Take Back the Light

Chapter 18

"Good idea," Eli said. "But we need a fallback plan in case that doesn't work out. We could free the slugs and maybe even the Mecha and blaster upgrades, but I don't think we can get to the drill parts before we get caught. And we could very easily find ourselves overwhelmed by ghoulslingers."

"I'm not thrilled with the idea of letting Blakk just get ahold of that equipment," Trixie said.

Alana shrugged and smirked mischievously.

"When in doubt, blow it up," she said. "If we get to the point where we can't free the cars, maybe we just try to use some Grenukes and Hop Rocks and make sure whatever equipment Blakk gets ahold of is damaged or destroyed."

"Nice," Kord said, giving a thumbs-up. "In the meantime, how are we going to handle getting the cars disconnected from the engine?"

"Sam sent us a file with some of the loadings plans," Trixie said, picking up a holotablet from the coffee table and opening the file. "They're not as specific as blueprints, but they're still useful."

She handed the holotablet to Eli, who looked over the loading instructions.

"Where will Sam be when all of this is happening?" Pronto asked as Eli read.

"Ideally, close by," Alana said. "Helping us out with the train's layout and ready to use her authority if we get in a bad spot. But we can't plan on her being with us the whole time, because if Blakk needs her or if it starts to get suspicious, she might have to go to the front cars."

"And she's coming back here with us when it's all done?" Kord asked. Alana nodded.

"She'll lay low for a night and recover," she explained. "Then she'll be off to Bonnie Springs, working on being a doctor."

"It'll be good to have someone we know out there," Eli said when he finished reading. "She'll be able to let us hear anything about Blakk without worrying about getting caught by her parents."

"So what's the plan?" Trixie asked, nodding toward the holotablet in Eli's hands.

"The last two cars are the ones with the slugs," Eli began. "We'll start with two people on them- I'm thinking me and Trixie. We fight our way through those cars, then detach them. Alana, Kord, Pronto, you three will be riding nearby on your Mechas. We shouldn't have a problem with being seen, because the train route cuts through some forests, so we'll have cover.

"Kord, Pronto, and Alana will take over the released cars and liberate the slugs. After that, we'll focus on the three cars carrying the Mecha equipment. The more I'm thinking about it, the more demolition makes sense," Eli said. "We might be able to get some of the equipment out, and even use it ourselves, but we don't have the means to transport the equipment away. I think we bring Alana on the train to help disconnect the Mecha cars, and Kord and Pronto keep riding behind and use whatever you need to and destroy the equipment."

"Nice!" Kord exclaimed, giving Pronto a fist bump.

"If we get to the drill parts, which are in two cars, we bring everyone on to disconnect them, get back to our Mechas, and trash those," Eli finished. "The only things that really need to make it out of this in one piece are the slugs and us."

"Sounds like a plan," Alana said, excitement building up in her. She couldn't help it- sticking it to Doctor Blakk was fun.

"We play it safe and get it done as soon as possible," Eli said, shutting the holotablet. "Grab Sam, get back to the hideout, and lay low. I want Trixie and I to start on the train, so we'll probably have to be there as soon as they start to head out. The instructions said all the equipment will be put on the train and guarded tonight, then final checks will be made... looks like they're planning on those taking an hour at most... and the train will depart at seven."