Author's Notes: Ok, chapter 3's been kicking around my laptops (work and here at home) for over a month before I really had a chance to upload it. Now, I'm in the middle of a redecorating job (paint and wallpaper, and relaxing while watching a special on the silent heroes of the Netherlands during the German occupation), and deciding to try putting the next chapter in place. Just going to be a matter of getting from Kuroko Station to Okinawa (just saw the local airport and the idea gelled...) Well, here goes nothing.

- Here's the next episode -

"Bzzzt! Bzzzt! Bzzzzzzzzzt!" and a gentle vibration against his left nipple had Touma shifting Index on his lap to the seat beside him.

"Mushi, mushi!" he said when he'd fished the phone out of his pocket.

"Good morning!" came the too-cheerful voice of Stiyl from wherever he was; probably somewhere close by where he could see Touma squirm.

"Look, Touma, I know that this in an imposition, but it's vitally important that you've gone all the way down to Fukuoka Prefecture by train rather than catching the next flight out of Academy City. One is that security would pick up Index's papers were fakes. The second is you're going to be picking up a couple of people who are coming in by a round-about route and need to have a friendly face (that's you by the way...) so they don't go off half-cocked and draw lots of attention."

Touma sighed. "OK. OK. I get it. Look, Komoe-sensei is looking at me and making gimme gestures. I suspect that she's figured out who's calling and wants to hear the full story from the source. Brace yourself and remember how your teachers were like in school. If she's not happy, she'll give you extra work and lots of special exercises. So, here she is!" Komoe-sensei took the phone, sat down, and looked him.

"Touma!" said Komoe-sensei. "Take care of Index and make sure that she's washed her face before she has breakfast." With that, she turned back to the phone and said "talk!" in the tone that only teachers could use. Touma grinned as he thought of Stiyl stammering like a schoolboy.

When they got back from the washroom, the packed meals were out and Komoe-sensei was still on his phone, now taking notes. "Yes, let me see if I got it right. Kokura Comfort Hotel, go to the corner and turn left, walk up past the Asano Hotel, to the cross walk at the Kitakyūshū Expressway, cross over to the public docks and call the number you gave me. We'll pick up our four passengers and head for the New Kitakyūshū Airport. You know that that's way the heck on the other side of town? OK, OK. Our new companions will know where to go from there. And we're supposed to make our final destination this month, sometime?"

Whatever Stiyl's response was, it satisfied Komoe-sensei as she shut off the phone and handed it back to him. "You're going to have to get that charged soon if we're going to keep using it. Make sure that Stiyl gets your phone bills, especially long-distance because I think that I just heard Big Ben in the background. Now, everyone, eat up! We don't have a lot of extra time until we reach Okinawa."

Two hours later, they were sitting at the public docks, snacking on taiyaki cakes, Index trying to fit two in her mouth and getting crumbs everywhere.

Komoe-sensei looked at Touma's cellphone as if it was the cause of her frustration. "Soon? SOON!? What do they mean by soon!?" Looking at the four youths staring at her, she gathered the shreds of her patience and sighed, reaching for the remaining cake and taking small nibbles when it was obvious that she wanted to take great snaps.

Handing Touma his cellphone, she walked over to the edge of the quay and looked at all of the still boats and ships. Putting her hands on her hips, she bounced up and down on her toes as if she could command the appearance of the remaining members of their group.

A shadow moved under the waters in front of her and the water poured away from the edge of the quay as a large, no HUGE, black shape came up through the water directly in front of her. Water still spilling off of the massive coning tower as the massive submarine surfaced directly beside the quay. Barely had the water rolled off of the deck, than hatches popped open and sailors scrambled up, pulling a gangway out of the depths of the ship and setting it in place between the deck and the side of the quay. Snapping to attention, they formed a pathway from the front of the coning tower to the edge of the gangway. A hatch opened on the Coning tower, and four figures stepped out quickly, wrapped in long cloaks, pulling rucksacks to their shoulders and stepping briskly across the gangway.

They stopped and faced back and waved as the gangway was pulled back unto the ship and stuffed back into the depths of the ship. The sailors remaining on deck snapped to attention, faced the quay and smartly saluted in the British manner, and then disappeared down the various open hatches. As the last hatch banged shut, there was a massive whoosh of air and bubbles along the sides of the ship as it submerged. Now barely a shadow under the harbour waters, it pulled away from the quay and disappeared into the distance.

The whole operation had taken less than a minute from Komoe-sensei arriving at the edge of the quay to the final disappearance of the shadow under the water.

Komoe-sensei turned to the four new arrivals. The tallest faced her and threw back the hood of her cloak, and bowed deeply. "Greetings, Sensei! I'm Kaori Kanzaki of the Amakusa Catholics, and now a member of Necessarius of the Anglican Church of England. I apologize for our unusual arrival but there are many in Japan who would be a bit 'put out' if I arrived through regular ports-of-entry. My purpose is not to interfere with what you will do for Index, but to ensure that you are not disturbed."

Her companions stepped forward and pushed back their hoods, bowing deeply as well. The smallest of the threesome, stepped forward. "I am Agnese Sanctis, now of Necessarius. Please think of me as Kanzaki's adjutant and this is Angelene and Lucia, who will provide additional backup. If we four cannot handle it, we'll make sure that everyone is safely away from harm."

With that, Komoe-sensei nodded and looked at her students and newly-arrived companions. "Shall we get going? I suspect that we are on a tight schedule from now until we reach Okinawa. Let's get back to our van and get going."

With that, Touma and his friends stuffed their snack bags into the garbage bin and fell in line behind her while the new arrivals lined up in formation behind everyone else and headed back to the Comfort Hotel and their transportation.