Title: The Trigger
By: Geraldine
Fandom: Lancer
Rating: PG
Genre: family, gen, adventure, h/c, angst, violence
Details: November 2008. 80 pages, 40,000 words in 12 chapters.
Complete.

Note: This story was written a few years ago and I'm now posting it without any editing.

Synopsis: The Lancers have an important political guest coming to dinner and Johnny and Scott are in charge of the arrangements. Unfortunately, everything does not go smoothly and the Lancers soon find themselves embroiled in a dangerous plot where their family's lives are at risk.

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The Trigger

Chapter 1

Trigger ~ Something that incites especially a violent response: goad, incitation, incitement, instigation, provocation, stimulus.

Murdoch looked over his steepled fingers at his two sons as they sat before him in the darkened room. There was no denying that he was sending Johnny into danger, something that gave him great unease. "We should go over this one final time," Murdoch said.

Johnny shifted in his chair. He'd had enough of talk and it was very late. All he wanted was to be on the road and on his mission. At least it was going to get him out of punching cows for a couple of days. He caught a glance from his father. The message that this was serious business came through clear as day. "I know, I know," Johnny muttered. He leaned forward and said more loudly. "I got it."

Scott felt that it was an honor to be hosts to such an important visitor. The success or failure of the visit was up to them and he planned to do his best to make the event a memorable one. "I can go over my part first, if you want." At Murdoch's nod, he began. "I make sure that everyone is prepared for our visitor, but we'll withhold his identity until the last possible moment. All of the exits in the hacienda will be made secure, the armaments will be at the ready and any of the ranch hands who are not needed will be sent out on the range for several days. We still have to finalize our choice of which men we want to keep here, Murdoch." He asked Johnny, "The ammo and guns are ready?"

"I told you I took care of it, Scott," Johnny replied. "And I told Maria to stock up on lots of food. She didn't even ask what we're up to. But when Teresa gets back tomorrow, she's gonna have lots of questions." He was glad he wasn't going to be around to deal with her curiosity.

Murdoch waved a hand. "I'll talk to her, don't worry."

Scott turned to his father. "I still think we should enlist the aid of the Cavalry unit over at Fort Diego, or at least notify them in case they're needed. I can confide in Captain Dunbarton. He's a good man and-."

"Neither your friend Captain Dunbarton," Murdoch interjected, "nor anyone of authority is to be apprised of the situation, Scott. We have our orders. We tell no-one." He gave Johnny a sharp look. "And that includes the sheriff."

Johnny raised his hands in mock surrender. "I ain't the one that wants to call the army in. As it is, too many men and it'll look like a parade and all the county will be out gawking at us as we ride by."

"And I say too few men makes us vulnerable," said Scott with concern. "There'll only be us plus five of our men to accompany our visitor and his entourage. If we get in trouble and need the support of the cavalry, they're two days away."

"Isidro and Cipriano, plus Frank. All steady men in a fight, should it come to that," Murdoch said.

"And Pedro," Johnny added. "He's good with a long gun."

"What about Hal Brewer?" Scott suggested.

"The blacksmith?" Johnny asked with raised eyebrows. "He couldn't handle a pistol if his life depended on it." Johnny liked the big man who had been at Lancer only for a short while, and Brewer was undeniably strong, but he wasn't anyone he'd choose in a fight. "No way-."

"Enough!" Murdoch slammed his hand down on his desk, putting an end to the back and forth. "Mr. Brewer's brawn more than make up for his lack of skill with a gun."

"I can ask Dunbarton to join us, just for the term of the visit," Scott added.

Johnny shook his head. "You just want to get together with your old pal," he accused.

"If you two cannot follow these directions as outlined," Murdoch said sternly, "then perhaps we should find someone else to fulfill your obligations. It's already been decided that we are only enlisting five of our best men, Scott." Johnny raised his arms over his head, stretched and yawned deeply. His father waited until he'd finished and was sitting straight again, then said, "Johnny." It sounded like a reprimand.

"I've got it, Murdoch." Johnny tapped his temple with two fingers. "Got it all stored up in here."

"Lord knows there isn't much else stored up there," Scott said in an undertone out of the side of his mouth.

Johnny kicked at his brother without even looking at him, but their father frowned at their antics. "All right, boys, let's just finish this up and get some sleep. Johnny, just humor me."

Johnny took a deep breath and said, "My instructions are to ride east." He jerked his thumb over his shoulder in what he hoped was an easterly direction. "I ride Barranca over to Green River and catch the stage up to Atwater. When I arrive, I book a room at the Atwater Hotel on Maple Street. A quiet room at the back. Then I walk two blocks north to the Cattlemen's Association and knock on the side door." Johnny recited, "I knock twice, wait a beat, then two more times."

Murdoch nodded.

Johnny asked, "Is this really necessary?"

Murdoch raised an eyebrow and waited patiently for Johnny to continue.

Johnny tried not to roll his eyes at the cloak and dagger he was being forced to take part in. "All right," he said. "I'm supposed to meet a man called Mr. Fox, who'll be wearing a red cravat. I don't talk to anyone else. If anything seems out of place I'm supposed to. . ."

Scott said, "Get the hell out of there."

Johnny grinned. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot that part. Thanks for reminding me."

Murdoch stood and held onto the small of his back as he admonished his sons. "All right, that's enough. Johnny, your job is just to relay the route we have decided is the best with regards to our guest's safety. Remember that these men you're meeting have never been in this area and have no idea of the dangers they may be facing from the terrain or from any other source."

Johnny nodded. "So I give this Mr. Fox the details and the layout of the ranch. I draw out a map and tell them what the route is gonna be, all the way from the railhead to our front doorstep. When I'm sure he has memorized the map and knows the route, I burn it."

Murdoch was pleased. "If they give you any further instructions, which they might, don't write them down or accept any papers. Stay overnight, then return the same way you came, by stage. And Johnny, you only travel during daylight hours, is that clear? And do your best to keep out of trouble." He poured three whiskeys and handed a glass to each of his sons. "I know you'll both do your jobs well. Some very important men are entrusting us to act as the host to our visitor. I know that you both take the responsibility to heart, as I do."

"I thought of something. What if there ain't no matches?" Johnny asked.

Scott turned to stare at him. "What?"

"Do I have to eat the map, just to make sure it don't get in the wrong hands?" Johnny watched the corner of his brother's mouth twitch, but if Scott had been about to smile, Murdoch's next words quelled any such action.

"You will do whatever it takes, son, to ensure that our esteemed guest is not harmed either on his journey here, or during his visit. Is that clear?"

"Yes Sir."

"Johnny, you leave first thing tomorrow, and you'll be back the following day, on the eleventh. That's Wednesday. I know there isn't much time between your return and the arrival of the train at five o'clock on Friday afternoon, but we have a lot to do between now and then. This group works fast and close to the vest. The three of us are the only ones who know the route, location and time of this meeting, and the less people who know the details, the better."

As Scott and Johnny took a sip of their drinks, Murdoch added, "One more thing, you both remember the password to give to Mr. Fox?"

The brothers nodded and Johnny laughed. "Hard to forget. It's 'trigger.'"

Murdoch nodded. "We only have a few days to prepare for this. I'll inform our vaqueros on the morning of the thirteenth, before we head out to meet the train. I'll hand pick a few of the best to go with us. A small crew will remain here, on guard. I'll only tell Teresa and Maria we are expecting an important guest when Friday comes. They don't need to know any more than that until you boys and I leave to meet our guest and his men. Arrangements have been made for a special luxury railway carriage to travel along the spur usually used for transporting the cattle to market. The train will make a pre-arranged stop at the rail head, as close to us as possible."

Scott said, "And once the train arrives, we will escort our guest, Mr. Fox, and his men back to Lancer, along the route we decided upon." He looked at Johnny, expecting his brother to relate the rest of the plan.

"Okay," Johnny said. "Once he arrives at the hacienda, we'll post guards around the perimeter. His men will join our vaqueros at the most crucial vantage points." He scratched his head and shifted uneasily in his seat.

"There's something you don't like about this plan?" asked Scott.

Johnny shrugged. "It seems like askin' for trouble, marchin' down the main road under full guard. The whole county'll come out for the parade. I thought the idea was to keep this visit quiet because of the trouble they had in the past, like with that man who took a shot at him."

Murdoch replied, "Yes, there have been several attempts on our guest's life. According to what Mr. Fox told me when I met him last month, it wasn't an isolated case. This is why, when the decision was left up to me to find a safe meeting place, I chose Lancer. I'm honored we have been entrusted to come up with a plan of action. I know it all seems a bit overdone, but it's best to follow their suggestions and take precautions."

Taking a deep breath, Johnny said, "I still think a group of strangers ridin' through are gonna attract the wrong kind of attention. Anyway, why are they traipsin' all the way out here to look at some cattle? Don't they have any back East?"

It was Murdoch's turn to shrug. "I was told he wants to be well-informed about the cattle industry before heading for Sacramento. That includes visiting a successful, established cattle ranch. I figured Lancer was the perfect candidate."

"Well, I, for one, am looking forward to this," Scott said.

"Are you gonna dress up in one of your Boston outfits to impress the visitors?" Johnny asked as he slapped at his brother's arm.

"No, brother, but maybe we can show our guests a thing or two about riding, and break some broncs before breakfast on Saturday," Scott replied with a tired smile. "Look, I'm turning in, if we're finished. I have to be up early and I have a feeling I'm going to have trouble getting to sleep."

"I know I can count on you two to do your part in this. It's very important that it all goes smoothly." Murdoch then bid good night to his sons, and they all made for bed.

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As Scott had predicted, he was unable to sleep. The plans and all of the possible pitfalls kept circling around in his mind, much like vultures careening around a dying steer. He ended up going down to the kitchen sometime after midnight for a cup of hot milk. He'd boiled up the milk and was carrying a hot mug over to the table when Johnny stepped out of the dark, startling him. The mug slipped out of Scott's hand as he turned and it fell to the floor with a crash, breaking into small pieces when it hit the tiles.

"Whoa, sorry, Scott. I just came down for something to eat," Johnny said, looking at the broken shards and milk spread across the floor. He grabbed a towel and tossed it to his brother, then stepped around the spilled milk on his way to the pantry.

Scott grumbled a bit under his breath. He kneeled and swept the mess out of the way. "Johnny, watch out," he said when he realized his brother, who was wearing only his long-john bottoms, had bare feet. "There are some pieces over there, near your foot-."

His warning came a second too late. Johnny suddenly said, "Ow!" and hopped around on his right foot, clutching at his left.

"I told you not to step on the broken bits," Scott said. He scooped the broken shards of the mug into a bucket, tossed the wet towel in after it and turned to see how badly Johnny was hurt. His brother had made it to a chair and was inspecting the injured sole in the light of the lamp on the kitchen table. "Let me see," said Scott. He grabbed another towel but when he leaned over and reached for Johnny's foot, his brother jerked away.

"It's a small cut, nothin' at all," Johnny said. He took the cloth from his brother and dabbed at his foot.

"You mean not enough to prevent you from going on your mission?" Scott teased. He knew that even if Johnny was riddled with bullet holes, he'd still want to fulfill his obligations.

"Hell no. See, it's barely bleeding."

Scott peered at the cut. It was slight, as Johnny had said, on the bottom of his foot near his toes. Scott insisted that he clean it and found some ointment in the first aid box in the pantry, which he applied. "There, I think you'll live."

"Are there any of those biscuits left over?" Johnny asked hopefully, not leaving his chair.

Scott found some biscuits and put them in front of his brother. By the time Scott heated his milk up again and sat down to drink it, Johnny was slouched over the table, his head propped up in one hand. He looked almost asleep, but Scott knew his brother's mind was going over the plan, just as his own was.

"You think anyone will try to take this guy out when he's here?" asked Johnny.

"Not here. This place is like a fortress, especially once we have our men posted around the place."

"There are still a lot of spots between the railhead and here for a bushwhacker to take a shot. If I was going to take a potshot at someone, I'd do it along that curvy bit of road, where it corkscrews. I'd find a nice spot up along the ridge."

"He'd have to be a really good shot to hit his mark from up there."

"The trick is for us to be positioned higher than the enemy, if there is one," Johnny said. "With me and a couple of our men up high at key points with our Winchesters, we'd have control of the whole valley."

"I really don't think it's going to come down to a firefight." Scott sipped his hot drink. "First of all, nobody except us will know which route we're taking. And, until you talk to Mr. Fox and his men, you, me and Murdoch are the only ones who'll know the arrival date and time." He shook his head. "It would be hit or miss without that information, so I doubt we'll have any trouble." He smiled ruefully. "You know, in the end, he might change his mind and go straight to Sacramento and all this planning will have been for nothing."

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tbc