The explosion came eleven minutes later, exactly where Holden said it would.
BOOM!
The blast wasn't on the track. It came from the engine car itself. A shaped charge mounted on the outer door blew the steel panel inward, sending sparks and twisted metal flying. The train lurched as the emergency brakes screamed against the rails.
screeeeech.
Holden grabbed the edge of the table as the cabin shook. A cup rolled off and shattered on the floor. The lights flickered, died, then came back as emergency red.
The train slowed but didn't stop. The momentum carried it forward, grinding along the rails while sparks flew past the window in bright orange streaks. The Keldrin Bridge was ahead, and Holden could feel it in the tracks. The rail resonance had changed again, the frequency shifting as the damaged bridge supports took the weight of the slowing train.
"Here they come," he said.
