Chapter 67: Stopping a Train

William McGinley, was a fourth-generation engineer, who still thought with a Scottish brogue. He had started with the Pennsylvania Railroad as a student in high school, working the yards and going to school. After fifteen years, not to mention three generations of railroaders to help him, he was one of Penn Central’s best. And from everything I could tell, not the least bit superstitious.

“Billy?” I whispered in his mind.

“What the fuck?” he said out loud. Whipping his head around.

But there was no one to hear him. He was alone.

“Billy, I need you.”

“Huh? ... who is that? Where are you?” He asked as he kept whipping his head around, checking out the narrow engineers’ compartment for intruders.

“Billy, my name is Michael. And I...”

“Saint Michael?”

To Roman Catholics, it’s Saint Michael, the archangel. In the Old Testament, Daniel refers to Michael as ‘Michael, the great prince who protects our people’ (The Book of Daniel, Chapter 12). Most scholars believe Daniel is referring to the end times, though some think it a little more general.

“Yes, Billy,” I replied, hoping that Saint Michael would forgive the impersonation. “I need your help. You must stop the train. Safely. Only for two minutes. Then you must do so again in a few hours. Both times will be brief, and it will save many lives. Can you do this for me?”

“Saints preserve us! I can’t believe this!” he said out loud.

“Billy please! You must stop the train. You must help me help many others. I’ll tell Lidia what you did. I’m sure she will be very proud,” I told him. Lidia was his deceased mother. They had been very close before she died last year of cancer.

“Holy Mother-of-God!” he exclaimed. “I could lose my license for this.”

I held my breath as I watched the gears in his head turning, processing all the possible ramifications.

“I’ll have to call it in as a yellow on the condenser ... yeah, that would fit,” he finally thought as he began to slow the big Alco RS-32’s.

“Lidia will be proud of you, Billy,” I thought to him as the train slowed.

Penny sent the message and signed off without waiting for a reply. We didn’t have time for a lot of questions. They would do it or not and we could only wait and see.

As soon as she hit the off button on the radio, I told Billy he could speed up again. We never actually came to a stop. I could tell Billy was praying to every saint he could remember, and even a few he couldn’t, that no one had noticed the small breach in protocol.

“I sure hope they make it on time!” I thought to myself.

Penny returned with David, and they began discussing my plan with Kip. It was simple, really ... if everything happened as I wanted it to.

That is ... IF the other three board members will join us onboard the train when we reach New York tomorrow ... and IF they all agree to my early appointment as head of Wagner Industries ... and IF my petition for emancipation looks likely to be approved by the judge ... and IF my grandfather’s attorney feels that there will be no problems with the probate of the remainder of grandfather’s will...

Then the negotiations on the sale of the fuel process can begin tomorrow, with the Russians; whom I have also invited to join us tomorrow. And if the Russians agree in principle to my terms, then maybe we can end these absurd attempts on my life, and stop endangering my family and friends.

My terms are simple. The Russians have to agree to match the highest bid we actually have, and to leave my family and friends alone.

I, in turn, will offer to return the five captured agents to the Russians, provided they leave the country immediately, never to return. I hope this will be seen as a goodwill gesture on our part, but more importantly, it will keep their actions out of the press. It will also keep them out of federal custody, for which the CIA is not entirely happy with me about. That means I’ll probably have to do a couple of extra assignments for the General.

It’s also why I thought it might help to let the Feds board the train early, to do their own interrogations before we arrive in New York. Which is why we have to stop again briefly, in the small town of Unionville, Pennsylvania. To pick up those agents, if they make it there in time.

“That sure is one hell of a lot of ‘ifs’,” I thought.

Anna, Catherine, and Penny all knew that I also planned to demand a ‘safety clause’ be included in the terms of the sale; where, if anything were to happen to any of my family or friends, the entire deal would be terminated immediately.

However, I further planned to privately ‘discuss’ with the Russians, exactly what would happen to the wealth of covert information I had gleaned, if anything ever happens to me or any of my family afterwards.

My intention was to let them assume that the information was stored in a secure place, and would be exposed in the event of my death or disappearance. I know. It’s weak, but it’s all I have at the moment.

“And, it’s better than nothing,” I thought to myself with a sigh.

And while I know that reacting like this is exactly what they were trying to make us do in the first place, it also gives me an opportunity that I hope will prove valuable in some way. The chance to scan a high level Russian official. This is something I really want because I am still searching for the others involved in causing the accident that killed my parents ... including whoever gave the orders.

Scanning the Russian representative also had the advantage of adding to the store of information I can possibly use to barter with later. With either the Russians, or the CIA.

The exception to all this is the fourth Russian I scanned earlier. I plan to deal with him later. Personally.

Yeah, I figured it out.

I did it by scanning Kip after we finished with the Russians, and without discussing it with Anna. I now know that Number Four, (as I called him), was one of the two agents involved in causing the car wreck. Even if he went free tomorrow, I’m betting I can still find him later. I worked hard to burn his mental signature into my brain. My only obstacle now is range, and I’m working hard to eliminate that hindrance.

However, one of the things I realized while scanning all of them, was that they were all following orders. So now, I want to know who gave the orders to kill my parents.

I can’t understand Russian, and I’m not ready to involve Kip any further than I already have. (certainly not in any plans for personal revenge), so my options are limited for now. I need to find someone who speaks Russian, and that I can trust implicitly ... or, I need to learn to speak Russian, myself.

I yawned and stretched my arms over my head. All the mind work had taken a lot out of me. I was tucked in the corner of the back booth, with Vickie leaning against me, her head just under my chin. She wasn’t asleep, but I could tell she was tired, too.

“Did you follow all of that?” I asked her.

“I tried, but gave up after the first guy. I swear! I don’t know how you can do that for one, much less five of them,” she said tiredly.

“You’ll get the hang of it. Just keep practicing,” I told her encouragingly.

“I don’t know. You can do so many things with your gift. Things I never even imagined to try. It all just seems so overwhelming at times,” she sighed. I detected a sense of despondency as she said it, so even though I was tired, I scanned her quickly. Vickie was worried about not being able to keep up with me and my being disappointed if she didn’t.

“Vickie, honey, please don’t worry. We are different. I’m a boy, and you are a beautiful woman. I have average intelligence, whereas you are brilliant,” I said.

She quickly sat up straight, looking at me.

“Yes, I can sense your intelligence. I can also tell you have worked very hard to hide it from everyone. I know how you fudged tests over the years; always making sure you intentionally marked a few wrong answers, so your teachers wouldn’t find out. I also know about your phenomenal memory. You wouldn’t be disappointed in me because I’m not as smart as you, are you?” I asked.

“But I’m not...” she started to say.

“Vickie! Don’t do that,” I said sternly.

“I’m sorry, Master,” she replied.

“And don’t go submissive on me. Just tell the truth. Are you, or are you not, brilliant?” I asked, pointedly putting her on the spot.

Vickie hesitated.

“Remember, there can be no secrets between us, sweetheart,” I thought to her gently.

She leaned her head back against my chest as she cried.

“If I was as smart as you, I wouldn’t have to scan you to figure out why you are crying,” I thought to her tiredly. Then wrapping my arms around her, I scanned her again.

They were tears of relief. She had worked so hard for so long to keep her empathic talent and her brilliance hidden from the world. She had always been afraid of being hurt if others found out about her abilities. But now, she could finally admit it because someone else knew, and that someone has promised to care for her and protect her. And she believed in him.

I squeezed her tighter in my arms.

“I will protect you, my beautifully brilliant, empathic ... lover,” I thought to her as I felt the exhaustion of all my efforts finally catch up with me.

“I know,” she whispered as I nodded off. “I love you, too!” she added softly.

The train’s slowing as we approached Unionville woke me. I was covered with a blanket, and Vickie was no longer with me. I scanned and saw she was in the Observation car with Catherine and Penny. Kalani was there also. The other adults were all in their staterooms, some were already asleep. The girls were congregated in one of their staterooms in the Guest Wing talking, while Jason was actually asleep in our stateroom. Beth and Peter were at each end of the car, watchful.

David was forward in this car, watching the prisoners, while Kip was doing something in the galley.

“Vickie?” I thought to her.

“Yes, Master?” she said with a happy lilt to her thoughts.

“You know, I think you like to call me that just to tease me sometimes,” I thought back to her with a grin.

“Oh, no, Master. I would never tease you!” she was obviously mocking me now as she laughed.

“Oh well. Would you mind scanning the left side of the station as we approach? I’ll take the right side. Okay?”

“Certainly ... Master.”

“I’m gonna ‘master’ you when I see you, if you don’t cut that out!” I thought to her as I laughed at her teasing.

“Oooo, I can’t wait!” she was laughing at me as well.

I noticed she was feeling better than before. I’d have to check that out later.

I scanned the tracks as I walked to the galley for a Coke. I spent my last life in the south, where there’s no such thing as soda. It’s Coke or nothing.

“The cinnamon rolls just came out of the oven, so help yourself,” Kip said.

“Thanks! I will,” I told him, grabbing a gooey roll to go with my Coke.

“How are our guests?” I asked him.