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It had been a busy day on the Island of Sodor, many visitors, and that meant many people on the Express, which Gordon was manning. Gordon sits in the shed at Knapford station, waiting for the Express carriages to be shunted to their destination, his driver and fireman having decided to take their lunchbreak as they waited for Percy to complete shunting the six Express carriages.“whatever’s the matter, old chap? You look like someone’s wracked your boiler” Henry said after having backed into the space beside Gordon, said engine simply grumbled, huffing a big cloud of steam around him.“Summer’s always the most work for me, everyone is off on holiday, and where else but Sodor shall they go?” Gordon responds sarcastically, rolling his eyes. Henry hums.“I see, you’re overworked!” Henry exclaims, only to be laughed at by the big Express engine.“bah! Me? Overworked? Dont be silly, Henry.” Gordon responds, and just as Henry’s about to say something smug, Gordon’s driver and fireman comes back from their lunchbreak.“well then, Gordon, ready for the last trip of the day?” the driver asks, as the fireman jumps into Gordon's cab and begins checking the fire, making sure everything is in order. “yes, sir. Where are we heading off to?” Gordon asks the driver, to which he only gets a shrug in response.“I don't know, to Maron I suppose, that's what Sir Topham Hatt told us, so that’s where we’ll go”Gordon nods at this, feeling the warmth in his firebox begin and heating his parts up. He's always enjoyed being the only Express train on Sodor, even if it gets hectic at times. He knows that he is really useful to the Fat Controller, as he’s said so many times. But Gordon cant help but think at times that he’d want to have another position, he’ll always be a passenger train, he knows that, and he’s happy with it, in fact. But sometimes, he wishes that he could pull carriages other than the Express.With a huff and a puff of steam from his funnel, Gordon begins chugging along the tracks, being coupled to the Express coaches and beginning the journey to Maron Station.This particular track, was also the one that Toby used when delivering the mail, and usually, Toby would have been held up in a loop at the Suddery, going to Brendam Docks and then back up to Wellsworth Station, giving Gordon enough time to pass the single line with the Express. However, Toby was running late, only just having reached Maron Station himself. Toby sighed to himself, feeling anxious, knowing that the Fat Controller was going to be cross with him.Toby's driver ran up to him then, a paper in his hand, waving his happily, he jumps up into Toby and tells him to begin on the track.“but, sir, isn't Gordon coming soon? Wouldn't it be best if I went into a siding until he’s past” Toby asked, to which the driver chuckled. “no need, we have authority on the line, written by Sir Topham Hatt himself.” Toby makes a quiet hum in responce, already more at ease, knowing he wont have to face the wrath of both Gordon and Topham Hatt.Gordon was speeding down the track, passing Crosby Station swiftly. Sir Topham Hatt had come to him at Elsbridge Station, handing his driver a document, telling him that he had authority on the line, and that Toby was late. Gordon huffed impatiently.“always with the small engines, cant never keep time,” he grumbled to himself, to which his driver chuckled. “don't worry, Gordon, we have authority on the line, Toby’s probably in a siding, waiting for us.” the driver said, happily.Gordon made a hum in agreement, knowing his driver was probably right. He speeds down the track, trying to make up for lost time from Elsbridge Station, not knowing that Toby was speeding along the same track.As Gordon comes to the base of his hill, he speeds up a bit more to have enough steam to make it up the hill without delay, its then he sees the brown paint of the small tram engine, Toby. Gordon blows his whistle as hard as he can, putting his breaks hard on as soon as he sees the small tram engine, but it was no use. As soon as Toby saw him, his face contorted into a surprised gasp, and he shut his eyes.“I must stop, I must stop, I must stop!” Gordon chuffed to himself as the screeching of his breaks echo along the trees. He doesn't dare look at what happens next, and he closes his eyes.The trains crash, a head-on collision, making Toby derail from the force of Gordon ramming into him, and he rears into the air, landing on his roof with a loud crash. The screetching of metal against metal and the mail flying around is all he can see and hear for a long while. Then he sees the blue shape of Gordon, careening down the hill with the Express carriages still coupled to him.“oh no!” Toby gasps as he sees Gordon’s frame tumbling down the hill, rolling through trees and bushes, until finally, mercifully, he comes at a rest at the bottom of the hill. Toby can faintly hear the blast of the emergency horn from Wellsworth Station, and Harold the helicopter flying overhead. Toby cant keep his eyes open longer, and he closes them, drifting off into uncounsiousness.When he opens them, he is not on his roof, like he was before, but back on the mainline tracks. He looked around, seeing he was in Tidmouth’s sheds, which he normally wouldn't be, since that was where the bigger engine like Gordon would be.“Gordon!” Toby gasped as he remembered the horrifying crash, he looked around, not seeing the big blue engine. He felt a weight in his boiler, what if he had killed Gordon? Or sent him to the scrapyard?Toby was about to begin drowning in his own sorrows, just as the Fat Controller stepped out from the Controller’s office, with an official looking man in tow, he held a black briefcase and looked very cross with the Fat Controller.They came to Toby and the Fat Controller looked up at the tram engine.“well, good to see you’re awake, are you feeling alright?” the Fat Controller asked, looking at the dented cowcatcher and smashed side of Toby. “yes, sir. I’ll manage sir...” Toby said, weakly.“that's good to hear, now, this young man,” Topham Hatt gestured to the other man beside him, “will walk you through what is going to happen, as well as take your statement, alright?” Toby nodded.“I’ll do my best, sir” the Fat Controller nodded at that. “that's good to hear, Toby now,-” before the Fat Controller could continue, Toby remembered something.“E-excuse me, sir, but...is Gordon alright?” Toby asked carefully, a pleading look in his eyes. The Fat Controller and the official looked at each other with a grim expression on their faces. Toby could feel the unease in his boiler rise.“please say he’s alright...” Toby said, quietly. The Fat Controller and the official still looked from each other to Toby. Sir Topham Hatt was the first to speak, clearing his throat and taking a step towards the tram engine.“well, you see. Gordon he, uh...he took quite a tumble” Sir Topham Hatt was about to say more, but he was distracted by something on the other side of the shed, Toby looked to where the Fat Controller was looking and couldn't help but to gasp.There, rolling on a few flatbeds, with ropes around it, was Gordon. Or at least, what looked to be Gordon, if the color and size was anything to go by. The frame was badly dented, the cab smashed and a large dent on top of his boiler. Gordon’s whistle was gone, as was his funnel cap. His tender was smashed beyond repair, coal and soot lining the edges of it, most likely, the coal had exploded during the tumble, or caught fire some other way.It was then Toby saw it, or rather, didn't see it. For as Gordon was hauled off by Henry, the green engine, something was off. Gordon, no longer had a face. Toby gasped and his eyes widened at the sight, he’d never seen an engine without a face, especially not one he knew had one. The Fat Controller sighed sadly.“Toby...I want you to know that none of this is your fault, you hear? What happened was...a disaster. But it wasn't your fault” the Fat Controller tried to explain, but Toby was too shocked at the state of Gordon to hear anything of what Sir Topham Hatt said. He could only stare in shock and horror as Gordon was dragged off.“is he...is he...” Toby tried to say, but he couldn't get the words out, Topham Hatt understood what he was meaning and nodded with a grim expression on his face, taking off his hat and holding it to his chest.“there will be an official investigation on what happened to have caused this, and who is to blame, but whatever we come to, it was not your fault, Toby.” Sir Topham Hatt said, holding his hat to his chest in a show of respect as the body of Gordon was taken to the scrapyard.