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.
There were moments when she wondered at what exact point had he come to mean so much to her. She was an old woman with only a niece to care for and Casey was more than a handful at times, even more so now that the impetuous tomboy was evolving into a young woman. There was no need to feel so warmly towards a mostly silent, bounty hunter with a price on his head and eyes that were older than his years. Yet Nettie Wells found that Vin Tanner had come to mean something to her since he and his friends came riding to her rescue almost a year ago. Thanks to the seven, the land her husband had died taming was still hers and not the property of some greedy land baron waiting for the inevitable arrival of the railroad.
Of the seven it was Vin that touched her most because she saw in his eyes a need to know what it was to have the love of a mother. His own had died when he was too young and Nettie knew that something of her manner reminded Vin of the woman who bore him, deep within those memories of childhood he would never admit to having. Since their first meeting, he had often rode to see her, sometimes staying for supper and ensuring that he was available for whatever chores she was unable to do herself.
During that time, she had come to know a bit about him because of the intuition that came only with age and experience. People found him quiet while Nettie found him shy. He did not speak a great deal because he had spent too much time alone and was only now starting to emerge from the wall he had built around himself. Unlike Chris Larabee's whose walls were intentional, the fortress around Vin Tanner had emerged without him even realising it. Only now that there were people in his life, he starting to realise the necessity of human contact.
She had not seen him for a month and was more than surprised when he turned up with Nathan, Ezra and the new doctor whose arrival Nettie had heard but had never seen. Casey helped Nathan and Vin settle the injured Ezra Standish in one of the guestrooms while they waited for the rest of their band to arrive. The doctor had asked for a place to wash and considering the blood on her clothes and her hands, Nettie saw no reason to deny the request. The young woman was polite and refined, extraordinarily beautiful in the way that could make men go wild with desire should she chose to use her looks in that way. Judging by the manner in which she conducted herself, Nettie guessed she did not. Once she was cleaned up, she disappeared outside, citing the need for fresh air.
Vin had emerged shortly after she had left the house and disappeared outside, explaining to Nettie that Nathan would keep an eye on Ezra until the others arrived. Nettie had sent Casey to bed, knowing the young woman would only fidget until JD arrived and Nettie could just get tired watching her. Besides, once JD arrived, Casey would not be going to sleep anyway. It was best she got some rest before that time. After ensuring that Nathan supplied with a hot cup of coffee, Nettie joined Vin at the kitchen table. She noticed something different about him almost immediately. There was an unusual edge to his manner, a surliness that had not been present before. She could not understand what had caused it to appear so abruptly.
"Where did she go?" Vin inquired gruffly when Nettie poured him a cup of coffee.
"Out for some air." Nettie replied, watching the expression in his eyes. It was a slight reaction. Nettie doubted anyone but she would have noticed it. It was like a flicker in the eyes that disappeared almost as quickly as it began.
"I reckon she need it." He said staring into the black depth of his coffee cup. "She saved his life."
Nettie watched his face and then realised something else as well. "She's very pretty."
"I suppose." He cleared his throat and gulped down a mouthful of coffee. He was detached even for Vin and Nettie realised in a flash of insight what he was hiding beneath that practised mask of indifference.
"How long has this been going on Vin?" Nettie asked finally, never taking her eyes of him.
Vin looked up at Nettie, not understanding what she meant by that remark.
"What?" He probed.
"How long have you been feeling this way about her?"
His eyes widened at the declaration and his cup landed on the table with enough force to spill some coffee on the table. "I don't feel anything about Alex." He said evasively but Nettie knew perfectly well that she had rattled him considerably. Knowing Vin, he would keep it bottled inside and never do anything about it. "It's the first time I've ever you heard you call a woman by her first name."
"That's what she tells everyone to call her." Vin pointed out. "Call me Alex, she says." Despite himself, he could not help but smile a little whenever he remembered her saying it. He saw the stare Nettie was giving him, like she was able to see past all the barriers as if they were not even present.
"She doesn't belong to me." He stated so Nettie would understand. "She's Ezra's."
Nettie nodded in understanding knowing how mindful he was of such things, especially after Charlotte. "Have you spoken to her at all about how you feel?"
Vin's face registered panic at the possibility of such a thing. He could not for a moment fathom exposing his inner most feelings in that manner. Charlotte had ripped out his soul when she walked out of his life, Vin knew without doubt he could not imagine going through that pain again. Not to mention what it would do to his friendship with Ezra if he ever learnt about Vin's infatuation and that was all this was, Vin told himself, an infatuation.
Why did he always fall for the ones who were taken?
"No." Vin said firmly so that Nettie would understand just how serious he was about this. "And I ain't never going to either." He answered placing emphasis on the word 'never'. Vin stood up and started towards the door, needing to get out of this room and away from this conversation.
"You may regret it." Nettie pointed up as Vin twisted the door handle to leave.
"I already do." He replied and disappeared outside.
She could not stop crying.
Alex found herself walking until she found the creek than ran through the Wells property and took a moment alone to release the emotions bottled up inside her. She had never had to operate on anyone she cared for and hearing Ezra scream had effected her more deeply than she had let on. Even though she was the picture of calm while washing the blood of her hands in Nettie's kitchen, she could not get rid of it fast enough. She could not understand why this was so hard. When she had operated on Nathan, she had done without a thought as to how it would make her feel because it was necessary to save his life. However, the experience in the wagon was different. She had felt almost none of the confidence of surgery that had served her in the past. Each incision through his skin, followed by that awful cry made her doubt herself.
What if she had made a mistake? How could she have lived with that knowledge?
"Alex?" She heard Vin's voices in the bushes behind her and groaned visibly. She did not need another verbal joust with Vin Tanner at this point. For some reason whenever he was anywhere near her, he became so adversarial she felt compelled to meet it in kind. Quickly composing herself before answered, Alex wiped the tears from her face.
"Yes." She said abruptly, sniffling one last time before he reached her.
After the conversation with Nettie, the last thing Vin had wanted to do was run into Alex but he had gone walking mostly to clear his head and the tracker in him had noticed the signs of her in the presence in the terrain. Unconsciously, he had followed the trail of broken branches and crushed twigs that eventually gave him a reasonable idea of where she would arrive once she had followed the path to its conclusion.
He had heard her crying and wondered what was compelled to find out why even though every fibre of his being was telling him to leave her be. Speaking with Nettie had brought out an uncomfortable kernel of truth he had preferred to left buried. However, Nettie drawing it out of him was like releasing of the proverbial genie from the bottle.
"Are you all right?" Vin asked upon reaching her. She was staring into the greenish water, the evidence of tears yet to dry on her glistening cheek.
"I'm fine." She replied with a slight nod of her head.
"You don't look fine." He pointed out.
"I'm just suffering a little post surgery jitters." Alex lied, not wanting him to see how shaken she was. For some reason, Alex did not want to appear weak before Vin Tanner. She could not explain why. Perhaps because he had been so difficult since her arrival in Four Corners. Theirs was never a warm relationship; it barely bordered on the civil. They seem to annoy each other with little or no difficulty at all. Alex could not understand it. She wondered if Vin did.
"You did fine." He said taking a step closer. "Ezra would be dead if it weren't for you."
"Well that's a first." She managed to say. "You're not this normally kind." It had meant to be a joke but when it was spoken, it sounded neither funny nor nice. Immediately, she felt terrible for making the remark, after all, he was trying to be supportive. "I'm sorry Vin," she apologised and turned away. "It was hard operating on Ezra."
"I reckon it couldn't be easy hearing him cry out like that." He guessed accurately and took another step towards her.
"I know that." Alex answered unable to force away this turmoil that was raging inside her. "I've never had a problem performing surgery since I left medical school. Look at my hands," she said showing him her trembling fingers. "I can's stop shaking."
Vin Tanner did something then that was very unexpected.
She had not noticed how close he had been standing before her but was perfectly aware of him now. Vin reached for her hands and enveloped them in his own. His skin felt pleasantly warm against hers and Alex felt her stomach leap inside her as he gently held her hands in his until the shaking had ceased.
"That any better?" He asked quietly, his dark eyes staring at her intently.
"Yes," Alex replied swallowing hard as she removed her hands from his. "Thank you." Her heart was pounding in her chest, not at her confused emotions but at his unexpected behaviour. Ever since she had arrived in town, Vin Tanner had been a thorn in her side at every turn. The others accepted her medical knowledge without question after that first night in town when she had saved Nathan's life. Since then, it was with pride that she could honestly say that she had been invited into a circle of camaraderie that had very exclusive membership. However, she had never felt comfortable around Vin and often reacted to his gruff manner in kind. This show of tenderness surprised her. "You did what you had to for Ezra." Vin continued speaking, choosing to remain on familiar ground instead of exploring uncharted waters that it was clear she was unprepared for and he had no intention of violating. "Its bound to effect you when it's someone you care about, knowing that you hold their life in your hands by everything you do." He paused a moment and a sliver of hurt escaped him when he thought about what he was going to say next. "Sometimes to do the best thing for someone you care deeply about, you have to hurt them a little. It's hard and eats away at you a little but its necessary. I know it ain't much comfort but try to think of it that way."
"It isn't at the moment," she smiled; touched by his efforts to say the words that would make this hurt go away. To some degree, he had succeeded. "But I suspect it will when I get a little more time with it." She looked at him with a little of her former spirit returning and remarked. "Are we becoming friends now Mr Tanner?"
Vin returned her gaze and replied. "Not that I can see" He grinned and drew a laugh from her. "Come on," he gestured for her to follow. "Nettie's made some coffee."
Still chuckling, Alex nodded and accompanied him back to the house.
Buck Wilmington had questions.
When Darien Lambert had given them the truth, Buck had been expecting all of his questions to be answered. For most part, Darien had done his best to fulfil all their curiosities except one. Why they both looked so similar. As they continued riding towards the Wells' place, each one of the group with silent thoughts of their own, Buck found himself similarly preoccupied. He glanced at Chris and saw the man in black riding away from the main group, not even looking at Mary Travis. Buck suspected that he was coming to grips with news that he would be a father come spring. Even JD seemed at a lost for words and Buck could hardly blame him. Darien's story could challenge even the most open-minded and JD was a kid who knew barely anything about the world except what he had learnt from books.
Darien had expected at some point that Buck would approach him. The time traveller had seen the burning desire in Buck's eyes to know the truth. Why did they look so alike? From the moment, Darien had actually seen Buck Wilmington for himself and realised it was not just a case of mistaken identities, he had been pondering the question. The similarities between them were too exact to be simply a coincidence and reluctantly, Darien began to consider the question on a genetic level. The answer was obvious but it frightened him to find out for certain.
Whoever his parents might have been, Darien had become comfortable with the knowledge that they had not wanted him. The surrogate who bore him was also lost to him but what he had of her was more substantial than what he had of those whose genetic stuff had given him life. He chose the name Lambert because it was the only real connection he possessed to the woman he considered to be his mother. Over the years, it became unimportant for him to learn who his parents might have been even though the question regarding the desertion of him still lingered.
Seeing Buck Wilmington brought all those questions back because he was almost certain that Wilmington was a direct ancestor as John Connor was a direct descendant of Chris Larabee and Mary Travis. The irony of it was not lost on Darien that he might discover his own roots in this quest through time.
"It must be something." Buck Wilmington said as he and his horse came alongside Darien.
"What?" Darien looked at him and felt another chill of uneasiness seeing his own eyes on Buck's face.
"Coming through time." Buck replied before facing the darkness in the plains beyond. The country was quiet at night except for the occasional howl of coyote and the hooting language of owls.
"Not really." Darien replied. "Most of the time it gives me a headache and a need to throw up."
"Kind like a hard nights drinking." Buck said sympathetically, knowing how it felt after a hangover and decided that he would never again complain that it was only the drink that had caused it.
"Do you have time to drink?" Darien retorted with a faint smile. "You must be popular man with the ladies. I must have seen a dozen of them smiling at me on my way to the saloon."
Buck laughed and then returned with a grin of mischief. "It is my animal magnetism. Come on now," he looked at Darien. "You can't tell me it ain't the same where you come from?"
"I'm not much of a ladies man." Darien admitted and realised with his surprise that it was mostly a truthful statement. His travels had him zigzagging from one place to another, with little time to pause and make attachments. There were women here and there, Annie being the one that came to mind first but she was a possibility that he kept at arm's length because he feared caring for her would not be a genuine emotion but a longing for Elyssa whom she resembled so closely. "I've got too much work to do."
This clearly troubled Buck. "Man can never have that much work." He said seriously. "Don't tell me there ain't vacations in the 20th century."
"I lost someone a long time ago." Darien found himself admitting, feeling slight defensive that Buck's words were getting under his skin.
"I see." Buck nodded in understanding. He knew what it was like all too well but he also knew that withdrawing away from everyone and everything was no answer. He had seen Chris drag himself into the abyss and had remained there for so long that Buck did not believe that Chris would ever escape its darkness, even with Mary in his life. Grief had a way of changing people so irrefutably that it was impossible to ever remember what it was like when mourning and sorrow was not a way of life. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry."
"It's okay," Darien replied blowing out the attempts of conversation with a heavy sigh. "Look, we both know our resemblance to each other is not just a coincidence. So let's just stop the pretext of getting friendly and find out for certain."
"What is it about me that scares the hell out of you?" Buck suddenly asked.
Darien looked at him sharply. "I am not scared of anything."
"Yes you are." Buck stared at him hard. "You're damn afraid of finding out whether you and I could be related. Why is that?"
"Look, you want it do or not?" He hissed angrily, unable to deny that Buck had pushed all the buttons that ensured his temper would get the better of him. It did not help matter much that the man was right and Darien did feel some measure of fear. After so many years wondering whom his parents might have been, Darien was faced with the opportunity of finding out who he was. He could not deny that he was terrified as well as exhilarated. There was a gamut of emotions battling control over him and Darien felt his self restraint slipping.
"How?" Buck asked.
"This," Darien reached into his coat and produced Selma. "Selma, can you do a DNA scan?"
"Yes Captain." Selma answered automatically.
"What is that thing?" Buck asked looking at it with deep suspicion. Although Darien had produced the device earlier, Buck was still uncertain of what it was meant to do beyond the fact that it appeared to be one of those machines he had mentioned before.
"Think of it as a library that talks." Darien retorted gruffly. His stomach was quickly twisting into knots at the possibility of what Selma would find and that Buck was right. He was afraid on some level of questioning the safe comfortable fantasy he had built around his surrogate mother and his birth parents. He had accepted that he was abandoned a long time ago and not knowing who he was had allowed him to go on because there was little choice but to do so.
Selma was guarded in her vocalisation in Buck's presence. Darien's directive over the years had been specific. He preferred her silence when in the company of the others for she was too difficult to explain. However, in this time period, he had been forced to be brutally frank in all things and that included what Selma was. "I shall need to make personal contact, Captain."
"Captain?" Buck inquired wanting to know everything about Darien Lambert. Even if Darien wanted to admit it, Buck knew without hesitation that this carbon copy was family. He could not understand why the prospect was so daunting to this man of the future who seemed so focussed when it came to everything else.
"Captain of Earth Police." Darien replied without thinking and handed the thin piece of card to Buck. "You need to hold this." He said quietly, handing Selma to Buck.
Buck examined the tiny mainframe with obvious curiosity, taking note of its smooth texture and the meaningless words scrawled against it. "Did you call it Selma?" He met Darien's gaze in question.
"Yeah," Darien nodded. "It makes it easier to talk to." He explained as best that he could without getting into the whole user-friendly notion of computing and interfacing human relations.
Buck nodded not really understanding but felt a slight tingle in his fingertips. For a moment it felt like a sting but realised it did not hurt enough to be considered that. The feeling was beyond his ability to describe but he felt like he had been hit with some kind of a charge.
"I have completed the scan Captain." Selma replied much to Buck's delight. He put his ear close to it as if that would explain how he could hear it speaking. "The scan of mitochondrial DNA is a 100 per cent match. You are a direct descendant of the subject Buck Wilmington."
Buck saw the colour evaporate from Darien's face even in the moonlight. The fear he had spoken about so accurately before resurfaced in Darien's eyes to such a fearful extent that Buck was actually concerned about his physical state. Without another word, Darien dug his heels into the side of his mount and rode off into the darkness. Buck heard the hoof beat come to a stop some distance ahead and knew that Darien was keeping them in sight, even if he wished to be alone.
"Now I ought to be insulted." Buck replied still holding Selma in his hand.
"Do not take offence Mr Wilmington." Selma spoke up suddenly much to Buck's surprise.
"You can talk in real sentences?" Buck exclaimed in mild surprise, marvelling at the piece of 22nd century technology in his hands. He could understand what Darien meant when he had stated that it was easier to speak to it. The calm, elegant feminine voice was just the kind of interface that Buck Wilmington was most comfortable with.
"I can speak in real sentences in a dozen languages." Selma said with a touch of what Buck considered to be boasting.
"What's wrong with him?" Buck said gesturing in the direction that Darien had gone and realised that this thing had no eyes to see where he was pointing at. In truth, he felt a little silly talking to a piece of card and did not expect any satisfactory answer.
"The Captain is somewhat overwhelmed, I would imagine." She responded in that schoolteacher voice, Buck had decided.
"By what?" Buck retorted. "He must have known that it was likely that we were kin. Hell, after that story he told Chris, it made perfect sense to me."
"The Captain has no data regarding his birth parents Mr Wilmington." Selma answered in defence of her human. "He never knew his parents." She repeated, realising that this ancestor from the 19th century may not be particularly learned. His verbal skills certainly indicated that much.
"He's an orphan?" He stated, starting to realise why it was so difficult an admission for Darien Lambert.
"It is unknown whether his parents are dead or alive. They did not claim him after his birth and so he was listed as an orphan."
"Damn." Buck swore to himself realising what learning the truth meant to Darien. To Buck, it had been little more than a curiosity, a preview of the future he supposed. His need to know had been motivated by a necessity to understand why Darien looked so much like him and catch a glimpse of those who would come after him. It never occurred to Buck that the truth would have far deeper implications for the man who travelled through time to save the lives of his nearest and dearest friends. "I guess he has a place to start looking now."
"That is an affirmative." Selma answered. "I am able to trace the genealogical records of your family tree until the 22nd century. There is a high probability that it will yield the name of his parent from your side of the family, as it were."
"Want some advice?" Buck said still staring into the night, trying to decide if he ought to approach Darien or not.
"I am subject to any useful information." She said sounding somewhat annoyed that he should even have the audacity to ask. Suddenly, the notion that machines could run themselves in the future did not seem as outlandish after all.
"I wouldn't tell him unless he asks."
"It is what he wishes to know." Selma pointed out, now more than ever finding human behaviour to be very perplexing.
"Perhaps he does at that," Buck agreed, "but not now. He ain't ready for it and you'll do more harm than good by telling too soon."
The voice was silent for a few seconds and Buck guessed that whatever it had that passed for a brain was carefully regarding his advice. "I concur with your assessment."
However, Buck was still felt like he had opened Pandora's Box for Darien Lambert.
This was hardly the time for hysterics and Darien knew it.
Of course he had suspected that Buck Wilmington was a direct ancestor after seeing him for the first time. It was the only answer that made any sense but having Selma erase any traces of doubt brought a finality to it that took him by surprise. He knew the full implication of what it meant to learn that Buck was apart of his family tree. With the records at Selma's disposal, she could quite conceivably trace the genealogy of Buck Wilmington stemming from this point onwards until the 22nd century and provide to him with his Holy Grail, as neat as you please.
Buck was wrong. He was not scared. He was terrified.
However, he had come back through time to save the future, not just his but all mankind and it was a task too important for him to become unsettled by questions, best left for another day. He was Darien Lambert and he sworn an oath to protect Sarah Connor's son. Everything else was incidental until he restored the time line and went home to the 20th century.
What Selma knew would keep and when the time was more appropriate, he would deal with the question of his parentage. At the moment, he just did not want to think about it.
There was just too much to do.
By the time they arrived at Nettie's, it was well into the night and the group was exhausted. Chris in particular was mindful about Mary's condition and wanted her to rest while he and Darien decided what they would do next. According to Darien, his mechanical hunter would now shift its attention to Mary. Although the thought had not occurred to her yet, Chris knew that the fastest way to draw Mary out of any hiding place was to threaten young Billy Travis.
Which meant the Terminator would soon be on its way to Eagle Bend where Billy was in residence with the Judge Orin Travis and his wife Evie. There was no need to tell Mary about this yet because it was almost a full day's ride to Eagle Bend and somehow Darien did not believe that the Terminator was going to be able to ride there. However, that would not stop the automaton because Eagle Bend was on the railway line and if the Terminator made it to Bitter Creek, he would be able to ride the locomotive straight into the small city.
Fortunately, Nathan had spent most of his time at the Wells' place, keeping watch on Ezra, he had barely time to tell Nettie what had taken place in the saloon. Chris had no idea how to explain the situation to the elderly lady and had a quiet word to Nathan to keep silent about the mechanical monster that had almost killed them all. With Alex knowing nothing and Vin intelligent enough to wait until he received Chris' permission before disclosing anything about what he had seen in the saloon, Nettie was only aware that a dangerous outlaw was in pursuit of them. Vin knew that something strange was going on and he was willing to wait until Chris had the privacy to discuss it with him.
In the meantime, Darien who had been the hardest thing to explain because of his shocking similarity to Buck Wilmington had asked for the use of the wagon and JD's assistance to collect some equipment he had brought with him from the future to combat the Terminator. Since their own guns were next to useless as proved during the gun battle in the saloon, Chris was appreciative of any edge they could get. JD seemed eager to accompany the time traveller and Chris guessed this was mostly due to Darien's similarity in nature and resemblance to Buck. However, he did notice that Darien took great pains to keep away from Buck. He had noticed the exchange between the two men earlier and assumed something had happened that rattled Darien severely enough to take flight for a time.
Chris had watched the departure, curious as to what had been discovered and would have concerned himself enough to ask had he not been so preoccupied with his own affairs. In particular, the affair that would precipitate his becoming a father again in about eight months or so. Despite the current situation and the target that Mary had now become, Chris was thrilled by the idea. He thought of Adam as baby and reminded the first time he had to hold the child in his hands. He remembered with bitter sweet memory of what it had been like to hold something in his hands that was him and Sarah and know with complete certainty that there was nothing he would do for this life he was holding. He wanted to share all that with Mary and more.
Chris knew she was afraid. He had not noticed when he had first barged into the house tonight following the confrontation in the saloon but on the ride from Four Corners, it was very evident that something was bothering her. There had been little time to speak to her privately. Everyone had been listening in quiet shock to the fantastic story that Darien Lambert was weaving for them with its climatic ending in the revelation that the progeny of Chris Larabee and Mary Travis would include a child who would save the world. All this with the first child of that lineage was slumbering inside her.
Chris looked out the front window of Nettie's porch and saw Mary alone outside. She was staring into the moonlight, trying to hide the fear in her face at being so frightened about her current. It was a general misconception that motherhood was a completely natural thing to women, even those who went through the ritual more than once. Chris observed Mary and realised that it was time they had that talk. Inside the house, Nettie was making a pot of coffee in the kitchen, while Inez and Vin were engaged in conversation. No doubt, she was telling the tracker just how odd it was to have two men who looked like Buck Wilmington in her life. Other than Mary, Vin was the only other person in Four Corners to be Inez's confidant.
Much to Nettie's chagrin, Casey who was wide awake the minute she heard JD's voice had insisted that she accompany he and Darien on their little detour. Chris smiled to himself wondering if Darien had any tolerance with teenagers. Meanwhile, Alex and Nathan, ever the healers despite their differing methods, were looking after Josiah's aching shoulder and Buck's bruises, respectively.
Chris put down his cup of coffee on the nearest surface and left the room, content that things would take care of themselves without his supervision long enough for him to get a few things straight with Mary. No one made any remark when he left, being perfectly aware of what was going to be discussed, with the sole exception of Nettie, whose sensibilities might be offended if she were aware of what liberties Chris and Mary had been taking with each other out of wedlock.
He stepped out onto the porch and saw her staring into the night, eyes fixed on a point she only she could see. Mary barely noticed his presence, even when he came up behind her and slipped his arms around her waist. Breathing in the scent of her hair, he felt her soften up against him as her hands squeezed the arms around her.
"You haven't said anything." She said softly.
"Looks to me like there was nothing left to say." He answered, testing the waters gingerly. For the first time, they were moving into uncharted territory where the mystery of the future had been stolen from them.
She broke away from his grip then, not altogether gently. "Don't say that!" She hissed.
Chris realised then, that once again he had underestimated just how frightened she was, by a country mile. She was not just afraid. She was terrified. He could see the raw edge of panic in her eyes barely concealed by a brave attempt to keep herself composed. "Mary, what's the matter? I mean we knew this might happen. We shared enough nights together to at least have some idea that this was a possibility?"
"For me, not for you!" She cried out. "Its simple for you. If you wish to leave, you can. You can get on your horse and keep going and there would never be a need to turn back, would there?" She challenged.
Chris stared at her in nothing less than astonishment. After everything they had meant to each other and still did, he could not fathom her making a statement like that. It was the fear talking, Chris told himself quickly. He had not seen if before and he should have. He should not have waited until things had settled down to speak to her, he should discussed it then instead of letting a thousand anxities haunt her into a frenzy of terror. "No, there wouldn't." He said quietly. "But you know better than that."
"I don't know anything." She replied and started to cry. He took a step forward and she backed away instinctively. "All I know is, at this moment, I am more afraid of you than anything else."
"Me?" Chris found himself exclaiming and quickly reminded himself to calm down or his attempt at being the voice of reason was going to get shot down in a blaze of glory. "We got a mechanical monster out there hunting the both of us down like a pair of dogs and I'm the one you're afraid of?"
She wiped the tears from her eyes and nodded. "Yes, you are." Taking a deep breath, she tried to steady herself, uncertain if these fears were real or some hormonal response her body was having. She knew she had a tendency to be irrational at times like this. "Do you know what it was like when Steven was gone? I knew nothing, not a damn thing. I had no idea how to balance to books, work the printer or anything. He let me work on the paper by writing but everything else was his to run and rule. I loved him but when he left me, I was not just alone I was helpless!"
"Mary, you're not helpless any more." Chris pointed out unable to see what she was alluding to. Whatever frightened her was real and tangible so Chris was not willing to dismiss it so casually. He genuinely wanted to reassure her. "You're far from it. You are one of the most capable people I know."
"You're damn right I am." She said savagely. "It took time and I had to sacrifice my son to do it but I learn to take care of myself. For the first time in my life, I learned to take charge of my fate, to let no one make the decisions for me."
Finally, he understood and in understanding knew the words to say that might convince her, he was better than that and he would rather be without her then steal from her soul everything she had come to cherish so much in herself. "Mary, if I had wanted some pretty young thing without a brain in her head, I could have done better than to find myself the most opinionated, goddamn stubborn woman in creation to fall in love with. Do you think that I'm gonna take away everything I saw in you to begin with? This isn't about the baby is it? Its why I have to sneak out of your bed and still call you Mrs Travis when we're out in public. This is about getting married."
The anger evaporated from her eyes then once the irrelevancies had been burnt away and they were left with nothing but the pure product in the crucible before them. "I have no difficulty marrying you." Mary said evenly but even Chris could see his words had shaken her.
"Like hell you don't." He stated firmly, going on the offensive now that he knew how to attack the problem. "Face it, Mrs Travis you have a problem with commitment."
"I do not have a problem with commitment!" Mary said in defiance. "You're not exactly the catch of the day you know." She retaliated with as much fire in her voice.
"I was good enough for the last two months." Chris snorted in counter point. "Good enough as a matter of fact to get you pregnant and be willing to marry you, even though you've done everything except jump on the next stage out of town to avoid the issue!"
Well, being calm was a nice idea, Chris thought to himself as those words came flying out of his mouth.
"Hey, it is becoming somewhat ugly out there." Alex announced her concern while wrapping a support bandage around Josiah's shoulder. Despite the group's attempt no to eavesdrop, the volume of the conversation outside had risen to a level that now made it impossible to ignore the tantalising entrails of words slipping through the door. "Should someone go out there?" In her present condition, Alex was mindful of Mary's continued state of mental health. She knew the widow was already having a number of anxieties with her present condition.
"Nah," Buck replied, wincing slightly as Nathan dabbed the cut over his eye with a solution that stung. "It's like a pre-mating ritual with those two. How about it Vin? Two bits say they go another two minutes?" Buck looked over his shoulder at the tracker.
Vin met Buck's gaze and smiled a little. "I call it at three."
"I say less than two." Inez added, looking up from her cup of coffee.
"That ain't exactly nice," Nathan said reproachfully. "Betting on your friends like that."
"What do you call it?" Buck looked at him sarcastically, knowing Nathan all too well.
The healer dabbed more solution onto the cut and muttered under his breath. "I say five minutes."
Alex rolled her eyes and exclaimed in exasperation. "All right, all right, I've caused Ezra enough pain tonight. He'll probably have a nervous breakdown if he found out he missed out on a wager. I'll go three and half for Ezra."
"Now that's true love." Buck grinned at the doctor.
Josiah shook his head in resignation. "You people have no shame." The preacher retorted. "But I'm timing it cause I got the pocket watch."
"I am not avoiding the issue!" Mary declared hotly not liking the truth that Chris had forced her to examine. "Just because I refuse to rush into marriage does not mean I have a problem with commitment!"
"Oh really?" Chris returned her heated glare. "Prove it."
"How?" She asked suspiciously.
"Let's get married right now." He stated firmly. "Josiah is a preacher, he can do it for us. Hell everyone's here!" This time, she was not squirming out of this. He understood her need not to be rushed and he even respected it for two months. However, the issue was no longer about her reputation or his inability to become accustomed to having a woman in his life again. This was about a baby. His and hers. The issue had become larger than both of them. The child inside her deserved to have a name and it was not going to be illegitimate if Chris Larabee had anything to do with it.
Mary looked at him as if he had gone mad. "Have you lost your mind?" She exclaimed. "That thing is out there trying to kill us both and you want me to organise a wedding?"
"Who said anything about a wedding?" Chris replied. "We both say I do, Josiah says we can and that's the end of it. We could do it in two minutes, no fuss, no rice."
"Give me your gun," Mary retorted. "You're too dangerous to walk around armed."
"So is that a yes, Mrs Travis?" Chris ignored her sarcasm and pressed again because she had managed to avoid the question, as she always avoided the question.
Mary fell silent, knowing that the gauntlet was thrown at her feet and there was no way to escape from picking it up. In a moment of clarity, Mary Travis realised that if she said no right this moment, it would be the biggest mistake of her life. She loved him dearly and could not imagine herself with him in her life so she knew that time for delays and protests were over. The child inside of her needed Chris as much as she did and it was time she started remembering that their world was growing by a number of one.
"Fine." She said bravely. "Let's get married."
"Really?" He looked at her, watching for any signs of weakness and anticipation in any covert attempts to change his mind.
"Yes!" She cried out. "What do you want? An editorial?"
"No." He shook his head and smiled faintly. "A yes is good enough. We'll get married as soon as this thing is over."
"Wait a minute! What happened to the no fuss, no rice?" She glared at him in confusion. And they said women were fickle!
"Well we can't do it without a wedding." He looked at her innocently before taking a step forward having disarmed the situation slightly. He could tell that her anger was disappearing fast even if her natural stubbornness was holding on desperately. This time Mary did not step away as he took her hand and pulled her gently towards him.
"I suppose you think this gets you out of trouble?" She started to smile as their lips met in a passionate kiss that made the tension of the last few minutes almost completely forgotten. Suddenly Mary felt that despite the fact that there was indeed a mechanical monster out there somewhere wanting to kill both of them, that things might just end up being all right after all.
"Just one thing," Mary asked as Chris led her back towards the door after they parted. "How did you know?"
"Oh that was easy," he replied, opening the door for her. "You had that 'my father is going to kill me look'."
"I did not!" She said half laughing as Chris and her rejoined the others in Nettie's front parlour before she noticed what they were doing and had to ask. "Why is everyone giving Vin money?"
The Terminator looked in the mirror of the general store he had broken into. It was night now and the store was left unattended for the evening. Beyond the glass windows of the premises, his audio sensor could detect the voices outside. Activating his internal recorder, he took note of the conversations, scanning for any information that might be useful in his search for the secondary target while he conducted some maintenance on his appearance.
The skin on the side of his face had been damaged because of the shotgun blast he had taken when Larabee had fired. Beneath the blood and pulp of flesh, his metallic endoskeleton was clearly visible and the Terminator knew that the first order of business was to camouflage this injury. A hat would not hide his face well enough and eye patch would only hide cover his eyes and nothing else. Rummaging through the goods on sale, the Terminator soon found something that would suffice just as adequately. Unrolling the length of crepe bandage, he began wrapping the rouche material across the raw half of his face.
While it wound the bandage across his face, the Terminator considered his next move. With the disappearance of the primary target and now the secondary target, it was necessary for him to widen the band of his search. During the gunfight earlier, the Terminator had scanned all the humans who had attempted to defend Larabee. His memory banks contained information on almost all of the six men who were recorded as known associates of Christopher Larabee.
The Terminator kept its scans localised on geography, knowing that there was a high probability that Christopher Larabee would not return to his residence, in anticipation of interception by the Terminator. A title deed recorded in Larabee's name told the Terminator exactly where the target's land was situated. The human called Nathan Jackson owned a basic medical infirmary but once again, the probabilities were not in favour of either the primary or secondary target fleeing to its location. The saloon from which the Terminator had recently departed belonged to Ezra Standish in part ownership with a Maude Standish who had no fixed address at this point in history.
Two possibilities had very high probabilities of offering the Terminator success. One was a religious establishment frequented by Josiah Sanchez who was one of Larabee's associates and was known to be a practitioner of these arcane beliefs. The youngest of the group, JD Dunne, was purported to have remained in the town and was noted to have taken a wife whom was this moment, in residence in this community. The bride to be at this point could be found on a small farming property several kilometres from the Terminator's present location.
The Terminator examined himself in the mirror and saw no signs of his endoskeleton being visible once he had swathed the exposed metal under layers of bandage. A small crack had been placed in the wrapping procedure so that he was able to use his optic sensors. Scanning the area, the huge cyborg saw a hat, stacked neatly with others on a shelf and went towards it. Placing the headgear over his brow, the cyborg examined himself once more to ensure he resembled a human once again. Albeit he looked like an injured human but nonetheless, nothing like a Terminator.
The Terminator also took the opportunity to discard its soiled clothes, now soaked in blood and replace it with better fitting garments from the stock in the establishment. He noted the weapons trapped in place by the thick chain holding them against the rack. Encircling his titanium digits around the steel, the Terminator removed the link of metal with one sharp yank. The chain snapped like kindling and the weight of the heavy links, rattled noisily in its downward descent to the wooden floor. He surveyed the range present before choosing the most efficient weapons in the limited arsenal. The ammunition was kept beneath the glass counter and once again, the cyborg had little trouble smashing his way through the fragile display case to retrieve what he required.
Once the Terminator was satisfied that he had all the tools necessary to complete the mission objective, he departed just as unnoticed into the night to continue the hunt.
There were times when Mary hated being a woman.
There were some things she had forced herself to bear because the conventions of society demanded it. The endless rules of behaviour that women were meant to follow while men flaunted them with the greatest of ease. She detested the prejudices, the constant upkeep of reputation and the physical danger a woman was often helpless to defend. Most of all, she hated the constant waiting while men rode off to face dangers she could not fathom, while she was required to wait patiently for their return.
This was one such moment.
As Chris prepared to make the long journey to Eagle Bend with the rest of the seven, Mary was forced to trail behind; unable to lend a hand while that mechanical monster went after her son. Chris was taking no chances with Billy's life and thus he was not even waiting for the dawn that would be upon them in some hours to begin their journey. Orin and Evie Travis had to be warned about what was coming in their direction so they could escape while there was time. Mary wanted badly to go with Chris but he would not even consider the notion, let alone agree to it. As annoyed as she was by his refusal, she knew this time he was right. It was not just her own life that hung in the balance. There was also the child growing inside her. "You get riding to Bitter Creek as soon as its dawn." Chris instructed her. "When we get Billy, we'll make our next move."
Mary did not like the idea of separating but she understood the need. They had to make time to catch the Terminator as Darien called it and she would only slow them down. "Okay." She nodded as she saw the others waiting for Chris to mount his horse. Only Ezra was absent because he was in little condition to travel at such a frantic pace after the injuries he had sustained at the monster's hands. When it was light, Mary, Alex, Inez and Ezra would travel by wagon to Bitter Creek. None of them had any connection to Bitter Creek so if the Terminator was using only what information was available in the historical archives, then it was likely that the town would be ignored as possible interception point.
"What is our next move?" She asked, hoping he had an answer.
"I'll have it figured out by the time I come back." He smiled and leaned forward to kiss her gently on the lips.
With Darien joining them, the group was still seven strong without Ezra's participation. Josiah was at the reins of Mary's wagon with Darien riding shotgun, since the time traveller was not terribly comfortable on a horse. The weapons he had brought with him from the future lay nestled in the back tray of the wagon, awaiting use on the Terminator when the group finally encountered the mechanical hunter. Inez was saying her farewells to Buck, pretending that she really did not care what happened to him even though Buck could see differently in her eyes. He wondered as she blew him a kiss if the descendants that gave birth to Darien Lambert would come from Inez and him. He was almost tempted to ask Darien if he knew that would not bother the man considerably. Besides, Buck wanted some surprises in his future.
Meanwhile Vin Tanner received the obligatory caution from Nettie, instructing him to be careful. The tracker was grateful that the old woman was in his life, no matter how annoyingly easy it was for her to read him. It gave him some sense of satisfaction knowing at least one woman would weep if anything happened to him. Since their exchange by the creek, Vin noticed Alexandra Styles giving him an extremely wide berth. He suspected what had transpired between them had unsettled her somewhat but he was not foolish enough to read any more into that then necessary.
"Take care of yourself Mr Tanner." Alex surprised him by coming up to his horse before their eminent departure. "I don't relish having you under my care if you become hurt." She remarked with the barest hint of a smile on her lips as she met his gaze.
"I'll try not to inconvenience you Alex." He drawled and turned away before his own gaze gave away more than he intended.
Mary watched in silence as Chris dug his spurs into his mount and started the group on its way. As always, he took the lead, his dark duster trailing in the wind as he rode off into the night. She stared after him until the cloud of dust left by the trail of horses pulling away into the darkness, settled in place once more.
"They'll be fine." Inez said squeezing her arm gently, knowing she needed support more than ever.
"God I hope so." Mary sighed. "I don't think I'm ready to raise another child by myself."
"It won't come to that." Alex declared coming up along side of her, offering the reassurance that Mary needed to feel right now. As her closest friends, the two women knew what anxieties were running through Mary's mind about now.
"Come on now," Nettie Wells broke into the conversation. "You ladies need some sleep." The older woman gestured at them to come back into the house. "You got a long day ahead of you."
To that, none of them could disagree.
Ezra Standish blinked.
Sunlight was pouring at him through an open window and as he squinted into focus, he knew that he felt utterly awful. The sharp pain in his throat quickly followed the realisation of dawn and instinctively he reached for his neck, only to be subdued by more pain that would have made him cry out if his throat had chosen to cooperate. There were vague images in his mind following the burst of horror that was his last conscious thought.
Closing his eyes, he felt his stomach heave slightly as the memory of tightening fingers around his throat returned to him and sent a shiver of cold panic through him. He remembered Chris warning the monster off and it not listening before he was struck with an agony so excruciating, it left a black hole inside Ezra's mind. The fear diminished upon the discovery that he was not in a saloon and the view outside told him that he was at Nettie Well's farm some hours ride from Four Corners. Ezra tried to sit up when suddenly; he became aware that he was not alone on the bed. Slumped across from her chair, he saw the sheen of dark hair that could only belong to Alex, resting her head against the bed while the rest of her tried to sleep in the uncomfortable chair next to the bed. Ezra had no doubt that she had been there all night.
He ran his fingers through the strands of long dark hair, luxuriating in its texture against his skin which was the most tangible evidence of heaven if he had not survived his encounter with that demonic creature that nearly killed him. She nuzzled against his hand as he caressed her hair, letting out a soft sigh that would make even the most resolved of men lose control in a wave of lust and desire. Fortunately, Ezra was in no condition to do anything remotely in that direction even in the unlikely possibility Alex were incline to let him take such liberties with her. She cared for him perhaps even loved him but he knew she was not ready to trust him with that much power over her. His feelings for Alex were such that Ezra was willing to wait until she was ready.
In the mean, he could still dream.
His touch stirred her into awakening and after another breathless sigh; Alex rose her head and blinked at him with heavy eyelids. It took a few moments for her to register where she was before she rewarded him with a smile. "How are you feeling?" She asked, brushing a stroke of tousled hair from her eyes as she started to sit up.
"I've been better." Ezra responded and found that it was not as easy to manage as he believed. His voice little more than a croak and using his vocal chords had been an exercise in pain.
"Don't talk," she held a finger to his lips. "You're only going to cause yourself more pain." She warned gently before making a quick examination of the bandage around his throat. Ezra felt a twinge of arousal as he experienced the light tips of her fingers against the tender skin of his neck. Her butterfly touches moving up and down his neck threatened to lull him back to sleep and made the pain he felt almost bearable. "Whoever did this to you almost crushed your windpipe."
"Almost?" Ezra croaked sarcastically, unable to let that remark slide without comment. If only she knew what they had faced. He blinked away the blind panic that came with the image of those last few seconds as it reached him. Ezra fought the wave of nausea that came with the memory of that vise like fingers encircling his throat. Suddenly, the clarity of the moment brought to surface a flurry of questions that demanded answers. "Chris!" Ezra sat up quickly and groaned in pain at the sudden exertion. "Did it get Chris?"
"No." She shook her head, trying gently to coax him back into the pillows. She had heard from Nathan how bravely he had stood up to his attacker. They enemy was only seconds from killing Chris Larabee when Ezra provided the interference that allowed Chris to escape at great cost to himself. Fortunately, Chris Larabee who was never one to miss an opportunity or abandon friends had used the time to prevent Ezra's own death. However, now even Chris was fast enough to keep Ezra from sustaining severe injury. "You gave Chris enough time get away."
"I gratified to know that he is well," Ezra groaned before resting back on the bed as she wished. "However, I wish I could say the same for myself."
"You'll live." Alex replied, pouring him a glass of water from a pitcher that was resting on the side table. He had to be thirsty considering he had slept most of the night and the cool water would go some way to soothing his injured throat.
"I'll trust you on that." He grimaced, lying back in his pillows again after taking a sip of water. The fluid felt icy in his throat and did appease some of the irritation he felt but not much. However, Ezra was grateful when he noticed that there were any injuries anywhere else on his body. He wriggled his toes and was pleased to know that they worked which indicated everything else was in order as well. "Am I mistaken or are we currently at Nettie Well's humble abode?" He asked, curious to know to why they were not in his saloon.
"The man who attacked you is still out there." Alex replied. "Chris and the others thought it was best for us to keep out of his way until they figured out his next move."
Ezra remembered the glowing red eyes and the steel plate under the creature's skin and knew that Chris had obviously left a few things out in his account of their experiences to Alex. She looked oblivious to the true nature of the beast and at the moment, Ezra had no wish to enlighten her. Part of his was still questioning what he had seen and hoped it had not been a product of bad dream in his unconscious state. Until he spoke to the others and confirmed that they had seen the same thing he had, Ezra was not about to enlighten her on what had done this to him.
"So where are the others?" Ezra asked, disliking the idea that the six might have ridden off without him.
"They had to leave." Alex replied, "they think its going to go after Billy Travis to draw Chris out."
"That would do it." Ezra admitted ruefully. Considering the nature of Chris' relationship with the boy's mother, the dept of his concern could not be underestimated. Anyone who wanted to find Chris Larabee's weakness need not go any further than the young widow and her son. "So are we to remain in Mrs Wells' hospitality until they return?"
"Afraid not," she shook her head. "Chris wants us in Bitter Creek as soon as possible." Alex glanced at the sunshine outside and could hear sounds of the others moving about. Slowly, the house came alive with the sounds of morning. There was a certain sanity to it that balanced out the chaos of the past night. "As a matter of fact," she rose to her feet and stretched her tired muscles from its cramped position the night before. "I do believe, we ought to get going soon."
Even though she was trying hard not to show it, Ezra could see the depth of her concern at his welfare. He had no doubt she had spent most of the night at his side, keeping a vigil on his life, which she had undoubtedly saved. It made Ezra marvel in wonder at what he had done to inspire such passionate feelings in one as centred and sometimes glacial as Alex Styles. What was it about him that made her care so much?
Ezra had almost no time to ponder that question, when he heard the sudden explosion of gunfire and the terrified screams that followed soon after. Alex jumped to her feet immediately and Ezra surprised himself by scrambling out of the covers with even greater speed. Despite his injuries, Ezra had beaten Alex to the door as the roar of gunfire impacted against wood.
"Wait!" He hissed and shoved her aside as he peered through the open door.
Outside, he saw the monster. It was dressed differently with a bandage around his face but Ezra knew without a doubt it was the same thing he had faced the night before. Nettie Wells was lying against the floor, a terrible gash running across her forehead. The front door was smashed open, glass and wood covered the wooden floor by the doorway, undoubtedly how it had gained entry and accosted Nettie. Ezra did not think she was badly hurt but knew his deduction was amateurish.
Casey was screaming, trying to run past the man to reach her aunt on the floor. She was almost hysterical from fright.
Ezra closed the door and turned back to Alex. "Get out the window," he ushered her towards it.
"I'm not leaving you." Alex said defiantly.
"Trust me, I do intend on staying." He retorted. "But I need you to get Nettie's wagon so we can leave."
"Mary and Inez is here as well!" She declared trying not to let the fear best her but just realising at this moment that Ezra had no idea that the two women might be with them since he was almost unconscious throughout the entire trip here.
"Damn." He whispered, having no desire to face the demon again but knowing now that he had no choice. He just hoped that this time he would live to tell the tale.
The Terminator caught Casey before she could reach Nettie. The young woman could think of nothing but the blood running down the older woman's face and had no idea of what had her so firmly in his grip. She knew it appeared to be a man but somehow it wasn't. She had no way of articulating the feeling. The Terminator picked her up under the chin with his powerful arms, leaving Casey dangling like a fish on a hook as she struggled above the floor.
The cyborg examined the young woman and estimated that she was not Mary Travis. This was a female in late adolescence and he was searching for an adult woman. Upon realising that Casey was not who he sought, he tossed the girl aside like a rag doll. Fortunately, Casey knew how to land for she was quite the tomboy, although until now, she had never dreamed her masculine pursuits would be of such use. Dropping awkwardly on the floor but not enough to cause herself injury, Casey Wells scrambled to Aunt Nettie's side.
She knew how to tell when an animal was dead. She had gone fishing with JD enough times to realise the look of some thing dying and to her utmost relief, Casey's quick examination of Nettie, told her that her aunt was still in the land of the living. The intruder was almost oblivious to her now as he moved deeper into the house and Casey took advantage of his indifference to heave Nettie to her feet. She was a strong girl; Casey Wells, because she had taken to doing the chores that were still required on a farm even if there was no man to perform them.
Staggering out the broken remains of the front door, Casey was aware that something terrible was in pursuit of her friends and the safest thing for her to do at the moment was to get out of his way. Nettie was starting to come around as they hurried down the front steps.
"Casey!" Alex exclaimed as she ran around from the other side of the house after making her hasty exit through the window. She fought the urge to go back after Ezra but knew he would not appreciate her return. Right now, he needed her to bring the wagon so they could all get out of here alive.
"Miss Styles," Casey wailed. "I think Aunt Nettie's hurt real bad." The girl said panic stricken as Alex helped her with the injured older woman. The cut on Nettie's forehead was deep and bled profusely, as all cuts on the head tended to do but Alex knew it was superficial. If Nettie was suffering anything, it was most likely to be a concussion.
"We've got to get out here!" Alex replied as they both moved towards the wagon.
"Miss Travis and Miss Inez are still in there!" Casey declared and Alex shared her fear for their lives. She felt similar distress for Ezra as well, who was injured and would undoubtedly feel it necessary to get the ladies to safety first, despite the dangers to himself. She tried not to worry about him and knew that to best help him, she had to get the wagon to allow him an avenue of escape when he needed it.
"Inez, I am not going without you!" Mary as Inez took point before the door to the guestroom they were sharing.
"I don't have time to argue with you!" The Mexican said angrily. "You know what depends on you staying alive!" She barked. "Get going!"
Mary Travis was at a loss over what to do. The window lay before her as her only way to escape. Inez had barricaded the door but it was obvious after what the Terminator had done to the front door that no barricade was going to be quite enough to keep him out. Chris had insisted that they keep a gun in close proximity just in case of trouble, even if he had not possibly suspected that the Terminator would track them down here. She knew Inez was right but she could not stomach the thought of leaving her best friend to face the creature that was slamming the door to the room so hard that the dresser in front of it was starting to teeter backwards and forward against the constant pounding.
"I'll keep behind you!" Inez promised even though it was a futile hope at best. "Take the horse in the coral up there and get going!" Inez ordered again, her eyes pleading with Mary to obey.
Mary could see the grey stallion that was already reined and knew that she had no choice. "You're the best friend I ever had!" Mary cried out as she hurried towards the opening and climbed through.
"Stop saying that in the past tense!" Inez shouted back just before a final jolt against the door sent the dresser crashing forward. Inez jumped back in shock while Mary practically fell out the window from the loud shudder throughout the room. No sooner than the dresser had fallen, a powerful fist smashed through the wooden door. Tearing a wide enough hole in thick wood, Inez was transfixed in a moment of horror as she saw him rip through the planks as if they were paper. It was only when he was half way through the door that she raised the gun in her hand and squeezed off a series of shots.
They had little or no effect on the Terminator as it entered the room and took note of the open window. The human before him was of the right age but not the correct racial type. Mary Travis was Caucasian and this female was almost certainly Hispanic in descent. The six bullets escaped the chamber of the weapon and struck him across the chest. Her skill in actually hitting him was mostly due to the fact that she was standing before him in point blank range. He quickly estimated that she would not pose much of a threat and in any case was not the subject he was seeking.
Predictably, the weapon soon discharged all its ammunition when the Terminator was almost on top of the woman, bullets having no effect on a titanium strong endoskeleton. He struck her in a backhanded blow that sent her sprawling against the floor. The blow was so powerful that Inez felt all the wind knocked out of her as her face flared in pain. She hit the wooden floor and saw the Terminator take a step forward. Inez crossed herself, knowing with absolute certainty that when he reached her; she was going to die.
"Sir, your manners with the ladies are absolutely appalling." Ezra Standish's voice suddenly spoke from the door. He had entered through the opening made by the Terminator and was standing before the mechanical monster holding both of Nettie's double barrel guns in each hand. The Terminator turned around, disregarding Inez now that a more formidable threat had arrived.
This time, Ezra did not wait until he got close enough. He fired both weapons in rapid succession, each blast from the shotgun forcing the Terminator backwards, towards the open window. Ezra kept firing, until spent cartridges were flying in all directions. The Terminator staggered backwards, the force of the blast, keeping it off balance. Finally, as it neared the window, Ezra aimed both barrels side by side and fired once. The recoil almost lost Ezra his own footing but it had the desired effect. The Terminator went crashing through the window into greenery outside.
"Inez!" Ezra hurried to her. He was aching every step of the way but he knew they would not have much time.
Inez had been dazed but the shotgun fire had brought her back to her senses with surprising speed. The bruise on her lovely features had yet to reach full bloom but Ezra had no doubt she would sport a spectacular black eye when it was all said and done.
"Come on my dear," Ezra helped her to her feet as his eyes darted back and forth anxiously from the open window and Inez. "We need to make a hasty retreat." He replied. Speaking was agony but then Ezra had to admit, he nothing he ever knew could keep him quiet.
The two of them hurried through the house and reached the front door without incident. Ezra had discarded both the shotguns because their weight was slowing him down and he had no idea where Nettie kept the rest of the ammunition. He assumed in light of what had happened in the past 24 hours, the old woman had chosen to load both weapons in anticipation of the danger that had caused the seven to flee the town of Four Corners. Ezra hoped the lady was not seriously injured.
"Ezra! Inez!" Alex cried out as the wagon came rushing forward from the direction of the barn where it and the horses was kept. Alex was at the reins, forcing the gelding to slow as it ran past them. Inez had no trouble jumping onto the back of the wagon and neither did Ezra, but the pain in his neck was considerable and he knew that he was bleeding again beneath his bandages. Only when he had scrambled onto the back did he realise that Mary was not with them.
"Where's Mary!" He demanded when he discovered only Casey and Nettie in the wagon tray.
His response came in the form of another horse thundering behind them. The grey stallion was charging up the path in pursuit of them with Mary in the saddle riding hard to join them. Ezra let out a sigh of relief that they had not done the unforgivable and forgotten the fair Mrs Travis. Ezra would rather take his chances with the monster they were running from, rather than explain how such a thing might have happened to Chris Larabee. Ezra was certain no matter what the outcome; he would still be dead.
Suddenly, Ezra's eyes widened as he saw the Terminator make his appearance. He ran across the grass effortlessly, in an attempt to cut them off, Ezra assumed, when just as abruptly, he came to a pause. Producing a rifle, he took careful aim and to Ezra's shock, the gambler realised at what he was aiming.
"Mary, watch out!" Ezra shouted the warning too late.
The bullet caught the horse in the rump but it was enough for the animal to stop abruptly in full gallop. It kicked its hind legs backward in pain, propelling Mary out of the saddle with little or no effort whatsoever. Ezra's heart stopped beating for a second when he heard the terrible crunch of bone as she landed on the dirt. For a second that might as well have been an hour for all he knew, no one could speak. Then as they saw the Terminator advancing, everyone was prompted into action.
"Stop!" He heard Inez shout and Ezra was practically jumping out of the wagon and running forward before the horse had even come to a full stop. He was hardly aware of his own injuries as he raced towards the blond woman who was sprawled across the dirt path. He skidded to his knees upon reaching her and saw that Mary was out cold. He could not even tell if she was breathing or not. However, with Terminator coming up the path, running at full speed, Ezra knew he would not have time to find out. Scooping her in his arms, Ezra started running towards the wagon, feeling his heart pound in his chest as he struggled to keep ahead of the mechanical beast that may have killed Mary Travis.
"Come on Ezra!" Inez urged him on, her eyes staring behind him in obvious panic. Ezra did not look behind him and forced himself forward, ignoring the pain and the heart that was unaccustomed to such labour. When he reached the wagon, Inez was on hand to pull Mary out of his arms into the tray as Ezra leapt in after her.
"Go! Alex! Go!" Inez screamed as soon as they were safely inside.
Ezra looked up to see the Terminator leap forward as the wagon began to rumbled forward. The thick fingers that Ezra was so well acquainted with grabbed wood. His feet were leaving trails in the dirt as the wagon dragged him along and Ezra was prompted into action when he saw those massive arms attempting to heave itself into the wagon with them. Reaching for the nearest thing he could find, in this case a shovel, Ezra swung the tool against the Terminator's fingers. Whether or not the thing felt pain was a mystery Ezra did not require answering for he did not stop striking the hands holding on until the wood itself had crumbled and the Terminator was tumbling away from the departing wagon.
Ezra let out a sigh of relief when he saw the Terminator fade into the distance, no doubt, recovering quickly to take up the pursuit. Ezra lay where he was for a moment, too exhausted to move once the rush of adrenalin had subsided. He wondered how quickly the pain in his neck would follow and had only a few seconds to ponder that question when he felt the sickly moisture under his throat. Ezra had no idea what medical procedure Alex had performed on him but knew for certain that it would almost definitely have to be repeated.
"Is everyone all right back there!" Alex called out as she continued the juggernaut pace of the wagon. She wanted to put as much distance between them and that maniac they had just encountered.
Inez who was leaning over Mary Travis, met Ezra's gaze and shook her head with barely concealed tears. "No, Alex," she said softly, "everyone is almost definitely not all right."