Disclaimer: All the characters from the "Magnificent Seven" T.V. series are property of Trilogy Entertainment, The Mirisch Group, MGM Worldwide. The same goes for all characters from Time Trax, which belong to Gary Nardino Productions Inc and Lorimar Television. All characters and situation from Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgement Day is the property of Carolco Pictures and Corolco International.
Authors Note: Herešs something different. This is a cross over between Time Trax, Terminator and M7. I have tried to make the three universes as cohesive as possible, so if youšre prone to picking out faults as a rule, I donšt want to know. This is written to be enjoyed and while I accept constructive criticism, please remember that all fiction requires some suspension of belief. If you want realism, look at newspaper. This is just for fun.
Nathan Jackson felt aches and pain in places he had forgotten he had but was grateful that he was not seriously harmed. Crawling through the debris of shattered glass and broken furniture, he gave little consideration to anything around him except the fact that for the moment at least, the crisis had passed. The stranger who had despatched them all like children lay on the floor not far from him. The healer felt a shudder of fear as he moved gingerly past the unmoving form; painfully aware that they had no idea whether or not he was dead or alive at this point. Nathan quelled his fear as he continued towards Ezra, who was lying deathly still not far from him.
Ezra had taken the worst brunt of the enemy's attack. Nathan could not help feeling a tinge of admiration for the gambler in his determination to protect Chris at cost. Considering that his relationship with Chris Larabee had been strained from the very beginning, it made his sacrifice all the more noble. However, Ezra had stood firm, protecting Chris by offering himself as a distraction to the stranger even at the obvious danger his life. Nathan reached Ezra whose breath was little more than a wet croaking sound. The purple skin around his neck, left clear indications of the hand that had almost snapped his neck.
"Ezra." Nathan lowered his head and listened to his breathing. "Ezra, can you hear me?"
There was no response.
The healer felt for a pulse and immediately noticed the swelling around his neck. Nathan had a vague idea what was wrong with him and was quite certain that his trachea was broken but he had never been called on to perform this kind of operation before and knew time was against him. Ezra's skin was almost pasty because less and less oxygen was reaching his brain, fighting to seep through the intense swelling that was obstructing his air passages. It would not be long before he was incapable of breathing at all.
"I need help here!" Nathan called out.
At that moment, Vin Tanner made his appearance through the saloon door. The tracker like the rest of Four Corners had heard the commotion. While residents had the sense to remain indoors, for it was always better to just batten down the hatches and wait out the passing storm, Vin knew his friends would be in the heart of it. He burst through the bat wing doors and surveyed the room with growing shock. The carnage was obvious and he saw familiar faces in the debris of destruction. It seemed Buck and Chris were the only ones standing and he was about to approach them when he had heard Nathan's cry.
"What the hell happened here?" Vin asked upon reaching Nathan who was yanking the neck of Ezra's collared shirt apart.
"I'll tell you on the way!" Nathan exclaimed as he gestured at Vin to help him with Ezra. "If we don't get him to Miss Styles, he's going to die!"
Vin did not doubt it if Ezra's colour was anything to go by. The gambler was not only out cold but the low rumble coming from his throat was actually his unconscious attempts to breathe. Blood was bubbling from his lips in light forth and Vin saw the powerful grip around his throat that indicated someone had almost strangled him to death. Suddenly the memory of what almost happened to him out on the plains returned to Vin in terrifying clarity.
"Can you help him?" Vin asked as they heaved Ezra to his feet.
"This needs surgery." Nathan said quickly as they started forward when suddenly Chris Larabee made himself heard.
"Nathan," he came forward and for the first time, Vin and Nathan became aware of the man standing besides him. They had believed it was Buck but now they realised Buck was actually on the other end of the room, pulling debris off Josiah in an effort to rouse the preacher.
"What the hell..." Vin started to say but Chris cut him off before any one could speak or comment on Darien's presence. After what the man had told him, Chris understood the need for speed.
"Nevermind that," Chris said abruptly, his gaze never leaving the gambler's face. Chris too was remembering how Ezra had tried to protect him and the idea that it may cost Ezra his life made Chris sick to his stomach. "Nathan, put Ezra in a wagon and go get Alex to help if he needs it. We're leaving."
"Leaving!" Vin exclaimed. "You're not telling me we're running from the bastards who did this!"
Vin saw Chris' eyes hardened as if he disliked that fact more than anyone else but he kept his distaste hidden and then repeated himself. "I'm telling you that after what we saw, we need to get the hell out of here before he wakes up. I'll explain better when we're on the way."
"On the way where?" Nathan demanded, wondering if Chris understood just how serious Ezra's condition was. "I don't think this is such a good idea. Ezra need surgery immediately."
"Just do it." Chris said with such venom in his voice that Nathan felt silent immediately.
The stranger wearing Buck's face stepped forward trying offer something in the way of an explanation as to why it was necessary for them to leave in such a hurry. "Look, I know this is strange but you have to trust me. You don't want to be around when that thing wakes up. Its identified you all as secondary targets now so that it means it will come after you all if it cannot get to Chris. You all have to leave right now or there's going to be a hell of a lot more blood."
Vin saw the direction in which Darien was staring and finally caught sight of the figure lying on the floor. His stomach hollowed at the realisation it was the same person who had attacked him only yesterday. However, his face was barely recognisable under the barrage of bullet wounds and the shotgun blast that marred his features to almost pulp that Vin thought he might retch at the sight of him. All such notions were driven away when Vin caught a glimpse of the slick, wet metal beneath the skin and felt his heart constrict in his throat. Suddenly, he began to understand the need for urgency.
"Okay," Vin nodded somewhat dazed what he was seeing of the enemy on the floor. His mind was still struggling to grapple with the impossibility of it all but his conditioning to obey Chris' order kept him centred on the moment. "Nathan and me will get the Doc and Ezra loaded up. We'll wait for you outside Mrs Travis."
"No." Chris shook his head, discarding that idea immediately. "You take the Doc and Ezra and keep going. Don't stop until you get to Nettie Wells' place. We'll rendezvous with you there."
Vin and Nathan exchanged glances before Vin nodded. "Good luck." He replied and the two men hurried out of the saloon.
Chris Larabee had trouble believing that any of this was happening.
Even when Darien Lambert told him that what they had faced was a machine and that it was specifically ordered to kill him, the unreality of the situation was difficult to swallow. Yet, he knew what he had seen. They had put almost fifty bullets into the stranger and it was still standing until Darien's timely intervention. He had no doubt that that he would be dead if not for the mysterious arrival of Darien Lambert who some how resembled Buck so closely that it was almost unnerving to look at him. However, it was a face that Chris trusted with very few exceptions and instinct told him that it was imperative that he trusted this man now even if Darien had failed to tell him why this thing was trying to kill him.
After Vin and Nathan had left with Ezra, Chris turned on his heels towards Buck and Josiah. Buck was trying to rouse Josiah after his encounter with the machine that had almost killed all of them. Chris remembered how easily it had tossed aside the big man with little difficulty and hoped that he was not in the same condition as Ezra, who Chris knew even without being told, was hurt very badly. A part of him had trouble believing that the gambler had risked everything for him and to his shame, he never though Ezra would put himself on the line like that when Chris still viewed him with suspicion. Chris hoped he would have the opportunity to express his gratitude to Ezra in person.
"Come on," he ordered Darien with every expectation of followed as he strode towards Buck. Chris had absolutely no idea how Buck Wilmington was going to react to seeing Darien Lambert for the first time but at the moment, it was minor consideration to preserve anyone's sensibilities. If Darien was right, they had little under an hour to get out of town before the machine woke up again and resumed its hunt.
"Buck, how is he?" Chris asked as he reached them.
"I'm fine." Josiah grumbled as he sat up shakily, answering for himself. The preacher seemed unhurt although scratches and cuts marred his face. Josiah shook the disorientation out of his head and thought he might be okay until he noticed Darien behind Chris. "May be that I hit my head harder than I thought."
"No, you're fine." Chris said abruptly noticing the expression on Buck's face as he cast his eyes on Darien. "Buck, Josiah, this is Darien Lambert. He just saved all our lives so we can trust him. Unfortunately, we ain't got the time to get acquainted because we've got to get moving. That thing," he gestured to the machine that was shaped in a man's skin. "Is not staying like that permanently. It will be awake soon so we've got to get out of here before that happens."
Buck could not speak. He was too astonished by Darien Lambert who was staring back at him with his own familiar features. It was like staring at a mirror and Buck felt his throat become dry as words escaped him for once in his life. The stranger's resemblance to him was not merely close but identical. Buck felt his heart pounding with something that was akin to fascination and pure shock.
Darien had to admit that he could understand the disturbance he saw in Buck Wilmington's eyes at the resemblance between them. He finally understood why at last so many people had confused him for the man. They were almost like twins. "You're Buck Wilmington." Darien found himself saying, feeling uncomfortable all around by the awkward silence that followed Buck's open astonishment.
"I don't believe it...." Buck said almost dazed. "What happened to my moustache?"
"I haven't had one since I was twenty." Darien responded before looking at Chris, wishing to leave this subject behind for the moment. "This is all very interesting but we need to get going now." He stressed on the final word. Thanks to Buck's infamous reputation around town, Darien had been better prepared for this meeting and thus recovered faster while Buck was plunged into it without warning. Darien could almost empathise with his shock and made a mental note to discuss the issue with the man when they were not so pressed for time. "We don't have a lot of time before it re-route its circuits and bypasses the short."
None of what Darien said made any sense to the three men but the urgency in his voice was not lost upon any of them and that transcended the need to explain what he had said. Like Chris, Buck and Josiah were certain of what they had seen earlier and could attest to the fact that they were out of their depth in fighting it. If a strategic withdrawal was necessary to combat it when they were ready, then there was no question of what their next move would be. "Josiah are you in any condition to ride?" Chris asked the preacher.
"I'm okay," Josiah massaged his injured shoulder with one hand. "Where are we going?"
"As far away from that thing as possible." Chris retorted, forcing himself to avoid looking at the machine as he spoke. "Buck, I need you to get Mary's wagon ready to ride and meet me at the front of her house when you're done."
"What about JD?" Buck exclaimed, realising that no one had thought of the boy. Buck had not seen JD since this morning and the fact the he was not here immediately sent waves of panic that something might have happened to the young man. Buck was not making one move out of town until he knew the youngster was alive and well.
"He's with Mary." Darien spoke up, allaying that particular fear. "I ran into him earlier today." Darien explained seeing the genuine concern for JD's welfare in Buck's eyes. He wondered if JD engendered the same feeling in the other six men as well. "He thought I was you and that's how I learnt where Chris would be."
Buck still found it difficult to regard Darien and had a thousand questions to ask the man but for now, they could wait. He knew JD was safe and that was all that mattered. If Chris said that Darien had saved their lives then Buck would trust him, no matter how disconcerting it was to look at him. "I'm on it." Buck nodded, remembering Chris' earlier request. "Josiah, if you're up to it, I could use your help."
"Just don't ask me to fight Jasper Cray for you." Josiah winced as he flexed his arm and felt a muscle pinch as he moved.
"Is it safe to come out?" The men were suddenly distracted by a decidedly feminine voice behind the bar counter. Glancing towards the bar counter riddled in bullets and covered in the shattered glass fragments form a dozen bottles; they heard a movement behind it.
Inez had taken cover behind the bar when the shooting had started and remained hidden during the carnage that had ensued. She had remained crouched beneath the shelving as a continuous spray of glass, wood; alcohol and plaster began to cover the floor inches from her. Inez had no idea what was happening above her but the noise had kept her frozen in place. She had listened closely, feeling her heart constrict when she had heard the fear in Buck's voice and knew whatever they were facing was terrible indeed. Her own terror had kept her cowering in silence even though she secretly prayed that he did not get hurt no matter how richly he might deserve it after his behaviour with Mrs Cray.
"Inez!" She saw Buck leap onto the floor behind the counter in frantic search of her. His boots crushed the debris underfoot and he wasted no time searching for her beneath the counter. When he discovered her safely and sound, Inez saw his eyes flood with relief. She scrambled out from her hiding place and they both met in a warm embrace that Inez savoured because he was alive and well. At this moment, she was ready to forgive him for his indiscretion with Virginia Cray. Well, almost anyway.
"Are you okay honey?" He asked full of concerned once they had parted. His eyes moved over her form, not believing that she was unhurt until he saw it for himself.
"I'm fine." She said breathlessly and then noticed the state of the saloon. Her eyes moved across the room, surveying the damage with almost painful realisation. The saloon had been her responsibility more than Ezra's and seeing it like this almost brought tears to her eyes. "What happened?" She whispered, trying not to let the emotion reach her eyes, as she was its destruction. The saloon was not the most glamorous place in the world but to her, it had offered opportunities and a chance of a new life. Perhaps it was just a feminine reaction but she had grown very fond of it.
"I'm not going without Inez." Buck said firmly to Chris and the others.
Inez looked up in question at why her fate was being discussed without so much as a word to her personally, when she saw the man standing next to Chris. Her brown eyes widened in shock as he offered a little smile, which only made Inez turn back to Buck. For a few seconds, her eyes move back and forth as if continued observation would prove this to be some hoax they were playing on her because the alternative was too shocking to believe. How could there were two of them? Her mind struggled to understand how this could be and soon it decided it could not.
Then, Inez fainted.
Buck caught her before she slumped to the ground, rolling his eyes in exasperation before looking up at Darien. "You can explain it to both of us later." He said sweeping the woman in his arms as they all vacated the premises.
It required every ounce of will she possessed to keep Mary Travis from running out of her house to investigate when the first sounds of gunfire had erupted, shortly after Darien Lambert had left her and JD. However, each time she had made a move towards the door, JD had been there to remind her that if the situation were as bad as it sounded out there then Mary's intrusion into it would be more of a liability than an asset. Despite herself, Mary knew that JD was right. Entering the fray would endanger Chris's life because he would ignore his own safety to protect her.
Thus she remained in the house, trying not to worry about Chris especially now, with his child slumbering inside of her of which he knew nothing. It was the idea of him dying without ever knowing that frightened Mary most of all. She sat the kitchen table, putting on a brave face while making JD another cup of coffee knowing that he wanted to be at the saloon almost as badly as she did. Extraordinary things were taking place at this moment without either of them being present and to a certain extent, she could almost sympathise with his desire to be apart of it.
To his credit however, JD remained where he was, fighting the urges because Darien Lambert had charged him to protect her and the boy worshipped Chris Larabee too much for him allow anything to happen to the woman Chris loved. He sat at the table with her; hands poised at a moment's notice to go for his gun if necessary in his vow defend her. She knew he would too, this young sheriff who wanted so badly to be accepted and more importantly be the man he always dreamed of becoming.
"I'm sure they're okay." JD said confidently after the firing had ceased and the silence that followed had became more disturbing than the gunfire before.
Mary merely nodded, keeping her anxieties well from overwhelming her sense of reason. She knew she riding a precariously on a wave of emotion, partly induced by her current physical state and sought hard to control it. Despite his attempt to be strong, Mary could see the same worries in JD's eyes for the friends that might be at the saloon. After what they had seen and heard in the presence of Darien Lambert, it was undeniable that things were transpiring that were far from normal. Suddenly the front door swung open and Mary was on her feet, running down the hall to see who had returned before JD could even think to stop her.
"Mary!" Chris called out and met her in the hallway, catching her in his arms as they embraced each other hard from the sheer relief of seeing one another. He kissed her passionately, revelling in the momentary joy of being able to do so at all, after what he had just been through.
"I was so worried." She said swallowing hard. "After Darien said that you might be in danger, I didn't know what to think!" Mary knew she was rambling but she did not care. She was so happy to see him at this moment that nothing else mattered.
"I'm okay," he stepped away from, reassuring Mary that he was alright because the fear he saw in her eyes demanded it. "Mary, we don't have much time. Get some things together, we're leaving."
Mary looked at him in shock before she found her voice. "Leaving, why?"
"I don't have time to explain it to you," he said drawing away from her as he strode toward her office. "Just pack some things because we're going as soon as Buck gets here with the wagon."
"But..." Mary opened her mouth to speak when Chris paused in his tracks and met her gaze with that sharp piercing look of his that froze the sound in her throat. It was rare that he exerted himself upon her so potently but the message it conveyed was clear enough for her to know exactly what it meant. "You'll get no argument from me." She said backtracking to the stairs leading to the upper floor of the house. "Going up right now."
"Thank you." He said sarcastically and shook his head as he continued into her office thinking; God save me from strong willed women.
"JD, get out here!" Chris called out as he searched through the small room and located the shotgun Mary kept in her office. It saw in a corner, safely hidden by a filing cabinet. The weapon was formidable to say the least and was similar in make and model as the one he had used on the machine or the Terminator as Darien had called it.
"You're alright." JD said with visible relief as he and Darien appeared in the doorway at the same time. Darien ruffled his hair and Chris wondered just how much a like he and Buck really were.
"I'm in better shape than Ezra and Josiah anyway." Chris half smiled, seeing the obvious concern in the youngster face. "Get your horse and find something for Darien to ride. We're moving out as soon as Buck gets here."
"What's happening Chris?" JD asked, unable to hide his anxiousness even though the most immediate questions regarding the welfare of his friends had been answered. However, it was trait that Chris had seen a thousand times before. JD was young and like all the young was always filled with questions which Chris had no patience to answer right now.
"Not now JD," Chris said searching through Mary's desk and finding the drawer were she kept the shells for the gun. He loaded the weapon and snapped it shut with a sharp flick of his wrist when he was done. "Get going!" He barked at the young man, forcing JD to nod mutely before hurrying out.
"What will happen when it wakes up?" Chris asked Darien now that they were alone.
"I don't know." Darien said honestly. "I've never encountered one of these things before. I know what I know only because someone else told me. However, I can tell you how its mind works. The moment it wakes up and finds you gone, it will start narrowing the possibilities of where you might go."
Chris absorbed the information quietly. Darien knew Chris needed to know why this was happening but had so far kept himself from asking until a more opportune moment presented itself. There had been little time to know the man in any depth but Darien was starting to get a good sense about Chris Larabee. If John Connor was to become the great man he was destined to be then Darien could well understand from where that substance had come. Darien could see the presence Chris commanded over the others; the sheer force of personality that made everyone looked to him for guidance. A man like this could be anything he wanted to be why was he nothing more than a gunslinger?
Mary's footsteps down the stairs prompted them both to return their attention to task at hand as she descended carrying a carpetbag and wearing a riding cloak for the journey ahead. Chris handed Darien the shotgun as he walked past and went to meet her. "That it?" He looked at the single bag she was carrying.
"I didn't know how long we were going." Mary replied, looking into his eyes so that she could see if answer even if he did not tell. Mary had never known Chris to run from anything and the fact that they were leaving now frightened her beyond reason. She looked to his eyes for some reassurance and saw none.
Chris met Darien's gaze and sighed visibly. "Neither do I."
Alexandra Styles lifted her skirts and ran out of the house that she had bought herself only a month ago, upon hearing the first eruption of gunfire. Even after such a brief stay in this municipality, she had come to learn one thing. There was seldom any trouble in this town that did not involve the seven men charged to defend it. Whether they were the cause or the cure of it, was hardly a point worth considering. There was an inevitability of finding any one of them in the thick of the violence, trying to end the threat and make this frontier town some semblance of a civilised community.
She paused at the end of the street, hearing the roar of gunshots in the air, firing away in rapid succession while each thunder of sound promised the unseen danger inside the saloon walls. Fighting the urge to see what was happening was almost tearing her to pieces but she knew she had to remind outside the glass walls of danger's prison. There was no place for her within and nothing she could do that would not make her more of a hindrance than any help to them in this situation. Alex knew why she was afraid but knowing it and being able to anything about it were two entirely different things. Her mind was filled with the possibilities of his dying and it was something that was still a difficult, no matter how much she told herself that it was apart of whom he was.
Alex sought solace in the declarations Ezra Standish had made on numerous occasions that he was nothing more than a businessman with no wish to be a hero. The belief that he remained in Four Corners because it suited his purposes to remain with the six and create an environment in which his business could thrive was a facade to convince everyone that he was still the same scoundrel.
Except she knew better.
It was more than just a place to them and the seven was more than just a group he rode with. They were his friends and she was starting to believe they were first real friends he had ever made in his life, who knew for what he was, warts and all. Alex understood this all too well for since the very moment she had met him, Alex had recognised a kindred spirit in the mutual need to belong somewhere. Both of them had spent their lives moving from place to place, never forming attachments until the faces of the past were a such a blur that neither could tell where one began and one ended. He would stand up and fight with the six men because they were his friends and although they may not believe at times, he had it in him to die for them.
She prayed it would not come to that some day.
When the gunfire had stopped abruptly and the sounds of fighting had ended, she saw Vin Tanner running through the darkened streets and was almost tempted to follow him. However, she kept a firm restraint on herself, knowing the tracker would not appreciate her intrusion. Deep inside, Alex knew she did not want to follow him inside because she could not bear to face it if her worst nightmares were realised. A chill had run down her spine in the wake of the silence that followed and it blew an ill wind of foreboding that left Alex terrified. Through the exodus of patrons who had escaped the carnage returning to their homes after emerging from their hiding places, Alex held her breath waiting for the seven to appear. Even one of them would do at this moment just so she could be rid of this terrible fear and learn finally if Ezra was all right or not.
Thus she remained where she was, both sides of her complex inner self was fighting for dominance. The part of Alexandra Styles who cared for Ezra Standish would not be satisfied unless she could run into the saloon and see for herself if he was unharmed. However, when she saw Nathan and Vin appear through the doors carrying Ezra in between them, the sight of him banished that vulnerable part of her immediately. The stronger part of her that was able to endure four years of medical school through unimaginable prejudices, who had sailed an ocean alone and who could cut and sew bone as effortlessly as some women stitched cloth, was running even before she aware her feet were moving.
"Miss Styles!" Nathan exclaimed in surprised as she appeared before them in the street, breathing hard like she had run all the way here. Nathan guessed that she probably heard the commotion and had come to see if she could help. He was unhappy that she was correct in that assertion. Ezra needed help and Nathan was not sure he was able to rise to the occasion. The gambler was still unconscious and had been so since that monstrous thing inside had almost strangled the life out of him.
"How bad is he?" Alex asked going straight for Ezra who was hanging limply from Nathan and Vin's grip. She tried to remain detached, reminding herself that she was no good to him if she gave into her emotions or her fears for his life. Now more than ever, she had to be completely focused on how she would save his life.
"I think his windpipe is crushed." Nathan informed her as they continued forward. Alex kept in pace with them, making a hasty examination as they continued on the move.
She checked his pupils and examined the dilation in his eyes because it was the fastest and most accurate way of confirming Nathan's diagnosis. His breathing was extremely shallow and Alex realised that Ezra was very close to suffocating if his pupil dilation was anything indication. The bruises on his neck were extremely prolific and she prayed that it was worse than it looked. At the moment, she did not want to consider the possible trauma to his spinal chord.
"I need to open him up now." She stated trying to maintain mercurial voice but not quite succeeding. Ezra meant too much to her for that to be entirely possible. "He's suffocating."
"We need to keep moving." Vin reminded Nathan of Chris' orders to them. "You got a wagon?" He asked Alex.
"Yes." She nodded, not understanding the importance of the question. "Why?"
"Where is it?" He demanded not wishing to waste any time on questions he could answer later. After what he had seen inside the saloon and Chris' warning of the impeding danger, Vin had no wish to be around when that thing finally made its awakening.
"At the livery." Alex answered. "Look, I need you to get Ezra up to the clinic. His trachea may be broken. It is causing swelling to a point where he will no longer be able to fit air down his throat. He's getting less and less oxygen to his brain, eventually he'll get none and when that happens he will die." She stressed the full implications so they would understand. Nathan she was confident could grasp the urgency of the matter but Vin was another thing entirely.
"Go get your doctoring bag and anything else you might need and meet us there. We're moving out." Vin said firmly, sounding as if he had not heard a word she had said. In truth, he was perfectly aware of the danger but at this moment, the danger did not confine itself to just Ezra's injuries.
"Moving out?" She exclaimed staring at him in shock, wondering if he was utterly stupid or just plain ignorant enough to not give a damn about what she was saying. "I don't think you understand, if I don't operate on him soon he will die."
"No you don't understand!" Vin snapped at her, tired of this argument and glared at her sharply "Whoever did this to us is still out there and if we don't get moving, operating on him is going to be the least of our problems. Now get going!" Vin ordered with such force in his voice that Nathan was almost surprised by his manner. Vin's tempers seemed to be extremely short these days and that was surprising. Anything or anyone rarely bothered him. Nathan made it a point to speak to the tracker about it later.
Alex struggled to obey because none of this made any sense. Clinical detachment, she reminded herself, fighting off the urge to react to Vin's abrasive manner. If he was right about the peril they were in then she was delaying every moment, she stood here speaking to him. Taking a deep breath, she looked to Nathan to confirm if Vin was telling her the truth, so she would know what to do.
"Please Miss Styles," Nathan said seeing the conflict in her eyes. "Vin's right, we don't have a lot of time." There were very few people Alex considered close confidants in this town and Nathan knew he was one of them. If he said so, she would believe him.
"I'm going." She agreed meeting Vin's eyes with a look of tempestuous defiance she could not express because the situation did not allow her to do so. "You know which one's my horse," Alex said abruptly as she drew away from them and starting retreating up the street towards home. As Nathan and Vin approached the livery, they saw her break into a run and disappear in the darkness of the night.
Alex never believed she was able to move so fast in her life. She burst through the door of her house and quickly gathered all the things she would need. There was no question about her not going with them on their flight from whatever was in pursuit. Ezra needed care and as much as she believed in Nathan, he was not only a healer but he was also one of the seven. He may be needed to defend the group and she was needed to put them back together once it was over.
Alex stuffed some clothing in a bag before running out of her house, her personal items in one hand while her doctor's bag was clutched firmly in the other. Hopefully, she had not been remiss in anything but there was no time to double check. As it was, she had managed to pack little more than two or three day's worth of clothing before deciding she had wasted enough minutes on the endeavour. She had seen the extent of Ezra's injuries and knew what was coming if she did not reach him soon.
She had not run like this since she was a girl and by the time she reached the livery where the two men had saddled her mare Calliope to her wagon, she was panting hard, trying to catch her breath while forcing herself to move at the same pace. Both Vin and Nathan were in the back tray with Ezra and when she approached, she saw Vin look up at her in panic. Nathan was more vocal than that and called out to her as soon as she was near enough to hear.
"Miss Styles, quickly!"
Alex almost jumped into the wagon and Vin caught her waist and lifted her the rest of way into the wagon with one sharp pull. As she stepped onto the wooden buckboard, she could hear the wheezing sounds of Ezra starting to suffocate and understood immediately why the two men had been so agitated. Alex thanked god she had not delayed in arriving because she knew this was the moment of which she had been afraid to leave him. From the moment of first examination, she knew this was going to happen. Dropping to her knees, Alex scrambled to his side and saw that Nathan had pulled open his collar, exposing his throat. His shirt and waistcoat were unbuttoned and Alex noted that his chest was heaving violently in his lung's desperation for air.
"I'll get us moving." Vin replied, feeling the need to do something because he was of no help to Ezra and would only get in Alex and Nathan's way by remaining. They had to get to Nettie Wells where it was safe and Ezra could get the rest he needed. Vin had to do that much for Ezra at least.
"He's choking." Alex said in an announcement that was of no surprise to anyone. She fumbled for her bag and removed a thick metal flask when she was finally in reach of its contents. The flask was not unlike one that some men carried to keep their liquor. She unscrewed the lid and poured the clear solution onto Ezra's bruised throat. The liquid started to evaporate almost immediately upon contact with Ezra's skin.
As the wagon started moving out of the livery compound through the heart of town in its journey to leave it behind, Nathan could smell the acrid smell of pure alcohol. Ezra's face was starting to turn blue now, adding to the anxiety of those who were trying to help him. His attempts to breathe were quickly descending into a desperate struggle to force air through his lungs. It was a battle he was not winning
"Hold him." Alex said firmly and Nathan had to admire how cool she was under such intense pressure. She made no secret about her feelings for Ezra and Nathan knew how difficult this must be for her. He did not know what he would do if he ever found himself in a similar position with Rain in Ezra's position and then after a moment, realised he would do the exact same thing that Alex was doing now.
Grit his teeth and do what was needed because it had to be done.
Alex soaked the scalpel she had retrieved from her medical bag with the alcohol in order to sterilise the instrument. At the moment, they were riding out in the open with dust and god knows what else in the air and it was the least she could do ensure some measure of sterility. "I don't have time to give anything for the pain." Alex said trying not to feel any discomfort about that statement without any success.
"Okay Miss Styles, I got him." Nathan nodded, knowing what was coming. His hands were pressed firmly against Ezra's head and shoulders because when she began to cut, Ezra would feel it no matter how disorientated he might be at the moment. It was bad enough that the wagon was rumbling forward when she needed it to be stationery without Ezra struggling the second he experienced the pain. Alex needed to work unimpeded because Ezra could not wait. She wanted to begin while the lights of the town were offering her the illumination to work.
Alex took a deep breath and then pressed the scalpel against Ezra's throat.
Vin Tanner turned around sharply at the sound of Ezra's scream as the scalpel dug into his throat, trailing blood in a neat incision. "What are you doing to him?" Vin demanded as the scalpel against Ezra's throat and Nathan holding him down with every ounce of strength the healer could muster. Ezra had bucked in agony, his hands fighting Nathan's grip to push away the scalpel at his throat.
Oh god it hurt.
She never dreamed how much pain it could cause her when she heard his scream. It was quite possibly the first time he had ever done so. Alex blinked away the urge to throw her arms around him and beg forgiveness because she was not done. She fought the feelings that felt so strongly for him and forced her mind into that place she reserved when it was necessary to perform such grisly work. Despite the fact that it was a cardinal rule to never get involved with her patients, Alex had never been able to obey that discipline and finally as Ezra bled all over his hands, incoherent from the pain while suffocating, she understood why it had been so necessary.
Alex kept her thoughts singularly focussed on searching through the cut flesh, ignoring Ezra's cries of pain that had disintegrated into whimpers of agony. Instead, she concentrated on finding the ringed tissue that made up his trachea so that she could put an end to his torment. After an agonisingly long series of seconds, the scalpel deepened the incision enough to penetrate the wall of muscle. Quickly, she inserted a rubber tube into the opening, sliding it carefully inside and then waited with a held breath for signs that the procedure had worked.
The seconds slipped by when suddenly, there was a visible intake of suction with the narrow tube as air was drawn into the passageway. Ezra stopped wheezing and relaxed under Nathan's grip as the pain allowed him the mercy of slipping into darkness. The wheezing resumed again but only because Ezra was breathing through the tube in his neck. The pain evaporated from his face as Alex finally had time to administer that sedative. She watched him slip into a fitful sleep and thought how different he looked when he slept. She brushed her hand against his cheek and felt a wave of emotion that threatened to break her resolve there and then.
Nathan could see Alex trying to keep that brave face but the distress at hearing Ezra scream in pain and the knowledge that she was the one to inflict it left its mark on her. "Are you alright Miss Styles?" Nathan asked, watching her fight to maintain her composure as she sat before him, her hands covered in blood, trying not to cry.
"I'm fine." She said softly, her lips quivering as she started cleaning the blood around Ezra's skin. "The tube will let him breathe until the swelling goes down." She continued speaking after a moment, returning to that cool clinical voice that distanced her from the patient.
"Is he going to be okay?" Vin asked from the front of the wagon, "what happened?"
"We just had to cut him open a bit." Nathan explained because Alex could not. She was cleaning Ezra's blood from her hands because she suddenly felt as if she could not get rid of it soon enough. "He's going to be fine."
Nathan wondered if the same could be same for Miss Styles.
The Terminator awoke precisely 43.02 minutes after emergency shut down was initiated.
His internal chronometers registered the lapse in time before the neuro-net reset itself and activated a self diagnostic of the damage that had precipitated the complete shut down of all its systems. The Terminator had been designed with a dozen safeguards in place for almost every possible misadventure that could be visited upon it. The war with the humans had made that level of precaution necessary. As Skynet had predicted, the weapons of this age had little ability to cause it any level of serious damage. What gave him concern was how an energy spike had been created to cause an overload of the magnitude he suffered.
His internal memory banks, in tandem with Skynet's formidable sentience examined the encounter. The weapon used was not unfamiliar to the Terminator or Skynet. Capable of producing electrical discharges of up to 25000 volts, the tazer gun could stun a human sufficiently into unconsciousness. If the Terminator had not been safeguarded against the possibility of such an attack, it was quite possible for the small weapon to have rendered him completely inoperable.
However, what concerned the Terminator was neither attack nor the effect upon him. Tazers were weapons favoured in the 20th century as a possible replacement for projectile weapons. His data banks revealed that they were largely in use as self defence weapons, since they were small enough to be carried about and attracted little attention. Whatever their application, there was no possible reason why a weapon of this nature could exist in this time period. Then there was also the matter of the human who had used the weapon. There had been little time to do an appropriate scan but what he was able to examine was also interesting. The male's life signs were abnormal by human standards. If the Terminator was forced to theorise as to why this might be, he would be force to concede that the human might have undergone some form of gene manipulation.
It was something else that should not exist in this era.
The Terminator came to the conclusion that it was not the only time traveller in this period. Although the realisation gave him pause, it did not alter the prime directive that overrode all other considerations; the primary target had to be neutralised.
The cyborg sat up abruptly, no flex in its back as it rose to an upright position. He moved his red eyes over the wreckage of the saloon and found that he was alone on the premises. The damage to the area during his encounter with the primary target was considerable but he sensed no life signs among the debris. The target and those who had sought to defend him had wisely left although the Terminator could sense other life signs closing in on his position.
Standing up quickly, the Terminator found it prudent to vacate the area himself and resume his search, shifting his attention to the secondary target who was also known to be a resident of these location. However, he required substantial self maintenance before the search could begin. He registered injuries to the organic covering over his titanium endoskeleton. They were merely superficial wounds for he had no organs for the bullets that had deflected off his metallic frame to harm and he could function well enough without it. However, he did realise that his ability to track the subject was severely compromised if he could not blend in. Camouflage was his primary function and until that end could be achieved, he would be at a disadvantage.
His audio sensor identified numerous voices approaching the establishment, closing in on the position of the main entrance. The Terminator scanned the building and found an alternate exit through the kitchen area. Striding forward, he entered the kitchen and found it to be relatively untouched by the firefight earlier. Several pots sitting on top of a wood stove were overflowing, their contents stabbing at the fire that was hissing in retaliation. Some of the food being prepared within had been boiled to evaporation and he could smell their burning stench in the air. He could also smell smoke in the air but it was of no concern to him.
The rear door was closed but not lock when the Terminator reached it. By this time, the voices had moved past the door and he could hear their footsteps in the main section of the premises. There was an increased level of agitation from the humans outside as they discussed in loud voices what had transpired within the building. Their presence only made the Terminator hastened his advance through the back door.
By the time anyone had come to inspect the kitchen, all they found was an open door leading into the dark night beyond.
At the same time that the Terminator was on the move, Chris Larabee and his companions were well on their way to the property of Nettie Wells. The group was still in a state of disbelief at the events of last hour and Darien could sense their need to understand why. It was in the rules that future events were to be kept from those who might endanger it. Even Sahmbi understood the importance of it. The doctor had made a foolish bid to alter future events in his initial arrival to the 20th century but apparently abandoned the notion to maintain the integrity of time line. Whether or not it was afterthought to the fact, Sahmbi had realised that he could endanger his own existence by changing the future.
However, Darien was now faced with something of a new experience. The rules said nothing about keeping the knowledge of future events from those whose survival was necessary for it to unfold as it should. He did not know the others with Chris Larabee and Mary Travis but the duo trusted them with a great deal more than just their lives and so Darien found that it was important that they understood what was at stake.
"Now can we find out what this is all about?" Buck asked impatiently, needing answer of his own particularly why this stranger was wearing his face.
"You can decide if the others needs to know." Darien said ignoring Buck's demand as they slowly rode towards the Wells property. There was a prevailing mood of silence that demanded explanation and Darien knew that Larabee and Mary Travis had to know the full ugliness for them to appreciate how the future depended on their survival.
"Alright." Chris nodded and said firmly. "Now, why does it want me?" He could not imagine anything that could justify the relentless determination of that machine to end his life. It had been willing to kill everyone in the saloon to reach him and Chris shuddered to think what else it might be prepared to do to reach that end.
"You've got to keep an open mind about this." Darien warned, mindful of the fact that they might think he was made. "I know what I'm about to tell you sounds far fetched."
"Normally I'd agree with you," Chris replied softly. "But we know what we saw so tell me." He said wearily and met Darien's eyes with a sharp gaze that indicated he had very little patience for any more delays.
Darien nodded, looking to the starry sky for answers that would not come. Like always, the future seemed to be his exclusive responsibility to maintain. He did not want to do this but Darien Lambert had choice. The future depended on his ability to convince. "In a little more than a century, all this will be gone."
"Are you talking about the future?" Mary exclaimed.
"Yes I am." He met her startled blue grey eyes and nodded. There was disbelief in her face, in all their faces except Chris' but he knew it would not be there for long. Eventually, they would believe. Darien had no doubt of that.
"Go on." Chris said neutrally, refusing to admit his belief in anything until he heard more.
"A century from now, there will be a war." Darien responded as the horse continued on its lethargic pace. He was never a good storyteller. "A global war that is nothing like you can imagine. Three billion people die in an instant." Darien tried to imagine it as Sarah described and knew that he would never truly understand it because he did not live through the things she had and was not plagued by the nightmares that sill haunted her.
He heard some one suck in their breath and thought it might have been the preacher, the one called Josiah. Darien continued. "In the future, machines don't need man to run them. In fact, we tend to rely on them to do most of the work for us. The voice you and JD heard earlier was one such example." Darien produced the AMEX card that was Selma in disguise before replacing it in his coat again. "However, there are more powerful machines around and after awhile they had so much knowledge that in their own way, they lived. It was nothing like what we call living but nonetheless the instinct to survive was just as strong."
"Did they start the war?" JD asked, starting to feel his doubt fade away. He had remembered the unearthly sound he had heard inside Mary's kitchen followed by the voice that came out of thin air. Even if he did not completely buy into Darien Lambert's tale, he could not discount what his own eyes had witnessed.
"Yes." Darien answered without hesitation and notice that the silence seemed to stretch into the empty plains around them. "One machine in particular, whose name is Skynet. It launched our own weapons against us and wiped one of the third of the planet's population. There were survivors, not many but enough. However, Skynet was not ready to let us take over again and so the war with the machines began. I was told that it went on for thirty-one years. Humanity sat on the verge of extinction."
No one could speak because the story Darien painted was too awful to comprehend. He could see it in their eyes, the desperate need to forget what was heard, to return to the safety of their ignorance. Darien wished he could allow that wish but the future was being decided at this moment and he needed their help to make certain that it did not end with the human race dissolving into nothingness.
"Out of nowhere, a man appeared. His name was John Connor and he turned the tide of extinction and brought the human race back from the brink. He taught the others how to fight, how to defeat the machines, using nothing but the best of what we all have inside us. In the end, he would become the supreme commander of the human resistance. In its thirty first year, John Conner defeated Skynet and won back our world." Darien felt the admiration in his own voice, knowing that young boy he had dinner with had all this inside of him. Even if the events he was describing would never happen, Darien knew without question, he would die for John Connor.
"But we won..." JD exclaimed, not understanding what this then had to do with them.
"Skynet had a time machine and it decided that if it could not win the war in the future, it would destroy the man who was responsible for its defeat in the past. Skynet sent a Terminator back through time, not unlike the one you just faced in the saloon."
"That thing was a machine?" Buck asked, "but we saw it bleed."
"Its camouflage." Darien explained promptly. "It's like a skin on a snake, just covering so it can blend in and find the target."
"Why Chris?" Mary asked, looking at Chris from the wagon as the words escaped her lips. Even though it was late summer, she felt a cold shudder running through her.
"In order to ensure its victory in the past, Skynet had to wipe out John Conner's entire existence, his affect on the survivors. The Terminator was sent into the past to find his mother, to kill him before he was born. Fortunately, John learned about the plan and he was able to send someone back to stop it. The man who went back was no more than a kid was really, 19 years old but he had been fighting a war from the day he was born. His name was Kyle Reese and he found Sarah Conner.'
"Sarah?" Chris reacted for the first time, wondering if this was some strange coincidence or was fate trying to amuse itself at his expense.
"Yes." Darien nodded, involuntarily thinking about the woman and the promise he made her. It would be all for nothing if he succeeded only to go back and find that she knew nothing of him. Perhaps Selma was right, may be Darien felt a little more for Sarah Conner than he let on. "Sarah and Kyle defeated the Terminator but not without the Terminator killing Kyle first. Unfortunately it was too late and this was the part Skynet never knew. Kyle was John Conner's father. Its what we called a predestination paradox, something that is meant to happen as a flowing historical event."
"So he was meant to go back in time to meet her and father John." Josiah stated.
"Pretty much." Darien smiled. "Almost makes you believe in god doesn't it?" Darien could not help adding.
"Something like that." Josiah returned the smile with one of his own.
"So John is born." Mary urged him to continue. "She raised him alone then?"
"As far as I know." Darien nodded. "Kyle tells Sarah enough about the future for her to stop certain events from happening. In essence, she stops Skynet from being built, which in turn ends the war before it even begins. History continues from that point quite well. We survive as a species, go on to better things and life pretty much happens the way it's meant to. I was born in the 22nd century where man is still running things. I had to returned to the 20th century when some criminals from my time escaped there and that's how I met Sarah."
"You're a lawman?" Buck grinned. The irony was not lost on any one of them. "If it all goes as you say, then why is this thing here now?"
"Well time is a funny thing," Darien sighed, not relishing the idea of explaining the whole notion of temporal mechanics and alternate realities to this group who did not have the least concept of any of it. Still he had to try. "Time is like a river, it goes in one direction and any event can create forks. Now sometimes these forks become rivers of their own only if the original is erased. The 22nd century that I know is what happened when the river forked. Sarah Conner's actions stopped the original river from flowing and it ended abruptly allowing the remaining branch of the fork to become the main time line. Do you understand?"
"I think I do." Mary nodded. "Its like every moment in time has its own outcome. Like what would happen if I had crossed left instead of right, the potential for both still exist."
"That's right." Darien said impressed by her acumen. "Skynet realised that his Terminator had failed and in understanding this decided that if it could not kill John's mother then it could kill his father. However, this time it wasn't going to take a chance in allowing the Terminator to be destroyed or discovered for that matter. It picked an era where there was nothing to fight it and no chance of anyone realising that the death was anything was natural for the period. This time, Skynet was not going to just kill a person, he was going to wipe out an entire family line for the next 120 years."
"He wants to erase Kyle Reese from existence." Josiah said in understanding. "If it wipes out Kyle Reese then it changes things entirely. There wouldn't even be a war."
"Or humanity." Darien concluded in confirmation of what Josiah had grasped. "An associate of mine returning to the 22nd century found a world without any human beings whatsoever. A complete mechanised society. All this because of you, Chris."
"Me?" Chris looked at him blankly.
"Don't you see," Buck exclaimed, realising what Darien was talking about. "Its you Chris, it needs to be rid of you because this Reese fella is one of your descendants."
"Oh god." Mary groaned visibly. Chris glanced at her and saw that she was turning quite pale. A note of concern crossed his eyes as she saw her visibly distressed. Even Inez was staring at her in concern, noticing the sudden fear that appeared in her eyes.
"Mary, what is it?" Inez asked her friend, knowing that look of anxiety all too well.
"Nothing." She said quickly because this was not the time to discuss it. She was not about to tell Chris that she was expecting his child in front of an audience and in light of what they were just told. "I'm not feeling well." She replied evasively forcing the blind panic out of her eyes before she trusted herself to meet Chris' gaze once more. She was never a good liar and Chris knew her too well for her to hide anything for very long.
Chris was staring at her intently because he knew Mary was lying and worst of all she was lying to him specifically. There was fear in her eyes, not merely caution but genuine terror. Instinct told him it had little to do with what had happened tonight. This was deeper and more personal in a way he could not define. He wondered what she had not told him but knew confronting her about it at this moment was not the right thing to do either. His relationship with Mary was one without secrets as they had been able to share almost everything explicitly. What could be so awful that she was afraid to tell him?
His eyes were still fixed on Mary even when she had turned away, clearly hiding from him because she was aware of how well he could read her. Inez was perplexed at her behaviour for she had seen the fear in Mary's eyes as well. The Mexican glanced in Chris' direction and shrugged her shoulders helplessly because she did not know what was wrong with Mary either. Chris wished they were alone so he could allay her anxieties but at the moment it was impossible. He made a mental note to steal a moment alone with her when they arrived at the Wells' place.
"Is that right Darien?" Chris said turning back to the man from the future. "Does thing want to kill me because I'm related to Kyle Reese?"
He had to hear it for himself. Until Darien Lambert said it for certain, none of this would be real and it had to be real to him if Chris was going to be in any position to fight Skynet and his Terminator.
"I'm sorry Chris," Darien answered with a nod once the strange exchange between Chris and Mary had passed, putting an end to the question once and for all. "According to the genealogical records of the 22nd century, Kyle Reese is a direct descendant of you and Mary."
So now he knew for certain and in knowing, understood just how much was at stake. Mary was no longer looking at him; in fact her eyes were staring into the night at some terrible monster only she was privy to. Chris was almost positive that it had little to do with the Terminator that would soon be on their trail in its savage hunt to destroy the future.
Nevertheless, despite the danger and all implications of Darien Lambert's statement, Chris could not help feeling some pleasure in the knowledge that some day, he and Mary would be husband and wife and that there would be children born to them. Knowing that he and Mary had a future ahead of them filled with children and grandchildren gave Chris some measure of contentment. Although he tried not to show that he was pleased at the possibility of being a father again, Chris did admit to feeling a sense of purpose that been absent from his life since Sarah and Adam were so cruelly taken from him. He liked the idea that he and Mary would have children some day.
Suddenly, something clicked inside his mind.
Events began to fall into place one after the other; tiny fragment of images that made little sense on their own but once together, brought about a startling realisation. It made perfect sense and he chided himself that he had not seen it. The short temper, the exhaustion and the loss of appetite, it was a string of obvious symptoms he should have seen before this. Hadn't it been the same way with Sarah? Just how long did he think that he could share her bed without there being some consequences of their union? Their lovemaking had a deeper purpose other than sexual expression of love. What if...the thought trailed off in his mind and without even realising the words were coming from his lips, Chris turned to Mary.
"Mary, are you pregnant?" He asked out loud, not caring who heard.
His question froze all the conversation around them dead in its tracks. Mary turned to him slowly; her face reflecting nothing less than pure astonishment and in her eyes he saw his answer. "Yes." She nodded after a moment, almost dazed by the intellect that had allowed him to guess the secret she had been trying to cope with all day. Ever since they had begun this flight from Four Corners, Mary had been aching to tell him but was seeking a more private place to make the announcement. She wondered what had precipitated this sudden flash of insight.
No one said a word as they stared at either Mary or Chris, waiting in anticipation for one of them to speak.
Finally, it was Chris who broke the silence between them. "Darien," he said with supreme calm that showed absolutely no signs of the stunning information he had just received. He did not look at Mary when he spoke. "I assume if this thing can't get me, it will get Mary."
Darien nodded slowly, feeling some pity for the beautiful Mary Travis who was probably reeling from what he had told her. He tried to imagine what she must have been feeling to be pregnant and unmarried in this day and age while being told that some mechanised monster was on the hunt for her unborn child and its father.
"Yes, that's right." Darien nodded, making no attempt to conceal the harsh reality from the man. "It has a battery life of a 120 years, it can wait you out for a long time if necessary. If it can't get you or Mary, it will try for anyone of your descendants before it finally powers down."
"How the hell do we have fight something like this?" JD exclaimed, hoping that Darien had an answer. He had been privy to some earth shattering news in the last hour and he had to know that someone had a plan. Youthful optimism would allow him no other option.
Chris did not know. He wanted to take Mary away from here and hide her away until the danger was over but hiding was not in his nature. He refused to start now. However, there was more to consider than just his pride. There was the child that slumbered inside Mary. It deserved to know both of them but at the moment, he had no idea how to make good on that wish.
"If you care to make a detour when we get to the Wells place, I may have a solution." Darien spoke up because he saw Chris debate these things silently. It was understandable that he should feel slightly out of depth with the presence of Skynet and the Terminator. These were battles to be fought by the generations that came after them, not by him personally. Yet he would do it without fear, as long as the woman was safe and the child within her. That much, Darien Lambert knew about Chris Larabee.
"At this point," Chris let out a sigh. "I'm open to suggestions."
Darien nodded. "I guarantee you, you'll love this one."