Trapped

**Trapped** is the third *TUGS: The Bigg City Chronicles* story in the SeventyVerse.

## Plot

The Stars and Z-Stacks were put on the contract at the logging camp together. However, Zug was interrupted by taking an old tramper to Burke and Blair's breaker's yard, much to the annoyance of Zip and Zak. Billy Shoepack was also assigned to work near the Stars, much to the worry of Big Mac and O.J. when they see him with dynamite.

Zug meets up with Zorran at Mittsville, and unfortunately, the No. 1 Z-Stack isn't happy that Zug was going to be delayed delivering the tramper - the breaker's yard was another mile up from Mittsville. Relutantly, Zorran follows Zug to the Breaker's Yard when he points out the strong current. Due to Zorran's impatience and the strong current, the tramper blocks the river and Zug is trapped, along with all the Star tugs - so Zorran believes. He tells Zug to claim salvage and leaves him behind - much to Zug's concern.

Top Hat and Sunshine meet up with Zug a moment later. The railway tug is annoyed, but Sunshine gives some comfort to her fellow switcher. Sunshine says she'll warn the others and try to find a crane. She manages to alert Big Mac and O.J. of the blockage and they head up to investigate.

Zorran was shocked to see Ten Cents was not among the Stars blocked by the Tramper, and he also says Warrior and Hercules were called to sea to assist with a tramper. Zorran, now realising that he'd get into trouble with Hercules and Warrior if they found out, tells Ten Cents about the accident. Ten Cents says he'll check on the others, while Zorran says he'll tell their captains, the salvage team and the other Stars if they're back. Ten Cents, however, believes Zorran is fibbing.

Meanwhile, Sunshine has a happy reunion with Billy Shoepack and asks if there's still a crane at Uptown. He says it's been scrapped, but when Sunshine explains about the tramper, Billy Shoepack suggests his dynamite. Sunshine is reluctant to let him try, but realises she doesn't have much of a choice.

Ten Cents gets to the scene of the accident and he and Top Hat realise the water level is rising too high on one side and falling too far on the other. Ten Cents rushes back to Mittsville for a crane. Big Mac and O.J. get to the tramper and at O.J.'s suggestion, they, Top Hat and Zug would lash up three or four barges to make a battering ram to get rid of the tramper. Ten Cents finds Little Ditcher dreging, but she promises to help move the Tramper as soon as she gets her pulley back on.

The trapped tugs formed the battering ram and attempt to push the tramper. Unfortunately, the only thing it does is dent said tramper and it knocks Zug between the tramper and barge. Sunshine and Billy Shoepack arrive and he's excited to blow the tramper, but the others aren't quite so keen.

Little Ditcher was ready to go, and Ten Cents was about to get hitched up. However, much to his frustration, Zorran arrived back alone. Having figured this would happen, Ten Cents and Little Ditcher go to try to unblock the river together.

Zorran started to go back Up River, while Sunshine pulled Zug clear of Billy Shoepack's dynamite. Billy Shoepack did the countdown, but as the fuse went out, nothing happened. He went to check it, and it turned out the fuse was wet. Billy Shoepack went to get a new fuse, while the tugs stood well back. As the new fuse was lit, Zorran arrived, and came just in time to be blasted back by the wrecked tramper. He ended up on sharp rocks, and Zug and the stars all laughed. Billy Shoepack heads Up River, and Ten Cents arrives with Little Ditcher just in time to laugh at Zorran too.

## Differences between the episode and this version

* Zug doesn't say "mhm" when Zorran asks "On your way?"
* Instead of Sunshine saying "Right, I’ll go back up river for help. Cranes, or something." when she departs from Top Hat and Zug, she says "Right, I'll go back up river and warn the others. I'll see if I can find a crane while I'm at it."
* There's an extra scene of Sunshine telling Big Mac and O.J. about the situation.
* Ten Cents doesn't say Zorran's name when he's asking him what he's doing at Mittsville.
* Hercules and Warrior were called to help a tramper at sea, explaining their absence in the story. Ten Cents also tells Zorran to tell them to come back with him if they're back from their emergency.
* Ten Cents is more suspicious of Zorran not going back for help.
* Billy Shoepack says "where's your sense of adventure?" after Sunshine is dubious about the dynamite. Then Sunshine says "Well, as long as your careful", with Billy Shoepack saying he will be careful.
* Zug and Big Mac's lines are different when agreeing with O.J.'s battering ram. Instead of Zug saying "Great, O.J. Yeah!", he says "That's a great idea, O.J.!". In the episode, Big Mac says "Might work. Well, let’s try it!", while in the story, he says "And it might work. Let's try it!"
* As well as being genderflipped into a girl ala Salty's Lighthouse, it's mentioned Little Ditcher is part of the salvage team.
* Captain Star's narration in the episode is "The Stars could only hope that help would come soon. Though they never expected what Sunshine brought.", while in the story, he says "The Stars and Zug could only hope that help would come soon. Though they never expected who Sunshine brought."
* When O.J. asks if anyone else is coming, Sunshine says "er...".
* Instead of Ten Cents saying "'Ere, what’s Zorran doing back here on his own?" he says "'Ere, what’s he doing back here on his own?" He also asks where Warrior and Hercules are before adding "typical Zorran."
* When the dynamite failed and Billy Shoepack wonders what happened, Sunshine says "I don't know.".
* After Big Mac says "what do you mean, one volunteer?" Zug asks "What for?". Big Mac also says "pull the other one, Shoepack!".
* O.J.'s dialogue is changed from "Needs an expert, Billy!" to "Yes, it's best if an expert looks at it", while Top Hat's line is changed from "That, so you say, is you." to "but it seems *you* will have to do."
* Captain Star's narration is changed from "They began to wonder how it was that Billy Shoepack hadn’t blown himself up before this." to "He and the others began to wonder how it was that Billy Shoepack hadn’t blown himself up before this."
* Two lines of dialogue are cut from the episode from O.J. and Top Hat: "I do believe we have to go with him. Whoops." "Don't fight the flow. Just go with it", as well as O.J.'s "well done!"
* Zorran glares at Zug when he claims that him being trapped on rocks is funny, thus causing him to say no.
* Instead of Sunshine saying "aye, true", she says "yeah, that's true".
* Big Mac says Captain Star's narration line of "For once in his life, Shoepack had done a great job.", thus plugging up the fourth wall break when Zorran says "Never mind him, what about me?"

## Characters

* Ten Cents
* Big Mac
* O.J.
* Top Hat
* Sunshine
* Zorran
* Zak
* Zug
* Zip
* Billy Shoepack
* Little Ditcher
* Warrior (mentioned)
* Hercules (mentioned)
* Salvage Team (mentioned)
	+ Moonlight (indirectly mentioned)
	+ Ember (indirectly mentioned)
	+ Pisces (indirectly mentioned)
	+ Scorpio (indirectly mentioned)
	+ Misty (indirectly mentioned)
	+ Stormy (indirectly mentioned)
	+ Hail (indirectly mentioned)
* Captain Star (narration only; mentioned)
* Captain Zero (mentioned)

## Voice cast

### Official

* Simon Nash as Ten Cents
* Sean Barrett as Big Mac
* Ian James Corlett as O.J.
* John Baddeley as Top Hat
* Chris Tulloch as Zorran
* Shaun Prendergrast as Zak
* Nigel Anthony as Zug
* Lee Cornes as Billy Shoepack
* Lenore Zann as Little Ditcher

### Fan chosen

* Peter Dickson as Captain Star
* Michelle Creber as Sunshine
* Tara Strong as Zip

## Trivia

* Though Moonlight isn't named, he is part of the Salvage Team, which is mentioned in this story.
* Oddly enough, despite Hercules and Warrior's absence being explained, Zebedee's absence is not explained in either the real episode or the SeventyVerse version.