Here's chapter two, where the plot begins to kick in.
Later, Ten Cents and Sunshine arrived at the seaplane hanger with a fuel barge. Sally Seaplane was there waiting for them. She was pleased to see them. "Hello fellas. You have my fuel, I see."
"Hiya Sally," Ten Cents called cheerfully. "Here's your fuel."
"Hello again, Sally!" called Sunshine, who was always pleased to see the seaplane.
The two switchers moved the fuel barge next to Sally, then stood near her. Sally began taking on fuel from the barge. "Have you fellas been up to anything exciting recently?"
"Nah, not really," replied Ten Cents. "Just working for Captain Star and trying to beat the Z-Stacks, that's all."
"Well, I am surprised," said Sally. "You often get up to the most extraordinary mishaps."
"Yeah, well, all I'd like is a nice normal life a tug can live," remarked Ten Cents. Sunshine said nothing. He just stared at Sally, smiling widely.
Suddenly, the three of them heard a blast of a horn coming from nearby, and a large tug came to the seaplane hanger. Ten Cents, Sunshine and Sally stared at him. They had never seen this tug before. He was very large - about the same size as Zebedee - and painted black, with a number '2' painted on each side of his hull. What was very strange about him was that he didn't have a smoke stack.
"Excuse me," he said in a gruff voice to Sally. "But are you using that fuel barge."
"Why, yes," remarked Sally, puzzled. "This is seaplane fuel."
"Oh, well then, its no good to us," barked the strange tug. "I must find more fuel suitable for me and my friends. Captain Fuel and Gangster will be waiting.
At last, Sunshine spoke. "Excuse me, but who are you? And where's your stack?"
The big tug turned his head to look at the switchers. "Ah, you're two of those old-fashioned types. I'm Mugger."
"Excuse me," remarked Ten Cents crossly. "Old fashioned?!"
"That's right! You're dependant on coal. Well, me and the rest of my fleet run on fuel. That's why we don't have stacks like you. Well, when everyone sees how more reliable we are, you'll be replaced, no questions asked."
"What?!" Ten Cents gasped in shock. Mugger began to leave the hanger. "Oi! Come back here!" Ten Cents called. But Mugger left without a word.
"Ten Cents, you do really think he and his fleet are gona replace us?" asked Sunshine worriedly.
Ten Cents thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Nah. It sounds to me that tug is just part of a new fleet in Bigg City Port. Captain Star wouldn't let them replace us.
"Oh good," smiled Sally. "I wouldn't like some other tugs delivering my fuel instead of you two."
"All the same," said Sunshine. "It doesn't sound like a good thing to have another fleet of tugs to be in Bigg City Port. That'll mean more competition, and we have enough of that with the Z-Stacks."
"Yeah, well, we'll worry about that later," replied Ten Cents confidently. "Come on Sunshine. We've got barges to deliver."
"Alright. See you same time tomorrow, Sally."
"Bye fellas," said Sally sweetly, as the two switchers turned away and headed off to their next job.
Meanwhile, Zorran, Zebedee and Zak were steaming together through the canal, each towing a fuel barge, which was orange and had the word 'Tugging' painted in white on each side. None of the Z-Stack knew what this fuel was for.
"Now we need to make sure that we charge the customers accepting these alot of money," exclaimed Zorran. "Especially since when we let Zip and Zug deliver fuel, they let the customer have it for free."
"We'll make a good profit on these!" Zak smirked. "We should do this on our own - instead of for Captain Zero."
"Yeah, but then he'd have our stacks for it," remarked Zorran huffily.
As the Z-Stacks rounded a corner, they saw up ahead three tugs, which they had never seen before, blocking the way. These tugs were identical to each other and Mugger, the tug that had met Ten Cents, Sunshine and Sally; painted black, about the same size as Zebedee and had no stacks - much to the puzzlement of the Z-Stacks. The only feature on these tugs that differed them from each other, was that one had the number '3' painted on each side of his hull, another one of them had the number '4', the third had number '5'.
"Ahoy there!" The tug with the number '3' painted on called to the Z-Stacks. "What's that your towing."
The Z-Stacks stopped and faced the newcomers. Zebedee and Zak stared at them in puzzlement, wondering who they were and why they had no stacks. Zorran, however, quickly decided they were looking to take the fuel barges from them and gain the money. "Push off! This is our work! We're not letting you take it and claim the money!"
"Well, that's a nice why to greet someone new to Bigg City Port," remarked the tug with the number '5' sarcastically. He steamed past the Z-Stacks and surveyed the fuel barges. "Ah, just what we need; Tugging Fuel."
"Tugging Fuel?" scoffed Zorran, puzzled, which was surprised and outraged this tug new more about what he was towing than he did. "What's that then? And why do you lot need it?!"
"Who are you?!" put in Zebedee. "And why on Earth don't you have stacks?"
The tug with the number '4' smiled. "My name is Pushover. And these are my friends, Muscles..." He turned his head to look at the tug with the number '3'. "...And Animal." He then looked at the tug with the number '5'. "We need that fuel."
"Oh, I see," snorted Zorran, huffily. "You're trying to sell fuel by yourselves are you? Did your owner have your stacks for doing it?"
"No, we don't need stacks!" retorted Muscles, feeling very annoyed. "We're fuel driven tugs, coming from a fleet called the 'Fuel Drivers'. And we're new in Bigg City Port. We work for our owner, Captain Fuel. That fuel you have is what's using to power us, hence the name. We don't need coal like you oldies."
"Oldies?!" snapped Zorran. "Why, just you-"
"So we've come to collect it," interrupted Animal.
"Er, but we're taking this fuel to a customer," replied Zak.
"Oh yes, that would be Captain Fuel," lied Muscles. "He was going to collect it from you, but changed his mind and sent us to collect it instead."
"Oh, well, that's okay then," remarked Zebedee, satisfied.
"I'm not sure," muttered Zorran suspiciously. "You're a new fleet, so that would make us rivals, not that we don't already have a rivalry with another fleet."
"Okay then forget it," replied Animal, revving up his fuel-driven engine to leave. "But we would have paid a big price, and just in case you don't know - which we're sure you don't - Tugging Fuel is worth quite alot of money."
These words made Zorran's jaw drop. "It is? Oh, alright then. You fellas got yourselves three fuel barges."
So the Z-Stacks untied the Tugging Fuel barges from themselves and the Fuel Drivers tied themselves onto one each.
"We'll pay you up later," exclaimed Pushover. "Right now, we need to get refuelled."
The three Fuel Drivers began to steam off with the fuel barges. "So long," called Animal.
"I'm sure we'll see you soon," added Muscles. And the Z-Stacks watched the Fuel Drivers leave until they were out of sight.
"Well," exclaimed Zebedee. "They seem a nice alot. And they'll be working here."
"Yeah, but I'm still not sure we can trust them," added Zorran, still suspicious. "If they're working here, that means we'll be rivals - just like with the Star Fleet. Besides, they did call us oldies for being dependant on coal."
"True," remarked Zak. "But at least they're gonna pay us big money for the Tugging Fuel."
Further up the canal, the three Fuel Drivers were laughing as steamed along the canal with the Tugging Fuel barges in tow.
"I can't believe those coal smokers fell for our ploy," snickered Pushover.
"Yeah," added Muscles, chortling. "If they think we're gonna pay them, they can dream on."
"We managed to get the fuel," put in Animal, laughing. "Captain Fuel will be pleased - and so will Gangster. But this is only three barges. We're gonna need much more fuel than this - more than we need ourselves.
As you can probably tell by now, the four new tugs in the story are villains. But just note that these are only Numbers 2, 3, 4 and 5. If you think they're bad, wait till you see Number 1 - which won't be until next chapter.