1931 The Grand Punk Railroad: Express/Prologue VIII: The Rail Tracer

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Synopsis
The Young Conductor shares the legend of the Rail Tracer to his older co-worker. The older conductor interrupts the Young Conductor's story to perform the scheduled light signalling, and then recounts a story about the Lemures...only to pull out a gun and aim it at the Young Conductor.

The Young Conductor knocks the gun from his hand and catches it, pointing the muzzle at the older conductor instead. The older conductor begs the Young Conductor - Claire Stanfield - for his life, but Claire is unmoved. Before he pulls the trigger, Claire declares that there is no way to escape the Rail Tracer, the monster that will be awakened by his sacrifice.

After the older conductor is killed, another 'conductor' enters the compartment and spots the corpse, prompting Claire to point the gun at him. Claire realizes at once that the other man must be a fake, and notes that the man is unusually calm despite the gun - the 'usual methods won't work. Claire exits to the balcony, and the fake conductor follows him, only to find the balcony empty. He is then grabbed and pulled under the train by Claire, who proceeds to question him about his identity.

The fake conductor turns out to be Dune from the Russo Family, and working for Ladd Russo's White Suits. Under the duress of torture, Dune reveals that he killed Tony at Chicago's Union Station in order to obtain his special uniform, and all of Ladd's plans for the train. Furious over Tony's death, Claire reveals himself to be Vino, the legendary assassin. After murdering Duen, Claire covers himself in blood and begins his work as the Rail Tracer.

Characters in Order of Appearance
Claire Stanfield (The Young Conductor; the Rail Tracer)

The Lemur Conductor

Dune

Quotes
"I'm a monster. The monster that's going to devour you all. I have become your Rail Tracer." - Claire Stanfield