Koji walked over to the window of the conductor's cabin. As he finally got close and peered through the glass, he muttered, "What the hell."
The conductor was dead, his body violently thrown against the window, with shards of broken glass scattered across the seat. As Koji stepped back from the window, he spotted Saik approaching the massive energy barrier that was still slowly expanding.
"Look at this, Koji. The wave isn't affecting me at all," Saik commented, his left arm extended into the wave.
"What impresses me more is how easily you risk losing your arm," Koji said, masking his anxiety with a hint of irony.
Saik just gave a slight smile and pulled his arm out of the wave, while Koji took off his backpack, crouched down, and began rummaging through it for the Tower's communication equipment.
"I'm going to try contacting the Tower. This wave might not harm us, but the passengers definitely won't come out unscathed."
As Koji focused on establishing contact, Saik and the other passengers stood mesmerized by the energy barrier that continued to grow.
Then suddenly…
Bzzzz!
Someone came on the line.
"Tower here. Who is attempting to communicate?"
"It's Koji. Saik and I are the enforcers that the commander instructed you to keep an eye on in case we needed help. Remember?"
"Yes, of course. What happened? How can I assist?"
"The train we were on collided with an energy wave, likely the work of an enforcer. And most likely, this enforcer is part of the Conclave."
"Understood. Koji, you and Saik need to get the passengers away from the wave. A ground and air rescue team will be on their way shortly to bring them to safety. Do you understand?"
"Yes, I understand."
But then, Saik interrupted Koji.
"Koji, ask about our location and the distance to Campo Verde Station and Cuiabá."
Koji turned his attention back to the operator.
"One last question, please. Can you tell me our current location relative to Campo Verde Station and Cuiabá?"
The operator quickly checked his records and responded.
"You're near the city of Primavera do Leste. However, that city is ahead, within the vast territory that the energy wave has overtaken. This confirms that Campo Verde, Cuiabá, and all the other cities ahead have been consumed by the expansion."
Beep!
The communication abruptly cut off. Koji stood up, put the headset away, and walked over to Saik, explaining everything he'd heard from the operator.
"The guy said we're near Primavera do Leste, but since it's further ahead, it's been overtaken by the wave, just like Cuiabá, Campo Verde, and all the other cities."
"They're sending a ground and air rescue team to get the passengers out of here. The operator recommended keeping everyone away from the wave, but we'll have to keep going, cross this wave, and face whoever is behind it."
"No problem."
After that, they approached the passengers, who were already anxious about the presence of the mysterious energy.
"Everyone, please listen!" Koji called out, raising his right arm high. "We need to move away from the train and the energy wave. The Tower is sending a rescue team to get us out of here. Grab your bags and follow me."
They walked a certain distance, but the people still didn't feel safe.
"How can we trust the Tower? After everything that happened in Dynami, how do we know they'll really come?" an elderly woman with a headscarf asked, shading herself from the sun.
"Yeah, how can we fully trust them?" a man in dark sunglasses voiced his skepticism.
Koji, who was already walking ahead with Saik, turned to the passengers and said, "I understand the distrust and fear, but the Tower is your only chance now because my friend and I didn't come here to protect you… but the Tower did. They know what's going on, and they're on their way. I guarantee they'll get you all out of here safely."
With the passengers at a safe distance from the wave, Koji and Saik moved a little further away and sat on a small patch of grass.
"It's getting better," Saik said, arms crossed and a slight, positive smile on his face.
"Getting better?"
"You seem more convinced of the situation we're in and of the danger we might face."
"It's not that I'm convinced, just that I'm slowly accepting it. Even though I've seen a lot of the evil in humans, I feel like we enforcers can be much worse."
"Absolutely."
To their surprise and the others, the sound of helicopter blades and distant sirens signaled that the rescue forces were approaching.
"They're already here?" a passenger shouted.
Koji and Saik immediately stood up, startled by the quick arrival.
"I admit, I wasn't expecting this," Saik said, running a hand through his hair, which was getting more and more tousled by the approaching helicopter wind.
"Me neither."
Several military helicopters landed nearby, while a column of vehicles from the Tower's Special Forces approached, organized in a disciplined line.
As the noise of the rotors decreased with the aircraft landing and the vehicles started to stop to receive the people, Saik looked at the passengers, noticing they were still hesitating, and said to Koji, "Look at them. You'd better order them to move soon, or they'll stay frozen there."
"Aah..."
Koji took a few steps forward and raised his voice.
"Everyone, listen to me! You don't need to distrust them; they're with us! And if you don't want to go, you'll end up dying under this sun… so, move!"
The passengers, still a bit reluctant, began to move towards the helicopters and vehicles, guided by members of the Special Forces.
"Now for the hard part," Saik said, turning towards the direction of the energy wave.
"It's what we're here for…"