DISCLAIMER: I do not own Rizzoli & Isles nor any of the characters from the show. I am writing this purely for entertainment, not profit. Rizzoli and Isles are property of Tess Gerritsen and TNT.
Please find the full disclaimers in the beginning of Chapter 1.
Chapter 3
They were in Lustenau, in the frontier of Austria and Switzerland.
From there to Stein Am Rhein in Switzerland, where the Isles had their mansion by the Obersee Bodensee, it was only about 60 miles.
However, that was before the war.
There was no clarity at this point if the roads were passable. Where troops were. Where the battleline was. Or if there was any battle currently going on.
It was amazing how the fact Switzerland had not taken part in any battle since 1847 (and even that one being an internal civil war) made it hard to get any backup communication up and running.
Jane and Maura had followed Cameron's recommendation, to get to Austria, and try that border. The other alternative they had was Liechtenstein, but being such a small country, it was more likely to be swallowed without a fight if the invasion expanded.
Austria had several military divisions by the border.
"No troops have been seen close to our border, ma'am." The commandant of that division explained to Jane and Maura, in an English with heavy accent. "Our orders are just to protect the border. But what we can say is that we haven't seen any transit from Switzerland to here since the invasion began."
Jane opened the detailed paper map they were using – not to depend so heavily on technology, given they had no idea what they were about to find.
"You are entering a war zone. I would not recommend you use any transportation that depends on gas or electricity. Trust your own human power. Same with any technology. You need to be self-reliable to be harder to trace, harder to locate, harder to find, and independent because you have the right supplies."
"Our plan is to use a regular bicycle, and if that fails, walk." Jane explained.
"If the roads were not destroyed, this is your shortest path – it is only 85 km – or 52 miles. If this is not available, this other route is 60 miles long. In regular conditions, this should take you between 4 and 6 hours on a bicycle. If you need to walk, it will take you about 20 hours to cover that distance, and this is how I would do it." The commandant explained, using different highlighter colors on the map to show Jane and Maura his recommendations.
"And we still have no news?"
"No. Germany is keeping radio silence on any demands and intentions. Switzerland is cut from the world. None of the other surrounding countries reported any situation. That is all we know right now."
Jane and Maura nodded their understanding.
"It is 11AM now. If I was you, I would wait until sunset, and begin the journey under the darkness of night. I would avoid any travel during the light of the day. Same on your way back."
"I don't think we can do it on the way back. My parents are eighty. I don't know how capable they would be to handle this distance if they would need to walk in the dark."
"If each one of you carry one of them on the bike, you probably can do it in two nights travelling only in the dark. Or it might be better if they are able to bike themselves if you can procure bicycles for them. You will need to adapt depending on what you find out. And we already received instructions to make sure they can enter our territory without any restrictions."
"Thank you, commander, I appreciate all of your help."
"Again, I insist that I do not recommend what you are doing, although I do understand why you are doing it. There is no help that can be offered beyond our territory borders."
"Completely understandable. Nobody wants to begin a war or get involved in one if you can avoid it."
"Safe travels, ladies, and I hope to see you safe and sound in a few days."
Jane folded the map, and walked back with Maura to the small inn where they were hosted. They stopped for some lunch.
"We need mobile provisions, nothing too heavy since we might need to resort to walking." Maura began to list and calculate what they would need, while they waited for their lunch.
Calculating five nights between their back and forth path, two people on the way in, four people on the way out, she came up with a number that was too heavy to carry. They made some cuts and concessions, and as they finished lunch, they stopped to stock out on the provisions.
Once back in the inn, they organized the two backpacks they would carry. They were heavy, but assuming they could bike the entire path, it was manageable.
"It is 2PM. It will not be dark enough for us to depart until 6.30PM. We should catch some rest. Even if we can't sleep, at least we can stretch our bodies and relax our muscles that will be in high demand later tonight." Maura called out.
They both laid down on their beds, but their thoughts were too agitated to fall asleep immediately. But they ended up dozing for a while.
Jane woke up first, realizing it was already 5.30PM. She inhaled deeply, sitting in bed.
"Is it time already?" Maura asked, yawning, also sitting in bed.
"Almost. We should probably eat something warm, the forecast is for a very cold night, possibly with the first snow of the season…"
Jane went downstairs on the inn and came back with two hot bowls of pea soup and some bread. They ate in silence, and got ready to leave. The backpacks were heavy on their backs. They paid for the inn to keep the rest of their luggage, mounted their bicycles, and then biked until the checkpoint.
"Turn off your mobile devices and anything that is traceable. We have copies of your passports for safety, keep yours in a money belt close to your skin under all layers of your clothes."
"Done and done."
"The shortest path is unmistakable. If it is not destroyed, you will simply follow this road by the lake the entire path. It will change names multiple times, in every town and village you pass through, but you will always have the lake to your right. Safe travels!" He wished them, and they shook hands before they mounted again and began their journey.