Though Lucy and Rufus both knew that in order to have any chance of escaping the 18th century they were going to have to find a way to use a forge, the prospect of almost certainly falling into French hands again had them both following behind Wyatt with more than few butterflies in their stomachs. While he seemed confident that they could easily infiltrate the fort's defenses…or at least, somehow, walk in there undetected, Rufus thought that perhaps it might be better, easier…and a hell of a lot safer just to "build their own damn forge."
"And where are you going to get the tools and supplies you need? You gonna build those too?" Wyatt called over his shoulder as they inched their way quietly through the woods.
He had him there, Rufus had to admit…though he did so begrudgingly. It wasn't like there was a hardware store they could just pop into for supplies. Apart from needing even basic materials for building the forge – a hammer and nails, for example - there were the actual tools he would need to be a blacksmith – an anvil, tongs, hammers of different sizes and weights….
in this new and undeveloped wilderness, those kinds of tools weren't readily available. The people here, indigenous or no, were dependent on the land or the few items they could procure from a trading post in order to survive. Sure, there were plenty of muskets, knives, and yes, maybe a few tools here and there that would certainly prove useful to them…but establishing a forge took money and resources…something they didn't have.
Wyatt was right, this was really their best shot - crazy and desperate as it was – to repair the Lifeboat.
As they approached the convergence of the three rivers, it became readily apparent to all of them that crossing the river was the wisest move to keep themselves hidden. The bank they had been on became less of a forest and more of a wide-open field - not so by nature, but by man - as countless freshly hewn trunks dotted the landscape, leaving absolutely no place in which they would have been able to effectively keep out of sight.
The bank they were currently on however, proved a very good choice for several reasons. Obviously, the thicker foliage was a definite bonus, keeping them shielded and hidden from French sentries positioned on the balustrades. Similarly, the geographic barrier offered Wyatt, Lucy and Rufus some peace of mind. In the event that they were sighted, it would take the French crossing a wide, expansive river to come after them, and by then, they could easily find someplace to hide. Thirdly, as Wyatt had deduced from the map, the ground was elevated here, giving them a sweeping view of the Ohio River valley.
The elevated ground, while offering them a stunning and strategic view of the land around them, proved to be a little tougher to navigate, however. Rocky slopes, slick patches of mud and tangles of tree trunks, fallen limbs and underbrush, made their trek through the woods physically taxing, if not somewhat hazardous…something that began to concern Wyatt as he watched both Lucy and Rufus struggle to keep up. More than once, he found himself racing back down the path to help one of them until finally he relegated himself to the rear of their group so that he would be in a better position to catch them if they did happen to fall.
From this position too, he could better watch Lucy, whom, he noticed with slight alarm, was favoring her sides and showing more and more evidence, as they made their way up the precarious hillside that she was not as "fine" as she claimed to be. Granted, they were climbing up a fairly steep incline, but to Wyatt's watchful eye, her breathing seemed more labored, her face looked drawn and tense, and as if he needed any other reason to suspect that something was wrong, she absolutely flinched when he braced her side right side as they clambered up and over a series of fallen tree limbs that were blocking their path to the level ground just above them.
"Whoa." Wyatt muttered as she clenched her eyes shut and jumped at his touch, "I'm sorry…I didn't mean to hurt you."
"Huh?" Lucy startled, her eyes blinking open to meet his, "Oh no…it's nothing." she breathed out as she gulped slightly, "You didn't hurt me…I just…I just wasn't expecting you to…" she glanced down at her side where Wyatt was still supporting her as they climbed up the steep incline.
"Oh." Wyatt mumbled in sudden understanding as he quickly withdrew his hand, "I…I was just worried you might fall."
Lucy rolled her eyes in slight annoyance. She knew since her fall in the river that Wyatt was on high alert…and while it was somewhat comforting to know that he at least cared about her enough to worry about her health and well-being, right now she just needed him to leave her the hell alone. All she wanted more than anything in the world was a chance to get out of the damn corset that was doing a number on her rib cage…but no way was she going to tell him that. He had already bitten through her underwear once before…and as enticing as she thought an encore performance of that might be…particularly when it came to this 18th century straight jacket currently squeezing her torso…she was supposed to be keeping him at arm's length.
And well, how was she supposed to do that when he was constantly holding her hand, wrapping his arm around her waist and hovering around her like some sort of rescue drone?
"Really, Wyatt." Lucy sighed in exasperation, "I've told you…I'm not hurt. You don't need to worry, I'm fi…" she began but at that very moment, she lost her footing and slipped backwards, only to find herself safely and firmly held in Wyatt's arms.
Dammit.
"You were saying, ma'am?" he asked with a smirk as she looked back at him, stunned and not quite able to move…not even sure if she wanted to.
"You two okay down there?" Rufus asked as he looked down on them in concern, but seeing a now fully blushing Lucy being held closely by Wyatt, he nodded awkwardly as he turned around once more, "Never mind…"
Rolling his eyes now, Wyatt attempted to set Lucy back down, but once again, she lost her footing and slipped, this time falling forward onto the large limbs blocking their path. "Shit…Lucy…are…are you okay?" he asked as he scrambled to help her, but Lucy was already frantically attempting to clamber up the fallen tree to safety.
"I'm fine!" she insisted, but the weight of her soaked skirts and the slick mud on her shoes only worked to hinder her efforts.
"Lucy…" Wyatt scoffed as he watched her struggle, halfway amused at her determination, "you're gonna…Lucy, will you just let me help you?" he asked in annoyance as she tripped and fell forward once more.
"No!" she spat out a little rougher than usual, willing the flush in her cheeks to dissipate, "I can do it on my own." Ripping off her shoes and clutching them in her hands, Lucy lifted her skirts and with a face full of determination, she made her way up the side of the hill, clambering over the branches with…not exactly grace and poise…but with a resolve that Wyatt, despite being frustrated by her stubbornness, couldn't help but admire.
She slipped several more times, but rebuffed each and every effort Wyatt made at helping her until finally, they neared the crest of the hill where it became infuriatingly obvious to Lucy that she was not going to be able to reach the top on her own…not with her shoes and her skirts gathered up in her hands. Wyatt, seeing her predicament, called out to a waiting Rufus to give Lucy a hand up. "Here, give me those." he offered with a nod towards her shoes as Rufus came into view just above them.
"I can handle it, Wyatt." Lucy protested, "I'm not completely helpless, you know."
"I know you're not," he acknowledged, "but it's gonna be a hell of a lot easier to climb if your hands aren't full." Looking up, he nodded to Rufus, "You ready?" and without so much as a warning, he bent down, wrapped his arms around Lucy's knees and hoisted her up so that she could easily reach Rufus' outstretched hands.
"Wh…what are you doing?" she gasped out in surprise, swaying slightly while she frantically grasped onto Rufus' outstretched arm.
"Giving you a boost." Wyatt grunted. "You got her, Rufus?"
"Yeah, I got her" he called back as he helped pull Lucy onto level ground. Breathless and panting she sat there on her knees, as Wyatt quickly joined them, dropping her shoes on the ground next to her. "You're welcome." he muttered grumpily.
Shoving her shoes back on her feet, Lucy mumbled her thanks, wiped the dirt off her hands and trudged forward, leaving Wyatt and Rufus behind in her wake. Rufus watched her go in bemusement, "What's the matter with her?"
Wyatt shrugged in frustration, "She keeps saying she's fine…but I know she's not. She's just being stubborn…won't admit that she needs help…she's gonna kill herself trying to prove some kind of damn point."
Rufus raised his eyebrows in amusement, "Yeah? Well, that's not really surprising." At Wyatt's puzzled expression, Rufus rolled his eyes, "When has Lucy ever not been tenacious as hell? Think about Wyatt…every damn mission we've been on she's been…. you know…"
Wyatt did know.
Lucy Preston was a bossy know it all with a stubborn streak a mile wide…and that stubbornness usually pitted her into dangerous situations that usually required him to run in at the last minute to save her ass. When he first met her, he thought she would be cowering behind him every damn second…hell, she was freaking out about historically accurate underwear for crying out loud. But then before he knew it, she was running off alone, chasing down one of Flynn's guys until that asshole had her pinned up against a wall. Hell, she even confronted Flynn himself...and both times Wyatt had told her not to do it, not to engage, and both times she hadn't listened.
That, however, was nothing compared to 1944 Germany where she insisted on waltzing into a party filled with goose-stepping Nazi jackasses, despite not even knowing how to speak or even understand German. She knew damn well that Wyatt wouldn't be there to protect her, that there was a good chance Flynn would be in there ready to do Lord knows what…and yet again, she did whatever the hell she wanted…and yet again, he had to rescue her at the very last minute.
So yes, Lucy Preston was stubborn as hell and it had gotten her into trouble more than once…but this time…well, this time there was no overarching mission that needed to be dealt with…there was no Flynn to chase down through history. This time, there was no excuse.
So why the hell wouldn't she let him help her?
"Maybe you should ask her that." Rufus suggested, as Wyatt's eyes shot up to him in confusion.
"I was…just…I didn't think I said that out loud."
Rufus sighed, "Look man, I know you don't want to hear it, but maybe the reason Lucy didn't let you help her is…because she didn't need your help."
"You saw her, Rufus." Wyatt protested, "she was tripping all over the place.
"So was I." Rufus admitted, "but you weren't buzzing around me like you were buzzing around her."
"Are we seriously going through this again?" Wyatt sighed out in exasperation, "This isn't about playing favorites. She fell…Rufus…and dammit, I know she's hurt…she's just too stubborn to admit it.
Rufus shrugged, "I'm not a doctor…but, if Lucy was really hurt, I don't think she would've been able to do what she just did." he said with a nod towards the rocky hill they had just climbed, "I think maybe you just need to trust that sometimes…she can take care of herself." he added meaningfully.
Wyatt's eyes darted to Rufus' for just a moment before the time machine pilot outpaced him in an attempt to catch up with Lucy. Left alone with his thoughts, Wyatt mused over what Rufus had just said.
He knew that Lucy could take care of herself…he had seen her do things on these missions that he never would have expected her to be able or willing to do when he first met her. Who would have ever expected a claustrophobic, high-strung college professor to even agree to do something like this?
Certainly not him.
When Lucy predictably raced out of Mason Industries before that Hindenburg Mission, Wyatt had gone into the locker room silently congratulating himself for pegging her as the worst possible candidate for the job. When he emerged moments later and found her arguing about historically accurate underwear, however, he had to admit…it surprised him. And Lucy continued to surprise him. Hell, during their last mission she double-crossed Flynn, saved the Doc and came to his own rescue…going so far as to try to battle off one of Flynn's assholes with a lamp.
She hadn't listened to him on that mission either…but he couldn't deny that her stubbornness, while infuriating, had saved him once or twice.
Lucy may have been a nervous wreck during that Hindenburg mission, but she was the one who got Admiral Rosendahl to alert the base to Flynn's presence. He may have killed a few Nazis in 1944, but it was Lucy who got them out of that damn castle alive. Hell, when he was ready to give it all up at the Alamo, it was Lucy who ran out in the middle of the battle to literally save his life…and in 1972 when he was handcuffed to a damn chair, Lucy and Rufus went out, alone and unprotected…and saved the day.
Maybe Rufus was right. Maybe he was underestimating her…
But dammit, he knew she was in pain…he could see it….and while it was easy for Rufus to shrug it off as no big deal, Wyatt couldn't…because it was his job to protect the team…to protect her…whether she liked it or not.
He was so caught up in his thoughts that he nearly collided with Lucy when she suddenly stopped in front of him. He was just about to ask her what was wrong when with awe-struck wonder she gasped, "There it is."
Stretching out before them, the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers cut through the untamed wilderness, winding their way through the hills and valleys of what would become Western Pennsylvania, until converging together and forming the massive Ohio. While, in itself, a sight to behold, Lucy's attention was arrested by the one place that had eluded them since their arrival here four days ago…the indomitable Fort Duquesne.
It was a large and formidable looking edifice; jutting out like a star right at the triangulation of land that commanded the waterways, making it the ideal spot not only for defense, but for trade…something Lucy was all too ready to point out as Wyatt used his stolen spy glass to study the fort's defenses. "There," she said as she pointed down towards the fort, "you see…there…they're strengthening the defenses with that outer wall. And to think this whole thing was only built in a few months."
Forgetting her earlier self-admonition to keep Wyatt at a safe and respectable distance, Lucy crouched down next to him behind a large boulder at the very edge of the ridge overlooking the rivers and the fort – too wrapped up in the sight before her to care much about anything else. It truly was a breathtaking sight to behold. Rolling hills and forests that seemed to stretch on forever, three rivers glistening like gold in the afternoon sun, and there in the midst of it all, a place she had only read about it in history books.
The fort itself was shaped like a lop-sided star with sentries posted on the diamond shaped balustrades that jutted out at every tip. It was surrounded by a wall that was in turn, surrounded by another wall that enclosed a much larger area, surrounding not just the fort, but numerous buildings and houses. She had always read how small the fort was in comparison to others of its day, but after seeing so little in the way of civilization in the past four days, she couldn't help but be impressed by the size, considering how truly isolated they were.
"You see how the outer wall juts out and over here on the left?" Lucy continued to whisper excitedly by Wyatt's ear as they settled down behind a large boulder right on the crest of the ridge overlooking the valley, "All those buildings there? Those are living quarters for the soldiers, families…traders, colonists…" she explained. He turned to look at her, as her face lit up with a now familiar enthusiasm that always spoke to her absolute delight at seeing things or meeting people she had only read about, in person.
When he had first met her, he found this excitement irritating, if not completely and unbelievably nerdy…but then he met Ian Fleming…and Jim Bowie…and well, he didn't exactly have a leg to stand on. How excited had he been to find out after coming back from 1944 Germany that there was not only a new Bond film to add to his collection, but that he was in it? How humbled had he been when Jim Bowie handed him his famous knife moments before meeting his fateful end at the Alamo?
Fanboying didn't even cover it.
He could now understand why someone like Lucy, who had devoted her whole life to history, would be over the moon about something as mundane as a colonial fort…this was her Bowie knife…hell, just about everything was her Bowie knife. That's why, now, Wyatt couldn't help but smile as she gushed over every detail of the fort's appearance.
"It's certainly not as formidable as Fort Niagara and not as large as Fort Pitt will be one day, but for being out here on their own like this?" Lucy shook her head, "Do you know, those walls are six feet thick?
"Only six feet?" Rufus said sarcastically. "Oh yeah, breaking into this fort is gonna be easy as hell…"
"It actually doesn't stand much of a chance against the British cannon." Lucy informed him with a serious nod, "something the French knew…all too well. Next spring, the British will make another advance against the fort, but the French, knowing the fort's weakness, decide to meet them about 10 miles away from here and decimate Braddock's army…Washington is the only officer who survives. It's not until 1758 that the British make another attempt at Fort Duquesne and the French, by that time are so low on food and morale, they burn the fort before the British can even launch an attack."
Wyatt quirked his lip, "Too bad we don't have a damn cannon." Looking down at the fort through the spy glass, Wyatt hummed, "It doesn't look too bad though…not a lot of French soldiers…"
"No, the strength of this fort came from its position." Lucy said with a nod, "by sitting here, at the junction of these three rivers…"
'…it could control anything that passed through here." Wyatt finished for her with a thoughtful grunt.
"What about all those buildings there?" Rufus asked, shoving his arm between the two of them, "Outside the gates…right along the river?"
"That would be the trading post." Lucy answered with a shrug. "Before Fort Duquesne was ever built the British had an established trading post here."
"That explains why they were so pissed." Wyatt mused, "this is prime real estate. If they were already up in arms about the British encroaching on their territory…"
"Exactly," Lucy nodded, "when Tanacharison suggested to the British that they fortify their position here, the French panicked and moved in…ousting the British completely from this area which, of course leads to…
"A hatchet in the head for the French dude…" Rufus said with a low whistle.
"Well, it makes sense." Wyatt shrugged. "These rivers…they're basically an 18th century interstate."
"Yeah…well, unless there's a McDonald's or a 7/11 down there…I don't care." Rufus grumbled miserably, "That trading post doesn't do us any good if it's run by people who are dead set on killing us."
Lucy rolled her eyes, "They're not the ones trying to kills us…I hardly think they'd turn down a chance to make some money or to score a good deal. The French may not have liked the British competition, but that doesn't mean they were above selling to them."
"Right." Wyatt chuckled, "The British could stay here as long as they played by their rules and coughed up some cold hard cash…is that it?"
"Or tobacco, or coffee…or tea." Lucy added with a shrug. "It wasn't necessarily all about money in these days…it was just as much about goods and commodities. When living quite literally in the middle of nowhere, things people in the coastal cities or in Europe took for granted became almost more valuable than gold or silver."
"I guess so." Rufus conceded with a frown, "Can't say I blame them…I've only been here four days and I'd give anything for a chocodile."
"What?" Wyatt asked as he lowered the spyglass and turned to an equally stupefied Lucy, "What the hell is a chocodile?"
"It's a Twinkie…" Rufus explained in astonishment, "covered in chocolate." He looked almost offended when they both shrugged at him in total bewilderment, "Are you…are you telling me you never had a chocodile?"
"I've never even heard of a chocodile." Lucy stated blankly.
"You both have had Twinkies, though, right? Your childhoods didn't completely suck?"
"I know what a Twinkie is, Rufus." Lucy breathed out in exasperation as she took the spyglass from Wyatt and began looking at the fort herself.
"Bet you didn't eat them though, right?" Rufus muttered, "High-society, Stanford girl like you? Nah…you were probably all about the Little Debbie's."
"I did like Oatmeal Cream Pies." Lucy acknowledged with a smirk as she turned from the spyglass and looked at him. "But I had my fair share of Twinkies too. Do you know that originally Twinkies used to be filled with banana cream? They switched to vanilla because of the rations imposed during World War II."
"You know that, but you've never heard of a chocodile?" Rufus asked incredulously. "Can you believe this, Wyatt?"
"No…" he muttered as he took the spyglass back from Lucy, "I can't believe that we are literally across from the French fort we've been searching for for days and you two are sitting around here talking about junk food."
"Oh, I'm sorry, Delta Force." Rufus quipped, "I guess you weren't allowed to bask in the deliciousness that is processed sugar and trans fats..."
Wyatt sighed in resignation as he acknowledged, "I was more of a Swiss Roll guy." Before Rufus could respond with either his love or condemnation of his snack cake of choice, Wyatt shifted the conversation back to the task at hand. "So, let me get this straight, the British set up a trading post here, that Tanacharison guy thought it'd be a great idea if they went ahead and built a fort too, the French didn't like it, kicked them out and so the first chance he got, he took out his frustrations on the first French commander he saw?"
"Pretty much." Lucy said with a nod.
"I don't get it." Rufus asked with a shrug, "I mean, if the British were already trading here without starting a war, why wave a red flag in their faces? It seems to me that's just asking for trouble."
Wyatt frowned, "Maybe they just wanted the added protection of the fort? This isn't exactly the safest neighborhood…"
"It might have been part of the reason he encouraged the British to fortify this area, but I think he was more concerned with giving them a strategic advantage. Remember Tanacharison hated the French. As leader of Iroquois Confederacy, he saw them as encroaching on his land and stirring up the other Indian tribes against him and his people. Plus, he was actually close friends with the men who established this trading post." she explained. "William Trent…his father actually founded Trenton, New Jersey, was a wealthy merchant…came out here to build his own trade empire." She nodded thoughtfully, "And…he actually did a pretty good job of it, learned the Indian languages, built up some useful alliances and friendships. His partner, George Croghan, really revolutionized the way the British began trading. Instead of just setting up trading posts like these," she said with a nod towards the bustling dock, "he actually began setting up trading posts within the Native American villages themselves."
Wyatt turned to Lucy with new interest, "Wait…are these guys…this William Trent and George Croghan…are they here right now?"
"No." she muttered as she shook her head despondently, "After the Battles of Jumonville Glen and Fort Necessity, William Trent left for Virginia with George Washington…commissioned in the British army, received command of his own regiment."
"So, wait - he just left everything behind to join the army?" Rufus asked incredulously.
"Well, what else could he do?" Lucy asked with a shrug, "It's not like he could just set up shop next door…not without some sort of protection…especially not after…what happened." she explained with a grimace.
"So where is this Tanacharison now?" Wyatt asked, "Why isn't he out here forming up some plan to take all of this back? I mean, if this fort was his idea…"
"Well…after the British loss at Fort Necessity he and his wife sort of…fled the area." Lucy said with a shrug.
Rufus let out a derisive laugh, "Ha, I wonder why? I'd skip out of town too if I had eaten the brains of a guy whose brother had a whole damn army to kick my ass with."
So, I guess he headed off to Virginia too, then?" Wyatt asked with a shrug.
"No, George Croghan actually invited Tanacharison and his wife to stay with him at his estate near Harrisburg…about 200 miles east of here…not that it makes much difference;" Lucy remarked, "he and his wife will both be dead before the year is out."
"What…does somebody bash his brains in?" Rufus asked with raised eyebrows.
"No…" Lucy said with a shrug, "they both just get very sick and die within a few weeks of each other."
"Well…that's kind of…anti-climactic." Rufus mused in disappointment, "You'd think that guy would have died…I don't know…Geronimo style."
"Geronimo died of pneumonia, Rufus." Lucy said flatly.
"Well, you know what I mean." Rufus spat out, "Someone that badass isn't the person you'd expect to die…lying in a bed…unless you know, someone murdered them in a bed."
Wyatt rubbed his jaw in frustration. "Dammit. If just one of those guys was still here," Wyatt murmured almost to himself, "we could use their trading posts for supplies instead of worrying about the French army breathing down our necks."
"I think you're forgetting that we're gonna have the French army breathing down our damn necks anyway," Rufus reminded him, "we're gonna need to get in there to use that forge…and unless one of you has mad blacksmithing skills you haven't told me about, I'm guessing we're gonna need to go in there more than once. I may not know the first thing about being a blacksmith, but I do know that's not just something you…ya know…pick up."
Lucy rubbed her forehead in frustration, "Maybe…maybe there's another way…maybe if we find someone else who has a forge…"
'Are you kidding me right now?" Rufus asked incredulously, "Look around…there's nothing here." Rufus shook his head. "We don't even know where the hell we're going to live."
"I know, Rufus." Lucy snapped in exasperation, "I'm just thinking, okay?" she trailed off, her brow furrowed in concentration as she thought over their situation. As much as she hated the idea of throwing themselves into the path of the French army again, there really wasn't much they could do – they were desperate and therefore, would have to take the risk. She buried her face in her hands as she silently cursed Flynn for stranding them in 1754. With tensions so high and the French now believing them to be spies, Rufus was right, the situation was all but hopeless. She looked down at the fort despondently, thinking of the larger and much grander Fort Pitt that would replace it one day…the beginnings of what would be modern-day Pittsburgh…not that Fort Duquesne would be completely erased from its history. The elevated land where she was currently sitting with Wyatt and Rufus was known in modern times as Duquesne Heights. Heck, even the spot where they crossed the river earlier had its origins from this war, McKee's Rocks, named for…
"Alexander McKee." Lucy said with a gasp before turning suddenly to a confused Wyatt, "Quick," she demanded, "give me the map."
"Who?" he asked as he handed over the map in confusion, but she didn't respond. Instead, she shook it open and began poring over it in rapt excitement. Wyatt and Rufus looked on, completely bewildered until she finally looked up from the map, a triumphant smirk firmly planted on her face. "Okay, Lucy…care to elaborate?" Wyatt sighed, "Who is Alexander McKee?"
"Where we crossed earlier?" she explained excitedly, "That was a place known as McKee's Rocks, named for one Alexander McKee who was another business partner of our friends William Trent and George Croghan."
"And?" Rufus quipped with a shrug.
"And," Lucy said excitedly, "not only was he a successful fur trader and merchant, he was also a very influential Indian agent." she added emphatically.
"How influential?" Wyatt asked skeptically, "He's not one of those assholes giving out small pox blankets, is he?"
Lucy shook her head, "No. His mother was kidnapped and adopted into the Shawnee tribe…he was basically raised by Native Americans. Later, he'll go on to marry and have a son with The Grenadier Squaw herself, Nonhelema…"
"Nona…who?" Rufus and Wyatt asked together, looking at Lucy with expressions of complete bewilderment. It wasn't that they weren't used to her fangirling over historical figures…they absolutely were by now…but Lucy also had a knack for the arbitrary…and her excitement for it didn't necessarily mean anything except that Lucy Preston, as Rufus always put it, was getting her "geek on."
With that in mind, Rufus rolled his eyes and huffed, "Is this somebody we should know…or is this just some weird historical figure that only people like you know?"
"Nonhelema." Lucy said more slowly as she looked at the two of them expectantly. "She was a great warrior chieftess of the Shawnee, she fought in the Battle of Bushy Run…they called her The Grenadier because she was so tall..."
Rufus stared blankly at her, "So a tall Indian chick…that's…that's who you're excited about? What was she like 5'11?"
Lucy glared at him, "Try 6'6." she admonished. "Seriously, she's up there with the likes of Pocohontas and Sacagewea. You know who they are, right?"
Rufus shrugged as he looked at Wyatt, "Sure, Pocohontas is a Disney Princess…ya know…the one in love with Mel Gib…I mean, John Smith…ran around with that raccoon singing about rivers and colors in the wind and shit. And Sacagewea" Rufus mused thoughtfully, "wasn't she that Indian girl that had a thing with Teddy Roosevelt?"
Lucy gaped at him in complete and utter disbelief, before burying her face in her hands, "Oh my God, Rufus." she gritted out in a muffled voice, "Please tell me you are joking…"
"What?" he asked, completely nonplussed, "Is that not right?"
Taking several deep breaths, Lucy finally lowered her hands, "No…that's not right." She said in a voice of forced calm, "That's completely wrong. Like…so wrong. Like…I can't even begin to tell you how very wrong you are about all of that."
Rufus made to argue, but Wyatt silenced him with a shake of his head.
For your information, "Pocohontas was the daughter of Powhatan…a great chief who welcomed the settlers to Jamestown…"
"So she was a princess…" Rufus quipped, but Lucy merely glared at him and continued.
"And she may have saved John Smith's life, but she actually married John Rolfe and their marriage helped bring about a peace between the Powhatan people and the Virginia colonists for eight years." Taking a deep breath she continued, "As for Sacagewea…"
"She was the guide who led Lewis and Clark on their exploration of the lands we got from the Louisiana Purchase" Wyatt finished for her, "and no," he added as he glared pointedly at Rufus, "she did not have a "thing" with Teddy Roosevelt."
Lucy nodded her head emphatically, "Yes…thank you, Wyatt. I'm glad at least one of you knows your history from something other than Disney movies."
Wyatt shot Rufus a triumphant smirk, which set him grumbling, "Whatever man, I know you got that Sacagewea thing from Almost Heroes."
Wyatt shrugged indiscernibly before clearing his throat and turning back to Lucy with a slight smirk, "Okay, so Nonhelema…
"She's extremely powerful…and very influential in this region." Lucy said with a meaningful nod.
Wyatt scoffed, "Lucy, I'm still not sure what any of this has to do with us…didn't you say the Shawnee were fighting alongside the French?
"Yes, but…Alexander McKee…"
"Is she married to that dude right now?" Rufus asked with raised eyebrows.
"Well…no…but…"
"But nothing, Lucy…we're still in the same damn spot we were before. The French hate us and our only lead for a trading post outside of this damn fort is tied up with Indians who also…probably hate us."
"Alexander McKee was raised practically raised by the Shawnee," Lucy reminded him gruffly, "even if he's not married to Nonhelema yet…the fact that is he's a British Indian agent with a trading post, with some kind of influence with the Shawnee…that gives us an advantage…"
Wyatt frowned thoughtfully, "Do you know where we can find this guy?"
"Not exactly." Lucy admitted with a gulp, "but there are a few Native American villages on this map," she said with a nod of her head, "it's just a matter of asking…"
"And if we ask the wrong ones?" Rufus said in a voice heightened with anxiety, "What then?"
"He's got a point, Lucy." Wyatt said with a shrug, "we have no idea what we're walking into… hell, we don't even know if we'd even be able to communicate with them…"
Well…maybe we still could." Lucy frowned thoughtfully. "I mean, we'd have to find them…and it would require meeting up with a few paranoid natives…"
"Hell no." Rufus said with a frantic shake of his head, "we already know what they did to that French guy…I don't know about you two, but I'd rather not risk a hatchet to the skull…I'd just as soon take my chances with the whole damn French army. Let's face it," he continued, "we're screwed any way we look at this. We might as well just come to grips with the fact that we're living here now because there is no way in hell we're getting in that fort…I mean look at that thing." Rufus said as he motioned roughly towards the looming walls of Fort Duquesne. "It's got two damn walls surrounding it…two."
"It also has gates." Wyatt reminded him as he picked up the spy glass again.
"So, your solution to all of this is…what? Knock on the door and ask to use their forge?" Rufus spat out, "Didn't I say that this morning? Because I'm pretty sure I said that this morning and you said…and I quote, "That's a good way to get us all killed."" Rufus mimicked angrily, "So now, what? You've changed your mind?"
"No." Wyatt said with a small shake of his head and a frown, "I just think getting into that fort isn't going to be as hard as we thought."
"Wyatt, the minute we go down there, they're gonna string us up on the nearest tree…"
Wyatt rolled his eyes in exasperation, "They don't have pictures of us plastered all of over the news, Rufus…only a handful of soldiers know what we look like…"
"Yes, but Wyatt…if that officer was Louis Coulon, he's the commander of Fort Duquesne." Lucy reminded him, "He is definitely going to remember us…well, at least you and me anyway."
"Exactly." Wyatt said with a meaningful nod towards Rufus who suddenly looked at Wyatt and Lucy with alarm.
"Oh no….no way in hell. If you think I'm gonna go in there by myself, you're out of your damn mind."
"C'mon Rufus, those soldiers hardly looked at you…" Wyatt soothed.
"Yeah, because I didn't give them a reason to – you were the one who had to go and piss everybody off with your "I'm a bad ass" routine. Why should I have to suffer because you couldn't keep your cool for two damn seconds?"
Rolling his eyes, Wyatt huffed, "You want me to go in there with you? Fine…I'll go…but I'm telling you right now, you're going to have less chance of being caught if you go in there by yourself."
"He's right, Rufus." Lucy quietly agreed. "Chances are they've already told everyone in the fort about us…if we go in there together," she shook her head and offered him an apologetic frown, "it'll be much safer if only one of us goes…"
"Safer for who? For you? For Wyatt? Because it sure as hell won't be safer for me."
Wyatt handed him the spy glass, "Look down there." he requested as Rufus looked up at him defiantly, "Please? Just look, okay?" Reluctantly, Rufus lifted the spy glass and peered through, "What do you see?"
"A hell of a lot of soldiers…with guns."
"Look at the gate, Rufus." Wyatt breathed out in exasperation.
"It's open…I see… um…men…black men…working on the outer wall…and bringing in crates from the dock." he answered with a resigned sigh.
"Exactly." Wyatt said with a nod, 'So you go down there and you blend in…no one's gonna suspect anything if you go in that fort…I've been watching them since we got here…they go in and out all the time. No one looks at them twice."
"I feel like I should be offended by this conversation." Rufus muttered grumpily as he scowled at Lucy and Wyatt. "If no one is gonna look at me twice, why the hell wouldn't they look at you twice? It was dark…and like you said, it was just a handful of soldiers out there…"
"Look, Rufus…I know you're scared…and it's okay." Wyatt assured, "But I sure as hell can't go down there. Lucy's right, they'd remember me. And it's even more dangerous for Lucy…I mean, you saw what they did to her at that camp."
"Mmm…that was one guy, and he's dead now so…"
"It's a trading post," Wyatt continued to argue, completely ignoring Rufus' last statement, "people come here all the time to buy and to sell…no one is going to suspect a thing. Just get in, get an idea of where that forge is, and see how many soldiers are hanging around it." Rufus let out a heavy sigh as Wyatt continued, "You know I wouldn't send you in there on your own if I thought you'd be killed." His lip curled in a half smile, "I mean, if you die, we're stuck here, right?" Rufus stared hard back at Wyatt, not finding his joke in funny in the least, "C'mon man, it's just a reconnaissance mission" Wyatt pleaded, "get in, look around…and get out...and then we can try to figure out if we even have a chance at using that thing."
Rufus looked hopelessly back at the fort, absolute fear and dread apparent on his face. His eyes fell on the laborers outside of the wall, both bringing in supplies and working to secure the fort's defenses. Wyatt was right, no one was giving them a second look…and even though he hated to admit it, he knew Wyatt was also right…out of all of them, Rufus would be the one the French soldiers would least remember or care about. With a heavy sigh, he rose to his feet, before turning to Lucy and Wyatt with a scowl, "I better not regret this."
Notes:
I finished this chapter while I was in Texas but I forgot my computer on my next trip and therefore couldn't post it until today now that I'm back home...so I apologize for the delay.
There's a lot of history in this chapter, i know, but I have to set the stage for what it coming...so bear with me. All of that about William Trent, George Croghan and Alexander McKee is true. Nonhelema, while she plays a role in Stranded, doesn't REALLY play a role in the French and Indian war from what I could find in any of my reading other than she marries and has a son with Alexander McKee (Thomas). While Alexander is a British Indian agent and her tribe and loyalties seemed to be allied with the French, I'm thinking since Alexander McKee was practically part of the Shawnee tribe, his own political alliances were sort of overlooked...or ya know since Nonhelema was 6'6 no one dared question her choice of relationships...either way...all true. She doesn't really do much until the Pontiac's Rebellion when she fights in the Battle of Bushy Run (1763). Though I can't find anything for sure that tells me when she and Alexander met, their son Thomas, was born in 1770 ...so well after the events here.
If you'd like a visual on what the fort looked like, you can view it here: wiki/Fort_Duquesne
For those of you who celebrate it, I hope you had a great 4th! Thanks for reading!