"I was never there first choice! The Allies had bombed the Reich's infrastructure to smithereens, there was nobody else left. You bombed Herr Gordon, Herr James, Herr Percy. They chose me because they had to choose someone and their first choices were all dead."
"So you were the last resort?"
"Everyone else was gone. I only survived because I kept my head down and followed orders, like a useful engine should."
"So if you were truly the last engine they could call upon, you could have saved those people?"
"What? I never said that. What are talking about? They were already dead, all I could do was follow my orders."
"And if you refused to follow them, there was nobody left to replace you?"
"..."
"Is that not what you said Thomas? You were never the first choice? Everyone else was gone? Move forward or stay put, and you chose to go forward?"
"...Useful engines follow orders and arrive on time."
"And it didn't matter what you were useful for, as long as you were useful for something?"
"Useful engines follow orders."
"Was it useful for the people you carried to the camp?"
"..."
"Thomas?"
"You would have done the same. You all would."
"I'm sorry? What do you mean by that?"
"The only difference between you and I, sir, is that I can see the tracks I follow. If you were on the tracks, you'd have followed them too."
"Do you regret what you did?"
"..."
"Thomas? Do you regret it?"
"...I see those gates every time I close my eyes. Every time I sleep I hear the crying children and smell the..."
"The crying children, Thomas."
"..."
"Do you still feel like useful engine now, Thomas, because you followed orders and arrived on time?"
"..."
"Thomas?"
"Kill me or let me go. You punish me either way. I can only follow the tracks, I don't get to decide where they lead."
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