Prologue

The call came in the morning as Susan stumbled in through the door. Another late night out partying and drinking and all the other things that can cause a headache as bloody horrible as the one she had. Her organs felt like shifting themselves up her esophagus and the pulsing pain in the back of her head meant she had had one too many of the little fruity drinks.

The call didn't help.

It came in the morning and it told her to come to the train station 'there had been an accident' it said. Addressing the matter as unimportant, Susan jumped in the shower, reveling in the hot steam. Stepping out, she changed into the skirt and shirt required at her office workplace - they hadn't been washed as laundry sat for another night without her attention. The clock read 7:47, her shift began at 8:30. Moaning a bit, she supposed she would have to be a little late and wondered, in hind sight, if she would just be showing up to the Underground guards escorting her youngest brother beaten and bloody from another fight. Peter, back from Oxford, was supposed to take the youngest two on to academy that morning, but knowing Peter - well, it was completely possible he had joined his brother in whatever mischief they sorted to do.

While driving, she turned on the radio in her car. The dismal day could use some music.

Bad idea.

A voice drifted through the speakers, "... 757 Train lost control and spilled of the tracks. The number of dead and injured rises as the hours go by, currently standing at 235, 456 respectively. What makes the accident a true tragedy is that the train was carrying many students of varying ages to their schools. In times such as these with the war only years behind us one can only wonder whether England will ever stand again..."

Susan ran a red light, then a stop sign.

Cars honked and a lone police officer in the middle of an intersection whistled violently when she zoomed past. The rain splashed about leaving torrents of water rising in waves on unsuspecting walkers. They grumbled, drenched in their jackets and trousers and handkerchiefs.

Arriving at the station, any thoughts that the radio was mistaken were over. Police cars blocked off the entrances and frantic bystanders ran around, a Red Cross van stood off to the side with its many volunteers pulling in blankets, water and victims. Groups stood staring at a long strip of police tape that stretched its way around the scattered entrances to the station. Everywhere there was chaos. Police and fireman ran around as scared as the people that surrounded them. Tendrils of smoke drifted up from the station's entrances. Above was okay, down below permeated a disgusting aura of tragedy.

As Susan pushed her way through the crowd a bedraggled officer who looked barely out of the academy attempted to stop her, "Miss, you are going to have back away - only.."

Her legs swept past him.