The Relentless Halt
The screech of metal and the rhythmic clatter of wheels on tracks pounded through the train, a deafening pulse that echoed the chaos within. Passengers huddled in their seats, eyes wide with terror as the world outside blurred by. The train hurtled forward with relentless speed, heedless of the desperate hands clutching its controls.
Remond's breath was shallow and fast, his mind racing to untangle the truth from the chaos. Operatives of Second Dawn—staging a hijack? It didn't add up. And yet, the fear in the goon's eyes had been real, the words rasped out like a confession wrenched from raw nerves.
The door to the cabin burst open, and Ms. Panther stalked in, movements fluid and sharp. Her eyes, amber and intense behind her mask, narrowed at the scene—the slumped goon, the panicked driver, and Remond, fists clenched so tight his gloves creaked.
"Everyone's safe," she announced, voice clipped and commanding. "I've cleared the rest of the train. Now stop it."
"I can't," the driver gasped, sweat trickling down his temples. "Controls are locked remotely—someone's overriding everything!"
Ms. Panther's eyes flashed. "What the hell does that mean?"
"It's not stopping," Remond muttered, voice low and grim. "Someone wants this train to crash."
---
Panic in the Cabin
Her jaw tightened, a snarl curling her lips. "That's insane! How—who?"
Remond's gaze darted to the goon, still half-conscious and groaning on the floor. "He says it's Second Dawn," he said, the words bitter on his tongue. "That this was all staged."
"What?" Ms. Panther's eyes widened, a crack in her composed demeanor. For a heartbeat, the ferocity drained from her gaze, replaced by something rawer—confusion, disbelief. "That's—no. That doesn't make any sense."
"Makes enough sense to them," Remond muttered, glancing at the control panel's blinking lights. "And if we don't stop this train, none of it's gonna matter."
The driver's hands shook as he gripped the levers, knuckles white. "We're coming up on the last station," he stammered. "If we hit it at this speed—"
Ms. Panther's breath hitched, panic creeping into her eyes. "Backup's not gonna make it in time," she snapped, voice rising. "We need to—damn it!" She slammed a fist into the panel, claws scraping metal. "There's no way to stop it!"
The floor seemed to pitch under Remond's feet, a sickening lurch as reality settled in. But amidst the rising panic, a steely resolve crystallized in his gut—cold, clear, unyielding.
"There is," he said, voice steadier than he felt. "I'll do it myself."
---
Separating the Passenger Coaches
"Wait—what are you doing?" Ms. Panther snapped as Remond pushed past her, boots pounding against the metal floors.
"Getting the passengers out of harm's way," he called back, sprinting through the swaying corridors. His eyes scanned the emergency systems, fingers flicking switches and yanking open control panels.
The train lurched, a violent shudder that nearly threw him off his feet. A blinking control caught his eye—the manual override for the coach couplings.
"You've gotta be kidding me," he muttered, but his hands were already moving, slamming the lever down. With a tortured screech, the coupling locks disengaged, and the passenger coaches wrenched free, their speed already slowing as their weight diminished.
"He actually did it," the driver's voice crackled over the comms, half-disbelieving. "The passenger cars—he cut them loose!"
But the driver's coach, the engine, and the control cabin remained—thundering forward, hurtling toward the last station with bone-rattling speed. Remond's breath came shallow and fast, eyes fixed on the tracks stretching into the darkness.
"One problem at a time," he growled, sprinting to the front of the engine. "Now for the hard part."
---
Mod 2nd: The Awakening
Wind screamed, tearing at his mask and suit, but Remond forced his stance wider, boots scraping against metal as he planted himself directly in front of the roaring engine.
"He's—he's going for the front," someone gasped over the comms, disbelief raw and sharp.
Ms. Panther's voice crackled, half a growl. "Is that… what the hell is that?"
Breath steadying, he closed his eyes, centering himself. The familiar tingle started in his core, a surge of power unfurling beneath his skin—warm, thrumming, dangerous. It had been weeks since he'd used it, since he'd dared push past the limits of his control. But now wasn't the time for restraint.
"Mod 2nd," he muttered, voice lost to the wind.
Heat exploded in his veins, bright and fierce, like sparks catching tinder. The glow flared around him—brilliant orange, licking at his limbs, wreathing his fists in light. Energy coiled tighter, charged and deadly, until his skin buzzed with it.
---
The Struggle to Stop the Train
With a roar, Remond slammed his palms into the front of the engine—energy detonated, a shockwave rippling down the tracks. The train screamed in protest, momentum shuddering, but it wasn't enough. The station loomed ahead, lights blurring in a sickening rush.
His shoulders screamed, muscles straining, bones rattling from the force. Sparks flew where his boots scraped steel, heels digging in, every tendon pulled taut. The kinetic energy lashed out, orange streaks flaring and flickering, but the sheer mass of the train bore down, relentless and crushing.
"Come on!" Remond's voice tore raw from his throat, desperate. The pressure was suffocating, heat burning through his gloves, limbs trembling with the effort to hold steady.
Steel groaned, the train's speed faltering—barely, but enough to wrench a gasp from him. He gritted his teeth, drawing more power, the glow intensifying to blinding brilliance.
---
Final Push: The Last Station
The last station was a smear of lights and panicked faces, growing closer by the second. Remond's pulse pounded, each heartbeat a countdown to impact.
The pressure was unbearable, kinetic energy flaring dangerously at the edges of control—threatening to explode outward, to tear him apart if he faltered. His vision blurred, breaths coming shallow and rapid.
"You—idiot—" Ms. Panther's voice broke over the comms, half-snarl, half-shaken. "You're gonna tear yourself in half!"
He didn't care. Couldn't care. Not with the station seconds away, with dozens of lives hanging in the balance. The energy swirled, searing and wild, and he shoved it forward with everything he had—legs burning, arms numb, the glow blinding.
The train screamed, metal crumpling under the force. Its speed plummeted, wheels screeching, the entire frame shuddering with the effort to halt. Sparks exploded in showers of white and gold, lighting the tracks in a strobe of chaos.
And then, with a final, agonized groan, it stopped.
Remond slumped, exhaustion crashing in. The station lights flickered overhead, and he let his eyes drift shut—just for a moment. Just until the world stopped spinning.