Kill Edison

  # # #

  "Miss Rose, I must say I never had more fun getting beat at cards by a lady," Thomas Edison said.

  "Of course not," Miss Rose said, taking a swig from her flask of whiskey. "You've never met a lady like me."

  The Sun was setting as their stagecoach arrived in Colorado Springs. "I think we just arrived, my dear," he said, lighting up her cigarette.

  The stagecoach came to a halt. Travis opened the door fully dressed for twenty-first century combat, rifle in hand, night vision goggles on the nose. He might as well have been an extraterrestrial. Miss Rose leaped into Edison's lap. Edison screamed like a little girl.

  General Crook pushed Travis out of the way. "Thomas Edison! Have you taken leave of your senses?" he said. They abruptly stopped screaming, their expressions frozen in terror. "I am General Crook. We are here to protect you. Come with me."

  They rushed Miss Rose and Edison to the hotel lobby where they met up with Cory and Dexter. To say the place was heavily guarded would be an understatement.

  "Miss Rose!" Cory said. "What a relief!"

  "Who's she?" Travis asked.

  "My boss's niece," Cory replied. "Why weren't you two on the train?"

  "I felt ill," she replied, blushing. "So, I got off a stop early and spent the night at Castle Rock."

  "Yes," Edison corroborated, stammering, "and I wanted to make sure this lovely young lady traveling alone had an escort. After all, she is Durant's niece."

  "Like a fine gentleman," she said.

  "Hmm," the General hummed skeptically.

  "So, our detour required an army?" Edison asked.

  "Listen, who cares about your indiscretions?" Travis said. "Fact of the matter is, your detour saved your life. Your train was attacked and derailed by hostile Indians last night."

  "Morgan and Westinghouse are dead," Cory said.

  "We know you were lured here by a man named Lance," the General said, "and you have a business meeting with him tomorrow. It's a trap. He wants to kill you before you acquire a patent for your incandescent light bulb."

  "A competitor?" Edison asked.

  "A lunatic," the General replied.

  "My brother," Dexter interjected. "I'm sorry, Mr. Edison. Surely, with an army of this magnitude, you can see he'll be no trouble. I just want to take him back home in one piece."

  "Dexter," Travis said, "the only reason why my team reluctantly agreed to join forces with you was because we were running out of time."

  "Precisely," Dexter said. "Without me, your mission's kaput. I help you track Lance and, in return, you promise not to harm him. Lance and I are black belt martial artists. I could've handled him on my own."

  "Oh, really?" Travis said. "Except for the fact that you stick out like a sore thumb, have no survival skills, and need my protection."

  "That's enough," General Crook said. "Travis, lock this dimwit upstairs and keep him out of my sight." Travis's men took Dexter away.

  "So, what's the plan?" Edison asked.

  "We wait here for them to show up," Travis said, "then we ambush them."

  "Well, Miss Rose," Edison said, "looks like you found your adventure."