Eleven: The Sequel of AlterMyth

Over The Hills And Far Away

Prologue

A long train whistle blew into the frosty Siberian air as the Moscow-bound diesel locomotive began its arduous journey westward through the Ural Mountains. Inside a small, cramped, coach-class car, Sana Tsukumo and Mumei Nanashi sat side-by-side with teacups and saucers in hand. Moments earlier, a peculiar-looking samovar tea kettle cart passed by them and served them piping hot tea.

Beads of sweat formed on Sana's brow - and it wasn't because of the temperature of the tea.

"Are you sure this is safe?" Sana asked her owl companion, "That kettle thingy had a boot stuck to it." She leaned over to Mumei and whispered, "The attendant was pumping the boot when she served us! A boot!"

"I've had some of this stuff in Moscow recently." Mumei reassured Sana with a smile, "C'mon, Sana. Give it a try before it gets cold!"

Sana eyed her teacup and dared to take a sip. To her surprise, it didn't taste half bad.

Suddenly, Mumei smirked and chimed in, "You can really taste the feet, right?"

Sana nearly spat out her tea.

Mumei guffawed, bursting out in laughter. With joyful tears in her eyes, she reassured Sana that she was joking, over and over. Sana pouted for a while, but she joined the laughter soon enough. The ex-astronaut and the US Army captain shared a toast with their teacups.

"To feet!" They declared in unison.

Then, they leisurely sipped their Russian samovar tea.

While the two were enjoying their tea, however, a pair of Soviet Railway soldiers and a conductor walked over to the two ladies. Again, Sana started to sweat - but Mumei didn't bat an eye. Instead, she reached into her coat pocket and brought out two things: a sheet of paper stamped with the seal of the Soviet Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a badge of a US Secret Service identifying her as a Special Agent.

Mumei promptly pointed to Sana and to herself. Then, she told the troika plainly, " Tovarisch ."

Sana knew very little Russian, but she knew that ' Tovarisch' meant 'friend'.

The conductor and the railway guards scrutinized the paper and the badge. After a short deliberation, they returned Mumei's items to her and left them alone.

"Holy cow. You're cool as a cucumber, Captain Nanashi!" Sana exclaimed, "I would have lost my marbles if it was just me!"

"Let's just say that I've seen a lot of things." Mumei spoke with a hint of pride, "Hardly anything can get through to me now. All that matters is that I complete the mission, no matter what." The Captain then raised up her finger and reminded Sana, "Also, I thought I told you to just call me 'Mumei'?"

"Oh right!" Sana apologized, "Mumei. Got it."

Mumei smiled earnestly, "Thank you, Sana."

"You know, you're pretty lively for a Secret Service Agent - or a US Army Captain." Sana remarked, giving Mumei a sidelong glance.

"And you're pretty laid back for an ex-NASA astronaut." Mumei countered gamely.

"Hehe~" Sana finished off her cup and set it aside with her saucer, "Us Astronauts are trained for long periods of isolation. Taking things one step at a time helps when you're in the void of space. It can get lonely out there." Memories of her journey with Yatagarasu through the Known Worlds and her encounter with Ina in the Infinite Library came to mind. A small, longing smile formed on her lips, "Trust me. I'm speaking from experience."

Mumei tilted her head innocently, wondering what Sana was going on about. The ex-astronaut shook her head and changed the topic.

"So, I don't know how much General Sparrowhawk has told you about my situation." Sana started gingerly, "But I was whisked away from this world in June and went on a hell of an adventure through Space." She laughed and scratched the back of her head, taking care not to hit the insect repellant-like limiter perched there, "I only got back here about two months ago in October and I've only had Soviet TV and radio that I couldn't really understand, so I'm a little behind on the goings-on of Civilization."