Branch Lines
Next morning the London Midland and Scottish Railway Locomotives of the Kalos Railway Fleet were awake and ready to get to work but the Kalos Controller was late. Much later than usual which was odd.
Thomas: (Confused) Where is the Kalos Controller? Did something terrible happen?
Greg: If it did then we'd be the first to know about it Thomas.
Claire: Relax Greg. He's new here and he's still learning the ways of the Kalos Railway.
Greg wanted to make a wise ass remark but before he could the Kalos Controller arrived and he showed up with four highly trained bodyguards, all of whom had military training in the French Armed Forces.
Duchess Corrinne: Sir I can only guess by the amount of bodyguards something terrible has happened and by terrible I can only guess that it's the thing you fear most.
Thomas: May I ask what Duchess Corrinne meant when she said by the thing you fear most?
Kalos Controller: I have terrible news for all of you. To answer your question Thomas, Duchess Corrinne is right. The thing I feared most has happened. Lord Arcanon has returned. He's returning from the east.
All the engines were shocked to hear that Lord Arcanon had returned but they were more surprised that Arcanon was heading to France, the one areas where Arcanon's reign of terror over Europe and assistance to Dark Witch Coi, leader of the Crows reign had ended and he fled to the Far East. Now that he had returned, everybody was on edge since Arcanon was a brutal warlord and they feared he'd be out for vengeance.
All Engines: (Yelling) WHAAAAAAAAATTTT?! HE'S BACK!
Noah: Are you serious? Lord Arcanon is back? That's impossible. We watched him get chased all the way to the Far East where he disappeared.
Kalos Controller: I wish I was joking Noah but I'm not. My wife Taylor, a descendant of Lord Charles Brenton and his wife Lady Corrinne, has got the green machines bike messengers on high alert. She even has them going in teams of three due to Arcanon's return to gather information and deliver supplies.
Princess Aurora: So what are we supposed to do? Hide like cowards? I for one am no coward.
Kalos Controller: No. we're going to show that Arcanon is not welcome here and never will be. Thomas, you'll be working shunting duties. As for the rest of you it's your usual jobs and Josh I need you to take a train to the Southern Railway Engines of the Kalos Railway Fleet.
Josh: yes sir but I would feel a lot better with extra security.
Kalos Controller: And you will have it. I'm tripling the standard security measures. Everyone is to communicate with me and check in with each other at each station. I don't want so much as a snake slithering in without me knowing about it. Is that understood?
Engines: Yes sir.
Kalos Controller: You have your jobs so fall out.
The engines all headed out to complete their assigned jobs.
Moments later, Thomas was at the station having brought Corrinne's coaches to the platform. He was finishing up when he heard an unfamiliar whistle.
Thomas: That's new. I wonder who that could be.
Thomas could see that an engine he didn't see on the Kalos Railway was steaming in. It was a big mainline tender engine with the British Railway's crest. The engine was painted in black and had smoke deflectors ad was coming in with a goods train. Upon seeing the ten driving wheels Thomas knew who this engine was.
Thomas: (To the engine) Hello are you by any chance Colby?
Engine: (Surprised) I am. And judging from the number one on your side tanks I suppose you're Thomas. I already know about you but how do you know about me.
Thomas: Duchess Corrinne, Gervase and the engines in the sheds I'm staying with told you about me. They also mentioned Lord Arcanon as well.
Colby: So Lord Arcanon's back huh? Figures. I guess with Duchess Corrinne's exile to the States for two years Arcanon picks a perfect time to send his thugs to undo all of her hard work and make the people fear and obey him. Of course this wouldn't be an issue if that traitor from the North Western Railway would have just kept his mouth shut and before you ask yes I'm talking about Edward it's public knowledge that Edward stood in Corrinne's way to have Dark Witch Coi executed for the reign of terror she caused when she worked for Lord Arcanon. Either way. I can't talk. I gotta drop off some cars at this station for Bruce to pick up. He's supposed to be here to take them to the Southern Railway section of the Kalos Railway.
Thomas: Wait you guys have a Southern Railway Section of the Kalos Railway?
Colby: Of course we do. The Kalos Controller didn't know it but when he purchased the engines he tried to make sure that friends were kept with friends and he made sure rivals were not in the same area. What he didn't know was that he grouped the fleet in the same way that they were grouped on the Kalos Railway.
Thomas: That would explain why I saw all the LMS Engines in one shed but why I haven't seen any other steam engines yet from the other railroad companies aside from Gervase and I know him from when he helped us out on the North Western during the second world war.
Colby: You will in time. Remember you know about me and Gervase. I'm sure an engine will turn up. Either way could you take the last seven cars from my train? They're the ones for this station.
Thomas: No problem. This is part of Hassan's duties anyway.
Colby: Ah yes. Hassan was a nice guy and so was Fernando. Though it's a shame the latter is a diesel otherwise he'd make a good station pilot. His shunting is adequate.
Thomas: Really?
Colby: Yes.
Thomas: I see.
Thomas shunted the last couple of cars off of Colby's train and put them in a siding ready for Bruce to take. After that was done Colby continued on his way with his line of cars following behind him.
Meanwhile Josh was on the branchlines in the Southern Railway themed section of the Kalos Railway, enjoying the view as he was taking some empty cattle cars to market. Usually this was a task Sophia would do but she was busy elsewhere so Josh had to take the job. He didn't mind being moved to branchlines that could hold his weight though since he was smaller than most of the Stanier tender engines and he didn't have to rush on a branchline as opposed to the mainline.
Josh's Driver: Joshua I know we're on a branchline and I know we don't have to rush but we still have to keep to the time.
Josh: I know but that doesn't mean we can't relax a bit. Even so we still have to stay alert now that Lord Arcanon is back.
Josh's driver and fireman nodded as they continued the trip along the branchline to deliver their empty cattle cars.
Eventually Josh arrived at his destination where he met up with a London Brighton and South Coast A1 Terrier class tank engine by name of Dexter.
Josh: Hello Dexter. How are you holding up?
Dexter: I'm holding up okay. So what are you doing here? Did you bring the cattle cars?
Josh: I did. Where do you want them?
Dexter: Leave them as they are. I'll shunt them into place. I have a passenger train that needs to go out now. Think you can handle it.
Josh: I can. But be careful. Now that Lord Arcanon's back there's no telling what he'll do. And send word to the other engines.
Dexter: I'll be sure to do that tonight. All the engines need to hear of this and so do their drivers.
Josh: Agreed. Oh and one more thing. Do you remember the E2s?
Dexter: Yeah they did okay at short distance goods work and were good dock shunters till the USA Tanks took over. Why do you ask?
Josh: Because there's one on the Kalos Railway filling in for Hassan till his repairs are complete.
Dexter was shocked to hear that but he composed himself as he went to work shunting the cars into their proper sidings.
Dexter: I thought they were all scrapped.
Josh: So did I but one is here and it's the same one from the Railway Series.
Dexter: You mean the thin clergyman's books? My driver showed me those books.
Josh: Yeah I know. Either way I better get back to work.
Dexter agreed as Josh left to take a passenger train while he went to shunt the cattle cars.
Dexter: (thinking) I hope that things go well from here on out. Now that Lord Arcanon has returned the main line engines are going to need all the help they can get.
Dexter went to work shunting the cars while he prayed for a future.