Majoring on the Minor

by The Wild Wild Whovian

The minor characters of The Wild Wild West, that is. This is a series of stand-alone one-shot stories exploring such things as various characters' backstories, their motivations, what happened to them after the end credits rolled - and I plan also to fill in some plot holes along the way. This time: Hallelujah Harry from TNOT Fugitives. Updating at whim.

4. Miss Piecemeal

Thanks to Cal Gal for graciously betaing.

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Miss Piecemeal

I should feel privileged, I suppose. I betrayed the governor twice, but got caught at it only once. But then for my first employer, I needed only to send a signal to indicate that Mr West, rather than simply carrying Dr Loveless' message to the governor, had also asked the governor for troops to use against the doctor. That plot of course failed thanks to Mr West's Herculean efforts, but my part in the scheme went undetected.

This was not the case, however, the second time around. In serving my new employer, Professor Bolt, I took a far more active role, being the chief liaison between the professor and our spurious Governor Bradford. Indeed, it was I who found and hired Sam Jamison, and also I who had to stand by him every step of the way, endeavoring to keep the man from panicking every two minutes. How he ever imagined himself to be an actor is quite beyond me, considering his complete lack of self-assurance!

Professor Bolt, on the other hand - now there was a man with nerves of steel. A thoroughly admirable man: brilliant, discriminating, bold. I would have followed him forever - yes, and even died for him. Until I made an astonishing discovery. And that was the fact that, much as I was devoted to Professor Bolt, I was still more profoundly devoted to the prospect of continuing to breathe, and all the more so after the professor had me tossed into the wine press to die along with the two federal agents I'd been doing my best to kill for him.

The professor discarded me to die along with the agents. The agents, by contrast, in escaping from that certain death took me along with them, restoring me to life.

I lost my position, my reputation, and my freedom, all because of my own decision to betray the governor who trusted me. I retained my life through sheer chivalry, because a pair of decent gentlemen - unlike my employer - weren't about to leave a woman behind to die.

And so, Your Honor, I have no illusions. I know what I deserve. Not liberty of course, and while I would prefer not death either, I realize it is in your hands to adjudge whether my actions rise to the level of actual treason. And if so, I tell you this, Your Honor: I know that if you should deem it appropriate for the State of California to require of me the ultimate penalty, the state at least will not seek to carry out that sentence by crushing me to death in a wine press.

Thank you for your kind attention. I will await your ruling.

FIN