Additional material by James Riddle

"Together We Are" originally performed by The Saddle Club

"I still can't believe it!" cried Johnson the day after Stevie's sudden death. "How could this have happened under our noses?!"

"We were all asleep," sighed Lisa; the Peel Godred branch now had all its power lines fixed. "Whoever poisoned Stevie must have slipped in very quietly without us noticing."

"You don't think it's the manager of the aluminum works who did this, do you?" asked Johnson. "From what's been said about him, he's our one and only suspect."

"We all think that's a high possibility," said Jess. "Barbara Regaby is investigating the matter right now. She found some drops of black water in the engine shed last night."

"And there's another question," said Johnson. "How in the name of Deeley can someone get a heavy barrel of black water into your shed without someone waking up?"

"Probably a few drops so it was like a slow, prolonged death," suggested Lisa. "Mr. Hockings is no stranger to that."

"What do you mean?" asked Johnson.

"It's… a scary thing to talk about," Lisa said hesitantly. "But… to make a long, complicated story short… Bertram was scrapped because he volunteered to do so in place of one of the unnamed engines."

Johnson gasped. "No!"

"It's true," said Melanie. "Mr. Hockings completely mangled the news reports to make it sound as if Bertram died in a tragic accident."

"And what's worse," said Ashley, "the parts of Bertram were completely laid out at the back of the shed."

"Out in the open?!" gasped Johnson. "So Freddie and the two unnamed engines could see it?!" He almost felt sick in the pit of his firebox just thinking about it.

"I'm afraid so…" sighed Lisa. "The Saddle Club and Patch found out about this when they went out on their night investigation."

"You said only the two unnamed engines were left, right?" said Johnson.

"Yes," said Jess. "Every time we report this to the police, Mr. Hockings always bends the truth around to avoid arrest."

"And even if by some miracle we do help out our friends," said Lisa, "we don't know where they can go to be safe."

"I'm sure there's a solution somewhere, girls," said Johnson. "We'll have to ask around."

"Thank you, Johnson," sighed Lisa. "We've also got no lead on where Mr. Hockings could be. He went missing yesterday."

"That just makes him an even bigger suspect," groaned Johnson. "I'll do my best to get the word out about him, but he could be hiding somewhere that your power lines can't reach him, much less our rails in general."


Due to the viaduct being out, Johnson was finding it quite difficult to get the others to take a breather and explain what he had just found out. It was even harder due to the fact everyone was in mourning about what had happened to Stevie.

"I just wish I'd had the chance to meet her for myself," sighed Duck. "From what I'd been told, she seemed quite friendly."

"Friendly, but also a jokester," said Thomas. "You would have liked her."

"I can't believe someone killed her due to an illegal final firing," gulped Duck. "I hope whoever did that gets imprisoned for that."

"Trust me," said Percy. "There's no way someone would get away with that."

"I'd lock buffers with the first one who'd attempt that," growled James. "One blessing though is that the viaduct is finally serviceable. I'll give my condolences to Lisa, Carole and Simon."

"Could you pass that on for the rest of us too?" asked Percy.

"Of course, Percy." And the red engine puffed away with the red coaches.


Although the viaduct was safe enough to cross, repairs still needed to be done, and so speed restrictions had to be put in place. James and the other main line engines always abided by them, even if that meant their passengers were late for connections on the other side.

Eventually, James had gotten across to Cronk, where Johnson had delivered a goods train.

"James, could you spare a moment?" asked the darker red engine.

"Sure, Johnson," replied James. "What's up?"

"Did you and the red coaches hear about the Peel Godred project after the storm?" he asked.

"No," said Sean. "I mean, we heard the storm did a lot of damage, but there were no reports about what happened up there."

"Well… Colin was taken out by the storm," Johnson explained.

"Him as well?!" exclaimed James.

"Indeed," sighed Johnson. "First Bertram, then Freddie, now Colin… the last two engines need help, and they need it now! Any info gathered up on that project is negative, and the police have been there several times already; Mr. Hockings is also hiding somewhere."

"We'll try and figure out anything we can to help them," said Mick. "And help to try and track Mr. Hockings down." The guard's whistle blew and James puffed away. It wasn't long before he came to Killdane. Simon and the coaches were there.

"Simon," said James, "how are you and the girls holding up?"

"Not too good," the black electric engine sighed. "Carole and Lisa can barely keep to time these days. I'm trying my best, but it's not easy now that we're down an engine."

"I'm terribly sorry for the losses of Colin and Stevie," James sighed. "And so are Duck, Percy, Thomas, Annie and Clarabel."

"Thanks, James," said Simon. "Stevie was trying so hard to save our two unnamed engines from harsh consequences. Her last wish was to report Mr. Hockings to the police after Colin was gone."

"He scares his granddaughter, so that's already bad enough in my book," grunted James. "And he must be a cheapskate if the project keeps having mishaps like this."

"That's one way of putting it," said Simon. "Mishaps" isn't quite the word I'd use, he added to himself. "We need to find a safe haven for our two friends to go. The Culdee Fell Railway is very kind to its engines, yes, but they're the wrong gauge."

"Er… what gauge are your friends anyway?" asked James.

"Two foot three; rather unusual for narrow gauge if you ask me."

"Hmm…" James was quiet for a moment. "Yes, that is a very unusual one to be sure…" He puffed away, deep in thought.


A few days later, James was still pondering the issue with the Peel Godred engines when he was on the return leg of the journey to Knapford and had stopped at Crovan's Gate to wait for Rheneas. Skarloey was resting in the shed nearby.

"How are you doing today, James?" asked the smaller red engine.

"I'm just thinking about some engines down at the Peel Godred project," he replied. "They haven't been holding up too well, and their gauge size is unusual so it would be difficult to find them a new home."

"What's the width between their rails?"

"Two foot three."

"Two foot three?!" gasped Skarloey. "Why, that's our gauge as well."

"Wow," gasped James. "That is a coincidence, alright. I'm going to have to look deeper into this project. Simon said something about the police getting involved with it."

"The police?" gasped Skarloey. "This is very serious. I hope they get that cleared up."

"So do I," agreed James. "And that Mr. Hockings is eventually caught." The red tender engine had been so engrossed in this conversation that he'd almost not noticed that Rheneas was running late, and James would be even later for Thomas' connection because of the viaduct's repairs.


Much of the viaduct restoration was a blur for James after that, but after Percy saved the Vicar of Ffarquhar's Sunday school from a flood, James told the rest of the North Western engines about the project and what little information he knew about it from Johnson. Though the summer rush also made things increasingly difficult to slow down, Stevie's final wish was not forgotten among the group.

The engines weren't the only ones who had been trying to resolve the case. Barbara and her fellow officers were looking in every potential hiding spot possible to try and find Mr. Hockings.


Speaking of whom, the dirty scoundrel had built himself a bunker as a means of hiding out. With the line on its last legs, he knew it would be a matter of time before the police found out he had been responsible for Stevie's death, which would come to a head on another stormy day.

"The sooner all this blows over," Mr. Hockings insisted, "the sooner I can flee to the mainland where I'll be safe." He looked next to him, revealing a rather large, black trunk. Whatever was inside of it must have been of great importance to him. "I'll be buried alive before I give up this beauty."

Suddenly, he heard the sound of sirens outside, followed by some growling German shepherds.

"Gadzooks!" he cried. "The pigs!"

"Okay, girls, go!" called Barbara as she swung the door open. The two German shepherds raced forward and pinned down Mr. Hockings before he could attempt to get up.

"Let go of me, you filthy mutts!" growled Hockings.

"Why should they?" demanded Barbara. "So you can bully your engines some more, like the way you had your other two murdered?"

"I did nothing of the sort!" denied Mr. Hockings. "They were in tragic accidents."

"YOU are a filthy liar!" a voice bellowed. Following behind Barbara was Sir Topham Hatt and an elderly gentleman that caused Mr. Hockings much horror and shock. He looked just like him, but with whiter hair, and a cane in one arm.

"F-f-father?!" Mr. Hockings gulped.

"Jacob Hockings!" snapped his father, Doug Hockings. "What have you done to my aluminum railway?!"

"We… ran into financial difficulties. Sacrifices had to be made, and…"

"…and you used that as an excuse to abuse the engines and give the workmen such low salaries, causing them to all go on strike!" snapped the elder Hockings. "You had Bertram and Freddie scrapped because you didn't want to pay for the more proper repairs they needed. And poor Colin was destroyed in that storm because you neglected to keep his worn parts replaced properly!"

"It would have cost too much!" protested Jacob. "I was trying to save money!"

"I have been sending you checks for the past several years to pay for the railway's maintenance," explained Doug. "That means I would have been paying for repairs, and none of the expenses would have been coming out of your pocket. But instead, the railway has shown absolutely no signs of improvement. If anything, it's been looking worse than ever before!"

"And let's not forget how you had Bertram's remains scattered about the sheds to torment the other three," added Barbara. "Only a sick monster would torture his engines like that. And instead of owning up and telling the truth about your engines' respective demises, you chose to cover it up! Why didn't you tell the truth?!"

"I didn't want to get in trouble!" argued Jacob. "Besides, they're just machines made of metal. They have no feelings. You're acting as though I murdered important people or something."

"They are still sentient!" snapped Doug. "Any being that is sentient is capable of experiencing the same feelings that all human beings are capable of! But you robbed them of their rights to express their feelings, even going as far as taking away their names and paintwork against their wills!"

"And if that wasn't bad enough…" Sir Topham Hatt seethed in fury. "…you had the gall to kill one of my engines?!"

"You had three others on that branch line," scoffed Jacob. "And you had three when the branch line started."

"It doesn't matter!" roared Sir Topham Hatt. "Stevie belonged to me! That means you had no legal right giving her the final firing! Why did you put black water in her system?!"

"She was acting out of line that night," growled Jacob Hockings. "So I did you a favor. If you don't discipline your engines, they will continue to rebel against you. You have to go to great lengths to keep them under control. You are the master, and they are nothing more than slaves! You have to remind them who's boss, and ensure they give you the respect you deserve!"

"That is not discipline! That is abuse!" snapped Sir Topham Hatt. "You knew what you were doing was wrong, but you chose to do it anyway! Stevie was just wanting to report you to the police because she was tired of her friends being treated so cruelly! Do you treat your own family as horribly as you treated your engines?"

"Considering Addison has been slipping over to our house a lot, I think that's a yes," said Barbara. She turned her attention to the younger Hockings. "Jacob Hockings, You are under arrest for slavery, corporate sabotage, workplace abuse, and three counts of murder!"

"You'll never take me alive!" screamed Jacob, scrambling out from under the German shepherds, much to the dogs' shock. Grabbing his trunk, he charged towards the back door.

"He's getting away!" called Doug. "After him!"

Wasting no time, several police officers and police dogs raced after Jacob Hockings, who had loaded his trunk into his car, and drove away as fast as he could. One of Barbara's dogs barked a signal.

"That way!" she called over the radio.

The group, Sir Topham Hatt and Doug Hockings included, boarded their cars and gave chase. Sirens blared through the countryside as the chase continued.

"So close!" scowled Mr. Hockings as he looked back at his pursuers. "I was so close to escaping with my prize without anyone catching me! Now it's all ruined!"


Before long, the police came to the level crossing where Carole was taking some trucks.

"What in Darlington?" she gasped.

"Carole, look!" cried her driver. "Is that… Mr. Hockings' car?"

After getting a better look, Carloe could see Jacob Hockings attempting to drive around the level crossing while the gate was down, desperate to avoid being apprehended. An enraged expression crossed the electric engine's face as she began to go faster. She was not about to let Stevie's killer go unpunished.

"FOR STEVIE!" she screamed.

CRASH! Carole slammed into Mr. Hockings' car, knocking it several yards down the line. Unfortunately, the scoundrel in question had jumped clear before the crash.

"Ouch!" he cried. "Watch where you're going!"

"I think she did," said Barbara. "Which is why she sped up. Shara, Rena, Pamela, get him!"

The three dogs charged forward and pinned Mr. Hockings down.

"Ugh, did you need to get another one involved…" The dogs merely growled threateningly in response.

"Hmm," said Barbara. "What's in that case, anyway?"

"KEEP YOUR MITTS OFF IT!" roared Mr. Hockings. "IT'S MINE!"

Some fierce barking from the dogs shut him up. Barbara and Sir Topham Hatt found the trunk within the wreckage and began prying it open with a crowbar. Once the lid popped open, they gasped! Stuffed inside the trunk was piles and piles of money! Over at least a million pounds!

"Look!" Sir Topham Hatt exclaimed, pointing to the money. "He's been hoarding the company's money to himself the whole time! That's why the aluminum plant's been going bankrupt!"

"No wonder our friends broke down all the time," gasped Carole. "He's been cashing in his father's checks just so he could pocket the money and give them very cheap patch jobs!"

"Now we can add embezzlement and tax evasion to the list of charges," added Barbara.

"That money is mine!" ranted Mr. Hockings. "I deserve it!"

"No, you don't, Jacob!" argued his father. "You are a thief, a bully, and a liar! I tried to raise you to be a good person, but even after all these years, you are still the same spoiled brat you were when you were a child. No matter what you received, you were never thankful for it! You constantly demanded more! This is why your wife divorced you! This is why your own daughter appealed to the court to have her name legally changed! I warned your mother that spoiling you so much when you were young would lead to trouble in the future, and I was right. The only reason I put you in charge of the aluminum plant's railway was because I had hoped that such an important position would finally teach you a sense of morality and responsibility. But, to my dismay, all it did was make you greedy and power hungry. But this time, you have gone too far! You have driven our company so far into the ground that there is no hope that it'll ever recover! We have lost everything, and it is all your fault!"

"There's only one job you will be able to do now, and it's under our supervision," said Barbara.


And what was that "one job", you ask? Well, around this time, a familiar figure had arrived at the aluminum railway to purchase two engines for his own. This man was none other than Mr. Peregrine Percival of the Skarloey Railway. The police watched the operation from behind the building, the dogs snarling at Mr. Hockings, making him jump every other second.

"Excuse me," Mr. Percival said to Hockings. "I've been looking for some engines for my railway for a long time, and your engines are perfect. I hear the project has been going badly for quite some time."

"Perfect?" grunted Hockings. "For scrap metal, they are! Just look at them. They were younger than another engine I saw and-"

"They deserve a chance," the thin gentleman said before the manager could finish his sentence. "How much will I be paying for them?"

"Ugh, I suppose twenty-five pounds each," Hockings grunted. At this point, he would've given the two engines off for free just to get rid of them. From there, Mr. Percival promptly gave him the money, thus making Falcon and Stuart legally his. The two little engines could hardly believe what had just happened, and they were given fancy new names too; Falcon became Sir Handel, and Stuart Peter Sam. The two engines were so overjoyed at their new owner, they didn't notice the officers had begun dragging Jacob Hockings away.

"Father!" he cried, looking back in desperation. "Don't let them do this to me! Father, please!" But alas, Doug Hockings gave his son a cold, disgusted look for all the horrible things he had done. From there, he uttered the hurtful words no child wanted to hear from their parents…

"You are no son of mine!"' Once his disowned son was out of sight, he turned to Sir Topham Hatt in shame.

"Sir Topham, you have no idea how truly sorry I am about all this," he apologized remorsefully. "If I had known what despicable stunts Jacob would have pulled, I would have never let him be a part of this company. Perhaps then, those poor engines and Colin would still be here."

"It wasn't your fault, Doug," Sir Topham Hatt insisted. "Like you said earlier, he was spoiled too much as a child. You were just trying to teach him responsibility before it was too late. We all assumed he would have finally grown up at this point. But I guess some habits never die out."


And what about that money, you ask? Well, let me tell you something about German shepherds. They may have seemed gruff, but that was because they were trained to deal with criminals like Jacob Hockings. They managed to locate all the living workers of the aluminum works and bring over the cash to them with boundless energy, this included Sir Handel and Peter Sam's crews.

"For us?" gasped Sir Handel's driver in surprise as he and the fireman, and Peter Sam's crew, were given the money. "Aww, thank you."

The dog - Shara - rolled onto her belly with a content look on her face.

"I think you'll get a lot of treats and cuddles in your future," giggled Peter Sam as both his and Sir Handel's crews started petting the dog.

"How can anyone say no to that face?" chuckled Sir Handel.


That evening, Simon, Carole and Lisa were all back in their sheds - Carole having had her front repaired.

"Great job, Carole," smiled Lisa. "You really brought Hockings down big time."

"And now Falcon and Stuart - er, sorry, Sir Handel and Peter Sam, have a much better life ahead of them," added Simon.

"Do you think… if the police found Bertram's… remains… sooner," said Carole, "Freddie and Colin would still be in one piece?"

"Well, perhaps they'd end up where Sir Handel and Peter Sam are now," said Lisa, "and maybe Stevie would still be with us as well."

"If we could turn back time, we might have saved all of them, including Bertram," sighed Simon. "But we can't change what's happened now."

"Well, we know one thing for sure," said Carole. "Stevie can rest easy now. Sir Handel and Peter Sam are safe, and Hockings is no longer running the aluminum works with an iron fist."

"I wonder what'll become of the site now that it'll be shut down soon," said Lisa.

"I'm not sure," said Simon. "For now, I think it's best to rot as the rubbish that it's become."

Carole and Lisa couldn't help but laugh at Simon's joke, not knowing Simon's words would be more true than they had imagined. And it also felt like a fourth voice was laughing along with them, high above in the sky.


Nothing's gonna stop us now,

Cuz together we can do nothing wrong

A funeral service had been held for Stevie, now that everything had calmed down.

Nothing's gonna hold us down,

When we're together, where we belong

Sir Handel and Peter Sam began to feel more at ease on their new railway, thanks to Skarloey and Rheneas' kindness, although it was clear that something was on their minds.

Together, where we belong

Carole was surprised to see Diesel coming over to Sodor and was a bit suspicious about him. Her fears were confirmed a few days later when she saw Diesel scowling away.

Together we are, brighter than the sun

Together we are, the calm inside the storm

Lisa saw Donald and Douglas arriving on Sodor and was surprised, but was shocked when Henry explained to her why the twins came together.

We are, nothing without each other

We are together where we belong

Lisa and Carole had Simon join them for carols.

Can't wait for the sun to rise

Cuz tomorrow is open wide

Word eventually spread about Duke and Carole, Lisa and Simon admitted that they knew about Falcon and Stuart all along, but they were sworn to secrecy due to the Mid Sodor duo's fears of Duke being scrapped by Jacob Hockings.

Can't wait for the next surprise

I can do anything with you by my side

Sir Topham Hatt asked for Carole, Simon and Lisa to come on the trip to London, but the trio declined as they felt some of the things they went through might be damaging to little children.

Together, side by side

The visiting engines left a positive impression on the Peel Godred trio and they hoped they could live on Sodor one day.

Together we are, brighter than the sun

Together we are, the calm inside the storm

One day, Patch was gifted with an extra special surprise; his own horse, Moonlight. Lara, Sophie, Kareen and the electric trio were overjoyed.

And we are, nothing without each other

And we are, together where we belong

Connor was also given a horse, Jellybean, and he and Desi were riding Midnight and Jellybean side by side. The two started to jump over logs beside the railway. Simon watched with interest.

Together we are, everything we need

Together we are, more than the sum of us

Sir Handel and Peter Sam both started to reveal the depths of their pasts to the Skarloey engines, and even started to seek therapy from Mrs. Kyndley.

And we are, nothing without each other

And we are, together where we belong

Bear reported two scares that the North Western Railway had to Lisa; Douglas and Duck were nearly lost due to Diesel 10's schemes; the latter almost to a final firing. Lisa and her coaches were pale with shock.

Together we are, brighter than the sun

Together we are, the calm inside the storm

Phil, Sophie's boyfriend, returned to Willow Creek with his horse Teddy so he and Sophie's romance was now stronger than before. Teddy and Belle were also overjoyed.

And we are, nothing without each other

And we are, together where we belong

Patch was now engaged to Lily, and the two had their wedding; Lara, Kareen, Desi and Sophie were bridesmaids for Lily, and Phil and Conner were Patch's groomsmen. Carole, Lisa and Simon watched from the platform at Hawin Lake while the horses watched from the paddock.

Together we are, everything we need

Together we are, more than the sum of us

Sophie and Phil, also married, brought two kids to see the engines and horses, as did Lily and Patch. Desi and Conner had also gotten together at that time.

And we are, nothing without each other

And we are, together where we belong

Kareen was now working as a riding instructor at Pine Hollow, Sophie was now doing Cross Country more often and Lara was a show jumper. Many times, the engines were tasked with bringing the horses to shows.

Together, where we belong

Together, where we belong

Simon, Carole and Lisa looked back on some memories through photo albums and they focused on a picture of them and Stevie, knowing she's still there in spirit.

TO BE CONTINUED


Author's Comments

Zack: And so volume two comes to a close, bringing this mini-series to its midway point! The aftermath of Stevie's death had left quite the impact on the surviving trio, and like many of you were expecting, Jacob Hockings receives his comeuppance. The idea as to how that happened came from James, who helped out in the sequence where he gets arrested and called out by his father Doug (whom I renamed in honor of P.T. Boomer's actor). The ending song sequence briefly covers how Carole, Lisa and Simon have reacted to events taking place from Duck and the Diesel Engine onward, all the way up to Diesels and Westerners, meaning that they're now caught up to the current events as of Emily the Stirling Single, although we do get a few glimpses into the near future. Expect the trio to make appearances during the Series 6-7 and 8 Reduxes.

Rachel: Merging this chapter with the events of Little Engines Can Do Big Things was very tricky, but I think we managed to get it right. James was a great help in the final leg of the chapter, something he was really eager to do. The song I picked was "Together We Are", the series two end credits song. I was torn between this one and "Everybody Come On", but I think I made the right choice, given Stevie's passing. Simon was also originally a Metropolitan Railway Electric locomotive before we changed his basis. He was originally able to have his pantographs temporally removed while he helped Edward and Johnson repair the power lines in the previous chapter, but when we changed his basis to a BR Class 76, this was dropped. One more detail; the girls each had a picture of a horse next to their NWR logos and Simon later got one after he gained fondness for Midnight.

The Peel Godred Chronicles will continue later this year.