THE NIGHT OF THE TWO BOYS & THE PRESIDENT

By Andamogirl

Author's notes: Season 4. Post TNOT Sedgewick Curse.

Reference to the following episodes: The Night of the Turncoat; The Night of the Sedgewick Curse.

References to my stories "The Night of the Little Man (de-aging story) and "The Night of the Cheyenne Warrior Called White Eagle."

Artie: What did he say to you after that, Chester?

Chester: He said, "I'm going to buy two tickets to Denver."

Artie: Uh-huh. So naturally you said...

Chester: I said, "If she was my wife, I'd buy one ticket to Denver and made sure I missed the train."

The Night of the Sedgewick Curse.

President Grant: So what do you suggest?

Jim: That you stay here while I ride ahead to Gibsonville to look over the situation

President Grant: Aren't you afraid that I might be bitten by some enraged sand flea while you're gone?

Jim: Uh, Mr. Gordon will stay here with you, sir. He's an expert marksman with small targets.

The Night of the Colonel's Ghost

Many thanks to my beta reader Tripidydoodah.

Warning: emotional hurt/comfort. De-aging story-kid-fic. A bit of angst.

WWW

TEASER

Loveless's hideout, Denver

In a dungeon-like room

Dr. Miguelito Quixote Loveless entered the cell to the right and then looked down at a dozen children grouped in a corner, huddled against each other, all of them terrified, a few of them crying. "They were adults half an hour ago…" he said. "That's very impressive, Doctor."

Richard Maitland, moving to his associate's side nodded. "And they're all children now. Thank you. My de-aging drug works just fine."

Loveless nodded. "Physically, they're children, yes. But they're still adults in their heads. You need to improve your drug, Dr. Maitland so that those newly turned into children have both their bodies and minds de-aged."

Maitland dug his hands into the pockets of his white lab coat. "I can do that. But I will need time, new chemical materials, and new test subjects, of course."

Grinning, Loveless said, "I'm very pleased to hear that good news." His expression suddenly changed to a menacing frown and his voice went cold. "Don't fail, I don't tolerate failures. I want it done rapidly. It's in your interest, Dr. Maitland. I pulled you out of your cell… but I will send you back there if you fail." He snapped his fingers. "As easily as that. I work with capable people only. " He saw Maitland pale and flinch, hit squarely by his menace and he smiled, pleased with himself. He softened and added, "I'm giving you two weeks, one to make the new formula, one to test it, and you'll have everything you need. Then you'll find a way to make your new formula airborne and dispersible in water, and soon the whole population of this country will be turned into children – body and mind; and the United States will be mine. Mine, at last." His mood changing again, he gleefully rubbed his hands together. "It would be perfect, no, it will be, perfect. I'm counting on you, doctor." His blue eyes darkened again with threat, "Don't disappoint me. Never do that!"

Dr. Maitland nodded, swallowing hard. "I won't."

Miguelito Loveless nodded, satisfied. "Good! Good! I'm going to give you new test subjects for that upcoming new drug of yours: Then, when it is ready for the final test, I will give you two final people to test it on , Mr. West and Mr. Gordon - them you do know…"

Maitland's eyes flashed with anger.

Loveless nodded. "Because they put you in prison. I'm sure that you'll be more than happy to have them as guinea pigs – and as for me, I'll be more than happy to get rid of them definitively. Let's go back to work."

Maitland grinned wickedly. "It would be a real pleasure, Doctor."

Loveless chuckled. "Oh I'm sure of it."

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Denver marketplace

Two weeks later

Holding a large basket filled with a couple of raw chicken, two cuts of beef, a dozen of sausages and slices of bacon, a box filled with eggs and a loaf of bread, Artemus Gordon stopped in front of a vegetable stall and looked at the potatoes, carrots, turnips, leeks, onions, corn, etc. spread before his eyes., thinking about what he could prepare for the different meals to come.

He placed his heavy basket down on the ground, at his feet and took the other one – empty – he had placed under his free arm.

He was reaching out his hand to pick up some potatoes, when he felt something in his back and froze and stiffened. He immediately knew what it was: the barrel of a gun. It wasn't the first time something like this had happened to him, but it was still disagreeable, but it was the first time while he was buying food at a public market, and he ended his line of thought there.

He sighed. "I don't have a lot of money on me you know, just enough to buy some food…" He trailed off. "Unless you want what's in my basket?"

He felt the end of the gun poking deeper in his back. "I'm not interested in your money and even less in what's in your basket,." the man holding the Colt said. "Let's move from this place."

Suddenly a second man moved in front of Artie, his hand resting on his revolver, hammer cocked. "Don't try anything, Gordon, people here could be hurt by a stray bullet – or killed. It would be too bad. There are children here."

Artie nodded. "Okay, lead the way."

Framed by the two thugs Artemus left the marketplace and stopped next to a carriage. The door opened and another bulky man holding a gun appeared. "Get inside!" he commanded.

Still holding his baskets the agent complied – and let out a groan as he saw Miguelito Loveless seated on the opposite side. "I should have known… Who else would want to kidnap me?"

Loveless grinned. "Jealous boyfriends or furious husbands, perhaps? I heard that you have quite the reputation of séducteur… It's a pleasure to see you too again, Mr. Gordon. I didn't know that you were shopping at the market…" He smirked, "Like a good housewife."

Artie smiled. "I'm a multitalented man Doctor. I cook too and without wanting to brag I'm very good – with a specialization in pastry."

Loveless pulled out a letter from his inside pocket and said, in a mocking tone, "Then, you are marriage material, Mr. Gordon." He placed it on the meat-filled basket. Looking at the blond-haired goon standing outside the carriage he added, "Take the basket to the Wanderer. Mr. West will soon find my invitation to join us. Then come back home Daniels. I will need you, later. "

Daniels nodded and took the basket. Then he closed the door. Artemus found himself with a gun against his temple.

Loveless smiled. "I hope you didn't have a nice morning cooking scheduled and then at noon eating your preparations with Mr. West – because I have planned something else for you – something very unpleasant, of course. Soon, your partner will join you. He's not going to refuse my invitation. He'll do anything to save the man he considers his own brother."

WWW

Later in the Wanderer

Furrowing his brow, puzzled, Jim took the basket full of food sitting on the rear platform of the train and opened the door. "Artie! I think you forgot something, pal."

Silence.

He put the basket on the desk and repeated, "Artie! I think you forgot something." Then he headed toward the galley. He opened the door and…

It was empty - except for the cats, sleeping in their baskets.

Worried, Jim explored the whole train, from the parlor car to the stable car –no Artemus Gordon in sight. He went back to the parlor car and looking at the basket, he spotted an envelope in it. He opened it and pulled out a piece of paper.

He read: "Dear Mr. West, I have your partner in my hands. If you want to prevent him suffering a horrible death, please go to the Hedge Manor, on the outskirts of Denver. Yours truly, Miguelito Loveless." He groaned in anger and crumpled the letter. "Loveless!... I'm coming Artie."

WWW

In the meantime in Dr. Maitland's lab

Dr. Loveless moved closer to Artemus Gordon who was strapped down on an operating table. "I hope you are feeling comfortable, Mr. Gordon?"

Artemus Gordon nodded, impassive. "I would if I had a pillow under my head, yes. You wouldn't want me to have a neck pain before doing what you planned for me, right? Your hospitality leaves a lot of room from improvement. I am going to complain to the manager of this establishment."

Loveless smiled. "I do admire your stolidity facing danger – with always a bit of sarcasm… Ah!" The door of the lab opened and Richard Maitland entered the room.

The special agent immediately recognized him, flinched and paled. "Dr. Maitland!"

Richard Maitland halted beside Loveless and said, "It's a pleasure to see you again Mr. Gordon, especially strapped down on an operating table – again. But the first time you were in that position, I thought you were Henri Préchaud…"

Doing his best to hide his apprehension, Artie smiled in his turn. "I love playing French characters… the French language is so beautiful, so elegant ... exactly like me." He smiled and added, "All the pleasure is yours, believe me. So you're working for Dr. Loveless now? I'm not surprised. He loves playing with drugs too."

Dr. Maitland pulled Artemus's right jacket and shirt sleeves up, revealing the crook of the secret agent's elbow and tapped a little, observing the veins that appeared. "This time you won't be able to substitute sterile water for my new drug," he said, and his eyes went cold and darkened with anger. "Because of that trick of yours, Lavinia is a very old woman, probably dying right now, I lost everything and I ended up in prison – where hell is a lovely place in comparison. Fortunately Dr. Loveless helped me to escape, and I'm going to make you pay for all that, administrating you my new drug. At first, you will feel dizzy, confused and disoriented. Then you'll feel very tired, that's all, but you won't feel any physical pain as I added a powerful pain suppressor and a sedative into the formula. I'm a doctor, I don't make people suffer, even my enemies."

Looking straight up at the doctor's eyes, Artie said, "It is admirable for a man who transformed young men into very old men who then later died." He gave the other man a black look. "You killed them, Maitland, as surely, as you would have done with a revolver. You are a murderer."

Richard Maitland shrugged. "For science to progress, there are sacrifices to be made, Mr. Gordon. It is a pity, but it is so, and I don't feel guilty."

Loveless grinned. "My thoughts exactly," he said.

Maitland left for a few seconds and came back pushing a cart on which sat a glass bottle, containing a yellow liquid, and a syringe. He filled the syringe and aimed the needle for a blue vein. He looked down at Loveless, sitting on a chair, sipping a glass of sherry, awaiting his authorization. "May I proceed, Dr. Loveless?"

Artie shot Loveless a black look. "Kill me, and be sure – the two of you – that Jim West will find you and kill you both, slowly and painfully – emphasis on painfully."

Dr. Loveless chuckled. "Impossible. Mr. West is like a white knight in his shining armor, it's not in his nature to be that vindictive and cruel. That's not the case with me, as you know. But it's not my intention to kill you, Mr. Gordon. I don't kill children."

Artemus blinked, puzzled. "Children?"

Loveless nodded. "You may proceed Dr. Maitland," he said.

Pressing the point of the sharp needle into the vein, Maitland pushed the plunger. "Goodbye Mr. Gordon," he said and smirked.

Loveless chuckled. "And hello mini-Artemus."

Tbc.