The end of General Custer?

The end of General Custer?

It was 3 am, when the normal became abnormal. The security gate at a Government research facility in downtown Wymore was suddenly thrown into turmoil, when it was wracked by machine gunfire coming from a black Chrysler people-carrier that had drawn level with the service window. Unprepared the attending officer was catapulted backwards off his chair with blood flowering from his chest. Two other officers suffered a similar fate.


Inside the vehicle were four members of a reactionary group of Native American descendants, who felt they had a duty to act on behalf of their tribe. By infiltrating the facility they were aware it housed a time & space displacement mechanism.


A discovery that offered their cause a great opportunity, plans were discussed and over a number of weeks refined into this night of action. Leaving the vehicle outside the main entrance they penetrated it opening fire on everyone they encountered, two members were on point, whilst the other two were hauling an elongated crate with rope handles between them, machine guns slung from their shoulders.


Entering the heart of the facility, scientists fell like nine pins under the weight of the assault. With practised hands the machine was calibrated and in a flash of light - they were gone!

***

An urgent ringtone ripped Agent David Stone from his slumber. The fog of fatigue clouded in and smothered his attentiveness.
"hello?"


The voice on the other end of the call was stark and business like, "Agent Sloane we have a situation, classification critical-1, come at once to the Vortex facility for your mission briefing".


The classification code kicked him into life, it indicated the situation had the highest status rank and was liable to be dire.


Arriving at Vortex, he quickly found the security chief mulling over the recording of the assault on the facility. Murder was methodically executed with the coldness of military precision. "unbelievable" the chief murmured as he watched the mayhem.


"Chief - what's the situation?" David asked his eyes glued to the video.


"David - Sorry to disturb your night, but we need to react with urgency, the breach indicates a major intervention in the historical timeline may be the objective. I will explain the situation as we prepare you for a cleansing mission"


Quickly suited up and equip with an array of firearms and explosives. On the "launch pad" awaited the Mark III hover bike. It had been a project inspired by the film star wars. In a past time environment it prevent to much contact with the ground and preserved the native insect and animal life who if they died out of "sequence" may start a ripple that would echo through time.


Within a short span, David sat astride the Hover-bike, marvelling at the Arizona scrubland that stretched out before him, the date was June 25th 1876.


He had a proximity monitor that indicated the radicals were a couple of miles away. It homed in on metals alien to the current time frame. Metals found in watches, firearms and such like.


As he neared The zone, a single shot knocked him from the bike, which rider less impacted a sand dune and came to an abrupt halt.


Dazed and weak, he found it hard to focus on the four men winding their way down the sandy incline from the cliff-top where they had taken up offensive positions. Beads of sweat broke free glistened and indicated the extent of his labours.


The snipers took an interest in the grounded hover-bike, rather than the fallen agent. "damn that is cutting edge - sci-fi style!"
Unwittingly they had present David with a golden opportunity. Using a radio remote he activated a bank of explosives embedded in the bike, which were to prevent any misappropriation.


A fireball engulfed three of the radicals, the fourth was catapulted through the air, landing some twenty-five feet away and wounded by the shrapnel that had surrounded him.


Knowing it was no time to evaluate his wounds, he rolled and struggled to find his feet, even as he did so a bullet hit him square in the forehead and tore away the majority of his skull. The bullets were explosive rounds, they were intended to ensure the victim was taken down with extreme prejudice - there were to be no half-measures.


As briefed, David in spite of his shoulder wound gathered together the dead men and as much modern materials as he could find and placed it within the area that was in the centre of the recall beacons. Satisfied that he had done as much as he could. He activated the reversed-polarity button on the console he carried.
Arizona disappeared and a shimmering wave materialised as the launch pad at Vortex.


Upon arrival he pitched to the floor, the bullet wound had finally made him succumb to the feeling he was about to pass out.


How long it was before he awoke, was anyone's guess. Yet he came to with the heartiest congratulations of the chief and other security team members. He had achieved all objectives without flaw.


Taken home to his wife, with orders to stay there till fully recovered, he lay in front of a television watching an amusing film that made him laugh out loudly several times. His wife wishing to share his rapture, asked him what was so funny?


"Its this movie it suggests what may have happened if Custer died at the Little Big Horn...it's a total flight of fancy!"


"How so, I mean he was killed at the Big Horn after all?"


"don't be silly he was the most successful presiden...."


The truth hit him like a Freight train...They hadn't been on the way to the battle, they had been returning...His horrified mind's eye quickly filled in a dream like visual representation of the impact of automatic weapons on Custer's Column of men....."Oh Jesus.....!"