"The Night That It Was Her Turn to Shine"
"The Night That It Was Her Turn to Shine"
Based on "The Wild, Wild West"
July 22, 1858
A young woman, probably no more than 16 or 17 years old, cried out as she labored in childbirth. Her face was bright red, sweat coming down from her forehead, darkening her already dark brown hair.
The midwife, a woman who was nearly 30 years older than she was, coached her.
"There you go!" the midwife said "The head is almost out! One more push! Come on, Elena, one more push!"
Elena let out a yell and pushed as hard as she could. The next thing she could hear was a loud wail.
"My baby!" Elena breathed "My baby!"
"It's a girl!" the midwife said, with a big smile "A nice, healthy baby girl!"
Elena smiled and took the baby in her arms. She could tell that the baby was going to have dark brown hair, like hers and the baby's father's.
"What are you going to name her?" the midwife asked, as she started to clean up
"Italia" Elena said, looking at the midwife "Italia Nicolina"
"The baby will need a last name, you know" the midwife said, jokingly
Elena smiled and whispered the last name in the midwife's ear.
"But, that isn't your last name!" exclaimed the midwife
"I know" Elena said "It's her father's last name"
"Are you getting married?" the midwife asked, curious
"No" Elena said, sadly "Her father doesn't even know that she exists. Doesn't even know that I was pregnant. My parents sent me away, ashamed from what I had done"
"Oh" the midwife said "I'm so sorry"
"They feel that I have disgraced the family name" Elena said, not looking up from the baby "They want nothing to do with me anymore"
"So, you have no where to go?"
"No" Elena said
"Well, why don't you come with me?" the midwife offered, taking pity on Elena and the innocent Italia "You'll get a nice home and plenty of food"
"Oh, no" Elena said "I couldn't"
"You have to!" the midwife said, with a smile "We can't let you and that innocent baby starve!"
Elena smiled and turned back to look at the baby. The baby opened her eyes – which were dark brown – for the first time.
"Hi, Italia" Elena said "I'm your mommy. I'm your mommy"
Now, Elena could never be sure, but she thought she saw Italia smile.
July 22, 1874
Exactly 16 years later
James West was walking down the streets of Buffalo Plains, Arizona. The Wanderer was stationed there, pending another assignment. Until then, Jim and his partner, Artemus Gordon, were free to do whatever they wanted – as long as they stayed in Buffalo Plains.
There wasn't much to do in Buffalo Plains. There was a saloon, hotel, and some stores. Nothing that would bring in many tourists.
Loud shouts from the general store caught Jim's attention. He looked over just as a young girl, no more than 16 years old, ran out of the general store, holding something in her hand, with the manager trying to catch her.
Jim took off after the girl. She was fast, but he was faster. When he tried to grab her shoulder, Jim actually ended up making himself and the girl fall on the ground.
"Hold it!" exclaimed Jim, pinning the girl to the ground "What's in your hand?"
The girl was silent. She looked back up at Jim. Jim stared back, waiting for an answer.
The girl was very beautiful. She had dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. Her hair was in pigtail braids. She wore what used to be a white shirt, black pants, black boots, and a black hat. What was odd enough, Jim thought that she looked very familiar.
Jim was caught off guard when the girl punched him in the jaw. Overcome with pain, Jim fell back and let go of the girl, allowing her to escape.
Jim watched as the girl ran off into the distance. Making sure that his jaw wasn't broken, Jim got up and made a mental note to further investigate the mysterious girl the next day.
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16-year-old Italia West was out of breath when she ran into what once was a beautiful home. The white paint on the outer walls had chipped off. The shingles were broken. The inside of the house was not much better. But, nothing could be done when there was no money to buy anything, since the midwife had died about a year before, right after her mother had gotten sick, so the house was falling apart.
She ran up the stairs and into a large bedroom. An older woman, about 32 years old, was lying in the bed, sweat covering her head and neck.
"Here, Mom" Italia said "I have the medicine from the store. Now, what do I do?"
Elena turned to look at Italia. She tried to say something, but no words would come out of her mouth.
"Ok" Italia said, nervously "I'll put some in a cup and I'll help you drink it, how's that?"
She walked over to her mother's dresser and grabbed a small cup off of the top. She poured some of the clear liquid in and walked back over to her mother.
"Here" she said, trying to help Elena up "Let's take the medicine and you'll get all better"
"Italia" Elena managed to whisper "Listen to me"
Italia bent down, so she could hear Elena better.
"There's no point" Elena said "I won't make it until tomorrow, let alone the next half an hour"
"No!" Italia said, tears coming to her eyes "I'll go get the doctor again. Maybe he could help and suggest a better medicine"
"No, Italia" Elena said "Nothing can help"
"Mom, please!" Italia cried "Don't go! I have no one if you die! I'll miss you so much!"
"I know, Italia" Elena said "But, when I die, you need to go find your father"
"My father?" Italia said
"His name is James West" Elena said "He's a rather famous man. He works for the government, as a Secret Service agent. Go, find him, and you'll have a home"
There was a pause.
"I…love…you…Italia"
"I love you too, Mom" Italia said, eyes filling with tears, voice shaking "I love you too"
And with that, on the stroke of midnight, making it July 23, Elena Donatello died.
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"So, this girl, this 16 year old girl, was stealing from the general store?" Artemus Gordon asked his partner "Was she homeless?"
"I don't know" Jim said "I'm going to investigate it more tomorrow"
"Why not now?" Artie asked "What if this girl has no family and no home?"
"You know, Artie" Jim said "You have a point"
He went over to the coat rack and grabbed his hat.
"I'd be careful if I were you, James" Artie said "There's a storm coming!"
"I will, Artie" Jim said "Make extra room, just in case I find her. She'll need a place to sleep after all!"
Jim left. Artie smiled and went to set up a cot in the costume room of the Wanderer.
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The wind was blowing really hard when Jim headed back to where he last saw the mysterious girl. Once he got there, he went into the direction where he thought she had gone.
Soon enough, he found a house. Not too big, but not too small. The house was in very bad condition. He got off of his horse and went inside.
"Hello?" he said, as he walked into the house "Anyone here?"
There was silence. Jim was about to walk up the stairs, when he was tripped by a foot hidden behind a curtain.
Jim got up and looked around. No one was there. He started to head up the stairs again. When he got to the top of the stairs, he walked down a long hallway.
When he looked into one of the rooms, he saw a woman sleeping in a bed. He quietly walked up to the bed and tried to wake up the woman in the bed. She wouldn't wake up.
Jim checked her pulse and realized that she was dead. Just then, he heard the cocking of a gun behind him.
"Alright!" he heard a voice say "Hands up and turn around!"
Jim slowly raised his hands and turned around. He was, somewhat, surprised to see the girl he had tackled earlier holding a gun on him.
"Where did you get that?" he asked
"Your gun belt" the girl replied "You really need to strap that thing in better, otherwise it will get stolen"
Jim smirked and took a quick glance down at his waist and saw that the gun was missing.
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" the girl asked
"I was looking for you"
"Why?"
"I was worried about you" Jim said "Stealing from the general store is not something 16-year-old girls do"
"Aw! That's so nice of you!" the girl said, somewhat sarcastically "Now, if you'd excuse me, I have to bury my mother"
She motioned for Jim to step aside. As he stepped aside, she walked over to the bed.
"Um…how did you learn to use a gun?" Jim asked "That's also something not too many 16-year-old girls do"
"My mother and I didn't have too much money when she got sick. The midwife that we lived with died a few days after my mother got sick. She was our main bread winner" the girl replied "When my mother got sick, I had to use a gun to go hunting for food, since we couldn't buy any. No one would hire a girl for a job around here, so I couldn't make any money to buy any food"
Jim nodded. "I'm sorry about your mother"
"Yeah, well, you can leave now" the girl said "She's my mother after all"
"Can I help?" Jim asked "I can help you dig the hole"
The girl looked up at him. "Sure" she said "Thanks"
Jim headed out of the room to find a shovel.
"Hey!" the girl said, making Jim turn around "You never told me your name!"
"West" he said "James West. And yours?"
"Italia" the girl said, with a shaky voice
"Italia what?"
"Italia West"
She noticed Jim's face go somewhat pale.
"What?" he asked "What's your name?"
"Italia West" she replied "My mother's name was Elena Donatello"
"Elena" Jim replied, remembering his childhood sweetheart "And you're her daughter?"
"Yes" Italia said "I was born when she was 16. She actually told me to look for my father before she died, to make sure that I had a home"
"Oh really?" Jim said, not wanting to even consider the possibility that she could be his, since the last time he saw Elena was… "I can help you with that as well. I have access to all kinds of information. What's his name?"
"James West" Italia replied
Now, Italia saw Jim's face go completely pale.
"James West" he said, noticing for the first time since he met her that she looked like him, except that she had brown eyes "Your father's name was James West?"
Italia nodded.
"Well, what a small world" Jim said, with a laugh "I knew your mother before you were born"
Italia stared at him. She knew where this was going.
"Did you court my mother or not?"
Jim stared at her for a moment. "Yes" he said
"Did you court her when she was 16?"
"Yes" Jim replied "Yes, I did"
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Artie was surprised when Jim came back with Italia, telling him that Italia was Jim's daughter. He had always known Jim to be good with the ladies, but he never would have expected anything like this to happen.
Italia seemed like a very nice girl. He felt sorry for her, having to take care of her mother, hunting wild game for food, and then having to bury her mother with a complete stranger that just happened to be her father? Life hadn't been good to Italia West.
A few days later, it was almost as if Italia had been there from the beginning. It was almost as if she had always been with them.
Jim and Italia bonded very quickly. They were almost inseparable, going to town together, playing cards together, even reading stories to each other. Artie had never seen this side of Jim before. He really liked it.
One night, Artie caught Jim outside of the room of the Wanderer that they had given to Italia, watching her as she slept.
"Jim" he said "What are you doing?"
"She's perfect" Jim said "Absolutely perfect"
Artie smiled and put a hand on Jim's shoulder. "Welcome to the wonderful world of fatherhood, James, my boy!" he said "Now, I have not been lucky enough to experience this wonderful profession yet, but I've heard it's pretty great!"
Jim smiled and turned to Artie. "Do you think so, Artie?" he asked
"Absolutely" Artie replied "Enjoy this, Jim. You're very lucky"
Artie continued down the hallway to his bedroom. Jim turned back and got one last look at Italia, before going to bed himself.
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"Please proceed to México, to investigate the disappearance of the Diamante Diamond" Artie read, after taking the message from Washington down from the telegraph "President Juarez considers this a personal favor and would like you to work quickly to get the diamond back"
Artie looked up from the piece of paper and at Jim, who was sitting on the couch, his hand rubbing his temple.
"Looks like we're heading to México" Artie said "Do you want me to go ahead of you, or do you want to go together?"
"What about Italia?" Jim asked, ignoring Artie's question "What are we going to do about her?"
"Oh, Italia!" Artie said, forgetting about her for a moment "Well, she can always come with us"
"No" Jim said "It's too dangerous"
"Jim, she's 16" Artie said "She's practically an adult"
"I don't care that she's 16!" Jim said "Hunting criminals is a lot more dangerous than hunting game"
"Well, if that's how you feel," Artie said "She can always just stay here with Casey on the train"
Jim looked at Artie for a moment and smiled. "You know, Artie, that's not such a bad idea!"
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"Now, you know what to do, right?" Jim said to Casey, the train conductor, as he saddled his horse and got ready to go to México, since they were close to the border to begin with
"Yes, sir!" Casey said "I'll protect her with my life!"
Jim smiled and got onto his horse. "Now, Italia" he said "Behave while we're gone!"
"I will, Jim" Italia said. She hadn't gotten used to calling him "Dad" yet "I will"
Jim and Artie rode for a few miles and then stopped so their horses could get some water.
"You know, Jim" Artie said "I thought of something"
"What's that, Artie?"
"What if Italia gets into the chemicals and stuff that I have in the train?" Artie said "She could hurt herself"
"Oh, she's smarter than that, Artie" Jim said "She won't do anything like that"
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"Sweet God! That's smells horrible!" exclaimed Italia, as she took a whiff of a new gas Artie was working on. She was in Artie's lab. She had been waiting for days to explore her new home, but either Jim or Artie had been with her all the time. Now was her chance to explore!
She put the container of gas down on the table. The next thing she saw was Artie's putty collection.
"Now, this looks like fun!" she said to herself
She grabbed some green putty and started playing with it, molding it into different shapes and squishing it through her fingers. All of a sudden, the putty got really hot.
On first instinct, Italia went out into the hall, opened the window, and threw the putty outside. She threw herself onto the ground and covered her head. The putty exploded outside the window.
"What was that?!" exclaimed Casey, coming down the hall, just as Italia had stood back up again
"What?" Italia asked, innocently
"That loud noise!" Casey said "It sounded like an explosion!"
"What loud noise?" Italia asked, pretending that she hadn't done anything
"You didn't hear that loud noise?"
"No"
Casey stared at Italia for a moment. "Ok" he said "I must be hearing things. Things explode around this train all the time. Sorry, Miss. West"
"Hey! What did I tell you?" Italia said "It's Italia! Not 'Miss. West'!"
Casey smiled. "Sorry, Italia"
"No problem, Casey" Italia said with a smile.
Casey headed back down the hall and Italia let out a huge sigh. She turned and went back into the lab, vowing to look at the labels on things before she started playing with them.
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Jim and Artie arrived at the President's house two days later and were quickly ushered into his office.
"Gentlemen" President Juarez said "Thank you for coming. I can't tell you what your help means to my country"
"It's our pleasure, sir" Jim said "Anything to keep relations good between the United States and México"
President Juarez smiled a small smile. "The Diamante Diamond is worth 5 million" he said "Whoever has the diamond would be able to do anything. I need your help to get the diamond back to the museum in San Mariano. Can you do it?"
"Yes sir" Artie said
"Thank you" President Juarez said "You may go"
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"Where do we look first?" Artie asked Jim as they walked out of the President's house
"We can start asking questions around here" Jim said "And then we can check out San Juan and San Pedro"
"Should we split up?"
"It would probably be easier" Jim said
"Alright" Artie said "See you around, James"
"Bye Artie"
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Italia was sitting in the Wanderer, reading a book, when the telegraph key started clicking. She put her book down and took down the message.
She had learned how to use the telegraph key when she was little. One night, while her mother and the midwife were helping a woman give birth, the expectant father's brother noticed that Italia was fascinated with the telegraph key. So, while his brother was pacing back and forth upstairs, nervous over the prospect of becoming a father, he taught Italia how to use and understand Morse code. Having an extraordinary memory, Italia was able to remember everything the expectant father's brother had taught her.
She finished copying down the message and sat back to read it. It read:
Agents West and Gordon: I want to warn you about this new assignment. The man we are dealing with is a man by the name of Raul Gonzales, a very powerful, dangerous man. He has killed many men. Be careful! Colonel Richmond.
"You'd think that Washington would tell them this ahead of time!" Italia said.
She thought for a moment. "Jim and Artie need this information. But, Casey would never take me to México. No, I'll have to go on my own. The Mexican boarder is close enough. And besides, how can I pass up an adventure like this?"
She folded the piece of paper and put it into her pocket. She went into her room, grabbed a small bag, and headed for the lab. She put many different gases, pellets, and putties into the bag, making sure that none of them mixed. She also grabbed a map of México.
Next, she went to the gun room and grabbed two pistols, in case she lost on for some reason, and extra bullets.
Making sure that Casey couldn't see her, Italia grabbed her hat and snuck into the stables. She saddled the only other horse in the stable, opened the door, put out the ramp, and headed for México!
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Jim walked into the restaurant in San Mariano and sat down at one of the tables. Almost immediately, a waitress came over to take his order.
"What would you like, Senor?" she asked
"Whiskey, if you have it" Jim replied
The waitress smiled and went to get Jim's order. Another young woman walked over to his table.
"It is not often that a handsome man, such as yourself, comes to San Mariano" she said "What brings you here?"
"A friend of mine wants me to help him look for something" Jim said "Miss…"
"Carlotta" she said "Carlotta Puerta. Mr.…"
"West" he said "James West"
"Well, Mr. West" Carlotta said "What is your friend looking for?"
"The Diamante Diamond" he replied "Do you know anything about it?"
Carlotta straightened. A serious look came over her face.
"Diamante Diamond? No. I don't know anything about it"
She got up to leave, but Jim stopped her.
"I think that you do"
Carlotta looked past Jim. "No! I don't! Please!" She paused, and whispered "Come here at 9:00 tonight"
Jim nodded and let Carlotta go. He turned around to see what Carlotta had been looking at, but no one was there.
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Artie was at the San Mariano Museum, questioning Fernando Luego,
the museum curator, about the night the diamond was stolen.
"So, you're saying that this person got past all of the guards, undetected?" Artie asked
"Si" Fernando said "All of the guards who were on duty said that they didn't see or hear any signs of a break in"
"That means that the culprit is someone that works here" Artie said, half to himself, half to Fernando "Thank you, Senor Luego. I appreciate the cooperation"
"If you have any other questions, please, feel free to ask" Fernando said
Artie smiled and left the museum.
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"Ok" Italia said to herself, while taking a break from riding "The boarder is close to Luces Pass. Luces Pass is about 10 miles away from here, which means that I should be at the boarder in a few hours"
She looked up and saw that the sun was setting.
"Ok" she said "Looks like I'll have to wait until tomorrow"
She went over to her horse and tied it to a nearby tree. Then, she sat under the tree and got ready to sleep.
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At 9:00, Jim headed back to the restaurant. He found Carlotta sitting at one of the tables, a bottle of whiskey and two glasses in front of her.
Jim smiled, took off his hat, and sat down at the table.
"So" he said "What was it that you want to tell me?"
"I've heard about this diamond that you are looking for" Carlotta said "It's somewhere in the mountains. The man who took it is very dangerous and powerful"
"What's his name?"
"I don't know" Carlotta said "This is only things I hear in town"
"Well, thank you, Carlotta" Jim said "You've been a big help"
"Be careful, Senor West"
Jim smiled and nodded. He put his hat on and left the restaurant. Carlotta watched him leave and smiled a sly smile.
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The next morning, Italia arrived in San Mariano, México.
"Ah!" she said "Buenos Días, México!"
She smiled and got off of her horse. She tied her horse to a fence post outside of the local restaurant. There were only a few people in the restaurant, having breakfast.
She walked up to the man at the bar and smiled. "Hola!" she said "Pueda preguntar una question?" (Hi, can I ask you a question?)
"Si, senorita" the man at the bar said
"Yo soy busca para mi padre, James West" (I am looking for my father, James West) Italia said "Veas el?" (You seen him?)
"Lo siento, señorita" (I'm sorry, Miss) the man said "No ve a tu padre" (I did not see your father)
"Gracias, señor" (Thank you, mister) Italia said.
She turned around and saw a young woman standing behind her.
"Tu dices que tu buscas para James West?" (You said that you are looking for James West) the woman said "Yo dice con James West anoche" (I spoke with James West last night)
"Donde pueda encontrar el?" (Where can I find him?) Italia asked
"En las montanas" (In the mountains) the woman said
"Gracias" Italia said "Mucho gracias" (Thank you. Thank you very much)
She walked out of the restaurant and got back on her horse. Carlotta watched as Italia started preparing for her journey. She couldn't wait to bring this bit of information to her boss.
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While walking to the museum, dressed as a poor man looking for work, Artie thought that he saw Italia coming out of the restaurant.
"No" he said "She's on the train. What would she be doing in México?"
Just wanting to make sure that it wasn't Italia, Artie decided to check and see if it was really her.
He casually walked over to her as she got ready to get back onto her horse. He purposely bumped into her.
"Oh! I'm sorry, senorita!" he said
"No problem, senor" Italia looked up at the man who bumped into her. She had to do a double take.
"Artie?" she said "Is that you?"
"Italia, what are you doing here?" Artie asked "Your father is going to be furious!"
"I came to give you this message from Washington" Italia said, handing him the piece of paper "I thought that you might need it"
Artie read the message. "What about Casey?" he asked "How did you get away from him?"
"I snuck out" Italia replied "He's probably combing the countryside for me right now"
"Italia, you need to go back" Artie said "This is going to be too dangerous for you"
"Come on, Artie!" exclaimed Italia "I can help! I brought you the message; I rode for two days, by myself, to get here. I know how to use a gun. I'll even send a message to Casey, telling him where I am. Please let me help!"
Artie thought for a moment. "I don't know, Italia" he said "Your father would kill me if I let you help"
"My father doesn't even really know me yet" Italia shot back "Please!"
"Alright" Artie said, with a sigh. "I'll send Casey the message, and then we'll find your father."
"I already know where he is" Italia said "A lady in the restaurant told me that he's somewhere in the mountains"
"Ok" Artie said "Let me change and then we can go!"
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Jim had been riding for a few hours when he stumbled upon what seemed to be a small, Mexican town.
From what he could see, from his hiding place in the bushes, there weren't many people in the town. Maybe 100 people, at the most.
He decided to investigate the town, to see if there were any clues, since Carlotta did say that the man who has the diamond was in the mountains.
When he walked into the town, people started staring at him. What is a gringo doing here? They all thought.
As he walked down the street, Jim received glares from everyone – even the women! Except for one, whose name was Isabella.
"Hola, senor!" she said "What are you doing here in these mountains?"
"I'm looking for something" Jim replied "Miss…"
"Sanchez" she replied "Isabella Sanchez"
"My name's James West" he said "It's very nice to meet you"
"So, what are you looking for, in our small town?" Isabella asked
"Something very valuable" Jim said "Something very important to me"
"Ah! So, a treasure of some sorts!" Isabella said "How interesting!"
"Yes, well, I better be going" Jim said
"Let me help you!" Isabella said "I could give you shelter in my family's hotel for the night"
"I appreciate that" Jim said, with a smile "Thank you, Miss. Sanchez"
"Please, call me Isabella"
"Then you can call me Jim"
Isabella smiled, took Jim by the hand, and led him to an adobe hotel on the other side of the town.
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"How do we know if we are even going in the right direction?" Italia asked. She and Artie had been riding for over an hour and a half
"Jim put markings on the rocks and trees with some special paint, showing us the way to go" Artie replied
"Oh" Italia said "Hey, isn't that a town?"
Artie turned to where Italia was pointing and smiled. "Yes" he said "Yes it is! Italia, we might have found just found Jim!"
Italia smiled and sped her horse up to keep up with Artie. Deep down, she was afraid of what Jim would say, since she was in México when he told her not to leave the train. But, hopefully he wouldn't be too mad, since she did bring them important information.
Jim was actually walking out of the adobe hotel Isabella had brought him to when he saw Artie.
"Artie!" he said, not realizing that Italia was there "How did you know where I was? I hadn't even sent a message to you yet!"
"I had a little help" Artie said. It was then that Italia stepped out from behind Artie.
"Hi, Jim" Italia said
"Italia!" exclaimed Jim "What are you doing here? I told you to stay on the train!"
"She came to give us this message from Washington, telling us who we are looking for" Artie said, handing Jim the piece of paper that Italia had given him.
Jim read the message and then looked at his daughter. "You rode for two days just to give us this message?"
Italia nodded. "I didn't know what to do. It seemed important"
Jim stared at Italia for a moment. "I'm not happy that you disobeyed my orders and left the train" he said
Italia frowned.
"But" Jim said "I am happy that you brought this information to us. It is very important and needed to be given to us if we wanted to get anywhere on this assignment. So, thank you, Italia"
Italia smiled. "No problem, Jim" she said "Happy to be of help"
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Inside of one of the many mountains surrounding the town of Pueblo (the town that Jim, Artie, and Italia are in), Raul Gonzales was pacing back and forth in his mountain hideout.
"I wanted you to send James West to me, Carlotta!" he exclaimed "Not his partner and his teenage daughter as well!"
"What's the big deal?" Carlotta shot back "You can kill them, just like you were planning to do with West"
"I can't kill West now!" Raul said "Not when I know that he has someone to take care of!"
"Didn't you hear what I said?" Carlotta asked "Kill the girl too!"
"What are you, some sick-hearted idiot?" Raul asked "I can't kill the girl! She still has her whole life ahead of her!"
"You're not making any sense" Carlotta said "You were planning on killing West, which is just as wrong as killing the girl"
"No, Carlotta!" exclaimed Raul "Now, I have to figure out what something else to do to West, his partner, and the girl"
He turned away from Carlotta. She stared at him.
I don't know what's wrong with you she thought But, if you don't do something about it soon, I will!
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"So, what do we do now?" Italia asked, being new to the Secret Agent game.
"We?" Jim said "What's this 'we' business?"
"I'm going to help" Italia said "Didn't Artie tell you?"
Jim turned to Artie, who started whistling as he went into the bathroom of Jim's hotel room. He turned back to Italia.
"You're going to stay here" Jim said "Like I said before, it's too dangerous for you"
"Come on!" exclaimed Italia "I rode all the way out here, by myself, to give you the message! I know how to use a gun! Please, let me help!"
"No" Jim said "Sorry, Italia, but it's too dangerous. I don't want you getting hurt"
Italia frowned, folded her arms, and stormed out of the room. Artie came out of the bathroom.
"You know, Jim" he said "You should really think this through. She could help"
"How many times do I have to say this?" Jim asked "It's too dangerous for her!"
"So, what are you going to do?" Artie said "Make her stay in the train or in hotel rooms all the time? What kind of life is that? She's practically an adult already. In two years, she'll be 18. Are you going to make her wait until she is 18 to go on assignments with us?"
Jim was silent. A lot of what Artie had said made sense.
"You're right, Artie" Jim said "I can't make her stay at hotels or in the train all the time"
"So, are you going to let her help?"
Jim nodded.
"Then, you better go find her" Artie said "And tell her before she does something that she'd regret later"
Jim headed for the door, but stopped when the door opened before him.
"Hola, Senor West, Senor Gordon!" Carlotta said, holding a gun in her hands, with bodyguards surrounding her "Welcome to Pueblo!"
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About 20 minutes later, Italia headed back to the hotel. She was surprised to see the door of Jim's hotel room wide open.
When she walked inside, she found that Jim and Artie were missing.
"Great!" she said "Jim and Artie are missing in action! Now, what am I going to do?"
She noticed her bag in the corner of the room. A sly smile spread across her face. She grabbed the bag, ran out of the hotel room, and went to find out who kidnapped Jim and Artie.
She was going to save the day, whether Jim liked it or not!
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"Ah! James West and Artemus Gordon!" exclaimed Raul when Carlotta and the bodyguards led Jim and Artie into their mountain hideout "What an honor it is to meet you! I'm Raul Gonzales"
"Charmed, I'm sure!" Artie said, sarcastically "To what do we owe this…nice introduction?"
"When I heard that two of America's most famous secret agents were in Pueblo, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to have them over for dinner!" Raul said, with a smile, motioning towards the table "Now, please, gentlemen. Sit down and enjoy your meal"
Jim and Artie looked at each other and then back at Raul.
This was going to be a long night.
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Italia was out of breath when she arrived at the mountain hideout. The hideout was very high up in the mountains and the backpack she was carrying was heavy.
She knelt behind a bush when she saw that guards were posted at the doorway of the hideout.
"Ok" she said, opening the backpack to see what she could use "Where's that green putty that I played with earlier?"
She dug around in the backpack for a moment, grabbed some kind of putty, and smiled as she felt the putty heat up in her fingers.
"Gotcha!" she said.
She quickly took the putty out of the bag and threw it at the entrance to the hideout. She lied down on the ground, as the putty exploded, and covered her head from any flying dirt or rocks.
After the explosion had ended, she stood up and looked at the entrance. The guards were lying, unconscious, on either side of the entrance and the door was wide open. Italia smiled, grabbed the backpack, and headed inside the hideout.
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"What do you want with the Diamante Diamond?" Jim asked "Money?"
"Oh, Lord, no!" Raul said "I have all the money I would ever need. I need it for my experiment"
"Experiment?" Artie asked "What experiment?"
Raul looked at the two secret agents before him for a moment.
"I have invented the deadliest weapon known to man!" he said "Combining guns, knives, and explosives. I call it 'Muerte'. This weapon can only be powered by diamond fuel"
"Diamonds?" Artie said "But, they are hard to find. Why use something that's hard to find?"
"Because diamonds are the only things that could power the weapon" Raul said "The Diamante Diamond is the biggest diamond in México, which means that it would power the weapon for a very long time"
"What happens to the diamond after it runs out of power?" Jim asked
"It disintegrates" Raul said "Into a pile of dust"
Just then, an explosion shook the hideout.
"What the devil was that?!" exclaimed Raul. He turned to one of his bodyguards. "Enrique, find out what that was!"
Jim and Artie looked at each other. Artie could tell from the expression on Jim's face that Jim was thinking the exact same thing that he was.
Italia had just arrived at the hideout.
The only thing that Artie couldn't figure out was – how did Italia get her hands on an explosive?
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Italia ran down the hallway of the mountain hideout. Just as she was about to get to the end of the hallway, she heard voices coming closer and closer to her.
She looked around to see if there was any place that she could hide in. She noticed an air vent above her, but it was too high up for her to reach. She turned back to where she heard the voices coming from and saw two men staring at her.
"Hey, you!" one of the men said "Stop right there!"
They ran towards her. She quickly took her backpack off of her shoulders, grabbed one of the pellets, and threw it at the men.
When the pellet hit the floor, green smoke filled the hallway. The men started coughing and fell to the ground. Italia took a handkerchief out of her backpack and covered her nose and mouth, so she wouldn't inhale the green smoke. She carefully walked past the two men and continued on down the hallway.
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After dinner, Raul led Jim and Artie to a room, with a bed and some chairs.
"This is where you'll be staying" Raul said "I hope that the accommodations suit you!"
He smiled and left. Artie turned to Jim.
"Ok, James, now what?"
"We have to get the diamond, find Italia, and get out of here" Jim said
"How do you propose that we do that?"
"I don't know" Jim said "But we have to think of something"
"What do you think he's going to do with us?"
"Kill us, I imagine" Jim said "But, I'm more worried about what he's going to do with Italia when he finds her"
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"The girl is somewhere in the hideout?!" exclaimed Raul "Why didn't you catch her?"
"She threw something at us and then this green smoke appeared" one of the men who had tried to get Italia said "It knocked us unconscious. When we woke up, she was gone"
"Search the hideout!" Raul said "Find her!"
The two bodyguards nodded and headed out of Raul's office. After they closed the door behind them, Raul turned and headed back to his desk.
He had been trying to come up with a way to get rid of West and Gordon for hours. He wished that Carlotta hadn't told West's daughter where West was. It would have just been easier to kill West and Gordon, and then bury their bodies in unmarked graves.
Raul smiled when he looked at the framed picture sitting on his desk. The picture was of a young girl, no more than 15 or 16 years old. She had dark black hair, and dark brown eyes. She had the smile of an angel. Her hair was in two braids.
"Oh, Esperanza!" Raul said to the picture "What am I to do? I can't kill West, but I also can't let him get the diamond, give it back to President Juarez, and go back to America. What should I do?"
"I have an idea!" a voice said.
Raul looked up and saw Carlotta, standing in front of his desk with a gun in her hand.
"Carlotta!" he said "What are you doing here? You know that you're not supposed to come into my office unless I say so!"
"Oh, can it!" Carlotta yelled "I'm tired of listening to you!"
"What is the meaning of this?" Raul asked
"I am taking over!" Carlotta said "You're not fit to spear head this plan!"
"What are you talking about?" Raul asked "This whole plan was my idea!"
"But, ever since Esperanza died, you keep pushing off the date we reveal this weapon to the world!" Carlotta said "Now, I've been very patient with you. But, when you said that you wouldn't kill West and Gordon because of West's daughter, you pushed me over the edge! Esperanza has been dead for over a year! You have to move on!"
"Esperanza meant more to me than anything in the world!" Raul shot back "West's daughter probably means more to him than anything in the world! I can't let another man go through the pain that I went through and am still going through!"
"For God's sake, Raul!" Carlotta said "Get over it!"
Raul was silent.
"Now, come with me, if you'd be so kind" Carlotta said "You are going to join West and Gordon in their room. You'll stay there until sunrise, when you, Gordon and West will be executed!"
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Italia continued on down the hallways of the mountain hideout. This time, when she saw an air vent, there was a chair in front of it. She climbed onto the chair, opened the air vent, and climbed inside.
She crawled through the vent until she came to a grated opening, leading into one of the rooms. She looked through the grate. She saw Carlotta sitting in Raul's office, talking to one of the bodyguards.
"Make sure that the weapon is ready in the morning" she said "Pueblo is going to be our test target"
"Yes, Ma'am" the bodyguard said
"Good" Carlotta said "That will be all"
Italia continued on down the vent. Next, she came to the grated opening leading into the room that Jim, Artie, and now Raul were in.
Somehow, Italia managed to swing herself around so that her legs were now facing the grated opening. With one big kick, the grated opening fell to the ground.
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Jim, Artie, and Raul looked up when they heard the grate rip off the wall. Their mouths dropped open when they saw Italia jump down from inside the vent.
"Hey guys!" she said, smiling "Miss me?"
"Italia, how did you get here?" Jim asked, rushing over to her and embracing her. Raul looked on with envy as Jim pulled away to look at his daughter.
"I followed the tracks made in the dirt" Italia said. She took the backpack off of her shoulders and pulled out a couple of guns, taking one for herself, handing one to Jim, and tossing one to Artie.
"Thanks, Italia" Artie said, catching his gun "What else is in the bag?"
"You tell me" Italia said, handing the bag to Artie "I just grabbed all kinds of stuff from your laboratory. I only know that the green putty blows up and that one of the pellets makes some sort of gas"
Artie took the bag and looked inside. "Looks like she has everything we'll need" he said, with a smile "What did I tell you, James?"
Jim smiled.
Just then, the door opened. Jim stepped in front of Italia, to block her from view. He didn't want to take the chance of Carlotta taking Italia away from him.
"How's everything in here?" Carlotta asked, with a sly smile "Comfy? Cozy?"
"Oh, everything's fine" Artie said sarcastically "I always like being held captive against my will"
Carlotta smirked at Artie. She looked over at Jim, who was standing very straight and stiff.
"Is something wrong, Mr. West?" she asked
"No" Jim said, "Nothing at all"
"Is there something behind your back, Mr. West?" Carlotta asked, with a sly smile
"No" Jim said "Nothing at all"
Carlotta motioned for her guards to find out what was behind Jim. She knew that he was lying.
The guards grabbed Italia by the arm and pulled her out from behind Jim. They held onto her arms, tightly. Carlotta noticed a look of fear come over Jim's face.
"Ah!" Carlotta said "The girl in the restaurant! We meet again!"
Italia glared at Carlotta.
"She'll come with us" Carlotta said, turning to leave. The guards started to follow, but Jim lunged for one of them, in an attempt to get Italia. The guard punched him in the jaw, sending Jim into the arms of Raul and Artie.
Carlotta turned back around. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, Mr. West" she said "Don't worry! I'll take care of your precious daughter!"
The guards, holding onto Italia, walked out of the room. Carlotta closed the door behind them.
"Well," Artie said "Now what?"
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"So, you are James West's daughter?" Carlotta said "How fascinating!"
Italia was sitting in a chair in front of what used to be Raul's desk. She had not been tied up, chained up, or anything like that. For some reason, Carlotta trusted her.
"And you are some insane broad with a deadly weapon!" Italia shot back "How very fascinating!"
Carlotta glared at Italia for a moment. "Don't sass me!" she said "Or you'll regret it!"
"Really?" Italia said, with a laugh "What can you do to me?"
Carlotta laughed. "Oh, I already have a plan for what I am going to do to you, your father, Mr. Gordon, and Raul!" she said "Don't you worry about that!"
Italia still couldn't stop smiling. She really didn't believe that a woman like Carlotta could do anything to her.
"What am I doing here?" Italia asked "Why aren't I awaiting my 'certain doom' with my father?"
"Because" Carlotta said "I have special plans for you"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Carlotta laughed. "The last thing that your father will see, before he dies, is your dead body being brought before the gallows!"
A wave of fear took over Italia's body, even though she wouldn't show it. She had to come up with a plan…and fast!
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"Jim! You have to calm down!" Artie said "We have to think rationally! That's the only way we are going to get Italia back!"
"Calm down?!" exclaimed Jim "Calm down?! Artie, some insane woman with the deadliest weapon known to man has taken my daughter! God only knows what she's doing to Italia right now!"
"Mr. West, if I may help" Raul said "Carlotta talks a lot but almost never acts. Deep down, she feels horrible about what she is doing. I don't doubt that she will test the weapon on something – most likely Pueblo. But, I can assure you, she won't kill your daughter."
"How do you know?" Jim asked "She seems pretty convincing"
"Because, I know my sister!" Raul said "She won't hurt your daughter. If she does, I will personally see to it that she is severely punished"
"Why should I trust you?" Jim asked "You're part of the reason that we are here!"
"Because" Raul said "I had a daughter once. I know what you are going through right now. As of right now, I am no longer your enemy. I am your ally"
"This doesn't solve the problem of how we get out of here" Artie said "The only way we can make sure that nothing happens to Italia is if we get ourselves out of here!"
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"Now, boys" Carlotta said to the guards "Don't be careful! We want Mr. West to suffer, don't we?"
They were in a room in the hideout, usually used to train new guards to fight and defend themselves. Carlotta was sitting above the pit where the guards were standing, watching the whole scene play out in front of her.
Italia had been tied up and was sitting up against the wall. She had no way of escaping – or so Carlotta thought. She flinched as she watched the guards slowly walk up to her.
One of them brought his hand back and slapped her across the face, cutting her cheek because of a ring on his finger. The other rolled up her sleeve and gave her an Indian burn.
Italia cried out in pain. At the same time, she was attempting to untie the rope around her wrist. So far, it was working!
After a few more slaps to the head, Italia had untied the rope around her wrist and grabbed it with her fingers. It was going to be her weapon!
The guards paused for a moment to look at their work, seeing if Carlotta would be pleased. Except for the cut on her cheek, they hadn't really done much damage.
It was then that Italia sprang up from the ground and started swinging the rope around, using it as a whip. The guards started backing away. Carlotta sat up in her seat.
"Italia, I wouldn't do anything stupid if I were you!" Carlotta said "We wouldn't want anything to happen to your father now, would we?"
"What does that matter?" Italia asked "You are already planning on killing him at sunrise!"
"But, I have the power to kill him sooner!" Carlotta said "So, you can either stop, or be the reason for your father's death. You decide!"
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"Are you sure that this is going to work?" Raul asked
"Positive" Artie said, sticking some of the putty on the lock "It has worked before, it will work again"
Their plan was to blow the door open, with some of Artie's putty, and then search for the diamond and Italia. It was a very simple plan, and it didn't take Jim long to come up with it once he started thinking clearly again.
Jim stuck a wick into the putty and lit it. The three men threw themselves onto the floor and covered their heads. The door blew open. Jim, Artie, and Raul got up from the floor and went out into the hallway.
"I'll go and get the diamond" Raul said "You two go and get Italia"
"I better go with you" Artie said to Raul "Jim, you can handle getting Italia by yourself, right?"
"Yeah" Jim said "Artie, go with Raul. Make sure that the diamond gets out of here safely"
Artie and Raul nodded and went down the hallway. Jim turned and ran down the opposite end of the hallway, hoping that what Raul had told him about Carlotta earlier was true.
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Jim ran down the hallway until he came to a door. He quietly turned the knob and opened the door. What he saw made his heart burst with pride.
Italia was standing in the middle of a pit, holding a rope in her hand, with the two guards standing back in fear of her. Even though it wasn't a happy picture, Jim smiled. Artie was right, as usual! Italia could handle herself in situations like this, which meant that she would be able to come on assignments with them.
Jim slipped inside of the room and quietly closed the door behind him. He saw Carlotta sitting in a chair a few feet away from where he was standing, talking to Italia. He turned and looked at Italia. He noticed the cut on her cheek.
Well he thought Raul was somewhat right. Carlotta really didn't hurt her
He saw Italia look up and notice him standing in the doorway, out of sight from Carlotta and the guards. He winked at her and she winked back.
He took his gun out of his jacket and walked over to Carlotta. "Don't move!" he said. He saw Carlotta stiffen. "Let her go!" he said
The guards looked up when they heard Jim's voice. One of them pulled their gun, but Italia used the rope as a whip to knock it out of his hand. She grabbed it and pointed it at the guards.
"Very foolish, Mr. West" Carlotta said "Very foolish, indeed"
"It's not foolish at all" Jim said, with a smile "Tal, are you going to be able to make it up here ok?"
Italia smiled at the nickname Jim had just given her. "Yeah" she said "I can make it, Dad"
Jim smiled even more when he heard Italia call him "Dad" for the first time. Italia walked backwards, making sure that the gun was still trained on the guards. When she got to the wall, she threw the rope up and it wrapped around a bar running across the top of the pit.
Tugging at it to make sure that it was wrapped tightly around the bar, Italia started climbing up the wall. When she got over the bar, she unwrapped the rope from the bar and walked over to Jim, who took the rope and tied Carlotta to the chair.
"You'll regret this, Mr. West" Carlotta said "You'll regret this!"
"I don't think that I will" Jim said "Come on, Tal. Let's go!"
Italia and Jim ran to the door and into the hallway. Carlotta looked at the guards.
"Don't just stand there like a couple of stupid buffoons!" she said "Untie me!"
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Artie was amazed at the weapon that Raul and Carlotta had created. It was huge! It had many guns, knives, and explosives attached to it. Artie knew that it was a work of only a madman's – or in this case, madwoman's – genius.
"The diamond is in the weapon" Raul said "Once I get it out, we can go"
"Alright" Artie said
Raul lit a lantern and held it over the opening where the diamond was, so he could see it easier, since the room was dimly lit. He reached inside and grabbed the diamond. Just as he did, he accidentally dropped the lantern, right on the weapon's starting mechanism.
"Oh no!" Raul said "We have to get out of here! In 10 minutes, this weapon is going to go off!"
"What?" Artie said "I thought that you got the diamond out!"
"But, there are still smaller diamonds in the machine!" Raul said "The Diamante Diamond was just going to make the machine extra powerful, so we could destroy towns. The other diamonds that we had put in there ahead of time for preliminary testing are still in the machine! This whole hideout is going to be destroyed in 10 minutes!"
Jim and Italia ran down the hallway and met up with Artie and Raul in the process.
"Did you get the diamond?" Jim asked
Artie nodded. "But, we have to get out of here quickly. The weapon was accidentally turned on and is going to destroy this hideout in 5 minutes!"
"Raul, what's the quickest way out of here?" Jim asked
"The nearest exit is right through that door" Raul replied, pointing to the door "But, where's Carlotta and the other men?"
"They won't be able to make it out of here" Italia said "They would have no way of knowing what happened with the machine"
Raul nodded, realizing his sister's fate, and said "Come on. Let's go. We have to get out of here!"
They ran out of the hideout and ducked behind some bushes. They watched as the mountain hideout crumbled to the ground. Italia noticed that Raul had tears in his eyes. She knew that, even though his sister was a bad woman, he still loved her very much.
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Back on the Wanderer, which was still near México, Artie was busy doing an experiment in the lab, Jim was reading a book, and Italia was doing a jigsaw puzzle. It had been a day since the Diamante Diamond was returned to the Mexican Museum in San Mariano.
"Dad" Italia said, looking up from the puzzle "When do we get another assignment?"
"When Washington sends us one" Jim replied "Why?"
"Just wondering" Italia said "Just waiting for life to get exciting again"
Jim laughed and went back to reading his book when there was a knock on the door.
He got up and opened it. Two beautiful women were standing in the doorway.
"Can I help you, ladies?" he asked
"Are you Mr. West?" one of the women asked
"Yes" he said "That's me. What can I do for you?"
"We were told by President Juarez to come and make sure that you had a good time while you were still near México"
"Say no more!" Jim said with a smile "Artie! Artie! Come here!"
"What, Jim?" Artie asked, walking into the living room of the Wanderer. He saw the two women and stopped short.
"Oh!" he said "Hello!"
"Artie, get your coat and hat" Jim said, grabbing his own coat and hat "We are going out!"
Artie nodded and went to get his hat and coat. Jim turned to Italia.
"Tal, can you handle yourself for one night?" he asked
"Do you even have to ask?" she said, with a smile
Jim smiled and waited for Artie to come back. When he did, the two agents linked arms with the girls and walked out of the Wanderer.
Italia smiled as she went back to doing the puzzle. "Wow" she said "How quickly they change when there are pretty faces involved! This is going to be an interesting life!"
The End!
2008
To be continued…