The Last Ride of The Freedom Train
The light-haired woman with the taser moved carefully through the abandoned factory, stalking her latest quarry. Close behind her were Brian and Maurice, her partners in the chase, and Tabby, the camerawoman. Currently, the view from the camera was just the back of their heads, and little else in the darkened space. The camera was filming with a night lens, so everything looked a pale, glowing shade of green. Suddenly the leader held up a fist, signalling for everyone to stop. "Shh! Do you hear that?"
The group went silent, and they looked all around, though clearly not seeing anything specific. "All I hear is a dripping sound Dani," said Brian.
"Yeah, that," she confirmed. "That's City Slicker! It's coming from the tank in the corner. Let's--"
"--We interrupt this episode of Danika Sedova: Bounty Hunter Babe for this special report." The announcer's words are accompanied by the logo for the Larsen Channel Seven News.
"Good evening. I'm Phillip Thyme..."
"...And I'm Paige Webb..."
"...And we're bringing you this special report following the progress of the journey home for the body of the fallen hero known as The American Guardian, or as he called himself, The Crossing Guard," says Phillip. "He of course became known as The American Guardian when the President recognized his role in stopping the Cyborgorillas- cybernetically enhanced sentient apes seemingly bent on the destruction of humanity- also known as Silverbacks due to those metallic enhancements. Dedicated to protecting America from interdimensional threats, The Crossing Guard drove them back into their dimensional space known as Gorilla Grotto- the highlight of a career spent criss-crossing America via railroad.
"His train, the Guardrail- also known by its popular nickname of The Freedom Train- served as a mobile headquarters for the hero for decades. It may not seem like the fastest way to travel the country, but thanks to a teleportation system called a tesseractuator- or more commonly the Rail Pass- the Freedom Train can be virtually anywhere in the country in a blink of light, and the blink of an eye, by passing through a system of tesseracts."
"The Freedom Train will be taking a somewhat slower route today," reports Paige, "making stops across the country, allowing mourners to view the body, currently laid out in repose in a special funeral car. It's reported that the Crossing Guard's daughter and former sidekick, known as The Guardian Angel, will be travelling with the train to escort her father to his final resting place.
"Driving the train of course is The Conductor- the android intelligence that directs the Freedom Train, communicating with GPS satellites and sensors specially commissioned for the International Space Station to ensure that its travels via Rail Pass don't interfere with other trains."
"Paige," Phillip says calmly, "We're now receiving word that the Freedom Train is pulling out of the station in San Francisco Bay."
"Oh, look at that!" Paige exclaims happily. "The Freedom Train departs with the fanfare of full brass bands and a red, white, and blue balloon release! Wow, look at that! You might be interested to know that the balloons used in this farewell ceremony are made of a special material derived from the skins of potatoes. As they ascend into the atmosphere, they will gradually begin to shred, and fall back to Earth. They are completely biodegradable, posing no threat to soil, waterways, or wildlife."
"That's good to know," Phillip says somberly. "The Freedom Train is of course the third train to bear this name; the previous two having operated in the 1940's and 1970's, displaying items of national importance to the public. Freedom Train Three will only travel a quarter mile before making its first jump via Rail Pass, and... oh, there it goes now," he says as the screen shows a bright flash of light on the tracks that swallows the short, five-car train. "We now switch you to Cheyenne, Wyoming- the first stop for the Freedom Train on this funeral tour for an American hero. Standing by on scene is Mike Rofon. Mike?"
Cheyenne, Wyoming
"Phillip," Mike responds, "using the Rail Pass, the journey from San Francisco Bay to here in Cheyenne will only take about ten seconds. As you can see on the track behind me, the tesseractuator is already opening a portal- known as a tesseractuality- so the Freedom Train will be arriving in moments," Mike says with a smile as he turns to watch the track.
As the Freedom Train roars into view at the end of the train station's platform, a second tesseractuality opens at the platform's opposite end. Flashes of light can be seen through the windows of the train's middle car, and as the second portal receives the train, a body crashes through one of the windows. It is severed cleanly just below the shoulders as it passes over the edge of the portal. The body disappears with the train, and the head and shoulders crash and roll on the platform, producing screams from people nearby in the crowd.
"Phillip, we're not sure what's going on here," shouts Mike as he shoulders through the fleeing bystanders, closely followed by his cameraman. Panting with the exertion, he says, "As you saw, the Freedom Train blew through this stop, and what appeared to be a body was ejected from the train. We're getting through now, and it's--"
The camera focuses on the head and shoulders, and Phillip says, "It's a gorilla."
"Not just a gorilla, Phillip," reports Mike. "This ape has a cybernetic eye. Phillip, it looks like Cyborgorillas are aboard the Freedom Train!"
Strasburg, Colorado
As the Freedom Train roars through a tesseractuality, a battle rages inside between the red-white-and-blue form of The Guardian Angel, and a group of twenty gorillas with various cybernetic enhancements. She's managing to keep them off of her using a forcefield generated by sensors on the train, and an energy weapon the press commonly calls her Flaming Sword. Speeding past the platform, and into another portal, the young heroine shouts, "Conductor! Whatever you do, don't stop! We can't allow these Silverbacks to endanger the public!"
Denver, Colorado
"Already on it Angel," came the even voice of the android intelligence. "Passing through Denver now. May I suggest 'shock and awe,' Miss?"
Looking at the floor beneath her feet, The Guardian Angel saw a handle recessed in the floor. Quickly squatting to grab hold of it, she said, "I'm grounded. Do it!"
Kansas City, Missouri
As the train raced out of one portal and into another, an electrical charge surged through the train car, incapacitating many of the Silverbacks. One had grabbed another grounding port before the blast.
Bluefield, West Virginia
"What do you want?!" shouted Guardian Angel as the last gorilla pounded against the forcefield protecting her from his grasp.
The ape grunted, "The Conductor. Its control of the tesseractuator network will allow the Cyborgorillas to appear anywhere in the country; not just at Gorilla Grotto."
"Over my decommissioned body," The Conductor said, sounding offended.
Washington, D.C.
"Conductor! Final Stop!" commanded the Angel.
"Are you certain?" asked the Conductor.
"Meet you back at the Guard Station," she said. A circle of light appeared at her feet, and the Guardian Angel dropped through. She would reappear in the secret headquarters of the American Guardian.
"Preparing download," said the Conductor. "Cargo secured," it added, and in the funeral car, a flash of light swallowed the Crossing Guard's coffin, sending it to the Guard Station.
International Space Station
"Sir," said one of the astronauts aboard, "We're getting strange readings from the AMS-02 and the BEAM."
"Are you certain?" asked the commander.
"Yes sir. The readings are like--" but before the astronaut could finish, a tesseractuality opened up outside of the station, and ejected the Freedom Train into space. It sailed as straight as if on a track for a few seconds, then began silently twisting and tumbling, the cars tearing free of each other as they went. "Sir? What the hell is that?"
"Something you'll only see once," said the commander. "Keep watch- make sure it continues away from us."
"Yes, sir."
The Guard Station
"Download complete," stated the Conductor. "Are you here, Miss?"
"I'm here, Conductor," answered Guardian Angel. "Contact the National Cemetery. We need to finish this funeral."
"Yes, Miss."
Gorilla Grotto
"Our agents have failed, Alpha," grunted an ape.
Sitting on a stone throne, the right half of his chest and right arm covered in cybernetic metal, The Alpha let out a low growl. Crushing the right arm of the throne in his grip, he huffed angrily, and said, "Then we wait. The Cyborgorillas will have our day. We will conquer Earth. And America will be the first to fall."
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