Brian couldn't help but keep his eyes averted from everyone they ran into as they maneuvered through the crowd to board the train. He wished he could have Izzy's confidence and look them straight on. Just another thing that she was better than him at.

“It's good you are keeping your face low,” Izzy spoke up as if she could read his thoughts. Could she? Maybe, she seemed to be able to do everything else. “We can't risk someone noticing who you are right now.” She took hold of his hand and squeezed it tightly before letting it go so they could climb aboard the train.

Brian followed Izzy as she pushed her way through the crowd, Megan following behind. The train was almost harder to board than an airplane. People trying to put their items away and take their seats. Many bumped into him and when he sucked in his breath from the pain shooting through his arm, the person that ran into him actually apologized. Brian kept looking around wondering which seats were theirs but Izzy kept going.

“Here we are,” Izzy said as she stopped abruptly. Brian almost ran into her backside and Megan did run into him. He could hear Megan muttering apologies as Brian looked at where they stopped.

“A sleeper car? Are you sure?” Brian asked.

“It's what the tickets said. You didn't look at them before handing them to me?” She asked as she made her way inside and put her bag down. She threw herself down on the seat apparently oblivious to the fact that she had had a serious gash in her leg only hours before. Brian sat carefully down so that he would not jostle his arm more than he could help.

“Guys...” Megan was looking out the window at the others who were boarding the train. “This might not be as leisurely a ride as we had hoped.” She pointed at a pair of people who were walking on the platform. Izzy glanced out the window and cringed.

“Dammit,” She muttered and moved away from the window. She pressed herself back against the seat hoping that the people she just saw did not see her.

“What?” Brian asked but before anyone could warn him he looked out the window to see two men in suits looking into their window. He threw himself back against the seat causing a searing pain to rip through his arm. He sucked in his breath, held it for a few seconds before letting it out again. “How do they keep finding us?”

“Maybe they aren't part of that group, maybe they are business men?” Megan suggested hopefully though non of them believed what she was saying.

Megan took her seat next to Izzy and all three kept looking between the window to the platform and the door to their compartment. Izzy kept expecting it to open any minute and for them to fight another battle. She had wished that the train ride would give them all a chance to rest. Once they reached California she knew that the worst was yet to come.

When the train started moving and the men continued to stand on the platform, they all let out a sigh of relief.

“Businessmen,” Megan breathed the word out and forced a smile to the other two. Izzy looked down at her hands and back to the door then to Megan. “You know,” Megan started. “I am starving and I bet you two are too. I am going to see about getting us some food, or at least find out when we can get some food.” She smiled at Brian and Izzy and promptly opened the door to their sleeper car closing it gently behind her.

Brian sat looking out the window as the pace of the train started to pick up and the scenery started to blend by. He looked towards Izzy briefly before looking back at the window. She was looking down at her hands still. They must have sat like that for close to fifteen minutes but still Megan did not return.

“We can't just not talk the entire trip,” Izzy spoke up. “We do need to make a plan.”

“You mean you need to make a plan, take me along, carry out the plan and protect me?” Brian huffed.

“I don't understand why you are being like this.” Izzy moved to sit next to him but he continued to look out the window.

“How would you feel if I had these powers that I didn't know why I had that I was always using to save you.”

“Grateful.” Izzy honestly answered. “It's more than that though isn't it?”

Brian continued to look out the window. There was more, the fact that she could fight, heal fast and somehow knew how to pick a lock annoyed him but it didn't make him mad at her. He wasn't sure he could really admit why he was upset with her.

“Spill it Backstreet Boy.”

Being called a Backstreet Boy again made him smile and he turned to look at her. She was grinning at him and he relaxed.

“I just don't understand how you can make plans with that guy.”

“Who Greg?”

“Yes, Greg.” Brian smirked.

“You're jealous?” There was a twinkle in her eye as she spoke.

“No, just...how can you make plans with him when you saw that picture with us, together?”

Izzy shrugged and moved back to her own seat across from him. “Do you still love, or believe you love, Leighanne?”

She had him there. He had planned to find Leighanne and Baylee when this was over and continue their lives as if nothing had happened. Even if Leighanne was set up in his life to be the perfect wife as a cover, they still had a child together. Baylee was still his, Leighanne had said that much.

“How can you trust him?” He blurted out.

“Trust who?” Izzy said before she thought about it. “Oh, Greg.”

“How did you meet?” He asked a tone of jealousy still in his voice though he tried to hide it.

“Patricia....” Izzy started to speak and then stopped talking. Of course, if Patricia set him up with her then he was probably working for The Nine and was probably helping to keep tabs on her. He could have been but then wouldn't he have been persistent about getting together with her? Finding out where she was? “Well when this is over, I will know if he was involved or not and can continue based on that.” She said with finality.

There was silence between the two for another few minutes. Brian took in the surroundings of the car. He was sitting on the larger of the two sitting areas. He was on the larger bed, Izzy was sitting on the second bed and he noticed that the rack above Izzy was not a luggage rack as he had thought when he entered, but the space for the third bed complete with a metal bar to keep the occupant from tumbling out during while they slept. The room was done in dark wood and reds, it made it look elegant. He wondered how much Mike had put down for this and knew that he owed the man big time for what all he had done for them.

“I can't believe he's dead,” He heard himself saying. “I wonder if he really is.”

Izzy nodded in response to his comment. It had been a shock that she killed him as well. It had seemed so easy to kill the men in the suits but for some reason, Howie felt different. Her killing Howie had seemed, not difficult, but unnatural.

“He has to be,” Brian continue to speak. “It would be strange to have the television say he is dead only for him to show up later. But why would the television say he's dead? Why so soon?”

“They are probably trying to flush us out now. They want more people looking for us, turning us in if they see us. There are millions of girls out there that would love to get their hands on me and do their own damage before turning me over. They probably all think that I have kidnapped you and killed Howie when he tried to save you.” Izzy laughed though it sounded more nervous than an actual laugh.

Brian could feel tired, he wanted, no he needed to sleep. Being injured took a lot out of him and he wasn't sure when he'd really get to rest again. He needed to take advantage of the train ride. He lay down and looked over at Izzy who was staring at the spot on the leg that had been wounded.

“How is it?” He asked wondering if she knew.

“I can tell that it's almost gone completely.” She shrugged at him. “How is yours feeling?”

“Like I have a gaping hole in my arm.” He rolled over and closed his eyes.

Izzy watched him fall asleep. She hadn't told him that she had a waking memory. As she had been looking at her leg, before he spoke and brought her out of it. She remembered being in a sterile room, not a hospital room, but more like a lab. There were metal tables all around and instruments on different metal trays. She was sitting on one of the tables, a man in a white lab coat sat in front of her.

“Congratulations for passing.” The man clapped his hand on her back. “Now comes the hard part.”

“What do you mean?” she answered.

“Do you ever wonder why there are so few females in the program?”

Izzy had noticed but hadn't given it much thought. She had always thought it was because many women couldn't handle the types of requests that were made of them. She nodded her head, wondering if he was going to tell her.

“Most women are not compatible with the second part of the process but those who are, are better.” The man grinned at her, it wasn't an evil grin but it made Izzy feel uncomfortable. “You are.” He said matter-of-factly. This will hurt, but won't kill you.” Now his grin looked evil as he grabbed a syringe and plunged it into her arm.

The pain had been excrutiating and lasted for several days. She was in and out of conciousness. She thought was going to die but eventually the pain faded and she managed to come around longer and longer.

“Well, you made it through.”

“What was that exactly?” It was in her training not to ask but to take everything she was told to do and do it but she couldn't help but wonder.

“Ah yes, they do not tell you, I forget this. Let's just say I made it so you can heal faster.” The man smiled, this time warmly and helped her out of the room, a different room than when they first started.

That was all she remembered before Brian had spoken up.

The door to their compatment opened and Izzy jumped slightly, relaxing when she saw Megan enter.

“So, did you two talk?” Megan asked with a smile and a wink.

Izzy shook her head. “Not about much.”

“Why haven't you made a move? It's obvious to me that you like him.” Megan whispered.

Izzy hoped that Brian's even breathing meant he really was asleep and that he wasn't listening in as they spoke. “I feel a connection to him, I can't deny. I have felt it since that damn meet and greet you forced me to go to.” She nudged her friend slightly. “But I doubt anything will come from it. He still feels a fierce loyalty to his wife. We had other lives before we met, and after this is over we will return to separate lives.”

Izzy didn't feel any confidence behind the words she had just spoken. Hadn't they been learning that most everything in their lives had been programmed into them? What, then, would they go back to when this was over? Izzy climbed up to the top bunk and lay down looking down at Brian. She sighed and let her eyes drift close for some much needed sleep.