West Passenger Station

[Mr. Handy]

"I thought he might have been using opium after I heard his account," says Elisabeth, "but I hadn't suspected he dealt in it too. Still, the Japanese wouldn't invade just because of opium. There has to be something more going on."



"Our own country has started wars in China because of opium," says Samuel, "but you may be right." He looks after Renwick. "Brave man, but I fear this is not the right opportunity."

[Tabs]

Mingzhu looks between Elisabeth and Mr. Grey, she begins to cry quietly.



He replies to Arashi: "Too bad for the Sea Slug."

Kolchak does a little bow towards Dr. Renwick. "Santiago, the good doctor will buy us some time. Shall we . . . ?"

[Mr. Handy]

Elisabeth puts a comforting arm around Mingzhu, deep in thought. She can't imagine what the girl is going through after having just lost her father; after all, her own father is alive and well right here. I'd go to pieces if I lost him, she thinks, glad that he isn't trying to go outside and do something.

[aine]

"Allow me, Sir. Coughs if someone comes along and keep an eye on our impetuous friend." Santiago grins and, keeping to the shadows, quickly lowers himself until he can see under the carriage. He has a good look round for a spotter.

[Tabs]

A persistent drip-drip-drop is creating a puddle beside Mingzhu's knee. The water swells upon a knotted wooden plank of the wagon floor, until the surface tension can no longer hold back the rainwater, and a tiny flood spills, through a gap in between the planks and continues its descent to the track below. She places a limp hand upon Elisabeth's arm.

"Earlier this evening, father said to me: 'We shall meet in a place in the darkness': What did he mean?"



A feathery beard appears in the gloom, the curious face of Professor Pavlov is inspecting Mingzhu's. "'A place in the darkness': an imagined future." The professor and the young Chinese woman exchange complex, unspoken thoughts. "In what did your father believe?"




Dr. Renwick steps over the rails of the train line which runs to Chengchow and stops at the foot of the platform. He casts a quick glance back to the locomotive in its siding, he can discern the outline of the wagons through the rain and early nighttime dark, but little else. Officer Toshiro, who is standing on the platform so that Renwick's eyes are level with his shins, looks down upon him: "And what can I do for you . . . sir?"


"Of course I will," replies Kolchak to Santiago with a smile, but despite the smile, he is deadly serious and grimly determined. "If you can, pull out the soldier, and I'll throttle the bastard."

Sure enough, Santiago spots a pair of booted feet of someone who is beneath the wagon.

[Cearlan]

"What can you do for me? That is a question somewhat related to what I was going to ask you. But first off, who do I have the highly dubious pleasure of talking to?" As he speaks, Renwick attempts to climb onto the platform so that he and are more on an equal footing. Renwick tries to focus his thoughts on the indignation he had worked up as he crossed the tracks.

He tries to keep his face impassioned, something his years in the Great War will hopefully have prepared him for, at least a a small amount, though his very bowels are churning like a demented whirligig. All the while he watches the Japanese Officer for signs that he will lash out with one of his highly polished, if mud spattered boots.

[Mr. Handy]

Elisabeth takes hold of Mighzhu's hand and squeezes it gently. "Be ready," she whispers. "One way or the other, something may happen."

[Tabs]

Tatsuo feels a tap on his elbow. "The Admiral and the Spaniard are trying to save us--all of us," says Mrs. Kolchak. "They may need your help . . . "


"Okay, I'm ready," answers Mingzhu. She doesn't reply to Professor Pavlov's question.


"I am Toshiro Saitou," states the officer to Dr. Renwick. The doctor attempts to climb up onto the platform. Mad Dog, who is standing beside Toshiro, takes a step forward, fingering the collection of knives on his belt; Toshiro raises a hand, "stop," and with his other he pulls Renwick up.

"You have my name, who may you be?"

[Cearlan]

<Snip>
"I am Toshiro Saitou," states the officer to Dr. Renwick. The doctor attempts to climb up onto the platform. Mad Dog, who is standing beside Toshiro, takes a step forward, fingering the collection of knives on his belt; Toshiro raises a hand, "stop," and with his other he pulls Renwick up.
"You have my name, who may you be?"

Renwick takes note that Mad Dog is under the Japanese Officer's control, for now at least. He nods his thanks to the Officer and takes a step forward so that Officer Toshiro has to turn towards him with Mad dog behind him, sideways onto the train carriages. As talks he takes half a sidestep away from the train.

"Thank you for your helping me up there Officer Toshiro, I appreciate it. If I may say, your grasp of the English language is very good Sir! As for me, my name is Renwick, Henry Renwick, a British Medical Doctor attached to the archaeological excavations at Zhoukoudian. He does not offer his hand though does give the slightest of bows, little more than a nod of the head really.

"And now that we are acquainted, I feel that I must return the question you asked me back upon yourself ... Just exactly what is it that you want with us and what has led to this situation coming about? The murder of Dr. Chee and his daughter by your associate behind you; and on foreign soil as well, could easily spark an international incident similar to the assasination of the Archduke Ferdinand led to the Greta War." Despite himself he shivers at the mention of that terrible conflict.

"This could be further compounded by your detaining a large number of foreign nationals without permission and against their will. I am sure that you would not wish to cause Japan any undue embarrassment, now would you?" As he waits for a response he takes another half sidestep away from the train.

[Mr. Handy]

"I wonder what 'a place in the darkness' means?" muses Elisabeth. She turns to Mingzhu. "Could Dr. Chee have meant the afterlife? Did he know they were coming for him?"

[aine]

"This is more like it - less cowering like sheep-I'm not going to done in by a cocky chap in shiny boots without a fight." Santiago grabs hold of the ankles and pulls the soldier out, hoping to knock the man's head sharply on the undercarriage. "Here he comes!" He whispers urgently to the admiral.

[DSIGFUSS]

Tatsuo looks nervously from his mother to Mrs. Kolchak and then slowly begins separating himself from his mother as Arashi continues to watch the activities of the soldiers positioning themselves around the train. The sea slug was not going to be outdone by a Spaniard and a white man.. As they say in the America.. No way hose!

When his moment finally arrives, Tatsuo steps off the train and approaches the admiral and Santiago just as the Spaniard pulls on the soldiers boots. His fat clenches tightly to his buttocks as he takes a sumo stance and raises a foot to come crashing down on the soldier's chest.

[Tabs]

"'Afterlife'? oh no, father didn't think that," replies Mingzhu.

"Reincarnation, then?" asks Professor Pavlov.

"Rejuvenation." Mingzhu wonders: "Maybe he did know that tonight his enemies would try to destroy him."





[ooc: Posts for Renwick, Santiago and Tatsuo will be up tomorrow.]

[Mr. Handy]

"How did he know?" Elisabeth wonders aloud. "Did someone warn him?"

[Tabs]

Santiago grabs hold of the ankles and pulls the soldier out, hoping to knock the man's head sharply on the undercarriage. "Here he comes!"

Like a rat out of a drainpipe, a scrawny Japanese soldier is yanked by his ankles from beneath the wagon. Admiral Kolchak falls upon the soldier, and claps a hand over the man's mouth. "I can't strangle with only one hand!" And . . . Tatsuo thumps his foot upon the soldier's chest, his breastbone cracks and his lungs collapse--he is dead.

"Uh!" Mrs. Kolchak grimaces, turning her head and screwing her eyes tight shut.

Admiral Kolchak lets the lifeless head drop. "My dear, what are you doing here?"

"I'm going to fetch Dr. Renwick. It's time for us to go, isn't it?" She marches away towards the platform.

If I may say, your grasp of the English language is very good Sir!

Officer Toshiro bows in reply. "The language of our century.

"It is--ah--a delicate matter. How do you say? oh, I do not know, but I have my 'Orders' . . . I am forbidden to explain further.

"Dr. Chee was a criminal," states Officer Toshiro. "And the death of his daughter--how very sad. Which reminds me, there is another daughter, is she with you foreigners, Henry Renwick?"

Mrs. Kolchak appears at the foot of the platform.

"Dr. Renwick," she says tremulously, "sir"--acknowledging Toshiro--"the Admiral requests your immediate assistance, your wife is having a decline."

[DSIGFUSS]

Tatsuo looks nervously from Admiral Kolchak to Santiago and the dead Japanese soldier he had just crushed with the fat of his feet....

He waits patiently for one of the two men to make a quick decision. This is the sort of thing his mother usually handles for him.

[Mr. Handy]

"We may have our chance after all," says Samuel quietly. "Not yet, but soon."



"Get ready," Elisabeth whispers to Posie. "We may be leaving soon, but don't go anywhere until I do. You'll need to stick close, okay?"

[aine]

"Quick!" Santiago bundles the body back under the train. "Good work. Thank you for your timely help Sir." He whispers to the big man with a bow and a smile, his teeth glinting in the darkness. "I hope it's now a clear run to that mill on the other side of the field. I wish I knew the area better but I'm probably the fastest of us three so I'm happy to go. Do you know who I can go to for help once I'm clear? I don't like leaving you all in the lurch but it may help to have a man on the outside - so long as the Captain doesn't notice I'm gone." He adds darkly.

[Cearlan]

Officer Toshiro bows in reply. "The language of our century.

"It is--ah--a delicate matter. How do you say? oh, I do not know, but I have my 'Orders' . . . I am forbidden to explain further.

"Dr. Chee was a criminal," states Officer Toshiro. "And the death of his daughter--how very sad. Which reminds me, there is another daughter, is she with you foreigners, Henry Renwick?"

"As an ex Military man I can fully understand the need of a chain of command and the following of orders is ingrained in all who served in the greatest of all wars. But criminal or no, surely the man deserved to undergo a fair trial ... for would you not want that for any of your family or men under your command or indeed yourself. The death of his daughter is more than just sad, it borders on the ..." Renwick pauses as he searches for the right phrase. Having got the attention of the Japanese Officer he is reluctant to get on his wrong side - this was not how he expected the meeting to go, at this point, Mrs Kolchack approaches.

Mrs. Kolchak appears at the foot of the platform.

"Dr. Renwick," she says tremulously, "sir"--acknowledging Toshiro--"the Admiral requests your immediate assistance, your wife is having a decline."

"My wife? M ..." a quick look of confusion passes over Renwick's face but is quickly masked (OOC;- well as least as quickly as it can be) "Officer Toshiro, you must please excuse me whilst I go tend to my wife who is not in the best of health right now. I will return to continue this conversation if and when I may." Renwick gives the Officer a deeper bow than the one he had given him earlier. he turned and reached the edge of the platform and nimbly jumped down off the platform and started to walk with Mrs Kolchack to the train. Once out of earshot of the guards and platform he asks Mrs Kolchack "What has happened Mrs Kolchack, why did you draw me away from distracting the Japanese Officer?" He quickly scans the carriage as he talks and is not too surprised that he cannot see either Santiago, the Russian naval man nor the Sumo wrestler.

[Tabs]

"How did he know?" Elisabeth wonders aloud. "Did someone warn him?"

"It was a guess only," says Mingzhu, "I have no idea. I suppose I hoped, vaguely, that he had prepared himself . . . "--she pauses, or hesitates--" . . . I'm lost, I mean, I wasn't aware of what father thought--I didn't really take note"--Mingzhu has a catch in her throat--"or care."



"Alright," answers Posie. "Don't let them hurt me!" She snuggles against Elisabeth and squeezes her hand.


"You're right Santiago," says Kolchak. "Reconnoitre the mill, make sure it is safe, the rest of us will follow, I think. Here, take this." He hands over the soldiers rifle--it's a bolt action weapon with an internal chamber containing five rounds. The long, slender bayonet he keeps.

"What has happened

Mrs. Kolchak says to Dr. Renwick: "The men have killed a Japanese soldier. We need to get away."