CYCLONE GORDON

Based upon "Cyclone Thomas" by Tim Bain

Christmas and New Year had come and gone around the world, and in Australia, Gordon was helping deliver some important passengers to a Wildlife Clinic.

"Quickly, everyone!" urged the leader, the team following into the building. "She's in here!"

"Who's… she?" asked Gordon.

"A koala named Mitzi," Tim explained. "Poor little thing got injured due to a poacher trap."

"Why can't poachers be trapped instead of these innocent animals?" scoffed Narrabri.

"Some people just don't care who gets hurt so long as they get what they want," remarked Tracy.

"It's absolutely disgraceful," agreed Gordon. He looked over to his side for a moment, but then quickly remembered, "Ah, right – James and Henry are back on Sodor."

Tracy and Narrabri blinked in confusion. "Ah, you see, whenever I say 'disgraceful', James follows it with 'disgusting' and Henry finishes with 'despicable'."

"Well… I can't say it's wrong to think that of these poachers," Tracy admitted. "I just hope the little koala pulls through."

"Agreed," Narrabri put in. "And I hope those poaches can be brought to justice!"

"Well, I remember Thomas and Carole helping out some police officers back on Sodor," Gordon explained. "And James helped to rescue some tigers from poachers in India last year. Maybe we can do the same thing here."

"Hmm, yes!" smiled Tracy. "I could use a bit of excitement. We should tell Edith, Shane and his coaches too."

"It's not just for the thrill of it, Tracy," scolded Narrabri.

"I'm just saying we can do something worthwhile!" she argued. "I mean, we're practically stuck on our own line 24/7!"

"The Peel Godred engines could tell you the same thing," Gordon admitted. "But don't worry about it too much, you two. You're still useful in your own right."

"Thanks, Gordon," smiled Tracy. Just then, the guard's whistle blew and the blue engine had to leave.

"See you both later," he called.

Gordon was making good time along the rails, hoping that the little koala would be alright during her operation. He came to the station, and found Edith with her goods train.

"Edith," he called, "are you alright?"

"I am," she admitted, "but it's not me I'm worried about." She glanced anxiously at her stoker, who was limping onto the platform. Her driver was helping the stoker stand as best she could.

"What's happened to her?" asked Gordon.

"I slipped when I was getting out of Edith's cab," the stoker admitted. "I think I… ouch!" She winced. "…twisted my ankle…"

"You'd better call an ambulance," Gordon advised. "Where's the nearest hospital around here?"

"Not for miles around," Edith admitted. "The Outback is a vast place, Gordon."

"Oh no!" cried Gordon. "What do we–" Just then, the whirring of a plane caught Gordon's attention. "Oh! It's Isla!"

The rescue plane gently landed on the desert sand not too far away from the platform, and a doctor rushed out with medical supplies.

"That's Dr. Claire Winters," Edith explained to Gordon. "She's often seen traveling aboard Isla in case of a medical emergency. Because the Outback is so big and wide, Isla and Dr. Winters can fly out to patients quickly."

"Ah, now I understand," Gordon smiled. "Good job, Isla."

"Well, it's Dr. Winters who does the real work," Isla admitted. "I'm just the transport."

"Don't ever say that," Gordon insisted. "If Annabelle were here, she'd tell you you're just as important as Dr. Winters. Without you, she couldn't get to patients in time."

"Ah, the 'Railway Girl' you speak so fondly of," Isla remarked. "Well… she, and by extension, you, do have a good point. Thanks, Gordon."

Dr. Winters examined Edith's stoker's ankle, feeling it all over.

"Hmm… nothing too serious," she nodded. "You just need a cast on your foot and will be back to form within a couple of weeks."

"Oh, thank you, Dr. Winters," said the stoker. "Silly me, I should have watched my footing."

The relief stoker exchanged a few words with the driver and they boarded Edith's cab. "Hope you feel better soon, Bek," Edith called. "I'd better make up for lost time; this stone needs to get to the harbor in Darwin!"

"That's a long way away," gasped Gordon. "I'd better leave you to it." The guard's whistle blew as Gordon departed. "Cheerio, everyone, and keep up the good work!"

At first, the weather in the Northern Territory seemed normal, but a radio forecast was about to say otherwise…

"So, let me get this straight," Gordon was saying to the Australian engines when they were resting. "Australia Day is basically a day off for the country so they can have barbecues all day?"

"Well… kind of," Shane admitted. "You see, it's actually the commemoration of when the First Fleet from the United Kingdom landed in Australia at Sydney Cove."

"A lot of Australia's population has some British heritage because of it," added Edith. "Maybe that's partly why so many people are curious about life on your side of the world."

Gordon chuckled slightly. "Well, there's never a dull moment on Sodor, that's for sure. I've no doubt my friends will have countless stories to tell when I get home–"

"…code red warning – we are in for a cyclone within a few hours near Katherine. All people in the area will have to evacuate!"

"Oh no!" cried Tracy. "Cyclones destroy nearly everything in their path!"

"We've had hurricanes on Sodor before," Gordon winced, "but I don't think we've had cyclones."

"All six of you!" urged Mr. Holyfield, the controller in charge of the North Australia Railway. "Get into the sheds now. Shane, get Aubrey and Aiden. I'm not taking any chances."

"Don't need to tell me twice!" cried Shane. He immediately went to the coach sidings to grab them, while Edith led the others to the sheds. As they rushed down there, the engines saw Isla flying overhead.

"Isla!" Edith called. "Why are you still flying?"

"Dr. Winters and I are going to Katherine to help evacuate townsfolk!" she explained. "You lot just get to safety! Especially you, Gordon," she emphasized. "Your friends would hate to hear about you getting hurt back home."

Gordon shuddered at the thought. "I hope my friends aren't suffering from a cyclone or any other disaster…"

With the engines and coaches under cover, they all winced at the thought of Isla being caught in the storm.

"Has she done this before?" asked Gordon.

"Countless times," said Narrabri. "She always pulls through. But it still doesn't make it any less nerve wracking."

"Engines and planes don't have nerves," Tracy pointed out.

"Ugh, you know what I mean," snorted Narrabri. "The point is, it's still very dangerous!"

"I think we need something to take our minds off this," sighed Edith. "Hmm… Gordon, you said something about working after a hurricane on Sodor?"

"That we did," the Sudrian engine replied. "It was the big storm when Thomas and Percy rejoined us at Tidmouth sheds."

The other five engines and the coaches looked at Gordon, intrigued, and he began to recount that tale from sixteen years ago…

Meanwhile, up in the sky…

"Cor, blimey! Look at this!" exclaimed Isla, as the wind forced her to fly lower. "It's getting bumpy up here!"

"Keep going, Isla!" encouraged Dr. Winters. "We have to get in and out of here as quickly as we can– whoa!" The wind pushed down against Isla again. "Ugh… okay, then again, we might crash before we get to Katherine!"

"What good would we be to the townsfolk if we crash?" asked Isla. "Oh, rattle my rotor blades… we have to go back! We may need one of the engines to help us out!"

"Good point," said Dr. Winters, and the pilot redirected Isla away from the cyclone.

Back in the sheds, Gordon was still recounting his story. "…and it was during this clean up where we had some very unexpected assistance from a visiting engine. He later became known as Nicholas, but was then known as–"

"Isla!" cried Aubrey.

"Er… no," Gordon admitted. "I was going to say D199."

"No, look!" insisted Aiden. "Isla's back early!"

Gordon and the other engines glanced outside, surprised. "Surely she can't have rescued everyone that quickly," gasped Edith.

"Well, you'd be right, Edith," she sighed, landing nearby. "The cyclone was too strong for me to fly through!"

"But what will happen with those poor folks?" asked Shane. "They'll be left homeless at best, or…" He didn't say what else was on his mind; the others could figure it out anyway.

"One of you will have to take a train to rescue them," Isla sighed. "Dr. Winters will come with you."

"Don't worry, Isla," Shane said firmly. "I'll go. Aubrey and Aiden, are you two ready for a rescue mission?"

"We're right behind you, Shane!" affirmed Aubrey.

"All the way, mate!" added Aiden. However, before Shane could clear the shed door–

CRACK!

"Argh!" he cried; the other engines glanced at him with concern. "I've run a cropper…"

His driver and fireman took a look. "Hmm… you've damaged your siderod," sighed the fireman.

"That'd do it, David…" he sighed. "Who else is willing to go?"

"I'll do it."

Shane and the others gasped and looked at Gordon. "Gordon… are you sure?" asked Edith.

"Let's look at the facts – you have a relief crew member who you just met this morning; Shane's broken down, Tamika can't get very far, and the electric trams are limited in where they can go," he explained.

"That's… true," Tamika trailed. "Just be careful, Gordon. You too, Aubrey and Aiden."

The Sudrian engine coupled up to the coaches and headed out as steady but quickly as he could.

At first, Gordon's journey went smoothly. However, that all changed when he got within range of the cyclone. The wind buffeted him as his wheels pounded the rails, and leaves threatened to blow into his face to blur his vision. Rain and lightning were also present.

"Ugh!" he groaned. "This is out of control! How can anyone work in these conditions?!"

"It's too dangerous, Gordon!" cried Aubrey. "We should turn back too!"

"But we can't leave behind the people of Katherine!" protested Aiden. "They need us!"

"Must… keep… going!" Gordon gritted his teeth and pressed on. He thought about the likes of Skarloey, Rheneas and Edward, all pressing on despite their damaged conditions, and in the latter two's case, a fierce storm. At the very least, Gordon thought, he didn't have any damage to him… yet.

As he pressed on, Gordon thought he could see a glimpse of a station platform looming ahead. "That must be Katherine station!" he cried. "We're almost there!"

Suddenly, as Gordon drew closer to the station, the storm seemed to stop, as if almost instantly. "Phew… we did it, you two!" he called to the coaches. Smiling, he called to the passengers. "All aboard! We should have smooth running and dry rails from here on out."

"No, Gordon!" cried Aubrey. "We're just in the eye of the storm."

"A storm can have an eye?!" Gordon raised his eyebrows incredulously.

"The eye is the center of the storm," Aiden explained, "where it's calm for just a few minutes."

"What?!" Gordon exclaimed. "Oh no!"

"We've got to go quickly, Gordon!" advised Aiden. The townsfolk of Katherine boarded the coaches as fast as they could. It would be a tight fit in there, with some having to stand up. Once the last passenger boarded, the guard blew the whistle and Gordon set off again. Deep down, he wished he had his express coaches as well so the passengers wouldn't be so crammed. But on the other buffer, he was thankful to have Aubrey and Aiden at least.

"Now I understand why Thomas, Edward, Toby, Duck, Oliver, Emily and Lauren have coaches they can talk to," he said to himself. "They are… comforting. Even Henry and James get to speak with the red coaches whenever they pull the Main Line Local."

Still, within a few minutes, Gordon, Aubrey and Aiden were once again facing the wrath and power of the cyclone. "Can't stop…" Gordon panted. "The passengers need to be safe! Come on!"

As the Sudrian engine was struggling, one of the passengers on the train began to go into a serious coughing fit.

"Oh no!" cried another passenger. "Somebody get Dr. Winters, fast!"

"I'm… I'm coming!" She scrambled through the large crowd of passengers. "What's the trouble?"

"It's my friend, Deliliah!" exclaimed the second passenger. "She's having an asthma attack!"

"Right." Dr. Winters gestured for the others to move back, but got Delilah's friend to stay close. "Having someone she can trust can help her relax. Do you have her inhaler?" Her friend nodded and gave it to Dr. Winters. "Okay, take a few puffs from it."

Delilah nodded and obeyed. "Ugh… I don't feel too good…"

"It'll be okay," soothed her friend. "This engine and his coaches will get us out of here…"

Sure enough, Gordon had brought the Katherine townsfolk to safety at Darwin, and the passengers poured out of Aubrey and Aiden, relieved at not only being able to stretch their legs, but also to be away from the cyclone. Delilah's breathing started to stabilize.

"Thank you, Dr. Winters," she sighed.

"What happened back there?" asked Gordon.

"I have asthma; it can flare up during cold weather temperatures or strong winds," Delilah explained. "If not for you filling in for Isla at the last minute… I don't think I would have survived."

Gordon was stunned. "I… was just in the right place at the right time. Dr. Winters knew what to do."

"I'm very proud of you, Gordon," Dr. Winters smiled. "You lived up to the title of a rescue engine today."

"We all are!" grinned Shane; by now, his siderod was fixed. "No cyclone is too tough for Gordy!"

As the engines, passengers, coaches and Isla all sung Gordon's praises, the Sudrian engine blushed modestly. He was relieved that everyone had gotten home safe, and that was all that mattered.

Author's Comments

Here's the third part of the Australian book, which adapts Cyclone Thomas! While he wasn't previously hinted at in the previous two chapters, Mr. Holyfield is another reinterpretation of the character from the Marvelous Machinery duology, and he's now the controller of the Northern Australia Railway. Something that I knew we were going to have to drop was Thomas trying to be helpful before the cyclone took place, which I know for certain is borderline illegal, even if he was stopped before it got worse. Instead, Gordon's simply reacting to what Isla and Dr. Winters are doing, and we also threw in a passenger having an asthma attack to raise the stakes a bit.

Next time, it's a fiery finale to the Australia saga with Gordon's Bushfire Rescue!