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 56: Pirate Thomas
Opening up on Captain John's ship, the Hispaniola, Thomas stood still and stared in horror, hearing that the pirate crew aimed to drop the chained up Emily into the ocean unless they were told of who had the treasure. Not wanting Emily to die, Thomas finally spoke up in Emily's defense.
"Don't do it!" begged Thomas, as Captain John looked over, "I'll tell you who has it! Please don't hurt Emily!"
"That be a good lad," grinned Captain John, "Now, tell us everything."
Thomas sighed, "The person who has the treasure is…Sir Bertram Topham Hatt," he revealed, "He's looking after the treasure until it's time to donate it."
"Bertram, eh?" mused Captain John.
"I heard of him; he's one of the island's richest people," remembered Leon.
The various grunts, including Sledge, Laura, and Skiff, all murmured to themselves. Captain John looked thoughtful, remembering something else about both Sir Topham Hatt and Lady Hatt before deciding to be sure of it—in his own way, that is.
"Very good, Thomas," said Captain John, "Thank ye for tellin' me," He looked at the plank, where Emily stood on, "As for the lass here…"
"You'll let her go, right?" asked Thomas hopefully.
"She will still die!" The voice of Captain John interrupted.
"What?!" Thomas and Emily gasped in unison.
"Once people have outlived their usefulness, we pirates have to take care of 'em unless we want to regret it later down the road," explained Captain John remorselessly, "It's all part of the pirate's code, boy. Get used to it!"
"You can't though!" protested Thomas, speaking his next set of words without even realizing it, "Sir Topham Hatt would never forgive me if anything were to happen to his own daught—no!"
"Thomas!" cried Emily.
Without realizing what he was saying until it was too late, Thomas had accidently revealed that Emily was Sir Topham Hatt's daughter. To make it even worse, he did it in-front of a pirate crew fully intending to do her harm, thus giving them possibly more ammo to use against the principal of Sodor High School.
"Slip of the tongue there, laddie?" chuckled Captain John, smiling evilly, "So, you mean to tell me her last name is 'Hatt' and not 'Stirling'? When you put it that way, Emily…" On the plank, Emily fearfully listened to every word of his, "…here still may be of use to us. Very much," He came up with a bigger and better plan, "Thomas, lad, there's been a change of plans."
Thomas frowned, but said nothing.
"Emily here will stay alive just as you want," continued Captain John, "But she will instead remain prisoner until I send a messenger to meet with her Father, Bertram. Now, as for you…" As he (Captain John) spoke on, Thomas listened in utter sorrow, "Once we reach land, you're free to go—and live with the fact that you might have just permanently doomed some innocent lives!"
From there, Captain John, Leon, Sledge, and the grunts all broke into menacing laughter, with Skiff and Laura both doing no such thing. Thomas looked down while hearing the laughter from most of the pirate crew, knowing he just made the biggest mistake of his whole life, and there was now nothing he could do about it. A little later, the ship was sailing through the waters heading back towards land.
(inside…)
Speaking of whom, Laura and Skiff were seated at a table inside the gallery having a bite to eat. Both had been silent ever since they, along with their captain and the rest of the crew, learned that Emily was the daughter of Sir Topham Hatt, and that the latter had access to the lost treasure.
"Laura?" began Skiff.
"Mm?" replied Laura.
"I don't know about you, but I feel awful," groaned Skiff, "What we did back there, with the captain using Emily to threaten Thomas into telling us where the treasure is. It felt so…wrong."
"Skiff…"
"I mean I know we've done our fair share of pillaging and holding people up," The young boy pointed out, "But actually seeing the captain almost 'kill' someone? I didn't like it…"
"I know what you mean," agreed Laura, before slamming her goblet full of fresh water on the table, "Darn it, I never should have aided Leon in his mission!" A few brief, faded clips of what happened in the mine, plus her and Leon's escaping, were superimposed over her, "By doing that, we could have gotten people hurt!"
"Which is what you have been doing throughout your time with the crew, Laura!" The voice of Leon interrupted, causing Laura and Skiff to look over. He walked in and sat down at another table, "But that doesn't matter. What matters to us is your complete and unfettered loyalty."
"Loyalty?" repeated Laura.
"Don't you remember?" pressed Leon, "How your once, happy life was shattered by greedy bandits?" As he spoke on, Laura gasped and began to remember it all, "If it weren't for the captain finding and saving you, you'd have lost your life like how your friends, family, and neighbors lost theirs."
A conflicted Laura's hands on the table were clenched into fists as she closed her eyes for a moment, with Skiff hoping that Laura would forget all about her loyalty to Captain John.
"Yes, y-you're right," The voice of Laura accepted, much to Skiff's surprise and disappointment. She opened her eyes and looked towards Leon, "I owe you guys, and the captain, my life for rescuing me that time—because of that, I just can't break my oath."
Leon smiled to himself, glad that the youngest of the commanders would remain loyal to the cause. However, he still had to do something about that reluctant first mate…
(elsewhere…)
At the construction site that morning, Marion was on break. Despite her exhilaration from finding real pirate treasure and becoming famous for it, she went back to being cross with Steven over what happened regarding Thomas.
"Marion, are you feeling alright?" The voice of Ryan called out, as he walked into frame and sat down beside Marion, "I thought you'd be over the moon due to finding real treasure."
"Sorry, Ryan, but finding treasure hasn't really changed my mood about your Father," sighed Marion.
"I know," acknowledged Ryan, "It's not fair to Thomas," Focus then went towards Jack and the Pack in different spots of the construction site, "In fact, lots of the workers here are unhappy about his firing, and so am I."
"Oh, that Steven!" fumed Marion. She suddenly calmed down, stood up, and got an idea, "Hey, Ryan, I think there might be a way to get Steven to see the light."
Ryan grinned, wanting to hear the whole plan.
(elsewhere…)
Eventually, the Hispaniola arrived just outside of Arlesburgh Harbor. Taking a small rowboat, Captain John personally took Thomas to shore.
"Thomas, lad, I thank you for aiding us in our quest," praised Captain John, while Thomas made no effort to respond, "We will soon have the treasure in our possession," He continued speaking and giving what he thought was advice, "But I also suggest that you leave us behind and never look back. You don't belong in the same world as us. You should forget about…me."
Thomas glumly stayed silent, which didn't please Captain John very much. He then decided to try something that would get the boy to at least respond back in a way.
"If you're so worried about Emily getting hurt, then don't be," said Captain John, causing Thomas to look up while listening, "I give ye my word that she will remain unharmed and be safely released once her Father, Sir Topham Hatt, hands over the treasure to me and me crew."
"R-Really?" stammered Thomas hopefully.
Captain John nodded, which at least brought Thomas a little bit of comfort. Once the rowboat reached shore, Thomas climbed out and, overcome with guilt and the likes, turned and ran off, wanting to get away from Captain John and the pirates as quickly as possible. Once Thomas was long gone, Captain John went from reassuring to absolutely sneering.
"That's right, Thomas, run far, far away," Captain John told himself, "Because I know you'll never be able to get over what you did," He continued speaking as he rowed back to the ship, "As for the lass, Emily, she'll get what's coming to her once I have the treasure in my hands…"
(elsewhere…)
Back in the brig of the Hispaniola, Emily sat all alone inside her holding cell, feeling cold, lonely without Thomas by her side, and miserable. While she was disappointed in Thomas for revealing her identity to Captain John and the crew, she knew he didn't do it on purpose and only did it out of reflex, panic, and worry for her safety. Suddenly, Emily heard a sound like the rattling of keys coming from the other side of the cell door.
"Psst! Emily?" The voice of Skiff whispered.
"Skiff?" peeped Emily, looking up.
It was, indeed, Skiff, outside her cell door, who was trying to fit the key into the old lock.
"Skiff, what are you doing?" questioned Emily.
"The right thing," replied Skiff, and when Emily said nothing back, he resumed, "Look, I may be a pirate, but I know when I've crossed the line—and the captain has definitely crossed that line. I also know the captain has other plans for you, so I'm breaking you out."
"Skiff…" uttered Emily, before smiling, "Thank you."
Skiff smiled back, and was just about to unlock the door so he could free Emily when he was grabbed from behind by someone.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" The voice of Leon commented mockingly, causing Skiff to gulp with fear. Sure enough, he and a few grunts had arrived, "It would seem we have a traitor amongst our group."
"L-Leon!" gasped Skiff.
"This is not at all surprising Skiff," sneered Leon, as Skiff and Emily listened to him, "I always knew you'd be the one who would backstab our captain and the rest of us!" He smirked maliciously, with the grunts also grinning as he went on, "The old man never should have put his trust in a child, despite his favoritism towards you. I should have been named the first mate by the captain, and not you!"
From there, Leon lifted up poor Skiff until they were seeing eye-to-eye.
"Skiff!" cried Emily.
"Ugh! Like he'd listen to you…after what you said to him!" gagged Skiff.
"Well, my time to rise in ranks has come," gloated Leon, snapping his fingers with the left hand in order to let one of his grunts open up the door. He (Leon) roughly threw Skiff inside the cell, who tumbled against the wall from the force of the throw, "You can stay in there with the prisoner until you learn to respect the chain of command!"
Skiff laid on the ground, winded from being thrown while Emily approached and knelt down to see if he was okay before looking towards the door in time to see it shut and get locked up. Skiff weakly shot Leon a look of disdain as the grunts and commander left.
(elsewhere…)
Back at the Brighton residence…
"Thomas? Thomas, where were you?" The voice of Andrea pondered, coming from inside the house, "Thomas, can you hear me?"
(inside…)
Upstairs, Andrea was outside Thomas's bedroom door, trying to get him to talk to her to no avail.
"Thomas? Why isn't Emily with you?" begged Andrea, "Come on, Thomas! Please talk to me!"
(inside…)
Inside Thomas's room, the broken blue-haired boy was laying on his bed, staring at the ceiling in deep thought and depression, and completely ignoring his Mother. Thomas was absolutely wracked with both guilt and sorrow over not only for failing to pay Sir Topham Hatt back for damages dealt to the display case at school, but also over breaking his promise to the principal in keeping Emily safe—which he would never forgive himself for. Turning over, Thomas picked up the framed photo from his bedside table, which showed him and Emily from Valentine's Day the year prior. Seeing the both of them looking so happy together only made him feel like more of a failure and a coward.
"Emily…" Thomas thought to himself, "I'm so sorry, Emily…"
He continued to stare at the picture for what seemed like hours, mentally cursing and kicking himself with each second that went by, knowing that if Emily were here right now, Thomas would tell her exactly how he felt. After what seemed like forever, there was a knock on the door.
"Thomas? Big Brother, can we come in?" The voice of Annie echoed.
"It's just Annie and I," The voice of Clarabel reassured, "Mom wanted us to see how you're doing."
Despite wanting to be left alone at the moment, Thomas let out an agitated grunt, signaling the door was open. Annie and Clarabel entered the room and watched as Thomas sat up on the bed.
"Thomas, where's Emily?" worried Clarabel.
"We know she left with you last night," recalled Annie, "Didn't she come back, too?"
"No," denied Thomas in anguish, "She didn't, and it's all my fault."
"Your fault?" blinked Clarabel, sitting down beside Thomas while Annie sat down on the other side, "We don't understand."
"How is it your fault?" wondered Annie.
With no other choice, Thomas solemnly told his younger sisters what happened; from meeting Captain John and the crew a few days ago, how Emily was brought into it, how he got them both captured, how he accidently revealed to the crew that Emily is Sir Topham Hatt's daughter, and so much more. After the story finished, Annie and Clarabel were horrified over Emily's kidnapping and consoled their older brother, saying he wasn't at fault, which didn't convince Thomas in the slightest—he remained in an almost unresponsive state.
(elsewhere…)
The next day at Sodor High School, Sir Topham Hatt sat in his office enjoying a cup of coffee—with Mister Percival standing beside the desk enjoying a delicious-looking donut. There was soon a knock on the office door.
"Come in?" said Sir Topham Hatt.
The door opened, revealing both the secretary Stacy Jones and Lady Hatt.
"Sir, your wife is here to see you," reported Stacy.
"Ah, Jane! Welcome!" Sir Topham Hatt greeted, just as Stacy left the office for him, Lady Hatt, and Mister Percival to talk, "What brings you by?"
"I just came over to see how Emily is doing; I haven't seen her all that much since we agreed for her to leave home and move in with Thomas and his family until the situation with Alexander has been taken care of," answered Lady Hatt, causing Sir Topham Hatt and Mister Percival to look uncomfortable—which she took notice of, "Mm? Is something the matter, Bertram? Peregrine?"
"Well, ma'am, about Emily…" sighed Mister Percival.
"She seems to be running a little late for school today," put in Sir Topham Hatt, much to Lady Hatt's surprise and concern. He then tried to brighten things up, "I wouldn't worry though; Thomas has been doing everything in his power to keep her safe from Diesel 10."
Despite shuddering over the mention of Diesel 10, Lady Hatt was very relieved to hear that, knowing she trusted Thomas very much. Before long, another knock on the door ensued, getting the attention of all three adults. The door open, revealing a somewhat nervous-looking Laura.
"Good morning, Laura, what can we do for you?" exclaimed Mister Percival.
"Sirs, I have a note for you," replied Laura, holding up a letter as Mister Percival approached, "While on my way to school, I was given this by a pair of crazy adults wanting you to have it," She handed over the letter and shrugged, "They claimed to be pirates, but that's just crazy, am I right?"
(outside…)
Upon leaving the office, Laura sighed solemnly to herself, knowing it was all up to fate to see if the treasure would be delivered to the crew. Once that was done, her role as a student would be done—and she could leave the school behind for good.
(inside…)
Back in the office, Mister Percival opened the envelope and took the letter out, carefully reading it over before stopping in total shock.
"Peregrine? Peregrine, what's the matter?" asked Lady Hatt.
"You look spooked," commented Sir Topham Hatt, "Tell us, what does the letter say?"
"Sir and ma'am, it's not an ordinary letter… It's a ransom note," gulped Mister Percival.
"A ransom note?!" Sir Topham Hatt and Lady Hatt uttered at the same time.
That sure was a shocker.
"Are you sure?" pleaded Sir Topham Hatt.
Mister Percival nodded gravely, "And you'll never believe who it's from… It's from John Silver."
"John Silver… Oh my, you mean 'the' John Silver?" fretted Lady Hatt.
"The disgraced former British Navy sailor?" added Sir Topham Hatt, "The same one who got kicked out for disgraceful misconduct?"
When Mister Percival nodded again, Sir Topham Hatt wanted to hear what the note said.
"Please, what does it say? What does he want from us?" he urged.
Knowing no one else was going to like it, Mister Percival looked back at the note and began to read it aloud in full. This was what it said…
To Sir Bertram Topham Hatt
If you and your wife wish to see your precious daughter, Emily, again, you will meet me at Arlesburgh early tomorrow morning, and bring with you Captain Calles's treasure. Hand it over to me, and I shall exchange it for your daughter.
A word of advice; if you wish to see her alive, you will be wise to keep the authorities out of it. I'm also going to warn you only once; no tricks, and she will be set free. Don't keep me waiting.
Yours truly, Captain John Silver
As expected, Sir Topham Hatt and Lady Hatt were left absolutely horrified that Captain John, formerly known as Sailor John, had turned to piracy and would resort to such extreme actions just to get what he wanted.
"Oh, my sweet, sweet little girl!" cried Lady Hatt, "How could he do this to her?"
"We mustn't let that man bring further harm to Emily, Jane," vowed Sir Topham Hatt, sitting back down at his desk, "I will obey John's demands for the exchange; he and his crew want the treasure, and we want our daughter back."
(elsewhere…)
In the hallways at around noon hour, students were roaming around the hallways as Sir Topham Hatt made an announcement.
"Attention, students, this is Sir Topham Hatt speaking," The voice of Sir Topham Hatt was saying, "I have some terrible news to announce."
(elsewhere…)
In the cafeteria…
"Your fellow student, Emily Stirling, has been kidnapped by John Silver, the former Navy sailor, now a pirate captain," The voice of Sir Topham Hatt went on, being careful as to not reveal the connection between him and Emily. Everyone there was seen looked shocked and scared—even Gordon, "He is holding her for ransom, and I must deliver the lost treasure of Captain Calles to him in order for her to be freed."
At one of the tables, Thomas sat in total silence as each word from the principal's announcement filled him with more guilt, knowing that this whole situation was all his fault. Sitting at the table with him was Percy and Toby, and they were likewise worried about Emily.
"Oh man, poor Emily," winced Percy.
"I can't believe there are still actual pirates in the world," admitted Toby, "I thought they faded out centuries ago," He (Toby) then turned to address Thomas, "What do you think, Thomas?" There was no immediate response, "Um, Thomas?"
"This is all 'my' fault," muttered Thomas.
Toby blinked, "Your fault?"
"I know those pirates… I was the one who got Emily kidnapped in the first place—when I took her to meet Captain John," continued Thomas, as Percy and Toby heard everything from him (Thomas) and became surprised, "Ever since I unintentionally helped drove James away, everything's been going downhill, ending with the loss of another friend…" He looked down at his uneaten food, "And it's all because of me…"
"Thomas," sympathized Percy.
"Look, Thomas, you shouldn't blame yourself for this," soothed Toby.
"Yes, I should!" yelled Thomas, losing control of his emotions, "If I had never blindly trusted John like an idiot, Emily would still be here with all of us!"
"That's enough, Thomas!" berated Percy, "Toby's right, you shouldn't be blaming yourself!"
"I was so desperate to feel good about myself again that I put her in harm's way!" rambled Thomas, ignoring Percy, "I just can't ever forgive myself for failing Emily or-"
"I said STOP IT!"
Before anyone else could speak up, a very regretful-looking Percy went and backhanded the distressed Thomas across the face, causing mass gasps across the table and stares from across the whole cafeteria. Luckily, it helped calm Thomas down slightly. Breathing a heavy sigh, Percy and Toby stood up and led Thomas out of the cafeteria to an empty classroom where they could talk in private.
(elsewhere…)
In the empty classroom…
"Look, Thomas, I know you say this is all really bad and I completely agree, but you have to pull it together," advised Percy, "I'm telling you, things will ultimately be fine. You heard what Sir Topham Hatt said."
"Yeah, if the principal can bring that treasure to John, Emily will be returned safely," assumed Toby.
"The thing is I don't trust John 'will' keep his word," frowned Thomas, earning him (Thomas) a questioning glance from Percy and Toby, "The second he gets the treasure, he'll likely either keep Emily as his prisoner, or simply kill her."
Thomas looked down slightly, while Percy and Toby looked at each other, nodded, then looked back at their despairing friend.
"In any case, if you have a plan to save her, Toby and I will help you out," accepted Percy.
"What?" peeped Thomas.
"Don't you remember? Emily is our friend, too," reminded Toby, "In fact, I bet if James were still here with us, he'd likely agree and help out."
"All for one, and one for all!" nodded Percy.
"The both of you mean that?" Thomas whispered, feeling very touched, "Thank you…" He looked up with a serious expression on his face, "You're right, I can't do this alone; this will require the effort of a team to pull off."
"Might I suggest adding a few more people to the rescue team?" offered Percy, holding up his phone, "I'll contact Rosie," Focus went towards Toby, and then Thomas, "Toby can give Mavis a call, and you can contact Leo."
"Good idea, Percy," praised Thomas, pulling out his mobile phone.
"Let's get down to it," finished Toby.
Ten minutes later, Thomas, Percy, and Toby were joined in the classroom by Rosie, Mavis, and the four ninja teens—Thomas was surprised Leonardo brought Michelangelo, Raphael, and Donatello along, too. It unfortunately meant more people had to learn the truth about who Emily really was, and who Diesel 10 was. When the story was finished, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Donatello were left amazed by the whole thing.
"Dude, so Emily's been living with you because this Diesel 10 creep-a-zoid escaped from prison and wants revenge on you and Sir Topham Hatt?" pondered Michelangelo.
"That about sums it up," confirmed Thomas.
"And you didn't tell us about it until now?" accused Raphael, before facing Leonardo, "And YOU kept this bit of info away from the three of us ever since you came back from your date with Emily?!"
"Don't blame Leo," cut in Thomas, "This all had to be kept secret because Diesel 10 is still out there and a great threat."
"And many of us found out at some point anyway," remembered Rosie, "Mavis and I found out during that New Years Eve party."
"I found out from the principal back when Thomas and Emily were lost on Misty Island," added Percy.
"I was told of the secret during last Christmas," recalled Toby, "Edward, Gordon, Henry, and James also know the secret."
"And let's not forget Donald and Douglas and a few others, too," stated Mavis, "Nevertheless, we ultimately decided to keep it all between us and not tell anyone else."
"Let's stick to business, everyone," advised Leonardo, "Emily's in danger, and her Father has to deliver treasure to John early tomorrow morning."
"But Thomas doesn't trust John will keep his word about releasing Emily," said Donatello, "Which is why we're all here."
Thomas agreed, "We're going to infiltrate John's ship and rescue Emily ourselves."
"Will there be fighting?" pondered Raphael, itching for some action, "Please tell me there will be fighting!" He stomped the ground, "Because I really want to make Laura pay for being one of the pirates who kidnapped Emily!"
"Whoa, man, back when Laura was new here, you've been gushing over her. Now you hate her enough to want to beat her up?" joked Michelangelo, which caused Raphael to glare and growl, "Okay, okay, I was just kidding around!"
"Settle down, Raph," scolded Leonardo, "If it comes down to it, we will have to do some fighting," He addressed everyone else, "But we should try to avoid using violence the best we can—remember sensei's training, we need to be stealthy."
"In case of the worst, we should bring our new weapons along," requested Donatello, looking at Leonardo and Michelangelo, "Your Grandfather would likely agree that this rescue mission falls into the realm of self defense."
Both brothers nodded in agreement. There was then a knock on the nearby door, causing everyone in the classroom to look over at the door.
"Come in," The voice of Thomas accepted.
The door opened, revealing Hank and Murdoch.
"There you are, Leo," began Murdoch, "What's the matter with you?"
"I thought you were going to join us for a work out at the school gym for the noon hour?" pressed Hank
"Sorry, ye two, but this is an emergency," replied Leonardo firmly, "Remember the announcement?"
"We sure do," nodded Hank, "Poor Emily… If you guys…" The rest of the group listened to him, "…are thinking of rescuing her, you can count Murdoch…" He gestured to himself, "…and I in!"
"Sorry, but this mission will be too dangerous for you guys," declined Michelangelo.
"What?!" flinched Murdoch, dismayed.
"Come on, buddy!" protested Hank.
"Forgive us, but this is my decision alone," rebutted Thomas, "I'm already risking everyone here as it is. I can't afford putting any more friends in harm's way."
Hank and Murdoch looked at each other for a moment, then back at Thomas, figuring it was best to not ask any questions about what that meant.
(elsewhere…)
In the hallway, Gordon had just emerged from one of the washrooms, now looking a lot less boastful and more jaded about the situation. Before he could stop at the water fountain for a quick drink…
"Hey, Gordon!" The voice of Henry called out, causing Gordon to look nearby and find him the tall green-haired boy standing between a pair of lockers, "You heard Sir Topham Hatt's announcement about Emily, right?"
"The whole school heard it," acknowledged Gordon.
"Look, I want to tell you something important," sighed Henry gravely, walking over, "I know you're currently not friends with me, Thomas, nor anyone else around here."
Gordon looked away slightly, not bothering to speak up in response—not immediately, anyway.
"But I do believe you should offer to help Thomas out," suggested Henry, "Who knows? It might help you redeem yourself for your past actions."
"I never wanted something like this to happen," admitted Gordon, "And I do want to help out… but even if I tried, everyone else would just want me to back off forever and more."
"What, so you won't?!" accused Henry.
"Nobody wants anything to do with me anymore," huffed Gordon, "And, well, that's fine with me."
An already fed up Henry became very cross with Gordon. In fact, he was so cross that Henry grabbed and slammed Gordon into the nearby wall.
"What on Earth are you saying?!" hollered Henry, "Don't you even care that something terrible might happen to Emily if she isn't saved soon?"
"Eh-?" stammered Gordon.
"Furthermore," Henry went on, "have you forgotten all about the alliance you made with Thomas years ago? You know, and I quote 'United we stand, together we fall! You help me, and I'll help you'."
Upon hearing those words, Gordon briefly opened his mouth in shock as the speech by an angry Henry had so much more he wanted to say.
"Come thick or thin, you would be there for one another," reminded Henry, as some faded stills from many years ago were superimposed over him (Henry) and Gordon, "Through it, you even got Thomas his position as water boy on your old Football team back after he sacrificed it to make sure you didn't get kicked off the team!"
With his mouth still opened from the shocking reminder, Gordon tried to say something in response, yet no words came out, and Henry was far from being finished from tearing into Gordon.
"You and Thomas, despite having your differences at times, were really close," raged Henry, "At least until these last few months, where you betrayed that alliance by causing James to leave for the mainland and not showing one shred of regret for it, all out of pride and egotism."
"I-I…!" Gordon tried speaking up, but was cut off.
"Does even that mean 'nothing' to you anymore?!" shouted Henry.
Remembering that solemn promise, and having had all the time in the world to think about things during his suspension from framing James, everything finally sank into Gordon's stubborn head. For the first time in months, Gordon finally began to realize the full extent of his actions.
"You're right, Henry. I have betrayed everyone… and now one of our own is in danger, and I'm just standing back…" mused Gordon, looking and sounding genuinely remorseful for the first time in a while. He then put a determined look onto his face, "Listen, Henry, I'll do everything I can to help out—but I don't expect to be forgiven for everything because of it."
"Gordon…" whispered Henry, softening up, letting Gordon go and turning away, "That's not true, you know," While walking down the hallway, there was one more thing he wanted to say, "'I' would forgive you."
But he said that only to himself.
(elsewhere…)
Meanwhile, at the construction site, Steven pulled up in his car to a very nasty surprise. 'All' of his staff, even Max and Monty, were refusing to work, carrying picket signs that read "Steven Johnson Unfair!", or "Ungrateful Boss Fires Innocent Student!". From the moment they spotted their boss, the crowd began booing, jeering, and shouting at him.
"What is the meaning of all this?!" questioned Steven, "Why are none of you working?!"
"I'm sorry, Steven, but a grave injustice has been committed on this worksite," Marion announced firmly, emerging from the gathered crowd, "And until it has been resolved, we will 'not' return to work!"
"Grave injustice?" pondered Steven, "What 'kind' of grave injustice?"
"You know 'full' well what we're talking about!" snapped Ryan, also stepping out from the crowd.
"Ryan?!" gasped Steven, "You're in on this as well?! But you're supposed to be at school."
"What else am I supposed to do?" retorted Ryan, "Stand idly by and 'let' you get off scot-free for wrongfully firing Thomas? Wrong answer!" Steven looked somewhat stunned from overhearing those words, "I tried to tell you 'exactly' what happened, word for word, and you 'still' refuse to admit you were wrong!"
"You should be ashamed of yourself, Steven!" scolded Marion, using her unoccupied hand to point an accusing finger at her employer, "You did not find out the 'whole' story before you blindly jumped to conclusions, and accused Thomas of a crime he did 'not' commit!" As she went on, Jack, Kelly, Isobella, and Oliver F. all nodded in agreement, "It is always important to find out what 'really' happened, because what 'really' happened is what 'really' matters!"
"Remember what Sir Topham Hatt said?" Ryan reminded, beginning to recite what was said to them by Sir Topham Hatt, "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! And right now, I have 'all' the proof I need right here," He opened his book bag and pulled out a VHS tape, "This is one of the security tapes that was playing on the day of the accident. It shows what 'really' happened that day, and I fully intend to show it to the principal as soon as I can. You have two choices, Dad. You can either watch it for yourself and 'admit' Thomas is innocent, or you can face the embarrassment of Sir Topham Hatt seeing it first, and him 'rightfully' telling you off."
"And we'll be there to laugh at you through out!" agreed Max, with Monty nodding in agreement.
Steven looked about at the crowd glaring at him. None of them intended to move a muscle until he saw sense. At last, he conceded defeat.
"You win, Ryan," accepted Steven quietly, taking the tap from Ryan and holding it up, "I'll…watch the footage."
With the tape in hand, Steven followed Ryan into the office where a VHS machine was connected to a TV.
(inside…)
Inside the office, Steven plugged the tape into the machine, and seconds later, footage appeared on the TV screen, confirming what Ryan and Thomas had been saying. Two figures (Leon and Laura) were sneaking around the area before entering the mine, followed by Thomas and Ryan.
"My word…" murmured Steven, as the TV screen showed footage of Thomas and Ryan escaping the mine as an explosion ensued and the tape finished. He shut the TV off, "You were right, Ryan. Thomas really 'is' innocent," A feeling of dread and guilt began to wash over him, "What have I done? I punished an innocent boy for something that wasn't his fault. No 'wonder' you hate me…"
Poor Steven shamefully buried his face in his hands, but then he looked up when he felt his son put a hand on his shoulder. Ryan appeared to look very understanding towards his Father.
"Look, I 'don't' hate you, Dad," Ryan reassured gently, "You're not a bad person. You just made a bad decision due to a misunderstanding."
Steven said nothing more, but the moment got interrupted when the phone rang. Wondering who it was, Steven picked it up and answered.
"H-Hello?" asked Steven.
"Steven, this is Sir Topham Hatt speaking," The voice of Sir Topham Hatt responded.
"Bertram?" blinked Steven, before remembering the conversation with Ryan and the need to tell Sir Topham Hatt of the evidence, "What timing on your part! There's something I really need to tell-"
"Whatever it is, it can wait for another time," The voice of Sir Topham Hatt cut in, "One of my students, Emily, has been kidnapped by John Silver and his crew!" Both Steven and Ryan gasped when they heard Emily had been kidnapped, "I am to deliver the lost treasure of Captain Calles, the same treasure Marion found, to him early tomorrow morning—unless we never see her again."
Steven never responded back.
(elsewhere…)
Later as the school day started to end, a very worried Sir Topham Hatt had gathered his things and was starting to leave for home to help get the treasure ready for delivery tomorrow morning.
"Oh, Emily… I swear I will get you back safely," thought Sir Topham Hatt frantically.
A concerned Mister Percival watched his boss, who had never looked so stressed out and frightened before, which was completely justified as it was all out of Emily's safety.
(outside…)
Before long, Sir Topham Hatt and Mister Percival both emerged from the front doors and turned to leave completely when…
"Sirs, wait a moment!" The voice of Thomas requested, causing both men to turn around. He and the rest of the formed party walked up, "Don't leave just yet."
"Thomas? What's going on?" pondered Mister Percival.
"We know you plan to appeal to Captain John to get Emily back," revealed Thomas, "However, I'd advise against it; he isn't to be trusted!"
"Thomas, what in the world do you mean by that?" cried Sir Topham Hatt.
"You see, we're all planning to rescue Emily ourselves," answered Donatello.
"Emily's our friend, and we would gladly risk our lives to save her," put in Mavis.
"No! Absolutely not!" objected Sir Topham Hatt, "That's too dangerous!"
"It has to be done, sir," insisted Thomas, "I just know John won't keep his word about releasing Emily once he and his crew have the treasure," As he kept speaking, Percy, Toby, and Rosie each nodded in agreement, "He'll either keep Emily hostage still, or simply choose to kill her anyway."
"Hmm… I'm thinking Thomas might be right, Bertram," acknowledged Mister Percival thoughtfully, looking at his boss, "I don't want to believe it will happen, but there might be a good chance Emily won't be returned safely even if you give John the treasure."
"I guess there is that possibility," admitted Sir Topham Hatt, but then realized something before facing a remorseful Thomas, "But, Thomas, how do you know of John, and why do you believe he won't keep his word about releasing Emily?"
"W-Well, sirs, that's because…I'm the one to blame for it all," sighed Thomas shamefully. When Sir Topham Hatt and Mister Percival never responded back, he (Thomas) continued, "I'm the one responsible for getting Emily involved in the whole debacle in the first place," He nodded with determination, "But I promise you, sirs, I'll see to it that Emily is saved from those pirates."
"And, sirs, we also know the truth," cut in Raphael, as Sir Topham Hatt listened before gasping in surprise, "We all know how Emily is related to the principal."
"All of you know?" peeped Mister Percival.
Toby, Rosie, Mavis, Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo all nodded, confirming it.
"I had to tell them, because I know they can help me rescue Emily," assured Thomas, before speaking to the team, "Come on, we need to finish going over our plan of attack."
With that being said, he and everyone else ran off in the other direction. Sir Topham Hatt and Mister Percival watched until they were out of sight.
"Godspeed, Thomas," urged Mister Percival.
Sir Topham Hatt still remained silent, knowing that he trusted the group—he (Sir Topham Hatt) had to still try to reason with Captain John in hopes Emily would be released safely.
(elsewhere…)
Dark clouds were enveloping Arlesburgh Harbor around dusk the next day, and the wind was blowing hard with the sea pounding the shores as Captain John stood at the front of his ship waiting for the arrival of Sir Topham Hatt and Lady Hatt. Emily was again tied to the anchor, ready to be dropped should things go south.
"You'll never get away with this, John!" yelled Emily.
"Believe me, lass, we will get away," warned Captain John. He then looked out into the distance of the deep waters, "Once we have the treasure, you will be taking a long walk off the plank into Davy Jones's Locker!"
In the harbor itself, Thomas and his group were spread out and slowly making their way to the ship undetected, cautious about possible ambushes by the pirates. The ninja teens had their new weapons sheathed, but were ready to draw them out if or when necessary. Over with Leonardo and Percy…
"The perimeter's quiet," whispered Leonardo.
"Yeah, a little too quiet," agreed Percy.
Raphael and Mavis were sneaking around, but the former was getting impatient over the lack of action.
"Come on, when do we get to fight?" whined Raphael.
"Shush! This is a rescue mission!" hushed Mavis, "You will only…" As she scolded him, Raphael scowled irritably, "…get to fight if it comes down to it."
"Duuuude, this is all too easy," whistled Michelangelo, looking around.
"Yeah, and that's making me nervous," shivered Toby.
"You know, given the layout of this harbor… and the proximity of certain structures…" calculated Donatello, as Rosie snuck up beside him and he looked at his watch, "If they were gonna spring a trap… they'd probably do it right about…"
The sound of a car honk was heard by everyone scattered in the harbor, which meant Sir Topham Hatt and Lady Hatt were about to arrive to try appealing to the pirate crew.
"A trap, you say?" deadpanned Rosie.
"Hey, I'm not always right, y'know," shrugged Donatello.
Sure enough, the Hatt family car pulled into the harbor. On the ship, Captain John smiled when he saw the vehicle into his line of sight, while a frightened Emily knew her parents had arrived with the treasure.
"Mom! Daddy! Don't come any closer!" shrieked Emily, as Captain John gritted his teeth with annoyance, raised his left hand, and snapped his fingers, "Please don't give him the treasure!" As she continued issuing a warning, a grunt suddenly walked up behind her, "It's all a trap! He still plans to-!"
Her speech became muffled as a gag was wrapped and tied around her mouth by the grunt to prevent her from talking anymore. Meanwhile, on shore, the car doors opened up, and both Sir Topham Hatt and Lady Hatt emerged, noticing their daughter on the plank with an anchor chained to her ankle.
"Welcome, friends!" The voice of Captain John greeted, as he walked towards the plank, "How nice of you to come!"
"John, for the love of all that is good and decent, please reconsider what you're doing!" begged Lady Hatt.
"What are ye going on about?" frowned Captain John.
"We beg of you to spare Emily!" called Sir Topham Hatt, "She is so important to Jane and I; we would never be able to live with ourselves if anything were to happen to her!" Focus went towards the car, "And we have the treasure as you demanded. Just please show mercy to our daughter!"
"I am pleased to hear that!" praised Captain John, as the gagged and terrified Emily tearfully glared at him, "I promise ye both that Emily will not be harmed as long as I get the treasure."
He smiled like a shark, as Sir Topham Hatt and Lady Hatt both gazed long and hard at him, just as it started to rain heavily.
(inside…)
Down in the brig, Skiff, not about to let Captain John get away with potentially killing Emily after getting the treasure, had one of the benches hoisted up against the cell door, trying to leverage it off its hinges.
"Come on…!" growled Skiff, as he put some more weight into it, "Just a little…more…!"
SNAP*
The door crashed down to the floor with the bench landing on top, and Skiff quickly but quietly made his way out of the brig, grabbing a nearby ore as he did—aiming to use it as a weapon. Skiff could then faintly hear Captain John on the deck talking with Sir Topham Hatt and knew there was little time left before Emily was shark food.
(outside…)
Back outside, the ninja teens rowed a small boat around the Hispaniola until it reached the chain and anchor, the darkness of the clouds combined with the heavy wind and increasing rain providing decent enough camouflage to prevent anyone aboard from looking down and spotting them. Also aboard the boat was Thomas.
"Up you go, dude," encouraged Michelangelo.
"We'll be waiting down here if needed," added Leonardo.
Thomas nodded and started to climb the chain all the way to the top of the ship. Upon reaching the railing, Thomas carefully looked around to see if anyone was keeping watch. Captain John was still talking to Sir Topham Hatt and Lady Hatt, and, to Thomas's horror, Leon was standing in position, ready to pull the lever to drop the plank when promoted to, proving the suspicions that Captain John would backstab Sir Topham Hatt and Lady Hatt at the first opportunity. There were also a few grunts as well as Sledge, who yawned with boredom, standing around the deck. Thomas finished climbing aboard and started slowly making his way towards both Captain John and Leon. However, Laura was standing nearby when she thought she overheard something, turned around to be sure, and found Thomas sneaking around.
"Thomas, проклятий!" exclaimed Laura in Ukrainian.
"L-Laura!" gasped Thomas.
In a hurry, the red-haired young woman made a move and caught Thomas, restraining him in a headlock. Captain John and Leon, meanwhile, overheard Laura yelling and turned around, finding Thomas in her clutches. Also hearing Laura, Sledge turned and noticed Thomas.
"Thomas is here again?!" realized Sledge in outrage.
"Thomas, what the devil are you doing-?!" roared Captain John, as Thomas struggled in Laura's grip, "I thought I told ye to leave and never look back?!" He grinned sadistically, "Well, at the same time, I'm rather glad you came back."
"John!" bellowed Thomas.
"For defying me, you can have a front row seat for the death of your friend!" ranted Captain John, causing Sir Topham Hatt, Lady Hatt, and Thomas each to flinch, "I hope everyone's watching, because this will be a show you will 'not' want to miss!"
As Captain John went on with his declaration of triumph, the door to the lower section of the ship began to open, followed by a familiar voice.
"Oi, 'Captain'!" The voice of Skiff called out.
Before anyone could react to the voice, Skiff quickly emerged with the ore, ran forth, and swung it at Leon's upper back, hitting and catching the pirate commander completely off-guard and causing him to fall to the ground. A surprised Laura accidentally loosened her grip on Thomas, allowing him to slip out from her restraint, turn around, and kick her down. Acting fast, Skiff pulled out Leon's sword from the latter's belt and slid it over to Thomas, before lodging the ore straight into the plank lever, jamming it. Thomas swiped up Leon's sword just as Laura rolled away from him, picked herself up, and drew out her own sword.
"Skiff, I'm relieved you're okay!" realized Thomas.
"Yeah, I wasn't going to take being locked in the brig lying down," reassured Skiff, before facing Thomas, "Listen, being a pirate and pillaging was fun for a while, but I draw the line at killing people," He faced his former captain, who was seething in anger, "Let Emily go this minute, John!"
"Curse you," growled Captain John, before holding up his whistle, "Heh! This will even things up!"
He blew into the whistle, and the grunts came running from below the ship and gathering on the deck, including the ones already present. Thomas responded by bringing two fingers from his right hand to his mouth and whistling himself. On cue, the four ninja teens, still on their boat in the water off the Hispaniola, overheard the call to action and threw grappling hooks up to the railings before climbing up the side of the ship, jumping onto the deck, jumping onto the deck in-front of Thomas and Skiff protectively before posing with their new weapons drawn:
-Leonardo: Katana Blades
-Donatello: Bo Staff
-Raphael: Sai
-Michelangelo: Nunchaku
"And you four are supposed to be?" pressed Captain John, raising an eyebrow.
"We're some of Thomas and Emily's friends, pal!" replied Donatello boldly.
"We're also here to kick butt, rescue the damsel, and take names!" grinned Michelangelo.
"Mostly to kick the butts of you and your whole crew!" corrected Raphael.
"Threatening to send an innocent lady to Davy Jones' Locker… You pirates have no honor!" spat Leonardo.
Captain John, pulling out and gripping his sword, grinned back over hearing those words from his enemies, seeing as he liked a challenge; he and his crew never faced 'ninjas' before, meaning it sounded like fun. Everyone on the deck stood in anticipation, waiting for one side to make the first move in the battle. The wind and rain continued to pick up in intensity. Skiff glanced at Laura, knowing the both of them would have to fight each other, while Laura shot a regretful look at Raphael while grasping her own sword. On the other hand, Raphael noticed and snarled at Laura, both angry and heartbroken over the truth about her being a pirate, gripping both of his sai tightly. A smirking Sledge was shown cracking his knuckles at the four ninja teens in anticipation of beating their faces in, while Michelangelo swung his two nunchaku back and forth in a cocky way while remaining focused on the battle ahead. A furious Leon stared daggers at Skiff for the sneak attack on the back. Donatello crouched slightly, twirling and readying to strike with his bo staff, while Thomas raised Leon's sword determinedly, hoping to use what he learned from Laura to save Emily. Finally, Leonardo, who was leading the team into the battle, crosses his twin katana together near his face.
"Let's dance," uttered Leonardo darkly.
From there, the pirate grunts were the first ones to make a move; they charged towards the four ninja teens along with Thomas and Skiff, who followed suit. The