Rain beat down on the glass paneling of the Vicarstown station. Emerson sat quietly with the coastline express on platform 2. Ever since Gordon and Flying Scotsman's repeat brawl at The Great Railway show, Sir Topham Hatt and the LNER controller agreed Scotsman and Gordon needed to keep as much apart as possible. Scotsman of course continued his run to Vicarstown, but the two's schedules never overlapped. This meant that the coastline express originally meant for Flying Scotsman was passed onto Emerson. The passengers adored the engine. He made sure to keep a smile on his face and never grew cross with anyone, even if they well deserved it.
The maroon engine was watching the passengers on the platform. He spotted a little girl in a bright raincoat and boots clutching a cast iron toy. He looked closer and realized the toy was a steam engine. The little girl was focused on her mother who was busy rummaging through her bag for their tickets. The little girl then noticed Emerson's curious staring and stepped closer to her mother as she held her toy tightly. The big engine gave the child a warm smile and she acknowledged it with a meek grin.
"Is that a little engine you have there?" Emerson asked quietly. The little girl nodded slowly and kept close to her mother who was still lost in her handbag. "Do you like engines?" Another nod. "Do you have a favorite engine?"
"Flying Scotsman." She said quietly. She picked at the toy's wheels. "I like his green paint."
"Ah, yes," Emerson said with a smile. "It is a brilliant color, isn't it?" By now Flying Scotsman himself had rolled in and was quietly watching Emerson and the little girl. "He's a rather distinguished engine, though I've heard he can be a bit troublesome." Emerson had noticed Scotsman watching and he gave the famous engine a wink. "Regardless, I think he's a good engine to have as your favorite."
The little girl giggled then was dragged away by her mom as they boarded Emerson's coaches. Emerson looked back to Scotsman who had a strange look on his face. "Yes?"
"What was that about?" Flying Scotsman couldn't believe a close friend of Meredith's would be so kind about him. It felt like a trap of some sort.
Emerson shrugged. "Just making friendly conversation is all." The guard blew his whistle and Emerson started up quickly. "You should try it sometime. It's nice to talk with others without having an ulterior motive."
Spencer was waiting at Knapford while his coaches were being deep-cleaned. He was staring off and feeling depressingly bored when Gordon had just pulled in with the express and was looking cheery. "I have to say, Gordon; seeing you so chipper all the time is a bit unsettling."
Gordon snorted, he was soaked from the rainfall but he was thankful for it. It washed off the condensation that built up from his early-morning tryst with Meredith, which would explain his perky mood. "Would you rather me spit insults at you until I'm blue in the face?"
"A little bit." Spencer said flatly.
The express engine cut his eyes. "You're ridiculous." Just then, James slid onto his platform at the other side of the station. He was panting and his eyes were wild. Gordon and Spencer exchanged a concerned glance before Gordon spoke. "Are you alright, James?"
The red engine gave his boiler a firm shake and accidentally rattled his coaches. "Oh, yes, yes, I'm fine." He said quickly. His face ran bright red. "Just a little behind is all." James wasn't about to tell the big engines that he had got caught up in a heavy make-out session with Edward and lost track of time.
The big engines weren't convinced, but they didn't press. They did have their suspicions however. Spencer opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by Sir Topham Hatt. "Have any of you heard from Meredith? She was supposed to be here from Arlesburgh hours ago."
Gordon glanced to Spencer who looked at James. They all shook their boilers. Gordon returned his attention to his controller, "I've not seen her since this morning, sir."
"Oh dear," Sir Topham Hatt skimmed over his clipboard at the schedule. "Spencer, would you be willing to go look for her for me? This storms only supposed to get worse and I am rather concerned. I've not heard from her driver or fireman either."
"Of course, sir." Spencer started up and gave Gordon a reassuring smile. "I'll find her as quick as I can."
Emerson had just delivered the last of his passengers and was driving back towards Tidmouth. The rain was starting to really fall down and the big engine wasn't sure what to make of the deluge. He didn't like how it hit his face and eyes, but he forced himself to carry on. Some of it leaked into his mouth and the engine spit the bitter tasting liquid out. "That's awful." He grumbled to himself.
Emerson turned onto the mainline and saw Gordon waiting at a signal with his express. He looked worried. "What's the matter, Gordon?"
"It's Meredith. No one has seen her since this morning and this storm is set to get worse and worse." Gordon said. He had to practically yell over the rain at that point.
"Meredith?" Emerson thought quickly as the storm raged above them. "Oh! She had stopped to rest on a siding just outside Arlesburgh Harbor a couple hours ago. She looked exhausted. She may have very well fallen asleep."
Gordon's relief was instant. His signal had turned green and he steamed forward with a heavy sigh. "Oh, thank you. Do you know where to find her?"
"I do." Emerson started up again. "I'll drop my coaches at Knapford and head back that way!"
James hurried towards Suddery as the monsoon nearly rocked him off the rails. The red engine needed to find his partner and bring him to Tidmouth. Sir Topham Hatt had ordered all engines and railroad personnel to take shelter immediately as the storm had been upgraded to a hurricane. The shed at Wellsworth was open and not stable enough to shelter Edward. James wasn't worried about Philip, however, as he was sent to bunker down at the Dieselworks at Vicarstown.
James came to the junction at Wellsworth and found Edward braced against a buffer stop as the wind buffeted him about. "Edward!" James called. "Edward!" The blue engine managed to force his eyes open against the severe winds and saw James reversing towards him. "Edward! I've got you! I'll pull you to Tidmouth sheds." James' driver hopped out and coupled the engines together before James mustered all his strength to pull Edward back out onto the mainline against the turbulent storm.
The two made it back to Tidmouth sheds and found all the engines had already been closed up in their berths. James pulled Edward into his shed with him and they were uncoupled by James' driver while his fireman slammed the doors shut behind them. James breathed a sigh of relief. He was dripping in dirty stormwater, but he didn't care. Edward was safe and with him.
"Glad you two were able to make it." Thomas said from his spot between Percy and Emily. "It's getting bad out there."
"You have no idea." James breathed. "I thought I was going to be blown right off the line."
"I don't think I've ever seen a storm this bad." Rebecca added from the other side of Gordon.
"I just hope everyone was able to get to safety." Nia said worriedly.
Gordon remained stoic as he stared out the windows and into the stormy darkness. He was beyond worried for Meredith. The big engine began to blame himself for waking her so early this morning. If he had just waited to seek her out she wouldn't have been so tired. Gordon bit the inside of his cheek. If something happened to her he wouldn't be able to live with himself. He hoped Spencer would be able to find her quickly and bring her back to him.
"Gordon? Is everything alright?" Nia's voice caused the big engine to start and he realized all eyes were then on him.
Gordon cleared his throat as he tried to remain nonchalant. "Yes, yes. I'm fine. I just hope this storm doesn't cause too much harm."
Emerson pounded down the line towards Arlesburgh. His face ran red as he fought against the wind. His boiler was badly damaged after a branch had blown into it, but he was still able to build up steam so he continued on his mission to find Meredith. He hoped he would get to the siding and find she had already left and was settled somewhere strong enough to hold up against the winds. He glanced at the ocean at the bottom of the cliffs and it was as angry as the skies. The waves nearly reached the tracks while they tossed about in the wind. Emerson suddenly wondered if it was best for him to find sanctity himself.
The new engine stopped abruptly when a rockslide crashed down on the track ahead of him. He saw the loose rock and dirt above where he was halted and started to reverse back down the track as quickly as possible. More of the cliff side began to tumble onto the line and Emerson put as much steam as he could into his pistons while the mud drew ever closer. "Shit, shit, shit!"
His driver dove out of the cab to switch the points of the track, sending Emerson hurtling down a siding and crashing through a set of buffer stops. The big engine groaned, his tender wheels were damaged, but other than the dent to his boiler from the branch he was alright. Emerson let out a heavy sigh of relief as the mudslide stopped just before the siding. He then furrowed his brow and grumbled in frustration. "Fuckin' hell." Emerson is not the type of engine to curse, but given the circumstances it felt nice to make use of colorful language.
Spencer raced through the pounding rain along the coast as he desperately tried to locate Meredith. He could see the rising waves as they knocked into the cliff side and he wondered if he should've just stayed at Knapford. It was his second time traversing the main track from Tidmouth all the way to Harwick. He just couldn't find her and the storm was clearly getting worse. Spencer had passed Duck, Donald, Douglas, and Ryan as they sought refuge from the storm. None of them had seen the little white tank engine since earlier that day. The streamlined engine's boiler bubbled with worry as desperation washed over him. "Meredith!" He yelled out. He had to squint his eyes as his face was pelted with hard, fat rain. His lamp was of little use in the downpour. He could hardly see a foot in front of him. "Meredith! Meredith, where are you?" Lightning cracked above the engine, illuminating the storm's debris as it flew through the air. "Meredith, please! Where are you, you stubborn thing!"
The streamlined engine heard a loud crash on the track behind him and his wheels slipped from the vibrating rails. He dropped some sand from his sandbox to help gain traction once more and chuffed on with a shudder of his boiler. "Jesus Christ, I should have stayed at Knapford."
A few moments passed and Spencer rounded a bend going at full steam. He completely disregarded being careful on the slick, wet tracks and before he had any time to react he crashed right into Meredith who had come off a hidden siding where she accidentally fell asleep. Just as Emerson had said.
The sun creeped up into the sky the morning following the hurricane. The island was in shambles. Buildings demolished, railway lines ripped and warped. The engines at Tidmouth Sheds all slowly inched out of their berths. The sheds held up well with minimal damage. Gordon was bleary. He wasn't able to sleep and stayed up through the night worrying about Meredith, hoping he would hear something soon. Then he saw Emerson as he limped by the sheds. The wheels of his tender bumped and creaked and his boiler was caved in on one side. "Emerson!" Gordon puffed forward over the turntable after Thomas. "What happened to you?"
The maroon Pacific blinked slowly, he too was completely drained from a sleepless night. "First I was struck by a branch, then there was a rockslide. I couldn't find Meredith and now the track to Arlesburgh is blocked."
"Oh my gosh!" Nia popped out of her berth and zoomed over to the two big engines. "Are you alright?"
Emerson forced a smile. "Never been better."
"You need to get to the Steamworks." Edward added as he and James joined the growing crowd around Emerson. "Do you need some help? James and I could shunt you."
Emerson's gaze drifted between the engines before him and the workmen that had gathered to inspect the battered engine. He sighed. "Yes, that would be really helpful. Thank you, Edward. Thank you, James."
James and Edward positioned themselves on either end of Emerson and started shunting him down the line towards the Steamworks. Gordon watched them disappear over the horizon as Sir Topham Hatt's blue sedan barreled towards the sheds. The fat controller jumped out of the car. He looked beyond done-in. "I just received word that there had been a landslide on the line to Arlesburgh." The controller did his best to steady himself as he stumbled over a large branch. "Thomas, Nia, and Percy, I need you three to help collect debris from the mainline and assist with the cleanup of the stations. Rebecca, you will transport workmen across the island." Sir Topham Hatt then turned to Gordon and removed his hat. He suddenly looked very solemn. "Gordon, I need you to fetch Rocky and start towards Arlesburgh. Emily, you will need to fetch three large flatbeds."
Gordon furrowed his brow while the three tank engines and Emily all waited in tense silence. "What happened?"
"Gordon, I need you to keep a level head about this, okay?" The fat controller could tell his express engine was becoming stressed by the heavy amount of steam he was pushing.
"What happened?" Gordon's voice was raised in frustration and he lurched closer to his controller who flinched back.
Sir Topham Hatt gathered himself and took a deep breath. "While looking for Meredith, Spencer took a corner too quickly. He didn't see her. He- he ran right over her."
Gordon swallowed. "Is she… is she alive?"
The fat controller clenched his jaw. "We're not sure. No one has been able to get to either of them. Spencer's driver and fireman managed to make it to a house a few miles down to call, but they had to be taken to hospital. Meredith's own fireman was killed and her driver is in critical condition. It was a horrible, horrible accident."
Gordon kept silent. He wanted to lash out. He wanted to cry, he wanted to curse the world. He dropped his gaze and backed away with a cold glare to the ground. The other engines watched him intently. They all knew about his love for Meredith and clearly Sir Topham Hatt knew as well. The Railway controller watched his engine carefully. He had turned a blind eye to Gordon and Meredith's affairs as they weren't getting in the way of their work, but now he was afraid Gordon might not be able to work in the mental state he was in. "Gordon, I need you to put all your personal feelings back for just a little bit. We can help Meredith and Spencer, but I require you to be the sensible engine I know you are." Gordon looked up at Sir Topham Hatt and he realized his controller had known about them all along.
Gordon nodded slowly. "Yes sir." He wanted to help Meredith, but he wasn't sure whether he could face her in what he could only assume was a horrible condition. His boiler flipped and turned as he forced himself to drive forward to pick up Rocky from the Search and Rescue center. Gordon knew he should hope for the best, but all he could think about in that moment was the worst.
Y'all, this is it. This is the final chapter of this fic. I had gone back and forth about whether I should end it here or give it one more chapter, but I think this is the perfect place for the true series to start. That's right, this here is just the beginning. The true story that I've been sitting on since I started this fic is coming. In the next day or so look for the new fic. It'll be titled 'Engines: A Song of Steam'. I hope you wonderful few who have been loyal from the beginning will give this newest development a shot as I'm very excited for it! Warning: It'll be much more serious and graphic in many, many ways, so I do ask that you go into it knowing that and tread with faith, my friends.
Pretty Katydid; firstly, I want you to know that I have no qualms with you writing a story or even multiple stories -if you wish- based around my little Thomasverse AU. I'm actually honored that it inspired you so. I don't even mind that it's smut because it's fun to write, let's be real. I just ask for crediting to the 'Engines' universe and you can have all the fun with it you want. You may even use my characters if you ever feel compelled to do so. Lol. (This goes for anyone who would maybe want to write around this weirdness. Lmao) Just know I will be keeping an eye out for it because I fully intend to read this fic when/if you do publish it. Anything about that snooty Spencer is enough to draw me in.
I'd be lying if I said it didn't cross my mind to have Scotsman go after Emerson, but I think the fact they are so so close to being related is enough to keep him at bay. Plus, since Em looks more like Gordon it might seem extremely weird and I'm not about to teeter on the line of incest here. This may be locomotive sex -yikes, I just typed that- we're discussing here, but there are lines that must not be crossed and I'm not about to ship siblings or even cousins. I suppose Em would technically be a cousin though I'm not too sure on the logistics of all that.
Anyway, I'm so glad to have written this fic for you all! I hope to see you lovely individuals in the next one and I hope it holds up to the standards that this fic has set. *laughs* Seriously, I really appreciate you all and I will see you in the next story!
Much love and delightfully yours;
Bumble