Alpha Males, part four
"Not a Good Time to be Short Two Men" or "The Turn Around"
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"Colonel?" Face asked, looking down at the dust cloud coming up from the south. They were three abreast atop a tall canyon wall, looking down into Mexico. BA was sleeping peacefully behind them on a blanket roll in the camp they had set up. They were only about half a day from Four Corners.
"It's them," Hannibal confirmed, lowering his spyglass. "The rest of the gang that was hunting the nuns."
"The Federales should have had them in jail by now!" Face complained. "Damn it, we left them those men tied up like hogtied mavericks!"
"Umm, do I see more than the score we left there?" Murdock was peering down into the valley, his sharp eyes narrowed against the bright sunshine. "That cloud is too big for just twenty pigs."
"No, you're right, Murdock. It is larger. A lot larger."
"A lot larger?" Face looked at Hannibal, puzzled. "What is a lot larger?"
"We left twenty men in front of that Mexican jail after that initial attack. But there are closer to eighty men riding along the river down there, riding with the gang."
"Eighty? Did you say eighty?"
"Well, including the gang, I guess that makes a hundred men."
"A hundred? My god, Hannibal, that's an army," Face lowered his head.
"We have to go back. They're going to level Four Corners getting their friends out of jail."
"But Hannibal, shouldn't we...."
"Face, we're not leaving Chris Larabee and his men to face them alone."
"I know that but...."
"Face, no arguments!"
"And I'm not arguing with you," Face snapped. "Of course we go back. But shouldn't we try to slow them down? The canyon narrows not far from here, a few well placed charges would create a rather nice roadblock."
Hannibal looked at his lieutenant, and a slow grin grew on his face.
"I'll get the dynamite," Face bowed back, heading back to the camp.
"And I'll wake up BA," Murdock laughed, bouncing away.
__________________________________________________
"Chris!"
Chris looked up from where he was tending to Solon in the livery. His horse had picked up a limp, probably form a stone, and the gunslinger was checking him out.
"In here, JD!" He dropped Solon's foreleg to the ground and straightened up, his back cracking slightly.
Moments later, the kid ran into the stables, a telegraph in hand, "Buck and Josiah sent a telegraph. Seems that the men we have in jail are part of a larger group. They were in a Mexican prison, but they broke out and took a whole bunch of prisoners with them."
Chris frowned, taking the paper, "Are they in trouble?"
"No. They only knew because some federales protecting the sisters down there were talking about it. They think the escaped prisoners are on their way here."
"How many?" Chris unfolded the note, his brow furrowed.
JD shook his head, "The note says that there were twenty in the original gang, but they don't know how many of the rest of the prisoners might be coming with them."
Chris scanned the note, though it was pointless now. He screwed it up into a ball and threw it to the ground, his jaw tense.
"Damn that colonel," he muttered. "JD, telegraph the judge, find out how close he is, and write to Forts Heritage and Samson, see if they have any men on maneuvers nearby." The kid nodded at the orders and took off, while Chris looked once more at Solon. Patting the horse's hide, he headed out and started towards the Clarion.
"Mr. Larabee."
Chris stopped and turned slowly, not hiding the surprise on his face. Over by the saloon, Ezra stood from where he had been sitting and reading, the book slipping from his fingers.
Colonel Smith stood slightly in front of his men, no smile on his face, calmly chewing his cigar. He was flanked by his three men, Face just to his right, Murdock supporting BA on the left. Face held a rifle across his arms, but the hold was loose.
The sound of someone jogging over to join him did not have Chris turning around, instead, he simply waited, meeting the colonel's gaze evenly. Ezra skidded to a stop at his side, watching the confrontation with a worried expression.
The colonel pulled the cigar from his mouth, and frowned, "We've come to tell you that there are close to a hundred men headed your way, coming to break those men out of jail. We slowed them down, boxing them into a canyon half a day from here, but it won't hold them for long."
"A hundred men," Chris repeated, his voice registering neither surprise nor even emotion.
Hannibal nodded, lowering his head slightly. "We are well aware that this is our fault. So we have come not only to warn you, but to tell you that we will work to take care of the problem by ourselves." Next to him, Face sighed heavily at the statement, but he did not disagree. Hannibal continued, "However, if we do not succeed, you should be prepared. It is likely we can pare the group down, but it is also likely that some may make it through."
Chris nodded slowly, then looked at Ezra. The gambler groaned theatrically, already sensing what was coming next. Chris looked back at the colonel and pursed his lips.
"You escaped from my jail," he said simply.
Hannibal frowned, "This is not the time to discuss pleasantries, Mr. Larabee."
"You brought a gang of outlaws to my town, Colonel Smith, and one of my citizens got caught in the crossfire. Then you used one of my men to get out of jail, making me question his loyalty." (Next to Chris, Ezra suddenly found his shoes fascinating). "Now you come to warn us that even more men, virtually an army, will be descending upon us when we are short two men, two men who were sent to finish your job for you. Frankly, I am going to need more than an offer of help for me not to turn around and throw you back in jail where you belong."
Hannibal smiled, "You are a single-minded man, Mr. Larabee."
"Yep, especially when I am really pissed off."
Hannibal chuckled and nodded, "We have that in common," he noted. "So what do you want?"
"Not much. Just one reason why I shouldn't have Ezra lock you up again." In the background, Ezra stifled a second groan, and Murdock smiled in his direction. He couldn't help but think that Hannibal and Chris Larabee had something else in common as well.
"One reason, huh?" the colonel turned to Face.
"I can give him a hundred reasons," the colonel's conman muttered.
"Face, be helpful," Hannibal chastised, though his lips had quirked into a smile at the remark.
"How about the fact that we are the good guys in this whole mess?" Face said again, meeting Chris's eyes. The gunslinger merely blinked slowly, and Face shrugged.
BA growled and shifted to take some of his weight off of Murdock, "We don't got time for this. We came back to help, you stubborn fool. You're short two men. You need us."
Chris leaned hard on one leg and shook his head, "That may be true, but it's still not what I want."
Ezra licked his lips and cleared his throat, "Chris, if I may...."
"No, you may not."
Ezra backed up, his head down again. Hannibal watched him curiously, then looked around to see Vin, JD and Nathan had appeared and had effectively flanked them. The colonel was impressed, and his lips quirked even more into a smile around his cigar. After a moment, he pulled it out again.
"You want a promise, don't you?" Hannibal asked.
Chris met his gaze evenly, his lips quirking slightly into a smile.
"All right. You have my word. When this is over, you can put us back in your jail."
"Hannibal!" Face frowned, watching his leader. The colonel merely reached back and patted his second's arm.
Chris nodded again, "And you won't try to escape."
The colonel's eyes narrowed, "And we won't try to escape...from your jail."
Chris nodded, accepting the qualification. He would not have expected anything less.
"This just gets better and better," Face moaned, looking heavenward as if for answers. Hannibal chuckled and stepped forward to extend his hand. Chris took it.
"We need a plan," the colonel drawled.
"After you," the gunslinger replied, leaning back to indicate they should head to the saloon. Hannibal grinned and the two leaders walked slowly away, already throwing out ideas. Ezra followed them with his eyes, hearing the word "dynamite" several times from the silver haired colonel's lips.
Coming up next to him, Vin slapped Ezra's arm in affection, "Hector and Ajax, eh?" he asked.
"More like Scylla and Charybdis," the gambler replied mournfully, "and us stuck in the middle."
Nathan was checking BA's bandage, while JD began talking animatedly with Murdock about...something or other. Face walked across to Vin and Ezra, slinging his rifle over his shoulder as he came.
"Fun boss you got there," the blond man said companionably.
"He helps pass the time," Vin agreed.
"Yeah, he's good for a laugh," Ezra agreed darkly, looking over at the saloon. Face gave him a lopsided grin, then ran his hand through his thick blond hair, looking as if he were working up to something.
"Tell me, um, Mr. Standish, when we played cards at the jail," Face looked up, "were you letting me win before taking that final pot?"
Ezra's eyes flew back to him at the mention of cards, and a dimpled smirk creased his features in confirmation. Face huffed a little and leaned on one leg.
"How did you know?" Ezra asked.
"A feeling. I usually don't lose. And never like that. How did you do it?"
"I saw you cheating, and let you cheat. Then, in the last game, I cheated better."
Face chuckled, shaking his head. "Damn. So why did you let me win for so long?"
"For a while, I wanted you to win, to make up for Chris putting you in jail. Then I changed my mind and decided to help you escape instead." He shrugged, "Truth is, I didn't want to admit that you were better than me at both of my chosen professions."
Face frowned, "Chosen professions?"
Ezra nodded, "I saw your performance with Mr. Chambers. I was also a witness to some fast talking you did up in Deadwood once. I have always tried to emulate your skill at the con, lieutenant. Without question, you are the best I have ever seen. It took you, what, less than five minutes to get not only free lodging, but also free food at the hotel? Even my mother, whom I would contest is a great artist in her own right, is not as good as you."
Face's smile faltered slightly, "Are you serious?"
"Absolutely. Tell me, how do you do it?"
"Oh don't ask him that!" BA growled. "You'll get an answer!" Face shot an icy glare at the artillery sergeant. BA sneered back.
"I'm sorry?" Ezra asked, standing up slightly straighter.
"He starts talking, he don't shut up," the sergeant replied, pulling away from Nathan. Meanwhile, Murdock had chosen the distraction to walk across to Face, sit down, and lean against the conman's leg. Face tried to swat him away, but Murdock just smiled and wrapped his arms around the leg.
Face frowned as he tried to shake his leg free, "Murdock, off! And as for you, BA, I do not..."
"The answer's real simple, gambling man," BA replied, ignoring his lieutenant, "It's 'cause he got that face. Everyone seems to believe every word he says, no matter how much BS spills out of it. How do you think he got his nickname?"
Face's mouth fell open, "BA! I take offense at such a simple...."
"It's true blue, Facey-wacey," Murdock sighed, closing his eyes. Face smacked his head. Murdock wasn't fazed, and wrapped his arms more tightly around the leg he was leaning on.
"Conning is an art," Face argued. "It has method...."
"And madness!" Murdock chimed in. Face whacked his head again, and Murdock took the opportunity to lean back and bat his brown eyes at the blond man. Face tried to wrench his foot away in a sharp pull, but the captain had a solid grip.
"Don't forget a whole lotta bluster and blow," BA finished. Face's head snapped up, glare in full force. The grimace fell from the artillery sergeant's face as he started to snicker.
Vin leaned on Ezra's shoulder, a grin on his face, while JD crossed his arms and whispered a question to Nathan. The healer shrugged, and mouthed the word "certifiable," back at the boy.
Over by the saloon, Hannibal stuck his head out of the batwing doors, "Face!" The summons, though he only used one name, was clearly meant to encompass all three officers.
Next to the colonel, Chris stood and looked pointedly at Vin. The tracker nodded imperceptibly and plucked at Ezra's sleeve. Time to join the leaders. Murdock instantly let go of his lieutenant's leg and jumped to his feet, causing Face to stagger slightly.
"Looks like we have a plan," JD smiled at Nathan as uncrossed his arms and followed the group over to the jail.
"Wonder who's it is?" the healer replied.
"If it involves dynamite," Face informed them, "It's Hannibal's."
"If it involves a coffin full of rocks," JD chimed, "then it's Chris's!"
"No JD," Vin countered sourly, touching the small of his back, "If it involves a coffin full of rocks, it's yours."
_______________________________________
"They have to come across the river," Chris was saying as they wandered over. "At this time of year, it is fairly calm, but it's still too deep to traverse in most places. Now you say they're coming up through these canyons here," the gunslinger's finger trailed a line along the map, "which means they'll be crossing somewhere near Breaker's Pass, here," he tapped the map.
"How far is that from here?" Hannibal asked, peering at the legend.
"Half an hour ride, at most. How long do you think you managed to delay the outlaws?"
Hannibal shook his head, "Maybe half a day. They'd reach that pass in about four hours, I'd say."
Vin peered over Chris's shoulder, "What are you thinking?" the tracker asked.
"Using the river to block them in, then discouraging them from coming any further," Chris replied. "The Colonel wants to place charges around the edge to knock the men off their horses, then, in the melee, we go in and take them out."
Vin shook his head, "I don't like messing with that river, Chris. She's big and mean and too important for the folks in this area as a source of water. We'd poison her with all that blood."
Chris leaned back, one elbow on the bar, "You have a better idea?"
"We take them out in Four Corners."
"No," Chris shook his head, "I'm not endangering the town. Besides, Mary would kill me."
"They're going to be coming here anyway, Chris, if any get past," Vin reminded him. "And she'll kill you anyway, since you've been keeping her in the dark about all of this." Chris shot him a grimace. Behind them, Ezra cleared his throat.
"Uh, Chris, it seems to me that one could get badly turned around in those canyons, especially if they'd been confused by dynamite," the gambler said, sidling up behind Vin to look over his shoulder at the map.
"Particularly if they don't know the area," Face nodded from where he was standing next to Murdock.
"Or speak the language," Ezra added, looking over at him.
"And if someone were there to throw them off track..." Face smiled.
"A few well placed rockslides, a couple of helpful strangers...." Ezra was watching Face carefully, his eyes dancing. Face was grinning back.
"It's a good idea. Think you can you pull it off?"
"With your help, lieutenant, definitely."
"What do the rest of you think?" Face asked, looking around.
He was met by a sea of blank faces. Hannibal and Chris looked at each other.
"Do they have their own language?" JD wondered aloud. Murdock grinned.
"What are you two yammering on about," BA growled.
"A simple con," the gambler explained. "After all, out here, one town looks much like another, especially if you have never been here before. Hell, just in the last three years, I've seen three towns grow and fade, as transient as rainwater in the desert."
"Are you fluent in Spanish?" Face asked, already several steps ahead as he peered at the map. "Most of them will be Mexican."
"Si Senor," Ezra nodded.
"Woah, stop doing that!" JD said. "You two are scaring me."
"Sorry, kid," Ezra replied, "Our idea is just this. Steer those men to a different Four Corners and take them out there. That way, they'll have nowhere else to go but back under the rocks they slithered out from."
"A different...?" JD looked at Nathan, and the healer shrugged back.
"We can't build a town in four hours, you fools," BA growled, lifting his leg up where Nathan had sat him down.
"We don't have to," Face shook his head.
"There's a ghost town not far from here, called Freedom. It's completely intact, including a jail," Ezra said.
"Ezra, that's a good hour southeast from here," Vin said, pointing to its location on the map. "How...."
"Look at the way the canyons run, Vin," Ezra said, leaning over his shoulder to point the way. "Take a few wrong turns and..." his finger trailed a different path than the one leading to Breaker's Pass, and ended up close to the ghost town. Then he smiled.
"Ezra, these men aren't stupid, they'll know they're headed in the wrong direction," Nathan complained. Ezra looked over at Face, and the blond man shook his head.
"It's amazing," Face replied to the healer, "what people will believe with a little help."
________________________________
Continued in part five
"Not a Good Time to be Short Two Men" or "The Turn Around"
______________________________________________
"Colonel?" Face asked, looking down at the dust cloud coming up from the south. They were three abreast atop a tall canyon wall, looking down into Mexico. BA was sleeping peacefully behind them on a blanket roll in the camp they had set up. They were only about half a day from Four Corners.
"It's them," Hannibal confirmed, lowering his spyglass. "The rest of the gang that was hunting the nuns."
"The Federales should have had them in jail by now!" Face complained. "Damn it, we left them those men tied up like hogtied mavericks!"
"Umm, do I see more than the score we left there?" Murdock was peering down into the valley, his sharp eyes narrowed against the bright sunshine. "That cloud is too big for just twenty pigs."
"No, you're right, Murdock. It is larger. A lot larger."
"A lot larger?" Face looked at Hannibal, puzzled. "What is a lot larger?"
"We left twenty men in front of that Mexican jail after that initial attack. But there are closer to eighty men riding along the river down there, riding with the gang."
"Eighty? Did you say eighty?"
"Well, including the gang, I guess that makes a hundred men."
"A hundred? My god, Hannibal, that's an army," Face lowered his head.
"We have to go back. They're going to level Four Corners getting their friends out of jail."
"But Hannibal, shouldn't we...."
"Face, we're not leaving Chris Larabee and his men to face them alone."
"I know that but...."
"Face, no arguments!"
"And I'm not arguing with you," Face snapped. "Of course we go back. But shouldn't we try to slow them down? The canyon narrows not far from here, a few well placed charges would create a rather nice roadblock."
Hannibal looked at his lieutenant, and a slow grin grew on his face.
"I'll get the dynamite," Face bowed back, heading back to the camp.
"And I'll wake up BA," Murdock laughed, bouncing away.
__________________________________________________
"Chris!"
Chris looked up from where he was tending to Solon in the livery. His horse had picked up a limp, probably form a stone, and the gunslinger was checking him out.
"In here, JD!" He dropped Solon's foreleg to the ground and straightened up, his back cracking slightly.
Moments later, the kid ran into the stables, a telegraph in hand, "Buck and Josiah sent a telegraph. Seems that the men we have in jail are part of a larger group. They were in a Mexican prison, but they broke out and took a whole bunch of prisoners with them."
Chris frowned, taking the paper, "Are they in trouble?"
"No. They only knew because some federales protecting the sisters down there were talking about it. They think the escaped prisoners are on their way here."
"How many?" Chris unfolded the note, his brow furrowed.
JD shook his head, "The note says that there were twenty in the original gang, but they don't know how many of the rest of the prisoners might be coming with them."
Chris scanned the note, though it was pointless now. He screwed it up into a ball and threw it to the ground, his jaw tense.
"Damn that colonel," he muttered. "JD, telegraph the judge, find out how close he is, and write to Forts Heritage and Samson, see if they have any men on maneuvers nearby." The kid nodded at the orders and took off, while Chris looked once more at Solon. Patting the horse's hide, he headed out and started towards the Clarion.
"Mr. Larabee."
Chris stopped and turned slowly, not hiding the surprise on his face. Over by the saloon, Ezra stood from where he had been sitting and reading, the book slipping from his fingers.
Colonel Smith stood slightly in front of his men, no smile on his face, calmly chewing his cigar. He was flanked by his three men, Face just to his right, Murdock supporting BA on the left. Face held a rifle across his arms, but the hold was loose.
The sound of someone jogging over to join him did not have Chris turning around, instead, he simply waited, meeting the colonel's gaze evenly. Ezra skidded to a stop at his side, watching the confrontation with a worried expression.
The colonel pulled the cigar from his mouth, and frowned, "We've come to tell you that there are close to a hundred men headed your way, coming to break those men out of jail. We slowed them down, boxing them into a canyon half a day from here, but it won't hold them for long."
"A hundred men," Chris repeated, his voice registering neither surprise nor even emotion.
Hannibal nodded, lowering his head slightly. "We are well aware that this is our fault. So we have come not only to warn you, but to tell you that we will work to take care of the problem by ourselves." Next to him, Face sighed heavily at the statement, but he did not disagree. Hannibal continued, "However, if we do not succeed, you should be prepared. It is likely we can pare the group down, but it is also likely that some may make it through."
Chris nodded slowly, then looked at Ezra. The gambler groaned theatrically, already sensing what was coming next. Chris looked back at the colonel and pursed his lips.
"You escaped from my jail," he said simply.
Hannibal frowned, "This is not the time to discuss pleasantries, Mr. Larabee."
"You brought a gang of outlaws to my town, Colonel Smith, and one of my citizens got caught in the crossfire. Then you used one of my men to get out of jail, making me question his loyalty." (Next to Chris, Ezra suddenly found his shoes fascinating). "Now you come to warn us that even more men, virtually an army, will be descending upon us when we are short two men, two men who were sent to finish your job for you. Frankly, I am going to need more than an offer of help for me not to turn around and throw you back in jail where you belong."
Hannibal smiled, "You are a single-minded man, Mr. Larabee."
"Yep, especially when I am really pissed off."
Hannibal chuckled and nodded, "We have that in common," he noted. "So what do you want?"
"Not much. Just one reason why I shouldn't have Ezra lock you up again." In the background, Ezra stifled a second groan, and Murdock smiled in his direction. He couldn't help but think that Hannibal and Chris Larabee had something else in common as well.
"One reason, huh?" the colonel turned to Face.
"I can give him a hundred reasons," the colonel's conman muttered.
"Face, be helpful," Hannibal chastised, though his lips had quirked into a smile at the remark.
"How about the fact that we are the good guys in this whole mess?" Face said again, meeting Chris's eyes. The gunslinger merely blinked slowly, and Face shrugged.
BA growled and shifted to take some of his weight off of Murdock, "We don't got time for this. We came back to help, you stubborn fool. You're short two men. You need us."
Chris leaned hard on one leg and shook his head, "That may be true, but it's still not what I want."
Ezra licked his lips and cleared his throat, "Chris, if I may...."
"No, you may not."
Ezra backed up, his head down again. Hannibal watched him curiously, then looked around to see Vin, JD and Nathan had appeared and had effectively flanked them. The colonel was impressed, and his lips quirked even more into a smile around his cigar. After a moment, he pulled it out again.
"You want a promise, don't you?" Hannibal asked.
Chris met his gaze evenly, his lips quirking slightly into a smile.
"All right. You have my word. When this is over, you can put us back in your jail."
"Hannibal!" Face frowned, watching his leader. The colonel merely reached back and patted his second's arm.
Chris nodded again, "And you won't try to escape."
The colonel's eyes narrowed, "And we won't try to escape...from your jail."
Chris nodded, accepting the qualification. He would not have expected anything less.
"This just gets better and better," Face moaned, looking heavenward as if for answers. Hannibal chuckled and stepped forward to extend his hand. Chris took it.
"We need a plan," the colonel drawled.
"After you," the gunslinger replied, leaning back to indicate they should head to the saloon. Hannibal grinned and the two leaders walked slowly away, already throwing out ideas. Ezra followed them with his eyes, hearing the word "dynamite" several times from the silver haired colonel's lips.
Coming up next to him, Vin slapped Ezra's arm in affection, "Hector and Ajax, eh?" he asked.
"More like Scylla and Charybdis," the gambler replied mournfully, "and us stuck in the middle."
Nathan was checking BA's bandage, while JD began talking animatedly with Murdock about...something or other. Face walked across to Vin and Ezra, slinging his rifle over his shoulder as he came.
"Fun boss you got there," the blond man said companionably.
"He helps pass the time," Vin agreed.
"Yeah, he's good for a laugh," Ezra agreed darkly, looking over at the saloon. Face gave him a lopsided grin, then ran his hand through his thick blond hair, looking as if he were working up to something.
"Tell me, um, Mr. Standish, when we played cards at the jail," Face looked up, "were you letting me win before taking that final pot?"
Ezra's eyes flew back to him at the mention of cards, and a dimpled smirk creased his features in confirmation. Face huffed a little and leaned on one leg.
"How did you know?" Ezra asked.
"A feeling. I usually don't lose. And never like that. How did you do it?"
"I saw you cheating, and let you cheat. Then, in the last game, I cheated better."
Face chuckled, shaking his head. "Damn. So why did you let me win for so long?"
"For a while, I wanted you to win, to make up for Chris putting you in jail. Then I changed my mind and decided to help you escape instead." He shrugged, "Truth is, I didn't want to admit that you were better than me at both of my chosen professions."
Face frowned, "Chosen professions?"
Ezra nodded, "I saw your performance with Mr. Chambers. I was also a witness to some fast talking you did up in Deadwood once. I have always tried to emulate your skill at the con, lieutenant. Without question, you are the best I have ever seen. It took you, what, less than five minutes to get not only free lodging, but also free food at the hotel? Even my mother, whom I would contest is a great artist in her own right, is not as good as you."
Face's smile faltered slightly, "Are you serious?"
"Absolutely. Tell me, how do you do it?"
"Oh don't ask him that!" BA growled. "You'll get an answer!" Face shot an icy glare at the artillery sergeant. BA sneered back.
"I'm sorry?" Ezra asked, standing up slightly straighter.
"He starts talking, he don't shut up," the sergeant replied, pulling away from Nathan. Meanwhile, Murdock had chosen the distraction to walk across to Face, sit down, and lean against the conman's leg. Face tried to swat him away, but Murdock just smiled and wrapped his arms around the leg.
Face frowned as he tried to shake his leg free, "Murdock, off! And as for you, BA, I do not..."
"The answer's real simple, gambling man," BA replied, ignoring his lieutenant, "It's 'cause he got that face. Everyone seems to believe every word he says, no matter how much BS spills out of it. How do you think he got his nickname?"
Face's mouth fell open, "BA! I take offense at such a simple...."
"It's true blue, Facey-wacey," Murdock sighed, closing his eyes. Face smacked his head. Murdock wasn't fazed, and wrapped his arms more tightly around the leg he was leaning on.
"Conning is an art," Face argued. "It has method...."
"And madness!" Murdock chimed in. Face whacked his head again, and Murdock took the opportunity to lean back and bat his brown eyes at the blond man. Face tried to wrench his foot away in a sharp pull, but the captain had a solid grip.
"Don't forget a whole lotta bluster and blow," BA finished. Face's head snapped up, glare in full force. The grimace fell from the artillery sergeant's face as he started to snicker.
Vin leaned on Ezra's shoulder, a grin on his face, while JD crossed his arms and whispered a question to Nathan. The healer shrugged, and mouthed the word "certifiable," back at the boy.
Over by the saloon, Hannibal stuck his head out of the batwing doors, "Face!" The summons, though he only used one name, was clearly meant to encompass all three officers.
Next to the colonel, Chris stood and looked pointedly at Vin. The tracker nodded imperceptibly and plucked at Ezra's sleeve. Time to join the leaders. Murdock instantly let go of his lieutenant's leg and jumped to his feet, causing Face to stagger slightly.
"Looks like we have a plan," JD smiled at Nathan as uncrossed his arms and followed the group over to the jail.
"Wonder who's it is?" the healer replied.
"If it involves dynamite," Face informed them, "It's Hannibal's."
"If it involves a coffin full of rocks," JD chimed, "then it's Chris's!"
"No JD," Vin countered sourly, touching the small of his back, "If it involves a coffin full of rocks, it's yours."
_______________________________________
"They have to come across the river," Chris was saying as they wandered over. "At this time of year, it is fairly calm, but it's still too deep to traverse in most places. Now you say they're coming up through these canyons here," the gunslinger's finger trailed a line along the map, "which means they'll be crossing somewhere near Breaker's Pass, here," he tapped the map.
"How far is that from here?" Hannibal asked, peering at the legend.
"Half an hour ride, at most. How long do you think you managed to delay the outlaws?"
Hannibal shook his head, "Maybe half a day. They'd reach that pass in about four hours, I'd say."
Vin peered over Chris's shoulder, "What are you thinking?" the tracker asked.
"Using the river to block them in, then discouraging them from coming any further," Chris replied. "The Colonel wants to place charges around the edge to knock the men off their horses, then, in the melee, we go in and take them out."
Vin shook his head, "I don't like messing with that river, Chris. She's big and mean and too important for the folks in this area as a source of water. We'd poison her with all that blood."
Chris leaned back, one elbow on the bar, "You have a better idea?"
"We take them out in Four Corners."
"No," Chris shook his head, "I'm not endangering the town. Besides, Mary would kill me."
"They're going to be coming here anyway, Chris, if any get past," Vin reminded him. "And she'll kill you anyway, since you've been keeping her in the dark about all of this." Chris shot him a grimace. Behind them, Ezra cleared his throat.
"Uh, Chris, it seems to me that one could get badly turned around in those canyons, especially if they'd been confused by dynamite," the gambler said, sidling up behind Vin to look over his shoulder at the map.
"Particularly if they don't know the area," Face nodded from where he was standing next to Murdock.
"Or speak the language," Ezra added, looking over at him.
"And if someone were there to throw them off track..." Face smiled.
"A few well placed rockslides, a couple of helpful strangers...." Ezra was watching Face carefully, his eyes dancing. Face was grinning back.
"It's a good idea. Think you can you pull it off?"
"With your help, lieutenant, definitely."
"What do the rest of you think?" Face asked, looking around.
He was met by a sea of blank faces. Hannibal and Chris looked at each other.
"Do they have their own language?" JD wondered aloud. Murdock grinned.
"What are you two yammering on about," BA growled.
"A simple con," the gambler explained. "After all, out here, one town looks much like another, especially if you have never been here before. Hell, just in the last three years, I've seen three towns grow and fade, as transient as rainwater in the desert."
"Are you fluent in Spanish?" Face asked, already several steps ahead as he peered at the map. "Most of them will be Mexican."
"Si Senor," Ezra nodded.
"Woah, stop doing that!" JD said. "You two are scaring me."
"Sorry, kid," Ezra replied, "Our idea is just this. Steer those men to a different Four Corners and take them out there. That way, they'll have nowhere else to go but back under the rocks they slithered out from."
"A different...?" JD looked at Nathan, and the healer shrugged back.
"We can't build a town in four hours, you fools," BA growled, lifting his leg up where Nathan had sat him down.
"We don't have to," Face shook his head.
"There's a ghost town not far from here, called Freedom. It's completely intact, including a jail," Ezra said.
"Ezra, that's a good hour southeast from here," Vin said, pointing to its location on the map. "How...."
"Look at the way the canyons run, Vin," Ezra said, leaning over his shoulder to point the way. "Take a few wrong turns and..." his finger trailed a different path than the one leading to Breaker's Pass, and ended up close to the ghost town. Then he smiled.
"Ezra, these men aren't stupid, they'll know they're headed in the wrong direction," Nathan complained. Ezra looked over at Face, and the blond man shook his head.
"It's amazing," Face replied to the healer, "what people will believe with a little help."
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Continued in part five