Kingdom Gone

COWS COME HOME

"Right. So how are we going to get into the station unseen?"

I point to the building next to us. "That's a soup kitchen. Roughly 150 or so people work there, and after dinner's over on Fridays they tend to leave in a big group, hurrying to catch the 7 o'clock train. It's quite a sight actually."

"So we'll blend in when they leave for the train?"

"Nope. When the people start streaming out, Blue Sedan Guy will most likely radio to Alley Guy and ask him to park closer and help him scan the crowd. That's when we'll cross further down the street and sneak in through a service entrance."

"That's genius. When did you-"

I hold up my hand, staring at my watch. "Get ready. The cows are 'bout to come home."

Seconds of silence follow, not a sound. Then all hell breaks loose.

The front doors of the soup kitchen burst open, and a deluge of people run out onto the street, bags in hand. By the time the crowd reaches the base of the steps, I hear an engine start and see Alley Guy drives onto the street toward us. Circe and I press our backs against the building, watching the street. Alley Guy slowly drives past. . .

And keeps driving. He parks farther down than Blue Sedan Guy and observes the crowd.

I grab Circe's hand.

"Let's go." We dash across the street, angling towards the alley between the station and the building beside it. The whole time my eyes are on the cops, watching to make sure their silhouettes don't turn around. Luckily they don't.

Halfway down the alley we find a locked door to the station. I break the handle with the butt of my my pistol and it swings open. After two turns down a dimly lit cement hall we encounter another door, this one metallic and unlocked. I gesture Circe to wait, and slowly open the door a crack.

The station is alive with soup kitcheners, the crowd gathering before the open tracks. I can feel the air displacement of the incoming trains, and glance at my watch: 6:59. Two cops watching the crowd on the other side of the station catch my eye, then I spot another by the tracks. Shit.

I close the door and turn to Circe. "I spy three cops. How much you wanna bet there's more?"

"How are we going to get on the HoloTram unnoticed?"

"With this." I reach into my jacket pocket and pull out a sleek metal canister.

Circe eye's the silver object. "We're going to give them soup?"

"This isn't a thermos," I sigh, "it's a highly dangerous military grade smoke bomb."

"And you just happen to have one on you?"

"I never leave home without it. Now, the doors only stay open for 60 seconds. I'm going to lob this baby at the entrance, and while the cops focus their attention on the smoke cloud, we'll-"

"Sneak onboard. Gotcha." Circe said, finishing my sentence.

My watched beeps. 7 o'clock.

"Go time." I say, pulling out the pin.

I shoulder open the door and toss the smoke bomb high above the crowd. The sunlight shining through the windows above the tunnel glints off the metal object just before it lands square on the welcome mat. Circe and I blend into the crowd just as it goes off.

A loud eruption echos off the station walls before a hissing sound fills the room. I look back and see a milky white cloud cover the entrance. The disruption worked, attracting the attention of the cops and some of the soup kitcheners. Two HoloTrams silently glide into the station from opposite directions, half a dozen doors sliding open to welcome the crowd.

I glance at my watch. 40 seconds.

"Hey you! Stop right-

My fist smashes against the cop's face, a thin arc of blood splattering against the side of the train. A woman next to me screams as the man's body thumps to the ground.

I grab Circe by the arm and push her forward, diving into the crowd. The doors are just a few feet away now-

An arm wraps around my neck and pulls me away from Circe. I feel the muzzle of a gun pressed to my head. "You're under arrest, punk!" The man says in my ear.

"Jason!" Circe yells.

"Get inside, I'll be right there!" I wheeze.

I grab the gun's barrel and push it away from my face, the cop firing off a shot in the process. I jab my elbow into his ribs, then stomp down on his foot. He yells in pain and loosens his arm, which I grab and pull over my shoulder. The man flips over me and lands hard on his back, dazed and in pain. I kick him once in the head and he's out cold.

I catch my breath and don't even bother glancing at my watch. I sprint to the HoloTram and dive onboard mere seconds before the doors slam closed. A cop tries to pry them open but he knows it's futile.

Circe stands next to me. "Can they stop the train?"

I shake my head, panting. "Not in time. These trains are run by timers and go hella fast. They know they lost this one."

The cop lets go and stares us down, muttering into his radio. The train shutters and the engines ignite, the thrusters underneath levitating the cars a foot above the rail. Currents spark somewhere above, powering the electromagnets that propel the train down the tracks. A few moments later we speed down the tunnel and emerge outside, coasting over the tributaries guided by pillars that rise above the wetlands, heading north east.

I watch as the artificial sun finally sets below the Western Cliff, the last rays of red and orange light disappearing with it.

That's when it hit me, the weight of my current situation. I've committed, and there's no going back now. If I wasn't high on the Nine Kingdoms wanted list, I sure as hell am now. My fate is now tied to Circe and that stupid bank card. It's the only thing that can get me out of this mess now.

"Jason?"

"Yeah?"

"We're really doing this, aren't we?"

I sigh, looking into Circe's bluer than blue eyes.

"Come on, let's go get a seat. It's a long ride to the Seventh Kingdom."