One Stop Too Soon

The train rumbled beneath them, slicing through the misty landscape of Eastern Europe. Jessica sat by the window, watching the countryside roll past—gray skies stretching over vast fields, abandoned factories, and the occasional village huddled under the weight of its own history.

Leanna sat beside her, flipping through a travel-worn notebook filled with notes and hastily drawn maps. Olivia sat across from them, her laptop open but her fingers still. The tension in the compartment was palpable, a quiet storm brewing under the surface.

"We’re being watched," Olivia finally said, voice low.

Jessica turned to her. "How do you know?"

Olivia barely moved her eyes from the screen. "There’s a man three rows back. He boarded with us in Berlin. Never looks directly at us, but every time I check, he’s still there."

Leanna didn’t look up. "How good are you at losing a tail?"

Jessica smirked. "I’ve had some practice."

---

When the train slowed for a stop at a small station, Jessica made her move. She stood, stretching casually, then strolled down the aisle as if headed for the restroom. At the last second, she veered toward the exit, stepping onto the platform as the train rattled to a stop.

Her heart pounded as she walked toward a side exit, hands in her pockets, listening. Footsteps. Heavy. Controlled. Was this a leak from Jean-Luc’s side? Her instincts said no—but instincts weren’t proof.

Jessica turned a corner, pressing herself against a stone wall, waiting. A few seconds later, a man in an overcoat followed, slowing as he reached the corner. She could see his reflection in the dirty window of a newspaper kiosk.

She struck fast. A well-placed elbow to the ribs, a sharp twist of his wrist to disarm him. The man grunted in pain but didn’t shout. He knew the rules of this game.

"Who sent you?" Jessica hissed.

The man smirked, even as she pinned him against the wall. "You already know."

Jessica’s jaw tightened. "Vanguard."

He didn’t confirm or deny, just chuckled. "You’re predictable, Carter. That’ll be your downfall."

Jessica didn’t blink. But the name still landed like a punch to the chest. Carter was a name from a life that didn’t exist anymore—not really. It was another mask they gave her before the real erasure began.

Jessica slammed his arm harder against the wall. "Then tell your bosses they have no idea what’s coming."

---

By the time Jessica returned to the compartment, Leanna and Olivia were already gathering their things. "We need to go," Leanna said. “Our tail wasn’t the only one. Someone else boarded this stop. We cut now or we get boxed in.”

They exited the train as the conductor blew the whistle for final boarding. Olivia was still reading from her laptop as she walked as if she was on the verge of a discovery. Jessica turned to her, voice dry, "Did you get anything?"

Olivia closed her laptop. "Lazarus Prime isn’t just one facility. It’s a network. We’re going to have to find the central hub."

Jessica exhaled, adrenaline still thrumming through her veins. "Then we better get moving."

Outside, the train station bustled with early morning commuters, the sky barely lightening as they stepped into the cold air. Their path forward was uncertain, but one thing was clear—they were running out of time. They slipped through the crowd and toward the local line. Their stop had come one too soon—but that was the point. Keep moving. Stay off the pattern.