XXXII - The Wheel Of Fortune 2

I was lost in the soothing melodies of Chopin, my mind racing with plans and strategies for the impending chaos in D.C., when suddenly, I was jolted from my meditation state.

A disorienting sensation washed over me, like the very fabric of time and space had been twisted and warped. I blinked rapidly, glancing down at my watch, only to find that the clock face was indicating midday. But as I looked out the window of the train, the world beyond was pitch dark and the stars were visible, as if night had fallen.

"What the fuck?" I muttered, leaning forward to get a better look. And that's when I noticed it - the scenery outside, it was repeating itself, looping over and over like some kind of twisted space-time anomaly.

My heart began to race in excitement as a knot of unease twisted in the pit of my stomach. This wasn't natural, that was for damn sure. And if I had to guess, it had the handiwork of another Contract Holder written all over it.

Quickly, I reached down and grabbed my earbuds, yanking them out as I sprung to my feet. I had to find the others, to check on them and see if they were safe.

As I burst out of my compartment and into the hallway, I swore I caught a glimpse of a figure just out of the corner of my eye, clinging to the window from the outside. But when I turned to get a better look, there was nothing there. Just the endless loop of scenery outside the windows.

 I reached the fourth train car. And there, was Yves - alive and seemingly unharmed, just chilling in his seat.

Without hesitation, I reached out and placed my hand on his shoulder, the contact lasting only a few brief seconds. "Get ready, Yves," I said, my voice excited but urgent. "The spice has begun. We're caught in a space-time loop - the domain of a fellow Contract Holder."

Yves's eyes widened, but before he could respond, I was already moving on, racing towards the third car. As I burst through the door, the sight that greeted me made me even more thrilled.

There, sprawled on the floor, was Lucky - covered in blood and obviously injured. I caught just a glimpse of a figure vanishing out the window, but it was gone before I could get a proper look.

"Lucky!" I rushed to his side, my hands hovering over his wounds, unsure of where to even begin. The regenerative coma had already taken hold, his body trying to knit itself back together, but the damage was severe.

Trailing away from Lucky's prone form, I spotted a thin line of blood leading towards the window. My eyes narrowed - so this mysterious assailant had been injured as well. That was my boy, always giving as good as he got.

"Hang in there, Lucky," I murmured, my jaw clenched tight. "We're gonna get you out of this, I promise."

I knelt there beside Lucky's battered form, my fingers tracing the jagged wounds that broke his bone and tore his skin. This was no ordinary scuffle, oh no - the raw, primal nature of these injuries, the sheer brutality, told me we were dealing with one nasty son of a bitch. This Contract Holder, he liked getting his hands dirty, taking out his targets up close and personal. And it also indicated how strong he was physically.

Surveying the damage, I saw the picture clearly. If Lucky, tough as nails that he is, had been laid low, then Psyche and Lavinia? Ain't no way they stood a chance. Sure enough, when I pushed onto the other cars, there they were - passed out cold, locked in that regenerative coma.

Didn't take no genius to figure out what had happened. This bastard had come in swinging, like a swift phantom, taking them all down one by one. But he'd made a critical mistake - he'd picked a fight with me.

Quickly, I sprang into action, calling on my Freak Show to conjure up some illusions. Psyche's unconscious form disappeared beneath the shimmerin' folds of my coat, while Lavinia got bundled up nice and snug in my blazer. Couldn't risk leaving them out in the open, because he could use them against me as leverage or hostages, and I don't like someone to twist my hand.

With that taken care of, I rolled up my sleeves, loosened my tie, and set my jaw. Time to get to work. Everything was going as planned. As I went back to the fourth car, I could not help but smile in a sinister way facing Yves, and he replied with the same smile acknowledging the situation we are fun, a hell of a horror thriller movie.

Instead of heading back to my car like I'd told Yves, I stuck around, my mind racing with a devious plan. In the blink of an eye, I activated my Freak Show abilities, manifesting and materializing a thick, sticky substance - Caulobacter crescentus glue, the strongest stuff known to man. With a single, fluid motion, I launched myself up to the ceiling, my back pressed against it as I clung there like a damn spider.

But I didn't stop there. Calling on my powers of illusion, I cloaked myself, making sure my presence was completely hidden from view. Now, I just had to sit tight and wait for the mosquito to fall into my web.

See, I'd figured out this train killer's M.O. - he was working his way through the cars in order, picking off my friends and other passengers car by car. Well, he was about to get a rude awakening when he came calling on Yves in that fourth car. 'Cause this time, he was gonna find himself face-to-face with an abomination of nature, a man blessed with quantum immortality and calamity itself on his side.

I steadied my breathing, my eyes narrowed as I waited patiently, waiting for the show to start...