THE NIGHT OF THE LITTLE MAN
By Andamogirl
WWW
ACT THREE
Five days later in Junction City
In the Wanderer stable car
Morning
Mini Artemus rubbed his horse's white muzzle. "I'm not going to mount you today or in the days coming up, big boy, because the President grounded me here."
Lockpick snorted loudly in disapproval.
Boy-Artie nodded. "Yes, I don't like it either, but I don't have a choice if I want to stay with Jim. Be nice with Jeremy alright?"
The gelding whinnied in response.
Mini-Artie nodded. "I know, you love Jim and me and no one else – but Jeremy had to leave his own horse 'Flame' in the Capital because there are only two stalls here. He's going to miss his horse too. He's a nice man. I'm sure that you're going to like him."
The chestnut gelding nodded and huffed. He sniffed the boy's head again, still a bit puzzled. It was his master's scent but he didn't look like him.
As if he was reading his horse thoughts Mini Artemus chuckled and said, "I know, I know, I'm different, but it's still me." He smiled, nuzzling the horse's face with his own.
Mini-Artemus took a brush from the rack and started making circles on the horse's left stifle. He abruptly stopped, feeling his heart pound wildly in his chest and his limbs stiffening. "Ow! Wha-what's happening?" he rasped, anxiety rising. He started shaking uncontrollably and dropped the brush to the straw covered floor. His body was soaked in sweat in a matter of seconds. "Oh boy… this is bad…"
Lockpick neighed loudly in distress.
Mini Artie took a step back, gasping for breath as black spots invaded his vision. Searing, hot pain exploded and he cried out. "Jiiiim! Help!" he called out just before his eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed sideways to the floor and convulsed, his fists clenching and unclenching.
The sliding door leading to the stable car opened two minutes later and both Jim and Jeremy entered the large room, stopping dead in their tracks as they discovered mini Artemus writhing on the floor, his whole body convulsing erratically, his eyes tight shut, his face contorted in pain, sobbing.
Lockpick was agitated, whinnying with worry.
They exchanged a stunned look then knelt on each side of the boy who was aging before their eyes, his breath ragged between screams of intense pain, not daring to touch him.
They were both fascinated and deeply worried.
Then Jim shifted into full protective mode. He finally pulled his rapidly changing partner in his arms cradling his partner's head against his chest and running his fingers through his now sweat-damp-long hair, in slow soothing circles. "It's going to be okay, Artie."
Finally, mercifully it was over and not-mini-Artemus anymore lost consciousness, relaxing, with a throaty cry ending in a strangled sob.
Jim took Artie's pulse and feeling it, sighed in relief. He pulled the now teenager onto his lap and observed his face attentively. "He looks like he's 18 now, but what the hell happened?"
Jeremy frowned. "I think Loveless's de-aging process is flawed. It doesn't last long. Artemus is going to re-age until he's 45 again, I think."
Jim nodded, his brow furrowed in concern. "You're right, Jeremy. Artie's still young, he can endure that, but I don't know if he's going to be able to endure that when he's older – the strain of the re-aging process could kill him." He looked down as he heard a moan and saw a teenage Artie open his bleary, teary eyes. "Hey! Artie, how are you feeling buddy?"
The teenager groaned aching all over. "Like the 7th cavalry just ran over me… Uh?... my voice is different." He looked at his hands and frowned, puzzled. "My hands are bigger…" He sat up and took a survey of his naked body, barely covered by the remnants of his boy's clothes hanging in shreds around him – blushed - and realized in amazement that he wasn't a boy anymore. "I grew up!" He touched his stubbled jaw then ran his hand through his hair which now reached the top of his shoulders.
His face tense, Jim confirmed. "Yes, you did, and it wasn't a walk in the park… the re-aging sequence was very painful."
Trying to keep panic in hold, teenage Artemus took long, slow breaths, trying not to hyperventilate. He looked at the two men and totally lost he asked them, "How old am I now?"
Pike took the saddle blanket he found folded on a rack and wrapped it around the teenager's waist. He smiled and said, "Loveless's de-aging process doesn't last forever, Artemus. That's why you gained 10 years in a couple of minutes. You're about 18, I'd say, but 45 in your head."
Teenage Artie stood up, leaning against Jim, staggering on wobbly legs, the room spinning. "Oh boy!... my whole body is completely numb…"
Jeremy grabbed the young Artemus's arm. "You need to rest, Artemus, gaining 10 years in two minutes probably drained all your strength."
Jim nodded. "Okay young buddy, let's head toward your bed."
WWW
Later, in Artie's sleeping compartment
The teenager lapsed into sleep as soon as his head touched the pillow.
Jim sat on the edge of the bunk and observed his best friend sleep. He was smaller, slender, instead of broad and stocky. His face was thinner and more angular with still pronounced cheekbones. His well-defined chest was mostly hairless and his ribs were showing. "When I met Artie during the war, he was in his thirties," he said to Jeremy leaning against the doorjamb. "I never imagined that I'd see him at 8, then as he is now… He has changed a lot." He covered the young man with a blanket, up to his shoulders. "He's a very private man, I don't know anything or almost nothing about his past. I know that he left home at 17 and started as an actor in an amateur troupe in Chicago. He was a seasoned actor by the ripe old age of 20. Then at 21 he decided to embark on a ship as an ordinary seaman to France. He enrolled on several ships after that so as to be able to travel around the world. He would sometimes spend several weeks ashore to help load the boat with its cargo. When he came back, at 24, he was fluent in many languages: French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, etc. then he went to university where he learnt chemistry and mechanical engineering. All his years of hard work on different ships transformed his body. He ended up a solid, well-built man – the man I met during the war."
Pike smiled. "He's pretty skinny for now. I bet he didn't eat a lot when he was in that troupe. They probably had limited success."
Jim stood up and joined Jeremy beside the door. "I have to send a telegram to Colonel Richmond about recent events. Artie will probably sleep like a baby for hours."
Jeremy nodded. "Do you think Richmond will allow Artemus to come with us on our mission? He's 18 now and old enough to carry a gun and defend himself."
Jim nodded. "I think so, yes. Then we'll go to Loveless's former hideout to see if we can find anything leading us to his new one."
WWW
Much later
Jim and Jeremy couldn't help but chuckle when they saw Artemus enter the parlor suite after 11 hours of uninterrupted sleep.
Teenager-Artemus Gordon was drowning in his older self-clothes and his wavy-dark hair stuck out from his head in all directions.
18-year-old Artie frowned looking affronted for a few seconds and then he deflated, his shoulders hunched. "It's not funny. I look ridiculous."
Smiling, Jeremy nodded. "You're 18 and skinny, Artemus, it's normal for you to swim in your older self clothes. But you will soon fit them perfectly."
Jim frowned. Artemus's eyes were haunted. "You okay Artie?"
Teenager-Artie slumped in a chair his eyes downcast. "Yes I am. It was a difficult period when I was 18. The shows were rare; we barely had enough money to buy food, so little food… To help my fellow thespians I sang in churches, I played the piano in saloons and even on showboats when our troupe was in New Orleans or in Memphis, or in smaller towns along the Mississippi River. And when I was out of work, I played violin in the streets… but people weren't generous and we could go for days without eating anything… I wasn't alone fortunately. I had good friends… all of them are dead now…" He paused, swallowing hard. "They were killed during the war." He took a deep breath and continued, "After one terrible year, things changed. The success finally came, we had money, plenty of food and Champagne and we forgot what had happened – at least we tried." He touched his temple. "It's still here though…" Seeing that his partners both looked desolate and concerned he gave them a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I'm alright, it's just that my new appearance – which is actually an old one – brought with it some painful memories to my mind. I've lived with them for many years now."
Standing up from the couch on which he was seated beside Jeremy, Jim moved to his best friend and gave him the message he had in his waistcoat pocket. "Here, this will cheer you up, buddy."
18 year old Artemus read it rapidly and then beamed. "That's great! The President and Colonel Richmond authorize me to join you on your mission! I'm not grounded here anymore!"
Pressing Artie's shoulder with affection, Jim smiled and said, "Yes, it's going to be you and me, like before Artie. Plus Jeremy."
Jeremy stood up in his turn and moved toward the work table. He picked up a piece of burnt paper that was sitting on it. "When you were sleeping soundly Artemus, Jim and I explored Loveless's former hideout and we found this piece of burnt paper inside a bucket – where Loveless had hurriedly burnt all his files, documents, etc. But this piece of paper didn't turn into ashes. Fortunately for us because we know now where he is. It's a bill from an contractor in New-Orleans, detailing the work done on a bunker… The contractor wrote at the bottom of the page that the bunker would be delivered on the 5th of September, and today is the 7th of September. Loveless has been in New-Orleans two days since, and I'm sure that Mr. David Markham, contractor knows the exact place."
Looking at his teenager-partner, Jim nodded and added, "The train will depart for New-Orleans in half an hour. We should be there in two days tops. It gives you enough time to eat as much as possible to be in tip-top shape, buddy. Growing boys need to eat a lot."
Teenage Artie just rolled his eyes. "Okay, I understand. I'm going to prepare something for dinner. But in the meantime, you have enough time to buy me some clothes. I can't stay like this, swimming in my older self's clothes."
Jim shook his head. "You should try them first, and we don't have time for that. You're good with a needle and thread, right?"
Feeling offended, teenager-Artie replied, "Very talented!"
WWW
New-Orleans, two days later
Markham's office,
At night
Frustrated, Jim knelt beside the dead body of David Markham lying in a pool of his own blood on the floor of his office.
The contractor had been dead for hours.
Jim sighed. "He's not going to tell us anything now," he said to Jeremy and teenager-Artie, both standing next to the door.
Pike nodded. "No, he won't. Loveless eliminated him to be sure that the location of his new hideout stays secret."
He glanced around him. The furniture had all been emptied. Not a piece of paper was left. "He took everything. It's going to be difficult to find him now."
Teenager-Artie shook his head. "Oh no! He probably knows we're here already, and we'll soon meet him after being drugged and kidnapped – the usual. Jim, I propose we go to a nice saloon and enjoy the soirée… before meeting our Nemesis again; Jeremy you head back to the Wanderer, it's Jim and I he wants, not you – no offense. Besides Jim and I we'll probably need your help to escape from Loveless's clutches. So stay in the train and be ready."
Jeremy nodded. "Alright."
Tbc.