Chapter 1

I was minding my own business this fine November 5th and mostly getting ready for the opening of whitetail deer season in the morning. Actually, I was getting ready to head out for camping on my deer lease. I'd spent the last two afternoons sighting in my Marlin 336c in .35 Remington. It wasn't a tack driver by any means, but it was plenty accurate enough for me, especially since I didn't intend to even try for any deer farther than a hundred and fifty yards. I was well familiar with the rifle and ammunition I'd be using and a two inch group with them was not only possible, but probable if I do say so myself.

The Steel Mill in Lone Star Texas had pulled a fast one on me this year and I hadn't been able to get my vacation to allow me to take off in time for the days I'd wanted, the start of the season, so I'd put in my resignation and told them to kiss my ass. I had no financial worries since the company who'd leased the rights to drill over some of my mineral rights had brought in a damned good well just lately and they'd recently paid me forty-six thousand dollars more to put a another well nearby. Hell, I'd just gotten my first months royalty check for the well they brought in and it had been nine thousand dollars. Indications were the next one would be substantially more since they'd only pumped for eight days on this months check.

Hell, I was a rich redneck already and it seemed likely I was going to get much richer as long as the rest of you keep using so much gasoline. Yes sir, pull up to that pump and fill 'er up. I can use the money. This last well had started showing signs of being a big producer when they hit five thousand feet and things had kept looking better until they stopped at twelve thousand.

The money from the well had me wanting to give up my twenty-two dollar and fifty-six cent per hour employment for about a month but fucking up my deer hunting had sealed the deal. I didn't give a shit about time and a half for anything over eight hours a day or the double time and a half for working on holidays. Fuck 'em, they could just make those oil field tubular goods without me. I already had sixteen years in at the place and our last contract made it possible for me to retire early. I wouldn't get shit out of that money until I turned sixty-two, thirty years from now, but what the hell. I had plenty for now.

I was up late packing my Silverado four wheel drive for my camping trip. I hadn't spent the money on a travel trailer yet, but I could almost feel I would before long. With money coming in hand over fist I'd just have to find something to spend it on. Not for any sensible reason you understand, but just because I wanted to. I had one hell of a wanter.

The next morning I was up at five AM and pulling into J & L Grill for breakfast by the time they opened at six AM. After several cups of coffee and plenty of eggs, bacon, and pancakes I headed out for my deer lease. It was about ten miles out of town so I was there quickly and I started setting up my camp.

I pitched my tent, an army surplus two man model and gathered some handy stones to make a fire ring. I built a fire in it even though one wasn't really needed. Even in November it didn't get so cold in North East Texas. I basically farted around doing nothing for the rest of the day, but I did hit the sheets, or sleeping bag, sort of early intending to be up before light the next morning.

I became conscious probably around one AM, but I didn't do it by waking up and getting up. I was called to a conference, at least mentally. I was almost scared shitless at first and then I realized I couldn't even shit my britches because my body hadn't come along for the ride. It was really weird since I was obviously awake and in among others without my body when they obviously had theirs.

All was explained to me shortly. I had been commandeered by what any self-respecting redneck would call space aliens. It was quite a shock. It wasn't that I didn't believe in space aliens. I was a redneck after all. It was just I'd never thought I'd be meeting any.

They looked mostly like humans, except taller and thinner, kind of wispy looking if you asked me.

"Welcome aboard our ship, Jake," the tallest one said to me.

"Thank you. And you would be?" I asked.

"Argus, is what you may call me," he said.

"We have a proposition for you," he said, and my first thought was oh shit but he settled my nerves soon enough.

"We'd like to put you back in time a few years, back to when the United States was very much more simple. We'd like to leave you back then for several years and then we will return you to your own time if you want to come back. I must tell you we think it is likely you will not want to come back and if you don't we will leave you there," he said.

"What for?" I asked.

"We just want to see what you do. We will be doing what you might think of as filming you," he said.

"You mean you can just put me back in time? Won't that cause things that have already happened to change?" I asked.

"No. We will be putting you on a copy of your earth in a different dimension. It has gone along basically in lock step with your current home until the time we release you. You will make changes, but they will only be changes to the planet you are on and they will be changes in what is expected to happen there, not in what has already happened. The planet you are moving to hasn't progressed any further than the time we will place you. You will only be changing things that probably would have happened on your new planet later. It will seem exactly as if you had been put back in time, but it isn't actually the case. You will be highly paid for your participation. Our projected salary for you is ten thousand dollars per week," he said.

"Shit. Sign me up. I'm your man," I said, before I did much thinking about things.

"Good. We will be giving you a medical checkup first and doing any needed repairs. Remember to be careful while you are there. We will be able to help you out if you are hurt or injured while you are there, but if you are killed I'm afraid we won't be able to do anything about it," he said.

The last part was a little sobering, but what the hell, if I got killed in my natural home I'd be dead there too.

My medical work didn't take long and they didn't even tell me about any repairs they might have made. I did notice my eyes seemed to focus better, but blew it off. Next we talked about what I would need while I was there, and of course I told them it depended on what they expected me to do.

I found out then they did have a few plans for what they wanted me to accomplish. They intended to set me down in Tennessee and let me take a little wagon trip. They took me to a larger room on the ship and showed me the wagon and I'll be damned if it wasn't a Conestoga. They had twelve big strong Missouri mules to pull it and it was equipped with a sort of trailer hitch on the back. It wasn't like any trailer hitch I'd ever seen though.

It was just a semi-circular loop made of what looked like 1 inch steel rod. They also had an attachment for putting on another wagon tongue, which was basically a hook to go into the loop. They explained it would make it possible to hook two wagons together to save the bother of a separate driver for the back wagon. They told me the mules for the second wagon would catch onto the drill with little problem. Hell, it all sounded great to me.

The next part of the preparations was almost like Christmas for me. They asked me what I would like for firearms and said they'd furnish them.

I'd always wanted an M1 with a stock like an M16 and a replaceable magazine like on an M16. They said it wouldn't be a problem so I asked for a couple of Colt Diamondback with six inch barrels, a Ruger Superblackhawk in .44 magnum, and I saved the best for last. I wanted a Barrett .50 BMG. Hell they though it was great. Meanwhile, I wondered what I'd be shooting with these firearms.

There were a few other things they suggested, including hatchets, axes, shovels, and yard brooms and I said fine. They even furnished me with a bunch of food they said wouldn't spoil no matter what. It all sounded fine to me, but I did wonder why they wanted me to sleep in the wagon that night. Hell, it had a very comfortable king bed size mattress in the back and I didn't mind a bit.

I'll admit they pulled a fast one on me and I should have expected it. Sunrise woke me the next morning and when I looked out of the wagon I noticed right away I wasn't in the space ship any longer. Apparently my trip had started already.

I got dressed in jeans and a work shirt and pulled on the boots they had provided and got out of the wagon. The mules were all tethered to a picket line strung between two trees. Hell, I built a fire and warmed up some of the indestructible food they'd given me. It seemed one hell of a lot like an MRE going down, but at least they had furnished a coffee pot and plenty of coffee so I made a pot and choked the alien food down.

After I ate I hitched the team and pulled out into the road, or trail was more like it. I hadn't gone a mile before Argus' voice came to me from somewhere.

"Jake. I hadn't intended to contact you further, but we felt we should wan you there are several men attacking a wagon ahead of you. It seems likely you will encounter them shortly. Be prepared to defend yourself.

Well, this was a fine how-do-you-do. Hell, I should be ready for them though. I made sure the Barrett was easy to hand and the Marlin too. I came up on the fracas about two minutes later and I stopped maybe seventy yards from it. I figured it was lucky as hell they'd made arrangements to put me down and let me sight in my weapons right at the last.

I grabbed up the Barrett and found a target. It looked like the leader of the attackers to me, especially since he was on the best horse and looked to be wearing the best clothes. When I touched off the Barrett I became the center of attention since it knocked him off his horse promptly and he didn't even wiggle after he hit the ground. I shot another one before they turned toward me, and then they were all racing headlong my way.

I thought it was a really stupid move on their part and I nailed all four of them who came my way in short order. The Barrett and its hellacious cartridge dealt with them quickly. Every time I hit one he was knocked directly off over the ass end of his mount, ass over teakettle.