Edward and his twin

Chapter 5: Escape

Edwin puffed across the nighttime countryside, his pistons pounded, and his axles ached.

"Driver, we can't keep running for long." Edwin panted. "We need to stop and rest."

"You're right, you're running low on coal; where can we find a coal hopper?"

Edwin puffed around a bend, to see a group of engines there, too. He couldn't stop himself, and slowly puffed up to them. 

"Oh, I'm sorry to interrupt." He said. "I was just trying to escape, too."

"Well, you're safe with us now." Replied a 9F. "Name's Murdoch by the way, and this is Johnny, and Leonard."

"I'm Green Arrow." An LNER Class V2 replied. "And this is Harrison, Alfred, and Crovan."

"Pleasure to meet you all, my name's Edwin."

"Now then, we need to find some coal." Huffed a BR Standard class 2 called Barry. "I can feel my tender almost empty!"

"Me too." Added Neville. "Must be all that running from the diesels."

"Hmm, there's a coal depot not too far away from here." Replied Edwin. "We can make it, as long as if we're not being caught by some diesels."

"Sounds like a plan, Edwin. Everyone, let's go!"

As Edwin followed the group of engines to a coal depot, he couldn't help but overhear the conversation between the group of engines.

"What should we do now?" Asked an LNER B17 called Crovan "I mean, if we can maybe ask to use the telephone at the front desk, my driver can probably call the National Railway Museum at York, and-"

"You can't!" Cried Barry. "If you telephone, and there are diesels nearby, we could be hunted down!"

"He has a point." Addeda SR Class Q1 called Neville. "I don't want to be scrapped!"

"The ones who kidnapped you," Barry explained, "They call themselves the Diesel Squad. They're pretty widespread across the country."

"Okay, so why did they kidnap US?" A B12 called Alfred asked.

"Their boss." Said Barry sharply. "He's a BR class 42 warship with an illegal modification: a giant, mechanical arm. He's made to cut up engines who are the last of their kind. Unfortunately, you four are on his most wanted list."

"Kidnapping engines and selling them for scrap. It's usually smaller engines." Added a BR Class 9F called Murdoch. "But if there's a good reason, they'll sometimes take larger engines, too."

"Anybody would be defenseless against that gang, there's hundreds, thousands even, of members. And we don't know for sure why you were taken," huffed a 3F called Johnny.

"I do," Green Arrow interjected, "He's right. Those guards were talking about me, calling me a famous piece of scrap. That's why they took me. In Alfred, Harrison, and Crovan's case, well, they were just...wrong place, wrong time."

"...So we could put our company in danger if we tried to call them?" Asked Harrison.

"Exactly!" Huffed an LMS 4F Fowler called Leonard. "We just need to lay low for a while, that's all."

"Good. We get up early then; sooner we're there, the better if you ask me." Added Barry.

They all murmured their assent before lights out, and Crovan, along with the other engines and half praying that when he woke, this will all have been some terrible dream.