Out Of The Past

Part XXV - Subterfuge

Back on Big Alice, as they waited for a response from the small cube, Josie had turned her attention back to the body on the table.

"She'll need as much sleep as she can get tonight if she's going to try and walk over to Snowpiercer any time soon without collapsing halfway across the boarder." She informed the man practically standing guard beside the bed. "But quite frankly, I don't see how she's going to make it even that far."

"We have pain medication we can give her." 'T' offered. "Manny will provide the means to get her to Snowpiercer. We just have to be ready to act on his instructions. Hopefully Wilford will be too busy to try and interfere or ask too many questions."

"Well, we can't rely on luck."

The man gave her a menacing smile. "We rarely do Ms. Welstead. And when we do, we make our own luck."

Josie didn't question the man further. She felt when it came to the rebels and their operations, the less she knew, the better for her and them.

"Just make sure she takes the pain medication an hour before she needs to be up and moving, to get it into her system. And she'll need to be cleaned up. Put into fresh cloths. Do everything in preparation we can now to shorten the time she's on her feet later. The sooner we get her to Snowpiercer, the better."

Opening the door to the cabin, Melanie was surprised to see her assistant standing there.

"Frank? What are..."

But Jackson quickly cut her off. "The Engine Room told me you were still in your cabin. A matter has come up on Big Alice that is of the most urgency and needs to be dealt with quickly."

Melanie quickly stepped back and indicated for him to enter. Once inside she shut the door behind him. "What is so urgent?"

Jackson took a moment before answering. "My daughter...has been seriously injured."

The statement took Melanie utterly by surprise. "Eliah!? What happened?"

Her usually calm and levelheaded assistant seemed for the moment barely able to stand still for more than a few seconds at a time.

"There was a fight, I was told, and she was stabbed with a knife in the side. A doctor closed the wound, but is insistent she be gotten off of Big Alice and brought to Snowpiercer for further care, rest, and medications."

"You know Eliah is welcome on Snowpiercer, Frank..."

"Of course, Ms. Cavill. The problem is getting her over here."

"Why is that a problem?"

Jackson took a deep breath. "I...can't go into details in this matter, Ms. Cavill. It involves the group she works with on Big Alice, so the less said the better. So please accept I simply need your help to get her onto Snowpiercer so her absence on Big Alice will not be questioned by Mr. Wilford. And it needs to be for several days."

Melanie thought quickly. "Getting her over here without Wilford questioning it shouldn't be much of a problem, Frank. But for several days? I'm not sure..."

"I have a plan, Ms. Cavill. I just need your approval."

Melanie set her stare on the man. "I don't make the rules on Snowpiercer any longer, Frank. You know that."

"Perhaps not on your own. But the Chancellor of this train listens to you and..."

Having spent enough time just listening to the problem, Layton decided it was time he became more involved in it. Stepping out of the bedroom, he had never known Melanie's astute assistant to ever look more being taken by surprise as he took his customary place by her side.

"Then perhaps you ought to be asking the Chancellor of the train, Mr. Jackson." He stated calmly.

Melanie's assistant recovered himself with remarkable speed as he quickly assumed what Layton always referred to as his usual pompous presentation. Hand firmly held behind his back, he addressed Layton as one would a state dignitary.

"Mr. Layton. I was not aware of your presence," He quickly looked between the two, then settled his attention back on Layton. "As always, I am pleased to see you and Ms. Cavill have once again managed to successfully settle any issues between you."

Layton cast a quick glance at Melanie before turning his gaze back to her assistant. "It's a work in progress. You said there was a problem with Eliah?"

"As I mentioned already to Ms. Cavill, the matter is quite...delicate. As such, I can not give many details."

"Well, fortunately I don't need many. So lets get the abbreviated version."

The man gave a characteristic gentlemanly nod. "As you are aware then, my daughter is severely injured I am told. A knife wound. She was tended to by a doctor, but she is reported as needing more care then they can give her. The doctor who tended to her is requesting we bring her to Snowpiercer so she can heal from her injuries away from Mr. Wilford's paranoid tendencies."

"Why is Wilford being paranoid about this? Eliah is his second-in-command. I would think he would put all of Big Alice's resources into seeing to her care."

A silent, pointed stare answered him.

"Right." Layton reasoned out with a small smile. "It's...delicate."

"Wilford knowing about this incident could put my daughter in significant danger, Mr. Layton. He can not come to the knowledge she is the one who was injured. Hence the need to get her away from him as quickly as possible and over to Snowpiercer."

Layton cast a quick look at Melanie, whose anxious expression already cast her vote.

"You mentioned you have some sort of a plan in mind to accomplish this?"

The relief in the man was almost palatable "Of course, sir. I will merely need some assistance from your...second-in-command."

Layton paused, then stepped back slightly. As the man quickly stepped by him to speak to his employer, Layton reached out and grabbed him by the arm, causing Jackson to turn a questioning stare to him.

"Am I ever going to get an explanation of this, Frank?"

The man considered the question. "That will depend on Eliah, Mr. Layton. It is her affair and, therefore, I feel her decision how much too disclose."

Layton gave him a favoring smile. "Well, I have at least that to hope for."

With that Jackson quickly took Melanie by the arm, talking to her in a low tone as he directed her out of the cabin.

Giving a small sigh, Layton quickly followed after them.

Back on Big Alice, Josie watched curiously as 'T' held the cube in front of Eliah, allowing her to see the answer herself from her father. A tired smile came to her lips.

"Good ole Manny." She whispered.

"He only stated he had started working on a plan." 'T' put in.

Eliah gave a soft laugh. "And you know full well that means he practically has the problem solved."

'T' gave a tired sigh as he pulled up and placed the cube in his own pocket before turning to Josie.

"Well?" She asked.

"He got the message." 'T' replied. "Now we have to wait and see what he comes up with."

"How long will that take?"

"Knowing Manny, not long."

A few quick manipulations to various sensors on Snowpiercer had a call coming from Big Alice in less than a half hour. For their parts, both Melanie and Bennett put on an excellent show of the problem being nothing short of catastrophic and they were working as quickly as they could to fix the problem.

"This is most uncharacteristic of you, Melanie." Wilford put in for good measure, sounding like a mentor talking to an under-performing postulant. "It's a simple matter, surely."

Melanie put a good deal of frustration into her tone, baiting the hook as best she could to get what she wanted from him. "NOT when you don't know what the problem is, Joseph."

'T' was already seated at the helm with Wilford standing behind him. While not considered much of an engineer, anyone who knew how to drive the train was considered by Wilford of some value and allowed to help with shifts. Knowing 'T's' past and the benefit he could bring to helping her in the front area of the train, Eliah had taught him just enough to make him noticeable to Wilford as a potential fill-in driver. From there 'T' had worked to learn as much as he could from Eliah when Wilford wasn't around to become somewhat competent where the train and it's systems were concerned.

Taking his cue, 'T' spoke up. "We've had readings from your main panel. Have you tried reconfiguring the subpanels? It could be an echo relay..."

"We've already tried that. Twice!" Came the irritated sounding but well planned reply.

'T' reached over and muted the communication before turning to Wilford. It was time to play his own part in Jackson's plan. "They sound somewhat panicked." He commented. "That doesn't sound right coming from someone like Melanie Cavill."

Wilford turned to the young man with a note of suspicion. "What are you thinking?"

'T' turned back to the front panel. "I think they're up to something." A small sneer graced his lips. "This positively stinks of sabotage."

Wilford's interest perked up. "Sabotage? For what possible purpose?"

"We're coming up on the time to switch control of the engines from Snowpiercer to Big Alice. A problem of this magnitude could force a delay. Maybe Ms. Cavill and her puppet are working a plan to delay the switch of power for some grander plan."

Wilford paused as he set a stare on the man. But suddenly he gave him a wide smile and a pat on the back. "I knew I liked you for a reason, Mr. Mullins. Eliah tends to be too complacent sometimes in trying to see beyond what appears to be obvious. But you...YOU, my boy, have a naturally suspicious nature."

'T' kept his attention on the control panel. "I'm only looking out for your interests, sir. To protect your trains."

Wilford stood thinking for several moments about what to do.

Not liking the delay, and thinking the man needed some help along in the right direction, 'T' spoke up again from his helm chair.

"I could go over and check it out, sir. Report back wha..."

But Wilford quickly cut him off. "No., no, my boy. This requires...finesse...and expertise beyond your skills."

'T' fiegned annoyance. "Sir, I feel I am perfectly capa..."

"Call Ms. Elson to the Engine Room." Came the short, curt order.

Less than an hour later Eliah was standing next to Mr. Wilford at the border, waiting for the other side to make it's appearance to escort her over.

She had tried to refuse the pain pills the medic wanted her to take, claiming they would muddle her thoughts too much. But the man had threatened nothing short of a tube to get them down her throat if necessary.

When Snowpeircer's group arrived, Eliah kept up her usual haughty demeanor whenever facing down the crew of the other train, standing with her hands firmly clasp behind her back. She had managed to walk the entire distance from the Engine Room to the border without any mishaps. To look at her, no one would suspect anything was amiss. But as she stepped up to take her place next to Wilford just past the border doorway, she suddenly stumbled as a sharp pain shot through her side. Thinking fast, she leaned into the pain and grabbed her lower left leg with a small sound of pain.

Thankfully, Wilford bought her deception, quickly turning to her and helping her stand back up after she gave the leg a noticeable rub.

"Ms. Elson? Are you all right?"

Eliah quickly faced the man with a forced smile. "It's nothing." She quickly explained. "I was sparing with some of the Jackboots last night. One of them got a lucky hit to my leg."

Wilford looked utterly indignant. "That is completely unacceptable! Which one was it!?"

Eliah managed to keep the smile firmly in place as she answered him calmly. "I simply called him '4th in line'."

Wilford paused, but then gave her a small, but appreciative laugh before answering her in a less than stern tone. "We have spoken about your extra-curricular activities, my dear girl. Sparing with the Jackboots can be risky. And you are far too valuable to this train to open yourself up to such injury. Now this game play of yours simply has to stop."

Eliah favored him with a bored look. "I think it is far more likely you worry about losing any of your Jackboots."

Wilford gave her arm a gentle pat. "You simply must curb your activities with the security on this train, my dear. You are my First Engineer now. You must learn to be more careful."

Layton could see the strain the extra time was taking on Eliah. "We're wasting time, Wilford." He quickly barked, trying to move things along.

Wilford responded in his usual manner, ignoring Layton as he turned his attention to the woman standing next to the train's chancellor. "Is he honestly always this rude?" He asked Melanie.

"Your First Engineer did indicated the problem needed to be look into as quickly as possible, Joseph." She calmly replied.

The man gave a dramatic sigh, then turned a grandfatherly smile to the woman next to him again. "Mr. Layton is getting impatient...as always. But do see if one of their doctors might take a look at that leg while your there."

Eliah quickly feigned distain at the request, but Wilford quickly put his hand up to silence her protest as he turned to Layton. "I am sure that isn't too much to asked, Mr. Layton."

Layton gave him a pleasant enough smile. "Of course." He tried to keep everything brief, knowing time was imperative. He could already see the strain just standing was having on Eliah as she tried to mask the pain behind an emotionless expression.

Thankfully she managed to make the last few steps over to where the Snowpiercer crew stood waiting without any further mishaps. Everyone present was aware of the situation and knew not to offer any help no matter what. Everything had to appear normal.

But once the second door leading to the open area of the border closed behind her, Eliah all but collapsed from the pain, right into the waiting arms of Jackson. Roche had had to all but physically restrain the man to keep him in place during the discussion at the border. But as soon as Eliah came through the door he had her lifted in his arms and was headed for the subtrain hatch.