CHAPTER TWO

The bright sun greeted Steven and Jamie as they exited the Time Portal's vortex. Steven immediately cloaked the ship and angled towards the outskirts of a tiny, rural, Western town that was little more than a speck from their high altitude. Steven carefully set the T.P.T. down and shut off the engines. Jamie stood up and walked towards the back of the ship, "General Nadeen told me that our disguises for the mission were back here." She said as she searched the cargo bay. After banging around for a while, Steven heard her exclaim, "Aha! Here they are!"

Steven joined her and found Jamie staring at an 1853-style dress in disgust, "You have got to be kidding me." Jamie said in a crestfallen voice, "I go through a full year of brutal boot camp and risk my neck every time we go on a mission just to wind up wearing a dress?"

Steven laughed and grabbed his outfit off of the shelf, "It's better than nothing, Jamie." He stated.

Jamie sighed in defeat and grudgingly took the dress and headed for the bathroom, "I'll be right back." She said over her shoulder.

Meanwhile, Steven busied himself by taking apart his rifle and testing the antique Garret revolvers that they would primarily use as their weapons. He set down the last revolver just as Jamie opened the bathroom door and stalked out. Steven looked at her with a smirk, "You look nice."

Jamie glared at him, "Say another word, and you die."

Steven smiled, shook his head, and went to change. Several minutes later, the two of them walked out of the cloaked ship and onto the dry, sandy ground. As they made their way to the town in the distance, Steven adjusted his burlap knapsack that held his cut down X-44 and fingered the revolver on his hip nervously. All those years of fighting hordes of TimeSplitters gave him somewhat of a sixth sense, and that sense was telling him that something was wrong, very wrong.

Unbeknownst to either Steven or Jamie, a black form peeked out from behind a nearby rock and silently followed them.

The town was deathly quiet as Steven and Jamie walked past the first few buildings. Jamie couldn't help but give a slight shudder as the wind whistled through the streets, making some of the doors and windows eerily open and close. Steven stopped and held up a hand, "There's music coming from the saloon." He said in a low voice. They entered the saloon through the swinging doors and to Jamie, it was like walking into an old western movie. The music that had been playing suddenly stopped and every man in the bar turned towards them. Feeling rather self-conscience, Jamie gave a weak smile and took a seat at the nearest table. " Well, that was awkward." She commented when Steven joined her.

Steven nodded, "Yeah. Good old western hospitality."

A waiter with a scruffy beard walked up to their table, "What can I get ya?" he asked in a heavy Texas drawl.

"A beer, please." Jamie said.

"I'll have the same." Steven agreed, "and I'd like to speak to the owner of this place."

The waiter frowned, "I don't reckon that he'll be up for talkin', but I'll tell him anyway." The man walked away, gave their order to a barhand, and headed towards the back room.

Jamie watched him leave, "How's asking a bar owner gonna help?" She whispered to Steven.

Before Steven could respond, the barhand appeared next to them and set their drinks on the table. "It looks like he'll be the only person of authority around here." Steven said after he took a swig of the beer, "He just seemed like the perfect person to ask about the Time Crystal."

"Ah." Jamie said, "I get it. Start from the top and work our way down."

Steven gave a slight nod as a door near the rear of the saloon swung open and a tall, heavy-set man strode out. "Which one of you nitwits wanted to see me?" he hollered over the commotion of the bar.

Everyone in the bar stopped talking and the music, which had started playing again only minutes before, fell silent once again. Steven stood up, "I did. My friend and I would like to speak to you."

The bar owner sighed, "Alright. Come on in." he said as he beckoned to them.

The man's office was quite small and cramped when Steven and Jamie first walked in. A brown rug lay in the middle of the room and blended in perfectly with the dark brown wood that made up the floor. The bar owner sat down behind the simple chair that was placed behind a small desk on the far left side of the room. The owner leaned forward in the chair and put his thick arms on the desk, "Now tell me," he began, "What can I do for you folks?"

"We need some information." Steven told him.

The owner shrugged, "I don't know how helpful I'll be, but go ahead, shoot."

"We're looking for something that someone in the nearby gold mines might have discovered." Steven said, "Do you have any records that might make reference to something unusual?"

The man shook his head, "I ain't heard nothin' about no unusual findings. You folks are barkin' up the wrong tree, if you get my meaning."

"Are you sure?" Jamie questioned.

"Pretty darn sure." The owner said, "Is there anything else you folks need?"

"No thanks." Steven said, "Thank you for your time."

"My pleasure." Jamie heard the man say as they exited the office.

The orange sun was setting in the west when Steven and Makoto came out of the saloon and onto the dusty street. "He's definitely hiding something." Jamie guessed, "The way he didn't hesitate in his answers was a dead giveaway."

Steven nodded, "Before we left, I noticed that he had a couple of file boxes near his desk. I have a feeling that he's got something that we can use."

"So what's the plan?" Jamie asked as they made their way back to the ship.

Steven smiled, "Did you bring the ski masks?"

Jamie gave Steven a questioning look, but as Steven's idea caught on, she smiled mischievously.