Tuesday, May 30, 1967, 0700 Central European Time, Frankfurt Central Station, Frankfurt, Hesse, Federal Republic of Germany

It had the largest signal box in Europe. It needed it. From the vast trainsheds of the Hauptbahnhof, trains from across Europe arrived and had to be 'turned around' before being sent back out again. With the full electrification of the area in 1956, no longer was the station filled with the sight and smell of steam engine smoke.

The taxi carrying the five members of CS-14 heading for Bonn arrived at the drop off point and it was a case of moving quickly for their train, due to depart in ten minutes time. The commuters had yet to arrive in bulk, but a small group of businessmen were working their way towards Trans Europe Express 35 'Rhein-Main', destination Amsterdam via Bonn, due to arrive in the main city of the Netherlands at 1219, just in time for lunch.

It did have a restaurant car and four other carriages (although two were only going as far as Emmerich) behind an electric locomotive, all resplendent in the cream and dark red of the prestige international venture between the railway operators of Western Europe. The fare wasn't cheap - 66 Deutsche Marks each once the supplements and seat reservations were included for this and the first-class F-train they were getting back in the evening. But for this money, they'd be whisked along to their destination at 150 kilometres an hour with access to a telephone compartment and typewriter for another small fee. They could even send a telegram from the train.


As they approached the barrier, Josie had the printed tickets in her pocket, all for a compartment in coach 8, which in the rather strange numbering system of European international rail was actually the first coach from the locomotive and the furthest from the platform entrance. It was next to the restaurant car though.

Standing there, checking tickets for this exclusive business train stood a pair of DB staff, while to their side, two train crew were working to uncouple the shunting locomotive that brought the carriages inside.

Groups of men, occasionally joined by their secretaries, were going through and then clambering up into the train.

Best to join them pretty quickly, because this train would not be hanging around.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the GM at 12:21, Sun 27 Jan 2019.

Josie and Lieba stepped up to the two members of the staff and Josie handed them the tickets.

The staff checked them, made sure they weren't fake, and ushered them over to the eighth car or the train, and they stepped inside.

Lieba did prefer first class. It was, of course, a contradiction with her typical Bohemian attitude and aesthetic but she made more than enough money to afford the best things and had become used to them. Not to mention that when she did actually play at a major venue she tended to get paid extremely well since it was rare and she had made enough of a name for herself. Not that she always looked like she belonged, however her current dress almost made her seem like she might have the money to afford these tickets.

All of her luggage was given to people save her two violins. Those never left her side. Once they were seated Lieba gave a letter to one of the stewards to be sent ahead of them. One noting that she had plans to accept the open offer to play, though she would definitely prefer to have her conditions met (especially her choice of pianist) but they weren't deal breakers necessarily. She made certain that the letter didn't sound like she was needing this but doing something for those who'd asked her and that her conditions were mostly firm but negotiable. She didn't want anyone thinking this was too easy, that wouldn't do. It had the tone that she would like to do this for diplomatic reasons but she knew those were tenuous.

Once that was done and she settled into her seat with a nice snifter of Calvados across from Josie. "So, Josie, now that it's just us girls, as they say, what do you really bring to the table here?" In the locked room, Lieba still seemed to be just as friendly as she had, that never wavered. She was almost the opposite of Lawrence in most ways, though the definitely had overlapping skillsets.

Josie glanced at her lap, looked up, and said, "Gosh, I don't know at the moment. A telegram was sent to my family, informing them that I was needed for this mission, as I had just finished law school."

Lieba couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Yes, but you know what this type of work is, right? Danger, violence. Can you use a gun or knife or defend yourself. It may be necessary. And who is your family? I know that Sarah knows the language and all the players, so social. Lawrence is pretty easy to read, stone cold. Wetwork I'm sure, likely torture. I'm very much opposed to torture, it seems a way to get what you want to hear not what is. But there has to be more than legal knowledge." She didn't want to have to babysit.

Josie answered "Well, my father did teach me to use a gun, but I don't use it till absolutely necessary." "And as for my family, my mother 's half Jewish, from Lithuania. My family's middle class, and my father fought in the war when I was little."
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 03:45, Sun 27 Jan 2019.

Lieba opened one of the violin cases and took out the instrument laying it to the side like a baby. Under it she handed several pieces to Josie. It was a dismantled 9mm. "Can you assemble that? And I'm from Lithuania originally. We were in the Kovno ghetto. My father and I escaped...my mother..." She took a deep breath,it was clear she lost her mother then. And with her age she was probably just a little girl when it a happened. She sounded French but wasn't. She was also very clearly Jewish even if it hadn't been picked up on before.

Josie took it from Lieba. "Oh, I'm sorry. That's why my mother escaped. So she  wouldn't get sent to a concentration camp."

It was clear she didn't understand the differences or what really happened. Stories mean nothing. Even Lieba had been spared much of the truth by virtue of her youth.

Still she looked expectantly at Josie to actually assemble the gun or say she wasn't able.

In reply to Lieba Moszkowicz (msg # 9):

Josie looked at the gun in her hands. She had never assembled one herself, but she had seen her father do it, and she put it together like she was an expert at it.

"Here you go." She handed the gun back to Lieba.

"Not bad. But what if you need to use it. Can you shoot someone? We all need to know where everyone stands. I know Sarah can't and that's fine. I mean she may aim a bit and pull a trigger in the heat but not really shoot someone. So, if things go bad, I believe the term may be pear shaped, where will you be?" she could be more circumspect but where they were going ther weren't really options.

In reply to Lieba Moszkowicz (msg # 11):

"I can shoot someone if I need to." Josie replied.

"I missed all that, fortunately. People are only just starting to talk about the Holocaust now. Since they hanged Eichmann."

There was a sharp pair of toots and the train pulled out of the station.

"Best not to unless we have to. Like Mr. McKinley said, they hang cop killers over there."

She got to her feet and pulled open the door of the glass framed compartment. She'd pulled the curtains when they'd boarded to give them some privacy, but it would be best not to wave a weapon around too openly here.

"I'm going to get some breakfast. Do you want to join me?"

"Sure. I'd love to." Josie said, standing up. She glanced at Lieba. "Are you coming?"

Lieba nodded, "a lot of places tend to do that with all killers. People who kill political officials tend to not be treated nearly as well." It was the reality that she lived with when she went on a job.

"I rarely turn down a meal." Lieba stood and followed. A mimosa sounded good, she hoped they had something similar or, at the least, a Bellini.

Josie, Sarah, and Lieba went to the dining room, where they chose a table and sat down.

The waiter came up to them. "Good morning, ladies. What would you like?"
This message was last edited by the player at 01:27, Wed 30 Jan 2019.