"Always Forever" by The Cults, that's the song I imagine her listening to at the station.
Author's Note: Oh no! My finger slipped and I wrote a whole fanfic about Capatin Colt.
Disclaimer: I do not own Source Code, its story line, or any of the characters. My only original creation here is Lucy and the events that directly transpire because of her existence.
It was Monday morning and her train was late. Only about five minutes or so, but normally that would be enough to annoy her. Today, though, Lucy didn't really mind. She was in no rush to be anywhere. Honestly, she usually she enjoyed the journey more than the destination anyway.
Her earphones were uncomfortably stretching her ears, maybe she'd buy new ones today as a gift to herself, that might be nice way to celebrate. The music quality wasn't too bad, though, if she angled them just right. She couldn't help but sway to the music while she stood in position under the station speaker. She'd chosen this spot strategically, so she could hear any announcements over her music - the joys of traveling alone.
She felt a tap on her shoulder and tried not to jump at the unexpected contact. She probably shouldn't have closed her eyes, that was stupid on her part.
Her hazel gaze flickered to meet the dark brown eyes of man in front of her. He had a round face and wore a grey patchy suit jacket with a blue shirt, black tie and Blue jeans. All together, he looked incredibly boring. She vaguely recognised him from the regular journey she took into Chicago. He'd been at the station when she arrived this morning and she had noticed his eyes often drifting over to her direction. She probably should have been more on guard, but the guy seemed harmless. He carried himself like an open book and was generally smiling and chatting to others the few times she noticed him in the past.
She raised an eyebrow at the stranger and he started to talk to her with an awkward smile. Lucy couldn't understand a word he said over the music. Part of her wanted to ignore him, but it's not in her nature to be so cruel; even on a bad day like today. So, she sighed loudly and took out an earbud to ask, "What?"
His smile grew from her acknowledgement, like a flower under the sun. "Uh, Hi. I've seen you around before, but I don't think we've spoken yet."
"Yeah, so?"
"Well, I wanted to talk to you."
"Why?" She was not in the mood to meet new people, not today.
He shifted awkwardly under her critical eye. "I don't usually do this but um, I mean, you're really beautiful and I, uh," he rubbed the back of his neck and muttered, "Oh God, I promised my friend I'd do this."
Her curiosity was piqued, and she fought back an amused smile at his rambling. She wondered what could be making him so nervous.
He looked up from under his lashes, as if pleading for her to say something. A few strands of his black hair were loose and hanging in front of his face. Unfortunately for him, she had no intention of putting him out of his misery. It was fun watching him squirm, truly the happiest she'd felt all day.
He released a shaky breath and asked, "Did you want to go out for coffee sometime?"
It was flattering, really, but he was so not her type. Not anymore. It had been a while since someone was interested in her, though, and seeing him flustered was amusing. "Why wait? Let's just go to the restroom now."
His face went blank, and his body tensed. He was trying to process what she'd just said. "Wait, really?"
She nodded with a smirk, "Yeah, we could have some fun together - right?"
Before he could answer, the echos of a train could be heard in the distance. Their train would be arriving soon. His tense shoulders sagged and she couldn't help but let out a small laugh.
While she searched through her bag to confirm her ticket was safely in there, she feels his hand grab hers. She looks up to him curiously.
"How about on the train?"
She blinked at the proposition. She had been mostly joking, but the deep tone of his voice was making her feel excited and she started to seriously consider the idea. "Wouldn't that be a bit of a dick move to the other passengers?"
"There are other compartments. Plus, I can be quick."
She laughed again, "I don't think that's something you should be bragging about dude."
His grip tightened slightly on her wrist, and her hazel eyes looked down to it. He must have realised how creepy that was because he released it quickly, giving her an apologetic smile as put his hands in his pockets. "Well?"
"If you're lucky," she laughed again, putting her headphone back in.
He smiled and said something else she didn't care to decipher over her music. She walked up to the train and boarded the 944 CCR to Chicago Union Station.
Luckily for her, the compartment at the back, right in front of the restrooms was empty. She made a beeline to it, ignoring all other passengers, immediately dropped her bag on the table to claim it. She sat in the corner with her legs extended on the seat so no one would be able to sit next to her.
The man boarded behind her and, after a moment of hesitation, took his usual seat a few compartments ahead of hers where a dark haired woman already sat. He looked over and smiled at Lucy and she immediately averted her eyes to gaze out the widow opposite her instead.
She contemplated his proposition. He seemed like a nice enough guy and wasn't that bad looking either. Not her ideal type: a slight tan with deep blue eyes, strong features and just the right amount of stubble - she was so over clean shaven, baby faced, dark haired guys. But, hey, he could still be good for a bit of fun.
She couldn't help herself, her eyes moved to him again and she found that in the few minutes they'd been on the train he had already managed to fall asleep. She couldn't decide if it was adorable or plain pathetic.
Another train's horn blared over her music, it was no surprise that the abrupt noise woke him up. How embarrassing. The sight made her smile again, as continued to watch him remember where he was. His eyes frantically searched around the room, like he was analysing every movement, until they zeroed in on her boot. She was tapping the railing of the armrest in rhythm with her music, but stilled the movement under his gaze, which drew his eyes to her face. She quirked a small smile at him and his eyebrows furrowed with confusion before his attention was captured by the brunette sitting across from him.
The woman's phone must have rung because she was fishing it out of her bag with a smile that Lucy see could from three tables away. Probably a boyfriend calling her then.
The ticket inspector lingered by their table and eventually his friend had to point out his ticket in his breast pocket. He flinched back when she reached over, like he was expecting an attack. The whole interaction made Lucy felt confused and intrigued: there was definitely something weird going on with this stranger.
She was next up for the ticket inspector, the only other new edition to the carriage. She handed her ticket over without a word, continuing to stare at the strange stranger.
The brunette with him was still was on the phone and not paying much attention to the man across from her, but Lucy was watching him. He shakily rose from his seat once the train stopped at Glenbrook Station and slowly made his way to the doors. She tried her best to ignore the pang of disappointment that ran through her at the thought of him departing before they had another chance to talk, or do anything more...
Her worry was unjustified though as he reclaimed his seat once the train started moving again. Guess he was just wanting to have a look around then, or get some fresh air. Weird.
He stared out of the window at the landscape and seemed to say something to himself. As they passed over the bridge, he jumped back, like he was scared of his own reflection. Curiouser and curiouser.
He didn't bother to say anything to the woman on the phone before he rushed up from his seat. Without even a glance at her, he ran to the restroom.
That's her cue, she supposed. Or, honestly, she knew it probably wasn't. The guy seemed to be freaking out and most likely just wanted to be left alone but, hell, he'd got her intrigued. And, she tried to justify to herself, maybe it's just been a while for him and he didn't know how to handle it? That might be why he's being so jumpy, right? With that flimsy excuse in mind, she got up from her seat carefully and moved to the restroom like an animal stalking its prey. She didn't want to draw too much attention from the other passengers, unlike him. She smiled again, he was such a dweeb.
She lingered outside the restroom for just a moment, still uncertain. She did her best to ignore the feeling of other passengers watching her; it must have just been in her head. Then she noticed he hadn't even locked the door and, well, if that wasn't a clear invitation she didn't know what was.
The door slid open with a metallic whoosh and he immediately looked at her. His arm was still frozen up in front of the mirror, like he had been waving at himself.
"Giving yourself a pep talk?"
He watched her, bewildered, as she took a step in and closed the door behind her.
She waited for him to say something, anything, in response but he just continued to stare. Guess she would have to take the initiative. "Are we doing this or what?"
"What?" He replied, breathless.
She barked out a genuine laugh, "Hah, you're funny." She looked down and started to unbutton her dress, not holding up the line for the other passengers. When she got to the fourth button she looked back up at him, and saw tears in his brown eyes. "Oh, shit. Are you okay?"
"I don't understand what's going on."
The pain in his voice instantly made her want to reach out and hold him. He sounded so afraid and confused. "Well, I thought we were going to screw, but we don't have to! There's no pressure here, man."
"This isn't my face, this isn't- I don't understand."
Shit, just her luck to land another guy with mental problems. What, did she have a huge neon sign on her head that said 'Please dump your mental anguish here'? Jesus. She tried to be supportive and not let her frustration show, "Woah, that's okay. That's fine, um, we can figure this out right? You're okay."
"My name is Captain Colter Stevens, I fly helicopters for the military."
Of course he was, because that was totally possible. She decided to entertain his fantasy. "That's really cool, Colter. I'm Lucy."
"I don't know you."
"Yeah, no, you don't."
"Then why..?"
"Was I taking my clothes off?" Yes, good, help him through his mental breakdown by reminding him of their earlier interaction. Talking things through from a previous point always worked with her ex. "I mean, when you approached me on the platform I was kinda joking, but then you took it seriously. At least I thought you were serious, but now I'm here, and man I feel like an idiot." Self-deprecation, usually works like a charm. We're all idiots here, everything's fine.
Okay, not fine. He was looking even more distressed now, and she was beginning to worry he would genuinely start ripping his hair out soon; he looked that level of stressed.
She moved forward and wrapped her arms around his stiff form, not even thinking about how her bra still half popping out. Physical contact was good for establishing trust and grounding people. But, truthfully, when she saw someone visibly upset her immediate reaction was always just to hug them.
He was still for a moment, then gripped her like a lifeline and repeated, "I don't understand what's happening."
Lucy hushed him as best as she could over the sound of another train passing beside them. "It's okay," She does her best to reassure the distraught stranger, patting his back soothingly. "Everything is going to be okay."
Suddenly, a deafening bang rocked through the train.
Searing heat combined with a blinding light poured out from the ceiling.
Her flesh melded instantly with the man in her arms.
There was no time to react, or to scream.
Her last millisecond of life was pure agony.
And then it was over.
