The narrow gauge engines were shocked to find a constable arriving at the depot that night. Even more so, to find Duncan Sir Handel with him. They all knew the pair to irascible and troublesome; but to be escorted home by the police was a whole other thing.
Mr. Percival sighed. It seemed he was the only one not at all surprised to find them in yet more trouble.
"Whatever's the problem, sir?"
Duncan and Sir Handel exchanged sheepish looks before the constable spoke. He let out a heavy sigh.
"I caught your engines in the yards biffing trucks at pedestrians next to the line," he spoke stiffly.
The other engines were horrified, as was Mr. Percival, if not more so.
Duncan and Sir Handel exchanged sheepish looks before turning to their controller.
"Duncan made me do it!" Sir Handel blurted out.
"Dinna throo me under the bus!" Duncan retorted furiously, "T'was your idea!"
The Thin Controller rolled his eyes. "That's enough," he spoke quickly. He turned the constable. "I'm dreadfully sorry sir," he apologized, "and to any of the other people they could have seriously injured." He glared at his two quivering engines as he said this.
The constable seemed accepting of the apology but yet unfazed at the same time. "Are you aware that your engines could have committed a federal crime?" He glowered.
"Those two never think, do they?" The Thin Controller sighed to the other engines.
"No, they don't…" Skarloey and Rheneas needled in.
"But don't worry sir," Mr. Percival said, "I promise you those two will be in trouble for a long time."
The constable seemed to change countenance. "Well, my station does have a 'Scared Straight' program for troublesome engines," he said evenly.
Peter Sam was confused. "What's that, sir?" he asked his controller.
"It's a program that shows troublesome engines what life is like when you break the law," Rusty interceded. "Like they do with people."
"They come in, take you down to a prison for engines, and show you what can happen if you keep up your bad behavior." Rheneas finished.
"Like what they did with…Smudger…?" asked Luke, fearfully.
"No, Luke, they don't go that far," chuckled Skarloey. "They bring you back afterwards."
"It's just to teach you a lesson," Mr. Percival reassured. "An option, that, I'll wholeheartedly accept," he said to the constable.
The constable smiled. "Good. Then I'll come by tomorrow, and it will go down." He shook hands with Mr. Percival, and departed.
Duncan and Sir Handel heard nothing about this.
…
The next evening, when the day's work was done, the other engines settled down into the sheds.
"Mah wheels are killing me!" grumbled Duncan as he backed into his shed.
"You're telling me!?" Sir Handel snapped back.
"Must you two complain about absolutely everything?" Rusty asked, exasperated. The others grunted in agreement.
They then saw a black car heading toward the shed. They recognized the driver as the constable from the night before. They exchanged satisfied looks.
"Here we go," smiled Rheneas to his brother.
"Indeed," Skarloey said, "hopefully they'll learn a thing or two from this."
The constable parked his car and walked up to the others. He exchanged a nod to the other engines. Rusty darted his eyes to Duncan and Sir Handel's direction. "Got it," whispered the constable.
Walking over to Duncan and Sir Handel, he raised a megaphone.
"BACK OUT OF THE SHEDS RIGHT NOW!" he barked.
To say Duncan and Sir Handel were startled would be an understatement.
"What's going on!?" quivered Sir Handel.
"FRONT AND CENTER!" the constable ordered furiously.
"Fit's happening!?" Duncan trembled as he and blue comrade backed out the shed.
"What did we do?" asked Sir Handel, as the constable patted them down.
"Hey!" yelled Duncan. "Watch the buffers!"
"Quiet!" the constable ordered sharply. Duncan quickly, and wisely, held his tongue.
The other engines watched with interest. "Isn't this exciting?" Luke chirped to Rheneas.
"Very, my friend," Rheneas answered sagely.
"I don't why the Thin Controller didn't think of this before," Peter Sam chipped in, "They had this coming a long time ago."
As the constable loaded Sir Handel and Duncan onto a flatbed, they saw their controller making his way toward the shed.
"Sir! Help us!" the two engines squeaked to their controller.
"No," Mr. Percival answered bluntly. "This is the Scared Straight program. It's about time you two learned the consequences of your actions." He stated evenly.
"You two are going to learn what it's like to arrested, processed, booked, and shut up for a very long time," The constable spoke.
"Shut up !?" Sir Handel asked, horrified.
"Processed?!" Duncan repeated fearfully.
The constable signaled to the engine pulling the flatbed with the now remorseful engines.
"THIS ISN'T FAIR!" The engines yelled as the flatbed pulled away.
The other engines smiled to the controller, hoping their friends would change their ways with this experience.
…
The engines grumbled to each other as the flatbed moved down the line.
"This is all your fault," Sir Handel grunted to Duncan.
"T'was you who pushed the first truck into that old lady!" Duncan snapped back.
It was late, and the engine pulling them stopped, and left the flatbed in a nearby siding so that the driver and fireman could find an inn to stay in for the night.
The engines atop the flatbed grumbled to each other when they saw a familiar diesel back up to the flatbed.
"Diesel…?" Sir Handel inquired.
"Fit are you doing here?" Duncan asked.
"What's it look like I'm doing? I'm getting you out of here!" Diesel chirruped. And he pulled out of the siding and onto the main line.
It was quiet for a while, when Diesel spoke.
"I see the Scared Straight van on the side of the flatbed," he observed deviously, "what are you two in for?" He inquired, curiously.
"Oh, erm…" Duncan started.
"We were going to rob our controller's house!" Sir Handel blurted out. "We were planning this for a long time!" Duncan shot him a look from the back.
"Burglarizing the Thin Controller…?" even Diesel seem appalled at this. He braked suddenly, then a huge smile spread across his face.
"Of course you two got caught! You need a lot more than two steamies for that job!"
The narrow gauge engines were afraid.
"What do you mean…?" Sir Handel asked carefully.
Diesel sped off onto another line with excitement. "I'm getting my friends! Then we can rob the house as a team!"
Duncan and Sir Handel gulped as they made their way down the line.
…
At around 4 in the morning, the cavalcade, now joined with Diesel's cronies from the Dieselworks, pulled up to the Percival home.
"Are you sure these two know what they're doing?" Arry inquired to Diesel.
"Steamies could never pull off this kind of trouble," his twin finished.
The other diesels murmured in agreement.
"These two are devious!" Diesel snapped. "They were head off to Scared Straight till I picked them off."
"If you say so," Dart conceded.
Unbeknownst to Diesel and his crew, Duncan and Sir Handel had devised a plan to to get out of this mess.
The diesels' drivers were just about to break into the home when…
"FREEZE!" ordered a voice.
The beyond spooked diesels immediately obeyed.
"That big diesel there tried to kidnap us!" Sir Handel tattled to the constable who had 'arrested' them earlier.
"Indeed!" Duncan chimed in, "he stole tha' flatbed and told us ta' rob our own controller's house!"
The constable sighed. "I might've known it would be Diesel…" He rolled his eyes and made his way to Diesel.
"Looks like it's another trip to the station," the constable sighed as he signaled to a workman to load Diesel onto a flatbed. "The Fat Controller won't be too happy to find out you've had yet another visit with Scared Straight…" He rounded on his driver next.
"What are you thinking!? Robbing a controller's house? He has small children in there!" He cuffed the drivers and loaded them into his own car.
"Bah! He's never happy with me anyways!" Diesel sulked, and the flatbed pulled away towards the station.
…
"I can't believe you lot just stood there while we were arrested!" Sir Handel barked furiously to the other narrow gauge engines.
"How were supposed to know you two would get tied up with Diesel?" Skarloey asked, unfazed.
"It doesn't matter," Rheneas spoke up, "As long as you guys learned your lesson."
"Oh, we did," Duncan admitted.
"Just please don't have this happen again, sir," Sir Handel finished as their controller walked over to them.
"While I owe you two my greatest thanks for saving me and my family from what could've been a dangerous situation," Mr. Percival started, "I'll continue to keep this in mind, should you two ever slip up again."
The engines heartily agreed, and set off to work.
…
My first fanfic! Dedicated to thegoldsaddletank, Hope you enjoy it my friend!
Tell me what you think in a review or two :)