We are sorry for the inconvenience, but because of the... uh... the...
Because of the... accident ...the train will be re-routed to the nearest hub with a repair station. Those of you who wish to go further than the Spaceport Station in Earian, should look to catch another train. We apologize for the delay, and hope the rest of your trip is... uneventful.
Thomas looked around the crowded train as it slowed to a stop. All of the civilians on the train had gotten bored of staring at him and his wife, and most of them had even gotten tired of staring at Tier and Yakira. Thomas starting getting his hopes up, thinking that they might be able to blend in with the crowd, when Tier motioned for him to look out the window. On their boarding platform was at least a dozen Carrotan Military Tuffguards, armed to the teeth.

"Alright, you know what to do, so drop that bomb and get out."
Kaz didn't respond to the tinny voice in his ear, his destination was already in sight as he glided casually through the Spaceport Train Station. Another day, another bombing.
"Kaz, don't look, but there are a dozen Tuffguards with all the trimmings on platform #7. I don't think they suspect you, they are aiming at the... What the hell happened to that train? Listen, finish your job quickly and then see what is happening on platform #7, an enemy of our enemy just might be our friend."
Kaz decided to take on the look of a bird who was about to miss his train, and reached platform #11 just as the train and it's visiting dignitaries were slowing to a stop.
He dove under the train and flew quickly down the length of it, dropping sticks of TNT as he went. As he flew out from under the caboose, he started circling back to platform #7 and then pushed a button hidden in his glove.

Thomas was holding a panicking Susan. Thoughts raced through Susan's mind. More than half the people in the train had left, there was no way out without the guards seeing, there was no where to hide, and -
The explosion rocked the entire train station.
Those closest were knocked flat by the shock wave.
Everyone else hit the floor a second later by pure instinct.
The well trained Tuffguards were running full tilt for platform #11 before anyone else realized why they were laying on the ground.
Chaos. Everyone rushing towards the exits, people screaming, people crying.
Tier quickly realized that this was it. He grabbed Thomas and Yakira and heads out the door, Thomas pulling Susan along as they went.
"Hey, it's the kid! The girl, with the Jade Dawn!" Kaz yelled into his glove, from his perch in the rafters of the train station.
"Yeah, I see her. She seems to have picked up a couple of friends... wait a second, I just saw their Holo broadcasted like a half an hour ago. Let me do a quick search... They are wanted for attempting to assassinate Governor Gary Parker. Kaz, I think we have some new friends to meet"
"Right, just keep the cameras off line. I'll meet you back at base, set the table for six."

.

Nadine Harefeathers was tired after a long flight across Carrotus. She remembered back when she was a child, some of her Rabbit friends saying how lucky she was, that she could fly while they were confined to walk. This week, she was almost wishing she wasn't a pigeon, with all these stories of assassinations and vampires and werewolves and civl war refuges, she barely had any time to sleep between researching, reporting, then flying to the next location.
As she flopped into the squeaking hotel bed, exhausted, she asked herself for the third time this week if this was worth it. As she closed her eyes and tried to sleep, with the clatter of rain on the roof of the Inn, she convinced herself not to quit. At least not yet.

Nadine started awake whimpering, the face of a vampire still etched in her memory. "Ok, it was just a dream" she said to herself, trying to convince herself of it. She scanned her dingy hotel room, making sure she was alone. "Ok, I need to sleep, I can't have nightmares keeping me up, I have enough to deal with as it is," she told herself. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm her breathing. Before she could exhale, she was lifted out of her bed by the throat and found herself staring into the eyes of a vampire.
"Where are they!" it hissed, through closed teeth.
Nadine struggled to breath, the creature loosened it's grip on her throat enough for her to talk.
"Wh-where ar-are whowhowho?" she stuttered.
"Those who were arrested for the attempted assassination of Gary Parker," the creature breathed, "they cut your broadcast every time you mentioned a name."
"Th-the locals of Tahamo say they were taken to C-Castle Neverberg."
"That place does not exist on any map" the creature growled "where did they take them?"
"Th-they were headed towards th-the Carrotridge M-mountains, last I saw. At least, it's the only thing I know of in that direction."
The creature hesitated, then growled "Thank you" and dropped Nadine back into her bed. It turned and stepped toward the window.
"Wait!" Nadine squawked, "who are you?"
The creature paused at the window, turned and said "I am Louie Greenthorpe. Sleep well, Nadine." and then was gone.

.

"Welcome to the Underground," said the burnt turtle, sitting down at the table.
"I don't want your names, and you will not get ours. The underground works best if those who are captured have nothing to tell."
The burnt turtle turned and addressed Yakira, "I never thought I'd see you again, after dropping you off, blind and burnt..."
"You are the ones who saved my life?" asked Yakira, "I never even saw your faces. You are good people..."
"Good?" asked the burnt turtle, "We kill many people on a daily basis, My companion and I. No, I wouldn't say we are 'good', I'd just say we are a means to that end. And look, we are in the company of assassins! No, not good people at all."
"Why did you bring us down here?" asked Tier, "You killers must have some motive for assisting us"
"Yes, in fact we do" started Kaz
"We want the corrupt government to be destroyed, from the very core." continued the burnt turtle, "And you, even though you might be doing it for different reasons, seem to be wanting to help."
At this point, Susan started crying. "I am not an assassin, never wanted any more than to live in peace with Thomas, raise kids and grow old together..." she hugged Thomas protectively and turned to quiet whimpers.
"I just wanted to find out what happened to my sister, I just want to head to Pneum Arklik and find my way from there." stated Yakira quietly.
"And you?" asked Kaz.
"I... I want revenge." Said Tier, "Estella and Parker are both vampires and working together and I want Estella dead."
A moment of silence, then Burnt said "Well, we know of someone who is passing through, and perhaps can help you three hide from the eye of the law. We have ties in with the mafia and might be able to get you smuggled to a planet outside the jurisdiction of the Carration Empire. Now," the burnt turtle turned toward Tier, "bombs and hacks don't kill vampires, do you have a plan, Zombie?"
Tier thought for a moment, then asked "Turtle, in your tour of the hacking world, have you ever come across an organization called 'Schism'?

.

Alex had followed the space ship he saw fly overhead, as it was flying low, and flying low in the middle of nowhere is always worth investigating. He reached the landing point just in time to see the spaceship take off and a car driving his way. He hid in the shadows and slapped a bug on the car as it passed, then headed back to camp while listening to the feed from his bug... "Well..." he thought, "It seems that Johnathan Aimon is in town."
He got back to camp just in time for it to be his watch. Naomi complained about him not getting back sooner and crawled under the tarp they called their bedroom.
Alex was just settling in for the long haul when his Schism issued phone rang. The caller ID was blank...
"Who is this and how did you get into this network?" Alex asked forcefully.
"Hey, Schism, this is Zombie. I just met a hacker who really knows closed circuit phones. We need to talk."

.

Tier absently hung up the jury rigged phone, contemplating his next move.
The mafia leader, Johnathan Aimon himself, is here on business, and from the sound of things the business is probably the crew Alex is helping. If he wants them dead or alive I don't know, but neither is a good option. Gary parker, with the help of Bruhn and Estella, moving up quickly through the ranks of corrupt government, Louie most likely ripped to shreds, and all over the news is Tony and Michelle's capture. So few of us versus an entire Mafia and Government... but... but what if we got them to fight each other?
Tier snapped out of his stupor, and saw Burnt staring at him.
"So," Tier started, "Do you happen to know the number for a Jonathan Aimon?"
"I might be able to dig it up," answered Burnt, eying him, "But why do you ask?"
"I want to see if they can smuggle three people out of this system's jurisdiction, and I am wondering if they would take a little muscle as payment for that ticket."
"I don't think your muscle would be enough for that," Burnt started,
"-would you like to join me? Or is the Mafia somehow conflicting with your's and the bird's goals?" Tier asked.
It was the burnt turtle's turn to sit and think, now.

.

Louie was running full tilt, high on the fresh blood of a deer he met in passing. The path was easy to follow, even in the rain and in the dead of night. A caravan of military vehicles leave quite a mess of tracks when crossing a plain. The full moon and fresh blood was good for him, he felt like he could fly. He spotted something glowing ahead of him, and steered toward it. He slowed to a stop next to the moat. It was real, then. Castle Neverburg, a bit of hell, imported for the sole purpose of... something so evil, not even this Vampire could get his mind around it.
He circled the castle, the drawbridge was up and there was no way in. Louie briefly wondered if the moat of lava was more to keep the prisoners in or to keep the demons in. He looked up and saw a window, big enough for a man to fit through. Ten feet above ground level, thirty feet above lava level, and a hundred feet from this side of the moat.
Louie looked again, and saw a glimpse of motion through the window. He listened closely, he could hear the evil cackling of demons and cries of pain. He could smell the blood... He was fairly sure that that was Tony's blood.
The moon was full, his blood was fresh, he felt, no, KNEW that he could fly. He turned around and walked away, for he would need a running start.