Disclaimer: I don't own anything Trigun, so don't sue me please, thank you!
Tying Up Loose Ends
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Bridge
Bored, bored, and bored once more. Isaiah sat out back, staring across the wasteland that made up their backyard and sighing from time to time. The ships had been here for a couple of weeks and yet they were no where nearer to leaving for the camps.
Edy said it was because the other three doctors in February left and she needed to stick around just in case any stragglers needed her help. Vash said it was because the Herrings were still there to feed those that could no longer get food from the closed stores and he needed to help as much as possible. Knives didn't say much, except to Edy, who was amazingly enough was once again the only one who could stand him for long.
It had been weeks before he apologized and Edy, pitying him once again, accepted the half-assed and shifty expression of regret. Isaiah could only roll his eyes and Vash could only fume in wonder; her willing mercy would get her in trouble on of these days, especially when Knives was involved.
Despite all the reasons and excuses, Isaiah knew it had to be because Knives was still breathing and burrowing his thorny self into everyone's side. With him around and kicking, even handicapped, the ships and the humans were in danger. Isaiah began to resent the other plant, wondering why if he hated humans so much, Knives couldn't just let them all leave and have Gunsmoke to himself. It wasn't like they would fly to yet another planet and destroy its ecosystem; they would all be returning back to Earth and no where else.
A sand storm near the horizon distracted Isaiah from his thoughts. It seemed to attack the land east of where he had heard the ships were resting, taking few prisoners as it cut its path across the land. Peering through the midday haze and the clouds of dirt and grit whipping madly in the winds a ways off, the boy could vaguely make out a form in the sky. Not much more than an obscured smudge but still more interesting to look at than nothing, so Isaiah stared.
The wind had begun to pick up there, too, warning that the storm had plans to stop by February as well. His eyes began to water and his bangs, growing longer by the week since he refused to let Edy cut it, snapped at his cheeks. A low keen sounded as the storm moaned through crevices and dales, growing closer. The shape in the sky grew close too, increasing in size with each passing moment.
"C-cent for your thoughts, honey," Edy asked from behind him, causing the boy to jump. Absorbed in his storm watching, Isaiah hadn't even heard his sister come up behind him. He turned to glare at her, annoyed that not had he been disturbed but that she scared him too.
"Nothing," he muttered, keeping the unspoken vow of silence; no one talked about Knives, no one dealt with the fact that they couldn't leave until the plant either agreed to live in harmony with humans on Earth (which seemed unlikely) or until some better plan showed its face (which seemed even more unlikely).
"It isn't nothing, but I'll let it slide this time," she replied, her voice tired and struggling.
Although Edy had kept her promise to Vash and had stopped using her powers completely for a long time now, the hard work she had to endure all morning had wiped her out completely; fatigue had also awakened difficulties in speech, her words slurred and slowed. Isaiah cringed at this, the dark anger-cloud over his heart growing even more.
"I never thought those old people would ever be done! Each had a list of complaints a mile long and thought up new ones while I worked," Edy whined with some difficulty. The senior citizens' home had been evacuated that morning but before they made the journey the staff wanted to make sure no one would keel over along the way, or if they did it wouldn't be the fault of the attendants.
Sitting down with an "oomph," Edy threw her arm around Isaiah. He pulled away, not in the mood to humor his sister. Still growing like a weed, though not nearly as fast as he had in the first year, Isaiah felt he was too old for Edy's smothery-mothery ways. Rejection made Edy sigh as she struggled to not take it personally. Together, silent once more, they watched the growing blob.
It had now taken on a distinct form, obviously metallic from the way it shimmered in the occasional rays of light that broke through the dust. It seemed to be an airship of sorts riding the front of the storm, headed directly for them. Worry grew inside of Edy, nibbling at her until she turned to Isaiah and spoke at last.
"Can you run and get Father's gun for me sweetie? Then I want you to stay inside no matter what, all right," she asked of Isaiah. For once he readily complied seeing the seriousness filling her eyes and lining her words.
A minute or two after her brother disappeared inside, Edy witnessed the biggest airship she had ever seen in person touch down only a hundred or so yards away from the house. The rush of the wind and the noise of its engines ripped past her, forcing her arms to cover her face and her ear drums to quiver in fear. This did not bode well.
In a moment everything stopped completely and then Edy felt the vibration of steps on the porch behind her, her hearing still unable to pick up the sound of the back door slamming shut. Turning, almost unseeing, Edy took the gun from Isaiah's trembling hands and checked to see if it was loaded and ready. It was.
"Back inside now, baby, back inside," she whispered, barely able to hear her own voice in her throat. Isaiah swallowed a replied and inched backwards into the house. He closed the screen door but stayed there right behind it, watching through the wire mesh.
Dropping down from the ship's belly was a ramp; a figure carrying a huge suitcase slowly, leisurely walked down its length and strode forward toward the house. Edy had a nice chunk of time to push herself into a standing position, find her footing and resolve, make haste away from the house, and ponder the gender of the individual she walked out to meet.
Too pretty to be a man, a woman's cut in clothing, but awfully tall and broad; was that an Adam's apple?
When the visitor spoke, now standing several arms length away, Edy's doubts were expelled; definitely a man.
"Hmph, how quaint," Elendira muttered. Reaching into his coat he pulled out a slip of paper, glancing at it then at the woman before him. Whether or not Chapel's information had been reliable no longer stood as a fact in question. She was one of the ones in the picture, at Vash's side and looking embarrassed from the weight of his arm around her shoulder. Her hair had grown quite a bit since the picture had been taken, Elendira noted without real emotion or purpose. Tucking it back away, he spoke again.
"You must be the little woman I've heard so much about. I'm sure you'll probably want to remain silent and hold to some silly notion of loyalty and love, but let me get straight to the point before I begin retching from the sentimentality. You have Master Knives in your custody and we would like him back, thank you."
"We do have knives here, spoons and forks too," said Edy in words sugary sweet and simperingly stupid, "but I can't just give you my good silverware, although we could probably strike a deal seeing as we won't have need for it all very much longer."
A disturbing noise came from the suitcase as a mechanism was triggered. In a flash it seemed to go from average box to lug clothes around in to a gigantic crossbow-like contraption. Judging from the girth of the barrel, Edy didn't care to see the size of the bolts. With it pointed directly at her she also didn't want to be cute any more.
"You're Elendira the Crimson Nail, aren't you? Vash and Nicholas told me about you and Legato Bluesummers; you two are the last of Knives' followers."
"They failed to mention Zazie, but he's no longer a major player," he murmured almost to himself. "He's probably just happy the humans are heading out and leaving his precious planet alone."
Edy ignored whatever Elendira said, not really caring; whoever this Zazie character was, he wasn't the one standing there with a huge weapon cocked right at her. She felt the weight of the pistol snug against the small of her back, tucked into the waist of her pants. No chance that little pee-shooter would do sufficient enough damage in the face of the Suitcase from Hell.
"Knives is out right now, you'll just have to call back later," Edy answered, the suicide switch firmly in the "on" position. She didn't want to be cute, but she also didn't want to hand the plant over to these two, the ones that would make sure Knives succeeded in his plans. Elendira fired.
"Edy!!!" Isaiah yelled, rushing from the house.
Edy stood there, the giant spike inches from her toes. Staring down she realized that she hadn't put her shoes on yet; a nervous giggle struggled to find its way out but she shoved it back down. Never taking her eyes off of Elendira, Edy called over her shoulder to Isaiah.
"It's all right Isaiah, nothing to worry about," she said, unable to keep the quiver out of her struggling voice. The rest was directed mostly at Elendira, but the boy got the drift. "I'm being a terrible hostess. Baby, run down to the Prancing Thomas and get us some food for our guest; the pantry's virtually bare. We can have a bite to eat and wait until Knives returns, okay?"
"Fine," Elendira replied with a sigh, knowing this woman was lying, "whatever you wish. Legato, can you sense him?"
Edy stared over the fashionably-dressed man's shoulder at the hulking figure that approached, hobbling on its claw-like arm. A monster from a story, a demon from hell, countless descriptions for that thing that had only maybe been a man once ran through her head. As it came closer she realized the man had been snugly tucked into a metal tube of sorts, vicious and shining in the harsh, real light.
"Yes, Master is here," he whispered in awe, his sight riveted by the house or more likely what was in it, "but brother Vash is not." Legato adverted his eyes to Edy and stared for a moment before his cruel mouth dropped open, releasing a cruel laugh.
"Stop it!!!" Edy shouted, a hand flying to her head and the other yanking the pistol from behind her; it felt like something had wedged itself in her brain and had begun to rip it to shreds. The loud report of six bullets fired one after the other barely registered to her senses and did nothing to cease the maniac's chortling. When at last the sensation faded Edy pried open her eyes, staring through the sweat and tears. Not a single bullet met either mark.
"Chapel failed to tell us something," Legato hissed with glee, "I didn't think he could keep any more from us but it's true."
"What are you talking about," Elendira asked, impatientence and disbelief tumbling out with his words.
"Such pretty black hair; pretty, pretty..." Legato murmured between laughs, repeating himself without clarification.
"Legato, I've no patience for your ridiculous prattling. Illuminate me or..." Elendira failed to finish his sentence with words, making up for it in the swift action that placed the grinning monster at the mercy of his case.
"She's a plant, the little boy we let go too. Written all over her mind, as easy to smell as fear, although she's hiding something from me."
"Shit," Elendira spat, whirling back around to face the newly discovered advanced being. The only time he ever lost his cool was when they lost their cool. "Detain her, I'll go get what we came for. We're done here!"
With that he was gone, leaving a newly motionless Edy to the care of Legato. Edy couldn't move or speak, and that terrible prodding, poking, ripping feeling returned. There was nothing she could do to stop it.
Oh God, she thought as she suddenly slipped back behind herself, seeing her own figure before and below her. A dark light, cold and painful to the touch, began to curl around her visible self, its affects felt on her real self as well.
No...
It tugged, pulled, pinched, nudged, and tried to find a way in. It hurt, like ice on bare flesh. Attempts to swing her arms, to strike out and scare it away, were futile.
No...
The tugging became more insistent, like the light had plans to tear her into little pieces. It hurt so bad, but not like physical pain, not at all. Her very consciousness was in the process of being ripped apart.
No...
"Legato, no!"
Tying Up Loose Ends
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Bridge
Bored, bored, and bored once more. Isaiah sat out back, staring across the wasteland that made up their backyard and sighing from time to time. The ships had been here for a couple of weeks and yet they were no where nearer to leaving for the camps.
Edy said it was because the other three doctors in February left and she needed to stick around just in case any stragglers needed her help. Vash said it was because the Herrings were still there to feed those that could no longer get food from the closed stores and he needed to help as much as possible. Knives didn't say much, except to Edy, who was amazingly enough was once again the only one who could stand him for long.
It had been weeks before he apologized and Edy, pitying him once again, accepted the half-assed and shifty expression of regret. Isaiah could only roll his eyes and Vash could only fume in wonder; her willing mercy would get her in trouble on of these days, especially when Knives was involved.
Despite all the reasons and excuses, Isaiah knew it had to be because Knives was still breathing and burrowing his thorny self into everyone's side. With him around and kicking, even handicapped, the ships and the humans were in danger. Isaiah began to resent the other plant, wondering why if he hated humans so much, Knives couldn't just let them all leave and have Gunsmoke to himself. It wasn't like they would fly to yet another planet and destroy its ecosystem; they would all be returning back to Earth and no where else.
A sand storm near the horizon distracted Isaiah from his thoughts. It seemed to attack the land east of where he had heard the ships were resting, taking few prisoners as it cut its path across the land. Peering through the midday haze and the clouds of dirt and grit whipping madly in the winds a ways off, the boy could vaguely make out a form in the sky. Not much more than an obscured smudge but still more interesting to look at than nothing, so Isaiah stared.
The wind had begun to pick up there, too, warning that the storm had plans to stop by February as well. His eyes began to water and his bangs, growing longer by the week since he refused to let Edy cut it, snapped at his cheeks. A low keen sounded as the storm moaned through crevices and dales, growing closer. The shape in the sky grew close too, increasing in size with each passing moment.
"C-cent for your thoughts, honey," Edy asked from behind him, causing the boy to jump. Absorbed in his storm watching, Isaiah hadn't even heard his sister come up behind him. He turned to glare at her, annoyed that not had he been disturbed but that she scared him too.
"Nothing," he muttered, keeping the unspoken vow of silence; no one talked about Knives, no one dealt with the fact that they couldn't leave until the plant either agreed to live in harmony with humans on Earth (which seemed unlikely) or until some better plan showed its face (which seemed even more unlikely).
"It isn't nothing, but I'll let it slide this time," she replied, her voice tired and struggling.
Although Edy had kept her promise to Vash and had stopped using her powers completely for a long time now, the hard work she had to endure all morning had wiped her out completely; fatigue had also awakened difficulties in speech, her words slurred and slowed. Isaiah cringed at this, the dark anger-cloud over his heart growing even more.
"I never thought those old people would ever be done! Each had a list of complaints a mile long and thought up new ones while I worked," Edy whined with some difficulty. The senior citizens' home had been evacuated that morning but before they made the journey the staff wanted to make sure no one would keel over along the way, or if they did it wouldn't be the fault of the attendants.
Sitting down with an "oomph," Edy threw her arm around Isaiah. He pulled away, not in the mood to humor his sister. Still growing like a weed, though not nearly as fast as he had in the first year, Isaiah felt he was too old for Edy's smothery-mothery ways. Rejection made Edy sigh as she struggled to not take it personally. Together, silent once more, they watched the growing blob.
It had now taken on a distinct form, obviously metallic from the way it shimmered in the occasional rays of light that broke through the dust. It seemed to be an airship of sorts riding the front of the storm, headed directly for them. Worry grew inside of Edy, nibbling at her until she turned to Isaiah and spoke at last.
"Can you run and get Father's gun for me sweetie? Then I want you to stay inside no matter what, all right," she asked of Isaiah. For once he readily complied seeing the seriousness filling her eyes and lining her words.
A minute or two after her brother disappeared inside, Edy witnessed the biggest airship she had ever seen in person touch down only a hundred or so yards away from the house. The rush of the wind and the noise of its engines ripped past her, forcing her arms to cover her face and her ear drums to quiver in fear. This did not bode well.
In a moment everything stopped completely and then Edy felt the vibration of steps on the porch behind her, her hearing still unable to pick up the sound of the back door slamming shut. Turning, almost unseeing, Edy took the gun from Isaiah's trembling hands and checked to see if it was loaded and ready. It was.
"Back inside now, baby, back inside," she whispered, barely able to hear her own voice in her throat. Isaiah swallowed a replied and inched backwards into the house. He closed the screen door but stayed there right behind it, watching through the wire mesh.
Dropping down from the ship's belly was a ramp; a figure carrying a huge suitcase slowly, leisurely walked down its length and strode forward toward the house. Edy had a nice chunk of time to push herself into a standing position, find her footing and resolve, make haste away from the house, and ponder the gender of the individual she walked out to meet.
Too pretty to be a man, a woman's cut in clothing, but awfully tall and broad; was that an Adam's apple?
When the visitor spoke, now standing several arms length away, Edy's doubts were expelled; definitely a man.
"Hmph, how quaint," Elendira muttered. Reaching into his coat he pulled out a slip of paper, glancing at it then at the woman before him. Whether or not Chapel's information had been reliable no longer stood as a fact in question. She was one of the ones in the picture, at Vash's side and looking embarrassed from the weight of his arm around her shoulder. Her hair had grown quite a bit since the picture had been taken, Elendira noted without real emotion or purpose. Tucking it back away, he spoke again.
"You must be the little woman I've heard so much about. I'm sure you'll probably want to remain silent and hold to some silly notion of loyalty and love, but let me get straight to the point before I begin retching from the sentimentality. You have Master Knives in your custody and we would like him back, thank you."
"We do have knives here, spoons and forks too," said Edy in words sugary sweet and simperingly stupid, "but I can't just give you my good silverware, although we could probably strike a deal seeing as we won't have need for it all very much longer."
A disturbing noise came from the suitcase as a mechanism was triggered. In a flash it seemed to go from average box to lug clothes around in to a gigantic crossbow-like contraption. Judging from the girth of the barrel, Edy didn't care to see the size of the bolts. With it pointed directly at her she also didn't want to be cute any more.
"You're Elendira the Crimson Nail, aren't you? Vash and Nicholas told me about you and Legato Bluesummers; you two are the last of Knives' followers."
"They failed to mention Zazie, but he's no longer a major player," he murmured almost to himself. "He's probably just happy the humans are heading out and leaving his precious planet alone."
Edy ignored whatever Elendira said, not really caring; whoever this Zazie character was, he wasn't the one standing there with a huge weapon cocked right at her. She felt the weight of the pistol snug against the small of her back, tucked into the waist of her pants. No chance that little pee-shooter would do sufficient enough damage in the face of the Suitcase from Hell.
"Knives is out right now, you'll just have to call back later," Edy answered, the suicide switch firmly in the "on" position. She didn't want to be cute, but she also didn't want to hand the plant over to these two, the ones that would make sure Knives succeeded in his plans. Elendira fired.
"Edy!!!" Isaiah yelled, rushing from the house.
Edy stood there, the giant spike inches from her toes. Staring down she realized that she hadn't put her shoes on yet; a nervous giggle struggled to find its way out but she shoved it back down. Never taking her eyes off of Elendira, Edy called over her shoulder to Isaiah.
"It's all right Isaiah, nothing to worry about," she said, unable to keep the quiver out of her struggling voice. The rest was directed mostly at Elendira, but the boy got the drift. "I'm being a terrible hostess. Baby, run down to the Prancing Thomas and get us some food for our guest; the pantry's virtually bare. We can have a bite to eat and wait until Knives returns, okay?"
"Fine," Elendira replied with a sigh, knowing this woman was lying, "whatever you wish. Legato, can you sense him?"
Edy stared over the fashionably-dressed man's shoulder at the hulking figure that approached, hobbling on its claw-like arm. A monster from a story, a demon from hell, countless descriptions for that thing that had only maybe been a man once ran through her head. As it came closer she realized the man had been snugly tucked into a metal tube of sorts, vicious and shining in the harsh, real light.
"Yes, Master is here," he whispered in awe, his sight riveted by the house or more likely what was in it, "but brother Vash is not." Legato adverted his eyes to Edy and stared for a moment before his cruel mouth dropped open, releasing a cruel laugh.
"Stop it!!!" Edy shouted, a hand flying to her head and the other yanking the pistol from behind her; it felt like something had wedged itself in her brain and had begun to rip it to shreds. The loud report of six bullets fired one after the other barely registered to her senses and did nothing to cease the maniac's chortling. When at last the sensation faded Edy pried open her eyes, staring through the sweat and tears. Not a single bullet met either mark.
"Chapel failed to tell us something," Legato hissed with glee, "I didn't think he could keep any more from us but it's true."
"What are you talking about," Elendira asked, impatientence and disbelief tumbling out with his words.
"Such pretty black hair; pretty, pretty..." Legato murmured between laughs, repeating himself without clarification.
"Legato, I've no patience for your ridiculous prattling. Illuminate me or..." Elendira failed to finish his sentence with words, making up for it in the swift action that placed the grinning monster at the mercy of his case.
"She's a plant, the little boy we let go too. Written all over her mind, as easy to smell as fear, although she's hiding something from me."
"Shit," Elendira spat, whirling back around to face the newly discovered advanced being. The only time he ever lost his cool was when they lost their cool. "Detain her, I'll go get what we came for. We're done here!"
With that he was gone, leaving a newly motionless Edy to the care of Legato. Edy couldn't move or speak, and that terrible prodding, poking, ripping feeling returned. There was nothing she could do to stop it.
Oh God, she thought as she suddenly slipped back behind herself, seeing her own figure before and below her. A dark light, cold and painful to the touch, began to curl around her visible self, its affects felt on her real self as well.
No...
It tugged, pulled, pinched, nudged, and tried to find a way in. It hurt, like ice on bare flesh. Attempts to swing her arms, to strike out and scare it away, were futile.
No...
The tugging became more insistent, like the light had plans to tear her into little pieces. It hurt so bad, but not like physical pain, not at all. Her very consciousness was in the process of being ripped apart.
No...
"Legato, no!"