“I am surprised,” Eddie chuckled, seated alongside the Hashim cousins and the mercurial Featherhead. “Your knowledge of various fields, including science and technology, is…immense.”

“Immense…” Featherhead mimed.

“Never thought you had it,” Eddie insisted, a smile popped up from his face. “Even better than my knowledge of things.”

“Mr. Detective, I am using all I know into use. That is all.”

“Are you a detective?”

“No,” Dominic shook his head. “Why?”

“Just asking. Maybe if you want to join the police force…”

“No, thank you,” Dominic replied before Eddie completed his sentence.

Eddie erred but soon replied, “Okay.”

“I am more interested in working through things on my own. There is no need for associates.”

“But we think you are a genius…” Baraq said.

“Your compliment does not justify anything to me,” Featherhead said.

“We are sincere,” Jamal interrupted. “By the way, it is a pleasure to meet you,” he added in his typical modest way.

“You, too,” Featherhead replied. “Now, I am guessing that there will be people coming in here, to check their belongings.”

“Maybe they want to take their things and leave,” Eddie said.

“Definitely,” Featherhead said. “Anyone has coffee?”

“No coffee in here,” Jamal replied. “We checked all the compartments. No food, either.”

“Testament to the terrible train service provided by the Creamland railway station.”

“What do you mean?”

“I was talking about the cargo trains.”

“Oh.”

“Anyway,” Eddie said, rubbing his palms, “the items in this train are, no doubt, volatile. They are dangerous, like Featherhead pointed out. I checked the origami, but I still have not understood it deeply. I need to do more research.”

“Who do you think is responsible for this?”

“I am not very certain, but based on discoveries, like the clothes worn by some of the guards, I can be certain of something. It is most probably Marks, the former petty criminal.”

“Who?”

“To be exact, it is his old name, but he is believed to have changed his name. Actually, his real name is unknown, because he does not have a trace of fingerprint in any part of Earth.”

“How is that possible?”

“He just never did. His old nickname, Marks, I found out from a man in a trench coat that we just caught. One of whom is responsible for my friend Joe’s disappearance.”

“Your friend disappeared?” Featherhead asked, his eyebrows rose underneath the mask. “Is that Joe Jackson guy your friend? The one in the papers?”

“True,” replied Jamal.

“We wonder how he is right now,” Baraq added.

“So, you are all here, in this train, to find him?” Featherhead asked, becoming a little puzzled with his new friends.

“In some ways, yes,” Eddie replied, “but we are also here to find clues and bring the criminals to justice.”

“May you succeed in your journey,” Featherhead said. “It seems you are not all bad, after all. I thought policemen are corrupt.”

“Excuse me?” Eddie asked, a trace of annoyance obvious from his voice tone.

“I am just saying, because some corrupt cops weaken the law enforcement unit by bending the rules, leaking security information to unknown parties, mostly crime gangs.”

Eddie cooled down. “I knew about that, too. But there is not much I can do. My career might be at risk if I make a mistake in pointing out people in the police department. You know, if I accused someone…”

“Agreed. But you have to do the right thing.”

“Man, I am hungry,” Baraq interfered. “Have we got anything to eat?”

“I told you there is nothing,” Jamal said.

“That is terrible!”

“But I do have some chocolate cookies in my backpack.”

“Awesome!” exclaimed Baraq, his eyes wide open.

“Very good, Jamal,” Eddie smiled.

“I do not like cookies.”

“Then, you can enjoy seeing us eat,” Jamal said as he took out two packets of cookies.

Featherhead’s stomach released a burping sound. He could not hide the fact that he was hungry as well.

“On second thoughts,” he said, “can I eat with you guys?”

“Sure,” Jamal replied. “Why not?”

“I am deeply grateful for this,” Featherhead said as he took a bite from a cookie. The others followed suit.

Slowly, but surely, Joe’s eyes were opening. He could see a ray of light shining bright in front of his head. The light got brighter as he opened his eyes wider. Next thing he realized was that he was lying on a table, with the three homeless men approaching.

“He is up,” the first one said. “This is great!”

“There is nothing that great,” the second one replied. “He only had a minor injury to his arm.”

“But we fixed it. That is something great, because we achieved a milestone.”

“What milestone?”

“We fixed a problem.”

“What problem?”

“Obviously, the injury is a problem for him. So, removing the bullet is part of the solution. Besides that, making stitches to cover his wound…”

“Oh, I see. You are bright, my friend.”

“Hey, we did it together,” the first said with a grin. “In fact, it is this person’s experience that helped the most,” he said, pointing his thumb towards the third homeless man, who was a little shy when he got the compliment.

“Huh?” Joe glanced at the partially lit room. “Where am I?”

“You are in our personal clinic,” replied the first homeless man.

Joe turned his head round, noticing his shirt and bag was missing. He also realized there was a bandage on his left shoulder, and the blood stopped. He felt little pain, unlike before.

“Where are my clothes?” asked Joe to the homeless people.

“Your shirt is being washed,” the second one replied. “Give him a t-shirt.”

The third one tossed a green t-shirt towards the second. Then, the second gave it to Joe.

“Thanks,” Joe said. “I never thought that someone might help stop my bleeding.”

“Thank the little one,” the first pointed at the third. “He is good at repairing damaged things, even humans.”

Joe smiled, before putting on the t-shirt. It fitted perfectly.

“You guys, I do not know if you should be doing this. You are so, so kind, for helping me and all, but how can I repay you?”

“Repay us with some money,” the second said with a menacing grin.

The first and third beat the second’s back, causing him to grimace in pain.

“What is that for?” the second asked angrily.

“This is not the time to talk about money,” the first one reminded. “Let our friend heal completely. That is more important.”

“Oh, all right. I want to buy some drinks. An espresso will do. You two want anything?”

The third was seen writing on a note. He then gave the note to his friend. It stated:

two chocolate drinks for me and marty

“Fine,” the second one replied.

He promptly left the room and disappeared.

“I…do not have any money,” Joe stuttered, “for now. But I will try to repay your favor some other time.”

“Why were you bleeding in the station?” asked the first.

“Long story. To put it simply, I was shot with a bullet.”

“By robots, I assume.”

“Yes, you are right. I was trying to run away from them. Actually, I was trying to get home, to Creamland. I still am.”

“Creamland? Why, that place is far away from here. I cannot recall if I have been there, but it is further away.”

“I know, but can I get there by train?”

“I am not sure, because we usually ride trains without paying.”

“What?”

“Sometimes, we could not afford to pay tickets. So, we ride trains to see the world. Better than staying in this increasingly dull city.”

“But this city looks amazing. I mean, the trains travel in the sky…”

“And sometimes, if things get out of hand, the trains get struck by lightning!”

Joe paused. “Really?”

“It used to happen, but now not always. I want to ask you a question.”

“Go on.”

“Why are the robots chasing you?”

“I honestly do not know. However, I have a feeling they mistook me for someone else.”

“Oh, so you have a double.”

“As far as I can recall, I do not. But the robots kept chasing me like hungry wolves, shooting their bullets and cannons and whatnot. At the same time, they caused injuries all over my body. It is ridiculous!”

The homeless men giggled.

“What is so funny?”

“Oh,” the first stopped laughing, “nothing.”

“By the way, you do not have to pay for tickets, but how do you go places without getting caught by the officers in charge?”

“Simple,” he smiled. “We take turns to hide. We can either hide in toilets, or even the store room at the back. We even chill out in front, eating and drinking.”

“And you never get caught.”

“Nope,” he shook his head. “The officials do not bother.”

Joe laughed, but he felt increasing pain on his left shoulder.

“Try to rest, friend,” said the first homeless man. “You really need to rest and let the shoulder heal.”

“All right, all right.”

Joe slowly leaned against the table, his eyes fading away as he fell unconscious. The homeless men covered his face with a towel, but he rejected, putting it elsewhere.

“But it is true, mom, dad! I saw the evil robots chasing poor Mr. Joe.”

Rais’ voice echoed in the first floor of his family’s residence. His parents, Jason and Aminah, were left speechless as to his son’s daring adventures, and their former visitor’s trials.

Jason was trying to catch his breath. “Slow down, son! You were saying, that you rescued Joe from impending doom, on your mini scooter.”

Rais nodded.

“And, you both ran away from two chasing robots that almost hit you?”

Rais nodded again. “But Mr. Joe…”

“Do not interrupt me, mister.”

“Err…okay.”

“And…you left Joe on the railway station?”

“Yes, and I just escaped from the robots. They were shooting, and they went bam, bam, bam!”

“Stop!” Jason exclaimed to his son. “Too much information.”

He was massaging his forehead, as wrinkles started developing on it.

“Rais,” Aminah said, “did you realize what you just did?”

“Uhh,” Rais thought, “I saved Joe from danger.”

“You just put your life, and Joe’s, at risk.”

Aminah shook his head in disappointment. Rais looked down.

“On the other hand,” Jason said, “he did save Joe, and the scooter. No scratches.”

“I know,” Aminah said, “but our son almost died out there.”

Aminah patted his child’s head, causing him to smile.

“Yes,” Jason replied, “Although I am happy he is still here, but what about our friend? Is he okay? What do you think, Rais?”

“I have no idea, dad. I went home straight after the robots left me.”

“Oh…” Jason paused for a moment.

“Oh, no!” Aminah exclaimed. “How is he now?”

“I have no idea,” Jason replied, shaking his head.

“Hmph!” Aminah exclaimed again, his face red. “Like father, like son.”

“But I really do not know…I hope he is fine. He is a strong man.”

“Hopefully, he is.”

“He did finish lots of tuna yesterday,” Jason insisted with a smile. “That will keep him strong. Thanks to you, Aminah.”

Aminah chuckled. “Why, thank you, Jason. That is the nicest thing you said for a while.”

“What can I say? I am good with words.”

“Yeah,” Rais said, in a sarcastic manner. “Sure you are, dad.”

Rais’ head was patted again, this time by his father.

“Okay, Rais,” Jason said to his son, a smile obvious on his face. “You did the right thing. And, thank you so much for not scratching the mini scooter.”

“But you said it is my scooter! If it scratches, why should you worry?”

“You have no allowance,” Jason reminded his little son. “If it gets scratched, I have to take responsibility. I have to pay the costs to repair it.”

“You mean we have pay for it,” Aminah said, glancing at his husband.

“True,” Jason said with a giggle, but his face later turned serious.

“Are we going to see Mr. Joe again?” Rais asked his parents.
“Of course we will,” Aminah said. “But you have to stay inside for now.”

“But I want to be a crime fighter, like you two!”

“You have not reached the strength and skills of a true crime fighter. You have to stay inside! It is dangerous outside, especially with robots shooting all over the place.”

“But they are shooting at Mr. Joe.”

“Do not play with fire, Rais!” Aminah screamed at his son. “Jason, please tell him…”

“But he did help…”

“No,” Aminah said. “Tell him to stay at home.”

Jason paused, taking a time to look at his wife and his son. His wife was pretty, but she was not the best of person when she was angry; his son an adorable kid, but definitely lacked the skills of a crime fighter, although he did well to rescue Joe. Jason was finding it difficult to come up with a solution to please both of them.

Eventually, he had to tell Rais to stay.

“Rais, please stay with Cheeks,” he said. “We really appreciate what you did, but sometimes there are times when you need to stay at home to protect yourself from further harm.”

“But…”

Jason stopped his son from talking. “That is enough, son. I believe you are tired. You need rest after going out late at night. Go on and rest.”

“I am very healthy!”

“You mean you are fresh.”

“Yes, I am fresh. Wait…I am Rais!”

“Never mind,” Jason insisted.

“Go and play with Cheeks or something,” Aminah said.

“If anything happens,” Jason told his son, “call our cell phone number. It is written on the yellow paper under the house telephone.”

Rais nodded in silence, his head kept down.

“Okay,” he replied softly. He ran to the basement to join Cheeks.

Jason did feel sorry that his son could not follow him and Aminah to reach Joe. They were wondering about their friend, and hoping he was safe, wherever he may be.

“How are we going to find him?” Aminah asked Jason.

“I honestly do not know,” Jason replied.

“The last place was the railway station. I believe he is nearby. If not…”

“If not, we have to keep on looking. Whatever it is, let us get there, now.”

“Let us go!”

The two entered their floating hybrid car, with Jason taking the wheel. The car approached the vast city. Rais was holding on to Cheeks on his bed.

“Let us hope they are safe,” Rais whispered to Cheeks.

Cheeks meowed, and purred. He rested his cheeks beside Rais’.

The train carrying loaded high-tech machines and toys was on its way to the urban city known as Eagle Eye. It was ascending at an extremely fast speed on its way across the border, with high resistance felt. There was little time remaining, before it made its way into the one and only Eagle Eye Railway Station.

The train was silent; the driver and assistant sat side by side; Featherhead was absent; Eddie was almost awake; the cousins were already asleep.

Featherhead interrogated the guards at the back.

“Who is Marks? Can you tell me who Marks is?”

“Wha…who is that?”

“Do not act like you do not know.”

“I do not know. Honest! It was the police chief who wanted the stuff.”

“Who do you work for?”

“No one. I work alone, am not contracted to anyone.”

Featherhead eventually let the helpless guard go. He was not much help for him, for he was telling him something he already knew. The only thing he did not, was, who was the brains in the police force who would order loads of high-tech weapons from overseas, with little to no reason, not in any aspect necessary for the time being?

The train reached Eagle Eye. The announcement was made by the assistant, who sounded like he just woke up from bed.

The cousins woke up, so did Eddie.

Wow, they all thought as he looked out the window.

He felt impressed by the scenery in the city.

“Tons of tall, dark buildings,” Baraq said. “This is like one of those cities we see in video games, and movies.”

“Never thought this type of city is real,” Jamal said. “Look at that car down there. It has no wheels!”

“Absolutely!” Baraq exclaimed, impressed by what he saw.

“Wait a minute,” Eddie voiced out his opinion. “Are we moving on top of many tall buildings, and high up in the sky?”

The cousins calculated their thoughts.

“Yes,” they replied.

Suddenly, Featherhead came from behind, closing the mouths of the cousins.

“What are you doing?” Eddie asked in confusion.

“To remind you guys,” Featherhead replied. “The police robots, and the drones, might be monitoring you as of now. Look at that drone over there.”

Indeed, there was a drone moving alongside the train, its shining screen and body flashing through in the dark night.

“We will be careful,” Jamal whispered.

“Be more careful,” Featherhead replied.

He released his hands from covering the mouths of the cousins and shifted his attention to Eddie.

“This place is truly spectacular,” Eddie said. “I have never been here before. It looks …unique.”

“Yes, I agree it does,” the costumed hero replied, “but it is best to keep a low profile while we are here.”

Eddie paused for a moment, taking a breather. “I assume there will be people attending to the weapons at the back.”

“They will know about the mess we made.”

“Too bad, but there is nothing we can do.”

“Actually, there is…”

The conversation continued until the train grounded to a halt in the large but uncharacteristically gloomy station.