Wanted

The prisoner

04/14/1872 Great Britain, train station of Earlestown
Jackson

Allon Telip was the first on my list. Not that the list was very long or specific, or even existed outside of my head. It went something like, you need a forger, you need a thief, you need Murry... But anyway this guy would be the first on it, if I ever bothered to write it down. The young man was rumored to have unbelievable strong abilities. And I knew that I needed him to get to him. Another reason for going after Telip first, was that I knew exactly where he was going to be. So, mostly because I didn't have to search too hard. Yeah, mostly that. Right in this moment he was on a train from the British town Manchester to Liverpool. Where I assumed my colleagues wanted to get him on the next boat back to the US. At least that's what the guy in New York told me a month before, he said something like "if everything goes according to plan they will bla bla bla"... Seemed to me this particular group of bounty hunters had been planning to get Telip for a while. Something personal or something. Maybe Telip murdered a friend, or was it a brother? I didn't really listen. No one's revenge but mine mattered right now. The train was already late. My pack was starting to get heavy, even though it only contained like five things. And some clothing. Well thick clothing since it was cold, even if not as cold as I had feared, but cold enough to make everything uncomfortable. And I hated wearing coats. Especially while waiting. Especially waiting for a train that carried someone I desperately wanted for a job. I argued with myself that at least the reward would only be paid if Telip was still alive by the time he was handed over. So yeah they couldn't kill him, at least. If they really wanted the reward, that is. People with powers are always meant to be brought in alive. Most likely for some shadowy experiments or something like that. Even though powers are no longer considered witchcraft, they are still a rarity that we know nothing about. Something we humans couldn't control. The wanted poster I had of Telip was at least three years old, and they had most likely discovered his powers somewhere after the first year. And with that discovery the reward had risen by 10.000.00$, and the dead had been cancelled. The gagging was what had tipped me of about this one. Pretty convinced that it was ability just like what I needed, I had contacted the one judge that was convinced of my innocence and asked what the poster was on about. After all I could be wrong. Maybe he was just a smart mouth? I had enough experience with bounty hunting, that I knew the authorities sometimes gave extra orders to make sure someone stayed alive. Like making sure, that nobody could be provoked into killing the suspect. Maybe that was the case here. Not very plausible though. A few days later my friend had confirmed my hopes and I was informed of Telip's ability. He used some sort of manipulation ability, which had been exactly what I needed for my plan to work. Now I just had to rescue him.

04/14/1872 GB, Somewhere between Earlestown and Collins Green, Great Britain
Allon

I busied myself by staring out of the window, trying not to aggravate the absolute idiots that had called themselves my captors further. Seriously, they hadn't even caught me themselves! I had already been in a prison cell, when they had stormed in and demanded to take me with them! I would rather call that a kidnapping than a capture! And they had been way too aggressive. I had been nicer than ever before, had only attempted to escape twice, and had not tried to use my ability on them. And I wasn't planning on doing so. Not that I had the possibility to do so, gagged and bound as I was. A scarf was wrapped around the lower half of my face to keep wandering eyes from glimpsing at the gag, the collar and the quite colorful bruising adorning my neck and chin, that also made it impossible for me to use my power, because I am pretty damn sure that ass had ripped some chord or something. I tried to lick my split lip, but that shit is pretty damn hard to do when gagged. Sitting was also very fucking uncomfortable, both straight and slumped, because of my ribcage feeling like it might crack at any given moment. Even though I am kinda sure nothing's broken. At least I wasn't dying. But it had hurt like a bitch. Also it was cold! It was fucking freezing in the train and I was not dressed for that! Not since they had taken my coat as a "precaution". I loved that fucking coat! And it's not like I would have weapons in my fucking coat! After all they had found my gun and at least three of my knives... I am sure I still have one on myself. I was adjusting the cuffs that connected my left wrist and the window's handle, which I'm sure earned me another one of those hateful gazes, that I had been getting the whole ride, as someone entered our compartment. A tall man, American and not bad on the eye. Startling blue eyes that I am sure draw a lot attention to him. I watched him curiously for a bit as he worked his way through the compartment, searching for a seat, but quickly looked away as my captor noticed my staring. God, I was thirsty. It was starting to be pretty fucking unbearable with that thing on. Not that I would ever admit it, but when the tall American appeared out of nowhere and asked to sit, I nearly jumped out of my skin. Thankfully, my captors were concentrating on the American and didn't notice. Thank God for small mercies. I really didn't plan to embarrass myself any more in front of these people. When the stranger sat down across from me, I only let my eyes flick over him once before seemingly dismissing him and staring out the window once again.

Jackson
Right now, sitting across from him, Telip did not seem real threatening, and not at all like a person that has murdered at least seven people. His eyes were sunken in, his clothes looked too big on him and a scarf obscured most of his features, but of course not the mess of blond hair on top of his head. But even that seemed matted, most likely hadn't been washed for a few weeks, nor combed. He also looked like he hadn't slept or eaten in just as long. The way he flinched when I sat down showed me that his concentration was abating. That wouldn't do at all, I needed my team to be at the top of their game. It seemed like I would need to plan at least a week to boost him a bit. Not like that would pose much of a problem since my timetable was pretty loose. And with that I mean that it doesn't really exist. Like, I was planning on finishing the jobat least 1800 but that was not really a timetable... Every time the man next to Telip moved I noticed Telip going all tense and trying to appear even smaller than before. I started cursing those idiots for making me work more than I had planned on. Technically, I could still leave, but after seeing Telip in person and especially the steps his captors had taken to make sure he didn't flee, I was sure that this man was someone I wanted on my team, broken or not. And if he really was broken without repair then I could still leave him behind. That would require a new plan, but at least I wouldn't have to be dependent on someone that could not possibly meet my expectations. But I don't think it will be necessary to change my plans. I saw his reaction when I had entered, curiosity battling with boredom. But not fear, not hopelessness, not despair. I hadn't seen a broken man. So maybe it was only his body that needed healing. I was making idle conversation with Telip's guard, a rough looking Irishman, just like my contact had said. I asked where they were traveling, whether they were alone or with friends or family. I didn't learn anything new, since I knew their destination and had already seen their companions in the sleeping compartment. The guy was an idiot. Despite of all the precautions they had taken to not make Telip seem like a prisoner, the man made no attempt to hide the fact. He was one step away from gloating. Right now it seemed like I wouldn't have any problems getting Telip out of there.