The next morning was only the second day of the Technology Fair as the sun rose over Tidmouth Sheds. All through the night, the whole Steam Team, except Thomas had been brooding and trembling in their sleep with constant uncertainty and lingering fear over being replaced by the onslaught of new inventions that would be shown on the stage, with Emily's nightmare involving David being the most unfitting image to behold in her sleep. Thomas was the first to wake up, and when he looked around, he could see all the engines looking no happier than they were the night before. Thomas then turned to Emily, who was just coming out of her berth, looking very miserable, and her face was a little green with envy over those new inventions.
"Emily..." Thomas said carefully. "Everyone...I really don't think there's anything to worry about anymore."
"You're wrong, Thomas! How can you even say that after what we saw last night?!" Emily exclaimed. "We now have EVERYTHING to worry about, no thanks to this entire Fair!"
"And to think that few days ago, you were the one who was brooding and worrying so much about everything!" huffed James. "Now you claim there's nothing at all to worry about?!"
"You were right after all, Thomas," Gordon added. "And yet you yourself don't see that you were right all along!"
"Because I WAS wrong, everyone," said Thomas. "I told you what Ruth said, and I think we all ought to be more chipper about this Fair. You're with me on this, aren't you, Percy?"
Percy didn't know what to say and just hummed most nervously. Then Thomas turned to Emily.
"Please, Emily...you have to be with me on this," he insisted.
But Emily didn't smile. She looked up and decided to disclose her little experience the night before.
"I don't think even I can be with you on this, Thomas," she whimpered. "In fact...I had a most troubling dream last night. You were all being left idly in sidings, at the scrapyard, and going off to museums alike, whereas I wandered to Ulfstead Castle, and I saw so many new inventions, some of which might indeed be the new way of Sodor I saw...a magnet, a milkshake machine, Ruth's Road Plane, a giant...Metal Man...and then...some sort of fancy car..."
The engines all listened and felt the painful tingle in their boilers grow even stronger...except for Thomas. Instead of worrying, he was surprisingly intrigued by what Emily had just described, and it made him wonder about the demonstrations to be shown on the stage.
"Hmm...well, Emily...those do sound like plausible inventions," he said. "But whether or not they're part of this Fair, we'll have to see for ourselves. But us being left in sidings, scrapyards and museums is NOT in any realm of possibility at all, Emily. That's no more than a dream to be forgotten soon enough."
"Huh...say what you will, Thomas. But one thing's bound to be certain," said Emily. "All these inventions are surely better than us at everything."
"Everything? Please, Emily, they can't all be better than us," said Thomas. "Think of Caitlin. She wasn't better than you at absolutely everything."
"That may be true enough on her account, but these inventions ARE, Thomas! They really, really are!" Emily said mournfully.
"A magnet, a milkshake machine and a Metal Man being better than us?" Thomas exclaimed. "Not a chance, Emily! They can't take passengers or goods!"
"But Ruth's Road Plane and a fancy car can," Emily replied.
"Emily, this really isn't necessary," said Thomas. "You don't have to-"
"No, Thomas. No, no, no," Emily whimpered very miserably. "It's all coming very clear...it's surely just a matter of time before we'll all be replaced...I'm afraid there's nothing more any of us can do about it."
"What about at least one thing we CAN do?" suggested Thomas. "Perhaps you should go see the Fair and see the demonstrations for yourself. I'll be doing just that when I bring the food supplies to the castle. Maybe seeing them could curb some of your fears?"
At the moment, Emily didn't like the sound of this at all.
"You can see them for yourself if you want, Thomas," she said. "But I want nothing more to do with this whole matter! I wouldn't be seen streamlined at that Fair!"
"Nor would I," said Gordon. "Not even the Shooting Star would have any place among those infernal inventions!"
Thomas sighed a little irritably.
"They are NOT infernal, Gordon," he said. "And you're bound to bring guests along to see the inventions anyway. And you, Emily. Please let me help you! You don't need to feel this way anymore!"
"I'm sorry, Thomas...but I'm not sure if you can help me. Not this time," said Emily. "It's going to take a miracle to ensure we'll all be really useful still."
Thomas could see that Emily's doubts had a considerably strong hold on her at the moment, and he had to bring the food supplies to Ulfstead Castle.
"Uhh...well, I don't know what else to say right now," he said. "You're on your own for now, Emily. I have to bring the food supplies to Ulfstead Castle. The presentations will be starting shortly."
And with a low-spirited heart at the moment, Thomas set off to start his day. He collected the food supplies from Knapford Station, then set off to collect milk from the Dairy to bring to the castle. Shortly after Thomas set off, Emily made her way to Knapford Station to collect her passengers. As her heart kept aching with uncertainty and looming doubt, she looked to her emerald coaches and found herself thinking very deep thoughts, all the way back to when she was first given those coaches after she saved Thomas and Oliver from a terrible accident, all the way on her very first day on Sodor. She began to wonder that her fears were true, and if a day would come that maybe those lovely coaches wouldn't be here, and instead everyone would take to riding Kenji.
When Emily's passengers arrived, they took little looks at her and could see she was feeling very low. This made some of the passengers wonder, but they decided not to trouble Emily with too many questions, so they got to boarding their coaches. Emily's guards whistle blew and she set off, but it didn't help her in the least. She found herself listening endlessly to the huff of her smoke and wheels as she went on her way, and she began to wonder just what would happen over the next few days.
"It can't happen. It shouldn't happen," she said lowly to herself. "All I want is to work and be really useful! That's what we all want to do!"
"And so you will, Emily," said her driver, Paul. "Remember what Ruth told Thomas about steam engines. You really ought to take that to good heart."
"I wish I could," said Emily. "Ruth is certainly a fine and high-spirited young lady. But I don't think these inventions are fine or high-spirited at all!"
And Emily continued on her way, in despair and doubt. All she wanted right now was for all this talk of inventions to disappear, but until the Fair was over, she felt that all she could do was let the time pass by and hope for the best there could be for her and her friends.
Meanwhile, Thomas soon made his way to the Dairy and collected the milk. Then he was on his way to Ulfstead Castle. He still thought about how low Emily's spirits were, and he really wanted to see her feel better, but right now, his delivery came first. Furthermore, he found himself thinking about what Emily said about her dream, and he couldn't help but wonder if any of these inventions really would be seen on the stage. Then he'd be able to tell her just what these inventions would be like, and see how she would take it all in.
Soon, Thomas made his delivery to Ulfstead Castle where Stephen was giving little tours of the estate to some of the guests. Thomas looked up and saw Sir Robert waiting right at the platform awaiting his arrival.
"Morning, Thomas."
"Good morning, Sir Robert," said Thomas. "I brought the food supplies."
"Thank you, Thomas. We'll get you unloaded soon. Right. Let's get the last of these tents up."
At that moment, as Sir Robert turned and walked away, Thomas saw the new engine come by again...and Baz and Bernie came out again too. They exchanged a nod to each other, then put in their cooks hats. Thomas watched unsurely as they crept out and eyed the inventions being placed on display for everyone to see.
"Oh, look at all those inventions, eh?" said Baz. "Hmm...what about that one?"
"Oh, yeah. Very shiny," said Bernie.
"Excuse me," Thomas spoke up, noticing as both men reacted alertly. "Shouldn't you two be unloading my food trucks?"
"Yes, but it's hard to unload trucks when you're looking for something to ste-"
Baz elbowed Bernie at once and tried to soften the matter, pinching his cheek as he did.
"What my colleague here is trying to say is, yes of course! Let's get unloading."
And so they did. But to Thomas, something was not quite right. The way these men spoke, moved and behaved did not seem normal to him. Very uncertain, anxious and shifty, and it made him wonder just what they could be up to...especially having heard the possible prospect of stealing something or other. Little flickers of memory about Sailor John tugged at Thomas' mind in those few moments, and he began to wonder if something else might happen concerning this Fair. But before he could think about that much further, it was soon time for everyone to see some of the wonderful inventions. Presently, Gordon arrived with a train full of guests to see the first demonstration on the stage. Ruth came forth and presented the first inventor and what she had to show. Dr. Hetty was the inventor's name.
"Good morning, everyone," said Dr. Hetty. "Today, I will be demonstrating my own invention. Behold the most powerful magnet the world has ever seen! The Mighty Magnet!"
Thomas' heart jumped when he heard this, remembering what Emily said about her dream. He and the guests watched as the blue sheet came off, and there it was. At least, it looked like a magnet, but for the name it had, it was ironically quite small.
"Oh, it's a bit tidily," said a guest.
"Ahh. It may be small," said Dr. Hetty. "But just wait till you see its mighty power."
Dr. Hetty then pushed the grey button in the middle, and the magnet activated. The bucket right beside the magnet stuck to it at once. But then, without any warning at all, Gordon felt a sense of what felt almost like gravitational pull on his whole body. His front wheels moved ever-so slightly forward and he began to jitter all over, taking him by immense and even a little frightful surprise.
"Oh, my!" he shook. "That magnet is stronger than it looks!"
Then suddenly, without warning, that magnet shot right off its control panel and off the table like a rocket, then stuck right above Gordon, who began to shake even more.
"I feel a bit strange. I think I might be..." then Gordon saw a wrench suddenly clamp onto his axles. "MAGNETIC!"
And he was. In just a few seconds more, ladders, food platters and even chairs and anything else made of metal all got swiped away from where people were standing and stuck all around Gordon. He looked very, very silly indeed. Even Dr. Hetty was shocked and surprised by what had just happened.
"Oh...uh...watch in awe...at the magnetic force!" she said nervously.
At this moment, Thomas was just about fully unloaded, but there were still two more milk churns in one of his trucks...and they went flying too. They stuck just above Gordon's forehead, and right away, those churns opened up and spilt milk all over Gordon's face. Another inventor named Dr. Holyfield was getting ready to show his demonstration, but when he saw Gordon, he suddenly dropped the crate he was carrying.
"Oh, no!" he exclaimed. "I needed that milk for my demonstration!"
Dr. Hetty ran over to check Gordon, who was now shaking with magnetic fury, and churning disgrace. He had never been this messy since he crashed into those jam wagons and got absolutely covered after demanding more respect from the other engines, to no avail.
"I would say, 'O, the Indignity', But it seems a bit of an understatement!" he shook vigorously and angrily.
But not one second after he said this, a rubbish can came flying for the magnet and landed right over Gordon's nose. Some of the people had to laugh, making the big blue engine growl in disgrace. Poor Gordon did not look happy, but Thomas couldn't help him. He had lots more work to do. He set off again to take Annie and Clarabel on a little passenger run, while Dr. Holyfield ran over to Sir Robert for help.
"Sir Robert! Do you have anyone who could go to the Dairy for me? I'm afraid Gordon's taken all my milk."
"I didn't take it! I got splattered by it!" Gordon protested.
"Oh, don't worry," said Sir Robert. "I'm sure we have."
He looked at Gordon once more...then his eyes trailed to the new engine, who looked up at once and darted his eyes every which way.
"Excuse me," said Sir Robert. "Would you mind going to the Dairy for me?"
"Um...uh..." the new engine struggled.
"Of course. He wouldn't mind, your good lordship," Baz cut in, giving a bow, then turning to the new engine. "But make sure you get back here sharp as you can, useless pile of metal!"
Feeling conflicted and anxious just the same, the new engine whistled and set off, finally having at least a little time to be away from Baz and Bernie. But being so new to Sodor, he had no way of knowing where the Dairy could be.
Sir Robert watched him leave, then turned to Gordon. Dr. Hetty managed to deactivate the Mighty Magnet, which made him stop magnetically shaking. In that moment, all the metal items slipped off from all over Gordon, including the trash can.
"Uhh! Thank Heaven THAT'S over!" exclaimed Gordon.
As workmen did their best to clean up the metal mess and put them back where they belonged, Sir Robert came up to Gordon.
"Goodness gracious, Gordon!" he exclaimed. "Before you take the guests home, you'd better get that milk cleaned off straight away."
"INDEED, Sir Robert! I WILL!" Gordon enunciated strongly as he slipped out of the grounds to find a washdown.
Meanwhile, elsewhere on the Main Line, Emily was working very gloomily and in very low spirits as she kept pending the engines being replaced. She had decided to herself that she would not go back to the Technology Fair, so as to keep her pending fears from spiraling any more out of control than they were at the given moment.
"Why? Why did it have to come to this and be this way?" she asked herself miserably. "There's a whole lot more we could be doing this summer. Instead of putting together this whole-"
Then Emily heard a deep, sleek whistle coming from behind her. She looked and saw Caitlin come up alongside her. She too had heard about the Fair and was wondering how Emily was taking to it.
"Hello, Emily."
"O-oh...hi, Caitlin," Emily said sadly, looking down to her buffers and sighing mournfully, which took Caitlin by surprise.
"Emily? Whatever is the matter, dear?" she asked.
"N-nothing," Emily whimpered. "Nothing you can do to change the given matters right now."
"Emily, please. I know that look," said Catlin. "It's just how you looked when you felt you weren't as amazing as me...and when you gave little thoughts to changing your shape to look more like me, which I'm so glad to see you didn't do. Please, what's wrong?"
Emily looked up to her streamlined friend and decided to answer.
"Oh, Caitlin. Even if I did want to change my shape, which will never be the case, it wouldn't make things any better for me."
"Hmm...is this all about the Technology Fair at Ulfstead? The 'World of Tomorrow,' as they call it?" asked Caitlin.
"Yes, Caitlin. It is," said Emily. "This whole Technology Fair is boasting so many brand new inventions on the stage for everyone to see...which Sir Robert says will make lots of people very happy...and I'm under a growing impression that perhaps we'll all be replaced by these new inventions. I'd earlier told Thomas not to be silly about it, but after seeing what there was last night, I now feel like we all won't be useful anymore, just as Thomas predicted."
"By my skirt, Emily! Don't talk such nonsense," Caitlin replied. "Remember what I told you after I brought you to the Steamworks? You're a brilliant engine, and you get to pull all sorts of trains, whereas Connor and I are mostly stuck taking passengers...as too is Kenji, the electric engine from Japan."
"How...How did you know about Kenji?" Emily asked.
"Word reached my ears and Connor's too about the whole deal at Ulfstead Castle," said Caitlin. "I can see why you're thinking the way you are, but you really mustn't fear, Emily. You know the Fat Controller would never replace any of you."
"Do we?" Emily replied. "I have this very ill feeling that the inventions will be so, so popular and new that they're sure to become the new way of Sodor in a matter of practically no time."
"That will NOT happen, Emily. I promise you," said Caitlin. "It's only a Fair at the end of the day, after all. Everyone is indeed excited, but it will pass, and you'll all still be here. Take care, now."
And Caitlin whistled and carried on down the line. Emily watched her go by, and tried to smile, but her face didn't feel like it wanted to smile anyway. She herself truly wanted to feel better, as Thomas had tried to do the night before, but her looming doubt would linger on for a little while yet.
Meanwhile, Thomas had collected Annie and Clarabel and was on his way to collect his passengers, when he came across that new engine who brought those two peculiar "cooks." He had stopped at a junction of points and was trying to figure out which way to go.
"Okay...do I go left...or...do I go right?" he was asking himself.
Thomas took a closer look at the engine and was slightly reminded of Emily's brother, Bernard, given the navy livery and similar smokebox and even a little of the same voice. Thomas came up alongside the new engine and spoke up.
"Um...Hello. Are you alright?" he inquired.
"Uh...yeah. Yeah. I'm fine and dandy, thanks," the engine said shiftily.
"Oh. Okay, then," said Thomas as he started to set off.
"Actually...no. No, I'm not," the new engine admitted. "I'm completely lost. I was supposed to go to the Dairy, but...I've got no idea where it is."
"Don't worry. I can show you the way," said Thomas. "There's always time to help another engine. Follow me."
So the new engine followed Thomas right along the line. It wasn't long before they arrived at the Dairy and the engine's trucks were full with all the jars of milk he could carry. Now the new engine felt better.
"Thanks for helping me, mate," he said humbly. "Oh. My name is Sonny, by the way."
"That's okay, Sonny. I'm Thomas. On the Fat Controller's Railway, all the engines try to be really useful."
Secretly, this peaked Sonny's interest. Having never been to Sodor before, he had never heard such a term before, but he was immediately drawn into such a term.
"Really useful...I like the sound of that," he said.
"Come on. I can show you the way back," said Thomas. "Those two cooks are probably wondering where you are."
When Sonny heard what Thomas said, he suddenly felt anxious and uncertain again.
"What? W-What do you mean crooks?" he asked, having misheard what Thomas said.
"No. I-I said cooks," Thomas corrected.
"Oh. Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, cooks. I mean, that's what I meant. Not crooks," said Sonny. "I've gotta go. See you later."
"Oh...okay, bye. That was strange."
Back at Ulfstead Castle, Sir Robert was looking over the Fair's schedule, and Dr. Holyfield was still waiting for the new shipment of milk to arrive. Sure enough, Sonny came back with the milk. He was still entangled in conflicted thoughts over Baz and Bernie, until Sir Robert came along and shared his gratitude.
"Thank you. You're a really useful engine," he said.
A smile managed to up the corners of Sonny's mouth as Thomas stopped on the other platform to let off his guests. He had made it back just in time to see the next invention. Ruth was just making the announcement for the next demonstration. Among the guests were Little Thomas, Cyril the Fogman, the Thin Clergyman and even the Fat Controller, all waiting to see what this invention would be.
"And now," Ruth announced. "It's time for Dr. Holyfield and his magnificent Milkshake Machine!"
As Thomas looked to the stage, his heart jumped again. It seemed that Emily's dream was a little truer than he would have expected. Then little flickers of memory tweaked at his mind as he remembered his milkshake muddle with Emily teasing him over going slow, no thanks to Gordon and James' malevolent motives against her at the time, but Thomas pushed those thoughts away and looked at the machine. There were four dispensers with black handles, a dome shape, and a tall tube of milk that shaped the Milkshake Machine into what it was.
"Ooh! Milkshake," the Fat Controller smiled as he walked through the crowd.
"I'm going to need a volunteer to come up and taste one," Dr. Holyfield offered with a jolly smile. "It makes the frothiest, tastiest milkshakes in the world!"
"Ohh...Oh, yes," the Fat Controller's voice came as he made his way to the front. "Uh...don't mind if I do. Now, let's see..."
The Fat Controller went right to the machine and started turning the levers of the dispensers, quite against Dr. Holyfield's wishes.
"No, no! Wait," he tried to explain. "I-I haven't set the-"
"Does it make new flavour?" the Fat Controller explored.
Then suddenly, just as Dr. Holyfield was trying to warn him of, a pink-coloured concoction of thickened milk, ice cream and flavouring ingredients came sploshing and spewing out of the machine, all over the Fat Controller!
"Oh...oh, no. Oh, dear!" Dr. Holyfield exclaimed.
When the Fat Controller turned around, all everyone could see was an absolute mess of pink milkshake. A few of the guests covered their mouths, snickering and laughing. All the Thin Clergyman could do was rub his forehead and shut his eyes, shaking his head. The Fat Controller, quite red in the face, huddled away to wash off and change into a new suit.
Even Ruth giggled, but not too loudly. "Oh...hm-hm! I don't think that was the milkshake Sir Topham had in mind."
"So...what's next, Ruth? I think we might need to get them straight on," said Sir Robert.
"Good idea, Sir Robert," agreed Ruth, who dashed back to the speaker. "And now, for our next inventor and her amazing machine!"
The next inventor was Dr. Kim from China, where Thomas shared his adventures with Yong Bao and Hong Mei.
"Ladies and gentleman," she announced. "I give you the amazing Metal Man!"
In her hand, Dr. Kim held a remote control with a small joystick, knobs and a button. When she turned it on, suddenly the whole ground began to shake, as if there were a dinosaur coming everyone's way. Even Baz and Bernie gasped and gaped as the ground shook. Thomas gaped and looked up to what was coming into view.
"The Amazing Metal Man is the Robot of the Future!" declared Dr. Kim.
And there for everyone to see was the Metal Man itself, with giant, stocky legs, a big, broad body and large, mechanical arms, posing with his hands on both hips. Thomas was amazed.
"Wow!"
By now, it seemed to Thomas that Emily's dream was almost too real, given the details she had described about the inventions. Whatever would happen with this particular invention, Thomas knew he had to tell her one way or another.
Meanwhile, in the midst of the cheering crowd, after the searching and planning they had done so far, Baz and Bernie were eying this Metal Man with particular interest. It certainly seemed like a most expensive invention, worth quite a fortune in its way, and that's when Baz suddenly saw an opportunity to put his plan to action...and see if he could steal this invention, and make the loads of money he had bragged to Bernie about.
"Bernie," he whispered as he dashed away.
"Wonderful," Bernie said quietly as he applauded too, until Baz grabbed him and they rushed through the crowd.
"He is fully programmable," said Dr. Kim as she left the remote control on the table. "He can either be controlled by the remote device, or...there is a seat for a passenger to control him manually. There is no end to the things that he can do."
Thomas watched in awe with everyone else as the Metal Man danced this way and that. But while Dr. Kim was showing her invention, no one noticed a hand slip up form under the table, and snatch away the remote. That person was Baz as he and Bernie snuck through the grounds, and tried to see if they could control the Metal man himself from afar.
"Uh...what ya doing, Baz?" Bernie asked.
"Shh!" whispered Baz. "Stealing the Amazing Metal Man!"
"Oh. Okay. Uh...Baz?" said Bernie. "What does this bit do?"
And quite stupidly, he gave a big flick against the antenna, making it break off at once. Baz tried to work the buttons a little more...until the remote suddenly issued a series of sparks and coughed up a puff of black smoke. Baz glared angrily at Bernie, who only shrugged his shoulders.
"Ohh...that's not good," said Bernie.
And indeed it wasn't good. Suddenly, sparks leapt out of the Metal Man's back, the head spun around and it suddenly fell limp for a moment or two. Then it swiveled to the left, then to the right, then left and right again. Then it began staggering through the grounds, alarming Thomas and all the guests, just as Dr. Kim noticed the problem.
"Oh, no! The remote! It's gone!"
At this moment, the Metal Man was running rampant and out of control. Many guests shouted and scattered as the Metal Man barely missed the tables and tents, while Baz desperately tried to control it with the broken remote.
"No! NO!" he cried.
"I could be wrong, Baz," said Bernie. "But I don't think it's working."
"REALLY, Bernie!" Baz scoffed angrily. "You don't-"
Before Baz could finish his sentence, the Metal Man stomped right on past them both.
"Come on, Bernie! Let's get out of here!" Baz panicked as he dashed off, throwing the remote away.
"Right behind you, Baz," Bernie called as he dashed off too.
Dr. Kim, Ruth and Sir Robert then found the broken remote and picked it up.
"You have to stop it!" Sir Robert urged.
"I can't! The circuits are fried!" Dr. Kim panicked.
"Wait..." Ruth's eyes fell upon Dr. Hetty's Mighty Magnet standing on another table. "I've got an idea!"
Ruth took the Magnet and dashed right over to Thomas.
"Ruth? What are you doing?" he asked.
"Thomas, fetch a tanker," said Ruth. "We're putting this magnet to good use!"
Before long, Thomas fetched a tanker, Ruth attached the magnet to it, and they raced off through the castle grounds. By this time, the Metal Man was running rampant across the grounds, bumping into one of the dinosaur models, knocking its head off and into the pond. But Thomas and Ruth were racing up from behind, with the tanker and the Mighty Magnet ready to be put to use.
"There he is!" Ruth pointed. "He's heading towards the T-Rex!"
"Hang on, Ruth!" Thomas called.
He dashed on through the ground and past the T-Rex, right where they wanted to be. The Metal Man was just coming over the hill.
"Okay, Ruth!" Thomas called. "Switch it on!"
Ruth got out of Thomas' cab and ran for the magnet's lever. She turned it on, and sure enough, a great wave of magnetic pressure fissured out from the magnet, and on towards the Metal Man. Slowly, but surely, it slowed down, came to a stop, then was suddenly sucked towards Thomas and his tanker. It sailed through the air and clamped right onto the magnet, jolting Thomas forward before he looked back and saw that the plan had worked.
"Hooray! Nice catch, Thomas!" cheered Ruth.
Thomas was most amazed to have saved the Metal Man, and chuckled proudly, now quite excited to tell Emily about this. He soon made his way back to the main platforms where everyone was waiting. The Fat Controller had now changed into a new suit and had heard what had happened, and when he saw Thomas come back with the Metal Man, he was very proud indeed, as was Sir Robert.
"Oh, well done, Thomas!" cheered Sir Robert.
"Oh, yes. Really useful indeed!" the Fat Controller smiled.
When Thomas head this, he felt even prouder. Ruth's reassuring words had already helped him a great deal, but now for the Fat Controller to state the usefulness in the midst of this Fair was more than Thomas ever needed to wash away any doubts he had earlier.
"Thank you, sir," he said eventually. "Just doing what really useful engines should do."
"Well, you've certainly done that, Thomas. Otherwise, this Metal Man would still be running all over the place," said the Fat Controller.
"Well, everything is back under control now," Ruth remarked as she turned to the rest of the crowd. "Okay, everyone. In spite of this little shakeup, everything is back in good enough order, thanks to Thomas. Now, I hope you'll all be here later tonight. Because there's yet another invention for you all to see when night comes. An invention...of my own."
The Fat Controller suddenly remembered the little talk the night before and turned to Ruth at once.
"Oh...so you do have something to demonstrate, Ruth?"
"Well, and you'll all have to wait and see," Ruth said with a wink. "I assure you, you will all absolutely love it..."
This made Thomas very curious as he remembered hearing Ruth's talk with Sir Robert and the Fat Controller the other night himself. As he recalled it was mostly hush-hush at the time, now he would get to see just what she had to show. But before that, he thought back to Emily and all the inventions he had seen up to this moment.
"There's still plenty of time before nightfall," he thought. "I simply must tell her about all this...and how right she was so far."
So Thomas hurried out of the castle ground and along the Main Line. When he arrived at Maron, he saw Emily sitting at one of the platforms, looking just as glum and let down as she was that very morning. Thomas had a feeling this would be the case, but he had plenty to tell her right now, hoping it would wipe some of the glumness away from her face.
"Hello, Emily," he spoke up, trying to sound cheerful.
Emily looked up slowly and didn't carry any high spirits in her voice. "Hello, Thomas...I trust you've seen some of those inventions?"
"Yes. In fact, I have, Emily," said Thomas. "Contrary to how you're feeling...it was actually quite interesting to see so far."
"Interesting. Huh. Well, the guests are surely thinking that," Emily mumbled, mostly to herself.
"And it so happens I have some things to share with you about the particular inventions I saw.."
"Do you, now?" said Emily. "And what exactly may that be?"
Thomas slowly smiled, which made Emily a little curious.
"Well, Emily...as far as inventions are concerned...it's a most curious and almost eerie coincidence. It just turns out your dream was absolutely right as to what the inventions would be."
Emily suddenly looked up with a sense of alert. "What do you mean, Thomas?"
"The first three new inventions you mentioned in your dream?" said Thomas. "It's all true, Emily. There just happened to be a Mighty Magnet by Dr. Hetty, a Milkshake Machine by Dr. Holyfield...and a giant Metal Man by Dr. Kim! What do you think of that?"
Emily heard everything Thomas said, and she immediately remembered those very inventions being what she saw in her dream. There was a sense of surprise as to how accurate her dream was in those areas, but given her current fears, hearing this only this only fueled her uncertainty even more.
"Oh, no," she groaned. "Those are EXACTLY what I saw in my dream, Thomas...and it's still only the second day of the Fair. What if there's even more to come?"
"Don't say 'oh, no,' Emily," said Thomas. "I'm actually amazed as to how right your dream was about those inventions, and I actually think they're quite interesting, and, shall I say...ahem...inventive. Although, two of them resulted in quite outlandish and...he-heh...most intensely goofy outcomes for Gordon and the Fat Controller."
Then he told Emily about what the magnet did to Gordon and what the milkshake machine did to the Fat Controller. Emily listened and formed a most perplexed and baffling expression as to what Thomas described.
"I...I...I don't know what to say to any of that, Thomas," she said. "Except for...what the Hell?"
"He-he. Maybe, Emily," said Thomas. "But when it comes to what happened with the Metal Man, something happened, which I hope can give you a touch of hope."
"The Metal Man giving me a touch of hope? How can that possibly be?" asked Emily.
"Because, Emily," Thomas said impressively. "I ended up saving the Metal Man today. While Dr. Kim was showing how it worked, something went very wrong and it started running though the estate. The remote device's circuits got fried, but Ruth had me chase the Metal Man with the Mighty Magnet, and using the magnetic power, I caught it just in time!"
"Really?" said Emily. "Well, you were quick to stop it from causing too much trouble."
"Yes...and it's what the Fat Controller said which I hope will give you some settlement about this Fair."
"And what is that, Thomas?" Emily asked.
"As soon as I came back with the magnet and Metal Man, Sir Robert congratulated me, and the Fat Controller said I was really useful to have saved it. You hear, Emily? Really useful."
Emily heard Thomas and pondered for a moment, feeling just a little weight lift away from her heart and her eyes brightened just a little bit. But then the thought of further inventions got in the way.
"I...I don't know what to say, Thomas. For him to say you're really useful, in the midst of the Fair, perhaps that is worth taking to heart...but how do we know that will last, given any future inventions there may be to see?"
"It WILL turn out for us, Emily," said Thomas. "Trust me on that. Furthermore, you should get to know Ruth closer. Besides, she's putting on quite a show herself tonight."
"I...I don't know, Thomas. I really have no interest in that Fair," said Emily. "But nonetheless...what is Ruth putting on, so I can at least know?"
Before Thomas could answer, he and Emily heard Rebecca whistle in from behind. She came up with a surprisingly big smile of eager excitement, which made Thomas perk up quite a bit. Even Emily was curious about her big smile.
"Hello, Rebecca," said Thomas. "What's with your big smile all of a sudden? I thought you were worrying along with the other engines about the Fair."
"Not now, Thomas!" she exclaimed. "I just brought along more guests to the Fair, and heard about your rescue of the Amazing Metal Man! Using the Mighty Magnet to pull it to your tanker! How useful!"
"Yes, indeed, Rebecca," said Thomas. "And the Fat Controller said it was really useful for me to do."
"And THAT'S why I'm beaming like the sun, Thomas!" Rebecca gleamed. "It sounds like what Ruth told you about us steam engines is true. Perhaps we have yet a chance...and that's why I'm so excited for tonight! I've been kept quite busy lately, but now, I'll have time to see the show...and what Ruth has in store tonight!"
"Thomas was just about to tell me, Rebecca," said Emily. "What is Ruth putting on?"
"Well, Emily and Rebecca," said Thomas. "Now that the three inventors have shown their projects, Ruth says she's showing her invention tonight. She said it was a bit hush-hush last night, but after saving the Metal Man, I think I'd want to be there to see it. What about you, Rebecca?"
"Well, after hearing about your useful rescue at the castle," said Rebecca. "I think I'd be glad to see Ruth's show, Thomas."
"Alright, then, Rebecca. So will I," said Thomas. Then he looked to Emily, trying once more to convince her. "What about you, Emily? Would you care to see what Ruth has to show us?"
Emily wanted to oblige to Thomas' request, but her inner doubt was still too strong for her to be enthusiastic about the Fair, and so she made her blunt answer.
"No, thank you, Thomas. Given how I feel about all of this, I'm staying away from that Fair, and nothing you say or do can convince me to go tonight."
Thomas' smile faded and he sighed heavily, seeing how Emily still wasn't open to any of the Fair since seeing Kenji.
"Your feelings are noted, Emily. I do understand how you feel with these inventions," he said steadily. "But I stand by what I said last night. There is nothing to worry about anymore. If you want to stay away, that's your own call...but to hear me talk, you'd be missing out on quite a show."
"Thomas is right, Emily," said Rebecca. "At least think about it. Now, Thomas. Let's make ready for Ruth's show tonight."
"Right with you, Rebecca," said Thomas.
Then he and Rebecca set off down the line to make ready. Emily watched them leave and thought a little about what Thomas and Rebecca said. For Thomas to say she was missing out on something was not something to let fly so easily, and Rebecca's newfound glee was worth noting too.
"Hmm," Emily hummed. "Maybe I am missing out on something, for him to tell me so...but then with further inventions to see...that would never do for me."
So it was with considerable reluctance that Emily decided then not to go to Ruth's show, still too conflicted to open up to the rest of the Fair. She just carried on with her work, through the evening until her work was done. Then she made her way back to Tidmouth Sheds to rest and fall into her inner thoughts again, until Thomas would return with more news...
At last, when nighttime came, it was Ruth's turn to show her invention, and no one was more excited to see it than Thomas. He, Rebecca and Glynn were gathered at the platforms, waiting and wondering what Ruth would come out with to show everyone. Then the great moment had arrived. Everyone watched as steam engulfed the stage for dramatic effect. Thomas and Rebecca smiled and gaped in amazement as they awaited what Ruth had to offer. Three spotlights lit up the steam, one after the other...then suddenly, as the steam cleared away, out came Ruth in a fancy red car with tail wings on its back. Once again, Thomas noticed the car's appearance and felt a strong tingle run through his boiler. Emily's dream was now completely confirmed as to what inventions there were to be seen, and he couldn't wait to tell her what he was about to see next. He looked and saw that Ruth was wearing her flying helmet and goggles and was now even more curious as to what this could be.
"I've already got one of those!" Cyril the Fogman said suddenly, initially unimpressed and expecting more than this.
Bur Ruth maintained the presentation, already sensing the shock and surprise that would follow.
"Introducing...my Incredible..."
Then suddenly, to everyone's shock and astonishment, the car began to weave upwards into the air. The wheels folded inwards underneath the car, and it was suddenly hovering like Harold the Helicopter, just as Ruth finished her message.
"Hover Car!"
All the guests were totally gobsmacked, and Thomas, Rebecca and Glynn could not believe what they were seeing!
"WOW! Hoo-hoo-hoo!" Thomas cheered and whooped.
Then Ruth put the Hover Car into gear and suddenly went spiraling and circling round and round through the night sky, while everyone exclaimed, pointed, clapped and cheered alike to this past extraordinary invention.
"Where has it gone?" said one guest.
"Look!" said another one.
And Ruth came rocketing right past the crowd again, sailing the Hover Car past the giant wheel, and then flew right back down to the stage with a perfect little hover and a perfect landing.
"Wow-how-how-how!" Thomas exclaimed, now most anxious to tell Emily about all of this. "Floating Fireboxes!"
Ruth came out of her Hover Car and took a proud bow to all the cheers and applause.
"Thank you! Thank you, thank you so much!"
"That was truly spectacular, Ruth!" Sir Robert exclaimed joyously as they walked towards the castle. "I tell you, that will be the next big thing!"
"You think so?" Ruth asked.
"I KNOW so!" said Sir Robert. "You'd better keep the plans safe. I know exactly where we can keep them. Follow me."
But as it so happened, while Ruth and Sir Robert had been talking...hiding behind two big globular mountains of green jelly were none other than Baz and Bernie. After their failed attempt to steal the Metal Man, they had been fairly discouraged, but now that they had seen the whole act with the Hover Car from start to finish, and seeing just how more impressive this invention was sure to be, Baz's strategy had now changed. His plans were just about complete, and he had everything just about worked out to spring his theft.
"Bernie, you look after this," he whispered. "I am going to follow them."
And Baz handed Bernie his own tray of green jelly. But with two big mountains of jelly, Bernie couldn't manage all the weight. He swiveled and stepped left and right, until he toppled over, sending the jelly flying and splitting apart in a sticky gooey mess.
Meanwhile, Baz snuck up on Ruth and Sir Robert's path through the castle, taking great care not to be seen or heard. He watched as Sir Robert and Ruth walked into the tower on the right side of the castle, so he snuck right up to the door, then slowly crept inside as he watched them both go up the stairs. Then Baz trailed to the bottom of the stairs and watched as Sir Robert placed the plans for the Hover Car at the top of the tower. There, Sir Robert and Ruth placed the plans in a tight and secure crate. Baz saw it all from below and smiled deviously.
"Yes...he has those plans right where I want them," he whispered to himself. "Now is the time to make our final plans...and eventually get out of here with fame and fortune."
And quick and quiet as a mouse, Baz slipped out of the tower, ran out of the castle grounds and back to Bernie, who was still sitting amongst the upset green jelly.
"Bernie! Come with me at once!" Baz whispered hastily. "Time to coordinate our final operation!"
"Uh...what's an operation, Baz?" Bernie asked.
"Bah! Just come with me!" Baz ordered impatiently as they rushed back to Sonny, who had been hidden somewhere within the castle grounds.
Thomas and Rebecca were still bubbling with excitement by what they had just seen, and that's when Thomas suddenly remembered.
"Hey, Rebecca. This has been a most fascinating presentation! What say we tell Emily about what she's been missing?"
"Ooh. I quite agree, Thomas. Let's go," said Rebecca. "Wowsers, that was fascinating!"
"It certainly was, Rebecca," said Thomas.
Then the two engines set off down the line and on their way home...while Baz and Bernie slipped quietly away to find the right place to hide and discuss their final choice of operation as to what they were going to steal and how...but over the course of the whole day, Sonny had been thinking deeply about some other things he would soon disclose to the two men who were holding their grip on him.
When Thomas and Rebecca returned to Tidmouth Sheds, they looked and saw the other engines in their berths, still looking afraid and miserable over the whole Fair. Thomas and Rebecca backed into their berths, and Gordon, having been cleaned up from his milk incident was the first to see Rebecca's bubbling smile, which took him my light surprise.
"Rebecca? Just exactly what are you smiling away about?" he asked lowly. "Those infernal inventions are getting too close for comfort, and we all know it!"
"No, they're not!" Rebecca almost giggled. "Oh, you're so funny, Gordon! Thomas and I just saw a most amazing invention of Ruth's! Absolutely Wowsers! Given what Thomas and I have seen tonight, I think it's worth saying the rest of you are missing out on quite amazing things to see! Tell them, Thomas!"
Thomas nodded to Rebecca, then looked notably to Emily, who looked back to Thomas.
"You heard Rebecca, Emily...you're missing out," said Thomas.
"Am I?" Emily asked doubtfully. "And just what did you see tonight?"
Thomas leaned over to the left, closing his gaze on her.
"Well, Emily...tonight confirms what you saw in your dream...when it comes to the inventions so far...and it was even more than Rebecca and I expected."
Emily looked up again with a sense of alert, sensing already what they had seen.
"So...you saw that very car with the tail wings...as I saw in my dream?" she asked.
"Yes, Emily...the very car you dreamed of," Thomas said with a nod. "Except for one thing...what Rebecca and I saw was not just a car."
"What was it, then?" Emily asked.
"As we saw Ruth do...it's what she calls a Hover Car!" said Thomas.
Emily looked right at Thomas with a noticeably curious expression. She was not expecting to hear this, and her eyes widened just a little.
"A Hover Car?" she said with a rush of energy. "You don't mean to say..."
"It can fly, Emily," said Thomas. "Just like her Road Plane, only this is a true car's shape that can fly. Never have I seen such a thing...but now we have."
Emily closed her eyes and envisioned just what something like this could be like, and almost exactly like what Thomas and Rebecca saw that night, Emily daydreamed of pulling two of her emerald coaches, then suddenly seeing that very car zipping and twisting through the air...soon followed by many other hovering cars just like it...and when she looked behind herself, there were no passengers in her coaches. They were all riding in the sky in those hover cars.
Emily suddenly fell out of her daydream and looked frightened all over again.
"All of these futuristic inventions from this Fair are just furthering my point on why I should be worried about being replaced!" insisted Emily.
"And if there's already flying cars, then surely there will flying mail vans to take the mail themselves!" squeaked Percy.
Thomas was trying his best to stay patient with the other engines and their fears. "Honestly everyone, there's nothing to-"
But Thomas' argument was cut short by a loud, insistent whistle coming from Emily.
"Thomas, please!" Emily begged. "I don't wish to hear any more about the Fair!"
At this point, after a whole day of seeing it go on like this, Thomas had taken quite a bit of Emily's looming doubt and persistent refusal to see the Fair. At last, he could see that perhaps even his help wasn't enough to curb her doubts right now. He took a deep breath and finally sighed, smiling sadly to Emily.
"Well...if this is how you feel about the whole matter...I guess there are a few things you have to discover on your own...or perhaps with someone else's help instead of mine. If and whenever you change your mind...you're very welcome to see the Fair and what it has to show."
Emily didn't know what to say to this, but gave a slow nod to Thomas as she backed into her berth and closed her eyes with a low hum. Thomas was about to fall asleep too, when he noticed Percy wasn't going anywhere. He stayed in his berth, looking just as troubled as he did the night before.
"Percy? Aren't you supposed to take the mail tonight?" Thomas asked.
"I...well, yes...but...what's the use, Thomas?" he shook. "After what you've seen so far, there just might be an invention out there that will make the mail deliver itself!"
Thomas sighed once more, seeing that Percy was entering a slightly panicky mood again.
"Please don't panic, Percy. There's no need for any of it," he said. "In fact...if you're not venturing out of the sheds...would it help if I took the mail tonight?"
Percy thought to himself, then looked at Thomas.
"Well...if...if it means an engine is taking the mail instead of an invention...I think it would help, Thomas. Would you take it for me?"
"Alright. I'll go," Thomas sighed, a little reluctantly.
So Thomas set off out of the sheds, looking to Emily once more, while Percy watched him go. Thomas soon collected the mail wagons from Knapford Station and set off down the line to deliver the mail. By now, he was getting a little impatient with the Steam Team's ongoing doubt and sulking. Even Emily's. As much as he wanted to relate to how she felt, he was beginning to get a little frustrated with her ongoing sense of inadequacy faced with these inventions. He tried his best to forget about it while he delivered the mail at each station he needed to...but in just a little short time, Thomas would be glad he took this job for the night, given what he would find out soon enough...
Further down the line in the dark of night, at the same spot they had camped out at some nights earlier, Baz, Bernie and Sonny were nestled around another campfire, and after seeing where the plans for the Hover Car were being kept, Baz had traced a shape of Ulfstead Castle in the ground, so as to make the final coordination of their plan.
"So if we go in there, climb up there, get in here, that's where we'll find the plans!" he cited deviously.
"Then we get on Sonny, and bish-bash! Off we go!" said Bernie.
Now Sonny had been keeping very quiet all day ever since he was called really useful by Sir Robert for bringing the extra milk. Having lost himself in deep, complex thoughts, and now after hearing Baz and Bernie's current plan in its entirety, Sonny suddenly remembered meeting Thomas and hearing about being really useful for the first time...and at that moment, around the bend on the far side of that line, Thomas came along with the mail. He looked up, and in the distance, he vaguely recognized Sonny, and the two "cooks," from the Fair. Sensing a touch of suspicion, Thomas stopped where he was, and his driver switched off the headlamp. Thomas then listened as best he could to what the three of them would say next.
Sonny looked to both men, and finally, after endless thinking and considering, what he said next was completely against all of Baz's expectations.
"I'm not gonna do it!"
Baz's heart flipped to what he just heard, and he stood up and turned around at once. "WHAT did you say?!"
"I don't wanna steal things no more! I want to be really useful!" said Sonny.
"But stealing things IS really useful," Bernie remarked as Baz marched right up to Sonny and put a foot on the set of buffers.
"Listen here, you clanking clot!" he threatened. "If you don't help us, there's a scrapyard with your name on it!"
Sonny didn't dare to answer back, fearing that if he did, Baz would surely take him to pieces in some way or other.
"Oh, is there really a scrapyard called Sonny?" Bernie suddenly asked.
"Ahh! Bernie!" Baz scoffed, then sighed as he looked at Sonny again. "I can see you're going to need a little more persuasion...which will indeed take some time. Probably for the better, actually. We wouldn't want anyone to suspect a thing. Would we, Bernie?"
"Oh, yeah. Uh...right," said Bernie.
"Perhaps we should bide our time," said Baz. "And as for you, Sonny...we'll have another little chat soon...when you've had time to decide where your loyalties lie."
Sonny looked around in the dark, and answered neutrally. "Fine. We'll chat later...but we'll just see what I think of all this."
"Huh. Indeed, we will see," grumbled Baz.
And with that, Baz put out the campfire, then he and Bernie got onboard Sonny and slipped away into the night to hide and coordinate their plans further until the time was right for them to pounce for the right invention.
Further back from where he was standing, Thomas had heard quite a bit, and in those moments, he suddenly felt very, very different from what he felt just around an hour ago. He was no longer thinking about any inventions or the engines' fears of being replaced. Now with what he heard Baz, Bernie and Sonny talk about, at least most of it, Thomas felt a familiar suspicion tweaking his boiler. Apart from the most recent attempt to steal King Godred's crown, he had not seen or heard of any thieving plots such as this since those thieves tried to steal the Sea Emperor under David's nose.
"That's passing queer," said Thomas' driver. "Just what is this all about?"
"Okay...something is most certainly up with those three," said Thomas. "I was wondering what they were on about before...but now, I don't think those men are cooks...and Sonny, I really can't say what he's on about with this sort of talk...and in the dead of night too."
"Neither can I, Thomas," said his driver.
"Alright. Right now, I really should tell somebody about this," said Thomas. "But who? The Fat Controller is surely asleep by now..."
Thomas thought for a few moments. Then in that moment, he suddenly noticed there was one person who had not seen any of the Fair yet, and who neither Thomas nor Emily had yet approached about the Fair either.
"Ahh! I've just the person to inform!" Thomas exclaimed.
His headlamp was turned back on, then he started with a wheesh and raced down the line with the last of the mail...bound for Arlesburgh.
At Arlesburgh, it was a quiet and serene night. The entire village by the sea was fast asleep, except for one particular figure standing outside in his front yard, looking at the stars. David. Through all the excitement, buzz and fascination with the Technology Fair, David had been the one person not partaking in the Fair at all yet. For quite some time now, he had been thinking decisively and surely. Like everyone else, he was well aware of the Technology Fair ever since the news started spreading, and he knew so far of what it was entailing. With the spreading word of today, he had heard all about Gordon's incident with the Mighty Magnet, and the Fat Controller's own milkshake muddle, and with both incidents, he found them to be so ridiculously silly, all he could hear in his head was the overture of the "Can-Can," music whenever he envisioned Gordon covered in metal, and the Fat Controller covered in milkshake.
But what was pulling at David's mind even stronger was the thought of how the engines were all feeling about this Fair. Especially Emily. He had picked up from a few others that she was in very poor spirits indeed. He couldn't blame her for feeling such emotions, but all the same, he had put together that he would have to talk with her and tell her a few things himself.
"Such a big and outlandish line of events for them to think about," David said to himself. "It's not the first time they've felt this way. Then again, there have never been so very many inventions as new as these. Perhaps this event is pouring the most on them yet...and I'd best see Emily as soon as I can about all of this."
Just then, David heard Thomas' whistle up ahead. He looked and saw him coming along the line and stopped by his house.
"Oh! Hello, David! There you are!" Thomas panted. "Very glad to see you're still awake. I've been raring to talk with you."
"Good evening, Thomas," said David. "What do you need to talk with me about? I trust you've been entangled with inventive work, and the World of Tomorrow. I hear most of the engines are extremely unhappy and frightened by this whole Fair. Am I right?"
"Yes, David. That's all very true," Thomas sighed. "They're all afraid of being replaced by new inventions. Especially Emily. She's taking it the hardest. She's once again feeling most inadequate. I can't say I blame her, as these inventions are indeed very, very new and impressive, but she really doesn't need to feel this way. Nor do any of the others. I've tried my very best to make her feel better, but she's most insistent that this Fair is no good to see...and I was so looking forward to her seeing what I've seen."
"Quite right," said David. "All in good time. Now, Thomas...may I ask what you're doing here?"
"Well...Among the other engines, Percy is very scared about being replaced," said Thomas. "Too scared to take the mail, in fact. So I decided to take this mail run...but that's only part of why I'm out here."
"What's the other part then, Thomas?" David asked.
"It's about the Fair...and something else," said Thomas. "If I may, David...I came here tonight to warn you."
To this, David felt his heart jump and he immediately felt a sense of uncertainty.
"Warn me?" he said. "Whatever do you mean, Thomas?"
"While coming to and from the Fair, I've been noticing...we have three strangers on the island," said Thomas.
David looked more alert and became a little suspicious. "Just who are these strangers, Thomas?"
"There's...there's another engine on the railway," said Thomas. "A navy blue engine like Bernard's livery. He calls himself Sonny. And he seems a little shifty and uncertain, given the way he behaves...and ever since I first saw him, I saw two men riding with him. When I saw them today, they were both wearing cook's hats and claimed they were looking at all the inventions...and one of them said something about stealing...I think."
"Stealing?" David pondered, obviously thinking now. "Hmm...inventions do make masses of money. Anything else, Thomas?"
"Well, as I was delivering the mail on the Main Line tonight, and I saw them in the far distance...I think I heard them threatening Sonny about something if he didn't help them do something, and that they'd chat with him about his loyalties. Either way, I have a sneaking suspicion there's something not right about them. As such, since we're all very busy with our own work...do you think you can keep an eye on the matter? I have my buffers full trying to help Emily feel better, if I even can. She's not doing very well herself. Can you look into those three?"
David kept silent for several moments to count, thinking and considering everything. It was then that he distinctly remembered the Admiral's visit when Gina brought him to the Arlesburgh Museum to see Cap'n Calles' treasure, and all he and the Admiral had talked about that day. David had made an ironclad and professional vow to the Admiral that he would shield Sodor from any further atrocities even remotely like Sailor John, and he was not going to break that promise, ever. He immediately nodded and held Thomas' buffer.
"I will attend to the matter immediately, Thomas," he promised. "If anything comes up, I'll be ready. As for Emily...don't worry about her. I think I have a solution for her too."
"Thank you very much, David. Goodnight, now," said Thomas. And he huffed away to deliver the rest of the mail, then return to Tidmouth Sheds.
David watched him leave and stayed very quiet, pondering what he had just heard. Thinking of Emily worrying relentlessly about being replaced was one thing, but now with the thought of these two men posing as cooks, and a steam engine stranger on the island at that, David was thinking about something completely different. Ever since his arrival on Sodor, there had been no major threats to Sodor or its engines after Sailor John. The arguable exceptions of certain trouble were the Evil Truck who crashed Percy into that cottage, George the Steamroller, and Seamus Holder when his Grumpy Passenger side reached its most outlandish side imaginable. But now, having not one, but two suspicious men on Sodor who were likely on to steal something from the Fair, David remembered how Sailor John had tried stealing Cap'n Calles' treasure. This triggered David's memory to when he pledged to the Admiral to keep Sodor safe from any and all atrocities even slightly like Sailor John. As he thought about Emily again, it was then that David decided he had to do what he had to do. He suddenly marched away from his house and swiftly trailed through Arlesburgh, knocking on the doors of all the houses his crewmates lived in. With each crewmate that answered his door, David beckoned him to follow, until all the crew were gathered together in the village square.
"Good. You're all here now," said David.
"Captain...what's this all about?" Copper asked.
"You seem like you're planning something, Captain," said Jordan. "Is there something we need to know?"
"In fact, there is, boys," said David. "Over the past day or two, I trust you've all picked up on the details of this Technology Fair?"
"We have, Captain," said Copper. "All these inventions, and the engines all feel the pending fear of being replaced.
"Also, David...rumours have been going around," said Adam. "Some say there are three unknown individuals wandering the rails. Particularly around Ulfstead Castle."
David raised an eyebrow to this. "Do any of you know anything about these three? Because Thomas came along and told me a few things himself."
"Did he?" asked Jordan. "What did he say?"
David looked around the village, then to his crew.
"All of you come aboard," he said, gesturing towards the Sea Emperor. "We have much to talk about...and arrangements to make."
The whole crew marched toward the pier, following their captain, and within minutes, David and his crew were gathered in the Sea Emperor's cabin, seated around the table for a particular meeting concerning the recent events. David started the meeting with his opening input.
"The topic, gentlemen...is maintaining safety and order on Sodor," said David. "Given what Thomas just told me, a few days ago, an engine of unknown class and wheel configuration found his way here to Sodor, along with a couple of shady-sounding men riding aboard him. Both men are seemingly posing as cooks at the Technology Fair, and are plotting to steal something or other from this Fair. What do we know?"
David's first mate Copper was the first to offer his opinion.
"Well, our first instinct is that it's those same two boys who fiddled with James' controls, all grown up now. But being walloped soundly by their fathers wouldn't encourage them to repeat such a stunt."
"The Mainland Board has ruled out Diesel 10 since you defeated him for the final time, Captain," said Milo.
"The Mainland Steelworks has determined it's neither Hurricane nor Frankie," said Adam.
"Well. Sounds like you're really good at figuring out what it wasn't," David said dryly.
"This could be a prelude to a thieving heist," said Jordan. "Quite like King Godred's Crown, and even the Sea Emperor. I'm suggesting we scramble Phelps and Gallagher to look into it."
"No, I don't think so," David replied, making all the crew look at him. "As remarkable as Dan and Shay are for the SPD, I think an incident concerning these inventions needs a more sophisticated solution. Something these potential fugitives would not be expecting."
"You're proposing an operation of some sort?" Jordan asked.
"Not just any operation," said David. "An operation with teeth. As well as resource and interception for whoever these three fugitives may be."
"You're not suggesting what I think you're suggesting?" said Cecco, already sensing what David was onto.
"I know, you're all settled here with your work on the harbour," said David. "But whenever you're not busy here, it would be for the best of Sodor and its people and engines. As I'm the most notorious soldier the Navy has seen, I figure it would be an honour to address this situation, however it plays out."
"You're sure this idea can handle a situation like this?" asked Jordan.
"Transparently," said David. "You remember how I turned a cold eye to Donald and Douglas for what they did to Emily that winter?"
"When you clearly didn't need to do so, Captain," Adam put in.
"And when I confronted Sir Topham Hatt over his 'cruel to be kind,' maneuver with Emily when she attacked Diesel?"
"I suppose we can see some merit in your move there," said Milo.
"And my ambitious drive to banish George after he crashed Emily and Gina into that farmer's barn," David continued.
"Well, that we can certainly get behind," said Cecco. "It was for the good of the railway, and the roads too...especially for Emily."
"Exactly. And you can thank your captain for that," said David. "Therefore, I propose we approach the SPD on this proposition, and see what they think."
"I can't believe you're thinking of bringing an establishment like this to life, Captain," said Copper.
"Neither can I," said David. "But I gave the Admiral my word. I will defend Sodor and its engines from any further atrocities like Sailor John, big or small. Without Emily knowing the details yet if I must."
Copper sighed, knowing that even for a situation like this, it was best to follow the captain's orders.
"Very well, Captain. Your word is law," he said at last.
"Well...very nice," David nodded. "Shall we, gentlemen?"
The crew thought for a few moments in silence, then steadily agreed that this proposition would indeed be for the good of Sodor and its engines. David and his crew were soon on their way out of Arlesburgh and making their way to the Sudrian Police Department, where discussions about this proposition would continue for a few hours more, and for another day or two...and although the details would be kept secret only for David, his crew and the SPD for the time being, this would all further piece out and intertwine with what would happen in the days that were to come regarding this Technology Fair.
Later that night, Thomas had delivered all the mail and made his way back to Tidmouth Sheds. Most of the engines were asleep, but Percy woke up when he heard Thomas backing into his berth.
"Thomas? Did you deliver all the mail?" he asked.
"Yes, Percy. All of it," Thomas replied, trying to keep patient about all the worry. "It didn't deliver itself, so you do not need to worry about it."
Percy sighed with a little nod and went back to sleep. Thomas then looked and saw Emily looking up at the sky. He almost thought of telling her about David, but then decided it had to wait, so as not to overload her any more than she was now.
"Emily?" Thomas whispered as she looked to him. "I...well...I trust I know what you're thinking..."
"Yes, Thomas. Your assumptions are already right," said Emily. "I really don't like having to feel this way, and I still have that inner doubt telling me something wrong is going to happen and inventions might overshadow us."
"It's just the second day of the Fair, Emily," said Thomas. "A Fair, and nothing else. Look at us. Nothing has happened, we're all still working as we are."
"I know, Thomas. I know," said Emily. "I just can't get away from that pending sense that something might happen later on. Now, I truly love and appreciate how much you want to help me, but everything so far has just been so overwhelming, I don't know how you could help me now."
Thomas heard Emily and was all too ready to answer.
"You may not think I can help you this time, Emily," said Thomas. "But I've got to try nonetheless. That little voice inside me would never leave me alone if I didn't help you."
"I know, Thomas. And I will admit, even I wish I didn't have to feel this way," Emily murmured. "All of us wish this didn't need to be this way...but never has Sodor seen so many inventions that are so, so new. You may heard what Ruth said about steam engines...but think about what she said about Technology. It's using science to invent newer and better things...which could mean newer and better things than steam engines."
"Emily, you remember full well that Ruth thinks the railway is one of the greatest inventions ever," said Thomas.
"Perhaps that is what she thinks," said Emily. "But what about everyone else? Times do change after all, Thomas...and what if this Fair does just that?"
"It won't, Emily," said Thomas. "Times do indeed change, but they will NOT change in the way you've been thinking all throughout today. All I want right now is to see you feel better, however you or I see fit."
"That's all I want right now too," Emily said with a sigh. "But as to how that will happen...I still don't know, Thomas. I really don't know..."
And Emily backed into her berth and went unhappily to sleep again. As Thomas went to sleep himself, it was quite clear to him that this Technology Fair was having a most negative affect on Emily, and he never liked seeing her feeling so inadequate about herself. It had happened before when she lamented not having an exciting delivery, not being as fast and brilliant as Caitlin, and when she went searching for a best friend, only to find it was David all along. But now there were all these inventions that were so very new. In a sense, Thomas could understand why Emily felt the way she did this time, but he knew there was nothing to fear. Above all, Thomas wanted Emily to see for herself there was nothing to worry about. And in one way, Emily was somewhat right. This time, it wouldn't be up to Thomas to rekindle her cheerfulness. In just a little short time, Emily would learn the truth from her best friend, and just how he saw the whole matter of this Fair and her feelings too.
No, the climax of "World of Tomorrow" won't be happening for a few more chapters, because we padding out the Fair. In the special it seemed to only last three days at most, but as you can tell by all the stuff with David, there's obviously going to be a lot of things we going to adding, hence why we stretched the length of the Fair. Until next chapter, tell us what you thought of this chapter, and as always, stay safe.