Saving Bigg City
Written by Jonathan Downs, Rachel Ravens and Zack Wanzer
Warning: The following story contains mentions Adolf Hitler, the Nazi regime, terrorism, explosions and death.
It had been a week since Billy Shoepack's funeral. Ten Cents, Big Mac, Hercules, Zorran, Zak and Zip had announced their intentions to sign up for the navy. Captain Zero and I met with Admiral Cardona to make the arrangements. During that time, I contacted the harbour master at Boston to arrange for Penny to come back, as well as to loan the harbour tug and the ocean-going tug Ariel had informed me about. On the day Penny and the other tugs were due to arrive, I gathered my fleet and Ariel to make the announcement.
"Right, everyone," I boomed, trying to keep it together. "As you know, Ten Cents, Big Mac and Hercules have volunteered to enlist in the Navy for the rest of the war. Grampus had the great idea of bringing Penny back to do Ten Cents' work whilst he's away. Thanks to Ariel, I have been aware of a harbour tug and ocean-going tug to fill in for Big Mac and Hercules. They should be here very shortly."
Then everyone heard three hooters. Hercules was surprised as he recognised not only Penny's, but the other two as well.
"That can't be…" he gasped.
Sure enough, Penny came bustling up with excitement. The other two tugs weren't too far behind. The harbour tug was painted yellow like my Star tugs. She wore a purple sailor's cap and was flying the Union Jack. The ocean-going tug was painted in the naval grey livery and wore a blue beret. She was so beautiful that Big Mac blushed bright red.
"Bless me… Meridian, Venus?!" Hercules exclaimed. "Is that you?"
"Hercules!" replied Venus. "It's been too long, sweetie."
"It's great to see you again," said Meridian with a smile.
"So you're Meridian and Venus!" smiled Ten Cents. "Hercules also told us about you two. Welcome to Bigg City."
"Thank you," greeted Meridian and Venus.
"And may I just say, welcome back, Penny," smiled Hercules.
"Hi, Stars, Ariel!" Penny said happily. "What's up? Say, where's Top Hat?"
The Stars glanced sadly at each other.
"Well, that's why I'm here, Penny," said Ariel sadly. "Top Hat was killed in the blitz."
"What?!" Penny gasped in horror.
"Oh, gracious!" exclaimed Venus.
"We're… we're really sorry to hear that," said Meridian sympathetically.
"It's nae yer fault, lasses… ye didnae ken," replied Big Mac.
"We're glad you're here to help us, anyway," agreed Sunshine.
"Thank you, dear," smiled Venus. "And the rest of you are?"
"Oh, I'm Ten Cents," my number one tug said. "The two harbour tugs are Big Mac and Warrior, the paddle steamer is O.J., the other switcher is Sunshine, and the submarine is Grampus."
"Pleased to meet you," said Meridian.
"I am so sorry about Top Hat," said Penny sadly.
"It's alright, Penny," said Grampus. "Venus, Meridian, if you don't mind me asking, how did you two end up in Massachusetts?"
"Well, after the Pearl Harbor attack," said Meridian, "I volunteered to be part of the Royal Navy convoy to the United States and arrived there not long after the New Year. It was three months later that Ariel was called away to Atlantic City, before she ended up in Bigg City after Top Hat was killed."
"As for me," sighed Venus, "I was actually at Pearl Harbor on the day of the attack. It was horrific. Multiple casualties – human, watercraft and aircraft alike. It got to the point where I asked to be transferred elsewhere, that being Massachuetts."
"Sorry tae hear that," said Big Mac.
"Indeed," said Hercules. "I always knew war was awful from what we saw with the last one, but this might just be the deadliest conflict in human history."
"All the same," I said, "we are grateful for you three coming to help. Ten Cents, Big Mac and Hercules, as soon as Zorran, Zak and Zip's replacements arrive, you six are to report to Lucky's to be repainted in a temporary grey livery and to be fitted with radios."
"Let's hope Zak has changed for the better…" muttered Ten Cents.
"Who are Zorran, Zip and Zak?" asked Venus.
"Three of the Z-Stacks," replied Warrior.
"And Zak isn't exactly trustworthy," O.J. said darkly.
"Oh, he hasn't changed, has he?" Penny winced.
"I'm afraid not, Penny…" said Ariel darkly.
"And guess who Captain Zero's ocean-going tug is," Sunshine said bitterly.
"Oh no…" groaned Meridian. "Not Zeus."
"I'm afraid so…" replied Grampus.
"Oh, by the way," said Ten Cents. "A few years ago, we learnt a surprising fact about Zob. Turns out he is also ex-Navy but served under a different name."
"A different name?" gasped Penny. "You don't mean Pennsylvania Railroad No. 9?"
"I do," said Ten Cents, and he explained the whole story.
I wonder who will cover for Zorran, Zak and Zip, O.J. thought to himself. We were soon about to find out…
Captain Zero had arrived at his office late.
"I'm so sorry about this," he said to the other Z-Stacks. "Car trouble again."
Just then, four hooters sounded out.
"Er… sir," asked Zorran, "does that mean to say you didn't find some tugs to fill in for us yet?"
"I'm afraid so, Zorran," replied his captain. "Why?"
"Because, Jimbo is coming up to our dock with three tugs we've never met before," said Zebedee.
"Really?" Captain Zero asked.
"Yes," replied Zip. "And it looks like Admiral Cardona is on board Jimbo."
Captain Zero looked as Jimbo and the three unfamiliar tugs approached them. They were diesel tugs just like Jimbo, but each was painted in a cream livery with black stacks. The first tug had a backwards purple baseball cap and the number one on his stack. The second tug had a turquoise fishing hat and the number two on her stack. The third tug had a red baseball cap and the number four on his stack.
"Excuse me," said the tug with the red cap. "Are you Captain Zero?"
"Er… yes," Captain Zero replied. "Can I… help you three?"
"Well, actually," replied the tug with the purple cap, "we've come to help whilst three of your tugs are away in the navy."
"Admiral Cardona invited us especially," replied the tug with the turquoise hat.
"I wanted to make it up to you for unintentionally sending Zug to his demise," said Admiral Cardona, lifting his hat.
"I don't blame you for what happened to Zug," assured Captain Zero. "Nevertheless, it's very kind of you to arrange this for me, and I'd be delighted to let… err, sorry, what were your names again?"
"Oh, silly us," said the tug with the purple cap. "We didn't introduce ourselves. I'm George the Valiant, number one tug of the Great Ocean Tug and Salvage Company in Halifax."
"That's in Canada!" gasped Zip.
"That's right," replied the tug with the turquoise hat. "I'm Emily the Vigorous, number two tug of the Great Ocean Tug and Salvage Company."
"And I'm Theodore," said the tug with the red hat, "number four tug of the Great Ocean Tug and Salvage Company."
"Well, George, Emily and Theodore," said Captain Zero, "I'd be delighted to let you three help out. Welcome to Bigg City Port. George, you will be covering for Zorran, Emily, you will take over Zak's duties and Theodore, you will fill in for Zip."
"You can count on us, sir," said Theodore. He then noticed something. "Say, what happened to your number four?"
"Oh… you mean Zug?" Zip said sadly. "He died a few months ago."
"Oh, I'm so sorry," gasped Emily. "What happened?"
"He was murdered via a Final Firing on the same day Bigg City was attacked," explained Zorran. "It was during the attack he lost our number eight – a submarine named Zilly. He sacrificed himself to save O.J. – a member of the Star Fleet."
"That's why these two are here," said Zob, motioning towards Corona and Hans.
"Why is a U-Boat here?" asked George. "I could have sworn they were working for the enemy."
"Apparently, Hans claims to have defected from the German navy," said Captain Zero, "but I find it to believe, especially given the histories he and Corona – that's the switcher – have with the Star Fleet."
"Zob and I will find you three in later," said Zebedee.
"Would you mind if we met the Star Fleet?" asked Theodore.
"Why not?" said Zorran. "Three of their members – Ten Cents, Big Mac and Hercules – are enlisting in the Navy as well."
"We'd better get back to base, Jimbo," said Admiral Cardona.
"Of course," said Jimbo. "Good day, Captain Zero, Z-Stacks."
With that, Jimbo turned back towards the naval base.
"Right then," said Captain Zero. "Zorran, you, Zak and Zip had better get going. No funny business for you, Zak. Zorran, Zip, good luck and come home safely."
"Don't worry, Captain Zero," said Zorran. "We'll keep an eye on Zak. Right, you two; let's go. The Stars will be waiting for us."
"We'll come back to receive your orders, Captain Zero," called George.
"Very good, George," Captain Zero called back.
"Good luck, you three," called Zebedee as Zorran, Zak and Zip left. "You're going to need it."
"Indeed," said Zob. "Good luck to you three."
"Yes, godspeed, Zorran, Zak and Zip," said Captain Zero.
"Well, I'm glad Little Owl's finally let go of her grudge," said Penny.
"And that Zob has become more open about his past," agreed Meridian.
Just then, they heard three hooters and looked to see Zorran, Zak and Zip approach the Star Dock with Theodore, Emily and George behind.
"I see your replacements have come," asked Ten Cents.
"Yes, indeed," replied Zorran, "and it looks like your replacements have come too."
"That's right, Zorran," replied Ten Cents. "You might recognise one of them."
"Penny, is that you?" asked Zip, noticing the purple switcher.
"Hi, Zip," said Penny. "Hello Zorran."
"Well, it's good to see a pleasant face," said Zorran before turning his attention to the other two tugs. "And two new faces as well. Hello."
"Greetings," said the ocean-going tug. "My name's Venus."
"And I'm Meridian," added the harbour tug.
"Pleased to meet you," smiled Zip. "I'm Zipporah, or Zip for short. These two are Zorran and Zak."
"On behalf of the Z-Stacks, I welcome you both to Bigg City, and welcome back, Penny," said Zorran. "You two will meet Zebedee and Zob later, I'm sure."
"And Zeus, we hear, is also a part of your fleet," said Venus.
"You know him?" asked Zip.
"Unfortunately, yes," sighed Meridian. "I met him during the Great War."
"I was in the same regiment as Zeus and Hercules," added Venus.
"Ah, I see," said Zorran. "Well… unfortunately, you will see him later. Watch your backs around him."
"On a more lighthearted note," said Theodore, "I'm Theodore, these are George and Emily, the latter of whom is my girlfriend. We're from the Great Ocean and Salvage Company in Canada."
"Nice to meet you," said Ten Cents. "I'm Ten Cents. The three harbour tugs are Ariel, Big Mac and Warrior, the paddle driver tug is O.J., the ocean going tug is Hercules, the other switcher is Sunshine and the submarine is Grampus."
"Pleased to meet you," said Emily.
"Admiral Cardona arranged for their arrival as his way of saying sorry for what almost happened to Zug," said Zorran.
"What?!" gasped Venus. "You almost lost a member of your fleet as well?"
"Not Zug too!" cried Penny.
"Wait, what do you mean… Oh no!" gasped Theodore. "You almost lost a member of the Star Fleet too?!"
"I'm afraid so," Hercules sighed. "Our railway tug, Top Hat, got badly damaged trying to save Zip from an enemy bomber. The bomb destroyed his wheelhouse."
"Ooh, that's horrible," winced George. "Our deepest condolences."
"Thank you," replied O.J..
"But what happened to Zug?" asked Penny.
"He was given a forced Final Firing on the same day as the Bigg City attack," Sunshine explained, trying to fight back tears. "Ten Cents and Hercules found his body in a warehouse."
"I had rushed Ten Cents there so he wouldn't go into shock after his near-death experience with the oil barge," said Hercules.
"We also lost our submarine Zilly in the attack," said Zorran sadly. "He went out saving O.J. from a torpedo."
"At least he and Top Hat died as heroes," said Meridian. "But poor Zug didn't deserve such a cruel fate."
"Kirke, an engine from the Dockside Railway, and Sally, our seaplane friend, also died as heroes," said Warrior, "and Lord Stinker and Jack's manager, Mr. Krieger, was crushed to death by a falling beam."
"Captain Star's mother and Captain Lucky's parents were also killed in the attack," sighed Big Mac.
"As for Billy Shoepack, an alligator tug who worked Up River…" sighed Grampus. "He was destroyed by his own dynamite a few months after the attack on Bigg City."
"Oh no! Not Kirke, Sally, Mr. Krieger, Captain Star's mother and Captain Lucky's parents too!" cried Penny in horror. "And Billy Shoepack?! Blown up by his own dynamite?! How… how did…"
"We think whoever murdered Zug had Billy murdered too," sighed Sunshine sadly.
"Either that or someone else lit the dynamite and didn't know what they were doing," added O.J.. "But I fear Sunshine has the right idea."
"Well, don't worry," promised Venus. "We'll keep our eyes open for any trouble."
"As will we," said Theodore.
"Thank you," said Grampus. "We appreciate that."
Then Venus noticed Zip's builder plate. "Were you built at Tulloch Works in California?" she asked.
"Er… yes. Why?" replied Zip.
"Well…" replied Venus, revealing her builder plate, which indicated she, too, was a Tulloch Works tug, which prompted a gasp from Zip.
"I've got a big sister?!" Zip said in surprise.
"You sure do… Oh, I've always wanted a little sibling," said Venus happily. "Hercules said he was looking forward to meeting his little brother too."
"And it turns out I'm his little sister," chimed Penny.
"You are?!" exclaimed Meridian. "Oh wow, that's amazing."
"Well, we both have another sibling too, Venus," added Zip. "His name is Zion. If you see him, be sure to say hello."
"Zion?" Venus asked in shock. "Er… would he happen to be a bit pessimistic, but honorable and hardworking?"
"That's him," replied Zip. "We had a falling out last time we saw each other, but I want to make amends."
Venus, Penny and Ariel looked at each other sadly.
"…oh no. Not him too," Zip said, her voice breaking.
"He… he was bombed during the Pearl Harbour attack," Penny said, trying to fight back tears.
"I was helping to evacuate survivors when he took a hit to the side," explained Venus. "He'd been fighting an enemy plane. Zion was so badly damaged that he was barely clinging onto life. As a result, they had to give him the Final Firing."
"Zion said he had heard about your turnaround and had hoped to make amends too," said Ariel. "But… it looks like it won't happen now."
"What a brave tug…" Zip said through tears. "And I'll never see him again…"
"I'll speak to Captain Zero to see if we can arrange a memorial service for him," I promised.
"T-Thank you, Captain Star…" said Zip.
"He would have been the perfect replacement for Zug," sighed Zorran.
"I think he would have made a great member for any fleet," said Geogre.
"Indeed," agreed O.J.. With that, the tugs lowered their flags to half-mast. Once the moment's silence was over, Sunshine turned to Theodore.
"Did you experience any attacks back home?" asked Sunshine.
"Yes, but thankfully our friends survived the attack," said Theodore. "Although Hank, Foduck, Rebecca and Northumberland's repairs are taking a long time due to extensive damage from the conflict."
"Och, that's nasty," winced Big Mac. "Still, Ah'm glad they're still alive. Ah wis almost killed efter savin' Warrior fae a bomb."
"Well, I'm glad you survived," said Emily.
"So am I," agreed Warrior.
"Right then," said Hercules. "Ten Cents, Big Mac, Zorran, Zak, Zip, it's time we got going."
"I'll phone Captain Lucky and let her know you three are on your way," I said to Ten Cents, Big Mac and Hercules.
"Ten Cents, Big Mac, Hercules… godspeed to you three," called Grampus. "You too, Zorran, Zak and Zip."
"Thank you, Grampus," said Hercules as he, Ten Cents, Big Mac, Zorran, Zak and Zip set off.
"Good luck, guys," called Penny.
"It was great seeing you again, Hercules," called Meridian. "And it was nice meeting you, Ten Cents, Big Mac, Zorran and Zip."
"It was nice meeting you," called Theodore. "Good luck."
"Godspeed, my tugs…" I called with a shaky voice. "Come back safely."
"I wish we could have met Zug, Zilly, Top Hat, Kirke, Sally and Billy," called Venus.
"We'd better get back to the Zero Dock," George said to Theodore and Emily.
"It was nice meeting you three," called Sunshine as they left.
With that, I went down to my office and picked up the phone.
"Lucky's Yard, Marine Repairs. How may I help you?" said Captain Lucky's voice.
"Hello, Lenore," I said. "Ten Cents, Big Mac and Hercules are on their way with Zorran, Zak and Zip to get ready for military service."
"Ah yes, Captain Zero phoned to see that Zorran, Zak and Zip were on their way too," said Captain Lucky. "Thanks for letting me know, Patrick. The radios for them have arrived and I've got the grey paint ready. Once they're ready, I'll send them up to base."
"Thanks, Lenore," I said, "but you might want to keep Zip back for a talk. She's just learnt that her brother Zion was bombed at Pearl Harbour and was so badly damaged he had to be given the Final Firing."
"Oh, that's awful," gasped Captain Lucky.
"Indeed," I sighed. "Captain Zero doesn't know about this yet as she learnt it at the Star Dock. Once I've given my tugs their jobs, I'm going to speak to Captain Zero about arranging a private memorial service. I'll get back to you then."
"Understood. Goodbye, Patrick," said Captain Lucky and we both hung up our phones. I then picked up my schedule and went back upstairs.
At Lucky's Yard, Captain Lucky heard the six tugs' hooters.
"Ahoy, Captain Lucky," said Ten Cents.
"Greetings, ma'am," said Hercules.
"Hello, tugs," said Captain Lucky. "Captain Star called and told me you were here to get ready for military service. Oh, and Zip, I've heard about what happened to your brother. My deepest condolences, dearie. Captain Star has asked that you stay behind for a talk."
"Ok, thank you, Captain Lucky," said Zip with a sad smile. "And just when I learnt I have a big sister as well."
"What do you mean?" Captain Lucky asked.
"The tug that's filling in for Hercules," said Ten Cents, "is his old friend, Venus, and it turns out that she was built at the same works as Zip."
"My goodness!" exclaimed Captain Lucky. "That's amazing!"
"Aye," said Big Mac. "'N' it's nae wonder Hercules almost fell in love with her. She's the most beautiful tug Ah've ever seen." Ten Cents had to bite his lip to stop himself from chuckling.
"Yes, but we agreed to end the relationship due to the war effort," said Hercules. "Besides, I found the woman I love the moment I arrived at Bigg City – the most beautiful lightship I've ever seen."
"Oh, thank you, Hercules," smiled Lillie.
"What about the rest of you?" asked Captain Lucky. "What are your replacements like?"
"Well, you'll be pleased to know that Penny is back," said Ten Cents. "She's my replacement. Another friend of Hercules', Meridian, is covering for Big Mac."
"The same Meridian from Southampton?" asked Captain Lucky.
"That's the one, old darling," replied Hercules.
"Well, it'll be nice to see Penny again," said Captain Lucky, "and I'm looking forward to meeting Meridian and Venus."
"Oh, you'll like those two," said Zorran. "I know we do. Also, Admiral Cardona chartered three tugs from Canada to loan to our fleet while we're away. Their names are Theodore, Emily and George. They're very friendly as well."
"I'm looking forward to meeting them," smiled Captain Lucky. "Right then, let's get you three ready for military service. I'll do you last, Zip, so you can give your counseling."
With that, Captain Lucky had the six tugs' numbers and insignias removed and stored away before repainting the tugs into a temporary grey livery. Zip had her talk with Captain Lucky before going last. The six tugs were also fitted with radios and fighter guns, and were also assigned codenames: Ten Cents was "Star Partridge", Big Mac was "Turtle Dove", Hercules was "Greek Goose", Zorran was "Pear Tree", Zak was "French Hen" and Zip was "Golden Ring". Once that was completed, Admiral Cardona and Jimbo arrived for inspection and had the six tugs officially inducted into the military's ranks as the 110th Flotilla of the Bigg City Reserve Corps. Due to his previous experience in the Navy, Hercules was given the great honor of being named its commanding officer. The six tugs were then escorted to the naval base. For the rest of the war, the Flotilla would go on patrol around the harbour and be ready to defend Bigg City in the event of another attack, although Zak's motives were still suspicious. Why would he suddenly go from supporting Hitler to fighting against him? It didn't make sense.
Sunshine and O.J. were showing Meridian and Venus around when they saw the Salvage Fleet and Robin.
"Wait a minute!" gasped Venus. "Pisces, Scorpio, Misty? Is that you?"
Pisces, Scorpio and Misty looked at the ocean-going tug and gasped in amazement.
"Moonlight Oceans above!" gasped Pisces. "Venus? It is you! Oh, this is wonderful!"
"Back up a moment!" said Sunshine. "You three know Venus?"
"Yep," replied Scorpio. "Back from our pre-Salvage Fleet days."
"We used to serve in the Navy together," said Misty.
O.J. was surprised by this. "You served in the Navy?" he asked.
"So did Stormy and I," said Ember. "But we joined the Salvage Fleet at a later date. Then Hail was donated by the Royal Navy and Moonlight was donated by the San Francisco Fire Department."
"Mmm-hmm," said Moonlight.
"I'm a private switcher who is often loaned to the Salvage Fleet," said Robin. "I'm Robin, by the way."
"And I'm Ember, the second-in-command of the Salvage Fleet," said Ember.
"Nice to meet you, Ember. I'm Meridian," said the British harbour tug.
"Did you know that information about the Salvage Fleet, Sunshine?" asked O.J..
"Oh, yes," replied Sunshine, "but Ah didn't know they knew Venus."
"Wait! We never told you?" said Pisces, realising. "Oh, how embarrassing! Sorry about that, Venus."
"That's alright," replied Venus. "It's wonderful to see you three again."
"You too, old friend," said Scorpio.
"Venus has come to cover for Hercules," said Sunshine. "Penny has come back to cover for Ten Cents, and Meridian here is covering for Big Mac."
"Well, it's nice to meet you," said Ember.
"Likewise," said Meridian. "So how did the Salvage Fleet get set up?"
"Well, our captain Jennifer Salvage's brother, Jeremy, was coming home on board the Titanic," Misty said, before sighing sadly.
"Oh, Moonlight Oceans above!" gasped Venus. "Did he...?"
"He gave his place on the lifeboat to save a mother and her child," said Stormy. "He was still onboard when the Titanic sank. Unfortunately, he had drowned by the time the lifeboats returned. Captain Salvage was moved by the tragedy to set a fleet of tugboats to help with rescue and clean up operations."
"Scorpio, Misty and I arrived in 1913 as the first three Salvage tugs," explained Pisces. "Then, Ember and Stormy arrived two years later. Hail and Moonlight came a year later. There were three other tugs who joined us named Nightshade, Oleander and Foxglove. But those three were very underhanded and one day, they did something so unspeakable they got themselves fired."
"Sunshine used to be a privately owned tug like Robin," put in Hail, "and would be loaned to our fleet quite often. Unfortunately, her owner was diagnosed with terminal cancer and because of our fleet being financially strained from those three's deceit, we couldn't buy her, so she ended up with Captain Star, which unfortunately led to some trouble with another switcher named Corona, but that's another story."
"Oh, by the way," said Sunshine. "Admiral Cardona has arranged for three tugs to come from Canada to help whilst Zorran, Zak and Zip are away. Their names are Theodore, Emily and George. They're very friendly and you'll like them, Ah'm sure."
"We'll take your word for it," said Ember.
"Well, we'd better get on our way," said Sunshine.
"It was nice seeing you again, Venus," said Pisces. "And it was nice meeting you, Meridian. Welcome to Bigg City, you two."
"Tell Penny I said hi," called Hail, "unless I bump into her before you."
"Oh, and a tip for you two – watch out for Burke and Blair," warned Stormy. "They work at the breaker's yard up river and are notorious for scavenging any boat they deemed to be useless. O.J. is at the top of their list and they've tried to scrap him twice."
"Thanks for the warning," said Meridian as the two groups went their separate ways.
I told Captain Zero about Penny, Meridian and Venus coming to cover for Ten Cents, Big Mac and Hercules, how Venus was Zip's big sister and the devastating news about Zip's brother Zion.
"So Venus and Zip are sisters?" said Captain Zero. "That's quite a surprise."
"Indeed," I replied.
"Still, it's such a shock as to what happened to Zion," sighed Captain Zero. "Zorran and Zebedee said he was a hard worker and I reckon he would have made a great addition to the Z-Stacks."
"I was wondering if you could organize a private memorial service for him on Zip's behalf," I said.
"I can't make any promises," replied Captain Zero, "but I'll see what I can do."
"Hopefully the six chartered tugs will be an excellent job whilst Ten Cents, Big Mac, Zorran, Zak and Zip are away," I said.
Indeed, they did an excellent job and befriended everyone they met in the harbour, all except for Zeus, Corona and Hans. Months went by, leading to 1943. A S100 tank engine would come to the Dock Railway.
"Now, where is that new tank engine…" muttered Zob. "She should be here…"
"Hello!" a new voice whistled.
"Whoa!" cried Zob. "Watch it, kid!"
"Oh, where's your sense of humor?" she giggled.
"We are in a wartime situation," Zob said sternly. "There's no time for jokes."
"I'm sorry," she sighed. "I just thought I could get others to look on the bright side. I mean, we're helping others through this tough time, right?"
"I… guess so," said Zob. "Oh, I'm Zob of the Zero Fleet. What's your name?"
"I… I unfortunately don't have a name," said the tank engine. "Just the number 73. I'm coming to have my shakedown period here before heading off to Europe."
"Oh… I see," Zob said quietly. "Well… I just wish to warn you, No. 73. I served on the frontline during the First World War and the horrors there were unspeakable."
"I will," promised No. 73. "Wait, the First World War?"
"It's what they're calling The Great War now." sighed Zob. "This is now called World War II. It's… just as bad, if not worse than the first one."
"I understand," sighed No. 73. "I hope it ends soon. We've lost too many lives already."
"Me too," said Zob. "Keep your buffers crossed… and I'll keep my deck crossed."
Just then, Theodore came up with a delivery of fuel for the Logging engines.
"Hello, Theodore," called Porter. "How is it going?"
"Great, thanks," smiled the Canadian tug. "Emily and George are enjoying their time as well."
"Hopefully, you can come back and visit us after the war is over," said Puffa.
"It would be nice," smiled Theodore.
"You, George and Emily have been a godsend to us," complimented Zob. "You do your work without any fuss or complaint and are some of the most pleasant tugs we've ever met, which is more than can be said for Zak, Zeus and Corona."
"Oh, yes," Theodore said with a frown. "Sunshine said that Corona tried to have her killed. You know, the other day, I offered to help her with her barge until she refused, saying that she doesn't work with filthy diesel tugs."
"Ooh, that little brat!" huffed Maeve. "So what if you use different fuel from her? You're a hard worker. That's what should be, not whether you're steam or diesel."
"And diesels have certain advantages over steam," admitted Tillie. "For one thing, we steam engines take ages to get ready whereas with diesel watercraft like you, you need a fill of oil and with a touch of a starter, you're off. Plus, diesels are faster than steam engines. Even when Mallard broke the speed record for steam in 1938, that didn't make him the fastest rail vehicle. That belongs to a rail zeppelin from Germany named Hugo who is powered by petrol. Three years before war broke in Europe, Hugo visited our railway and he was a friendly chap, not at all like Hitler. In fact, Hugo said he felt heartbroken by what Hitler was doing to his country."
"Poor Hugo," sighed Lexi. "That means the Germans are victims too in all this."
"Eeyup," agreed Placido.
"Speaking of Hitler," Theodore said thoughtfully while biting his lip, "didn't you say that Zak once said he agreed with his ideas?"
"Y-yes," stuttered Henney.
"Then why would he suddenly go from saying that Hitler was a great guy when we know he's the exact opposite to deciding to fight the Germans?"
"Now that you mention it," replied Zob, "it can't be a coincidence that Zak volunteered on the same day Billy Shoepack was murdered."
"Do you think Zak was the one who killed Billy?" gasped Ariel.
"That must be why he volunteered!" gasped Maeve. "He's trying to avoid detection!"
"We'd better get this information to Captain Zero," said Mr. Lloyd.
"Sorry, sir," said Zob, "but Captain Zero, Captain Lucky and Captain Star have gone to a meeting this afternoon in Mittsville and the curfew will be starting soon, meaning that as soon as they get back, they'll be going straight home."
"I'll let him know first thing in the morning," promised Mr. Lloyd. "In the meantime, we'd return to the sheds and docks."
"Good idea," said Theodore as he docked the fuel barge. "Goodnight, everyone," he called.
"Good night," they called. Little did Mr. Lloyd know that Captain Zero was about to learn the horrifying truth for himself.
It was around 5:45 pm that Captain Zero, Captain Lucky and I left the meeting at Mittsville. Warrior and Venus passed by on their way back from Uptown after making a delivery.
"Can we offer a lift?" offered Venus.
"Thank you kindly," I said with a smile.
The three of us climbed aboard Venus and we set off back for the port.
Warrior and Venus decided to take a short cut through one of the old docks. It was there we encountered five tugs in a naval grey livery. We smiled as we recognised them. It was Ten Cents, Big Mac, Hercules, Zorran and Zip out on patrol.
"Well, well, well," said Warrior. "Evening, Big Mac. Hello, everyone."
"Hullo, Warrior," chuckled Big Mac. "Hardly recognize me, don't ye?"
"It is hard to recognise you lot without your regular colours," said Venus. "And how is it going, dears?"
"It's going great, sis," replied Zip. "No trouble so far."
"Plus, Zak has been unusually well-behaved," admitted Zorran.
"Good, we're just heading back to our respective docks before the curfew kicks in," Captain Zero replied. "I don't know about you, but I don't fancy seeing the swastika over the Zero Dock. Say, shouldn't Zak be with you?"
"He was with us," explained Ten Cents, "but then he turned down here suddenly. We don't know what's going on."
"Wait! What's that?" asked Captain Lucky, noticing something red nearby. We all went for a closer look and, to our horror, we saw the swastika hanging above a warehouse.
"This maun be the Nazis' hidoot!" gasped Big Mac.
"Well, well, well," sneered a voice. "What do we have here?" Out from the shadows emerged Blair, only now he was wearing the swastika on his mast. Burke also emerged with the swastika flying on his mast.
But it didn't stop there. We looked to see Corona, Nightshade, Oleander and Foxglove emerge with the swastika on their masts as well, followed by Hans and Otto. Ten Cents looked and saw Zeus with the swastika as well. And last but not least, Zak emerged, not only with the swastika on his mast, but Ursula Zero and Mr. Broke on his deck. Both were wearing armbands with the swastika.
"This is perfect," said Ursula. "My idiotic husband's manipulative rival, that tug-loving flower girl, four of the falling Stars, two of the soon-to-be former Z-Stacks, a naval ocean-going tug, and best of all, my idiotic husband himself! Now the fun can really begin. Well done, Zak!"
"W-What is the meaning of this?!" Captain Zero spluttered in disbelief.
"I think… this is a hostile takeover," said Zorran in shock.
"And the scrap dealers are in on this," gasped Warrior.
"I know, I know," replied Mr. Broke. "It's terrible. I am so ashamed. But I had no choice. My mother needed an operation. See, she got injured playing a game of badminton. She got too close to the sides and, uh… she broke her back really bad." Mr. Broke seemed to be sobbing, but then he burst out laughing. "Oh, I'm sorry. I couldn't do it any longer. Money! I'm a greedy little so-and-so who did it for the money." Now, Mr. Broke didn't actually say "so-and-so"; this is just a placeholder for a more vulgar word.
"Hilarious," Zip said sarcastically.
"Yeah, but I had you going there for a second, didn't I?" Mr. Broke said, before speaking in a Captain Zero expression, "'Hello, Admiral Cardona? I need Zug to collect an urgent delivery from the old quayside'." As he laughed, Captain Zero, Zorran and Zip's faces turned bright red with anger as they put two-and-two together.
"It was you, wasn't it?!" growled Captain Zero. "You broke into my office whilst I was at that meeting and made that fake phone call to the admiral! You lured Zug into a trap so that you could pour Black Water into his system… and worst of all, Top Hat and Zilly ended up killed whilst they were looking for him!"
"Ah yes, I remember it all too well…" said Ursula evilly.
April 9, 1942
We were ready and waiting when Zug arrived at the old quay. Otto was in position to pounce on him.
"Hello?" Zug called. "Hello? Where can I find the delivery?"
"Right here, pipsqueak!" yelled Otto who pounced on Zug.
"H-help!" cried Zug, but no one else could hear. Otto took Zug inside the warehouse and all of us were waiting.
"Ah, welcome, Zug," said Blair. "We've been expecting you."
"W-What do you w-want from m-me?" Zug asked in a scared tone. "I d-don't want any t-trouble!"
"But you've been causing Captain Zero all sorts of trouble since you arrived," said Zeus, "Remember, 'I wanted another harbour tug, but that so-and-so sent me that little runt'."
"B-but he's been t-treating me a lot b-better in recent y-years," insisted Zug.
"That doesn't matter!" I snapped. "We're going to arrange it so Captain Zero never has to worry about you." I turned to Mr. Broke. "Fetch the barrel."
"Yes, ma'am," Mr. Broke replied, walking away.
"W-what barrel?" asked Zug.
"We've got something special planned just for you," said Corona.
Moments later, Mr. Broke came back with a barrel.
"T-The Final Firing?!" gulped Zug. "But w-why?!"
"We've arranged a little surprise for the residents of Bigg City Port," Burke replied, "and you're going to help distract them until it arrives."
"A s-surprise?!" asked Zug. "W-why don't I l-like the sound of it?"
"Because… IT'S TO DIE FOR!" exclaimed Foxglove.
"YOU MEAN BIGG CITY IS GOING TO BE ATTACKED?!" Zug cried in alarm.
"Correct," replied Zak. "Even as we speak, a German naval convoy is approaching Bigg City and will launch the attack when Hans gives the word."
"And now," I said as Mr. Broke handed the barrel, "the moment we've been waiting for!" With that, I opened both the barrel and Zug's tank. Then, I tipped the barrel and began pouring it in.
"N-no…" breathed Zug as tears poured out of his eyes. "I don't want to go! I don't want to go! Please, I don't want to go! I'm… sorry…" Those were his final words as he drew his last breath.
"There," I said, feeling satisfied. "My husband is finally free of that little runt."
"Now that that's sorted," said Mr. Broke, "we better go to a safe spot and watch the fireworks."
"You go ahead," grunted Zak. "Zeus and I are going back to the Zero Dock so Captain Zero doesn't get suspicious."
"And I vill go vith them so I can vatch them from ze shadows and contact ze convoy," replied Hans.
"Good idea," I replied. With that, we went our separate ways and left in that warehouse until Ten Cents and Hercules found him.
Present Day
"Placido was right!" gasped Ten Cents. "The attack was connected to Zug's death! You killed Zug as a distraction! But why would you ally yourselves to Hitler in the first place? Hans and Otto, I can only guess why."
"After Corona and the Poison Plant trio's plot to kill Sunshine was foiled," replied Mr. Broke, "they had been hiding out at my breaker's yard. Then after the Bridge Care incident, Ursula got Zak and Zeus involved and invited Corona, Nightshade, Oleander and Foxglove to join in so they could replace Zorran, Zebedee, Zip and Zob."
"We decided to join in as well as it meant more scrap for us," put in Burke.
"Especially if it meant killing the Star Tugs as well," said Blair. "And then we would finally get O.J.."
"Then after ze spy incident," explained Otto, "Ursula invited me und Hans to join our gang, und it was zen zat ve revealed that Zeus has a history vith us."
"No!" gasped Captain Zero. "You don't mean…"
"That's right, Captain Zero," Zeus said with an evil grin. "I was Hans and Otto's informant during the Clearwater incident."
"I knew it!" exclaimed Hercules.
"You monster!" snapped Venus. "You don't deserve to be named after a Greek God, let alone the King of the Greek Gods."
"I was also the one who arranged for Hans and Corona to help after Zug and Zilly were killed," said Mr. Broke, "and would have arranged for the Poison Plant trio to help when Zorran, Zak and Zip were serving in the Navy had it not been for the curfew."
"All because someone lost their flag when he killed that stupid alligator tug!" snapped Nightshade. This prompted this cough from Zak, which indicated he was the one who had killed Billy Shoepack.
"And that's why Zak joined the Navy!" snapped Zorran. "He didn't want to get caught and this was the perfect cover for him! Why else would he join the Navy despite his views on Hitler?"
"I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO ENRAGED IN ALL MY LIFE!" roared Captain Zero with angry tears, this time from complete betrayal. "NOT ONLY DID YOU TWO GO BEHIND MY BACK TO TRY AND UNDERMINE, NOT ONLY DID YOU MURDER ZUG WITH BLACK WATER AND BILLY SHOEPACK WITH HIS DYNAMITE, NOT ONLY DID YOU ORCHESTRATE THE MASS MURDERERS OF INNOCENT PEOPLE AS WELL TOP HAT, ZILLY, SALLY SEAPLANE AND KIRKE, BUT WORST OF ALL, YOU ALLIED THEMSELVES TO THE MOST EVIL MAN ON THIS PLANET! WELL, I CAN SAFELY SAY THIS IS THE STONE THAT SANK THE BARGE! ZAK AND ZEUS, YOU TWO ARE OFFICIALLY FIRED!" He threw off his wedding ring and tossed it into the sea. "AND URSULA, I WANT A DIVORCE!"
"You lot can save your excuses for Peeper Pipes, Davy Jones, Cappy, Snowy and Officer Star when we report this to them!" snapped Captain Lucky. She rarely got angry, but this deceit was enough to enrage her.
"Mark my words!" I said darkly. "When the authorities get a hold of you, you will wish you were never born or had the First Firing!"
"Well, the one person I wish was never born is you!" snapped Ursula, pointing a gun at me.
"PATRICK!" Captain Zero cried in dismay. Then, just as Ursula pulled the trigger, he pushed me out of the way and took the shot to the heart.
"SEAN!" Captain Lucky and I cried in alarm.
"CAPTAIN ZERO!" Ten Cents, Big Mac, Hercules, Warrior and Venus yelled in horror.
"Oh no! Not again!" gulped Zorran.
"Oh, blast!" groaned Ursula. "That was my final bullet!"
"Someone call an ambulance!" shouted Zip. Captain Lucky was already racing toward the nearest phone.
"It's too late… Zip…" Captain Zero sobbed through heavy breaths. "P-Patrick… look after Zorran, Zebedee, Zip and Zob… for me…"
Then, with one final breath, Captain Zero closed his eyes and his arm fell to the ground.
"Thank you, Sean, for saving my life," I said with a shaky voice and tears forming in my eyes.
"Godspeed, Captain Zero," said Zorran with tears of his own.
"Say hi to Zug and Zilly for me," sighed Zip sadly, before her face turned to anger. Then, with angry tears, she turned to the Nazi sympathizers. "MURDERER!" she screamed at Ursula. "YOU MURDEROUS, DECEITFUL SEA WITCH! HE WAS WORKING SO HARD TO BECOME A BETTER MAN, BUT YOU GO BEHIND HIS BACK TO TRY AND UNDERMINE HIM! AND YOU LOT ARE NO BETTER! LIKE CAPTAIN ZERO SAID, YOU WENT ALONG WITH THIS HEINOUS PLOT ALL FOR THE SAKE OF YOUR OWN SELFISH NEEDS, AND NOW CAPTAIN ZERO IS DEAD TOO! THERE'S A SPECIAL PLACE IN DAVY JONES' LOCKER FOR NARROW MINDED BIGOTS LIKE YOU!"
Zeus growled like a wild animal, ready to attack its prey. "You little brat!" he sneered. "No one calls me a narrow-minded bigot AND GETS AWAY WITH IT!" With a loud blast of his hooter, Zeus charged towards Zip, but Venus blocked his way. "OUT OF THE WAY, VENUS!" he thundered. "THAT SCRAPPY LITTLE SWITCHER IS MINE!"
"YOU WILL NOT HARM MY LITTLE SISTER, YOU FASCIST BULLY!" roared Venus, and the two ocean-going tugs were engaged into a wrestling match of sorts.
"Ten Cents!" shouted Hercules. "Get Captain Star and Captain Lucky out of here!"
"We'll take Captain Zero's body with us!" said Captain Lucky, who had just come back. She and I lifted the body onto Ten Cents. "We'll meet the ambulance at another dock."
"I'll go and warn the others!" called Ten Cents as he reserved away.
Hercules, Zorran and Big Mac began firing at the other tugs. Then Big Mac ran out of ammo. "Och no!" he groaned.
"You're a sunk tug, Big Mac!" snarled Otto, charging towards him.
"Git awa' fae me!" yelled Big Mac, who failed to notice he was backing close to the quayside.
"LEAVE MY BROTHER ALONE!" roared Warrior as he threw a towline and pulled Otto away from Big Mac. Warrior then pushed Otto into the quayside instead, but didn't notice that the German tug was carrying a barrel of Black Water, which fell over and burst open, leaking into Otto's system. "You'll be reported to the coast guard–" Warrior began.
"Warrior, look!" cried Big Mac as he noticed Otto struggling to breathe.
"Oh, nein!" cried Otto. "Vot's happening to me…?" Otto tried to breathe, but he suddenly died.
"W-what just happened?" asked Warrior, all shaken.
"Ah don't know," replied Big Mac until he noticed the barrel. "Hud on minute! Is that… Black Water?"
"I-it must be…" gasped Warrior. "Oh… oh no… I… I killed him!"
"Alright, calm down, Warrior," said Big Mac, realising the gravity of the situation. "A'm sure there's a reasonable…"
"BIG MAC! I KILLED HIM!" Warrior yelled in despair.
Venus rammed Zeus into the quayside, causing a crane to swing a crate in his eye.
"Ouch!" Zeus groaned; he now sported a black eye from where he'd been hit.
"Abort! Abort!" Ursula shouted to her group. "We'll kill them another time!" With that, the evil group retreated.
Once they had gone, Big Mac, Warrior, Zorran, Zip and Venus looked over at the now deceased Otto.
"Thare wis a barrel o' Black Water on board," explained Big Mac. "Otto wis tryin' tae git me, but Warrior pullit him away 'n'…"
"…I rammed too hard," sobbed Warrior. "Now he's dead, because of me."
"Big Mac, you and Venus had better take Warrior to the Star Dock," said Hercules. "Tomorrow morning, we must gather at the Railhead for an indignation meeting."
"Zip, you go back with Hercules," said Zorran. "I'm going to tell Zebedee and Zob the bad news."
With that, the five tugs set off, all shaken by all that had happened.
The next morning, we all gathered at the Railhead and everyone was shocked with the information they learnt.
"So Captain Zero's wife has been leading a group of Nazi sympathizers to try and take over Bigg City!" Hail gasped in horror.
"And Zak, Zeus, Burke, Blair, Hans, Corona, Nightshade, Foxglove, Oleander and Mr. Broke are her lackeys!" growled Stormy. "And no, I didn't forget Otto, but obviously, he's now dead."
"Still, poor Captain Zero," sighed Zebedee. "He didn't deserve his death like that. No one does."
"And because of his death," I replied, "a seal has been opened… My rival Sean Zero was feared by many, loved by few, and misunderstood by no one, except me, Captain Lucky and Captain Salvage… Captain Zero may have performed some underhanded tasks, but he turned himself around. Though sometimes calculating, he did care deeply about his tugs in the end. He was easily hated upon… Zero was not perfect, and mostly, he was my rival. But he became my friend, and those who are responsible for his death will be punished… I promise you that… Now, who's with me?"
"I'm with you, Captain Star," said Zob. "He was my Captain and I will not let his killers take over Bigg City."
"I think Zob speaks with us remaining Z-Stacks," Zip put in.
"Hear, hear," said everyone else.
"Alright, everyone," instructed Pisces. "We must keep a lookout for those villains as we go about our work. If anyone sees anything suspicious, alert Peeper Pipes and his team or the police immediately."
"Let's go and catch those despicable monsters!" snapped Stormy.
"And, Zorran, Zip, Zob and Zebedee," I added, "you four can come to my Dock for a while. You too, Theodore, Emily and George."
"Thank you, Captain Star," smiled Zebedee weakly.
"But until we catch those villains," I said, "we must put Captain Zero's funeral on hold."
"A wise choice, Captain Star," agreed Zob.
Ursula's gang were hiding out at a disused part of the scrapyards.
"I don't believe this!" groaned Ursula. "Not only is Captain Star still out there, but we lost one of our own, and all because of that clumsy oaf who works for him!"
"I say we pay them out! No one dares to mess with one of our own!" shouted Zeus.
"Yeah… but how?" asked Zak.
"I say we lure them into the open oceans, send for a German battleship and use them as target practice," said Oleander.
"They'll be anticipating another attack, you idiot!" snapped Nightshade.
Then, an evil grin crossed Corona's face as she came up with something. "Alright, so here's what I got."
She then whispered her plans to the others, who all chuckled in response.
"Oh, this is going to be good," chortled Ursula, the others lightly cackling in agreement. The cackles of the Nazi group echoed through the night.
To be Concluded
Arthur's notes: This story was so big, we had to split it in two. Enter Theodore Tugboat and two of his friends: Emily and George (ironically, they share the same names as two Thomas and Friends characters). Say hello to Meridian and Venus in the present day, welcome back Penny, and Rosie (then numbered 73) makes a brief cameo. On a sad note, we've lost poor Captain Zero and Zion - the former made a huge turnaround, and the latter we hardly knew. Small role, big impact.
Next time, tune in for part 2 where the Tugs continue to try and Save Bigg City.