City of Atlanta

Victoria baffled at the sight of her husband.  She looked at the doctor, “Is this the kind of care and treatment, I’m to expect from you Doctor?”.  The Doctor, taken back by Victoria’s Blunt statement.  Responses with a harsh tone. “Your husbands condition is worse the anticipated. At this point to restore any sense of normality, I will need your full co-operation Miss Steels.  Independent mobility will be a miracle.  When your husband comes out of this medical induced coma.   He will have to relearn everything until he begins to remember things. If he remembers anything.”
Victoria looks at the Doctor, anger spreads across her face.  “I understand my husband’s condition, The Doctors in the medic tent explained in detail.  What I would like to know Doctor, is how my husband got lead poison and drunk on your watch!”
The Doctor, some what fed up with Miss Steels Attitude, response smuggle.  “How?  Well, after the sobbing uncontrollable he came to, acting as if he were 13 and went back to his house.  Then and alligator almost ate us! He started shooting it and we ran for it.  When he realized no one was home he climbed the side of the house and broke into the attic.  
At which point he kept sobbing and getting drunk, droning on about you until we heard the war drums coming up the road.  When he heard the war drums, he started getting ready for a fight.  He Swallowed the bullets and we set off for Leghorn’s camp.  That’s how your husband wound up with lead poison and drunk on moonshine Specifically.”
As for why It was on my watch?  My orders where to observe Texas in his natural state before any treatment was to be administered.”  The Doctor finished, expected some more attitude.  Was surprised to see a look of confusion on her face.  “The Alligator attacked him and Texas’s shot Brutus?”  “That makes no sense.  In the summer Texas use to sleep on that gators back.  That alligator is his pet.”
The Doctor making note of Victoria’s Statement, he turned to her and asks.  “Has Texas ever displayed any other form of personalities.  Dramatic shift in mood, referring to himself by different names, radical shifts in personal taste, not recognizing people he already met?”
Victoria ponders for a moment, she motions to the Doctor to help with Texas, as they carry Texas to the medic tent.  She explains to the doctor when Texas is in uniform. It almost seems like he takes on a different persona, but in truth, the rest will have to wait for a more privet setting.  Somethings come to mind, but a bit personal.  
Victoria’s head is spinning from the day’s events.  You can see it on her face the fatigue is starting to get to her.  Her eyes are dark with bags under them from no sleep.  Her hair a messy and unkept. At some point during the day, Victoria simply gave in and put it up in a ponytail.  Rather then her tight bun she usually kept it in.  Her cloths caked in mud and blood, from the battle and caring the wounded.  
The Doctor notice Victoria straighten up, her fatigued eyes hidden behind focus and determination.  She suddenly projected an area of strength about her.  Trying to be that rock for her family to lean on.  As she walked into the tent with confidences.  She asked the doctor ads in the tent to prepare her husband for travel.  She will have the carriage brought to the tent.  
She sat on Stirling’s bed in between him and Jr.    She looked at both and said.  “We’ll be moving to New York, for your father health.  He’s in bad shape and the doctor’s here need better conditions to help him.  Stirling Interjects “but father would rather be dead then in New York.”  Victoria sighs, “I know, and if he lives he can be mad at me.”  She said.  
“Now, do you wish to.”  Before Victoria has a chance to finish both boys are up in arms.  “You can’t leave me behind” Cries Jr.  “I don’t want to stay behind” Shouts Stirling.  Victoria put’s her hands up to quite the rowdy boys.  “No one is going to be left behind if they don’t want to.  I understand why you both would want to come.” Said Victoria.
It took Victoria several minuets get the boys settle down after they demanded to leave tonight her and Texas. With that Victoria turned to Basil and gave him instructions to bring the children to the Atlanta in the morning and to prepare the estate in New York.  She then heads out of the tent, to find a servant.  As she walks she becomes lost in thought.  
Her shock of Texas Jr.  still hasn’t sunken in yet.  She’s trying to rap her head around it.   Then pushes the thought aside.  No point getting worked up about it now.  The boy here and so is the girl.  She snaps out of her thought at the sit of one of her servants.  She gives her orders to have Joellen prepared to arrive tomorrow with the children she is not to be out of site by anyone.  Get some of the others to help you she’s going to be a hand full.  I’ll figure out what to do with her in New York.   Have her father arrange to go to New York as well once he can move.  With that the servant ran off.  Leaving Victoria alone in her office.  
She begins to right vigorously for she doesn’t have much time.  She is just about done her third letter, when she realizes she’s not alone.  With out even looking up.  She says, “What do you have to report on the Leghorn?”  A tall dark woman steps out the shadows her dreaded hair hanging around her face with beads and feathers randomly placed through out.  She spoke in a smooth voice. “he has a wife and two small children, that aren’t doing well.  One of the children have become sick, the boy I believe.” The dark woman said.   “The mother can’t afford the medicine for the child and it seems that death me be looming on their door.”
Victoria looked up from her writing and makes eye contact with the woman.  “Dose the General know of his son’s condition?” Asked Victoria.  “Yes mama” She replied.  Victoria looked back at her letter satisfied with it.  She folds it and stapes with her seal.   She the reaches into her draw and produces two large bags of coins she presents one to her and she said, “Good work Viper, here is your pay.”  She hands her one of the bags of coin.  Viper eyes up the other bag, then looks at Victoria.  “More work for me mama?” she said.  
Victoria nods her head.  “Yes, I have a delivery I need you to make”.  Viper raises an eye brow.  “A delivery? “she said smuggle.  “Yes, I have an associate that may help me.  If this doesn’t persuade them though, I may need your special touch, to get them to change their minds.”  Replied Victoria as she hands Viper the letters and bag of coins.  Viper smirks in understanding and despairs back into the shadows.  Leaving Victoria alone in her office once more.
She changes her clothes and heads down to the carriage, to help the Doctor with Texas into the carriage.   Once everything was loaded, they speed off down the road.   It was dark by the time they got Texas to the Hospital in Atlanta.  Texas’s is head straight into emergency.  Leaving Victoria to fill out all the paper work.  Once that’s done she spends the next few hours waiting in the waiting room.  
At round three o’clock, Victoria was finally aloud to see him, they warned her that he wouldn’t be very responsive.  She talked to him for what about an hour, before she was told to go get some sleep.  There isn’t anything more she can do for him right now and to wait to hear word from them in the morning.
Victoria Heads to the hotel, and checks in, she’s please to see she’s not alone when she gets to her room.   Once the maid leaves, Viper steps out of the shadows.  “it is done mama, the arrangements have been made I’ll will take you tomorrow, we only have a brief window mama.” whispered Viper.   “Good,” responded Victoria.  “I’ll be ready.”  With Victoria’s last word still hanging in the air.  Viper steps back into the shadows and disappears.
Victoria didn’t get much sleep, she awoke early in the morning and headed to the hospital.  She sat with Texas while she did some paper work.  She spent a lot of the morning thinking of the day before.   She thought about Texas and Joellen.  It made her blood boil think of what he did.  She was angry that she couldn’t be mad at Texas or Joellen.  That she couldn’t scream and yell at him that he was unfaithful or that he’s a stupid idiot.   That he dumped another bastard child on her.  She was angry at Kentucky for dumping a baby on her.  She was angry that one of her closes friends is dead.  She was angry at herself for not being at the house when the General arrived.   She angry that her husband is a coma and that when he comes out of it.  He is probably going to be a vegetable.  
Finally, so overwhelmed by her emotions Victoria began to sob.  She wept for her husband, for their misfortune that had fallen on their family.  She cried for a good long time.  She finally regains her composer and looked at the clock.  It was almost noon.  Victoria when to the table next to Texas bed and pored some of the water into a bowl.  She cleaned tearstained face.   Then she kissed Texas and went to meet Viper.
About quarter after, the marshal had finished the paper work.  Everything had been checked and tripled check.  All I’s have been doted and all the T’s have been crossed.  With that he handed the papers to the sheriff and he signed it on the dotted line.   “Thanks for your help” said the sheriff.  The marshal nodded his head in responds to the sheriff, before heading out the door.  The sheriff continued working at his desk when one of his deputies came running telling him to come quick.  Seems that there’s a bad fight starting in the saloon again.  The sheriff groans in dismay.  “Chuck, watch the prisoner.”  Shouted the sheriff as he grabs his gun off his desk and grumbles out the door.
Chuck looks around and checks the clock, he pulled a rolled smoke out of his pocket and steps out front to light it.  Closing the door behind him.   The General looks around and jumps, Victoria and Viper are standing right in front of him, they appeared as if out of thin air.  The General looks wide eye at them.  Victoria step in front of him.  “Well Mr. Leghorn.  We finally have a chance to meet.” Said Victoria.  She stood with such a stature it was chilling.   “Unfortunately, I have limited time, so I’ll make this quick.  I want the name of the person that told you to steal from my family Mr. Leghorn.”  
The General smirked but remained silent.  “Come now Mr. Leghorn.  I’m a reasonable person, I can understand why you would have done it.  A wife and two children that’s a lot of mouths to feed.  Not to mention your only son and heir, becoming gravely ill.”  Leghorn glared at Victoria.  “Now, now.  Mr. Leghorn.  I wouldn’t dream of harming your family.  I’m not the kind of lady to punish others, for someone else wrong doing.”  
“No, on the contrary.  I feel your family is already going to suffer more then enough, by your own hand.  From your own stupidity, now that your going to be hanged.” “Your wife will now have to figure things out on her own, while your children grow up with out a father to support them.”  The General, looked at Victoria.  “What’s your angle Mrs.?”  He said is harsh raspy voice.  Victoria smiled “I want a name Mr. Leghorn in exchange I’ll see to it that your family will be taken care of.  I’ll make sure your children receives a good education and that your wife has the help she needs to take care of some land that I can proved for them.  Most of all enough money to pay for any medical expenses.”  “So, Mr. Leghorn do we have a deal?”

It was dark and unusually cold for this time of year. The grey-black clouds lined with silver billowed in promising no end of discomfort for Jack Plisskin, but even rain could not turn his path now.

He had been feeling like a blood-hound left too long out in the cold, his nose nearly numb from trying to pick up a trail that felt as lifeless as a corpse. To make matters worse, word of two dead marshals and a train robber had spread like wild fire amid the country-side. The witness rendition did not an ounce of justice to Jack’s face, even now that he was shaved and shorn and looked at least five years younger, but lone travellers were bringing suspicious gazes from folk in the country side.

Jack was wondering if perhaps he should give up on this path and seek out the Steels in a more direct manner or maybe hire someone to find ol’ Texas for him when he caught word at long last.

You could always tell someone who works for the government. The feeling of confidence brought on by the security of life as a civil servant, even a servant who must operate in the shadows, is unmistakable. And seldom do any except the most devoted ever meet in the church this long after sun down.

Worshipper of the Lord this man was not, clothed in grey and eyes darting around every corner. Jack had caught sight of him as he entered the out skirts of Atlanta, the long shadows of dusk and the solitude of the road announcing his presence with the silence a wanted man would learn to appreciate. The parcel taken from the train still tucked firmly away in the pockets of his duster, Jack had initially planned to take it to an old friend of the family. He had half a mind to turn in at a small boarding house and seek out the acquaintance in the morning when the government man caught his eye.

His hair was neat and trim, his skin soft and nearly lily white, definitely someone accustomed to working indoors. Life out in the wilds had taken much of the awkwardness out of Jack’s stride but this man made enough noise with his foot falls to wake the dead. He had a neat little bread, all trimmed and combed. Such a man should have been at home in bed long before now, yet here he was, in a rather rough area of town, and he walked with a purpose in a suit that screamed money and eyes that were expecting trouble.

Trailing him was easy enough. The stiff gait and constantly darting gaze made hiding from him child’s play. The government man never let his eyes linger on anything so he missed Jack at every turn. He tried to take a twisting path but ending up focusing on not getting lost that Jack almost out paced him.

By the time they reached the church, the clouds let loose and the rain came pouring down. Plisskin’s mood should have soured. His bellow was empty, he hadn’t had a proper sleep in almost a week and now he was about to be cold and wet. But the government man had someone waiting for him at the foot of the steps of the church.

“Get in, Billiam, and quick!” the man waiting at the church hissed. The way he cursed at poor Billiam told Jack he was no preacher. He grimaced. Men who were supposed to serve the citizens made dark plots under the eyes of God to protect a devil who walked in the midst of those under their charge.

“And the lamb of hosts only brought out the whip for the money changers,” Jack whispered quietly to the night. As the two men disappeared in the church, like the serpent in Eden, Jack stole out from the cover of the night. The heavy doors of the church began to swing shut as the two men walked up the aisle under the watchful gaze of the holy mother and the son of God. He stuck his foot out and caught the door, slipping in unnoticed and crouching behind the pews.

“For God’s sake, can you not light something?” Billiam stammered. “I swear this chill is seeping into my bones.”

“Deal with it,” the other man snapped. “Do you have any idea what was stolen? I nearly lost my head when that package never made it to the dead drop.”

Jack grinned, thumbing the parcel in his coat pocket. Billiam sniffled and wiped his face with his hands. “Yes, yes, I know. Clementine’s orders, Dr. Freud’s reports and the court documents-”

“And some very incriminating evidence,” the other man cuts him off. “If we don’t find it before too long it won’t matter Christ’s balls what state Steel’s bastard is in. He dies, plain and simple.”

“But that’s not right,” Billiam complains. “I’m sure agent Clementine will be able to make a sound judgement on-”

“Hang what that bitch has to say and you get your head out of your ass. This is too big to leave to chance,” the other man turns away, mumbling. “I’d give fucking anything to be back home. If I find whoever took that parcel, I’ll make him wish his mother had swallowed him.”

“I don’t quiet catch your meaning, sir,” Billiam stammers.

Jack rolled his eyes. This man was more what he was expecting. A stray dog, like Jack, but one the government picked up to handle rough jobs and stay out of sight. Still, he must be getting his orders from someone important to know the contents of what Jack had hidden away.

“Leave off,” the stray growls. “Tell me everything you know about Texas Steel’s condition.”

“Rather grim I am afraid,” Billiam says slowly. “Lead poisoning and…. an alligator attack.”

“How the bloody fuck…?” the stray shakes his head, shaggy, dust caked hair cracking in the stillness of the church. “Never mind. It is Texas Steel we are dealing with. What about his physical state?”

Billiam sniffed. Poor man sounded like he was about to catch a cold. “Last I heard he had been placed in a medically induced coma. Should he wake from it, he’ll have to relearn a great deal of things…” Billiam shuffles about uncomfortable, clearly wishing that the government had gotten anyone else to do this kind of job. “Sir, it seems to be that Texas Steel’s own self destructive nature will make sure this secret never comes to light. I don’t see why we can’t just let nature take its course.”

The stray walks up to Billiam and lifts him up off the church floor by his shirt collar. “Let me explain something to you, Billy. I wasn’t paid to ‘let nature take its course.’ I wasn’t paid to take chances. I was paid to see the job done like our benefactor wants it done. And if our benefactor says we tear up the entire Steel family tree by the roots, burn it, and bury the ashes in the Colorado Canyon, then that’s what I’m going to do. And you’re going to help me do it or I’ll bury you along side Steel. Do I make myself clear?”

Billiam squirmed and stammered in the stray’s grip. “You do, sir! You do!”

“So why don’t you tell me where I can find good, mister Steel as he makes his convalesces?” He drops Billiam.

“Steel’s in the hospital here in Atlanta, the one by the river. They’ll be moving him to New York as soon as the doctor gives the word,” Billiam answers.

The stray nods and paces up and down the aisle for a few moments. New York…. Jack reflects amid the shadows of the church. Why move him there? With a shake of his head, Plisskin is already setting his mind to work trying to find something, anything from what he remembers reading to New York. Didn't the Steel’s have a manner there, a big house of some kind? Were they trying to hide Texas in plain sight?

Or was there something else planned for Texas Steel?

Jack slowly watched the movements of the stray, seeing in him the plan to make sure Texas Steel and his crimes would never see the light of day. This man was sent to burn Texas and lock away the dirty little secret that was his life. Why bother sending anyone to New York?

The stray finally stopped his pacing. “Alright, Billy. I want you to go back and let those entrusted with Texas Steel’s care know that I’ll be joining them.”

“But sir, they won’t know you from Adam.”

The stray chuckles. “Not to worry. Our benefactors filled me in on what I need to know. And by the time I’m done, Steel won’t even be a memory. Now get going and make sure they know to expect me.”

The government man nodded and quickly left the church. The stray waited a few moments, flopping down in on a pew and propping his feet up. After an hour, the stray got up and walked out of the church. It was still raining as he descended the steps. Jack followed him, closing the heavy wooden door behind him.

The stray heard the door close and stopped in the rain. “Don’t suppose, stranger, you’d be inclined to forget everything you heard in there?”

Jack Plisskin’s eyes narrowed on the stray before him as he turned. His skin was sallow and spotty, his eyes dull. Those were the eyes too used to killing people. “Could have sworn I heard you say that you weren’t paid to take chances like that.”

The stray laughed and drew his gun. A mean looking six shooter but not a colt. “I reckon that’s the case. Sorry friend, but you should have stayed in your hiding spot. Mess of trouble you got into…”

Jack spat. “Don’t talk to me of trouble. I couldn’t care less about you or your benefactors, but what Texas Steel did, what your people are trying to cover up… you belong in hell.”

The stray rolled those dead eyes of his. “And I suppose you’re going to send me there? Boy, you have no idea how this country works. I’m just doing the work other folk find a little unsavoury. I’m a just a man doing a job.”

“You’re a coward who threatens others into doing things they know to be wrong,” Jack replied coldly. “You’ll shoot men as they lay sick in their beds. And you’ll bury the truth to line your pocket with blood stained money. There’s no magnificence to your soul, no pride. I don’t know what you are, but you are not a man.”

“Are you any different?” he taunts. “You’re just a stray, like me!”

Plisskin growled. “I’m nothing like you. Even strays have pride.”

The man’s dead eyes roll back and narrow on Jack, his gun levelled. “Now why do I have the feeling that you know something about that parcel that went missing…” he steps forward. “You read what was in there. You know what it means.”

“I do,” Jack replies. “And the whole union is going to know. Texas Steel, your benefactors, you… you’ll all be brought to justice. Because you have to be.”

“You believe that?”

“I do” Jack answers calmly, evenly.

“You ready to die for that belief?” the stray asks, raising his gun.

Jack grins. “I am.”

In flash, Plisskin’s colt clears leather, sending a shot out into the night, striking the hand holding the gun to him just as a bullet comes from the gun held by the stray. Jack jerked his head back as the bullet embedded itself in the door of the church. Jack fires again, hitting the stray in the shoulder, sending him really back and the night is filled with nothing but the sound of the rain and the wind.

“Of course, that ain’t exactly the plan,” Jack tells him.

The stray began cursing as Jack stood over him. “This ain’t over, boy!” he spat. “You know who sent me? They’ll track you down and send you to hell.”

Jack nodded. “Then have the devil ready a room for me.”


By the time the stray was gone, the rain had stopped. No one ever looked for strays and no one would ever notice when they were gone. But never the less, Jack took no joy in ending his life.

As he approached the hospital, he recalled one of his favourite passages from the bible. It was a simple message, but one Plisskin often kept in mind as a reminder of the things he did, a reminder that even the death of stray meant something. If death was taken too lightly, then it became too easy. That’s how men like that stray lost their souls. They stopped caring. They lost the message of Genesis 9, verse 6.

Who so ever sheds man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed. For in the image of God made he man.