The Obedience of Fools

 


 

The story had bugged Steel for most of his life, locomotives had been spared the cutting torch and hidden away, mothballed in underground vaults,

The myth of the Strategic Steam reserve reached out to his reality when Josie’s uncle posted her the notebook.

 

The Berlin Wall and the Eastern Bloc were solid, and the defence had to be strong. The reserve had to be protected and if the official channels were incapable the stock had to be moved to more reliable hands.

Chapter One.

 

The swinging red light ahead of the locomotive disappeared briefly in a drift of rain slanting across the track. The heavy panting of the cylinders as the engine topped the incline and eased over the summit slowed as the driver applied the brakes and brought it to a standstill. Ahead of him, through the ports in the front of the footplate he saw the light stop swinging and moved towards him along the track. The progress was accompanied by a stinging rain stuttering against the metalwork sides, he checked the brake and swung out of the cab, lowering himself carefully in the darkness of the leeward side of the engine.

The red light was lifted and he saw the cold gaunt features in the haunting red glow and grinned. "You picked a right bleeding night for this one Alfred, best weather we've had yet." The engineer grinned in the light of the lamp.

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