Except for the chemical slugthrower he’d been issued by the military, Dumas rarely carried any weapons.  And even the ‘slugger’ was more like a talisman -- a keepsake or a lucky charm.  However, in preparation of this moment, Dumas had borrowed a few items from Wonderland’s armory.  A needle gun took the slugger’s usual spot in his shoulder holster and a vibroblade went into his boot.  Those were for anyone who might be trying to harm Mari.  And in case Mari herself needed to be subdued, he tucked a collapsible stun stick into his jacket pocket.  Then Dumas dashed out the door, which nearly rattled off its hinges as it slammed shut behind him.<br/><br/>Approaching the rendezvous point, Dumas felt grateful that he’d specified a spot to meet Chester.  Because without any geographical hint, he wasn’t sure he would have recognized the magician -- at least, not from a distance.  Dressed in regular street clothes, Chester looked surprisingly normal.  Of course, once Dumas got close enough to see them, the distinctive piercings on Chester’s face eliminated any doubt.<br/><br/>A quick nod served as his greeting.  Dumas almost never found himself in the same room as Chester (thanks to DEE’s surveillance abilities, he was more sure about this than most people could be).  Indeed, under normal circumstances, the rare combination of Chester’s physical proximity and genuine appearance would have reduced to Dumas to nearly crippling awkwardness.  Fortunately, his mind was currently focused on Mari to the exclusion of all else.<br/><br/>“Is she in there?” Dumas asked, fixing his eyes on the old train station.  Already, he was surveying its points of entry and looking for boobytraps.  Although he didn’t spot any obvious signs of human tampering, the place still didn’t look safe.  What if stepping through a rotten floorboard had been the cause of her cut leg?  Anxiously, Dumas shifted his weight from foot to foot.  “Do you think we should go in after her?”