CHAPTER 14: THE DUEL

JULY 11, 1804

WEEHAWKEN, NEW JERSEY

 

            The swirly portal opened up to a field-wooded area mix behind a tree. They heard some voices�"what sounded like singing�"counting, “1. 2. 3. 4. 5! 6! 7, 8, 9! Number 10! PLACES, FIRE!” it sounded like, followed by silence. They walked for a few in the woods until they found an opening little area with a few more people, two of which were holding guns�"one guy had his up in the air and was rapping about death and seeing the other side, whilst everyone else was frozen.

            “What’s this?” Seth whispered to Lee.

            “Looks like the Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr duel.” Lee answered. “I’ve actually been here before, but I don’t think we’ve reset Time since then…”

            “You’ve what?”

            “The agency, after most missions that REALLY affect time, they reset it to how it originally played out. After Kevin is captured, there’s definitely need for a reset.”

            “So basically, after we catch Kevin, we reset time to how it was…so we get Johnny back?”

            “No, there’s something that helps us not be affected, but it’ll take too long to explain for right now. We don’t have time now. I believe I should be appearing in about…now.” Lee swung around behind a tree, blocking him from view, and pulled Seth with him.

            On the other side of this field where the duel was being paused for a rap session, another Lee exited his red swirly portal into the wooded area behind Burr. He walked around the tree, looking at Hamilton rapping about the other side. He pushed his earpiece and spoke into it, saying: “Alf, I don’t think he’s here. Wait, you think you got him? Where? Washington’s inauguration? I’m on my way.” Another red swirly portal appeared and he traveled back to the inauguration of George Washington, the same place where this story started.

            Lee and Seth reemerged into the rapping, now about raising glasses. “I have an idea,” Lee started “on how to get some disguises, and it invo�"”

            Hamilton raised his extended hand holding the gun to the sky, but Burr was about to pull the trigger. “WAIT!” yelled Seth, cutting off Lee, but it did nothing. Burr shot Hamilton, striking him right between his ribs.

            “Ah, what the hell. We need to reset anyways.” Lee said. He walked onto the field as Burr was singing, quickly brought out his gun, and shot Burr. Burr didn’t even react as he fell limp to the ground with a thud.

            Seth stared, mouth wide open. “…Dude!”

            “What? We strip them and use their clothes as disguises so Kevin doesn’t see us!”

            “YOU DIDN’T NEED TO KILL THE B*****D!”

            “…eh, he could go f**k himself anyways. Now come on, help me strip them! It’s been about 7 minutes!”

            Seth did as he was asked and started striping Hamilton of his garments as Lee did to Burr. After both cadavers were nude, Lee and Seth ran behind some trees and changed into what Hamilton and Burr wore no more than three minutes earlier. When they walked back out to greet each other, Seth grabbed his stick cane, but realized how much older it looked like it had gotten; more mold and some rotting. “Hey, Lee, you saw this a little bit ago in ’91, right? Why is it rottier now?”

            “Again,” said Lee, “for a later time. Now isn’t appropriate.”

            With a tap of his watch, they were once again back on their way to 1991 to confront Kevin and save time�"dressed as founding fathers.