Duchess Corinne's American Counterparts
The next day the engines were snoozing in the sheds when Thomas heard another whistle that was loud and sounded American.
Thomas: (Startled) What was that? I don't remember any trains running at this time of the night or this early in the day for that matter? What's going on?
Duchess Corinne heard Thomas and woke up to explain.
Duchess Corinne: That must be Gervase. He's coming back from his late night delivery of some supplies to a military base near Houston. It was vital that those supplies got to the base under the cover of darkness.
Thomas: Why did Gervase go at night? Why not at the day time?
Paul woke up after hearing Thomas and Corinne talking about Gervase so he decided to add his two cents into the conversation.
Paul: You can ask Gervase yourself. He's coming to the sheds for a rest.
True to form Gervase was reversing into the sheds. Thomas got a good look at Gervase and he could see that Gervase was a United States Army Transportation Corps S160 Consolidation.
Thomas: Hello Gervase. Long time no see. What are you doing here? I thought you were in France after you visited Sodor to help out before the Fat Controller got Murdoch.
Gervase: (surprised) Thomas? Well I'll be. It's been a while since we saw each other on Sodor.
Paul: (Confused) Wait you two know each other? I knew that you knew Corinne from your time in the United Kingdom and France during the Second World War but how do you know Thomas?
?: Well I'm afraid we'll have to wait another time to hear that. We've got problems and by that I mean problems for the fleet.
The engiens were surprised to see Wyatt, Walker and Trivette.
Connor: You three have remarkably good timing. What's going on?
Wyatt: We've got a report that some of the Crows are back in town.
The engiens all gasped upon hearing news that the crows were back while Isaac was confused. From what he heard and knew about crows they were just birds.
Isaac: Why is everyone afraid of a bunch of birds?
Duchess Corinne: The Crows are the most dangerous criminal orginazation that we've ever faced. Ever since their founding in the 1970s they've caused a lot of havoc and chaos in the criminal underworld and nobody dared to challenge their power.
Thomas: The Crows have even caused some widespread vandalism and chaos on Sodor. They even had the nerve to trash the Steamworks.
Isaac: My word they sound dangerous. How was anyone able to put up with them for so long? Surely they would've been defeated by now thanks to the cops.
Duchess Corinne: They were defeated when their leader Coi was injured and sent to the hospital after a raid on one of their hideouts. Some Crows were arrested but Coi escaped despite her injuries in the raid. Or so we thought.
Isaac: What do you mean?
Thomas: Apparently the Crows were buying time and laying low to build up strength so they could return stronger than before.
Isaac: So what are we gonna do now that they're back?
Walker: For now we'll have to rely on the people of the local neighborhoods to to keep an eye on the crows and record their actions on video.
Thomas: Are you sure this is really going to work? The Crows are not afraid of anyone or anything and they'll crush anyone who dares to stop them or record their actions. You don't know the crows.
Walker: And the Crows don't know the Texas Rangers, Thomas. Believe me when I say that using video evidence helps.
Thomas: I believe you Ranger Walker. Now the questions is how are we gonna do our jobs with the threat of the crows looming? If they're back then they trash the unity festival.
Paul: I don't think we'll have to worry about the Crows destroying the Unity Festival. If anything I think their presence may actually help us out during the festival. I forgot to mention that the Crows don't like white supremacist groups or those who commit hate crimes.
Thomas and Isaac were shocked to hear such a thing. They assumed that the crows would help any criminal group.
Thomas: Are you serious Paul? I thought the Crows would help guys like that.
Duchess Corrinne laughed a bit before she spoke.
Duchess Corrinne: That's funny because I remember saying the exact same thing when I first got here and heard about what the crows were up to here in the states. It's also what one of my two counterparts here in the states said when he first arrived years before I was built.
Thomas and Isaac were confused as they had not heard of Duchess Corinne having a counterpart right here in the states let alone two of them.
Caitlin: If we're done talking then I for one would like to get to work. The passengers are sure to be grumbling and the coaches are probably waiting for me.
Connor: I understand Caitlin but we need to be careful. (To Paul) And Paul let me remind you that while the Crows oppose White Supremacist groups they also target us when we foil one of their plans or need I remind you of what happened over 10 years ago when we tried to oppose their plan for trafficking various illegal items for some of the cartels from Mexico and from across the seas?
Paul: Don't remind me Connor. Mark was damaged badly and I had to do his work as well as my own since Lori was in the shops in the final stages of her overhaul. Once Lori returned I could let her do Mark's work as well as her own and return to my main use of freight haulage.
Walker: At least you stepped up to the plate while Mark was getting repaired and thanks to the courage of you and your team we caught the crows that had damaged Mark in the first place.
Paul: But at what price? The Crows still have a hold on not only Dallas but all of Texas as well as the rest of the continent. Both on the streets and in most of the schools. Rumors tell that the Crows are starting to recruit members from the middle schools and high schools into the gangs.
Thomas: (Confused) Wait who are Mark and Lori? Are they engines?
Duchess Corrinne: Yes Thomas. They have the pacific wheel arrangement like me. But they're also capable leaders who are able to step up to the plate and lead when the situation calls for it. I guess you could think of them as being my American counterparts here in the United States.
Thomas: Okay but what class of locomotives are they?
Duchess Corrinne: Mark is a USRA Heavy Pacific while Lori is a USRA Light Pacific.
Duchess Corinne was about to say more but Wyatt cleared his throat.
Wyatt: (Clears Throat) If we're done yapping then I suggest we get back to work. Corrinne you'll be taking a commuter Service.
Duchess Corrinne: Yes Sir and if it's not too much trouble could I be placed with my counterparts this evening? I need to talk to them about something very important. Something big that's been weighing on my mind.
Wyatt Hatt and Cordell Walker had a feeling why the Stanier Princess Coronation Pacific would ask to see her counterparts, Mark and Lori. It had something to do with her enemies and their enemies and she didn't want to risk the Unova Railway Fleet or their human friends being caught in the crossfire or paying the price for any retaliation. They also had a feeling it would involve her human friends from the United Kingdom as well.
Wyatt: Yes Duchess Corinne but whatever you plan to tell them you must tell Thomas and the Texas Rangers. As you know by now I'm not easily scared off and neither are Cordell Walker and his team.
Walker: Wyatt Hatt's right Corrinne. I'm asking you as a friend to trust me and to trust Wyatt Hatt. We can protect ourselves and you and your friends from your enemies. Can you at least trust ust o do that Duchess Corrinne?
The Stanier Coronation Pacific looked into Walker's eyes as he spoke and she knew that he wouldn't lie to her about something that was this big. She also knew that Walker had an amazing success rate and that he was one of the most dependable people there was next to the Belmonte Clan in France.
Duchess Corrinne: Very well Ranger Walker. I'll explain what I want to talk to my counterparts about. In fact why not make it a meeting tonight here at the sheds so that way when the day's work is done I don't have to repeat myself.
Thomas was surprised to hear that Duchess Corrinne would open up to a texas Ranger so easily. From what Edward, Henry, Gordon, and James said about her, Corrinne was not an easy engine to speak to. In fact even the Fat Controller had a tough time getting any information about the enemies that she often spoke of.
The Thin Controller on the other hand had the best luck in speaking with Corrinne and she was on neutral terms with the Small controller so that meant Sir Steven Hatt often had to put Corrinne on the front of passenger trains bound for Crovan's gate just to get any information out of her at all. However there was no time to worry about that as Wyatt continued to give out the jobs for the day.
Wyatt: Thomas you are to take some supplies to one of our workshops.
Thomas: Yes sir but which workshop am I going to exactly and how long will it take?
Wyatt: You'll be going to the workshop in Dallas. Ranger Walker can show you the way if you want. The Last thing we need is you getting lost.
Thomas knew the Unova Controller had a point so he headed off to find the trucks. Fortunately he had been fitted with knuckle couplings before he was taken to Dallas so he had one less issue to worry about.
Soon Thomas was steaming down the track and he had a line of American Cars behind him. They were bigger than what he was used to back in the United Kingdom so as such he could only take a few of them and to his surprise they were behaving surprisingly well and didn't cause him any problems.
Walker noticed this as he was in the cab alongside Thomas' Driver and Fireman and he could tell that Thomas was confused.
Walker: Is there something wrong Thomas?
Thomas: Well these trucks are heavy. Heavier than what I'm used to back home but for some reason I get the feeling that something's about to go wrong?
Walker: What makes you think that?
Thomas' Driver decided to take that question.
Thomas' Driver: Because back in the United Kingdom the Trucks tend to be troublesome and are known for playing tricks. If you read the thin clergyman's books you'd know the damage they could do.
The Cars behind Thomas heard that and the lead car decided it was time to speak up.
Lead Car: First off you're on the Unova Railway and we're called cars here in North America. Second off we're actually well behaved believe it or not.
Thomas: (Skeptically) Seriously?
Lead Car: Yes and we are nothing like our British counterparts.
Thomas: Well that's good to know.
Thomas continued the trip to the workshop in Dallas.
Meanwhile with Duchess Corrinne, she was doing commuter runs again and while she was getting back into shape of pulling Passenger Trains after having been dumped onto goods trains in the United Kingdom thanks to her enemies she was beginning to miss the top link express duties which didn't go unnoticed by her driver or fireman but they had to focus on something else at the moment. As they neared the platform they saw three teens, a white girl, a black guy, and a Hispanic guy discussing something.
White Girl: Well this is it. Are you excited for the festival?
Black Guy: I know I'm excited and it's not just a unity festival. It's also a steam festival too. Our ancestors would be proud to see this.
Hispanic Guy: Provided we don't run into trouble like the last time Dallas had a unity festival. According to Mr. Walker a hate group tried to set off bombs to disrupt the event. Who's to say that something like that won't happen again and at this festival?
White Girl: You have a point and some of the Soldiers of the New Millennium did try to fight with the Unity Team but they ended up defeated and arrested. The point is nothing is gonna happen because the Unova Railroad has Duchess Corrinne and Thomas Visiting from the United Kingdom. It's even said that Duchess Corrinne is a master strategist.
The guys couldn't argue with that logic as they headed off not knowing that the duchess in question had heard the conversation they had as she was at the platform.
Duchess Corrinne: Well it's good to know that Walker's students think so highly of me.
Corinne's Driver: Yes Corrinne but remember this. Even though tyou've been working commuter trains for a year since you got here and have done some local passenger services and did some work with the kick drugs out of America program they got this far because they are a team and so are we. Don't forget that.
Corrinne: I won't now let's get back to work.
The Crew agreed as Corrinne continued to work hard taking commuters up and down the line.
By the time work was done for the day the engines were all back at the sheds and this time Mark and Lori were there as well much to the surprise of Thomas who had never seen either of them before.
Thomas: (To Mark and Lori) I take It that you two are Mark and Lori?
Mark: That's right. I'm Mark and this is Lori. Corrinne's told you about us hasn't she?
Thomas: She has. She said that you were pacifics much like her.
Mark: Well either way us being here means she wants to talk to us about something but she usually does so when it's just Lori and I in the shed.
Lori: I know what you mean. When Corrinne first got here and met us. It took a lot to get her to open up about her issues. Not even Caitlin, Hank, or Conner could get Corrinne to open up about life back home. Walker's really made a big difference in her and so has Wyatt.
Thomas understood as Ranger Walker was present and so were Trivette, Gage, Sydney, and Alex. Wyatt was also there to since he was the one who told Corrinne that she needed to talk to everyone present.
Gage: So what's so important that we all had to be here?
Duchess Corrinne: As you all know the Crows still have a big hold on Dallas and as you also know I'm worried about history repeating itself with this upcoming festival.
Everyone present knew what the Stanier Duchess meant for they could well remember the last unity festival in 2001 where the Soldiers of the New Millennium had tried to disrupt the event.
Sydney: If you're worried about history repeating itself then you can relax. We're doing security checks round the clock.
Walker: But somehow I get the feeling that this isn't what you wanted to talk about Corrinne.
Duchess Corrinne: Nope. It's about Jen.
Lori: Your friend from the United Kingdom and the current controller of the other railway?
Duchess Corrinne: The very same. Though we're getting her out of the thumb of my enemies I'm worried that she may not have much confidence in herself.
Caitlin: What about that martial arts program you mentioned to us. The one that Walker put some of the kids in.
Walker: You mean the Kick Drugs out of America Program? That's helped a lot of kids and it sounds like it would help Jen out as well.
Paul chose at that moment to put his own two cents into the conversation and be blunt.
Paul: (Bluntly) In case you forgot there's a couple of problems with that. Jen is all the way in the United Kingdom and even if she were here who is going to take her place as Controller while she's gone? From what you said Duchess Corrinne if Jen leaves and somebody loyal to your enemies is put in charge then the steam engines there won't have a chance even with mainline certification.
Duchess Corrinne: Which is the main reason why I didn't mention the program in the first place.
Trivette: Sounds like a real problem then.
Gage: Yeah so what do we do Walker?
Walker: For now we focus on the upcoming festival. Hopefully nothing will happen to disrupt it. Then we'll worry about Jen later.
Everyone present agreed as they returned home to get some much needed sleep.