Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends Into the Thigh-Verse

Tango's Trick

If you ever met Jimmy, one of the first questions he'd ask you, is if you'd be his friend. Jimmy has very few working friends on the railway, and often struggles to make himself feel important. Most of the other engines, above anything, found Jimmy to be rather annoying. Some go as far as to call him opinionated. However, there is one engine who is rather close to Jimmy. Tango. After Jimmy helped round up some cows with Tango a few years prior, the two had been firm friends. The only other living creature on Sodor, outside of Marytin and Clarence, thats more unpopular. Layton. I've told you about Layton so many times, it's not funny at this point, so, you get the gist by now. No one knows how, but Layton had found himself on the mainline once more. And, to Tango's annoyance, he found that Layton had made himself accustomed with the other trucks, who taunted the big blue engine relentlessly! He returned home, and siddled up next to Jimmy.
"Hello Tango!" Huffed Jimmy happily. "Long day?"
"You wouldn't believe it!" Tango replied, hissing steam mournfully! "I've had goods trains the size of an average Alaric train, and to top it off, I was given Layton on my train!"
"Aye, sounds rough." Donald interjected. "He's the rudest truck I've ever seen on this wee island!"
"He Doesn't Give Anyone Else Respect." Eggbert added. Tango wasn't a particularly nasty engine, and never would wish a threat of violence against anyone. But Layton's behaviour had become too much! And with everyone backing him up, Tango caved in!
"I hope that wretched old tanker is sent to the smelters yard!" Tango puffed, crossly! "Who'd need him!?"
The other engines had all shared these thoughts before. However, what no one had counted on, was Jimmy. Who was so starved of attention, that he would enact on the other engines desires.
"Oh hey!" Jimmy thought to himself. "That's not such a bad idea!"

The next day, when his crew came to fire him up, Jimmy pretended to feel slightly ill.
"Something's wrong with his injector, I'd recon." Said his driver. His stoker thrashed her head up and down in agreement.
"We'll look him over tonight." However, they didn't get the chance. As Jimmy ran fine all day! Until his last train of the evening, where he pretended to feel ill again. Which meant he was running late by the time he reached the yard.
"I'm sorry!" Said the yard forman. "Chattem's already gone home for the night! Do you mind shunting your trucks away?"
"Not a problem!" Jimmy smiled! "I feel much better after a nice long run!"
"What are you playing at!?" His stoker scolded! "Why on earth would you want us to stay back late!? What's the point!?"
"Did we upset you?" His driver added, tears welling up in her.. Eyes.. Yeah. Jimmy smiled.
"Well. I guess so.." He said. "I overheard from The Fat Controller that he wanted that rusty old tanker and the flatbed with the lorry swapped out!"
Jimmy explained. It took some convincing, but then again, both his crew aren't the brightest.. Sorry Hunter, but it's the truth. Jimmy shunted Layton onto the back of the train, and quickly hid the flatbed.
"Oh Tango's going to be so happy!." Jimmy said to himself. And set off for home. Not long later, Rick arrived to fetch his train. Layton didn't even sturr.

The next morning, Tango puffed into the yard, ready to collect his next goods train! He shunted them into a siding, and was just about to huff away, when Jimmy rolled over, the rotten looking flatbed infront of him. Tango looked puzzled. But before he could even ask, Jimmy spoke up
"I did it!" Jimmy smiled widely!
"... Erm, did what?" Tango asked. He couldn't understand what Jimmy was referring to.
"Remember what you said about sending Layton to the smelters yard right?" Jimmy's grin grew wider. "Well, I put him at the back of Rick's train heading there!"
"... You did what...?"
"I did an old switcheroo!"
"Jimmy!" Tango gasped, at a loss for words "I was only joking about scrapping Layton!"
"Oh..." Jimmy's face fell. "But I even took this flatbed off the train! So no one would suspect a thing!"
"But why would you do that!?" Tango cried! Aghast!
"I just wanted to be helpful.." Jimmy replied, looking hurt. "Everyone always complains about Layton... I just wanted to help out."
Tango thought for a moment. His smokebox fuzzy trying to think of the solution. At last, Tango came up with an idea.
"We need to put that flatbed at the front of my train!" He said. "If I'm questioned, I can just say that Chattem mustn't have shunted it, and I was bringing it up to the works!"
"And if you aren't spotted?"
"Than it goes up to the smelters yard either way." Tango replied. "It's a win win."
The plan was good. But they hadn't counted on Rick.

Tango clattered down the line. The flatbed with the rusty old lorry seemed to call shouts of horror, and guilt at Tango. Who soon found himself feeling very forlorn. However, when he reached the radio station, he was stopped by the stationmaster.
"Sorry." She said. "There's an obstruction up the line. Some of James' trucks have slipped their brakes on."
"That's fine." Replied Tango sadly.
"Cheer up old sport!" Said his stoker, patting his cab. "We can get'cha a nice cool washdown when we get home!"
But Tango wasn't thinking about washdowns. He was thinking about Layton. And his trick. Then, Rick rattled in. A scowl across his face.
"Are you alright?" Tango asked. Rick just shot him a dark look.
"No!" He snapped. "I had the most awful night! Someone switched out a flatbed on my train with Layton!"
Tango forced a laugh.
"Oh dear!" He said. "That sounds awful!"
"Yeah!" Rick sneered. "Had to leave him out the front of the!-"
Rick froze! His eyes landed on the flatbed.. The flatbed that was meant to be on his train!
"WHAT ARE YOU PLAYIN AT!?" Rick snapped!
"I.. I..! Uhh, well, I uhhh!" Tango spluttered! Tango finally gave up. And told Rick everything. When he was done, Rick just looked defeated.
"It's not a half-bad plan." He said. "But I never even reached the smelters."
Tango's eyes widened!
"WAIT WHAT!?"
"Yeah. Layton pitched a hissy fit, and got a hot axle box." Rick explained. "I had to take him off my train, and left him at the works."
"I'm so sorry for the trouble!" Tango insisted! "I didn't mean to cause you any trouble! Really!"
"It's fine." Rick replied. A smile fell on his face. "Jimmy did the one thing none of us have ever had the guts to do."
And, like that, Rick's signal was green, and Rick puffed away. Tango was relieved!

Once The Fat Controller heard of the incident, he spoke sternly to both engines. As punishment, he put Jimmy on only goods trains. Sadly, most of them had Layton. And when Layton caught wind of the incident, he was hysterical!
"YOUZ TRIED TO FUCKIN KILL ME!?!?!?" He screamed! Somehow, it seemed to slip from his mind that Tango had 'hidden the body', and Layton turned his wrath onto Jimmy. However, for a long time afterward, and still today, the other engines give Jimmy at least a bit of respect.
"He really tried to get rid of Layton!" They'de say. "Did what none of us ever had to guts to do!"
And to Jimmy, that's very special.