THIRTY-NINE: new day

Vash had to smile. Standing atop Mercia's old house, he gazed about the quiet paradise he and his friends had discovered. With his hands shoved into his pockets, he closed his eyes and let the soothing breeze cool his face, thinking about how right he felt in a world that felt as though it should belong to the angels.

He could barely remember coming here. He only knew that it had been a long and tedious process over a patch of land that was hardly suitable for travel. He remembered the first few moments when he and his friends had stepped over the dune and met the village of New Hope with their eyes for the first time. Beyond that, he remembered nothing more than the void deep sleep.

Of course, it felt far too sinister for angels. On occasion, anway.

After a time, Vash took a few steps and dropped from the rooftop, landing with ease on his feet. He started off around the house to the front porch. Down the dirt path, he noticed Taku, a boy he had met during his walk with Meryl the day before. He waited at doorstep to greet his young friend.

"Hey kiddo! You're up early!"

"Yeah, Mr. Vash. I was walking to the mill for Mom."

Vash grinned. "You must really be a big help around the house. I'm sure your mother really appreciates that."

"Yeah, I guess so. I'd rather be playing with my friends."

"I know what you mean, but sometimes we have to work before we can play."

Taku shrugged. "I guess so, Mr. Vash."

Vash mussed the boy's hair. "I know so."

Their brief conversation ended and the boy started back up the dirt road toward the mill across the village. Vash ran his fingers through his hair and drew a slow breath. There was so much going on in this village that he would never have anticipated. Mostly, life continued on, no matter what concerns came to the people here. Every person had a chore in this land. Every person had a place. What that person did to keep a place intact depended on the person's skills.

Mercia, for example, was a healer and a fine cook. Taku's father was a farmer who tended to New Hope's crops. His mother was a schoolteacher. Everyone had a place, even the children. A week ago, Vash would have done anything to reserve such a spot with such fine people.

But first, there were more pressing matters for Vash than personal desires.

In everything you do in life, we must do the things we have to do before we can do the things that we want to do. The realization struck like a lightning bolt, reminding him of the mission at hand. While he was still a little stiff from lounging about, there were important things to do that simply could not wait. Besides, the pain from his injuries had evaporated. He could go on.

Still deep in thought, Vash slipped into the house and headed upstairs. A minute later he slipped into the room he and Meryl had made their own. Not surprisingly, the girl wasn't in bed. He didn't see her right away, but when he did, he understood. She stood in her nightgown, having thrown the curtains open to let the morning sun spill its warmth onto her. The silk gown let the light pass through, revealing a perfect silhouette of the small woman's frame. Vash smiled.

His smile faded the moment he saw Meryl's expression.

"It's the twenty-seventh of July," she said quietly, staring into the sunlight.

Vash nodded. "Four years ago today," he said quietly, watching her.

"You were such an idiot back then. At least, that's what I thought."

The gunman grinned and approached her, wrapping his arms gently around her. He felt her melt into his embrace, and for a time the two simply stood there, gazing to one another's reflection in the glass. After a time, Meryl's somber mood finally discipated enough to allow a smile.

"You sleep well?" Vash asked.

Her cheek lay against the bicep of his flesh and blood right arm. "Like a baby." She stood there, taking in the quiet of the moment in his arms. "It's time to go, isn't it?"

Vash slowly nodded. "Yeah, I think it probably is. My injuries are healed." He approached her, joining her at the window. He quietly peered out to the vast green land before him. "There's no pain anymore." He'd never been in a such a world so expansive and perfect. He didn't think anything could be so perfect. He wrapped an arm around her waist as he peered to the new day. The world seemed so…new. A hope swelled within him, harmony so elegant and warm new life stirred within him. A life guided by the girl at his side. His bride by word of mouth, by accordance to God, by bondage of the heart and soul, and screw what anyone else thought. "I don't know exactly where we have to go, but he's out there somewhere. Who knows how many people he's hurt while we've been out of the loop." He turned his head slightly to gaze at her eyes, trying to guage her reaction. "I think it's time we talked to Ivan about that little key of yours."

Meryl blinked. "Do you think he'd know anything about it?"

"If your father was here, there's a good possibility that key opens something here. At the very least, we're at a starting point." Vash glanced to the rifle he had rummaged up for her several days ago, telling her with his eyes, his posture, that it had been Ivan who had given it to him. "Ivan knows more about this whole scenario then he lets on. He has connections to the outside that the other residents know nothing about. I don't know what he knows, but he knows something."

Meryl considered him for a moment. "If you say so."

The plant-spawn turned his gaze back to the window, his eyes trailing to the only building in the whole of this wondrous paradise that seemed out of place. Ivan's mansion of polished stone. For a time he was silent, considering the troubling thoughts that had come to him over the past few days, thoughts that he hadn't even entrusted to Meryl. He knew she probably suspected his silent dwellings, but she didn't press him. He was grateful for that. He would tell her all of his realizations when the time was right.

There were few things in this place that didn't bug the hell out of him. How this world had remained so perfect, how he had never known it in all his time wandering the desert, how it had remained concealed from the Project SEEDS team as they took orbit over the planet 131 years ago. It was just maddening that such a mystery continued to reign supreme over his thoughts.

A few silent moments between the couple was enough to help him gather his thoughts, and he turned back to her. He smiled and rewarded her with a kiss. "We need to do something," he said suddenly, almost playfully. "We've been brooding around too long. I think we should take a trip."

Her eyes rose and she stared at him as though he had spoken the unbelievable. "A trip? Vash, are you crazy? With Stryker off with Milly, pretending to be you, we're safe here…aren't we? But if we leave, someone might find out. It would be dangerous Vash. They are still out there looking for you, somewhere."

Vash grinned as she babbled on.

"Someone might be smart enough to figure out that Stryker isn't you, or need I remind you there is one characteristic you don't share?" She shook her head and wrapped her arms around him gently, leaning up to kiss his chin before she pushed herself away and brushed her hair out of her face with a free hand. "In any case, you're right about one thing. We need to go speak with Ivan about this key."

He teased her with a gentle a poke in the ribs. "Not that kind of trip. I was speaking metaphorically." He turned his gaze to the world through their window, lost briefly in the wondrous glow of morning's light. "Besides, I don't know how Stryker could really pull off Vash the Stampede. Cloned or not, Vash the Stampede is one in sixty billion." He winked and gave her a huge, arrogant grin.

The grin faded as a memory crossed his mind, a memory of long ago, long before he had ever met the insurance girls, long before he had ever lost his arm at the city of July, long before he had ever become the most feared outlaw this godforsaken land had ever seen. Hell, it was even prior to that day he had discovered the Millennium Arc, the strange alien vessel where he had imprisoned his brother. Vash closed his eyes and shook the memory away. He hadn't thought of her in sixty years. Why now?

Meryl gazed back at him with concern on her face. "Vash, what's wrong?"

"Someone I used to know," he replied gently. His smile soon returned as his eyes met hers. "Go get dressed. We can get some breakfast and then we'll go find Ivan."

Frowning, the former insurance girl gave him nod, grabbed a fresh set of clothes, and vanished into the bathroom, leaving the Humanoid Typhoon to gaze to the new day alone. A new day, he realized, that would only lead to new questions, and undoubtedly too few answers.

If Ivan couldn't shed light on some of his concerns, he didn't know what he would do. Quietly, the plant-spawn placed his hands against his hips and leaned back, and then he ran a hand through his golden hair. Morgante was out there somewhere, waiting for Vash the Stampede to make his move. He had made plenty of moves on his own, prior to Vash. He had hurt a lot of people along the way. Vash longed to see the pain reach an end.

So many—Meryl, Milly, and Sean included—had suffered at the hands of Vash's brother. Now Meryl's own father had taken Knives' place, and Vash was certain he was equally as cold-hearted as his fallen brother.

One thought struck him as he stood there, gazing to the emerald and golden world spread out before him. He came to realize that he had never truly known what kind of man Morgante the Warhead, or Richard Stryfe, as he had learned only a few months ago, truly was. Vash knew him as the newest leader of the near-dismantled Gung-Ho Guns, but there was so much about the man he had never come to understand. Who was Richard Stryfe? Was he the family man who had helped, in some ways, to raise the girl Vash had come to love so dearly? Regardless of whether he had been there or not during Meryl's upbringing, Vash figured he owed quite a lot to the old bastard.

Soon after she had vanished into the bathroom to prepare for the day, Meryl reappeared to find Vash exactly where she'd left him. She lay an arm on his shoulder, smiling up to him with a sparkle in her violet eyes.

"I'm ready," she said quietly.

"Me too," Vash replied. He drew a deep breath. "I'm ready, too."

She hugged him.

"Let's go see Ivan," he said quietly.

"Where are we going?" Faye had to shout to be heard over the roar of Bran's giant black jeep as it raced southwest, taking them further from the City of Yesterday with each passing moment. She was grateful for the goggles and mask he'd given her to protect her face from the sand that whipped about in their wake, but it would've been a hell of a lot easier had the damn thing had a windshield. She didn't complain. Not about that, anyway. It was so much better than being some gang's sideshow skirt. This was a far cry from the pains she had been forced to endure at the hands of those two perverted bastards.

She knew she was safe here, at his side, and somehow, the great, black beast in the back of the truck made her feel all the more secure. Bran was quiet, and that was a oddity she hadn't expected. Despite what seemed to be a low IQ, he seemed to understand that she wasn't comfortable, and that she had a powerful, splitting headache.

For a girl who tried to use her sexuality to gain the upperhand, after those terrible violations she was feeling pretty low.

But now her curiosity had gotten the better of her. "Bran?" she said again. "Where are we going?"

"Bran take pretty lady to see Eden."

"Eden?" Faye's eyes glistened with curiosity behind the dark goggles. Tossing a strand of hair from her face she lay her head back and peered to the desert on the passenger's side. If there'd been glass in the window, she would have rested her head against it and spent a moment of contemplation to herself.

"Eden pretty world, place pretty lady can hide."

Faye blinked. "Hide?" She stared to the horizon, wishing for a moment that Spike and the others were with her.

"Pretty lady see. Real soon."

"This is a key, you say? Hmmm… Interesting, Mr.Vash. Very interesting indeed." Ivan Bosovich turned the little cross over in his pudgy fingers, admiring the metal tool Meryl had given him to inspect. "I've seen keys of this nature before, but not nearly of this detail. Whoever made this key had a little more in the way of technology. As you can see, New Hope has no need for such…perfection."

He placed the key back in Meryl's palm, leaving the girl to gaze somberly from him to the cross laying in her hand. Next to her, Vash shoved his hands into his pockets and shook his head. Slowly, the gunman turned to the window of his den and he peered to the dike which perfectly concealed New Hope from anyone who might be watching back at him from across the mysterious underground lake.

Problem was, he couldn't see them any better than they could see him. Hope in asking Ivan if he recognized the key had turned into the disappointment that they were no further now than they had been when they arrived here eight days ago. Vash was frustrated by the prospect that they might never know the true purpose of the key Meryl carried with her.

"This house," Meryl said. "It's not exactly what I'd consider normal compared to all the other buildings."

"Excellent observation, Miss Stryfe," Ivan replied, leaning forward. He had pulled out a big cigar and was chewing on the end of it as he fiddled for his lighter. "Most of what you see within these walls is entirely mine, but the structure itself was erected long before our ancestors came to this place. Who built it is a mystery, but that's really not unusual for a world construed of mystery."

"But the rest of New Hope was built by the settlers."

"Quite right, Mr. Vash. My grandparents and thirty-three other people came in a century and a quarter ago and built the whole place from the ground up, using this building as the town center. Within thirty years, the village of New Hope had become a prosperous, self-reliant town."

Vash nodded. "Makes sense. Mr. Bosovich, what do you know about the race that was here before mankind?"

"Nothing is impossible. I would say that would be difficult to answer because no one has really searched for the truth."

"And is this the only original structure that you've ever seen."

Ivan's brow rose at the question. "You mean, are there more out there? To be honest, I couldn't tell you. There are rumors of an ancient city not far from here, but none of the people here have ever seen such a place. They ask what use it would be for them to leave a place such as this to explore the possibility of truth behind mere rumor."

"Well, what brought you here?" Vash asked.

"My grandparents. They saw the lake from space before they landed."

Vash stiffened, spinning around to face him.

Meryl frowned. "But Vash was onboard the Project SEEDS flagship. His ship's crew was the only one not in cryogenic sleep when they arrived at this planet."

"And how, dear lady, do you know this?"

"I told her," Vash replied.

"Well," Bosovich said, "did it ever occur to you that my grandparents did not arrive with Project SEEDS?"

"It did. Someone had to be aboard that SEEDS shuttle Knives and I discovered."

A smile revealed the old man's perfect, white teeth. "Ah, very perceptive, Mr. Vash. Yes, my grandparents were co-commanders onboard the SEEDS shuttle New Hope, for which this very village was named. New Hope was a follow-up shuttle that came here with supplies for the settlers of Gunsmoke. When it was discovered how massive a failure that project had been, my grandparents, Dr. Joseph Bosovich and his wife, Emelia, decided to land the ship in a secretive place not far from the lake, but far enough to keep people from making a connection between the two."

"Do you have a list of the names of the crew?" Vash asked.

"Well, no. My grandparents had all records onboard destroyed, including the very name of the shuttle. They didn't exactly care to let too many know the truth behind their journey here. That, and the fact that they arrived nearly five years too late to help the people in the manner they were meant to be helped."

Meryl frowned. Most of this was ancient history for her, but it struck a chord with her that this was a history Vash had lived. "You mean, by the time they arrived, Gunsmoke was already converted into the land people know today?"

"That's right, my dear. And there was nothing any of them could do to change that. Even less today, I'm afraid."

"They certainly weren't able to hide much from you."

"My parents uncovered a lot of the truth from a surviving crewman who served New Hope. He was an older gentleman even way back then. I suspect he's been dead for eighty or ninety years, perhaps longer."

Vash frowned. "You know a name?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," Ivan replied. "He was a major contributor to this village before he went to the outside. He was suffering from lung cancer and diabetes I believe." The man turned to the window and peered outside. "Now what was that name? Ah, yes. Quinn. Doctor Jebidiah Quinn."

"Jebidiah Quinn?" Vash whispered. Why was that name so familiar?

Meryl touched his arm. "Vash? What is it?"

The gunman's eyes widened. Of course.

Before a word could be said, the three of them were interrupted by Ivan's serving girl. She carried a tray with three cups and a teapot. Her neat, brown hair was trimmed evenly with her jawline, and sparkling almond eyes that shone with wonder as she watched the Humanoid Typhoon. She was only a few inches taller than Meryl, and just as thin and dainty as the former insurance girl.

"Mr. Bosovich, we have more visitors," she announced as she set the tray on the coffeetable. "A big black jeep just pulled up to the Mercia's inn."

Ivan scratched his chin. "A jeep, eh?" He looked to Vash before turning his attention back to his servant. "Newcomers?"

She shook her head abruptly. "Oh, no, the driver's been here before. Only briefly. He was one of Morgante's men."

Vash looked up, meeting Meryl's gaze. "Morgante?" she asked.

The gunman rose to his feet. "Meryl, stay—"

"Like hell!" she snapped. "I'm with you to the end, Vash, remember?"

He gave her a long, troubled gaze, and then nodded. "Let's go."

Ivan grabbed his arm. "What's going on here?"

"Just a little investigation, Mr. Bosovich. That's all."

Faye, Bran, and Uri rode into New Hope. The bounty hunter was exhausted. She leaned against the dash, barely able to lift her head to gaze in wonder of the world around her. This was something so entirely different from what she had become accustomed to over the past week or so. Then again, she had seen a lot in the past two days that were far and beyond mere pain and hate. At least here, in the bizarre beauty of a quiet valley, with green meadows and a few groves of trees here and there, Faye found relaxation. Soon the jeep pulled up to one of the bigger buildings in the strange little village and Bran looked to her, grinning ear-to-ear. "This it," he announced.

The big man pulled himself out of the driver's seat and peered up the building. Faye thought the place looked cozy, constructed apparently out of clay bricks and whitewashed, with a gorgeous flower garden lining the front and sides of the building. Considering the hell Faye'd gone through the past two days, it looked like just what the doctor ordered. Uri leapt out of the back of the jeep and joined his awkward companion at the front of the jeep at the same moment that a girl in a plain white blouse and a pink skirt tore out of the front door. Faye lifted her head a little, frowning. It was almost a sickening scene. The girl leapt into Bran's arms, laughing with delight. The reaction of the big man was the last Faye would have expected. He scooped her up in his massive arms and swooped her around, grinning up to her.

"Bran!" she cried, tears already trickling down her cheeks.

"Mercia!" he echoed, crushing her into his powerful embrace.

"What the hell?" Faye muttered as she watched the odd couple with a shake of her head. She put her hand to her chin as she realized that the two actually seemed to fit hand-in-hand. The looks on their faces held pure joy, and that was enough for the bounty hunter. A little smile played on her lips as she leaned back. A soft breeze pulled her hair from her cheeks and cooled her face. "Cute."

Mercia slipped to her knees to hug the huge dog nipping playfully at her heels. Faye couldn't help but notice how small the girl was when the black fur of the beast hid her completely from view. Then again, the dog wasn't small. In fact, Ein wouldn't be much more than a tidbit for Uri. The thought brought an amused grin to her face.

As she was watching the reunion, she noticed the dog's ear perk up. His massive head swung back around behind Bran. Large, sharp teeth appeared through his curled lip. Faye followed his gaze and, when she saw what he did, she instantly shot to her feet.

"No fucking way!"

Meryl froze in place when she saw the off-world bounty hunter gawking back at her with a look of total shock. Next to her, Vash stiffened. His hand lowered toward the angel arm magnum at his hip, and she for once wished he would pull it out to defend his life and her own. But the girl—she searched her memory for the name, Faye—seemed less of a threat now than she had that day back at the SEEDS shuttle Vash had destroyed.

In fact, she looked nothing less than shocked to see them at all.

"It…it's you!" she stammered, looking to Vash.

Meryl risked a look up to her lover. The man hadn't moved since his eyes met Faye's, but she knew that he saw everything and everyone that was a potential danger. He held such a serious gaze, one she hadn't seen in some time. Here, in this moment, Vash left nothing to chance. "Maybe," he said quietly.

"Well, which one are you?" she demanded. "I have to know."

"I'm me. There's really not much more to tell."

Faye was visibly hateful at his response. "Damnit! Quit playing games with me! It's really annoying!" She hopped down off of the jeep, her eyes burning into Vash.

Meryl's hand slipped inside her jacket. Not this time. Not now, she thought, gritting her teeth. Her small hand wrapped around one of the derringers from her collection. She started to pull the weapon free. Faye saw the movement and reached for her own sidearm, clipped at her hip. Vash reached for Meryl's arm. "Hey, wait—"

A powerful voice shattered the day with its rage. "Vash! Bran get Vash!"

The muscle-bound psycho crashed into the Humanoid Typhoon, swinging his massive arms with a terrifying strength and fury. Meryl cried out in fear as Vash disappeared beyond the mountain of flesh. She turned to find him, to help him in whatever way possible, forgetting about the off-worlder that had only a moment before been at the very center of attention. Her hopes soared when Vash leapt into the sky, over the head of his attacker, and brought his boots down. His heels connected sharply with the monster's forehead, sending him sprawling to the ground. Instantly, the black magnum came around, aimed directly between his opponent's eyes.

Seeing the danger her friend was in, Faye took a chance. Pulling her sidearm free, she sprung from the jeep. She could see that Vash, or Stryker, or whoever the hell it was, paid her no heed, certain that she was no threat to him. The thought made her all the more angry at being ignored, but Faye knew precisely how to take advantage of that.

Sixty billion double-dollars were within her grasp, she realized, as the cold steel of her pistol rested against the side of the gunman's head.

"Hah! Put it down right now, Mr. Vash!"

In that same moment, she felt the barrel of another gun planted firmly against the back of her head. "You first!"

The tension could be cut with a blade. They stood there, on the verge of chaos. Ivan Bosovich had seen enough. His hands clasped behind his back, the big man strode to within an arm's length of the fray.

"Relinquish your sidearms," he said gently. "There will be no battle on these hallowed grounds." Vash was the first to respond, thumbing the release so that his magnum clicked open and six bullets were sprung into the air. He swiped out with his free hand and caught them. Meryl followed his lead, and Faye hesitantly handed over her weapon. "Better. Much better. We are a peaceful people. This fight of yours, it has no place here."

Vash nodded. "We understand. I'm not in this for a fight anyway." He held out a hand to the big man at his feet, and Bran accepted the offer. "Sorry I had to kick you. You didn't leave me much choice."

Bran gave him a fool's grin. "Vash quick."

A sheepish smile spread over the gunman's face. "Yeah, I guess I am."

"Why did you attack him anyway?" Meryl demanded, putting her finger square into the big man's chest. "He's never done anything to you."

"Little lady leave Bran alone," Faye said with a smirk. Meryl glared over to her, and Faye held up a palm. "Trust me."

Meryl gawked. "Trust you? We have no reason—"

"Meryl." She took Vash's warning in stride, drawing a deep breath, but she couldn't hide the distrust deeply etched in her violet eyes. Vash put his arm around her shoulder, holding her close as he inspected the big man. "It is you. I remember seeing you with Morgante a few months back. In the bar."

"Bar?" Bran said quietly. He shrugged. "Bran no drink. Alcohol bad."

Vash grinned. "I won't argue."

"Now wait just a damn minute," Faye spat. Suddenly a hand went to her temple as a splitting headache worked its way into her system. Her eyes became very heavy. "Can somebody please tell me just what the hell is going on? Are you two enemies or not?"

"I don't claim any enemies," Vash replied. He reached out to steady her. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Don't touch me!" Faye rolled her eyes, but she just couldn't keep them opened. Everyone looked at her for a long minute. "You're so full of shit, you know that. I need you to cut the crap. For someone who doesn't claim enemies you sure have a whole hell of a lot of them. Vash, or Stryker, or whatever the hell your name is, I'm not dumb! I'm lost and I'm scared shitless, but I'm sure as hell not dumb." She hugged herself, turning her head to one side so that her chin rested against her shoulder. "This is a fucking nightmare."

"For once," Meryl murmured, eyeing the other with concern, "I agree with you."

"I'm not from around here," Faye said, blinking, but she couldn't fight the sleep beckoning her. "But I know enough to tell the good from the bad." She looked back to them quietly, wondering what the hell had become of her over the past few days. Quinn, she knew, was the enemy. She'd learned quite clearly since her imprisonment back at the old city. She'd learned enough from Bran to know that he was just a pawn in Quinn's plans, but those plans were still shrouded by shadows. What was the man planning on doing with the army she'd seen? "Vash, we have to talk. I've seen something…you might be able to help me figure out what the hell it was."

The small woman with Vash crossed her arms. "You saw thousands of him, didn't you?" Faye blinked, caught off guard by the interrogation. She glared at the small woman a moment, but had to stifle a yawn, so looked away. "Clones," Meryl added. "You saw an army of clones."

"Let me guess," Faye muttered. "Quinn, right?"

She's right, Vash thought. He could tell by the look on Faye's face what she was thinking. "I've known about him for a long time now," he explained. Meryl blinked, turning her eyes to Vash. Why hadn't he mentioned that much to her? "Guy's name is Jebidiah Quinn. I guess he has it in for me. I don't know exactly what he's after, but he's using my DNA to get it."

Faye closed her eyes. It was getting to the point that she couldn't keep her eyes opened if she tried. "I can show you where they are…but not today."

"Pretty lady need sleep," Bran suggested.

She gave him a weary nod. "Yeah, pretty lady needs sleep."

Vash took her gently by the arm. "You get all the sleep you need. We don't have to leave until you're ready to go, okay?"

She nodded wearily. "That's a deal."