I realised I had been put in an impossible situation. It was hopeless. No way could I get my files, the train and everyone off the tracks and also rescue my best friend.

Unless...

"How did they get here?" I asked Alice.

"They pulled up in front of us, driving a train backwards, before speeding away down the track where we'd come from." Alice explained.

She suddenly realised what this meant.

"Let's go, now!" She cried.

We ran out of the filing room, carrying the box full of my data. I handed the box to Gareth and hurriedly told him.

"Get this safe. We're moving off now! Mr Aberdain is on a train heading towards Welhae!"

Gareth understood.
"Gentlemen, let's do some work!" He bellowed. The other Stokers rushed over and they entered the train.

Alice ran out of the Station, back to her airship.

I stepped once more into the train and this time, I blew the whistle. As the train chugged off once again, the whistle marked the start of another race.

This time however, it was personal.

The train roared into life and sped down the tracks, well above track speed. It's continuous chugging was a rhythm, a drone. I pushed the reverser further forward and watched as the train went even faster along the iron tracks.

Come on, come on, come on... I mumbled, narrowing my eyes.

Puffa-puffa-chugga-chugga-puffa-puffa puffa-puffa-chugga-chugga-puffa-puffa was the train's response to my needless dialogue.

I poked my head out of the window and examined the track ahead of me.

In the distance, I could see a regular steam train. It was a standard iron black with a little bit of evergreen paint on its water tanks. I saw the engine of the train as it turned the corner, however most of my view was of the train's back carriage. The carriage was taller than a Clydesdale horse, and fifteen metres long. From my view, it looked to be three metres wide. It's frame was made out of high quality steel, which was painted black. When it turned a corner, I saw a clock embellishing the side of the carriage.

There was a back door on the carriage, and a small porch with a metal gate. There were two red train lamps glowed softly, swinging on their metal hangers precariously.
Suddenly I noticed the folk on the small porch quickly re-enter the carriage, slamming the door. I wouldn't have noticed them... But...

One of them was wearing a top hat and a golden pocket watch which stuck out of his pocket.

Mr Aberdain! He always carried a golden pocket watch that never fitted in his waistcoat pocket.

I focused on my train's controls one again and pushed the reverser forward so the train ran at top speed. I poked my head out of the window and a surge of air flew into me, blowing my hair all over my face. I shook my head to clear my vision and heard a rush of air at my ears. The train was now going so fast! I narrowed my eyes and pointed my brows downwards as Royal Clockwork caught up with the chugger in front.

Benjamin. I thought. We're nearly there.

The track was disappearing fast. It was being eaten up and we were so close now...

I left the controls and grabbed a coil of metal rope, made with metal threads. I fashioned a lasso from one end and double knotted it. Swinging the coil around the train engine room like a yo-yo.

But this was no child's play.

Any minute now...

The train was metres from collision. It was speeding along, faster and faster. I leant out of the window and swung the rope around in the air. Faster and faster.

I threw the rope overboard like a fisherman casting nets to grab fish.

The rope landed on the trains back buffers, the momentum of the train in front immediately tightening the rope. I felt something rip across my hand.

"Arghhh!" I yelled in agony as the burn of the rope scored my hand.

"Quick, quick, get this onto something..." I mumbled non-sensically. I spied a metal loop, used to attach steam horse chains, beside the train window.

The rope was slipping...

I forced my hands to tie the rope to the loop, before jumping back in the train engine room to pull the reverser backwards. Royal Clockwork, the train, gradually slowed down, until I could no longer hear the speeding rush of air blowing against my ears.

I collapsed on my knees and let out a huge sigh.

It was then that I smelt a metally scent. It smelt of iron, but not the oily, manufactured smell I was used to. This smelt real, raw, as if it were coming from my hands...
I looked down and saw I was bleeding.

At first I was shocked. I'd read battle stories where people were killed but hadn't known how wounds could really hurt. However I knew what to do. I tore off another section of my silk scarf and bandaged my bleeding palms.

I stood up again and pushed the reverser forward again, however this time the train didn't speed up again. It slowed down...

There was a banging of a first on the door. I leapt across the engine room and saw Graham, one of the stokers from Crimson Comodo. He wiped sweat off his forehead before looking me in the eye.

"Mila, I come with sorrowful tidings."

Graham frowned, his dark eyebrows meeting in the middle of his brow.
He continued,

"The train's run out of coal."

I felt as empty as the train furnace. We were finished!

Royal Clockwork ceased to run like its namesake. I heard the chimney puff slower and slower, until it stopped puffing at all. Yet the train still moved, as I'd thrown the rope and connected the two locomotives. We were being dragged along the track. There was about one minute where we went as fast as the train pulling us but I could feel the train in front slowing now.

My attention was caught when there was a creak and the sound of polished boots and ballet shoes on wood. I stuck my head out of the window and saw Mr Aberdain and Leticia on the porch of the train in front. Leticia waved at me maliciously.

"We meet again, Mila." She announced.

Mr Aberdain regarded his teenage accomplice and then looked me dead in the eye. His gaze was as lifeless as the glass eyes on a stag head.

He spoke simply,
"I am pleased to make your acquaintance once again. How sad you should choose this time."

"How would it be sad? I've got you now. You can't hide from the past forever, you murderer!" I retaliated. Viciously.

Mr Aberdain didn't react.
"Look behind you."

I stared at him, not doing what he wanted me to do.
It's a trap!

Mr Aberdain slowly removed his golden pocket watch and pointed at it. Next he pointed to the distance behind me, in a delayed fashion.
I couldn't see the time but I could see this.

It was the four o'clock train from Lexan!

It must've left early. Drat.

I put my head back inside my train's engine room and saw the horde of Stokers had come in while I was talking. I stuck my head out of the window again and the stokers did too. (It was a large door)

Mr Aberdain turned his back on us and Leticia, wearing the same outfit as when I had first met her, stepped to the edge of the porch in her copper tone ballet shoes.

It was at that moment the door of the porch flew open and a gang of suited, top-hatted men ran onto the small train balcony. They brandished shotguns and we heard the characteristic clunk-click of the guns being loaded.

"I highly enjoyed throwing a spanner in your works, Mila." Mr Aberdain said.

He turned to his colleagues and whispered something.

"Get down!" Yelled Gareth and we ducked back in the engine room as bullets flitted past the window.

A salty, burning smell drifted into the engine room. Gareth peaked out of the window again and narrowly missed another shotgun bullet. There were more shots, their blasting bangs being heard, until I heard the guns being unloaded.

Cautiously, I stuck my head out of the window. I darted back in, until I poked my head out again after no sound of shotgun bullets flying. The Stokers behind me copied.

Mr Aberdain was smiling at us. The scenery rushed past us like streaks of paint.

"You foolish girl." He spoke slowly and carefully. Then he saw the Stokers. "What blooming simpletons you are." He continued: "You haven't caught me, and the damage is already done. I've ruined your life, Mila. And now I'll ruin your best friend's."

He laughed wickedly as he drew out a silver-plated shotgun. The instrument gleamed in the daylight.

"Oh what a shame. His father died in exactly the same way." He grinned.

I breathed heavily, my eyes narrowed. He's joking. He must be.

Like a shot, the roof of Mr Aberdain's train swung open. A rotor mast extended and the blades on the rotor began to swirl and whir, faster and faster. The escapology podometer levitated out the train roof and whirred over so that it hovered in between our conjoined trains. The podometer made a continuous hum as the propeller chopped at the air.

Someone was driving it, who was it? I saw a red waistcoat... and knew exactly who he was.

Mr Aberdain reloaded his pistol with a distinct click and pointed it at him.

"You worthless locomotive charlatan. You left me alone with this podometer available." Benjamin mocked, before manoeuvring his escapology podometer to avoid Mr Aberdain's retaliatory shots.

Benjamin flew the podometer away from us! I yelled after him,

"Benjamin! What are you doing?"

But he'd already flown away.

CLANG! Went the railtrack.

We ducked as the metal rope snapped into stringy shrapnel. Our train went off the track and advanced into the grass of Mr Olton's estate. Before long, the shiny iron wheels were choked with grass and mud and it ground to a halt. The countryside is very definitely a train's unnatural environment.

I swung open the door of the engine room and ran outside with the Stokers hot on my heels. We ran to the rail track.

We approached, and saw our makeshift wooden track and switch had worked - marvelously! We had been safely guided off the track. However someone had switched it to the other setting and then switched it back, because the train that had been in front of us had also stopped.

But the train's back carriage had been pulled to the right, off the track, so that carriage had fallen over.

I saw it again, the burning fireball, the lights going out, the tears I cried... The derailed train... The detailed train...

Gareth saw my eyes widen as I saw my worst memory again. He shook me gently:
"Panther, look."

I blinked and shuddered. Then I saw it had not been enough to derail the whole train.
I let out a heavy sigh.

There was a knock on the train carriage's windows. Mr Aberdain was trying to get out but couldn't because the doors were blocked. Leticia crawled out of the far carriage door, sobbing.

"I sat... under the waat..err... dispens...errr... and ... got sooooaaaked..." She sobbed pathetically, her New Steam Era dress completely drenched, her hair was rats tails.

She staggered outside and slammed the carriage door shut behind her, to Mr Aberdain's great displeasure.

"I hate you!" She yelled through the window to him. "You've ruined my wardrobe!" Then Leticia skulked away.

Speaking of rats, I felt something climb up me. I turned my head and saw a certain black and white rat, collarless, on my shoulder.

I held out my finger and he put two paws on it, standing on his hind legs. He was adorable!
"Mr Archibald Whiskers!" I cried happily.

The rat seemed pleased to see me: his eyes were bright and his fur was clean and soft.
He clambered down my jacket and I put out an arm to catch his fall. Mr Archibald Whiskers landed on my arm and nestled in the crook of my arm, constantly looking around him.

Just at that time, the train driver ran down the line and saw Mr Aberdain. Mr Aberdain escaped but the train driver clasped his arm authoritively. The Stokers ran over and grasped Mr Aberdain too.

"Vagabond!" Exclaimed the driver, in his black woollen suit and special shiny peaked cap. "I heard you shooting a shotgun at someone. I'm not having that on my very respectful civilian train. You've exposed them to such violence and gore! How despicable of you! You're under arrest."

The driver handcuffed Mr Aberdain and searched him. The driver recovered his gun and confiscated it. Mr Aberdain struggled, but the Stokers held onto him firmly.

The Lexan 4 O'clock train had braked to a halt 15 metres before hitting us, so no one was affected. The Lexan driver helped restrain Mr Aberdain while the Lexan and Welhae passengers walked down the line to Welhae Station.

The driver and Stokers escorted the handcuffed Mr Aberdain up the tracks towards Welhae Station, where the nearest police department was.

Meanwhile, there was a whirring sound behind me. Mr Archibald Whiskers stayed nestled in my arm. I looked up and firstly, Benjamin's escapology podometer ran out of energy and landed next to me. He emerged from the podometer with his hair up in peaks, grinning.

"I'm back." He grinned happily. "I landed, controlled the switch and then flew away again."

I smiled widely and we embraced.
Then Benjamin kissed me.

Oh my word.

It was only fleeting though because Alice's airship started to land. The silver egg airship landed next to the trees, where the steam horses I'd parked at the start of today were still tethered. Once the airship propellers stopped rotating, Alice ran out of the airship to meet us.

"Oh my goodness." She breathed, lost for words.
She didn't need to say more: because we all felt just the same.

Alice accompanied us to Mr Olton's mansion as I rode the steam-horses back to the country mansion. Mr Olton wasn't there, so I borrowed some of Alice's notepaper and a fountain pen and wrote:

Dear Mr Olton,

Thank you for lending us your train. Mr Aberdain has been caught and will be taken to the Police.
Unfortunately, the train is clogged up with mud 10 metres off the Welhae train track, so you'll have to fetch the train yourself. I express sincere apology.
The steam horses, however, are fine. I have left them tethered here by the steps so they can guide you to the train.

Thanks for helping me in my journey, you are a generous man.

Mila.

And pinned it onto his front door.

*****

Another very long chapter, I know. I have beaten the record I beat in Chapter 12! :/
Still, hope it wasn't boring/confusing to read, and that it was enjoyable :)
The next chapter will be up soon.