"Do they know?"
Vash moved the fingers on his new hand. "No."
The old man really did feel pity for him. "I suppose it's for the best."
"They have a right to." He changed it to the gun form and got a feel for it. "They've been fighting alongside me, but I just can't you know."
"It's understandable. I wouldn't pain your heart over it too much."
Vash grinned. "You're a bad liar. But I do have one question."
He looked up. "Yes?"
"What's gotten under Brad's skin?"
The doctor smiled. "Fear...and jealousy."
Vash blinked. "Jealousy?"
"He's in love with Jessica."
The Typhoon blushed. "But I like someone else!" He walked for the door. "And I think she's waiting on me..."
A small boy broke through the onlookers and chunked a piece of trash at the strangers. "WHY DON'T YOU BOTH JUST GET OUT OF HERE?"
The terrified mother snatched him up in her arms as the outsiders looked her way. "Please don't hurt him! He's only a child!"
The tall girl stood up. "But we'd never!"
When Milly moved, her coat opened...exposing a glint of gunmetal. They all pulled away with a gasp.
She looked at her waist then back at their accusing faces. "That doesn't make me some kind of killer!"
Wolfwood couldn't stand the looks they were giving his girl. Those idiots could think all they wanted about him, but judging her really made his blood boil. He jumped up, shoving Milly behind him. "WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? YOU THINK YOU'RE SO MUCH BETTER THAN US? THIS SHIP CAN'T STAY UP FOREVER! ONE DAY YOU'LL BE LIVING IN THAT WASTELAND JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE! HOW DARE YOU CONDEMN THOSE WHO'VE HAD TO KEEP SURVIVING WHILE YOU'RE LIVING APART IN YOU'RE OWN LITTLE PARADISE!"
Meryl looked up as Vash stepped out. "Well it's about time..."
He threw an arm around her. "Aw, did ya miss me that much?"
She looked at his arm with some uncertainty. First time for everything. "Not really, but my legs were starting to get tired."
Vash sighed. "Can't you at least humor me? Lie to me? Something like..." He assumed a girlie voice and feigned depression. "Ooh Vashie! I missed you more than there are words to describe! You are my sun and stars! Every moment without you is like a thousand sandworms eating away at my bleeding heart!"
Meryl's stare was beyond cold. "So are we leaving now?"
He hung his head. "Gosh you're mean!" Vash started walking her down the hall. "Nah, we can't leave yet short girl. Jessica cooked some food for us. You know, that girl that's actually sweet to me."
"She just doesn't know the real you yet."
Vash cocked an eyebrow. "And what's the real me?"
Meryl smiled. "Annoying."
He stuck out his tongue, just driving her point home. "Nuh uh!"
Wolfwood and Milly walked alone down another one of the hallways. He hadn't spoken sense his temper flared in that scene a few minutes ago. She knew the people were being irrational, but she couldn't blame them entirely. She might be just like them if she'd been raised in an environment like this. And Nick was only trying to defend her. The people would probably have had a heart attack if they ever saw what was in that cross of his.
Screams broke out from one of the rooms ahead and they ran without hesitation. Nick banged on the locked door. "HEY WHAT'S GOING ON IN THERE?" No answer came and he quickly broke the lock off with a ram from the punisher.
He froze as he picked up the present.
Both she and the old man took notice and looked to him concern. Meryl walked up putting her hand on his arm. "What's wrong Vash?"
He turned it so she could read the side.
She went wide-eyed and looked up at him for some kind of answer.
Milly checked the last one's pulse. "We're too late..."
It just didn't make any sense to Wolfwood. Who the hell would do this? What motive was there? How had the culprit escaped?
Brad's heart stopped as he absorbed the horrific sight before him. His friends' bloodied corpses lined the room...and there were the outsiders, caught red handed.
Nick turned to look down the barrel of a gun. He glared. "It wasn't us Brad."
Milly stood up slowly. "They were already like this...let us find who did it."
Brad's eyes darted to her. "STAY STILL!"
Wolfwood growled. "Don't be an idiot. You shoot one of us and the other could kill you in an instant. So unless you think you can take us both in one shot, I think it'd be unwise to pull that trigger."
Milly blinked. He called that a negotiation?
Shots and screams erupted from the hall and Nick shoved him aside. Milly rushed after Wolfwood before Brad even knew what hit him.
There were bodies everywhere. Men stood among them...but they weren't men. The priest freed his cross from its bindings as their leader spoke.
"I am Leonof The Puppetmaster, and these are my puppets. We've been watching you..."
Milly glared, leveling her revolvers. "A Gung-Ho Gun then?"
What a foolish girl, didn't she realize? "Yes...and I thank you for leading me here. As you can imagine, it was much too easy to kill in this setting. They're completely defenseless really. But one thing does confuse me." He turned his attention to Nick. "Your presence here. We've never met but I know of you, the man who rings the black funeral bell...Chapel The Ev-"
"DON'T SAY IT!" Wolfwood unleashed a fury of machine gun fire, quickly silencing him.
A chill went through her. Chapel...that name, what the voice had said. The voice that she now knew belonged to an evil man named Legato. But Chapel...was Nick? So Legato knew him, and this man knew him...
She was in a daze. They were being attacked and she hadn't fired a single shot. Wolfwood yelled at her. "Milly?"
The girl blinked, then began shooting down the puppet birds currently flying towards them.
He emerged as the man she remembered. Clad in a new outfit exactly matching his old one. Everything down to those yellow sunglasses. Meryl regarded him with sadness. It was all the more proof that the peace was over. Vash had become Vash The Stampede once more.
The gunfire continued from another part of the ship and the two exited the room together, guns in hand.
Wolfwood could sense him. Any second now...
The puppet released Jessica as it fell backwards with .45 caliber sized hole in its head. Brad ran to her while Nick and Milly turned to the bullet's source.
The priest took notice of the new outfit and demeanor. "It's about time...Vash The Stampede."
The insurance girls' didn't have time to greet each other as Leonof decided to strike up another conversation. They all looked to the bullet-ridden puppet as it began laughing. "Fools...you really believe the Gung-Ho Guns come to call one at a time? This was merely the warm up. The game has only begun, there are now three demons on this ship..."
Vash glared over his shoulder. "We'll take care of the Gung-Ho Guns, you girls stay here!"
Meryl clenched her fists. They were supposed to be in this together. "Since when are we so defenseless? Let us help you!"
"You can help us by protecting the crew!"
They watched helplessly as the boys abandoned them. Milly sighed looking down at the doctor. "Just tell us where we're needed..."