SHADOW WALKER
By; Gerald A. Polley
Chapter 1
It seems a quiet afternoon in the big warehouse outside of
Dallas, Texas. The workers are moving around, joking with each
other. One man complains to another that if he's going out with
his sister that night their relationship had better get a little
more serious before they continue doing what they're doing. The
man is about to answer when suddenly a truck equipped with a
heavy ram on the front comes crashing through the warehouse door.
It enters some way, comes to a screeching halt, three other
vehicles follow, men pour out, and a loud speaker starts
screaming "Texas rangers! ATF! Get down! Get down on the
floor! Spread your arms and legs!"
The message begins to be repeated. Several of the men obey.
Others begin to flee into the warehouse. An office door opens and
four men with automatic weapons wearing body armor emerge and
begin to fire. The officers take cover and begin to return the
fire, others begin to pursue those that fled.
A colored ranger tackles one man and they are soon struggling on
the floor. A tall, lean blond ranger with a beard and mustache
goes after another man who comes at him with a wrench, knocking
away his pistol. They are soon involved in a savage fight, both
men exchanging blows with fists and feet.
While this is happening no one sees a man emerge onto the catwalk
above carrying a high powered rifle, with a telescopic site. He
kneels and takes aim at the ranger below. As he does so, another
man emerges from the doorway through which he entered. The man is
tall. He wears a battered cowboy hat, ragged jacket, on which is
pinned a U.S. Marshal's badge, faded jeans, and cowboy boots. He
watches the man with the rifle then reaches up and releases the
hand break on a crane that runs along the warehouse's roof.
Seizing the crane and the electric pulley hanging from it he
gives them a hard shove. They begin to glide along the rail. When
they almost reach the man with the rifle the marshal whistles.
The man turns just in time to get the pulley in the face! He
staggers backwards, falls between the rails, lands on a packing
case below, which crashes to the floor and breaks open.
The light haired ranger's adversary is momentarily distracted by
this. This is all the ranger needs. He swings around, his foot
comes up, taking the man in the side of the head, and he goes
down. The ranger quickly handcuffs him. By now his associate also
has his prisoner. The rest of those in the warehouse either lay
dead or have been captured.
An ATF agent runs up and examines the man on the floor, takes the
rifle and shakes his head. The prisoners are escorted away by
other officers. The ATF man kneels by the fallen crate and rights
it.
"Hey, Walker!" he cries "Trivette! Look at this!
These aren't illegal arms. They look like antiques!"
He begins to take several weapons out of the case and lay them
out. Two rifles, a shotgun and a pistol. The light haired ranger
came over. "They are antiques!" he remarked, kneeling
down, "A Winchester, a Sharpes buffalo gun, custom made
shotgun, really nice Colt 44! Nice leather holster, WW branded on
it. I've seen these weapons! Several years ago I was visiting a
federal court house in Walker, Texas, picking up a prisoner. They
had a display there, things that belonged to a marshal that used
to work out of that area. I think these are the weapons! I wonder
if they could have been stolen?"
"Well, I'll get my boys on it!" the ATF man answered.
"I'm sure if they were he'll be glad to get them back.
Thanks for the assist, rangers!"
"Getting guns off the street," the blond ranger
answered, "helps everybody."
The two rangers walked outside, entered their own vehicle, and
were joined by two younger rangers, a male and a female.
"Good job!" the younger ranger put in.
"Yes," the older ranger answered, "very good
job!" He started the truck and they drove off. In the
shadows of the trees the marshal who had saved the ranger
watched. A Native American approached him, nodded. The marshal
nodded back. They both turned, walked off, and disappeared.
Several days went by. The blond ranger was working at his desk,
when his superior entered. "Walker!" he snapped,
"Trivette! Whatever you're doing give it to somebody else.
You've got a new assignment! Come with me to briefing room
three!"
The two rangers looked bewildered but quickly obeyed.
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