3 An Interrupted Train Ride

Using his own suitcase as a shield, my seatmate parried their attacks. He was definitely no martial arts expert, but he had impressive blocking skills. After garnering three close calls that might have ended him for good, he switched to the offensive.

Deciding that two against one was unfair, I stretched my foot forward inconspicuously to trip one rebel and give my seatmate a chance to knock him out. The second rebel was pushed back by the body of the unconscious man. His head slammed into the cold brass corner of a passenger seat, immediately rendering him unconscious.

Only their leader was left standing, unfazed by the sight. He stepped forward confidently despite the downfall of his subordinates. "Detective Latrell. I knew it was you."

My seatmate laughed awkwardly. "I was hoping you wouldn't recognize me."

"Perhaps you should make an effort to wear a disguise next time." The leader drew out two sharp daggers and smirked. "If there is a next time."

Detective Latrell stepped back. "I conjecture that you have no plans of letting me leave this train alive."

"You're always sticking your nose into my business. I would rather leave you dead."

"Ah, but it is my job to stick my nose into other people's businesses!"

"I don't care who hired you." The leader swung his arm to make the detective block with the suitcase. He kicked the suitcase hard enough to make Detective Latrell lose balance and fall backwards.

There was a clear power difference between the two men. The rebel leader was a large, well-built man accustomed to combat. On the other hand, Detective Latrell was a slightly lanky man who probably spent more of his time on intellectual pursuits than honing his fighting abilities.

The detective scrambled to get himself back up, but the rebel leader's continuous blows prevented him from doing so. He needed all his concentration on parrying and blocking to keep himself alive and unharmed. He was clearly despised by the leader.

When the dagger was about to hit a nearby passenger, I instinctively drew my metallic arm forward to block it. I was quickly met with a surprised gaze at my direction. The rebel leader couldn't have guessed that underneath the long sleeve of my maroon dress was a mechanical arm. The short eye contact ended abruptly when the detective's winning weapon, his sturdy suitcase, struck him in the head and rendered him unconscious like his comrades.

The rest of the passengers and the conductor smiled in relief. They cheered for the suitcase-wielding hero who miraculously eliminated the hostage-takers.

"Remember to always pay attention to your opponent," said Detective Latrell as he used his gloved hand to brush away some dust off his brown vest. He turned to face me and appeared concerned about my arm. "Are you alright, Miss? Is it bleeding heavily?"

"I'm perfectly alright. It's metal." I tapped my finger on my arm.

"A metallic arm! Thank heavens! That's a relief then. Thank you very much for the distraction." He looked extremely relieved.

"It's my pleasure," I replied.

A faint whistle alerted the conductor. He immediately turned to one crew member. "There's a train heading towards us. Tell the engineer to blow the train whistle and do whatever he can to get the locomotive running."

The conductor instructed us to line up in the middle and move to the car in front of us. Should a rear-end collision occur between the two trains, all passengers in our car would certainly perish because we were on the last one at the end of the train.

As I stood in the aisle along with the other passengers who were eager to get off the car, I looked back and saw fast-approaching steam. We didn't have enough time to evacuate to the first few cars. I decided that there was only one option left to avoid catastrophe.

The wind blew into my face the moment I opened the car door and stepped outside. Before my foot managed to make contact with the wooden tile, a hand took hold of my wrist.

"Miss, if you jump down, you're going to get killed instantly by that train coming towards us." It was Detective Latrell. His face was as serious as his words.

"Even if I don't, it is highly likely that we'll be sent plunging into the raging waters below and die by either drowning or crushed under the weight of the other falling cars. It's worth a try. I might be able to stop it."

He was unable to utter a response. I slipped out of his grasp and stepped onto the tracks.

"Is she out of her mind?" said the conductor, appalled the sight of a young girl voluntarily heading towards danger.

"She intends to stop the other train," replied the detective without any hint of mockery. He appeared rather curious about my confidence.

"Stop the train? Impossible!"

I hurried as fast as I could to the end of the bridge. The wooden tiles slowed my movement, occasionally almost tripping me and disturbing my balance. I could hear the frantic whistles of the stranded train behind me. Hopefully, that was enough to make the incoming locomotive slow down.

When the approaching train came to a long curve before reaching the viaduct, I successfully made it far off the bridge and dug my heels into the ballast for stability. Impact came immediately after. I exerted as much force as I could to counter the strong push. Splintered wood and ballast flew into the air as my feet were being pushed back with considerable strength by the locomotive. Upon reaching the viaduct's railway, wooden tiles shattered in two and fell to the river below. Half of my body came down along with the next set of broken wood. Fortunately, by the time the second train's engine was over the bridge, it slowed to a halt. I pulled myself back up to safety.

It was over. A major disaster had been prevented.

"Heavens. She really did stop the train," said the conductor, unable to believe that all of it was real. "Just what is she?"

"I don't know. As of this moment, that is a mystery yet to be solved," replied the detective with a smile.

After using up so much energy, I felt a jolt from where the mechanical heart was positioned. My whole body gradually became weak until I could no longer move my limbs voluntarily. Perhaps I overestimated its power.

I fell back, staring at the clear skies above me before my sight and the sounds from my surroundings faded into nothing.