The Midnight Train Crossing

The entire group was slowly gathering in the main yard as the time for the championship race neared.
Rusty's insides were twisted in knots. He would be racing against Electra and Greaseball and to top it off he was supposed to get help from a train that he wasn't sure even existed.
The freight train behind him felt even heavier then usual. Poppa was slowly recovering and was at the back of Rusty's train. Electra and Greaseball, on opposite sides were both glaring at Rusty.

"Let me hear you say steam!" Poppa called out to the annoyance of the others.
"Hey you!" Rocky three called.
"Who me?" Rocky two asked.
"Yes you," Rocky three answered, "Race you!"
The two boxcars took off around the paddock, rather fast considering they didn't have an engine.
"Hey you!" Rocky two called.
"Who me?" Rocky asked.
"Yes you," Rocky two answered, "Race you!"
The boxcars hitched behind Rusty, pushing him around the track, he wasn't in the mood to protest.

Greaseball growled and started to skate over.
The boxcars started up again, "Rusty's gonna race--"
Greaseball shoved Rusty aside and stopped the boxcars.
"No he ain't, no he ain't," Greaseball said.
"Who says?" Belle demanded coming over.
"I say," Greaseball answered crossing his arms, "He ain't gonna race."

Belle wasn't impressed and the diesel backed away from the sleeper.
"But Poppa won a place, Poppa won a place, Poppa won a place, Poppa won a place, a place in the final," she argued. She gestured back towards Poppa, "Poppa can't take it, he's half-dead, chosen Rusty to go instead!"
She pulled Rusty over and she and the Rockies hitched behind. She warned him to keep silent and he understood as he pulled them around.
"Hey you, yes you," she sang, "Rusty can race you!"
"Hey you, yes you," Belle and the Rockies sang, "Rusty can race you!"

Greaseball shook his head. Dinah and the other coaches had gathered around him.
"Yes let him race you," Dinah said.
"Shut it Dinah!" Greaseball hissed, he didn't want his coach taking the steamer's side.
Dinah remained firm, "Let him race you in the final," she insisted.
"Let him race, what harm can it do?" Buffy added.
"You know he's no match for you," Ashley added adoringly.
"Let him race!" all three coaches exclaimed.
"No," Greaseball said shaking his head.

"No!" Electra exploded sending sparks in Rusty's general direction, "No question, won't even listen to your suggestion." He hauled his partner forward, "Pearl'n'me will never be seen racing against yesterday's machine."
The components unhitched and skated out, pointing at Rusty, who backed away.
"Electra won't share a circuit with him," they chanted, "needs water and coal and still wears a chimney."
"No style," Electra and components finished.

"Now that's not fair," Pearl protested. All of the engines looked at her in surprise. "What d'you prove if he ain't there?" she asked.
"Right!" Belle agreed.
"Yeah!" Ashley and Buffy added.
"That's right!" the Rockies said.
"That's true," Greaseball said thoughtfully. It wasn't like he couldn't beat Rusty; and besides it would be another way to taunt the steamer. "Okay Pearl I'm with you!"

"Hey you, yes you," Pearl called, "Rusty can race you!"
"Hey you, yes you," Greaseball, coaches and trucks sang, "Rusty can race you!"
"He should race!" Belle exclaimed.
"Yes he should!" the coaches agreed.

Rusty was trying to avoid everyone, bad enough they all ready didn't like him. Still he would stay out of this debate. What ever they decided he would go with. Not that he had a choice anyway. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts he didn't hear what was going on until he heard his name.
Greaseball, the coaches and the trucks were glaring at Electra, "No Rusty's gonna race, Rusty's gonna race, Rusty's gonna race, Rusty's gonna race!"

CB sidled up to Electra, "Must be a steamer," CB said, "Poppa was a steamer, Rusty is a steamer, he has a right."
Electra shook his head.
"Who'll go with him," the Rockies asked, "Can't take a heavy truck."
"Look what 'appened," Dustin said sadly.
"I'll go, I'm light," CB volunteered.
"No!" Electra exploded, sparking.
"No!" Bobo shouted.
"No!" Flat Top agreed, to everyone's surprise.
"Why not?" Dustin asked, "Leaving out steam trains isn't fair, steam trains ought to 'ave their share."
"No!" Electra shouted.
"No!" Greaseball roared, Rusty could race, but that didn't mean that steam trains were worth it.

"No, I hate steam trains," Flat Top said, much to the surprise of everyone, "Don't look the same an' have different smoke, eat strange things, keep the rhythm going all night. 'ad some next door--"
At the expression on Dustin's face, Flat Top quickly turned around to see a very angry looking Poppa.
"Just a joke," the brick truck added quickly, bolting.
"Steam will beat you! Steam will race you!" Poppa exclaimed, "Hey you, yes you, Rusty can race you!"

"Hey you, yes you, Rusty can race you!" Poppa, coaches and trucks chanted.
"No!" Electra shouted.

"No!" Bobo exclaimed, "I was second, I should've won--I'm incredibly fast." He indicated Rusty, "Nobody beats me, everybody beats him. Where's the point?" he asked, "He'll only be last."
"He has a point there," Dinah agreed.
"Shut it Dinah!" the coaches shouted.

Everyone glared at each other and started shouting at once. No one could understand anyone. Rusty felt horrible and wanted to vanish.

"Will somebody listen to what I say?" CB shouted frustrated.
"Quiet!" Electra exploded in a high pitched voice and sending out a lightning bolt. Everyone stood transfixed for a long few seconds.
He turned to the caboose, "Yes CB?"
"You ought to take on Rusty and me," CB said to Electra and Greaseball, "If the French train runs and I'm not in it could go wrong at the last minute." He smiled, "Trust me, I'll sort it out tell you later what it's all about."
"Let him race against Pearl and me," Greaseball said to Electra, "If he wants he can have CB, you take Dinah."
Electra still wasn't convinced.
"That'll be good," one of the gang said.
"That's how it's gonna be, understood?" Belle, Greaseball and Dustin agreed. Dinah did not agree.
"I don't wanna..." she started to whine.
"Shut it Dinah!" several of the trains shouted.

A sly look crept into Greaseball's eyes and he skated over to Electra.
"Electra," he said, "All this fuss you've made, don't tell me you're a little bit afraid?"
Electra glared at the diesel, he was trapped and he knew it. If he continued to protest the others would think he was afraid. Afraid of a steamer he had already beaten? Never!
"Eleeeectraaaaa," the components sang softly.

Electra stormed over to Rusty, "Hey you!" he shouted.
"Who me?" Rusty asked.
"Yes you, race you!" Electra roared sparking.
"Hey you, yes you, Electra's gonna race you," the components chanted, "Hey you, yes you.."
"I'll erase you, you'll be the last," Electra exclaimed, "The future's a duty to rub out the past!"
With that he turned away in disgust; leaving Rusty feeling very cold inside as he was swept up with the others.

"Hey you, yes you, Hey you, yes you, Hey you, yes you, Hey you, yes you," everyone chanted speeding up, "Hey you, yes you Rusty. Hey you, yes you, race you--race you!"
That settled the yard cleared quickly. Electra and components one way, Rusty and the freight train the other way leaving Greaseball and the coaches behind.

Greaseball skated up to Pearl. "So you what you say there Pearl," Greaseball said, "you wanna try a whirl? You hear me knocking."
Pearl smiled, she'd give him a try, "Knock, knock."
"Who's there?" Greaseball asked, playing along.
"Pearl."
"Pearl who?"
"Pear-lease can I go with you?" she sang.
Greaseball smiled, he always got his way. He nodded and twirled her, "You hear me knocking,"
"I hear you, you're knocking," Pearl sang, "It's shocking!"

Dinah glared at them both, "I hope you're satisfied with what you've done!" she said angrily, but holding back tears "You could've had your choice and took my only one!" She spun on her hind wheels and strode away.
"Hey come on Dinah, it's only fun" Pearl called after her, "So quit crying, quit crying."
"I'm pumping iron," Greaseball sang unconcerned. He hitched Pearl behind and they skated off.
Dinah buried her face in her hands and sobbed. Ashley, Buffy and Belle had remained behind and they skated over to Dinah.

"Hey Dinah what's wrong?" Ashley asked.
"Come on girl, why you crying?" Buffy asked.
"You ain't got no reason," Ashley said.
Buffy set a hand on Dinah's shoulder, "Don't cry," she said, "Tell me why."
Dinah looked up and sniffed. "I've been," she started, "Gee it's awful!" She sniffed again, "I know it's absurd," she took a breath and tried again, "I've been," she shook her head, "No I can't say it. I can't say the word." She stood up, the other three gave her room.

"I've been U.N.C.O.U.P.L.E.D." she spelled.
The other three looked at her sympathetically, now they understood.
Dinah sighed, "I can't bring myself to say it, no siree. I'm a carriage with no marriage, I'm a van without a man, I've been U.N.C.O.U.P.L.E.D."
She skated over to Ashley, "Was I corroded?" she asked, "Or overloaded?" she turned to Buffy, "Maybe I shamed him," Dinah continued, now turning to Belle, "Who would have blamed him?"
The other coaches kept silent, letting Dinah work out her feelings.
"If he thought me second class, went in search of chrome and brass," Dinah sighed, "Went to find some other fool like me."
She skated out, "Now I'm just U.N.C.O.U.P.L.E.D." She sniffed, "I can't seem to stop C.R.Y.I.N.G. People look at me and think: 'There she goes the missing link she's been U.N.C.O.U.P.L.E.D.'"
How could he do that to me? She thought furiously skating off determined, she'd show him!

"And I'm just U.N.C.O.U.P.L.E.D. but I'll get my R.E.V.E.N.G.E." she sang with an odd combination of anger and sorrow.
In Dinah's imagination, Greaseball, dented and ragged, came over to her on his knees. She glared down at her imaginary engine.
"He'll come crawling back one day," she sang, "And I'll turn to him and say, 'Go away you B.A.S.T.A.R.D.'"
Belle and Buffy nodded approvingly, but Ashley was shocked.
Dinah blinked and shook her head, no she couldn't do that. She sank to the ground near Belle's wheels and buried her face in her arms.

The other three coaches looked at each other and Buffy set a hand on Dinah's shoulder.
"Now listen sugar," she said, "If you want him back..."
Dinah nodded vigorously but didn't look up.
"You'll never get him if you don't attack!" Buffy said.
"You gotta make it so that he can't guess when you are saying 'no' but meaning 'yes'" Ashley added.

Belle gently pulled Dinah's head up.
"Slow down," the sleeper sang, "You gotta keep him waiting all night."
Ashley and Buffy, on either side of Belle and Dinah spun around.

"Deep down inside you know that you are the best," the three coaches sang with Dinah watching uncertainly, "So come on baby put it to the test. Don't stop now, you gotta keep it going all night."

Ashley and Buffy whirled around, "Rolling Stock, you're Rolling Stock!"
"So let him look around and find you gone," Ashley and Buffy sang, "Rolling Stock, you're Rolling Stock."
"How long you think he's gonna carry on?" Belle asked pulling Dinah to her wheels.
"Come on and heat it up the way you do," the three coaches sang. Belle skated off and Dinah slowly followed, shadowing her.
"No one can keep it going longer then you," they continued, "Don't stop now, you gotta keep it going all night."

Dinah, following Belle, suddenly spun like the other two were. Belle picked up speed and Dinah kept pace with the sleeper.

"Rolling Stock, you're Rolling Stock," the three sang.
"So get the motion in your wheels and say..." Belle started.
"Rolling Stock, you're Rolling Stock," the other two sang.
"From here on in its independence day!" the three declared.

Dinah agreed and shot out from behind Belle, moving on her own now.
"Rolling Stock, you're Rolling Stock."
"I'm off that rail," Dinah decided, "I'm gonna keep it going."
"Go slow!" Belle cautioned.
"Rolling Stock, you're Rolling Stock," Ashley and Buffy chanted as Dinah joined them. The three coaches whirled around.
"I've gotta keep it going," Dinah sang.
"Go slow!" Belle shouted.
"Rolling Stock, you're Rolling Stock," the other two chanted.
"I'm gonna keep it going!" Dinah called out, determined now.
"Rolling Stock, you're Rolling Stock!"
"Go slow!" Belle repeated cutting in front of Dinah, causing her to stop.

"Till you see him slowing," Belle sang, "Then everything will be all right!"
Dinah nodded; Belle was right. The three coaches skated around Belle.
"Keep it, keep it, keep it, keep it going all night!" they sang. Dinah threw her arms around Belle.
In a group, they moved out to get Dinah ready to race.