The Arena was packed completely. Running through the lobbies as fast as one could, trying not be recognized by the Drifters standing next to the Wanted posters, kept Virginia, Jet, Clive, and Gallows on their toes. There was a certain aura in the air that even new comers such as the Maxwell gang could feel. Something important was happening tonight, and it wasn't the fight between reigning champion Master Drifter Bad News and the challenger Demi-human John Dee. The lobbies ringed around the arena seating areas, thus making the Maxwell gang run in a large circle. Wearing their cloaks, Jet, followed by the rest of the four, stumbled upon Arena Lobby Gate 13. Jet glanced around, noting the many Drifters walking around trying to find their respective gates, the many vendors along the lobby walls, and a pack of C-4 attached to a support beam overhead. Jet smiled before he caught sight of a girl dressed in a long sleeve brown shirt and a short brown skirt with a dark red pigtails, this had to be Coney.
Jet walked up to the announcer girl, still disguised by the cloak. "Ahem. We represent the Sierra Gang."
Coney pushed herself away from the wall and smiled. "So the Sierra's couldn't make it huh? Then who are you?"
"It doesn't matter. According to the deal you made with the Sierra Gang, you are to escort us to the Duke." Jet said.
"Hmmm. The only problem with that is that I can't let walking cloaks into the Duke's quarters. The guards will find it suspicious, if you know what I mean." Coney whispered.
Virginia took off her cloak as the lobby began to empty. "I'm Virginia Maxwell of the Maxwell Gang and these are my fellow team members Jet Enduro, Clive Winslet, and Gallows Carradine." Clive and Gallows took off their cloaks, Jet taking his off last.
A sparkle appeared in Coney's eyes. "So the Sierra Gang hired you to seal the deal huh? Well then, let's go. We'll have to enter through a secret tunnel, so just keep behind me."
Got it." Virginia nodded.
"Ginny, I don't like this very much. I mean she's hot, but I don't trust her." Gallows whispered.
"I feel the same way. Are you sure about this Virginia?" Clive whispered.
"Well, it's our only way to Begguci, so there's not really much of a choice, is there?" Virginia whispered back.
** *
"Are all the arrangements ready?" Said the young man with the white hair and ponytail. He and the two other unique Drifters stood on the stairway to Begucci's office. The white haired man's blue eyes seemed to flicker with malicious delight.
"Everything has been set Rhoad." Said the older man with the bandage as he unloaded and reloaded his custom triple revolving barrel Montgomery OS5 rifle, which was almost as tall as the man was.
"Perfect Dust. And what of your precautions Scarecraft?" Rhoad, the white-hared man asked the man with the dark body suit and scarecrow hat.
"You know Rhoad, besides the clothes and hair style, you look just like this Jet Enduro guy. Maybe you're a clone or his brother or something. Heh! Heh! Heh!" Scarecraft commented on the wanted poster he was holding.
"What of your precautions Scarecraft?!" Rhoad asked the man with a half a metal face again.
"Oh they're all done my chum. All one hundred percent complete! I got them done in no time cus no one can stop me baby! Ouch I'm on fire!" Scarecraft grinned an enormous grin as he swung his Double Extended Barrel Montgomery OS8 Rifle that had a giant sickle blade welded onto the side of the barrel near the top so that the weapon could be doubled as a scythe.
"Well then. All we need is the last member of the Riflemen. Dust, get Bad News up here! It's time to start this party." Rhoad ordered.
Dust tipped his hat and started walking down the stairway, strapping his enormous weapon to the back of his tanned coat.
** *
"And we're almost there." Coney said as the four approached a light while traveling through a dark tunnel.
"Finally. Maybe we'll get through to Begguci and he'll call this whole Army thing off!" Virginia smiled.
"One can certainly hope for the best." Clive said.
"Hoping is different from doing. We gotta be prepared in case he doesn't want to stop playing king." Jet stated.
"All right. We're here. You four just keep walking out into the light. Once your eyes adjust, we'll be there." Coney said as she pulled out a microphone.
"Well, here we go." Gallows gulped.
"All right. This may be the end of our troubles. Let's get going." Virginia stated.
"Hold on! Do you have anything you might want me to hold on to? Gella, jewels, maps?" Coney asked.
"Oh Clive! The Morning star map! We'll want to know where the keys are once this is over!" Virginia said.
"I think it's best we hold on to it. If they search us and find it, that just means we have an upper hand to Beggcui's plans of using the Morning Star and we can strike a bargain." Clive answered.
Coney raised an eyebrow with a confused look. "So… you're just going in with everything?"
"Yea. We're prepared for whatever Begucci's got!" Gallows grinned.
"O.K then. Just keep going, I'll be right behind…" Coney instructed. And thus the five walked into the light.
** *
Dust and Bad News, an ARMS worker dressed in blue jeans and a red shirt with a green apron, walked up the stairway. Rhoad smiled and Scarecraft chuckled as Bad News approached Begucci's door.
"Now remember, we've got you covered!" Dust said reassuringly. Bad News nodded and opened the door, letting himself in and closing it behind him.
"Come men. We need to acquire ourselves a seat in the lobby so we can hear the news." Rhoad grinned.
"Oh yes. The tragedy!" Scarecraft took out a handkerchief and blew his nose. "I'm crying all ready! Hehehehehe!"
And with that, the three Riflemen walked down the stairs in order to catch the fight.
Inside Begguci's chambers, Bad News found several guards standing in the four corners of the room. Begguci himself, a tall thin man with a white mustache and point beard and monocle, stood behind his desk, staring at the enormous portrait of himself hanging on the wall.
"Ah Bad News. I see you've made it." The Duke smiled, still looking at the portrait. "You know Bad News, sometimes I question this whole Army plot. You see, I tire of ruling a playground full of bloodthirsty drunkards and disease carrying whores. Am I to be remembered only as the king of fools, the emperor of sin city? I wish to rule over real people. Not just Drifters, but people with hearts and souls. Normal people, who wake up in the morning and go to work, come home in the evening and spend the rest of the day with their families. Filgaia shall be mine, and I am to be remembered as the man who won her over using an Army of Drifters! And then I shall be a happy old man…" Begguci then turned towards his reigning champion. "I believe it is time to begin."
"No." Bad News said, pulling out a Rapier Ez from his holster that rested near his strapped bazooka. "This is where you and the rest of man kind ends."
The guards immediately pulled out their Coyote M14's and aimed at Bad News. Begguci stepped backwards and tripped, falling down. "What are you doing?! Put that ARM away this instant!"
Bad News aimed the Rapier Ez at Begguci's forehead and pulled the trigger. The Duke fell over dead in an instant. Bad News turned his face to the door and bellowed. "AND THE RIFLEMEN SHALL LEAD THE DEMON RACE BACK TO THEIR GLORY!"
However, to Bad News horror, the doors did not fly open and his fellow Riflemen did not burst in and shoot the guards dead. The doors remained shut, and the four Drifters fired into Bad News, killing the champion Drifter with eight shotgun shells into the head and upper torso…
** *
Once the light had dimmed enough to see, Virginia found herself with Clive, Jet, and Gallows in the middle of an arena, surrounded by thousands of Drifters. Coney stepped back into the tunnel as steel bars began to close it off. Coney smiled and shouted into the microphone.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN OF ALL KINDS! FOR TODAY'S PRE-FIGHT SHOW WE HAVE FOR YOU AN INTERESTING AND EXCITING TREAT INDEED! RIGHT HERE IN THE ARENA IS THE ONE AND ONLY MAXWELL GANG, WANTED BY THE ARK OF DESTINY FOR TWENTY-SIX MILLION GELLA! THIS, MY FRIENDS, IS UP FOR GRABS TONIGHT! WHOEVER HAS THE GAWL TO STEP UP HERE TONIGHT AND FACE THE WIELDERS OF THE MAP OF THE MORNING STAR KEYS HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE HOME TWENTY-SIX MILLION GELLA! WHO'S DARING AND BRAVE ENOUGH TO STEP INTO THE RING TONIGHT?!" Coney announced.
Murmurings instantly swept through the crowds. Virginia turned towards the gate. "How could you do this Coney?! You betrayed us!"
"I live for the crowd, and a percentage of that money will end up in my pocket!" Coney replied.
** *
"Did you hear that Rhoad?! They have a map to the portals of the Morning Star! We need only one more since we got that one out of Dune Canyon recently!" Scarecraft grinned.
Rhoad pulled out his carbine M4. "Get that Map!"
** *
"Shit! You just had to double cross us didn't ya you little bitch!" Nevada cursed as he stood up in his arena seat along with almost every other Drifter in the arena.
"Wyoming! Start a diversion! Fire a grenade somewhere!" Dakota ordered as she and Nevada began running towards the arena, knocking people out of their way. Wyoming did as he was told, firing a grenade towards the Arena ceiling. As the grenade exploded, many Drifters stopped to witness the explosion and the support beam fall down into the crowd, crushing several Drifters. Utah and Wyoming began running after Dakota and Nevada, both firing into the crowd. The support beam blocked the Riflemen's path as they fought with the hundreds of other Drifters to get around it.
Jet leaped in front of Virginia, as Gallows and Clive faced their backs to her. "How the hell do we get out of this one?!" Jet cursed.
"There are so many of them!" Clive observed.
Nevada, after slicing through a couple throats, and Dakota, after mowing down quite a few Drifters with the Tommy 888, both leaped into the arena, followed shortly by Utah and Wyoming as they attempted to cover the rear.
"Wyoming! Take out the gate!" Nevada ordered. Wyoming aimed the grenade launcher at the iron gate, firing and blowing it to pieces. Wyoming pulled the trigger again, but all he heard was a clicking noise.
"Out of grenades!" Wyoming bellowed.
"Don't worry, we'll manage! Let's get moving! Go!" Dakota instructed the seven Drifters.
They began to run into the tunnel, Dakota and Utah firing at the Drifters coming at them from the rear. Virginia looked ahead to see Todd finish a psycho crack on Coney. "Maya and the gang!"
"We're ready to blow this Popsicle stand whenever you're ready." Maya smiled as she held her gatling gun.
"Wait! Maya! I need you to break Cormano out of jail! He saved our lives earlier!" Virginia pleaded.
"What?! Are you crazy!?" Maya stepped back.
"Hurry up guys!" Gallows called.
"Here, I'll give you the Tear Drop if you go!" Virginia showed off the giant blue gem she retrieved out of her bag.
"Deal! You just get out of here before the place explodes!" Maya winked and ran off, ordering her teammates to do the same.
"Come on! Get moving!" Utah shouted.
And the eight ran down the dark hall.