Rumble!!
Lightning flashed and thunder boomed even louder than usual. The youths flinched, their eyes locked into the rest of the cargoes as they got farther and farther from the first cargo.
For a moment, they seemed to forget everything else, their thoughts drowned with confusion, then realization, the fear and horror as they finally seemed to register what the train master had said.
"W…wait! Did he say bomb?"
"Shit! We have to get out of here!"
"How the hell are we supposed to get out of a train moving this fast?"
"We found our way onto it, didn't we?"
As panic began to set among the youths, a few of them had rather lackluster reactions. All of them were those with black ribbons.
It wasn't that they didn't have a reaction but that their reactions weren't as exaggerated as that of the other youths.
"Calm down! The situation is not hopeless."
The youths began to simmer down as they heard a familiar voice. It was Zandov who had spoken.
"It's him,"
"Yeah, he led us into battle previously!"
"Also, he had a black ribbon. He must be a prodigy of some sorts."
Zandov's expression remained lackluster as bits and pieces of the youths' murmurs filtered into his ears. His mind was on something else.
How do we get off the train? The ground is too wet for a solid landing. We have to slow the train down somehow.
Zandov looked at Lassen but the latter shook his head. Showing that he was also lost. By now all the youths had quieted down, although they were anxious, they looked towards Zandov with hope in their eyes, completely forgetting that they had previously had thoughts of ambushing him for his ribbon.
At that moment, a movement caught everyone's gaze. The mysterious youth walked to the end of the room and picked up his coat, wearing it in one swift movement.
He pulled his curly black hair back, using the blue and black ribbons to tie it into a rough bun. His facial features were finally revealed.
He had a slender face that matched his lean build, sharp jaws, soft features and looks that would put a model to shame. His eyes, which were now more amber than golden, were so cold, one could see an illusion of blueness in them.
Marceline blushed immediately and even Yvonne looked stunned for just a moment before she recollected herself.
He took a deep breath, eyes closed for a moment before he let it out through his mouth. When he reopened his eyes, he seemed to have become a different person who was familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time.
He looked towards Percy, a small smile on his lips. Percy's breath had become stable and just like the mysterious youth, he had tied his hair into a bum, revealing sharp features that were lost in no way to the mysterious youth. Although his immaturity showed in his features, his purple eyes made him seem mature.
"Ichor," the mysterious youth said to Percy with his hand out.
Percy stared at the hand for a while before reaching out to shake it. His expression remained frighteningly cold.
"We'll have a rematch at the base." He said and the youth nodded with a chuckle.
His glanced at Yvonne,
"You have an idea. Let's hear it."
"Why would I tell you?" Yvonne scoffed,
"It doesn't matter if you do. I can get off this train no problem and I'm sure everyone with the black ribbon can. But what about those with the blue ribbon?"
The other youths looked at eachother, fear in their eyes. For some reason, they believed what Ichor said without any doubts. It was like he had a strange pull over their opinions, even that of themselves.
"While I normally won't care, it would be a waste of their potential."
Yvonne narrowed her eyes at Ichor, her gaze flickering with a knowing light. She knew that Ichor had immediately put her in a tough spot.
Now that everyone knew she had an idea of how to help them leave the train, if she withheld it, she would potentially be responsible for the death of everyone without a black ribbon.
And while it won't cause her any immediate inconvenience, because the dead would always remain dead, some of those with black ribbons would feel uncomfortable with it. And even some hired officials in the military would be against such an act. This could potentially put her in unnecessary situations in the future.
"It's no use. My plan is simple, pull the train to a stop by any means possible. But it's too late. We have barely twenty seconds left until the one minute countdown."
Ichor stared at Yvonne for a moment before turning around. He walked the cushion he had been seated on when he entered the train and picked up his black umbrella.
He looked at Yvonne,
"This was one of your ideas, wasn't it?" He asked, gesturing towards the umbrella. From the flicker on Yvonne's eyes, he got all the answers he needed. His gaze shifted to Zandov, the latter involuntarily trembled under the scrutiny of the golden pupils.
"The train is going to crash." Ichor said before heading to the door.
Zandov stared at Ichor's back absentmindedly before suddenly coming to.
"Everyone! Get on the train and brace for impact. Be ready to jump off!"
The youths who had finally gotten the reply they had been so anxiously waiting for hurriedly began to move. Some squeezed out of the windows while others went through the door.
Yvonne's idea had been straightforward. Ichor had entered the train from the top which meant only one thing, he had somehow managed to climb into the train while it was moving at such speeds.
She had also deduced that he didn't jump on the train because he had arrived late and there were no Highlands remotely close to their route at the time.
So it could only mean one of two things; either he had magically arrived on top of the train using some high technology device or he had clung to it when it moved past him.
While the second option seemed far-fetched, Yvonne was more inclined to believe it due to the ridiculous arm strength Ichor had displayed in his fight with Percy by using a hand to fling a body weighing at least two hundred pounds towards Percy.
Ichor had gleaned Yvonne's train of thoughts so he knew what to do.
Ichor hung from one side of the train with his gloved left hand, his right hand holding his umbrella. A shadow loomed over him and he looked up to see Zandov.
"You have 50 seconds." He said with his mysterious smile. Zandov looked at him solemnly and nodded his head.
The moment he did, he clung into a metal piece.
Ichor raised his umbrella and with one strong movement, he thrust it between two of the weaker cracked wheels.
Crink! Pow!
A loud sound echoed as two of the wheels of the battered locomotive flew out.
The train swerved, bending off the rails.