Evening had come to the Island of Sodor. Despite James' absence, the engines had done the best they could to keep up with the summer rush.
"Phew!" sighed Arthur. "I've never seen the railway in so much chaos since Dowager Hatt's brief takeover."
"At least Annabelle knows how to manage things," said Molly. "All the same, I do hope James comes home soon."
"Why isn't James on Sodor again?" asked Sidney.
"Because, Sidney," explained Arthur, "he took a train that Henry was supposed to take to Bridlington."
"Ohhhh," Sidney remembered. "Er… where's Bridlington?"
"Never mind, Sidney," said Molly, before sighing. "I hope James will be okay."
"Don't worry," said Arthur. "James will be having the time of his life."
"Yeah, back to the yards where he didn't do so well at the Great Railway Show," Molly remarked, without a trace of humor in her tone. "He'll totally be fine."
"Oh…" winced Arthur. "Okay, I see what you mean. Hopefully the shunters won't give him too hard a time."
"Engines!" Annabelle dashed out of the car; Paul Percival quick on her heels and put a hand on her shoulder. "James didn't make it to Bridlington."
"What?!" Molly shrieked in shock. "B-but he should have gotten there hours ago! It didn't take nearly as long for him and the others to get to the Great Railway Show."
"I'm not sure what happened, Molly," said Annabelle, "but I got a call from the yardmaster up there, and… and he didn't get there."
"He couldn't have been delayed, could he?" asked Arthur.
"Don't say that, please!" cried Molly.
"We don't know what happened," said Paul. "But rest assured, Molly, Annabelle and I are investigating the matter." He turned to his wife. "Annabelle, we'll talk to your uncle Charles about this…"
"No!" cried Annabelle. "We can't stress him out even more. We'll sort this out ourselves."
"Alright…" Paul sighed. "Arthur, Molly, Sidney, you three rest up. We'll have to report this to the other engines." And on that note, he and Annabelle hurried off, leaving the three engines looking at each other concerned for James' safety.
"Are we there yet?"
"No!"
"Are we there yet?"
"No!"
"…how about now?"
"Do I have to turn around and come back there?!" snapped James, his eye twitching. Ever since he had left Theo and Lexi's yard, the trucks would not stop pestering him out of boredom.
"It's been hours since we left Sodor!" another truck moaned. "I thought we'd be at our destination by now!"
Just then, something in the distance caught James' eye. It looked like a large tower, glowing in the evening sun.
"I think I see something!" he cried. "If fate's on our side, it just might be the goods yard!"
"Maybe he can drop us there and get an engine who knows where they're going," remarked yet another truck.
Excitement brimming in his funnel, James chuffed ahead to the large building, hoping that he'd finally reached his destination and he could leave the trucks behind. As they grew closer, the building seemed to be getting larger. Just ahead of it was a junction which led to a large, steel gate, which had been opened to allow trains to enter. To James, it was like a large industrial cathedral.
"What is this place?" James said in wonderment. "I've never seen any place like that on Sodor. And I bet the other engines back home haven't seen it either."
"Hello?" a deep, unfamiliar voice had called out from within the building.
"Who's there?" came another.
Out of the building came two rather tired engines James had never seen before. One was a large brown tank engine with ten red driving wheels. The other was a diesel shunter who looked about the same size as Mavis, but she lacked the cowcatchers and sideplates, and was painted teal in the back with her front painted black. Both engines were covered in grime, almost matching their tiredness, but upon noticing they had company, they brightened up.
"Ooh!" said the diesel. "What's your name, red engine?"
"I'm James," he replied. "Who are you two?"
"My name is Hurricane," greeted the big tank engine. "You know, like a storm! Whoosh!" Some sparks went off behind the tank engine, as if it was on cue.
"Whoa!" gasped James; even the trucks seemed impressed.
"And I'm Frankie," replied the teal diesel. "And you look like you're a very important red engine."
"Try telling that to many of my so-called friends back on Sodor," James snorted. "Every time one of them has an embarrassing incident, it gets blown off with the old 'forgive and forget' tradition. Yet whenever I have anything embarrassing or awful happen, no one ever lets me hear the end of it."
"Ooh, that's rough, mate," sympathized Hurricane. "No one deserves to be ridiculed like that."
"Do you ever 'get even' with these unruly engines?" asked Frankie.
"That would depend on your definition of 'get even'," James explained. "If we're talking 'serious accident' or 'accidental final firing', then the answer is no. However," he grinned smugly, "I often get my own back with my cunning wit. Just this morning, I woke up extra early, and stole this goods train from Henry so I could leave Sodor for a new life."
Frankie chortled. "Well, isn't he quite the clever engine, Hurricane?" she asked.
"And rather snarky too," Hurricane added. James was feeling so smug and overconfident in such praise that he didn't notice Franke whisper to Hurricane.
"I'd say he's a keeper," she said. "Besides, he did say he wanted to start anew." If engines could nod, Hurricane surely would have.
"Oh, by the way," James added, "would either of you know where Bridlington goods yard is? I've been looking for it all day to deliver these trucks and it's nearly nighttime."
"Of course we know Bridlington," said Frankie.
"We deliver goods there all the time!" Hurricane added, puffing onto a nearby turntable. Now this was the news James had wanted to hear. Finally his journey with the trucks would soon be over…
"You mustn't worry about going to the goods yard tonight," said Frankie. "Uncouple those trucks."
"Leave them here in the yard," added Hurricane. "We'll look after them for you, James. No problemo."
"Yes," Frankie beckoned temptingly, reversing into the building. "Come on inside. We'll keep you nice and warm."
"This is the hottest place in town!" Hurricane added with a chuckle. He winked at Frankie, and she grinned.
"I don't know where you thought you were going,
But here you are!" she began.
"I don't know what you thought you were doing," continued Hurricane.
"But you've come so far!
This is the place you were meant to be being!"
"These are the sights you were meant to be seeing!" sang Frankie.
"We'll lift your thermostat up
A degreeing or two," added Hurricane.
"And we're guaranteeing
That you'll be agreeing it's true," they both harmonized. ("Woo!" called Hurricane.)
"This is the hottest place in town
We'll warm you up when you're feeling down
We'll make a smile out of every frown."
"Just take a look around
At the joy we've found!" Hurricane continued solo.
"This is the place where you can have some fun!" they chorused.
"Where you can feel like a number one!" Upon hearing that, James imagined his number five transforming into a one.
"We've got more sunshine than the sun!"
"There's a light in our eyes
We simply can't disguise," sang Frankie.
"This is the hottest place in town!" they sang together.
"Yeah!" called Hurricane.
"Come in and come along for the riding
Shunting lovely ladle trucks up the sidings
Rails so smooth that you'll be gliding along
And before you know it you'll be joining us in our song!
This is the hottest place in town ("Woo!" Hurricane called again.)
No other like it anywhere around
You'll be a king and you'll wear a crown ("I say!" remarked Hurricane; James imagined a crown on his funnel made from sparks.)
What we're trying to say
Is that we hope you'll stay
This is the place you can shine like gold!
Our jobs are cool, but we're never cold!
We really think you could fit the mold!" A mold of James was shown to him and he grinned.
"You'll be part of the team
You'll be living the dream," Frankie sang solo.
"This is the hottest place in town!" they sang together once again.
"Come in and come along for the riding
Shunting lovely ladle trucks up the sidings!"
"Rails so smooth that you'll be gliding along," Hurricane sang solo.
"And before you know it, you'll be joining us in our song!"
"This is the hottest place in town!" James did just that. ("Yeah!" cheered Frankie. "You know it!" added Hurricane.)
"You'll warm me up when I'm feeling down
You'll make a smile out of every frown." ("You've got it!" called Frankie.)
"You know you're keeping it real
When you're working with steel," continued Hurricane.
"This is the place where I can have some fun!" ("That's it, James!" said Hurricane. "Woo!" said Frankie.)
"Where I can feel like number one
I've got more sunshine than the sun!" ("You're number one! …wait, five?" asked Hurricane in confusion. "Huh?" wondered Frankie.)
"There's no looking back now!
You're on the right track now!" sang Frankie, before James and Hurricane joined her for the last part…
"This is the hottest place in town!" By the time the tour had ended and the three engines had finished their song, night had completely fallen.
"If your friends could see you now, James," Hurricane said, "just imagine how jealous they'd be of you."
"It'll definitely teach Gordon some sense," smirked James, holding back a yawn. "Hope I don't sound rude here, but mind if I spend the night?"
"Oh, please do," said Frankie. "A small detour never hurt anyone, splendid red engine. What you need is a nice, comfy shed where you can relax and let that busy boiler of yours cool down."
James smiled as he followed Frankie to the shed. It would seem that his new mainland life, while rocky at the beginning, was now becoming rather bright…
However, the following day at Vicarstown, poor Molly was more stressed than ever.
"He should have returned," she worried. "But he's still out there… not even at the goods yard. What if someone scrapped him?!"
"Come now, Molly," soothed BoCo. "If anything, steam engines are more likely to get preserved these days."
"Besides," added Harvey, "James is in the Railway Series books by the Thin Clergyman. If someone saw him, they'd recognize him an' get him home."
"Or… what if he's lost?" gasped Molly. "He could have taken a wrong turn at a junction!"
"Excuse me?" asked Pip. "Did you say James is currently not on Sodor?"
"Yes, Pip," said BoCo. "James took a goods train to Bridlington and hasn't returned. Do you and Emma know where he is?"
"We saw him, but he didn't seem to notice us," said Emma. "I don't think he took the route to Bridlington; it was a busy junction, after all."
"He nearly ran into my passenger train yesterday!" gasped Christopher as he came in. "I think a new signalman diverted him off the route by mistake."
"But that begs a new question," said Murdoch. "If James didnae go tae Bridlington goods yard… where did he go?"
No one had an answer to that question… or at least, so they thought.
"Hmm…" Amanda pondered. "Bridlington goods yard…. I wonder if he ran into them…"
"'Them'?" asked BoCo. "Who do you mean, Mandy?"
"Well," said Amanda, "back on the mainland, Dennis, Harvey, Madeline, Monica and I used to work with these engines, Frankie, Hurricane, Lexi and Theo, at a steelworks."
"Oh, yes!" said Dennis. "I remember them well. Hurricane seemed intimidating, he was a rather nice sort; Theo was a little shy, but very kind; and Lexi was boisterous, but they were a good sort. But Frankie? It's like she has two personalities – one charming and playful, the other bossy and rude. She even had the audacity to say I was lazy!"
"Gee, Ah wonder where she could hae gotten that idea…" muttered Murdoch.
"Well… there's more tae it than that," Harvey admitted. "Long story short, the Steelworks started tae fall under hard times. It all started when Ah was sent here."
"And then, I was sent to the Rolling Hills with Madeline," said Amanda. "Hence why I was named after Amanda Hatt."
"Heh," chuckled Dennis. "Then after Amanda came here, I was sent to Sodor… after I lost Norman…"
The other engines were respectfully quiet. They knew the story of Dennis' brother, and still felt sorry for what had happened.
"Now that you mention it," Derek remembered, "Bear and I may have seen two engines that may meet that description while on the mainland. They made a comment on inviting us to their Steelworks if we didn't have any plans. But we told them we had homes of our own to go to. Though we never saw a Theo or a Lexi."
"I hope they're preserved somewhere, like Monica is now," said Amanda. "Not many steam engines would be working in a regular environment on the mainland anymore."
"Wait… wait a minute," gasped Harvey. "Dennis, Amanda… ye dinnae suppose they've… escaped, do ye?"
"Escaped?!" gasped BoCo. "What do you mean, 'escaped'?"
"Well, Frankie wasn't very nice to them; Harvey and Madeline neither," admitted Amanda. "She would constantly tease them for their odd and abnormal appearances."
"Why would she do that?" asked Molly.
"Because she's an idiot," Dennis answered bluntly. This earned him some rather stern looks. "What? I tell it like it is. Anyone who deliberately makes fun of someone for being different is an idiot who can't understand the importance of getting to know others before judging them."
"He's got a point, you know," said Derek. "So, from what you're telling us, is it possible Theo and Lexi ran away to end the criticisms?"
"It seems possible; Madeline jumped at the chance to head to the Rolling Hills with me," Amanda rationalized. "They could have either found a heritage railway to stay at, or, and I'm really hoping this isn't the case, they could have been… scrapped."
The engines all winced at that possibility, and hoped that James wouldn't meet the same fate as Lexi and Theo…
Author's Comments
It had to be done; much like the actual special, we're maintaining the musical aspect of Journey Beyond Sodor, beginning with its best song, "The Hottest Place in Town". The only real change to it (besides James' presence) is the acknowledgement of the lyric "where you can feel like a number one", both times being addressed differently. Visually, I don't see it being that much different from the actual special, hence little to no descriptive narrative is included. The musical number is also in between two scenes with Molly expressing concern for James' well-being, with the latter providing some backstory to the Steelworks - Madeline and Monica are also the respective names of No. 13 from the 1998 magazine story "The Unlucky Engine" and the second Kids Station Engine from the 2000 Japanese game Thomas the Tank Engine. (No, seriously, that is the actual name of it.)
Next time, James might be having second thoughts about his plan as he decides, "I Want to Go Home!"