Snowpiercer's Departure

	Melanie Cavill Joseph Wilford Bennett Knox The Tailies
	• A group of invaders board the train and became the Tailies. • Joseph Wilford was left behind, Melanie Cavill runs the train.
	June, The Year CW-7 was released
	Chicago, Illinois
Timeline
Following Event →	Big Alice's Departure

“	All aboard, all aboard. All ticketed passengers, please board. Snowpiercer departs in precisely zero hours.	”
	— Melanie Cavill through the P.A. system.

Snowpiercer's Departure was the first major event that happened in the series.

Event's description

Prior to the Freeze, Wilford envisioned a luxury liner train that would circle the globe. Wilford Industries built the train first using a test Engine called Big Alice. Together with one of his employees and protege, engineer Melanie Cavill, they built an Engine that used Perpetual Motion Technology (which he took credit for).

Then, the weather began to change, followed by war, which accelerated the warming. Scientists attempted to reverse the warming, by using CW-7 to reverse the damage they had sown. However CW-7 proved to be too effective and instead froze the planet, starting a new ice age so extreme that no life could survive it. Before CW-7 was released, Joseph Wilford predicted that CW-7 would freeze the planet. With Melanie, he repurposed his train into an Ark called Snowpiercer (again taking credit for). All he did, was sell tickets to finance the refit, many to the rich responsible for destroying the Earth.

Snowpiercer, the great ark train of 1001 cars long, which houses the remains of civilization. The train was, however, only for the rich. Leading to the poorer people (believing themselves not to be responsible for the Freeze) invading the train. With the poor invading the train, a fight ensues with the Jackboots attempting to throw out those invading the train; they are largely unsuccessful. In First, the Weather Changed, Andre Layton was holding Zarah Ferami close while trying to move backwards to safety. Miles' Mother was thrown of the train, with Miles hiding behind a big box. Finally the train invaders would be trapped as the door between them and the Jackboots closed. Later the Cargo Cars and Docking Car, originally designed to be storage, would became the invaders home and prison. The invaders would be known as The Tailies, as they live in the Tail section of the train.

It was later revealed that Melanie stole the train from Wilford and is secretly running the train under his name. According to Melanie, "He didn't believe it was possible to save humankind. And He was never even going to try." [...] "He was going to waste it! All He wanted was to live as well as He could, for as long as He could, surrounded by accolades and... booze and whores in the Night Car. We wouldn't have made it one revolution. So I took Snowpiercer… and I left Him trackside to die."

The story behind Melanie's theft of the train unravels on the days she were working at Breslauer Weather Station and was thinking about the old days. As departure day dawns on Snowpiercer. At boarding, when survivors arrived at the main gate, Wilford orders Nolan Grey to use deadly force if needed. Tensions rise between Melanie and Wilford when the trains departure is delayed by the presence of Melanie's geneticists on the forecourt.

When the group of geneticists and their children arrive (who Melanie needed and had tickets), Wilford orders the Jackboots (including Lieutenant Gardiner and Jackboot Tyson) to open fire on the passengers. And said, "Never forget, Melanie. The train runs on my order." Whilst both Melanie and Bennett are shocked. Wilford then took a jeep with a Jackboot, to head down train to open fire on the main gate. After losing contact with Grey, Wilford headed back and contacted The Engine, to depart when he was onboard. As the departure of Snowpiercer approaches, Melanie, in a great despair and along with Bennett's support, the two engineers make the decision to depart the train without Melanie's family, and Wilford aboard. Snowpiercer departed and abandoned him, believing the remnants of humanity would not survive under his rule. Melanie then apologizes and asks for Alex's forgiveness

Later Melanie Cavill would have to take the great role of running the train. The only people who know about Wilford being left behind are Bennett Knox, Javier De La Torre and Jinju Seong.

Quotes

“	You forced all this on us. It was 40 degrees below in June and still dropping like a stone. You said don't give up. You could get us onto Snowpiercer. Like somehow your cop connects were gonna get us seats with the billionaires. How stupid was I? I could have gone with my mom. We could've joined your brother, died together, like people we admired were doing. But instead, you made me live. For what? For the hell of the Tail?	”
	— Zarah confronts Layton for the first time in 5 years in First, the Weather Changed.

Melanie: "Tell me you aren't really doing this. With everything else we need, you're working on your brothel."

Wilford: "Not a brothel. A Nightcar."

Melanie: "This train is now an ark for humanity, not your personal indulgeness."

Wilford: "Can't it be both? [Smokes] Art on stage, and entertainment in the back. It sustains the soul, Melanie. And it's a release valve to keep everyone under control."

Melanie: "The resources that you're wasting on this could sustain 20 more people that we're going to need. Ticketing says you removed half of my geneticists from the passenger list."

Wilford: "We have more important priorities."

Melanie: "Like what? Like… your security?"

Wilford: "I promise you, all guns will be confiscated and thrown from the train. But the Jackboots will keep order. Three thousand souls stuffed into a ten-mile steel tube. You think they're gonna suddenly start singing Kumbaya?"

Melanie: "I think that if we're going to save humankind, we need people who actually know how to save humankind."

―  Melanie's flashback to a conversation with Wilford in the Night Car when Snowpiercer is becoming an ark, in Many Miles From Snowpiercer.

Melanie: "Joseph, please. There are gonna be more important things than order."

Wilford: "Nothing's more important than order."

Melanie: "Do you even believe in any of this?"

Wilford: "Clearly, I've been working you too hard, Which is why I will forgive what you just said. Snowpiercer has only one head engineer, her creator. She runs on my order. Now, if you can't accept that then, your family can stay behind. Is that clear? [chuckles] Come, you can't sugarcoat the end of the world, Melanie. Not everything's gonna be fine. But I promise you, you will survive."

Melanie: "Thank you Joseph."

―  Melanie's flashback to a conversation with Wilford in the Night Car when Snowpiercer is becoming an ark, in Many Miles From Snowpiercer.

A Jackboot: "[On Walkie Talkie to Wilford] They say they're ticketed. They've got chips."

Melanie: "They're my geneticists."

Wilford: "What?"

Melanie: "You agreed to have them on board. And we need them."

Wilford: "I agreed you could have six. Right now, we need six Jacks more."

Melanie: "I'm not going without all of them, Joseph. We don't have time to discuss it. Let's just get everyone on board."

Wilford: "You're right. There's no time. [On Walkie Talkie] Terminate them... Never forget, Melanie, The train runs on my order."

―  A Flashback when Wilford killed Melanie's geneticists, leaving her in shock, in Many Miles From Snowpiercer.

“	We can't let that monster be in charge of what's left of humanity. You wanna steal the train and save the future. We have to go now!	”
	— A Flashback when Bennett to Melanie when there's a chance to steal Wilford's train, in Many Miles From Snowpiercer.