Four days later he removed the bandages that Ellen changed every day and swore to leave them off. He cringed as he washed his face. Who are you, Samson? he thought as he looked in the small mirror in his room. Where do you come from? Better yet, where are you going? He held his head as he tried to remember his past. I should go to the base that Ellen says is nearby and see the doctors, but why? I’ve seen them in action and all they know is how best to amputate. He looked at his closed eye and went on with his thoughts. There’s nothing they can do about being blind in one eye so why go there? Why go back to-to, well, to what?
He was startled by a sudden scream from downstairs and threw open the door and ran to the head of the stairs. Below he saw two men dressed in civilian clothing. One was going through the breakfront and tossing silverware into a sack as the other held Ellen by the throat against the fireplace.
“All I want, sweetheart,” he said, “is a kiss.”
She screamed as Cleo ran in from the garden with a broom in her hands. She was stopped by the second man who laughed and said as he grabbed her, “Lookie here, Tom, she got a friend. Ya know, I think we might stay here a bit.”
Dave flew into the room and grabbed the man by the fireplace around his neck. He roared as the frightened man found himself tossed clear across the room. The second man froze as Dave picked him up and threw him out the door. The first man hobbled as quick as he could after his companion.
A furious Dave called after them, “If I ever see either one of you two here or in Atlanta, I’ll snap your necks.”
The three of them sat at the table as they sipped tea that Dave had made.
“I-I’m so glad that you were here, Samson,” Ellen said as she shivered.
Cleo just sat looking out the window. She sobbed so much that she spilled most of her tea. “W-What if he wasn’t here, Miss Ellen? What if Samson went back to the army? What would have happened to us?”
Ellen just shivered.
Dave shook his head slowly, “I’m not going anywhere, Cleo. I made up my mind to stay for as long as you two want me to stay.”
“Oh, Samson,” said Ellen as she looked at him with red puffy eyes, “Best you return to the army. They are probably searching all over for you.”
Still shaking his head he answered, “Naw. I’m a lowly private. They got too much to do to be looking for me. They probably think I’m dead by now. I thought it through, I’ll stay for as long as you let me.”
Both women hugged him.
DATELINE: AUGUST 10, 2015 11:28 A.M. PLACE: THE 1800 CLUB, NEW YORK CITY
". . . and finally,” Matt said, “here are the tickets for your trip and your papers ordering you to go and see how the morale of the enlisted man is progressing,” He buckled the last grip closed and stood back as the three Union officers finished their coffee.
“So,” asked Rocko Perna as he pushed back a curl of his thick black hair to put on his dress uniform blue hat, “How come I’m a lieutenant and you guys are so much higher in rank than me?”
“Someone has to carry our bags,” answered a grinning John Brand posing as a Major of the Union Army.
“The plan,” answered Bill Scott who was dressed as a Union Colonel, “is to be able to talk to anyone we wish to on a man-to-man basis . . . or as a rank-to-rank basis. If a lieutenant knows something about our missing Captain Dave McKinnon, he’ll talk quicker to another lieutenant than he will to a major or a colonel. And,” he added with a slap on Rocko’s back, “we need someone to carry the grips.”
The three time travelers laughed as they picked up their respective grips and went to the door that was held open by Matt who shrugged at their sense of humor.
At the bottom of the stairwell Bill took out his Time Frequency Modulator and after typing in his password, entered AUGUST 10, 1864, NINE A.M. He then pressed the activate button and opened the door.
DATELINE: AUGUST 10, 1864, 9:00 A.M PLACE: THE 1800 CLUB’S GARDEN, NEW YORK CITY
The three men took a carriage to the tip of New York City and caught the ferry to New Jersey. From there they climbed aboard a passenger train heading towards Washington. Although they could easily have gotten a ride on a military train there would be too many aboard who might wish to chat with them and that was the last thing the three time travelers wanted.
Alone in a very plush car they sat two facing one.
“So once again we are on a fact-finding mission to see if the moral of the average trooper is up or down,” said John as he looked at his authentic looking orders.
Bill grinned and said, “John, we’ve used that pretense over and over and it has never failed us once. Just mention that the big wigs in Washington are interested in knowing how the average trooper is doing and every officer from a lieutenant all the way up to a general will give you carte blanche.”
“Tell me, Bill,” asked John as he lit a cigar, “has anyone ever disappeared on a mission before?”
“Not that I know of.”
“But,” asked Rocko, “he completed the mission?”
“Yes. On July 22, 1864 his time, he sent me a message on his communicator stating that he stopped General Sherman from going up that hill before it was fully taken by Union troops. He asked if it was okay to stick around down there a bit so he could see the war live and I said yes.”
John shrugged his shoulders, “I can understand that. Any club member would do the same if they could.”
”Right, and I told him to keep his head down and he assured me that he would. I heard from him twice after that and then there was a week of silence. I tried to communicate with him but he never answered me. That was when I decided to go back and bring you guys along.”
“What do you do if he, well, I mean . . .” stuttered Rocko.
“If he’s dead?” answered Bill with a visible shutter, “I really don’t know. I’ll communicate with the people in the future and see if they have an answer.”
Rocko went on as he lit a cigar, “What if you tell him before he leaves that he must stay away from the place that he gets killed at?”
“If we find out how he got killed and I told him before he went on the mission to stay away from that place, I imagine he’ll become so upset and nervous that the mission might fail. Then what? What about the general? Which is worse?” He shook his head and said, “This is higher than my pay grade. I need to hear what the folks in the future have to say.”
“Is he married?” asked John.
“Nope. If that makes it any easier he has no family.”
“Phew! This is a tough one,” quipped Rocko.
It was 3:00 p.m. when they arrived in Washington and went to the large camp just outside of the train station. Bill was happily surprised at how fast the bird insignias on his shoulders cut through any red tape.
The three men were given a car to themselves with a bed for each of them. They were told that the tracks were repaired all the way to Atlanta but that delays were expected so the trip could be overnight.
At dinnertime the three time travelers entered a plush dining car that held a group of majors sitting at another table. Seeing Bill’s colonel shoulder boards the majors started to rise when Bill said, “At ease, gentlemen. Please enjoy your dinner.”
“RHIP”, muttered John just loud enough for the other two time travelers to hear. Seeing a questioning look on Rocko’s face he said, “Rank Has Its Privileges.”
They dined well on pork chops smothered in gravy, boiled potatoes, carrots and peas followed by a glass of wine, which they decided to enjoy at the open end of the rear car.
Sipping wine and smoking cigars as the train crawled down the line the three could talk freely. Seeing that they would not reach their destination before morning the three time travelers went to the sleeping car.
“Whew!” said Rocko as he looked around the sleeper, “This is as good as any hotel in mid-town Manhattan.”
Both sides of the car were completely covered with thick dark brown curtains. Bill parted one set and saw that t
hey gave privacy to an ornate wooden bed complete with an overhead gas lamp. He pressed down on the bed and then the pillow to find that they were soft. “Feathers,” he said as he pulled down the bed covers. “Hey fellows, this is plush!” He pulled off his boots, hung his uniform on a hanger at the foot of the bed, set the alarm on his pocket watch and in five minutes was resting comfortably on the bed.
“Good night, sirs,” said Rocko which was followed by laughs from his two traveling companions. As usual the train’s rocking motion helped them fall asleep.
Bill’s alarm went off at six a.m. and the three men used the two washrooms and sat for breakfast at seven sharp. Eggs, bacon, bread and butter with strong black coffee hit the spot and they finished as the other officers entered the dining car. After ‘good mornings’ all around the three went out the rear car once again and had a cigar with their coffee. The train was still going at half speed and had to stop many times to check the newly laid rails before going on.
Finally at eleven a.m. they stopped just outside of the city. All three were in shock at the destruction they saw as they left the train. Some buildings were demolished and burnt to the ground while others looked as though nothing happened in the great city. The boom of cannons in the distance told them that the battle for Atlanta was still being fought and shell holes were everywhere. They were warned to watch out, as what seemed to be just a puddle could be a deep, water-filled shell hole. There seemed to be squads of soldiers on every corner and the three time travelers were happy to be dressed as officers.
Bill stood to the side as Lieutenant Rocko Perna asked a sergeant, “Excuse me sergeant, could you direct me to Captain Merrill’s location?”
“Yes sir,” he said as he turned and pointed to a group of trees next to a burnt out house. “Right after those trees you’ll see a tent bigger than most. That’s where Captain Merrill usually is.”
Rocko returned the sergeant’s salute and went back to the other two time travelers. Before they could head towards the tent a major ran to them. He stopped short and with a snappy salute addressed Bill, “Colonel, I’m Major Divets, attached to General Sherman’s command. I heard of your arrival and I’m sure the general would want to know your reason to be here.”
After saluting, Bill responded, “Major, the information I had was that the general had moved his command post closer to the battle. As for my reason to be here it is because Washington wants me to see first-hand how the average trooper is performing. They wish me to see if the moral of the troops are up and if not, what methods I would employ to raise their moral.”
The major stammered as he said, “Sir, the troops are, well they are . . . well their moral is high indeed! General Sherman would tell you himself that he wishes them to rest whenever possible. And they are well rested and in vigorous health.”
“Do they get their mail regularly?”
“Uh, well, there are times when the mail carriage cannot go forward as the fighting is intense. But most of the time the mail gets through.”
Bill brightened the major’s day by giving him a big smile as he said, “Well, Major Divets, you have settled many of the questions that Washington had asked me to look into and when I see him I shall congratulate the general on his choice of staff officers. Right now I’m going to take a look around and hope to see you again before we leave. Now, are there a few tents for myself and my staff?”
“Yes sir.” He turned, pointed and said, “Sergeant Crisp is in that tent. He assigns tents and as most of the troops are engaged in battle I’m sure he’ll have a few empty tents for you and your men.”
With a nod Bill said, “Once again I thank you major.”
“Hope your stay here is a good one, colonel,” the major said as he turned and quickly walked back to his tent.
“Nice going, Colonel,” said John as they started to walk towards Captain Bill Merrill’s tent once again. “Tell me, how come you didn’t come here dressed as a general?”
“All the generals know each other or at least heard of each other. Colonels on the other hand are a dime a dozen.”
The flap of Captain Merrill’s tent was open and the three time travelers entered after Bill rapped on the wooden frame. Captain Bill Merrill looked up from his paperwork and in a flash snapped to attention.
“At ease, captain,” said a smiling Bill. I just want to talk with you a moment.”
Captain Merrill quickly pulled over another canvas chair and opened it. “Sir, please sit.” He saw that Rocko pulled two more of the folded chairs from a small stack and him and John took a seat.
“What can I do for you, gentlemen?”
“I’m not sure where to begin, Captain Merrill. I’m looking for a captain that I believe worked for you: Captain Dave McKinnon. Do you know of him?”
Captain Merrill looked at Bill, then at John and Rocko and said, “If I might ask, why are you looking for the captain, sir?”
Bill fidgeted as he said, “He, well he is a friend of mine and I haven’t heard from him recently.”
Captain Merrill stood and went to the front of the tent, untied the open flap and allowed it to close. He returned to his chair and said as he opened a drawer of his desk, “This is something he left behind. Do you recognize it, sir?” He handed him the hairbrush communicator.
Bill took the hairbrush, looked at the captain and asked, “He gave you this?”
“No, sir. He left it behind. I thought that some of his friends might drop in and ask of him and figured that if a true friend stopped by he would know just how precious this hairbrush was to the captain.” His dark eyebrows arched as he looked at Bill then John and Rocko and said, “Colonel, the captain and I became good friends and if you can use that instrument in the way it was designed to be used, I think I might be more useful to you.”
Bill gently pressed down on the brush and gave it a twist, which popped it open to reveal the screen and keyboard.
Captain Merrill sat wide-eyed as he whispered, “A-Are you three from the future too?
”When Captain McKinnon asked me to send him some information on you I knew that he might be bringing you in on our secret.”
Captain Merrill nodded. “He said that in order to complete his mission he had to let me in on it. He also knew that I would never reveal his secret.”
“Well to answer your question, yes, the three of us are from the future to see if we can find our comrade.”
Once again Captain Merrill whispered, “This is amazing! The future!” This is unbelievable.”
“Yes, it is,” added Bill, “and if you told anyone they would laugh you out of the military.”
“Oh, please don’t worry about me saying anything. I want to find my friend as much as you do, but even though we are still searching for him, everything points to him being dead.”
Bill cringed. “What makes you say that?”
“Myself and my men moved hundreds of pounds of brick and wood beams from where he was standing when a shell exploded. We never found anything of him.”
Bill nodded as he bit his lip, “No papers? No uniform parts or anything?”
Captain Merrill shook his head, no, and answered, “Nothing. Not a scrap of uniform or anything. However, because we are so shorthanded of medical people, the civilian population has been taking wounded men in and caring for them.”
“Even Union soldiers?”
Captain Merrill just nodded, yes.
Bill felt a deep hurt. He’d never lost a club member on a mission.
Captain Merrill picked up a map and passed it to Bill. “As I said, because the devastation has been so great in the battle for Atlanta our medical units really have their hands full with both Union and Southern wounded. Most have traveled south with the army and it has gotten to the point that many of the residents have opened their doors and taken in wounded men of both sides. This map shows all of the sections of the city that my men and I have gone into in search of the captain and other Union troopers. No luck so far. Then we have the outski
rts of the city where there are a handful of plantations that could have taken him in.”
“That’s a big task,” said Bill. Can we help?”
“Absolutely! Can you three ride?”
All nodded, yes, and he went on, “I suggest that we set you up in one of the deserted homes as a colonel sleeping in a tent would raise suspicions. There are a few that are close by. I’ll take you there myself. Meals can be had in the large tent three times a day.” He grabbed his hat, “Follow me gents and I’ll show you the house I’m thinking of.”
The house was small but intact. Before the battle the owners went south. It had three bedrooms and that was all the three time travelers needed.
After breakfast the next day, Captain Merrill rode over to their house with a few men and delivered three horses for them. He handed them a map, “This is the section that we plan to check so you can go here and here,” he said as he pointed at the map. “Good luck and see you for lunch or dinner.”
The three time travelers rode to the end of town and stopped in front of a small white home with red trim shutters and a white picket fence. The three stood for a moment and Bill said, “Well, I guess I get to check the first house, huh?”
“Like John says,” answered Rocko, “RHIP.” They grinned as Bill rolled his eyes and dismounted. He knocked on the door and when a middle-aged woman opened the it he said as he tipped his hat, “Good morning, m’am. I’m with the medical unit and wonder if you might be caring for a wounded soldier? If so we just need to get their name so when our hospital opens up we can take them off of your hands.”
Both Rocko and John watched as Bill followed her in. Ten minutes later he returned and mounted his horse. He shook his head and said as they started to trot away, “She has three wounded men, all Confederate soldiers and all pretty bad. As far as I’m concerned she is an angel.” They rode on quietly.
TimeTravel Adventures of The 1800 Club [Book 12] Page 27