Chapter 6

The Quiet One

A/N:  Ah yes, it's me again.  I'm back for more AU chaos. 

So, I think that I have to keep doing 1st and 3rd person alternatively, because I can't write for long in either. While in the last chapter, 1st person meant a flashback, from here on, it just means a change in perspective.  So…..yeah.  

And remember, it's AU, where it doesn't matter if you screw something up, cause "it's not the real game"!  Ha!

Trina:  Shoots him

A/N:  That was earlier than usual….Dies

Disclaimer:  I do not own WA3,  but you know that already.  What's new is that I don't own the song "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" by the band Jet.  So remember that.

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At sundown, a cavalcade of sound filled the skies above Southfarm Station.  Iron parts grated against one another as the momentum of the wheels was forcibly stilled, the hiss of steam as the hydraulic brakes engaged.  Finally, after minutes of grinding metal, a piercing whistle echoed across the cliff faces to the north and south.

            A lone station attendant approached the creaking bulk of iron, the first sign of movement he'd seen in days.  The train was a cold, black, metal contrast to the grasslands surrounding the station.  As he walked to the first car, the attendant sang an odd tune to himself.

I said one-two-three

Take my hand and come with me

'Cause you look so fine that I really wanna make you mine.

Out of habit, he broke into an air guitar riff.

I said you look so fine that I really wanna make you mine.

He played some more.

Ah, four-five-six,

Come on and get your kicks

'Cause you don't need the money when you look like that, do ya honey?

He started to headbang on this riff.

Big, black boots

Long, brown hair

Look so sweet with that

Jet black stare.

Oh, I can see

You home with me

But you were with another man!

I know that we ain't got

Much to say,

But I won't let you get away!

After another guitar solo, he belted out-

I said "are you gonna be my girl?"

-which evicted a strange look from the silver-haired passenger departing from the train.  Clamping his hand against the back of his head, the attendant laughed, embarrassed, and mumbled "Guess I got a little carried away…"

            Rolling his eyes, the young man stepped off of the platform, followed by a tall, green-haired man with a bit of stubble on his chin.  Waving to his friend, Clive set off eastward, with the sun at his back and his shadow leading him on.  Jet watched him until he was no more than a speck on the horizon before he departed west towards civilization.

            It's gonna be a day's walk from here, so maybe if I hurry, I can make it halfway there before I need to make camp for the night. 

            I've heard there are supposed to be wolves in this area…but I don't hear anything around here…Must just be a stupid rumor.

            The sun dipped below the horizon, and the effects were immediate.  A chill breeze roamed across the plains, blowing from shoreline to shoreline.  The world fell into shades of blue and gray, and the flapping of leathery wings alerted that the bats were in flight.  Curious over a rumor he once heard, he tossed a bullet into the air, and was surprised that one of the rodents dived in and snatched it out of the sky before the shell even finished rising.  Without the light of the sun filling the atmosphere, Filgaia's twin moons were allowed to shine against the backdrop of the sea of stars.

            Seeing the stars sparkle like that, I can't help but think about Maya and her gems.  It sorta reminds me of how her eyes shine when she's plotting something, and the greedy smile that goes with it.  And it makes me wonder…What do I see in her?  Whenever I'm around her, she shows no affection, no love or anything like that.  She always has that sparkle….plotting to use me to her own ends.  Next time I see her, if she doesn't show any semblance of 'giving a damn,' then I'm breaking it off.

            Damn it, now I got that damn song stuck in my head…

Long, brown hair…

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            Early the next morning, Jet continued his trek to the town of Boot Hill.  He encountered few threats along the way, as most roaming Gobs recognized his silver hair that identified him as the top Hawk that he was.  Any creature dumb enough to get in his way was quickly dispatched. 

            At roughly noon, he passed underneath an old, wooden archway, which prominently displayed in playbill letters the obvious fact that this was Boot Hill.  It's the only town on this continent, Jet thought.  That sign really is useless.  Apparently, many of the townsfolk felt the same way, cause the sign looked about ready to collapse at any moment.

            After all the crap that happened to me these past few weeks, I wonder if Rose is even here anymore.  Oh well, I'd better start asking questions.  "Hey, kid."

            The young guy with black hair turned to me, sporting closed eyes and an optimistic grin.  "The name's not 'kid', it's Neil.  Nice to meet ya, stranger."

            "My name isn't 'stranger.'  Hear any good rumors, lately?"

            Unfortunately, he set off on a rant about sleeping till noon and how cool it would be to travel the world.  I don't think he even noticed that I left halfway through…

None of the other townsfolk were of much help, either.  Which is a shame, 'cause it was approaching sunset, and I still had no leads to go off of.  A little begrudged, I approached the only house I hadn't visited, a large, two-story estate on a hill at the back of the town.  I walked up to the front porch, but before I could knock, I was knocked out of the way by that kid Neil, who frantically pounded on the door.

"Tesla!  Shalte! Get out here, there's trouble down at the old mansion!"

A middle aged couple burst through the door with the same haste that the boy had shown.  Neil repeated his message for them.

I listened to the anxious conversation until I had the basics of the situation.  South of here is an old mansion, and a renegade troop of Gobs have taken up residence there.  As to why these people would be this concerned over that is a bit suspicious. 

As the older man started for his coat, I interjected.  "I'll handle it for five-thousand Gella."

He gave me a thorough scrutinizing, then turned to the woman next to him.  After some silent deliberation, he turned back to me and accepted my offer. 

With the deal and place, I left Boot Hill and headed south.

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            As far as he could tell, Jet thought that the mansion was in better shape than the villagers had made it out to be.  Scanning the building, he heard the most noise coming from the first floor, so, with the assistance of a nearby tree, he slipped in through a broken second-story window.  Inside, he found himself in a storeroom.  A multitude of crates and barrels filled the room, each covered in a coat of fine dust and cobwebs.  He silently made his way to the door, and put his head against it.  Hearing nothing nearby, he quietly opened the door, checked for hostiles, and crept to the railing nearby, which opened to the main hall below.

            There were twenty to thirty Gobs congregating on the main floor, grunting and howling indecipherable messages.  The collective odor of the demi-humans was almost enough to make Jet gag. 

           Though the yells were unintelligible, the focus of their attention was clear.  In the midst of them stood a young woman.  She had long, honey-colored hair that seemed to shimmer as she moved; a purple dress; a denim strip wrapped around her waist on top of the dress;  a white shawl and gold and blue bordering, which was obscured by a large, red bow; two oversized pistols; and determined, azure eyes.

            One of the Gobs must have gotten to close, because the girl drove her knee hard into his face, causing blood to flow from his nose and mouth as teeth clattered to the floor.  Spinning, she opened fire with her ARMs, taking down the four closest Gobs in her vicinity.  As she continued firing, more Gobs began to pour out of every doorway, and she was soon stuck in an hopeless battle.

            He had seen enough.  Blasting into a group of demi-humans with the Airget-lamh, he shouted a war cry and leapt over the railing.  Drawing the Gobs attention, they quickly forgot about the woman and charged towards Jet, who was more than willing to send their lifeblood spilling to the ground.  The girl took this chance to back towards the main door, and continued firing into the crowd of Gobs. 

            The writhing mob continued to press forward, driving the Hawk against the wall.  He fired endlessly into the mob, but to no discernable effect.  Suddenly, a rope swung overhead.  He leapt to grab it, and swung with it as it made it's way back across the room.  And he noticed that the girl must have thrown it to him in the first place. 

            Dropping down next to her, Jet spun and fired into the Gobs again before kicking down the front door, grabbing the girl by her wrist, and dashing off into the night.  But not before tossing a red gem into the fray.

            Trying to get away from the smell of burnt flesh, Jet and the young woman quickened their pace towards Boot Hill.

            "So, who are you, anyway?"  Jet looked at her, waiting for her answer.

            Instead, she kept her gaze straight ahead, and never even opened her mouth.

            Growing impatient, he asked another question.  "Well, what were you doing in there?"

            Again, she remained silent.

            "Why the hell aren't you talking?!" 

            She stopped suddenly, causing Jet to stumble as he tried to do the same.  For the first time, she looked into his face.  She looked angry, and….hurt.  But she still never spoke.

            Jet was taken aback, and his mind was sent racing.  Finally, after an uncomfortable moment, he spoke again.  "You….can't talk….can you?"

            She shook her head, and after a pause, continued walking to Boot Hill.

            Jet stood where he was, and turned to watch her pass him by.  There was something about that girl….

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A/N:  That's odd….a cliffhanger?  Well, not so much….   As always, I have more to say.  I try to respond to reviews as best as I can, with as much info as possible, but sometimes my responses are, like my reviews, a bit nonsensical, so I apologize…But I'll try to review/respond as best as I can and be humorous at the same time!   

Trina:  Jeez, do you have any self worth, metty?

A/N:  I work at a grocery store, go to local college, live at home, and have no love life.  Do I look like I have self worth?

Trina:  Well, you have that girl that beats the crap outta you…

A/N:  But she never is herself!  It's that damn-  whoops!  Gotta watch what I reveal!

Trina: ….where's R-C?

CRRS:

Teefa85:  I've always appreciated your lightning speed reviews!  To answer your question, this all takes place roughly around the same time that WA3 would, except Jet really is...um…like 18 or 21….and Kaitlyn isn't born yet.  And I've dropped the demon aspects of the world.  (Sorry, demon fans…)  Gallows won't be dealing too much with the priestly lineage aspects, and Clive….I can't say.  Virginia…I also can't say….  Those two have all the secrets….well….Jet has one….   Stay tuned…..

Black Waltz 0:  (Wow, saying "BW" really is less of a mouthful…)  Anywho, you'll have to wait just a little bit longer before Jet reacts to our favorite "female main character drifer in a video game"…or is it the only "female main character drifter in a video game"….   And maybe I should kill Gallows next time?   ^_^

aya-yahiko:  Well, Miyoujin Yahiko's right, Jet was being a bastard.  But that's an important part of his character, so it's gonna be around for a while…..  And I'm glad someone caught that Kuno reference…although I always forget if he said lightning or thunder….And I still haven't met these J/M fans………

Skylark Starflower:    Oh, so that's what you meant…. (Trina:  Come home, R-C…I feel lonely…^_^)  And I remembered what it was I was referencing:  The Lamborghini Mercieulago.  Damn, I gotta get me some money…..Vroom!

JayJay-Sawada:  I wonder what he should call himself next…..   Maybe I should throw in some Blazin' Saddles references…it's such an awesome movie!

Hypes:  Big bad Maxwell….heh heh, In addition to the cut of your jib, I likes the sounds of that title.  Big bad Maxwell.  That may come back to haunt you near the end of the fic…heh heh…..Anywho, since Gallows is Chris Tucker (though nowhere near as quick-witted), that means Jet is the master of martial arts, trained under Bruce Lee, and very kid friendly?  Sweet!!    (Plus, I finally got around to watching the Cowboy Bebop movie, Knocking on Heaven's Door……….HOLY CRAP THAT WAS AWESOME!!!!!)

Hana no Kaze:  Affirmative!  I shall keep up the good work!  Just….at my usual slow pace…….sorry…..I've got too much crap to deal with at UCONN and Price Chopper….gomen!

Author Recommendations For Fun:    Play yourself some FF9 soon.  (Start over if you're at the end.)  This game has some of the best character interaction ever!  "Ooh, soft…"  And watch Cowboy Bebop.   Cause Spike is the man.  (Kenshin still owns, however!)  Oh, wait, I think Vivi was the man at some point…..and then it was Zidane for being such an all-around cool guy……erm…..BATTLE ROYALE!!!  Who will survive?

And one, last, final note, I swear! 

I just want to say that if I ever called Kikyo a 'soul stealing bitch', I rescind my insult.  Cause I feel so bad for her now, after seeing more episodes of Inuyasha.  So, I apologize to all you Kikyo fans….