“Bonsoir monsieur et madame, comment s’est passée votre journée?”

“C’était charmant merci,” Ferris replied warmly. The hotel concierge smiled back.

Ferris and Terri stood by the elevator and waited for it to arrive.

“What did he say?” Terri asked, her French being no more than the middle school basics.

“He just asked if we had a good day and I said it was lovely. We got to get you to learn French properly.”

“Why would I if you’re here? Plus there’s no more room in my brain for new things,” she joked as the elevator pinged its arrival.

“It was a lovely day, wasn’t it?” he asked.

“Oh, just beautiful. I’m so sad we’ve got just a couple of days left.” They exited the elevator on their floor.

“Yes, but tomorrow is Eiffel Tower day! I’m really excited!”

“Me too. And then for the spa treatment back here.”

“Won’t that like, be your fourth?” he asked.

“Yes, but they’re so good. I want to have as many as I can before we go back.”

Ferris swiped the key card for their room door and he stepped aside for Terri to enter first.

Their suite was on the top floor of the Hôtel Raphael l’or Spa, with panoramic views of Paris. It was luxurious, clean and extremely comfortable. Just what two newlyweds deserved after busy days exploring the city.

“So our dinner reservation is at seven thirty,” Ferris said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

“So plenty of time for a bath then?” Terri flirted back.

“And champagne?”

“You call room service, I’ll run the bath,” she decided, running into the bathroom giggling.

***

The next morning, Ferris and Terri sat up in bed with the curtains pulled, French doors wide open and the sounds of Paris drifting into the room.

“These beds are just the comfiest,” Terri groaned as she stretched. “What time is it?”

“Half seven.”

“And what time do we need to be at the Eiffel Tower?”

“Like, at half past two,” he answered. “But you wanted to do some last minute shopping beforehand didn’t you?

“Riiiiiight, I said that, didn’t I?” she groaned again.

“I’ll treat you to that bakery you love!”

Terri threw the covers off and jumped out of bed. “Ok yeah! Let’s go!”

***

“I didn’t quite expect to leave this early,” Ferris muttered. “We could have waited until after rush hour.” He clung to the rail in the metro train, squashed in with what felt like half of Paris.

“But shops…! And breakfast! Oh that bakery is perfect, right?” Terri laughed.

They had got on at Javel, the station nearest their hotel that would take them across the city. It left on time, with the announcer saying that Gare Champ de Mars Tour Eiffel was the next stop.

The train slowed to a stop at the platform and a lot of passengers got off and more got on. Terri and Ferris readjusted their positions to make room for other people, but because there was more space in the carriage they could spread out more.

The doors slid shut and the train pulled off again, now heading for the next station, Pont de l’Almo. Again, the train slowed down. Just before it came to a full stop, a rumbling explosion came from down the tunnel from the direction they had just come. It sent shockwaves that rocked the train they were in. Everyone on the train had heard it and panic contagiously spread.

“What do you think that was?” Terri whispered to Ferris. Their train managed to come to a complete stop and the doors opened, with many of the passengers eager to get off.

But that’s when the gunfire started.

Multiple automatic rifles from the platform went off, continuously firing rounds. The windows of the carriages shattered and people were instantly hit and felled.

Terri switched into her rock state, putting herself between the direction of the gun fire and her husband, bringing her arms over him.

From where she stood she could see innocent travellers drop to the ground, riddled with bullet holes that pumped blood out onto the floor. Some were hanging onto life, others had clearly lost theirs.

“We can’t let them carry on! Close your eyes,” Ferris instructed. She obliged and Ferris emitted a blinding flash of light that filled the whole area. It had the desired effect, acting like a flash bang and stunning the shooters and causing them to cease shooting momentarily.

Enough time for Terri to jump out of the train and Ferris to activate the emergency talk through button to suggest they pull the train out and get it to the safety of the next station.

When he looked up, Terri was already fighting with the closest gunmen hand to hand. He took a second longer to make a quick assessment of the situation. Twenty or so gunmen in regular civilian clothing with bullet proof vests under long trench coats stood spread along the length of the platform which gave them maximum coverage of the train.

Terri was now efficiently commanding the earth to erupt out of the ground, and being underground, was utilising the earth that also above them to take the terrorists down.

He jumped onto the platform and the train successfully pulled off, away from harms way. When it had gone, Terri turned and brought the tunnel opening down, preventing anything from following them.

“I’ve got these bastards, you go check the other station!” Terri shouted, referring to the station before, where the explosion had come from.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“You sure?” he asked as he brought the face of a terrorist down onto his knee.

“Sure. Go,” she insisted as she sprouted a column of rock up from the under the feet of a particular terrorist who had lined his rifle at Ferris. Her Canadian husband knew better than to stick around and argue, and dropped down onto the track and started running into the tunnel, using his light emission ability to guide his way.

Terri meanwhile, had half of the terrorists left to take care of. From afar, one opened fired on her, but she steadily walked into the hail of bullets, unfazed as they ricocheted off her. The armed bozo was so panicked at his failings and at the small gap that was now between himself and the impenetrable, hardened American that he threw the gun away and tried reaching for a knife he had on his waistband. Terri grabbed the reaching arm and jolted it back against the elbow joint’s natural movement, snapping the bone and cartilage. The man howled in agonising pain, and instinctively kneeled to the ground. Terri let go and gave him a swift kick to the face knocking him out.

This dance continued for a short while longer until all the terrorists were incapacitated, disarmed, unconscious and for some, laid under rubble across the platform.

The ending of the situation was also marked with the arrival of French tactical police appearing from the staircase. Terri stood and watched, raising her hands out of respect for the work they had to do.

They were shouting at her in French, of course, but she had no idea what they were saying. “Pardon, je ne comprends pas,” she offered. It was probably her most used saying on the honeymoon especially when Ferris thought it was hilarious to make her do all the talking.

“It’s ok,” called out a familiar voice emerging from behind another group of armed police. “They’re only asking if you’re ok.” It was Sandrine, a.k.a Madame Libertié, France’s G7 representative.

Terri knew how to answer that. “Oui. Oui, merci,” she replied. She turned back to Sandrine. “Sandrine, what the frick?”

“I know, I know,” she sighed. “Let’s get you out of here and I’ll try to explain what we know.”

“Where’s Ferris?” she asked as she followed her up the stairs.

“He’s safe. Him and Marcheur Aérien were helping injured people out of Champ de Mars. The Sapier Pompier have taken over, and I’ll take you to him at police HQ.” They walked up the stairs and out of the station onto the street above. Terri momentarily stopped, closing her eyes and breathing in the fresh air, her head titled back.

“You ok?” Sandrine asked.

“Yeah. Yeah, I just needed some clean air.”

“That's ok. Take the time you need. We’re very grateful for what you did down there.”

***

Terri was stood at the back of the control room at police HQ. Banks of screens showed CCTV and helicopter footage of the streets of Paris, flooded with emergency and military personnel and vehicles.

Ferris came through, slightly bloody and charred. She walked quickly to him and wrapped her arms around him.

“Baby how are you?” he asked her.

“I’m ok, thanks. How are you? I was so worried," Terri said.

“No need, we’re all good," the Canadian said as they broke the hug.

Terri shook her hands with Marcheur Aérien, one of France’s governmental enhanceds. Translated to ‘Air Walker’, Marcheur Aérien can manipulate the oxygen in the air and solidify it to appear like he can walk on it, amongst other things, including being able to throw solidified air at whoever he was fighting.

“So what the hell happened out there?” Ferris asked.

“So far we know that a bomb went off on the train at Champ de Mars Tour Eiffel Metro, there was an attack at Pont de L’Alma where you were at and above ground at the Eiffel Tower, gunmen opened fire on crowds. An undetonated device was disarmed at Invalides, the next station from you.”

“Oh God, I sent our train to station,” Ferris admitted, going pale.

“It’s alright. Your train didn’t make it. The driver was being cautious and sat in the tunnel as a precaution.”

“Quelqu’un a-t-il assume la responsabilité?” said Marcheur Aérien, asking if anyone had taken responsibility for the attacks.

“Oui, Coalition Syndicale Patriote," Sandrine said.

“Who are they?” Terri asked.

“Some extreme up and coming racial separatist advocacy group. This was their first real organised attack. It was a Godsend you were there. Not what you want on your honeymoon though.”

“Definitely not Sandrine, no,” agreed Ferris.

“Can we do anything for you? Take you back to your hotel? Where are you staying?” Sandrine asked.

“Hôtel Raphael l’or Spa,” he replied.

“Fancy!”

“Yes it’s amazing there. But thank you, we’ll get our own way back though. I think your resources are better used on this than taking us across town,” Terri said. Ferris nodded in agreement and in appreciation of the offer, squeezing his new wife’s hand.

“Well be safe out there. We’re pretty certain the threat is over now, but you can never be too sure.”

“Thanks Sandrine. We’ll be fine. Speak to you soon,” Terri said.

***

“That was mental wasn’t it?” Terri said as they stepped out into the street breathing in the air.

“Yeah, it was. I’m exhausted.”

“I'm really not in the mood for doing anything for the rest of the day. A quiet night and maybe just pack ready to leave?”

“Yup. Let's do that. I might have to order some room service though later,” he said taking her hand.

"I have no idea how you can think of food right now."

"You know I get hungry after using my enhancements," he protested as they walked down the street hand in hand.