‘Aren't you pleased to see me?’
Perhaps he was hallucinating because of the injury.
‘How, why?’ Was all he could say.
‘Why should you boys have all the fun? I got interested by hearing your stories and, well, Dr. Sprokane was only too pleased to help so I came to see for myself’
He sat up and a stab of pain shot down the side of his head. She saw him flinch:
‘Sorry about that Jimi, but you were killing everything in sight so I had to fire’
‘You shot me!’
‘Only a little bit’
‘You bitch, how’d you learn to shoot?’
‘I’m not very good - I was aiming at your heart’ She lied.
‘How long have I been here?’
‘A couple of days - we didn't know when you were gonna come out of it’
‘That murderous son of a bitch awake?’
A man’s voice boomed. It could only be Al Swearengen.
‘Be nice Al’ said Susan
‘Nice? You said he was new to gun play - not a walking killing machine. Two of my men dead and already rotting and you tell me to be nice, I oughta…’
‘Now, remember why we brought him here’
‘You brought me?’
‘ Poor Jimi, you haven’t a clue what’s really going on have you?’
‘Why don’t you tell me, calamity Susan’
She smiled and looked at Al.
‘We might as well tell him since you let her get away and our plan went with her’
‘My mother?’
‘Yes, Al here, was trying to get her to tell him where she’d hidden it but she’s one tough little lady. I said you were coming here soon so we just waited - if we had you she would tell us anything’
‘I can’t believe you used me like this’
Susan put her head to one side and sighed.
‘ OK, OK so I used you too, but what in the hell does my mother have that you all want so desperately?’
‘The Crystal Skull of Thoka’
There was a silence until Jimi began to laugh. He stopped abruptly because it provoked the pain again.
‘You can’t be serious - nobody believes in that old myth any more’
‘Your mother does - and so does Al here. Tell him Al’
‘A few years ago one of my men digging in the Black Hills found it. He brought it to me - he didn’t know what to do with it. I thought I’d put it behind the bar for decoration then one night…’ His voice trailed off.
Jimi looked at Susan.
‘One night Al was looking at it and it began to glow. The next day they found him in a trance and had to throw water on him to bring him round.’
‘What did you see?’
‘Everything’
Again there was silence.
‘What do you mean?’
‘Everything - Makossa, you, time travel, all of it. I thought I was mad until Susan came and confirmed it all. The power of knowing everything is overwhelming - like seeing the world for the first time. Then your father stole it from me. He said the goddamn Indians should have it. I must get it back’
Al’s eyes were wide and unblinking - Jimi had seen that look before.
‘Imagine it Jimi - to see the skull for real. Now that’s an adventure’ Susan enthused.
‘Is that all this means to you - an adventure?’
‘Well that’s why Makossans come here isn’t it?
‘Speaking of Makossa, are you going to tell the Programme about any of this? You know what they’ll do don’t you - send someone back to undo what I’ve done. Then you’ll never see the skull’
‘Don’t worry Jimi, I’m not gonna say anything and anyway they don’t care what happens to Earth. And I don’t think they would dare undo anything you've done - you’re half Makossan and it’s illegal to change any Makossan’s timeline’
Jimi hadn’t thought of that.
Suddenly they were interrupted
‘Boss, boss, the Sioux are coming.’
‘Calm down man - who’s coming?’
‘The Injuns, thousands of ‘em. They’ve just massacred the entire 7th Cavalry and their coming here to murder us all in our beds’
‘Nice going Jimi’ Said Miss Truly.
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