Two weeks had past since the incident in Crystal Vista. Vash, Meryl, Milly, and Kate had lost track of the mystery man they had found out was really Ace Landen, the man with a $$20,000,000 reward for his capture. It was late afternoon and they were all resting at a small outpost town of no more than three hundred people. Meryl had just finished filing the report of the damage to Crystal Vista, which totaled $$27,000, and was now eating a banana sundae. Vash was having a drink inside while Milly and Kate sat with Meryl outside discussing what their game plan was going to be.

"The trick will be trying to locate Ace." Meryl said as she ate, "He's known for being able to blend in with a crowd."

"I agree, he likes keeping a low profile." Kate replied, "He won't just show up anywhere."

Meryl and Kate could not have been more wrong. Right at that moment, Ace Landen himself walked right behind them and Milly noticed him.

"Hey, hello Mr. Landen!" she shouted.

Meryl almost choked on the sundae and Kate froze in her spot. Ace turned around and immediately recognized them.

"Hey, it's you." he said, "What are three girls like you doing in a rustic place like this?"

"We were just talking about how to find you." Milly said.

"Well, you've found me." Ace replied, "I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got to get going."

He started to leave, but Meryl and Kate stood up.

"Hold it right there, bucko!" Meryl yelled and Ace stopped dead in his tracks, "You're not going anywhere."

"We have been searching for you for two days, and now I want to ask you a few things." Kate said, "You know how much damaged you caused back in Crystal Vista?"

"If you're referring to that piece of crap that was called art, I actually wasn't the one who destroyed it." Ace stated.

"Well, you played a role in it." Meryl said.

"Whatever, see you later." Ace said as he turned a corner into an alley.

"Wait!" Kate shouted as she rushed to try to catch up with Ace.

She looked down the alley, but Ace had disappeared again. Kate noticed a piece of paper on a wall next to her. It said, "New Wichita" and had the initials "A.L." written on it. Soon, everyone had regrouped and had mounted their thomases and headed towards New Wichita. After two hours of traveling, dusk began to fall and there was no sign of Ace. Meryl thought they had been tricked into a wild goose chase, but Vash then saw a figure in the distance. They quickly rode up and found out it was Ace.

"Man, how'd you get out here?" Vash asked.

Ace took off his sunglasses.

"I know a few trails hardly anyone uses." Ace said, "Plus I took an hour long break to give you a chance to catch up."

"All right, enough of the games." Meryl said, "We have questions and we want answers now!"

"Only if you ask nicely." Ace said in a sing-song tone.

Meryl had a crazed look in her eyes, but Kate calmed her down.

"Okay, may you please answer our questions?" Milly asked politely.

"Yes." Ace replied, "What are your questions?"

Meryl had calmed down and asked, "Are you really Ace Landen?"

"Yes, I am." Ace said.

"Are you aware that we plan on keeping you under twenty-four hour surveillance?" Kate asked.

"No, I take it that's why you've been trying to find me, right?" Ace said.

"Right, we're helping our friend Kate because she took the assignment of finding you." Milly said.

"Personnel reasons?" Ace asked.

"In a way, yes." Kate said, "That leads me to another question. Were ever at Dakota City anytime in the last year or so?"

"No, I haven't." Ace replied, "Any other questions?"

Meryl, Milly, and Kate were done for now, but Vash did have a couple of questions.

"I have one." he said, "Any chance I can look at your gun?"

"Sure, knock yourself out." Ace replied and he tossed his gun to Vash.

Vash studied the gun. It was indeed an M19 Combat Magnum, and Vash saw that the gun had improved firing mechanism, and had Ace's name engraved on the bottom of the handle. He handed it back back to Ace and offered him to look at his .45 Colt Custom to be fair.

"I'll look at it later." Ace said.

Everyone remained silent for about half an hour, until it was dark and Ace pointed to a group of lights.

"New Wichita is over there." he said, "We should be there in twenty minutes."

"Any chance you know of a place where can can get something to eat?" Vash asked as his stomach growled.

"I do know this one place." Ace replied, "Just follow me."

Just as Ace said, they reached New Wichita within twenty minutes. Since it a weekday, hardly anyone was out in the streets. Ace led everyone to a small bar on the far side of the town called "J.T. O'Riley" and stopped and looked around. The last two customer left the bar and everyone hitched up their thomases and followed Ace inside.

Inside, the barkeep was starting to lock up when Ace, Vash, Meryl, Milly, and Kate came in. He was a man of fifty-five, with thin white hair, and wore small eye glasses.

"I'm sorry, we're closed." the barkeep said, but Ace sat down, "Didn't you hear me?"

"I'd like to order my friends and I a round of nonalcoholic beer." Ace said.

Vash, Meryl, Milly, and Kate exchanged confused looks with each other.

"Really? That's quite an order." the barkeep said.

"Hey, as long as it's better than sewer water." Ace replied.

"Oh, I see. Come with me. I think I have some in the back." the barkeep said.

"Thank you very much." Ace said and he waved everyone in.

They were led to a cellar door, and went down a couple of flights to a second door. The barkeep opened it and everyone followed and then entered a waiting room.

"Hey, Mark!" the barkeep said, "There's someone here to see you. I don't recognize his face, but he knew the passwords."

"Thanks Sam, I'll be out in a second." a voice said.

Sam left to finish closing the bar and a moment later, a man that looked a year or so younger than Ace stepped.

"Hello, Mark." Ace said.

"Well, if it ain't Ace Landen." Mark replied, "How are you doing?"

"Well, I got some insurance people following me." Ace said as he pointed to Meryl, Milly, and Kate, "Miller has finally caught up with me, and I have met a legendary gunman."

"Who, Vash the Stampede?" Mark asked, jokingly.

"The one and only." Vash replied.

Mark was surprised because he was kind of kidding around.

Introductions were then exchanged with everyone and Mark Rose, a friend that Ace met several years before. Milly immediately caught his attention.

"And who is this beautiful woman?" he asked.

"My name's Milly Thompson." Milly said shyly.

"Well, I must call Heaven because they're missing an angel." Mark said as he kissed Milly's hand and Milly almost fainted.

"Easy, Mark, we got some business to take of." Ace said.

"Yeah, like food." Vash said.

"Vash, this is not the time for-" Meryl started to say, but she was cut off by her stomach growling and she then laughed sheepishly.

Mark brought a tray of sandwiches and some drinks and everyone ate.

"Excuse me, but how do you know Ace?" Kate asked.

"Ace saved my bar a couple of years ago." Mark said, "Some guys didn't feel like paying for their drinks and when I told to pay or else, they started trashing the place. One of them got a hold of a gas can and almost set the bar on fire. Luckily, Ace was there and sacred those guys off."

"How did he do that?" Meryl asked.

"Simple, I pulled out my gun and gave my crazy eyes looked." Ace said and he showed the look.

Meryl shuddered, "Man, that guy back in Walsh Town was right." she thought, "That is a look that could burn through steel."

Anyway, Ace then helped me to repair the place and he and I became fast friends." Mark said, "I told him, if he needed help, he could come here and I told him the passwords to get after closing time."

"So, that's what everything he said up there was about." Kate realized.

"And speaking of which, what's your trouble?" Mark asked.

"Miller is back in the picture." Ace replied.

"Who exactly is this Miller guy?" Vash asked.

"I did some business with a couple of years back, and he tried to kill me."

"Why?" Milly asked.

"It's a long and complex story." Ace said, "I'll tell you it later."

"Right now, I think you guys should go to bed." Mark said, "There's some spare beds in there and a shower if anyone needs one in that room."

"Thanks." Meryl said

"Mark and I will be working on something tonight, so I'll go to bed later." Ace said, "I'll see you all in the morning."

Everyone said good night and went to sleep. You thing kept going through their minds, though. What was Ace and Mark planning?

TO BE CONTINUED...