Sodor High School: Thomas & Friends Tales
Written by: ThomasZoey3000 / SF64Rules91 / DaveMan1000 / Sodormatchmaker
Based on the Railway Series by: The Rev. W. and Christiopher Awdry
Based on the Television Series by: Britt AllCroft, David Mitton, Lionsgate, and Universal Pictures
OC(s) owned by: SF64Rules91
Episode 55: Breaking Point
At the construction site, things were beginning to wind down after a rather uneventful day. Marion was operating her trusty steam shovel while also observing the surrounding area: Max and Monty were once again slacking off, only for Steven to show up order them back to work, Alfie and Oliver F. were digging away at the pit's edge to smooth it out while Jack was clearing away the rubble, Nelson had just dropped off several members from the south site entrance, and Kelly was bringing in the last round of new ballast to replace the ones lost down the chasm. Marion cringed at the memory of what had happened, mentally kicking herself for not bothering to remember to warn Thomas of the unstable ground.
"At least he's doing much better now," Marion thought to herself, as she saw Thomas parking the shunter up in the siding, signaling the end of his shift, "Thank goodness."
"Okay, that's my final job for the day," announced Thomas, speaking to no one in particular as Ryan walked up. He jumped out of the shunter, "It's all yours, Ryan! I'm done for the day."
"Alright then, Thomas," nodded Ryan, climbing inside the shunter, "We'll see you tomorrow."
Thomas waved back as Ryan started the shunter up and rolled off. He then noticed Marion also waving from her position, to which he happily returned. Looking at his watch, Thomas knew he'd better get home so he would be ready to take Emily to meet with Captain John and the crew.
"Okay, I'll have plenty of time after getting home to take Emily to meet the crew. Then she'll see I was telling the truth," thought Thomas, smiling confidently.
He got onto his bike and left the construction site for home, knowing that tonight was going to be a ton of fun.
(elsewhere…)
Later that night, Thomas and Emily were leaving the house to go out for a little walk—not telling Dalton nor Andrea that he was taking Emily to see Captain John and the Hispaniola.
"We'll be back soon!" called Thomas.
"Okay, but don't be out too late!" The voice of Andrea requested, "You have to be at the construction site tomorrow morning."
"We won't," promised Thomas, closing the door, "Come on, I'll prove that there are actual pirates here."
Emily sighed, wondering if Thomas was really alright if he believed he saw real pirates.
(elsewhere…)
Half an hour later, Thomas and Emily arrived in the cavern at the coastline. As they made their way along the protruding edge of the cavern wall, Emily took a look around in nothing but boredom before her eyes came upon something just amazing. That something was Captain John's ship, the Hispaniola.
"Oh my gosh," murmured Emily.
"What do you think?" grinned Thomas, "If pirates don't exist, what…" As he teased Emily a little bit for doubting him, she continued to look speechless, "…do you call that?"
The amazed Emily still said nothing, causing Thomas to chuckle over being proven right and pull her onto a jutting rock a few feet away from the ship's docked position. Once there, he started calling out to whoever was standing near the edge.
"Ahoy! This is Thomas!" yelled Thomas, "Is anyone there?!"
On the ship's deck, two pirates overheard Thomas and looked off the railing and saw the two arrivals below.
"Hey hey hey! Welcome back, friend!" The first pirate greeted.
"I've brought a friend with me!" The voice of Thomas responded, bringing more joy to both pirates. Down below, he continued to urge to be brought up to the ship, "Can you bring us up so I can introduce her?!"
On the ship…
"Say no more, lad!" smiled the second pirate, "We'll have you up here in two shakes of a bunny's tail!"
A few minutes later, Thomas and Emily were seated in the rowboat and hoisted up to the ship's deck, where they found several pirates, including the commanders, Skiff, and Captain John, waiting for them.
"Welcome back, friend!" greeted Sledge, grabbing Thomas and nearly crushing him (Thomas) in a hug, "Oh, Sledge missed you so much!"
"Th-That's great, Sledge! Now, please put me down!" gagged Thomas, who could practically feel his bones breaking, "You're hurting me!"
Sledge sheepishly did as he was told. Thomas fell onto his hands and knees for a moment; taking in a deep breath, reeling from the hug he got from a burly-looking young man. Luckily, Emily kindly helped him back up—just in time for him to be glomped by an overjoyed Laura. Emily remembered Laura from school, but was most surprised that the new girl was also a member of the pirate crew. However, that was nothing compared to her (Emily) reaction over seeing Laura embrace Thomas like that.
"Hi, Thomas! Are you here for another shanty?" The red-haired young woman encouraged, flirting with a flustered Thomas, "Would you like to dance with me again? I know you want to."
Seeing another girl, an attractive one at that, hit on Thomas like that caused Emily's face to go red with anger and jealousy. How dare Laura make a move on Thomas like that?! At last, Emily found her voice…
"H-Hey! What gives you…" yelled Emily impulsively, getting the attention of Thomas and Laura, "…the right to throw yourself onto Thomas in such a manner?!"
"Huh? Emily, is that you?" blinked Laura, before releasing Thomas, "Sorry, I didn't see you there. Welcome to our ship, the Hispaniola."
"Charmed…" hissed Emily, shaking hands with Laura, "Never would've guessed pirates would be real, much less 'you'd' be here among them."
"Absolutely!" beamed Laura, "And we're always welcome to new guests," She then wrapped an arm around Thomas and pulled him in, "Any friend of Thomas is a friend of ours."
Thomas smiled sheepishly at being held close by Laura, while Emily did nothing but frown at the display of affection. Laura was quick to take notice of Emily's jealousy and decided to have a little bit of fun with the matter.
"Is something the matter?" asked Laura, before continuing to speak with a hint of mischief in her tone, "Oh, I think I see now. I don't mean to pry Thomas away," Her focus was now towards Thomas, "but you and Emily are 'friends', or maybe…?"
"EH?!" gawked Thomas.
"SAY WHAT?!" exclaimed Emily.
Both teenagers were now blushing out of embarrassment, and Laura, having way too much fun with egging on them, decided to press it further.
"I mean, if so, then there is always plenty of fish in the sea," joked Laura, shrugging playfully. She then eyed Thomas again, "Then again, if not…"
"L-Laura, that's crazy!" objected Thomas, "Emily and I are just friends! Nothing more!"
"Oh, please relax, Thomas, I'm only kidding!" Laura assured, laughing up a storm, "But the reactions from the both of you were just too darn funny for me to resist!"
"Well, that's enough humor for now," cut in Captain John, who also laughed with joy, "What can we do for you, lad?"
"Oh, I brought a friend with me; someone who I really want you to meet," replied Thomas, as he introduced Emily, "Captain John, this is my friend Emily, Emily Stirling."
Now, Emily's last name was actually 'Hatt', being the daughter of Sir Topham Hatt and Lady Hatt. But due to Diesel 10 still being out there and a great threat, 'Stirling' was the next best last name for Emily to use around people like Captain John and his crew.
"A pleasure, missy," bowed Captain John, "I be Captain John," He started talking mostly about his crew, "the man in charge of this here fine, fine crew."
Emily raised an eyebrow, "'Captain John'," she thought to herself, becoming a little concerned, "Why does that name sound familiar to me?"
"Mm?" pondered Captain John, who thought Emily, who snapped out of it, was acting a little weird, "Is something wrong?"
Drawing a blank about Captain John and why he sounded so familiar, Emily shook the thought off and smiled before shaking hands with the captain of the pirate crew.
"We're really glad to meet you, Emily!" put in Skiff, "My name is Skiff Eastport, and I'm the first mate of Captain John!"
"Same here, Skiff," agreed Emily, smiling, "But you know, I'm really surprised that pirates like all of you actually exist," She giggled playfully, "At first, I thought Thomas was making the whole story up."
"Emily," pouted Thomas.
Everyone else shared a jolly laugh at his expense. A little later, as the crew were all enjoying themselves, Thomas and Laura stood at the center of the deck facing each other, both wielding cutlasses.
"Now the proper way to handle a pirate's cutlass is by one hand, never two," explained Laura.
"I've only ever seen these in fiction," admitted Thomas, amazed at actually holding a pirate's sword.
"Due to its robust nature, it can be used for a variety of things like cutting though heavy ropes, thick canvas, and dense plant life, but is short and nimble enough to be used in close quarters combat," Laura went on, as she readied herself in a fighting stance with Thomas doing the same, "Now I won't try to hurt you in any way, but try to counter my attacks as best you can."
Thomas held his sword with anticipation, ready for Laura's first move. Laura started with a few slow high flicks, which Thomas was almost able to counter, missing a couple completely. She then went for a low flick, which caught Thomas off-guard, resulting in him impulsively swinging his full arm to knock the small flick away.
"Thomas, you're not quite getting the method down," advised Laura, stopping the session, "Cutlass combat is like getting into a rhythm with a music baton. Not like something you would see from a ninja sword or the like," She readied her own sword, "Here, just watch me."
To demonstrate, Laura began miming out a few fast flicks of her sword at the air, keeping her free hand behind her back and switching between high and low strikes as well as blocks, while also stepping forward and back in conjunction with each motion. Thomas and Emily were left stunned by what they saw when Laura finished.
"How did you learn to do that?" blinked Emily.
"When you live for a few years on the sea, you have to learn these things," said Laura proudly, carefully resting her sword on her shoulders, "Some of the people you come across may not be so friendly, so it's wise to be prepared."
"Nice," commented Thomas, "Okay, I'm ready to go again."
Laura nodded. Before long, Thomas and Laura got back into their fighting stances and resumed the session. Despite a rough start, Thomas eventually started getting into a rhythm, remembering Laura's demonstration; he kept his free hand behind his back and countered each of Laura's strikes with his own. Laura still kept herself held back, so as to not injure Thomas, and any successful strike she landed, she made sure to stop right before making contact. Thomas was soon tired out, but was sure of his success.
"So…how was that?" panted Thomas.
"Ти зробив це!" praised Laura in Ukrainian, dropping her sword and approaching. Once close enough, she wrapped her right arm around the red-faced Thomas and pulled him in close, "I knew you'd get it!"
Emily looked all pouty over Laura, again an attractive girl, being affectionate towards Thomas like that. After spending twenty minutes onboard the ship mingling among the pirates, it was time for Thomas and Emily to head back home as they climbed aboard the lifeboat. Two grunts gently lowered the two Sudrian teenagers back onto the cavern floor and waved goodbye from the edge of the ship.
"Come again soon!" called the first pirate.
Down below, Thomas and Emily also waved goodbye and left the cavern for home. Back on the ship, Captain John had some big news to share with his crew.
"Mates, thanks to the help of Thomas in discovering the shipwreck and retrieving the map, we're 'this' close to finding the lost treasure!" announced Captain John.
As expected, the whole crew cheered in celebration. Oh, but if only Captain John stopped there…
"In just a few more days, we will dig up the treasure at that construction site and become rich beyond our wildest dreams!" he concluded.
"Wait a minute!" interrupted Leon, stepping forward while looking a little antsy, "With all due respect, sir, why wait that long? If we act now, we can get our hands on the treasure before anyone else finds it."
"Hold your tongue, Leon," ordered Captain John, "We need a few more days to properly scout out the site and avoid being discovered."
"But, sir, what if someone else finds the treasure before we do?" argued Leon, "We can't afford to take the chance of waiting that long!"
"Commander, you will stay put and await further orders," barked Captain John, slowly losing his (Captain John) patience as Leon scowled, "Do you understand?"
"Perfectly, sir," Leon frowned, turning and walking below deck to sulk, "Excuse me…"
(inside…)
Below the deck, Leon sat down at the table and did some thinking.
"I won't wait any longer," thought Leon, closing his eyes while coming up with a devious scheme of his own, "Sorry, 'Captain', but if you think I'm going to sit still, think again," He opened his eyes dangerously, "I will get that treasure—but it won't be for you."
Uh-oh…
(elsewhere…)
The next day, a Saturday, at the construction site, Thomas was working once again. Like on Friday, the whole thing was actually going pretty smoothly for a change in the eyes of Thomas. Currently, he (Thomas) was sitting at a picnic table and taking a quick break when Ryan came by.
"Oh, hello, Ryan," greeted Thomas.
"Don't mind me, I'm just here to see my Dad about something," said Ryan.
"Well, why don't I come with you?" Thomas suggested, standing up, "My break's almost over."
Ryan liked the idea, and both boys started making their way to the office to talk to Steven. They were nearly there when something nearby caught Thomas's eye.
"Wait," urged Thomas.
"Huh? What's wrong?" asked Ryan.
"Look over there," Thomas pointed out.
Ryan looked over to where Thomas was pointing and gasped. Two hooded figures were seen sneaking into the nearby mine.
"What's going on? What are those two doing?" wondered Ryan.
"No idea, but I'm not waiting to find out," answered Thomas, "We're gonna follow them."
"Go into a mine? Isn't that-?"
"Everything will be fine," The blue-haired boy insisted, taking charge, "Just follow my lead and keep quiet."
He ran off, with Ryan sighing and deciding to follow suit.
(inside…)
Within the mines, the two hooded figures were exploring the place while armed with a lantern and sticks of dynamite.
"I can't believe you talked me into helping you," The first figure, female, grumbled while carrying the lantern, "We really should just follow the captain's instructions to-"
"We need to do this," The second figure, male, rebutted, "When we find the treasure, we'll prove my theory to the captain once and for all," He stopped and observed a wall, "Hmm… Ja, this spot should do."
The female figure nodded and knelt down against the wall, placed the lantern on the ground and started to place some explosives in the spot the male figure wanted them to be and light them. The male figure smiled under his hood when…
"HEY!" The voice of Thomas yelled out, getting the male figure's attention, "What do you two think you're doing?!"
The male figure angrily turned and saw Thomas and Ryan standing nearby, meaning it was time to abort the plan.
"Verdammt!" The male figure uttered in German, "We have to leave!" He then snatched the lit explosives from the female figure and threw them at the two teenage boys who followed him, "Here, catch!"
Ryan caught the explosives, becoming frozen with fear as the two hooded figures turned and fled in a different direction—likely to another exit somewhere deeper in the mine.
"Ryan!" shouted Thomas, taking the explosives from Ryan. He then threw them in the other direction, "There!"
The lit dynamite soared deeper into the mine before hitting the wall. From there, Thomas and Ryan started fleeing from the imminent explosion through the way they came. As they neared the exit, Ryan tripped over a rock and fell over.
"Aagh!" cried Ryan, falling and landing on the ground—unhurt but knew he would never make it in time without help, "Thomas, wait!" While begging for assistance, Thomas stopped and turned around, "Help me!"
"Ryan!" responded Thomas, running back in a hurry to help the purple-haired boy up, "Come on, we're almost out!"
As both teenage boys reached the exit, the delay in leaving allowed for the fuse on the stick of dynamite to reach the end of its travel…
(outside…)
BOOM!*
The force of the explosion inside the mine threw Thomas and Ryan outside a short distance and got the attention of everyone else in the area.
"What the heck?!" exclaimed Jack, "Was that an explosion?!"
"And is that Thomas and Ryan by the mine entrance?!" came from Alfie.
"Thomas?!" gasped Marion, being the first to run forward. Upon reaching the two boys, she checked to see if they were okay, "Are you two okay?!"
"What happened in there?" questioned Byron, "What was that explosion?"
"Ryan and I saw two people in hoods going into the mine!" revealed Thomas, as everyone else gathered around and listened to his explanation, "They had several sticks of dynamite, but they ran off before we could catch them!"
"Two people?" blinked Marion, as the rest of the Pack shrugged in confusion, "We didn't see anyone else go in the mine."
"But I'm telling you we saw two people go in!" protested Thomas, "They were planning to-"
"THOMAS BRIGHTON!" The voice of Steven roared out.
Everyone looked nearby to see Ryan's Father racing towards them, and he looked absolutely furious. Not only was the mine severely damaged—which would push the project back further—but his only son had nearly 'died' in the process.
"What in blazes do you think you're playing at?!" demanded Steven, "I put you on this project because I heard from Sir Topham Hatt that you had good potential. And what do I see instead? You carelessly caused another disturbance!"
"But it's not my fault!" objected Thomas.
"He's telling the truth, Dad!" added Ryan, defending Thomas, "We know what 'really' happened!"
"Ryan," interrupted Steven, still very, very cross, "you will stay away from Thomas from here on out," He (Steven) then faced Thomas, "Thomas, I gave you another chance after that accident because you didn't know much of the rules for the job—but you not only deliberately delayed the work further, but you also put my son in danger!"
"But, sir-!" Thomas tried to say.
"As it turns out, you're not fit for such serious and dangerous work as this," sighed Steven, "I don't want to do this, but I'm afraid you're dismissed, and I will be reporting your actions to Sir Topham Hatt immediately," He turned his attention to everyone else, "Now, I want everyone else to get back to work."
Steven turned and walked sternly away, forcing everyone watching the scene to return to work in a subdued sort of way. Thomas felt absolutely devastated. He had been blindly accused of a crime he did not commit, and now lost his job as a result of it. Ryan, likewise, was devastated by what had happened.
"Don't take it personally, Thomas," he comforted, "My Father might be stern when he's angry, but he never does it out of maliciousness. He must have thought you were trying to get me hurt."
Thomas said nothing in response.
(elsewhere…)
At the exit on the other end of the mine, the two figures emerged looking tired out and dirty. The male one lowered his hood and revealed his identity as Leon.
"Those fools almost caught us," spat Leon, as the female figure lowered her own hood and revealed her identity as Laura, "Come, Laura, we must return to the ship and formulate a new plan."
Laura didn't respond, merely glaring bitterly at her cohort as they both fled the scene in a hurry.
(elsewhere…)
Later that afternoon, Thomas, Ryan, and Steven, joined by both Emily and Percy when they heard what happened at the construction site, were inside Sir Topham Hatt's office at Sodor High School. Although it was the weekend, Sir Topham Hatt agreed to attend the meeting when Steven revealed what Thomas seemingly did. Sir Topham Hatt listened carefully to both sides of the story, but was left very torn on who to believe.
"This boy is not fit to be in charge of serious work like this," stated Steven, as Thomas visibly flinched over what was said next, "The only work he'd be good for is the Demolition Derby."
"I agree that these are 'very' serious allegations, Steven," stated Sir Topham Hatt, "However, for such allegations, I'm afraid I cannot take action without tangible evidence of wrongdoing."
"My son could have died!" declared Steven, "Shouldn't that be cause for action?!"
"That doesn't provide proof of malicious intent," corrected Sir Topham Hatt, "After a…recent incident on my own watch… I don't wish to repeat the mistake I made," He glanced towards a framed photo of the entire student body on the mantle, with his gaze fixated on a specific red-haired boy in the crowd, "Thomas has never been known to be this out of control," With that said, he turned to face the window, "But I really don't know 'who's' in the wrong here."
"What are you saying?!" frowned Steven, "Aren't you going to expel Thomas?"
"Until there has been a thorough investigation of what happened," continued Sir Topham Hatt, turning to face both parties after a few seconds of a pause, "I will not be taking 'any' immediate action. If Thomas is proven innocent, then you 'will' apologize to him for the accusations, and give him his job back with double the pay salary," The next part of his sentence caused him to look ashamed, but felt it needed to be said, "But if he 'is' guilty, then I will have no choice but to expel him as you wish for. Good day to you."
Emily and Percy both gasped in alarm. Despite his anger over his son's close call, Steven at least accepted the terms without question. Thomas, meanwhile, couldn't believe what he was hearing. Sir Topham Hatt, one of the most sensible men in the school, actually 'doubted' his (Thomas) innocence! Without another word, he turned and sadly left the office, turning his back on the principal. Emily, meanwhile, was absolutely furious! When Steven and Ryan also left the office, she faced her own Father and started giving him a verbal smackdown.
"How could you, Daddy? How could you doubt Thomas like that?!" berated Emily, slamming her hands on the desk and causing Percy to jump and look fearful of her wrath, "After everything he's done for this school, after everything he's done for 'me', you have the gall to even 'think' of expelling him for something he didn't do?! Don't you remember what happened when you did the same thing to 'James'?!"
"Please listen to me, Emily," soothed Sir Topham Hatt, speaking as calmly as he could, "I was put between a rock and a hard place with this," Both Percy and the angry Emily listened closely, "I don't 'want' to believe Thomas would do this, but as of now I have no way of knowing for certain," He closed his eyes gravely, "so I must consider all outcomes."
"Is that so?" huffed Emily, still frowning in disgust before turning away from Sir Topham Hatt, "Well, it seems more like to me you haven't learned a thing from that ordeal."
Before Sir Topham Hatt could justify his choices, Emily stormed out of the office without another word, slamming the door behind her. An aghast Percy and Sir Topham Hatt were both speechless, having never seen Emily look so angry before—and with the latter feeling terrible with himself.
(elsewhere…)
Out in the hallway, Thomas walked along by himself thinking the whole world was turning against him. Upon exiting the office, Emily sped off after Thomas to try and talk to him. Ryan, meanwhile, stayed behind by his Father to have a little 'chat' about what went on in the office.
"I don't get you, Dad," accused Ryan, causing Steven to stop walking, "Thomas was not being reckless!"
"Ryan?" blinked Steven.
"He was 'not' trying to kill me at the construction site!" continued Ryan hotly, "Here's what I know; Thomas and I found two strangers going into the mines, and we followed them. One of them then used the dynamite to trap us while they escaped. And if it weren't for Thomas, I 'would' have died in the explosion. If you had just taken the time to 'listen' to us, instead of jumping to conclusions, none of this would be happening, right now!"
"I-I was just trying to protect you," stammered Steven, who couldn't believe his own son was yelling at him, "I-"
But Ryan only turned and stormed off in the other direction, not wanting to hear another word from Steven, who had been left with a 'lot' to think about.
(elsewhere…)
At the construction site, work was going on as usual, though the general feeling was much more dour after everyone witnessed Steven fire Thomas outright. Some members tried to carry on without bother, whereas others were still fixated on the injustice they had witnessed.
"That's enough for today. Come on. It's time to go home," informed Oliver F..
"I hear ya," replied Kelly.
Nearby, Marion was working her steam shovel when she overheard it was time to leave for the day. She decided to get one more round of digging before calling it a day—she also needed an opportunity to blow off a little anger. She started to bitterly slam her steam shovel against the nearby rock wall, trying to take out her aggression.
"I can't believe Steven!" Marion was telling herself, clearly very upset, "I know Thomas wouldn't do such a thing; he's always been a nice boy ever since I met him. But for Steven to just dismiss him in such a way is just… UGH!"
With that growled out, Marion slammed the shovel against the rock formation again, then started to return to digging while feeling a little better. While digging, there was a loud *CLANG!* sound when the shovel was scooping up the earth.
"Huh? What's this?" wondered Marion. Curious, she turned off the vehicle, got out, and approached the hole, "What was that sound?"
Taking a closer look, her eyes widened and sparkled, while her mouth opened with utmost surprise. To her astonishment, it looked to be a very large, old strong box that looked not too similar to a treasure chest. Recovering from shock, Marion knew she had to show Steven—despite being mad at him—what she found and get the press to the site. Nearby, two of the workers spotted Marion and what she had found and looked at each other nervously, knowing that they were too late.
(elsewhere…)
Back inside Sir Topham Hatt's office, the principal was gathering his things and preparing to leave for home when his telephone rang.
"Oh, for goodness sakes," groaned Sir Topham Hatt, still smarting from being yelled at by Emily a while ago. He picked up the phone and answered the caller, "Hello?" After a few seconds of listening to the caller, his mood started to lift considerably, "Really? I'll be there soon."
(elsewhere…)
Inside the living room of the Brighton household, Andrea and Dalton had gotten a call from Steven about what had happened at the construction site and were less than happy over it. They couldn't 'believe' their own son would behave so reckless like that, especially around 'dynamite'! Needless to say, once Thomas got home a little later in the evening, there was a family meeting, with Annie and Clarabel going upstairs and Emily requesting to attend.
"Thomas, we're very disappointed," began Dalton gravely. When Thomas said nothing back, he (Dalton) went on, "We trusted you to learn from your mistakes, especially after you got into that fight with Gordon at school. But instead of that, you do something so unbelievably stupid that it almost gets you and Steven's son killed."
Thomas was still very quiet, with his expression one of pure resentment.
"Thomas, I know you've been feeling down lately over what happened with James, but that's still no excuse for you to muck around with dynamite," scolded Andrea, "You're old enough to know how dangerous it is to play with such things."
"But he wasn't!" Emily cut in, attempting to defend Thomas, "Thomas really is innocent," Both Dalton and Andrea looked over while listening to her, "but Mr. Johnson's fear for Ryan's safety blinded him from hearing the truth."
"This is so stupid," mumbled Thomas, speaking up at long last, "I saved Ryan's life, and it gets me fired!" He stood up from his seat on the couch, "Mom, Dad, we saw two hooded figures going into the mine, and they were up to no good!"
"Thomas-!" said Dalton.
"They were trying to blow something up with dynamite!" blurted Thomas, "I threw it far enough away and helped Ryan up when he tripped and fell, but all I get is being pegged as the villain!"
"Thomas, please-" Andrea begged, wanting her son to settle down.
"Well, I'm sick of no one listening to me!" raged Thomas, before turning and making his way towards the door, "Sorry, but I need to get some air."
"Thomas!" Dalton called out, hoping to get Thomas to see sense, "Thomas, come back here! Please!"
With that said, and ignoring his parents' objections, Thomas stormed out the door, slamming it behind him. Emily decided to go with him, hoping to help calm him down. She faced Dalton and Andrea one more time and shook her head in disapproval and left without speaking another word as well. Both parents were looking very solemn over the argument they had with their son. Once the door was carefully closed by Emily, they started talking again.
"Oh dear, what have we done?" fretted Andrea, "Suppose Thomas is telling us the truth, and we've blindly turned our backs on him purely because of what we heard?" As she continued on, Dalton looked towards her, "What kind of terrible parents do such a despicable thing as to blame their children when they do nothing wrong?"
Dalton didn't reply back, but did share the same feeling as his wife.
(outside…)
Outside the house, Thomas stomped away from his home before hearing Emily calling out to him.
"Thomas, wait up!" The voice of Emily echoed, before she ran up to him, "Thomas, I want you to know that I'm on your side. I believe you."
"Emily…" whispered Thomas, before looking away from her, "I… I just can't go back to Mom and Dad—not right now."
"I don't blame you," assured Emily, "I also yelled at my own Father for even 'thinking' of believing Mr. Johnson's story," She then took Thomas by his hands, "Now, come on, we'll stay at a nice motel near the beach for the night. It should help clear your head."
"I guess you're one of the few people out there I can still trust," Thomas smiled sadly, "Let's go."
(elsewhere…)
After about an hour of walking in silence, Thomas and Emily found themselves in the harbor town of Arlesburgh, where they spotted a cozy looking Bed and Breakfast near the docks.
(inside…)
Walking inside the motel, the two Sudrian teenagers spotted the attendant sitting behind a small desk.
"Oh, hello!" The attendant greeted brightly, as Thomas and Emily walked up, "Welcome to Lighthouse Lodging. I'm Joe," He clapped his hands together, "What can I do for you folks?"
"Um, do you have a room for two available?" asked Emily.
"Certainly," The attendant, named Joe, answered, "How long are you planning to stay?"
"Just for the night," revealed Thomas.
"Well you're in luck," responded Joe, "I've got a vacancy all ready for visitors like you," He then took their details and handed them their room key—which Thomas took, "Please enjoy your stay."
(elsewhere…)
Inside the small room, Thomas was lying down on the bed staring at the ceiling; his mind racing with all the events that have happened, not just earlier, but ever since the initial incident at the clay pits.
"Everything is falling apart around me…" Thomas thought to himself, gravely, "First James leaves, then Gordon makes things worse, then Steven fires me for saving Ryan's life, and now even my own 'parents' don't believe me!"
With his head full of negative emotions and memories, Thomas rested a hand against his temple and let out a heavy sigh. The door to the room then opened, revealing Emily, who was carrying several wrapped pieces of nightwear provided by the lodge. She set them down on a nearby dresser and sat on a chair next to the bed Thomas was laying on.
"Will you be okay, Thomas?" worried Emily, placing a hand on Thomas's shoulder in solace.
"I guess I should be alright by tomorrow," sighed Thomas, sitting up. He managed to smile at Emily, "At least you're with me."
Emily managed to smile back, and the two embraced in a light hug.
"What do you say we go out for a little walk?" suggested Thomas.
"Good idea," accepted Emily, "It's a nice night mixed with the sea air; we should make the most of it."
Thomas turned and stood up off the bed, taking Emily's hand in his own, as they both left the room.
(outside…)
Exiting the motel, Thomas wordlessly pointed in another direction and led Emily along.
(elsewhere…)
As the pair enjoyed their walk, they made a quick stop at the construction site and found some commotion going on there. There were various reporters surrounding some important people at the steam shovel. Those people were Marion, Steven, and Sir Topham Hatt. Curiosity overcame Thomas and Emily.
"What's happening there?" quizzed Emily.
"It looks like a press conference or something," shrugged Thomas, "Let's listen in."
The reporters were busy aiming many of their questions at Marion, Steven, and Sir Topham Hatt. As for the occasion, it turned out that Marion really did come across something really special with her steam shovel, and that special something was…
"Bertram, are you sure it is real treasure?!" One male reporter questioned.
"It 'is' pirate treasure!" cried Sir Topham Hatt, holding up a 16th century gold coin from the large pile of treasure, "My heavens! This will all make a splendid addition to the city museum."
There was gold, jewelry, and various other treasures from the treasure chest gathered up around the three adults.
"Well done, Marion, well done!" praised Steven, patting Marion on the back.
Marion beamed with happiness to the point she almost forgot about being cross over the incident earlier in the day—at least for now. The various reporters kept shouting questions in her direction.
"Now, now, there will be plenty of time for questions another time!" assured Sir Topham Hatt, "I will personally hold onto the treasure…" The reporters all listened to him, "…until we are ready to deliver it to the museum."
"Are you sure it will be okay, sir?" A second male reporter called out.
"Please do not worry, it will be in good hands," promised Sir Topham Hatt, "My security guards at home will make sure this treasure is kept safe and sound."
Nearby, Thomas and Emily looked at each other, amazed that Marion found lost pirate treasure.
"Marion finding treasure? That's certainly something," remarked Emily.
"Wait, I think I remember…" mused Thomas thoughtfully, "John mentioned something about treasure when I met him and Skiff…"
"Are you saying that could be the same treasure John and his crew are searching for?" figured Emily.
Thomas didn't answer, but the look on his face seemed to confirm the notion. Perhaps they should check in with the pirates just to be sure.
(elsewhere…)
Inside the cavern at the coastline, Thomas and Emily approached the side of the Hispaniola.
"Ahoy! This be Thomas!" yelled Thomas, but there was no response, "Huh? Hey! It's me! Thomas!" On top of the ship, there was nobody there, "Is anyone up there?!" Back below, he grunted with agitation, "No one seems to be there."
"Thomas, look!" Emily interrupted, pointing to the nearby anchor and chain, "We can climb the chain to reach the ship."
The two teenagers climbed the chain until they reached the top. Once they were there, Thomas climbed aboard first, then helped Emily up. They looked around and noticed that there was no one on the deck—though they could faintly hear the muffled sound of voices from below deck. Curiosity overcoming the pair, they decided to venture below to see what was going on.
(inside…)
Upon quietly making their way below deck, Thomas and Emily carefully walked around and avoided any patrols until they could hear the same muffled voices.
"Listen," hushed Thomas, before pointing nearby, "Over there."
Upon approaching the door leading into the galley, the voices were heard more clearly.
"This whole plan was going south fast!" The voice of Leon was saying.
"We were ordered to wait, but you just could not help yourself!" The voice of Skiff responded.
Peaking through the cracks in the door, Thomas and Emily could see Skiff and Leon sitting round a small table inside the galley. Captain John, meanwhile, was standing and looking displeased.
"We were getting so close!" pouted Skiff, "And now the treasure's slipped away from us!"
Leon stood up, "I say we just kill them all and take it back," he suggested, fed up, "Come on, Captain, you know I'm right!"
"Silence!" shouted Captain John, who then roughly grabbed Leon by the collar, "'I say'? What's this 'I say'?! Disobey my orders again, and it will cost you dearly! So help me, I'll have ye walk the PLANK!"
With that final word, Captain John slammed Leon against the wall, and the latter slid down to the floor in pain. On the other side of the door, Thomas and Emily cringed at the display of brutality from a man believed to be friendly.
"Hmph! Strong talk, 'mein kapitän'," Leon spat defiantly, as he picked himself up and started pacing around, "As that's all an idiot such as you has ever done."
Skiff looked aghast over such language being said as Captain John raised an eyebrow, clearly not thrilled over what was said about him.
"I beg yer pardon? What did you call me?" hissed Captain John.
"You heard me! You are an idiot and an incompetent leader," declared Leon, smiling coldly, "If it were I in charge, we would be set for life many times over!" Captain John was now seeing red, but he (Leon) wasn't done, "There is also Thomas, whom I believe you have a soft spot for—to the detriment of the rest of us… Even allowing him onto our ship to enjoy a party and letting him bring his girlfriend on board and even relying on him to get the map in the first plac-"
Leon didn't get a chance to finish as Captain John punched him (Leon) square in the face, then grabbing and throwing the commander onto a second table and destroying it on contact. Skiff gasped and looked to see Captain John huffing and puffing while looking VERY angry.
"SHUT YE YAP!'" roared Captain John, before continuing on a bit more calmly, "Now mark me, 'the both o' ya'!" His (Captain John) attention briefly directed towards Skiff, who seemed to shudder a little bit from genuine fear, "I care about one thing and one thing only, and it's 'Calles's loot'!" He remained very serious and cold in his speech while pacing around before sitting down at a third table to drink from the goblet there, "You'd think I'd risk it all for some lonely miserable little welp like Thomas?! Ridiculous! Thomas means nothing to me. He's a pawn, a means to an end; someone to get us on the inside. Once we get the treasure, both him and his lady friend will be next week's shark fodder!"
Outside the galley, Thomas's expression grew more shocked and betrayed as Captain John went on about getting the lost treasure all for himself and the rest of the crew. It turned out Captain John wasn't as warm, humorous, and friendly as believed; but was actually cold, vicious, and calculating. Thomas looked at Emily, who was just as horrified as he was over what they heard. Wordlessly agreeing, the two of them started to sneak out and notify the police, only to immediately bump into Laura and a few grunts as they turned around to try fleeing.
"Thomas? Emily?" blinked Laura.
"L-L-Laura!" stammered Emily.
"What are you doing here? We didn't see you come here and-" Laura pressed, before coming to a haunting realization, "You two were listening in on the captain's meeting, weren't you?"
Thomas and Emily fearfully said nothing back, but Laura knew better since they learned far too much and, with heavy regret, snapped her fingers as the two pirates behind her rushed forward and grabbed the two Sudrian teenagers, causing them to struggle and yell while being taken away.
(elsewhere…)
In another part of the ship, Thomas and Emily were thrown into an empty room by the two pirates while Laura stood in the doorway and watched before exiting, closing the door, and locking it up with a key. That was clearly the brig, a form of jail aboard a large ship where prisoners or disobedient crew members were kept.
"Laura, wait!" panicked Thomas, running towards the door and banging on it in a futile sort of way, "Why are you doing this to us? We're your friends! Laura! Laura, please come back!" As he pleaded in a very desperate way, Laura stopped for a moment and heard him, "Let us out!"
"No, Thomas, I can't do that. But what I will say…is that I'm sorry," replied Laura solemnly, hating that it all came to this, "I really didn't want this to happen between us."
She and her two grunts walked away so they could go and get the captain, leaving Thomas behind to continue banging on the door and yelling her name. Back in the cell, Thomas eventually gave up after tiring himself out from all the yelling, and could do nothing but fall onto his knees whilst beginning to sob.
"This is all my fault!" wept Thomas, as Emily sadly walked over, "If I hadn't met with these pirates, we would never be stuck in this place with no way out!"
"Thomas… None of this is your fault," comforted Emily
Poor Thomas paid no attention and continued to cry. With nothing they could do about their predicament, he and Emily soon sat down in a corner of their room and remained very still for a long time before they heard footsteps and stood back up. The door was then unlocked and opened, revealing Captain John, Skiff, Sledge and another pirate grunt.
"Captain John, are you sure about-?" worried Skiff.
"Quiet, Skiff," requested Captain John, as he approached the two prisoners, "Now leave us for the time being," As Skiff, Sledge, and the grunt each did just that, he seemed to soften up a little and took a knee to get on the same level as Thomas and Emily, "Thomas, me lad… About what ye heard back there… I can assure you I didn't mean a word of it. But if that bloodthirsty lot had thought I'd gone soft, they'd have gutted us all."
Thomas raised an eyebrow at Captain John's words. There was no hint of malice or anger in the captain's tone of voice, but after what was witnessed, Thomas remained wary of Captain John. Emily merely glared daggers at the man, now being keenly aware of who he truly was.
"And sorry ye had to be thrown down here," apologized Captain John, "As Captain, sometimes ye have to make the tough decisions to keep the crew happy," He then leaned in closer with a tempting look, "Listen to me, me hearty; we play our cards right, then we both walk away rich as 'Kings'."
"Yeah?" Thomas questioned, now looking more intrigued.
"Aye," confirmed Captain John, "You tell me where the treasure is, and we split the profits fifty-fifty," He (Captain John) offered a handshake to Thomas through the iron bars and a confident smile having formed, "Do we have a deal, boy?"
Thomas looked between the outstretched hand and John's expression. After everything he had been through the past few days, he wasn't completely sure what to think. But one glance at Emily's apprehensive look told him all he needed to know. At last, Thomas spoke up to decline the offer.
"I'm sorry, Captain," refused Thomas, "I do know 'where' the treasure is, but it's being donated to the museum. There's no way to get it, now."
"Museum?! What museum?!" exclaimed Captain John in disgust, retracting his hand in anger as both prisoners listened to him rant, "I haven't been searching all this time to see that treasure end up in a museum!" He clenched his right hand into a fist and punched it into the wall, "It's for me and me crew!"
"As for 'who' has it… I have no idea," Thomas lied, attempting to protect the identity of Sir Topham Hatt, "I…really do not know."
"I know you're lying to me, Thomas," countered Captain John, unconvinced by the obvious lie and frowning. He stood tall and tried to smile once more, "Please remember the fun times we had together; you can trust me, you know."
"After everything that's happened, I don't know if I can trust you," dismissed Thomas, looking away.
Losing his smile, Captain John grew very frustrated before realizing there was one more thing he could do to get the answer. Snapping his (Captain John) fingers, Sledge and the grunt from before approached Thomas and Emily and grabbed the latter by her arms.
"H-Hey!" wailed Emily, being dragged away.
"Emily!" gasped Thomas, before seeing Captain John smiling, "What are you doing with her?!"
"Oh, you'll see," answered Captain John, as he shut the cell door and followed the two pirates back up to the deck, "I will be back in a while, so carefully think my offer through."
Thomas could still hear Emily's cries from his cell as he yanked on the bars to no avail, her voice abruptly cutting off as the brig door slammed shut. After three minutes of deafening silence, Thomas suddenly felt the whole ship jolt forward, the bilge creaking with each slight movement. Thomas knew that meant one thing; the ship was moving. But where was it going? After what seemed like an eternity, Thomas heard the brig doors open and again entered Captain John. Thomas was immediately at the bars, glaring intensely at the pirate captain.
"Where is she?!" demanded Thomas frantically, "Where's Emily?! What have you done with her?!"
"Ye want to see her again?" tempted Captain John, unlocking the cell door and grabbing Thomas by the collar, "Then right this way."
(outside…)
Once on the deck, Thomas could see the Island of Sodor in the distance. Clearly, the ship had sailed a good distance away from land for whatever was about to happen. Captain John then roughly threw Thomas to the floor as the whole crew, including the three commanders and Skiff, surrounded him. Looking up, Thomas saw Captain John waiting by the plank, with Emily tied up to attention and an anchor chained to her left ankle. He jumped to his feet in a hurry.
"Wh-What's the meaning of this, John?" stammered Thomas.
"I know you know who has the treasure, Thomas," replied Captain John coldly, "Because you won't tell me what I want to know, I'm going to make this as simple as I can," As he went on, Emily looked terrified while standing on the plank over the ocean, "Either you tell me the truth, or your friend Emily here gets a one way trip off the plank to Davy Jones's Locker."
"So what's it going to be, kid?" The voice of Leon sneered, as he looked very smug about killing someone, "Are you going to fess up, or let the girl become a meal for the hungry sharks?"
Thomas froze with horror; unless he (Thomas) told Captain John who had access to the treasure, the pirates would not hesitate to have Emily killed, but what Thomas didn't know was that a select few were not excited over killing someone to get the treasure. Laura appeared hesitant about the whole thing, and Skiff was outright scared. However, due to their loyalty to the crew, they both had to suck it up. What was Thomas going to do? The answer, I'm afraid, is not going to be told until next time.