The Legend of Indian Stream

by Steven Landry

  “I understand. You mentioned accommodations. Where will we be staying?” Margaret asked.

  “I’ll be taking you and your daughter over to the Ronald McDonald House, which is on the hospital grounds.” The deputy bent down and indicated that Margaret should push one foot forward so she could attach the device. Margaret complied and the deputy affixed the ankle monitor. It wasn’t too uncomfortable.

  “I wouldn’t want to put the McDonald’s out,” she said. “We could just stay here in the hospital. And I don’t have any money.”

  The deputy laughed and replied, “The Ronald McDonald house is a boarding house run by a great charity that provides accommodations for the families of people from outside the Republic being treated in the hospital. It’s free, including three meals a day. Do you have a coat to wear? It’s a bit cold outside.”

  “No, I packed a bag before we left Glasgow on the helicopter, but I’ve lost it somewhere,” she told the deputy.

  “No worries,” the deputy replied. “We’ll track it down, and I’m sure the folks at the Ronald McDonald House will have something you can borrow in the meantime.” She led Margaret and Helen back to the elevator, and hit the button for the ground floor.

  Stepping out of the elevator, Deputy White led the two women towards the hospital exit. She stopped at a desk near the door and was greeted by the attendant there. “Hi Agnes,” the attendant replied. “Heading over to the McDonald place, are ye?”

  “Sure are. I wonder if you’ve got a coat the girl could borrow for the walk over there? I’ll bring it right back.”

  “Of course,” the man replied. He stood up and went into a small room behind the desk to retrieve the coat.

  While he was doing that, the deputy handed Margaret her own coat, which she had been carrying under her arm. “Better put this on,” she said. “Winter hasn’t quite let go in the Republic yet.” When Margaret hesitated, she went on, “Don’t worry about me, I’m used to it. Been up here since I escaped from a plantation in Georgia six years ago.” Looking at Margaret, she asked, “You don’t own slaves, do you?”

  Margaret laughed at that. “No, we couldn’t afford them even if we wanted them. In fact we were part of the Underground Railroad for a bit, before the lynchings in Stafford County. My late husband voted against secession, but was forcibly drafted anyway. He was killed in the Battle of Fredericksburg,” she said sadly.

  Margaret hoped this wretched war would soon be over. Having seen what she had seen over the last day, she realized the Confederacy had no chance of winning, so the sooner the war ended, the better. She shrugged into the deputy’s coat, which was way too big for her. The attendant came back with another coat, and handed it to the deputy, who then helped Helen put it on. They headed towards the doors, and Margaret was astonished to see the doors slide open sideways without being touched.

  Deputy White led them outside, and Margaret was slightly shocked by how cold it was. She hadn’t noticed in the mad rush to get Joe from the Osprey into the emergency department. She jammed her hands into her coat pockets, and saw that Helen had done the same. The deputy seemed unfazed by the cold. It was well below freezing.

  The Ronald McDonald House was a three story building with lots of windows, and a very welcoming air about it, even in the early morning gloom. Another set of the amazing sliding doors opened for them as they approached, and they entered the lobby. The front desk clerk, a short woman with red hair and warm smile welcomed them. Deputy White introduced them and explained the situation regarding Joe, the family’s restriction to the hospital grounds, and the loss of their spare clothing.

  The attendant thanked the deputy, and welcomed Margaret and Helen once again. The attendant introduced herself as Mary Burns, and led them to an elevator. She explained that they would be staying in a room on the second floor, and hit the button with a 2 painted on it.

  Mary showed Margaret and Helen how to work the keycard that unlocked the door, and had them both practice several times to be sure they’d got it right. Then she brought them into the room. Margaret was taken aback by the luxury therein. There were two very large beds, at least by her standards, a couch, a table with four chairs, and two dressers. There were also nightstands on either side of both beds, with lamps on them. The room was comfortably warm, despite the absence of a fireplace. Margaret had already learned about electric lights at the MASH unit, but now Mary showed her how to work them.

  Next, Mary showed her and Helen how to work the various appliances in the bathroom, including the sink, toilet, tub, and shower. The room was well stocked with towels, soap, shampoo, and other items Margaret hadn’t seen before. Mary explained how the hairdryer worked, and took great pains to be sure Margaret and Helen understood about the dangers of mixing water and electricity.

  Back in the main room, Margaret saw that there was a large monitor like the ones she had seen at the MASH unit mounted on the wall. “Can we see Joe on that?” she asked.

  “No, I’m afraid not,” Mary replied. “That’s mainly for entertainment and information. But I can see how tired you are; how about if I come back during my next shift and explain how it works to you then?”

  Margaret quickly agreed. She was indeed dead tired, and she saw that Helen had already fallen asleep on the couch. “One last thing,” Mary said. “I need to show you the emergency exit. If the fire alarm should go off – that’s a really loud buzzing sound – do not use the elevators. Take the stairs instead.” Mary opened the door and pointed towards a door across the hallway, with a lighted sign above it saying ‘Emergency Exit’. Margaret said she understood, and thanked Mary for everything. Mary left, and Margaret got herself and Helen into bed. She slept like a stone.

  * * *

  That was five days ago. In the time since, Joe’s condition had steadily improved. The last doctor said he could be discharged within two or three days if he continued to improve. Margaret wondered what would happen then, but figured she would cross that bridge when she came to it.

  So far, they had been treated very kindly by the hospital staff. She saw neither witches nor charlatans, but rather a staff of very competent and very dedicated healers. If there was magic at St. Patrick’s, it was the good kind.

  The wonders of this place had never ceased. Her only real criticism was the scandalous manner in which the women of the Republic dressed. Even putting aside the fact that most of the women she met wore pants, something unknown in Virginia, she was shocked by just how revealing their clothing was. And it turned out that the hospital staffers were actually modest compared to the general public! She first encountered a miniskirt while she was visiting Joe. A young woman was visiting a patient in the next room. At first she assumed the woman had to be a prostitute, but gathered from the conversation that she was a special kind of student called a cheerleader in one of the Republic’s schools.

  It got worse when Mary fulfilled her promise and showed her how to work the television in her room. What clothes the women in the entertainments wore! And the shoes – how on earth do they manage to walk in those heels?

  Not every woman was dressed so inappropriately. Grace Riley was dressed very nicely in an ankle length dress of modest cut. Her mother had been similarly dressed. Margaret wondered about that.

  “Grace, dear,” she called. “Where are you from?”

  The young woman turned to her and said, “Omaha, Nebraska, ma’am.”

  “Do you have a sick relative here?”

  “My brother Austin was badly burned in a fire. He’s being treated at the hospital. They say he might be here for a long time,” she said, sadness in her voice.

  “I’m very sorry to hear that. Please wish him well for us. I’ll say a prayer for him.”

  “Thank you very much, ma’am. He sure could use them.”

  “Can I ask you how he came to be in this hospital, all the way from Nebraska?” she inquired.

  “My mother’s employer is partners in a dry goods and implements business with a man from the
Republic. Mr. Carver, that’s his name, saved us all from slavery in 1854.” Margaret recognized the name Carver. The female captain back in Glasgow had said her name was Peta Carver, and said the pilot of the helicopter was her stepsister.

  Thinking of helicopters made her look back towards the lobby doors. Mary had told her earlier that her bag of spare clothing had been found tucked under a seat on the Osprey, and that the aircraft was due to return to the Republic early this morning. The bag would be returned to her by Deputy White once it got here. She assumed the deputy would search the bag first. If so, she would be disappointed to find nothing but women’s dresses and undergarments.

  * * *

  Republic of Indian Stream, 0930 hours, Monday, April 20, 1863

  Anna drifted in her ICU bed, aware but floating in a light morphine haze. Her feet itched, which was terribly unfair. I don’t have any feet, not anymore. No ankles or knees either. Mike always thought my calves were my best feature; now they’re gone too. I guess it’s only fair. How many people like Mr. Oberlin did I cripple during my time jumps? She cried a bit, but not for long. She didn’t regret her actions. Doc Flynn had confirmed the presence of Thunder pestis in Worthington’s amputated legs – he was Patient Zero. She’d stopped the plague. She was sure of it, even if Corcoran Fallon wasn’t.

  “Mom?” It was Paul, poking his head around the partition. “Are you awake?”

  “Ja, come, bitte.” Paul looked as sad as a person can look. “How are Miriam and Allen?” she asked, in an effort to avoid talking about her missing legs.

  “Oh, Mom,” he sobbed. “How are you?”

  “I’ll be fine. The doctors were able save enough of my thighs that I’ll be able to walk with prosthetics in a few months. A small price to pay for saving the world.”

  * * *

  Republic of Indian Stream, 1015 hours, Monday, April 20, 1863

  Anna’s next visitor was Zahra Smith. “Zahra, I’m so sorry to hear about Joseph. Are you doing okay?”

  “Thank you. They told me take some time off, but I feel better working,” Zahra said. “I’m sorry about your accident.”

  “Hardly an accident, but thank you. I hope this war is over soon.” The two women talked for a while, then Zahra got up to leave, her break over.

  “Oh, I almost forgot,” Zahra said. “Do you remember Margaret Sampson? She helped you get Joseph across the Potomac a long time ago.”

  Anna thought for a moment. “Oh yes, the haberdasher’s wife. Why?”

  “Agnes White told me she’s here, at Saint Patrick’s. Her son got hurt in the same battle that Joseph died in. They flew her and her daughter up here with his body.”

  “What about her husband?” Anna asked.

  “Dead. Died fighting for the Confederates at Fredericksburg. She says he was forcibly drafted. I’m going to try to look her up after my shift. Anyway, thought you should know. I’ve got to get back to X-ray. Been busy, I’m afraid.”

  “Thanks Zahra. On your way out, could you tell the head nurse that I’d like to see Brian O’Rourke as soon as possible?” She’ll need some nurturing, but Margaret Sampson just might have a future in Intel Branch.

  54 - CORCORAN

  The Orange Turnpike, Fredericksburg, Virginia, CSA, 1000 hours, Monday, April 20, 1863

  Corcoran sat opposite Dwight in the belly of an M4 Bradley command vehicle, five hundred meters from the Confederate lines on the western side of Fredericksburg. A large white flag flew from the Bradley’s aerial. Similar flags flew from the aerials of the two M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles that composed their visible escort. The two fighting vehicles had also turned their turrets so their guns faced to the rear, to be less threatening. Less visible were the three Little Bird helicopters that hovered just over the horizon, ready to intervene at a moment’s notice.

  They waited about an hour for the first riders to emerge from behind the rebel earthworks. The delegation consisted of three riders, all carrying white flags on swords held aloft. Dwight popped the overhead hatch and both he and Corcoran stood so as to be visible to the riders. The men approached warily.

  “Good morning gentlemen,” Corcoran called. “I am Supreme Councilor Fallon of the Republic of Indian Stream. I seek parley with the Commander of the Army of Northern Virginia.”

  “I should kill you where you stand,” a soldier replied. He wore the two stars of a Confederate Lieutenant Colonel. “What you did to Richmond is unforgiveable. Thousands of innocent civilians were murdered!”

  “Colonel, we did what we did for reasons that go well beyond this war. I will explain them to General Lee, if he’ll permit me.”

  “Why should he listen to you,” the Colonel asked.

  “Because there are hundreds of cities in the South that could suffer the same fate if he doesn’t.” It was a bluff, of course. The papers in the Republic were already voicing their outrage at the atrocity in Richmond, even if they didn’t know what caused it. The citizens won’t stand for another such attack. And if Doc Flynn and Anna Carlton are right, we’ve already accomplished our main objective. But if I can convince Lee to surrender, we’ll save hundreds of thousands of lives.

  The rebel, whom Corcoran now recognized as Lee’s Chief of Staff, Walter Taylor, turned purple with rage. “You are the devil, sir.”

  “No, I’m the angel of death. But I’m willing to deal. Tell General Lee that I’ll use every bit of the Republic’s influence with President Lincoln, the U.S. Congress, and the Army to treat the south fairly. Your Great Cause is doomed, and you won’t get a better deal.”

  55 - JAKE

  Parole: the American Civil War practice of freeing captured enemy soldiers to return to their homes after pledging not to further participate in the war. ISRM forces limited this practice to enlisted soldiers, preferring to hold officers for potential prisoner exchange, although no such exchanges occurred. Glossary, An Illustrated History of the Republic, Helen O’Shea, Ed.

  Spotsylvania, Virginia, CSA, 0700 hours, Wednesday, April 22, 1863

  Mack had elected not to participate in the formal surrender of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Jake thought that was a wise decision. Task Force Javelin had relocated to Spotsylvania following the retreat of the two rebel cavalry brigades a day earlier, and Jake stood along with two dozen other ISRM soldiers watching the ceremony via a video feed from the actual surrender site, twelve kilometers north in Chancellorsville.

  Fittingly, the ISRM’s only representative at the surrender was Peta Carver. They were watching the video feed from the mast-mounted camera on her Gecko. The camera had briefly focused on General Lee’s face. The man did not look well.

  Jake was surprised at Lee’s actual presence at the ceremony, since the general himself was not technically surrendering at this time. Following the surrender of Longstreet’s First Corps and Jackson’s Second Corps, General Lee would be escorted to Richmond, where he would be allowed to pass through the defensive lines there. Lee had given his word that once he reached Major General Gustavus Smith’s headquarters, he would order Smith to surrender both his command and the cities of Richmond and Petersburg.

  Jake had no doubts that Lee would keep his word. He did have doubts about whether General Smith would obey those orders. Just in case he didn’t, Mack had prepared a contingency order for a night attack on what was left of Richmond, with the Grenadiers in the lead.

  The Grenadier company itself was located more than twenty kilometers away, guarding the six kilometers of open ground from Locust Grove to Ely’s Ford on the Rapidan River. The Dragoon regiment was on the other side of the Rapidan, guarding the fords between Ely’s Ford and the river’s confluence with the Rappahannock River. Hooker’s Union Army of the Potomac completed the ring around the Confederates.

  The surrender ceremony dragged on for hours. Jake grew bored, and asked Dwight for permission to return to his unit. Dwight assented and Jake boarded his assigned Blackhawk, a fresh replacement recently arrived from the Republic. Luke had returned
with it, sporting casts on his right wrist and his left arm, where he had sustained a nasty compound fracture.

  The Union cavalry officer had been lucky to survive the accompanying blood loss, but had insisted on returning to duty once he was patched up and the bones set. Jake was disappointed to learn that Luke had no news on Anna’s condition.

  He expected that his father-in-law would chew him out for it later, but Jake just couldn’t help ordering the pilot to buzz the surrender ceremony at two hundred knots just above treetop level. It was maybe the only time Jake ever enjoyed a helicopter flight.

  56 - PETA

  Richmond, Virginia, CSA, 1230 hours, Thursday, April 23, 1863

  Corporal Blake pulled his Gecko off the road just before it emerged from the woods into an open field north of Richmond. Peta directed the other five vehicles to take up positions at the wood line on either side of the road. Once Keefe’s Gecko was off the road, the way was clear for the line of horsemen that had been following them all the way from Chancellorsville. The cavalry squadron escorting General Robert E. Lee and the six Union officers that would accept the surrender of General Smith’s forces, as well as the cities of Richmond and Petersburg, had been riding since dawn.

  Peta ordered the team to raise their mast-mounted cameras to watch the distant ramparts, then popped the hatch and elevated her seat so she could look out the top of the vehicle. Luke, who sat in the observer’s seat, did the same. Corporal Williams was now commanding Gunny Smith’s Gecko. The other vacant spots in the Geckos had been filled by special warfare combatant crewmen from the boat team.

  The cavalry squadron had gotten the honor of this duty primarily because of Barns’ relationship with the Pathfinders, and he was riding with Peta as a liaison between the two units. Luke awkwardly saluted his commander as he rode past the Gecko, the cast preventing the proper forward flex of his hand. The cavalry troopers deployed into the field, spreading out along the wood line. Each officer carried a white flag.