"Time to wake up Sadie."
Slapping herself in the face repeatedly shocked her as much as the strange scenery before her. Every single impact of her palm upon her face was barely felt. In her thoughts Sadie Outlaw had to still be dreaming. So where was her long list of dream lovers then? There was no way this could be possible, right? Time travel was only in bad sci fi movies. Those assholes at Wyndham Explorations must be testing new mind-altering drugs. That or Sadie Outlaw must have been drafted into season 5 of Westworld. Yeah, that was it. She was the new actor in her trailer waiting for her makeup artist. At least her train car had air conditioning. Will miracles never cease. Will this nightmare never cease. Possibly the same wrong turn at the mountain pass. Fucking conductor!
"This can't be happening." Sadie remained calm even though her thoughts were all over the place. Pacing the center aisle from end to end, door to door she examined the distant horizon. Sure, enough her train car was on top of a damned mesa. No tracks in the rocks, not even scuff marks from a rough landing. Footprints up here would be like stepping on to the surface of the moon. First time for everything. One hell of a leap if you were sleepwalking. "Maybe I was knocked out cold and they airlifted the car up here. It's the only explanation. Fuck it, I need fresh air."
Attempting to open the back door she still found it locked tight. She had only been in this hellhole for an hour. That Carlsbad guy said something about temporal energies still swimming outside. Even as she tried to open the door a low pitch signal sounded a very feminine "Warning". Doubling up her fist she starts to hit the window then stops. If she were out in the middle of nowhere having a broken hand would not be in her best interest. At least she had common sense under pressure.
"General Westmore?" She turns around as if calling out in hopes that he could hear her. "Carlsbad?" Still no reply. "Anybody?"
"Yes?" She suddenly hears. Before her a hologram appears of a middle-aged woman with long dark hair pinned back into a bun. Dark rimmed glasses on her face. She was wearing a pants suit that made her look important.
"Who the heck are you?"
"My name is Matilda Ford. You may call me Tilly."
"Umm! Okay, Tilly... who are you exactly?"
"I have been chosen to offer what wisdom I can in your quest."
"Quest? What quest?"
"First, to locate your ancestor Jessup Outlaw of the Texas Rangers. you have exactly one year from this date and time period before he vanishes from historical records. It appears that he has important knowledge that my superiors find valuable."
"Are you a real person?"
"In 2022, yes. I have worked for the Wyndham's since the 1990's. You and I passed in the halls of Wyndham Explorations when you came in for your interview. However, you might not recognize me, I was being pushed around in a wheelchair. My image here is a hologram which allows me to stand. I suffered from a broken spine a few years back. This is technically all of the exercise I get. I am truly sorry for the loss of your grandfather and father. Undoubtedly they were both good men."
"Let's not bring that up family or I'm going to get pissed off further. How am I talking to you when Carlsbad and Westmore lost contact with me?"
"I am not speaking from the future over a radio. I am also this time jumper's primary computer. I have been updated with every known subject concerning the old west and its citizens, landscape, customs. I will do my best to guide you in all directions needed. Also, I am a psi. Therefore, I read minds quite easily unless they wear dampening equipment to prevent my eavesdropping. My talents have been connected to you by the nanites in your cell structure. I am with you wherever you go to help guide you. You can call me Tonto if you like."
"Not the first nickname I'd go for Ms. Ford. How can you do that if I'm God knows how far away from this buggy?"
"You have nanites coursing through you, attached to every muscle, every organ, every nerve. Those act as a communicator to keep us notified of your progress even if somehow, I should mentally lose contact with you. This time jumper has a beacon that will relay our transmissions to one another. The range is state of the art. One of our prior trips into the past, our computerized surveyor fired a tiny satellite into Earth's orbit which can bounce signals to this or any other time car we send. Inevitably to you, or whomever we dispatch. You were not the first rest assured. There were however... complications. We can speak of those another time."
"Won't this shiny buggy up here on top of Mesa Turdy appear out of place to the locals? Sun is bound to reflect off of its surface."
"It is unseen only heard but unable to find. As I said, part of your injections at Wyndham was to apply a series of nanites into your bloodstream. These nanites have various functions to aid you. One of which is that onboard communicator. You can ask me a question and I may answer within your head. Only your ears may hear my reply."
"WAIT A MINUTE." I the drama of acceptance Sadie was hearing only what she wanted until it finally sank in, "You bastards shot me up with tech? Without my permission? Oh, that's a lawsuit comin' if I survive this crap." Nostrils flaring, she calmed herself, "You said various functions. What else?"
"Wyndham has studied you for many years. We know of your strengthened immunity system. We have tripled down on that. Should you be stung by a scorpion or bitten by a snake the venom will not kill you. You might find yourself ill but certainly not dead, the nanites will purge your system around the wound itself before it can course through your veins. Exterior wounds will exist should you be shot or hit from behind. Any cuts or abrasions will heal almost simultaneously, provided nothing severe has been impacted. A bullet can still kill you. The organs will heal faster but a fatal shot is just that. I am afraid you are far from immortal. Even your bones have been amplified to three times their original density. Regardless, a fall from great heights would not be wise. Any accidental breaks can be prolonged and the nanites can reconstruct certain breaks, unless like mine, my severed spinal cord was beyond their repair."
"So, I could have punched that glass back there and not broken a knuckle?"
"If you are speaking of all windows on board this jumper know that they are built to withstand great impacts. From your current drop point even a roll down the side of the butte would not rupture them, nor dent the exterior. This jumper is built to be sturdy. It can also leave you behind if we should recall it. As long as you are in our service it will be returned with fresh supplies as required."
"I'm on a butte not a mesa. That means no water unless it's from rainfall. Speaking of water. I hope you packed me some."
"Of course. A reusable tank and shower are in the northwest sleep compartment, made to look like a sleeper via hologram in case you explored the jumper. If you will look behind, you, I will make things roomier."
"Say what?" Sadie turns to witness the seats on both sides dismantle themselves. Fabric rolling up, metal retracting into itself, all hydraulically lowering to the floor or sideways into exterior wall compartments. Lowering further still, the openings are replaced by shifting compartments beneath the aisle. All of this between the jumper and the butte's rocky floor. The vessel was still safe from those temporal energies Carlsbad spoke of. "Ain't that somethin'."
"Less claustrophobic I hope."
"A start. So how long am I a prisoner here?"
"Of the jumper or of the timeline?"
"Both."
"The temporal energies should subside in a few hours. We suggest you remain within for 24 hours to be positive. A counter meter will inform you of the best exit time and unlock the doors for you. If you notice it is cool inside your jumper. The exterior is designed with solar panels that will keep your jumper powered indefinitely. A generator will sustain lighting and heat your water. However, at night should you use lighting blackout shields on the windows will conceal your occupation up there."
"Couldn't have put this rig on lower ground, could you?"
"Strategically speaking it is safer up on the butte to avoid any human curiosity that might damage it. You can also see in all directions for miles. A radar system monitors large activity in every direction to inform you of traffic below. It will only inform you of human sized trespassers or larger animals such as horses or cattle. So, no playful bunnies."
"Speaking of cattle. Does this rig make a cheeseburger?"
"A microwave is present. You have enough food storage for three months. Astronaut food mostly which is nonperishable. You are a hunter it should be easy enough to supply yourself with sustenance."
"Hold up. I've seen a few movies in my time. Wasn't it Ray Bradbury who suggested that any casualty no matter how small, like a butterfly that we step on could alter the future? What if I killed a boar and it was destined to sire 50 piggies before destiny took over? Won't I be violating the natural order?"
"Perhaps. Would you rather starve?"
"Well, no. Just trying to make sense of what you asshats are making me go through. Fine I'll kill Porky. You mentioned my ancestor Jessup. Why again am I looking for him?"
"History has offered clues to his disappearance yet nobody knows for certain where he went. It is your job to locate and tail him. It is unwise to risk communication unless it becomes unavoidably necessary. We ask that you do not let your emotions get the best of you. Telling him who you are and what you are there for is not advisable. For one he will think you are insane."
"Obviously, you didn't read my profile. I am a tad insane." She laughed. "One time in disband camp!" Her unit left her behind in Afghanistan and she still ended up extracting a number of them for a medal of valor.
"Emotions are impossible to restrain indefinitely. While it has been noted that you can be quite cold and insensitive in battle, you do know how to feel for the innocent. Did you not cry at your grandfather's funeral? Your father's? Your uncle's? When your dog Goober died when you were 7?"
"You people know about Goober? How far back have you been keeping tabs on me?"
"Since birth."
"WHAT??? You people stalked me even in the womb?"
"You are the descendent of Jessup Outlaw. Therefore, it was important to prepare you even at a young age. Your family knew much Sadie, some even part of this expedition. Do you recall going to the local Dairy Prairie for milkshakes with family?"
"Don't tell me you bastards fed me drugs in my chocolate milkshakes."
