Session 12 – A Train to Catch

We have given the Germans over to the Bedouins, and now must decide how to intercept Mousellini’s double on his way from Ethiopia to Alexandria in Egypt. The train itself is a rolling tank, with huge guns on either end and is otherwise heavily defended. We decide that we must attack the train before it reaches its destination, perhaps intercepting it and destroying the tracks or setting charges on one of the bridges that span the Nile River to destroy the train.

In speaking to the Bedouins, they will be able to supply us with some explosives. We visit them and secure the explosives as well as the detonating materials and some additional ammo and other gear.

We take off in the German plane we stole and find the train. Heading further north we find a suitable bridge that is made out of wood, so it will be destroyed much easier than a metal one. Maiura attempts to climb down and plant the explosives but takes a nasty fall. She is apparently unhurt, however, and is able to set the explosives. Clayton is successful in setting the other explosives as well.

We hide and wait for the train. Maiura moves a distance away and takes Ducard’s pocket mirror to signal us when the train is in sight. Finally after a few hours she signals us. The bridge is blown out just as the train is about to reach it, and we immediately hear the squeal of the brakes. The train plunges through the bridge and the front few cars go into the water, destroying the rest of the bridge supports as it does. The first third of the bridge collapses completely.

The train’s boiler explodes and we hear the ammo stores go up. The second-to-last car opens up and men start piling out. We begin firing on them. After a few moments we dispatch all of them.

We move up to the open train car’s door and knock, Clayton speaking in Italian asking to be let in. The ruse doesn’t work, however, and more men come out, guns blazing. We take them out as well and attempt to move inside, but Maiura is immediately shot at.

Clayton has an idea — he gets Ducard to bring the mounted gun to the train so he can shoot into the door. The plan turns sour when a grenade is tossed out towards us and Gabriel decides to jump on top of it. Luckily he is not badly hurt and is able to get up.

Ducard has a bead on the men inside the train through the door, and briefly sees Mousellini’s double. He takes the shot but the bullets don’t seem to reach him. This must be part of the ability he has with the “Spear of Destiny” he carries. Slate comes up behind him and gets a bead on the double with his revolver. After a couple of shots it is clear that he can’t be hurt very readily.

The group finally is able to rush the train car and takes out the double. In one of the bedrooms we find out two scientists, and they give up. We take them into custody.

In an hour’s time, Westmore and his assistants show up. In that time we have searched the train and have found the staff that the double reportedly had. We inform Westmore that this is not the real Mousellini, but a double, and we show him the staff. He gives it to his assistant, a man named Joseph Kennedy.

Over the next couple of weeks we don’t hear any news about the incident, but we do hear that he has taken ill. In a month or so we start hearing his name in the news again and surmise that they have created another double.