As they were creeping along the side of the train they saw a shadowed figure outside speaking to someone inside the engine room. "I think that's one of them," Bobby whispered.

Rick nodded and taking careful aim fired the strange ray gun he had removed from Ten. There was a soft zap sound and the figure collapsed revealing itself to be a woman with butter blond hair and pale skin dressed as if she was the Queen of Spades. Her crown had fallen beside her and rolled away striking a rock with a sharp ringing sound.

Both boys winced at the sound, looking around to see if anyone noticed. From the engine room of the train raced a man wearing another crown. He was running towards them as fast as a racehorse gallops with his hands in fists. Rick managed to shoot him with another pale yellow ray from Ten's gun before he reached them. The man, obviously either King or Jack, fell to his hands and knees but stayed conscious, mostly. He was shaking his head and blinking a lot as Bobby walked up to him. Rick tried to shoot him again but the gun started to get hot and smoke. Rick tossed it away as Bobby punched the villain hard in the back of the head. The man slumped down but any chance of stealth disappeared as the gun exploded with a loud bang.

Rick and Bobby hurried forward and stepped into the engine room. Inside were only sleeping men in train uniforms. "Looks like we're not going anywhere soon even if we defeat all these clowns," Rick said.

Bobby went to look down the other side of the train and found a forcefield blocking the open doorway. He rapped his knuckles against it making *tap tap* sounds. Rick frowned and checked the door they'd come in by and it was blocked as well. "I'm going to see if I can overload it. If I can't but nothing bad happens then you can try next," Rick said.

Bobby frowned in return, "Let me try first. We might not get more than one crack at it and I'm stronger."

"True. Okay, but be careful," Rick replied.

Bobby planted his feet and punched as hard as he could at the invisible barrier blocking them in the engine. The forcefield made a *tung* sound and a rainbow of colors briefly outlined the otherwise invisible barrier but nothing else occurred. "Well no boobytraps at least. I'll give it a few more whacks. Maybe you can find a hammer or something? My fists will probably start hurting soon."

"Sure," Rick said starting to look around the engine room. Shortly he walked over to Bobby with two things, a knife and a ballpeen hammer. "It's no sledge but I found a hammer," he shrugged, "the knife might be better though. It'll concentrate all your strength on the point which might help you crack this thing."

"Don't strain yourself," an unseen man called. "I'll only keep you pent up until Ace can deal with your girlfriends and get back then you'll be free." He chuckled nastily, "Free to be beaten up and maybe worse but free! So just settle back and wait, hitting my forcefields will just make you more tired later."

Bobby took both and Rick turned back and went to the PA system, "Watch out girls! They are sending someone codenamed Ace to get you and we're stuck up front for now." Warning given Rick turned to nervously watch Bobby stab at the forcefield with the Bowie knife.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The girls heard the warning as they were arranged the sleeping bodies in the dining car more comfortably. Rhonda stood up and looked around then closed her eyes as she concentrated.

"Can you detect anyone?" Maria said as she looked out the windows.

"Yes, there is a guy broadcasting very clear anger and malice and he is getting closer fast." Rhonda pointed with her eyes closed towards a section of wall with no windows, "He is that way."

Maria pulled in sunlight darkening the car as if it was twilight, "Let me know if he suddenly changes course. I can't see anybody out there but for all we know he's invisible."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Bobby hit the forcefield it became briefly visible as concentric rings of color spread through it from the point of impact like ripples in a pond. Bobby then gripped the handle in both hands above his head and drove the point forward with all his strength. The field held but the heard a loud cry from outside and the forcefield shuddered visibly as pastel colors washed back and forth across it.

A man dress as the Jack of Spades stepped in to view as Bobby was pulling back for another blow. The man was bleeding from the nose and put his hand on the other side of the forcefield. "Damn your unnatural hide boy; I will not let you through. If I let myself get beat by some high school kid my rep is gone."

Bobby just drove the knife forward again without saying anything but Rick chuckled, "We already beat three of you already isn't your rep already trashed?"

The Jack just growled and did not reply. Everytime Bobby hit the forcefield it shook like jello and more blood poured down the man's face. Soon the pastels were no longer fading back to transparency in between blows. Rick decided he could help best with his mouth since there wasn't room for two in the narrow doorway. He chuckled again on purpose and tried to make it sound nasty, "Man you must be hurting Jack and all for nothing. Whoever you sent after the girls will fail, now that they are warned they'll kick his ass. If you keep this up you'll have a stroke or heart attack even before he gets through your forcefield and if you don't ... well imagine the field falling and the knife hitting you as hard. Do you think you'd survive that?"

That last comment made was unwise as it made Bobby stop and back away instead and the villain got a much needed breather. The Jack of Spades smiled through bloody teeth, "I think your scare tactics just backfired on you boy but it wasn't a bad try. Too bad your friend here is as gutless as he is strong."

Bobby dropped the knife and started pounding the forcefield with his bare fists. "I'll get through your forcefield anyway and this way it will be that much more satisfying when I do finally break through."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile, Maria was waiting with glowing hands for Rhonda's word to attack. Rhonda stood with her eyes closed concentrating hard when suddenly she pointed. Maria didn't question it she just blasted where Rhonda was pointing.

There was a scream and a man wavered in to visibility, sweating and gasping. He was ghostly looking still and gave Maria a scared look then jumped right through the wall like a ghost. She had the time to take a second shot but was too shocked.

"Thanks," she stammered to Rhonda once he was gone. "You were dead on target."

Rhonda's eyes were open now, very wide open. "You're welcome," she gulped, "I should keep checking. He might be back." She took a few moments to before she was calm enough to search again but she managed it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back in the Engine compartment Bobby's punches were too much for the weakened forcefield and when it collapsed so did Jack. As he lay on the ground gasping and bleeding from the nose, and ears Bobby jumped out to guard him, "Should I try to knock him out? He doesn't look so hot now and I might hit him too hard. Still he might recover if we just leave him alone and make more mischief for us later."

Rick looked around for makeshift restraints, "We can tie him up long enough to go help the girls then decide what to do with him." Finding nothing else Rick used pieces ripped from Jack's own uniform to tie him up. "Now let's go help the girls."

Rick and Bobby took off running back along the train, trying to get back to their companions in time to help.