Thomas and Boxhill were off helping Green Arrow again, as were their drivers. Silver Link was looking for clues. He knew that Thomas had friends at the National Railway Museum, so he headed there first to ask around. Sure enough, he found Emily working demonstration passenger trains. "Hello there!" he said.
"Hello!" Emily replied. "How can I help you, Silver Link?"
"Do you know what Thomas is up to?" Silver Link asked. "He's been constantly puffing back and forth between here and Shildon."
"Maybe he has a lot of stuff to move," Fleur suggested. "We often have to move stock from one site to another, or tow something from one place to the next. We've got the prototype HST coming in for repairs soon, for instance."
"Furthermore, why are you here?" Emily asked. "I thought you were supposed to be shipping supplies to Lady Moneybags' construction project."
"There's a fresh shipment of bricks that have just arrived at York," Randolph explained. "Brick carrying wagons are very hard to find, you know."
"Right, off we go!" Silver Link said quickly. "Thank you for the help, Emily!" And he puffed away.
Emily looked over to City of Truro. "Right, that's your cue!" she said.
"Indeed," City of Truro replied. "One shipment of V2 parts, off we go!" And he set off for Shildon, towing not only several wagons loaded with parts, but also the museum's pair of cranes.
One long session of fitting parts later, and lifting out a boiler to allow the tubes to be swapped round, Green Arrow was even closer to running once more. "I feel like a new engine!" he said.
"Well, we've cleaned out most of the axleboxes and completely overhauled the Cartazzi truck," Fancy Pants said, not caring that his jacket and suit were dirty. "Not only that, we've got some new cab controls coming tomorrow."
"We'll be conducting a steam test as well, to see if the boiler can hold pressure properly," Lightning Dust continued. "We'll have you running again on no time!"
"Please be careful, for your own sake as well as mine," Green Arrow said. "There was a silver engine not far from here. He may be onto us. I'd advise staying back for a bit, and then letting another engine deliver parts. Did you mention a GWR engine coming tomorrow?"
"Yes, Churchward," City of Truro replied. "You may want to be careful, as he's quite the pompous windbag."
Green Arrow snorted with laughter. "I guess he thinks green is the only proper colour for an engine!" he said. "And look at me, currently in works grey. Not that I don't appreciate all that you've done; quite the opposite, as a matter of fact."
Spoiled Rich started up Skype to talk to her family. After a moment or two of loading, the image appeared on the other end. Filthy Rich and Diamond Tiara noticed they were on air and reacted.
"Hello, darlin'," Filthy Rich smiled. "How's in goin' over in Yorkshire?"
"Construction is going slower than I'd expected," Spoiled Rich replied. "It's not that the workers are sloppy; quite the opposite, as a matter of fact. I think we should always hire Yorkshiremen to get things done in future. There has been a slowdown in the delivery of parts on Silver Link's end, and both he and Randolph seem distracted. I'll ask them about it in the morning." She paused. "And how are things on Sodor?"
"Splendid!" Filthy Rich said. "Boco's still workin' hard as ever, and Diamond Tiara's keepin' this quarry in order with Mavis."
"We shipped a record amount out today!" Diamond Tiara said, the first thing she'd said the entire conversation. "This is great fun, mother. You should give engine driving a try some day."
"Perhaps not when in my finery," Spoiled Rich replied. "It was excellent to catch up with you, but I think I need to use the steam room. We're currently piping in steam produced by Silver Link. After all, if there's no steam in a steam room, it's just a room!"
"And we sure have plenty of those," Filthy Rich laughed. "After all, we do live in a mansion."
Unfortunately for Spoiled Rich, construction was about to go from 'slow' to 'screeching halt', as Silver Link developed a fault and needed repairs. He was towed to Tyseley in Birmingham, scowling the entire way. But this produced a critical opening for the engines of the NRM to help Green Arrow. Emily and Churchward shipped a bumper load of parts, and with the extra manpower, Green Arrow was almost completely fixed. They were just waiting on some more valves and plates, which were due the next day.
"Good thing you found all these spares," Green Arrow said. "I just wonder why nobody thought to use them before this point. Is everything secured down properly?"
"We'll find out when we do the steam test," Lightning Dust explained. "Nothing too complicated; just lighting the fire and running you up and down a few times."
"He also needs nameplates," Churchward said. "And some new paint. Right now, he looks like a War Department engine."
"Is there anything wrong with a War Department look?" asked Surprise. "I think photographic grey looks quite nice."
Just then, a chime whistle sounded up the slope as Jim rolled in with some more parts. "I imagine you were expecting Thomas," he said, "but he couldn't get this lot up the hill. Here are some more parts."
"Thanks," Green Arrow said. "It's good to have friends like you, especially when I'm all alone."
"You're thinking of your brothers and sisters, aren't you?" Churchward asked.
"All of them gone," Green Arrow replied. "Carelessly thrown away. And yet I survived. The question is, why?"
The engines were in for some complaints when they got back. Spitfire called the engines together for a meeting. "Management isn't happy that we're doing all the side things we're doing," she said. "In fact, they want us to focus on the allocated work, not to mention questioning where all these bits are going."
"We'll have to finish the repairs tomorrow, or be spared the chance forever," Twilight said.
"But we'll stand beside you," said Churchward. "No matter what."
The next day, it was a glorious sunlit afternoon. Thomas arrived to see Green Arrow was steaming nicely. He was yet to be repainted, and as previously mentioned was completely lined out in grey. "Hello!" Green Arrow said. "I'm almost ready. Lightning Dust says we still need a part, but that she'll be able to do some steam tests with the old regulator."
"Why is the regulator an issue?" Thomas asked.
"Green Arrow is fitted with an Owens single simulated split cast double beat valve, a design that is leaky and sometimes hard to control. Later LNER engines received a single seat type that was easier to use. As long as I don't take Green Arrow out of first valve, I should be fine."
Suddenly, a familiar chime whistle echoed through the area. "Silver Link's found us!" Thomas cried. "We have to get out of here!"
"We haven't completed tests yet!" Twilight replied. "We have no idea if Green Arrow can safely operate."
"The way I see it, it's that or die," Green Arrow said grimly. "As Lightning Dust said, if she keeps me in first valve, I should be fine."
"If you think you can run safely," Twilight said, and she and Thomas set off. Green Arrow followed shortly behind, groaning as the lubrication worked its way through his motion and parts.
"I haven't turned a wheel in decades!" he groaned. "I'll get back into the swing of things soon though."
Both engines soon joined the mainline, running in close formation behind one another towards Darlington. Little did they know that Silver Link was following shortly behind them, and not watching his speed either.
As Thomas and Green Arrow cleared the set of junctions onto the mainline, Silver Link tore round the bend right behind them and crashed into Green Arrow, who was knocked forward.
Lightning Dust was thrown off her feet and to the floor. She had just finished filling the boiler, and got back up, closing both injectors. She then glanced over to the regulator. "Oh no."
The regulator, far from being in first valve, was fully open. She dashed over and tried to move it, but it was stuck.
"Shut the regulator!" Green Arrow shouted.
"I CAN'T! YOUR BOILER HAS PRIMED!" Lightning Dust shouted back. Green Arrow's wheels began to slip uncontrollably.
"Thomas! Get out of here!" Green Arrow called. "I'll recover in a moment!"
Silver Link looked in bemusement at this engine in front of him. "What on Earth?" he asked.
Green Arrow's wheels continued to spin, and Lightning Dust tried desperately to get him back under control. She released the reverser lock.
This was a mistake. The motion flew forward to 75%, and Green Arrow's wheels span faster and faster still. "BAIL!" he shouted.
Lightning Dust jumped from the footplate and ran as a deafening explosion filled the area. Cylinder parts, motion, and parts from the connecting rods flew through the air and landed all over the place.
Everybody looked back at the mess, and gasped. Green Arrow was a wreck. His cylinders had exploded, and the motion had disintegrated, the rods and components scattered all over the place, ruined. All their hard work was ruined.
"What a mess," Silver Link said. "This junk heap is good only for scrap now. Is this what you've been working on, Thomas? Good to see it was time well spent." And he puffed away.
Thomas sighed. "Sorry, Green Arrow," he said. "I thought we could help you, but-"
"It's not your fault," Green Arrow replied. "Maybe I can't be fixed. There's a reason the rest of the V2s were scrapped, after all."
"No, it's mine," Lightning Dust said sadly. "Maybe all I can do is constantly mess everything up."
"What do you mean?" Green Arrow asked.
"A long time ago, I was nothing but a reckless showoff who took far too many risks. One day, I was playing as part of the school soccer team and got several people hurt thanks to my idiocy. I was kicked off the team. I completely deserved it."
"So that's why you joined the NRM crew," Twilight said. "You're trying to atone for your actions."
"And now I've wrecked an engine," Lightning Dust whispered. "I'm sure to be fired now."
"You didn't wreck me," Green Arrow said. "The incident was caused by that Silver Link ramming into my tender. Oh well. Time to join my brothers and sisters, I suppose."
Silver Link arrived at York to see a massive train of building supplies waiting for him. "Good heavens," he said.
"Poor choice of words," said Spoiled Rich, standing on the platform. "You seem to have been doing very little work, judging from the backlogs and the delays in construction. I didn't want to consider the possibility, but I have had to call in some help. BoCo and Mavis will handle the work alongside you, and ensure you actually do it. I may be a social elite, but I'm not an idiot."
Silver Link glowered as Spoiled walked away. "That Thomas cost me so much," he said. "I'm going to make him pay."