Prologue
The compound is completely deserted, guarded only by
the technological advances of the century. Systems sensitive
to the slightest disturbance will release various weapons when triggered.
Only a madman or someone who knows the
place inside and out would be crazy enough to try to break in and
steal the secret, and very heavily guarded "Trinity"
Project.
He is both. A tall, lanky man with straw-colored hair
that falls just to his neck, he has been described as a "walking
skeleton." He is a soft spoken man, yet when he has something to
say, people listen--or they end up dead. He sits on the
roof top of the next building, overlooking the compound. It is time
to put his plan into action.
*******************************************************************************
"Damn, damn, damn!" an elderly man in a
white lab coat curses as he walks down a long, dark hall, away from the
vault that once held the orbs.
A woman dressed similarly to the man walks beside him,
running her hand worriedly through her dark hair. "How?
How did he do it? They were too heavily guarded for anyone to have
made it out of here alive with them!"
"He's Bly," the man replies, as if saying
the name explains everything.
The woman gives him a withering look. "You know what
this means, don't you?"
"Miriam, please. Of course I do."
"Well?"
"What do you want me to say? It took our
ancestors a century to decipher those archaic notes they found, and it
took
at least another millenium for our people to even create the first
prototype orb." The man sighed. "Now, thanks to that....
bastard, all the work ever done is gone! It will take us a long
time to record what we remember and many more years to
recreate the orbs, and to even improve them."
"Don't fret, your people will succeed
in recreating the orbs and even returning to stop Bly from stealing them
in the
first place," an unfamiliar voice says suddenly. The man and Miriam
turn and their eyes widen. Behind them is a young
naked woman who slightly resembles Miriam.
"How do you know? And who are you?"
the man sputters after a moment.
The woman grins. "I am not at liberty to say, but believe
me. The wrong done here will be set right. Trust me," and
before they are able to ask for clarification, she is gone in a
flash of light.
1801
It came out of nowhere. One moment there were very few
clouds dotting the sky; the next, humongous black stormclouds
appeared, darkening the horizon, and lightning started to flash. A
strong wind whipped through the trees on the island. People
scrambled to find shelter. Those who were a good ways from home on
Pulau Pulau took refuge with friends. Patiently they
waited for the storm to pass, never once thinking about its abruptness.
No one except for business woman and inventor Emilia Rothschild.
She watched the storm outside through the window of
the abandoned hut where she and her attache' had taken refuge. A small
frown marked her delicate features. "I do not like this!"
she muttered.
"Yeah, I know what you mean,"
the voice of her partner, attache' and friend Jack Stiles came from a dark
corner. After a
second, he succeeded in lighting a piece of wood and used it as a torch.
"Whoever owned this place last had lousy taste," he
commented, looking at their surroundings.
Emilia shook her head. "I was hardly referring to the
previous owner's knowledge of interior designing, Jack."
"Oh? Then what were you mumbling about?"
Jack made a face as he swiped at a low hanging spider web and tried to
get the clinging silky material off his hand.
"The storm," Emilia replied. "It isn't
right."
"Really? I don't see anything odd about
it."
"The factors leading up to a
storm of this proportion aren't right. If it were later and the heat absorbed
through the day
rose to meet the cool air higher in the atmosphere--"
"In other words the storm is wrong,"
Jack cut her off before she could go into another one of her scientific
explanations,
saying things that he would never--nor care to--understand.
"Right."
"If you say so." Jack walked around,
using his makeshift torch to investigate the hut once more. "I'll see if
I can't get a fire
going from all this," he nodded towards a few broken chairs.
"Good idea." Emilia turned her attention
back to the window. Suddenly her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. "Jack!
Come
quick!"
Startled by her sudden outburst, Jack accidently dropped
the kindling and his torch. "Oh, for the lova--!!" He grabbed a ratty,
yet
still wholesome rug he had found and beat out the fire that the torch
was in the process of starting.
"Jack!" Emilia called again.
"Just a second, Em, unless you want
it to be a hot time in the old hut tonight!" Jack succeeded in putting
out the fire and rushed
to Emilia's side. "What is it?" he asked, just as she hit him on the
arm. "What was that for?"
"You and your innuendos!" she snapped.
"What took you so long?"
"Hey, just a moment sister! Contrary
to popular belief, I do not always have my head in the gutter! And, in
case you didn't notice,
I just put out a fire!"
"Fine," Emilia ignored his explanation
and pointed out the window. "Look!"
Jack sighed and peered out. "What? I don't see anything,"
he said after a moment.
"I saw something falling out of the
sky!" Emilia said. "Two things, actually--one looked almost human!"
"Sure," Jack was skeptical.
"I did!"
"Em, you probably just saw a couple
of crazy wayward birds." Jack's face brightened suddenly. "Hey! Maybe it
was JC!"
Emilia rolled her eyes. "I do wish you'd stop insulting
that poor bird! He's been very valuable to us. Besides, JC has a lot of
common sense--much more than you've ever exhibited, I might add," she
smirked.
Jack started to say something smart in retort, but the
roof suddenly came crashing down as something fell through it. Instinctively,
Jack
pulled Emilia behind him and waited for the dust to settle. When they
could see again, they were shocked to see a human form buried
beneath shards from the roof.
"Jack, help me get this rubble off of
him!" Emilia rushed forward and knelt beside the prone figure, reaching
for and pulling off a few
branches covered with straw. Jack assisted her after a moment. "What
strange clothing," she commented as a tannish, leather coat and
sleeves became more visible, along with an oddly shaped hat.
"Wonder who this guy's tailor is?" Jack
said.
Emilia sighed. "Just help me roll him on to his
back." Jack nodded and helped to turn the stranger over. "Oh my good Lord!"
Emilia gasped at
the same time Jack exclaimed "What the--!?"
The man was in his mid to late thirties, with dark hair.
Except for his clothing, he was the mirror image of Jack!
The storm ended as soon as it began. Governor Croque poked
his head out from under the blanket he dove under at the first sign of
thunder and lightning. "It seems to be safe to come out, wouldn't you
say, Mr. Nipples?" he asked, addressing the bandaged puppet cow
his left hand. The puppet nodded. "Right!" Throwing aside the covers,
Croque stood and wandered over to the window a moment before
heading to his office. He deposited Mr. Nipples on his pillow just
as he stepped out of his room.
Croque was mildly surprised to see Captain Brogard standing
at the door to his office. "Ah, Captain Brogard. Is everything all right?"
"I do hope so, Gouvenor," Brogard evasively
replied, following Croque in to his office. "Although I am not sure."
"Oh? And whyever not?"
"Well..." Brogard cleared his throat.
"Perhaps it would be easier to show you. Pierre!"
At the captain's shout, a young soldier entered the room,
pushing a cart. An odd, round object rested on its surface, cushioned by
several
army blankets.
"Mon Dieu! Brogard, what is this?" Croque
asked with wide-eyed fascination.
"I do not know. My men discovered it
after it created a nasty crater where Madame Camille's rose bush used to
be. I took the liberty
of sending for Dr. Conner at the University," Brogard continued, barely
noticing Croque's face go ashen at the news of his wife's prized
roses. "If anyone can tell us what this peculiar object is, he can."
"If I am able to, I will." Brogard and
Croque looked towards the door, startled by the sudden intrusion. A portly
man entered the office.
"I do apologize, Governor, for disturbing you, just when I saw the
young soldier there pushing this marvelous object along, I just had to
investigate," he explained.
"No need to explain, Dr. Conner. We
are glad you are here," Croque greeted him warmly.
"Thank you, sir," Conner bowed respectfully
and then went over to the cart and started to look at the object. He was
very observant,
running his hands over it, rapping various rods with his knuckles.
After a while he pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and wrote
down a few notes.
"Well, Dr. Conner? Can you tell us what
this thing is?" Croque asked.
"Perhaps, but only after I make one
last observation." Rolling up his sleeves, Conner cautiously reached for
one of the rods and pulled
on it. Nothing happened. He tried again, this time tugging a bit harder.
"Are you sure you should be doing that?"
Croque asked nervously, just as Conner succeeded on getting the rod to
move.
"Magnifique!" Conner gasped triumphantly
as he removed the rod completely. In his hand, the rod started to glow
an electrifying blue.
For a moment Conner was oblivious to the fact he was not alone. "It
has been so long," he whispered.
Brogard and Croque could only gape. "All right, Dr. Perhaps
it is time to put the rod back, yes?" Croque said a minute later. "After
all,
we do not know what it will do."
"Ah, but we do," Conner said with a
grin.
"We do?" Brogard and Croque echoed.
"Yes. I have come across an object like
this once before. It was a very long time ago, and since then I have been
writing down what
I can recall," Conner explained.
"Well?" Croque prompted when the doctor
failed to continue explaining.
Conner slipped the rod back into place. "There is no name
for it, really. I just call it the Orb. The one I came across before was
in the
possession of a friend of mine. He just found it one day after a storm
much like the one we experienced today. The Orb was like nothing
that he had ever seen before and it contained a power that the world
had not seen since the days of Hercules--if you place any truth in to the
myths," he added.
"Hercules was the strongest man in the
world," Brogard said.
"That he was," Conner agreed. "My friend
discovered that just one rod of the orb--if used correctly--gave one the
strength of twelve
or more men, just like Hercules. I could show you--"
"Impossible!" the captain scoffed, interrupting
the man.
"Ah, but Brogard, what if it is true?
Think of what my brother Napoleon could do if he had this..orb in his possession?
Why, we could
even dispense with the insolence of the Daring Dragoon once and for
all!" Croque enthused.
"But Gouvenor, we do not know if what
Dr. Conner says is true!"
Croque slowly descended from his delusion of grandeur.
"You are right, Captain. Dr. Conner, perhaps you could give us a demonstration?"
"You read my mind, sir. I was just about
to suggest doing just that!" Conner smiled. "Perhaps I could even show
you how effective the orb
is on the Dragoon?"
Croque beamed. "What a fabbulous idea! But how do we get
the Dragoon to appear for a command performance?"
"Leave that to me, Gouvenor," Brogard
said. Then, looking at Conner, "I hope this orb is as good as you say it
is. I have waited a long time
to see that insolent Dragoon get what's coming to him."
"The orb will work, Captain. You just
let me know when you plan to draw him out. I will take care of him!"
**********************************************************************************************
He was running in slow motion up to the top of
the stairs where his partner and friend was taking on his arch
nemisis all by himself. He had to get to them before it was too
late!
He saw them facing off; saw his nemisis using the power
of the orb to turn the gun his friend had on himself..
Then the gun went off and his friend fell to the ground while he
attempted to get away again.
"Bowler!!"
His yell died on his lips as he slowly awakened.
It had only been a dream... He could hear the merry twittering of birds
outside
and the gentle breeze whistling as it struck the window frame. After
a moment he opened his eyes and discovered he was in a
very nice room, adorned with furniture from the late eighteenth and
early nineteenth centuries--some things he had not seen since
being back east.
Glancing down, he saw that his jacket, vest, gunbelt,
and holster had been removed. "Where?" Looking around, he saw his things
were laying on a chair, his boots on the floor beside it--minus his
gun.
"Jack, I think our guest is awake!"
he heard a feminine voice call from the hallway. The footsteps became louder
as someone
approached the room.
He quickly jumped up and silently rushed to the door,
preparing to get the drop on whoever walked through. There was a rustling
sound as the stranger seemed to listen a minute before entering..
The door opened. He waited just a split second before
grabbing the stranger from behind. He felt her gasp and heard a loud
crashing sound as she dropped the tray she carried. He clapped his
hand over her mouth before she had a chance to scream.
"Emilia?" Jack, he assumed, called up
the stairs.
Emilia struggled in his grip. "Easy. I'm not going to
hurt you!" he whispered. Emilia mumbled something behind his hand that
sounded like 'Oh, sure!' "I'm not! Just keep quiet and--"
There was a sudden clicking noise and he felt the cold
metal of his gun at his ear. "And what?" a hard, familiar voice said. "Let
her go, and slowly turn around!"
With a small sigh, he released Emilia and raised his hands.
"Look, if you're going to kill me, just do it." He slowly turned. "And
you can tell Bly--" he started to add but stopped. Standing before
him was a mirror image of himself, which meant he must have
gone further back in time than before, and he was surprised to see
what he was wearing. "Wait a second. I never owned anything
that old!"
Jack glanced down at what he was wearing. "Hey, I'll have
you know this is the latest men's fashion!" To his surprise, his double
started to laugh.
"It was about ninety years ago! Now
everyone's trying denim on for size."
"Ninety years ago?!?! Ninety years ago
we were still wearing those damn knickers with stockings and high-heeled
shoes! Come
to think of it Croque and TJ are still wearing that stuff--"
"Hold on a minute! Are you saying this
is the early eighteen hundreds?" Jack's double suddenly asked.
"About as early as you can get! It's
just eighteen-hundred one," Jack replied.
"So, you're not me," the man gasped
and slowly lowered his hands.
"I definitely hope not. You've got the
worst taste in clothing since the Puritans!"
"Jack, now really!" Emilia frowned at
her partner. She gently took the stranger by his arm. "Maybe you'd better
sit down and tell
us who you are. Jack, we better also sit. I've got the feeling we're
in for a few more surprises."
"What? His arrival wasn't enough?" Jack
quipped. He was rewarded with a withering glare from both Emilia and his
double. Jack
chuckled uneasily and, stepping around pieces of broken tea cups and
saucers, sat down on one of the chairs.
As Brisco sat back on the bed, Emilia pulled over the
chair with the man's belongings on it. She sat down after placing them
on the floor. "Now,
why don't we start with introductions. I'm Emilia Rothschild, and the
fashion police officer over there is my attache' Jack Stiles."
"Emilia Rothschild and Jack Stiles,"
the man echoed with a nod. "Nice to meet you. I'm Brisco County Jr.," Jack's
double
introduced himself after a moment and politely took Emilia's hand and
kissed it.
"Brisco? What sort of name is that?"
Jack asked laughingly.
"My father's name," Brisco answered
seriously. "And that," he pointed to the weapon still in Jack's hand,"was
his gun."
"Oh...well, here," Jack handed the gun
to Brisco. "That's a nice piece," he added after a moment.
"It most certainly is. Why, I don't
think I've seen anything like it before," Emilia said, trying to examine
it more closely while it
still rested in Brisco's hand.
"And you won't probably for a while
yet." Brisco grinned sagely.
"But if you have one, wouldn't everybody?"
Jack asked.
"Eh.. maybe. But you see, I'm from the
future." Brisco waited a moment for their reactions.
Jack was the first to break the silence with guffawing
laughter. "Sure, you're from the future!"
"I am. Eighteen ninety-three to be exact,"
Brisco retorted.
"Hey Em, are you buying this?" Jack
asked, glancing at his partner. Emilia did not answer, her attention focused
on examining
Brisco's gunbelt and holster. "Okay," Jack said after a moment. "If
you are from the future like you say you are, then how did you
end up here?"
"Well, that's easy enough to answer,
although I doubt you know anything about it--the orb."
"The orb?" Jack and Emilia echoed.
"What the hell is the orb?" Jack asked.
"Faith, or so I've been told several
times," Brisco muttered. "I'm still not sure myself, to tell you the truth.
What I do know is that
three orbs were created. As far as I can tell from what's happened
to me, the orbs give men the strength of twelve, they heal or destroy
men, and they allow for time travel, which is how I got here. Two of
them have been destroyed and I was actually only supposed to make
a pit stop to where I was six months ago, pick up the orb there and
then return to San Francisco and stop Bly from getting the last orb and
taking over the world. And I guess I've lost you, haven't I ?" Brisco
said after a moment, seeing the gaping expressions on Jack and Emilia's
faces.
"That's impossible!" Emilia exclaimed
after a moment. "No one's discovered how to time travel!"
"Yet," Brisco amended. "You see, the
orbs now are actually from the year five thousand something--I think--and
Bly is from two thousand years
before that."
"Huh?" That was Jack.
"Look, I'm still confused about it too,
but the one thing I do know is that I need to find the orb I had and fast,
otherwise I won't be able to
get home and stop Bly!"
"We'll help you find it, Brisco. Although,
I must admit this is rather strange," Emilia said. "Now, I think the best
place to start looking would be
the Governor's."
"Gee, imagine that!" Jack feigned amazement.
"The Governor?" Brisco frowned.
"Governor Croque. Ruler of Pulau Pulau--at
least when his brother Napoleon isn't here," Jack muttered.
"Napoleon Bonaparte?" Brisco was amazed.
"This goveror must be very impressive. What? What's so funny?" Jack started
to laugh.
"You must forgive Jack, Brisco--"
" 'ello! Squawk!" Before Emilia could finish
making her apology, Jean-Claude flew through the window and landed on the
back of Emilia's chair. "I
have important news!"
"Hey JC, what's the word through the flock?"
Jack asked.
"I have just discovered that the gouvenor
has come in to possession of a very strange golden object!"
"The orb!" the three humans breathed.
"I do not know if that is what it is. I heard it
contained mystical powers!"
"We just learned what some of those may be," Jack
said. "Do you know where the Croquester is keeping it, JC?"
"Last I heard it was being delivered to the university
in care of Dr. Conner. Viva la resistance!" JC took off.
"So that was JC," Brisco mused to himself. "Seems
you were right, Emilia," he said after a moment, "Croque did have the orb."
"Yes, but if Dr. Conner has it now, it may be almost
impossible to get it back."
"Do you know this guy, Em?" Jack asked.
Emilia nodded. "Well, I've never personally met him, but the
entire science community knows of Dr. Conner. He's rather eccentric, always
having
believed in time travel, youth potions, and phenomena that the rest
of the scientific scholars tend to dismiss."
"Sounds like a couple of people I know," Brisco
commented.
"That's nice," Jack commented although Brisco and
Emilia could tell he did not mean it. "So, are you saying that we won't
be able to do anything?"
"Maybe the Daring Dragoon could," Brisco suggested.
"Yeah, he probably could.....wait just one cotton
pickin' minute! How do you know about the Dragoon?" Jack demanded.
"Well..um..I'm from the future and the adventures
of the Dragoon happen to be very popular right now--or eighteen ninety-three--in
dime novels,"
Brisco explained.
"Dime novels?"
"I'll explain later."
"Hey!"
"Jack, he's right. We've got to come up with a plan
to get the orb back."
*******************************************************************
Two days passed and still Emilia, Jack, and Brisco could not
think of anything to get the orb. Jack and Emilia had stopped by the university,
attempting
to speak to Dr. Conner or someone who might have seen or heard anything
about the orb and where it was being kept. But no one would tell them
anything. One night, they tried to sneak in to Dr. Conner's office
and lab, but the entire area was heavily guarded by several of Brogard's
men.
Jack wanted to distract them so Emilia could get in, but Dr. Conner
made an appearance and locked himself in his office for the rest of the
night.
"Looks like our plans are bust," Jack said,
"Unless of course you wanted me to--"
Emilia shook her head. "No. I don't think so. We'll get the
orb another time. Come along, Jack." The two spies walked away, heading
for home.
He was sitting with his back to the window, bent over his desk,
lost within his notes. "Two of them...could there be more?" he mumbled
to himself. Dr. Conner
sat back a moment and rubbed his eyes.
"Burning the midnight oil, are we?" a voice said
suddenly.
Conner glanced up. "Ah, Messieur Stiles. I heard that you and
Madame Rothschild had stopped by. May I help you with something before
I have you arrested
for unlawful entry?"
"First off, I'm not Mr. Stiles. The name's Brisco
County Jr. Secondly, you don't have to worry about me trespassing. I'm
not going to be here long. I just came to
tell you that I know the truth of what you found and that you don't
understand it--not as well as you think you do."
Conner raised his eyebrows. "Really? Perhaps you would care
to enlighten me?"
"I'd rather not," Brisco said after a moment. He
was looking away from Conner and did not notice him slowly open his desk
drawer and reach in.
"I think you will," Conner replied. "Let's just
say you've piqued my curiosity."
Brisco turned and saw that Conner had a pistol aimed at him.
"Shoulda seen that coming," he muttered.
"Perhaps you should have. Now, please, take a seat
and tell me who you are and what you know about the orb and I may decide
to spare your life."
Brisco nodded and sat in the chair across from the man. "Where
should I start?"
*****************************************************************
Jack and Emilia returned home to find Brisco gone. The two spies
searched the house from top to bottom, but found no sign of their guest.
"You don't suppose he went to the university,
do you?" Jack said when they had finished searching.
"I wouldn't be surprised if he did. Perhaps
he might have better luck considering..."
"Considering he knows more about the orb?
Great! That just means he'll be killed later rather than sooner."
"Jack!"
"Well, it's true!"
"Yes, but that doesn't mean we'll let it happen."
Jack sighed. "Nope, it doesn't. I'll be back in a while.
Don't wait up for me!"
******************************************************************
Brisco really hated being tied up. After he had told Conner
what he knew, the good doctor decided that Brisco was a bit too valuable
to
release. When Conner was ready to leave, he called in two of the soldiers
guarding the orb and had them tie Brisco to the chair. Brisco expected
no less of the man.
"I hope you have a pleasant night, Mr. County.
I shall return in the morning with the Governor and you can tell him what
you told me...especially
about the time traveling," Conner chuckled as he donned his coat. "Not
so talkative now? Oh well." And with that, Conner left, leaving Brisco
in his
office with the two soldiers standing guard.
Once Conner was gone, Brisco wasted no time in trying
to escape. But the soldiers who had tied the knots knew what they were
doing and Brisco could
not loosen the rope around his wrists. Defeated, Brisco tried to relax
and hoped he was right in suspecting that Jack and Emilia would be looking
for him.
"Time to be saved by the Daring Dragoon again..."
Jack wandered around the university, looking for
a way in. Unfortunately, all the windows were closed and soldiers were
standing guard at every door.
The Daring Dragoon laughed to himself. "Time to bust another window!"
Jack circled the university one more time before choosing a window on the
third floor.
It also helped that there was a tall, thick tree nearby he could use
to assist him. "Here goes nothing," he muttered once he was settled on
to a sturdy branch.
He pulled out Emilia's crossbow and tied an end of rope to the arrow
and fired it, aiming for the area just above the window he wanted to crash
through. When
he was sure that the arrow was embedded enough to support him, he tied
off the other end of the rope and then using the crossbow, he swung across
the distance
between the tree and building.
CRACK!! CLUNK!!
Brisco looked up as the Daring Dragoon came through
the window. "About time you showed up," he commented dryly as the Dragoon
got to his feet.
Jack brushed himself off. "Well, that's gratitude
for ya," he sniffed. "How 'bout I just leave you tied up?"
"You wouldn't do that,"
Brisco said knowingly.
"Yeah, unfortunately you're
right," the Dragoon relented after a moment and untied Brisco.
"Thanks," Brisco rubbed
his chafed wrists.
Jack glanced over Brisco's shoulder. "Thank me later.
We've got company!" He pushed Brisco aside as a soldier attacked.
Brisco turned and joined the fight as three more soldiers
entered the room. "Have any bright ideas?" he asked as he punched one soldier
out.
"Nope!" was the reply.
"Great!"
"What? Think you can't
handle a few french fries?"
"A few? Sure I can!
But fifty of them at once?" Brisco and the Dragoon were successful defeating
the four soldiers, but ten more rushed in to take their
place.
"Okay, time for plan
B!"
"You've got a plan
B?"
"Of course!" Jack
grabbed Brisco and shoved him towards the window. "Grab on to the rope
and get yourself across!"
"Barking up another
tree," Brisco grumbled as he held on to the rope and pulled himself towards
the tree.
Jack waited until Brisco was half-way to the tree
before following. "Cut the rope!" he heard one of the soldiers yell.
"Better move it!"
"I'm going as fast
as I can!" Brisco called back.
"Here's some friendly
advice--go faster!"
Brisco suddenly stop. "No, I've got a better idea!"
Reaching in to his pocket, he pulled out knife and started to cut the rope.
"What do you think
you're--?" Jack started.
"Hold on!" Brisco
shouted as he finished cutting.
"Doooooooiiiiiinnnnngg!!???"
Jack and Brisco dropped and then started to swing back towards the university.
They let go and fell to the ground just before
they hit the building. "Tell me the next time you're going to do that!"
"If there's a next
time!" Brisco retorted. "Come on! Let's get out of here!"
Emilia was waiting up when Jack and Brisco came in. "Thank
goodness you're all right!" she exclaimed just before she forced Brisco
to sit down and proceeded
to scold him with Jack adding his own remarks now and then.
Brisco just sat there, a small grin on his face. Just
like old times! he thought.
**************************************************************************************
"You know, I really don't like that Dr. Conner
guy!" Jack swore. He, Emilia, and Brisco were down in the lab. At first
Emilia had been hesitant to allow
Brisco to know anything of their operation, but strangely enough, he
seemed to know quite a bit about it, using future history books and more
dime novels
as an explanation. "Doesn't he have a life?"
"Jack! Of course he does! You know very well
that he's married and has a little girl!" Emilia snapped.
"I know, but why won't he leave the school
and go be with them?" Jack muttered. After rescuing Brisco, Dr. Conner
returned and, finding Brisco gone, decided
to remain in the university and protect the orb. He had been there
two days straight.
"Because he's up to something?" Brisco said.
"Du-uh! But what?"
"I'm sure we'll find out soon enough." Emilia
shook her head. The sound of a rooster crowing echoed down through the
house. "Ugh! It's morning
already!"
"Yeah. Time for breakfast!" Jack grinned,
appreciative that for once he could focus on something else and not the
orb.
"If we had anything," Emilia drawled. "It
was your turn to go grocery shopping this week and you didn't!"
"Oh..well, maybe I would have remembered if
you hadn't insisted on staking out the university all day yesterday! Besides,
you never like what I get anyway."
"Only because you wouldn't know fresh food
if it bit you on the nose!"
"Oh yeah?"
"Yes!"
"Do you guys always argue like this?" Brisco
stood. "Sheesh! No wonder it took you two so long to--" Brisco stopped.
"To what?" Jack asked.
"Nothing," Brisco sighed. "Look, bickering
isn't going to get us anywhere or fed for that matter. I suggest
that we all just take a deep breath and
calm down and then we can go out."
"All of us?" Jack asked.
"Why not? Because I unfortunately look like
you?" Brisco teased. "You can just say I'm your twin brother just in for
a short visit. I seriously doubt
that you two have told everyone on this island about your families."
Jack looked at Emilia. "I think it will be all right,"
she said after a moment. "If Conner has been at the university since the
rescue, he hasn't had the chance
to tell Brogard or Croque about him. Jack, why don't you see if you
can find something..um-er--"
"Normal for me to wear?" Brisco
supplied.
An hour later Jack, Brisco, and Emilia were at the market.
Surprisingly, no one asked them about Brisco. The people seemed to just
accept that
Jack Stiles had a twin who was visiting for a while.
"And you thought we had to worry!" Jack
laughed after a while.
"Well, it's better to be safer then
sorry, Jack," Emilia shot back as she looked over the fruit cart.
"When can we try to get the orb?" Brisco
asked, tugging at his collar.
"When we finally come up with something,"
Emilia replied.
"And if we don't?"
"Then the--"
"Help! Somebody please!" the sudden
cry from one of the islanders drew their attention to where a trio of
French soldiers were arresting a man.
His wife and child were standing nearby, the child struggling to run
to his father.
Brisco and Emilia rushed over. "I demand to know what's going
on here!" Emilia said.
"Ah, Madame Rothschiled and Messieur
Stiles," Brogard came sauntering over.
"Captain Brogard, why are you arresting
this man?" Emilia asked, not bothering to correct the captain about Brisco's
identity.
"Oh, only to draw the Daring Dragoon
out," the captain replied.
"And may I ask why?"
"Let's just say that the Gouvenor has
prepared a surprise for our masked nuisance."
"Uh-oh!" Brisco whispered.
Before Emilia could answer, the Daring Dragoon appeared. "Do
you ever get the feeling you're experiencing deja' vu all over again?"
he quipped
as he squared off with Brogard.
"Hah! This time will be different, Dragoon!
This time you will pay for your insolence!" Brogard looked passed the Dragoon.
"What are you--?" the Dragoon could
not finish his sentence as a fist came swinging out of nowhere and connected
with his jaw. The impact threw
the Dragoon off balance and he landed on his back.. Before he
could get up, he was lifted off his feet and thrown across the square and
in to a cart of baskets.
Emilia gasped and gripped Brisco's arm.
"It's Dr. Conner!"
"Yeah, and he's using the orb to defeat
Jack!" Brisco grumbled.
Emilia turned, her eyes wide. "What are we going to do?"
"You look around for the orb!
It's got to be nearby somewhere!"
"All right," Emilia agreed. "What are
you going to do?" She was talking to thin air. Brisco was gone. For a moment
Emilia scanned the crowd, hoping to find
their friend, but he had vanished. "Just find the orb," Emilia said
to herself finally.
Jack was hurting. No matter how hard
he tried, he could not get a stronghold against Dr. Conner. Now I know
what a punching bag feels like!
He felt himself being lifted once again. This time, instead of being
thrown across the square, he was thrown on to the ground, flat on his back.
Dr. Conner
towered over him. Before Jack could attempt to get to his feet, Brogard
came over and held the tip of his sword at his neck.
"Now I am feeling a sense of deja'
vu!" Brogard smirked. "And this time, there is no emperor to challenge
to a card game!" the captain added, referring
to the last time he had had the opportunity to be towering over the
Dragoon.
"I see..care to take his place?"
Jack asked.
"Nice try, Dragoon. Finally, we
will be able to see who you actually are!" Brogard reached for the mask
once again....
"But are you sure you have the
true
Dragoon?" a familiar mocking voice called.
Brogard, Conner, and the people looked up. "Mon Dieu! Impossible!"
Brogard gasped. Coming through the crowd was another Dragoon! The captain
and
Conner glanced at one another.
"You unmask this one, and I'll
take care of the other," Conner said.
"Sorry fellas, there will be no
unmasking today! Not in this light," the second Dragoon reached beneath
his cape and pulled out an unfamiliar weapon.
Before Brogard, Conner, and the people knew what was happening, there
was a loud, thundering repition as bullets hit the ground before the two
Frenchmen.
Conner and Brogard backed away, dodging the bullets and giving the
first Dragoon the chance to get to his feet.
Jack rushed over to the second Dragoon. "Thanks,
whoever you are."
"It's me--"
"Knew it all along!" Jack
said.
Brisco rolled his eyes. "Sure. Look, go find you-know-who
and look for you-know-what! It's my turn to deal with these clowns!" Brisco
drew out the sword he brought and held it forth.
"Are you sure?"
"Positive. Now, go!" Jack
nodded and disappeared, leaving Brisco to face Brogard and Conner. "Had
enough?" Brisco shouted.
"Oh no," Conner slowly came
forward. "The fun is just beginning!"
"If you say so, but I should
warn you, I've dealt with your kind before. It won't be so easy to beat
me!"
"Big talk for someone who's
never seen what I have!"
"I've seen it, don't like
it, and it's time to return it!"
"Over my dead body!"
"You know--never mind."
Brisco and Conner circled one another, searching for each other's weak
spot. Brisco made the first move, slashing at
Conner. The scientist easily dodged the attack and came up behind Brisco,
elbowing him in the back with enough force to send him stumbling in to
the
crowd. The people backed away as Brisco came towards them.
Brisco stopped himself before he plunged in to the
crowd and turned back to Dr. Conner. Before he could make another pitiful
attack, he was knocked
off his feet. Okay, so he's learned how to harness the telekinetic
power...what next? Brisco soon had his answer as Conner came over and
gripped his
collar and yanked him to his feet. Brisco had a moment of deja' vu;
it was just like the first time he had ever come in to contact with the
orb after his father's
murder and he discovered that one of the people he was working for
had tampered with it. The man had almost beat him using its powers. But
he had not
succeeded because he had underestimated the orb's powers. The man disintegrated
before Brisco's eyes.
"I see the fight has left
you!" Conner's voice jolted him back to his present situation. He was still
in the air with Conner holding on to his collar.
"Almost!" Brisco tucked
his knees and kicked out, sending both of them backwards.
"Is that the best you can
do?" Conner laughed as he got to his feet.
Brisco started to reply but then noticed something. "Probably
is, but then, you won't be able to do much more either," he pointed to
Conner's hands.
It was happening again. The power of the orb was killing
the man, making his skin wrinkle and slowly disintegrate.
"What's happening to me?!"
he cried.
"What happens when anyone
messes with something they don't understand--they get burned..or whatever!"
Conner looked at Brisco one last time before his eyes
crumbled and his entire body became nothing but dust. Brisco remained in
the square, looking at
Dr. Conner's remains. He did not see or hear everyone leave the area,
more than likely scared out of their wits.
"Hey, what happened?" Jack
and Emilia returned and found Brisco all alone.
"We won...I think. Dr. Conner's
gone," Brisco replied after a moment.
"Gone?" Emilia frowned.
Brisco nodded towards the pile of dust. Emilia and
Jack slowly approached it and looked it over. Emilia noticed something
shiny in the dust and reached
down and pulled out a gold wedding band. "I suppose Elanor will want
this," she said, tucking the ring in to one of her pockets.
"Did you two find it?" Brisco
asked suddenly.
"We did," Emilia said. "It's
in my warehouse now. We can get it when you want."
"Good. Now's as good a time
as ever!"
"Come on, then." Emilia
led the way to the warehouse where she had hidden the orb in an empty crate.
Brisco immediately took it out of the box
and held it before him.
"So, how long before you
disappear?" Jack asked after a moment.
Brisco looked the orb over. "I'm not sure. I suppose
whenever it senses that the other one has been activated...or something."
"What if nothing happens?"
Emilia asked.
"Em, that's one thing that
doesn't
happen, nothing. Something will happen...when is just the quest--oh boy!"
The orb started to glow before
Brisco finished speaking. "This is it! Take care!"
A blinding light flashed. When Emilia and Jack
could see again, Brisco and the orb were gone. The two spies looked around
and then at each other.
"Do you think he made it
home?" Jack asked.
Emilia shrugged. "I guess so. I suppose we'll
never know--hey, what's this?" Emilia spotted a folded piece of paper on
the floor and bent down to pick
it up. She opened and started to read it. "Oh my!" she gasped.
"What's that Em?" Jack tried
to read it over her shoulder. "You've got to be kidding!" he said a moment
later. He looked at Emilia. She was looking back at
him with the same confusion in her eyes. "You don't think this is real,
do you?"
"I don't know, Jack...he
did know things about us that we didn't tell him."
"History books maybe? Those
lime novels?"
"Dime novels, Jack." Emilia
read the paper again. "Well, only time will tell if this is true...but
I wouldn't hold my breath or anything."
"Really! What do you say
we go to the Pig and have a drink?"
"On you?"
"Yeah.."
************************************************************
"Madame Conner, you don't
know how sorry I was to hear of your husband's passing!" Croque was down
at the docks, seeing Dr. Conner's wife and
daughter off. After her husband's death, Elanor Conner decided it was
time for her and her daughter to return to France and then go to America
where they
had family.
"Thank you, Governor. Your
condolences are appreciated," Elanor smiled warmly.
"We shall miss you," Brogard
said.
"I shall miss being here.
I had hoped..." Elanor started but then let her voice fade. "Well, I guess
this is goodbye. Come along, dear!" She
held out her hand to her two year old daughter. Together the two boarded
the ship that would take them home.
"Such a shame! We never
did learn how to control that object's powers," Croque sighed once Elanor
and her daughter were aboard the ship.
"Yes," Brogard nodded. "And
we never did reveal the identity of either Dragoon!"
"We will one day, Brogard."
"Yes, we will."
***********************************************************
1835
Ogden is just like his grandfather, already interested
in the wonders of science. And, like my father, he is obsessed with this
thing father
called the orb. He's only a few years old..sometimes I wonder if
the object will be the death of him as it was father. Maybe not...Ogden
seems
to understand the orb, as if he was born just to care for it. He
already understands some of the notes my father made...I suppose only time
will
tell where the fascination in the orb will lead him.....
THE END
Disclaimer: No storylines of JOAT and/or The Adventures of Brisco County
Jr. were harmed during the writing of this story. Unfortunately the sanity
of the author
was:)
