As the engine of the milk truck rumbled to life, Lapin said to the people in the back, "We're moving, folks. Hang on."

Anne weakly squeezed Root's hand. She looked dangerously pale, but she was still hanging in there. If only they could get on that damned train...

Lapin had them parked close to the station so they could move in quickly once the train arrived, apparently too close by the reckoning of the policeman. All the high-value members of the group were in the truck. There was, of course, some danger in keeping them all in one place, but it was seen as an even worse prospect for any of them to get separated and left behind.

Based on Lapin's earlier reconnaissance, they could expect at least four men of the Civil Guard at each of the station's three entrances and two to four men on each platform. There was a good chance of plainclothes officers of the secret police mixed in as well. Apparently the government didn't want to draw any more attention by bringing in the army or the Republican Guard. Small favors.

Speaking of not wanting to draw attention, the plan was to try and slip through without anyone noticing. Lapin's crew raided a couple hospitals to get them what they needed. Sir Willem, Sergeant Kranowitz, Lieutenant Lee, and Corporal Merlo were dressed as stretcher-bearers, the females as nurses and the remaining males as doctors. The story was that Root and Anne were being transferred to the university hospital in Arturo and the reason for all the extra personnel was that Lapin as the head doctor was bringing along his interns and younger nurses for training purposes. It was crazy enough that it might work, and if it didn't, they had a few other tricks up their sleeve.

They didn't want to be standing around anymore than they had to, so they would be cutting it close, heading to the gate about ten minutes prior to the Peace Line train's arrival. Consequently, they couldn't afford to be held up either. Once the train rolled in, they would have fifteen minutes before it headed out.

They unloaded Anne first, then Root. Lapin took the lead, with the other doctors behind him, followed by the nurses. Azuki stayed close to Anne's side, as per Root's request, but she would frequently steal glances back at Root. It wasn't appropriate to think about how good she looked in that nurse's outfit.

They made their way to the station's West Gate. They were supposed to enter via the Central Gate, but that was before they had to move. It would only look suspicious if they took the long way around, but they wouldn't have any support there. It would all hinge on how well Lapin's bluff worked.

Lapin went to the ticket counter to buy tickets for everyone and was approached by a pair of Guardsmen. It really was something watching a well-practiced professional like him at work. There were no tells at all in his body language or facial expression and his Malvinan was as fluent as any native.

The Guardsmen had Lapin show them his papers. Apparently while he was in Merdino, Lapin got some forged papers together to get them through security. Because it was a rush job, he didn't have full confidence in them, but at this late hour, the Guardsmen were likely worn down by their shift and less attentive to fine details. One could only hope.

The Guardsmen left Lapin to continue his purchase while they approached the group to check their papers as well. Root pretended to stare blankly at the sky as if he were heavily sedated, but he was watching the Guardsmen as closely as he could without giving away what he was doing. Hidden under the blanket he was wrapped up in was a pistol to be used as an absolute last resort. He gripped the pistol and waited for them to give him an excuse to use it.

It was fine for Lapin's men posing as doctors, but what about the ones who didn't speak Malvinan? When they got to Merlo, it started to become a problem. He couldn't produce his papers as he was carrying Anne's stretcher and it seemed like the Guardsmen were complaining about him not speaking for himself when one of Lapin's men tried speaking on his behalf.

Root was looking around for any other Guardsmen as he was lining up his shot. Then a woman screamed and everyone looked toward the source. A man was running away from a couple where the woman's apparent husband had been laid out flat. Root was pretty sure she was screaming about her purse.

Now, under the circumstances, a suspicious group trying to enter the station during a time of heightened alert was a greater priority than a common pursesnatcher, but the two Guardsmen were thinking more like regular policemen. When one started pursuing, his partner followed.

They weren't out of the woods yet, though, as another pair of Guardsmen approached to finish what the others started. As they did, one of the Guardsmen was bumped by a drunken vagrant with bottle in hand. The vagrant started shouting curses at the Guardsmen and while the Guardsmen were busy dealing with him, Lapin motioned for their group to hurry along inside.

The vagrant and the pursesnatcher were no convenient happenstance. They were operatives running interference for them. So far they were able to keep it low-key, but if there was much more trouble, they would have to escalate their response.

Root noted the clock as they passed. The train had already arrived. They all needed to get to the platform quickly. The Peace Line was on the thirteenth platform, the farthest from the entrance. Lapin led them at a brisk yet unrushed pace. There weren't too many others milling about, so they would stand out all the more if they acted suspiciously.

They were about three-quarters of the way to Platform 13 when Root could hear shouting in the distance. He had the feeling it was about them as he was pretty sure the shouting was for them to stop. Lapin kept the group moving, though, neither quickening nor slowing his pace.

Next came the sound of running footsteps. They would have overtaken the group in no time at all, but then there was an explosion. It wasn't a big explosion, likely a little improvised bomb set by the operatives to serve as a distraction. A second explosion followed, accompanied by shouts of "Fire! Fire!", or at least that's what Root figured it was.

At this point, there was no reason to try blending in with the scattered few other civilians who were no doubt busy screaming and scrambling for cover, so they just kept on moving and made their way down the stairs to the platform. The two Guardsmen waiting at the bottom of the stairs didn't challenge them as they approached, nor did they seem particularly concerned about the explosions. Only as they got closer did Root recognize them as Belette's men, one of whom being freshly shaven in order to pass for a proper Guardsman.

All that was left was to board the train. Lapin started moving a little quicker now. Even someone as unflappable as him had to be getting anxious with their goal just within arm's reach. It was like being cast adrift in shark-infested waters with the rescue ship right there but you still needed to make the swim to the ladder.

When they reached the conductor, he addressed Lapin, seeming to tell him they were on the wrong platform. Sergeant Kranowitz and Merlo brought Root forward. His identity papers had been confiscated by the Republican Guard, but they left him with his dogtags. It was a good thing he held on to them, even if they increased his risk of recapture.

Sitting up in the stretcher, he showed the conductor his dogtags and said, "I'm Colonel Rutger Maartens of the Royal Army of the Kingdom of Byrandia, special aide to His Majesty King Charles. I want passage for myself and my entourage here."

The conductor switched from Malvinan to Franca and said, "If you want passage on this train, Colonel, your government's foreign ministry should have made arrangements in advance. Also, you should have a proper ticket and the appropriate credentials. A mere set of ID tags is not sufficient proof of your identity. Please contact your embassy and—"

His patience spent, Root drew his pistol and pointed it at the conductor.

The conductor held up his hands and, remaining admirably cool under the circumstances, said, "Sir, this is a violation of international law. Even if you try to forcibly board this train, you will not have diplomatic immunity. We will not leave this station until you are removed."

Even though the revolver he was given was double action, he cocked the hammer to make it clear he wasn't screwing around.

Showing nerves of steel, the conductor replied, "You can shoot me, sir, but it will not get you out of this station."

Heedless of the danger to his person, the conductor went for his whistle, but before he could put it to his lips, Lapin caught him in a sleeper hold. Out of reflex, the conductor started grabbing at Lapin's arm rather than try to blow the whistle with his few remaining seconds of consciousness. Once his body went limp, Lapin dragged him inside, tucking him away in a corner. After taking the conductor's pulse, Lapin snatched his whistle from around his neck, snapping the chain as he did, and took the watch from his vest pocket.

He handed the whistle and watch to one of his men, saying, "Congratulations, Chaco, you get to play conductor. Remember, 2620 sharp."

Lapin gestured to the interior of the train and said, "All aboard, ladies and gents. I'm sure this isn't exactly what our good friend the Colonel had in mind, but we're hijackers now, so we're going to have some extra work ahead of us. Don't expect to rest too easy until we cross the border.

"Mr. van der Borg, the medical car is toward the back. Colonel, you should probably head that way too. That leg of yours hasn't been looking too good."

"2620 sharp, Chaco. See that the Colonel's where he needs to be by then."

Azuki nodded and Captain Tsai looked annoyed at how readily she followed his instructions. While the others went inside, Root got up off the stretcher, leaning on Sergeant Kranowitz for support. He looked to Belette's men by the stairs then to the Guardsmen at the opposite end of the platform. They must've been part of the crew as well or else they would've intervened when Root pulled his pistol. He felt a little sick when he realized he hadn't even considered that.

Root chuckled grimly.

Sergeant Kranowitz gave Root an ill at ease smile and asked him, "Sir, there any way I can get a revision on that oath I made to give my full measure for God, King, an' country?"

Root nodded.