A Series of Observations

Three days prior…

A train, a person on either end. It carried its passengers at record speed through the countryside, its occupants in awe of the ever-evolving views. One country after another they saw in the three-day journey to their destination, from there, endless possibilities awaited them.

The woman sat in the finest car on the train, completed with wide windows offering endless light. A cup of tea sat gently to her right, her finely manicured hands expelling warmth into the book she now read from.

The man stood at the opposite end of the train, amongst the seats packed closely together, combining families and individuals of all kinds, equally as enthralled with the views around them or sleeping peacefully.

Restlessness began to find everyone, seeping slowly into bones and minds much like the cold. There was nowhere to go, and much less to do, but so much happening that they were blissfully unaware of.

Many business deals were conducted in off the grid places such as a train, how hard it is to catch someone whilst fluently on the move. Though made much easier when joining the spider within its web. The woman had abandoned her book and returned to the newspaper she had collected earlier that day. The headlines were striking, but surprise never shown on her face as she followed word after word.

A chain of individuals dead, tied only through the knowledge they shared, but the papers would never admit to that, or maybe didn’t know. She smirked, and shut the papers, taking a moment to admire the train car around her. A group of men sat on the opposite end, discussing quietly amongst themselves, none had moved in quite some time. They were not as subtle as they should have been, and the woman relished in knowing men never were. With that as her cue, she rose and exited the car.

The man on the opposite end let the restlessness get the better of him, and while having every compassion for families, had his fill of crying infants. There were two more days left, and his patience would be needed.

His feet took him in the only direction allowed to him, forward, thinking perhaps there was more excitement elsewhere. It took five cars forward to remove himself from the crowded spectacle of the lower-class cars and was not yet satisfied with his search. The woman had travelled three cars back, how close they were.

The woman entered the car housing the sleeping cabins, as the man entered from the other end. They looked to each other, approached their subsequent cabins, and entered without a word. Inside, each readied themselves. The woman with sensible shoes and an equally sensible handgun, the man with a wide brimmed hat, a ring containing poison, and an ornate knife.

One preferred order and discretion, a precision that solidified her fame, while the other cared only that the job was done and was lesser known for it, but each equally capable.

Upon gazing within the small cabin mirror, the woman reapplied her red lipstick and refreshed the curls of her hair. After ensuring for the tenth time that the gun was loaded and secure, she placed it within her purse, straightened her clothes and exited the cabin.

The man was equally well groomed, an opposing image to the common man that had entered the car. The two exited simultaneously, and the woman immediately took notice of the change, the man admired the perfect red of her lips. Smiling in greeting, the man tipped his hat and they each travelled to the upper-class dining car. The man sat with a few others that he had purposely introduced himself to earlier that day, knowing they might have the information he sought. The woman sat with one singular man, a slight blush ever-present on her cheeks as she continued her dance of dishonesty and illusion. They both appeared to be harmless, unsurprising passengers.

Two days prior…

Today a stop would be made at the station of a small town conveniently located in a small gulf, with easy access to the sea beyond.

The man slept fitfully, the woman peacefully, and both rose swiftly, prepared for the day, and packed their limited belongings like they did every morning.

The gentleman she dined with the evening prior provided more insight to her than he was likely ever aware of, the egos of men were so easy to toy with and no one suspected a woman to be such a large threat. They had danced together in the music car, enjoying the frequent entertainment and at an opportune moment, she retrieved the keys to his cabin seamlessly.

The man had an equally fruitful dinner, finding the others he dined with to be gracious hosts with loose lips, and comrades to the man that dined with a beautiful woman. They supposed their friend would have an extremely lucky night when the pair exited the car. The man merely smiled in response and suggested a game of poker. He played them all to filth.

The gentleman never did get lucky, even when he returned and joined his friends for the final rounds of poker. The man checked his watch that shown it was ten minutes to midnight and excused himself from the table, thanking the men for a night well spent and that he was desperate to retire. When the man returned to his own cabin, a set of keys sat on his pillow. He pocketed the keys and laid down to shut his eyes for a moment.

After dancing, the woman had excused herself to retire as well and because her dining partner was a gentleman, he simply kissed her hand and bid her goodnight, wishing to see her again the following day. Alone the woman returned to the cabin cars and fished the keys from her purse. Entering, she questioned how many places one might hide documents in a limited space. Checking all the usual spaces, she found her search lacking and stood back to assess one more time. Her delicate watch shown just after eleven in the evening, and she knew she could not dwell here long. Her last attempt led her to remove the luggage from the shelf above, and in the bag that was smaller and likely to always remain with its owner, she opened it.

Men, even still, were not so clever and evolved as she would care for them to be. She always hoped for a challenge and usually did not find it. Contents were shuffled and her photographic mind took note of each spot and crease of clothing that would need to be replicated. A light knock on the walls of the case called out to her hollow and with two simple buttons to press, the hidden compartment revealed multiple files of classified documents, fake passports, and large sums of cash. She placed the cash in her purse, placed the documentation in the waistband of her skirt, fluffing over her waistcoat to conceal it and left the passports behind. Each item was placed meticulously back and at quarter to midnight, she retired at last.

The man did not really sleep, but merely waited to hear the commotion of the night owls he left behind to subside. Now was the time. Exiting his cabin, he held the keys in his hand and moved swiftly to another, unlocking the door, and entering without notice.

The poison he slipped into the man’s nightcap earlier would never be enough to fully take down a man of his size, but enough to keep him asleep long enough to not make a sound for what came next. A pocket watch sat next to the sleeping man and upon retrieval he noted the stopped time pointed at five. A small smile rose on his face as he placed the watch in his coat pocket and finished the job at hand.

One day prior…

The rendezvous point was to be met at the exact time the pocket watch was stopped at, and exactly one hour prior, the train found the sleepy town settled peacefully along the gulf. Without a trace, the woman left the train, wearing unsuspecting clothes and travelling with only the small case by her side. In swift timing, she unearthed the hidden motor bike and keys, the only sound made was the ignition as she moved towards the docks.

Fishermen eyed the woman as she approached but paid no attention to her as she confidently strode towards the small boat docked. Her anonymity would be crucial and dangerous in such a small place, but without further thought she took herself out to sea.

The man sat amongst the vegetables and bottles of liquor being delivered to the little town. On his hurried attempt to get there, he noticed commotion begin to start as officials quickly and quietly moved from the sleeping cabins. He suspected that his parting gift was finally found. Hidden amongst the hay entombing various goods, he waited for his ride to begin. No one suspected where he lay and was brought directly to the heart of the town. When no voices could be heard around him, he opened the crate and gathered his things, halfway to where he needed to be. Taking the first car he found, he fixed the wires below and the engine came to life.

Less than twenty miles away there was a hidden beach with a vast cave. Easy to access, but one that no one dared to try due to local legend. The car was abandoned in the cave and replaced with a rowboat, which he dragged to the water’s edge and pushed off. A small island sat beyond the fog that was long forgotten, life no longer thriving there. The man rowed in powerful and evenly timed pulls to this island and on foot went to the lighthouse that sat in crumbles. The ghost town felt literal, eyes seeming to always be on him, but this did not shake his confidence as he continued.

The lighthouse sat at the highest point on the limited land, and on the other side the terrain fell at great height to the shore below, where the final stretch of his journey would take him so he could return home. He moved carefully amongst the rocks to the bottom and took a deep breath at the sight before him.

The woman turned at the shift of rocks behind her and smiled as the man approached. Relieved to see him, they embraced and shared a moment for a passionate kiss but wasted no time in continuing. The helicopter before them was quickly readied and equally quick to take off, the couple together in the two seats. Each were successful in their missions, and now would be the hardest mission yet. Leaving it all behind.

Present…

The helicopter landed gracefully on the top of a large building in an expansive city, so different from the peace and quiet of the countries they left behind. They gathered their things and moved as one to the elevator that would take them below. To take them to the end. They kept their conversations limited, knowing they were being watched and listened to at all times. The elevator stopped, opened the doors and the couple exited to the office at the end of the hall. With a sharp knock, the man and woman were called to enter.

This meeting was to be kept short, intended to pass along all that they gathered and to immediately leave, as staying might be more dangerous than leaving. They did just that, but the woman could tell the superiors were both pleased and skeptical. Something was wrong and the couple knew it, yet they were thanked, excused, and left without further question. Moving casually to the car lot below the building, the couple entered a vehicle and left, not knowing entirely what to do next. They shared their concerns and devised a plan and hoped that this would truly be the end.

Winding along the roads leaving town, the couple discovered someone following close behind them, their pursuit unsuspecting to others, but obvious to their trained minds. Perhaps their plan was not without flaws. Of course they could not leave, how stupid they felt to believe that they could. Panic set in but they persisted on, new plans set in place.

Speeds increased, rain began to fall, and the couple knew what was happening. They were a problem that was being taken care of. After all their success and notoriety, they were no more appreciated by the superiors than anyone else. A loose string in dangerous need of tying. The unmarked car challenged them, pulling up closely behind. It did not matter how skilled in driving someone was in weather like this.

The man and woman looked to each other again and spoke without words. The woman pressed her hand lightly to her stomach and nodded in confirmation. The man in that moment lost control of the car, overstepping across the median and in a single heartbeat wrapped itself around a tree.

The car in pursuit of them turned on the nearest side road, a driveway covered in small rocks that crunched as they turned around and slowed. It didn’t take long for the emergency vehicles to come, even shorter for black bags on stretchers to be taken away.

Perhaps the string was snipped, the inhabitants of the opposing vehicle deemed this evidence enough to consider their problem solved.

Yet their arrogance ensured that they never confirmed who was taken away.

The papers the following day showcased the supposed tragedy in bold letters,

“Man and Woman Dead in Car Crash, Their Unborn Child with Them.”

The roads too slick, the speed too fast, but either way a mission accomplished.