"The Night of Her First Loveless Encounter"
"The Night of Her First Loveless Encounter"
Based on "The Wild, Wild West"
"You're concentrating too much, Tal" Artemus Gordon said "Just relax and let your body do what it wants to do"
16-year-old Italia West nodded and took in a deep breath. She carefully tilted the glass with dark blue liquid in it towards the beaker with red liquid in it.
She was helping Artie finish an experiment. She called it "Chemistry Class". The only reason that she was even helping Artie with the experiment was because it was part of President Grant's orders…
W3W3W3W3
See, two months before, after Jim, Italia, and Artie had recovered the Diamante Diamond, President Grant and Colonel Richmond found out about Italia – how she had helped with the assignment, that she was Jim's daughter, etc.
Instead of making her go to the Academy, President Grant and Colonel Richmond agreed to let Italia get all her training for being a secret agent just from mere experience. As strange as that idea was, they agreed to it, but only because Jim was one of their best agents and they knew that he wouldn't want to be separated from Italia for months on end.
So, President Grant ordered that Artie teach Italia all she needed to know on the weapon-making, disguising and science stuff and ordered Jim to teach her self-defense and all of the physical stuff she needed to know.
W3W3W3W3
Italia carefully poured the blue liquid into the red liquid. The liquids mixed and turned a dark shade of purple.
"Now, what?" Italia asked "What do I look for now?"
"There should be some fizzing" Artie said, looking inside of the beaker "It should have started fizzing right away"
He picked the beaker up to get a closer look at it. Just as he got it up to his face, the liquids exploded.
Italia started laughing, to the point that her face was bright red. Artie put the beaker down on the table and went to get a towel to wipe his face off. When he came back, he looked to see what had gone wrong.
"It should have just fizzed" he said, wiping his hands and face "I don't know what the problem is"
"Maybe you used the wrong chemicals or something" Italia said, coming out of her hysterical laughter
"No!" Artie said, almost mad at Italia for even thinking that, picking up one of the containers that had one of the chemicals in it "I read the labels…"
He stopped short when he realized that Italia was right. He had used the wrong chemical. He slowly put the container back onto the table and turned back to Italia, who was trying hard not to laugh again.
"Alright" Artie said, rather calmly "That's all for today"
W3W3W3W3
Italia was still laughing when she walked out of Artie's laboratory and into the parlor car of the Wanderer.
"What are you laughing at?" James West asked
"Artie messed up and caused some chemicals to explode in his face" Italia said, plopping herself down on the couch across from her father, and pulling out a deck of cards from her pocket to start playing with them "Fortunately, the chemicals weren't poisonous or anything like that. Nothing to make him sick or die or anything like that"
Jim chuckled at what his daughter had told him. Good ol' Artie he thought.
"Are you ever going to stop playing with those things?" Jim asked, referring to the cards "Those things are always with you"
"I like shuffling them and throwing them into the trash can" Italia said "Besides, they might come in handy during an assignment someday, just you wait and see!"
"You ready for your self-defense lesson now?" Jim asked, ignoring Italia's comment on how a deck of cards could be useful during an assignment
Italia groaned. "I was hoping that we could skip that today" she said
"Why?" Jim asked "Are you feeling alright?"
"Oh, I'm fine" Italia said "I'm just still sore from the last time"
Jim laughed. For a 16-year-old, Italia had done very well in defending herself against a full grown man. She blocked most of the punches Jim had thrown at her. She was quick. Her reflexes were amazing. Sure, there were a few problems, here and there, but she was turning out to be a very good fighter.
"Ok" Jim said "We can skip practice for today"
"Thanks" Italia said "I appreciate it"
W3W3W3W3
Dr. Miguelito Loveless was pacing back and forth across his laboratory in San Francisco, California. His most recent attempt to take over America was failing miserably and he needed to come up with another plan to get the explosive he needed for his experiment.
"What am I missing?" he said, to himself "What do I need to make this work?"
He thought for a moment. He couldn't think of anything that would make this plan work. But, then, it hit him.
"Men" he said "Men to help me get the explosive, to fight off anyone that tries to stop me! That's what I need. Only problem is, how am I going to get it?"
W3W3W3W3
Some of the immigrants to the United States were having a hard time finding work in the city of San Francisco. With so many people immigrating to the United States, jobs were filling up quickly.
Riding down the streets of San Francisco in his coach, Loveless saw many people looking for work. He smiled and asked the driver to pull over.
"Hello, my good man!" Loveless said, to one man who was walking down the sidewalk
"Hola, senor" the man, whose name was Adriano Fuerte
"I'm in need of some strong men to help me at my home" Loveless said "Would you and some of your friends be interested in a job? It pays a lot of money"
"Oh! Si, senor!" Adriano said
"Good" Loveless said "You go and get your friends and meet me at the big white house over there in 15 minutes" He pointed to the house. "From there, I will take you and the others to where we will be working"
Adriano nodded and ran off to get his friends. Loveless smiled and told his driver to head to the white house.
Nothing could stop his plan now!
W3W3W3W3
"Dad!" Italia yelled, after copying down the message from the telegraph key "Artie! Come here! We just got a message from Washington!"
She waited for Jim and Artie to get into the parlor car of the Wanderer.
"What's up, Tal?" Jim asked, as he and Artie walked into the parlor car "Do we have a new assignment?"
"Looks like it" Italia said "Apparently, a small box of a test explosive was stolen from some laboratories in San Francisco. Scientists think that, in very large amounts, it can be very dangerous and very destructive – powerful enough to destroy towns and cities. But, since the explosive stolen was a very small amount, it only has the same power as a regular explosive. Colonel Richmond wants us to go, retrieve the explosive, and then bring it back to the laboratories in San Francisco"
"Looks like we're headed to San Francisco" Artie said "Did the message happen to say who Washington thinks stole the explosive?"
Italia looked back at the message. "No" she said "They have no clue who took it"
"That's why they need us, Artie" Jim said "Do we have a specific number of days to get the explosive back by?"
Italia looked at the message again. "No" she said "They didn't specify a day"
"Well" Artie said "Let's get ready to go to San Francisco!"
W3W3W3W3
When the Wanderer arrived in San Francisco, Artie headed to the laboratories that the explosive had been stolen from and Jim and Italia headed off to start asking questions.
They first talked to a man, sitting on a bench, reading the newspaper.
"Excuse me, sir" Jim said "My name is James West, and this is my daughter, Italia. We're with the government, investigating about the robbery at the science laboratories. Did you happen to see anything strange that happened on Tuesday night?"
"Oh, no, senor" the man said "I was at home all night"
"Did you happen to hear anything about what had happened on Tuesday?" Italia asked
"No" the man said "I'm sorry"
"Well, thank you for your time, sir" Jim said
"I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help" the man said.
Jim smiled and he and Italia continued on down the street. The man watched them until they turned a corner and then got off of the bench and ran down the street.
W3W3W3W3
"James West?!" exclaimed Loveless when Adriano came back to the hideout with the news "James West cannot ruin my plans again! He has to be eliminated!"
"There was someone else with him" Adriano said
"That's probably Artemus Gordon" Loveless said "His witty partner"
"No" Adriano said "It was a girl. No more than 16-years-old. He introduced her as his daughter, Italia"
Loveless perked up. "Daughter?" he said "James West has a daughter?"
"Apparently, senor"
Loveless smiled and started laughing. "Italia West" he said "It has a nice ring to it. I never thought that this day would come!"
"What are you talking about, senor?"
"The day I find out James West's only weakness!" Loveless replied
"Weakness?"
"Yes, Adriano" Loveless said "If Italia is put into danger, I'm sure that Mr. West would do anything to save her, make sure that she is safe and unharmed. He would die for her!"
Adriano smiled. "What are my orders, sir?"
"You and your men go and hunt down Italia West" Loveless said, "Bring her to me! I will deal with her from there"
W3W3W3W3
After questioning 3 more people, Jim and Italia had not gotten anywhere.
"You could always check the saloon" Italia said
"Good idea" Jim said "But, you're not coming with me"
"What?" Italia said "Why?"
"It's a saloon, Tal" Jim said "Not a good place for a nice, young woman, such as yourself"
"Well, I'm not a 'nice, young woman'" Italia said "I'm a sarcastic, young woman, who could probably take any man who tries anything with me!"
Jim held back a chuckle. "No, you are a nice, young woman and a saloon is no place for you. Just stay out here. I should be out in a few minutes"
"Fine" Italia sighed.
W3W3W3W3
Italia stood outside the saloon with her arms crossed, watching the people as they walked by. On the other side of the street, she noticed some men watching her.
She stiffened and looked around to see if the men were staring at someone behind her or if the men were actually staring at her. When she turned, she saw the man who had been sitting on the bench earlier, smiling at her.
Then, Italia felt a sharp stabbing pain in the back of her neck. Pain overwhelmed her body. She slowly brought her hand up to her neck and felt a dart sticking out of it. She pulled it out and looked at it. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she collapsed to the ground.
W3W3W3W3
Jim came out of the saloon moments after the men had taken Italia. He looked around and realized that Italia was no where to be seen.
"Tal?" he said "Italia?"
There was no reply. A wave of fear took over Jim's body. He ran down the street, towards the building where the laboratories were, to find Artie and come up with a plan.
W3W3W3W3
Head pounding, Italia came out of her drugged slumber tied to a chair in a very nice room. Her eyes were blurry. When she could see again, she saw a little man sitting in front of her.
"Ah!" he said "You're finally awake!"
"Where am I?" Italia asked
"In my headquarters" the man said
"Who are you?"
"Dr. Miguelito Loveless, at your service" he said, with a bow "It's so nice to meet you, Italia"
"How did you know my name?" Italia asked
Loveless smiled and laughed. "I know your father"
"How do you know my father?" Italia asked "Did you work together or something?"
Loveless paused for a moment. "Something like that"
"So, if you know my father, why was I kidnapped and tied to a chair?"
"Because I need you to lead him here" Loveless said "You are my bait. And I can't let my bait escape, can I?"
"What do you want my father for?"
"You'll find out soon enough" Loveless said
"Well" Italia said "Don't you think that this is a bit much? I mean, you could have just sent him a letter or something. Don't you think that you're taking this a little too far?"
Loveless laughed. "Wittiness" he said "You must have gotten that from your father"
"How well do you know my father?" Italia asked "Because, to put it quite frankly, you are really creeping me out"
"I know your father well enough to see which of his traits you inherited" Loveless replied "I have known him for a long time"
"What, are you obsessed with him, or something?"
"Obsessed?!" exclaimed Loveless, with fury in his eyes "I am not obsessed! What makes you say something like that?!"
Italia was shocked at Loveless's outburst. She was more surprised that this full-grown (though not very tall) man just had a temper tantrum.
"Um…you kind of just proved my point" she said "You are obsessed with him, aren't you?"
Loveless stared at her for a moment. Italia could see in his eyes that she had struck a nerve. "I am not" he said
"Yes you are" Italia said "I can see it in your eyes"
"Ok!" exclaimed Loveless "Yes! I am obsessed! But, for only one reason: I want him dead! Cold and dead!"
Italia was silent.
"I am going to kill your father if it's the last thing I do!" Loveless said "And, by being the bait, you are going to help me!"
"You have got to be out of your mind!" Italia said "Seriously, are some sort of psychopath or something?"
Loveless bit his tongue as to not to have another tantrum. "I will leave you now" he said "But, I'll be back in a few hours to check on you"
He walked towards the door and left the room. Italia let out a small chuckle and started to work the ropes tied around her wrists.
This Loveless guy was insane! Obsessed with seeing Jim dead? Italia knew that this guy needed to be checked in to a mental hospital.
W3W3W3W3
Artie was in the middle of talking to some of the scientists who had been working on the explosive, when Jim burst into the room.
"Artie!" he said, out of breath "Tal's gone!"
"Gone?" Artie said "What do you mean?"
"I mean she's missing!" Jim said "I went into the saloon for a moment and when I came out, she was gone"
"I think I might just know where she is" Artie said
"Where?"
"With Loveless"
"Loveless?" Jim asked "Loveless is behind this?"
Artie nodded and pointed behind him at the scientists. "The scientists told me that they saw a little man constantly walking by the windows about a week before the theft"
"Artie, if Tal is with Loveless, then…"
"Then we have to move and find her fast!"
W3W3W3W3
After working the ropes around her wrists for a few minutes, Italia was free from the chair. She quietly walked to the door, to see if Loveless had locked it. He didn't. He probably figured that she was too weak or dumb to even try to escape.
She slowly opened the door and, when she saw that the hall was empty, slipped out of the room and closed the door behind her.
She walked down the hall for a few minutes, when she started to hear singing. One of the voices sounded like Loveless, the other was a woman.
"Oh! Don't tell me that this guy has a girlfriend!" Italia said to herself, surprised at what she was hearing.
After listening to Loveless and the unknown woman sing "Bring me a little water, Sylvie" for a few more moments, Italia continued on down the hallway. Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her. She knew that she had to get out of that hallway. Fortunately, a door was close by. She grabbed the doorknob, turned it, opened the door, and slipped inside.
She closed the door behind her and turned on the light. In front of her was the small, pocket-sized box of the explosive stolen from the laboratories.
She slowly picked it up. Just as she did, the door opened behind her.
"My dear, Italia" Loveless said, coming into the room, with two guards behind him "You are just like your father. You have his wittiness. You have his looks. And you have his means to try and escape"
"Thank you" Italia said "I take that as a compliment"
"Give me the explosive!" Loveless said, holding out his hand "Something like that is nothing for a teenager to handle!"
Italia rolled her eyes and was about to hand the explosive over to Loveless, when she decided to make a run for it. She ran out of the room, so quick that it took Loveless a moment to realize what she was doing.
"After her!" he yelled "She can't get away with that explosive!"
The guards headed off to get Italia. Loveless followed and met up with Adriano in the hall.
"Adriano, I want you and your men to go and hunt down Mr. West and Mr. Gordon. Bring them here. It's the only way to get Italia to cooperate with our plans"
W3W3W3W3
Jim and Artie headed back out onto the streets of San Francisco. The scientists had given Artie a general idea as to where they had seen the "little man" come from. They had told Artie about the big white house at the end of the street.
As they were walking towards the house, Jim and Artie felt guns point into their backs.
"Mr. West, Mr. Gordon" Adriano said "We would like it if you could come with us"
"Why should we?" Jim asked
"Because" Adriano said "We know where your daughter is being held. We can take you to her"
Jim and Artie looked at each other, unsure as to whether or not to trust these men.
"Alright" Jim said "Lead the way"
W3W3W3W3
Italia was getting lost in the hallways of Loveless's hideout. She was sure that she had lost the two guards that were running after her. She just wasn't sure how to get out of the hideout.
She heard footsteps come up behind her. She ducked into the shadows, hoping that whoever was coming down the hall wouldn't see her.
She was very surprised to see Jim and Artie being led down the hall by the man who was on the bench and some others. She was tempted to jump out, get Jim and Artie, and leave with the explosive. But, she wasn't sure what would happen if she did.
She decided to hide the explosive in the alcove that she was hiding in and reveal herself to the man who was on the bench and the others. She knew that she would remember where the explosive was, so she could come back and get it later.
She put the explosive in the corner of the alcove that she was hiding in, took a deep breath, and ran down the hallway.
"Hey!" yelled Adriano "Stop right there!"
Italia ignored Adriano and continued on down the hallway. Adriano turned to the others and told them to go after her. But, before they could, Jim and Artie broke free of the men's grasps.
The men lunged for Jim and Artie. One of them threw a punch at Jim, but he blocked it and punched the man in the jaw, sending him down the hall. Another man tried to punch Jim, but he blocked it again and punched the man in the stomach.
Artie punched one man in the jaw and he threw Adriano into the wall. Once all of the men were out cold, Jim and Artie turned to follow Italia.
They started running down the hallway. After running for a moment or two, Jim and Artie saw Italia step out from another dark alcove.
"Hey, guys!" she said "What brings you here?"
W3W3W3W3
Jim, Artie, and Italia headed down the hallways, trying to find a way out of Loveless's hideout.
"This place is like a maze!" exclaimed Italia "There's no way we are going to make it out of here!"
"You're quite right, Italia, my dear" Loveless's voice came out of nowhere "You're never going to make it out of here – alive that is!"
Jim, Artie, and Italia looked around, trying to figure out where Loveless's voice was coming from.
"Loveless, where are you?" Italia yelled "Come out here and show your face, you little coward!"
Jim turned to Italia and immediately grabbed her and covered her mouth, afraid of what she'd say next. Italia struggled to break free of her father's grasp.
"Tal, be careful what you say" Artie said "You might just get what you wish for!"
"You're quite right, Mr. Gordon" Loveless said "Be careful what you wish for, Italia, my dear!"
Just then, the wall in front of Jim, Artie, and Italia started to rise, revealing Loveless, his girlfriend, Antoinette, and Adriano and one of his men.
Jim let go of Italia's mouth, praying that she wouldn't say anything else.
"Oh my God!" exclaimed Italia "He does have a girlfriend!"
Jim rolled his eyes, grabbed his daughter and covered her mouth again. "Tal, this is something that we are going to have to work on!" he whispered into her ear "When to speak and when not to speak"
Italia rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, waiting for Jim to let go of her and uncover her mouth. He did after a minute.
"Sassy girl you have there, Mr. West" Loveless said "No doubt that she got that from you"
He looked at Italia for a moment and smiled.
"She must have also inherited good looks from you as well" he said "Because, Mr. West, your daughter is very beautiful"
Jim smiled a sarcastic smile at Loveless and nodded. "Thank you, Doctor" he said
Loveless turned to Adriano and motioned for him and the other man to go over to Jim, Italia, and Artie.
Loveless watched as Adriano and the other man grabbed Jim and Artie, and dragged them over to where he was standing, leaving Italia standing all by herself.
"Now, my dear, Italia" Loveless said "If you'd be so kind as to come with me" He turned to Jim and Artie "I'll deal with you two later!"
"What if I don't come with you?" Italia asked, causing Jim and Artie to look at each other and roll their eyes.
Italia just didn't seem to understand the whole when to speak and when not to speak process, at least when it came to dealing with Loveless. She wasn't like this when they were looking for the Diamante Diamond. But, they were dealing with Loveless. He always made things...different.
"If you don't, your father and Mr. Gordon will die much sooner than planned" Loveless replied "Now, come with me!"
"Oh yeah!" exclaimed Italia, with a sly smile "I forgot about your obsession!"
She walked over to Loveless and automatically knew that he was getting fed up with her. She could tell by the way his mouth was pinched together, as if holding in another tantrum. "Lead the way!" she said, with a smile.
Loveless turned on his heel and walked off, with Antoinette behind him. Italia smiled as she walked past Jim and Artie.
"You're a little too sarcastic there, Tal" Artie whispered into her ear "You should lay off a little bit"
"I know" Italia replied, with a laugh "But, this guy is just so fun to annoy!"
She took off at a slow run to catch up with Loveless and Antoinette. Jim and Artie looked at each other as Adriano and the other man dragged them off.
W3W3W3W3
"You want me to eat dinner with you?" Italia said, when Loveless and Antoinette led her into a dining room "What did you poison my food or something?"
"Good heavens, no!" exclaimed Loveless, as he and Antoinette sat down "Please. Sit down and enjoy your meal!"
Italia, though it went against her better judgment, sat down and took a bite of the turkey on her plate.
"Do you like it?" Antoinette asked
Italia nodded. "It's very good"
"Good" Loveless said "Antoinette is a marvelous cook. Enjoy this because it will be your last meal"
Italia stared at Loveless as she took a bite of potatoes. That's what you think she thought But, boy, are you wrong!
W3W3W3W3
Jim and Artie had been tied to some chairs in the basement of Loveless's hideout.
"Well, James, what are we going to do now?" Artie asked
"Loveless probably has something big planned for our deaths" Jim said "And, I have no doubt that he is going to kill Italia as well"
"How do you propose that we get out of here?"
"Check and see if you can reach my knife" Jim said "If you can reach it, then we can cut the ropes and get out of here"
Artie tried to reach where Jim kept his knife, but he couldn't. The ropes binding his wrists together wouldn't let him move that much.
"Alright" Artie said "You got a plan B?"
"I wouldn't try anything, Mr. Gordon" Loveless said, walking into the basement "It wouldn't do any good"
"Well" Artie said "It's just a thought"
"What are you up to, Loveless?" Jim demanded "What's your game this time?"
Loveless smiled. "I thought you'd never ask" he said, walking over to a set of controls. He started explaining the entire plot to Jim and Artie.
"Now, what did you go and do that for?" Artie asked
"To buy us time to try and untie these ropes!" exclaimed Jim "If we keep him going, he can't do anything to us"
"This lever controls two poles, full of electricity" Loveless was saying "If I pull this lever, the poles will come down and you will be electrocuted in a matter of seconds"
"Well, that makes me feel better" Artie said "At least we know that we will die quickly"
Loveless turned to Jim and Artie, not noticing them trying to untie the ropes. "I bet you'd love to hear how your daughter is going to die, don't you, Mr. West?"
"No" Jim said, simply
"Would you like to hear it if I told you that she would be in great pain?"
"No"
"Would you like to hear it if I told you that she would die a slow death?"
"No"
"Would you like to hear it if I told you that she will be in pain for hours on end, screaming out in horrible, horrible pain?"
"No!" Jim said with more ferocity. Deep down, he was very worried about Italia and what Loveless was planning to do with her. If he didn't know Loveless, he would ask about what Loveless had planned for Italia.
Loveless let out a sigh. "I must leave you now, gentlemen" he said "I have to go and finish my supper. But, don't worry. I'll be back soon enough!"
Loveless turned and left the basement. Jim and Artie looked at each other, as best they could, and continued to untie the ropes.
W3W3W3W3
"Wait, wait, wait!" Italia said, after Loveless came back into the dining room "You are planning on blowing up San Francisco? For what purpose?"
"To persuade President Grant to give me what I want" Loveless said "When he realizes that I have the power to destroy America, he will cave into my demands and give me absolute power over America!"
So, he wants to take over America by destroying America? Italia thought, That doesn't make any sense!
"And, why, exactly, are you telling me this?" Italia asked
"To let you know what's going to happen after you die" Loveless said "Besides, I know that you were dying to find out what I was up to"
"You do realize that the explosive you have is not…" Italia was cut off when the door to the dining room opened. She, Loveless, and Antoinette turned around to see Adriano standing in the doorway.
"We are all ready for you, senor" he said
"Excellent!" exclaimed Loveless "Come on, Italia. We mustn't keep your father and Mr. Gordon waiting!"
W3W3W3W3
Loveless led Italia and Antoinette down to the basement. Adriano headed back upstairs, so he could finish his dinner with his men. Italia saw that Jim and Artie were tied to a couple of chairs. She was wondering what Loveless had planned for them.
"Sit down, Italia" Loveless said, motioning towards a chair "You'll have the best seat in the house"
"You're going to make her watch this?" exclaimed Jim
"Naturally, Mr. West" Loveless said "What did you expect?"
"Oh, I don't know" Artie said "Maybe that you wouldn't scar the girl for life"
"It wouldn't matter, Mr. Gordon" Loveless said, as he walked over to some controls near where Jim and Artie were "She will die soon after you and Mr. West"
"Oh" Artie said, sarcastically "That makes us feel a lot better, doesn't it, James?"
"Be quiet, Mr. Gordon!" exclaimed Loveless. He turned to Italia. "Get ready to be amazed, Italia, my dear"
"Amazed with what?" Italia asked, crossing her arms "How you are going to kill my father and Mr. Gordon, or how your plan is going to fail miserably?"
Loveless laughed. "Count to 10, Italia!" he said "And when you do, your father and Mr. Gordon will be dead!"
Italia watched as Loveless pulled a lever and two huge poles (like you would see on the top of science labs to conduct electricity) came down from the ceiling above Jim and Artie.
Loveless walked away from the controls and sat down next to Antoinette. He started the countdown. As he did, Italia pulled the deck out cards out of her pocket.
When Loveless got to the number 5, Italia chucked the deck of cards that she carried in her pocket at the set of controls. The cards hit a button next to the lever on the set of controls.
"What have you done?!" exclaimed Loveless "You made the controls malfunction, you foolish girl!"
Italia got up and ran to Jim and Artie, who had been able to untie the ropes long before Loveless, Italia, and Antoinette got there. "See, Dad" she said "I told you those cards would come in handy!"
"That's good, Tal" Jim said "Let's just get out of here!"
Loveless ran over to the controls, to try and get the working again. Jim, Artie, and Italia headed for the exit.
W3W3W3W3
"Miguelito! Miguelito!" exclaimed Antoinette "What are we going to do?"
"Not to worry, my dear" Loveless said "I have everything under control!"
Just then, a huge lightening bolt of electricity shot out of the two poles. Antoinette screamed. Loveless grabbed her and tried to head for the exit, but another bolt of lightening hit the top of the door, causing the doorframe to fall and block their path.
W3W3W3W3
Somehow, Jim, Artie, and Italia were able to find an exit. They ran out of Loveless's hideout.
"That whole place is going to collapse!" Artie said "There is no way that it going to be able to stand the lightening!"
"The explosive!" exclaimed Italia "What about the explosive? It's still in there!"
Just then, as if on cue, the hideout blew up, with Loveless, Antoinette, and Adriano and his men inside.
Jim, Artie, and Italia were all thrown back from the blast. When the explosion had ended, the trio sat up and looked at the destroyed hideout.
"Well," Artie said "That takes care of the explosive"
"Looks like it took care of Loveless and the others, too" Italia said "We'll never see them again"
"I wouldn't bet any money on that, Tal" Jim said
"No one could have survived an explosion like that, Dad!" exclaimed Italia
"Dr. Miguelito Loveless is a remarkable man" Jim said, remembering his previous encounters with the "little doctor", "I'm sure that we'll see him again"
Italia looked at Jim as if he had three heads. "Did Loveless drug you too, Dad?"
W3W3W3W3
A few days later, back on the Wanderer, Jim and Italia were having their self-defense lesson. Italia was doing a lot better than she did when she first started the lessons. She even pinned Jim down a couple of times. Of course, each time Jim claimed the he let her pin him down "for practice", but Italia didn't believe that.
There was a knock at the door.
"That's it for lessons today, Tal" Jim said, putting his shirt back on "Can you get the door?"
"Sure" Italia said, turning for the door. She opened it and no one was there. Italia looked down and saw a package sitting in front of the door. She picked it up, closed the door, and headed over for the table.
"Who was that?" Artie asked, coming into the parlor car
"No one was there" Italia said "This package was on the ground in front of the door, though"
She set the package on the table and opened it. There was no card.
"That's odd" Artie said "No card"
"That's the fun of surprises, Artemus" Jim said, with a smile.
Italia smiled. She opened the box and pulled out a mini recorder.
"What is this?" she asked
"A recorder" Artie said, taking it out of her hands "It is used to record voices or music or things like that"
He pressed the button on the side of the recorder to play the message. Loveless's maniacal laugh filled the train.
"Oh my God!" Italia said "He did survive! I don't believe it!"
"See, Tal" Jim said, with a smile "I told you Loveless was a remarkable man. He's full of surprises"
"You got that right" Italia said "He is full of surprises!"
The End
2008
To Be Continued…
So, I worked for days on Loveless's dialogue. Taking some advice from some very smart people on the W3 forum, I watched some W3 episodes and actually took notes on Loveless's behavor and manner of speaking. I really hope that I was at least on the right track when it came to Loveless.
I would like to thank those on the W3 forum who helped me and gave me some tips! You guys are awesome!
Hope that you like the second installment in the "Italia Series"!
Please Read and Review!!