by: Essy Jane

Well the dukes had a bit of time to heal up. Of course they were out searching for Steele’s newest hideout. It had to be around here somewhere. Steele wouldn’t have gone far. He still hadn’t robbed that bank yet. Jason wanted to show Boss some grief and pain. How could he without causing him shame? Something about business made a Coltrane shiver.

Bo didn’t approve of these boys night stalking. It wasn’t proper for them to do. What if they got killed? Bo would never forgive himself. He didn’t want to take a chance with the boys. Now that the girls were in Chickasaw, Bo could watch over the boys better. He got very over protective.

In fact, Bo grounded both boys to the house. Naturally they both got out. They were in the General before Bo could even stop them. “We couldn’t live in fear…we had to go out and find him…right?” Jesse tried to reassure himself. Jose kept on driving. He didn’t think too much about what he was going to do. However, he wanted this to be over.

As he drove, Jose noticed something…it was Jason. He was in dirty tattered clothes. He looked like he hadn’t shaved in at least a month. That wasn’t that Jason they’d seen. The Jason they’d seen was in an expensive suit and he was teaching criminals. This seemed too weird even for Steele. Jose pulled off to the side of the road. Jason circled the car slowly. “Still looks like the General Lee that I remember,” He muttered to himself.

“You touch this car and you will…” Jesse started.

“Woe, I don’t have anything against your General. I am just saying it looks like the first time I saw it. When that Rosco creature hired me; I wouldn’t have been in that mess if it was for him. So who are you two? I mean you certainly don’t look the original owners.”

“You have already met us.” Jason laughed a laugh unheard of to men. It cackled and roared up to the skies. Something about that laugh was eerie. He stopped just to look at the boys’ eyes. Jason seemed confident but stupid at the same time. Something about it was wrong…it wasn’t the Jason these boys had met or was it? Was this an act to lead them into some sort of trap?

“I would know if I have met you okay? Believe me, I have met a lot of people in my life and I certainly don’t remember you.” Jose and Jesse were both confused. “Oh, you must have met Jason Steele.”

“Aren’t you Jason Steele?” Jose questioned. Jesse looked at him like he was crazy. Something about this man scared them both.

“Of course I am Jason Steele you idiot. He on the other hand is not. He stole my life…my very existence. I hired him as a Janitor…he looked exactly like me. Everyone in this world has a double. I met mine…he was worse than I could ever be. I didn’t know that until he started copying me. He could pass off as me anywhere and anytime. Who would have thought that he would have found a way to become me?”

“Are you saying that you’re the real Jason?”

“Yes I am…I am as real as day. I have been waiting for my revenge on him…to get my identity back.”

“We have to bring you back with us.”

“Not a chance! Your father would kill me at first sight. Knowing his temper he would kill me the second I got out of the car…or at least try to.” Jose and Jesse looked at each other. They wondered what in the world he was talking about. Bo didn’t have a temper…he barely had a fuse let alone the dynamite to go with it. He had somewhat of a temper but it didn’t flare up that often. “You haven’t had to see your father’s full temper have you?”

“No sir…I didn’t know he had one.”

“You just wait until I come home with y’all.” Jason got in the car and rode with the boys. Everything seemed to be quiet around there. It was like the world had just took a new turn and for the Dukes it was a good thing. As they pulled up in the drive, Bo was waiting outside for them.

“You disobeyed me,” Bo commented.

“My fault Bo, I got them into a good conversation and I hear old Lewis is up to dirty tricks,” Jason said as he got out of the car. Bo got into defence mode as he punched Jason in the face. “Well come on Bo, I know I got you and your cousin in jail and I know that your Uncle got hurt looking for me. I am sorry about that…I didn’t know.”

Bo punched him again, this time harder than before. “You almost killed us. You made my cousins and my Uncle believe I was dead…you wouldn’t let me have medical attention when I was hurt.” Now Jason gave Bo a good shot in the stomach and Bo was down.

“No, he almost killed you. I don’t want to have anymore war Bo Duke…I don’t want to hear about it or even have it happen. I just want to get this guy out of Hazzard and I want my life back.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Well Bo it is simple, Lewis stole my identity and I want it back. If I don’t get it back I will be mighty mad. I have been living like this for too long and I am ready for action.”

“Why don’t I trust you?”

“That would be because that man has been around here too long.” Jason circled Bo for a minute. He pulled up some of Bo’s hair. Jason’s hand was slapped of course. “You know Bo; you look a lot different than I would have pictured you at this age. I mean you have more grey hair. I figured you would be dying it.”

“I can’t believe you brought him here…he’s more like the Jason Steele I met a long time ago than that fool.”

“Well I guess he still has his eyesight. Congratulations you are not over the hill.” Bo grunts and walks into the house. He doesn’t look too pleased though I wouldn’t blame him. Jason Steele to him was a horrible man. To the boys, he was their ticket to freedom. How could both come into one place? Well it could only happen in Hazzard County.

The race was on. The Dukes and Jason Steele was in search for…Jason Steele. They looked all over in places old enemies were located. They then realized something. “The place Boss Rosco was making coins…next door!” Jesse exclaimed.

“What are you mumbling about Duke?” Jason asked.

“He wouldn’t expect us to look next door.”

“You know, I swear you Dukes are getting smarter by the Generation. But then again if you were, you would have seen through my clone.”

“We did…just not at first.” They drove faster and fast towards the Duke farm. Something about being back at that factory was an odd feeling. They walked around slowly wondering when the first person would strike. Bo looked around wondering where this supposed Jason was lurking if he was here at all. He was still sure that this man they were with wasn’t the Steele that was terrorizing his kids. Something about him was wrong. Bo didn’t trust the man at all.

As someone jumped down, all turned around. “Why if it isn’t Lewis Ryan Manning, I never forget a face especially when it looks so much like mine. Wow, I thought that I would never see you again. To my shock you are back in Hazzard. You took everything of mine. My life, my job and my identity was what you took from me; you left me with nothing. You used my name to strike horror on people. I should have known you would have come back the first time to prove who you were. You tried to become a Steele. Now I want my life back,” Jason commented.

“You died down the minute your identity was mine,” Ryan replied. Ryan circled Jason slowly, looking at every pimple…every freckle and most of all, every speck of grey hair. “You know what? I think that you shouldn’t have been so trusting. You left papers on your desk, log books of what you did. You think I couldn’t become you?”

“I didn’t suspect the janitor. Then again, you changed your name many times didn’t you?”

“How else could have I got a job with you? The great Jason Steele and I foiled you.”

“You are the one that couldn’t be hired due to a criminal record; I know that you ain’t allowed to have one to become a police officer. You couldn’t be anything.”

“Neither could Luke Duke.”

“What does that mean?” Jose asked.

“Your father, Luke Duke, had a criminal record…let’s see how you tell him that story Bo. Jose Duke took on the same path of his father!” Lewis exclaimed.

Jose looked at Bo and wondered if this was true. The look in Bo’s eyes declared otherwise. How could Luke have become a cop with a record? It couldn’t have been possible at all.

Maybe he would have to ask his father about this. Right now, people were coming into the old barn. Well this wasn’t anything unusual, the Dukes in trouble again. Now grab your popcorn and sit back because this isn’t gonna be pretty folks.

“Meet my friends, your enemies,” Lewis said.

“Bo, could we put our differences aside for one minute and fight?” Jason asked.

“Well I won’t put down my differences because of what you did to me but I will fight with you Jason,” Bo replied.

“Close enough.” Jason threw the first punch and the fight had begun. The fists flew and so did the kicks. It was Steele against Steele by the looks of things. Though one had been a bum all of these years, it was that very part of life that made him stronger. Lewis tried to hit Jason who dodged the strike. It wasn’t easy to fight someone like him.

Lewis hooked him in the stomach. He couldn’t win…Jason wouldn’t let him. It was good verse evil. It was a battle of the best and the best would win. But two people that were smart were against each other.

Lewis knew almost every move. Who was winning? Well if you say Lewis and his goons then you must be kicking yourself right now. It was almost out of a TV show…the heroes winning. “Well, that was easy,” Jason commented.

“With my help, of course it was easy,” Bo muttered.

“Nice to see you haven’t gotten all that old.”

“Nice try Jason but I don’t really think that I am old. You have greyer hairs older than my first pair of boots.” Jason looked at Bo sternly. Bo just smiled. He wasn’t about to back down from Jason Steele. Now with comments coming back and forth from both men, I would be surprised if this was over anytime soon. “You know I am right Steele.”

“Now that’s hitting below the belt. You…Bo Duke…are right about something? I don’t think so…you have never been right.”

Jesse and Jose weren’t paying attention. What was going on? Luke, a criminal could never get a police job. How could he? They have to do record checks on everyone around there. “I am sure that all of this is a lie,” Jesse reassured him.

“No…it isn’t, that man meant it. I don’t doubt that statement…it certainly would explain a lot of things. Sometimes Dad just isn’t too thrilled about his job. He loves doing it, don’t get me wrong. My father must have done time…who else would have known about that?” Jose asked.

“Certainly beats me,” Jesse replied.

“I would call him but for the last couple of times I have tried to call him…Mom said he wasn’t home.”

“That’s weird.”

“No kidding…I just hope Dad’s okay. I don’t know…even he isn’t gone for that long. Mom didn’t tell me where he was or what he was doing.”

“That doesn’t sound like Luke.”

“No it doesn’t. I don’t know whether Mom is lying to me or if Dad is dead. Whatever the case is I am sure it means something terrible.”

“I hope not…I really hope not.”