Megami's Mission

"Me-ga-mi?" asked Neil, "You mean the woman Drifter whose been going around for three years and tearing up any ruin she finds? The one who uses a bazooka to shoot elemental ammo at her enemies? You're really that Megami?" He backed off a little, from what he'd heard Megami was the exact opposite of Virginia. She was supposedly rude, cold, a loner, and a little bit greedy. Meanwhile, Virginia was polite, always cheerful, loved company, and would rather give to other people. How could those two look so alike?

"Yes, and I have come after hearing the rumor of The Soul Mirror, the ruin that contains a legendary treasure. It is supposed to be extremely valuable, so I decided to see what it is. For what others have told me, no Drifter who enters has yet to return, or they left it be because they couldn't take it with them. But I don't fear anything, I'll be able to carry whatever treasure lies inside out of the ruins. Now, can you direct me and my traveling companions to a place where I can spend the night? Lilka! Ashley! We have to get going now, or else we'll fall behind on this treasure hunt," called Megami. Neil wondered who she was talking to, there was only one horse in the barn and no one had come on foot; not that they could keep up. Besides, Megami was said to work alone, so who in the world would be traveling with her on this journey?

His answer came very quickly. A small girl and boy of about three years old dismounted from the side bags on the saddle. The girl had brown hair tied in a braid and purple eyes. She was wearing a white shirt, purple skirt, and leather boots. The boy had messy silver hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a black shirt, blue jeans, and leather boots. They walked over to the woman, giving Neil odd stares when they saw him. Then, the little girl asked, "Mommy, who is this man? Is he a friend of yours, or maybe your brother?"

Megami glared at the child. "No Lilka, this man thinks I'm someone I'm not. Now then, you and your brother are going to stay at the saloon tomorrow, while I go looking for the treasure. And none of your tricks, you hear, or else you'll be punished for a whole week." Neil looked at her with a shocked expression on his face, how cold was this woman? And to her own children, no doubt, children who weren't very old.

"You maybe should lay off the kid," he suggested, "She is only a three year old. I'm sure she really doesn't know much yet, and wouldn't intentionally try to make you angry. Miss Megami, there is no saloon in this town, it burnt down years ago and nobody ever reopened it. But I'm sure you can stay at the Maxwell residence, they love visitors over there. And Tesla and Shalte are very good with kids, raised their niece for ten years after her parents passed away. I can direct you to it." Looking at those children had made Neil very nostalgic; the girl looked so much like Virginia did when she was a child. And the boy looked much like Jet; except he couldn't be a hundred percent sure since he'd never seen Jet as a child. Almost as if the woman was Virginia in disguise. But if it was, surely she would have told him what was going on at least.

"That would be nice. I need someone to watch these two while I'm working, they can be a handful. But with no living relatives, there's no one I can leave them with. So the both of them are stuck along for the ride," Megami told him. She hated having to explain all of this to people, it was none of their business what had happened in her past. Though it was nicer to say that than going into the long explanation as to how her lover, and the children's father, had passed away in an accident with the rest of her team, and memories of the past. If they thought she was alone, then other people looked at her face and would leave it at that.

. . .

They walked up to the Maxwell house, and Neil knocked on the door. Tesla Maxwell answered it. At forty six, Tesla's life had never been easy. His mom had been killed by a monster in the Wastelands when he was a child, and his father died of illness shortly after his older brother had moved out to live in the science lab where he worked. Then, fifteen years ago, his brother, Werner, had died in an explosion at the lab, but since he'd just left without saying goodbye they all assumed he'd become a Drifter. A few months later, his sister in law, Ekatrina, died of sorrow over her husband's disappearance, a few days before their daughter turned eight. Finally, there was the disappearance of Virginia three and a half years ago, who was the very daughter who saw her father walk out and her mother die of sorrow. Looking at Megami, he felt a ghost from the past had returned. But upon seeing the scowl on her face, he didn't think she could be his niece. Tesla asked her, "And who might you be, young lady? A friend of Neil's? Are you lost our there?"

Megami looked at the man, and felt something come over her. It appeared to be a small flashback of some sorts, where she saw this man standing with a child who looked just like her. The girl was crying on a cushion in the living room, soaking it with her tears. "Why did Mommy have to die? Why did she have to go away and leave me like Daddy did? Uncle, what am I going to do now? I'm all alone in the world?"

"I know it's sad, but you must be strong," the man replied, "You're never alone. Your mother is watching you from above, taking care of you in your hour of need. She'll never truly leave you, because she loves you with all her heart." The girl smiled at him, and then the dream ended. Megami wondered what it meant. Did it have something to do with her past? Not like she cared, it was more a burden than anything.

"My name is Megami, and I am a Drifter. I've heard rumors about The Soul Mirror, and have come to this town to check it out. But I need lodgings for the night, as well as someone to watch over my two children. There is nowhere else to leave them, so they must come with me. But it is suicide to take them along, they can't fight for themselves. And if I have to watch over them, I might be killed," she told him.

Tesla said, "It's ok if you stay with us, Miss Megami. I remember my niece when she was that age, she was always so full of energy. Kids this age truly are a handful, it's amazing you have taken care of them on your own for so long. If my niece hadn't vanished, I'm sure she'd respect your strength." Tesla, unlike Neil, had faith that Virginia was still alive, believed she just had to go in hiding for awhile and then she was forced to never come home. One day, Jet would find her and figure out what had happened. He also could very well tell that Megami raised them alone all their lives, it wasn't uncommon at this time for a female Drifter to either be raped in a bar, get drunk and end up in bed with a man, or just have an affair while on their journey. Tesla didn't think she'd lost her lover, just that the father had no care for the twin children.

"I am in your debt, if you need I will pay you for your hospitality. I may be a Treasure Hunter, but I know that to pay good back with evil is what will eventually be your downfall. Just as long as everyone here stays out of my way, I don't want to be bothered. I'll wake up when I want, which is probably earlier than you, and I'll leave when I want. There's no need to take care of me." With that, she followed Tesla up to the room, where she put her stuff. Tesla and Shalte would just have to sleep in Virginia's room for the night, it would be much more polite to give her theirs. For not only did it have more beds, both his and his wife's plus Werner's and Ekartina's, but also he didn't think his niece would appreciate someone else in her room.

- - - -

Teefa's Last Words…

This was just another insane idea, what would happen if Megami returned to Boot Hill. I thought it would bring about some interesting changes, but how to get her there was the problem. So I invented a ruin for her to look for. I also want to explain the Tools Megami used in "Looking for Her". And the italics means that the person is seeing a vision or a scene on a monitor; but you are still seeing the person. It is different from a flashback.