The Swap

Consciousness. It had eluded Leslie for longer than she had realized. The train. How I got from the safehouse to the train, I don't recall, but I'm here now. She sighed. She turned her head side to side to try and find her bearings. No one was in the seats adjacent to her, there usually wasn't. Her back was stiff in the seat. The train car she sat in never had reclining seats, but no one ever minded if she would lay down across two seats; she never did though. The train went on and on. It's the express again. It will be at least an hour before it stops. Leslie got up from the hard seat, tilting back to see her trunk in the reserve space above her seat. She looked side to side again. She could see the tops of hats and hair of a few people scattered about the train car and no conductor in sight. She stepped up onto the seat and popped open her trunk, it wasn't even locked. Inside the trunk: a couple hundred dollars, coins she knew to be counterfeit, and a wig, this one was an up-do. The usual. It will be 'The Ship Swap.' Again. Her partner was creative, for sure, but not always original. Under her seat, a small briefcase. Her partner always gave her the same brown briefcase. It was probably more discrete for her to hand off the briefcase to a man than a purse. She opened it up to reconfirm what was in it: supplies and another hundred-dollar bill. She took out the bill, closed the case, and tried to discretely hold it in her hand - her small but deft hand. She sat back in the seat on the aisle side, setting and sticking herself in place. She didn't need to move; she didn't want to move. She wanted to enjoy these last few minutes of peace and quiet before everything started.

"Ticket please," said the conductor.

Leslie glanced down the car before glancing up to the conductor. She knew this one. "Of course." The hundred-dollar bill was wrapped up in someone else's old receipt. The conductor punched the receipt, handed it back, and kept the cash.

"Can you at least wait until I make the announcement in A14?" She asked.

Leslie glanced out of the window, no glimpse of the city yet. "It shouldn't be a problem."

"Helen didn't appreciate waiting last time."

"She never does, but I get through it."

The conductor went on her way. Leslie never paid for her ticket to get on board. The bribe had become more expensive, but it was a pittance compared to her profits 'The Ship Swap' would offer. She turned her head to look out the window and sighed again, feeling the comfortable movement and sway of the train, it was still clear when the pressing of the seat across from her had someone else sit down in it. "Falling asleep on the job?"

"No. In fact, I was already awake. The conductor is already taken care of, I just was avoiding this moment."

"Are we set?"

"A14 is the early cue." Leslie didn't even bother looking back over at her contact, she knew who it was.

"You know what to do?"

"Don't insult me," Leslie said with an irritated tone. "This is an old game."

"Maybe for you. We don't get old in this game. We get sloppy and caught."

"Tell that to your next partner. House. Train. Ship. I'm tired. There's something more interesting than this calling my name," she said.

"What could be more interesting than this?"

"Something new. Something more creative. I heard about a hotel that's all tree houses. I could go for that."

Her partner scoffed. "Then what? You'd get bored with that and be back here changing wigs before you know it."

"At least I would try it."

"Helen won't tolerate it."

"It's not going to be her choice," said Leslie.

Leslie's partner stood, taking the briefcase and leaving a slightly different one in place. She knew the drill: her partner would move to the last car; Leslie would roll her trunk and take the briefcase off at the next station in the city and make her way to the dock. She waited for the conductor's announcement: the first domino. All plans as usual. The first lights of the city came into sight - a yellow hue that was all too familiar. Leslie stood, hearing the announcement, grabbing her partner's brief case and her trunk from overhead. She gripped it easily and was able to lower it behind her. No one even bothered to look up or help her. Hell. I could change wigs now and no one would notice or care. But she didn't. She waited, that would be sloppy for her to do that out in the open of the train car.

Then, a jolt, out of nowhere. This is not how this was supposed to go. Was her partner doing this? The conductor? It was like something from the A14 car far behind her smacked and ricocheted towards her. Derailments don't normally come from the back. She swiftly tried moving forwards towards the next car hoping it wouldn't affect the swap. The other passengers didn't even seem effected. Leslie tried to moved quickly through the train with her items, but it was too late. The hard kick from the back of the train came up like a flash and the whole car derailed and began to roll off the track. The side of the car Leslie sat on hit the ground first. No screams, just the sounds of the train hitting the ground and ripping itself apart. The roof flew open and Leslie tumbled out as the train's weight and speed kept it moving, crashing, breaking, destroying itself. Leslie lay there, unmoving, still holding the briefcase, thinking about what would or could be next: Would someone else make the swap? Will I ever make it to the tree house? Or back to the safehouse? But anything is possible when you're made out of Lego.