At the Arstead train station the next day, a small group had formed in front of the platform. Jac, Iona, and Miriam had gathered to see the class off, their first trip, despite their ups and downs, considered to be a resounding success. Jac gave the group an approving look. “It may seem cliche, but it truly does feel like you guys had only just arrived. You were only here a couple days, but you were able to help bring justice to both the victims and their families. The parents of the child who was almost kidnapped yesterday have asked me to give you their eternal thanks and that, should you ever enter Arstead again, they would love to have you over for dinner.”
Dorian nodded. “If I’m ever here again, I’ll gladly take them up on their offer, if I can get in contact with them that is.”
Jac chuckled. “I have their contact information. Just give me a shout and I’ll get them in contact with you. With that being said, I’d like to extend my thanks to all of you for your assistance. You were put in far too much danger for my liking, but in the end, you were able to help bring this sad story to as good of an end as possible. Just…be careful from here on out, you hear me? I have no idea what this cult will think about what happened the past couple days.”
Miriam nodded. “That is a scary thought, if I’m being honest, and during your next trip, I won’t almost certainly won’t be there to help you all if the cult decides to take revenge. I just hope a certain reporter over here will keep her word when it comes to the reporting of this incident in the press.”
Iona held up her hands in a mock surrender. “No need to act so accusingly towards me. The only information I put in the article, with Jac being able to confirm, is that they were students from a military academy. There are eight academies in the country, and dozens of classes. It would be nearly impossible for them to figure anything out with just that to go off of.”
Miriam sighed but nodded. She again turned her attention to the group. “Just make sure you learn as much as you can from your instructor. She’s an extremely capable combatant who knows how to bring out the best in people, both as people and as combatants. If the cult does somehow figure out who you are, she’s your best chance at surviving.”
Everyone in the group nodded before Digby spoke up. “Are you going to keep in contact with us about the investigation into the cult?”
Miriam shrugged. “I’ll send a message here and there, but don’t expect too much. Can’t exactly be revealing any classified information to students, even if they were personally involved. However, I promise I’ll tell you what I can.”
Dorian gave Miriam a concerned look. “Let me repeat what you told us, but to you. Don’t overextend yourself and put yourself into danger that you can’t get out of.”
Miriam chuckled. “I’m not nearly as reckless as you are. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. Besides, I’ll be working with Jac and get a couple of trusted colleagues coming down to assist with the investigation.”
As soon as Miriam finished talking, a voice spoke over the loudspeaker. “The liner bound for Westwich will be departing in five minutes. Please proceed to your seats immediately. I repeat…”
Miriam looked at the group. “Looks like it’s time for you all to go. Keep safe everyone. It was an honor to meet you all. I hope to meet the rest of your class someday.”
Jac and Iona both nodded their heads in agreement. “Have a safe journey back everyone! I look forward to seeing you all again.”
“Good luck everyone!” Iona said, grinning. “I look forward to writing about your achievements in the future!”
Dorian, Farnell, Digby, and Olive all said their goodbyes and stepped onto the train, heading over to their seats. A couple minutes later, the train’s whistle sounded loudly as it lurched forward. Within a minute, the train was completely out of sight from the station as Jac, Iona, and Miriam looked on.
Iona stretched. “Welp, like you two, I have a LOT of work ahead of me, and I’ve put it off long enough.”
“How long are you going to be in Arstead?” Jac asked as they began to walk away from the station.
“Until tomorrow morning. My boss wants me to look into something else while I’m here, but I’ve sent over my article to him already, so that should be released in tomorrow’s paper. I’ll get in contact with you before I leave.”
“I’d appreciate that.”
Iona broke away from them and waved. “Until we see each other again!” Iona then ran down the street as Jac and Miriam stood in front of the station. Jac then turned to Miriam. “So, by those ‘two trusted colleagues’ you were talking about…”
Miriam nodded. “It’s exactly what you think. The director, after being briefed about what had happened, agreed that this cult is too big to ignore. He’s bringing the 'dream team' back together so to speak. They’ll be arriving tonight, and we’ll be here for a few days afterwards to help you bring this investigation to a close. After that, we’re probably going to be sent all over the country looking for any information.”
“I see…well, I’m glad that you’re all getting back together. Though with you gone, there won’t be any agent assigned to–”
“Not entirely. There’s going to be a rookie agent that just managed to pass her final tests with flying colors that will take my place. She’s also arriving tonight, and I’ll help her get acclimated to her new role. From what I’ve been told, she’s one of the best rookies the agency has seen since…well…the three of us.”
Jac nodded, relief evident on his face. “That’s good to hear. We’re all going to be as busy as we ever have been these next few months, so at least I’ll still have some backup in that regard.”
Miriam nodded. “Just don’t let your guard down though. We may have stopped the cult this time, but we have no idea if they have any members still in Arstead or not. If there’s any stragglers still here, they may think that my leaving is the perfect time to strike again. I’ve grown quite attached to Arstead, despite my relatively short time here. I would be heartbroken to hear that something even worse happened while I was away.”
Jac nodded. “You have my word: I’ll keep Arstead safe and secure while you’re gone. I worry more about the students actually.”
Miriam nodded. “You aren’t the only one. Though I do believe that they’ve taken my warning to heart. Plus, with Dorian there protecting them, I’d be very surprised to hear if one of them had been killed or seriously injured.”
“We’ll just have to leave it up to fate then.”
“...I guess we do.”
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