Sadie had never attempted to rob a train before. The way the others talked about train robberies, it was one of the most difficult, dangerous and potentially lucrative jobs any outlaw could pull. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, trains were used for the vast majority of mass transit needs, meaning most were just dripping with mail, cash, deliveries, mail and all sorts of other things that would make even the most cautious of outlaw's mouths water at the prospect. More than once the biggest problem was having to leave loot behind because they were unable to carry it all.

While banks carried more cash, their static nature also meant it was possible to have a lot more security, both in the bank itself and in the form of local law enforcement. Between cities, trains were more or less on their own, one of the reasons most railway companies spent a significant amount of their outgoings on their own security guards, but there was only so much room on a train. They often had armoured cars with heavy duty locks for the most valuable goods but a bit of dynamite, a lock pick or a particularly determined Bill Williamson with a hammer could usually put paid to that. The biggest issue with trains was the fact they were mobile, and they moved fast. The main issue was trying to get them to stop because once a couple of hundred tons of steel started moving at fifty to sixty miles an hour there wasn't a whole lot anyone could do to make it stop if the driver didn't want to. It was usually a case of boarding it somewhere the train had to slow down like a tight corner or forcing it to stop somehow like when John had the idea of putting an oil wagon on the tracks, but that didn't help them now.

This train was very different. It wasn't just any train, it was a military train carrying wages. In 1899, soldiers were paid pretty well and with the fort about to get a brand new garrison they needed to make sure the soldiers were paid and fed. Of course they were also well aware that it was an enticing prospect for thieves and took appropriate precautions…like ensuring they had no reason to stop before they got to Bacchus! The line between Saint Denis and Annesburg where the rest of the unit would catch up with it was almost completely straight which meant they weren't even under any pressure to slow down. The upshot of which meant that in addition to armed soldiers and armoured cars, they also had to deal with the fact the train was travelling at speed.

They spurred their hoses as hard as they could coming towards the train. They couldn't even really keep particularly quiet about it, meaning that as they were starting to come up on the train, there were already soldiers starting to come out onto some of the cars to try and drive them off.

There was little time for planning, but the Van Der Linde Gang was nothing if not a well-oiled machine. Those that got closest to the train immediately concentrated on spurring themselves on to get onto the train, while those that didn't get so close covered them, trying to keep the soldiers trying to fend them off busy.

Sadie ducked as bullets started to fly by her. She could almost feel them coming perilously close to taking her head off as she neared the train. She threw herself from the back of her horse onto the deck of the carriage, rolling to absorb as much of the impact as she could. Even still, she felt something inside giving a little and a sharp, burning pain like a red-hot knife in her side as she hit. She struggled to breathe, but pulled her revolver, taking care of the first soldier that noticed her. Another grabbed her from behind, hauling her up, but she felt his grip loosen and turned around in time to watch John manhandle him clean off the side of the train.

"Keep your damn hands to yourself boy!" He called after him. Cleet was wrestling with another soldier a little way from them, but John was quickly over beside him, helping the skinny outlaw toss him overboard. Sadie felt a thud behind her and turned in time to see Arthur getting to his feet.

"Nice of you to join us." Sadie said with a little smirk. Arthur just shot her a little look that let her know he wasn't in any mood for joking around. He pulled out his revolvers and started heading up the train.

"Money's in the front of the train!" Arthur called out to the small band he'd found himself leading. "We need to push up before we run out of track!"

Sadie was going to her back for her repeater, but just stretching her arm felt like she was being stabbed. She tried to pull out her other revolver, but even its weight felt like she was trying to carry Bill one-handed. John noticed the pained expression on her face.

"You OK?" He asked.

"I think I might have busted somethin' in the jump." She wheezed. John was coming back to help her, but she waved him onward. "Just keep pushin' up, I'll catch up!"

She took a moment to compose herself. Every breath was agony. She clutched her ribs with one arm while she took her revolver in the other, gritting her teeth through the pain as she joined in the firefight where she could.

Arthur and John tore ahead of Sadie and Cleet. Seeing Cleet work, she had to wonder about his credentials. He could shoot a gun just fine, but his marksmanship lent more to enthusiasm than it did to any kind of skill or accuracy. Even injured, Sadie was pulling her weight more than he was. Still, watching John and Arthur, it wasn't hard to see how they earned their reputation. In another time, another life, they could have been heroes of some battlefield, but they had no interest in abiding by Uncle Sam's rules. She Took cover to reload, something that took a lot longer than normal one-handed, but she heard a shout going up, and the train shook as there was a blast. Had they reached the front and used the dynamite already? Smoke going up from one of the carriages confirmed that wasn't the case. One of the carriages further up was on fire!

"We can't get through the smoke!" John yelled. Sadie watched as the members of the gang who were following, waiting on them stopping the train saw the danger and rode up. Dutch was waving to Arthur. She watched as John, leapt onto Micah's horse. Arthur jumped onto Dutch's, following which Cleet leapt onto Joe's.

"Sadie!" Javier called out, waving to her. Sadie was a little reluctant to risk a second jump. Just standing upright hurt like hell, but since the alternative was waiting until the fire spread down the train, she threw herself off the train, crying out as she landed across the back of Javier's horse. She was about to slip right off until he grabbed her, hauling her back up.

"You alright?" He asked her.

"Just keep goin'!" She yelled at him, gesturing onwards. She could see that the others were spurring on, trying to pass the burning car. When they got to the other side, John, Arthur and Cleet all leapt aboard, this time accompanied by Bill. Seeing the big man jump was a sight in itself. It was like watching a bear fly! Still, by some miracle the big oaf managed it! Sadie prepared herself and leapt aboard too, but the landing this time was nothing short of excruciating. She was rolling around on the ground as she grabbed her ribs, hoping that she would at very least last until they could get John safely away.

"Uncouple that carriage before it blows us all up!" Arthur called out, pointing to it.

"I'm on it!" John replied, quickly getting to work. Sadie struggled to get back to her feet. She could rest as much as she liked once the job was done and John was well on his way to Canada or Mexico or wherever the hell he would end up that was as far from Dutch and anything to do with this God forsaken gang as humanly possible.

John got to work uncoupling the rail car, while Arthur, seeing some more army coming, started to assemble a Gatling gun he had found. Sadie was almost back on her feet, and was about to join John when he finally managed to get the car detached. Her moment of relief was short-lived though, as John turned back, a spurt of blood erupted from his chest. He fell from the train, rolling down the tracks as he fell off. Arthur spun around, seeing a soldier on top of the carriage ahead, and shot him dead.

"JOHN!" Sadie screamed, looking for him as he tumbled into the grass out of sight. She couldn't see him any longer. She could only think of the fact all this had been for him. The take from this was for his life after the gang. If he died…she didn't want to think of that.

"I'll go for John!" Dutch yelled at them. "You protect that money!"

"Man the gun Arthur!" Bill called to him. Arthur started cranking the handle, firing off the Gatling gun. She could feel the floor vibrating as the gun fired off round after round, quickly tearing through the undergrowth and any pursuing soldiers. Seeing soldiers and horses being torn apart like they were made of tissue was a memory that would stick with her for as long as she lived. She'd heard rumours someone was trying to build a version of this that a man could carry and fire in his hands in battle. She hoped to God she never lived to see the day someone managed that.

"You here sightseein' or you here to fight?" Bill snapped at her. "Let's make sure there are no more of these bastards on the train to bushwhack us!"

Sadie didn't appreciate his tone, but it was one of the few times Bill had a point. They'd been caught unawares once, it was best not to take any chances while Arthur was able to hold up the rear with the Gatling gun. She joined Bill and Cleet as they made their way up the rest of the train. Fortunately there were only a couple of cars left, the one they were on, two more and the engine itself. She was close to running on her last breaths as it was, and not knowing if John was alive or dead, she had to drive herself on by thinking of Abigail and Jack. Losing John would be bad enough without having to start out with no money as well. If the worst had happened, then they would need the money even more than they did before.

She stumbled along the way, firing wildly as Bill and Cleet started to push up, clearing out the last couple of cars.

"How the hell did I get saddled with you little lady?" Cleet asked disparagingly as one of Sadie's shots went wild. She could only glare at him. Even with one arm and struggling to breathe she'd done more than he had.

"You watch your goddam mouth!" She warned him as she took some cover, starting to reload. By the time she got her revolver ready to go again, Bill was coming back.

"We got the last of 'em." Bill told her.

"Great!" She responded.

"Yeah, but this big ox just killed the driver!" Cleet informed her.

"I thought he had a gun!" Bill protested.

"So, we don't have a driver?" Sadie asked.

"No, and he's locked in the engine on top of the Dead Man Switch!" Cleet continued. "Which means we can't get him off it!"

"Which means…" Sadie tailed off as she put the rather straightforward story together. They were now on a fast-moving train with no way to stop it, on a track headed straight for a bridge John and Arthur had blown up! Sadie ran back towards Arthur, who was just finishing up with the patrol.

"Come on, get off the gun, we gotta get the money!" She called out to him. She figured that right now Arthur didn't need to know the train was only moments away from ending up at the bottom of a gorge. That news could wait until they had the money!

Arthur took some dynamite, blowing open the door. They were on a tight schedule, and all hopes of doing this quietly had long since passed. The door was ripped open, at which Arthur headed inside.

"We got somethin', we got somethin'!" He called out in glee. It wasn't often Arthur got this excited. A whole fort full of soldiers meant a lot of money, and as he started tossing out sacks full of cash, Sadie could see why. Seeing the sacks coming out, seeming like they'd never stop finding more, she was starting to wonder if Dutch's Taihiti idea was really so far-fetched after all.

"Morgan! The driver's dead! This thing ain't stopping!" Bill told him. "We got to get off!"

"Okay then, let's go!" Arthur answered. He was a lot calmer than anyone would have expected, but then again Sadie knew he wasn't intending to be around much longer anyway. All he cared about was getting enough for Abigail and Jack. He now had more than enough for that. Throwing the bags off the train, they all started to leap off. Sadie had to steel herself for this one, but busted ribs or not, staying on the train was a hell of a lot riskier than jumping off. She let out a hellish scream as the worst pain she had ever felt coursed through her body. She lay on the ground, unsure if she should, or even if she could move, but she knew that she had to. Everyone else seemed to be dusting themselves off and getting themselves composed too. Bill looked like he had torn up most of his left side in the jump. Arthur though…she was glad to see him on his feet. She was afraid this might just have finished him off. She could hear the train crashing down into the bottom of the ravine, and quietly said the first prayer she could remember saying in many years…that she'd never have to set foot on another God damned train again!

"Jesus." Bill exclaimed, looking over the ravine.

"We're alive." Sadie reminded him.

"Just about." Arthur responded. "Well, let's move."

They were just starting to head back, when Dutch and the others caught up to them, bringing their horses with them. Sadie was thankful to see that old mare again. She didn't know if she had it in her to walk all the way back to Beaver Hollow. Her heart sank as she noticed that John wasn't with them. Clearly, Arthur noticed too.

"Where's John?" Arthur asked, with no other greeting. The point where they were even pretending their friendship would endure was now well and truly over.

"I tried…" Dutch said morosely. "I tried. He didn't make it. That patrol killed him."

Sadie's heart was in her boots as she heard Dutch say this. All the chaos, all the pain, all the bloodshed…was it all really for nothing? Had John been killed in what was to be the last big job? Had they really come so far only to have him snatched away at the last moment? Arthur was glaring at Dutch, and she could only think of what he had said at the refinery. How he accused Dutch of leaving him to die. Did Arthur think he had done the same to John?

"We had to run. Come on, before another patrol turns up." He beckoned them. Sadie wiped away a tear, before heading to her horse, throwing a sack of money over the back of it, before hauling herself painfully up onto the saddle. It seemed there was nothing they could do for John now, but Abigail would be waiting for him. They could at least avoid it being all for nothing by letter her know what had happened and giving her enough for her and Jack to disappear for good.

The ride back towards Beaver Hollow was a long, silent one. There was certainly not the air of celebration that one would expect from a successful job. She'd have loved to think that the loss of John was what put the dampener on the mood, but with such a big score on such a high-risk job, casualties were inevitable. The fact they'd only lost John was pretty much a miracle.

Sadie found some bandages in her saddlebag, and wrapped her ribs up as tightly as she could. She was in agony, but she really didn't care. She only had to last a little while longer anyway. Once Abigail, Jack and Tilly were on their way, she could drop dead and she wouldn't feel a lick of remorse over it.

"You OK?" Arthur asked her. Sadie winced as she laughed a little at the irony. Arthur was literally dying, and he was asking her if she was alright.

"As good as can be expected." She told him, sniffing a little. "Just…John…"

"Yeah, I know." Arthur sighed. "We…we tried. That's all anyone can do."

She saw the look he gave Dutch, who was in the middle of a conversation with Micah, Joe and Cleet about something. She was becoming more and more convinced that Arthur thought Dutch was lying about John's fate. Perhaps he thought Dutch had left him for dead. Maybe he thought Dutch had killed him. She wasn't sure. Either way, it was clear Arthur didn't buy Dutch's story about him falling to the army patrol. They weren't quite all the way to Beaver Hollow when someone came riding up to them at speed, hollering as they went. Sadie squinted to see, the sun was in her eyes, but eventually she realised it was Tilly. She was holding Jack up on the saddle with her. She was out of breath, and her clothes were torn and had leaves and branches caught in them. She'd obviously been riding hard.

"They came and took Abigail!" She rushed out. "I saved Jack, we hid, but they took Abigail!"

"Who did?" Dutch asked.

"Agent Milton and his men!" She told them. "They took her to Van Horn to put her on a boat and try her for murder!"

Sadie and Arthur just looked to each other. They didn't seem to be the only ones surprised by this. With Cornwall and his money gone, they'd all but forgotten about Milton. Without Cornwall's bottomless pockets, they assumed he'd just forget about them and go after some easier money. Unfortunately it seemed like he'd either taken their continual evasion of him as a personal slight, he valued the bounty on them enough to go after them or his professional pride in taking on a job and seeing it through had driven him to go after them even without a backer. Sadie didn't need Arthur's nod to know what their next move was. They'd already lost John, they weren't going to lose Abigail too and leave Jack with no one.

"I am sorry to hear that." Dutch said, shaking his head.

"We gotta let her go." Micah chipped in. This didn't surprise Sadie in the least. He'd never put himself out for anyone. "John's a…well…sorry son."

Sadie wanted to drag Micah off his horse right there. That was how he was telling Jack his dad was dead? She knew Micah didn't value anyone above himself, but he couldn't even put on the pretence of caring for a boy who was already terrified he might lose his mother?

"Without John, she's just bait." Micah continued. "Got a bunch of money Dutch, she's just a girl. They won't do nothing to her, but me and the boys know we need to keep riding on this one Dutch. You know it. Every man here knows it."

Sadie knew this wasn't at all why Micah was ready to cut Abigail loose. Women most certainly did get hung, and she wouldn't put it past Milton or the State to make an example of Abigail if they couldn't get any of the other members of the gang. She most certainly was bait, but Sadie couldn't see a choice. Jack had already lost John, she was damned if he'd lose Abigail too while there was a breath left in her body.

"So, we just gonna let the boy be made an orphan?" Arthur growled, losing his patience with the whole situation. Dutch's own words rang in Sadie's mind. Shoot those as need shooting, feed those as need feeding, save those as need saving. If anyone needed saving it was Abigail.

"I…it ain't like that." Dutch said wearily. His words hit Sadie right to the core. That was the moment she knew in her heart, he had cut John loose. Whether he killed him himself or left him to die, he had turned on him. So much for the Van Der Linde loyalty.

"What is it like?" Arthur demanded.

"I wanna live cowpoke, I still got the choice." Micah responded. It seemed as though others in the camp had started to piece together how serious Arthur's ailing health really was. "Dutch, it's just a girl."

"You're right." Dutch agreed.

"Dutch!" Arthur growled as he dismounted, coming around in front of The Count. "Micah!"

"It pains me to say it Arthur but he is right."

"Dutch!" Arthur said, this time in a softer tone, almost pleading. He wanted Dutch to offer him something, to show him that something of what he had believed in most of his life actually meant something. Arthur locked eyes with him, begging him to be the man he had believed in. Dutch just turned his gaze, unable to look him in the eye.

"Let's go boys." He murmured, spurring on The Count. Bill, Javier, Cleet, Joe and Micah all followed on behind him as he rode away. Sadie remained with him as Arthur just stared after them.

"Well, I guess that's that then." He said in a heartbreaking tone. Sadie already knew his body was failing him, but even though she wasn't a religious person, but if she was, she'd have sworn that was the moment his spirit left him too. "All them goddam years!"

"Come on, Arthur." Sadie beckoned him. "Let's go get her. You and me is all we need."

Arthur nodded, before going to the back of Sadie's horse, removing the sack of cash. In his haste, Dutch had left it with her. There had to be thousands of dollars in it, more than enough to see them all get a new start. He put it on the back of Tilly's horse.

"Miss Tilly. Take this." He then pulled out what had to be all the money he had left on him. "Take this money too. Take Jack and you wait at Copperhead Landing for Abigail and Mrs Adler."

"Thank you Arthur." Tilly replied, choking back some tears. It hadn't escaped her notice that Arthur had left his own name out of that list.

"You're a good girl. You have a good life, now, you hear?" He said to her.

"Alright, Arthur." She answered tearfully. "I'll…I'll miss..."

"Me too sweetheart." Arthur cut her off. "Me too. Jack, come here."

He looked to the little boy.

"Be brave son. I'm gonna go get your momma."

As they rode off, Arthur took a few deep breaths, and she could see him wipe his face. She wasn't too proud to admit needing to clear off some tears herself.

"Mrs Adler!" He said as he mounted up. "Ride with me!"

With that, they spurred on their horses, turning down the road for Van Horn. Milton would be waiting, no doubt with an army, but even if he had the forces of Hell themselves, there was nothing that was going to stop them striving to free Abigail with every last breath.