The Convoy

by Sebastien Acacia

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  * *

  “Our only hope to seize enough atomic piles is to intercept a freight. As you all know, since our last raid on the Fessenheim Factory, the Church has considerably strengthened the security. The same has been done on the trains leaving from there several times a week to supply all the sacred lands,” Trancavel started. “So it’s quite useless to mention our actions windows are very restricted. Blanche and her team analysing the satellite have secured some quite interesting data. Blanche?”

  Looking at each other, accomplice, she immediately resumed the demonstration.

  “As you can see on this map, there are two high-speed train lines leaving from Fessenheim. One toward the South of France, going to the sacred lands of South America through the long tunnel under the Atlantic Ocean right here.” She pointed the Spanish border near the former city of Bordeaux. “The other one goes toward the sacred lands of Oceania and crosses Eastern Europe right here.”

  Matilda was carefully looking at all the elements on the map, her mind already filled with questions.

  “What are those trains looking like?” She interrupted her, ingenuous.

  “Hmm!” That’s true we have a new recruit among us,” Gaucelin said, ironically.

  Blanche disapprovingly glanced at the big guy looking like a Viking, then she zoomed in a train with her two hands.

  “Look,” she told Matilda while Trancavel was looking, caring. “Those are tubular trains, perfectly cylindrical, and their total length is estimated at one mile. They are driven by a magnetic tube subjected to a partial vacuum.”

  On the edge of the satellite view, they could all see a three-dimensional graphic representation showing all the dimensions of the apparatus.

  “The tubular railway has a thirteen feet diameter and is mounted on a structured called a viaduct, at approximately thirty feet over the ground,” Blanche commented. “Once the train is inside, it acts as a leak-proof lid. Then, powerful aspiration mechanisms create an air gap, so the train can move without encountering any resistance, and can reach a speed of more than 370 miles per hour.”

  “Wouahou! So how do we go after a train going that fast?” Matilda asked surprised.

  “First, we must stop it!” Jourdain, who knew a lot on this subject, said.

  Blanche added right after him.

  “Right! And unfortunately, we don’t have so many options to stop it. We can’t blow everything with explosives, because of the risk of starting a new nuclear disaster. The piles are precarious and won’t withstand an accident at such a speed.”

  “So, what’s the strategy?” Aymeric interfered.

  Blanche looked for Trancavel, wanting to leave him the honour of giving the insane explanation. He didn’t hide away from this task.

  “We will stop the train here!”

  He pointed near the area where the tunnel entered under the Atlantic Ocean, near the Spanish border.

  “We will put some explosives inside the tunnel, so it will fill with water and slowly stop the train, in a progressive way without any major damages,” he added.

  Blanche continued.

  “According to our intelligence, by placing the explosives at approximately 6 miles from the area where the tube goes underground, the train will be fully stopped at this point.”

  Blanche pointed at an animation showing a cross section of the tube, partially filled with water, where the train slowly got stuck.

  “As you can see, one part of the train, of approximately 500 yards, will be accessible from the inland part of the tube at a height our assault team will easily be able to reach.

  “We will take action here,” Trancavel interrupted her, laying his hand on her forearm. “We will breach the tube at this exact spot to go inside the train and get as many piles as we can.”

  “All this sounds nice, but it seems too simple to be real,” Gaucelin declared.

  Matilda looked at him, surprised by his intervention. She was thinking the strategy was completely clear and so simple.

  “You’re right, my dear friend,” Trancavel answered, his face serious.”

  Matilda, baffled, was trying to understand. She spoke up, risking to be considered foolish.

  “I don’t really see anything complicated in this matter,” she shyly said.

  Gaucelin burst out laughing and friendly laid his hand on Matilda’s shoulder without worrying about being soft.

  “So, first how do we go 6 miles inside the tube to put the explosives? Come on, I’m listening to you! Then, who will handle the drones and the robot dogs there? I don’t even mention the militiamen, if there are some.”

  “Two have already been confirmed there,” Blanche added.

  “Two, that’s all!” Gaucelin bounced. “I was forgetting the reinforcements who will come, in... Let’s say twenty minutes?”

  “Thirty, exactly,” Trancavel mentioned.

  “Thirty minutes! Thanks goodness,” Gaucelin added. “Just thirty minutes to blow apart some drones, some robot dogs, some militiamen, and load as much atomic piles as possible, then take off!”

  Nobody was daring adding anything else. The pale looks of everybody were remaining low. Gaucelin pointed at the screens with his huge hands, and speaking to Matilda, added.

  “I really wonder what may be complicated in this matter, right, kid?”

  Matilda swallowed and shyly said sorry before pulling away. Gaucelin exhaled openly, trying to downplay the situation. He looked at Trancavel, then added.

  “But I’m sure our commander has already thought about all this, right?”

  “Indeed, we have a strategy.”

  “He always has a strategy,” Gaucelin joked, stroking his elbow in the shameless young girl’s shoulder.

  “We will create a distraction here,” Trancavel mentioned, pointing to an area in the Swiss Alps.

  This information brought comfort into the whole audience.

  “As you can see, at this spot, the other freight train line going to Oceania is crossing some deep canyons in the open air. Ermengarde’s mission will be to blow up the bridge to attract the Milicia Christi and to force them to bring all their strength in this area. Then, they will be almost one hour away from our real target. We will synchronise our action to maximise the time we will have before they arrive on the Atlantic Coast.”

  Matilda looked at the young firery-haired man who had just become the main protagonist of this part of the strategy. He was biting his lower lips without saying a single word. Then, he caught the look of the disconcerting young farmer with skin the same colour as honey and closed his eyes as a gesture of acceptance, like if he was telling her she shouldn’t worry.

  “OK, great, we get thirty extra minutes,” Jourdain declared. “What about the other things? How do we enter the tunnel to place the explosives?”

  Blanche started speaking.

  “I will go inside myself. There is a maintenance access chamber a few yards before the tunnel dives underground.”

  “Jourdain, you will be in charge of the distraction in the MRU, to attract the security force and leave time for Blanche to sneak inside without being noticed,” Trancavel added.

  “How long will she need to travel the 6 miles and get out before the train arrives?” Jourdain asked suddenly.

  “Thirty minutes, five to get down, twenty-five to get back up,” Blanche answered straight away. “Whatever, I won’t have a single extra minute. The train will arrive at full speed just one minute after I will be out.”

  “And how will you go that fast?” Aymeric provoked her.

  As an answer, Blanche pointed at her electric long board leaning in one corner of the room.

  “You’re completely crazy, my goodness!” Aymeric said, astonished. “With the grade of the tunnel and the speed you will have to reach to be there on time, you will fall before reaching your destination.”

  “It’s doable,” Matilda interrupted him, surprising everybody.

  Ermengarde looked at the young African
princess, astonished.

  “What do you know about this, kid?” Aymeric provoked her, being sceptical about every aspect of this mission.

  “I’m myself practising long board!”

  “See this! She’s also practising long board!” Her detractor said ironically, pretending to mimic her.

  A few mocking laughs erupted from the meeting audience, except from Ermengarde, Blanche and Trancavel. Trancavel, annoyed, ended all the sneers.

  “Enough! This is the only solution we were able to come up with. If you have a brilliant idea to share with us, it’s time to do so, otherwise just shut up!”

  All the faces stiffened, confirming once more Trancavel’s undeniable and undisputed leadership that Matilda had already guessed. Aymeric raised his hand, not daring interrupting any more without the prior consent of his leader.

  “We’re listening to you!” He granted him.

  “Seriously, what are the probabilities you survive this, Blanche? Let’s concede you place the explosives, if you don’t get out in time...”

  Aymeric didn’t bother finishing his sentence. Everybody had understood what would happen if she were to be late. Blanche still answered.

  “I will blow up everything so you can fulfil your part of the mission, if that’s what you’re doubting about,” she curtly answered, looking down at him.

  Matilda couldn’t imagine such an outcome. She was doing her best to chase away the terrible images her fertile imagination had just put in her mind.

  “And if you fall? If you don’t manage to place the bombs?” She finally interrupted her.

  “There could never be not a single risk, but this is the only solution.”

  “No! There is another solution,” Matilda stroke, attracting the curiosity of each other and Ermengarde’s admiration.

  “I don’t get what you’re speaking about,” Blanche mourned.

  Bored, everybody was waiting for the young farmer to answer.

  “If we are two, we will have more chances to succeed!”

  “Don’t even think about it,” Trancavel objected.

  “I’m fully able,” Matilda rebelled, offended.

  “Really? Remind me, when did you start your military training?”

  “And you? Remind me, how many soldiers do you have?”

  “This isn’t the question! You aren’t ready and we can’t embark you in a mission without knowing you will make it through, alive.”

  “Embarking me? Maybe you haven’t noticed, but I’m already fully embarked in your cause. What’s the risk your mission completely fails if Blanche doesn’t succeed in placing the bombs and coming back in time? No explosion, no more Blanche, and you will return defeated. What is the back-up plan? You have no idea what I have in mind, and you just disregard the simple idea of me taking part, because you can’t risk the poor kid getting hurt! We’re speaking about rescuing my mother, so if your strategy seems doomed to me, I, at least, can speak freely, right?”

  Nobody was daring interrupting her or speaking again. Some were pouting, forced to admit the shameless young girl was right. Blanche, who was the first concerned, was swearing by herself, her self-esteem affected, but too honest not to agree that Matilda had just made her point. Finally, Ermengarde interrupted this long embarrassed silence which had seized all the Kathars.

  “Let her introduces her strategy, there is no risk in listening to her.”

  Trancavel wasn’t approving. Nevertheless, he had no argument to oppose against a more detailed presentation of Matilda’s back-up plan, who wasn’t shy any more and was blinking toward Ermengarde.

  “All right, we’re listening to you,” Trancavel convened while sprawling in his comfortable leather seat.

  Matilda looked around, surprised by the sudden open-mindedness of the alpha male. She breathed deeply, and started her explanation.

  “When I was telling you I have been practising long board, I wasn’t speaking just about going on a straight line on flat and smooth roads. When I was 16 years old, I won the games of Tiberi, and I completely broke the record during the long board contest which had been held by Mamadou N’Gomo, the defending champion, for more than 12 years. I’m speaking about going down stiff mountain slopes, jumping more than 65 feet, with a long board powered by atomic energy and going up to 75 mi/hr on flat land.”

  Ermengarde looked astounding, while Blanche was starting to see Matilda from a new perspective. A small smile appeared on Gaucelin’s face, while Aymeric, Trancavel and Jourdain were staying stiff.

  “So, I’m not this fragile and stuck-up kid you seem to think,” she added after taking a deep breath. “What do you think about dividing by two the time needed to come back? I have quite a lot of experience in terms of long board engine. My idea is simple. On your drawings, there is a 70% slope in this place. Power will be needed to get out from there. I offer you to go with Blanche in the tunnel with a second long board and an auxiliary engine in my backpack. Blanche will carry the explosive charges. Once placed, we secure the two long board on the extra engine which will provide enough power to go up much faster.”

  “Hmm!” Hmm! Trancavel grunted. “Is it OK? Are you done?”

  “Uhh? Yes, that’s the idea I wanted to share,” Matilda answered, intimidated.

  “OK! Great! Thanks for your intervention,” he disdainfully concluded. “So we can go back to the demonstration. Where were we already?”

  Blanche interrupted him.

  “I’m in!”

  Trancavel looked at her, hesitating.

  “In?” He repeated.

  “Yes, Matilda is right. The success of this mission can’t rest on me only. If anything happens to me, all the plan is doomed to fail. And, honestly, if we can gain 10 to 15 spare minutes by boosting our long boards, as she suggested it, this is an undeniable asset for the mission.”

  Matilda was smiling as much as Trancavel was pouting.

  “Honestly, your plan rocks,” Ermengarde added, while the top dog was looking at him incensed.

  “Our small Ermy is right,” Gaucelin added in a low voice.

  “What?” Trancavel said incredulously.

  “Yes, the kid’s plan is awesome,” Aymeric admitted, not daring facing the leader.

  “No! You also?” He declared, gesturing at him with two hands.

  Jourdain didn’t add anything more. He avoided facing Trancavel when he was looking for him to get a supporting opinion. But nothing came of it. Blanche continued before it was too late.

  “There is no risk in tryin...”

  “OK, OK!’ Trancavel interrupted her. “Under one condition!”

  Everybody was intently staring at him. He added.

  “First, show us what you can do. If you beat Blanche during a long board race, you will deserve your place in the mission. Any objection?” He asked while looking at every single member, one after another.

  “It seems fair play”,” Gaucelin let out.

  “Yes, at least we will know what the kid is capable of!” Aymeric agreed.

  Blanche looked at Matilda. She could hardly refuse the challenge. Her plan was clever, but was she really able to perform it? They had any rights to doubt it.

  “Quite the contrary,” Blanche finally answered without moving her eyes from Matilda.

  Pricked, she proudly retorted.

  “Let’s go right now, or do you want to wait for a bit?”

  “Let’s conclude with the mission details before!” Trancavel intervened, astonished.

  “Right, by the way I have one question,” Gaucelin added.

  Trancavel gestured him to share his question with the small committee.

  “Hmm!” When is the next train leaving?”

  “That’s exactly the topic we were going to discuss,” Blanche answered.

  “Trains aren’t subject to any regular timetable. There could be one in an hour, in a week, or even in a month,” Trancavel explained.

  “However, thanks to our satellite observations, we can deduce up to a
few days when the next train will be loaded by closely looking at the storage area here,” Blanche indicated on the satellite view on the screen. “You can’t see it by just looking at it, but the storage area is almost full. You can deduce it by analysing the period of time between the entry of the trucks and when they get out of the tunnel leading to the warehouse. When the warehouse is empty, the deliveries take more than 10 minutes because the trucks have to drop the piles at the other end of the docks. Then the fuller it is, the less far they need to go. Once the warehouse is almost full, the delivery time drops to two minutes. This means that sooner or later they will have to load the rail cars. For the moment, our analysts are thinking the next loading should take place in at most four days. Whatever, when we will be sure the loading will happen, we will have less than an hour to reach Montségur and make sure the entire team has boarded in the MRU for the mission.”

  “Our analysts will be watchful 24 hours a day. You must be ready at any time, so make the arrangements you need, my friends,” Trancavel insisted.