Second Mission: The 1899 Project
Third story in "The Revelators" series.
***
A foul smell reached Racetrack's nose as he lay on a very uncomfortable surface. He groaned, and rolled to his right side.
"Where am I?" Race took a whiff of the foul smell. It was as awful as garbage. He finally opened his eyes to see it was garbage he was on top of. He shrieked, gagging, trying to get off the grueling pile. But, found it difficult since he was in a garbage pick-up carriage.
"Race, is that you?" he heard Mush's voice outside the tall walled carriage end.
"Yeah, it's me, Mush. I'm stuck in heah!"
The creaking of the wood was heard as Mush appeared looking over the carriage end. "This is an awfully tall carriage."
Race rolled his eyes. "So, I've noticed. Now, get me out of here!"
"Grab on." Mush stuck his hand over the end and Race grasped it firmly. "I'll pull you up." With one tug, the unexpecting Racetrack flew over the carriage wall into a pile of boxes.
"Race!" Mush shouted, running to him. "I'm sorry, Race. I'm real sorry!"
First there was a groan then a hand shot to his head. In that gesture, the few boxes around him flew back feet away missing Mush by an inch. "What was that?!"
"Uh…I think I haven't learned to control my strength yet." Mush grinned sheepishly and blushed, looking down. "I'm real sorry."
"Yeah, I heard ya" Race replied, irritated. Mush extended his hand, but Race refused it - not desiring to be flung across the alleyway again. "Where's Blink and John?" he asked, standing and brushing off his pants.
"Right here" Blink and John said in unison. They turned to see their two cohorts walking from a deeper side of the alley.
"Where are we?" Mush asked, biting his lip in a nervous fashion.
"We haven't been outside the alleyway yet" John replied. "But, it looks like we're somewhere in the time we left."
The four traveled to the mouth of the alley. What stood before their eyes was an all too familiar scene for three of them.
"It's Manhattan" Blink gasped.
"In 1899!" Mush added, a smile creeping over his lips.
John grinned slightly. "So, this is what it looks like without snow" he said offhandedly, noting that it seemed to be summer there.
"Now, why the heck are we back here?!" Race blurted out, an aggravated tone still in his voice.
Blink took lead. "Let's go find out."
They had just begun to walk down the street when the sound of upbeat music seep into their ears, and the faintness of singing was heard too.
John stopped suddenly, looking around bewildered. "I hear music."
Mush nodded, enthusiastically. "Me too! It sounds like it's getting closer very quickly!"
Just as he said that, a storm of boys came barreling around the corner several yards from the Revelators. They stood wide eyed at the mass that was heading straight for them singing and dancing and cutting up - looking as though they didn't have a care in the world. The four stood there too surprised to move at the sight.
The mass of boys came short of approaching the four strangers in the middle of the street. The singing and music stopped along with them. The Revelators stared at all the familiar faces until the of them all set eyes on their own faces.
Racetrack elbowed Blink. "Is that me?" He pointed at his duplicate.
Blink nodded, slowly. "Sure does look like it. Is that me?"
"Yeah" Race replied.
The same scene was being played out by their duplicates as the whispers became louder in the silence of the street.
Jack Kelly finally stepped up out of the midst of the boys with his thumbs jammed in pockets. "What's going on here?"
Before any of the four could speak, David Jacobs made his way beside Jack. "Who are you and why do you look like us?" he demanded.
John's mouth literally fell open when he laid eyes on David. "It's me" he murmured to himself, feeling his body turn to jelly.
"We're visitors from another time dimension" Blink explained, shifting his eye from left to right to see what their reaction would be.
There was a long pause before Jack shrugged, saying, "All right. Wanna join us?"
Blink turned to his cohorts. Mush and Race nodded, while John seemed to still be in shock by the fact that his double was standing across from him. "Yeah, why not."
Jack grinned, throwing his fist in the air. "Carrying the banner!
"Carrying the banner!" the newsies shouted back. The band of newsies broke out in song and dance again, brushing pass the Revelators as if nothing happen. They seemed very spurious.
"What kind of insane dimension is this?" John asked, his mouth catching flies.
"I don't know, but let's play along" Blink replied.
They joined the crowd of boys, trying to act like them. It didn't last long; a shrill whistle sounded in their ears.
"RUN! It's the bulls!"
The newsies scattered like roaches when a light is switched on. Most escaped the grasp of the bulls, but some didn't get away. The Revelators were separated. John accidentally followed the wrong "Mush and Racetrack". Blink was caught, along with Jack. Mush and Race escaped, and found John about twenty minutes later in an alley.
"John!" Mush cried, running up to his cohort.
John seen their leader wasn't with them. "Where's Henry?"
"We were hoping he was with you" Race answered.
The other Mush spoke up. "I thought I seen him taken away by the bulls."
"If that wasn't our Kid Blink" the other Racetrack added.
"Naw, I'm here" Blink's double shouted as he ran up to them.
John lowered his head. "Oh no, he's been arrested. What do we do?"
Race snorted, feeling like this wasn't going to be easy. "We need to bust him out."
Third story in "The Revelators" series.
***
A foul smell reached Racetrack's nose as he lay on a very uncomfortable surface. He groaned, and rolled to his right side.
"Where am I?" Race took a whiff of the foul smell. It was as awful as garbage. He finally opened his eyes to see it was garbage he was on top of. He shrieked, gagging, trying to get off the grueling pile. But, found it difficult since he was in a garbage pick-up carriage.
"Race, is that you?" he heard Mush's voice outside the tall walled carriage end.
"Yeah, it's me, Mush. I'm stuck in heah!"
The creaking of the wood was heard as Mush appeared looking over the carriage end. "This is an awfully tall carriage."
Race rolled his eyes. "So, I've noticed. Now, get me out of here!"
"Grab on." Mush stuck his hand over the end and Race grasped it firmly. "I'll pull you up." With one tug, the unexpecting Racetrack flew over the carriage wall into a pile of boxes.
"Race!" Mush shouted, running to him. "I'm sorry, Race. I'm real sorry!"
First there was a groan then a hand shot to his head. In that gesture, the few boxes around him flew back feet away missing Mush by an inch. "What was that?!"
"Uh…I think I haven't learned to control my strength yet." Mush grinned sheepishly and blushed, looking down. "I'm real sorry."
"Yeah, I heard ya" Race replied, irritated. Mush extended his hand, but Race refused it - not desiring to be flung across the alleyway again. "Where's Blink and John?" he asked, standing and brushing off his pants.
"Right here" Blink and John said in unison. They turned to see their two cohorts walking from a deeper side of the alley.
"Where are we?" Mush asked, biting his lip in a nervous fashion.
"We haven't been outside the alleyway yet" John replied. "But, it looks like we're somewhere in the time we left."
The four traveled to the mouth of the alley. What stood before their eyes was an all too familiar scene for three of them.
"It's Manhattan" Blink gasped.
"In 1899!" Mush added, a smile creeping over his lips.
John grinned slightly. "So, this is what it looks like without snow" he said offhandedly, noting that it seemed to be summer there.
"Now, why the heck are we back here?!" Race blurted out, an aggravated tone still in his voice.
Blink took lead. "Let's go find out."
They had just begun to walk down the street when the sound of upbeat music seep into their ears, and the faintness of singing was heard too.
John stopped suddenly, looking around bewildered. "I hear music."
Mush nodded, enthusiastically. "Me too! It sounds like it's getting closer very quickly!"
Just as he said that, a storm of boys came barreling around the corner several yards from the Revelators. They stood wide eyed at the mass that was heading straight for them singing and dancing and cutting up - looking as though they didn't have a care in the world. The four stood there too surprised to move at the sight.
The mass of boys came short of approaching the four strangers in the middle of the street. The singing and music stopped along with them. The Revelators stared at all the familiar faces until the of them all set eyes on their own faces.
Racetrack elbowed Blink. "Is that me?" He pointed at his duplicate.
Blink nodded, slowly. "Sure does look like it. Is that me?"
"Yeah" Race replied.
The same scene was being played out by their duplicates as the whispers became louder in the silence of the street.
Jack Kelly finally stepped up out of the midst of the boys with his thumbs jammed in pockets. "What's going on here?"
Before any of the four could speak, David Jacobs made his way beside Jack. "Who are you and why do you look like us?" he demanded.
John's mouth literally fell open when he laid eyes on David. "It's me" he murmured to himself, feeling his body turn to jelly.
"We're visitors from another time dimension" Blink explained, shifting his eye from left to right to see what their reaction would be.
There was a long pause before Jack shrugged, saying, "All right. Wanna join us?"
Blink turned to his cohorts. Mush and Race nodded, while John seemed to still be in shock by the fact that his double was standing across from him. "Yeah, why not."
Jack grinned, throwing his fist in the air. "Carrying the banner!
"Carrying the banner!" the newsies shouted back. The band of newsies broke out in song and dance again, brushing pass the Revelators as if nothing happen. They seemed very spurious.
"What kind of insane dimension is this?" John asked, his mouth catching flies.
"I don't know, but let's play along" Blink replied.
They joined the crowd of boys, trying to act like them. It didn't last long; a shrill whistle sounded in their ears.
"RUN! It's the bulls!"
The newsies scattered like roaches when a light is switched on. Most escaped the grasp of the bulls, but some didn't get away. The Revelators were separated. John accidentally followed the wrong "Mush and Racetrack". Blink was caught, along with Jack. Mush and Race escaped, and found John about twenty minutes later in an alley.
"John!" Mush cried, running up to his cohort.
John seen their leader wasn't with them. "Where's Henry?"
"We were hoping he was with you" Race answered.
The other Mush spoke up. "I thought I seen him taken away by the bulls."
"If that wasn't our Kid Blink" the other Racetrack added.
"Naw, I'm here" Blink's double shouted as he ran up to them.
John lowered his head. "Oh no, he's been arrested. What do we do?"
Race snorted, feeling like this wasn't going to be easy. "We need to bust him out."