.

Chapter 3

A treasure map!

Jet had already passed the halfway point to his destination, clutching the tattered piece of paper in his left hand as he ran forth. More precisely it was a blueprint of the mansion commonly known as Gob's Hideout after its latest owners the Gobs. A house that had since long been robbed of its treasures, plundered by thieves and drifters until nothing of value was left to loot.

But they hadn't seen his map. They hadn't found his treasure. Or so Jet repeatedly told himself as he hurried southward across the plains. Gob's Hideout was a plundered shell of a building that was common knowledge, but what about the hidden area underneath the house? The secret room shown on his map?

Jet wasn't a greedy person. Well he was but he disliked being labeled. Anyway, he mused, as the large mansion appeared before him, if he found jewelry he would actually consider giving something to Virginia. You know, just to see the surprised look on her face. Perhaps a golden necklace or something, whatever silly trinkets girls like. Maybe an earring or two.

One for each ear. Now if that's greedy…

But the rest was his! Yes, finder's keeper's as the popular saying goes. Tough luck Gallows and Clive. Teamwork will only get you so far.

He reached the front gate while ignoring that little voice inside that kept reminding him he was celebrating victory far too early. What guarantees did he have? Here he was, dreaming of gold and jewelry when the place might just as well be empty. It was a persistent voice and he would have been inclined to listen had it not been for his instincts as a drifter. There was something valuable inside. He simply knew it.

The last human owner had been a merchant of some kind so it was likely that he would have kept either his money or his most valuable wares well hidden. Money was preferable but Jet wasn't picky.

Stepping out of the sun into the stale air indoors Jet stirred some dust into motion. For a brief moment he stopped to watch the tiny particles swirl in the sunlight forming ever shape shifting clouds around him.

He remembered Virginia retelling her first real adventure retrieving the town valuables from the thieving Gobs. Her uncle had scolded her back then for acting on her own and taking such a huge risk. Jet wondered if that was what his teammates would do to him.

Of course, he couldn't care less. They were a bunch of fools if they thought did. Nothing had really changed since he met them. He still cared of no one but himself. He was still the same person as he'd always been.

But then why did it feel like he was just trying to convince himself? Why hadn't he left the team yet? Why was he thinking of Virginia in the first place? Why did-

Jet sneezed once then twice.

"…Thanks" he muttered aimed at the dust and he was honestly grateful. Escaping was getting harder and harder when the questions started racking up. So much it was beginning to frighten him. What if he was someday forced to answer them?

He had already memorized the small map and could without another look locate the entryway hidden beneath the loose floorboards underneath a large bookcase on the first floor. Moving the bookcase several hardbacks tipped off their shelves and landed atop of his head. Jet accessed his own library of profanities.

Under the floorboards he discovered an old wooden hatch with heavy iron hinges and a large rusty padlock. It was a good sign. The grater the safety the greater the treasure. Also since the lock was intact one could draw the conclusion the place was still untouched by the greedy hands of his likes.

Rummaging through his pockets in search of his set of lock picks, Jet found his mind yet again wandering off to past experiences. Times when he had had more frequent use of the small needles and dirks he was now searching for. Way back before he had teamed up with Virginia and the rest of the gang.

Werner Maxwell had taught him how to be a drifter and then basically left him to take care of himself. And there were times he had been forced to turn to crime just to keep himself fed. Especially during the first months of his lonely existence after the money his mentor had left him finally had run out.

He remembered this as he spread the dirks out onto the floor before him. On more than one occasion he had stolen food and sometimes even money to buy it. Selecting the appropriate tool Jet began working the rusty lock. He wasn't particularly proud of it and even back then when he had been as most starved the food had turned to ash in his mouth. But he had only done what was necessary to survive. And done is done and remains that way no matter what you do afterwards.

Saving the planet for instance…

Finally the long awaited click escaped the lock mechanism the rusty padlock fell open. Putting his memories aside Jet opened the hatch and stared down into the dark chasm that was underneath. He wrinkled his nose at the unidentifiable and very ancient smell that rose up to greet him.

A dangerously corroded iron ladder bolted to the brick wall was the only means of descending.

The voice of reason inside him claimed he was crazy to go anywhere near such an unstable and unknown structure. He had informed no one of his whereabouts, if he were to disappear they wouldn't know where look. If they even bothered that was…

"Fine by me" Jet said to himself. He was no stranger to risk and danger.

The ladder looked sturdy enough.

He carefully commenced his descent, climbing down into the darkness. He didn't know how far down the ladder would bring him, the map had been rather unclear about that but it was farther that just a floor down that much he knew.

Luckily the passage widened after climbing only a few feet down making it a lot easier to move.

The air was cool and Jet even imagined he felt a draft from down below him. Fortunately the smell had already ceased to bother him. The further down he reached the thicker the darkness around him grew. Luckily he carried some matches and a torch he would light as soon as he reached the bottom.

Suddenly the speck of light above disappeared and utter blackness surrounded him in an instant. Taken by surprise Jet somehow managed to miss the next step and hit both his knees on the one above. With a surprised yelp of pain, Jet felt his fingers slip from around the metal bar. Next thing he knew he was falling. Half expecting to see his life flash before his eyes like in all the tales, he saw nothing but darkness.

Just as well, he found himself thinking calmly despite the situation, I don't need a recap of that.

.

xxxxx

.

Having failed in finding both Clive and Gallows Virginia walked out of Boot Hill alone.

When Libera had described to her the map he had found and then lost again she had experienced a spark of renewed hope coursing through her body and igniting her near dead spirits. Gob's Hideout wasn't at all far away. If she made good time she could be back again around dinnertime.

Also he had used the word treasure map. Jet liked treasure. Of course he only liked it for the monetary value but still, if she found something cool she might be able to talk him into keeping it. Selling off your birthday presents is kind of rude, anyway.

If I find something cool, Virginia refused to take anything for granted.

Just to be on the safe side she had purchased a gun holster with golden embroidery in the form of wines and flowers along the sides before leaving the ARMs workshop. It was a dull and predictable gift, she was painfully aware of that but what could one do with such limited options? And not to mention such a difficult person to pick gifts for?

Jet didn't even need a new holster. As far as she knew his present one was still in good condition. Come to think of it: the golden embroidery would only look strange with the rest of his gear.

"Argh" Virginia groaned, "Why did I have to rush things?" Boot Hill had disappeared behind her now and she figured she would soon spot the large mansion, "I just had to say tomorrow…" she went on berating herself.

She felt a lump in her throat. She was placing a lot on this one card. What if the secret, hidden treasure room was empty and she could only present to him her horrible, silly, golden embroidered backup present? What then? Would he laugh at her? Would he be disappointed? Angry?

Virginia shook her head violently. She wasn't being very realistic. Why would Jet get angry over something as silly as a birthday present? He was more likely not to care at all, which was bad enough. And how could he be disappointed? He'd never celebrated a single birthday before.

As for the laughing…well, Jet hardly ever laughed.

Of course, what if Clive and Gallows presents were far greater than her was? As much time as they had spent discussing the whole thing no one had mentioned any ideas concerning possible gifts. Given the situation, she tried to convince herself, it was highly probable they were faced with the same problems she was, but then again, for them the stakes weren't nearly as high. They could just give him whatever crap they'd bought and get it over, only hoping he wouldn't remember when their birthday came along. Whereas she wanted to leave a lasting impression, give him something great that matched her growing feelings for him.

Again, she tried to remind herself she was getting her hopes up too high. Never in a thousand years would a single present be enough to make Jet fall in love with her anyway. Yet she couldn't help but put a lot of weight on the coming day. She wanted things to be perfect even if Jet couldn't care less. She had to somehow make him understand how much she really cared.

Quickening her pace Virginia soon broke into a sprint. She just couldn't wait any longer. The uncertainty of everything was near choking her. Why and when had she developed feelings for him? If it was so evident everyone could see it, how come she herself hadn't been aware of until just recently? Had Jet noticed? Was her search for the perfect birthday present all in vain? Would he reject her just the same?

Virginia hated to admit it but that was actually the most probable scenario. She despised such pessimism but was momentarily unable to view the situation in any another light. Jet wasn't going to admit his feelings for anyone in the near future. Hell, she wasn't even sure he had feelings.

Ok, maybe that was taking things a bit too far. He had been angry on occasion. Angry and bitter.

Virginia sighed. And that was the guy she had a crush on.

Then again, there's a difference between not admitting one's feelings and rejecting somebody else's, another part of her claimed, a part that still clung to whatever hope she possessed. I'm not one to give up easily, am I?

She shook her head with new resolve. She sure wasn't.

Things weren't all bad. For one thing she never had to worry about competition: Jet paid even less attention to other women. In fact, now that she thought of it, she was the number one receiver of his attention. No one had spent as much time with him as she had. Well, except maybe for her father but that was a different story.

Anyway, if anyone deserved his affections it was her.

Slightly dizzy from her quick mood changes Virginia suddenly became aware that she had approached Gob's Hideout without even noticing. The house looked as desolate as ever looming over her as she approached the entrance.

She had only been there once more since her run in with the Gob's in her very early drifterhood when they were searching for the guardian lords. The place hadn't changed at all.

A deep breath of dust triggered a sneezing fit as soon as she took her first step inside. Virginia stopped in her tracks. On the dusty floor she could see a clear path leading off to the room on her left. Incidentally that was where she was headed. Could it be someone was already here? Libera had claimed he had dropped the map somewhere…

Someone must have found it!

Tracing the dust free path Virginia soon found herself standing by the dark opening in the floor, staring at the rusty, unstable looking ladder. A couple of books lay scattered on the floor beside the removed floorboards.

Someone was down there, stealing whatever possible birthday gifts she had meant for Jet. Virginia felt an unreasonable anger rise from within. At that moment it didn't matter to her that whoever was down there had the same rights to be there as herself. Those were her gifts. This had been her last ray of hope.

Grasping hold of the chill metal bars Virginia lowered herself down into the darkness. No time to worry over the questionable stability of the rusty excuse for a ladder. She would have a talk with the person down there. They could surely reach a deal over the treasure. If there was any to begin with.

Suddenly the ladder shook and she could hear the pained yelp of someone far below her.

.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I realize there hasn't been a great deal of character interaction or any kind of action in these last two chapters. But the winds of change are approaching. I can feel it. Please don't loose hope.