3.
It was a cold and rainy Louisiana night Twain is standing alone undercover of a building. He had come down to Mississippi to meet his family and as it happens Tesla was having a showcase in Louisiana. Twain agreed to come down and meet. Somehow Tesla also convinced Twain to gather intelligence on any shady goings on in New Orleans. They agreed to meet here on this night to form a plan. Twain taps his toes; he has been under this awning for over an hour. Frustrated he takes out his flask emblazoned with his initials, with his hand covering only M was visible. The flask was actually a gift from Tesla; anything inside the flask will always stay cold. He takes a deep sigh and says to himself "Whiskey can warm even the coldest soul" as he takes a deep swig.
As he says this a man jumps from a passing carriage dashingly. "Only a writer can make alcoholism so poetic", says the man. "Yes, Tesla, and only a scientist wouldn't own a watch" says Twain. "I said meet me here Sam you were the one who insisted on it being a specific time. I suspect you do this just so you can complain and sulk in your flask. So what's on the agenda tonight then?"
"Same as always, fight corruption, bring peace, and if there's time stop a murder or two." "Well then" says Tesla as he hands Twain a six shooter that hums with light as it's loaded "looks like I'm right on time." Twain rolls his eyes “Poetics aside, there have been disappearances in the area over the past couple month. Issue is, they are all people associated with public office.” Murphy J. Foster took the office of governor in 1892. For the first few years’ things were going off fairly well, recently however friends and family members of the cabinet have turned up missing. “I would say it was Foster, but if I was a prominent figure as much as he is then I would pick people a little less close to me to secretly murder.” Said Twain. “Please, Sam do not talk about these people as if they were dead. Hopefully those who have disappeared are in one piece. What we need to do is figure out what those missing have in common. You have a list of the victims correct?” Said Tesla. Twain nodded and took out a list.
“The victims were as follows: "person: close personal friend of lt governor Hiram R. Lott, sister-in-law of secretary to the governor’s office, and the second cousin of the press secretary" said Twain. "Something doesn't sound right Sam, other than their involvement with the governor there is no connection" said Tesla "Well they all gave bogus excuses for their disappearances. As follows their excuses were: A fishing trip, wedding and my favorite 'taking time off to reconnect with nature’. Most relevantly though they were all seen together at a cocktail party at the governors mansion. Though when their loved ones found their notes it was weeks later and several day apart for each." said Twain " "If there is a connection it is at the governors office. How were you able to get yourself in the first time to gather intelligence?" asked tesla. "This is Louisiana are you serious, I'm a god in these parts I just gave the governor a copy of Huckleberry Finn and I was allowed to stay for the weekend." "Well then I am sure they would love to meet your famous scientist friend who will give an original scientific display." said tesla " oh did you have anyone in mind?" Twain and Tesla laughed.
It was a black tie affair; the citizens and the governor’s office in Baton Rouge Louisiana were thrilled to have not only a famous writer, but a famous man of science amongst them. Tesla promised " a completely original experiment, not seen by man or beast or even tesla himself." In realty he was just repurposed old electricity experiments and rigged up a slightly modified coil with a fancy paint job. “Ladies and gentlemen” said Tesla “I present to you the power of the lightning bolt harnessed in this very room.” Tesla walked to a panel and flipped several switches. Giant bolts of electricity shot from the freshly repainted Tesla coil. Tesla despised having to do experiments outside of a controlled lab but for the sake of the disappearances he accepted the irregular experiment space. He did however have them remove every curtain in the house to prevent a potential fire. The experiment combined with some watered down absinthe provided by an "anonymous donor" whipped the people into a dubbed down stupor. After the experiment Twain and Tesla convened by the front entrance. “Alright Sam, this is our chance to get to the bottom of this. We will split up and explore as much of the house as we can. Look for anything that is out of place. If you are stopped just tell people how lovely the house looks and how you are considering buying one for yourself, that said these people are so drunk the only thing you will have to do is stop a fight” Tesla said whist giggling to himself. “Ok Tesla, I like that plan. I have one modification to the plan though. Since I was playing detective for you all week how about you do everything you just said alone and try to get to the bottom of things. I will be at the bar and get the bottom of a bottle of scotch. The missing people just might be there.” Twain then patted Tesla on the back and made his way to the bar near the living room. Tesla then spent the next hour or so sweeping the house for clues. Picking up this, making sketches of that, and in one occasion he even seemed to place something in a specimen bag. Twain was perfectly content; the mansions bartender was passed out. It seems he sampled a bit too much of his own supply as he lay underneath the counter with a light green stain along his shirt collar. While Tesla was snooping around the house and making nice for people who were not drinking that night, Twain was making himself mint juleps and brainstorming novel ideas on a folded piece of paper out of his pocket. Eventually the Governor himself passed out and the partly was ended. Twain and Tesla said their goodbyes to the socialites of Louisiana and agreed to meet in the morning.
Twain sat at the restaurant and continued to write ideas. Inspired by his recent adventures with Tesla he was writing another sequel to the adventures of Tom Sawyer. He was just outlining the characters traveling in a hot air balloon when Tesla walked in. He sat down next to Twain and ordered a coffee, after the waitress left Tesla produced a large bag out of his pocket and laid it out on top of Twain’s notes. Tesla then pulled out a large wet leaf from the bag. “Sam do you realize what this is?” Twain removed the bag from the table and put his notes away. “Well Tesla, botany is really just a hobby so you are putting me on the spot. However, I am fairly confident in saying that it is a leaf.” Tesla rolled his eyes “Yes Sam it is a leaf. More importantly it is a leaf found at the governors mansion.” “I hate to break it to you Tesla but leaves are fairly common in these parts. Especially at a dinner party with open windows and no curtains.” Said Twain. “Yes but I’ve checked, this leaf not found in any major parts of Baton Rouge or most of Louisiana at all for that matter. This type of leaf is only found in swampland, specifically swamplands found in New Orleans. Hope you packed your bags” “Around you I always have my bags packed so I can make a quick exit whenever you finally jump off the deep end. I am really glad I got new pants for this trip. Nothing helps a good pair of pants like swamp water. So are we going to wander aimlessly through the swamp lands because as fun as that one sounds I think I would rather stay here and work on my novel.” Said Twain. “While I will always encourage you writing more Sam you do not have to worry, we have a final destination. The leaf also had traces of white make up, I suspect it is the type worn by voodoo priests.” “Fighting voodoo lords? Can I take it back and wade through the swamps?” joked Twain. “Look at the bright side, I am sure you will find a way to work this into the novel.” Said Tesla. “If I survive this experience I will keep it to myself.
After a few days travel Twain and Tesla arrived in New Orleans. Knowing the city as well as they did they knew there was only one place to ask about a potential kidnapping plot featuring voodoo priests and god knows what other scum from the bottom of the social ladder. “What will you two have” said the bartender in a thick Cajun accent. “I will have a scotch and my teetotaler friend here will have a water.” Said Twain. The bartender pushed the drinks in their direction hard, much of the drinks spilled out soaking into the bar’s wood grain counter. Twain paid the man and he bolted off across the other side of the counter before Twain could ask him a question. Tesla produced a paper envelope out of his pockets and poured a white powder in his drink. He then, from another pocket, produced a spoon and stirred his drink before returning both items to their respective pockets. “Trying to knock yourself out before the fun begins Tesla?” Asked Twain. “No such luck for you Sam, this powder removes impurities in water. Considering this water is darker than your whiskey it is mostly impurities.” Tesla’s glass slowly bubbled and yellow film formed on the top of the glass. Tesla grabbed the film from the top of the glass and threw it on the ground mixing it into the wood floor with his feet. He then took a sip of his newly cleaned water after whipping his hands off on his trousers. “I left my country to avoid places like this, I really do hope you are wrong and these people are ok mark because otherwise this trip is going to be infuriating to me.” Said Tesla “Well look at that you managed to find a mirror that shows how I feel every time we have one of these “adventures”. Now, if the bartender will not talk to us we have to treat this like prison. The one who knows the most will probably be the biggest and meanest one here.” Across the room at the back of the bar there was such a man. He was seven foot tall and several inches wider than twain or tesla and was almost larger than the two of them out together. He was wearing what was once probably a very nice outfit, though now was covered so much in cuts and tears with a hint of dried blood that it more closely resembled peasant rags. He was completely bald and a face that had not been shaved in at least a week. His entire body was covered in scars ranging from tiny abrasions to ones large enough to not ever conceivably survive from. The most obvious of them was the one on his face. It began on the high of his cheekbone and went to just above his right eyebrow. His right eye appeared to be only cosmetic. It was almost completely white save for a faint hint of a pupil and an iris. If they actually put peoples faces next to definitions of words, his face would be right next to “shady.” So of course Twain and Tesla walked up to him and sat down. The man had a look of annoyance on his face the moment the two men approached and it turned into a sour grimace when they both sat down. Twain leaned over to Tesla and whispered in his ear “let me handle this. If we say the wrong thing he will tear us apart and wear us as a coat. Well he would wear me as a coat; you would probably be a winter scarf.” Tesla then whispered into Twain’s ear “Sam I would not initiate conversation with this man if I were dying and he were my doctor.” When they turned back the big and scary man was starring at them. The man spoke and his manor of speech was a sandwich of glass and sandpaper washed down with a cup of nails. “If you two are faggots you can just move on now before things get ugly.” “I assure you we are not sir. I wonder if you know anything about practitioners of voodoo in these parts.” Said Tesla. The large man just looked at Tesla for several minutes and then went back to his drink. “I said let ME do the talking.” “Ok if you give us the info we will give you $100 and I promise he will never talk to you again.” “150 and you pay my bar tab.” Said the man. “Which I am sure is much more than $150. What do we get for that gracious donation?” asked Twain. “You get an address and I might not beat you to death in the alley behind the bar.” sounds good “Sounds good” said Twain. The scary man gave them an address, which pointed them in the direction of the swamplands. “Well Tesla, pay the man we have a trip ahead of us” Tesla glared at Twain and then gave the man the money. They paid off the tab as they made their way out. “Thank you so much Sam for spending my money on that deplorable fiend, shall we go get a prostitute while were at it?” asked Tesla “Probably not a good idea, New Orleans is a shipping town, you might get crabs. I would not have had to give the man as much money if you had not drawn his ire so.” Said Twain. The two walked to the swamplands in relative silence except for the odd bless after a sneeze. After a good hour of truly uncomfortable silence they reached the swamps as indicated by the directions. There was not much to behold, miles of swamp marsh and if you squinted you could see a cabin in the distance. “Well what are we looking for?” Asked twain. “I do not know, he just gave us the address and said this is what we were looking for.” Said Twain. “This is indeed what you are looking for” said a man with an African accent before knocking Twain and Tesla out with a large log. Tesla and Twain came too in a strange room. They were on their knees with their arms tied behind their back and their feet tied together. The cabin they were hogtied in was in fact the very same one that they saw as only a squint before at the other end of the swamp marsh. They awoke with their attacker squatting in front of them still clutching onto the attack weapon. He was a large and fit man when he spoke his accent was foreign to the both of them, he was from the dark continent of Africa. His face was painted with white symbols; matching symbols painted and tattooed covered his body as well. It was clear that Tesla was right; this man was a voodoo master. The man banged the log on the ground of the cabin several times to make sure Twain and Tesla was awake and then stood up. “Story teller and magic man (Twain turned to look at Tesla and mouthed the words ‘magic man’ inquisitively), you have entered a forbidden world (the man then banged the log against the ground several more times) you will leave now magic man or else death will be the only thing to welcome you.” The voodoo lord picked up Tesla and cut loose his ties. “As you say sir, untie my friend and we will go” Tesla said and then started to reach to Twain. The voodoo lord smacked away his hand. “No magic man, the story teller stays here. Man who tells tales is not to be trusted he stays. “NO!” Tesla screams. “Take me, as you say I am a magic man. I can use my magic for you.” “Ha ha ha, I know your skills magic man. Lighting from the sky in a room with mere mortals. It is forbidden to attack those who wield the power of magic, and even if the gods allowed it powder would have no effect on your magic.” Said the voodoo lord. “Powder?” asked Tesla. The voodoo lord picked up Twain “Unhand me you fucking insane brute” yelled Twain. “You will quiet soon enough story teller.” Said the Voodoo lord. He then produced an envelope of powder; he poured the powder into his hand and blew it into Twain’s face. Twains struggled ceased and a glazed look poured over his face. “WHAT DID YOU DO?” Tesla yelled into the lord’s face. “He is slave of my command now, he is but a zombie for Queeatchu” said Queeatchu. Tesla scrambled for what to say “Wait, let him go. I am not a magic man, it is just pretending to be magic.” Said Tesla. “You choose unwise words magic man” said Queeatchu “If what you say is true then I chose the right Zombie since as a master of trickery you would work your way out of control. Storyteller spreads his mind and makes it weak, easier to control. If you are no magic man then I am safe from retaliation from your magic. Now go magic man, or should I say trickster, before I cut you up and feed you cannibals.” Tesla left the cabin and looked back “stay away or your fates will be much more grave.” Said Queeatchu. Tesla took off his shoes and walked away towards the town. He made it to town after a long two hours of walking. He made it to his hotel and went to his room to gather his thoughts. You would think his thoughts were gathered during the walk but his mind during the walk was focused on the pain the rocky ground caused his bare feet. He put the shoes next to his bed and lay down. He needed rest for the day ahead.
Tesla had built makeshift labs in any state he visited and Louisiana was of course no exception. Tesla placed his shoes from the previous night and headed to what was once a clock repair shop. In his lab he grabbed a large magnifying glass and placed his shoes under it. “Eureka!” said Tesla. His suspicions were correct. Segments of the powder spit in Twains face landed on his shoe. He rushed to the other side of the lab and scoured through the drawers. He didn’t know how much time he had to save his friend and he wasted not a moment more. Tesla grabbed the drawer and poured it out on the desk. He grabbed a pair of small forceps from the piles of junk. He grabbed the segments of powder and placed them in a petri dish. “Now to call in a favor.” said Tesla.
Albert Johannes was a south African man who led a similar life in chemistry much the same as Tesla led in electricity and engineering. He came to the states at a young age and entered the world of science; he traveled the country and settled in Louisiana. To his credit Tesla listened to the young man’s story on a visit to Louisiana and gave him a loan to jump start his life the way that he had years ago. He had achieved some level of success, though not the level of Tesla, and he was always grateful to Tesla. He promised that he would pay him back however he could muster. Well this day Tesla asked for him with a courier message. He was a half days travel from New Orleans and he was told to cut that in half. No easy task alone, but he was also told to bring all of his tools and chemicals. Through an inventive mixture of trains, horse buggies, and things he was not very proud of, he was able to make it to New Orleans in seven hours. He went to the address he was ordered to and after placing down his equipment he embraced Tesla with a warm hug. He was a very friendly man. “A pleasure as always Tesla” said Johannes. Tesla brushed off his coat. “Indeed, but let us do away with the formalities for now. There is work to be done and you are late. If I am curt I apologize but there is a man’s life at stake.” Johannes nodded in agreement and got to work. He placed a large bag on the table and took out a crude microscope. “Do you have the sample?”asked Johannes. Tesla handed the dish to him.
