The Auctioneer

Chapter I: A Historical Thief

   Bullets grazed the ground, barely missing her feet after she respawned. She is still trying to collect herself after the 12 minutes of travel she made from the present times. She ran as fast as she could to the bush nearby. She needs to get out of the crossfire now.

   She leaned on a sturdy oak tree. The cold beads of sweat rush into her pale white face. She peeked in. The familiar red flag marked with blue 'X' with white stars on it is visible from her position as it waves over hundreds of Confederate soldiers marching toward the Union camp.

   This might be it, she thought. 

   To close the mission, Maya Johnson needed to get a confederate pistol. She slowly moved up and saw the two camps firing at each other. Soldiers from the two camps fall one by one as the gap closes.

   Maya, who has just turned 26 last month, has lost count on the missions she completed. With her height of 5'11, with her blue eyes and charming face, she was often mistaken to be a flight attendant or a corporate woman rather than an auctioneer.

   Then the clash snapped. Smokes covered the scene as federals and confederates assaulted each other. In a wild, hot afternoon, bullets flying all over. The squirts of blood bathed the green meadow. Men with no more shots draw swords, slashing flesh out of their enemy. The roar of the canons behind each infantry is deafening. Bodies are sent flying whenever they hit, and the cry of pain among the injured makes the Battle of Cheat Mountain horrible.

   But this was the timing Maya has been waiting. For a minute, she scanned the war zone. Then she saw her target.

   An officer was riding a horse. He has what she needs.

   An 1851 Colt Navy revolver. A high-ranking officer held the standard pistol during the Civil War in the United States.

   She checked herself for the last time: stretched her back, knees and knuckles and ran fast. The confusion among the mob hides her presence, as they are busy killing each other. Her heart pounded like a bass drum.

   Maya is now 50 meters behind the rider. As she tried to get near, she dodges bullets after bullets. Her red bulletproof vest and Kevlar helmet cannot guarantee her safety. She must be careful, or else these ancient bullets can lacerate her slender built.

   The men who are brawling stand between her and her target. As a policy, their company is prohibiting them from hurting anyone from the past.

   Especially historical figures.

   She took a deep breath. She can't afford to waste another minute, or she'll be locked up in this timeline.

They were dead, anyway!

   She reached into her back and drew a small metal handle. She pressed the button in the center, and an electric luminance came out. She hurriedly hit the two tangled men in their neck. They danced erratically and slept in an instant.

   The officer on the horse saw what she did. He can't believe it. Instantly, he categorized Maya as a threat. Then he was about to draw his pistol but its too late.

   Maya ducked over the line of fire and hit him with the baton. Fifty thousand volts traveled within the officer's body and fell loudly on the ground. His horse gallops away, thrusting towards the assaulting soldiers, and disappears in the smokes.

   Immediately, Maya got his pistol. She smiled as she unpinned the emblem on the officer's chest. She was about to leave when she noticed a familiar rifle. It is an Enfield Pattern rifled musket.

   Sweet bonus.

   She grabbed something on her chest and pressed a small blue button. An elliptical portal of light flashed in her front like a tunnel. This is her way home, back to the present.