Chapter 2: Rescuing Rita and her father/Phony charges
(We see Rita and her father as they ride a single wagon heading for their base camp)
Mr. White: What's the matter, scared?
Rita: Well, I'll feel better reaching camp. This is Indian country and Mr. Mathews' reports of the conditions around Los Angeles.
Mr. White: Mathews is an old fuddy-duddy. Besides, I've got my good-luck charm. (Reveals an old bugle)
Rita: Still fighting the war. (Gunshots are heard and both father and daughter turn around and see an Indian War Party charging in their direction) Keep driving, Dad! I'll hold them off. (Grabs a rifle and fires at the Indians as her father urges the horses, Ken is riding around and sees the situation rides in to help while a troop of Cavalry is riding nearby, unaware of what's happening)
Mr. White: (Notices Ken riding in their direction) Hey, Rita! Help's coming! It's Ken Mason! (As he keeps urging the horses, Mr. White drops his bugle, which Ken notices and grabs it, then rides off) Looks like Mason got scared off.
Rita: Just what I expect he'd do. (Ken rides up to a vantage point, watches the Indians continue chasing the Whites and then sounds the charge with Mr. White's bugle)
Mr. White: Rita! The cavalry! (The Cavalry troop hears Ken sounding the charge with the troop's commanding officer, who's wearing a buckskin jacket over his uniform with a red bandana, holds his hand up to stop the troop)
Captain Garcia: Ho! Did you hear that, Lieutenant?
Lieutenant Matheson: I did, sir.
Trooper: It's the cavalry!
Captain Garcia: You idiots! (Draws his saber) We are the cavalry! Draw sabers! (His men draw their sabers) Charge! (The bugler sounds the charge and they come in to attack the Indians, but Yellow Hawk fires a shot and hits Mr. White, orders something in his native language and the Indians ride away)
Rita: Dad! (Grabs hold of the reins as Ken rides over) Where'd you go off to? If it hadn't been the cavalry, we'd have all been shot. (Ken reveals her father's bugle) You?
Ken: That's right, Ms. White.
Lieutenant Matheson: Looked like it was Yellow Hawk's bunch, sir.
Captain Garcia: Never mind, we'll get 'em another time. I'll go check on Mr. White and his daughter. Bugler, sound recall! (Bugler plays recall as Garcia joins Ken and the Whites) Are you folks all right? Ken? Ken Mason?
Ken: Demitrio? (They both laugh and shake hands)
Rita: You know each other?
Ken: Yes, we're old friends.
Captain Garcia: (Tips his hat) Captain Demetrio Lopez Garcia III at your service, Miss White. Your return's a bit unexpected, isn't it? Your grandmother gave the impression you'd be doing your engineer studies for another year.
Ken: Well-
Rita: Please, Captain, my father's been wounded!
Captain Garcia: (Turns back to his troop) Sergeant, bring the doctor over here!
Cavalry Sergeant: Yes, sir!
Captain Garcia: I was sent to provide you an escort, but also to arrest your father for treason.
Rita: Treason?
Ken: Surely, there must be some mistake.
Captain Garcia: I'm sorry, but I have my orders. You'll have to take it up with Colonel Martin.
Ken: Colonel Martin? Is he your commanding officer?
Captain Garcia: Yes, for over a year now.
Rita: No offense, Captain, but how can an American Army officer have a Spanish name?
Captain Garcia: I went to West Point in '61 and graduated the year before the Civil War ended. My grandfather, the first Demetrio Lopez Garcia, was the reason I wanted to be in the Army. He was a Sergeant under the Spanish King's California forces before California joined the Union. He was occasionally the acting Commandante, Spanish for acting Commandant at the Los Angeles Cuartel, which is now known as Fort San Pedro. Once I graduated from West Point, I arranged with the War Department to be transferred there to follow in my grandfather's footsteps. We'll escort you there and you can talk to the Colonel. (The doctor rides over and examines Mr. White) Doc, how is he?
Doctor: I think he'll pull through by the time we reach the fort. (We see the cavalry patrol passing through downtown Los Angeles and enter Fort San Pedro, cuts to Rita, Ken and Captain Garcia talking to Colonel Martin)
Rita: Colonel, I must protest! My father's a lot of things, but a criminal isn't one of them!
Colonel Martin: I'm sorry, Ms. White, but this case is not a civil matter. The crime of treason goes under military jurisdiction, but I can assure you that your father will have a fair trial.
Rita: Fair trial. He had better have a fair trial. I'll find something to clear my father's name before his "fair trial." Then we'll see who committed treason. (Storms out of the Colonel's office with Ken close behind)
Colonel Martin: Captain Garcia, you will help Ms. White and Mr. Mason with finding evidence to help in her father's trial. Then, you and your troop will provide protection for their crew.
Captain Garcia: (Salutes with the Colonel saluting back) Yes, sir. (Ken and Rita are across at the guardhouse talking to Mr. White)
Mr. White: Even the treason charge is a pack of lies. The telegraph is supposed to help bring law and order to this part of the country.
Rita: Don't worry, Dad. We'll clear you and get you out.
Mr. White: (Chuckles) I'm sure you will. You sure do have your mother's spunk. (He embraces Rita, then she and Ken both begin to walk to the fort's gate leading to downtown Los Angeles)
Ken: This changes things, doesn't it? I'll talk with Captain Garcia and we'll escort you back to St. Joe if you wish
Rita: The work will go on just as Dad planned. At the same time, I plan to do whatever's necessary to clear his name. (Captain Garcia walks over) Hello, captain.
Captain Garcia: (Tips his hat) Ms. White. The Colonel has assigned me to help in any way to help clear your father of the charges against him. You wouldn't mind answering a few questions?
Rita: Not at all.
Ken: What do you want to know?
Captain Garcia: To start with, that attack. Did anyone else know that you were taking that wagon through
Rita: Only Jim Mathews, our land agent here in Los Angeles.
Ken: Maybe we better have a talk with him.
Captain Garcia: I'll assemble my troop and we'll go meet with Mr. Mathews. (Cuts to Ken and Rita, accompanied by Captain Garcia's troop as they arrive at the front entrance to Mr. Mathews' office)
Ken: (Dismounts his horse and knocks on the door) Hello, Mr. Mathews? (Tries to turn the handle) It's locked. (Tries to break it down)
Captain Garcia: Lieutenant!
Lieutenant Matheson: You 2 men, break down this door! Quickly!
Trooper: Yes, sir! (Ken gets out of the way as the troopers slam on the door with their rifles and the door breaks open as Captain Garcia, Ken and Rita look around)
Rita: Looks like Mathews hasn't been here for sometime. (Looks at the calendar, which had the number 17 on it)
Ken: Not for 2 weeks, according to that wall calendar. (They look at the messy cabinet and desk)
Rita: First Dad, and then Mathews.
Captain Garcia: Disappeared without a trace.
Rita: Why?
Ken: Let's not jump to conclusions, Ms. White. There must be someone in town to explain Mathews' absence.
Rita: Of course. George Crane.
Ken: Who's he?
Rita: He's one of Los Angeles' few decent citizens. He's been helping Mathews line up land purchases for the telegraph's right-of way.
Ken: Sounds like he's our man. (Cuts to Ken, Rita and Captain Garcia meeting Crane at his blacksmith shop)
Crane: And your father never received my letter regarding Mathews' disappearance? (Rita shakes her head) Must have been on 1 of the stages the Injuns got.
Ken: Do you have any idea why the Indians are on the warpath against the telegraph?
Crane: Well, there were rumors going around that you were goin' to steal their land, Mr. Mason.
Rita: Well, they're wrong. We plan on using Indian Territory and plan to buy legally from the present owners.
Crane: Well, that's the pitch. I'm afraid you won't be able to contact any of the present owners.
Captain Garcia: I'm afraid it's true, Ms. White. Those the Indians hadn't got just left. Some to Mexico and others went back east and can't be located.
Crane: Yeah, that's what I wrote your father about. That and Mathews. Wanted to save him this trip. Without land rights, your line may not get through.
Rita: The line will go through, Mr. Crane. Lots have gained confidence in Dad and me and risked their life savings to finance this line expects us to not be quitters. I just can't let them down now.
Crane: But you have no route. It's even worse now with your father being jailed for treason.
Rita: On our way here, Mr. Mason suggested working on an alternate route via the de la Vega rancho. Senora de la Vega is his grandmother and we plan to meet with her and get her permission on working through the ranch and also use public lands, not Indian. I also figure it to be a good substitute.
Crane: Well, I sure admire your spunk, Ms. Rita.
Rita: Thanks. Dad told me the same when we visited him at the guardhouse. The doctor at the fort's made him almost well again.
Crane: Speaking of which, I plan to head to the fort and meet with your father. I plan to personally defend him when he faces that tribunal. If I can provide any more help, call on me.
Rita: Thanks. Guess I better head to the de la Vega hacienda and meet your grandmother. Think you could show me how to get there, Captain?
Captain Garcia: I'll personally escort you there, Ms. White.
Ken: I'll go check on the supplies at the freight office and meet you there. Goodbye, Mr. Crane.
Crane: (Shakes Ken's hand and gestures to Rita) Goodbye, Mr. Mason, Ms. White.
Captain Garcia: Mr. Crane.
Crane: Cap'n. (Goes back to the shoe he's working and as he slams on it with his hammer, Kilgore comes out with Colonel Martin)
Kilgore: From what we overheard, that girl means business.
Colonel Martin: Yeah, unless we get Yellow Hawk and his tribe to pay a visit to that camp.
Crane: I was going to say the same thing, Martin. When you reach Yellow Hawk, Kilgore, tell him to destroy...(Fades into the next chapter)
A/N: Hope you notice the little reference to Disney's Aladdin, the original, not the live action remake that came out 2 years ago, when Captain Razoul and his men drew their swords against Abu the monkey. Captain Garcia is my OC, and as pointed out, the original Sergeant Garcia from the Disney TV Series was his grandfather, along with his commanding officer, Colonel Martin. In the next chapter, Ken will don his grandfather's Zorro disguise to rescue Rita's father, along with preventing another Indian attack ordered by Crane, Kilgore, and Colonel Martin.