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 |  Subject: Going Rogue: Freedom on the Tracks (Part I)  Sat Aug 27, 2011 8:11 pm | |
| -In the Train Station of the City of Salvation- Rogue was woken by a quick tug on her shoulder. Her eyes shot open and Shadow Demon was standing over her.Shadow Demon
Come on, we gotta, uh, scram! The train’s here!Rogue nodded, and wiped the sleep out her eyes. She yawned, and then stood up from the steel bench. Shadow also woke up Lucifer, but when he stood up, he groaned in pain, holding his arm. It looked at is he had forgotten about his injury, which made her feel sorry for him. He was the most wounded out of any of them, and this journey would have taken the most out of him that anyone...but it had reunited him with his brother, something that, without being arrogant, Rogue was sure he’d be very grateful for.
Once they were ready, they walked over to the train – easily blending in with the crowd of passengers. They moved inside the train cautiously, wary that any small mistake could lead to them being identified and killed on the spot. Shadow led the way, eventually finding a spot where the three of them could sit together, alone, despite the train being so crowded. Rogue, keeping her head low, looked around at their fellow passengers. She was surprised to see that most of them looked like normal people...perhaps the torture and pain Salvation had inflicted on her and her friends had changed the way she perceived them.
She turned back to face Lucifer, who was sitting across from her, his eyes closed. She doubted that he was asleep, so she decided to talk to him in a loud whisper - just to be on the safe side.Rogue
How’s your arm?Lucifer opened one eye, and slowly nodded.Lucifer Angel
Getting better. Shadow, do you know how long it’s going to take this train to get to wherever it’s going?
Shadow looked up at them from behind a magazine he was reading, entitled “Knitting for Pros”. They both frowned.Shadow Demon
What? This stuff is awesome!Rogue
SHADOW!Shadow Demon
Alright, alright...I think we get there in about an hour...but remember, lads, we gotta stay on our toes. One false move-Lucifer Angel
Yeah, yeah, look all we really have to look out for are the guards. I doubt that the citizens will recognize us. All of the guards probably look the same to them.Rogue
You don’t think they’ll even notice the face-paint?!Shadow Demon
OF COURSE NOT!Lucifer Angel
Shadow, keep it down...Shadow Demon
Sorry. But, uh, you know, they won’t notice it because they sorta know about me, you know, like how I was converted by “The Lord” into Salvation, so they’ll just assume that Lucy here is a friend of mine who’s taken up the same occupation. Now the only problem is...Shadow looked at Rogue with intent.Rogue
Oh you can’t be serious...Lucifer, catching on, grinned and laughed.Lucifer Angel
Yeahh come on Rogue, it’s about time you joined the club!He pointed at his own face excitedly.Rogue
But why do I have to...why can’t you just...Shadow Demon
Sorry girly, but there’s no way out!Rogue sighed deeply, but after a few moments slowly nodded her head in acceptance.Rogue
Okay, fine. I’ll let you do it...Shadow Demon
Fantastic!Rogue
But, hold on, where are you gonna be able to do the painting in secret?Shadow Demon looked around for the toilets, and soon saw the two doors at the end of the carriage, marked with respective pictures of a man and a woman. He grinned, and pointed at them triumphantly.Shadow Demon
There!Rogue craned her neck, and from behind the seat she saw the toilets.Rogue
...You want me to go into the men’s room with you? Won’t that...look inconspicuous? And not to mention, be totally gross?Shadow Demon
Come on, what, uh, choice do ya have? The ticket collector guy is gonna be here any second, and if he recognizes you, baby, we’re dead meat!Lucifer Angel
Yeah, for once I believe my brother’s madness is logical. Go do it now, I’m sure he’s efficient in face painting. Am I right, bro?Shadow nodded exaggeratedly and then looked expectantly at Rogue.Rogue
Yeah okay, just make sure it’s quick, ok? And don’t make too much of a big deal about it afterwards...
Shadow Demon
You got it! Come on...Shadow stepped out from his seat and stood up. Rogue followed him into the toilets, hoping that all of the other passengers were too preoccupied to notice their activity. Just before they reached the toilet door she noticed the ticket collector, a big, tall man, who despite having a burley moustache, looked very intimidating. He also appeared to take his job very seriously, almost snatching passenger’s tickets away from them. However the one aspect of the man that caught her attention the most was the tiny radio situated on his shoulder. Once or twice, he bent down and spoke into it, as if he was a policeman. Could he contact Corey with it? She hoped not.
Shadow pulled open the toilet door and led Rogue into a thankfully empty bathroom. Because if the bathroom had indeed been populated, then they would have had to do the face-painting inside one of the stalls, and that, of course, wouldn’t have been comfortable for either of them. Shadow Demon reached into his pocket and took out a set of shiny paints, which surprised Rogue.Rogue
You just casually go around with a paint set sitting in your pocket?Shadow Demon
Hey hey! You know when it can, uh, come in handy!Rogue
Right. Anyway, come on, let’s get this over with...Rogue stood in front of one of the mirrors above a sink, and Shadow set upon colouring in her face, beginning with a thick shade of white, akin to his and Lucifer’s. Rogue patiently stood, watching Shadow go to work. After a few moments, he stood back and, raising his arms into the air, said:Shadow Demon
Done! Waddya think?Rogue was surprised – not by how the facepaint looked, she was impressed by that – but by how fast Shadow was able to complete his job. He was indeed very skilled at face-painting...Shadow Demon
Well?Rogue
Well. I’ll admit it, I was never optimistic about the idea, but this actually kinda works...Shadow Demon
See! I told ya you’d, you know, love it!Looking into the mirror, Rogue’s face looked something like this: Just as Shadow Demon had put his paint tools back in place and slid them into his pocket, a young man pushed open the door and walked into the room. Rogue quickly tried to act like an actual guard of the Church of Salvation, paying the man no attention. She stood up and, following Shadow Demon, exited the Men’s room. Only after they were back out in the space of the train did her brain go into overdrive. What could that guy think of a woman being in the men’s toilets? He had to suspect something, surely. No, she was in a guard’s uniform, and that guy was definitely a civilian, so he had no right to question a guard did he? Of course not.
Lucifer was still sitting at their table, and they sat down with him. He studied Rogue’s face for a second and then nodded in approval.Lucifer Angel
Look’s good. Not as good as mine though, I must say...anything bad happen?Shadow Demon
Nope! All went according to plan, right?Shadow said, glancing over at Rogue.Rogue
Well...yeah...apart from some guy walking in after we had finished. I don’t think he suspected anything though.Lucifer Angel
Well let’s hope not.At that moment, the ticket collector reached their table, and presented his rough, calloused hand. He spoke in a deep, throaty voice.Ticket Collector
Tickets, please.Rogue glanced up at the ticket collector, making sure to seem nonchalant and not at all panicky, before reaching into her pocket and producing the ticket Shadow had given to her. She handed it to the man, who in turn glanced at her with his brooding brown eyes as he punched the ticket with a hole-puncher and handed it back to her. For some reason he seemed to linger on her – causing her heart beat to jump dramatically – before moving on to take both Lucifer’s and Shadow’s tickets. He punched a hole in each of them and returned them. Without bravado he moved onto the next table, repeating what had been his only words to them. Despite the relatively short time the man had been at their table, Rogue felt as if an air of evil had been left behind by the broad-shouldered ticket collector. By the look on his face, she could see that Shadow had felt it too.
Lucifer, noticing the forlorn look on Shadow Demon’s face, said:Lucifer Angel
What’s wrong, bro?Shadow Demon
That man, he-Rogue
It felt like we were in the presence of Corey Casey…Shadow nodded.Shadow Demon
Yeah, something, uh, like that. Almost, you know, pure evil.Lucifer Angel
I guess I don’t know Salvation as well as you guys do, because I didn’t feel anything. He didn’t even seem to recognize any of us?Rogue
I know, but still. His eyes lingered on me for more than they should have. I reckon he suspects something. Did you guys see that radio on his shoulder? Well maybe radio isn’t the best description…it was kinda like a…walkie-talkie?Shadow Demon
Uh huh, I saw it.Lucifer Angel
Yeah I noticed him talking on it before. Why? Do you think he can contact the Church with that thing?
All of a sudden Shadow Demon slapped the top of his forehead, as if he had just remembered something that had been locked away in his memory.Shadow Demon
Sure! I mean, wouldn’t it be strange for him to have a radio like that for any other reason than to report passengers who he detected as suspicious?! People exactly like us, trying to escape the City by pretending to be one of the higher-ups in Salvation, uh, authority. I’m tellin’ you guys, you know, that ticket collector is more than meets the eye.Lucifer Angel, who had been listening to Shadow Demon intently, replied:Lucifer Angel
Exactly, it’s totally plausible. I seriously doubt that he’d be talking to anyone else. Once he contacts Corey and tells him that he’s found someone suspicious, he then tells the driver of the train, who would send in some guards or something to take us in. After we have been captured, they take us back to the Church to confirm the claims. And of course, once those claims are concerned –Lucifer scratched the back of the neck, and looked from Shadow Demon to Rogue.Lucifer Angel
We’re history.** The train would stop four times during the journey to town, causing the duration of the trip to increase from one hour to about an hour and a half. During this time, all three of them kept an eye on the lticket collector – but nothing about him appeared out of the ordinary. Once he had finished punching the tickets, he disappeared from the carriage, only reappearing twice after that: the first to use the toilet, and the second to listen to a passenger, who was complaining about something to do with her seat. And the mystery, although possibly explained, still remained: Just who was he talking to on the radio?
Soon, they were nearing the town. They were about ten minutes away, as the driver had said when Rogue decided to enquire. They gathered their belongings and prepared to have their freedom finally restored after what had been a horror week for all of them, especially Rogue.
Yet, thought Rogue, there was still something not quite right. It was as if they were leaving a puzzle only half completed in their departure. Questions still littered her brain, questions that she couldn’t possibly have the information to answer. But, she decided, there was no point in worrying about trivialities. Because that’s what they were: Trivial and pointless. She sighed, and placed her hand in Shadow’s. Suddenly, the wheels of the train screeched and the horn sounded a high-pitched squeal. The driver announced that they were indeed, in the town. Rogue smiled with glee, and made a move to stand up. But as she did, she was grabbed by the wrist, and yanked back down into her seat. The hard muzzle of a gun was thrust into her chin, and a big arm wrapped around her chest.
Only when she heard the voice, did she realise who had imprisoned her.Lucifer Angel
Uh, uh, uh! Don’t you dare! Oh and Shadow, I wouldn't try to play hero, because if you do I’m going to blow off this bitch’s head before you can say “And, you know,”! |
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