FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter-26- Of Mice and Mulligans

?? ?? ...

Reno Nevada materialized and, for a moment, he felt weightless. He squinted at the sensation of warm wind in his face. His stomach felt strange.

His eyes opened just enough to see the ground rush up to meet him. Reno rolled twice and came to a stop on pavement.

"Excuse me, sir, you cannot be here. The machinery in this area is very dangerous."

Reno rolled onto his back and placed his hand over his forehead. "Give me a sec, would you, pal? I hit my head, man."

"You are speaking in a very strange manner. Are you drunk?"

"No," Reno said with a sigh. He opened his eyes, looking up at a handsome man with short, styled black hair and a black mustache.

The man was dressed like a proper gentleman, with a vest and a nice button-up shirt with a clean collar.

"Where am I?"

The man tilted his head, incredulous but not amused. "You, sir, must be drunk."

"No," said Reno. He sat up. "I hit my head _really_hard. Where is this?"

"You are attending the World's Columbian Exposition in Jackson Park."

Reno rubbed the side of his head. "Jackson Park ... Chicago?" He paused and rubbed his head again. "Jesus, how the hell did I get to the Capitol?"

"Chicago yes, Capital no. The Capital of Illinois is Springfield."

"No, I mean capitol, like, the heart of America, man." Reno got to his feet.

Instead of helping, the man stepped back. "Perhaps you are thinking of Washington DC, my strange, drunken friend. Hm, you do not smell of alcohol, but you talk strange, you dress strange, and you most certainly do act strange. Now, I must escort you away from this machinery. Calling for police will be in neither man's interest; come with me."

Reno looked at his hand. There was a hint of blood on his right palm from where he hit the pavement, but his wound was healed. "Look, I'm sorry I'm back here. I didn't mean to make trouble. I hit my head harder than I thought. I don't drink, and ... you speak strange, too, pal." He offered his left hand. "Nathanial Carrington."

The man looked at the hand and then nodded. "With all due respect, I do not know where you've been, Mr. Carrington."

Reno looked down at his hand, frowned, and stuffed his hand into his pocket. His fingers paused on Conner's tablet. In his other pocket was the USB drive and his cellphone.

He checked his back pockets and felt his wallet. "Alright, well, thanks for not calling the cops. Sorry for the misunderstanding."

"Your sincerity is appreciated, Mr. Carrington. Perhaps if you'll care to come back through when the fair is open, I will demonstrate why this machinery can be dangerous to those who do not know its purpose."

Reno nodded and walked with the man to the far end of the exhibit workshop.

The man rubbed his thumb and forefinger together three times and gestured to the exit. "If you please?"

Reno frowned and stepped outside into an empty but well-lit area at a large fair. It was evening, and it was warmer outside than he remembered.

Reno looked up at telephone poles with four sets of wires, which passed over his head. Come to think of it, he hadn't seen a telephone pole for a while. He withdrew his cellphone and glanced at the screen.

No service.

The date showed New Years Day, 2050. It should have been close to sunup, but the sky was dark.

He pocketed the smartphone and sighed. A large mechanical clock further up the lane displayed the time as midnight.

"Oh," Reno murmured softly. "Right. Time difference." He pulled his cellphone out again and checked it. It still showed 'no service' on the screen. He looked around at the old fashion design of closed shops and expo booths.

Reno made his way down the street, looking around. A soft-spoken street cleaner tipped their hat. "Fair's closed, sir. Make your way to the exit."

"Yeah, of course," Reno said with a nod, not knowing which way to go. "Leaving now. Thanks."

Reno made his way through the fair, looking for a way out. He stopped and turned to a metallic Wrigley poster. It depicted a pack of gum with a simple background and large red lettering.

"Juicy Fruit," he murmured. "Doesn't even look like..." he rubbed his face. "Okay, I'm dreaming. No, I'm too lucid to be dreaming."

Reno made his way through the fair until arriving at the main entrance. He left the fairgrounds and stopped in front of an adjacent expo.

Signs and painted billboards directed him towards Buffalo Bill's Wild West and Congress of Rough Riders of the World, which was closed for the night.

His mind started racing. He thought back to seeing Raul shot and killed. He remembered Sigyn, the wife of Loki, approaching the group. He recalled Karla shouting to amp up his power in the 'time-stream,' or ... whatever the energy pillar really was - who really knew for sure?

Reno continued walking north along a waterfront for a while. In the distance, he heard a bell-like chime - presumably the clock he saw shortly after arriving at the Chicago fair.

He heard the sound of clopping hooves on something akin to bricks or cobblestone. A stagecoach approached him from behind.

It came to a stop, followed by a moment of silence. A door opened and a gentleman leaned out. "You again. Mr. Carrington was it?"

Reno nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Are you walking far?"

"To be honest, I have no idea where I'm going."

"Again, I would like to remind you that this is Chicago." The man pointed to the water on Reno's right. "That is Lake Michigan."

Reno frowned. He looked down at the dirt beneath his feet, and then over at a sound to his left. "Christ, is that a train?"

"Are you sure that you're alright?"

Reno pointed to the sporadic trees around the area. "This is supposed to be US-41 northbound towards the Capitol. I have no idea how I wound up at the fair after hours. I have no idea how I wound up in Chicago."

"Do you at least know the date?" asked the man.

Reno shrugged. "New Years' Eve."

The man scoffed. "Hardly. Have you ever known Chicago to be this beautiful in January?"

"It's cold enough it could be winter. Are you suggesting that it isn't?"

"You must have hit your head harder than you realized," said the man. "Come closer?"

Reno approached the buggy. "Do you always stroll around in a horse-drawn carriage?"

"Mr. Westinghouse has the good fortune to purchase a Horseless Motor Wagon if he so wishes. I, however, do not." The man lifted a lantern and looked over Reno.

"It's dark as hell out here, and you're using fire?"

The man offered a wry smile. "About five or six years ago, some brilliant German chap, Gassner, invented the dry-cell battery. Perhaps one day soon, my friend and previous employer will find a way to shrink down his incandescent bulb and fit it into a handheld torch."

Reno tilted his head. "I, uh, never caught your name."

"I never gave it."

"I was hoping you would."

The man nodded. "Nikola."

"Why is it so dark out here, anyhow?"

Nikola offered an amused smile, charmed by Reno's confusion. "We've come a long way in the last twelve years since the first building in the world was lit by electric bulbs in Westminster. I assure you, where I'm headed, has light."

"Well, Nick - can I call you Nick? I need to ask you an important question."

"It's_Nikola_. I'm from Smiljan." The man tilted his head. "Perhaps you noticed the dialect?"

Reno rubbed his face.

Nikola sighed. "It's in the Austro-Hungarian Empire." Another pause, and then, "It is across the sea from Italy. My God, have you been to school, young man?"

"Young?" Reno laughed. "I'm pushing thirty."

"I'm turning thirty-seven in two months. This makes you a young man. I suppose I am middle-aged now."

"It's a state of mind," Reno said. "Forty is the new twenty-five if you..." Reno trailed off, staring at the man. "Look, I'm all messed up right now. I must have hit my head harder than I thought. I feel like I'm crazy right now. Last thing I remember, I was fighting for my life with a group of friends in the Atlantic Ocean, and it was New Years' Eve."

"Then you've lost five months, Mr. Carrington. Perhaps it was the blow to the head you mentioned earlier. If you continue north, the railway tracks will lead into the heart of Chicago. If you return to the fair tomorrow, stop by my personal exhibit. I promise you will be pleased with my demonstration of Alternating Current, and my polyphase system."

"What's to demonstrate? HVDC is where it's at, man. Trust me."

"I am unfamiliar with that term. Suffice it to say, Alternating Current is changing the world, Mr. Carrington. Do you know how electricity works?"

"You bet your butt I know how it works. I'm the king of electricity, pal. Although, right now, I feel drained, exhausted and I'd really like to be the king of a firm mattress."

"Well,king of electricity, come back to the fair soon. Allow me to demonstrate to you how electricity is changing, and how it will soon change the world as we know it."

"No offense, but I don't have time for fairs. I need to find my friends, find out how the hell I got out to Chicago, and why it looks so damn dark - I need to get back to the Atlantic. I have a lot on my plate. What's the point of the fair anyhow?"

"It was ostensibly to mark the quadric-centennial anniversary of Christopher Columbus' arrival in America."

"Quadri?"

"Four hundred, Mr. Carrington. Again, you should consider returning to a classroom. It would do you well."

"That happened in 1492, man."

"Yes. Four hundred one years ago, as of this October. Although, technically, he landed in Cuba at the time. But America enjoys a big show. They are still trying to 'out-culture' Europe, as if it were some sort of competition."

Reno looked around at the dark landscape. He mouthed the word, 'fuck,' in silence. He stared through Nikola and into figurative space.

His heart raced in his chest and he ran his hands up over his head, through his short, tousled hair. "It's May, 1893?"

"Did you not know the year? What New Year were you last celebrating, Mr. Carrington?"

Reno shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Jesus."

"Excuse me?"

"Are you serious about the date? You're not bullshitting me, are you?"

Nikola sighed. "Quite a crude man, aren't you?" He reached into his carriage, retrieved a newspaper and passed it to Reno. He held his torch aloft so that the wording was somewhat legible in the dark. "Satisfied? I am terribly sorry to have been the one to point out your significant memory loss; perhaps you should consult a doctor."

Reno stared at it in disbelief. The inking was still crisp. "Christ, no wonder it's dark as hell out here. My head is so far up my own goddamn ass, worried about Karla and Raul, and everyone else, that I can't even wrap my head around the fact that Jackson Park's World Fair was debuting Juicy Fruit." He pulled his hands down over his face.

Nikola knocked on the front panel. "Continue please."

The driver gave a tug on the reigns and the buggy began to move forward.

"No, wait, wait!" Reno hurried alongside. "Wait, hold up. If you give me a lift into town, I'll make it worth your time."

"Excuse me?" Nikola knocked on the panel and the carriage stopped. "Sir, I highly doubt an amnesiac has anything I need. Please, with all due respect, Mr. Carrington, I have neither the time nor the inclination to unveil your mystery. I have been on my feet since this morning, and I am rather looking forward to, how you put it, a firm mattress. At least for the next three hours or so."

"What's your last name?"

Nikola tilted his head. "Did you not read the signs at the exhibit when we met?"

"Please, just humor me."

"Tesla."

Reno clenched his hand into a fist. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Jesus ... Nikola Tesla. Is this even happening right now?"

"Ah, so you know my name? I assume that was the nature of your meaning, yes? Now, please, are you finished wasting our time?"

Reno held his hands up, palm out. "Look, Mr. Tesla, if I can impress you using electricity, right now, will you give me a ride into town?"

"Impress me and I'll pay for your room and board, Mr. Carrington. But if you, the self proclaimed 'King of Electricity' bore me with the paucity of information that you have demonstrated thus far, you will be walking."

"If you're being generous with money, and I impress you, would you consider paying my way to San Francisco? I need to find this woman, Natalia Kincade. She lives there. She'll know how I can get to Raul, so I can get back to where I belong."

"You've yet to impress me. Prattling isn't the way, Mr. Carrington."

Reno held his hands apart. "Look, if I do this, it's going to spook your horse, man. And if I lose you, I lose my hope of getting home."

Tesla furrowed his brows.

Reno rubbed his palms together, then drew them apart again. He paused and shook his head with a tired smile. "Nikola-goddamn-Tesla of all people. I must have come out of one of the bolts from your machines or something. Jesus, I can't even."

"You cannot even ... what?"

"Nothing, man. It's just an expression."

"It's a silly expression if you do not mind my saying so."

"Yeah. It is."

"At the very least, you speak your native language incorrectly. At the very most, you have a talent for wasting my time. Perhaps that is why you do not know the date - you've wasted your own time."

Reno smirked. "Look, we need to either go behind your carriage, or you gotta let me in. Somewhere that won't spoke your horse. They're prey animals. An arc of electricity is akin to a flash of lightning; it would scare the poor thing into a hard run."

Tesla tilted his head. He stepped from the carriage. He looked up at his driver and said, "I'm going to indulge this drunken fellow, if only to prove one of us runs his mouth too much. Stand by, please."

Reno remained quiet.

Tesla closed the door of the carriage, opened it, closed it again, opened it once more, and shut it a third time.

Reno stared with a blank expression. Having been a well-trained homicide inspector, he recognized the obsessive compulsive behavior but didn't say anything regarding Nikola's tic.

Tesla made his way around behind the carriage and folded his arms over his chest. He unfolded them, shifted his weight, and crossed his arms again, then once more for a third time. "Let us hope your demonstration will be more amusing than..."

Reno held his hands apart and created a controlled, sustained arc of lightning between his palms. It lit up the area, including the back of the carriage, to the point of near daylight.

Tesla closed his mouth mid-word.

Reno sighed through his nose. "Okay, so here's what's going on. I do what your machines do, but I do it with my hands."

Nikola remained silent, but excitement shined in his eyes.

Reno continued. "Maybe it was you running those machines ... maybe that's what caused me to be drawn here or something. I don't know. I mean, you do a million volts in the future, so why didn't I appear then, right? But I'm here now. And I gotta find Raul so I can get back to my time."

Tesla eyed Reno for a moment, his eyes transfixed on the current arc. "You're generating this sort of current from your bare hands..." He opened and closed his fists three times. "This ... I have to measure it before you leave."

"You want to measure my output?"

"Yes. I must. Please."

"So you don't think this is a trick?"

"How could it be?" Tesla said. "The size of the machine necessary to create this ... I feel the heat on my face, and my eyes squint at the light. It is real, I confess, yet there are no machines."

"Okay, I'll let you measure, under one condition."

Tesla looked up from Reno's hands. "Name it."

"This stays between us. You're Tesla, man. You're a mortal hero to Zeus and Thor. But you do it with machines. If people knew I existed, they would cut me apart and study my corpse. I'm not an animal to be studied."

Tesla frowned. "I see your point, Mr. Carrington. Animals do not deserve to be studied in death. Scientists dug up corpses to study the body; they did not murder people to study the living. Doing so is unnatural."

"Alright, well, as long as we're on the same page. You have to keep this between us. Friends?" Reno's electric arc dissipated. He reached towards Tesla with his right hand.

Tesla ignored the offer of a handshake. Instead, he touched his thumb against Reno's palm. "It's cool to the touch."

"Yeah. My body does whatever it has to do to keep the blood and skin from burning. I'm not sure how it works. I don't think the electricity comes from the skin. I think I somehow excite the positrons and electrons in the air or something."

"Electrons," Tesla scoffed. He drew out a handkerchief and wiped the thumb he used to touch Reno's palm. "I need to get back so I can wash my hands. I cannot believe your palms are of normal temperature."

"So, friends?"

Tesla nodded. "We are simpatico, Mr. Carrington. And I would much prefer to study you alive; your secret is safe with me." Tesla paused and tilted his head. "You said I achieve one million volts in the future?"

"Yeah."

"You were surprised by the date. Are you suggesting...?"

"It's complicated."

Tesla cleaned his thumb two more times. He put the handkerchief back into his blazer pocket. "Does electricity have the power to...?"

"No, no. I was apparently thrown back through time by a fluke. I was helping a person with abilities similar to my own, except that he moves through time. It was an accident and too difficult to explain. It's best to leave that detail alone; suffice to say, electricity, alone, won't cause time travel."

"Fine, very well. I understand." Tesla tilted his head. "The reason I ask is because you mentioned I generate a million volts. A _million_volts. Such a lofty goal. Electricity is capable of so much."

"You're harnessing the power of nature," Reno said. "It changes everything."

"We're lighting entire buildings. And the fair - you saw the fair lit up as you left this evening. Electricity is the future, Mr. Carrington. The steam engine will be phased out. Consider combustion engine vehicles jolting to life by crank or battery. Whether cranked by hand or battery, both turn over because someone or something generates energy."

"Yeah. Look, I have a little time. I have friends in San Francisco that can help me find my buddy Raul in Spain. That's the guy that can get me back to where I belong. The future isn't going anywhere without me."

"Understood. We'll get you back where you belong Mr. Carrington."

"Just ... Nathanial."

"Then Nikola. You act as though I am a household name in the future. Am I ... famous?"

"Yeah. You and Edison are household names. But you're remembered as inventors. You mentioned your employer was Westinghouse? That's just a business. I think they made my hot water heater and my TV."

"What is TV? Is it an electricity device?"

Reno frowned. "This is going to sound like ... look, I don't think I should tell you too much about the future. I'm kind of star struck to meet you and all, but if I change the future, and you go inventing a smartphone, then I messed things up."

Nikola pulled his handkerchief from his pocket again. After a pause, he stuffed his handkerchief back into his vest pocket and guided Reno to the door of his carriage. "My apologies, it is not the most luxurious way to travel. But it is warmer inside than out."

"True. And I'm too tired to argue with a free ride." Reno climbed up into the stagecoach and sat down on a bench with his back to the driver.

Tesla climbed into the bench facing the opposite direction. The lithe, well-dressed man drew his handkerchief free a third time. He pulled the door shut and hooked his lantern on the ceiling. "I would not dare to change a future where I generate one million volts, but the world _could_benefit from a ... 'smart ... phone'."

"Yeah, no kidding. Not having service is bullshit." Reno leaned back and sighed.

Tesla stowed his handkerchief one last time. "You are speaking of a wireless phone device? But one that would also send wireless telegraphs from the palm of your hand?"

"Uh, yeah. Wait ... you have telephones right? I'm not a historian but Bell patented it by now, right?"

Tesla smirked. "Yes, Bell stole the patent from a man from Chicago - Elisha Gray, spelled with an 'A.' However, neither of those men invented the phone."

"What?"

"I believe it was Antonio Meucci. Regardless, my idea for the wireless device would be far more than simply its ability to have phone or telegraph service."

"What?" Reno repeated.

"A proper inventor needs to have imagination, Nathanial. Such a device can do far more than communicate."

"Well yeah. But calling someone is its main function, although you wouldn't think that anymore. Sending mail and stock updates and weather updates and all that crap - that's what makes these stupid little things so important to..." Reno trailed off and smirked. "Real nice."

"I beg your pardon?"

Reno shook his head. "You're trying to trick me into telling you about the future. You can't know about this stuff man."

"I seek to invent just such a handheld device, Nathanial. I assume a dry cell battery will power the device at some point."

"Yeah." Reno shook his head again and smiled. "A battery powers the device. But electricity powers the towers that act as a go-between for my handheld device. And that's where you come in."

"My God. A wireless electronic telegraph, just as I'd imagined. And these stock quotes and all this information you mentioned ... it is sent through the air with electricity?"

"I can't explain how it works," Reno said. "Where I came from, I'm an average guy with an average understanding of how things work. I'm not the guy to answer all the questions. And even if I could, I shouldn't."

"No, you're right. Let them be _my_inventions, not yours. I've already dreamed of a wireless handheld telegraphic that sends its information through electricity in the air. And there must be a way to excite natural electricity in the air so that we can light bulbs without the use of wire. But human understanding of electricity is so bold and new that there is no way to jump to it yet."

"What makes you think you can light a bulb without a wire?"

"Because_you_ can," said Tesla. "You can create an arc of lightning without it touching either of your hands. Electricity travels through the air freely. Benjamin Franklin could tell you that much a hundred years ago. We've come a long way in one hundred years. Imagine how far science will come in the next one hundred years?"

"Yeah." Reno shifted his weight. "Electricity changes the world, man. We use it for everything, but I'm pretty sure we didn't have half that stuff by 1993."

"I understand you cannot tell me everything I wish to know, but tell me this - can it be used to achieve global peace?"

"You know, to be honest, it helps make a lot of wars possible."

"But wars are possible without electricity. Gunpowder, arrows, slings - mankind has thrown sticks and stones since before we could write about it."

Reno nodded firmly. "You're right. And those wars would probably happen one way or another. But electricity and the battery make it so we can wage any war in any part of the world at any time."

"The Punic Wars lasted two centuries, Mr. Carrington ... Nathanial. Are you in a war now, where you come from?"

"No."

"Is war eradicated where you come from?"

"It's not in human nature to lay down our arms. The only way to achieve peace is to ensure the most mature person has the biggest weapon to put the fear of God into the other people. The biggest weapon with the most energy forces peace."

"So a death-ray to end all wars would..."

"Alright, alright," Reno said, hands up. "Stop. I'm giving you all these ideas and I shouldn't be telling you this stuff, Mr. Tesla."

"Nathanial, I will pay for your room tonight. I will pay for your train and travel expenses to San Francisco. George will give me the money if I tell him about a breakthrough in electricity. He doesn't have to know the breakthrough is a human being. Does anyone else have your power in the future?" Tesla shifted his weight. "Do ... all men? Do we become integrated with electricity in such a way that we evolve to harness it directly?"

"No. I'm the only one," said Reno. "That I know of."

"Ah. That's a shame. I would have loved to unlock the secrets of..."

"Sorry."

Tesla nodded. "So you'll let me measure your output?"

"I'll even come back and see you one last time before I go back to my time. It's a thrill to meet you, I'm just exhausted and I can't figure out how I got here, or why now. I can't even wrap my mind around coming back in time. I just ... I need to get back to my time and finish what I started."

"What brought you back was science."

"Yeah. Science and Raul."

"Fair enough. But it will be on the shoulders of science that you will return to your home."

"Just when I was starting to think life really is freewill, along comes fate, dropping me on your doorstep."

"So the philosophical argument continues into the future, beyond 1993?" Tesla smiled. "You mentioned that year in the past tense. I am not sure you are a charlatan, but your demonstration was most certainly undeniable."

Reno chuckled. "God knows ... if life is fate after all, then maybe nothing will be invented unless I tell you a few things."

"Ah, hubris. Perhaps you are not the first time traveler, Nathanial. You have to admit, humanity was technologically unstimulated until, all at once, we entered the industrial age."

"Yeah, that's one way to look at it." Reno grinned.

"I only wish chemistry didn't pave the way. I have a chemist friend who reminds me of this often - he says we couldn't invent the steam engine until we learned what steam is, or how to harness it. Hubris. Every scientist is guilty of it to some degree."

"Truth is, humanity was repressed from technological inventions by people who were afraid of change. They called science 'witchcraft.' Thank God that frame of mind changed, huh? The people from San Francisco, the ones who can help me back to my time ... on second thought, I shouldn't go into those details. Look, just take what I say with a grain of salt. I'm exhausted, man."

Tesla glanced out the left window, watching a train pass on the tracks. "I imagine the locomotive goes the way of the dinosaur."

"Nah." Reno shrugged. "Electricity helps trains last longer. They're affordable and reliable workhorses. But they're mostly used for transport of freight. They can carry more than the tire of a car."

"Car? Is that what we call carriages?"

"I ... yeah. Trains aren't going anywhere. Look, I really just need to shut up. I'm exhausted. I appreciate the help; I just need a minute to close my eyes."

"Just remember our deal - I wish to test your output."

"Yeah, I'm good for my word. As wild as it is to meet you, I can't seem to hold my eyes open right now."

"Perhaps you need to be in proximity of electricity to function." Tesla tilted his head. "Mr. Carrington?" He frowned. "I will _not_carry you to a room if you've fainted. Nathanial?"

Reno couldn't help it. He was too tired to stay awake. All he wanted to do is find Raul and get back to his proper time, but right now he needed to sleep more than anything.