Chapter III
By Cheryl
The riders along with Chancy and Dmitriv were getting ready for bed in the bunkhouse.
"That's the empty bunk there," Kid said motioning to a bunk at the far side of the room.
"You want the top or the bottom, kid?" Chancy said asking Dmitriv.
"Your choice Chance," Dmitriv replied, "Either position is fine with me."
"You are incredible," Chancy said in response with a disgusted look on her face. "Do you ever stop thinking about sex?"
Dmitriv leaned back in his chair and thought about that, then he turned his head to the side and thought about it again, then leaned forward and thought about it again. All the while the look of disgust on Chancy's face grew stronger. Finally Dmitriv answered, "No." shaking his head.
"Great, of all the officers in the fleet I had to get partnered with the walking hormone," Chancy said as she sat down on the bottom of the empty bunk.
"Ah, come on Chance, we've done this before. You ignore all the sexist remarks and I'll ignore all the cut downs. It'll be like old times." Dmitriv said as he leaned back in the chair with a grin on his face.
Chancy, who had just removed her right boot, proceeded to throw it at Dmitriv's head. It hit him squarely in the chest and almost knocked the chair backwards. "What was that for?" he exclaimed.
"Don't ever grin like that again." Chancy said.
Dmitriv started to get up from his chair like he was going to start a fight. Before he could though the Kid asked, "So you've done this sort of thing before?"
"What! Get hit by flying foot apparel. No, it's not an everyday thing. Seems to happen a lot more often when Chancy's around. Couldn't explain why?" Dmitriv answered talking more to himself than anyone else in the room.
"Hunt down one of these aliens before? Yes." Chancy said to answer Kid's question.
"When?" Lou asked.
"I don't know? A couple of months ago I guess." Chancy said.
Ike signed to Buck. "He wants to know if it was hard to do?" Buck said. Dmitriv stood up and walked over to the bunk that Chancy was sitting on. "What, you think it'd be easy? Like taking candy from a child, right?" Dmitriv said in a sing song voice. "More like pulling teeth from a rabid lion."
"So it wasn't easy?" Lou asked.
"No." Dmitriv said sternly. Turning to Chancy he asked, "So what is it Chance, top or bottom?" as he motioned to the bunk.
"You'd probably do less damage on the top," she answered. Seeing a big grin spread across his face she added, "bunk."
"It hasn't even been twenty-four hours and already I've had enough of you're crap." Chancy said her voice filled with anger. She finished removing her left boot and slammed it to the floor in front of her.
"Sorry," Dmitriv said as he sat down on the bunk beside her and he seemed to really mean what he was saying. "Look no more crap, okay." he said.
"Look, Dmitriv, I'm tired and dirty, and it's late, and …" Chancy began.
"Really, no more attitude tonight, okay." Dmitirv said in response, the edge out of his voice for the first time that day.
Taking advantage of the new mood of Dmitriv Lou asked, "So what's the future like?"
"You would probably find it marvelous." Dmitriv said looking straight at Lou. "Full of all sorts of wondrous things you wouldn't even begin to dream of."
"Really." Cody said, "Like what?"
"You couldn't begin to understand them." Dmitriv replied. Then he leaned back and removed his black shirt to reveal a muscular chest with a couple scars from what looked like bullets, and a tattoo on his upper left arm.
"What's that?" Kid asked, referring to the tattoo.
"A tattoo," Dmitriv answered as he started to remove his boots. Seeing the confused looks he added, "They squirt ink into your skin."
"Did it hurt?" Lou asked.
"I was drunk." Dmitriv said in reply.
The riders quietly continued to get undressed. Dmitriv sat in silence on the bunk that Chancy had chosen. Chancy lay down on the same bunk with her eyes closed.
"You would like the future." Dmitriv stated breaking the silence.
"Why?" Buck asked.
Dmitriv sat in silence for a while. Then he said, "A person is judged for what they do and become, not what they were born."
"Don't we do that here?" Jimmy asked.
"It doesn't matter what you are on the outside," Dmitriv continued as if he didn't even hear Jimmy's question. "What color you skin is, what religion you believe in, what country you came from, even what sex you were born, what matters is what you do, who you are as a person on the inside."
"Everyone is treated equal?" Buck asked.
Dmitriv nodded his head in response but didn't say a word. "Everyone." he said silently. He then stood up and took off his pants, his silence telling the riders that the conversation was over. The underwear he wore only went down to the middle of his thigh and was a little too form-fitting, at least for 19th century standards. The rest of the riders climbed into their beds and Buck blew out the light.
Dmitriv tapped Chancy on the leg and said, "Delany, wake up and change out of your dungarees." Chancy woke up and took off her pants to reveal two shapely legs that were bare up to where her shirt was. Even though the riders were in their beds they weren't asleep yet and all of them stretched their necks to get a better view. Chancy was too sleepy to seem to care and quickly slipped under the covers on her bed and went to sleep. Dmitriv climbed into the bunk above hers.
The next morning at breakfast the riders were all sitting at the table along with Chancy. Dmitriv had been nowhere in sight when they had all gotten up. Teaspoon walked into the bunkhouse for breakfast. Rachel set the meal on the table.
"Where is Dmitriv?" Teaspoon asked.
"Maybe he got scared and changed his mind." Kid said.
"No, his gear is still here," Chancy answered. "He's around somewhere." She paused for a minute then added. "Besides Dmitriv doesn't ever run from problems."
"Every man is scared of something," Teaspoon stated.
"Not Dmitriv," Chancy said. Then she thought for a minute and added, "Okay, maybe he is, but not the usual stuff." She smiled. "Dmitriv would stare death straight in the eyes, laugh at the devil himself, but then be too scared to kiss some sweet little girl. Funny guy."
At that moment Dmitriv threw the door open and exclaimed, "Great morning isn't it."
"If you say so," Jimmy said.
"Little early if you ask me," Cody said.
"Where have you been?" Chancy asked.
"Fixed that pistol blaster we were talking about. Saw the sun rise." He sat down at the table across from Chancy. "You know I forgot how much I missed wide open spaces." He leaned back in his chair and spread out arms, "No walls, no ceilings, just open sky for as far as the eyes can see. I always forget how much I miss that."
Chancy gave him a weird look. "What have you been smoking, and why aren't you sharing?"
Dmitriv leaned forward, "You're not agoraphobic are you ensign?"
"You didn't answer my question," Chancy said in response.
"Had a cigarette, okay." Dmitriv answered and then stared at Chancy implying that he wanted an answer to his question.
"I happen to like walls and ceilings. Doesn't make me agoraphobic." Chancy said a little too defensively.
Dmitriv turned to Cody that sat beside him and said, "Hit a nerve there." Cody smiled.
"Weren't you the one that grew up in that claustrophobic little hell hole?" Chancy asked.
"It wasn't a hell hole, it was hell," Dmitriv said. "And the tunnels were a little cramped, but once you got out to the surface there was land for as far as you could see."
"Where was that?" Cody asked.
"Siberia," Dmitriv replied. "It's part of Russia," he added when he saw the confused looks.
"It that were you're from?" Lou asked.
"Yeah," Dmitriv said.
"A place called 'hell'?" Teaspoon asked.
"It wasn't called 'hell', it just should have been called 'hell'," Dmitriv said. "See ensign, not clastrophobic, not agoraphobic …"
"Just scared to kiss little girls," Jimmy said.
"What!" Dmitriv said with surprise. He then looked at all the faces around the room. "There's something I should know isn't there?" he asked. Cody started to tell him what had been said before he entered the room. Dmitriv held up his hand like he was a cop signaling a car to stop and said, "That's okay, I don't really want to hear it."
"Why?" Jimmy asked.
"I don't feel like fighting this morning," Dmitriv replied. "Wait until after lunch."
Dmitriv got up from the table without even touching any food and began to leave the room.
"Where are you going now?" Chancy asked.
"Going to test the prototype." Dmitriv answered.
"Pistol blaster?" Chancy said.
"Yeah," Dmitriv replied and turned to leave. He then turned back around and said, "Delany, we need clothing, guns. I want some kind of six-shooter. Ask the room on their opinion of weapons. Oh! And boots."
"Boots?" Chancy asked.
"We can't very well ride in combat boots." Dmitriv replied.
"So is this my mission for the day?" Chancy asked.
"Have it done before I return," Dmitriv ordered.
"Do you want some breakfast?" Rachel asked.
Dmitriv shook his head and raised his hand to signal his answer was "no". He then turned and left the bunkhouse.
"And I thought that I'd met some weird people," Jimmy said.
"Like I told you. He's a funny guy." Chancy said. "So what kind of weapons do you guys suggest?"
After breakfast Jimmy and Cody found Dmitriv out by the barn lining cans up on a fence.
"You goin' to do some shootin'?" Jimmy asked.
Dmitriv looked up at him but didn't say a word. Then he walked to a good shooting distance from the cans. He took a funny gun from his holster on his belt and began to mess with the buttons and switches on it. The gun was made of some funny material, it was brightly colored with lots of lights and switches.
"Is that the blaster thing you were talking about?" Cody asked eyeing the weird gun with curiosity.
Dmitriv looked up at Cody and again said nothing.
"You don't wanna talk ya just have to say so," Jimmy said.
At that moment Dmitriv raised the gun up to shoot the cans. He held the gun with both hands, his arms pointed straight forward. He then shot and the first of the cans exploded with a big boom and a flash of light. Jimmy and Cody looked at the burning remains of the cans lying by the fence and gave each other a wary look.
"What kind of gun is that!?" Cody exclaimed excitedly.
"It's a blaster," Dmitriv answered as he messed with the gun's switches again.
"What kinda bullets does it use?" Cody asked.
"Doesn't use any bullets," Dmitriv stated.
"How can a gun not use bullets?" Jimmy asked.
"Uses light." Dmitriv continued. "Light's a lot more dangerous than any piece of lead, no matter how fast you hurl it out of a gun."
"Light, huh." Cody said.
Dmitriv once again aimed the gun at the cans. This time a small red dot was seen on the second can.
"That used for aim?" Cody said.
Dmitriv didn't say a word but once again fired the gun. This time there wasn't any explosion. Just a small hole burned right through the can.
"You know a good gunslinger don't need no little dot like that," Jimmy said.
"I know," Dmitriv answered. "Good for distance and shooting at night."
"If you really knew how to handle a gun, you wouldn't need somethin' like that," Jimmy said.
"I shot the first can dead on without it," Dmitriv said. "I was just checking to see how off the sight was."
Dmitriv fiddled around with the gun again.
"How do you work that kinda gun anyway?" Jimmy asked.
Dmitriv stopped messing with the blaster and looked up at Jimmy. "Can I borrow one of your holsters?" he asked Jimmy. Jimmy gave him a funny look. "Teach you everything you want to know about this gun and then some." Dmitriv said with a smile.
Jimmy nodded his head and began to take his gun belt off. He handed it to Dmitriv. Dmitriv removed Jimmy's gun from the holster and admired it for a minute. "Pretty gun," Dmitriv said and then with a fancy move he flipped the gun around until he held the barrel in his hand with the handle pointed toward Jimmy. Jimmy took the gun back from him. Dmitriv then strapped on the gun belt and slid the blaster into the holster. It fit perfectly.
"You know I always wanted to do this," Dmitriv said.
"Do what?" Cody asked.
"Pretend I was a Wild West outlaw, shooting to kill." Dmitriv said in response as he grabbed Cody's hat off his head and put in on his.
"Probably not all it's chalked up to be," Jimmy said.
"Probably not," Dmitriv agreed as he lowered the hat down over his eyes. "What was it they always used to say?" Dmitriv asked.
Both Cody and Jimmy shook their heads with confused looks.
" 'Make my day.' That was it," Dmitriv said. "Well, partner, why don't you make my day," Dmitriv said as he held his hand ready to draw his gun. Cody couldn't help laughing. "You hear me," Dmitriv said to the imaginary gunman. "I'm talking to you sucker." Cody was doubled over with laugher and Jimmy was standing beside Dmitriv chuckling himself.
About this time Kid came around the side of the barn to see what was happening. Dmitriv with deadly quick instincts turned around and drew the blaster. Kid stopped, surprised by the gun pointed at him and the quick actions of the man before him.
"Sorry about that," Dmitriv said as he flipped the blaster around his finger and then put it back in its holster. Jimmy had noticed that the lights of the blaster had been turned on when Dmitriv drew the gun. Funny or not, Dmitriv was a quick draw.
"So you what to know about this gun, huh," Dmitriv said. "Here I'll show you how to work it," He said as he began to show Cody, Jimmy and the Kid what all the switches and buttons did. By lunch they had all taken turns working and shooting the new blaster prototype and like Dmitriv had promised knew all there was to know about it.
"You boys back from playing with your new toy?" Chancy asked sarcastically as Jimmy, Cody, Kid and Dmitriv walked into the bunkhouse for lunch.
"Somebody had to try it out!" Jimmy said.
"You get the stuff?" Dmitriv asked.
Chancy motioned over to her bunk where a pile of clothes sat with a pair of boots and a gun and holster. Dmitriv nodded his head in approval.
"So did the blaster work?" Chancy asked.
"Perfect," Dmitriv said. "I'll make another one tonight so we have two." At that moment Dmitriv got a look at Chancy. She wore a pair of old boots, men's pants and an off white button down shirt. "Is that what you're wearing?" he asked.
"Yeah," she answered. "You got a problem with it?"
"I just thought that I told you to get clothes." Dmitriv said.
"Last time I looked these were clothes, kid." Chancy responded.
"I thought that I implied this morning that I wanted you to get clothing that was appropriate for the time. Last time I checked in the 19th century women wore dresses." Dmitriv said angrily.
"Nothing wrong with a women wanting to wear pants." Lou said.
"It is when we are trying to blend in and not stick out." Dmitriv said.
"I found a dress too," Chancy said. "I just don't see any reason to wear it right now."
Dmitriv accepted her answer even though he didn't really want to. He then walked over to the pile of clothes, sat down on the bunk and began to take off his boots.
"What exactly are those boots used for anyway?" Kid asked referring to the heavy combat boots.
"Stepping over dead bodies," came Dmitriv's blunt answer.
"I thought that you were in a better mood," Chancy said giving him a stern look. Dmitriv smiled back.
"You ever use them for that?" Buck said.
"Not often," Dmitriv answered. He then took off his shirt and undid his pants. He proceeded to take his pants off.
"You know kid …" Chancy began as Dmitriv turned his back to the room and removed his underwear. At about that moment Rachel and the Riders turned around to see Dmitriv's naked backside as he put on the bottom half of the long underwear from the pile.
"You always change in front of ladies?" Rachel asked disapprovingly.
Dmitriv turned around after he'd finished putting on the underwear. "I figured nobody here hadn't seen it all before," Dmitriv answered as he began to put on the pants.
"Certainly your mama raised you with better manners than that," Rachel said.
Dmitriv only started laughing. "Oh, Rachel, if you only knew," Dmitriv said as he began to button up the pale blue shirt that Chancy had gotten for him. He began to laugh again.
"What about your mother is so funny?" Lou asked.
"Nothing about my mother is, was funny," Dmitriv said. "What's funny is that she knew nothing about raising me, much less cared."
"Well not all women know how to be good mothers." Rachel said.
Dmitriv continued to laugh.
"I'm glad that you find your situation in life so hilarious." Chancy said.
"Situation?" Dmitriv said. "That's a funny way of putting it isn't it." He was still chuckling.
"Your mother was a prostitute that had no idea who your father was and you find the whole thing funny." Chancy said.
"Your mother was a prostitute!" Kid said.
Still laughing Dmitriv said, "It's not that that I find funny. What I find funny is that you people thought that I was normal." He continued to laugh, then suddenly stopped, took a deep breath and was totally serious. "You know what I could use," he said.
"A good psychiatrist." Chancy answered.
"No, a good drink," Dmitriv said.
"You better be referring to a good glass of water," Rachel said.
Seeing Dmitriv's confused look Lou added, "The company doesn't allow drinkin'."
"We haven't even had lunch yet," Chancy chimed in.
"So all of you all of you think it's a bad idea, but me. So I'll just be getting myself a drink." Dmitriv said as he got up from the table and started to walk over to his gear.
"Does the word alcoholic mean anything kid," Chancy asked.
"Your probably right on target," Dmitriv said as he walked back to the table. He put his hands on the tabletop and leaned forward so that his face was right in Chancy's. "The good question is do I really care?" he asked with anger. He then walked over to his gear took out a flask and opened it up.
"You can't drink that in here," Kid said.
"Just let him before I shoot the man," Chancy said tension in her voice.
Dmitriv to a long gulp of the alcohol in the flask, then held it up to Chancy asking without words if she wanted any. Chancy shook her head and held her hand palm facing forward to signal the answer was 'no'. Dmitriv shrugged his shoulders and put the flask back away.
At about that time Teaspoon entered the room. "So what's for lunch?" he asked. The riders began to eat lunch in silence. "What's wrong?" Teaspoon asked as he say the angry glances that Chancy and Dmitriv were giving on another.
"Dmitriv's mother was a prostitute." Cody said.
"And he's been drinkin' whiskey," Kid said.
"Remind me not to tell you guys any big secrets," Dmitriv said. Seeing Teaspoon's questioning look he added, "It was vodka, not whiskey." Chancy shot him an angry glare. "I was just getting the facts straight," he said. Teaspoons' eyes were staring at him. "Everything's fine," he said and looked across the table to Chancy the look in his eyes said he wasn't quite sure that was true.
Chancy met Dmitriv's look, then looked at Teaspoon and nodded her head to mean that everything was fine. Then without a word she looked down at her plate and finished eating her lunch. Dmitriv had quickly looked at Teaspoon and then glanced back at Chancy before his eyes concentrated on his lunch also. Seeing the whole thing Teaspoon leaned back in his chair and let out a big sigh.
"Well, I reckon I should make sure the two of you know the ins and outs of riding a horse," Teaspoon said.
"Riding a horse?" Chancy said.
"That's how they get around, you know," Dmitriv said.
"You don't use horses in the future?" Buck asked. Dmitriv shook his head.
"Then how do you get around?" Jimmy asked.
"Horse-less carriages," Dmitriv said. Chancy gave him a confused look. "Cars," he said.
"Rider coming," Rachel said. "Who's up next."
"Buck is," Lou said as Buck quickly grabbed his gear and ran out the door to take his ride.
Chancy had a confused look on her face about what all was going on. "Pony express runs mail from Missouri to California with a relay system of horses and riders," Dmitriv told her.
"Oh," she said still looking a little confused.
Noah came into the bunkhouse, brushing dirt off of himself. "Noah, I'd like to introduce you to Chancy Delany and Vladimir Dmitriv. This here's Noah Dixon." Teaspoon said. He then explained, "They'll be staying with us for awhile, while we help them out with a problem. I'm sure the boys will fill you in on everything later."
Noah sat down beside Chancy. She smiled and then leaned forward across the table to Dmitriv. "I thought that they said all the Africans were slaves." she whispered.
Dmitriv leaned forward too and whispered back, "Ever heard of a free black man?"
"But in the briefing they said that they were slaves." Chancy whispered back.
"Don't tell me you believe what they say? You shouldn't," Dmitriv said. "Didn't it ever cross your mind that some of them might be free for whatever reason."
"Oh, I'm really sorry I didn't mean to be rude," Chancy said to Noah. She then got up from the table. "Mr. Teaspoon I'll be outside doing map work. Come and get me when you want to do that whole horse thing." She said to Teaspoon then left the room. The riders were all very confused.
"She really didn't mean any offense by it," Dmitriv explained. "She just doesn't understand. She's a spacer …"
"What's a spacer?" Jimmy asked.
"A person from one of the space colonies," Dmitriv said.
"There are colonies in space!?" Cody asked.
"If there are people from them then there are probably colonies also," Dmitriv answered. "Spacers they don't see colors the whole idea of racism just flies over their heads. They can't comprehend that a white man would think that he's better than a black man and that it gives him the right to own that man as a slave."
"There are some people here that think that's wrong too," Teaspoon said,
Dmitriv nodded his head. "There probably are," he said, "But with spacers the idea is so wrong that the thought that someone would actually believe that way doesn't even occur to them." He then turned to Noah, "Look, Dixon, don't be offended. They said in the briefing that African Americans, blacks, were slaves in 1860. It was helpful. I guess Chance just didn't realize that things weren't that black and white." He paused for a second and then added. "Chancy's probably the least judgmental person you'll ever meet, especially about this subject. Hell, she'd even have your child."
Dmitriv realized what he'd just said and added, "Not that she would want to, … or wouldn't. Maybe I should re-word this." He then said, "Chancy wouldn't think it wrong at all to have a child with a man of African origin." Seeing the confused faces Dmitriv said, "Look let's drop it."
"Okay, here's a different subject," Lou said. "What's goin' on between you and Chancy?"
"Uh," Dmitriv said, "Hitting below the belt. Now is that fair Lou." Lou just stared back at him. "Oh, you wanted an answer." Dmitriv said. He then looked around the room at all the questioning eyes. "Nothing," Dmitriv said to answer Lou's question. "Not exactly … nothing," he added. "You probably know better than me, or maybe not, … no you probably do." Dmitriv sat there with a thoroughly puzzled look upon his face.
"Women are mysterious creatures aren't they son," Teaspoon asked Dmitriv.
"In some respects," Dmitriv answered.
"Sounds like you don't know all that much about women at all," Cody said laughing.
"Oh, Pretty boy, on that one I'd win, no contest," Dmitriv said.
Teaspoon got up and said, "Come on boys, our guests have some learnin' to do."
Dmitriv followed Teaspoon. Cody still sat at the table and said, "Pretty boy?"
Dmitriv tapped Cody on the shoulder on his way out of the room. "You crack me up," Dmitriv said with a laugh.
After Teaspoon and Dmitriv left Jimmy said, "Can't believe a person could've never been on a horse."
"That'd be somethin' to see," Lou said. The riders then exchanged glances and started to laugh.
"Last one there's a turkey!" Cody screamed as he ran out of the bunkhouse the rest of the riders right behind him.
To Be continued...Chapter V
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