-
"What do you say we put a scare into 'em?" MacGruder called out to the two passengers crammed into the metal monster with him. He grinned. "Bobby, take over for me. Maybe they'll get smart an' leave when they realize what I can do."
Talbert slipped into the driver's seat, hands claiming the stick controls of MacGruder's machine. "Which one you gonna use?"
MacGruder leaned over Will and picked up a shell twice as big as a human head. "These." He laughed as he climbed up to the turret, where he worked to load the shell into the forward cannon. "You just keep goin' - I'll take care of this."
Will looked from MacGruder shoving the shell into the cannon to Talbert who concentrated on driving. He'd stepped in over his head on this one. Partnering up with Talbert seemed like a good idea the night before. Not so much now, though.
"I'd cover my ears if I were you," MacGruder said as he leaned down to Will. "This is gonna be pretty damn loud."
-
A large puff of smoke erupted from the cannon of the machine headed towards the Bebop. A whistling sound made all four look up to the sky. As the pitch grew higher, they knew whatever it was, was coming down. About 200 yards behind them, the massive shell struck a rock formation, blowing a hole big enough for Spike's Swordfish to fly through in it.
"What the hell is that?" Spike yelled as he and Wolfwood made a run for the ship. It stood to reason they'd be safer closer to the Bebop, since it was what these men wanted, after all.
"I don't know, but your average gun isn't going to do it any damage, that's for sure." Wolfwood leaned his cross up against the side of the ship, tensing as the gun fired another round. This time, the shell struck so close, it sent him and Spike diving for cover. "Doesn't this ship have any weapons!"
"No. It never has," Spike answered as he brushed the bits of rock and dust that had rained down on them from his hair and clothes. "It's an old trawler, not a space fighter."
"So you don't have anything bigger than this -"He yanked Spike's gun out from its holster, holding it up between them "- to fire at them?"
Spike hesitated. Then he had an idea. "Don't go anywhere." After grabbing his gun from Wolfwood's hand, he vanished underneath the Bebop.
"I don't know where he thinks I'll go ..." He turned back to the machine. It had stopped it's approach about a thousand yards from the ship, just out of range of his own particular weaponry. He could try. However, the level of accuracy went down considerably at this distance. He decided to keep it in reserve, in case Spike's bright idea didn't pan out.
-
"Jet!" Spike crawled out from underneath the bay door. Jet and Faye stood not too far away, watching as the hatch of the vehicle popped open and two men crawled out. "Jet!" he yelled again, finally getting his attention. "Are you sure we can't manually override this door?"
"Well, it would take some time -"He saw a grin appear on Spike's face and that glint in the younger man's eyes. "No."
"I'd find a safer place to watch the show if I were you." Spike disappeared back into the bay.
"Spike!" Jet ran towards the half-open bay door. Goddamn it, you better not be doing what I think you're doing. If you are, I'll - He skidded to a halt when he heard the Swordfish's engine fire up. "Shit! SPIKE!" He turned around. "Faye! Come on!"
-
MacGruder hauled himself out of the vehicle, bringing one of his custom made guns with him. This was his best gun - he'd modified the firing capabilities, rendering it fully automatic. In the time it took for most people to get off one shot, he was able to spray several. "Time to get rid of the vermin infesting our ship, gents," he called down to them.
Talbert, armed with his own guns, climbed out after MacGruder. "They're probably scared shitless after that." He laughed as he hopped onto the ground then clapped MacGruder on the shoulder. "You were right on target!"
Will, breathing hard, popped up from the open hatch. "You're walking the rest of the way? Why not stay in here? They could still kill you!"
MacGruder ran a hand over the body armor. "No bullets are gettin' through this. Stay here and keep an eye on her. Might need her help later ... disposing of the bodies."
"You're leaving me here!" Will yelled as MacGruder and Talbert headed towards the ship. Neither man looked back. "Hey!"
-
Jet banged on the side of the Swordfish with his fist. When Spike looked at him through the window, Jet gestured for him to shut it down. His hand slammed into the ship again after Spike simply shook his head.
Faye grabbed Jet by the back of his shirt, pulling him away from the Swordfish before he ended up getting hurt. It was no use. When Spike made up his mind to do something, nothing could stop him.
Once Faye and Jet were far enough away, Spike's fingers glided over to the buttons that controlled the weapons on his craft. He pushed one and the plasma cannon fired a mild blast into the bay door. The metal bent back just enough to allow the Swordfish to slip through.
Faye uncovered her ears after Spike's ship zoomed out of the bay. She shifted her gaze over to Jet. "And you say that I cause the most property damage around here."
-
Below the Bebop, Wolfwood smiled for the first time when he saw Spike's ship bank to the right as it sped through the sky. He glanced at his cross, rather let down that he wouldn't be needed.
-
"Jesus," breathed Talbert when he saw a smaller ship, sleek and speedy, headed towards them. He hadn't known about any other vessels besides the one they'd came for. This had caper turned out to be more lucrative than he'd originally thought.
-
Above, Spike's Swordfish banked sharply to the left as he tried to decide which angle to use in blowing that damn metallic menace to hell. A few thunks against the hull of his ship startled him and a glance out of his right side window revealed two of the men - armed to the teeth - firing at him.
"So ... we wanna play this game, huh?" he said then laughed. "Whatever you want." He gave them a round of strafing fire, only meant to be a warning. Maybe these idiots will wise up and go home, he thought. Suddenly, he banged both fists on his main console. "Now I'm starting to think like that moron!"
-
Will peered through the slit in the armor of the machine that MacGruder used to see while driving. Another ship, a smaller one, had engaged Talbert and MacGruder about five hundred yards away. The situation had gone from bad to worse. How'd you get yourself mixed up in this? You drink too much whiskey and you get stupid.
"I thought those two would never leave!"
"What the - "Will looked up to see a blonde man, wearing sunglasses and a red coat, peering down at him through the open hatch. "Who the hell are you?" Wait ... red coat. It's the guy Talbert saw yesterday. He scrambled for a weapon but it was too late. He was already being yanked out of the vehicle by the stranger.
"I'd have been here sooner but the dust this thing kicks up." Vash shook his head as he clutched tightly to Will's shirt. "It's not easy to hang on underneath there with a bunch of mud in your mouth."
"Who are you?"
"Just a concerned citizen who's trying to keep you alive." He lifted his gaze to the sky when he heard Spike's ship approaching. "And speaking of ... you and I should leave this spot soon."
"Why's that?"
Vash nodded to his left. "The people you're trying to kill? They don't appreciate it."
Will's eyes widened when he saw the Swordfish headed towards them.
A moment later, the ship's cannon fired.
-
Talbert turned when he heard the initial explosion and watched as the indestructible creation of Silas MacGruder's was demolished before them. The second explosion came from within the vehicle itself. The extra ammunition, coupled with all of the reserve fuel on board, made the remnants of the machine fly almost completely apart and in every which direction.
MacGruder covered his head with both hands as flaming bits of metal rained down on him and Talbert. His gaze narrowed as he looked up to the Swordfish, which rolled, banked in the sky then headed back towards them. Raising his weapon, he screamed and depressed the trigger to allow a stream of bullets to fly at the ship.
-
Up in the Swordfish, Spike reached for the controls of his smaller guns. These two didn't want to give up and that left him with only one option. His hands jerked away from the weapons controls and, instead, he banked hard to the right when he saw that familiar red coat appear in his line of fire. Looking over his shoulder, he couldn't see Vash anywhere. If that even was him and not some figment of his imagination.
-
Talbert popped off a few rounds at Vash, who deftly maneuvered his body, dodging them. "That's the son of a bitch I told you about!" he yelled, pointing in the direction in which Vash had mysteriously disappeared. "I'm going to make him sorry he ever screwed with me!"
"We're going to kill them all. Slowly. Painfully." MacGruder slammed a new clip into his main gun, looking back to the burning wreckage of his most prized possession.. "This is personal now."
-
Faye, gun in hand, came up behind Wolfwood, who kept his spot close to the Bebop. "You shouldn't be down here without a weapon." She noticed the two figures of MacGruder and Talbert headed their way. Stepping aside, she leveled her gun at them and fired a few rounds. It slowed them, but only for a moment. "I knew I'd end up baby-sitting you," she muttered as she leaned against the ship, slamming a new clip into her gun. She flinched when a few bullets ricocheted off the Bebop.
"Hate to break it to you, Faye, but I don't need you to watch over me."
"Oh, sorry!" She fired off a few more rounds, noticing that MacGruder had vanished. Talbert, though, kept right on coming. "I forgot. You have God on your side!"
"That I do." With a sly smile, he unlatched one of the buckles on his cross and, in a flash, all of them, as well as the white cloth, fell away from it. Faye's jaw dropped when the arms of the cross opened to reveal a cache of high caliber hand guns. He pulled one of them out, turned and fired at Talbert, who was almost upon them. Each of the bullets hit their target, center mass.
Talbert gasped, he staggered, he swayed yet he didn't fall down. His hand went to his chest then he looked down at his fingers. The hysterical laughter followed. "It works! Silas!" He waved his bloodless hand over his head as he danced for joy. "We're invincible! You goddamn genius, you!"
Wolfwood lifted his gun again, aiming for Talbert's head, when the shock of the man still being alive wore off. He would be a better shot this time. As he was about to pull the trigger, a fist flew out of nowhere, cold clocking Talbert square in the jaw. Talbert spun around twice before he dropped to the ground like a rock, ko'd.
"You should watch your language around a priest," Jet said as he stepped out into the light. He flexed the fingers of his bionic arm, shaking his head as he gazed down at the idiot. "Not as invincible as you thought, huh?"
Faye leaned over to Wolfwood. "Threatening you really does bring bad karma."
"You should keep that in mind."
"I will."
-
Spike jumped out of his Swordfish after he'd landed it not far from the Bebop. Drawing his gun, he ran towards the ship. He didn't see Talbert anywhere. Will, who knew where that dumbass was? The last one was Silas MacGruder - the valuable one of the three. He was worth a million double dollars, and they needed that money. Fortunately for the outlaw, the bounty was null and void if MacGruder was dead.
"Hey, asshole!" yelled a voice from behind him. "You lookin' for me?"
Whirling around, Spike raised his gun. He found MacGruder, his weapon in one hand and a smaller device in the other, standing beside his ship. "Do yourself a favor and give up, MacGruder!"
"Nah. Don't want to. You ain't gonna shoot me, either, cowboy, so stop waving that gun around. My bounty's no good if I'm dead."
"You really think I care about your goddamn bounty at this point?" Spike asked with a laugh. He inched forward, never letting MacGruder's face leave his crosshairs. "You tried to kill me. I take that personally."
MacGruder looked up at Spike's ship, tapping it with the device in his left hand. "Nice machine you have here," he commented. "I'm interested in this stuff. Always had a knack for building things. Anything with more than three moving parts, it just came natural." He sighed. "I take real pride in what I've accomplished."
Spike was close enough now to see what MacGruder had in his hand - an explosive charge of some sort. He realized what the man intended to do to his ship.
"My baby - you saw her - was my greatest achievement." He clanked the device against the hull of the Swordfish, activating its magnetic lock. He patted the ship with his hand. "But this beauty ... she was obviously more than a match for her."
Spike cocked his gun. "I won't tell you twice - get away from my ship."
MacGruder shook his head. "Such a shame." He backed away from the Swordfish as he retrieved the remote detonator from the vest he wore. "I really would've liked to know her better." He held up the detonator so Spike could see it. "An eye for an eye."
Before he could press the button, a single shot rang out. MacGruder cursed as he drew his left hand towards his body. He looked at Spike. "How did you ..." He glanced at the destroyed remote lying on the ground beside him.
"It wasn't me." Spike nodded to MacGruder's left. "It was him."
MacGruder gritted his teeth when he found Vash pointing that silver-plated gun at him. He'd never even noticed this son of a bitch. How had he snuck up on him like that?
"The next bullet goes in your head, MacGruder," Spike called out when he saw the man glance at the weapon in his right hand. "And that one will come from me."
Behind Spike, Faye, Jet and Wolfwood appeared. They'd finished with Talbert on the other side of the ship when they'd heard Vash's gunshot.
MacGruder threw down his weapon. "Don't think this shit is over, asshole," he growled as Spike approached him.
"Feels over to me." He reached up and dislodged the explosive from his ship. He held it up, shaking his head. "You shouldn't play with stuff like this. Don't you know how dangerous it can be?"
"Kiss my ass." MacGruder spat at Spike's feet.
Spike looked past MacGruder to Vash, who'd lowered his own gun when MacGruder dropped his. "You hear this guy? No respect. Doesn't matter what part of the universe I'm in, these scumbags act the same." He tossed the device away from them then fired a single shot at it. It detonated, shaking the ground beneath their feet. "See? You could've lost an eye with that."
Faye rolled her eyes. "He can never just catch somebody. He has to make an ass of himself."
"We'll collect that million on you, fix our ship and go home." Spike turned his back on MacGruder. "If we're lucky," he added under his breath.
MacGruder's hand slipped behind his back, his eyes narrowing at the smart assed bounty hunter's head. "See how funny you are with your brains splattered all over the place."
Spike heard the click of a gun behind him and it wasn't Vash's, either. Pivoting, he lifted his gun and fired. He watched MacGruder slowly drop to his knees before completely falling face forward onto the ground. With a sad sigh, he lowered his gun to his side as he approached MacGruder's body. He kicked the smaller gun away from the downed man's hand.
"You shot me in the knee, you -"MacGruder rolled onto his back, both hands grasping his right leg as he looked down. It took an expert marksman to do what Spike did. The one weak link in his bulletproof body armor - an inch wide gap around the knee joint to allow for movement. The bullet had slipped through that crack as though it were as big as his hand.
"Like you said, you're worth nothing to me if you're dead." He lifted his gaze when he saw Vash near them. The look on the blonde man's face, he appeared to be on the verge of tears. "Shooting him in the knee doesn't count, does it?" he flatly asked.
"I knew you had it in you!" Vash surprised Spike by wrapping his arms around him in a big bear hug. "I'm so proud of you!"
Jet side-glanced at Wolfwood, who watched Spike try in vain to fend off Vash. "This guy isn't really Vash the Stampede, is he? You can tell me the truth."
Wolfwood's mouth quirked as Spike and Vash crashed onto the ground together. "You get used to it after a while."
Faye shook her head, turning away from Spike and Vash. "I'm going to be stuck here forever," she muttered. "Surrounded by idiots." Sighing, she left them and headed to the other side of the ship to check on Talbert.
"Bob!" Will shook the man's shoulder, trying to rouse him. "Wake up! Let's get out of here before they come back!"
"Uh ... excuse me?" Faye smiled pleasantly when Will looked up at her.
Fear washing away, Will rose to his feet, smirking at Faye. "Well, well ... over here all alone, huh? Don't have anyone to protect you now, do you?"
She tsk'ed a few times. "I don't need them to protect me," she sweetly informed him. She delivered a sidekick to his gut, making him double over in pain and surprise. She placed her hands on her hips and leaned over so he could see her face. "They were protecting you." Grabbing his head with both hands, she brought his face down into her knee. He dropped to the ground beside Talbert. "Be sure to show some of that 'kindness' of yours to your new 'friends' in jail, jackass."
More To Come ...
Song Title Used: "Blues From A Gun" by The Jesus And Mary Chain