Chapter Two:
Deals with the Devil
It was almost two years since Darien Lambert last encountered Doctor Mordicai Sahmbi, and Darien had sworn then if he should ever meet the doctor again, it would be for the last time.
However, with the disruption to the timeline and the imminent approach of Judgement Day without John Connor, Darien was faced with the reality his old hatreds would need to be set aside for the good of all.
Following his return from California, Darien's course was clear. With Skynet erasing the entire family line of Kyle Reese, John's father, from the 1878 onwards, the young resistance hero would never be sent back to fall in love with Sarah Connor. Thanks to Selma's records of Reese's genealogy from the 22nd century, Darien was able to pinpoint the exact moment Skynet sent his final Terminator to the past. Christopher Larabee who should have lived to a ripe old age was murdered prematurely in 1878 in a small town, in New Mexico.
And because of that, Darien's future would never exist.
Under normal circumstances, Darien would have contacted TRAX control to help him to solve this crisis but with the 22nd century a dystopian machine nightmare, TRAX control no longer existed. With no other alternative, Darien needed the one man who might be able to help him get to Larabee. However Darien felt about him, Sahmbi, the inventor of time travel and by extension TRAX, was his only hope of saving the future.
Utilising every contact he had, Darien knew he was courting disaster by contacting Sahmbi but he had no choice.
More than a week after he began his search to contact Sahmbi, Darien found himself waiting in a darkened alley in the dead of night. As he paced the crack of space in between two abandoned buildings, he made sure his weapons were nestled safely in its holster while Selma kept a vigil on the surrounding area. The AI would warn him of trouble long before it arrived.
Finally, after waiting for almost twenty minutes after the time of their pre-arranged meeting, Darien heard the rumble of car engines coming down the street. Sahmbi's choice of meeting place left something to be desired, but then Darien suspected the man wanted somewhere remote to gun him down in case Darien was trying to ambush him.
"Captain, I detect three men approaching this location."
"Okay." Darien took in a breath and immediately regretted it because he could smell the vile odour of garbage wafting from a nearby dumpster. Checking his gun once more, he steeled himself for the meeting he did not look forward to.
"Captain, are you sure this is a wise idea?" Selma's voice reeked with concern.
"Not at all," he answered, hearing the slamming of car doors in the distance before he heard the approach of footsteps that did not belong to the rats scurrying along the grey walls, feasting on garbage and refuse. "But I don't have much of a choice. The only person who can help us get back to 1878 is Sahmbi."
"But you cannot assume Doctor Sahmbi will assist you, even if there is a way to send you back to that time period."
"True, but Sahmbi has got as much to lose if Judgement Day is seven months away."
The footsteps were very close now and Darien saw three figures emerge from the darkness into the light of the street lamp under which he was standing. The two men who were flanking the doctor were well armed beneath their long coats. They were also tall and muscled. No doubt perfect specimens of 22nd century genetic enhancement. Sahmbi on the other hand did not look as well preserved. His balding head of hair was greying and there seemed to be more lines than normal on his craggy features.
Darien stared at him, forcing away the memory of how this man killed Elyssa so long ago and changed the course of his life in one terrible stroke. Desperation was the only reason Darien called this temporary truce but his hatred and anger remained, stuck in his throat like bile. Forcing himself to remember the importance of this meeting, Darien fought the urge to shoot him with a TXP pellet and send the man back to the 22nd century, now they were meeting face to face.
"Darien Lambert, it's been a long time," Sahmbi greeted. "To what do I owe the honour of this meeting?"
"First of all, you can relax Sahmbi, I don't intend to bring you in," Darien declared, displaying his palms in a gesture of conciliation. He hated this situation but God help him, he needed Sahmbi. The doctor appeared just as cautious and Darien suspected, Sahmbi was here out of curiosity more than anything else. Like every scientist, the man was drawn to riddles, and Darien's request for a truce would have definitely been puzzling.
"Not that you could." The doctor replied, indifferent to Darien's gesture and glanced at the two men beside him. To prove his point, they opened their coats long enough to show Darien their weapons as a warning to him to not try anything foolish.
"I didn't come here to fight." Darien repeated, deciding he was not going to get into pointless posturing with the doctor. "Something's happened Sahmbi, something that affects us all. There's been a corruption of the timeline."
The seriousness of the matter was reflected in Sahmbi's reaction. The man's brow furrowed and he stared at Darien hard, trying to decide if the time cop was trying to trick him.
"How badly?" He asked after a moment, realising now why Darien would resort to this meeting.
"An officer from the Fugitive Retrieval Unit risked a third exposure to TXP, just to come back and tell me that the 22nd century is now inhabited by a machine civilisation. Mankind, as we know it, is extinct." Darien answered, holding nothing back.
While Sahmbi managed his reaction, Darien saw the alarm crossing the faces of the two men beside him. The idea that the future had become a nightmarish world of sentient mechanization was a terrifying possibility. While Darien decided a mostly full disclosure was necessary at this point, he held back Sarah and John's real identity. If he was to reset the timeline, he had no intention of allowing Sahmbi to use them for his own purposes later on.
Sahmbi listened intently, saying nothing as Darien told him about Skynet and Judgment Day, which was now seven short months away. When he was done, he noticed Sahmbi's men were decidedly nervous, in contrast to the doctor who remained calm as ever.
"Do you have any other proof beyond this woman's word this nuclear holocaust is coming?"
"Warburton died bringing the news to me. I saw what a third exposure of TXP did to him Sahmbi, nobody risks that for nothing. What he saw terrified him enough to come back to warn me. Also, Miles Dyson, who died three years ago blowing up the Cyberdyne building in our timeline, is now alive. Not only that but the Cyberdyne facility is now very much intact and as we speak, Dyson is working on a top secret project for the US government."
For the first time, Sahmbi looked troubled. He escaped into time for a new life, but he always warned those he sent to the 20th century the dangers of meddling with history. Alter one event and one might find themselves erased from existence or worse. It was one thing to take advantage of their knowledge of future events to become self-sufficient, but it was another thing to manipulate its course. Time was a fragile thing and small ripples could culminate into earth shattering repercussions.
"Assuming that any of this is true, what do you need from me?" Sahmbi looked at him, finally reaching the heart of the matter.
"I think the focal point is a man called Larabee. His entire lineage was wiped out starting from the late 1800's. According to the records of our timeline, his descendants survived in the 22nd century. Whatever's happened, it started with him."
"That does make some sense, although I would prefer more empirical evidence on which to base that assumption." Sahmbi nodded, sounding very much more like a scholar now than a criminal genius. He was starting to see where Darien was going with this line of reasoning but he would nevertheless enjoy hearing his nemesis ask first.
"I need to be able to go back to the 1800's and keep this ancestor of Reese's' from being killed. I need the best mind in temporal mechanics for that." Darien wondered if Sahmbi had any idea how hard it was for him to keep from beating the crap out of the doctor before sending him on his way. Every time he looked at Sahmbi, he was revisited by images of Elyssa dying while he watched helplessly.
"I am flattered," Sahmbi said with a brow raised. "It was not easy coming to me I imagine."
Darien's eyes were almost black when he answered. "You have no idea. I still want to kill you for what you did to Elyssa."
For the first time, Sahmbi's expression darkened. "Likewise Darien. She was always mine first."
"Elyssa didn't belong to either of us and she didn't deserve to die for that."
"An argument for another time," Sahmbi snorted, aware their détente would fracture if they continued to discuss the woman they both loved…and lost. "I have no guarantee anything you say is true, but I am not prepared to take the risk this Judgement Day of yours is false. TXP is capable of shielding us from temporal flux, which is why it is so perfect for time travel, so I know that much of your story is true. I also know you despise me with every fibre of your being and coming to me for help means you're desperate enough to ignore your vengeance. If nothing else Darien, I trust your hate."
Darien was not going to argue with this twisted piece of logic. "So the question is, what can you do about it?"
"I can do quite a bit if you are ready to take a ride with me."
Darien knew he would have to trust Sahmbi if the man was going to help him. He'd come this far with Sahmbi, he needed to suspend his innate distrust of the man a little longer to see what Sahmbi intended to show him. If he wanted to help Sarah and John Connor, he'd have to.
"Alright," he nodded, hoping this was not a fatal mistake. "Let's take a ride."
Sahmbi's idea of a ride was slightly more complicated than that.
Traveling in a stretched limousine, Darien accompanied Sahmbi to the nearest airport where a chartered jet was waiting. Thanks to regular trips to the bathroom where he could confer with Selma, Darien learned Sahmbi was taking them towards Reno, Nevada.
Both men kept their conversation focussed on the time ripple and the corruption that had occurred, wisely avoiding the subject of Elyssa in case either of their tempers were provoked. Utilizing the on board computer on Sahmbi's plane, Darien and the doctor were able to learn the SAC NORAD system Miles Dyson created was well on its way to being integrated into the US defence network computers.
In less than seven months, the system would come on line and Skynet would be born. According to Sarah, twenty days after its initialization, Skynet would become self-aware and decide the fate of humanity on August the 29th, and Judgment Day would become a reality.
After setting down at another private airport in Reno, another limousine awaited and drove them to a large warehouse on the outskirts of the garish city.
The warehouse was protected by a state of the art security system. Barbed wire, electrified fences kept under surveillance by the security cameras, were installed to keep trespassers off the premises. The grounds were further patrolled by security guards carrying heavy assault rifles, accompanied by well trained dogs. As the limousine passed through the sentries, Darien wondered what on Earth Sahmbi had hidden away here.
They finally entered the main warehouse, passing through more security checkpoints, where Darien observed everything from motion detectors to sensors that detected variations in air density and temperature controls to more guards at every corner. What on Earth did Sahmbi have hidden away in this place? More importantly, how had he found the financing to pay for all this?
"Well Sahmbi," Darien admitted as they stood before a metal door with the thickness of a vault hatch. "I'm intrigued. What's behind the door?"
Sahmbi allowed himself a smile as he slipped his card into the slot of a control panel on the wall next to the door. The keypad came alive prompting Sahmbi to key in the appropriate code. The display flashed green and the locking mechanism disengaged, causing the thick door to swing open and allow them entry. Darien followed Sahmbi into the room beyond; his question still unanswered by the doctor.
The moment Darien looked inside the room, he understood at last what Sahmbi was protecting with such secrecy. Although the memory was four years behind him, Darien remembered every detail of it with utmost clarity. He saw a dozen people in white coats, going about their business at various computer terminals. Almost all turned towards the doctor upon his arrival, even though Darien's eyes were firmly focused on the machine occupying the centre of the room.
"TRAX." He exclaimed before shooting Sahmbi an icy glare. The Transtime Research and experimentation unit was exactly as he remembered it, and judging by the state of it, the device was fully operational.
"It's taken me two years of funding to complete it." Sahmbi said undeniably proud of it as he walked towards the TRAX machine.
"How did you pay for it?" Darien demanded, remembering how Sahmbi had managed his funding back in the 22nd century.
"You don't seriously expect me to answer that question do you?" Sahmbi shot him a look. "Just be grateful it is fully functioning and will have no trouble sending you back to the 19th century."
Darien frowned. He did not like the ominous implications of those words, but decided Sahmbi was correct that he ought to be grateful there was a way to return to the past and repair the damaged timeline.
"How grateful should I be for a one way trip?" Darien retorted, realizing if he did go back to 1878, it would be to stay. The possibility had loomed in his mind for almost a week now, but had not seemed real until this moment.
"Well that may not necessarily be the case if you wish to play my guinea pig." Sahmbi said smugly as Darien followed him to the TRAX device. "Until now, the TXP dosage has been limited to two teleportation trips. However I have been working these past three years to refine the process. I understand you've been exposed only once."
"That's right." Darien answered, trying not to get his hopes up when the source of it was Sahmbi. Darien supposed if anyone could devise a way for him to return to the 19th century, it would be the scientist. However, Darien wished his only way back did not rely on placing his trust in the doctor with whom he shared a blood feud.
Sahmbi paused at workbench and pulled out a vial of white powdery substance sitting in a test tube rack. "This batch is experimental and I have yet to test it on a human subject. You will be happy to know the results with laboratory animals have proved encouraging." He smiled, obviously enjoying Darien's discomfort at having to trust him. "However, the data does show the TXP has none of the previous toxic effects. So you may be able to make a round trip without risk of cellular degradation."
"How do I know this isn't a trick?" Darien eyed at him suspiciously. If Sahmbi wanted to get rid of him once and for all, this was the perfect opportunity.
Sahmbi sighed wearily as if he was dealing with an unlearned child. "Believe me, if I wanted to kill you I would find more expedient ways than using a million dollar machine. Now, I am willing to send you back in time and forward again because it benefits me to do so. I do not wish to see my hard work these past four years come to an end in a scant seven months, nor do I wish to exist in the 1800's, as enchanting as the idea might seem. Since the 22nd century is no longer what it used to be, it appears I must trust you are capable of correcting the timeline."
He had a point, even though admitting it left a terrible taste in Darien's mouth. "I guess I don't have a choice, do I?"
Sahmbi looked at him with dark eyes. "I guess not."
And the truth was, he didn't.
20th July 1878 — Four Corner, New Mexico
God, she loved this man.
Mary Travis found herself thinking this as Chris Larabee kissed her hard, his tongue probing deep into her mouth as her legs tightened around his waist. With her fingers raking across the smooth skin of his back, she luxuriated in the feel of taut muscle while his chest pressed hard against her breasts. Lost in the pleasure of him, she was barely aware when she flung aside the quilt covering their hot, sweaty bodies, forming an unruly heap on the floor.
He was inside her and had been for some time now, rocking back and forth in hard, forceful thrusts eliciting short, fevered gasps past her lips each time he drove home. Chris' strained breathed warmed her neck and she knew he was close. As always, his ragged breath told Mary he was holding back, wanting her to share the release with him. It made her heart ache just knowing it was important to him she enjoyed their lovemaking as much as he did.
And Chris truly was gifted in doing that because Mary didn't recall sex with Steven being as intense. Chris was able to bring her to such dizzying heights Mary could scarcely believe it. How many times had he been able to arouse her to the point she was barely conscious of anything except the exquisite sensation of him inside her while at the same time, helping her shed her own inhibitions?
Mary could start to feel herself slipping over the edge as the pleasure began to overwhelm her and she could do nothing but cry his name with her head pressed against the pillow, and her body arching to his wonderful rhythm. Each stroke was nothing short of bliss and her incoherent cries only served to increase his momentum until they were both gasping out loud in a duet of ecstasy. They were dancers moving to a song only they could hear, until it was the whole world.
Chris soaked up the moment, forcing himself to stay focused because the exquisite sensation of her made it terribly easy for him to lose control. It could sweep him away like a man caught in a tidal wave. But Chris refused to yield, not until she was ready. For him, the sweetest part of their love making was her reaching climax first so those deliciously clenching muscles of hers took him over the edge with her.
When Chris saw her blue eyes darken and felt moist flesh contract around him in complete surrender, Chris let himself go. The warmth of his seed filled her insides as he groaned softly, descending the crest of raw, sensual pleasure he had been riding. Mary whimpered softly when he collapsed on top of her, thoroughly spent, their bodies glistening with perspiration in the heat of the fading summer's night.
For a long while, they just lay there with the sheets plastered to their bodies, holding each other. They were always quiet after, because words were unnecessary after such intimacies. In silence, Chris marvelled at how sex between them felt just as intense and fiery as that first time on the floor of her parlour. Even when he thought he was utterly drained, just lying next to her made him want her again and again. Chris knew with certainty he would never tire of her.
If every outlaw in the Territory was to come busting through the door at this instant, Chris would probably light a cheroot and tell them to take a number.
"Feeling better?" He whispered in her ear as they spooned. Chris loved the smell of her skin after sex.
"I feel terribly refreshed Mr Larabee." She purred softly, satisfaction dripping off every word.
"I aim to please ma'am." He joked and heard her laugh, pleased she was feeling better.
The last few days had seen her under the weather and the dark shadows under her eyes gave him reason for concern. It hardly surprised him she should be so exhausted, considering her normal routine. Aside from running the Clarion News, Billy was home from school break requiring Mary to juggle her responsibilities as mother and businesswoman.
Fortunately, Chris was able to lighten the load somewhat since the boy delighted in spending time with him, even before Chris and Mary became intimately involved. Tonight Billy was sleeping over with Gloria Potter and her children, allowing Chris and Mary the opportunity to sneak some time in alone.
"You are so accommodating." She smiled warmly, aware he was worried and wished she could allay his fears, but how could she when she felt just as anxious.
She supposed that in the nature of things, it was inevitable this would happen. After all, how many nights like this had they shared together since that first time? Her behaviour was hardly proper, she knew that, but he was so addictive and her love for him had clouded her better judgment. Things like reputation and propriety seemed so trivial and mundane when she was with him.
Mary knew Chris wanted to marry her because he was uncomfortable with the situation as it stood. He was mindful of her reputation in Four Corners and worried their nightly dalliances might become public knowledge as it had been in danger of doing so, only some short weeks ago when Victoria Kendall had tried to avenge herself upon him.
Now the long engagement she hoped would not be possible.
It wasn't that she didn't want to marry him, she did. It was just that it had taken so long for Mary to learn independence and self-reliance. For the first time in her life, she was making decisions for herself, and not waiting for Steven to decide. It was relinquishing that power which made her hesitate walking down the aisle.
However, if what she suspected was true, then the decision was no longer in either of their hands.
Since his arrival in Four Corners, Vin Tanner no longer spent many nights on the open plains. While he had a wagon which he retreated to at night, the occasions when he would camp out in the wilderness, had dwindled significantly since he arrived at Four Corners. While he enjoyed the camaraderie of the seven, he was by nature a solitary man and he found he sometimes missed the quiet of his bounty hunting days, where he spent long periods alone.
Chris understood Vin's need to saddle up and go riding off for a spell, aware the responsibility he sometimes placed on the younger man's shoulder weighed Vin down. Fortunately, with Chris spending more nights in town lately, Vin was able to do just that without having to worry about trouble cropping up unexpectedly.
Summer was in its last days, with air warm enough to enjoy without being stifling hot. Sitting before the fire, lying against his bedroll, Vin enjoyed the hours alone with his thoughts and the sounds of the wilderness lulled him into a comforting sleep. Lately, his need for solitude had increased, largely because he'd found himself in a situation he had no wish to be in. Being out here, allowed him to wrestle with the conundrum, though the solution was still beyond his reach.
His dilemma surfaced memories of Charlotte, remembering how they had made love under the stars on a night not too dissimilar from this one. He wondered what she was doing and hoped she was happy in the life she had chosen for herself. She was the first woman he'd ever truly loved, and even though he was constantly thinking about someone else these days, Vin still thought of her fondly.
The sudden appearance of a lightning storm on an otherwise clear night captured Vin's attention. The tracker raised his gaze from the fire cackling in the middle of his campsite to the distant plains. He could see spidery webs of blue, flashing sporadically in quick succession as the sky came alive with color. Strange, he thought looking up into the sky and seeing not one cloud. Another clap of thunder sent Peso into fits of panic, the gelding's fearful neighing causing Vin to get to his feet to go tend to the animal.
"Easy there," he soothed, his hand stroking the long bridge of Peso's nose. The gesture calmed the gelding somewhat but not enough to remove the fear he saw in the horse's brown eyes.
"It's okay," Vin whispered. "It's just a little lightning."
Okay, it was a little lightning and thunder that came out of nowhere, in a sky without a trace of cloud or rain for that matter. It was a little strange. After a moment, Vin realised he wasn't just trying to calm Peso but himself as well.
There was something noticeable in the air. He could smell burning but knew immediately it wasn't from his fire. The scent was all wrong. It lacked the sooty stench of a wood burn. Years ago, he took ride on a train and recalled the smell of heated iron. The air now reeked of that same stench. Peso began to get nervous again, the gelding's front legs stamping the ground as it struggled to be free of Vin's grip on his reins.
"Okay settle down," he told the animal firmly. "Now you're making me nervous."
Vin held fast to the reins because the gelding was so anxious if he released the leather, Peso would bolt, and Vin didn't relish the walk back to Four Corners.
Looking in the direction of the strange lightning, Vin saw everything had returned to its previous state of calm but Peso was still a nervous bundle. Still Vin was unable to discount the animal's agitation since he knew they were seldom wrong about their instincts for trouble.
The man came up behind him, making no sound, while Vin's attention was preoccupied with the gelding. The tracker heard no footsteps, none of the familiar noises that came with human approach. When he glimpsed the man in the corner of his eye, Vin almost jumped out of his skin. It was the first time in his life Vin ever experienced someone sneaking up on him like that.
One minute, he was alone and a second later he was not,as the stranger stood before him.
First off and most obviously, the man was buck naked. He looked like the day he'd came into the world, without a single stitch on him. Naked on the plains took Vin a few seconds to process before another realisation dawned on Vin. The man was big. Not tall, or fat but big. Thanks to his nudity, Vin saw thick, bulging muscles that made his own lean compact form appear positively scrawny. In his time, Vin had encountered lumberjacks who looked like this.
"Howdy." Vin said hastily, still wrestling with Peso who was behaving like he'd gotten into some loco weed.
The man did not speak. His dark eyes studied Vin without expression as his head tilted slightly to, as if examining the tracker from all angles.
"What happened to your clothes?" Vin asked through Peso's indignant snorts, thinking it wouldn't be a rude question to ask since it was a fairly obvious observation.
The man didn't respond, continuing to wear that expressionless mask that only serve to make Vin nervous. Yet, while he remained silent, Vin noticed his eyes were studying everything.
"Are you alright Mister?" Vin tried again, thinking perhaps this stranger might have gotten hurt out here. "Do you need a ride into town or something?"
Although Vin might have to talk Peso into it, the way the gelding was behaving, continuing to fret as it neighed and stamped its hoofs almost frantic. Something was spooking his normally reliable horse and Vin had no idea what it could be.
What's gotten into you boy?" He tried to soothe the animal since because this was the worst possible time for his horse to have a fit.
"You clothes." The man spoke for the first time. "I need them."
"What?" Vin shot him a look of astonishment. "Listen mister, I got problems of my own. If you care to wait a minute, I'll help you with yours but right now, I'm a little busy."
When the tracker was momentarily distracted by Peso, the stranger crossed the distance between them and grabbed Vin by the neck. A large hand caught him by the throat and lifted him off the ground as if he weighed nothing. Struggling to breathe as his toes of his boots dangled over the gravel, Vin went for his Winchester to shove it in the man's chest with every intention of pulling the trigger.
Peso bolted as soon as Vin lost his grip on the horse's reins and Vin was aware of hoofbeats galloping away as he was tossed aside like a rag doll. The mare's legon fell from his hand, landing on its butt and discharging once, the boom sounding like thunder on the flat, empty plain. Vin lay face down in the sand, trying to catch his breath through his aching throat, painfully aware he was unarmed as he reached for the knife he had hidden in his boot for emergencies. He never got a chance to retrieve because the man threw a kick squarely into his face. The power behind it sent him reeling backwards, his face flaring in pain.
As Vin felt grit on his tongue that might have been bits of back teeth, he was overcome with a bout of nausea as his mouth filled with blood. The man approached again, relentless in his attack but eerily silent. Vin kicked out his foot and struck a knee, intending to bring the big bastard down. The stranger barely noticed.
Scrambling to his feet, Vin rushed at him until the man lashed out with one of those bulging arms, striking him with a backhanded blow so hard, Vin felt his entire world black out with pain. This time there was no recovery as Vin Tanner collapsed, unconscious before he even hit the dirt.
The Terminator looked at the human for a moment before his dark eyes scanned the area for the weapon that fell away. He picked up the rifle and identified the weapon immediately.
WINCHESTER - LEVER ACTION MARES LEG SHOT GUN
CALIBRE - 12GA-2.75"
TRIGGER SYSTEM - SINGLE
FRONT SIGHT - BEAD
SAFETY - NONE
LEVER STYLE - STANDARD
The weapon was crude but functional and would serve until the Terminator was able to find something better. Approaching the unconscious man, the Terminator examined the man and reached for his clothes.
Darien opened his eyes and squinted at the sunlight.
The sky was still blue and the sun was still shining as it had since time began. Sitting up, Darien surveyed the terrain before him. It was parched and dry, with trees he could see in the distance and plains covered with sunburnt grass. Bird chirped distantly and he could hear crickets welcoming him back to consciousness.
The emptiness of the landscape made him feel like the only person in the world.
"Christ." Darien Lambert swore when he finally recovered from the effects of temporal displacement. He was never prepared for it, no matter what he told himself. Who ever got used to their atoms being deconstructed and then reassembled after making a voyage through time and space? It was just something they did not cover at the Academy, or maybe they did and he just didn't show up for class.
"Okay Lambert, let's not get trippy."
"Captain are you alright?" Selma's clear, crisp voice cut through the silence of the cool morning and made him wince. At least he thought it was morning anyway. Studying the sun's position in the sky, it appeared he was right.
"Fine." He grimaced slightly, ignoring the throbbing inside his skull. Although it was fading quickly, Darien still felt like miles of bad road.
When his disorientation finally eased, Darien took stock of his surroundings. If Sahmbi's machine worked, he was somewhere close to the town in the area of what would someday be called New Mexico. He wished there was some way to know for certain but guessed he'd have to wait until he got to town.
"Just suffering a little jet lag."
"The term is hardly an approximation." She pointed out.
"I've got too much of a headache to argue Selma." He got to his feet and stretched. Noticing the equipment that came with him, Darien walked slowly towards it. "Can you extrapolate where we are?"
"Yes," she answered to his relief. "If Doctor Sahmbi's coordinates are to be believed then the town of Four Corners should lie four kilometers in a north westerly direction."
"I guess I'm walking." He sighed and knelt down to the length of wooden box at his feet. Sarah's description of the Terminator told him he could not possibly face the thing with the six shooters people carried in this day and age. Honestly, Darien was not even sure what he brought with him would suffice. He hoped Sarah's description of the Terminator being unstoppable was exaggeration.
"I'll have to come back for this later."
"Captain, it is unwise to simply leave it behind. Should anyone happen upon this, it could have severe repercussions on future events."
"I know, I know." Darien was familiar with the argument. "Relax Selma. I've got it covered. I got Sahmbi to include a portable holographic projector in our party list."
"I question the trustworthiness of Doctor Sahmbi. He has proven himself to be a most dishonest personality."
"You and me both Selma," Darien answered as he began to pull open the lid of the box. Rummaging through the contents, his fingers touched the object he was searching for and used both hands to remove it. The holographic projector was technology Darien brought from the 22nd century to conceal their equipment. "However, at this moment, we haven't got a lot of choice. He got us this far, didn't he?"
"I am still uncertain if this far is where we were wishing to go."
Darien allowed himself a smile, wondering at what point his scepticism had rubbed off on Selma, because he never remembered her being so pessimistic.
Darien had believed Sahmbi financed his small empire by using his newly built TRAX control to send escaping prisoners backwards and forward in time. However, the truth was much simpler. The scientist had been selling patents on inventions from the 22nd century. Although they were objects of relatively minor importance and were accepted for their entertainment value, like the projector, it was enough to make the Doctor quite wealthy without resorting to illegal enterprises.
Setting it up, Darien activated the device and the box and everything in its immediate vicinity disappeared behind the light reflection of a fallen tree trunk. The projector had a battery life of no more than 48 hours, and that was all the time Darien had to return here and retrieve his equipment.
"That does it for now." Darien sighed as he stepped out of the projection field. The image shimmered as he walked through it, stabilising once he was clear. From a distance, there was nothing suspicious about it and seemed to fade into the landscape. Darien hoped it would suffice as adequate camouflage until he could return with a wagon or whatever it was they used in this place for transportation.
Beginning the walk towards town, Darien wished he'd brought a hat. Why hadn't he thought of it? The boots on his feet didn't feel comfortable for walking and he wished he was wearing his sneakers.
"Okay Selma," he said finally. "Let's go find Mr. Larabee."
"Where is he?" The man growled, his face inches away from JD Dunne's.
JD felt like a trophy about to be mounted onto someone's wall as Jasper Cray held him pressed against the wall of Eza's saloon.. JD knew he could easily resolve this situation by drawing on Jasper but he was hoping to avoid going that route unless he really had to. Jasper was pissed as hell but he had cause and JD just didn't feel right about shooting him because of that.
"Come on, Jasper!" JD declared, holding onto Jasper's hands as the man held him up. "I ain't seen Buck all morning." As soon as the word left his lips, JD swore at his own stupidity.
"I know where he was this morning!" Jasper slammed him into the wall again. "He was with my wife!"
JD rolled his eyes wondering how many times Buck would find himself in this situation before it sunk in that married women were bad news. JD was not as much of a ladies man as Buck was but even he knew married women usually had husbands who got pretty mad when you messed with their wives. Especially ones those who came home early and caught their wives in bed with a man other than themselves, like Jasper had done this morning.
"I'm sorry but I don't know nothing." JD croaked weakly, knowing it was a lame excuse even if it was the truth. JD had no idea where Buck Wilmington was at this moment. Hopefully, if the older man had any sense at all, he would stay out of sight until Jasper calmed down.
Jasper who stood a head over Buck, who was easily the tallest of the seven, was a bear of a man with tree trunk arms and a jealous streak a mile wide. At the moment, Jasper had it in his mind to do some serious dismembering, and JD had no idea how to talk him out of it.
"Look Jasper, if you don't put me down, I'm going to have to lock you up."
The look Jasper gave him told JD what the man thought about that and he prepared to pull back that enormous fist. Deciding he did not want to look like pulp, JD reached for his gun, having no interest in what those knuckles would do to his face.
"I would suggest you stand down Mr Cray," JD suddenly heard Ezra's voice.
The gambler was standing behind Jasper; the derringer normally concealed beneath his sleeve pressed firmly against the cuckold's side. Jasper shifted his gaze at Ezra Standish who seemed entirely calm in the face of the storm raging in Jasper's eyes.
"This ain't got nothing to do with you." Jasper warned, not completely unmindful of the cool steel against his skin.
"And it has nothing to do with my young friend either." Ezra countered. "You are bothering my friends and my customers, so I would like you andyour marital problems to depart from the presence of both."
"I want Wilmington!" Jasper growled his grip around JD's throat slackening somewhat. The focus of his anger was not aimed directly at Ezra, although he was not as eager to act upon it as he had with JD.
"Mr. Wilmington," Ezra let his gaze sweep across the saloon where Josiah Sanchez and Nathan Jackson were keeping close watch on the proceedings in case their assistance was required. "As you can see, is absent."
Jasper let JD go and he dropped to the floor with a thud. The young man was on his feet quickly, the relief on his face becoming annoyance. JD moved away from Jasper and took up position behind Ezra, while the gambler continued the standoff.
"Now you can cool off and have a drink on the house," Ezra said politely. "Or you can leave."
Jasper glared at Ezra, considering the options before him. Although he was properly enraged, he had enough sense to know he would likely end up in worse shape if he chose to push the point. An adulterous wife was something he could get over eventually, but a confrontation with a man who had the drop on you was another thing entirely.
"Drinks are watered anyway." Jasper growled and pushed his way through Ezra and JD before storming towards the door. "You tell Wilmington this ain't over!"
It took a moment for the commotion to die away, with patrons who had been watching the excitement returning their attention to their drinks or the various entertainments of the saloon now that the show was over.
Ezra let out a deep breath and turned to JD. "Are you alright my young friend?"
"I've been better." JD grumbled, disliking the fact that someone had to come to his rescue again.
"Where is Buck anyway?" Nathan inquired now that Jasper was gone and the disclosure wouldn't cause any of his friends to suffer injury at the hands of the behemoth now stalking the streets of Four Corners for Buck Wilmington.
"He and Chris had to deliver Ben Davies to Bitter Creek." Josiah drawled, returning his attention to the book he was reading. Ben Davies was an outlaw who drifted into Four Corners with several outstanding warrants on his head for cattle rustling. Early this morning, Chris and Buck set out to deliver the rustler to Bitter Creek, despite the man's protestations of innocence.
"I hear he volunteered." Nathan sniggered, knowing full well why now.
"If you had that monster running after you," Ezra said returning to their table. "Wouldn't you?"
"I can't believe Buck would be afraid of that ape!" JD exclaimed, straightening his collar as he sat down and looked curiously at what Josiah was reading. Despite himself, JD could not shake the stinging insult Jasper had delivered to his pride in front of an entire room full of people. He had been sitting at the table with his friends when Jasper had come up behind him and dragged him from the table like a sack of potatoes.
"He better be." Josiah retorted. "Nothing fires a man's rage more than the love of a woman. Buck should know better than to involve himself with Mrs Cray, no matter how fetching she may appear."
To that no one could disagree for Mrs Cray was a very attractive woman indeed with her strawberry gold hair and her smoldering blue eyes. She was shaped voluptuously and was known to be extremely accommodating. While her conquests were well known around town, it was with Buck Jasper had caught her with this morning.
"If Buck knows what's good for him he'll star steer clear of both the Crays for the next month." Nathan remarked.
"Mr Wilmington has about as much chance of staying away from the fair Mrs. Cray as a moth does from an open fire." Ezra retorted with a faint smile. "He cannot help himself."
JD was about to respond in Buck's defense because he felt it his duty to for some strange reason when suddenly, he saw Vin stagger in through the batwing doors. His eyes widened and forced the others to follow his gaze as a result of his astonished expression. Nathan was on his feet immediately and crossed the floor of the saloon to reach the bounty hunter. The saloon fell quiet as Vin walked in barefoot, clad only in a pair of pant, his buckskin coat and slouch hat, with blood drying on his face and a dark bruise forming under his eye.
"What happened to you?" Nathan demanded, not hiding his shock.
"Some son of a bitch stole my clothes!" Vin snapped with uncharacteristic anger, before sinking into the nearest chair.
If it hadn't been for Peso returning to him hours later, Vin would still be lying out there in the open with nothing. Fortunately, his saddlebags contained a spare pair of pants and the stranger had missed his buckskin coat, so he was spared the indignity of returning to town naked.
"That's look nasty." Nathan declared, examining the split skin just below Vin's eye. He had been struck very hard indeed and the healer did not doubt that Vin was suffering one terrible hangover, not to mention a very tender face.
"Who did this to you?" Josiah inquired as the others came to the side of their injured comrade.
"I don't know!" Vin grumbled, wincing as Nathan examined the swelling on his face. "He just came out of nowhere, naked as the day he was born and told me he needed my clothes."
The whole encounter was so unnerving because Vin couldn't understand it.
"I never seen him before."
"A white man?" Josiah probed further.
"Yeah." Vin nodded as Nathan stepped back, having concluded his preliminary examination.
"Come on," Nathan suggested. "You need to have that sewn up." He gestured to the gash on Vin's swollen cheek.
"I'm fine." Vin mumbled, his eyes searching the table for a glass once he had discovered the half-filled bottle on it. He poured himself a glass of whisky and tried to drink it down quickly until the liquid stung the raw flesh inside his mouth so badly, he spat the fluid in all directions, causing the others to step back to avoid the spray.
"Apparently not that fine." Nathan retorted, placing his hand on Vin's shoulder to indicate he was not about to tolerate any arguments.
"Come on Mr Tanner," Ezra took Vin's other arm in a show of agreement with Nathan's intentions. "We promise to do nothing until you return."
Vin muttered in consternation as he was led out of the saloon with Nathan and Ezra making certain he didn't change his mind on the way to the infirmary. It was rare when anything disagreed with the normally unflappable Mr Tanner to this extent, even if his friends were aware of what he was capable of when he was fired up.
"I can walk fine." He grumbled trying to dislodge Ezra and Nathan's grip from his arms.
"You keep complaining and I'll send you to Doctor Styles." Nathan teased, knowing how much Vin hated dealing with the lady doctor. Their arguments were becoming legendary. Another uncharacteristic trait none of them were accustomed to seeing from the tracker.
"That's not funny." Vin glared at him. "That woman is meaner than a rattlesnake."
"Hey!" Ezra exclaimed in mock hurt. "I'll have you know Alexandra is nothing but sweet."
"Yeah right," Vin drawled unhappily as they left the saloon. "To another rattlesnake."
"You are pregnant."
There it was, the final nail in the coffin. Mary let out a breath unaware she was holding it. Her nails dug into the armrest of the chair she was sitting in across from Alex's desk, until there were crescent shaped indentations in the fabric. When she saw Alex in the doctor's newly established clinic, she had arrived in the vain hope Alex might tell her she was wrong, that she had some other ailment other than the one she suspected.
After a quick examination, Alex had given her an answer but it wasn't the one Mary hoped for.
"Oh God."
"I don't see the problem." Alex spoke, aware of Mary's relationship with Chris to know that he would receive the news with elation. Although Alex had not exactly warmed to the man in black, she did know one thing for certain, there was nothing he wouldn't do for Mary. "He loves you. I have the impression he would be thrilled."
"He probably would be." Mary sighed wearily. Alex was right, Chris would love the idea of being a father again. Mary had seen how wonderful he was with Billy and even if he rarely voiced it, Mary knew he enjoyed the time he spent with her son. Buck had told Mary how much Chris adored his son Adam before the child's tragic death, and she had no doubt Chris would feel the same at the possibility of a child.
Except it was not Chris who had the problem, it was her.
The idea of a baby filled her with a fear so stark she could hardly breathe knowing it was coming her way in a few short months. Suddenly, everything that she worked so hard for was disintegrating in the gurgle of a baby's smile, and Mary felt ashamed for feeling this way. She loved Billy and motherhood but she also enjoyed working at the newspaper and all the other pursuits she filled her days with.
She simply did not know if she had the strength to juggle all those things and still be the woman she strived so hard to become.
"You have some time before it starts showing." Alex spoke, trying to be helpful because Mary was more than just a patient. In the short weeks since settling in Four Corners, Mary had become a close friend and it was clear her friend was having a lot of trouble dealing with her situation.
"Oh God." Mary groaned again, her face in her hands.
"Mary, talk to me." Alex prompted her to talk because she clearly needed to. "What scares you so much? It can't be motherhood. My God, you raised a child and ran a paper, there aren't many women who could do that in a place like this."
"I didn't have to run the Clarion when Billy was a baby!" Mary exclaimed, the full vent of her anxiety starting to spill over. "I was at home while Steven ran the paper. It's different now! I don't just have responsibility over my son, I have responsibilities to the community and the paper and now it appears to a baby as well!"
"Mary, you're not doing this alone!" Alex tried to convince her, shedding the whole doctor-client relationship completely. "You have friends and a man who loves you even if he could use a bit more housebreaking."
"Housebreaking?" Mary stared. "This is a little bit more than housebreaking. I'm talking about diapers and midnight feedings and potty training and colic and ..." she sputtered. "Can you honestly imagine Chris doing any of those things?"
"Well no," Alex admitted reluctantly, and now that she thought of it, the image of Chris doing anything remotely like that brought an involuntary smile to her face Mary unfortunately caught. "But he must have done that with his son Adam." She returned quickly, trying to salvage the moment.
"No, no," Mary shook her head vehemently "That's where Sarah came in. She did the raising while he went traipsing off all over the countryside with Buck. Like today! They've gone to Sweetwater."
"I thought you said Bitter Creek." Alex looked at her.
"You see! It's starting already and I'm going to end up becoming Bessie the breeding cow while he takes off whenever he pleases!"
"Okay calm down," the doctor was trying very hard not to laugh because all of Mary's concerns were somewhat exacerbated by the changes her body was undergoing. "You are starting to worry your doctor who can't prescribe laudanum in your condition."
Mary gave her a look before breaking into a laugh in which Alex joined. They giggled for a few minutes, allowing the humor to put things back into perspective. When both women had finally composed themselves, Alex responded with a warm smile. "Feeling better?"
"Oh yes," Mary sighed, feeling her tension evaporate for the moment. The fears were still there, but they were somewhat more tolerable now. "Poor Chris. If only he had any idea what the next seven months are going to be like for him. He'll never be seen again."
"Talk to him Mary," Alex said offering the same advice. "I think he'll surprise you."
"Oh he'll be surprised alright. Especially the first time he has to go find me chocolate cake and pickles in the middle of the night." That thought actually gave her some measure of satisfaction.
"Chocolate cake and pickles?" Alex wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Now I think I'm going to be sick."