Cogs Of Fate

Occurrence Of A Moonlit Night

1864

The team found themselves inside an empty coal depot after the Lifeboat landed. The inside of the depot was covered in black soot residue from just having been cleared out of the rocks. The dusty air caused them to choke and cover their mouths and noses with their sleeves. The hour was late as the sun had set long ago. The sounds filtering into the depot were a mixture of train and boatswain whistles from somewhere in the distance.

The team approached the main door to the depot, pushing them hard, only to discover that they were locked from the outside by chain and padlock.

"What do we do now?" Lucy asked, using her sleeve to cover her nose and mouth.

Rufus's eyes scanned the depot. He could see some large windows near the catwalk rafters, allowing natural light to filter inside. He turned back to the team to mention it when Wyatt removed his gun to aim the locked doors. "Whoa! Wait!" he shouted, holding his hands up. When he had everyone's attention, he added, "You remember that bullets ricochet, right?"

"Do you have a better idea?" Wyatt asked impatiently.

"Yeah," Rufus replied, brows raised. "How about not getting shot by the friendly stormtrooper fire?" He shook his head and pointed to the windows. "We could just climb out of here."

Wyatt blinked at him, holstering his gun. With a shrug, he said, "That works, too."

The team climbed up the metal steps to the rafters, glancing out the large windows. The dirt streets below were empty and there was no one in danger of surprising them. They pushed the windows, which were amazingly still unlocked, open and slipped out into the cool night.

Lucy wasted no time in scanning the area for inspiration on where they were. Her eyes landed on a sign for the train station. She waved the men over and said, "There's a train station up ahead. We might be able to find some unclaimed luggage to change our clothes."

They followed Lucy's lead as she led them to a small booth just off the main track, filled with a variety of luggage and carpet bags that remained behind. They took a couple of them back to an empty alley to search through and change. They had been fortunate to find everything they needed within the two they selected at random.

Once they had gathered themselves, Lucy stared at the train station. Her expression told the others how deep in thought she was, clearly trying to determine if their mission involved the trains or not.

"Lucy?" Wyatt asked, standing next to her. "What are you thinking?"

She shook her head, tearing her gaze away from the awaiting trains and passengers. "I don't know...I mean, I'm not sure..."

Flynn gritted his teeth, turning to scan the train yard. As his eyes drifted along the crowds of people, his heart skipped a beat and his stomach dropped as he spotted a familiar face. He took a couple of steps toward the busy station, eyes darting about the people in line to board, hoping to catch the glimpse of her one more time. He had recognized that curled red hair cascading down the black dress instantly and he hoped to see it once more to be certain.

"Flynn?" Wyatt hissed quietly. "You listening?"

Flynn couldn't tear his eyes from the train. "We have to get on that train."

"What are you talking about?" Wyatt asked. "Haven't you been listening to a word-"

"Emma is on that train." Flynn started walking forward.

Wyatt grabbed his arm, stopping him. "Wait a minute, did you say Emma?"

Flynn glanced over his shoulder. "I'm following her," he told them, shrugging Wyatt's hold off. "You can do whatever you want to...but I'm going to ask her some hard questions."