Justification For Killing (74 page)

“
It was mine,” said Lou
sheepishly.

“
What…? Where…?” The
Captain could not contain his amazement. “A peanut butter
sandwich?”

“
Yeah, I got it at the
boarding house before Bud and I left to go to Dealy Plaza. Mrs.
Rodgers made it for me.” Grinning he added, “You know as I have
always said, ‘you never know when a delicious peanut butter
sandwich might come in handy’.”

“
Well
said Lou, well said. Never thought I would have to ever say that to
you about a sandwich, but I’m glad you have it, and it
will
come in handy.” As
he was placing the inventory of items in the console drawer, his
Iphone began playing
The Stars and Stripes
Forever
– “Yes, Mike I’m here… got any
good news?”

Mike explained how
he had poured over the alien blueprints and maybe, just maybe,
there was a chance they could override the main computer on
board
Pegasus
by
placing a by-pass jumper module across the memory circuit. This
might allow the master computer to reprogram the destination back
to the Washington, D.C. and arrive on Wednesday December 7, 2012.
There was a slim chance they could return to the twenty-first
century. The drawback to Mike’s plan was the jumper module needed.
From the drawing, Mike deduced the module must be round, made of
solid gold, not fourteen-karat, not eighteen-karat, but twenty-four
karat gold. The disk had to be exactly 1-7/8 inch in diameter.
“We’re goners,” the Captain said out loud without thinking. “Sorry,
I did not mean to get so pessimistic Mike, but we have no solid
gold. We might have a ring or two, a couple of Olive’s earrings and
maybe a gold neck chain, but fourteen karat is about as good as we
have. Any ideas?”

“
Yeah, a couple Captain. I
figured you would not have the gold, so I looked up the history of
Texas. It seems that in the early part of the nineteenth century,
the Spanish had a Mission del Celina situated exactly where the
city of Celina, Texas is presently located. If you could find this
mission it is possible the Padres might have some solid gold
objects that you could use to fabricate the golden
disk.”

“
Good idea Mike,
we…”

Before allowing the
Captain to finish Mike added, “Hold on Captain, I have not given
you the bad news. You must be very careful. The priests of that era
had little luck converting the Native Americans, or Indians as they
were then called, of your area to Christianity. All the Indians
wanted to do was steal the mission’s cattle, horses and slaughter
and mutilate the inhabitants. They showed little respect to the
priests. I cannot emphasis enough the dangers Captain!! You
mentioned those fires outside
Pegasus
in the woods – watch your
step Captain that smoke may not be from peace pipes. The Internet
article said the Mission del Celina was totally wiped out in the
early part of the 1800s by a renegade band of Native Americans,
probably Comanches. Most all the settlers, including the Padre at
the Mission were murdered.”

“
Comanches,” said the
Captain, “those people are not deserving of the name ‘Native
Americans’, those savages are pure dee ole war paint wearing
Indians, the murdering, scalping, cutthroat kind of Indians. We’ll
get back with you later Mike, contact us if you find out anything
new... Thank you Mike.”

“
Wait Captain,” replied
Mike. “I have not told you ALL the information about the disc – yes
it has to be exactly 1-7/8 inches in diameter and 1/4 inches thick.
Its face must be divided into four equal sections: one section must
bear the resemblance of a man’s head; the second must be a lion;
the third represents a bull and the fourth an eagle. The dividing
line between the sections must be raised exactly 1/16 of an inch
with the dividing lines touching the outer edge at twelve o’clock,
three o’clock, six o’clock and at nine o’clock. A laser scanner is
built into the master computer that will read these symbols. The
dividing line, somehow, routs the electrical charge through the
disc in some unknown sequence of pulses that are read by the
computer. If you will notice Captain Scarburg, there is a slot on
the front of the computer console, insert the disc there when, and
if, you get one fabricated. If all goes well when you insert the
disc, you should then be able to change the gauges to the correct
GPS coordinates and the date can be changed back to
2012.”

The blood had all but
drained from the Captain’s face as he turned to his group with a
trembling voice and said, “You all heard Mike. We are between a
rock and a hard place. The only hope we have to fix this infernal
machine is with that solid gold disc.”

“
Grandpa, did anything
that Mike say make sense to you?”

“
Oh yes, I know precisely
what the disc must look like. I have seen those symbols many times
before. We can do this if we can find the gold. I’m going to try to
make my way to the Mission del Celina and see if I can find some
solid gold that we might be able to use.”

“
Count me in too Captain,”
said Rocky.

Bud, Lou and Forrest
were eager to go also, but the Captain reminded them that someone
had to say behind and protect Olive Marie. “Ah Grandpa, she will be
fine, you know
Pegasus
is going to be invisible, so no one will be able to see it,
and besides even if they found our time-machine they could not get
inside.
Pegasus
is built practically like a bank vault. Please let us go with
you? You and Rocky might need some extra help.”

“
On second thought you may
be right Forrest, you are the only one here that can speak Spanish.
That Padre at the Mission, if it is still there, probably cannot
converse in English – you can come with us and be the interpreter,
but the rest of you guys must stay here and protect Olive Marie.
And make sure Lady stays inside don’t let her out either. They
would have her barbecued over one of their fires before you would
realize she was gone. She would be only two good bites for those
murdering savages.”

For the next few
minutes, they all engaged in a strategy session. The Captain, Rocky
and Forrest would exit
Pegasus
and head east. The Captain explained that, in the
1963 world, there was a Texas Farm to Market Road Number 604 just
past that grove of mesquite trees where all the smoke was coming
from. He explained a left turn past the trees, and modern day
Celina was up that road about two miles. His reasoned the town must
have been built around the old Mission. If the Mission had not been
destroyed that is where they should find the Padre. Checking the
automatic pistol in his coat pocket the Captain, Rocky and Forrest
were ready to begin their trek to find the Mission. The last
instruction was to Bud and Lou: “Keep a sharp lookout through the
porthole and open the hatch when you see us return, and look after
your sister,” said the Captain.

SEEKING THE
MISSION

As the three neared
the hardwood, pine and mesquite trees growing close to what would
later become the Double Pond Lake Captain Scarburg could see the
smoke he earlier saw was coming from fires burning around an
encampment of Indians; although not versed in the Indian culture –
these were Comanches he supposed based on the information from
Mike. Dozens of tepees were scattered among the trees, and numerous
Indians, in buckskins, were milling about the fires sharpening
their knives, or repairing and cleaning their weapons. At the edge
of the camp dozens of Indian ponies had been hobbled… beautiful
mustangs – spotted appaloosas, paints and many were solid colored
with every variation imaginable. Quite a few had white circles
drawn around their eyes; others had white prints of their Indian
masters hands embossed on their magnificent bodies with paint. Some
even had their manes braided with eagle feathers. The animals were
handsome, with excellent feet and legs, with as much savvy as any
horses that ever lived. Height ranged from thirteen to sixteen
hands; weight appeared to be 700 to 1,000 pounds.
Even considering modern times,
thought Captain Scarburg,
those have to be the most magnificent examples of equine
flesh ever bred.

“
Shhh”, the Captain
quietly said placing his finger to his lips. He pointed to a group
of women working close to the edge of the camp engaged in what
appeared to be scraping, cleaning and tanning of buffalo hides.
Tiptoeing along the soft, pine needle, strewn ground they soon
found themselves past the band of Comanches. Quickly they hid
within the woods on the other side.

BUD, I’M THIRSTY

“
Bud, Lou do we have any
water? I’m thirsty. I have not had anything to drink since we left
the Ponderosa early this morning.”

Bud annoyingly
answered, “No Olive, we haven’t either, but it is too dangerous to
go outside
Pegasus
…”

“
Bud, please just let me
go outside, and get some snow, and we will melt that. Isn’t that a
good idea?”

“
No!
That is not a good idea.” Giving it a bit of though he replied,
“Okay, I might slip outside and get a few handfuls of snow.” He
said pressing the “
OPEN
” button on the hatch. The door hissed as it opened and the
air escaped from the inside of
Pegasus
as Bud, Lou and Olive Marie
huddled close to the opening ready to scurry down the ladder to the
ground.

The door wasn’t half open
when Bud exclaimed, “Oh no!!”

Looking at Bud with
surprise, “What? What is it Bud?”

They had been transported
back in time over two hundred and fifty years, but on that
Wednesday December the 7th in the year 1812 it HAD NOT snowed! The
ground was snow-free.

Shutting the hatch, Bud
looked at Olive Marie with disappointment, “I’m sorry Sis, maybe
Grandpa will bring some water back. They know we do not have
anything to drink. Here, Olive, take my jacket, lie down and try to
get some rest, you too Lou. Let’s all take it easy Grandpa will be
back shortly. If we could get some sleep we will forget about being
thirsty.”

MISSION DEL
CELINA

“
What do you think?”
Forrest said to his Grandpa as they lay behind the moss-covered log
at the edge of the cleared settlement gazing across to the mud
walls of Mission del Celina. The whole area in and around the
Mission was littered with dead bodies, arrows protruding from many
of them. Some exhibited hideous knife or spear wounds. Most of the
mutilated bodies appeared to have been scalped. Glowing embers of
one covered wagon could be seen smoldering and burning with its
driver lying dead, his hands still grasping the leather reins to a
team of non-existent horses. A misty ground fog enveloped the whole
area giving it an eerie, ghoulish look.

Whispering Grandpa
answered, “I don’t know Forrest, it appears everyone has been
massacred by the Indians. They have killed all the people around
the Mission.” Reaching into his coat pocket, he removed the Army
pistol, “Come, let’s slip across this clearing and see if anyone
could still be alive inside the church.”

The massive oak doors
screeched on rusty hinges as they were slowly pushed open. Captain
Scarburg motioned with his hand for Forrest and Rocky to hold back
as he slipped inside with the pistol held high in his right hand.
The interior of the Mission was dark, and the air was crisp and
cold. There was a musty smell as if one had entered a deep cavern.
A hint of burning embers hung heavily in the air. A step or two
inside Captain Scarburg could see barely into the dimness, the
church appeared empty. Turning to Forrest and Rocky he motioned for
them to enter.

The three hesitantly
walked down the center aisle of the church toward the alter at the
front. The Captain carried the automatic pistol ready to swing it
into action if the need arose. The sound of their boots echoed off
the adobe walls as they slowly, step by step, approaching the
pulpit. A glimmer of sunlight from a small window high up in the
eve of the church illuminated the rock floor in and around the holy
sanctuary. The significance of this ray of light did not go
unnoticed by the uninvited intruders.

From a hidden recess
within the shadows at the rear of the sanctuary, a rustling sound
was heard. Drawing his pistol into firing position, the Captain was
surprised when he heard the specter say, “Si, mi hijo le puedo
agudar?

“
Who is there? Show
yourself or I will shoot!”

“
Hold up Grandpa, I
believe it is the Padre. He is asking if he might help
us.”

“
Forrest, tell him to come
out into the light.”

The priest, cloaked in a
heavy brown robe bound at the middle with a simple, hemp woven
rope, slowly walked across the room to greet the three strangers.
Approaching, he kept his face hidden by the robe’s large hood.
Bowing, without looking his visitors in the eye, he made the sign
of the cross and said, “Que el Dios universal, estar
contigo.”

The Captain looking at
Forrest, “What’s he saying?”