Last Train to Strasbourg
by Alexis Larkin

"Last Train To Strasbourg"

Standing in the shadows of the French Revolution, Renee took aim and stared down the sight of her rifle at Place de la Bastille. Her quarry may have been an overstuffed teddy rather than liberté, but that hardly meant the stakes weren't as high as they had been for her countrymen storming the prison all those centuries ago. She felt the full weight of her burden as Janus ran his hand from her shoulder down to her wrist and nuzzled his mouth against her ear.

"Maybe if I help you aim," he said.

Renee missed the mark again. She giggled, but the carny running the Christmas market's shooting gallery looked less than amused, using the cigarette dangling from his lips to light another.

"Another round … I mean 'un plus,'" Janus said.

"Should we go to dinner?" Renee asked, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"You need to win a prize. I won't rest until my Texas shooting skills rub off on you. But how about some sustenance? Hot chocolate?" he said.

"Chocolat chaud. Make mine with peppermint, it's my favorite," Renee said.

"I should know that after a month together," Janus said. He kissed Renee hard, pulling her close until there wasn't an inch between them before slowly releasing her and heading towards the refreshment stand.

Renee breathed deeply as she considered that month. It was an impossibly short time for her to fall for anyone, let alone a man she had no business even caring for in the first place. There was something different about Janus, though, that nearly made her feel alive inside again.

Street lights flickered on over the square and its market. The scent of the season's first snow mingled with kettle corn from the next stall. Perhaps that was why Renee missed the familiar scent of Aqua Velva that should have alerted her to the man taking up the next shooting position long before he spoke.

"When you finish here mademoiselle, you should visit the Christmas market at Strasbourg," Henri said, inspecting his rifle.

"I don't think so. I have shopping left to do in Paris," Renee said.

"Ma chérie, you must go. Tonight. There is room to maneuver in Strasbourg. You shop without Parisian hassle," Henri said.

Renee grabbed the man's arm when he started to walk away. Henri's body stiffened for a second before he regained an easy smile and answered her with a whisper.

"This comes straight from the top, kitty cat. No use arguing with me."

Renee noticed the carny had perked up and was taking a break from smoking long enough to look at them. Henri must have noticed too.

"If the lady is going to challenge me, I should at least stake her to a game," he said, tossing a few euros on the platform.

"My guy has useful intel on their Southwest facility," Renee said just loud enough for Henri to hear. She aimed and cleared the target in front of her.

"Our focus has shifted to Hamburg," Henri said.

"Use Janus to develop contacts there," Renee said. She aimed again, this time hitting the farthest target on the wall.

"He isn't connected enough to anyone important," Henri said.

"Janus knows more than you think. It's shocking what I've gotten from him without raising the slightest suspicion," Renee said.

"You're wrong. The other side knows he has been compromised, but not how. You must do it tonight," Henri said.

"Not now. I'm being watched too closely. I don't know by whom, but I can feel it," Renee said.

"We are all being watched at all times. That's never stopped you before," Henri said.

In rapid fire, Renee took down five targets in a row. The carny even exclaimed over her win, but Renee no longer paid him any attention. She drew a small pistol from her purse and held it under her jacket against Henri.

"Not with Janus. Please," Renee said with a desperation she had not known for years.

"If not me, it will be another to visit you and then another to do the job if you refuse. The result will be no different for your friend." Henri placed one hand gently on the barrel, turning it toward the ground, and his other hand on Renee's cheek. "This bullet isn't for me; give it to Janus in Strasbourg. As the equation cannot change, let us be the constants."

Renee watched as Henri walked away, slipping into the carnival crowd and out of sight. She thought an eternity had passed when she felt a tap on her shoulder, but she had the presence of mind to resheath her pistol before turning around. There was Janus, greeting her with a piping hot mug.

"Wow! Can't believe you won," he said.

"Thanks to your Wild West skills," Renee said.

"I was afraid it was the influence of that geezer you were talking to. Anyway, no peppermint hot chocolate so I got you a candy cane to go with the drink. Oh, honey, please don't be upset," Janus said.

Renee wiped a tear from her cheek and dunked the candy cane into her drink, slowly stirring it. "I'm not upset. It means so much to me that you even tried. Hey, how about a real adventure? Let's skip dinner and take the last train to Strasbourg to visit the Christmas market tonight."  She could not bring herself to look at Janus's face as she spoke.

A moment passed before Janus enveloped her in his arms. "I was thinking it was time to go to Strasbourg myself. Drink up sweetie, we'll head out once you're all finished," he said.

Renee finally looked in his eyes, deciding to treasure these last moments together, moments she was sure she would never experience with anyone again. She drank, thinking the candy cane responsible for the hot chocolate's odd flavor. As she reached the last drop, Renee felt her breath labor and the sky above Bastille made its terminal turn from dusk to dark.