Ready! Set! Rescue!

Part III: No Bother For Butch

Written by Davey Moore

Butch the Breakdown Truck is always happiest whenever he is given a job to do, especially when involves working with his railway friends…

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"GrrrrARRRRRGH!" Butch groaned one day, as he strived to pull Sidney onto his flatbed.

"Oh my," Sidney gasped worriedly.

"Not to worry, Sidney!" Butch called out. "I'll have you loaded and back at the DieselWorks in no time!"

Sidney smiled, then widened his eyes, caught off-guard as the sound of Butch's wheels revving and his engine creaking sounded aloud as he towed Sidney onto his flatbed.

"There you are, Sidney!" he shouted at last.

He then proceeded along, rather flustered and red in the face, as he pulled the heavy flatbed behind him.

"Thank you, Butch!" Sidney expressed with relief.

"Just doin' my duty, Sidney, ol' pal!" Butch assured him, then he had another thought. "I say though, how exactly did you end up coming off the line again?"

"Oh," Sidney thought, rather dumbfoundedly. "Eh…, I forgot…"

Butch smiled slightly as he continued further along.

Wherever there's engines that need assisting, vehicles that are broken-down and needed to be towed, or rubble that needs to be cleared, Butch is always ready and at hand to get the job done, and takes this position very seriously…!

"No worries, George!" he promised to the steamroller atop his flatbed. "I'll have you back at the RoadWorks for repairs in no time!"

"Pah! No rush!" George remarked. "I'll get pleasure out of tormenting the railway along the ways anyhow!"

Butch was shocked at such a thought, as Toby approached from further up the line with Henrietta.

DING-DING! DING-DING!

"'ey! Teapot!" he shouted. "Where are you taking that henhouse of yours you call a coach now, eh?"

Henrietta reacted with shock and disgust, but Toby ignored him and pressed on. Next up, Butch and George saw Stanley pulling a train of waste trucks.

"Hello there, Silver Tin!" George shouted. "Bound for the scrap heap, are you?"

"You don't look so much in condition yourself, George!" Stanley remarked, and grinned as he carried on.

"Why that…!" George spluttered. "Well, I oughta…!"

At that moment, he was caught off-guard by a rather loud rattling sound.

"Ooh!" he snarkily remarked, looking the other way smugly. "I wonder what that sound could be."

Butch blushed with embarsssment.

"I-i-it's probably your gasket needing fixing, George," he stammered.

"No!" George spluttered with confusion. "My gasket's already broken down and needing repairs!"

Butch was rather embarrassed; deep down, he knew the problem was with his own engine, but he didn't want to admit it, as he feared it would lose him time trying to help his friends!

Butch had George dropped off and unloaded at the RoadWorks in no time at all.

"Phew!" he sighed, rather flustered as George was unloaded from his flatbed.

"About time!" George muttered ungratefully, as the men began to look him over.

HONK-HONK!

"Later, George!" Butch shouted out, making a beeline for the RoadWorks' exit.

But as Butch continued along back towards the Search and Rescue Center, he heard the rattling noise in his engine again!

"Oh, botheration!" he groaned. "There goes that clank again!"

PEEP-PEEP!

"Oh, dear, Butch," Thomas expressed, listening to the clattering noise with as he passed by with Annie and Clarabel, all three of them looking concerned. "You don't sound so good."

"I'm fine, Thomas!" Butch huffed, pressing his wheels onward. "It's only a small click of a clank…of a clatter of sorts…!"

He chuckled nervously, then blushed as he saw James up the line.

PEEP-PEEP!

"My, my, Butch!" the red engine chuckled, amused. "Too much clanking about, I'd expect!"

Butch was embarrassed, but ignored James as he carried on, seeing Rebecca further up the line.

"Uh oh," she reacted with concern, listening to the rattling sound as she passed.

"Oh, dear," Butch thought hard to himself. "I probably SHOULD head back to the RoadWorks and have my engine looked over…"

But then, the thought of his friends came to his mind!

"No!" he decided. "I can't! The Island may need my help, and I won't rest till I'm sure everyone is safe and sound!"

He sped up and revved his wheels hard as he pressed on back towards the Rescue Center, his rattling noise sounding all the way.

Butch soon arrived back at the Rescue Center and stopped by the platform for a rest. Belle could hear his rattling sound from nearby and was rather worried.

"Oh, dear, Butch," she expressed. "Have you been to the RoadWorks yet to have your engine looked over?"

"Well," Butch coughed nervously, "as it happens, Belle, I actually just returned from there after having dropped George off, though I didn't necessarily consider staying there to have my engine looked over."

"Why not, Butch?" Belle wondered, rather stunned.

"Felt rather obligated to be back here and on hand in case of another emergency!" Butch admitted. "Ya never know when I might be needed after all!"

"That's the excuse you've been making all week, Butch!" Belle kindly yet firmly assured him. "It's about time you had your engine and your magnet checked over before it's too late!"

"Don't worry, Belle," Butch responded, then promised her, "I will have it looked over…at the end of the day when no other engine or vehicle aside from myself needs rescuing."

"But Butch…," Belle insisted.

"I don't mind helping out my friends, road or rail!" Butch went on. "I will always make them a priority over myself, no matter what the circumstance!"

Before Belle could answer, the alarm bell rang, and men came running and shouting out.

"Goodness!" Belle wondered aloud, "what's the emergency?!"

"Fire at Brendam Docks!" a workmen confirmed, as they all hopped aboard her.

Belle rang her bell aloud as she sped gradually up out of the Rescue Center into action.

"When there's a fire, there's surely rubble to clear away!" he thought confidently.

At that moment, his engine rattled loudly again.

"Oh, dear," he thought. "Here we go again. Might as well make the best of it and pretend nobody hears."

But everywhere Butch went on the way to Brendam, other engines or vehicles would react to his rattling noise!

Butch passed Edward and Toby and could hear them whispering amongst one another with concern as they listened to the rattling noise. Bulgy scoffed as he heard it and pressed further along the road. Butch went a deep shade of red.

Butch arrived at the Docks just in time as Belle put out the fire on the shed.

"Phew! Thank you, Belle!" Carly sighed with relief, having seen the commotion from higher up.

"No need to thank me!" Belle called out.

She watched as Butch trundled in, his engine still rattling, much to the surprise of everyone else present, especially Carly and Big Mickey, who eyed each other with surprise.

"Where are you headed after this emergency, Butch?" she wondered.

"Wherever duty may call!" Butch restlessly assured her. "Can't afford to let the Island wait around for me when there's rescuing that needs to be done!"

"Well, I suggest you visit the RoadWorks," Belle insisted, raising an eyebrow at him.

Butch sighed heavily.

"We'll see, Belle," he speculated.

"I mean it, Butch!" Belle expressed concernedly, as she gradually started up again to leave. "You'll be surprised how much better you'll feel once you do!"

Butch watched as Belle set off, then sighed as he looked over at the car having been caught in the fire.

"Showtime!" he thought to himself.

Butch proceeded to clear the rubble from the fire away, before reversing towards the ruined building to pull out a car that had been caught in the fire. But as he did so…,

BING!

Butch reacted with surprise to a sudden bleak sound from his magnet behind him.

"What happened?" he wondered aloud.

Butch's driver hopped off to check what had happened. It seemed as if his magnet had faltered!

Butch groaned with dismay, as his driver carefully examined the magnet.

"Hmm…" he thought, then hit it a few times with a jack, till at last,

SWOOSH!

"Woah!" Butch wailed, then winced with surprise as the car immediately attached to his magnet

Butch groaned as he successfully pulled the car from the ruined building, but by the time he did so, his face was red, and his engine continued to rattle.

"Are you alright there, fella?" Big Mickey wondered with concern.

Butch was too tired to answer and slowly left the car aside, before hearing a pair of familiar whistles chime into view.

"Ooh," Bill and Ben gazed, as they passed through with a train of China Clay, then sniggered quietly to each other.

Butch was embarrassed and attempted to set off, but as he did so, his engine continued to make rattling noises.

Bill and Ben chuckled loudly with amusement as they chuffed out of view, than Cranky looked rather concerned.

"Shouldn't you have your engine looked over?" the crane wondered.

"I won't do so till the whole Island is safe and in good hands!" Butch stressed gruffily.

He quickly set off, much to the surprise of the three cranes.

"Was he okay?" Carly wondered.

"Search me…" Big Mickey replied.

On the way back to the Rescue Center, Butch continued to listen to the rattling sound from his engine.

"I wonder if I should stop by the RoadWorks after all," he thought to himself.

However, this thought quickly slipped his mind as up ahead, he saw Bertie, whose front wheels had skid off the road.

"Hello, Bertie!" Butch greeted aloud. "What's the matter?"

"I can't seem to get my wheels back up on the road, Butch!" the bus moaned, struggling as they revved against the mud. "They're in way too deep!"

"No worries!" Butch promised. "I'll help you out!"

Butch proceeded to reverse towards Bertie and pull him out from the mud with his magnet. But as soon as the rescue operation was complete…,

BLEEP!

"Uh oh," Butch gasped.

"Thank you, Butch!" Bertie beamed gratefully.

But Butch raced off without another word.

"Oh," Bertie wondered confusedly.

At long last, Butch arrived back in his berth at the Search and Rescue Center, but Amber could hear his rattling noise from the berth beside him.

"Oh, dear, Butch," she gasped, eyes widening. "Eh, are you alright?"

"Fine, Amber!" Butch expressed peacefully, shutting his eyes.

Amber watched as Butch's driver hopped off and used his jack to tap at his magnet.

"But…, I don't understand," Amber wondered. "What was that rattling sound?"

Butch sighed heavily and opened his eyes, flustered.

"That does it!" he huffily decided at last. "I'm paying a visit to the RoadWorks!"

BING!

Butch reacted with surprise as his magnet started up again.

"It's working!" his driver expressed aloud.

"Phew!" Butch sighed with relief. "For a moment there, I thought I actually would have needed to go to the RoadWorks after all!"

Just then, the alarm bell rang and men came out, shouting.

"Come along, Amber!" Butch called out. "We've got rescuing to do!"

HONK-HONK!

Amber sounded her siren out loud, as she followed Butch into action.

Throughout the day, Butch continued tending to emergencies across the Island. But it seemed like everywhere he went, his friends could only take notice of the rattling noise coming from his engine.

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Butch revved hard whilst striving hard to clear away a tree having fallen on the line.

"GrrrrrARRRRGH!" he groaned.

Gordon, Emily and BoCo all watched with surprise as his face went red.

"Erm…, begging your pardon, Butch," Rocky inquired, coupled behind Emily, "but do you think it'd be best Emily and I cover that fallen branch whilst you have your engine looked over?"

"No…ugh…thank you, Rocky…phew!" he panted.

Wheels revving hard, with dust pouring against towards a coughing Gordon, and his engine rattling loudly, Butch was able to pull the tree clear of the line, before sighing flusteredlly.

POOP-POOP!

HONK-HONK!

Gordon and BoCo whistled and honked at one another as they passed. Emily also continued on her way, eyeing Butch with concern, but he took no notice, as he breathed exasperatedly and slowly fled the scene.

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At Crocks Scrap Yard, Flynn had just finished putting a fire out, while Butch wasted no time in clearing away the rubble. Both Reg and Flynn took notice of his rattling sound.

"Something up with your engine there, Butch?" the crane wondered.

Butch groaned as he had finally cleared away the rubble.

"No time to explain, Reg!" he huffed hastily.

He took off in a flash, his engine still rattling.

"Well, there's something you don't see every day," Reg expressed.

Flynn only shot him a look of concern as he watched Butch set off.

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Whilst clearing a fallen telephone at a level crossing on Thomas' Branch Line, Butch's magnet faltered again.

Butch took a sigh of deep breath, as he prepared himself to pull the fallen telephone pole from the tracks.

"Ready, set…,"

BLEEP!

He reacted with surprise as the sound of his magnet and winded down.

"Oh, no," he groaned. "Not again!"

His driver quickly got out and used his jack to pick at the magnet.

"What's wrong with Butch's magnet?" Percy wondered.

"I've been wondering the same thing about his engine, Percy," Thomas pointed out.

"Huh! Wouldn't be the least bit surprised if he'd rattled his last!" Bulgy remarked.

The two tank engines glared as Bulgy sniggered quietly, but then reacted with surprise as…

BING!

Butch's driver jacked hard, as his magnet sprang to life again at last, and he was able to pull the telephone pole from the line. Thomas and Percy whistled and cheered, but Butch blushed with embarrassment.

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At the DieselWorks, Belle had just finished putting out a fire on a nearby shed, as Butch quickly cleared away the rubble. But as he did so, his engine creaked and rattled, as 'Arry and Bert watched from nearby.

"Well, rattle my rods!" 'Arry laughed. "There goes ol' rattler Butch!"

"Not your rods, 'Arry! 'Is!" Bert snidely corrected.

'Arry sniggered aloud, and Diesel 10 chuckled loudly as he sidled beside them.

"Good one, lads!" he expressed aloud, crunching his claw loudly.

Belle shot them a glare, then watched as Butch set off, panting heavily.

"Don't you think it's time you visited the RoadWorks now, Butch?!" she called out.

"Not yet, Belle!" Butch responded, as he slowly made his way out of the DieselWorks.

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Butch's next emergency was to clear a signal having tipped over at Knapford Junction. But as he did so, his engine creaked and rattled out so loud that the sound echoed out across the Junction and could be heard by engines passing in and out!

Butch's face went red as he pulled and tugged hard at the fallen signal, listening to his engine rattling and creaking from behind.

"Uh oh," Philip expressed worriedly. "Sounds like trouble to me!"

"The sound reminds me of when my battery goes out," Stafford reminded them both. "Seems like your engine could do with a recharge, Butch."

"Not yet!" Butch expressed aloud.

At long last, he pulled the signal back upward again, as a workmen caught it from atop a ladder and attempted to put it back into place.

BLEEP!

"Oh, dear," Butch groaned. "There goes my magnet again."

He took off in a jiffy, rather embarrassed, much to the surprise of Stafford and Phillip, who eyed each other with confusion.

On the way back to the Search and Rescue Center, Butch saw the sign leading to the RoadWorks.

"Hmm…" he thought to himself, his engine rattling quietly. "I wonder if now would be the time to pay the RoadWorks a little visit…"

Thinking hard, Butch immediately reconsidered this decision when the thought of his friends being in danger came to mind!

"No!" he assured himself. "I cannot let everyone else on Sodor down!"

He raced onward in the opposite direction of the RoadWorks sign.

"Search and Rescue Center, here we come!" he called out, his wheels revving hard and his engine rattling loudly from inside.

Up ahead, Butch saw a steep slope on the road and raced towards it in an effort to make it over.

"Here goes…" he muttered, taking a deep breath as he charged at the slope before him.

As Butch prepared to climb the hill, his engine ratttled slightly louder and his face began to go red!

"I must do it!" he panted. "Everyone else on Sodor is counting on me…"

He panted heavily as he continued up the hill, his wheels revving sturdily against the ground.

"Keep up the momentum there, Butch!" he pushed himself. "You'll be back at the RoadWorks soon enough, in time for another emergency where you may be needed."

He pressed hard and blew air from his breath, his face suddenly going redder.

Halfway up, Butch's rattling sound got louder and his face became redder. Eventually, the sound from his engine became a clanking sound.

"Oh, dear, Butch," his driver expressed concernedly. "We probably should have had you at the RoadWorks after all. "

Deep down, Butch knew his driver was right, but he couldn't turn back now; the RoadWorks was in the other direction down the hill and he'd be late in heading back to the Rescue Center for his next emergency!

"I must…carry on," he panted.

He carried further on towards the top of the hill when…

CREAK!

"Oh, no," Butch groaned, and gradually slowed down.

At that moment, both Butch's engine faltered as well, and he ground to a halt right at the top of the hill.

Butch sighed with dismay, as his driver got out and inspected his engine. At last, he sighed heavily as he walked before him.

"Your engine's broken down as well, Butch," he confirmed. "All that rattling whilst rushing around's finally done it to you. My fault. I should have had you over to the RoadWorks the moment we saw that sign. Not to worry though. I'll call for help.

Butch sighed as he watched him set off.

"Now I KNOW I should have stopped by the RoadWorks after all…" he groaned to himself.

Butch's driver found a telephone pole and called for help, and soon enough, Thomas came along with Rocky and lifted Butch onto his flatbed in between.

"Whatever happened, Butch?" the crane wondered, as he hoisted Butch high into the air.

"Magnet faltered. Engine creaked," Butch murmured, as both Thomas and Rocky listened hard. "Something that could've been avoided had I visited the RoadWorks sooner."

"Well, that's just where you're going now," Rocky beamed, as he loaded Butch onto the flatbed in between.

Thomas set off immediately, and Butch sighed as he thought to himself from amongst the flatbed.

"I should have listened to Belle's advice about paying a visit to the RoadWorks earlier," Butch admitted to his friends.

"Why didn't you go to the RoadWorks then when you knew you had a problem with your engine?" Rocky wondered.

Butch went a slight shade of red.

"I was far more concerned over everyone else's safety," he confessed. "I don't know what I'd do if other engines or vehicles needed my help and I wasn't present where I was needed."

Thomas and Rocky listened carefully as Butch went on.

"I didn't want to risk spending time away from emergencies, so I…kind of put everyone else's safety before my own."

Rocky raised an eyebrow, understanding.

"It's, eh…, all in the line of duty," Butch added, chuckling nervously.

Rocky sighed.

"I admire your determination, Butch," he admitted. "And I also think that it's great to be there and on hand when others are in desperate need of your help. But it's also important to take your own health and safety into consideration as well!"

"I know, Rocky. And in not doing so and neglecting my own safety, I only made my problem a lot bigger than it already was."

Rocky smiled.

"What matters now is that you're in good hands, Butch," he assured him, as they approached the RoadWorks up ahead.

Butch smiled, as they stopped just past the entrance of the RoadWorks, and Rocky carefully lifted him onto the ground.

"Thank you, Rocky, Thomas!" he said gratefully to them both.

"Any time, Butch!" Rocky grinned.

PEEP-PEEP!

"Good luck, Butch!" Thomas called out, as he pulled Rocky away.

"Huh!" George scoffed from nearby. "All that rattling about finally caught on to you already?"

Butch smiled, as he watched the men walk up to look him over.

"You're right, George," he responded. "It has. I've learnt my lesson though, and as soon as I'm fixed up, I should be back at work in no time."

George looked rather stunned, as Butch finished his sentence and sighed peacefully, the men proceeding to look him over.

A few days later, Butch was repaired and returned to the Search and Rescue Center. The rest of the team was overjoyed to see him!

HONK-HONK!

Butch honked his horn loudly as he entered the Rescue Center, grabbing Amber's attention.

"Hey, guys!" she called out loud, "Butch is back!"

She sounded her siren out loud and raced towards him, as Belle and Flynn emerged from the sheds as well and rushed over to see him.

"Butch!" they all cried out.

"Welcome back!" Amber greeted.

Butch chuckled slightly and smiled at his friends.

"Thanks, guys," he said warmly. "It really does mean a lot."

"It's good to have you back, Butch!" Rocky greeted.

"It's good to be back," Butch admitted. "I must say, though, the job probably wouldn't have taken as long had I visited the RoadWorks before breaking down."

"Did they figure out what was wrong with you, Butch?" Belle wondered.

Butch smiled.

"It was only my engine needing repairs," he replied. "My magnet was also getting old and in need of replacement. Now, I have a brand new one."

He turned slightly and showed his new magnet to the rest of the team, who reacted in awe, as it shone like gold. Butch slightly coughed and turned back to face the rest of the team.

"Come to think of it," he went on, "being at the RoadWorks all the while gave me much to think about and remind myself of."

"What's that?" Amber wondered.

"That while keeping the whole Island safe is a top priority to me, I'm not the only hope it has in the face of danger, hence why I'm part of the team."

"Well said, Butch!" Rocky beamed.

Belle, Flynn and Amber all cheered and honked in agreement, as Butch could only smile at his good friends. At that moment, the alarm bell rang and men came running out and shouting.

"Oh, dear," Belle wondered. "What's the emergency now?"

"Sounds like a barn on fire at the Vicarage Orchard," Rocky confirmed.

"We got the knack for this job!" Flynn called out.

He sounded his siren aloud as Amber raced beside him and Harold hovered overhead.

Butch waited patiently as his driver checked him over before walking before him, smiling.

"Both your engine and magnet seemed very well intact, Butch! The men at the RoadWorks surely did a great job on you!"

"Great!" Butch called out, and quickly revved into action.

"Go get 'em, Butch!" Rocky called out to him.

HONK-HONK!

Butch quickly caught up with Flynn, Amber and Harold and raced into action beside them.

Deep down, Butch felt good to be back in action once more!

Halfway through the Ready! Set! Rescue! DVD and a regular member of the Rescue Team gets the spotlight! I am very satisfied with the way I have written for him as well: highly confident in his abilities and never wanting to let his friends down, even if it takes putting their health and safety before his own. The situations Butch encounters throughout this story have also allowed me to utilize a variety of characters in the supporting characters, even if they are characters who haven't spoken yet this set or just have simple one-liners (Sidney, Diesel 10, 'Arry, Bert and Big Mickey). It was also nice to give George and Belle the supporting roles they had alongside Butch, the former providing the usual comic relief by mocking his predicament and the latter trying to be a good friend and helping him. Tomorrow will the newest member of the Team back in the spotlight, before a handful of other characters I've never written before in the lead follow suit. Be sure to leave your thoughts, and as usual, stay tuned for...

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Amber's Castle Conundrum - a pair of rock climbers are injured at Callan Castle, so the Rescue team are called into action, though Amber takes a wrong turn and ends up at Ulfstead instead!

Trevor And Flynn - Trevor often tries to find a way to help Flynn with fighting fires when he passes by despite Flynn clearly thinking the old traction engine has little use in a situation like that; however, when Belle derails on the way to a fire, Flynn may end up needing Trevor's help after all when he starts to run out of water.

Not-So-Smooth Sailing - While out on patrol, Captain sees a dark cloud looming towards Arlesburgh West. He warns everyone about the upcoming storm, but when poor Skiff gets caught in storm, it's up to Captain to brave the waves and rescue the little railboat!

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The Wrath Of Bulstrode - Bulstrode is brought to work at Norramby to help out with the fish deliveries. However, Saul's cautious nature makes him increasingly impatient, causing the two to clash at each other's throats!

Sleep Deprivation - Percy finds himself constantly having to get up early after taking the mail so late, and denies his friends' assistance in taking the pressure off of him to give him a rest.