Inspired by the works of Draco Orwell. Made with his blessing.
The late 1960s were a time of great disillusionment and paranoia. The great Post-War dream had gone off and many of the veterans that had served in that war were starting to ask themselves one vital question. "Is this what we fought Hynkle for?" Youthful/Teenage rebellion was at it's highest with the rise of the Hippie or ''Flower Child'' movement of that decade. Many teenagers abandoned what they saw, prehaps rightfully so, as society's over heightened exceptions, choosing to live "as one of with nature." Others joined violent criminal gangs, leading to events such as the "Born Losers" Incident in Big Rock, San Andreas. (1968) Most however, simply rebelled personally against their parents and other authority figures without causing significant trouble, many finding solace in such bands and artists as Duke Dexter, (Now under investigation by Operation Yewtree) The Rutles, The Thamesmen (Later known as Spinal Tap) and the ani-men musical trio "The Chipmunks." Others found solace not in the musical world, but in the world of superheroes, through such figures as Peter Parker, Charles Xavier's "X-Men" and the famous "Teen Titans" troupe. Aside from the problems with the Teenager movement, the anti-communist mentality in the west meant that tensions between the USA and USSR were at an all time high. Great Britain, The US and other members of NATO found themselves sending more and more agents into the field of battle. The most notable of these being Britain's notorious agent "007", the morally reprehensible Jimmy Bond, who was thoroughly despised by the more liberal teens for his womanising, murderous and borderline psychotic lifestyle. Had the truth been known, similar feelings might have been mirrored again in the early 2000s with the organisation "WOOHP" who in 2001, relocated and proceeded to outright force three high school girls from Rockford Hills into becoming agents.
In these troubled and cynical times, The governments even became distrustful of their superheroes, (Right wing editor of New York's Daily Bugle ''J. Jonah Jameson'' taking an almost obsessive stance against Peter Parker's costumed identity.) what with many of them taking a growing stance towards the rebellious youth's vision of a ''better world.'' This lead to US President, Patrick O'Malley and British Prime Minister, George Hyde (no relation to Henry Jekyll's alter ego) to call an emergency meeting at Downing Street on September 1st of 1967. Their other guest being Japanese Prime Minister, Eisaku Satō. The 3 men feared the growing conflicts of the era and perhaps sensing an all out explosion of anarchy on the horizon due to what they perceived as a ''lack of moral,'' proposed that a new ''League'' would be formed between the three countries, made up of remarkable or simply talented beings that the youth of the world would recognize and admire, that could raise moral across the world, combat the juvenile delinquency problem in the west, combat problems abroad and hopefully spread anti communist, Pro capitalist and pro western (or at least pro American) thinking to the ''builders of the future.''
Hyde therefore called upon one Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward, former member of the Federal Agents Bureau and then field operative of the secret organisation ''International Rescue'' until her retirement in 1987, to bring together such a team. Creighton-Ward agreed, but voiced her concerns on the project, given the sordid and in other cases tragic pasts of former leagues, stretching back to the 1898 Murray League. Hyde reassured her that this league would be different. Made up of people that, in his mind, would get along famously and would be marketable in their own ways. Their mixed pro authority/pro liberal leanings making them not only easy to ''persuade,'' but also ideal figures to be admired via their optimism, devotion to duty, moral compasses and ability to relate to the youth who they would no doubt get to calm down and cooperate with the authority they seemingly so despised, before they made ''too many waves.'' Creighton-Ward saw that this ''League'' was nothing more than a publicity stunt for the world leaders to preserve their own power, gain the trust of the masses and curb the threat of any real change with a group of obedient puppets. However, she also understood that the world at that time needed hope and that this team, though obedient to their respective governments, would at least be trying to solve problems their own way, which hopefully would be the right and ethical way. After all if the job was done, what did these three men care if it was done in a way that didn't suit their ideals entirely? She decided therefore, to pick team members from each of the three leader's countries that would be able to disobey government orders when needed. In this case it seems that America got the ''lion's share'' in terms of members, with Japan and the UK only having one recruit each to their name. The choices picked however, all had one common theme. (Though this was not realised until the middle of their tenure.) Vehicles. (It should be noted that Lady Penelope was considered for the league but ultimately refused the offer given to her.) The choices for the team were as follows.
Princess Diana Trevor of Tyhemyscura- An Amazonian/American superhero and Princess of the island of Themyscira, Trevor had expressed a desire to leave her isolated life, after discovering and eventually falling in love with US air pilot and agent, Captain Steve Trevor, who washed up on the shores of the island in the 1940s. Trevor's people, the female Amazons of Tyhemiscura, had chosen to live a life free from the hardships of the world of men and due to their mystical means of observing the future, had (at the time) created technology far beyond man's most advanced machines. Once the second world war came to their doorstep however, it was decided that an Amazon should be sent over to America, which at the time was one of the few democratic counties still in good standing, to return Trevor and fight crime and axis agents there. The catch being that they would never be able to return home. Queen Hippolyta had forbidden her daughter from entering the tournament to decide who should go to the states. After deceiving her mother with a disguise, Trevor was eventually victorious. In order to have her blend in with her new ''home,'' she was given a costume based on the American flag as well as a mystically charged lasso that caused all those who were ensnared by it to tell nothing but truths. Like all Amazons, her bracelets, forged as shackles by the Amazon's captor the Greek hero ''Hercules,'' were bulletproof and could block all shells. She was also, of course, considerably stronger and faster than most humans. Known for her mercy, kindness, patience and compassion for all humanity, while still having her obvious limits and what modern humans would refer to as a deep ''feminist'' ideology, she became a beloved hero in her new home land, becoming a member of the famed Justice Society of America, and developing close relationships with fellow costumed heroes Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne. Contrary to the rules of the tournament, she would return to her home island many times after the war, acting as an ambassador for Tyhemiscura.
When Trevor was approached by Lady Penelope, she was still in the superhero business and happily married to the now General Trevor, the two having raised a daughter some years prior who would later go on to be a superhero herself. Surprisingly, the princess seemed to remain unchanged by age. Looking as young and beautiful as she had when she first came to the country. Trevor was unsure as to whether or not she should join the new league, what with her having a membership in the recently formed ''Justice League.'' The IR affiliate was only able to convince her to join when she told the princess of her fears about the three leaders attempting to cull all liberal thinking, ideas and opposition by any means necessary, even if those methods were amoral. Her highness's kindness and uncanny ability to negotiate with others would see to it that the league never went to far, making her an ideal leader in the field. Trevor agreed, deciding to use her signature ''Invisible Plane'' as a means of transportation, the technology of which being somewhat inspired from the scientific works of Murray League member Hawley Griffin, long before his own birth.
Captain Troy Tempest - World famous American ''Aquanaut '' and respected member of The World Aquanaut Security Patrol. (W.A.S.P) Tempest had been a member of the Aquanauts for a good number of years by the time Lady P and Trevor came to the city of Marineville in San Andreas, home to most of the organisation's staff and roster, who's job it was to explore every unknown and unexplored area of the undersea world and make diplomatic ties with the more friendly inhabitants. In a similar style to International Rescue's rivalry to the terrorist known as The Hood and Spectrum's deadly ''War of Nerves'' with the ''Mysterons from Mars'' Captain Tempest and the rest of "W.A.S.P" had been fighting a war with the ocean dwelling Aquaphibians of Titanica, a hostile race lead by the power hungry King Titan who wished to conquer the surface world as his own. With help from both the Atlantic and Pacific Atlantis' ruled by Arthur Curry and Namor McKenzie, the organisation had prevented many attacks from the kingdom. Tempest's main weapon in this war was the high tech submarine ''The Stingray.'' This submarine had been created from technology reverse engineered from the sunken WWII Japanese vessel ''Gotengo'' and aside from it's quick turning ability and defence mechanisms, the submersible also had the ability to submerge to depths of over 36,000 feet (11,000 m), allowing it to reach nearly any part of earth's ocean. Known for his square jawed handsome looks, large eyebrows, slightly above average head size, naïve and optimistic demeanour and somewhat playful arrogance and occasional childishness, Tempest had been the pilot of Stingray for years and had taken part in many interesting and perilous affairs since 1964.
When Trevor and Lady Penelope came to Marineville, they were given a warm welcome by the staff and taken to the high tech command centre where they were met by the cantankerous and short fused but kind hearted and well meaning Hoverchair bound leader of the Aquanauts, Commander Samuel Shore and his daughter, Lieutenant Atlanta Shore. After the two agents explained the situation to the Commander, Shore was at first appreciative, being understandably unwilling to give up either his his best agent or his most advanced weapon. Diana and the Commander's daughter together managed to convince Troy to at least be talked to about the offer, what with Titanicans being somewhat quite that year with only minor incidents and with the promise that Tempest would still be able to carry out his duties to protect the world, working with both "W.A.S.P" and the League. Shore begrudgingly agreed to the terms and lead them to Tempest's apartment. They were amused to find the usually talkative and wise cracking Captain so brought to silence by the sight of one of the world's most premier heroes. After having the League explained to him, tempest saw the chance of more adventures for himself and asked his Commander to take a temporary Leave of Absence while he worked with this new team. Shores gave his blessing and after tearful goodbyes from all his closest friends, tempest left the base and headed for England.
Go "Speed" Mifune – Premier (future) world champion racing driver and teen idol. This young Japanese native who's father, Daisuke, had been a member of a version of the league during the war, had dreamed of automotive racing since he was a child, watching his older brother Ken'ichi race before his eventual running away from home following a blow up with their father. ''Pops'' Mifune had therefore forbidden his second eldest son to race professionally, out of fear of losing another child. However, following several incidents with the mysterious '' Masked Racer'' and an instance of kidnapping by a rival racing team after going behind his father's back and entering in a race, Speed somehow proved his worth to his father and was given his blessing to race full time. Over the many months of that year, the 18 year old Mifune had been in many races and been in many perilous situations and adventures. All ranging from being kidnapped at gunpoint by a desperate escaped bank robber to stopping a terrorist in Monte Carlo from destroying the world's oil supply in order to get wealthy investing in rail transport. All in all though, ''Speed'' as his friends called him never let the success go to his head and remained humble into his old age. His car of choice was one designed by his father dubbed the ''Mach 5.'' The Car was, sleek, fast and inspired by the famous ''Batmobile'' in regards to it's many defensive weaponry systems which were too inspired by the cars of the now infamous ''Wacky Races'' professional racing troupe. These ''gadgets'' included a spring loaded jack to jump over dangerous obstacles, saws that could cut through any wood and a small radio controlled robot bird which could carry messages. Inspirational, Daring, somewhat liberal yet pro authority, good humoured and cheerful (despite the many deaths, near fatal experiences and general carnage he had witnessed/experienced in his career) with a strong and near unbending moral code and a notoriously fast talking voice, Mifune was well skilled in hand to hand combat as well as driving, the youngest of the team and an ideal figure to appeal to the anti parent youth.
At this point, Penelope had left the recruiting process of her own free will, leaving the work for Trevor and Tempest to complete after handing them a list of names and places. The two arrived at the Mifune household and were surprised to find that it more resembled American architecture than Asian. Mifune too seemed to belong more in American society despite his foreign nationality. He had learned a great deal of English upon becoming a pro racer (due to him travelling to many foreign lands including the UK and USA), but due to his ''fast talking'' quirk, it didn't make him that much easier to understand. After getting to the boy's level they were allowed into the house where the met the rest of the young racer's family. While the youngest child ''Kurio'' and the family's pet primate ''Sanpei'' attempted to pry some confectionery out of the patient princess, Tempest set to work explaining the league to ''Speed'', promising him that he could still continue racing, as long as he promoted the league's pro ''middle ground.'' message. Much like Commander Shore, the boy's love interest, ''Michi Shimura'', was opposed to the idea as were his parents, Mifune however saw the chance to do some real good in the world as well as make some more allies and agreed to the terms presented to him, but not before promising to check up on his family whenever possible. Mifune's father eventually agreed to let his son take the Mach 5 with him on his missions and soon he was headed towards the nearest airport with his new team-mates. (The journey was stopped once however, when it was discovered that, such was the case many times before, Kurio and Sanpei had stowed away in the trunk of the vehicle hoping to come along. After promptly returning them home, the team continued on their way.)
Arthur Fonzarelli – A former high school drop out and teenage rebel turned high school teacher in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Fonzarelli was known in his youthful and more reckless years by all who knew him as the ''purest definition of cool.'' A smooth talking, leather clad, ''too cool for rules.'' biker with a Jessie Presley style haircut and a way with women that rivalled even Jimmy Bond, this rebellious, swaggering, arrogant and vain teenager had mellowed out severely over the course of 10 years, (1955-1965) thanks in no small part to the efforts of fellow teenager, Richard Cunningham. Fonzerelli had at first pretended to brush off the youth's advances of friendship but had in time warmed to him and his family as a sort of surrogate older brother. ''Fonzie.'' as he once was known, was one of the toughest people in the city, with a great respect for anyone who dared to stand up against him. Despite his obvious cockiness, egotism and outward self-centred demeanour, he was also kindhearted and moral, standing up for anyone who happened to be bullied by those they couldn't fight themselves, perhaps adding to his already legendary popularity. He had eventually taken night classes and received his high school diploma. Over the course of the aforementioned decade, he had gone from a mechanic, to part owner of a diner which served as a popular teenage hangout, to a teacher at the same high school he graduated from, where he taught auto mechanics. Nevertheless, Fonzarelli never quite got rid of the ''cool'' persona he had developed in his youth, despite the increased empathy and deep morals he held. He was also, regrettably, unable to fully shake his more mischievous side either.
When the trio of heroes arrived in his class after school hours, he played coy and feigned disinterest in his usual swaggering manner, much to the exasperation of the other three. Eventually, Fonzerelli agreed to join them on one condition. That he be allowed impart some knowledge of his own on Mifune, perhaps desiring the prestige of tutoring a future racing star. The catch being that Milfune would have to stay at his house for four days. Trevor and Tempest were annoyed at what they saw as an act of not only unfair bargaining but also flat out kidnapping, only to be surprised when Mifune agreed to the teacher's terms. When questioned by his team mates he simply stated that any knowledge on cars would be useful to him, agreeing to let Fonzarelli teach him at a private night class for four nights. As it turned out, the 27 year old Fonzarelli soon found out that the younger 18 year old male knew more about cars than he did, what with him helping his father in his car repair shop since ''Pops'' had left his high paying job at one of Japan's biggest automotive companies. The two even exchanging knowledge along the way. This lead to Mifune's teacher releasing his willing ''hostage'' two days earlier than expected and agreeing to join the league, but not before a friendly race between the Mach 5 and Fonzerelli's motorcycle, which he took along with him.
At this point, Hyde began to notice the team's common connection through their unusual or just plain interesting vehicles. O'Malley and Satō noticed this too and seeing an obvious marketing gimmick to exploit, asked Hyde to find something rail based to be used as a mascot that could also carry the other team's vehicles. The exercise seemed pointless, but the idea of a mascot that could be marketed towards children was too tempting to give up in the eyes of the money hungry Hyde. This was not hard to do, as the answer to this potential vehicle lay between the Isle of Man and the North West of England on the rural and beautiful island of Sodor. Sodor was one of many ''pocket dimensions'' present on earth along with Sesame Street, New York, the town of "Free Country, USA" and Elwood City, Maryland. Like all these Pocket worlds that are connected with our own and have been since the dawn of the earth, Sodor had something unique about it's being. The island's famous otherworldly qualities seemed to mostly effect it's native vehicles as well as visiting one's. Giving them human sentience, human like facial features, very human personalities and even genders. The most famous of the vehicles effected by this strange force of magic, were and are the locomotives and rolling stock of the North Western Railway (Or the North Western region of British Railways as it was officially known.) run and controlled since 1915 by the strict and meticulous, yet obese ''Hat'' family. The 1st of these, ''Sir Toppum Hat'', had passed away in the 1950s, naming his son Charles as his successor. Despite dieselisation on the mainland and the elimination of steam, Sodor still chose to retain engines, (some that had been working on the line since the beginning) that ran mostly on steam, due to a deep fondness for them and deep interest from rail enthusiasts who wanted to see what Charles Hat referred to as ''real engines.'' When the team was commissioned by the three leaders to borrow an engine from the region, they were unsure of what to expect when they arrived on September 19th, seeing as the sentient machine chosen would also technically serve as a team member. The island's mysticism lasting only with machines that remained there for a good number of years. Hat allowed them to borrow at least one engine for league purposes, in a joint ownership agreement that would expire when the team was dissolved, giving the engine automatically back to the railway, if there was anything left to return.
At first, focus was on the main line roster with the likes of Hank Stanier (NWR No:3, LMS Stanier "Black 5" ), Jim Hughes (NWR No:5, L&YR Hughes Class 28 with an experimental pony truck) and Ed Pettigrew. (NWR No:2, Furness Railway K2) All resolutely rejected the offers presented to them, having grown weary of government work since the dark days of INGSOC and Big Brother. However, Pettigrew being an understanding and helpful sort, recommended that the four scout out the branch line that serviced the towns of Knapford and Ffarquhar as well as a few others in between. The team arrived at the branch line's sheds at Ffarquhar that evening, only to find out from the town's stationmaster that all of the engines of the line were already at work. Feeling tired, the team were about to give up and head back to the Bed and Breakfast they had been booked into, when Trevor heard the sound of a locomotive backing into the yard mixed with what sounded like tired whistling, followed by a flash of deep blue out of the corner of her eye. Seeming to recognise this flash of colour, she convinced Mifune to come with her to a siding next to the sheds where a plume of steam could be seen rising into the sky. Upon further investigation, the two found, dosing on the siding, the League's final recruit.
Tom Billington (NWR No:1, LB&SCR E2 Tank Engine.) - The first officially purchased locomotive for the network back in 1915, Billington had been living and operating on Sodor for nearly 52 full years of his working life. He had helped to connect the line to the mainland during it's earliest days and had been kept around permanently due to a bureaucratic mix up that had sent him there in the first place and his young crew marrying some local girls. He had been promoted to the station pilot at Vicarstown afterwards but soon grew bored and ambitious, wanting to see the world outside his yard and do more important things. After several incidents in 1923 involving getting pulled along with the NWR's charter express pulled by it's number 4 and A0 pacific Gordon Gresley, leaving his first passenger train behind at a station and nearly crashing when pulling his first goods train, he was transferred to Wellsworth to shunt goods trains. Sometime later, Jim Hughes crashed into a field of cows on his first day on the railway, following faults with his wooden Brake blocks. Billington had been the first to respond to the accident, working for the entire day to help clear the mess before taking Hughes back to the sheds where Sir Toppum, the then managing director, had granted the E2 his own branch line and two coaches, all of which were bestowed to him the next year. Over the next 43 years, (even through the era of INGSOC, where the island had been more of less left alone aside from a few telescreens and times when the government called upon the railway to do some occasional jobs for them) Billington continued to have a series of seemingly unimportant, but certainly interesting adventures involving a race with a local bus, getting stuck in a snow drift and an incident with fish that came close to ending the engine's existence. Billington's most relevant exploit had been seven years prior when, due to the meddling of a cleaner with his controls, he had crashed into the former stationmaster's home during breakfast. Rather than standard repairs to the damaged locomotive, Charles Hat had chosen to give Billington a rebuild. Flattening the engine's running board, thereby removing his downsweep, increasing his capacity for coal and water and allowing him to make slightly longer journeys. Despite his seemingly venerable age, Billington still spoke in much the same tone as he had when he was 13 years old and subsequently held on to the fussy, stubborn, cheeky and childish, yet kind, helpful, enthusiastic and curious personality that he had possessed for decades and which enabled him to endear to both people and engines alike, letting him build up strong relationships quite easily.
Billington had just returned from a long day's work delivering supplies to farms and factories as well as milk to the local dairy. He was at first annoyed when his sleep was disturbed, but soon lightened his mood upon recognising the princess. He recalled how during the war, a select few members of The Justice Society had come to Sodor to expose a hidden ring of Nazi saboteurs with Trevor being one of them. The two quickly caught up before Trevor introduced the tank engine to Mifune. Billington's driver's daughter was a fan of Mifune's and her father had told the locomotive some of things about the young racer. The two quickly grew to befriend each other as a result of their various charms and qualities. As well as their own experiences. This took some time leading Tempest and Fonzerelli to check on their team mates. Upon meeting Billington and talking to him themselves, the engine's charm and general pleasantness won them over and they determined to get him into the League. Surprisingly, Billington was the one who needed the most time to think things over, being extremely loyal to the railway and his own line in particular. The next day, after consulting with shed mates Percival Avonside (NWR No:6, Unknown Origin) and Tobias Holden, (NWR No:7, LNER J70) Billington decided to join the team after the day's work was over, with his shed mates taking over his branch line duties in his absence. A female, single carriage rail car named Daisy Metro-Cammel (NWR: D1, BR Class 101) would take over a majority of the passenger runs. The engine's companions begged him to stay, but a desire to see the world had clearly overridden his usual sense of judgement. Hat gave his blessing and wished his engine good luck. Hyde on the other hand was furious that an engine with such a limited fuel capacity had been chosen instead of the powerful main liner he had so hoped for, but resigned himself to what he had to work with. Since Billington's usual crew had opted not to join their engine on the journey, two trained British government workers took their place. It was also decided that in every new environment the team entered, Billington would be repainted to blend into his surroundings. Three flat bed trucks were also gifted to the engine, so when there was some area where the road and water vehicles could not travel, Billington could carry them himself and take them to where they were needed. Along with the trucks, 3 coaches were also donated to the team by the railway so that they could travel in comfort during the previously mentioned scenarios as well as bond during long journeys. The government also make plans to supply the engine's need for coal and water constantly.
With the team assembled, A public unveiling of the League was held in London with much fanfare. As the three leaders had hoped, most of the civilian crowd were made up of young men and women, who soon got a chance to speak to all the members. Many were won over, others were not so trusting. The press began to swarm the new league with questions about their purpose. Fonzerelli's answer was the one that got published the most. As he put it, the team existed to ''Help the world cool off.'' Of course, more accurate description would have been ''to combat international communism, dismantle terrorist groups, fight juvenile delinquency and repel violent revolution.'' Unaware that they had been formed to discourage all forms of rebellion, violent or otherwise, the team celebrated their first day, looking forward to the adventures that lay ahead.