csyphrett

Also I picked the Preacher from Pale Rider for yesterday. CES

These are the rosters so far. Everyone should have a location and three picks so far with a fourth pick in five minutes. Check to see if I missed anything. We are picking through the weekend so Cancer (I think) can finish the draft before he loses his internet. CES Rosters Psybolt Location: Tombstone Cowboys 1 Mattie Ross (True Grit) 2 Tom Sawyer (Tom Sawyer) 3 4 5 Monster: Pennywise (It) options 1 2 3 Old Man Location: Devil's Tower Cowboys 1 2 3 4 5 Monster options 1 2 3 Pattern Ghost Location: Hell on Wheels Cowboys 1 James West (Wild Wild West) 2 Kwai Chang Caine (Kung Fu) 3 4 5 Monster options 1 Dr. Moreau 2 3 Csyphrett Location Deadwood Cowboys 1 Rowdy Yates (Rawhide) 2 The Man with No Name (A Fistful of Dollars) 3 Preacher (Pale Rider) 4 5 Monster options 1 2 3 Doc Shadow Location: Abilene, Kansas Cowboys 1 2 3 4 5 Monster options 1 2 3 Sociotard Location: Pueblo Village, New Mexico Cowboys 1 Liz (Brimstone) 2 Sam Jones/Chaa-duu-ba-its-iidan (The Missing) 3 4 5 Monster :He Who Walks Behind the Rows (Children of the Corn) options 1 2 3 Cancer Location: Fort Sumner, New Mexico Cowboys 1 Pecos Bill 2 3 4 5 Monster El Muerto options 1 2 3 Watchman Mark IV Location San Francisco, 1855 Cowboys 1 Jim Duncan (High Plains Drifter 2 The Sundance Kid (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid) 3 4 5 Monster options 1 2 3 Clnicholsusa Location Kansas City, Missouri Cowboys 1 Jess Haywood (Shakiest Gun in the West) 2 Jacob McCandles (Big Jake) 3 4 5 Monster The Grand High Witch options 1 2 3

I wish my work space was this organized CES

5 We met in a conference room at the police station the next day. Inspector Stroud demanded we be there. I wanted to skip but Constable Barhart wouldn’t leave until I left my napping spot and boarded the carriage she had parked in front of the hotel. I took a seat at the head of the conference table and settled in to nap until the meeting was over. A big black nose bumped me in my chair. I opened one eye. A head of patchy fur rested on the edge of the seat. “Cat,” said Toby. “Dog,” I said back. “Go get your own seat. I claim this one already.” “Thank you for saving my life,” said Toby. He licked me. I jumped on the top of the table. “Cut that out, or there’s going to be trouble,” I warned him. Bernard Almeins walked into the room. He paused when he saw the wide Inspector Stroud and the slimmer Constable Barhart. He sat in a chair indicated by Omes. Celeste Daniels and Dr. Karen arrived next. My mentor wore a smile as she guided the younger woman to a seat. Except for the curse mark, she looked in perfect health. “Who wants to explain what happened last night?,” Stroud asked. I knew he was on shaky ground legally. If Dr. Karen claimed jurisdiction, he might not get anything except what Toby was allowed to tell him. “May I?,” asked Omes. He stood at the other end of the table in his customary white shirt and pants. His bowler was on the table. His coat was laid over the chair at that end of the table. He had left his gauntlet and emergency bag hidden under a floorboard in our room. “Please proceed, Omes.” Stroud gestured for him to go ahead with one hand. “Two weeks ago, Cedric Daniels discovered his copper strike emerging from the Bend,” said Omes. “He created a summoning circle at the entrance where he wanted the mine dug. He summoned Wart to dig out the mine and place the summoning circle inside away from people who might see him working.” “He paid for this with his daughter’s memories of her romance,” said Omes. “Mr. Almeins, do you have the pictures and letters?” “Yes,” said Almeins. He reached into the breast pocket of his jacket. He pulled out a packet. He put that on the table. A loose picture on the top of the packet came to life to show our client with Miss Daniels. “What did Daniels hope to accomplish?,” asked Stroud. Miss Daniels picked up the picture by the edges. A tear glittered at the corner of her eye. “I believe he was building a bigger circle to summon a more powerful demon at the back of the mine,” said Omes. “The half finished circle I found was made of copper. Probably the same copper that his first demon was mining for him.” “He was going to give me to that demon,” said Miss Daniels. “I can’t believe it. I watched him agree to terms for fifty pounds of copper.” “Mr. Almeins didn’t know this,” Omes said. “He had been carrying on a courtship with Miss Daniels. He had missed talking to her for two days, and when he finally did talk to her, he was rebuffed. Miss Daniels said she didn’t remember him, and we know this to be true because of the curse mark she bears at the moment.” “I examined her at my office, and Dr. Witsend did a cursory scan at the mine before things went into the pot,” said Dr. Karen. “Those memories aren’t coming back. Wart took everything he could.” Stroud frowned, and nodded. Summoners liked to use someone else’s blood and flesh to get what they wanted. “Mr. Almeins hired me to find out what had happened to Miss Daniels,” said Omes, taking up the narrative again. “Dr. Witsend and I came up on the train that night, instead of waiting. Constable Barhart and Toby gave us a ride to the Daniels’ residence. Seeing no one was there, we agreed to come back to town and check in to the hotel.” “So how did you four get into trouble at the mine and almost get killed?,” Stroud asked. His mustache bristled as he regarded Omes. “I took a nap and realized the copper mine was the key in my sleep,” said Omes. “I woke up and left the room. I got a ride with one of the local farmers and he let me off at the entrance road to the Daniels mine.” “I followed him after reporting his leaving the hotel,” said Toby. He lay in a pile of patchy fur by my former chair. “I called Dr. Karen for assistance and we followed Toby,” I said. I rubbed my ear with a paw. “I used another entrance into the mine to get in without using the front opening,” said Omes. “We used the front entrance and ran into traces of the Daniels,” I said. “And Mr. Daniels was bargaining with the demon Wart,” said Toby. “Something had to be done at that point.” “And what have your heroics got us, Constable Toby?,” asked Stroud. He turned a piercing glare on his canine copper. “Oh, Billy Lee,” said Dr. Karen. She shook her head. “Constable Toby helped save the country, if not the world. If Daniels had succeeded with building his larger summoning circle, he might have been able to call up a leviathan. He might have used the Bend to break the Upper Qiloth off from the rest of the country. Can you imagine what would have happened to the civilians here if that had happened?” “Mass hysteria,” I said. “Dogs and cats living together. Venomous snakes falling from the sky. The usual.” Toby coughed into his chest. It sounded like a laugh to me. “So I should give Toby a medal?,” asked Stroud. Dr. Karen looked around the conference room. Everyone but me nodded. I rubbed my ear. “I’ll think about it,” said Stroud. “So how do we clean up this mess?” “The Army is pulling up the second summoning circle,” Dr. Karen reported. “Mrs. Daniels is gone for the moment. She might be all right as long as she is frozen. Mr. Daniels is facing a military tribune which I expect will find him guilty and hand down an appropriate sentence.” “And my life is ruined,” said Miss Daniels. “I’ll never get back what I had. I had a future with someone I loved, but now I can’t even remember his name.” Mr. Almeins looked down. His hands clenched together on the table top. “You have a chance to fix that,” said Omes. “It will be up to you. Witsend says your memory is perfect except for the area that was destroyed. You could make new memories.” She looked at him. Tears covered her cheeks. Almeins pulled out a handkerchief and handed it over. She dabbed at her face with it. “And even if you and Mr. Almeins can’t work this out,” said Omes. “You’re alive to try. What would have happened if Wart had taken you would have been worse than a loss of memories.” “It’s a second chance, dear,” said Dr. Karen. “It could be anyway.” “Would you like to go out with me?,” asked Mr. Almeins. “I’m sorry this happened to your family, but I do love you, and I always will.” “I need time to think about that,” said Miss Daniels. “We’ll let you sort that out,” said Stroud. “Come along, folks. I want to know what happens to Daniels, Karen.” “I’ll send over a report, Billy Lee,” said Dr. Karen. “It’ll be full of pictures so you can follow things.” Billy Lee humphed into his mustache as they left. It looked like a porcupine. “Good job, you two,” said Barhart. “And you didn’t break any major laws. Come on, Toby. I’ll get you a hero steak.” Toby stood and shook his patchy fur out. He was better now than last night when I patched him on the fly. Dr. Karen probably smoothed things out for him with her vaster experience. He stood on his back legs, using his front legs to brace his heavy body. Sparkling eyes peeked from the hanging bangs that covered his face. He gave me a dog’s grin. “Thanks for saving my life,” Toby said. He pawed my head before dropping down to the floor. “Cat.” He followed Barhart from the room. “Dog.” I reached up and smoothed my fur back down with a paw. “I think you should read the letters, Miss Daniels,” said Omes. He pulled on his coat. “That might give you more information to base your decisions on. Come along, Mr. Almeins. There’s nothing more that we can do here.” “I’m sorry about this, Cel,” said Almeins. He stood. “I’ll be waiting for you to call.” Omes picked up his bowler and led our client out of the room with a hand on his arm. Miss Daniels looked at me sitting on the table. I looked back at her, rubbing my ear with my paw. “Should I try again with Mr. Almeins?,” she asked after a minute of staring at each other. “What do you want to do?,” I asked back. “I don’t know,” Miss Daniels declared. “My world has turned upside down, and I don’t know how to right it.” “Why don’t you open the packet and see what it has,” I suggested with a tail twitch. “That might be a good first step.” “Why?,” she asked. She looked down at the picture in her hands. “Because it is better than returning to the family residence and being alone except for servants that you can’t trust now because you don’t how many knew what your father was doing,” I said. “And I said so.” “You have a very high opinion of yourself,” said Miss Daniels. “It comes with the territory,” I said. “I’m right here. Whatever is in those letters and pictures can’t be any worse than what you have already faced. I’ll stand by so you have someone to lean on. I promise.” “Thank you,” said Miss Daniels. She opened the leather folder and pulled everything out on the table. She slowly went through the pictures, lighting them up with her touch. Smiles and tears alternated as she placed each picture on a pile after looking at them. She went through the letters next. The smiles came faster here. She folded the papers and put them back in their envelopes when she was done. “I was so happy,” she said. “What do you want to do?,” I asked. “I think I want to talk to Mr. Almeins and try at least one engagement,” she said. “Maybe we could start again.” “It will be a little more work,” I said. “You’ll have to be ready for that.” “What would you do?,” Miss Daniels asked. “If someone took your memory of your friend, would you try to be his friend again?” “Yes,” I said. “I think I am ready to try.” Miss Daniels stood. She put the letters and pictures in their holder. “Shall we?” I hopped off the table and walked to the door. I waited for her to catch up so she could open the door for me to let me out. She smiled as we went in search for her lost love.

4 I wondered what Omes thought he was doing. His gauntlet wouldn’t work on a demon. Neither would my life sense that I used to cure patients. And neither one of us could physically hurt a demon with tooth and claw. Toby threw himself at the demon. I jumped off his back as he flew across the space. He hit the demon in the back and bore him to the ground. Blue fire shot from his eyes as he ripped at the otherworldly creature. The thing shrugged him off. He landed on his feet, fur smoking some as he reoriented to attack again. “Have one of these!,” shouted Omes. He threw a white block at the demon. A clawed hand snatched it out of the air. The block blew up, taking the hand with it. Despite our dire circumstances, pride washed over me. He had prepared a block of exploding salt to carry into battle. It wasn’t enough to stop the demon cold, but it was enough to cause it pain. The roar it emitted shook the cavern around us. Toby went for a leg this time. He yanked at the spindly limb, pulling on it to keep the monster from kicking with the other leg. A spark of fire threw the dog back against the wall. “None of you will leave this shaft alive,” said the demon. It raised the stump on the end of its right arm. A hand built itself out of the wrist. “I already have my orders.” “You may kill us, but that will be the end of the deal with the Daniels,” said Omes. “What are you going to do now that they are frozen in time? You’ll be stuck inside your circle until someone else comes along with the right command words. You won’t be able to do anything but sit here for eternity.” “But you’ll still be dead,” said the demon. “That will make me happy for as long as I am stuck here in this cold place. Eventually someone will come along that will help me wake up the Daniels. Then our scheme will be back on track.” “You don’t really think that, do you?,” asked Omes. “If you wait too long, as soon as the petrification is taken off, your masters will turn to dust.” “Then I’ll make a bargain with someone else,” said the demon. “You can’t talk your way out of this.” “You would think so,” said Dr. Karen. She approached from behind me. I wished she had run. The demon would have to kill the three of us before it could track her down. She might be able to call in Army exorcists to finish the job we started. She held up a hand about chest high. A flat image stood on her palm. The demon paused when he saw what she was holding. “It’s you,” said the image. “I can’t believe it. How’s it going, Wart?” “Duquesne?,” said the demon, Wart. “You have got to be kidding me. Why are you still dogging me? Haven’t I paid enough for what I did?” “Always dramatic, bro,” said Duquesne. “That’s what I like about you. You bring the drama fast and thick. Why don’t you tell the Dukester what’s up.” Omes and I were exchanging glances that mostly said how did we get into this mess, and how did we get out of it? Omes pointed at the frozen people on the ground. He gestured for me to help him. I looked at him for a second and ran to where the Daniels was frozen in time. He ran over from his hiding place, hand in his bag. He looked at the two supernatural forces and Dr. Karen with a trace of concern. I really wanted him to be a little more afraid of what was going on. “I’ll tell you what’s up, Duquesne,” said Wart. “I’m going to kill these meddlers since they’re on my turf, and if you get in my way, I will crush you flatter than a penny.” “That’s a serious threat, Wart,” said the tiny image. “I don’t think you have the stones to back it up.” “We need to get these two out of here,” said Omes. “I have a plan.” “Neither one of us can carry them,” I said. “We need Toby.” I hurried across to where Toby lay. I did a quick scan. He was in shock with serious burns across his body. We didn’t have time to stabilize him and get him to a hospital so he could recover in comfort. I was going to have to do some field work while the two forces threatened each other. The first thing I did was cut off his pain receptors. The damage was still there, but it didn’t hurt any more. Then I massaged his shock until it was gone. The next thing I did was encourage the burns on his body to heal at an accelerated rate. The burned flesh scabbed over and fell away. The normal pus and other fluids that would be present did their job and his body stopped making them as new flesh grew over the rotting and decaying old flesh. I tweaked his coat enough to let fur grow back where it had been burned away but the last thing on my mind to worry about was some bald patches. “Cat?,” he said. He sounded weak. “Dog,” I said. I poured some adrenaline in him to get him started. “We need you to get off your lazy butt and help us.” “All right,” said Toby. He stood on all fours and shook his body. “What do you need?” “Come along with me,” I said. I lead the way to where Omes stood guard over the Daniels. The two supernatural forces were still trash talking each other. Neither wanted to make the first move. That would leave them open to a counter move. “Can you carry these two, Toby?,” asked Omes. “Yes,” said Toby. He picked up Mr. Daniels by his neck. Omes struggled but he managed to get Mrs. Daniels on Toby’s back. He held her in place. “Head over to that tunnel,” said Omes. “Don’t stop until we get out of sight of those two.” Toby carried the couple to the tunnel effortlessly. Omes had to hold Mrs. Daniels in place the whole trip. We walked down to a bend in the tunnel and Toby dropped Mr. Daniels. Omes went to the bend in the tunnel so he could look back at the big chamber. He shook his head. “I don’t know if they are going to start fighting, but Dr. Karen has bought us some time,” said Omes. “Witsend, I’m going to need you to mesmerize Mr. Daniels. Then you are going to have to make him say a dismissal of the demon.” “I understand,” I said. I instantly saw the plan. It was desperate, but it might work as long as Wart didn’t realize I was pulling the strings. “All right,” said Omes. “I’m going to unfreeze him on the count of three.” He pointed his gauntlet at the frozen summoner. He counted down. When he hit one, he unfroze the target. “Go to sleep,” I said. Daniels snored a little on the tunnel floor. “Can you hear me, Mr. Daniels?,” I asked. His brain was in the upper edges, not plunging into dream land. “Yes,” said Mr. Daniels. “The demon is not living up to its end of the bargain,” I said. “You need to dismiss it. You need to say the words until it can hear you.” He nodded. “I want you to follow me, and say the dismissal words,” I said. I led the way back down the tunnel to the huge chamber. Mrs. Daniels would be safe unless the tunnel collapsed. Even then, she would lie unhurt under the rocks until someone found her and unfroze her. That might take months, maybe years. It wasn’t a concern of mine. She sacrificed her child. She deserved whatever punishment I could arrange for her. Wart and the Dukester had engaged in their battle as giants brushing against the ceiling inside the huge space. Dr. Karen had retreated to the other tunnel’s mouth. Stray energy flew through the air. I pushed Daniels out there. He muttered his mantra as he walked to the fight. Wart paused, fireball in hand. He looked at Daniels. The summoner told him to go home. He growled in fury at the command. “I still need my payment,” the demon said. “What are you going to give me?” “Nothing,” said Daniels. “You are free to go home until I need you again. Please do so.” “I still need my payment,” said Wart. “What will you give me?” “Take my wife,” Daniels said. “That should do until I need you again.” Wart fled down the tunnel pass me and Omes. He returned with a frozen Mrs. Daniels. He stepped into the copper circle on the ground. He vanished. “I think I should get rid of that before I go,” said Duquesne. He ripped up the summoning circle and folded it in a box the size of a house cat. “What about Mrs. Daniels?,” Omes asked. “She’s getting a dose of her own medicine, I dare say,” said the giant. “Thank you for your help, Duquesne,” said Dr. Karen. She looked around at the scene. “I’ll have to get someone from the Army to help us with the rest of things.” “It was my pleasure,” said Duquesne. “I’ve been wanting to take Wart down a peg or two. This was the perfect excuse to do that.” Duquesne shrank down until he was the original size that had stood in Dr. Karen’s palm and hurled insults. He stood on the palm and vanished in a puff of light. “It looks like we’re done except for one thing,” Omes said. “I have to find Celeste and tell her what was going on.” “Help them, Toby,” said Dr. Karen. “I need to find a screen and get officialdom involved so we can wrap things up.” I put Mr. Daniels in a deep sleep that wouldn’t break until I said so. Then we headed for the exit of the mine. How far could she have gone in the short amount of time we were engaged?

3 Dr. Karen arrived minutes later. She had to pick the lock on the door. She smiled softly. It made her wrinkles shift around like the skin of a raisin. “You’re getting slow in your old age, Fluffy Wuffy,” she said. “We have to go,” I said. I jumped from the bed and scampered to the door. “Omes could be anywhere by now.” “I doubt that,” Karen held the door for me. “It’s obvious he went to the source of whatever brought you here.” “The Daniels’ house?,” I said. “Maybe.” I cast about for his trace as we headed down to the lobby. I picked up pieces in the air. He headed for the door. I followed the trail as fast as possible. I paused on the sidewalk. I saw traces of something mixed in with Omes. Then Omes’s trail vanished in the air. The other went to a public screen, then headed down the road after the transport that had picked up Omes. “Toby was here to keep watch on the hotel,” I said. “He’s following Omes.” “Then all we have to do is follow Toby,” Dr. Karen said. “Luckily, my transport should allow us to catch up with everyone.” She gestured at a two wheel thing painted army green with the coat of arms on the green tank in front of the seat over the back wheel. She climbed on like it was a short horse and waved for me to jump up to sit in front of her. “Just tell me which way to go,” Karen said. She pulled on goggles to protect her eyes. She revved the engine before letting the iron horse run. I didn’t like the movement, but I kept my place as we rolled after Toby. I was surprised to see Omes’s trace reappear after we had gone some distance from town. He headed down a narrow road from the traces of DNA he had left behind. Toby had entered the space a few minutes later. “They went to the right up ahead,” I shouted. Dr. Karen rolled to a stop in front of the narrow road. The web-like traces hung in the air and dripped on the ground. A strand of fur from the dog glittered in the grass off one side of the road. “This leads down into the Bend,” said Dr. Karen. “It leads to Cecil Daniels’s copper mine,” I said. “I should have known Omes wouldn’t wait until daylight to want to take a look at it.” “Your ward is relentless, isn’t he?,” asked Karen with a smile. “Worse than the suicidal chickens we dealt with during the war,” I said. “Thanks for the lift. I have to go down and make sure he’s unhurt. Then I will hurt him for sneaking out.” “I think I’ll go down with you,” said Dr. Karen. “There’s something in the air.” I rubbed an ear before heading down the road. Now that I knew where he was going, I could move faster on foot. Toby’s traces were more recent and I had to give him some praise. He had tracked Omes’s vehicle all the way from town just as I had tracked him. He must have the nose of an Olympian to do that. Karen joined me after stowing away her bike. We walked along. There was no one else on the road, and I didn’t get a trace of life anywhere nearby. I expected something like deer, or maybe a fox. Why weren’t there any birds? They should be nesting, but I didn’t note any. Even the usual insects had cleared out. It said something about a place when even the bugs took off and didn’t come back. We found Toby hunched under a tree. His pile of fur covering was gray in the star light with patches of darkness on his back. He turned his head to face us with his big black nose leading the way. “Cat,” he said. “Dog,” I said back. “Omes?,” I asked. “He went inside from the scent,” Toby turned his attention back to the mine. “There’s a demon nearby.” “Are you sure?,” I asked. “I smelled them enough during the war,” said the police dog. “One of them is floating about down there.” “Could a demon take memories?,” I asked Dr. Karen. “As a payment perhaps,” she said. “There would be a mark like a curse line left behind. Any practicing exorcist, or demonologist, would be able to see it.” “I would be able to see it,” I said. Even though I worked as a general practitioner now, my medical training focused on the removal of foreign objects from patients. I had seen enough curse lines during the war despite not being able to deal with them. “Yes,” said Dr. Karen. “How do you want to handle this, boys?” “I have to go down and pull Omes out,” I said. “Toby and you can go back to your bike. We’ll make a run for it in case we run into the demon. Then we come back here with a squad of exorcists and clear the place out.” “You won’t make it, cat,” said Toby. I looked down at the mine. I didn’t see anything that looked like security. It was wide open, and any demon worth its weight would see me crossing that expanse to get to the mouth of the mine. “Suggestions?,” I asked. “I go down and look around.” Toby huffed to his feet. “You two go back a safe distance and then if the demon shows up, we run.” “Dr. Karen?,” I asked the empty air. I looked around. “Humans.” Dr. Karen walked across the open space to the mine’s opening. Her white hair stood out brightly, the long braid in the back swinging against her riding coat. She clumped along, hands in her pants pockets. At least she wasn’t whistling. I hurried to catch up with her. Toby jogged beside me. I jumped up on his back and sat down as he sped along. He caught up with her as she peered into the copper mine’s opening. “Gentlemen, I think you should wait out here while I take a look around.” She entered the copper mine, using the wall to keep her balance. Toby and I looked at each other. We crept in behind her. “Someone is here,” Toby said in a whisper. “I don’t see a trace of Omes,” I whispered back. “Can’t smell him either,” said Toby. “I think we’re dealing with the Daniels,” whispered Dr. Karen. “Look sharp, lads. This is going to be dicey territory we’re about to enter.” We advanced down to a fork in the cavern under the light of lamps strung up along the way. Toby listened and then headed down the left hand fork. I rode along, noting the presence of three people. None of them were Omes, and shouldn’t there be more traces of people. Where were the miners? Whom had dug the mine out, and installed the rails on the walls and the lamps? I didn’t like the answer that was flitting through my mind. Toby carried me down the shaft until we reached a large round chamber carved out of the rock. A glittering piece of metal was in the ground. I couldn’t make out what it was from where we hid against the wall so we could watch what was going on. An older man in a red-orange suit stood next to the metal, to my left instead of straight on. Two females in less gaudily colored dresses stood next to him. The older one had the younger by the arm. It didn’t take a genius to know this was the Daniels family. The younger one had a mix of the other two’s traces to confirm my guess. What were they doing in the mine by themselves? What was the thing in the floor? And where was Omes? A soft growl rumbled from deep inside of Toby. I leaned down and pulled the fur out of the way of his eyes. Fury lit them with blue fire. “What’s the problem?,” I whispered. “One of them has been dealing with a demon,” said Toby. “I can smell it.” “Not the girl,” I said softly. “She has a curse mark on her. I doubt she would do that to herself.” The spot I saw was a dark circle in her brain. That would explain why she didn’t remember her fiancé. Something had come along and ripped the memories out of her head. And from the damage, I doubted there was a way to put them back in there. I wondered what I was going to tell Almeins about this? Where was Omes? Cedric Daniels said something in a sonorous voice. A puff of smoke became something almost like a man in a mail tunic, but everything was out of proportion and the color scheme was bloody and dark. “Well met, Cedric,” said the demon. The voice was better put together than the body in my opinion. “What would you have of me this fine night?” “I’m going to need another fifty pounds of copper,” said Cedric. “I almost have the summoning circle ready. If the fifty pounds is enough, I should have it ready to use by the end of the week.” “What will you give me in payment?,” said the demon. “I’ve already given you my daughter’s happiness,” said Cedric. “What more do you want?” “I would like the rest of her,” said the demon. “You can have other daughters when you’re the king of the world.” “I don’t think so,” said Toby. He carried me out in plain view of the foursome with a growl of loathing. “By the authority invested in me, you’re all under arrest until we can sort this out.” Daniels opened his mouth to say something. He fell over on his face. I noticed he was frozen, and smiled slightly. Omes was here too. “What are you waiting for?,” asked Mrs. Daniels. “Kill these interlopers if you want my daughter as a servant.” The demon stepped out of the summoning circle with a smile on its twisted face. Fire blazed up in its eyes. “See what you got us into,” I said. Miss Daniels pulled on her mother and the old woman fell over. She ran toward us. Toby moved out of her way so she could run out of the mine. I didn’t have time to deal with her, and it was best she was out of the way. If the demon killed us, at least she had a head start. It wouldn’t help her, but she was out of the way. That was the best I could think of for her. “Which of you wants to die first?,” the demon said. It looked us over with its burning gaze. “I think the game is over,” said Omes, stepping into sight from the other side of the room. “You heard the officer. You’re under arrest. Come along quietly, or there will be problems.” “There are going to be problems,” said the demon, turning to face him. “I’m sure of that.”

Read Instinct by Patterson and Roughan. Dylan Reinhardt is drawn into a battle of wits with a serial killer vigilante. CES

I'll work on the rosters today so everyone knows what everyone picked CES

I'm picking the man with no name. CES

I need a place, Watchman. CES

my pick for today is rowdy yates ces

The hero known as Vasu Shastra is able to create objects by warping reality to fit what he needs. He is a support member for the group, but villains have learned that a builder with a good control of his power can wreck things. CES

The hero known as Master Bengal is known to be a buddhist, thought to be a monk descended from the Shaolin, and practices the Tiger style of kung fu. Master Bengal has displayed chi mastery and his Tiger Claw technique is known to rip an opponent to shreds. CES

Armed with his paint gun, the Tagger loves to spray random people with his weapon and intoxicate them with the special mixtures he puts together. The effect wears off when the paint dries enough to peel off. CES

2 We took the train up to the Upper Qiloth. We talked about anything but the case. Omes wondered how many aircraft plied the air over the country. His search for the missing aircraft from a former case continued, but so far he had not found a match. It was the same with the face of the man we had talked to before he tried to machine gun us in a trap set in a warehouse on the same case. Omes was abusing his illegal link to Metropole to find the man, but nothing had come of it. The explanation for these two facts was simple. The man had never been arrested, and the numbers Omes had gleaned belonged to some other aircraft. He might have to start over if he wanted to hunt down the mastermind, and he wasn’t ready to give up yet. I was of two minds about this. As a cat, I was proud that he was hunting prey on his own. He couldn’t rely on me to watch out for him and show him how to do things forever. He had to take down prey on his own. On the other hand, the man he was hunting was ruthless and had tried to kill both of us with exploding minions, and a machine gun in the middle of a warehouse. He could easily get killed trying to hunt this murderer down. As his guardian, it was my duty not to let that happen. I hadn’t figured out how to accomplish that yet. The train rolled to a stop into the Weymouth station. I waited for Omes to open the door for our berth before stepping out in the hall. Omes dropped the strap of a bag across his body as he followed me down the length of the car to the door. He had told me he put contents of the bag together to help us since we didn’t know when we would run into another scheme of our mastermind. He didn’t want to have to deal with someone burning up in front of us if he could stop it. I dropped down to the platform, tail twitching. No one seemed to be looking for us. That was good. Omes stepped down. He looked around. He pulled his bowler on and headed for the station’s exit. I followed. I kept an eye out. No one was supposed to know we were coming. If someone did, they had gotten it from Almeins. That could lead to another set of conclusions to be proven. “Hello, boys,” said Constable Barhart. She wore the great blue coat of her profession and giant hat over her short hair. She smiled at us as we stopped short. “Cat,” said Toby, the police dog. His furry bulk was a pile on the seat of the police carriage. You couldn’t see his eyes through the hair, but his brain was cycling as he took in our information. “Dog,” I said back. “Move over.” He shifted his bulk enough to allow me to bound up on the bench. I settled with tail twitching as I sat. “Constable Barhart,” said Omes. He tipped his hat back with his ungauntleted hand. “What do we owe the pleasure?” “I was just curious how you were going to find this memory,” said Barhart. “The Inspector doesn’t want you wandering loose on your own also.” “Inspector Stroud still angry about what happened the last time we were here?,” said Omes. “Yes,” said Toby. The last case we had conducted in the Upper Q involved a magician summoning strips from a soldier that he had stabbed. We had tracked the man and his gang down to his headquarters. We breached the invisible wall around the barn being used and then a fight broke out. Omes killed the mastermind by allowing the field to slice the man in half. Stroud was not pleased by that. The situation was made worse by my old army trainer seizing everything and giving Omes and me a pass for what we had done despite the illegality of it. “He’s even more angry at the Army, and the old lady doctor in charge,” said Barhart. “Dr. Karen is a little eccentric,” I said. “Is that right, Fluffy Wuffy?,” Constable Barhart asked with a smile. “You would not be the first person in a uniform I have left to rot somewhere,” I said. I rubbed an ear. “Touchy,” said Toby. “I got Comfy Womfy.” “Did you like it?,” I asked. “Yep,” said Toby. He shifted slightly. He gave me the dog grin of his breed. “I hate you,” I said. “I know,” said Toby. “This is all well and good,” said Omes. “I don’t think we need a Metropole escort everywhere.” “Sorry,” said Barhart. “We have our orders. We’re to keep an eye on you no matter what.” “Since you’re here,” said Omes. He climbed up in the back of the carriage. “We need a lift to the Daniels estate.” “And why would you need that?,” asked Barhart. “I want to see the lay of the land,” said Omes. “I can’t investigate from out here.” “We can’t let you break in,” said Barhart. “Of course not,” said Omes. “We’ll do our burgling when you have some other job to do.” “That doesn’t make me want to let you out of my sight,” said Barhart. “Don’t worry, Constable,” said Omes. “If we uncover some criminal conspiracy, you’ll be the first to know.” “That definitely doesn’t make me want to let you out of my sight,” said Barhart. Omes waved a hand at her to drive. She gave him a look of irritation. “Go ahead, Cassie,” said Toby. “The quicker we give them the tour, the faster we’ll be shut of them.” “All right,” said Barhart. “But no criminal activities.” “We just got here,” said Omes. “How much can we do with you two sitting on us?” The dog made a sneeze bark of a noise that conveyed his feelings perfectly. Barhart climbed up on the bench. She whistled at the clanking horses that pulled the carriage. The mechanical horses started down the road, pulling us along stolidly. I let my senses roam out. Several different animals walked close by, but didn’t want to challenge us. Hordes of insects went about their business. Several humans were mating out of normal sight. Constable Barhart pulled the carriage to a stop in front of a gate in a stone wall. She looked over her shoulder. “As you can see, there’s no way for you to get in,” said Barhart. “I think you can go home with a clear conscience.” “Wait here,” said Omes. He swung over the side of the carriage. He pulled his coat around him as he walked over to the gate. I jumped down and followed at a safe distance. He pushed the call button for the house. He stood back and waited. “What are you doing?,” I asked. “Seeing if anybody is home,” said Omes. “Why?,” I asked. “Because knocking on the door is better than climbing the wall with the authority sitting at our backs,” said Omes. “What happens if no one comes to the gate?,” I asked. “Then we head back into town and get some sleep,” said Omes. He smiled. “We still have three more days before we have to head home.” “Don’t freeze the police and break in,” I said. “I would never,” said Omes. The rest of him said that had been what he was thinking. “A log lies better than you,” I said. Omes made a noise and pressed the button again. He watched the grounds intently. “We might have to accost Miss Daniels in the street in the morning,” said Omes. “We’re going into town and getting a room?,” I asked. “Let’s do that,” said Omes. He took one last look through the bars of the gate. He frowned at what he saw. “Let’s go.” I followed him back to the carriage. He climbed in the back. I jumped up on the bench. I leaned against the big hairpile and closed my eyes. I already knew Omes was planning something. I could feel it. His brain had cycled down like it always did when he was thinking about doing something risky. I had a feeling that as soon as he could get clear of me, and the local representatives of Metropole, he would be back at that gate and breaking into the place. I could put him to sleep. That would take care of the next eight hours. He wouldn’t like it, but it was better than attacking a place in the middle of the night when you didn’t know what you were getting into. I had done enough of that when I was in the Army. Barhart rolled into town, pulling up in front of the only hotel I could see. I jumped down and looked around. Living creatures, human and otherwise, had left their traces along the way, but nothing was close. “Thanks for the ride, Constable Barhart,” said Omes. He dropped down to the street. “We plan to move out in the morning and find out what we need.” “We’ll be here to pick you up,” said Barhart. “You don’t make a move without us.” “Wouldn’t think of it,” said Omes. He waved as he walked into the hotel. I slipped through the door after him. No hands meant I couldn’t open the door on my own. I trailed behind him to the counter. “We need a room,” Omes told the counter man. I jumped up on the counter. I recognized the counter man. He recognized me. “It’s you,” said the counter man. “Yes,” I said. “We need a room, please.” “All right,” said the counter man. He handed over a key. “How long are you staying this time?” “Two days maybe,” said Omes. He took the key and put it in his pants pocket. “Thank you.” “No problem,” said the counter man. “Enjoy your stay.” Omes led the way to the stairs. He headed up to the room. I kept on his trail. He opened the door for me and we went into the room. He flung himself down on the bed. “What are you thinking?,” I said. I jumped in the window sill. I balled myself up to nap. “I think we need to get a look at Celeste Daniels,” said Omes. “That lies the key to moving forward.” “How do we do that?,” I asked. “I don’t know yet,” said Omes. “When I do, I’ll need you to take a look at her. Maybe this is something natural.” “You know something I don’t,” I said. He didn’t answer the accusation. He closed his eyes and went to sleep. I closed mine and tried to drift off. Cats are known for being able to sleep anywhere at any time. On the other hand, we don’t need to sleep much in any given day. Omes was gone when I woke up minutes later. I growled to myself. I should have known he would try to get into the estate without me. And I couldn’t open the door to get out of the room. I was trapped like a rat. What were my options? I looked around the room. I found the screen. There was only one thing to do. I had to call for help. Who did I call? I only knew three people in the countryside. And the dog. I doubted he had a screen to answer my call. Stroud would be more trouble. Barhart would be home by now and I didn’t have that number. That left the third person. I pawed the screen and dialed the army base switchboard. I hoped she was home and could help me. “Hello, how can I direct your call?,” asked the operator. “I need to talk to Dr. Karen,” I said. “It’s an emergency.” The voice put me on hold. I waited patiently for someone to come back to the phone. I had to get out of the hotel room and track Omes down. I doubted he had decided to have an early morning snack. “Hello, Witsend,” said Dr. Karen. “How can I help you?” “I need you to come to my hotel room,” I said. “I think Omes is doing something stupid.” “I’ll be right there.”

Okay I admit I wanted Tombstone. I guess my location is going to have to be Deadwood. CES

Start up is in 50 minutes. CES

A single creature but you can option minions CES

That's a good point. I assumed that everyone would know the area west of the Mississippi River just after the civil war was the target of the draft. Is that too restrictive? CES

The Copper Breach 1 I sat in the sun window and watched the street outside. Dust floated in the air. I rubbed my ear with a paw. A cart rolled up outside. The visitor looked up where the house should be, but Addison had the house spinning outside time and space. “Are you expecting company?,” I asked my roommate Omes. He looked up from the papers on his desk. His expression said no. “Addison?,” he asked. He pushed his work into a case and placed the case between his desk and the wall. “You have one man at the dock,” said the voice of our landlord. “Should I allow him inside?” “Let’s see what he wants,” said Omes. “Maybe a case will clear some of the cobwebs in my brain.” The house stopped spinning with a thump. The outer door opened so our guest could enter. As soon as he was in the foyer, Addison started spinning the house again. Omes stood, hands in his pockets. He watched our visitor step in the parlor. I waited in the window sill. If our guest turned violent, Omes depended on me to wreck him before he could do anything. It was my pleasure. “Murdock Omes?,” asked the visitor. “That’s right,” said Omes. He extended a hand to point at the couch we kept for visitors and my napping when I wasn’t in the sun window. “Please sit down. What can I do for you?” “You seem young to be an investigator,” said the man. He wore sandy boots, dark breeches and shirt. A tan coat completed the ensemble. “I get that a lot,” said Omes. He smiled. “What can I do for you?” “I don’t know,” said the visitor. “Now that I see you, I don’t know if you can help me. This is about a woman.” “I see,” said Omes. His expression said he didn’t see at all. He looked at me. I rubbed an ear. Normally, I like to enjoy my time off. I decided that maybe I should take things in my paws. At the very least, it would get rid of the oaf so I could go back to napping and enjoying the sun on my fur. “Why don’t you state the problem?,” I said. “Then all of us will know that you’re beyond help, and you can quit wasting my time.” He looked at me with irritation. I looked back at him with boredom. I was getting ready to suggest to his nerves that his face was on fire. That should liven things up for a few minutes. “Dr. Witsend is right,” said Omes. “I can’t help you if I don’t know what the problem is.” “My name is Bernard Almeins,” said our visitor. “I am engaged to be married to a young woman named Celeste Daniels. The problem is Celeste says she doesn’t know me, and I should quit trying to talk to her.” “That seems straightforward,” I said. “Find yourself a new mate.” “I can’t,” said Almeins. “I can’t move forward unless Celeste dissolves our contract, but since she acts like we never met before I ran into her, there’s no way I can get her to listen and sign the paperwork. And I don’t want to do that. I want to know what happened to her. I feel like something has. I think someone erased her memory of me.” “That’s a strong conclusion to arrive at, Mr. Almeins,” said Omes. “Do you have any evidence for it?” “I have pictures of us together,” said Almeins. “I have letters. I have a souvenir of a trip we took together. And she didn’t recognize me. I looked her in the eye, and she seemed afraid of me for accosting her in the street.” “What do you think, Witsend?,” asked Omes. The neurons fired in his brain. His blood was stirring up like an old hound on the hunt. He wanted to take a look at this at the very least. “There are several medical and chemical conditions that could cause a partial amnesia,” I allowed. I have never heard of one subject being deleted except as something from a Ministry of War test trial to redact specific information from the subject while leaving the rest of the brain intact. It usually caused the subject to fall into a paranoid state from the paperwork I saw. “Where did this take place?,” asked Omes. “We’re going to have to look at this woman for ourselves.” “Also there might not be a cure for this condition,” I warned. “You might have to consult with an advocate and see what you can do about your legal responsibilities.” “I live in the Upper Qiloth,” said Almeins. He handed over a card. “That’s my address at home.” “Where does the young woman live?,” asked Omes. “We might need to look around her place to check for any chemical problem.” Almeins took the card back and wrote on it with a pen. He handed the card back. “All right,” said Omes. He put the card on his desk. “We’ll go up to the Upper Qiloth for you and see what we can see. I can’t guarantee that we’ll be able to do anything to repair your relationship.” “I just want to know what happened,” said Almeins. “Two weeks ago, we were talking about our wedding, and now this.” “Has anything happened in the last two weeks?,” asked Omes. “Not as far as I know,” said Almeins. “Her father has come across some copper deposits on their land, but I don’t see what that has to do with anything.” “Did he find the copper first, or did your fiancé lose her memory first,” asked Omes. “I don’t know,” said Almeins. “I think it was about the same time, but I’m not sure because I hadn’t talked to Celeste for a couple of days which was odd, and then I heard about the mine.” “All right,” said Omes. “I want you to go home. I have some things to do here in the city, and Dr. Witsend will have to rearrange his schedule. We’ll be up to look at your young lady the day after tomorrow. Whatever we can do, we will.” “Thank you,” said Almeins, standing up. His gaze fell on a captured explosion sitting on the shelf by Omes’s desk. It rested next to the skull Omes had found earlier. “What is that?” “A souvenir from a case.” Omes smiled. “Don’t worry about things. We’ll do what we can for your problem, or recommend someone who can do something.” “Thank you, Master Omes,” said Almeins. “I would like to know what happened.” “Who doesn’t?,” said Omes. A smile crossed his eleven year old features. He gestured for the man to precede him out of the parlor. There was a thump of Addison touching reality, then Omes was back with a touch of glee in his air. “What do you make of it, Witsend?,” asked Omes. He rubbed his hands together. I rubbed an ear, gave him a look, and then closed my eyes. I leaned against the sun window to enjoy the beam of light on my fur. “Oh, I see,” said Omes. “You’re going for this is a nothing case that will have nothing consequences.” I didn’t admit that was what I thought. “But you see, I don’t care,” said Omes. “We’re looking into it anyway.” “I thought you were a detective, not a fixer of lost romance,” I said. I decided to enjoy what I could of the Sun Window. We weren’t going up to the Upper Q in a few days. I could already see that. We were going as soon as Omes made arrangements for things he was working on, and as soon as I called Elga. “This has something more about it,” said Omes. He sat down at his desk. He touched the screen that waited for him to dial out. Another screen ran faces through it. A third had been set up to search property files. “And I can’t do anything until my searches come back.” Constable Barhart appeared on the screen. She smiled when she saw Omes at the desk. Her boss, Inspector Strode, had been our biggest helper in Metropole, but we had soured the relationship by killing a summoner and involving the army. “Murdock Omes,” said Barhart. “How have you been?” “I’m fine, Constable,” said Omes. “We’re coming up to the U. Q. We have a case there. I was wondering if you could tell me anything about the Daniels family. I understand Mr. Daniels found a copper strike recently.” “That’s right,” said Barhart. “Cedric Daniels made his money in mining. He owns a lot of land on the edge of the Bend. Sometimes things pop up there that he turns it into a small fortune.” “Family?,” said Omes. “Married, wife is a society witch. One daughter, Celeste. She is supposed to be married to a Bernie Almeins in a month from the gossip columns. He’s rich too. Made his money in spools if I remember right.” “Spools?,” asked Omes. “He supplies most of the world with them from my understanding,” said Barhart. “What’s the case?” “I’m supposed to find a lost memory,” said Omes. “Good luck with that,” said Barhart. “Let me know if you need my help.” “Thank you, Constable Barhart,” said Omes. “I’m sure that this will be an easy fix.” She laughed at him before she cut the connection. “So part of the story checks out,” said Omes. He looked up train routes to take us up north from the city. “Are you sure you want to get involved in this?,” I asked. I opened my eyes. “If not us, who?,” he asked. I looked at him with I hope the condescending stare that cats have favored for generations. “Please, call Elga, so we can leave,” said Omes. He stood up. “I want to wrap this up as fast as possible.” “All right,” I said. “Things should be light for the next few days anyway.” I dropped down from the sill, crossed the room, jumped up on the desk. I pawed Elga’s number on the screen. She was off today too. If she was home, that would make things easier. “Dr. Witsend?,” said Elga Spangler. Her bright eyes and short blond hair gave her a look of energy. She was my nurse/assistant/office manager. “I thought you were taking a lazy day.” “That’s every day, Mrs. Spangler,” put in Omes. “We’re going out of town, Elga,” I said. I ignored my roommate for the moment. “I need you to trade around for say three days.” “I’ll call the office and check,” said Elga. “Another case, eh?” “Omes thinks he can fix broken hearts now,” I said. I rubbed an ear. “Overconfidence,” said Elga. “I’ll fix it for you, Dr.” “Thank you,” I said. I cut the connection. “Overconfidence,” said Omes. “I don’t have that.” I gave him another look. “We can catch the train and be in the Upper Q by midnight,” said Omes. “And we will have time to eat before we go.” “The Club?,” I asked. “The Club,” agreed Omes.

The Last Mile by Baldacci. Amos Decker investigates when a man confesses to a crime another man is on death row for committing. CES

@Sociotard If you want to do do time travelers, they have to be either the villains, or an option for your team. Your main team should be regular cowboys. @Badger I will allow heroes that operate in this time period such as Guns Blaze West, or Kung Fu, or Burt Gummer's grandfather, but not John Wick. @Pattern Ghost Since a lot of monsters can slotted in they don't ideally have to be Victorian, like Grabboids and Chutulu are the basis of pulp and modern horror, but they are used in the old west also. Plus there are already mythological monsters present. Remember Monday, April 2, Five PM my time is the start. That's a whole weekend for you guys to come up with something. CES

What I meant is five o clock, my time, where I live on the Eastern Seaboard. CES

If they had a comic book/television show/movie etc. CES

Bill Messner-Loebs. I haven't heard that name in a long time. I remember the Flash story where Wally was talking to his therapist and he was down because his speed wasn't working right. CES