“Ah! So you do have a man. Durn it!” He winked at her.
“Why would you fancy… me?” A fanning of her features she smiled. “Why thank you for noticing.”
“Brandon you say? What’s his business in Dallas?”
“Here to visit family that he recently learned was here.”
“Kin! I see. And you followed him here?”
“Oh! Yes! From Kansas. I’ve always wanted to visit Texas. Brandon left before I could beg him to come along. I wanted to surprise him.”
“Lucky fella! Did you find where he was staying?”
“I did! At the Connery across town.”
“Fancy place. That Sean fella sure did a nice job makin’ it a gambling institution. Me? I rather like the Roulette wheel.”
“Casino Royale!” She giggled! Of course, that term went right over his head, even with his Stetson back on.
“Got a name Ma’am?”
“Yes! Matilda Ford! It is a pleasure to meet you Crusty.” Hearing his nickname bristled the hair on his neck. He hadn’t introduced himself as Crusty. Just that fast he cheered up and forgot that he had even heard his nickname.
“Indeed! Let us know if you require help finding this Brandon. I will advise you to not stay out too late. The men in these parts get drunk and unruly.” As if on cue he heard glass breaking above them and a man come flying from the upper deck. Landing on his feet in the dirt the man turned and looked at them and began salivating heavily with a hint of insanity in his eyes. Tilly Ford immediately uttered, “Brandon!”
Overhearing her Crusty Duchamp started to connect dots when she realized her error. Glancing at Crusty he made eye contact then tipped his hat and went back inside the saloon as if nothing was amiss. Perks of being a high-level telepath, Tilly Ford simply suggested that he saw nothing and go back to enjoy his night. More than a mind reader she could easily navigate the human brain with mental suggestions. Fun when it was in her favor. Turning her attention back on Brandon she found him missing and the glass no longer in the street. “What in the world?”
A flash of light from an alley way spotted Matilda scurried down the street just in time to witness a time retrieval. A large muscular woman had incapacitated Brandon and had him over her shoulder as if he weighed nothing. Just as she stepped into the light the woman looked at Tilly and saluted her. “Corona Wabash! She was Brandon’s rescue net. I just witnessed Brandon’s reaction to time traveling. I knew the story from debriefings with Corona after she confiscated the other male travelers. Well, at least I know he’s safe and back home in Kansas. Now I can continue my own mission in following Jessup Outlaw. The next few weeks will test my training that’s for certain. Back to work!”
Telepathy her friend she snooped until the Rangers all turned in for the night. She herself struggled to sleep. Seeing Brandon in his rabid appearance was almost nightmarish. As was Tilly’s future.
********
Sadie Outlaw and Tarnation stood at the base of her arrival mesa, looking up at the top where it met the blue sky. That climb was not going to be fun. Coming down with a tie line that retracted once she reached the bottom was long gone. “You here with me Tillicent?” Appearing next to her was a hologram that only she could see due to her nanites.
“Always! At least until I get pulled off the job. Making excuses for you hasn’t gone over so well. Doctor Carlsbad did tell me I had a surprise on the way but he wore a protective headset to prevent my reading his thoughts. I have no idea what that surprise entails.”
“Chasm?”
“Teresa has not been available to me. I worry that they don’t trust her now that she and I had spoken when you were present during your peyote trance. Telepaths coordinating with one another is almost a breach of contract. All I can do is hope for the best.”
“Gotcha! Is my train car still up there?”
“Yes! I’ll send you a harpoon cable to assist in your ascent.”
“Elevator would be better.” She no more than said that when she heard a loud hiss about eighty feet to her right. Tarnation reacting to it walked toward it without her coaxing him. Reaching the spot where a gust of air billowed loose sand out of the way, a 12×12 door opened up that remained looking as if the side of the mesa. “Uhhh! That was not here when I first set foot in 1876.”
“No, it was not! Oddly, enough I am not picking up on any new structures. Whatever this is was obviously constructed after you and I. I would not know anything the future held unless I was still alive to… well, I simply wouldn’t know.”
“So the future is coming back to haunt me. If this is here now it must mean I failed.”
“Are you coming up or did I fix all this Ramen just for myself?” A feminine voice spoke out from a speaker inside the doorway. “Ride on up and let’s get acquainted. I want to know if all the legends are true.”
“And who might you be, Suzi Mesamaker?”
“Funny! I heard you were a hoot. Bring the horse with you I’ll feed and water him up here topside.”
“Name first!”
“Katrina Winslow. My mother was Peggy Sue Winslow, one of our other travelers. You can call me Kat.”
“I did not know Peggy had any children.” Tilly told Sadie in confidence. Connected to only Sadie others even in the future should not be able to infiltrate her holographic approach.
“Hey, Ms. Ford!” So much for that! “I can hear you, but I can’t see you. Just like in your holographic state you can’t see me until Sadie sets eyes directly on me. Tech doesn’t allow us that I’m afraid. My father… well, let’s get to know one another better before I go rambling. Join me topside! I cleaned your camp car, so you’re set up for a good night’s rest. Oh! And I brought you a few clothes once I read up on your tastes. I know your fondness for metal music. Have you heard the band Circuit Breaker? So awesome! Oh, wait! They formed five years ago in 2042. Of course, you wouldn’t know them. Let’s jam! I even brought my Stratocaster. There’s a sound shield around the mesa so the noise won’t attract attention.”
“Can you hear my thoughts?” Sadie asked Tilly.
“Yes. You worry this is a trap.”
“Do I step inside or not?” Tarnation made the move for her even though Sadie pulled on her reins. “Dammit, Brandon! Why are you so bullheaded. This could go bad fast. We have no idea what the future might hold against me for altering it.” As if he could hear her thoughts. “Ugggh! Fine! If this is our last ride at least we’re all together.” Once disappearing into darkness, the exterior door closed behind them. Interior lights began popping on one by one to show her the path going up.
“We have power outside the car now?” She called out to her host.
“Oh, yeah! Feel the air conditioning?” She giggled! “Solar panels keep the generators at full charge all day long. I have our table set. Ramen noodles with pork bites. Hostess cupcakes for dessert. Case of your favorite tequila too. Let’s party!”
“She seems nice.” Thoughts!
“Indeed! It still boggles me that Peggy had children.”
“Only one! I’m an only child.”
“How old are you Kat?”
“Nineteen! But I’m smart. And trained in as many combat styles as you Sadie.”