The Six-Gun Solution (TimeWars 12)

There were things that went on in Hop Town that no one else in Tombstone knew about. The Chinese had a very closed community. There were a lot of them living in a relatively small space and the other residents of Tombstone tended to avoid the area. Not out of fear, but out of bigotry. They didn’t like being around them. They liked having them do their laundry, they liked having them perform menial jobs and hard labor in the mines and on the railroad, mainly because they worked cheaply, and they liked having them as cooks, so long as they didn’t cook that slop they ate themselves, but when it came to treating them as equals, that idea simply didn’t occur to anyone. They were, after all, the “heathen Chinese.” an inferior race altogether, with their own incomprehensible language, customs and beliefs. They were different and it was better if they just kept off to themselves.

The law in Tombstone did not overly concern itself with what went on down there in Hop Town. If they wanted to cook their funny-smelling food, and smoke their opium and gamble in their own establishments and chant and light their prayer sticks and have their own little internecine conflicts, so long as the trouble didn’t spill outside of Hop Town, nobody really gave a damn. After all, they had to live somewhere, didn’t they, and as long as they kept to themselves and didn’t cause any trouble and stayed out of the way, let them live any damn wa

y they pleased. So Tombstone had its own little Chinese ghetto and, for Nikola’ Drakov, that had certain advantages.

With their superstitious beliefs in magic and mysticism, instilling fear in them had been pathetically easy. Intimidating the leaders of the community had posed no problem whatsoever. In effect, he now controlled an entire section of Tombstone and because of the close-knit, segregated nature of the Chinese community, no one in town even suspected it. It had. however, involved a certain element of risk.

For a time, it had been necessary for him to be visible in Tombstone as Nathan Drake. He had tried to keep that to a minimum, but it had been necessary in order to make his preparations. He had eliminated the threat of the Observers, but he had been concerned about the Network and the Special Operations Group. The unique nature of this time sector was such that none of those groups was as yet aware of the others, except that the Network had discovered Bailey’s secret, that he was a deserter from the Temporal Corps, a member of the Underground. Bailey had become careless and he had paid the price for it. Now he was dead. The situation was starting to develop rapidly. The temporal instability was increasing and Drakov wondered how long it would take for the Network, the S.O.G. and the T.I.A. agents to realize what was going on. With luck, by the time they put it all together, it would be too late.

He turned as the women came into the room. It was an elegant study. furnished comfortably in the best Victorian style, a room above the opium parlor. All the residents of Hop Town knew about it, no one else did. They knew that this was where the powerful sorcerer lived and they treated him with utmost, groveling respect whenever they came in contact with him. Otherwise, they gave him a wide berth.

“They’re here,” said Becky. “I spent the night with one of them. His name is Finn Delaney. He asked a lot of questions.”

Drakov smiled as he drew on his long pipe. “Excellent.”

And two more strangers have just arrived in town.” said Becky. “They’ve been asking a lot of questions, too. A man and his wife. The man’s name is Priest and he’s a writer from back East. His wife’s name is Andrea and she is his assistant, Priest went out with the posse looking for the stage robbers. His wife stayed in town, going into all the stores and asking questions.”

“Lucas Priest and Andre Cross.” said Drakov. “My old enemies. They’re not even bothering to use false names. That means they’re uncertain of the situation. They have devised a cover for themselves, but they’ve kept their real names, in an effort to draw out whoever might recognize those names. Which means that they suspect the Network. They undoubtedly have reinforcements waiting to clock in whenever they give the signal. Perfect. Only we’re not quite ready for that yet. We need to keep them off-balance for just a little while longer. Mr. Stone should serve that purpose admirably. Have you been able to direct their suspicions toward him?”

“I’ve spoken to Scott about him.” said Jenny. “I’ve told him that I had been with Stone and that he was very rough with me, that there is something very strange about him, something that frightens me. And that no one really knows anything about him, who he is or where he really came from.”

“Finn Delaney asked about him, as well.” said Becky. “He already seems to suspect him. I told him that Stone spends most of his time gambling in various saloons, but that when he isn’t gambling, no one seems to know where he goes. Stone acts mysterious and secretive.”

“Good.” said Drakov.”

“Very good, indeed.”

“What about Scott Neilson?” Jenny asked, hesitantly.

“You’ve established a relationship with him.” Drakov replied. “I want you to maintain it. Keep him off-balance, emotionally. He will draw the attention of the Network while the others will be preoccupied with Stone. They will suspect that Stone is a Network man, himself. Meanwhile, Stone will bring in his fellow S.O.G. agents to move against the T.I.A.” He chuckled. “That will accelerate the instability. Things are about to become quite interesting.”

“Will it be necessary for Scott to die?” asked Jenny, softly. Becky glanced at her, puzzled.

Drakov gave her a long, appraising look. “Are you becoming emotionally involved, Jennifer?”

Jenny looked down at the floor. “I… I think I’m in love with him.”

Drakov raised his eyebrows. “Really?”

It’s what I feel when I’m with him,” Jenny replied, unable to look her master in the eyes. “He is so kind and gentle, when he touches me, he… He makes me feel something that I’ve never felt with any other man.”

“Oh, I see.” said Drakov. “That is merely lust. A purely physiological response. Men of this time period, of most time periods for that matter, are not very sensitive to women’s emotional needs, which are much more bound up with the physical than male needs are. Neilson is apparently more perceptive. I suppose he has brought you to orgasm. It was probably your first. But that is only a physical sensation. Jennifer, A biological response.”

“But… but it feels so overwhelming,” Jenny said.

“Indeed, it does.” said Drakov. “But it is most emphatically not love. I know something of how you must feel. I made the same mistake myself once, many years ago, much to my regret. You were created from human genetic material. Jennifer, and so you are subject to the same procreative urges humans are. Those feelings can be very powerful and there is no reason why you should not enjoy them at every opportunity. In fact, the more frequently you indulge them, the quicker the novelty will wear off and you will find those feelings diminishing in intensity. Because it is merely sex. Love is something else, entirely.”

“How is it different?” Jenny asked.

“It arises from shared values and mutual respect.” said Drakov. “And your values and Neilson’s could never be the same, Jennifer. You are not human. If Neilson knew that, he could never respect you. He would, in fact, be furious at having been deceived. I have told you that if he suspected your true nature, he would kill you. The only reason he treats you as he does is because he does not know what you really are. And even believing you to be human, like himself, he wishes to manipulate you, to use you to help him on his mission. If he truly loved you, he would be honest with you.”

“I had not thought of it that way.” she replied, softly, still looking at the floor. “I was afraid you would he angry with me.”

“Why should I be angry with you?” Drakov asked “Have you failed me in any way? I created you. I gave you life. And it is I who care about you, enough to tell you the truth. I have no wish to see you hurt.”

Jenny nodded and swallowed hard, torn by conflicting emotions. “Thank you. I do not wish to disappoint you.”

“You won’t. Enjoy yourself with Neilson. Indulge those feelings and you will soon find they are not nearly so profound as you suspect. He uses you. Use him in return to explore the depths of your sensations. But don’t deceive yourself with thoughts of love. Love is for humans