Kill Edison Read online

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  Railcars were tossed off the tracks as if they were mere toys. The stench was a stew of dead Indians and passengers and horses, of coal and metal.

  Four horsemen, two men from the present and two men from the future, formed an odd sight as they somberly toured the crime scene.

  Cory Frank, regional manager of the Union Pacific, shook his head as if the stock market had just crashed. "Durant's gonna flip," he said. He turned to Major Travis. "If you're from the future, why didn't you see this coming?"

  "Lance is re-writing history," Travis replied. "We're in terra incognita at this point."

  "Are these your Indians, General?" Dexter asked.

  "Yes," General Crook replied, massaging his beard.

  "I didn't know you had Indians on your side protecting trains," Dexter said.

  "Of course not," Travis said. "Your knowledge of these times is so deficient -- Look at your ridiculous disguise. There are no Pilgrims in Menlo Park circa 1878. Even the locals spotted you."

  "They got the Gatling gun," General Crook said.

  "What? Are you sure?" Cory asked.

  "I've fought enough Confederate rebels in my time," the General replied.

  One of Cory's Chinese employees rushed over. "Mr. Frank! Come look! I think I found them!"

  He led them to the bodies of J.P. Morgan and George Westinghouse. On their foreheads were Post-it notes with sayings like, "Biodegradable" and "Recyclable".

  "This is a catastrophe," Cory said.

  "Have you found Mr. Edison?" Travis asked.

  "No, sir," the employee said. "He's nowhere to be found."

  "Maybe he felt ill and got off at Castle Rock," Cory said.

  "General," Travis said, looking at his wormhole timer, "our wormhole opens tomorrow at noon. That will be our last opportunity. If we fail to eliminate Lance --"

  "He's my brother!" Dexter said. "Don't kill him! I'll get him back home."

  "Do you really think a psychopath will go back willingly?" Travis said.

  "Who do you think you are?" Dexter said. "You're not even bona fide military. You're a contract killer on the General Electric payroll."

  "That's enough," General Crook said. "There's only one way to respond to this. Total annihilation."

  "Mr. Frank!" said the Chinese employee. "Mr. Morgan has a letter!"

  "Let's see that," Cory said. "Looks like Lance lured them all to Colorado Springs by pretending to be a venture capitalist. They're suppose to meet at the hotel tomorrow at 10 o'clock."

  "Well, now we know where Edison's headed," Travis said.

  "Major," General Crook said, "this Lance, this rabble-rousing aberration of nature, will go back to his time or die."