Several days later three of the five silver moons were out in the chilly early evening when the insurance agents' car pulled up to a large pile of boulders outside of the broken
seeds ship. They had taken no chances of being discovered on the journey here.
Vash stayed with Knives in the back of the car and he always kept
one hand on his brother's forehead making sure that the psychotic consciousness
was still deeply buried.
Vash got out of the car and looked at the huge seeds ship from behind a boulder.
There was only one main entrance. All other cracks and rips in the surface had
been quickly mended after the fall. Four guards patrolled on top of the metal
archway above the entrance. Each guard had a gun in hand, and one wore infrared
goggles. One guard stood behind an unlit search light. Two guards were older.
Vash knew those two, Kevin and James, for about 25 years before he left. The
other guards he didn't recognize.
"I don't think you should go alone,Vash," Meryl suddenly said beside him. He
looked at her, incensed by her presence.
"Get back in the car. It may be more dangerous for you than me."
"No," she whispered, "I'm not the one worth $$60 billion dead."
Vash put one hand over Meryl's mouth, picked her up by her cloak collar and
walked back to the car. Meryl stayed quiet and didn't struggle, afraid of
alerting the guards. Vash strapped her down with her seat belt and gave both
insurance agents an icy glare.
"Both of you are staying here. I don't know what's happened since the ship
crashed. I know two of the guards but others are new. I don't know what will
happen when I talk to them."
Meryl opened her mouth to speak.
"Shhhh," Vash whispered.
Vash walked up to the entrance slowly, his hands raised. The huge bright search
light shone on him as he walked towards the guards. Vash quickly closed his eyes
from the intense glare.
"Stop where you are," an unknown voice shouted from beyond the light. Vash heard
Kevin speak.
"No one is allowed entrance into the city until ... Shit ... Is that you, Vash?
Of course it's you. Jason, shut the light off."
"Vash the Stampede is back? I should shoot the bastard right now, " said a new
younger voice. He heard the sound of a gun being cocked. Vash tensed.
"Put that away, Michael. He's harmless."
A shot was fired. Vash fell to the ground, dodging the bullet.
"Stop it, you two," James yelled.
A scuffle occurred between the men behind the light. Eventually the light was
turned off.
"You two are relieved of duty. Go. Now," Vash heard Kevin say.
"You can get up, Vash," shouted James.
Vash picked himself up off the ground and walked toward the gate. Kevin and
James disappeared from the top of the archway. The doors to the large gate
opened shortly thereafter and Kevin and James appeared beyond the opened door.
Kevin was about forty, a burly man with brown hair, brown eyes and a right hook
that could send any normal man to the floor in one blow. Vash was the only
person who could beat him at arm wrestling. James was about 50 with black hair,
a smaller build, and was more of a scientist than Kevin. Vash had taught James
quite a bit about plant engineering before he left.
Vash walked up to the two men. Both men looked to be happy at his return. James
spoke, "The younger ones, like Jason and Michael, don't understand who you are,
Vash. They blame you for all the deaths that occurred here."
"Doc's tried to explain to them, but they refuse to believe it," said Kevin, "What's the latest news on Knives?"
"Is he dead?" added James, hastily.
"He isn't dead," said Vash. Both men looked saddened at the news.
"Did you find him?" asked James.
"Yes, I figured out how to take away his power away without killing him. He's
unconscious right now. I had to shoot him a few times but he'll survive. He's in
the back seat of a car parked out beyond the rocks."
Vash turned around and gestured toward the rocks. He saw two feminine faces
peeking out from behind a bolder.
"Who are your friends?" asked Kevin.
"You haven't come back with a women before, and now you've got two?" James
snickered.
Vash chose not to answer the question.
"We need to bring Knives in. This is the only place he and I can be safe. Can we
come in?"
"Are you bringing those two with you?" James gestured at the boulder that had
sprouted feminine heads.
"Meryl, Milly, you can come out now," Vash shouted. He turned back to his old
friends.
"These two are insurance agents. It's their job to follow me and try and prevent
property damage and loss of life. There very helpful, actually. I wouldn't be
alive if they weren't with me. The tall one's a sweetie but the
short one, when she gets pissed off she's got a punch that would put you on the
ground." Vash gestured at Kevin.
Kevin laughed, "You'll have to tell us more about them."
Meryl shouted, "Are you okay, Vash? We heard a gunshot."
"I'm okay. They missed. It's okay to come out," he shouted back.
The agents emerged from behind the rock and walked towards the archway.
"Doc shouldn't have a problem with you and Knives staying here," said James.
"I'm sure he'd love to see what you did with Knives. I'm not so sure about these
two, but it may be a good idea for you to have a couple of bodyguards around
here."
Vash sighed. Was anyplace on the planet safe for him anymore? James pressed a
button on the archway door.
"Tim, this is James. Can you get Doc up and send him to the entryway? We have an
emergency ... Its not medical. Vash came back and has Knives with him ... All
right, five minutes."
Meryl and Milly walked up to Vash. They looked at him warily and glanced at the
two men.
"Kevin, James, this is Milly Thompson and Meryl Strife of the Bernardelli
Insurance agency."
"Hello!" said Milly cheerfully. A pained smile eked its way onto Meryl's face.
"Where did that gunshot come from?" she asked Vash.
"A few people aren't happy that Vash came back," said Kevin, already eyeing his
possible future opponent. He wasn't worried.
"Once you're in the city, Vash, it shouldn't be a problem." A confused
expression crossed Vash's face at the mention of the word 'city'."
"Milly, you can bring the car to the entryway. We'll be taking in Knives," said
Vash.
"Okay!" Milly trotted off back to the car.
"What did you mean by city?" asked Vash. James responded.
"The seeds ship residents had the vessel declared its own city. We've got our
own government, and our own set of laws. Doc's the mayor. The first law we
passed was that no outsider could come on board without an interview and
approval directly from the mayor. He only hears one case a week. The vast
majority of the scum trying to come on board are grifters anyway. One plant
engineer stayed a week about a month ago but other than that no outsider has
been on board since that priest was here with you."
"What happened to him?" asked Kevin.
Vash looked down at his feet and spoke with a hushed voice.
"He died a few weeks ago."
The two men looked at each other, understanding that a guy like Wolfwood
probably hadn't died of pneumonia. A short while later Milly pull up in the car.
Kevin and James got their first look at Knives. He was still wearing his
hospital gown and was covered up to the waist with the white hospital sheet.
"Damn. He really is Vash's twin. I kinda wish he were dead, even so," thought
Kevin.
"He doesn't look like a psychopath when he's sleeping," said Vash, "but I don't
want anybody near him when he wakes up."
Just then the large inner door of the archway opened and a little old wrinkled
man emerged. A large grin appeared on his face as he eagerly walked up to Vash.
Meryl didn't know old men could smile so brightly.
"Vash! I heard you finally got Knives." The little man peered into the car and
scanned Knives with his eyes.
"What did you do to his arms, Vash?" asked the doctor.
"They're modified plant dampeners. He can't focus his energy through his arms
anymore. Externally he can't use his power. He's almost human now."
"That's very clever, Vash," Doc said as he poked at the dampener.
"Mr. Mayor?" said Meryl.
Doc looked up and for the first time noticed the little lady standing beside
Vash.
"Milly Thompson and I would like to stay here with Vash. If that's possible."
Vash explained the ladies job to the doctor, and praised them both for their
kindness and dedication. Milly beamed and Meryl blushed.
"You're certainly welcome here then," said Doc. "I'll start on the paperwork for
you two ladies tomorrow."
At Doc's suggestion, Vash accompanied Doc into the ship to prepare a room for
Knives. The two agents stayed with Knives and the car. James hit the intercom
button "Tim, were going to need the backups tonight. Jason shot at Vash. Michael
tried to help him... yup... He's back. They were both relieved of their duty...
Doc's coming in with him now. He brought two lady friends with him this time."
Meryl pulled back one leg and aimed at the guard's exposed left shin. Milly
grabbed her and swung the small woman away from the guard.
"Sorry about that hee hee ..," the big girl said.
"I'm just doing my job," grumbled Meryl straining to get away from Milly's
grasp. "Just like us, guards," said Kevin as he winked at the feisty little
agent.
Meryl didn't appreciate the wink, but she calmed down. The guards were curious
about the outside world and pretty soon Milly and Meryl were telling them about
their families, past jobs, and life with Vash the Stampede. All five moons were
out by the time the inner door to the ship opened. Vash walked out with a cart
and he and Milly gently set Knives down on the cart's flat metal surface. Vash
tightened one strap across his brother's chest and another around his legs.
"Doc showed me where you and Milly will be staying and we fixed up the room a
little bit," said Vash to Meryl. "Follow me, and bring you're luggage."
Meryl and Milly got their baggage out of the trunk.
"Good luck, Vash," the guards said, "We'll come by and see you tomorrow."
Vash waved goodbye to guards and walked back into the ship, followed by Meryl
and Milly. The women gaped at the metal walls of the hallways and the endless
numbers of pipes and computer consoles.
Knives' room was fifty-seven floors up, at the very top of the ship. Vash showed
them how to use the elevator controls as they rode upwards. Knives' body twisted
slightly as they passed the floor with the four plants. Vash set his hand on his
brother's forehead. "He'll be waking up soon," he said solemnly.
"Can you really keep him from killing anyone?" asked Meryl.
"Yes," said Vash. It was more of a promise than a simple statement.
"How can we help here?" asked Meryl. "Everything is all so new for us."
"You can help me guard Knives. There are a lot of people here who want to kill
him."
Meryl could tell that Vash was hiding something again. Something very important.
The elevator doors opened and they walked out onto the fifty-seventh floor.
There were large windows on both sides of the hallway. Meryl looked out and saw
the huge array of stars behind the five moons. The desert was more than an ile
below them, just a thin strip of somber land compared to the brilliance of the
stars. Meryl suddenly didn't care if she ever went back to the outside. Vash
walked past the windows not noticing the stars.
"Aren't the stars beautiful, Meryl?" said Milly.
"They definitely are, Milly."
Meryl knew that she would've gotten very lonely very quickly here without Milly.
Vash stopped outside of a set of doors near the end of the hallway. He put his
hand on a console and the door slid open. Vash flicked a switch and the lights
turned on. The room was almost completely empty except for a large concrete
block on the far side of the room.
"Are you sure this is the room?" asked Meryl.
"Yes. This is where Knives and I are going to stay."
"It's so bare." The agent added.
"There's a lot I need to do in here before tomorrow."
Vash left Knives on the cart and walked the girls back toward the elevator to
their room. They stopped at the room nearest to the windows. Vash pushed a few
buttons on the console.
"Meryl, put your hand here."
Vash took Meryl's hand and placed it on a black space on the console. The area
underneath her hand flashed green. Meryl yelped and quickly drew her hand away.
"Is it okay? Am I going to be all right?"
Vash laughed at the panicking little agent. Meryl held her hand up to her face
and stared at it intently.
"You're going to be fine. You'll get used to it," Vash assured her.
He pressed a few more buttons on the panel.
"Now it's your turn, Milly."
Milly placed her hand on the panel. After a few seconds the console flashed
green. Milly took her hand off and looked at it.
"That didn't hurt at all Mr. Vash!" Vash smiled and pressed a few more buttons.
"Now put your hand back on the console, Meryl."
Meryl reluctantly placed her hand down. The console flashed green again
"Argh!"
This time the door opened. The ladies room was much nicer. It was a larger room
with two beds. The beds had fresh blankets and sheets, and the ladies had their
own bathroom. There was even a little lounge area with a couch and a table. Vash
showed them where they could adjust the temperature of the room. The insurance
agents looked at each other and realized that they were now getting paid to stay
in some of the most elite living quarters on the whole planet.
"Meryl?"
"Yes, Milly?"
"I don't really care if we get a raise any more."
"Neither do I, Milly."
Vash excused himself and said he would meet the agents here for breakfast around
eight o'clock the next morning. Meryl poked her head out the door and saw Vash
leave down the elevator to parts unknown. The women chose their beds, unpacked
their bags, washed up, and went to sleep.
Vash took the elevator down to a storage level. He brought up a few armloads of
metal bars, strange pointed tools and a cabinet. Vash closed the door behind him
and commenced building his temporary holding chamber for Knives. It was early
the next morning when he finished. Vash placed Knives on his new bed, locking
him into position. Exhausted, Vash lay on the floor next to a heap of twisted
metal and fell asleep. After a few hours he woke up and went down to Doc's room.
He knew that Doc was a very early riser; Vash had often visited him during this
time. Vash put his hand on the console outside Doc's room. The door opened. Doc
was seated at a desk.
"It's good to see you at the regular time, Vash. How is Knives coming along?"
said the doctor as he sipped a freshly brewed cup of hot tea.
"I've done what I can. The ship is safe. He's his own worst enemy now."
Vash described to the doctor how he designed the dampeners.
"That's wonderful, Vash. How long do you think it will last though? Those
dampeners have already been in use for 100 years."
"It looked almost new when I took it out, at least another 100 years. By then
I'll have figured something else out."
Doc marveled at the fact that Vash could take such long periods of time so
lightly. He was a different being entirely. It still amazed him that to Vash
every life on board this ship was extremely precious. It was 50 years before
Vash had told him what really happened on the seeds flag ship. Someone on board,
Sherin, had gotten her own hydroponics garden going and she gave Vash a little
geranium. Doc never new someone could cry so much. Doc knew there were other
secrets this man held but perhaps it was best he didn't know. Some things are
better left buried forever. The two commenced talking about the rejuvenation of
the ship after it crashed. The ship residents were still in the process of
rebuilding the two plants that the Gung-Ho Guns destroyed. Doc assured Vash that
the plant beings hadn't died.
"They're extremely tough like you and your brother," Doc said.
"The two beings were placed in the bulb with plant number three. We had no options left. We couldn't just leave them in a sleep chamber and let them die. We decided to put them in a bulb with another plant being. We couldn't tell what was happening at first but after a few minutes the power output increased as indicated by the presence of the two
combined plant signals. An engineer checked on them three days ago and they're
almost healed. I don't know what allowed them to survive but maybe now that
you're back you can help us figure it out. We'd like you to help us with the
reconstruction of the bulbs when you can spare the time. I know you have a lot
to do with Knives."
"Knives ..." Vash murmured. "I need to check in on him. He's going to be waking
up soon. I'll go down to the engineering level tomorrow."
Vash got up.
"Thank you for letting me back in the ship with him. A lot of people on board
wouldn't have let me come back."
"It's no problem, Vash. The plants have never functioned better than when you're
here."
Vash exited the room and hurried back up to floor fifty-seven. Doc's last
comment had hurt more than helped. There were many many things Vash wished he
could forget. Another event he would never want to remember was about to happen.