Back to 1898 Where it really gets serious
"Something went wrong they want me to go down to Cuba" "What happened Son?" "The Idiots blew up The Maine!…they`re going raise it…then take it out to deep water and sink it again. The first thing we`ve got to do is check you out of here, Get all your drawings…everything while I`m gone …take them little by little to Mary Nussbaums…hide them good…you know where." At that Mars handed his Father a 5 shot .38 Caliber Bulldog… "Be real careful Son"…Mars opened his coat to reveal two 32 caliber Pearl Handled Smith and Wesson Revolvers neatly tucked under each arm in a "Shoulder Rig" …He hugged Zed and told him "Don`t worry …you know me" Yes Zed knew indeed ! Mars could take care of Himself very well. They both walked out. Cuba
"Thank you for your help with the investigation Mr. Blickensderfer …now if you will hand over your notes to Agent Toliver here". Who were these two? Mars thought. The one who had spoken was some Skinny Pasty face looking character, and his Buddy the one called Toliver was some big bushy haired Creep with a gold Tooth in front that obviously was the Skinny Guys Muscle. "It was my understanding I was to return with them to the W.D." The pasty Faced one showed him a Badge and a letter from the W.D. Stating that Mars was to hand over any and all of his findings to Adams and Toliver "Well in that case here you go…just give me a receipt and I`ll be on my way" Mars said smiling. It didn`t matter anyway because whatever he had in the report …these two already knew.
Back to Connecticut Parental Guidance Suggested
As soon as He got off the Boat and was on the Train back to Connecticut he summarized his findings and anything else out of the ordinary He remembered
Cannon mostly intact…Barrel destroyed …Firing mechanism missing…Accelorator demolished which ignited powder magazine…mounting footprint of unit totally wrong…plumbed backwards to ships main Boilers…Hull of Ship blown outwards…3 Crates of Columbia Barlock Typewriters addressed to Maine Typewriter Long Beach California for shipment to Pensacola Florida…Navy Personnel working on Ship…except for the two men handed Report to
As soon as the Train made the first stop Mars wired Gonzales informing him of the two so-called agents and explained for Gonzales to wire back with any info about their Identity "I`ll wait for an answer"… "Trains leaving in 10 minutes Sir" "Then I`ll catch the next one" Two Hours later his answer came. "Your description matches Adams but we have no Toliver…watch out …get home quick…G
It wasn`t but a few hours after Mars got home that the two Men approached the House. "Well…Well… if it isn`t Pasty Face and Dog breath" Mars said without smiling. "Mr. Mars Blickensderfer ... you`re under arrest for Espionage" By this time Zed was on the porch standing by Mars "What do you mean?" ask Zed " Don`t play dumb …the firing mechanism…and I think it would be advisable for you to come along too Old Man" said Adams "Not without a warrant and not without the local Police present" said Zed "This is all the warrant we need "… he motioned to Toliver The Big Man with the Bushy Hair started to reach under his Coat Mars could see the Butt of a Pistol…Mars calmly pulled His own Revolver and Shot the Man twice in the Chest. He fell then rolled halfway down the steps. Adams, The Pasty Faced skinny one was not in the least bit concerned at seeing his Man laying there dying. "Adams I know you`re an Agent but I also know you`re Crooked …you`re the one going to jail now" said Mars "Mr. Blickensderfer…you look like an intelligent Man, I have a report that says the Firing mechanism of the Cannon was present before you came on Board…who are the Local and Federal Authorities going to believe? After all I am as you say a Federal Agent…you are going to jail for Murder and Espionage along with your Father as an Accessory…I will see you both Hang. "Well Adams what you say may be true…But without YOU my Dads not involved …now is He"? Mars said half Smiling … at that Mars shot Adams in the forehead.
1997
"After Dad shot those two Men, he packed a couple of things and took off." I guess we`ll never know what kind of story Zed came up with…and I didn`t want to ask…I`d had just about enough…if you know what I mean? "Olie bring me that Picture. …This is my Dad … He never new his Momma She died a give`n him Life" I really liked Mattie…She had a certain rough around the edge charm…but still a Lady. "You want something to drink Bobby"…"yeah Olie…I have a feeling I`m going to need it …besides I may never be as Drunk as I am now and still be Sober " Mattie laughed so hard I thought She was going to Choke…I wasn`t trying to be funny ,I meant it ! "Dad made his way to The Arizona Territory…had a little problem near Texas with a couple of Guys tracking Him…he gave them the slip…they most likely were honest Lawmen and Dad didn`t want to hurt nobody unless he had to. "So what did he see in Cuba that he wasn`t supposed to?" "OK first of all here`s your drink…or do you want me to leave the bottle? " Olie now told me the really freaky part. The Gunnery Crew had used the right projectiles …but for the wrong Cannon. Switzer had built the Gun with a Tapered Barrel, The drawings they were provided were old obsolete ones that Zed had first designed…way before He and Levi made their fatal test. And like Mars had written the Accelorator was backwards. "Oh yeah Olie said…those Barlock Typewriters you were so worried about…they got shipped to The Maine by mistake …so they never were on Perrys Ship to fail." Yeah…Like I really cared about those now. "O.K one of you tell me more…where`s that Star Trek outfit of yours?" They both smiled at me and then each other. By this time I was up wandering around looking at all the Photos hanging and sitting around the Living Room. Mattie got up and started telling who everyone was. I saw Zed and Levi together with Mary Levis Wife and about a 10 year old Mars, Zed and Marcia, Young Mattie and Olaf on a Horse with Mars on another beside them with just a little of his Gunbelt showing ,He was big and looked to be as rough as they came back then…Kind of like one of the Bad guys in an Old Western Movie. "Like Mattie said Mars ended up in Apache Junction calling himself John Marston. After a while he wound up owning the Saloon…He sold that after a Time…then started a Horse Ranch" Mattie Joined in "After the Mine played out and the people moved away Dad bought the whole Town and the Land for a few miles around it for next to nothing…he made a good living for us …between renting the Town and Horses to the Movies." "That`s how I happened to meet Mattie…I was 18 years old and sick and tired of living poor back in Alabama…so I left home and was working my way to California…when a Fellow in Lubbock told me they were looking for Wranglers at the Marston Ranch out in Arizona. This Fellow had worked there for a while and said Marston was a Good Man and paid good …and on time. That was 1930… I Married Mattie in 32. I stayed there until 37…that`s when John…we still call him John…became ill, he pretty much knew he was dying. It was then that He sat Mattie and Me down and told us the whole story. The worst part was he knew someone had killed his father and made it look like an accident. And that they had tried it before when Levi was killed. It had ate at Him all those years…I promised I would help if it took the rest of my Life. Mars died about six weeks later. Mattie stayed for a while to take care of the Business. I came here and kissed Ass for two years then wormed my way into the job at the Vault." "How did you get all this stuff out of the vault ?" I ask. "Only some of it…Mars had everything of Zeds hidden…Mary had shipped it out little by little." "Olaf , I`m almost afraid to ask …what more did you find out?" First of all Zed had a head wound before he was electrocuted…and he was working on a Typewriter he never owned...That`s His old Remington you saw upstairs. It took me years to track things down…someone made a lot of Money off Zed and Levis patents and inventions. And when the patents were starting to run out Someone changed them a little and reapplied for new patents. That was the trail that finally lead to Gonzales…but by the time I figured all this out Gonzales had been dead 10 years." "You see with no one left…Gonzales just took everything…that`s one reason he sent Mars down to Cuba…to set him up…either his Men killed Mars while supposedly trying to escape after being Arrested or Mars killed them…either way Mars was out of the picture…then it would be a simple matter to eliminate Zed. Gonzales wanted everything not just the firing mechanism…a matter of fact he didn`t even care about that…he wanted the Cannon and the Accelorator...plus dozens of other Devices. Gonzales designed and sold harpoon guns to the Russians, Japanese and Norwegians Depth charge launchers to the Navy...and so no and so forth…all using Zeds principles and in most cases His exact designs" "And you know what the Worst thing for me was Bobby …Gonzales was already dead when I got it figured…I wanted that pleasure!" " And from what I`ve heard here today Olaf… I would have gone with you …Believe Me"
Last Week… February, 2000
After Johann and I recovered…slightly… He asked me where my Friends got the thing . " I don`t know" "Bobby… that`s the Thing they found Clutched in Zed Blickenderfers hand wedged into the works of that Electric Machine …it had been attached to his Remington. He made it so he could shift the machine with his Knee…was going to market it too from what Olaf said Zed had Patented it and everything…but got tied up with that damned Gun all those years. Who ever killed Him ripped the thing right off of his Typewriter shoved it in His hand and turned on the Juice. What your Friends have is the Murder Weapon of Zed Blickensderfer !"
Everything started to turn white and I could see little purple metallic specks glistening …then everything kind of looked like dark gray Primer…still with the little purple specks…then kind of some green coming in from the side and things got white again " Bobby…Bobby…you o.k.? I heard from in a tunnel ,but kind of like it was through a megaphone or something. "No I don`t think so"…I finally started to get a grip on myself …and found myself sitting on the floor. "You Ok ?"…. "I guess …just don`t tell me any more…no more… I`ve heard enough to last me for the rest of my life …just no more please…O.K. Johann …O.k. ? "Okay ,I don`t blame you ..I wish I didn`t know half the stuff Olaf told me too!" "Oh by the way…do you still have that Old Watch that Olaf gave you when you were a Kid ?" "Yes" I said with another sinking feeling "Look inside the back when you get home" " NOOOOoooooooooooo
A few moments with Zed and Levi 1886 "Levi… just look at it this way…even if we sold these things ourselves…at a buck fifty…they cost us thirty five cents to have made…then we have all the overhead to market …advertise…so what do we end up with seventy five cents or less. If we distribute them to a dealer…and they sell them for a buck fifty it`s the same right ? Now… how many of these things do you think we can sell … a 1000 ?…maybe… probably less. What if I showed you that we could make thousands of dollars off of this …would you be willing to listen then?"…Here`s the deal that Steam Cannon we`ve talked about …this would work out perfect for the Firing Mechanism. After we develop the Cannon…and sell it to the Government and then they pay us for the right to manufacture them and use our designs"…what do you think"? " I like it" Levi agreed…"I guess the Maimed and Incapacitated will have to figure another way to Type" "Hey Zed…yes Levi…I got one for you …It`s not another Elephant joke is it ?…no Zed …this is a Lawyer joke…Zed took a long deep breath…Ok Levi lets have it. "Why did the Chicken cross the road ?…he didn`t… he only Allegedly crossed the road…he had a good lawyer" " Levi? when was the last time I laughed at one of your jokes"? "Oh I don`t know Zed a few years ago maybe" "And why do you think that is Levi?" "Ugh…because you have no sense of Humor?" "No Levi …it`s because you tell lousy jokes" "Okay...okay…I got another one …you`ll love this one. " "Levi "? "Yes Zed" ? "Here`s what I want you to do…I want you to move down the workbench …way down… and do something constructive…work on a Bicycle or something." "Is this far enough ?"…"No Levi…further down"…"How about this Zed ? "…"No Levi further"…"is this ok Zed? "…"That`s fine Levi …now be Quiet!
The End
Thanks to my Friend Peter who is a constant inspiration for my Madness And to my Friends Rich and Chuck for being as Crazy as I am.
Robert Nelson