Chapter Three: Floating City
Legato eyed Wolfwood's chess pieces with a look of dry humor. There were very few pieces left on Wolfwood's side of the board, signaling that Legato was winning. Milly, who stood off to one side, giggled when she saw Wolfwood's sour expression.
"Be grateful, Nicholas. At least I didn't suggest strip poker." Legato stated, arching an eyebrow when he saw another good move and took it.
"Shut up." Wolfwood grumbled, looking a bit put off with losing to Legato for a third time in a row. From his place on the couch, Vash listened to the conversation at the table.
"It's hard to believe that Legato is on our side. He was once Knives' right hand man! I wonder what happened between them that caused Knives to take the arm back?" Vash wondered, sitting up abruptly when he smelled the telltale scent of doughnuts.
"Checkmate, Nicholas, and the snack has arrived." Legato said, smugly, enjoying the display of annoyance on the priest's face.
"Those smell delicious! I want a whole box!" Vash said, as he swooped into the kitchen. Meryl, who was carrying the boxes of doughnuts, dodged the gunman, watching as he fell past her and landed face first into the linoleum.
"Ouch." Legato muttered, as he deftly plucked one box out of Meryl's arms and proceeded to retreat out of the kitchen.
"Legato! Get back here with that! LEGATO!" Meryl shouted, furiously, as she started chasing the former outlaw around the hotel room, but not before she handed off the rest of the boxes to Milly.
"Man, I never knew Legato would run from a woman! And a normal human woman with no powers whatsoever!" Wolfwood taunted, laughing as the ex-outlaw blazed past him.
"Nicholas, you obviously have no idea what this woman can do when she's angry enough." Legato panted, dodging around Vash when he tried to block his path.
"Then why are you making her angry?" Vash asked, as he tried to block him again.
"She's cute when she's angry." Legato said, jokingly, as he dove back into the kitchen and placed the box back onto the table. But not before taking a chocolate frosted doughnut and taking a bite out of it. He was gone half a heartbeat later.
"That man…………is even more irritating than you, Vash." Meryl growled, as she surveyed the other doughnut boxes with simmering anger in her gray eyes.
"If that were even possible. I guess this proves that he's taken a turn for the better, if he gets his kicks from just annoying us and not by killing anyone." Wolfwood said, as he waited for Meryl's approval to open another box and get a doughnut out. Vash nodded in agreement, his expression sobering when he remembered the discussion that had ensued after the situation on the sand-steamer had concluded. They had gotten a confession from Legato's own mouth about the true destroyer of Augusta, and the guilt in his eyes was not false. Both Vash and Wolfwood reasoned that there were a lot of burdens on Legato's shoulders; past crimes he'd committed while allied with Knives.
"I wonder where he's hiding?" Milly mused, smiling knowingly when a rather sheepish looking Legato returned, licking the chocolate frosting from his fingers.
"Returned to die, Legato Bluesummers?" Meryl asked, threateningly. Legato ducked behind Vash and grinned at her.
"Not quite, Miss Stryfe. Besides, could you really bring yourself to harm a disabled man?" Legato asked, mischievously.
"Disabled? Disabled my ass! You're far from being disabled, Legato, considering how you're a better gunman than most men who have both arms!" Meryl spat, struggling to keep from strangling the ex-outlaw.
"Now, now, Meryl. It's not good for you to get so worked up! Mr. Legato is only teasing you." Milly said, matter-of-factly. As the conversation continued, Wolfwood noticed how quiet Vash had gotten, and wondered why.
"Hey, Vash, why don't you contribute something to the conversation, instead of just standing there?" Wolfwood asked, as the jesting ended, and Legato moved to sit down at the table. Vash straightened, and shook his head, returning to reality with a jolt.
"Vash?" Meryl asked, noticing that all of the color had drained from Vash's face.
"Sorry, but I'm not very hungry at the moment." Vash murmured, as he quietly left the room, leaving his four companions gazing confusedly after him.
"I wonder what has gotten into him?" Legato mused, aloud.
"Good question. It's not like him to turn down doughnuts like this." Meryl said, crossing her arms and looking very concerned for the outlaw. Legato smiled gently and ruffled Meryl's hair, much like an elder brother would do.
"I'm sure it isn't anything serious. Don't fret." Legato said, with incredible gentleness. Wolfwood shook his head in wonder; this was a totally new side to Legato he'd certainly never seen before.
"He's got a soft spot for the girls, there's no doubt about that. I wonder if he sees them as the sisters he never had? That thought in itself is unbelievable. If he's as good a gunman as Meryl said, I'd hate to be the Gung-Ho Gun that gets in his way." Wolfwood thought, as he watched the close-knit trio from his counter-perch.
Hours later, Legato found himself being awakened from sound sleep by Vash.
"What do you want?" Legato asked, crossly, as he sat up and gave Vash a look that could freeze lava.
"I want you to come with me." Vash said, earnestly.
"Why?" Legato asked, deadpanning at the thought of going somewhere with Vash, in the middle of a typhoon.
"You'll see. Now come on." Vash said, as he helped Legato put his coat on and watched as Legato put his gun belt back on. Within moments, they were gone.
"This has to be the most insane thing I have ever done! What is even more insane is the fact that I am about to jump off a cliff with Vash the Stampede leading me by the nose!" Legato ranted, shouting over the roar of the wind, not in the least bit thrilled about what was going to happen.
"Relax! We'll come through just fine! Now, jump!" Vash shouted, as he jumped into the wind. Legato sighed and followed suit. To his surprise, he found himself landing on a floating platform. He flinched when he heard Vash crash-land behind him.
"Are you all right, Vash?" Legato asked, dryly.
"I'm fine…….or, at least I will be…………when my heart stops beating so fast! I'm glad I don't have to do this often!" Vash said, leaning back on a handrail and gasping for breath, his hand clutching his chest and his face pale.
"That should teach you. So, do you do this for thrills? Jumping into the heart of a typhoon?" Legato asked.
"Or are you trying to commit suicide?" another, rather familiar voice asked.
"Suicide? I hate even the thought of suicide………..hey……….wait a minute!" Vash muttered, as both he and Legato looked over the side of the platform. They were a bit surprised to see Wolfwood clinging there.
"Nicholas, what are you doing here?" Legato asked, with a deadpan expression on his face.
"I saw you both jump off that cliff to kill yourselves! What were you trying to do?" Wolfwood asked, as he was helped onto the platform.
"Don't ask me. This was all Vash's idea, I can assure you." Legato muttered, his expression still deadpan. Wolfwood turned his attention to Vash.
"Well? What's your reason?" Wolfwood asked, peevishly.
"I'm going home." Vash replied, quietly. Legato and Wolfwood both exchanged a confused glance.
"There are houses in the sky? Vash, I am getting tired of your nonsense." Wolfwood grumbled. Then the platform rose above the clouds. Legato blinked as bright sunlight shone into his eyes, but, when his eyes adjusted, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. There, suspended in midair, was what remained of a spaceship.
"What is that?" Wolfwood asked, also awed by the sight.
"Just what you see before you. A spaceship that has been in no hurry to fall for the last one hundred thirty years." Vash replied, casually.
"Unbelievable……..I can't believe that there's still a spaceship up here." Wolfwood said, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Vash, when you'd said you were going home, does that mean that there are still people up here?" Legato asked, curiosity sneaking into his voice as he said that. Vash nodded.
"You and Wolfwood will be their first guests in twenty years." Vash replied, as the platform approached the vessel.
"Now I know how the characters in Fellowship of the Ring must have felt when they saw the Halls of Moria." Legato muttered, as they stepped off of the platform. They were only standing there a few moments before the door opened.
"Ah, welcome back, Vash! I see you've got some friends with you. Come on in!" an old man said, as he and a tall, burly young man stood at the door.
"It's good to see you again, Sensei." Vash said, as he, Legato, and Wolfwood entered the ship.
"And it is good to see that you are doing so well, Vash. Who are those two?" the old man asked, as he pointed at Wolfwood and Legato.
"Those are two of my friends. The one with the cross is Nicholas D. Wolfwood, and the other man is Legato Bluesummers. Legato is one of the reasons I came back here." Vash said, watching as Wolfwood made faces in the gleaming, mirror-like walls of the hallway, while Legato stood off to one side with his face buried in his hand in exasperation.
"Hmm……….I see that he only has one arm. An accident?" Sensei asked, as Legato pulled Wolfwood away from the wall and jogged to catch up with the old man, Vash, and the burly young man, not too keen on getting lost inside the old ship.
"You could say that." Vash said, as he watched Legato and Wolfwood catch up, Legato self-consciously grasping the empty sleeve of his coat while he walked, when he saw how uneasy the people of the floating city were. Sensei nodded in understanding.
"You came here to see if I could give him a new arm. How long has it been since his 'accident'?" Sensei asked.
"About two years." Vash replied, glancing back when he heard murmuring coming from the citizens of the ship, and their debates on how Legato had lost his arm.
"Then there might still be hope. I might still be able to attach a new arm if the nerves have survived. I'll have to ask him some questions." Sensei said, looking around when a woman's voice interrupted their train of thought.
"Vash!" the woman in question shouted, as she ran up to them, with excitement in her blue eyes. Legato arched an eyebrow as the young woman barreled up to Vash and hugged him tightly. He looked up when he heard the burly man growl, and backed up so he wouldn't end up dead. Unfortunately for Legato, though, the young woman took notice of him.
"Hey, Vash, who's the handsome guy with the blue hair?" the woman asked, getting a surprised look from Vash and a fervent blush from Legato.
"That's a friend of mine." Vash said, grinning at Legato from where he stood. The burly man, whose name was Brad, gave Legato a dirty look. Legato backed away and hid behind Wolfwood's cross.
"Hey! Don't hide behind me! Do I look like I'd be a match for him?" Wolfwood snapped, as Legato peered out from behind him at the perturbed Brad.
"Better you than me, Nicholas." Legato replied, as Vash and Sensei chuckled and shook their heads.
"Calm down, Brad. They're not hurting anyone." Sensei said, smiling as Legato warily stood beside Wolfwood, keeping his eyes on the taller man.
"Legato, come with us. Wolfwood, stay here." Vash ordered.
"Why do I have to stay out here?" Wolfwood asked, irritably.
"I have something I want to discuss with Sensei. And there is something Sensei wants to talk to Legato about." Vash explained, as Legato gave him a questioning look. Wolfwood sighed in resignation.
"Very well. I'll remain here." Wolfwood grumbled, not unlike a surly child in his response. Moments later, Legato found himself in large, yet dimly lit, room. He suppressed a shudder when he thought of the room that Knives had used to perform the surgery that had attached Vash's arm to his body, all that time ago.
"Don't look so uneasy, Legato, I'm not going to harm you." Sensei said, having noticed the haunted look in Legato's eyes.
"Then why did you let me come back here? Why didn't you make me wait in the hall with Nicholas? Is there a specific reason?" Legato asked, trying to sound calm, despite his unease.
"There is. Apparently Vash brought you up here to see about getting you a prosthetic arm." Sensei said, surprising Legato with his answer. Legato then turned a questioning gaze to Vash, who simply nodded quietly.
"But why?" Legato asked, almost too stunned to speak.
"You'd be better able to protect Meryl and Milly if you have two arms. And, if you get a prosthetic like the one I have, you'll have an extra weapon in your arsenal to protect yourself and them." Vash said, wisely. Legato's eyes widened slightly, then he guiltily looked away from Vash.
"I don't deserve it. After all the crimes I have committed, all of the innocent blood I have shed, directly and indirectly, over the years. Any mercy I receive, I don't deserve." Legato murmured, honestly. He jumped when Vash put a hand on his shoulder and looked firmly into his eyes.
"If anyone deserves a second chance, it's you, Legato. You've made a huge change from the way you were to the way you are now. You have the right to choose which path to take. Your ticket to the future is always blank. All you have to do is pick it up and use it." Vash said, with the wisdom of a hundred years in his seemingly ageless eyes. Legato could only stare at him in wonder; how was it that such a goofball could be so wise at the same time?
"I………….I accept. What must be done?" Legato asked, turning to Sensei, with a look of resolve in his eyes.
"First, I must see if the nerves in the stump have survived, then I can attach the circuitry needed to attach the arm. I must warn you, though, it will be painful." Sensei warned, as he glanced at Vash, remembering the time when he'd performed the surgery on the Humanoid Typhoon. Vash flinched, also remembering the event.
"It was painful having my arm pulled off by a madman. This can't be any worse than that." Legato said, willing to get started. Sensei nodded; he could tell Legato was ready.
"First, I will install Vash's new arm, then I will see to you." Sensei said, as he got right to work. Within moments, Vash had his new arm attached, and Sensei was looking at the stump of Legato's left arm.
"Well, I have good news. The nerves appear to be intact. I can begin now, if you want." Sensei said, after a few moments of probing and scanning with machinery Legato could only assume was lost technology (they were in the sickbay by now). Legato nodded.
"Let's get it attached as soon as possible. Mine and Vash's enemies won't wait to start attacking." Legato said, as he was bidden to lie down by Sensei's assistants. Forgotten for the moment, Brad watched from the corner, his arms crossed and giving Legato an unreadable look.
"Brad, we might need you to help hold Legato down, since he can't have any anesthetic for the procedure." Sensei said, indirectly ordering the taller man to stand ready. Brad reluctantly nodded, and stood beside the bed. Then the surgery began. Legato gasped, then grimaced as the flap of skin that closed off the stump of the arm was cut open and away, revealing the inside of the arm. He gritted his teeth as Sensei went in, carefully beginning to install the circuitry. Seemingly endless hours passed, as Sensei moved meticulously through the procedure. The worst of the pain came when the metal graft was attached, where the arm would shortly be connected. At this, Legato let out a bloodcurdling scream, and actually struggled violently against Brad and Vash's steady grip.
Out in the hallway, the residents of the floating city, and Wolfwood, jumped when they heard Legato's pain filled cry, and looked at one another in uncertainty.
"Damn, what're they doin' in there?! Torturing someone?!?" Wolfwood asked, just barely suppressing a shudder as the echoes of the scream died away into the corridors.
"It seems that that golden-eyed friend of yours is getting a prosthetic to replace the arm he'd lost." One woman said, answering Wolfwood's question.
"How can you tell?" Wolfwood asked, a bit skeptical about that statement.
"Vash had screamed the same way when they'd attached his prosthetic. Only Vash was in worse shape when he arrived here than your friend." The woman said, her eyebrows knitting as she remembered the events of twenty-seven years before.
"What had happened to his arm?" Wolfwood asked, again, curiosity aroused by this conversation.
"It had been shot off by a high-powered handgun at almost point-blank range. The blood loss was horrible. We thought he was going to die that time, but he managed to pull through somehow." The woman said, her eyes haunted by the memories of that day.
"Then Vash and Legato are more alike than they realize. The girls had said they'd found Legato in similar condition two years ago." Wolfwood murmured. Before the woman could ask what he'd meant, Sensei emerged from the sickbay.
"Well? Did you turn 'im into Frankenstein or somethin'?" Wolfwood asked, somewhat snappishly, hiding his concern behind his irritation.
"No, I didn't turn him into Frankenstein. Or Igor for that matter. The operation was a complete success. And despite what you must have heard, he is still conscious. Though I am surprised. Vash passed out when the operation was done on him. He was out for several days because of the shock to his system." Sensei said, smiling when a look of relief flashed briefly across Wolfwood's features, then vanished behind the 'irritation mask' again.
"Well, can I see the guy? Or do I have to stand out in the hall all night?" Wolfwood asked, now genuinely annoyed.
"You may see him. But do not stress him." Sensei said, watching as Wolfwood shouldered his Cross Punisher, then walked into the sickbay.
"Yeah, yeah. I know. Usual hospital rules apply." Wolfwood said, casually, over his shoulder. When he got there, Legato was waving some of the sickbay attendants away, not wanting any part of the painkillers they were offering him.
"Well, I see that what that short guy was saying was true. How does the arm feel?" Wolfwood asked, then looked down at Vash, who was fainted dead away on the floor.
"It feels odd. I guess it will take some getting used to." Legato said, as he glanced at Vash, and rolled his eyes.
"What happened to him?" Wolfwood asked, as he prodded Vash with the toe of his shoe. Legato shrugged.
"I don't know, but he took one look at the blood on the floor and on this bed and fainted shortly after the 'short guy' as you had put it, finished. I'd hate to see how he would react when he and Meryl are married, and his children are being born." Legato muttered, with some dread in his voice.
"Don't even think about it. One Vash is enough." Wolfwood mumbled, much to Legato's amusement.
Hours later, the three men found themselves on the far side of a large food court. They sat alone, for the most part, since most of the people on the ship didn't trust Wolfwood or Legato. The only exceptions were Sensei, Jessica (the girl that had called Legato handsome earlier), and Brad.
"The food here is quite good. Seems like you people do rather well for yourselves up here." Legato commented.
"Well, we manage. I just wonder how the people on the planet survive." Sensei said, with some curiosity in his voice.
"We do what we must, even though sometimes what we must do isn't always right." Wolfwood murmured, as he snuffed out a cigarette in the ashtray, then turned and looked as two men in the background started bickering.
"Excuse me for a moment. Saitou! Sano! Stop picking fights! How many times must I tell you two that?! You remember the last time I had to pull you apart! There was food stuck to the ceiling for a week after!" Sensei shouted, calling the two men down. Legato shook his head; things really were no different up here than they were on the ground.
"Ne, Mr. Bluesummers?" Jessica asked, not noticing Brad's look of chagrin as she spoke to the 'outsider'.
"Miss, you may call me by my first name, if you wish. What is it that you want to know?" Legato asked. Jessica blushed and fiddled with her sleeve, reminding Legato of the way Meryl sometimes acted when she thought no one was paying attention.
"Well, um, I was wondering how you are adjusting to your new arm. Does it hurt at all?" Jessica asked, shyly.
"It's a bit sore, but it doesn't hurt as much as it did when it was getting attached. That is one experience I never want to repeat." Legato replied, with a shudder.
"I'll bet." Wolfwood muttered, as he lit another cigarette. Then all attention turned to Vash. They were a bit surprised when they saw that Vash hadn't touched his food, and he appeared to be in deep thought.
"Vash?" Legato asked, startling Vash out of his self-induced trance.
"What? Is something up, Legato?" Vash asked, sounding a bit weary.
"No, nothing important, anyway. You seem a bit out of sorts." Legato replied, with some concern sneaking into his calm golden eyes.
"I'm fine, don't worry about me. Just thinking, that's all." Vash replied, finally noticing the meal in front of him and chowing down.
"What kind of thought could possibly survive in that needle noggin of yours, Vash?" Wolfwood asked, with some skepticism.
"I'm just wondering why the Gung-Ho Guns haven't made another appearance yet. Have they disbanded?" Vash mused.
"I doubt it. They're just waiting for a good moment to strike. And believe me, they will, once they find out that you are no longer in hiding." Legato said, seriously.
"But who would be in line to become leader after you?" Wolfwood asked. Legato shrugged and shook his head.
"I have no idea. I don't think Midvalley would take up leadership. The only one I think would be capable of leading the Gung-Ho's would be Knives himself. But, then again, he hates humans with such a passion that he probably wouldn't." Legato murmured, thoughtfully.
"I don't know what you three are talking about, but I don't care for it. Take it someplace else." Brad demanded, angrily.
"You're being rude again, Brad." Sensei said, suddenly, having returned to the table without anyone noticing him.
"Hmph." Brad grumbled, before stalking off, with Jessica trailing along behind him.
"Seems that Jessica has taken a shine to you, Legato Bluesummers." Sensei said, with a smile.
"It does indeed. She even adjusted my coat so it would fit over this new arm without even being asked to." Legato commented, sounding a little relieved that they were heading away from the oppressive subject.
"Yes, she tends to do things like that, but usually not for strangers. You're the first outsider other than Vash that she has talked to. I think that is why Brad is so hostile towards you." Sensei said, matter-of-factly.
"Probably." Legato muttered, then stood up and stretched.
"The meal was excellent. My compliments to the chef, whomever or whatever he may be." Legato said, casually.
"I will tell him that you enjoyed it." Sensei said, still smiling as Vash and Wolfwood did the same.
"Too bad Milly couldn't come up here. She would have enjoyed the pudding." Vash mused, as he led the way out of the food court.
That night, Legato looked out over the moonlit expanse from one of the many balconies on the surface of the old ship.
"Such an impressive view. I wonder how this planet looks from space? What did this place look like to our ancestors?" Legato wondered, as the five moons bathed the desert below in a soft silver glow.
"Enjoying the view, Legato?" Vash's voice asked, startling the blue-haired man somewhat.
"I guess I am. We're so high up, that the desert looks almost like a sea of molten silver. I wonder if the deserts on earth looked like this." Legato said, almost sadly.
"I've often wondered that myself." Vash said, as they both sank into thoughtful silence.
"Vash, what was your brother like before he hated humans?" Legato asked, suddenly. Vash nearly toppled over the handrail.
"Why do you want to know?" Vash asked, shocked that Legato had brought up such a subject.
"Just curious. Has he always hated humanity the way he hates it now? Or did something happen that influenced his decision to hate?" Legato asked again, with all seriousness in his eyes.
"I………..I don't know. It happened so suddenly, that I am not even certain he even felt comfortable among humans from the start. I know Rem loved us, and the rest of the crew thought we were okay. But there was one man who thought differently." Vash said, his face taking on a pained expression as he remembered the distant memories of his childhood.
"Who was that man?" Legato asked, his serious expression never fading.
"His name was Steve. He was the only one on board that seemed to hate Knives and me. At that time, I had a hard time understanding why he would hate us. But, as I got older, I understood………..to some degree." Vash admitted.
"People often fear what they do not understand, and do unspeakable things in order to feel superior to the unknown." Legato murmured, his expression darkening as he looked directly at Vash.
"I think that crewmember, Steve, may have done something to Knives that convinced him that humans weren't worth saving. Something that Knives was too ashamed to tell you, Rem, or any other member of that crew." Legato said, as a look of horror overtook Vash's features.
"You mean……………Steve did……………..oh god……………….." Vash muttered, actually looking a little sick at the thought.
"I'm not saying that he did or didn't, but it would be a motivating factor for someone like Knives." Legato said, as he put a steadying hand on Vash's shoulder.
"Revenge against humanity……………that does make sense. I should have noticed what kind of pain he was in all those years ago. Thanks for showing that to me, Legato." Vash said, giving the ex-outlaw a wan smile.
"Don't thank me. That sort of thing is hindsight, anyway. It might not make much of a difference now." Legato said, as he returned his gaze to the desert below.
"Maybe not, but at least now I have a clue as to what he went through. Good night, Legato." Vash said, as he returned to the inside of the ship.
"Good night." Legato responded, then went back to looking out over the silent expanse, not realizing that the entire conversation had been listened to by another party.
The next morning, Legato, Wolfwood, and Vash, were rudely awakened by the sounds of gunfire, and the smell of smoke and gunpowder.
"It came from this way!" Vash shouted, as he led the way to where the sounds were coming from.
"I have a bad feeling about this." Legato muttered, as he checked his weapons and made sure they were ready for use. When they arrived in the hallway where the sounds had originated, they were horrified by what they saw; dozens of people lay dead from multiple gunshot wounds, their blood making the floor almost too slick to walk upon. At the end of the hallway, there was a white-haired man standing there.
"Leonof the Puppetmaster." Legato snarled, his eyes narrowing as he took in the sight. He didn't even move as Wolfwood snapped the latches of the Cross Punisher's shroud, nor did he look at Vash when he loaded some bullets into his silver gun.
"What the hell is goin' on here?!" Brad asked, as he and a few other men dashed into the hall, nearly falling when their feet found the puddles of blood on the floor.
"Get into your rooms! This guy isn't someone you can handle!" Wolfwood ordered, as he got into a defensive position in front of Brad and his comrades.
"You're right. It would be very easy to defeat you three right now, even if you do have Legato with you." 'Leonof' said, with a sneer evident even in the monotone voice of the puppet.
"It's your mistake if you underestimate us, Leonof." Legato said, his voice carrying a deadly tone in it; a tone Vash was very familiar with.
"True. That's why I made the extra precaution to get this." Leonof said, as an identical puppet came out, with Jessica in its clutches!
"Damn you." Vash growled, surprising both of his comrades with that. With a lightning fast move, Vash fired a shot, shattering the puppet into a thousand pieces.
"Jessica, are you all right?" Brad asked, as he rushed over. Jessica didn't respond, but she nodded and gave Vash and Legato a shaky smile.
"You're not giving me any respect. I still have some of my children inside this ship. Can you find them in time to save everyone?" Leonof's voice asked.
"There's three of them." Vash growled.
"What?" Wolfwood asked, not understanding what Vash had meant by that.
"There are three Gung-Ho Guns inside of this ship. If they are this organized, then they must have a new leader. But who could it be?" Legato muttered, mostly to himself. He snarled as Leonof laughed at them.
"Yes, the three demons have arrived. Just in time to begin the return celebration for Vash the Stampede, and Legato Bluesummers." Leonof said, with some evil glee in his voice.
"How very kind of Knives to include me in this party." Legato muttered, as he used his left arm's gun for the first time, taking out two more puppets while he was at it.
"Sensei, how does the situation look?" Vash asked, as he touched his earring and activated the communicator in it.
"Not good. The intruders are coming in from the left and the right. All of the people I have sent to look into it haven't checked back in yet." Sensei's voice replied, grimly. Wolfwood sighed and hefted the Cross Punisher onto his shoulders.
"I've decided to do things my way. A word of warning, Vash; these people aren't ordinary people. If you try to do things the way you have been doing them, then you will be killed." Wolfwood said, not pausing even once as he walked alone down the hall. But he did glance back when he heard someone walking along behind him. To his surprise, it was Legato!
"What do you think you're doing?" Wolfwood asked, almost sounding exasperated with the former leader of the Gung-Ho Guns.
"Watching your back. Vash already has someone to watch his." Legato said, as he pointed back in Brad's general direction with his thumb. Wolfwood smirked.
"Yeah, I guess so. Just don't get in my way, all right?" Wolfwood asked.
"You've got a deal." Legato agreed, as they continued walking. It didn't take long for them to find some action.
"Damn! Where do they keep coming from?! They just don't seem to stop!" Wolfwood shouted, as he fired round after round into the puppets.
"Halls of Moria part two." Legato joked, as he used both pistol and arm gun on the puppets.
"Only you could joke at a time like this!" Wolfwood said, giving Legato an unreadable look as they both ducked behind some bulkheads to catch their breaths.
"Of course! What do you expect? My joking at the dinner table?" Legato retaliated. This got a deadpan look from Wolfwood.
"Point taken." Wolfwood muttered, before they left their makeshift shelters and ran into battle again. After long moments have passed, the two men finally made a temporary end to the puppets. But there was no time to celebrate; for now they could literally feel the approach of their next opponent.
"By the pricking of my thumbs……." Legato thought, as he watched the huge 'thing' erupt through the floor in front of them, "Something wicked this way comes." Legato finished, out loud.
"No kidding." Wolfwood agreed, then added, "I'm surprised such a big fellow could get in here! But that doesn't matter; no matter how big you are, I won't show you any mercy!" With that said, Wolfwood fired the machine gun end of his cross at the 'thing', and was dismayed when he saw that it had no effect on it.
"Get down!" Legato shouted, as both he and Wolfwood leaped out of the way to avoid getting hit by the thing's mini machine guns.
"Okay, let's try something else." Wolfwood mumbled, as he turned the cross around, so that now it was a rocket launcher.
"Take this!" Wolfwood shouted, as he fired the cross-shaped weapon. Both men watched tensely as the explosive hit the thing in the chest, exploding and sending smoke and fragments of the rocket flying in all directions. They were dismayed when they saw that even the rocket had had no effect on it.
"Grey the Ninelives. I should have known. How could I have forgotten such an important detail?" Legato muttered, angrily, as he watched the thing's chest open up to reveal missiles.
"We don't have time to worry about that now!" Wolfwood shouted, as the missiles suddenly launched and hit the floor, exploding it out from under them. With a yelp, both men grabbed onto the Cross Punisher (that of which ended up getting caught on the handrail to a stairway), while Grey the Ninelives plummeted to the floor below.
"Why'd he do that?" Wolfwood grumbled.
"I think I know, Nicholas. Look." Legato said, as he pointed at the Plant.
"This situation stinks." Wolfwood muttered. Legato couldn't agree more. Once they had found a way down, they had the task of preventing Grey from destroying the Plant. Wolfwood leaped as Grey fired his mini machine guns again, but this time didn't get through unscathed. He cried out as a bullet grazed his right thigh and fell with a crash to the floor.
"Nicholas!" Legato shouted, and watched as Grey turned his attention to him. Just as he got close enough to open fire, machine gun fire from Wolfwood's cross distracted him. Wolfwood looked semi-conscious, but he'd managed to pull off a diversion for his former leader. Unbeknownst to either of them, some of Wolfwood's bullets had deflected into some pipes just above Grey's head, and were just beginning to give way when Legato noticed them.
"Nicholas! Move!" Legato ordered, as he leaped out of the way. Wolfwood for once did as he was told and jumped out of the way, just before gallons of caustic acid poured out of the broken pipes and onto Grey the Ninelives.
"How did you know?" Wolfwood asked, his voice finely edged with pain. Legato gave him a grim smile.
"I could smell the acid as it was eating through the metal. That is what gave me enough time to warn you and jump out of the way." Legato said, then looked down at Wolfwood's leg. Blood oozed freely from the deep cut, forming a puddle beneath Wolfwood's leg that was similar to the larger ones they'd seen only a few scant hours before.
"Looks bad, huh?" Wolfwood asked, painfully.
"It does. Can you still move the Cross Punisher?" Legato asked, as he glanced at the heavy weapon. Wolfwood nodded.
"I must. Since Grey's armor has been melted, he won't be impervious to the cannon anymore." Wolfwood said, as he took up a firing position and fired another rocket. This time, when the rocket hit, Grey was destroyed.
"Let's see if I can get this bleeding to stop. Then we'll go and look for Vash. He could probably use some help right about now." Legato suggested.
"Sounds like a plan to me. I wonder how the girls are doing?" Wolfwood mused, wincing as Legato tore the pants leg open to get to the wound.
"They are probably mad as hell with us for disappearing on them. Knowing Meryl, she will probably lecture us into next week for our disappearing act." Legato said, with a smirk, as he concentrated on tying off the wound.
"Milly won't be too happy with us either. She's got a mean right hook." Wolfwood stated, with a chuckle.
"I've seen it. Makes me wonder what the rest of her family is like." Legato agreed, as he finished off the bandaging job. Then silence fell on the two men; but it wasn't an uncomfortable one. On the contrary; for the first time in his life, Wolfwood actually felt at ease in Legato's presence. Legato had just proven his loyalty to Vash and those he called friends.
"What a change. Who would have thought that Legato of all people would be fighting alongside Vash the Stampede to protect humanity? He started off serving one brother, and is now comrades with the other. Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable." Wolfwood thought, as he watched Legato relax and lean back against the wall. Legato in turn glanced at him, and quirked up an eyebrow.
"You stare at me as though you can't believe that I have changed. I don't blame you for being leery of me, but believe me, I will use this chance to amend for the wrongs I have committed over the years." Legato promised.
"I know. I just wish I could have the same chance, but you know that I am still affiliated with the Gung-Ho Guns, and it would be dangerous for me to pull out now." Wolfwood murmured, with longing in his voice.
"Nicholas, everything that we do on this desert planet is tinged with danger. Sometimes we must take chances. I took a chance when I went to find help that long ago night, when Knives tore that arm from my body with his bare hands. Now you must decide; stay with the Gung-Ho Guns and possibly end up dead, thus making Milly grieve. Or separate yourself from them, and try to make a new life for yourself with the woman you obviously care for. What will your choice be, Nicholas?" Legato asked, as he gazed directly into Wolfwood's smoky blue eyes.
"You sure are one for deep conversations, aren't you?" Wolfwood asked, with an arched eyebrow of his own. Legato smirked.
"And you avoided my question with grace, Nicholas." Legato retaliated, snapping to attention when the metal carcass of Grey moved.
"Damn! That thing really does have nine lives!" Wolfwood cursed, as he forced himself to his feet, grimacing as fiery pain burned through his leg from the wound.
"It's too close to the Plant and it appears to have a rocket launcher of its own. Let's get out of here, things are about to get ugly." Legato said, as he and Wolfwood made a mad dash to the door, just before what remained of Grey took out the Plant. They both lost their balance when the ship shook violently beneath them.
"Damn! It looks like they won in the end after all!" Wolfwood shouted, as he pulled himself to his feet again by using the metal handrail that was attached to the wall.
"Unfortunately." Legato agreed, his voice a low growl and his eyes narrowed. Then a muffled scream disrupted the two men's angry thoughts.
"What was that?" Wolfwood asked, as he and Legato moved towards the sound.
"It came from over here." Legato said, as he motioned to some pipes. They were both shocked when they found Jessica bound and gagged.
"What is she doin' here?" Wolfwood asked, as Legato untied the quivering girl and wrapped a blanket around her.
"That one we rescued earlier must have been one of Leonof's puppets. For some reason, he kept the real girl alive. Let's get topside right now. I think the Humanoid Typhoon might be in danger." Legato said, with grim certainty. With a nod, Wolfwood forced himself into a run, with Legato following close behind, carrying Jessica in his arms. They got to a balcony just as the puppet Jessica approached Vash and Brad.
"Hey! Needle noggin!" Wolfwood shouted, as Legato came to a stop beside him and placed Jessica on her feet between them. They could see both men's eyes widen, but, before they could react, the puppet Jessica revealed its true nature and opened fire on them. From where they were, the three people on the balcony watched in horror as Brad took every bullet that was meant for Vash, then collapsed with a groan into the sand.
"Legato, get the girl to ground level. I'm going after the puppetmaster." Wolfwood said, his voice low and dangerous.
"You are really in no shape to do so, but I can't stop you. Do what you must." Legato said, as he started on his grim task of gently guiding the weeping girl to the ground. It felt like an eternity before Legato managed to find the way out of the ship and get to the site. He could hear Vash weeping from where he stood, and remembered a time when he would have relished in that sound. Now it sickened him to hear it, and brought a crushing weight to bear on his shoulders.
"Mr. Bluesummers, why are you crying?" Jessica asked, startling Legato somewhat. Slowly, Legato brought a hand up to his face and brushed the moisture off, only to stare in wonder at the tears on his fingertips.
"Yes…………..Why am I crying?" Legato wondered, as he tried to stop the tears from flowing. But for some reason he couldn't. Something inside him, some hidden, forgotten pain, was making its presence known. What it was, Legato didn't know, but it had something to do with his buried past.
"Legato!" a familiar voice shouted.
"Mr. Legato!" another voice added, as both owners of the voices rode up to him.
"Miss Stryfe………Miss Thompson……..what're you doing here?" Legato asked, trying his best to look normal.
"W saw that huge thing come down and had a feeling Vash had something to do with it." Meryl said, then noticed the sadness in Legato's eyes, and in those of the girl that stood beside him.
"What happened here, Mr. Legato?" Milly asked, worried about the man that had been appointed to be their bodyguard.
"It's a long story. One I will tell in detail later…………….when the dead are laid to rest." Legato replied, his eyes taking on a haunted look as he watched the people of the ship city begin the grim process of bringing out the dead to be buried.
Hours later, Legato had gone out and returned with Wolfwood, who had gone after and destroyed the Puppetmaster, but had gotten hurt in the process.
"You two are experts in demolition………….on your own bodies. Couldn't you have been a little more careful, Nicholas?" Legato asked, sarcastically, as he watched Milly bind Wolfwood's chest in gauze.
"You're one………….to talk………………You got your arm ripped off by Knives." Wolfwood retaliated.
"Well, at least I didn't go into the desert and use a floating platform to blow a man to kingdom come." Legato parried, enjoying the verbal spar.
"Now, now, Mr. Priest, Mr. Legato, don't argue. You three all need your rest, since you've all been very busy today." Milly said, getting a twin set of deadpan looks from the two men.
"State the obvious, Miss Thompson. You are talking to us as though we were children." Legato muttered, in exasperation.
"Well, you did sound like a couple of five-year-olds just now." Milly said, thoughtfully. Both Wolfwood and Legato flinched.
"Touché." Wolfwood softly said, with a rueful look on his face. Then they glanced at Vash, who lay in fitful sleep across the room.
"I wonder just who is responsible. Who is it that could have organized the Gung-Ho Guns in my absence? I can't figure it out." Legato said, quietly.
"I don't know, but I have the feeling that we're going to find out." Wolfwood murmured, as he gazed thoughtfully at the ceiling of the hotel room. Legato silently agreed, but even he had to wonder; would they even be able to fight whoever it was that was now Knives' right hand man? Would they win against him? Or would they die trying?
Far away, a figure stood in a room full of Plants. He turned slightly when he heard the puppets that Leonof had been using to report his progress fell lifelessly to the ground, signaling that the puppetmaster was dead.
"No matter. He is of no importance. He did what he was supposed to by causing Vash more pain, and that is all that matters. Right, Knives-sama?" the figure asked. He got a smile and a nod from the figure inside the main Plant. Then the figure chuckled and turned away from his master, an insane light entering his green, gold-flecked eyes as he left the chamber.
Author's Note!
I am not very happy with this chapter. I hope the next one will be a better read. - _ -;;
Gemini
