going to get it officially reconnected though? Can she summon office minions and lawyers to do the paperwork to deal with it?
The World is my Layout [Worm AU/Alt Power]
- Thread starter GeneralPatt1000
- Start date
How is she going to get it officially reconnected though? Can she summon office minions and lawyers to do the paperwork to deal with it?
This is an amusing fic you have here so far. Just spent the last hour enjoying what you have so far.
I love these HappyTaylor stories. While the setting of Worm is really intriguing and the dark world fits, it can be bothersome how many stories people write that follow the Being Taylor is Suffering theme.
I love these HappyTaylor stories. While the setting of Worm is really intriguing and the dark world fits, it can be bothersome how many stories people write that follow the Being Taylor is Suffering theme.
If a fictional train that could actually work in real life or using the tech mentioned in the QA interlude was in a game/movie/show/book on Earth Aleph (Which I always see used to make fictional references make sense in-universe), could Taylor project it once she/QA has knowledge of it?
- Location
- Seattle area
Thank you for your comment. I am also looking forward to it. I don't really have a plan but I do have ideas.
Two words. Danny's connections.
Thank you for reading. Happy Taylor is also fun to write. She hasn't had 2 and half years of neglect and grief to suffer through, thanks to my Point of Divergence. I'm not sure how any post locker Taylor being written by me would end up. Somewhere halfway between the two states. I don't think I could get in the mindset to write a suffering Taylor.
The stickler is that no she can't unless it has a model that she can get a hold of, or she takes to the time to scratch build one. Everything has to be done via models or existing real trains.
Thanks for the chapter its looking really interesting.
Can she interact far from the train yard ie a certain boat grave yard could use tidying up as it is spoiling the background.
Also can she use her power in reverse turn a broken train into a model projection which she can then repair with a model repair kit and then restore to full size fixed
Can she interact far from the train yard ie a certain boat grave yard could use tidying up as it is spoiling the background.
Also can she use her power in reverse turn a broken train into a model projection which she can then repair with a model repair kit and then restore to full size fixed
- Location
- Rotting in port
So, what the hell is this fixation with massive railroad guns? I understand that they're big, as phallic symbols should be, and that some people feel need to compensate for their inadequacies, but otherwise they're completely useless for use in Brockton bay (or any other city between Washington and the Canadian border that you don't want to raze).
If Taylor did need to use overwhelming force (which she didn't so far, and it would scare the hell out of the authorities), a brief search let me find plenty of N scale troops and vehicles, including modern stuff. Most capes, even flying ones, aren't brutes, so Taylor could easily (though not so cheaply) buy one single infantry company with humvees and AFV support from the internet to deal with the entirety of the cape villain population in the city.
Even among the brutes, I wonder how well Lung would stand up to a 35mm autocannon, or if Hookwolf wouldn't be reduced to pink mist by an RPG; hell she could order N scale tanks if that wasn't also gross overkill.
All that said, so far it hasn't been necessary to escalate massively. Now, considering the author's handle and that this is Taylor that we're talking about, I wouldn't be surprised if a military response will end up being deployed, but for now please let it rest and enjoy the trains.
If Taylor did need to use overwhelming force (which she didn't so far, and it would scare the hell out of the authorities), a brief search let me find plenty of N scale troops and vehicles, including modern stuff. Most capes, even flying ones, aren't brutes, so Taylor could easily (though not so cheaply) buy one single infantry company with humvees and AFV support from the internet to deal with the entirety of the cape villain population in the city.
Even among the brutes, I wonder how well Lung would stand up to a 35mm autocannon, or if Hookwolf wouldn't be reduced to pink mist by an RPG; hell she could order N scale tanks if that wasn't also gross overkill.
All that said, so far it hasn't been necessary to escalate massively. Now, considering the author's handle and that this is Taylor that we're talking about, I wouldn't be surprised if a military response will end up being deployed, but for now please let it rest and enjoy the trains.
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one world. endbringers.
oh and a lung that is way too pissed off. you then also have brutes that can somehow tank a shot to the face from a railway cannon.
Edit: I mean come on. If you had the ability to make a layout come to life in the real world. Tell me the first thing you're not going to try and do is not place down a massive cannon just for shits and giggles.
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- Location
- Rotting in port
An Endbringer (or Lung) won't hold still for the half an hour it takes to aim a railroad gun; there's a reason they're considered siege guns.
A fully ramped-up Lung should be able to take on anything Taylor can send at him, that's why you have to gib him before he becomes too big - and then keep keep shooting to smear any bit large enough to recognize, lest he regenerates.
Railroad guns? Not really. Instead, even lacking maglevs or monorails for full effect, I would criss-cross the entire city with overpasses on pylons or anchored to neighbouring high rises: nothing screams "futuristic city" as trains running high above the ground, between and around the skyscrapers.
that would be the second thing I would do. Just eff about with railway networks to see if I could get them to run better and see about updating or just building new stations and railways. I don't know about anywhere else. But some parts of Britain's railway between London and the southwest are just... well it can be better. And the rolling stock could be updated as well. but I know that costs an arm and a leg, and a kidney, and part of a liver, and a lung, and a heart.
But I would first try to just summon in a massive cannon just to get the giddiness out of my system just because I can summon a machine that fires multi tonnes projectiles multiple miles.
hmmm. Wonder if Taylors powers could be used to help speed up building? A company delivers supplies to an area, then Taylor builds it her end? This needs to be tested.
New Poll: Paint schemes
- Location
- Seattle area
I'm writing the next chapter and I thought I would get everyone's opinions on what Taylor should paint her locomotives. Note that the 4-6-2 Pacific is exempt from the poll. The poll will be open for 5 days so I have time to include the choice in the chapter before it gets sent to the beta. I will admit that the Maroon and Gold stripes is my personal favorite but I will make the poll result the one Taylor chooses.
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I think Taylor's train empire needs a mascot in addition to a unified paint scheme. My suggestion for a mascot would probably be a blue jay.
She's a Brockton Bay native running a Brockton Bay-based organization, and also a Parahuman. She should paint them based on the local cape scene. PRT, Wards, New Wave, local Independents like Parian.
cast for Marron and gold only because of the Duchess of hamilton. Sucks that Steam locos aren't a mainstream thing anymore. If there was a creation of man that was a living breathing thing. It was a steam engine. Be it a Steam loco or steam reciprocating engine. They eat fuel, breathed oxygen, and drank water. And each one had a personality of their own. It's another reason why in the UK we called our steam locos female. You had to treat them right or they'd not listen to you.
This might be biased, but fuck it. I'll be biased
This might be biased, but fuck it. I'll be biased
Maroon and Gold because IMO Solid Blue just doesn't feel right and keeping the original paint schemes instead would probably feel unprofessional since there wouldn't be any "company colours"
- Location
- Seattle area
From her layout room she can manipulate any structure or object in Brockton Bay as long as it is abandoned and/or unoccupied. So yes, she can clear the boat graveyard if she wants to.
She can indeed remove broken trains from the layout and fix them as needed.
It's not so much scratch-built as the assembly of existing pieces into different results. She'd take electric motors and put them into different chassis and place a custom-painted body on top of it. Her power then converts it into the real engine it represents once it is on the layout. If she had say, a 3-d printer, she could make all the non-electric and non-metal parts herself but she doesn't own one.
The Maroon and Gold already has a mascot. He's known as the Minuteman Herald. You can see a picture of him in chapter 1. If one of the other choices wins, I have no objection with giving them a mascot, perhaps even a bluejay.
She's using locomotives and rolling stock which have the various historical Boston and Maine Railroad paint schemes. I felt that the options presented were sufficient and I have no skill in creating a new one from scratch.
Personally agree with both of you but I want to see what the other readers think.
Can she build a layout for the start of an underwater train track at the boat graveyard and have it continued manually once it reaches outside of her range?
I've put original colours, despite actually agreeing that maroon and gold is a better option, but i don't think she should keep the original maroon and gold, but repaint in a homage to it.
It makes the separation clearer and makes for less ... identity and trademark lawyering.
After all the original company may have gone under, but that doesn't mean that someone doesn't still own the branding for it
It makes the separation clearer and makes for less ... identity and trademark lawyering.
After all the original company may have gone under, but that doesn't mean that someone doesn't still own the branding for it
- Location
- Seattle area
Sorry for not getting back to you in a timely manner. Um, I don't see why she would do that. Elevation changes and the water itself would make track laying and operations next to impossible. Water would not only get into things like cabs, ventilators and such but would also prevent movement and crush rolling stock once the pressure got too much to handle.
Again, sorry for the late response. I appreciate your comment. The current plan is to buy out the branding, rails and facilities from who or whatever owns it if anyone still does. I've been looking into railroad law and it's a complicated kettle of fish, at least to me. I will need to study it further over the next few weeks before I settle on a permanent solution.
In other news, I got the next chapter to the beta really late so I'm not sure if you guys will receive it on time tomorrow or not. Keep your fingers crossed. Oh, and the Maroon with Gold stripes won. Thank you everyone for voting.
- Location
- The Midlands.
I presume they meant a tunnel going under the seabed. which is cheaper than a bridge in certain circumstances.
Could her powers perhaps hand-wave this, or else make it so gerbil-tubes become adequate underwater tunnels?
What about translating this into subways and other under ground or even elevated rail for passenger transit?
Power-generated maglev transit from Boston to Montreal via Brockton Bay could bring a decent amount of money into the city.
I meant with tunnels to block the water
Railroad guns and armoured trains are 2 different things
Chapter 1.5
- Location
- Seattle area
Chapter 1.5
Wildbow owns Worm
Beta-reading credit as always goes to @DrYuriMom
Author's Note:
"Well then, I guess I'll be off. Care to walk me back to my bike?"
Taylor considered the request as she half-watched the GP-40-2 get a washdown and a fresh coat of primer. That half of her was considering whether to repaint the locomotive in the solid blue it was delivered in or paint it in the maroon with gold stripe scheme. She liked the maroon better, but it was pretty close to the Tuscan Red of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Though it was not like that railroad existed anymore either.
"Hold on one moment, Miss Militia. I'll go with you, but I want to give a couple more orders."
The superhero nodded, and Taylor raised her voice. "Okay, gentlemen, if you could repaint these two geeps in the Maroon with Gold stripes with the Minuteman Herald on the front, I'd appreciate it."
There was a shout of assent, and Taylor turned back to Miss Militia. "Okay, we can go now."
The pair walked out into the rain, which was beginning to lighten up. As they moved past the roundhouse, Taylor noticed a few workers had wandered over to start cleaning up the poor defaced Rogers' Rangers. "Good initiative, guys, thank you! Check on Roger's coal and water. I may start him up later."
A cheerful noise came back to her, and Miss Militia asked. "Your projections are a lot more personable than others. Why is that?"
Taylor shook her head, "I'm not certain. None of them have names, but some do have titles. Each has a unique face and voice, from what I can tell. I feel like I should treat them like people. Perhaps my power is emulating past or current railroad employees."
Miss Militia considered that. "That's a reasonable guess. It wouldn't be the strangest projection type I've ever heard of."
They left the workers to their task. Crossing the turntable, they arrived at the superheroes motorcycle. Putting her helmet on, Miss Militia mounted her mechanical steed. "Thank you for a good meeting, Dispatcher. Not all first meetings go so splendidly. Can I do anything for you before I leave?
"It's no problem, Miss Militia. I wouldn't want to be viewed as unfriendly by my childhood heroes. But um, can you call the police for me? I still have a group of Merchants to get rid of." Taylor felt slightly embarrassed having to ask for help from the hero.
"It would be my pleasure." Miss Militia triggered her microphone. "Console, Miss Militia. I had a good meeting with a new cape named Dispatcher. She's a potential new ally for us. Full report later. Some of her projections had an encounter with some Merchants. That's what the gunfire was about earlier. Can you direct the police here to pick up seven prisoners?"
Taylor couldn't hear the reply, but she assumed it was positive by how Miss Militia looked back at her. "Thank you, Console. Miss Militia is RTB."
"The city is relatively quiet today, so that response time will be around five minutes," the superhero told Taylor. "Will there be anything else?"
"I think that's it, Miss Militia. Thank you for your understanding and patience with me."
The cape chuckled, "I could tell you were barely holding back with your enthusiasm."
Taylor nodded, "I had to squelch it pretty hard. I don't know what would have happened if Armsmaster had shown up instead. I don't know how I could have told him I have his face on my underwear."
For a moment, there was complete and utter silence. Only the sound of working projections echoed in their ears. Then Miss Militia burst into laughter. "I can just see it now! The complete and utter confusion on his face would have been priceless." It took a minute for her to cease laughing, but eventually, she had her voice calmed but filled with amusement. "Don't worry; I'll keep that between us."
"I must be off now. I'll let you get back to your trains." Miss Militia gave Taylor a wave, then started her bike. A moment later saw her turning it around and speeding back the way she had come.
Turning back to the roundhouse, Taylor started back to the building. Maybe she could start up the steam engine before she left this form and called it a day. "Hey guys, let's freshen Roger's paint job as well!" she yelled as she ran to join the team working on the engine.
---------------------
A man was hiding beyond the chain-link fence to the south. He'd had to jump behind a wrecked car when the Protectorate Cape had arrived a few minutes ago. His boss Skidmark had sent him to check up on Mikey and Jake after a report had come in that there was weird activity in the Trainyard. Something about an unseen force ripping up rails and strange ghostly figured installing new ones. The courier who had brought the sighting report had even said that a train had appeared and run around the yard with some cars.
He had watched the whole event provoked by Miss Militia's arrival. The cape had spoken to several cops, though they didn't appear to ordinary police. They were probably projections. The spy had recognized Jake and Mikey among the group of captives he had seen. Then a single person, either a cape or another projection, had appeared from nowhere to speak with Miss Militia.
That person had proceeded to summon another thirty projections and start up two of the abandoned locomotives just like that. The spy had been ready to bolt about then, but the return of Miss Militia and the cape to the former's motorcycle had prompted him to hide behind this junker of a car.
Now that the cape was speeding away, the man considered the situation. If a cape who could summon projections at will was cleaning up the Trainyard, Skidmark was going to have an apoplectic fit. The shops at the Trainyard were the base of his operations in the northern part of the city. All his dealers in the area used it as a restocking base. Mikey and Jake were in charge here, and they liked to sample the product too much and too often. They'd probably been caught with their pants down having a party.
At any rate, Skidmark would not be a happy camper. Too much of his income had just been cut off without warning. He was already in a poor mood. Squealer was laid up at the base after not paying attention to where she was going and crashing into a civvie's car. Her propensity for over-building her cars had let her survive. She wasn't going anywhere for a couple of weeks, however.
Seeing the cape was gone, the man got up to leave, then jumped out of his skin as the sound of a police siren erupted. He bolted for an alley, cursing at himself for forgetting that the cops would be coming for the captives. He internally braced himself for a rant from Skidmark.
-------------
Danny stood at the layout table, watching his daughter's form scurry about on the layout. His daughter's natural form stood beside him, one hand still holding a crutch. Upon projecting herself to the Trainyard via this fancy layout built by her power, Taylor's body had gone stiff, and her eyes had glazed over. Yardmaster had gently assured him that Taylor's natural body would be perfectly fine while in this state. He didn't know why, but he felt like he could trust the strange voice.
Danny still wasn't sure about this whole thing. A girl recovering from a broken leg suddenly discovered that his old box of trains held the secret to her restlessness and power. It just boggled his mind. How am I going to tell Annette about this? She got away from the cape scene by the skin of her teeth. I doubt she's going to be very happy.
Annette's injuries hadn't permitted her to leave the hospital yet. The doctors planned to release her on Monday. Moving was going to be difficult for her for a few weeks. She's going to be absolutely furious that this happened without any input on her part.
Deciding to cross that bridge when he came to it, Danny spoke aloud. "Yardmaster, I'm going to make some calls. Let Taylor know where I am when she returns, will you?"
"Of course, Danny. I hope you have good conversations." the disembodied voice replied pleasantly.
That's still a little weird. It's going to take some getting used to. Danny thought to himself as he stepped through the portal and headed for his office. Entering the room he usually used for work he brought home, he picked up the extension phone and dialed a number.
He needed to speak with the lawyer he had on retainer for the Dockworkers. There were going to be some issues that Taylor would encounter trying to rebuild the Boston and Maine Railroad, and he needed to get a head start on solving those.
--------
When Brockton Bay's police dispatch received a call from the Protectorate asking them to pick up Merchants from the new hero Dispatcher, there was a bit of momentary confusion over the name. After getting over that, two wagons and a car were deployed to the Trainyard.
Officer Kent Davies pulled up to the roundhouse in his squad car, leading a pair of wagons. A crowd was waiting for him and the officers assigned to the wagons. Perhaps ten glowy-looking men in 3-piece navy suits surrounded seven scruffy-looking Merchants. Inside the roundhouse, he could see a few more of what he assumed now to be projections working on a steam locomotive.
One of the strange officers approached him and began to speak but was interrupted by the loud sound of a diesel train horn. Looking west down the tracks, he could see two big train engines receiving a paint job in one of the sheds.
Puzzled to the extreme now, Kent asked, "What exactly is going on here?"
The projection thingy which had tried to speak before answered, "What you are seeing, Officer, is the reactivation of an abandoned railway. We took these men when they attacked us while we were trying to evict them."
"Let me guess. They didn't want to leave."
"No officer, they didn't. Fortunately, our weapons are designed to stun, and normal weapons cannot hurt us, so there were no casualties today."
Davies took out his notebook and pencil. "Well, why don't you give me the rundown of what went on, and I'll get these guys back to the lockup."
A few minutes' explanations from the projection who called himself the Corporal gave Kent what he needed to put in his report. The man, or projection, whatever he was, also turned over two duffle bags of assorted drugs, for which Davies gave him a receipt to turn in for a cash reward. Dispatcher could do this at a later date if she came down to the station in her physical form.
Kent got to meet the projection form of the parahuman girl who called herself Dispatcher. This enabled him to get her image on his body camera for printing later. The girl was very excitable but also respectful, which gave her brownie points in his book.
It took twenty minutes for Kent and his cohorts to gather all the information about the incident, dump the Merchants in the wagons, and acquire the drug-filled duffle bags, weapons, and leavings as evidence. They found the brass quickly enough but didn't have an easy time locating the bullets until an officer found them buried in the brickwork of the back of the roundhouse. That took a few minutes of chiseling to dig out.
Still, the police came off with a favorable impression of the railroad police projections and their leader, Dispatcher. They all seemed professional, and Dispatcher's positive mood made everyone feel better about doing their jobs.
-------
Taylor watched the police leave with the satisfaction of a job well done, even if her projections had done all the work. Turning to look back at the 4-6-2 Rogers' Rangers, she brightened as a worker came forward.
"Dispatcher, we got Roger washed up and his paintwork fixed up. He looks as good as new. He's got a half-load of coal and water, but the water has been sitting for who knows how long, so I recommend draining it and getting some fresh water in him. I also recommend a boiler inspection at some point."
Taylor nodded, "Thanks for the report Crew Chief. I will take your recommendations and get them acted upon. Is there anything else?"
"Yes, ma'am. The crews working on the GP-9 and GP-40-2 are finishing up the paintwork. Both still have low quantities of fuel and will need resupply at some point."
"Excellent. Once the painting is all done, please get to work cleaning up all the trash around here. All the various piles of it are getting on my nerves pretty quick. I'll drop a gondola in a few minutes for you guys to toss it into."
"Sounds like a plan, Ma'am. I'll let you get to it."
Taylor looked around once again. The railroad police looked like they needed a new job now that they had handed off those Merchants. Walking over to them, she began to speak. "Good job on that whole incident, gentlemen. Do you have any comments or recommendations to make?"
The Corporal rubbed his chin, "We probably need to set up a proper security grid, but I'll settle for a cordon of men. I'd like another ten men for that if you wouldn't mind."
Taylor agreed with a slight frown, "Yeah, I don't think the Merchants will be happy about what happened today. Set up patrols and defensible positions. I wouldn't be surprised if they came for revenge at some point."
Flamboyantly motioning with her hand, Taylor summoned another ten railroad police officers. "Go ahead and get the grounds around the buildings here, secure men. I'll trust you to keep our new assets safe. Also, find a safe place to keep that receipt and the loot you acquired. I'll have to come back at some point to get them."
"Of course, Dispatcher. Will that be all?"
"Yes, Corporal, that will be it. I'm off to get some more pizza. Have a good evening."
With that said, Taylor concentrated and found herself back in her natural body, looking down at the layout. Her eyes having been glazed over around a half-hour, they felt irritated and uncomfortable. She blinked them several times over a few seconds to get rid of the discomfort.
The railroad police began to split up into groups of 2 to start patrolling around the roundhouse, backshops, and washing facility. One group secured the switching tower as an outpost, and another took up positions in the switching tower behind the roundhouse.
Reaching into her dad's train box, she grabbed an empty gondola and plopped it by the roundhouse so the work crew could start tossing the trash in it.
That all accomplished, Taylor limped through the portal, careful to loosen up her stiff legs first. She felt very good about everything that had happened in just a few short hours. She had powers that were outlandish but fantastic at the same time. She couldn't wait to see what would happen tomorrow. For now, she had a pizza to resume eating.
Wildbow owns Worm
Beta-reading credit as always goes to @DrYuriMom
Author's Note:
Here's your chapter folks. I had some trouble putting sufficient words together to get this chapter finished, at least initially. But as you can see, I got it done, with the help of my great beta. The poll for the paint scheme is closed, with 34 votes for the Maroon with Gold stripes, 14 and 13 for Bluebird and Original paint schemes respectively, and only two for Solid Blue. Thank you all for your participation. Please enjoy Chapter 1.5 of The World is my Layout.
"Well then, I guess I'll be off. Care to walk me back to my bike?"
Taylor considered the request as she half-watched the GP-40-2 get a washdown and a fresh coat of primer. That half of her was considering whether to repaint the locomotive in the solid blue it was delivered in or paint it in the maroon with gold stripe scheme. She liked the maroon better, but it was pretty close to the Tuscan Red of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Though it was not like that railroad existed anymore either.
"Hold on one moment, Miss Militia. I'll go with you, but I want to give a couple more orders."
The superhero nodded, and Taylor raised her voice. "Okay, gentlemen, if you could repaint these two geeps in the Maroon with Gold stripes with the Minuteman Herald on the front, I'd appreciate it."
There was a shout of assent, and Taylor turned back to Miss Militia. "Okay, we can go now."
The pair walked out into the rain, which was beginning to lighten up. As they moved past the roundhouse, Taylor noticed a few workers had wandered over to start cleaning up the poor defaced Rogers' Rangers. "Good initiative, guys, thank you! Check on Roger's coal and water. I may start him up later."
A cheerful noise came back to her, and Miss Militia asked. "Your projections are a lot more personable than others. Why is that?"
Taylor shook her head, "I'm not certain. None of them have names, but some do have titles. Each has a unique face and voice, from what I can tell. I feel like I should treat them like people. Perhaps my power is emulating past or current railroad employees."
Miss Militia considered that. "That's a reasonable guess. It wouldn't be the strangest projection type I've ever heard of."
They left the workers to their task. Crossing the turntable, they arrived at the superheroes motorcycle. Putting her helmet on, Miss Militia mounted her mechanical steed. "Thank you for a good meeting, Dispatcher. Not all first meetings go so splendidly. Can I do anything for you before I leave?
"It's no problem, Miss Militia. I wouldn't want to be viewed as unfriendly by my childhood heroes. But um, can you call the police for me? I still have a group of Merchants to get rid of." Taylor felt slightly embarrassed having to ask for help from the hero.
"It would be my pleasure." Miss Militia triggered her microphone. "Console, Miss Militia. I had a good meeting with a new cape named Dispatcher. She's a potential new ally for us. Full report later. Some of her projections had an encounter with some Merchants. That's what the gunfire was about earlier. Can you direct the police here to pick up seven prisoners?"
Taylor couldn't hear the reply, but she assumed it was positive by how Miss Militia looked back at her. "Thank you, Console. Miss Militia is RTB."
"The city is relatively quiet today, so that response time will be around five minutes," the superhero told Taylor. "Will there be anything else?"
"I think that's it, Miss Militia. Thank you for your understanding and patience with me."
The cape chuckled, "I could tell you were barely holding back with your enthusiasm."
Taylor nodded, "I had to squelch it pretty hard. I don't know what would have happened if Armsmaster had shown up instead. I don't know how I could have told him I have his face on my underwear."
For a moment, there was complete and utter silence. Only the sound of working projections echoed in their ears. Then Miss Militia burst into laughter. "I can just see it now! The complete and utter confusion on his face would have been priceless." It took a minute for her to cease laughing, but eventually, she had her voice calmed but filled with amusement. "Don't worry; I'll keep that between us."
"I must be off now. I'll let you get back to your trains." Miss Militia gave Taylor a wave, then started her bike. A moment later saw her turning it around and speeding back the way she had come.
Turning back to the roundhouse, Taylor started back to the building. Maybe she could start up the steam engine before she left this form and called it a day. "Hey guys, let's freshen Roger's paint job as well!" she yelled as she ran to join the team working on the engine.
---------------------
A man was hiding beyond the chain-link fence to the south. He'd had to jump behind a wrecked car when the Protectorate Cape had arrived a few minutes ago. His boss Skidmark had sent him to check up on Mikey and Jake after a report had come in that there was weird activity in the Trainyard. Something about an unseen force ripping up rails and strange ghostly figured installing new ones. The courier who had brought the sighting report had even said that a train had appeared and run around the yard with some cars.
He had watched the whole event provoked by Miss Militia's arrival. The cape had spoken to several cops, though they didn't appear to ordinary police. They were probably projections. The spy had recognized Jake and Mikey among the group of captives he had seen. Then a single person, either a cape or another projection, had appeared from nowhere to speak with Miss Militia.
That person had proceeded to summon another thirty projections and start up two of the abandoned locomotives just like that. The spy had been ready to bolt about then, but the return of Miss Militia and the cape to the former's motorcycle had prompted him to hide behind this junker of a car.
Now that the cape was speeding away, the man considered the situation. If a cape who could summon projections at will was cleaning up the Trainyard, Skidmark was going to have an apoplectic fit. The shops at the Trainyard were the base of his operations in the northern part of the city. All his dealers in the area used it as a restocking base. Mikey and Jake were in charge here, and they liked to sample the product too much and too often. They'd probably been caught with their pants down having a party.
At any rate, Skidmark would not be a happy camper. Too much of his income had just been cut off without warning. He was already in a poor mood. Squealer was laid up at the base after not paying attention to where she was going and crashing into a civvie's car. Her propensity for over-building her cars had let her survive. She wasn't going anywhere for a couple of weeks, however.
Seeing the cape was gone, the man got up to leave, then jumped out of his skin as the sound of a police siren erupted. He bolted for an alley, cursing at himself for forgetting that the cops would be coming for the captives. He internally braced himself for a rant from Skidmark.
-------------
Danny stood at the layout table, watching his daughter's form scurry about on the layout. His daughter's natural form stood beside him, one hand still holding a crutch. Upon projecting herself to the Trainyard via this fancy layout built by her power, Taylor's body had gone stiff, and her eyes had glazed over. Yardmaster had gently assured him that Taylor's natural body would be perfectly fine while in this state. He didn't know why, but he felt like he could trust the strange voice.
Danny still wasn't sure about this whole thing. A girl recovering from a broken leg suddenly discovered that his old box of trains held the secret to her restlessness and power. It just boggled his mind. How am I going to tell Annette about this? She got away from the cape scene by the skin of her teeth. I doubt she's going to be very happy.
Annette's injuries hadn't permitted her to leave the hospital yet. The doctors planned to release her on Monday. Moving was going to be difficult for her for a few weeks. She's going to be absolutely furious that this happened without any input on her part.
Deciding to cross that bridge when he came to it, Danny spoke aloud. "Yardmaster, I'm going to make some calls. Let Taylor know where I am when she returns, will you?"
"Of course, Danny. I hope you have good conversations." the disembodied voice replied pleasantly.
That's still a little weird. It's going to take some getting used to. Danny thought to himself as he stepped through the portal and headed for his office. Entering the room he usually used for work he brought home, he picked up the extension phone and dialed a number.
He needed to speak with the lawyer he had on retainer for the Dockworkers. There were going to be some issues that Taylor would encounter trying to rebuild the Boston and Maine Railroad, and he needed to get a head start on solving those.
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When Brockton Bay's police dispatch received a call from the Protectorate asking them to pick up Merchants from the new hero Dispatcher, there was a bit of momentary confusion over the name. After getting over that, two wagons and a car were deployed to the Trainyard.
Officer Kent Davies pulled up to the roundhouse in his squad car, leading a pair of wagons. A crowd was waiting for him and the officers assigned to the wagons. Perhaps ten glowy-looking men in 3-piece navy suits surrounded seven scruffy-looking Merchants. Inside the roundhouse, he could see a few more of what he assumed now to be projections working on a steam locomotive.
One of the strange officers approached him and began to speak but was interrupted by the loud sound of a diesel train horn. Looking west down the tracks, he could see two big train engines receiving a paint job in one of the sheds.
Puzzled to the extreme now, Kent asked, "What exactly is going on here?"
The projection thingy which had tried to speak before answered, "What you are seeing, Officer, is the reactivation of an abandoned railway. We took these men when they attacked us while we were trying to evict them."
"Let me guess. They didn't want to leave."
"No officer, they didn't. Fortunately, our weapons are designed to stun, and normal weapons cannot hurt us, so there were no casualties today."
Davies took out his notebook and pencil. "Well, why don't you give me the rundown of what went on, and I'll get these guys back to the lockup."
A few minutes' explanations from the projection who called himself the Corporal gave Kent what he needed to put in his report. The man, or projection, whatever he was, also turned over two duffle bags of assorted drugs, for which Davies gave him a receipt to turn in for a cash reward. Dispatcher could do this at a later date if she came down to the station in her physical form.
Kent got to meet the projection form of the parahuman girl who called herself Dispatcher. This enabled him to get her image on his body camera for printing later. The girl was very excitable but also respectful, which gave her brownie points in his book.
It took twenty minutes for Kent and his cohorts to gather all the information about the incident, dump the Merchants in the wagons, and acquire the drug-filled duffle bags, weapons, and leavings as evidence. They found the brass quickly enough but didn't have an easy time locating the bullets until an officer found them buried in the brickwork of the back of the roundhouse. That took a few minutes of chiseling to dig out.
Still, the police came off with a favorable impression of the railroad police projections and their leader, Dispatcher. They all seemed professional, and Dispatcher's positive mood made everyone feel better about doing their jobs.
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Taylor watched the police leave with the satisfaction of a job well done, even if her projections had done all the work. Turning to look back at the 4-6-2 Rogers' Rangers, she brightened as a worker came forward.
"Dispatcher, we got Roger washed up and his paintwork fixed up. He looks as good as new. He's got a half-load of coal and water, but the water has been sitting for who knows how long, so I recommend draining it and getting some fresh water in him. I also recommend a boiler inspection at some point."
Taylor nodded, "Thanks for the report Crew Chief. I will take your recommendations and get them acted upon. Is there anything else?"
"Yes, ma'am. The crews working on the GP-9 and GP-40-2 are finishing up the paintwork. Both still have low quantities of fuel and will need resupply at some point."
"Excellent. Once the painting is all done, please get to work cleaning up all the trash around here. All the various piles of it are getting on my nerves pretty quick. I'll drop a gondola in a few minutes for you guys to toss it into."
"Sounds like a plan, Ma'am. I'll let you get to it."
Taylor looked around once again. The railroad police looked like they needed a new job now that they had handed off those Merchants. Walking over to them, she began to speak. "Good job on that whole incident, gentlemen. Do you have any comments or recommendations to make?"
The Corporal rubbed his chin, "We probably need to set up a proper security grid, but I'll settle for a cordon of men. I'd like another ten men for that if you wouldn't mind."
Taylor agreed with a slight frown, "Yeah, I don't think the Merchants will be happy about what happened today. Set up patrols and defensible positions. I wouldn't be surprised if they came for revenge at some point."
Flamboyantly motioning with her hand, Taylor summoned another ten railroad police officers. "Go ahead and get the grounds around the buildings here, secure men. I'll trust you to keep our new assets safe. Also, find a safe place to keep that receipt and the loot you acquired. I'll have to come back at some point to get them."
"Of course, Dispatcher. Will that be all?"
"Yes, Corporal, that will be it. I'm off to get some more pizza. Have a good evening."
With that said, Taylor concentrated and found herself back in her natural body, looking down at the layout. Her eyes having been glazed over around a half-hour, they felt irritated and uncomfortable. She blinked them several times over a few seconds to get rid of the discomfort.
The railroad police began to split up into groups of 2 to start patrolling around the roundhouse, backshops, and washing facility. One group secured the switching tower as an outpost, and another took up positions in the switching tower behind the roundhouse.
Reaching into her dad's train box, she grabbed an empty gondola and plopped it by the roundhouse so the work crew could start tossing the trash in it.
That all accomplished, Taylor limped through the portal, careful to loosen up her stiff legs first. She felt very good about everything that had happened in just a few short hours. She had powers that were outlandish but fantastic at the same time. She couldn't wait to see what would happen tomorrow. For now, she had a pizza to resume eating.
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