BACKLOGGED
Based upon "Victor Says Yes" by Denise Cassar
Ending based upon "Misty Island Rescue" by Sharon Miller
Sir Topham Hatt had planned to build a Search and Rescue Centre south of Maron and east of Suddery. He had also arranged to have a crew taking residence there, such as Harold, Butch, Rocky and a newly acquired lifeboat called Captain, as well as two fire engines whom would soon be entering service. Construction was making good progress, but it was not without its share of snafus.
One of them involved Rosie before she broke her safety valve while helping Mavis at the quarry.
"How did that happen?" she asked her crew.
"Let's take a look," her driver said, while climbing out from her cab. After inspecting the damage, she brought forth the bad news.
"I think some bolts may have come loose while going over some rocks on the track."
"Botheration," sighed Rosie. "Now what am I going to do?"
"Don't worry, Rosie," assured Mavis. "I can handle the workload by myself for a bit."
"Thanks, Mavis," said Rosie. "I'm just worried as to who will take my next train of supplies for the Search and Rescue Centre."
"Hmm, with just me here, I don't think I'd be much help," Mavis said reasonably. "Maybe Emily could lend a buffer."
When Emily came to pick up Rosie, the lavender engine asked her if she could help.
"Of course I could," the emerald engine promised as they travelled down the mainline to the Steamworks.
"Thanks, Emily," smiled Rosie. "I'm glad you could lend a buffer. Just wish I didn't break down."
"Never you mind that, Rosie," said Emily. "It can happen to any engine. Thank goodness Hiro will be arriving from Japan to help us out."
"I bet a certain blue tank engine friend of ours will be excited to hear that," Rosie giggled.
"I'm sure he already is," replied Emily with a slight chuckle.
Soon, Emily and Rosie arrived at the Steamworks, where Victor greeted them with a warm smile.
"Good day, Emily and Rosie," he said cheerfully. "What can I do for the two of you?"
"I burst my safety valve while working at the quarry with Mavis," Rosie explained.
"Ah, I see," Victor said thoughtfully. "You just stay on that track over there, Rosie. We'll have that fixed in no time. Thanks for bringing her here, Emily."
"It's no problem, Victor," said Emily, leaving Rosie on the track she was told to. "I hope you're fixed up soon, Rosie. See you later, and goodbye, Victor." Emily then started to leave.
"See you later, Emily," called Rosie after her.
"Goodbye, Emily," Victor called as well. "Now, let's see what the workmen can do about this, Rosie."
The next day, Victor and Kevin were taken by surprise when Percy came to the Steamwoks with Daisy in tow.
"Er, boss, isn't Daisy supposed to be at the Dieselworks?" asked Kevin to Victor.
"I would," huffed Daisy, "but their equipment was simply dreadful and inadequate to repair me. Simply using it would've been-"
"Bad for your swerves," Percy interrupted, rolling his eyes. "I can't even count the times you haven't said that once in a day. And now I'll be late with my other duties," he finished with a sigh.
"You go back to work, Percy," Victor said calmly. "Daisy can wait on that track over there."
"Alright, Victor," said Percy, doing as he was instructed. "Hope that you two return to service soon. That Search and Rescue Centre isn't going to build itself! See you, Victor and Kevin."
"Catch you on the flipside, Percy," called Kevin as the little green tank engine left.
"You talk funny, little crane," Daisy noted.
"What's so funny about the way I talk?" grunted Kevin.
A couple of days went by, and just before Rosie was due back in service, Douglas had arrived at the Steamworks with Oliver in tow.
"Hello, Oliver," called Rosie. The workmen were doing tests on her to make sure she had been repaired properly. "What're you here for?"
"Oh, my brakes weren't working right when I tried to pull into the yards," Oliver sighed.
"That's not good," exclaimed Rosie. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. Douglas managed to stop me before I could get into more serious trouble," Oliver replied, slightly chuckling as he said the next bit. "I swear, this is becoming a habit, Douglas."
"Ah jalouse it is," Douglas laughed. "Dinna fash yirsel, Oliver. Ah will keek efter Toad 'til ye git back. Where's Victor at?"
The Steamworks' narrow gauge engine came puffing in a moment later. Sir Handel was coupled up behind with a brake van in tow.
"What's happened with Sir Handel, Victor?" asked Oliver.
"Sir Handel was helping Rusty up a hill, and then a spring gave out," Victor explained.
"Now I know how Skarloey felt…" sighed Sir Handel. "I hope Rusty will be okay with the rest of his journey."
"Oh dear…" Kevin said quietly. "This is not good. I guess the workmen best get to work on these two straight away."
"Speaking o' wirk, Ah'd better git back tae helping Donal' 'n' Dook," Douglas said. "Catch ye efter, a' body. Git fixed up soon, Oliver 'n' Sur Handel."
"Catch you later, Douglas," Oliver called. "Thanks for the ride."
"How do you think this will affect things on your line, Sir Handel?" asked Rosie.
"With Duncan and Duke out of action? Not too well," the little blue engine admitted. "We need another engine to help us out for the Summer rush. Only if Luke was willing to help…" he muttered quietly, but just enough so no one heard that final remark.
Initially, Victor and Kevin were worried as to how things would go down with four engines needing repairs, but since Rosie was due back in service tomorrow, they didn't have to worry for long.
"Okay, so here's how it will go down," said Victor, addressing Oliver, Daisy and Sir Handel. "Sir Handel is needed as soon as possible on the Skarloey Railway, as is Oliver on the Little Western."
Sir Handel and Oliver were both pleased about their repairs taking top priority, but Daisy was not happy about that.
"But what about my springs?!" she cried indignantly. "Sir Handel needs a spring repaired, so why not moi?"
"The Skarloey Railway has an engine shortage at the moment," Victor argued. "With Duncan and Duke on overhaul and Sir Handel also here, there's only four engines operating there."
Well, five, Sir Handel thought to himself, but we promised Luke to keep him a secret...
"He has a point, you know," said Oliver to Daisy. The diesel railcar rolled her eyes, but secretly, she knew that Victor was right.
"I hope it doesn't take too long," she said to herself. But she had spoken too soon.
A few days went by, and by then, Sir Handel's broken spring had been fixed, as were Oliver's brakes.
"Thanks, Victor and Kevin," called Oliver. "I'd better get back to work. I hope Toad and Douglas haven't bonded too much since I was gone," he added with a chuckle.
"See you two later," added Sir Handel. "I'll say hello to the other engines on our line for you."
Daisy was sorry to see them leave, but she was glad for Oliver and Sir Handel returning to service, and even gladder that her repairs were finally taking priority. As the workmen set to work replacing her broken springs, Daisy noticed Henry bringing in Judy and Jerome into the Steamworks.
"Oh my," exclaimed Daisy. "Whatever has happened to them?"
"We… kind of bit off more than we could chew," Judy said, embarrassed.
"Judy and Jerome tried proving that they were just as good as Rocky when it came to rescues," Henry explained, "but a lack of maintenance seems to have finally caught up with them.
"Oh dear…" Victor gasped. "Bring them in, Henry. We'll tend to them as soon as possible."
"Thanks, Victor," said Jerome. "We'll need the repairs."
"Dear me, boss," remarked Kevin. "I don't remember the Steamworks being this busy before. Even my brief stint in charge doesn't compare to this!"
"I know, Kevin," Victor sighed. "I'm wondering if the Steamworks was ever this busy before we came to Sodor… Thank goodness Sir Topham Hatt is planning on restoring those Dieselworks at Vicarstown."
It wasn't long before Daisy, Judy and Jerome were finally repaired and brought back into service. Victor and Kevin both felt relieved.
"Finally," sighed Victor. "Everything's back under control."
"Hopefully things will quiet down after how many engines we've had to help out," Kevin agreed, but he had spoken too soon, for Sir Topham Hatt had just arrived at the Steamworks in his car.
"Good day, you two," he greeted as he walked up to them. "I see that things have settled down around here."
"That is true, sir," Victor said with a smile. "We've got things back under control."
"Excellent," said Sir Topham Hatt. "Now, I came to see you two because, well… we have a new engine arriving very soon."
"A new engine, sir?" exclaimed Kevin, rolling up in excitement.
"Yes, Kevin, but for now, I wish to keep this secret," said Sir Topham Hatt. "We've consulted her about this, and she's agreed to let the workmen make some experimental modifications to her."
"What sort of modifications are they, sir?" asked Victor.
"Long and short," explained Sir Topham Hatt, "we shall be making her the first fire-fighting locomotive! Victor, Kevin, workmen of the Steamworks, I introduce you all to Belle!"
An unfamiliar whistle sounded out, and puffing forwards was a large black tank engine with two leading wheels, six driving wheels, and four wheels underneath her cab and bunker.
"Hello, everyone," greeted Belle. "I hope I'm at the right location. Er… Sodor Steamworks at Crovan's Gate?"
"That is correct, Belle," affirmed Victor. "Welcome to Sodor."
"Thank you," smiled Belle. "Oh, what was your name?"
"It's Victor," the narrow gauge engine replied. "That's Kevin over there…" The young road crane moved his arm up and down as if waving hello. "...and I'm sure you've met Sir Topham Hatt already."
"A pleasure to meet you," Belle said warmly. "And yes, I have met Sir Topham Hatt. I can't wait to meet the others on Sodor, but if this project is to be a secret for now…" She giggled at the thought. "I guess I can have fun with keeping this quiet."
"Well, in that case, I'm sure the workmen can get to work on you right away, Belle," Victor said as confidently as he could.
"Thank you, Victor," said Belle.
The big tank engine had been moved onto a siding out of the way so no engine could see her, nor could they see what the workmen would do with her. Just in case, some surrounds had been put in place to keep Belle's presence quiet.
"How do you think Belle will manage as a fire-fighting engine, boss?" asked Kevin. "Almost seems like a bit of a waste of potential given how good she could be as a utility engine."
"Well, Kevin," said Victor, "I'm sure that Sir Topham Hatt will still allow her to pull trains out on the mainline if required. Belle being a fire-fighting engine isn't actually a new concept, you see; an older tank engine from Brighton had been fitted with fire-fighting equipment to help out with bombing attacks at motive power depots during wartime."
"Really?" asked Kevin with amazement. "Wow, boss! I'd have loved to have met that engine, ask him or her what it was like to be a fire-fighting engine."
The next day, apart from work on modifying Belle for fire-fighting service, was fairly quiet at the Steamworks. But not for long, as Rosie had pulled into the entrance with Daisy in tow.
"Back so soon?" exclaimed Victor with surprise. "What's happened now?"
"Had an accident with some fish vans," groaned Daisy. "A few dents and scratches, and I doubt that smell is going to go away for a while. Ugh!"
"Well, at least you're not the only branch line engine to hate fish," Rosie noted. "Remember Thomas' fishing incident? Or Duck crashing into the Flying Kipper?"
Speaking of whom, Thomas had just been brought to the Steamworks being towed by Emily.
"You too, Thomas?" asked Daisy with surprise. "What's happened with you, darling?"
"My whistle broke after some silly boys thought it'd be funny to drop stones all over me," Thomas grumbled. "I had to be brought to the nearest siding to avoid an accident, and now my paint's all scratched!"
"At least you didn't try to sneeze on anyone like Henry did," said Emily. "Sir Topham Hatt would not have approved, nor would he approve of engines running about with broken whistles."
Soon, Thomas and Daisy were shunted onto their respective sidings, and then Emily and Rosie went back to work. No sooner had the two engines gotten settled in awaiting their repairs (and a thorough cleaning, in Daisy's case), Stanley had arrived with some trucks that had been recovered following an accident on the mainline.
"I swear, these trucks don't care for their own health and safety," Stanley noted. "All they care about is causing mayhem for whoever's pulling them! Thank goodness that Donald didn't get damaged," he added with a sigh of relief.
Before Victor could tell Stanley where to put the damaged trucks, James pulled in with some red coaches in tow.
"They're overdue for a repaint," James explained. "Hopefully it won't take long before they look splendid again." Victor was beginning to feel rather overwhelmed with how many engines and rolling stock needed maintenance, but he still tried to maintain his cool.
"Just set them in the sidings, James," he said. "We will get to them as soon as possible."
"You got it, Victor," James said. "I'll catch you later," he added as the red engine went back to work.
Later that day, while the coaches were being repainted, Edward pulled in with Gordon.
"Hello, Edward. Hello, Gordon," Kevin greeted. "What's up?"
"My safety valve has been blocked," groaned Gordon, "and with it being so close to the Search and Rescue Centre's opening day as well…"
"Gordon was meant to take important passengers that day," Edward explained. "He can't do it with a blocked safety valve."
"Oh, I understand," said Kevin. "Victor's out back right now, I'll go get him." He then rolled over to where Victor was speaking with Belle.
"Erm, boss?" he whispered, hoping not to cause too much of a scene. "Another engine is to be mended."
"I hope it's not too urgent," Victor sighed. "We're quite pressed for time as is."
"That's the thing." Kevin bit his lip. "It's Gordon… he's supposed to be taking important passengers to the opening of the Search and Rescue Centre, and the opening day is very soon."
Victor's eyes widened when he heard what his assistant had said.
"What?!" he gasped. "Do you know how many days we've got until the opening day, exactly?"
Kevin looked at a nearby calendar on the wall. "Two days."
"Two days?!" exclaimed Victor. "Why did this have to come up now?!"
"W-well, breakdowns happen at any time…" Kevin said quietly, now being very nervous.
"Then we'd better get Gordon ready for the opening ceremony as soon as possible!" cried Victor, and he raced off before Kevin or Belle had a chance to reply.
"Is Victor usually this stressed?" asked Belle.
"Not usually, no," admitted Kevin.
"I guess busy days can get to some engines," Belle said quietly. "Give him time, he'll cool out."
But I'm afraid the chance never came. Before long, Mavis pulled in with Charlie.
"Sorry for dropping in unannounced," Mavis apologized. "But my skirt's been dragging the rails a bit, and it needs tightening."
"And my driver says my brakes have been sounding funny when I stop," Charlie added. "Think there's time to check them over?"
All Victor could do now was turn on the turntable, looking at all the engines and rolling stock that still needed to be repaired, some claiming that their repairs were more important than others. As soon as the turntable stopped, Victor raced out of the Steamworks, letting loose a long, loud scream of frustration.
"What's eating him?" asked Charlie, not understanding what had been going on beforehand.
"I don't know," Mavis said quietly. "Victor's usually so patient, cheerful and understanding…"
Down near Crovan's Gate sheds, Peter Sam was leaving some empty coaches in the yard and was about to get some water for his goods run, when Victor came in, looking frustrated.
"Oh my goodness," Peter Sam gasped. "What's the matter, Victor?"
"So many engines," Victor explained while trying to find his happy place. "I try my best to keep the engines running properly in the Steamworks. But no matter how I do, more and more just keep coming! It's like a never ending parade!" Tears began to stream down Victor's face. "I know I'm supposed to keep a level head, and be there for any engine in need, but I can't handle all that stress at once! I just can't!"
"Victor…" trailed Peter Sam softly. "No engine is perfect. It's okay to not feel okay. Believe me, that's something I had to figure out the hard way."
"How did you manage to cope with it?" asked Victor.
"I just try and slow down a bit to take a breather," Peter Sam explained. "This allows me to help clear my smokebox and think about the best way to deal with the situation. In your case, it's to figure out the schedule for who gets fixed next."
Victor closed his eyes, and took a deep breath as he slipped into a relaxed smile. Before long, he reopened his eyes.
"Thank you for that, Peter Sam," he smiled. "Have you ever thought about becoming a therapist or a counselor?"
Peter Sam chuckled. "Sir Handel suggested it to me once." He took a look at the time. "I'd better refill my water tank and get moving. Catch you later, Victor."
Back at the Steamworks, Thomas, Gordon, Daisy, Mavis and Charlie were still wondering over what they had just seen. Kevin was doing everything he could to try and keep things under control.
"I hope Victor doesn't take too long," the little crane said worriedly. Just then, a familiar whistle sounded, and pulling in was Victor, now calm and mellow again.
"Sorry, everybody," he addressed the engines. "I was a bit stressed out. But now we have to figure out who takes precedence for their repairs"
"Well," Gordon started, "perhaps it would be fair for the engine who was here first to be the first to be repaired."
"But some of our ailments aren't very serious," Thomas admitted. "I just need my whistle fixed."
"Well, okay then, I'll take that into account." Victor said reasonably. "And Daisy, you only need a thorough cleaning, correct?"
"And a few dents that need attending to," Daisy added.
"Right, and Mavis and Charlie, you two just got here," Victor commented. "What're your reasons for being here?"
"My skirts need to be tightened so they don't drag on the wheels," said Mavis. "Work on the quarry has slowed down a bit, and hopefully Toby will manage okay in my absence."
"And with me out of action, Stanley will have to manage odd jobs on his own," Charlie added. "I need my brakes to be fixed."
Victor paused for a moment, thinking what would be the best course of action to take.
"Here's how it will go," he decided at last. "I shall have Gordon fixed first so he may collect his important visitors for the opening ceremony."
"That sounds reasonable, boss." Kevin agreed.
"After that, I will check Charlie's brakes."
"Right then," said Charlie.
"And Daisy," said Victor, "we should probably wash out that fishy smell as soon as possible. The damage in your accident wasn't too bad, so you should be back in service very soon."
"Thank heavens," sighed Daisy in relief.
Victor was as good as his word. In no time, Gordon's safety valve was repaired. And once he was gone, the workmen set to work checking Charlie's brakes, cleaning Daisy, tightening Mavis' skirt, and fixing Thomas' whistle. And during the whole time, Victor was much more calm and in control thanks to his talk with Peter Sam.
It wasn't long before two days had gone by and Gordon was tasked to take the important passengers to the Search and Rescue Centre. The big blue engine beamed with pride as he arrived at his destination without incident or delay. Sir Topham Hatt greeted the passengers as they boarded out of Gordon's coaches before walking up to the podium to make his speech. Several other engines, including Thomas and Hiro, were also gathered for the opening ceremony.
"Ladies and gentlemen, engines and children," he began, "this Search and Rescue Centre was a long time coming. Many of us have worked around the clock to make sure it was ready on time, despite a few… erm, hiccups along the way…" Some of the engines glanced over at once other, abashed, before Sir Topham Hatt continued.
"But despite these snafus, they continued to prove themselves to be really useful engines and we've also assembled a team to work together to help protect Sodor from danger - Harold, Butch, Rocky, and our new lifeboat Captain." He motioned over to the four, who all beamed with pride as their respective names were said.
"The team is not quite fully assembled, however," Sir Topham Hatt went on, "for we will soon see two more members for the Search and Rescue Centre enter service within the next few weeks or so. I'm sure that they will be really useful in helping to keep Sodor safe for years to come. Without further ado, I now declare the Sodor Search and Rescue Centre… open!"
Sir Topham Hatt then cut the ribbon with a pair of scissors, and everyone cheered with excitement, looking forward to a bright future for the Sodor Search and Rescue Centre and its team.
As the celebrations went on for the grand ceremony, up above on the cliff face near the completed high bridge, a big, menacing diesel engine painted in ochre with tan stripes and a gigantic claw on his roof moved slowly forwards before coming to a stop. He quietly chuckled before speaking to the engines beneath:
"You'll be laughing on the other side of your boilers soon… foolish puffballs!" he growled, snapping his claw, as if to emphasize his point. He then let out a sinister chuckle which gradually crescendoed into a full-blown cackle, before he let out a gasp, as if something had been caught in his throat. "Yes…"
THE END?
Author's Comments
We are now officially at the halfway point for Series 13-16 Redux! This rewrite of Victor Says Yes marks the end of the story arc for the construction of the Sodor Search and Rescue Centre, taking place during the events of the previous four stories (A Hiro's Return, No Crane, No Gain, A Busy Day for Toby and The Daisy and the Rose), not dissimilar to an approach taken in series 19, and serving as a lead in to the Day of the Diesels rewrite. Speaking of which, this story also marks the debut of Belle, providing an explanation as to how she ended up with her fire-fighting modifications, as well as a few hints as to what's to come for Blue Mountain Mystery what with Luke being mentioned, as well as a brief mention as to what's happened with Duke. We even added in a few nods to the first four series as well as the Railway Series with Douglas looking after Toad (though it isn't seen) while Oliver is at the Steamworks.
Upcoming rewrites:
Surprise, Surprise - Oliver, Toad and Captain
Thomas' Crazy Day - Donald, Douglas and Paxton
Stuck on You - Butch and Dennis
Stop That Bus! - Bertie and Flynn
Thomas and Scruff - Scruff, Den and Dart