Disclaimer: I don't own Trigun.
AN: Sorry about the delay, but my thought train ran out of steam for a while lol.
Chapter 6: Give me back my Bullet
(Outskirts of Warrens City, five days later)
Vash stood on one of the many hills that surrounded Warrens City, watching the sun sink below the horizon. His mind drifted through past events, from the discovery of his brothers' escape, to the explosion that Reeve had instrumented. Reeve destroyed that town, killed all those people, just to destroy him.
Vash sighed, and looked at his mechanical arm, it was always about getting to him wasn't it. If it wasn't about the bounty, it was revenge for some past deed, good or bad. Reeve was just one person in a long line of criminals, and other assorted bad people he'd stopped over his long life. Vash turned his gaze towards Warrens City where the insurance girls, and the boy were staying.
They had survived the robots explosion with only a few cuts, and bruises to show for it. The girls he could understand, they'd been through much worse before, but Jimmy, or Jim as he'd insisted they call him, could have only survived through some kind of miracle. Or, Vash smiled, Wolfwood pulled a few strings in the after life.
Vash shook his head, and started to walk back towards Warren's city. Meryl would start to worry soon, even though she'd never admit it. He was going to see Frank Marlin tomorrow, and once he got a new gun, it was time to find Knives, well after he found a nice home for Jim that is.
**********
Meryl typed furiously on her typewriter, her slender fingers jabbed at the keys in a blur. Vash had come back late last night, and had surprisingly left the hotel before she had woken up this morning. *He always does that, leaving without telling anyone where he's going*. Even though she pretty much knew he was going to see that gunsmith, still a note would have been nice.
Meryl stopped typing, and looked over the half finished report lying on the desk. She still had to send her monthly report for the society, and it was mostly a fabrication. She hated to lie, but what was she going to report? That Vash's twin brother was running loose with plans to destroy every human on Gunsmoke, and they had to chase him down. *Yeah right*, she thought darkly.
A loud cry of "I win", interrupted Meryl's thoughts, and she turned to look at the rooms other two occupants. Millie and Jim were seated at the table, playing the only card game Millie knew, Old Maid. From the look on Jims face, you wouldn't have been able to tell that he had just lost everyone, and everything he had known. Meryl guessed that the legendary Thompson cheerfulness helped Jim cope better, but Meryl would still wake up at night hearing Jim sniffle in his sleep.
It surprised her that he wasn't in shock still; they had found him after the explosion, lying unconscious, and surrounded by the burning remains of the saloon. Out of the few dozen people in his town, Jim was the only survivor. After that they had walked all the way to Warrens City, it had worn all of them out, especially Jim who wasn't used to traveling. They had to find a home for him after Vash finished his business with Frank Marlin.
She had talked to Millie about, and Millie had brought up the idea of taking him to Mr. Wolfwood's church. They hadn't talked with Vash yet, but she knew it meant a lot to Millie. The only problem with it was the distance; the orphanage was in the December area, way out in the boonies. Finding Knives was their top priority, and taking another detour would take a lot of time. Meryl sighed and went back to typing, *I'll talk to Vash about it when he gets back*.
********
Frank Marlin had just finished the repairs on Vash's gun, when there was a knock on his door. Frank looked suspiciously at the door for a moment, and then covered Vash's gun, along with its dark twin, with a piece of cloth. After making sure Vash's gun was covered, he walked over and opened the door. As soon as the door was open, a brown blur pushed Frank back into his home, and then quickly shut the door.
"What the hell mister?" frank said as he regained his balance, and got a good look at the intruder. A man stood against the door, he had shaggy blond hair, and was wearing a brown jacket with matching pants. Frank's eyes widened as a goofy grin appeared on the intruder's face.
"V-Vash?" Frank said in surprise.
Vash rubbed the back of his head, "long time no see".
Frank shook his head, "I figured you'd show up sooner or later, but I didn't think you would show up so soon".
"Huh? Were you expecting me or something"? Vash said in confusion.
Frank smiled, "something like that. So what do I owe this visit"?
"Uh, well I kind of lost my gun", Vash said with a sheepish look on his face.
"Really", Frank chuckled. "I think I might have just the gun for you then. I finished repairing it right before you knocked".
Vash sighed in relief, "thanks frank, I'm really grateful."
Frank waved his hands in dismissal," never mind pal, I told you if you brought your gun back that I would fix it good as new."
Vash looked confused, "yeah, but that promise doesn't apply to a new gun does it? So you didn't have to help me out this time."
Frank smiled as he walked over to his workbench, and uncovered the two revolvers, "who said anything about a new gun?"
Vash's jaw dropped at the sight of the twin black, and silver guns, "What! How! When! Huh!"
Frank chuckled and put his hand on Vash's shoulder, "have a seat Vash, and I'll explain."
{Half an hour, and a story later}
Vash and Frank were sitting at his kitchen table.
"So was this Laz guy some kind of gunmen?" Vash asked.
Frank rubbed his chin, "no, he really didn't seem like one, in fact, all he really did was distract them long enough for us to capture the bandits."
Vash pondered this a moment, "so, when he left he still had Wolfwood's cross-punisher?"
Frank nodded, "yeah he took off at dawn with the cross riding shotgun. He headed east, but I don't know if he changed direction after that."
"And he said that he found the guns in the desert?"
Frank sighed, "That's what he told me."
Vash filed the information away for later, and got up from the table, "thanks for everything Frank. I'd like to catch up with you some more, but if I don't get back soon, I'll be catching hell from two peeved insurance girls."
Frank laughed, "So those two are still chasing you huh?"
Vash chuckled as he walked over to the door, "yeah, but there not so bad once you get used to it."
Frank laughed again as he stood up, "well goodbye Vash, and remember to stop by if you get out this way again."
"Count on it", Vash said before he closed the door behind him. As he started back towards the hotel, a few thoughts jumped through his mind. *If that guy was headed east, then he was heading towards the December area*. Vash walked along the sandy street, and then stopped in front of the Hotel.
*It's not impossible to just stumble upon the guns I guess, but still it might be a good idea to question that guy personally*. Vash nodded to himself, and walked into the hotel with a big smile on his face. *Although, I wish I could see the look on Knives face when he finds out the guns are missing*
********
(Seeds ship, Demitri Area)
Knives stomped heavily through the halls, and corridors of his Seeds ship with a dark expression on his face. *Their gone. Gone! If Vash thinks that this will hinder me, he had better think again*. Knives stopped in the middle of the hallway outside the control room, and began to calm down.
*I guess it doesn't really matter. Using the angel arm now could be dangerous, especially after the last fight with Vash. We both depleted a lot of energy, and once it runs out, we die*. Knives started towards the control room again, and thought about an alternate strategy for destroying humanity.
Logically the best course of action was to recruit more humans, but finding killers like the Gun ho Guns would be difficult. It had taken over a decade to recruit, and train the nine assassins, starting over from scratch would tale time, time Knives didn't want to waste.
Knives reached the door to the control room, and hit the door release button. What greeted him inside were not the blank screens he hade left in standby mode, but a room full of flashing terminals. He narrowed his eyes as he walked over to the main terminal, and took in the information on the screen.
(Security Breach in Sector 26) was flashing in red letters across the screen. *Sector 26? There isn't a Sector 26*. Knives growled, and then pulled up the information on Sector 26. The ships schematics appeared on the screen, and showed room that had not been there before. Knives scowled at the screen, *a hidden room? Humans are such deviant creatures*.
His fingers flew across the controls as he connected to the computer in the newly discovered room. The computer was encrypted, but it only took Knives a few seconds to break through it. Once that was done he brought up the computers main menu, which consisted of two programs.
Lazarus Protocol: standby\Subject Active
Omega Protocol: standby\Subjects in Suspended Animation
*Suspended Animation? This ship was carrying Plants, no Cryo Tubes were supposed to be on this ship*. Knives brought up the status of the tubes. *Hmm, one is empty, but the other four are occupied*. Knives smirked, " now lets find out who my unwanted guests are."
Words flew across the screen, and reflected in Knives eyes. A grin began to grow on his face, "maybe I won't have to search for new human pawns after all". Knives insane laughter drifted through the halls of the Seeds ship as new plans formulated in his mind.
End Chapter 6, Written by Lee
AN: Sorry about the delay, but my thought train ran out of steam for a while lol.
Chapter 6: Give me back my Bullet
(Outskirts of Warrens City, five days later)
Vash stood on one of the many hills that surrounded Warrens City, watching the sun sink below the horizon. His mind drifted through past events, from the discovery of his brothers' escape, to the explosion that Reeve had instrumented. Reeve destroyed that town, killed all those people, just to destroy him.
Vash sighed, and looked at his mechanical arm, it was always about getting to him wasn't it. If it wasn't about the bounty, it was revenge for some past deed, good or bad. Reeve was just one person in a long line of criminals, and other assorted bad people he'd stopped over his long life. Vash turned his gaze towards Warrens City where the insurance girls, and the boy were staying.
They had survived the robots explosion with only a few cuts, and bruises to show for it. The girls he could understand, they'd been through much worse before, but Jimmy, or Jim as he'd insisted they call him, could have only survived through some kind of miracle. Or, Vash smiled, Wolfwood pulled a few strings in the after life.
Vash shook his head, and started to walk back towards Warren's city. Meryl would start to worry soon, even though she'd never admit it. He was going to see Frank Marlin tomorrow, and once he got a new gun, it was time to find Knives, well after he found a nice home for Jim that is.
**********
Meryl typed furiously on her typewriter, her slender fingers jabbed at the keys in a blur. Vash had come back late last night, and had surprisingly left the hotel before she had woken up this morning. *He always does that, leaving without telling anyone where he's going*. Even though she pretty much knew he was going to see that gunsmith, still a note would have been nice.
Meryl stopped typing, and looked over the half finished report lying on the desk. She still had to send her monthly report for the society, and it was mostly a fabrication. She hated to lie, but what was she going to report? That Vash's twin brother was running loose with plans to destroy every human on Gunsmoke, and they had to chase him down. *Yeah right*, she thought darkly.
A loud cry of "I win", interrupted Meryl's thoughts, and she turned to look at the rooms other two occupants. Millie and Jim were seated at the table, playing the only card game Millie knew, Old Maid. From the look on Jims face, you wouldn't have been able to tell that he had just lost everyone, and everything he had known. Meryl guessed that the legendary Thompson cheerfulness helped Jim cope better, but Meryl would still wake up at night hearing Jim sniffle in his sleep.
It surprised her that he wasn't in shock still; they had found him after the explosion, lying unconscious, and surrounded by the burning remains of the saloon. Out of the few dozen people in his town, Jim was the only survivor. After that they had walked all the way to Warrens City, it had worn all of them out, especially Jim who wasn't used to traveling. They had to find a home for him after Vash finished his business with Frank Marlin.
She had talked to Millie about, and Millie had brought up the idea of taking him to Mr. Wolfwood's church. They hadn't talked with Vash yet, but she knew it meant a lot to Millie. The only problem with it was the distance; the orphanage was in the December area, way out in the boonies. Finding Knives was their top priority, and taking another detour would take a lot of time. Meryl sighed and went back to typing, *I'll talk to Vash about it when he gets back*.
********
Frank Marlin had just finished the repairs on Vash's gun, when there was a knock on his door. Frank looked suspiciously at the door for a moment, and then covered Vash's gun, along with its dark twin, with a piece of cloth. After making sure Vash's gun was covered, he walked over and opened the door. As soon as the door was open, a brown blur pushed Frank back into his home, and then quickly shut the door.
"What the hell mister?" frank said as he regained his balance, and got a good look at the intruder. A man stood against the door, he had shaggy blond hair, and was wearing a brown jacket with matching pants. Frank's eyes widened as a goofy grin appeared on the intruder's face.
"V-Vash?" Frank said in surprise.
Vash rubbed the back of his head, "long time no see".
Frank shook his head, "I figured you'd show up sooner or later, but I didn't think you would show up so soon".
"Huh? Were you expecting me or something"? Vash said in confusion.
Frank smiled, "something like that. So what do I owe this visit"?
"Uh, well I kind of lost my gun", Vash said with a sheepish look on his face.
"Really", Frank chuckled. "I think I might have just the gun for you then. I finished repairing it right before you knocked".
Vash sighed in relief, "thanks frank, I'm really grateful."
Frank waved his hands in dismissal," never mind pal, I told you if you brought your gun back that I would fix it good as new."
Vash looked confused, "yeah, but that promise doesn't apply to a new gun does it? So you didn't have to help me out this time."
Frank smiled as he walked over to his workbench, and uncovered the two revolvers, "who said anything about a new gun?"
Vash's jaw dropped at the sight of the twin black, and silver guns, "What! How! When! Huh!"
Frank chuckled and put his hand on Vash's shoulder, "have a seat Vash, and I'll explain."
{Half an hour, and a story later}
Vash and Frank were sitting at his kitchen table.
"So was this Laz guy some kind of gunmen?" Vash asked.
Frank rubbed his chin, "no, he really didn't seem like one, in fact, all he really did was distract them long enough for us to capture the bandits."
Vash pondered this a moment, "so, when he left he still had Wolfwood's cross-punisher?"
Frank nodded, "yeah he took off at dawn with the cross riding shotgun. He headed east, but I don't know if he changed direction after that."
"And he said that he found the guns in the desert?"
Frank sighed, "That's what he told me."
Vash filed the information away for later, and got up from the table, "thanks for everything Frank. I'd like to catch up with you some more, but if I don't get back soon, I'll be catching hell from two peeved insurance girls."
Frank laughed, "So those two are still chasing you huh?"
Vash chuckled as he walked over to the door, "yeah, but there not so bad once you get used to it."
Frank laughed again as he stood up, "well goodbye Vash, and remember to stop by if you get out this way again."
"Count on it", Vash said before he closed the door behind him. As he started back towards the hotel, a few thoughts jumped through his mind. *If that guy was headed east, then he was heading towards the December area*. Vash walked along the sandy street, and then stopped in front of the Hotel.
*It's not impossible to just stumble upon the guns I guess, but still it might be a good idea to question that guy personally*. Vash nodded to himself, and walked into the hotel with a big smile on his face. *Although, I wish I could see the look on Knives face when he finds out the guns are missing*
********
(Seeds ship, Demitri Area)
Knives stomped heavily through the halls, and corridors of his Seeds ship with a dark expression on his face. *Their gone. Gone! If Vash thinks that this will hinder me, he had better think again*. Knives stopped in the middle of the hallway outside the control room, and began to calm down.
*I guess it doesn't really matter. Using the angel arm now could be dangerous, especially after the last fight with Vash. We both depleted a lot of energy, and once it runs out, we die*. Knives started towards the control room again, and thought about an alternate strategy for destroying humanity.
Logically the best course of action was to recruit more humans, but finding killers like the Gun ho Guns would be difficult. It had taken over a decade to recruit, and train the nine assassins, starting over from scratch would tale time, time Knives didn't want to waste.
Knives reached the door to the control room, and hit the door release button. What greeted him inside were not the blank screens he hade left in standby mode, but a room full of flashing terminals. He narrowed his eyes as he walked over to the main terminal, and took in the information on the screen.
(Security Breach in Sector 26) was flashing in red letters across the screen. *Sector 26? There isn't a Sector 26*. Knives growled, and then pulled up the information on Sector 26. The ships schematics appeared on the screen, and showed room that had not been there before. Knives scowled at the screen, *a hidden room? Humans are such deviant creatures*.
His fingers flew across the controls as he connected to the computer in the newly discovered room. The computer was encrypted, but it only took Knives a few seconds to break through it. Once that was done he brought up the computers main menu, which consisted of two programs.
Lazarus Protocol: standby\Subject Active
Omega Protocol: standby\Subjects in Suspended Animation
*Suspended Animation? This ship was carrying Plants, no Cryo Tubes were supposed to be on this ship*. Knives brought up the status of the tubes. *Hmm, one is empty, but the other four are occupied*. Knives smirked, " now lets find out who my unwanted guests are."
Words flew across the screen, and reflected in Knives eyes. A grin began to grow on his face, "maybe I won't have to search for new human pawns after all". Knives insane laughter drifted through the halls of the Seeds ship as new plans formulated in his mind.
End Chapter 6, Written by Lee