The TexMex Vanishing Train

The TexMex Vanishing Train refers to a Texas Mexican Freight Train (TMR) that went missing for a two hour period in the early morning hours of February 9th, 2019. The train departed Laredo Texas carrying a vast amount of supplies and eight listed personnel, however reports were found implying a larger personnel number, and that nothing had been stolen.
==Cargo==
The Freight Train designated 744 was designed to move from Texas to Pachuca on an estimated 20 hour rail transport, with the train swapping for another rail system mid-travel to complete the journey. The train had only one passenger car near the locomotive to carry the personnel on the train. The cargo itself included
*4 freight cars filled with grains, beans, and other non-perishable dried vegetables
*2 freight cars filled with bales of hay for livestock
*1 freight car carrying emergency fuel for the train which could be purchased at the train switch by the government for fuel
*1 freight car filled with expensive desktop and laptop computers, purchased for the public school system in an effort to repair the problematic school issues and re-instill new technology for students and teachers.
The final freight car was of particular notice as it was hauling an estimated $200,000+ electrical equipment and computer parts, a notable travel sum that would be likely focused on and stolen by bandits. because of the significant risk to personnel should they come across heavily-armed bandits that derail the train or force the crew off with gunfire, the operators of TMR refused to have their own staff transport the goods, stating the Mexican Government would have to purchase insurance for the train and rent it to be used by Mexican citizens who could legally move the train across the border, and were legally allowed to operate a Class I Freight Train operation. While there was push-back, the train was eventually loaded with all the goods on the condition that they had short-term life insurance purchased and backed by TMR.
The departure was not noteworthy, as the eight Mexican citizens moved the train across the Texas Mexican Railway International Bridge and into Mexico. The departure occurred at roughly 10:15 PM.
==Disappearance==
It isn't certain exactly when the train ceased contact due to confusion with the Mexican government, however the train was reported as missing officially at 3:32 AM. It was found between Monterrey and Rinconada, however it was located only at 6:08 AM as the sun was coming up. During this time, reports had come in that it had passed Monterrey, but hadn't been seen since. Officials at Rinconada noted that the train was late by over fifty minutes when they contacted the Mexican government about it. When questioned later, the individual responsible for the call stated that delays weren't unusual, and he waited to be sure he wasn't riling the government over nothing.
At first, only police officials were sent to look, however no trace of the locomotive could be found. Despite the size and weight of such a vehicle, its presence was completely gone, and because the railway had to pass by Saltillo and hadn't, nobody had any idea of its whereabouts.
Bandits were immediately suspected, however the train itself had vanished, and would have been impossible to steal. Such a huge machine would require a convoy of vehicles and days to cut apart, and no trace of its existence could be found. Additional explanations of possible influences by godly forces were also investigated, however Pandora's Box had no official explanation, stating the scene was too inconclusive.
Police recorded around an hour and a half of footage of the railway before the train was found in its initial location just a half hour from Monterrey. Despite footage of that part of the track existing on camera, no evidence of how it had eluded police could be found, and nobody saw it be put back or recorded its return. After it had been found, the Mexican President was contacted. It isn't certain what was said at this point, but the camera footage was confiscated.
Following this, the official report by the Mexican Government was bandits, claiming they kidnapped the eight civilians to blackmail the government. Initially, the case ended there when the rail car was to be returned to TMR, however eyes were raised when it was discovered that none of the cargo had been touched. Before the train was moved back, civilians investigating the situation found brand new computers aboard the train, and stole three of them. When asked how they got them, they admitted that, by this time, the Mexican Government had pulled back all police focus on the location. The United States government became concerned as well when two women reported their husbands were on the train, both of whom had husbands who were American Citizens.
==Investigation==
The United States Government demanded the footage, however the Mexican Government was unwilling, stating this was a gross misuse of their power to force another country to do so. To force a play, the US Government obtained two members of Pandora's Box as agents to investigate, specifically Dokker and Sensory, both of whom were requested as renowned investigators into godly matters. The sudden appearance of two investigators from Pandora's Box sparked international controversy, with some defending Mexico's decision and attacking the United States for bullying information from Mexico, while others attacked Mexico for hiding information in a suspicious way.
The two women who made reports stated their husbands had been called to duty by their employer, Gental, a security company who had been on Pandora's Box radar for some time. The company was stated to be a small company, renting out security personnel to events such as concerts or venues, however unusual bank accounts had been linked back to the CEO and other members of the administration. The company had been caught purchasing unusual weaponry typically regulated and often used to combat gods, however charges had never been filed due to a legal loophole that allowed the firearms to exist in private custody and the fact that they were purchased by entities who technically did not exist, making it hard to pin the crime on any one individual.
Investigations by Dokker and Sensory alongside members of the FBI were conducted on the train despite protests from the Mexican Government. Dokker and Sensory eventually released information to Pandora about their findings, who in turn sold the information to the United States. They had found evidence that almost twenty four individuals were on the train, and that nothing had been stolen except the three computers. The whole ordeal was highly suspicious, and even moreso was Mexico's desire to seemingly silence all investigation into the topic.
During a following investigation, Mexican Military Police were caught attempting to dismantle the fuel car which prompted Dokker and Sensory to call in help from Bulwark and Tethlius for protection. The Mexican Government was indicted on sixteen counts of kidnapping from the American citizens missing, all of which had been employed by Gental. Their hands bound by legal red tape and public opinion turning against them, the Mexican Government finally backed down. Dokker would later report that the inside of the Fuel Tank lacked vapors or residue from oil or gasoline, and that the tanker had likely been empty the entire time. TMR responded by stating that a purchase had been made for oil, and they had good faith to believe the tanker was indeed full.
Gental was contacted for comment, and their refusal to cooperate while stating that their sixteen missing employees was a coincide only further complicated the matter. Eventually a warrant was obtained, however the information found provided nothing helpful other than the fact that of the sixteen employees, only five of them had listed positions at the company, the rest were just "employed" but with no title. Nothing else could be found, and Gental was eventually cleared of suspicion when the US Government failed to gather sufficient evidence for a trial.
Meanwhile, the tanker was thoroughly examined, and found to contain small traces of plutonium. Following this, the crew investigating were forced to undergo extensive cleaning procedures and don protective equipment. No major health concerns were raised, however the amounts within were not particularly significant. Despite this, it was noted that plutonium is not naturally occurring, so its presence in the tank, no matter how small, was worth noting.
Further investigation failed to provide any helpful clues until it was found by Pandora's Box after investigating Mexico that it had purchased an item that wasn't listed on the initial transcript. After some time, it was determined that an entity had been bought, and was present on the train along with the sixteen Gental employees, the eight Mexican employees obtained by the Mexican Government, and one unexplained body. Traces of the twenty-four men couldn't be found, however the radioactive nature of the plutonium had been found to have crawled across the top of the rail car to the main locomotive. Once again, the amounts were small, but noteworthy.
==Aftermath==
Despite thorough investigation, the case remains open, with the train confiscated by the United States government, and the area thoroughly examined and researched before leaving the country. Mexico was unable to be held responsible, nor was Gental. The vanishing of the two Gental employees whose wives noted their disappearance were never compensated, with Gental stating they never sent anyone to the train. No proof was ever able to be established that would link Gental to the men being on the train, and the Federal Prosecutor turned down charging them with a case until future evidence was found as he believed that, while the situation is not a coincidence, proving this to a jury on the justification of sixteen men going missing without having iron-clad proof that Gental sent them could risk Gental being let free of charges. TMR still operates as normal between Mexico and the United States, and was compensated by the insurance purchased by Mexico during the event.
Mexico was sued by the United States government for illegal contraband and found guilty. The Mexican Government was forced to pay the United States an approximate four hundred million USD for operations costs, investigation costs, forensics costs, and falsification of records allowing illegal contraband to be smuggled out of the country. TMR was charged, but won under the ground that they had filled the tank with gasoline as intended, and records proved this. Because of the number of countries operating the situation, they could not properly identify contraband and had taken appropriate measures to assure that the contents of the train were legal before departure. The families of the eight Mexican citizens who went missing expressed outrage, believing TMR to be wholly responsible, however the Mexican Government never pressed charges and TMR was never tried in civil court.
The case is still open for Pandora's Box, who believes some entity had been smuggled into the country. While they believe it to have been a god or some kind of powerful entity, no trace save for the plutonium has ever surfaced.
Category:Dead God Dimension
Category:Story