“Oh. . I don’t know. Nothing special. . like anybody else.”
Von BOOM looked out the window. “We’re picking up speed,” he said. “We’re almost out of the city.”
“You don’t happen to see anybody suspicious-looking running alongside the train, do you, Professor? I know those KAOS agents are somewhere around.”
“Nobody out there but chickens,” von BOOM replied.
“Chickens?”
“We’ve reached the countryside,” von BOOM explained.
“Oh.” Max looked thoughtful for a second, then said, “Are any of them, by any chance, wearing shoulder holsters?”
“I can’t tell. They all have their wings down.”
“Mmmmmm. . I wonder why? KAOS agents are very clever at disguise, you know. I better look for myself.” He got up and peered out the window, then shook his head. “Nope. But I wouldn’t be surprised-”
There was a sudden scream. It sounded as if it were coming from 99’s compartment. Max rushed to the door, yanked it open, and dashed out into the aisle. A sinister-looking man wearing a blue suit with brass buttons was standing at 99’s doorway. The door was open, and 99 was just inside. She looked pale and startled.
“Agent. .” 99 gasped, seeing Max.
“KAOS! Finally!” Max shouted. He lunged at the man.
The man took off up the aisle-and Max landed flat on his face on the floor.
“Max-”
“I’ll get him, 99!” Max said, scrambling to his feet. “Keep an eye on von BOOM!”
As the man passed through the doorway at the end of the car, Max raced up the aisle after him. They ran through one car after another, with the fleeing man maintaining a slight lead. Other passengers dived to the right and left to keep from being run down. The man and Max reached the dining car. The man sought protection behind a table. Max lunged at him. The man ducked under the table. Max landed on top of it, flat, and skidded across it-and three other tables-pulling tablecloths with him and sending dishes, silverware and glassware flying in all directions.
As Max struggled to his feet, he caught a glimpse of the man running from the car, heading in the direction from which they had come. He gave chase. Back through the cars, one after another, the two raced. Other passengers dived to the right and left to keep from being ran down. Ahead, Max saw 99 and von BOOM standing in the aisle.
“Inside!” he shouted.
The man ducked into a compartment.
“Not you! Them!” Max shouted after him.
99 called to him. “Max-”
“Later, 99. I’m busy right now!”
Max thrust open the compartment door and ran in-just as the man disappeared out the window. Max rushed to the opening and looked out and up. He saw the man’s legs dangling down from above-he had climbed to the roof of the train. Quickly, Max scrambled after him.
Reaching the roof, Max spotted the man making his way precariously toward the rear of the train. Gingerly, slowly, being careful of his footing, Max followed. The man was getting away. Max moved faster. His foot slipped. He fell and went rolling toward the edge of the roof. Just in time, he caught hold of a ridge, ending the fall. Slowly, gripping the ridge with the tips of his fingers, calling on an extra strength, he dragged himself back to the center of the roof, then struggled to his feet and resumed the chase.
The man had reached the rear of the train and was climbing down. Thinking quickly, Max jumped down between two cars, landed on the platform, then entered the train and ran toward the rear, hoping to intercept the man. But he reached the last car-the observation car-without meeting him.
Stopping, Max looked around, puzzled. A number of passengers were seated in the lounge car with papers. All except one had lowered their papers to stare at Max. Warily, he approached the one man who was still hidden, and then, with a sudden movement, yanked the paper from in front of his face. It was the man in the blue suit with the brass buttons.
Max lunged at him.
The man ducked, dived between Max’s legs, then escaped up the aisle toward the front of the train. Max landed in the lounge chair-but in the wrong position for sitting.
With considerable difficulty, Max disengaged himself from the chair and took out after the man again. They raced through one car after another. Passengers dived to the left and right to avoid being run down.
Ahead, Max saw 99 and von BOOM.
“Clear the track!” he shouted. “Runaway KAOS agent!”
“Max!” 99 called. “Stop!”
The man in the blue suit with the brass buttons halted. Gasping for breath, he hid behind 99 and peeked out, watching Max frightenedly.
“You just made your first mistake,” Max said to the man. “That happens to be a Control agent you’re hiding behind-as if you didn’t know it.”
“I surrender,” the man panted. “I confess. Whatever it was, I did it.”
“That’s better,” Max said. “Now, see? Isn’t that a lot less trouble than running?”
“Max, what is going on? What are you doing?” 99 said.
He looked at her baffledly. “99, I just captured a KAOS agent. You heard him confess.”
“He’s just frightened, Max. And no wonder! Why were you chasing him all over the train?”
“He-99, let’s start back at the beginning. You screamed. I rushed out into the aisle. You pointed out this man as a KAOS agent. I-”
99 was shaking her head. “I said ‘agent,’ Max. Not KAOS agent-just ‘agent.’ He’s a ticket agent. He was trying to collect my ticket.”
“But, you screamed, 99.”
“He surprised me. He opened the door without knocking.”
“Why should I knock?” the man said. “I called in to you. I said, ‘tickets, please.’ ”
“I didn’t hear you,” 99 explained. “So, when I saw you, I was startled.” She turned back to Max. “And I screamed. But, Max, couldn’t you guess that he was a ticket agent? Didn’t you notice his uniform?”
“I thought it was a mod suit,” Max explained. He shrugged. “Well, no harm done,” he said. He handed the man his and von BOOM’s tickets. “This will save you the trouble of stopping at our compartment,” he said.
The man punched the tickets, then moved on down the aisle, calling in at one compartment door after another.
“I’m famished after that run,” Max said. “Shall we go to dinner?”
“If you promise to stop seeing KAOS agents everywhere,” 99 said.
“99, I don’t see any KAOS agents at all. That’s why I keep seeing them everywhere.”
Max led the way through the train toward the dining car. Seeing him coming, other passengers dived to the right and left to avoid getting run down.
“It’s all right. . relax,” Max told them. “It was a false alarm.”
When they reached the dining room and the waiters spotted Max they rushed to the tables to protect them.
“Easy does it. It was a false alarm,” Max repeated.
“People certainly get to know you quickly,” von BOOM said.
“Yes. It’s my friendly manner,” Max nodded.
They selected a table and ordered and very quickly their food was served to them.
“Marvelous service,” Max commented.
“Self-defense,” von BOOM guessed. “They want to get you out of here as quickly as they can.”
“And the food is marvelous, too,” 99 said, eating. “This goulash is simply out of this world.”
“These French fries are terrible,” von BOOM grumbled. “The Russians just can’t make French fries the way the Americans can.”
“How is your salad?” Max asked.
“Worse. The Russians don’t know the first thing about making a Russian dressing.”
