Imperium

Chapter 14: Only Half

Before anything else, Edith hears the sounds of steam blowing from pipes and the rattling of metal rolling over metal, the shaking beneath her body is manageable enough, almost like being in a car on a bumpy road, only a little more jostling.

Then her sight returns, the pink smoke fading to allow her to see the faded red carpet beneath her and the wooden floorboards that creak with the rattling around them. She's between rows of benches and tables made from wood and bronze metal that's rusted in a lot of places. On the walls are an array of narrow, circular windows showing a blurred view of dark walls zipping by.

It takes Edith a moment to register what's going on and where she is, when a loud horn blares out from outside, confirming what she was beginning to piece together.

She turns her gaze upwards to see J perched atop one of the wooden tables with a conductor hat on top of her top hat, as well as a monocle. "Choo choo! All aboard the May-J Express! Hold onto your toasters, it's gonna be a swanky and janky ride!" she exclaims and pulls down on an imaginary train horn.

"J?! What the hell is going on? Where are we?" Edith questions.

J rolls her eyes. "I just told you! The 'May-J Express'! CHOO CHOO!" she screams louder and pulls the fake horn again.

Edith shakes her head with her mouth agape, but is unable to find any words before a door slides open to her left down the narrow walkway. May stands in the doorway with her arms crossed and she leans back against the bronze metal frame. "That is not what it's called, but you know what, I kinda like it," she shrugs. "You're on my train. Well, the Imperium's—Nah, it's mine," she states.

Edith stares at her in confusion. "Where are we going? What's happening?" she asks.

J pulls down the fake horn again. "CHOO CHOO—" May shuts her up by pulling the actual horn and letting a blaring train whistle ring out, making J shriek and jump, falling off the table.

May rolls her eyes. "Nerawin. With the supplies from J, I was able to get this baby up and running again, so looks like I'm back to making my rounds, for now," she explains.

Edith stares at the two in question. "You mean you actually managed to get the supplies back? How?" she asks May, and J starts uproariously laughing.

"Tell it again!" she demands, pointing at May, who rolls her eyes.

"Do you want to know the last thing my grandfather said to me before he kicked the bucket?" she asks and Edith just stares at the two women in utter confusion.

May shrugs with her typical expressionless face. "'Hey, watch how far I can kick this bucket," she deadpans which gets J laughing like a lunatic and she falls off the bench and onto the floor beside Edith, who shakes her head and looks down, seeing that Colin is unconscious beneath her.

J stops laughing and tilts her head at Colin, poking the side of his head where the sparking hole is. "Speaking of kicking the bucket, who broke Loverboy?" she asks.

Edith swats her hand away from the wound and covers it with her own hand, carefully holding his face. "Jane... She did this to him," she says and looks up at May. "Do you think you could help him?" she asks.

May cocks a brow at Colin and walks over, nudging J out of the way with her boot and J scrambles under the table and hugs the metal post holding it up, watching them from the shadows. May kneels beside Edith and Colin and Edith removes her hand for her to see the wound in his temple.

She sighs and looks at Edith. "You people need to stop dying... I'll see what I can do," she says. Edith nods and carefully climbs off of Colin so May can pick him up with one arm draped over her shoulder. Edith takes his other arm, also wrapping it around her shoulders to keep him up and help May carry him to the back of the train car they're in.