Chapter Ten

Previously. . .
Growling with rage, Stampede yelled, "You insolent fool! How dare you oppose me to my face! You seem to
forget who's in charge here! Your pitiful life is nothing without me!"

Balling his massive fist he shouted, "I made you what you are today!"

"Yeah, I know! Take a look at me, will ya?!" He shouted, slapping a hand on his bony chest. Quickly looking down at the floor, he shook his head and muttered, "I sure have. And ya know somethin? The years have made me tired, and I've had enough," he whispered, daring to look Stampede in the eyes.

By then it was so silent that you could've heard a pin drop! Tex's unexpected declaration had everybody marveling at him with disbelief. This included Stampede, who began to realize just what Tex possibly meant. Slowly his glowing yellow eyes narrowed, glaring down at Tex in a threatening manner.

"So have I, Hex!" he growled out in a menacing tone. "You're either for me, or against me. . .But you can't be both! Now. . .
You either do as I say, or I'll destroy you! And this time, Hex, I mean it!"

****From where I stood, the profile on Tex's face suddenly became fearful, and very apprehensive. Yet the longer he stood there, the more it seemed like he was actually beginning to contemplate the unthinkable! For his intimidated expression slowly began to change over into a more calm, and sober one. I watched as his head slowly turned in my direction until he was looking me dead in the eyes. For a minute it was almost as though he were saying. . .Goodbye?

Suddenly horrified, it occurred to me just what Tex meant when he said,
"No matter what happens. . ."

Feeling my heart beginning to pound I watched as he looked back up into Stampedes evil glance. Only this time, his expression was calm and very tranquil. This caused me to panic. "No. . ." I whispered, urgently shaking my head.

Just as I attempted to go to him, I felt Bravestarrs hand grip my shoulder, firmly holding me back. Looking over at him, I saw the helpless look in his eyes.

"No, Carla. Don't. . ." he sadly whispered. "Let him be." Now I knew what was about to happen, causing me to look back at Tex with utter helplessness. Tears began to gleam in my eyes, as Tex slowly turned and walked away from him without saying another word. This bold act of rebellion caused Stampede to fly into a rage. "Stop it, Tex! Do you hear me?! I said stop!"

Intrepidly Tex continued to head for the doors, with a blank expression on his face. In a rage Stampede threw his massive head back and growled so loud that it literallyshook the foundation of the place. "Arrrrrrggggggghhhhh!" Snarling fiercely he then glared down at Tex, eyes suddenly glowing an opalescent red in color. Before I knew what was happening, two fiery bolts shot out of the palm of his hand, hitting Tex so hard in the back that the impact knocked his hat clean off. Eyes bulging, he let out a startled gasp then weakly dropped to his knees. Completely paralyzed, he began to jerk, and shake as the burning yellow energy consumed his entire body. By the look of agony on his face, I horribly realized that he was slowly being electrocuted! By then, I could bear it no more.

Without even thinking twice about being killed myself, I roughly broke out of Bravestarrs grasp and ran out into the open. In a fit of desperation I glared up at Stampede and cried,

"Stop it!"

Rather startled by my unexpected intrusion, Stampede immediately released the deadly grip on Tex. Moaning out; he fell flat on his face. For a minute. . .all I could was stand there shaking my head with disbelief, watching as the steam actually lifted off of Tex's limp body.

By the way Stampede glared down at me, I could tell he immediately recognized who I was. "You. . ." he growled, watching as I now ran to Tex's side. By then I was so devastated that I didn't care what he'd do.

Full of anguish I looked up at him and shouted, "Yeah! So what are you going to do? Fry me too?!"

"C-Carla. . ." Tex wheezed out in a cracked voice.

"Tex?" I said, quickly kneeling on the side of him. As gently as possible I turned him over, pulling him forward until his head was resting in my lap. By the way he continuously gasped out, I could tell that the severe impact of what he'd gone through had sent him into a cardiac arrest. Beginning to cry, I whispered,

"Oh, Tex. I'm sorry. . .I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. . ."

Slowly his eyes opened, weakly staring up at me. "No. . ." he wheezed out. "It ain't your fault." Grimacing, he swallowed hard and replied, "The way I see it my life. . .ain't worth livin anymore. . .if I don't have you with me." As he looked into my eyes, a tear slowly slid down his cheek. "I love you, Carla. . .I've always loved you. . .and I know. . .I've never said it before, but I can now cause. . .I'm free." he gasped, suddenly overtaken by another surge of pain.

Completely overwhelmed, I whispered, "I love you too, Tex. . .I love you so much." By the way he weakly smiled at me, I know that's all he wanted to hear. For as I watched it slowly began to fade away. Taking one last deep breath his eyes tightly shut. And the next thing I knew he'd gone completely limp, becoming a dead weight in my arms. Now I just couldn't believe what was happening. Gaping down at him I began to shake my head with denial.

"No. . .No. . .Tex. Don't leave me." I said beginning to sob uncontrollably. All I could do was pull him close to me, rocking him back and forth in a motherly fashion. "I need you. . . Please don't leave me, now." As I squeezed him tightly in my arms, I watched as Vipra, Scuzz, Sandstorm, and the rest of the gang slowly crept forward until they were by my side. By then Scuzz had taken his derby off, and was tearfully gazing down at Tex with a stunned expression on his face.

And apparently he wasn't the only one. Far off in the corner of the hallway I noticed that Bravestarr, Doc Claten, and Captain Silas all had their hats off as well, giving Tex their utmost respect. After all, he might've been an outlaw, but he was still a human being who at the last minute turned around and given up so much. . .so much. All for nothing! This caused me to bitterly look up to Stampede, rather surprised to find him peering down at us, as though somehow rapt by my poignant display.

"How could you?!" I cried, shaking my head with despair. "How could you be so cruel? He was the first person to really love me. . .and you had to take him away."

Now I began to sob all over again, weakly leaning forward until my head was buried in his chest. As I wept uncontrollably, it began to feel as though the side of my cheek was burning. Only then did I realize that the intense warmth was coming from Tex's body. Confused by this, I looked up startled to find that Stampedes eyes were glowing once again. Only this time they were an iridescent blue in color. What made it even more amazing was that this same glow had now engulfed Tex's entire body. And that's when something remarkable began to happen.

One by one the many wrinkles around Tex's sunken mouth began to disappear, and the bony features of his face began to fill in, revealing some of the prettiest teeth I ever did see! This was followed by the sight of his snow-white hair darkening, until it had turned more of a rusty auburn in color with streaks of gray running down the sides. His thick mustache had also darkened, becoming much thinner, and very black with a single streak of white running down each of the tips!
Also gone was his signature outfit that he had worn for so long. In place of the skull and crossbones, other attire had appeared. Similar, but completely different.

As I stared down in wonder, I began to realize that this was the man I'd seen in the photos of my research. A much more younger, and handsome man, marked by the passing of almost twenty years! Compared to the way Tex looked before, it was almost like that part of him never existed. . .That is, until I heard Stampede growl overhead.

Swallowing hard, I looked up watching as he peered down at the two of us rather soberly. For what seemed like an eternity Stampede continued to glare at Tex, as though giving him one final look. If I didn't know any better, it almost looked like he was saying farewell. Letting out a snort of disgust, his stare slowly shifted from him to me.

"Get him out of my sight. . ." he hissed in a low, calm voice.
Then before I realized what was happening he'd completely vanished, leaving me alone with Tex's frail form.

By then Scuzz was one of the first to boldly approach the two of us. As he did, I immediately noticed that he too had undergone some kind of transformation. For his hair wasn't gray anymore, but had turned jet black, making him look much, much younger in appearance! Shakily he knelt down on the side of us and asked, "Miss Carla, are you's alright?" Mesmerized I slowly nodded, then asked,
"Yes. . .But what's going on here?!"
Still perplexed he shrugged then said, "I not sure. . .But. . .Me thinks spell been broken. This how boss look twenty years ago, before Stampede changed him. Tex had so many powers, that he threw some of it on me. But I guess since it broke off him, it broke off me, too." Now Scuzz sadly looked down at him and shook his head. "Me wish he live long enough to see it. . ."

Feeling my chest grow heavy with tears, I swallowed hard, "Yeah, me too," I whispered, as I gently reached out and grabbed Tex by the hand. Slowly I brought it up to my lips, and kissed it. At that moment I watched as his fingers weakly twitched, then began to squeeze around my hand! Gasping with shock, I looked down to find his head slowly turning from side to side!

"Ohhhh. . ." Tex suddenly moaned out in a cracked voice. Completely stunned, I watched as his other hand shakily went up, rubbing over his eyes. "Ohhh, my achin
head."

Overwhelmed with disbelief, I quickly knelt over him wanting to make sure
I wasn't seeing things. "Tex?" Slowly his eyes opened to the sound of my voice.

Weakly he studied me, as though trying to remember who I was. "Carla?" he slurred out in a cracked voice. "Carla is that you?" Weakening with relief I began to cry.

"Yes it's me. Oh, I'm so glad you're alright." I said, throwing my arms around his neck. Now I could feel his arm limply fall across my back.

"Well. . .Why wouldn't I be?" Hesitating, he then asked, "Wait a minute. . .Where-where am I?"
"You're in the Hexagon. . ."

"What?" he asked, suddenly coming more and more to his senses. Letting him go, I watched as he weakly sat up. Rather confused, he gaped at me then asked, "But why are you here?"

Giving Scuzz a worried glance, I then got next to him and said, "Tex. .Stampede took us prisoner, but you let us go. You stood up to him. Don't you remember?" By the way he stared straight ahead in a daze, I could tell he was slowly beginning to recollect what had happened "Yeah. . .And he tried ta kill me, too."

Swallowing hard, he gave me a rather nervous glance. "Where is he?"
"He's gone. . ."
"Gone? But why? I don't under-" Suddenly he stopped dead in the middle of his sentence, when he noticed Scuzz standing right on the side of me. Mouth falling open, he studied him, as though not believing his own eyes. Rather amused over the way Tex marveled at him, Scuzz grinned and said, "Hello boss. . .Ya gave us quite a scare. . ."

"Never mind that. . ." he muttered out. "What happened to you?"

"What you mean?" Scuzz mocked, with play innocence. Cocking his head, Tex replied, "Aww come on. Your hair and your face! You look so different. So young. . Grunting under his breath, Scuzz cracked a toothy grin and replied,

"Hmph. . .Well. . .I not the only one." Catching on to Scuzz's hint, Tex's eyes narrowed with suspicion. "What?" He asked as Vipra quickly handed Scuzz a mirror.

"Here. . .Take a look. . ." he said, quickly holding it up to his face.

Immediately, Tex's breath sucked in when he saw the unexpected reflection that awaited him. Mouth falling open, his head began to shake with disbelief. Slowly one of his hands went up, going to the first places I expected. His mouth. When he saw and touched his own teeth, it caused him to fly into a wave of complete denial.

"No. . .no. . .no. This ain't real! I know this ain't real! I died and I'm dreamin, right?" Now he quickly looked from Scuzz to me, doubt turning hopeful, "Right?"

Gently I reached out and took him by the hand. "No, you're not dreaming, Tex. This is real."

Jumping to his feet, Tex reached and quickly snatched the mirror from Scuzz's hands. As he marveled at himself, his head continued to shake with denial.

"No. . .It can't be. . .It just can't be. . .I wasn't ever supposed to look like this again!" Full of doubt and uncertainty, Tex gaped at me and asked, "Why? Why would he do this?"

Scooting closer to Tex, I reached out until my hand was cupping the underneath of his face. "Because maybe. . .he never witnessed love between two people before. . .and he didn't know how to handle it. I know one things for sure. . ." I added as tears began to glisten in his eyes. "He knew with you, there was no turning back. . ." Lip quivering, Tex reached out and pulled me close until he was embracing me tightly in his arms.

"I don't believe it," he choked out in a muffled voice. "I just don't believe it."

"I know. . ." I whispered, beginning to rock him back and forth in a motherly fashion. "It's over, Tex. . .It's finally over." Pulling away, Tex stared at me with a tender expression on his face. That is, until he looked over my shoulder and saw the Marshall standing there with the rest of the group. Now I watched as his smile slowly began to disappear. This was followed by one of the most devastated expressions I'd ever seen.

Stepping away from me, he put his head down and whispered, "No, Carla. . .It ain't over yet. Not by a long shot. . ."

At first, I didn't understand what Tex meant. That is until Bravestarr walked up to the two of us. Although very shocked over what he'd just witnessed, there was still one thing he needed to do. As he pulled the handcuffs off his belt, Tex's hand slowly went out.

"No need, Marshall. I'll go willingly. . ." Letting out a painful chuckle, he whispered, "What choice do I have."

As Thirty-Thirty led him out, Bravestarr turned to me with an actual look of regret on his face. "I'm sorry, ma'am. I sure hope you don't hold this against me. But, I've got to do my job." Full of tears, I nodded and whispered,

"I know, Marshall. It's alright." Shaking his head, Bravestarr sighed and said,

"I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but. . .I almost hate to arrest him."

Within the next thirty minutes the group of us left the Hexagon and walked until we were just outside the badlands. From there the Marshall radioed Molly, the stratostage driver, and about three other drivers to come and pick us up. Now instead of riding Thirty Thirty like usual, Bravestarr thought it was best if he rode with us in Molly's stratostage.

All the way back to Fort Kerium, Tex never uttered a single word. Inside I believe that he was so depressed he didn't know where to put himself. What made it even worse was when we got to Fort Kerium and saw all the people waiting for us in the entrance. This included Mayor Darringer, Judge J.B., Handlebar, and a few other townsfolk. Letting out a low moan, Tex rolled his eyes and slowly rubbed a hand over his face. For him, I believe this was going to be one of the most humiliating moments in his entire life. After years of robbing and aggravating these people, he was finally going to face them and justice once and for all.

Immediately Mayor Derringer was one of the first ones to meet us at the coach. Before it even had a chance to stop, he'd already swung the door open.

"Marshall Bravestarr! Boy am I glad to see you!" Stepping off, Bravestarr chuckled.

"The feelings more than mutual, Mayor," he replied, as he helped me step off the stage.
"Well. . .With the way Stampede took all of you. . .How in the world did you ever manage to escape?" That question had the Marshall and myself looking at each other with smirks on our faces. "Well. . .You might say we had a little help."

Looking inside the stage, Bravestarr said, "Come on, out." After some hesitation, Tex slowly crept out until he was standing in the doorway with a pale expression on his face. Completely unaware, J.B. studied him for a minute, then asked,

"Uh, Marshall. Who's this?"

Pausing only for a moment, Bravestarr muttered, "Judge. . .Mayor, and folks. This is Tex Hex. . ."

Throughout the crowd, gasps of shock and disbelief were heard.
And for a minute I thought their jaws would hit the floor!

Gaping at him, Derringer shook his head and said,
"No. . .Impossible. . .This can't be him!"
"But it is. . ."
"B-b-but. . .After all these years of knowing and seeing him one way, how could this possibly be the same man?!"

Before Bravestarr had a chance to answer, I noticed how he looked over Derringers shoulder, then replied, "Well. . .I know I can't convince you. But there is somebody here who's known him longer than anyone." He said, watching as the people looked back and began to separate, revealing an older gentleman who was sitting in a strato-chair.

He had braces on both his legs, indicating to me that he had a crippling defect of some kind. As he slowly hovered to the group of us, Tex's surprised expression strangely began to turn hurt and very guilt ridden.

"Angus McBride. . ." Bravestarr said, giving him enough room to pass.

"Hello, Marshall," he said in a deep Irish accent. For a minute, it was almost as though he couldn't take his eyes off Tex. In an almost protective manner, J.B. approached him and slid an arm around his shoulders. "Father. . .Are you alright?"

"Yes. I overheard the commotion. . .and I just wanted to see if it were true." Shaking his head, he muttered, "And from the looks of it, it apparently is."

Trying to encourage him, Bravestarr nodded and said, "You've known Tex a long time, haven't you?"

"Aye. . .We used to be partners. . ." He said, watching as Tex looked away from him. "So. . .You're the only one who's seen him before he changed."

"Yes. . ."

"So will you please tell these kind people who this man really is?"

Out the corner of his eye I watched as Tex sadly looked up, watching as McBride studied him intently. "Aye. . ." he whispered, shaking his head with disbelief. "It be Tex, alright." Now once again the crowd gasped with shock. As they began mumbling among themselves, Angus gazed into Tex's eyes and gently asked. "What happened to you?"

Caught off guard by the genuine concern of his question, Tex could only stare at McBride for a minute, actually at a loss of words. Swallowing hard, he quickly glared toward Bravestarr and snapped in a cracked voice, "Don't ya have a cell ta put me in?!"

Sensing that Tex was at his breaking point, Bravestarr nodded and looked towards Thirty-Thirty. "Uh, big pard. . ."

"Yeah, I know. . ." He answered, taking Tex by the arm. "Come on, Tex. Let's go."
As Thirty gently led him through the stunned crowd, Handlebar's head slowly began to shake with disbelief. "I never thought I'd live to see the day," he said with utter amazement. "I mean. . .he's so different. So broken What's happened to him, Marshall?"

Letting out a heavy sigh, Bravestarr replied, "I'll explain everything in a few minutes. But in the meantime, I want you to gather up as many people as you can in the courthouse. Including as many the jurors from Tex's last trial."

"Sure, Marshall." Turning from J.B., Bravestarr replied, "Miss Carla, Captain Silas. . .I need ya'll to be there too. We were all witnesses to what happened. And in spite of what Tex is. . .or was. . .his future actually depends on our testimony. . ."

Although the inside of the courthouse was packed to the brim with people, it was
so silent that you could have heard a pin drop. Inside I honestly believed that everyone was so thrown off by the impact of what happened, that they really didn't know what to say!

As the group of us walked inside, all eyes were fixed on the Marshall and me, patiently waiting for an explanation. By then J.B. was already at the bench, just as anxious to know as everybody else. Giving them all an amused smirk, Bravestarr nodded and said, "I'm sure by now all of you have a notion that something major is going on here."

Scoffing under his breath, Handlebar replied, "Yeah, you might say that. . ."

"Well. . .Something did happen. A miracle. . ." Bravestarr replied, as he slowly approached the bench. Looking each and every one of them in the eye, he said,

"All of you've known Tex Hex for a long time. Some longer than others. . ." He said, glancing towards McBride. "But given his vile character, none of us ever thought he'd change." Now I watched as the Marshall's eyes found mine. "That is. . .until this little lady came ta town." Smiling at me he added, "Most of you have been keeping up with Carla, and her visit to the Hexagon. I used ta say that she was one brave soul, but I also thought she was a little crazy. I couldn't figure out for the life of me what she saw in Tex, or the rest of the group for that matter. But she kept tryin ta tell me that Tex wasn't the same person that I knew, but he had another side to him one rarely got to see. Up until today, I never would've believed her." Looking straight at Major Derringer, Bravestarr replied, "The freighter job, was not Tex's idea, but Stampede's. As a matter of fact, Tex is the one who stopped the robbery." As startled whispering was heard inside the courtroom, Derringers eyes widened with disbelief. "What?"

"It's true. . ." I said, standing up. "I was supposed to be heading home on that freighter when it all took place. Tex had no idea this was happening until Vipra called him. When once he found out, he came, tied Dan up, then left again so we could be saved."

Slowly one of the listeners stood to his feet. By the boots and dusty coat, he wore, I could tell he was a kerium miner. Putting a hand up in the air, he muttered, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, there Miss. Ya sure lost me. My name's Ezekiel. And as long as I've been around, Tex has always been a cold blooded, selfish scoundrel who cared for nobody but himself. And now out of the blue you're tellin me he performed an act of chivalry? Come on." he mocked, as a few chuckles were heard throughout the room. "Why in the world would he do that?" Getting a little nervous, I glanced at the Marshall to see the gentle look on his face. Giving me a kind smile, he replied, "Go on. . .tell him."

Realizing that he was actually being supportive, I then looked Ezekiel square in the eye and said, "Because he fell in love with me, that's why." As his eyes widened with disbelief, I looked at the rest of the startled crowd and boldly continued, "And although Tex knew we couldn't be together, he still didn't want me to get hurt. So. . .he took matters in to his own hands, in spite of the aftermath that followed."

Eyes narrowing with suspicion, Derringer asked, "You mean, when Stampede took all of you off the ship?"

"Yes. . ." Bravestarr replied. "He imprisoned us in some kind of a shielded dome, and this time, there was no way we could get out. That is until Tex showed up again. . .and set us free."

"What?!" Derringer stuttered, completely astounded by the news. "Y-You mean. . .all of you?"

"Yes. And I can tell you right now, that Tex knew he was in big trouble."

Seeing that Captain Silas wanted to speak, Bravestarr nodded watching as he weakly stood up from his chair. "He's right. Because minutes after we escaped, Stampede found out we were gone and held Tex responsible."

"So what did he do?" J.B. asked, sitting on the edge of her chair.
"He confronted Tex, and demanded that he return his prisoners. And that's when I saw Tex say something that I never thought never hear. . .He said, "No." It was sheer outright defiance. And Stampede wasn't going to stand for it. So, he told Tex to either do it, or die. And after some hesitation, Tex boldly chose to walk away."

Looking towards Silas, Thirty-Thirty nodded and replied, "He sure did. And it had Stampede goin plum loco. Before he knew what was happening, Stampede fired an energy blast that was so powerful, it had Tex bobbin up and down like a puppet. Miss Carla ran out and screamed for him to stop. And he did but, it was too late. Tex had been electrocuted, and was about to die. But before he passed away, he openly said how much he loved her, and that he didn't want to live anymore if they couldn't be together."

Thirty said, warmly looking towards me. Recalling that moment, I looked away as tears began to fill my eyes. "And I believe. . .Stampede was really taken back. I don't think the big cow had ever seen compassion between two people before. . .And it must've moved him. Because the next thing we knew, Tex began to change right in front of our eyes. . .Until he looked the way he does now." Through the stunned silence, Bravestarr stood up and faced the people.

"It wasn't until then that I realized how much of a curse he'd been under all these years. Cause when he'd come to, not only was his appearance different, but his entire personality had changed. . .As a matter of fact when Tex saw me, he didn't even put up a fight. He just turned himself in without sayin a word. That's why we're here now. There's somethin I wanna appeal to you all about."

Cocking her head, J.B. gently asked,
"Just what are you getting at, Bravestarr?"

Hesitating he looked at her, then boldly turned and faced the audience once again. "To maybe. . .overturn the verdict given from his last trial." Now the courtroom exploded with a lot of loud shouting and mumbling.

"Overturn the verdict?!" Deringer stuttered out, "Are you serious?!"

"That's right. . ." Bravestarr said, turning until he was looking me square in the eye. Smiling he nodded and replied, "I truly believe without a doubt, that Tex isn't the same person anymore And if given another chance, he'd make things right somehow."

Slowly Billy Bob stood up among the crowd and gave him a solemn expression. "Marshall. . .this is all too much. I mean I know he seems different, but how can you prove that he's sincere? It's hard for a leopard to change his spots. And Tex has been that way for a long time. How do you know that once he's freed, he won't turn around and do it again?"

"Yeah?" Ezekiel said, now standing up beside him. Nodding Bravestarr replied,

"I'll tell you how. . .Because right before Stampede attacked him, when Tex was still old, worn out, and drawn in with evil, he looked him dead in the eyes and said that the years had made him tired, and that he'd had enough. . ." Now the two prospectors glanced at the rest of the witnesses, including myself, watching as we all looked at them and nodded. Thereafter they could only stare ahead in silence, numbly sitting back down on the bench. Realizing he had somehow gotten through, Bravestarr shrugged, and said,

"So you see, in some ways his mind was already made up. And what's now on
the outside, is really what come from the inside. And I guess in some ways, Stampede already knew that. . .And if he saw it. . .then why can't we?"

To be continued. . . .