Chapter 3: Tyler

"Hah!" I yelled triumphantly. "I got the little shit!"

The building that the Guardian was using as a crow's nest came crumbling down. That was it. My plan worked. Despite some technicalities and loss merchandise, it was perfect. Now all that needed to be done was to find something to bring back to boss.

Unfortunately, my celebration was cut short. The building's collapse sent out a fog of ash in the air that made traversing the field almost impossible. Now all that there was to do was wait. Wait for the ash to clear, search the rubble, and find my prize. I managed to wait two minutes before I got bored and started searching.

"Stay here!" I yelled to the slavers. There wasn't a way to tell if they heard me or not, but since there was no movement, I assumed it was heard. The smog was still choking the air, blocking everything more than a foot away from my eyes, and as I put my sleeve to my mouth, I pondered how my plan went from genius to fuck-up.

Hour earlier

"Hey Tyler."

"What Jim?"

"I was just wondering why were doing this."

I stopped writing and looked up at him, "Peter Rabbit would be wise to stay out of my garden."

Jim looked down and stepped back a little.

"Were doing this," Jim looked back up. "Because this how we're going to kill the Guardian." I took a pause.

"The entire reason why Guardian has been getting away with this is because we have been underestimating him. Not… any…more. I've devised a plan that will result in his death and no causalities on our side. You see," I got up and started walking. "What we are going to do is put the slavers in slave apparel and slaves in mercenary apparel. That way when Guardian thinks he killed all the slavers and goes to rescue you-"

"We'll pull the old switch-a-rue." Jim finished. I paused and looked at him for a moment.

"Sorry," Jim apologized.

I waved him off and we continued to walk.

"But," Jim stated, "in this scenario, won't you die? Why aren't we just getting the caravan armed with like twenty guys and shoot when we see him?"

I again paused to look him in the eye and clarify what he obviously didn't understand. Jim was a loyal, obedient friend but had little in the realm of brains.

I got up close to him, anger in my eyes, "The reason why we aren't doing that is what do you think every other fucking slaver and merc in the entire Mojave has tried to do… That! Everyone tried it and everyone failed. They failed because they think this guy is stupid and can use good-old slaver tactics of overwhelming firepower to get this guy. No. That's why we aren't doing that."

"Then why are we switching clothes?"

"That's the back up. If both slaves and I die then, when he goes to unhook you from the collars, you'll pull your pistols out and shoot him in the face."

Jim thought for a moment before nodding his head and saluting.

Under my breath as I walked away I said to myself, "Let's hope it doesn't come to that."

Present

After twenty minutes of slow walking the building was almost in site. The fog was clearing and I could start to see better now. All that was going through my mind right then was how to spend the five thousand caps. I'll probably go through it in a week; maybe two if I choked the chicken.

The second I was done thinking about my pay out I noticed something in the distance; a shadow. It was too dusty to see who or what it was. I pulled my gun out and pointed just as the silhouette disappeared. Was it nothing? In the corner of my eye I saw it again; turn. While pointing again; nothing. Was there anything there? Or was it just my eyes playing tricks?

BIZZ

The sound of a laser pistol being fired. I turned just in time to get hit in the upper shoulder by the beam.

"Fuck!" I screamed, grabbing my shoulder. If it wasn't for my metal merc armor that would have really hur-.

BIZZ

"Damn it!" Another one, right in the back.

Now I'm mad. I look down into my belt and pull out a grenade. Pulling the pin, I lobbed it about ten feet in front of me before getting hit in the back one more time. Only moments after the explosive was thrown, I made a mad dash away while clutching my shoulder. About ten feet is all that I made before the explosion occurred.

The explosion punched me in the air, adding more damn sand to the laser wounds in my back. After hitting the ground and rolling through the dirt, I managed to sit up and look back at where I had last thrown the grenade. As I narrowed my eyes to see a silhouette, another laser pierced the smoke and hit my knee.

This time was different. The asshole hit me in-between the joint of the armor and the blast went clean through my knee-cap. Within milliseconds I laid convulsing on the ground from the pain. My only hope was Jim; if he heard the explosion and came over, he could capture or kill him. But as the smoke started clearing, all I could begin to see was the Brahmin with Jim and the other slaver, a ghoul, still hanging on.

I turned my head all around to search, prone on the floor and breathing heavily. Nothing… nothing at all. Knowing that I would be killed indefinitely if I lay there any longer, I used every last bit of strength to get up slowly and stand lopsided before shuffling to the Brahmin. Jim and the ghoul were just standing there…bastards.

As the limp march began, I couldn't help but notice something was wrong. Jim and the ghoul were just standing there. I know that I told them not to move but they see me and aren't even coming over to help me? Couldn't those retards see I'm shot?

"What the hell are you guys doing!" I yelled as I got closer.

I was now in arms reach of them and could see faces. With the smoke cleared I could now fully see the entirety of his body. I turned to Jim and my heart stopped. A rag had been inserted into Jim and the ghoul's mouth. Slowly with caution, I reached forward to pull the cloth out of his mouth. The second I did, his next words became engrained into my memory forever.

"Stealth-boy, behind you!"

I turned around just in time to see the target de-cloaking behind me.

"Put it down." He said firmly.

For the badass slaver killer, I assumed he'd be bigger. Clad in blue armor, he was wearing goggles that didn't allow me to see the entirety of his face, ones that wrapped over and around his head at the same time. In his hands was a laser pistol, the barrel still warm with the heat of earlier shots.

No matter, the shit' got me. I dropped my pistol and put my hands on my head. While still pointing the laser pistol, he walked behind me to cut free the two slaves.

Here we go, I think to myself. Try as I be, I could help but smile.

"Let me just disable your slave collars and you can go free." The Guardian said.

"You heard him boys… Run off and be free." I said sarcastically just as Jim and the ghoul pulled their pistols out.

The Guardian's face was priceless, I assumed, as he asked, "What are you doing? How'd you get guns?"

"They got guns because I gave them to em'."

I turned around to see Guardian looking at me, sudden realization plastered on his face.

"Now the way I see it, you have two guns to your head while I only have one. So…" I leaned down and grab my gun. "I'm just going to pick this up and I-don't-know, maybe shoot you."

As I went to aim my pistol at his head, a smile formed around my face, even bigger than the one before. "You see that's the difference between you and me. You think everything's black and white, that every person can be trusted, while I know there is no line, that everyone's a bastard in their own right. I guess this is where the legend of Guardian, hero of slaves, ends."

As I cock my pistol, I couldn't help but hear one doing the same thing to the right of me.

"Sorry Tyler, I can't have you do that." Jim said.

I stood there stunned for a moment, unable to answer, before I looked at him and yelled, "What are doing? I'm your commanding officer!"

Jim looked down for a second, shaking his head, and looked back right at me.

"Actually… My commanding officer is my employer and he wants both of you."

"Both of us?" I asked.

"Slaves," He chokes a little. "The slavers are branching out into the mercenary business, enslaving them so they can do all the work while the Prince handles the profits. Sorry Tyler, but I'm going to need you to put this on." He hands me slave collar.

It was one thing to get outsmarted by someone you never met. But to get betrayed by one of your closest –friends- cohorts was another thing.

I looked around to see the Guardian and me pointing guns at each other while Jim and the Ghoul were pointing guns at us as well. Knowing just how fucked both of us were, I looked at him and he to me. For a fraction of a second we stood there, staring at each other and, somehow, we said the exact same thing at the same time.

"Truce?" And in a second Guardian swung around and hit the ghoul's gun out of the way while I tackled Jim.

Jim spun, slinging my back to the ground, and started punching. I turned over and grabbed a fist full of sand before throwing it in his face. With him blinded, I pushed him over and, while fighting back the pain in my leg, got on top of him. I rained punches on his face, making sure to keep him disoriented. I don't know how many times I hit him but, before long, his face was bleeding so much I thought he'd need a transfusion.

With one last punch, I knocked Jim unconscious. I leaned over and grabbed my Python that was lying on the ground. I made sure to check it's proper and pointed it in his face. For a second, the blood-covered pool Jim called a face was unrecognizable. His eyes rolled back into his head and he slipped into rest.

This is it. Just like the last slaver. Kill him and be done with it. My trigger finger clenched on the trigger, ready to pull, even with my hand shaking. Forget he was a friend. Friends don't pull shit like that. But, I've pulled shit like that. Who cares, just pull the trig-

Something hard crashed into the back of my head, knocking me to the ground. In a second, my eyes fill with black and I fall into what feels like a warm bath.