THIRTY: bingo

They walked for the better part of the morning. Milly was relatively talkative, though she was the only one, bantering on about what a great night's sleep she'd had. Apparently she'd overcome the pain of the past; having three friends there to support her no doubt had a profound effect on her psyche. She supported Vash with her left shoulder while she openly carried her stun gun on the other where she could easily drop it into a ready position and hit any attacker that might come upon them. Luckily, they had avoided danger throughout the trek to the shadowy place on the horizon.

Eventually, they came to a patch of land eerily different from any they had ever seen. Instead of a sun-baked wasteland, filled with cracked and bone-dry, they discovered what seemed to be a plot of soil, and it stretched out for as far as the eye could see. They gazed in wonder at the spectacle, lost in their curiosity.

"There was a city out here somewhere," Stryker said as he approached the darkened soil. "I saw the lights."

"Maybe on the other side of this?" Milly pondered.

"I think so." Stryker fell to a knee and swept his fist through the dark earth. "Wet," he muttered, glancing back to them.

It was the last word any of them had expected to describe any land on this barren world. Here they were, in near-hundred degree heat, and they had discovered something beyond bizarre. It looked like good soil, the kind of soil a farmer would eagerly plant his crops. However, there was nothing growing here.

"It's a lake," Vash whispered.

"A lake?"

He looked at his love with a nod. "An underground reservoir, to be exact. They tried to hide it by poisoning the topsoil with salt. Looks like it worked. I doubt it's deep, but it's very close to the surface, and so the topsoil soaks it up like a sponge. I'd say it's probably oval-shaped, and it covers at least ten acres."

"How do you know?"

"I'd heard rumors, but I never thought it would be this big."

Stryker gave him a look. "I want to know who the hell 'they' is."

Vash smiled. "The people who were here before Project SEEDS crash-landed on their world." With that, he gestured to the moistened plot of land. "There were plenty of rumors that Knives and I heard during our first few years together. We heard of an ancient civilization that might have ruled this world a long time ago."

Milly gazed at him in awe. "That's amazing. But why would they hide water from us? I mean, there certainly looks like plenty to me."

Stryker frowned. "That's easy. They didn't. They were long gone before we got here."

Meryl frowned. "But then, who did?"

"It's a thing of nature," Stryker said. "It's a wonder it's stayed hidden this long."

"I don't think that's the case, actually," Vash said.

Stryker watched him for a moment before he drew a breath. "There's some kind of settlement on the other side. They destroyed this land to make it look worthless, and then settled on the remaining land. They didn't want outsiders intruding on their land."

Vash nodded. "Makes sense." He stretched out with his prosthetic arm, pointing to an area on the horizon where a thin stream of smoke rolled up and out toward the north.

Meryl blinked in wonder, realizing that Vash and his clone were exactly right. There was somebody out there, all right, meaning his suspicions from the night before were right on cue. "I didn't think was a SEEDS ship ever crashed out here," she said.

"They didn't," Vash replied. "The people migrated out here."

Meryl blinked. "You mean…all of this, the water and everything…it's all natural? There's no plant producing all this?"

Vash smiled. "Bingo."

"So what next?" Stryker asked.

"The land will hold," he replied. "We have to keep on going. I want to pay a visit to the people who live out there."

They all stared silently at Vash. He had that fire back in his eyes, as if he had suddenly located yet another of nature's weapons to use as his own. His enemy was hellbent on using Vash the Stampede to destroy Vash the Stampede. It was simply up to Vash to find the counter. His arm closed tighter around Meryl as a smile stretched across his face.

"Are you crazy?" Meryl asked. "You want to go reveal yourself to somebody? You're hurt. How can you expect to defend yourself?"

"Ought to be easy," he said, grinning. "These people have probably been out of the loop a long time. Maybe even longer than a quarter of a century, which would mean…"

"That they don't know who Vash the Stampede is," Meryl whispered. "But even that's a stretch. They could've moved out here at any time."

"I don't think so," Vash said.

"Well, why don't we quit thinking about it and just go find out," Stryker said, and lay his foot out into the wet soil. It gave a little, like a wet sponge, but held his weight with ease.

The four of them set off across the underground reservoir, heading out into the mystery of the unknown.

They crossed the underground lake in the matter of a few hours. The ground was very soft—broke in places where it was too weak for their weight—making it all the more difficult for Meryl and Milly to lug Vash across. He aided them where he could, but Vash anticipated that there would be no major difficulties beyond the lake. The people here were unlikely to be much of a threat, though they might not be fond of outsiders.

Stryker had made the decision to go in without the intent to draw his weapons, and he told Milly to put her stun gun away. As they came to the other end of the lake, they found something that was beyond a rarity to the people of Gunsmoke.

They climbed over a tall dike and stepped onto a sea of grass that stretched out for as far as the eye could see. Here and there, a splattering of trees beckoned them, at least a dozen groves in the stretch of land that they could see. Surrounding each tiny grove was a series of buildings. Most of them were houses, small huts built to offer the people shelter against the elements. It was indeed a village, spread out across a bizarre, fertile world.

"It's…like nothing I've ever seen," Meryl murmured. "How does this…" She shook her head, unable to put words to her query. In short, it was simply breathtaking, and she couldn't at all describe the thoughts cycling through her as she gazed upon it.

Vash spoke, breaking the eerie silence with soft awe, as though the single word was all the answer she would ever need: "Eden."

Stryker drew a deep breath. "Amazing. I don't believe it."

"I don't know if I do either," Milly murmured.

His young duplicate started out across the field toward the first set of houses. "Looks like someone beat us to it," he said behind a smirk.

Meryl shook her head. This was a world all too perfect to question, so she simply tightened her grip of Vash, sharing the load with Milly, and started after Stryker, her cape carefully draped about her shoulders to conceal the derringers held within.

She took a glance around, eyes still wide with shock. This was a place she felt she could stay forever. It was so utterly beautiful she felt that it would be nearly impossible to leave this place, though she was certain that would eventually be their fate. But maybe here they could stay and let Vash heal and gather his strength. Meryl knew she wanted a bath and her clothes were in desperate need of a washing. Fresh water would be nice as well. A bed, she thought. God, a real bed. That would be heavenly. She sighed and leaned her head against the man whose smile stretched across eternity. For once, things felt as right as they should be.

Within the hour, the four travelers were allowed to meet with the man in charge. Meryl, the voice of business among them, spoke with the village leader, a plump, eccentric man by the name of Ivan Bosovich as the others lounged about the expansive living room, sipping on fine drinks and dining on cheese and crackers.

The people who lived here called their village New Hope, and it had been nearly a decade since the last newcomer had found himself here in their lonely, peaceful village. There were only about a hundred people living here, and it was no surprise that they relied heavily on the underground lake that practically surrounded the village. They had destroyed the soil over the lake with salt years ago, as Vash had predicted, to keep a mass amount of outsiders from flooding their land. This was a world Ivan's grandparents had built from the ground up, using the lake to establish the most expansive, green realm on the planet, and they didn't care much for outsiders, as Vash had predicted. He barely listened to the conversation, and hardly touched any of the food he was offered. He felt faint due to his injuries, and he made sure the others knew he wasn't feeling well.

Meryl soon landed them a little room in a two-story home not far from Ivan's mansion, and he dismissed the four to get settled in to rest after their long journey. Of course, Meryl got him undressed and into bed the moment it was possible. He quickly drifted off to sleep, leaving them to explore his dreams. The girls sat nearby, discussing the future over a cup of hot tea, never taking their eyes from their sleeping friend for more than a few moments at a time. Meryl set to work mending the fresh holes in Vash's red coat, preparing it for the future, though she didn't quite know what future held for them. In the meantime, Stryker disappeared into one of the back rooms with little more than a quiet look that told the girls he needed to be alone.

Milly cast Vash a sidelong glance, smiling. "The poor guy's exhausted. I hope his dreams are peaceful now."

Meryl didn't say anything. She simply sighed and sipped her tea before returning to her knitting. At least Vash wasn't tossing and turning anymore.

"Do you think it's over for awhile? Maybe we can stay here and relax a few days."

Meryl smiled. "Maybe. I wouldn't get my hopes up, but you never know."

"It would be nice for Vash to have a chance to heal."

"Yeah."

Stryker reemerged a short time later, transformed. The girls didn't notice right away, but he had altered his appearance. Now his hair stood on end, cropped to the exact length as Vash's. His left hand was wrapped in a leather glove that came up to his elbow. He still wore his black jeans and a black muscle shirt.

When Meryl saw him, she lowered her knitting and shot to her feet. "Amazing," she whispered. "You look just like him."

Milly giggled. "Of course he looks just like him. He's a clone, remember, Meryl?"

"Oh, your impossible." Meryl shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips. "So Sean, why the makeover?"

Meryl moaned in ecstasy as she slipped into the steaming tub, letting the scalding hot water caress her slender, aching frame. She thanked the Lord above for the opportunity to bathe, to wash away the proverbial muck and grime and blood of the past three days. Alone, with only Vash to consume her worries, she would have the opportunity to repair her heart.

She had stood in the darkness of the night, watching as Sean and Milly began their trip to the south. They had taken two thomases, riding atop the animals. At least it would make the trip easier.

Sean's transformation had surprised Meryl at first, though his reasons had been thoroughly developed. He looked exactly like the man she loved, all the way down to the red coat and spiked hair. Vash could be a complete goof at times, but Sean was as cool and collected a man as she had ever seen. It was probably because he hadn't experienced the darkness his predecesor had in his more than 130 years of life. Vash used his awkward personality as an escape from the knowledge of his existence. She mused over that fact as her friends headed south on their way back to Black Rock.

She thought back to the moment he had sat with them at the table and accepted a cup of tea from Milly. His plan was simple and complex at the same time. She had a profound respect for the man that she never just handed out, a respect Sean had earned.

Milly and I are leaving, he had said.

But why?

If Vash is right about the situation, these bastards are out there searching for the both of you right now. The best way to get them away from you would be for Vash the Stampede to make an appearance in a populated area.

Meryl had been shocked at first, and Milly had put words to a concern they shared: But Mr. Stryker, wouldn't that be putting a lot of people in unnecessary danger?

He had simply smiled and turned to her. There're always risks, but it has to be done. For Vash. Besides, we won't stay anywhere long. Just enough to spread a rumor.

Meryl had to smile as the steam surrounded her and carried her away to her own, private dreamworld, away from the pain, the fear, and the dark gloom that hung overhead. At least here, she would be free to live her life, if only for a time.

"You lost them? What the hell do you mean you lost them?"

Morgante narrowed his eyes at the old man, on the verge of reaching out and squeezing the life from him. Just one quick twist and it would all be over… But Quinn was a man that demanded respect. Not even Morgante's anger could overturn his admiration for his leader. "We're still searching. We think they may have circled back to the south."

"South?"

Morgante nodded. "That's the rumor."

"Fuck." Quinn turned his back to the big man, scratching his jawline as he considered the possibilities. He couldn't see a reason as to why Vash would leave. It just didn't make sense. Maybe Ariel had done her job well after all. Not quite the results he'd anticipated, but workable, if they were careful. "I want the troops brought to the coliseum," he said quietly. A small grin played over his pale lips.

"Are you sure that's wise? It would take days to bring them here."

"We have days to prepare."

"Sir, they aren't ready yet."

Quinn shot him a look. "What's the matter, Morgante? Don't tell me you're losing your nerve."

"Hardly."

"Then why question my judgment?"

Morgante grunted. "Your judgment has nothing to do with it, Quinn. I question the competence of the troops." He clasped his massive arms behind his back. "They aren't ready."

"Your judgment?"

"My opinion, sir."

Quinn smiled. "Ah yes. The unequivocal word of Richard Stryfe. So tell me, Morgante." His expression grew sour. "What advice do you have for me given the present situation? Our target is lost and we don't really have the first clue as to his whereabouts. Worse yet, the Alpha Sample has disappeared again and Bane is eliminated. Our two finest samples. We were lucky enough for Ariel to return at all."

"Yes, I know."

Quinn slipped a hand into his jacket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He offered one to Morgante, though he knew his friend didn't smoke. Of course, the Gung-Ho Gun declined. Quinn would smoke alone this evening.

"Just get the troops out here, got it?"