Chapter 3 - Throne

"How long is it again?" Asked I.

"Just a month, dear." Said she.

"That's too long." I couldn't help but feel sad.

"It'll go by super fast, you won't even notice." Said she, rubbing my arm.

I wasn't convinced. I couldn't help but feel an odd sensation. "Are you coming back?" I asked, as I stared at her eyes.

For a second, she didn't react at all. Didn't even blink. Then she suddenly smiled and said: "Of course I'll be back!"

"By the way, she's not coming back here." An image flashed in my mind. A man had said these words. 'Who was that?' Thought I.

When I came to, she was gone.

-/-

We headed for the helicopter. The target base left behind. The objective, being carried by Beam. The bear, probably dead by now. He served as a good distraction.

"In and out like a ghost." A flash. The usual unknown man said these words. I got used to it, over the years.

"Give me a hand with this." Said the one in charge.

I helped her pull the cover that camouflaged the helicopter.

"I don't suppose you know how to pilot this." Said she.

"I haven't been trained for it, no." Said I.

"All right, then you'll report to headquarters on the way." She took the pilot seat.

Beam approached me and handed me the black box. She took her seat beside the pilot's.

I entered the helicopter and we took off.

-/-

"They want us to lay low for a while. Stay in the country. They ordered us to go to the safehouse."

"What about the box?" Asked she.

"They said we-I mean, you, should access its contents and report back your findings."

She remained silent.

We landed in the middle of nowhere, left the helicopter and continued on foot through the woods.

"Keep the masks on." Ordered she.

I followed them to what seemed like an abandoned hydroelectric complex.

"There shouldn't be anyone here, but just to be safe..." She drew her pistol. "Weapons free."

Beam mirrored the action. I too, retrieved my revolver from its holster.

She unlocked the door with a key. Inside looked just like an abandoned factory, with machines visibly out of place and valuable equipment missing components, like screen-less monitors and pipe carcasses.

After a brief sweep of the area, the one in charge deemed it clear of human presence and returned to lock the door.

Beam produced a map from her bag and showed me the way we were going.

We opened a vault to an underground passage.

The one in charge looked at her wristwatch.

"All right." Said she. "In about two minutes a train will pass directly below us. We'll ride on it." She paused. "Literally." She added.

"So we're just gonna jump?" Asked I.

"Aren't they gonna notice?" Said Beam.

"It's an unmanned train." Said she. "It only carries cargo. But it stops at a checkpoint ahead." She pointed the location on the map. "At that time, we'll jump off and head this way, to the safehouse in the city."

"I can hear it." Said Beam.

I tensed. 'Can I really jump on top of a moving train?' I asked myself. 'Couldn't there be a better way?' 'Dammit.' Thought I.

The one in charge stood up. "Land on all fours." She said. "Careful not to fall on the couplers. And lastly, don't take too long."

She exhaled. Then she jumped.