The Lost Emperor
Copyright© 2025 by A Well Traveled Man
Chapter 28
I woke up early, showered, dressed, grabbed my backpack, and went to the kitchen. I grabbed the cooler with protein shakes and took off for Universal Studios. Traffic was light, and I stopped at Denny’s for breakfast. After breakfast, I drank my protein shake and drove to Universal, stopping at the guard gate. He checked my ID and gave me a manilla envelope and studio ID on a lanyard.
After parking, I opened the manilla envelope, and it had my parking permit, map to my trailer, and set along with the trailer keys. I put up my parking permit and waved down a golf cart. I loaded my things in the back, and the guy dropped me off at my trailer. I opened the trailer and put my things inside. I set the air freshener pointing towards the door, put my lockbox in the closet, and finally unpacked. When settled, I locked all my valuables in the lockbox and went to the movie set.
David Lane was glad to see me, and I gave him the signed contract. I was rushed to the wardrobe, makeup, and finally to the armory for my six-shooter, holster, and lever rifle. I was the only one on the set and thought it was strange. David said today, we’re going to do what we call clip-and-paste shots of you riding into and out of town. There will be several wardrobe changes, and we will explain each sequence.
On the first take, I wore skins and rode Bullet into town fast, stopped at the saloon, got off, looped the reins on the hitching post, and entered the saloon. One problem developed, and it ceased production. My skin’s seam spit from my crotch to the top of my ass, getting off Bullet. David said shit, wardrobe had to make those custom. I told him I had a pair in my trailer I got this past weekend. They are custom-made by the Gala Indian tribe. He told me to get them, and an assistant gave me a ride to the trailer in a golf cart.
I changed and returned to the set, and everyone was speechless. David said shit, we may have to change the rating and the crew laughed. The first dozen or so shots were with me in skins, then we took a lunch break, and David asked how they fitted my skins. I told him Little River from the Gala tribe custom measured me, then made them. Then I went to the reservation, put them on last Friday, and showered. When they were soaked, I got out, and they dried on me.
David said they fit like a glove and chuckled. I asked if they would cause a problem, and David assured me they were fine. I changed into black jeans and a long-sleeved shirt and finished the day in that outfit, riding in and out of town. Some shots had me wearing a duster and vest, and I was confused about the process. When production stopped for the day, I asked David for passes for my Mom and Grandmother. He said they would be at the gate under your name.
I returned to my trailer, showered, dressed, and called home. Mom answered, and I told them about my day. Then, I instructed them to pick up their passes at the gate. They were excited, and we said goodnight. When I hung up, I noticed the couch cushion was slightly ajar. It wasn’t like that when I left, so I went to the kitchen and got a trash bag and a couple of paper towels.
Then, I removed the cushion and saw a baggie of weed and a baggie of white powder. I put the baggies in the kitchen trash bag using a paper towel and went to the canteen for dinner. I stashed the trash bag under the trailer next to mine on the way. I ate dinner, and upon returning, I saw security enter my trailer. When I reached my door, I tapped my Emperor’s crest twice, paused, and twice again.
Entering my trailer, I saw the guard’s eyes glazed, so I asked who ordered my trailer searched. They said the Producer, Harold Washburn. I told them he set them up because I’m an undercover agent investigating drug use on the set. I told them they were suspects, so don’t leave town. When their eyes cleared, they saw me and ran away.
I removed the SSD card from the air freshener and plugged it into my laptop. I fast-forwarded until I saw someone enter my trailer. I stopped it and hit play and was surprised to see the Producer, Harold Washburn, planting the drugs. I saved the clip to my cloud account and replaced the SSD card in the air freshener. Tired from the long day, I sensed the area and went to bed. I was almost asleep when I heard sirens nearby, and I ignored them and fell into a deep, relaxing sleep.
Waking up early, I dressed in sweats and went on my morning run. The security lights were bright enough to see, and I sensed my surroundings as I ran. Returning to my trailer, I showered, dressed, drank my protein shake, and then went to the canteen for breakfast. Several people were talking about how Harold Washburn was badly beaten in his office last night. One guy said I saw the paramedics take him away, and he was messed up.
I finished breakfast and reported to the wardrobe, makeup, and armor. When I arrived at the set, David told me about Harold Washburn. He said Harold was in the hospital in serious condition and was in a coma due to brain swelling. The reports say he has several broken bones and swollen testicles in addition to the brain swelling. The police are going over security footage to see if they can identify his attackers. I asked if it would affect the production, and David said no, the associate producer would take over.
Today’s shoot started showing me visiting my family’s graves. I labored over their graves, swearing to get revenge for their deaths. It took six takes to satisfy David, and then I got on Bullet and rode to the saloon. I saw a gunman at the door, so I rode past and went behind the saloon. After securing Bullet, I went between the hardware store and the saloon and peaked around the corner. I saw the gunman leaning against the wall, looking the opposite way.
I took off my boots and slowly walked up to him, and hit the gunman in the head with the butt of my gun. I caught him falling, leaned him against the wall, and took his guns. Returning to the alley, I put on my boots, threw his guns in the water trough, and walked towards the saloon. That segment took six takes, and we broke for lunch. I saw Grandmother and Mom sitting behind David, watching the action. They jumped up when they saw me approaching them. I said, let’s go to the canteen for lunch and they followed me.
During lunch, I told them about the attempted planting of drugs in my trailer and the security guards searching it. Then I told them about the producer getting beat up in his office, and they were worried. Grandmother said all that on the first day. Do you think it’s safe to continue? I said yes because I believe the producer was behind the contract problems and the drugs. He was trying to gain the upper hand and ended up like Coach Thomas. Now he’s in the hospital and off the set, so I should be ok.
I showed them my trailer, and then we returned to the set. The next scene was me entering the saloon and confronting an outlaw at the bar. David walked us through the scene, and then he called action. I walked into the bar, and an outlaw told me to get out. I told him I wanted a beer, and he said to walk out now, or we’ll carry you out back. We faced off, and he had a double-gun rig and drew first. I fanned two shots to his chest, then shot a man on the second floor with a shotgun. The man broke the railing, did a flip, and landed on his back. I scanned the bar, holding my gun ready as I backed out through the saloon doors, and David yelled cut!
The men I shot weren’t moving, and the crew rushed to them. Neither was wearing a safety vest, so they called for paramedics. The man on the second floor missed his pad and landed on the floor. By the time they got the mess cleaned up and the accident investigation was done, it was quitting time. David said we were shooting on location in the mountains tomorrow. A crew is already set up there, and your horse is there, too. So we leave at 4 am tomorrow and bring your skins.
Grandmother, Mom, and I went to the canteen for dinner. Mom asked what is the safety vest they were talking about on the set. I told them it’s like a bulletproof vest, only thinner. The blanks the guns shoot can hurt you without them. They are not like a bullet, but they can penetrate the skin. We said goodnight at the trailer, and they wished me good luck tomorrow.
I took a shower and then checked the air freshener video footage. It was clear, and I had no intruders, so I sensed the area and went to bed. I fell asleep and went into a deep sleep. Then my vision started, and I was in a hospital ICU and saw Harold Washburn hooked up to a ton of sensors and wires. Two nurses were sitting behind a desk, watching their patients’ monitors.
Then, suddenly, there was a solid tone, and both nurses jumped up. One ran to Harold, and the other called a code blue. The nurse gave Harold chest compressions until a team arrived. They shocked Harold three times, then gave him a shot to the heart and gave up, and my vision ended.
I woke up at 3 a.m., put on my sweats, and took off for my run. I used my senses and saw everything around me. Returning to my trailer, I showered, dressed, and drank my protein shake. A van pulled up outside the trailer, so I grabbed my skins, locked the trailer, and got into the van. The trip to the mountains took an hour and a half. The crew had a food tent set up, and we ate breakfast.
David described the first scene, and I was arriving at the cabin riding Bullet. It was my family’s hunting cabin and was ten miles from our ranch. I was using the cabin as a base of operations for my revenge. It was also halfway between town and our ranch, so it would work perfectly. In the first scene, they filmed my arrival and setting up the cabin. Then I put Bullet in the corral and went hunting for fresh meat. All this was done with me wearing my skins.
In the second scene, I don’t know how they managed it, but I shot a pig in heavy brush. The pig was a prop, and they skipped to me carving meat off a slab of pork in the cabin. Then I ate and looked at a map of the area and location of Norman Pickering’s home. He was the rich man who had my family killed for their land and water. Our farm had a large lake on it, and it was spring-fed. My dad had several offers to sell, but he refused.
In the third scene, I rode to check out the town and Norman Pickering’s house. There wasn’t a town or a house; they only showed me looking through a telescope. We broke for lunch, and David said we had finished the location shoot quicker than he thought. They took more shots of me arriving and leaving the cabin and called it a day. We arrived on set, and the news of Harold Washburn’s death spread.
The light was fading, and David wanted to get one more gunfight filmed before calling it a day. I was walking on the boardwalk across from the saloon when an outlaw called me out for killing Billy Barnes. We walked into the center of the street and faced off 15 feet apart. I looked around at the rooftops to see if he had help. Seeing no one, we drew, and I shot him three times in the chest.
A crowd had gathered to see the gunfight, and the bartender said I had better leave quickly because he was Norman Pickering’s gunhand. I got on Bullet and rode out of town, and David called cut. I rode back to the stables and gave Bullet an apple and some attention. When I returned to the set, they were closing it down, and David said he had never seen someone draw and shoot so fast.
David told me to get cleaned up, and he would meet me at the canteen for dinner. I went to my trailer, showered, dressed, and went to the canteen. I went through the food line and saw David at a table alone, so I headed that way. While we ate, David explained that several sections of the film had already been shot before I came on board. So please don’t get confused. It’s all going faster than we planned. If everything goes smoothly, we’ll finish your part early next week.
I was happy to hear that. We finished dinner, said goodbye, and I returned to my trailer. After checking the trailer, nothing looked disturbed. Then I checked the video on the SDD card, and no one entered my trailer. So I practiced my telekinesis, sensed the area, went to bed, and fell into a deep, relaxing sleep.
Waking up early, I put on my sweats and took off for my run. I used my senses and saw everything around me. Returning to my trailer, I showered, dressed, and drank my protein shake. Then I went to the canteen for breakfast, the wardrobe, makeup, and the armor. When I got to the set, David explained the first scene.
I was on a roof across the street from the saloon with my rifle. When Norman Pickering rides in with six of his gunhands, I wait until they were inside, and I empty my rife into the saloon, then quickly climb off the roof, get on Bullit, and ride away. They filmed me riding to the back of the store, climbing on the roof, and getting ready. Then Norman Pickering rode into town with his gunhands and entered the saloon. That took six takes, but luckily, shooting up the saloon and my exit took one take.
We broke for lunch, and then the next scene was me pouring flammable liquid on the back of Norman Pickering’s house. Then I lit on fire and rode away quickly. This scene took eight takes because I poured liquid on a real house, but the fire burnt a model house. So it had to be perfect with hired help exiting the house and fighting the fire. They had a life-size mockup, and it was something to see.
The last scene of the day was me setting dynamite on the ranch water tower. It only took one take because the explosive experts set the charges. All I did was sneak up to the water tower, tie on fake dynamite, light the fuse, and then run. The last part was me riding Bullet away after the explosion. David called it a wrap for the day, and I brought Bullet back to the stables. I gave him an apple and some attention and went to my trailer. After my shower, I dressed and went to the canteen for dinner.
David came into the canteen and said we were going to a remote location tomorrow, so be ready by 5 a.m. and bring your skins. We said goodnight, and I returned to my trailer and saw the door ajar. I put my hand over my Emperor’s crest and quietly entered. There was a man planting bugs and small cameras around my trailer. He was kneeling, placing a bug under the kitchen table, so I kicked him in the balls. His head raised, hit the table hard, and passed out.
I searched him, and his name was Larry Wood, and he was a freelance photographer or paparazzi. Then I searched his gear, and he had several bugs and cameras. But the one thing he had that I wanted was a professional bug/video detector. I tapped my Emperor’s crest twice, paused and tapped it twice again, and told Larry he got mugged and couldn’t remember anything for the past 24 hours.
After kicking twice more in the balls, I picked him up and carried him to the parking lot. Using his remote, I found his car and put him inside. I saw his camera bag in the back seat with his laptop, so I took them and wiped down the areas I touched. Returning to the trailer, I put all his things in my lockbox except the bug/video detector. I went around the trailer, removed all the bugs and cameras, put them in the lockbox, went to bed, and immediately fell asleep.