The next day
Thomas puffed into the quarry. "Hey, Billy. How's work?"
"It's alright," Billy replied simply. "Can't believe I've been chosen to do your jobs while you're gone. Big honor. Am I really up to it? And who'll get the parts for the Dieselworks?"
"Den and Dart told me there's been less need for repairs recently, and you aren't going to be gone forever," Mavis put in. She was nearby and had decided to join the conversation. "And besides, you've been quite helpful here. Let Thomas show you around a bit, and you'll be fine."
"And don't worry, if you need a little help, I've been around this island a lot longer," Derek added.
Billy smiled. "Thanks, everyone."
After Thomas dropped off his trucks and left, Billy looked around. "Okay, so I heard that Thomas will have to double-head a train with someone during this trip, and if Thomas plays his cards right, he'll end up with a new girlfriend at the end of it. My vote's for Emily. Anyone else?"
"I've no problems with betting on Emily," Mavis said. "Thomas needs someone to keep him in line."
"Aye," Derek agreed. "Gently, but firmly."
"You can't be serious!" Bill interjected. "Rosie's made for him!"
"Yeah!" Ben added. "They're both fun-loving and energetic. Emily'd just be a buzzkill."
"Bo-ring!" one of the trucks, Crash, groaned. "If you want a REAL bet, whoever loses has to do something."
"Alright," Derek said. "If Bill and Ben are wrong and Thomas picks Emily, they can't play any tricks for two whole weeks."
Bill gulped, but not to be outdone said "And if WE'RE right, you have to help us in one of ours."
"Deal," Billy said. "Hey Toby, what are your thoughts?"
Toby had been passing through with Henrietta. The tram thought for a moment and said, "I don't really want a part in this, trying to decide another's love life. Besides, I don't think Thomas knows enough about love yet to choose one of the girls. In my opinion, he'd want Percy because they've worked together the most. As friends, I mean."
"I say Thomas should be with Rosie," Henrietta mentioned offhandedly. Toby's jaw dropped while the other engines snickered.
"BoCo!" Edward exclaimed as he puffed into Vicarstown.
The Class 28 chuckled. "Hello, old friend. It's been too long."
"I'll say. What happened to you? You went to the Mainland to take a freight train and you haven't been seen since!"
"A collector stole me and hid me in a shed," BoCo revealed. "It wasn't until a few days ago that I was found and fixed up. I'm just lucky he wasn't an Anti-Lifer."
"Anti-Lifer?"
"It's an organization that doesn't want there to be any live vehicles at all. They're quite delusional and have been running amok in recent years."
Edward nodded to the best of his ability. "Well, let's not dwell on that. Let's go home."
They were backing out when they heard someone ask "Excuse me? Is this the way to Sodor?"
The red engine in question was a Hughes K28, James' class, even possessing an experimental front bogie like he had. The engine looked strikingly similar, save for a pair of glasses, slightly duller and pinker paint, the white 18 on their tender, and the fact that the engine was female.
"Yes, it is...who are you?" Edward asked.
"Jamie," she replied. "Zap and I are going to compete in the Great Railway Show, but we were accidentally sent six weeks early. We were told we could help out here in the meantime."
"Yah," agreed an unfamiliar, Swiss-accented voice. "Ve vant to be as useful as we can. Although...I am not sure if I will be able to."
Jamie pulled forward to reveal a green Class Ce 6/8 II electric engine, coupled to Jamie's tender, facing backwards.
"Y'know, I'm actually going to be helping with the effort to electrify much of the island," Edward said. "Maybe you could test the wires for us."
"I vould be happy to, monsieur. Zhank you for zhe offer."
As they went off, BoCo mentioned to Zap, "I thought engines on official railways had to wear the colors. But you don't."
Zap chuckled. "Ah, yes, zhat. Jamie and I verk in a little village in Switzerland. Unfortunately, my brozhers and I looked so much alike we were constantly getting mixed up vith each other. One time it got so bad I wound up in Austria by mistake. Zhat's vhen I got ze green, so I could be kept there." He sighed. "Alzhough I've alvays vanted a real adventure..."
"Don't worry," Edward reassured him. "We've got plenty of those here. And Jamie, sorry if this seems a bit rude, but you look like one of the engines from the mainland and not a Swiss one."
"I got bought from a British junkyard for cheap," she replied curtly. "My brother James and I were the last of our kind in existence, brought to life in the 1930s after all the rest were all scrapped."
"Wait, you're James' sister? I thought you looked familiar..."
"Oh! So he's alright! That's a relief. Anyways, I got bought for the little village and started working. But given my class' tendency to fall on their faces, it was only a matter of time before I did and got hurt."
"Thus the front bogie and the glasses," Boco concluded.
"Exactly!" Zap said. "Zhey are held on by neodymium magnets under zhe smokebox, very ingenious."
Jamie smiled. "Your idea, sweetheart."
"...Sweetheart?" Edward asked.
"Oh, right. Zap and I met in the workshop and immediately connected. And, after a few decades, we married." She blushed a little.
"Won't James be surprised," Edward chuckled.
"Yes, he'll have an electric engine for an in-law," BoCo laughed.
James, meanwhile, grumbled as he pushed some trucks together. "I hate shunting. Why not have a common engine do it?"
"Dude, seriously? This again?" Rosie asked from her track. "Just be glad we don't have shunting tractors here. Ugh, those guys are so annoying."
"Shunting tractor?"
"These little trucks that can go on road and rail, and put every tank engine out of a job." She sighed. "They're even more full of themselves than you are."
"I don't remember a truck being able to go on road and rail," one of James' trucks pointed out.
"I meant the things we call trucks in America."
"You mean lorries. We had some really horrid ones a while ago," James said, recalling the visitors from many years ago. "Huh. I wonder what happened to them."
P. T. Boomer knew the answer. Three pieces of metal, with the names of the three lorries marked on them, lay in a massive vault on the boat. Boomer was looking them over, along with other trophies from the Lifers he'd killed.
"I'll be so happy to finish this...collection," he grinned evilly. He tossed in a piece of viridian blue-painted metal, with SAMSON, SUDRIAN BOX TANK written on the back, into it, then closed it up.
At one of the stations, Henry sighed sadly.
"Something the matter?" Gordon asked from the track next to him.
"It's just...I haven't been to Peel Godred in a long time. What if...they don't like the coward I've become?"
"There's nothing you can do about that. Your crash would've shaken up anyone. I doubt Lucy would mind."
"I never said anything about her!" Henry stuttered.
"You didn't have to."
"Y'know, you don't have to do this."
"I do. I am, technically, your brother, after all, so it is my responsibility to look after you."
"But I'm older...thanks anyway, though."
As they left, one of the Express Coaches, Nadia, decided to tease Gordon with "Gone soft, 'ave you?"
Gordon sighed in exasperation. Suddenly, leaving them to the potentially insane superdiesel didn't look so bad.
"Hey, Percy, can I ask you something?" Emily asked. They were at Tidmouth Harbor sorting through its imported goods.
"Sure."
"Does Thomas...like me?"
"Of course he does! I mean, sure, he's argued with me more times than I can remember, but we're still friends regardless."
"She's asking if he likes-her-likes-her, you stupid caterpillar," one of the boxcars grunted. Percy responded by shoving him out of the way. "Ahhhh!"
"Emily, you know I don't like getting involved in these things," Percy sighed.
"But aren't you and Donna a thing?" Donna, short for Doncaster, was a raspy-voiced female mail coach Percy had been dating (and by dating I mean favoring her on mail routes over her lifeless cousins) for the past five years.
"Well, yeah, but that's my love life. Thomas' love life is whatever Thomas wants to make of it."
Emily groaned. "I know, it's just...he's been really nice to me...plus he's cute...and I'm not sure how I'd take it if he went out with Rosie instead."
"Well, we've still got some work to do before we have to leave," Percy said. "Once we're done with that we can think about that. Sound alright with you?"
"I guess." Emily thought of something. "Is Thomas–"
"No."
"Well, that makes me feel better, at least."
"Okay, that should do it. How do you feel?" Victor asked.
"MUCH better. I don't remember the last time Pinchy's had this much dexterity," Diesel Ten replied. He'd been fully repainted and his claw's wiring had been completely replaced with more modern, tougher cables. He raised his arm and snapped his claw, marveling at how smooth and quick it felt now.
"I'd say you were in desperate need of an overhaul given your age, but surprisingly you've held together quite well."
"Hey, I AM the ultimate diesel, after all."
Lady chuckled. She'd had both pistons adjusted and was now waiting. "Ready to head out, big guy?"
"Yeah, I am. Thanks Vic."
"No worries."
As they left, Lady cocked an eyebrow at her diesel companion. "So you took over the Steamworks back in 2011?"
"Yes, as you've probably guessed, it was a poorly-thought-out attempt at a political statement. I was NOT expecting the Dieselworks to catch fire." He sighed.
"You feel like steam engines don't consider you as an equal for your fuel source?"
"I KNOW they don't. Especially Hatt's little entourage." He growled. "They make me sick to my nonexistent stomach."
"Is that why you had Thomas held hostage?"
"Like I said earler, only so I could yell at him later. That wannabe hero puffball's the one who started the whole mess. Of engines here disliking me, I mean."
Lady nodded. "I know exactly what you're talking about. I think I'll try to arrange a meeting and make them apologize."
"You'd do that? Oh, thanks a million." Diesel Ten decided to change the subject. "Do you think the repaint looks good?"
"Yeah, of course!"
"Oh. Thanks. Not to be rude, but I don't really like yours too much. Too..."
"Girly?" Silence. "I know, I hate it too. Had to get this so everyone at Muffle Mountain would know I'm 'special'." She grimaced at the word. "I hated it there. Never got to pull regular trains unless I was the only engine available, always had to get my picture taken...I hate being famous. Wish I was green like I used to, or maybe a nice, dark red."
"You'd look quite fetching in red," Diesel Ten murmured.
Lady blushed. "W-well...you look pretty handsome in gold yourself."
The two continued on home in silence, basking in each others' company.
They're not in love yet, but they're getting there. E)
New engines. New revelations. New paint. All in time for a big overhaul of the entire NWR.
How will the Steam Team fare? Will Jamie and James reunite? Who's going to win the bet?
All this and more in the next chapter – Peel Godred Engines!