’Based on what I’m feeling from the wind, the user should be around mid to High Alpha-Rank; however, it’s also a sign that they didn’t evolve any higher than 2C, as if they did, they wouldn’t be so high up on the ranking level.’ The minutes passed by agonizingly as I continued coloring one picture after another in a sloppy manner.
’Tsk, if it weren’t for this train station being so densely populated and the CCTV covering nearly everywhere in the place, I would hunt that asshat down and eviscerate him for making me feel like a cornered rat.’
’However, the last thing I need is my cover and that of Vincent’s being blown so early on.’
"ALL ABOARD, 11:55 Service to London, ALL ABOARD!" As I was lost in thought, a booming voice came over the intercom system announcing that the boarding for our train was beginning, which spurred Vincent into motion.
"Come along, young master, we mustn’t be late." He stated in a professional tone while standing with one arm behind his back and his other extended out to carry my backpack.
"Ok," I only uttered a single word as I quickly cleaned up my crayons and coloring book before stuffing them in my backpack and handing them over to Vincent.
From the point of view of an outsider, nothing would be out of place; I was merely a young child with his butler, which was exactly how I wanted to be perceived.
Sure, it was probably a little strange seeing a butler accompanying a young child no more than five years old in this day and age, but no one would bat an eye as they didn’t want to invade the privacy of others.
It wasn’t until we had gotten to our first-class seats on the train and had pulled out of the station that I should have been able to relax; unfortunately, that wasn’t the case because even once we were firmly situated in our seats, I could still feel the slight chilly wind brushing against my skin, along with an itch at the back of my neck, an itch that I had long since become familiar with as it was my sixth sense telling me I was being watched.
’There’s no way….no, it’s not me specifically being targeted, it’s the whole train…but why, it doesn’t make sense to me. Why would they choose this specific trip to London when there are dozens of trains leaving every hour to make the trek.’
Hopping onto my knees in my seat and glancing out the window, my eyes flicked around rapidly as I used the reflection in the glass to scan the area behind me and the other seats.
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freewebnσvel.cøm.
’Full Stop Taylor, I need to create a profile of the Returner I am dealing with. Let’s start from the beginning; someone is searching for the person behind the death of Harlow Sheffield, along with the burning of the two medical facilities.’
’This person is intelligent enough to be able to surmise it was a returner behind the crimes, and they know that I, too, am of above intelligence. This points to the fact they may have a law enforcement background spanning from before the Descent of Arkadia and would have been in their late 50s or early 60s before returning to the past.’
’They are either an Aero-Mancer or Aerokinetic, with a power level of Mid to High Alpha Rank, and one or more Aero Skill of the Major or higher attainment.’ Ignoring the passing scenery as the train sped along, I continued my analysis.
’This person is hyper-aware of their surroundings and most likely has extensive experience tracking down suspects or criminals utilizing their talent and skills.’
’They have made their way high up enough in the food chain to be able to mobilize a small army of police to aid them in screening potential threats at the drop of a hat.’ Taking a slow and steady breath, I once again felt the brisk wind moving through my hair as it created another scan of our train car.
’And lastly, they have enough foresight to board the same trip as us, either by coincidence or design, they have potentially narrowed down their search to this very train…bothersome…’ Pushing away from the window, I sat back in my chair and picked up my backpack off the ground before rummaging through it.
’Personally, I would prefer to derail the train and kill everyone on board, but it would be far too suspicious if my false identity and Vincent’s were the only ones missing…which means if I did that, I’d not only have to get a new façade for Vincent, but I’d also have to collect all the bodies in my inventory, which is far too troublesome of a task to execute.’
’And then there’s the fact that I’m not wearing my mask right now, so although I am pretty sure I didn’t give any of the cameras a clear line of sight to me, that doesn’t leave out the potential of me having messed up and showed up on camera, which would inevitably leave a paper trail back to my real identity with enough knowledge and research as my Brother, and I share quite a few brotherly facial features.’
’So what are my options here….soon, I predict they will search train car by train car, doing a deep scan of every person for any trace of Particles, at which time, no matter how good at concealing mine I am, they will still be able to pick up on my radiation fluctuations since I’m at 6C.’
’At that point, they will either attack me then and there or try arresting Vincent while bringing me to a secluded area wherein they will try and deal with me behind closed doors.’
That was only one of the many scenarios I came up with in the first 30 minutes of the over two-hour train ride to London, and by the end of that time, the presence of the faint wind grew stronger as the user applied more particles to their skill.
Yet, even after 30 minutes, no one burst into our private room, nor did anyone bother us; things were quiet, which unsettled me even more as the clock ticked on.