"The Mississippi Mystery" - Part Three

Part Three

            The potential parent of Fred Douglass – the name that the TARDIS team agreed to give to the infant (after the famous African-American author) – was deduced to be somewhere aboard the Jefferson. They narrowed the potentials down to the negroes working on the steamboat, from the kitchen to the boiler room. To make the investigation easier, Rania and Leeka each took scans of Fred’s DNA from their respective devices – Rania’s sonic screwdriver and Leeka’s vortex manipulator.

            Grouped with Leeka, Tyler seized the chance of getting to know a little more about the immortal captain as they walked about the main deck. “So…your dad was a Time Agent? Sounds like a fun job.”

            “Yep – pay’s good, too,” Leeka said proudly. “Thanks to my daddy, we Leekas were some wealthy-livin’ folks, affordin’ to go anyplace and anytime we wanted.”

            “Do you and your family still keep in touch?”

            Leeka sighed deep. “Not really. Our family dynamic shifted the day Big Daddy was arrested by the Spartans for crimes against the multiverse. The only proof they had that he had done anything was in the divergence of a timeline that led to its temporal implosion.”

            “What does that mean?” Tyler questionably scowled.

            “Imagine all of reality gettin’ erased from existence,” Leeka explained. “Kinda like Marty McFly – handsome fella up close, by the way.”

            “Wait a sec – you said the Spartans arrested him. Didn’t you work for them?”

            “Not at the time, no. But, seein’ it was the only feasible thing to do to rectify Big Daddy’s crimes, I joined them.” She sighed deeply again. “My lil’ sis, Gabe, didn’t really approve of my decision. Out of spite, she went and joined the Time Agents. I’ve never spoken to her since.”

            Tyler saw how gloomy the old family memories made her. “Sorry.”

            Leeka gave him a warm, compassionate smile. “Ohh, you’re sweet. No need to worry, hon. It’s all in the past – ironic thing to say, bein’ a time traveler and all.”

            “And an immortal,” Tyler added. “When did you find out that you couldn’t die?”

            “When I was still servin’ as a Spartan,” Leeka said. “It was that strong connection I have to ol’ Jackie-boy that got me dismissed from the Spartans…and recruited into Torchwood. As far as I’m concerned, the two ain’t all that different.”

            Tyler left the Q&A at that – more informed and even more intrigued.

            Rania was a little excited to be on the search for Fred’s parents. Reuniting a lost baby with his mother and father was an inspiring side-quest to help alleviate an otherwise stressful mission. Just the thought of little Fred back in the arms of his mother brought tears to the Tinkerer’s eyes.

            Her part of the search brought her back to the bow of the Jefferson – where she found Rooney, Kincaid’s slave, watching the gorgeous sunset. “Oh, what up, Ro—I mean, good evening, Rooney.”

            Rooney jolted in attention at the sound of her voice, his body tensing up as he turned and faced her. “Miss Walker,” he gasped. “Please don’t tell nobody I was here wit you…especially don’t tell Mr. Kincaid. I’s be leavin’ right away.”

            “No, please, stay,” Rania encouraged him. “It’s alright, Rooney. I won’t tell anyone…not even Kincaid.” Rooney seemed a little more relaxed after her encouragement. He was still quite nervous, particularly as she wrapped her arms around his right bicep and rested her head on his right shoulder, looking towards the sun setting along the horizon of the Mississippi River.

            When Rooney wasn’t looking her way, Rania did a quick scan from her sonic, hovering it over his bicep.

            ‘No DNA Match’ was the result she got back.

            No matter. At least she still had this beautiful moment.

            “You deserve so much better than living in fear around a callous man like Carlson Kincaid,” she sympathized with Rooney.

            “Oh, no, ma’am!” Rooney tensed up again. “Mr. Kincaid…he ain’t as bad as he seem. He be keepin’ me in line when I’s git it comin’.”

            “That’s no way to treat anyone. A man like you deserves to be free.”

            Mortified by her words, Rooney tore himself away from her embrace. Rania could see the absolute fear washing over his young face. “Now I’s really need to go, Miss Walker,” he told her with the utmost urgency. This time, he didn’t hesitate to leave, even when Rania tried to call him back.

            Unbeknownst to either of them, from a balcony one deck above the bow, Carlson Kincaid had been eavesdropping on their conversation.

            Leeka and Tyler’s ongoing search led them to the negro cabin. There, a group of black deckhands were currently on break, playing a game of poker. Leeka held her vortex manipulator in their general direction; after a quick and unobtrusive scan, she came up with zero results.

            “Another dead end,” Tyler groaned.

            “Meh, I wouldn’t say that,” Leeka eyed the deckhands’ poker game with interest. She proceeded to remove her vortex manipulator and hand it over to Tyler. “Here, keep on with the searchin’ while I do some pokin’ of my own.” Catching her drift, Tyler accepted the vortex manipulator and his now-solo mission. He watched her as she approached the deckhands’ table, taking them all by surprise. “Now, don’t panic none, gents,” she gingerly told them. “I know what ya’ll are thinkin’: ‘What is this white girl doing in our cabin?’ Well, I wanna play a lil’ game of poker with ya’ll.”

            “Sho, ma’am,” one of the deckhands permitted.

            “You won’t get mad none if one of us whoop you?” another deckhand asked.

            Leeka tittered. “Honey, ain’t no way ya’ll whoopin’ me. Call me ‘Miss Kitty,’ ‘cause none of ya’ll gettin’ out of Dodge tonight!”

            Tyler was almost enticed to stay and watch, but he knew he had to leave.

            He was so distracted by Leeka that he didn’t watch where he was going as he left the cabin. This resulted in him bumping into Rooney. “Excuse me, sir,” he told Tyler, quivering as he stood face-to-face with him. “I’s clumsy dat way. Please forgive me.”

            “Hey, it’s O.K., man,” Tyler gently patted his shoulder. He was shocked to have felt how tense Rooney was.

            “ROONEY!” Both men jolted when they heard Kincaid’s approaching voice shout out bitterly. He walked straight up to Rooney from behind, forcibly grabbing him by the shoulder. “Bring your worthless hide to my cabin now!”

            Rooney winced under his grip. “Y-Yessuh, M-Mistuh K-K-Kincaid.”

            “Hey!” Tyler stepped in, staring down Kincaid.

            Kincaid stared right back, challenging Tyler to make a move.

            Tyler’s fists clenched hard; he wanted to punch Kincaid so hard that his head would come clean off his shoulders. The only thing that restrained him was the thought of Fred never finding his parents, all because he allowed a heartless slaveowner to get under his skin. Much as it pained him, he stood down and allowed Kincaid to haul Rooney away.

            An hour into the search, Rania’s frustrations were getting the better of her. Feeling as if she needed a break, she returned to the TARDIS to check up on Craig and Fred. She arrived just in time to see Craig holding the crying Fred upon his shoulder, pacing all around the console room.

            “I can’t get him to stop!” Craig shouted over Fred’s wailing. “I don’t know if he’s sick, hungry, or needs a diaper change!”

            Rania chuckled at the 10-year-old’s dilemma.

            “Here, I’ll take him,” she held her hands out towards him. “I’ve had plenty of experience with babies, grandbabies, and great-grandbabies.”

            Craig handed Fred over to her and, instantly, the child ceased his sobbing.

            “Seriously?!” Craig exclaimed in disbelief. “I held Jessica the same way when she was that little, and she never cried!”

            “Ohh, don’t be discouraged, sweetie,” Rania pitied him. “Some babies are just different that way.” She gave some gentle bounces for Fred that made him giggle and coo in her arms. “See? He’s more of the energetic type – a lil’ firecracker.” She couldn’t resist giving the baby a long, loving kiss on the side of his head. “It’s unfair for such a beautiful little soul not to know who gave him life.”

            Craig felt just as much love for the child. “If we can’t find his parents, can we take him with us? Neas adopted a kid who was orphaned once.”

            “Well,” Rania shrugged, “I see no reason not to.”

            “Alright!” Craig cheered. His celebration was short-lived just as they suddenly heard commotion outside the ship. “What was that?”

            Rania frowned with caution. “Dunno. Let’s go check.”

            Handing the pacified Fred back to Craig, they walked out of the TARDIS together and into the cargo hold to investigate. At first, they saw nothing in the area to generate the noise they heard; everything was deathly still. Then they saw the man-sized crate wobbling left and right, with someone or something inside desperate to get out.

            Rania spotted a crowbar sitting atop a luggage trunk nearby. “Stay back,” she instructed Craig, as she took the crowbar and pried open the crate.

            What was inside shocked both Rania and Craig.

            The cargo was a caged goblin-like creature.

            “What is that?!” Craig gasped.

            Rania’s hazel-brown eyes flared with recognition and rage. “The Archivist!”