My dryer makes this loud 'BEEP' whenever it finishes. I only mention this
because I was thinking of what to write here when it nearly made me throttle my
keyboard.
Disclaimer: Do not mock the dryer.
Legend: Words like /this/ denote events in the mental realm that don't translate into words well, so they're often just best-fits instead of truely describing the event or item. Italics, as always, represent emphasis and thoughts.
Rise of the Silver Stars
Chapter 12: Bandits Don't Shine
"Boom ba da pah chinka chinka boom chinka!"
As he attempted to go along with the current tune on the radio, he was both sounding out the drum beats and mimicking them on the dash with his hands and foot. Knives was glaring at him yet again, though the glares were losing effect as he gained more exposure. He continued his one man hand-on-plastic drum solo regardless. It wasn't like there was much else to do at the moment. The area they were in was getting a bit rocky as they got into the geography of Inepril's region, but it was still quite clear of obstacles. The suns had set some time ago, but Knives wasn't about to stop and rest. To tell the truth, he didn't much want to stop either, though it was due to the sense of excitement that was building in him whereas Knives was probably feeling the strain of an increasingly grim-minded set of humanity around them.
Yeah, that was a bit of a problem. They had passed or been passed by quite a few other travelers, so there was little danger of being stranded. However, given the mindset of some of the others, the price for a helping hand might range from steep to unacceptable. These were bounty hunters, getting funneled in by the changing terrain into only a few possible routes, though the closeness of the destination might also be a factor- you could only have so many people in a certain area before encounters were bound to happen. He could watch Knives tense as another person came into view, and relax again only after they were gone. That one had been on a Thomas, though he had seen just about every contraption for traveling used that day short of a sand steamer. Thomases, cars, stagecoaches, steamwagons, even a few on foot. They ranged from lone wanderers to large caravans, depending on the individual tastes for company, safety, and the usefulness of allies.
Thus, their little party of four on a truck wasn't anything special. Without his red coat on, it made him hard to identify, so with any luck they'd blend right in and be able to spend a few weeks in the city bar hopping, seeing the sights, pestering large dangerous-looking people for fun, and chasing after women. At least, that was his plan for relaxing. What the others wanted to do was their choice, though he firmly intended on dragging Knives along- by the hair if need be -to get a dose of good old humanity. He grinned as the plots began to swirl about in his mind, though he stopped the grin when he saw what the dim interior light from the truck was making him look like in the side mirror. Huh, maybe Knives wasn't so evil as he was simply at the mercy of bad lighting? That theory fell through as being too silly even for him, so he simply got into the groove of the next song as they made their way through the darkness.
¤ ¤ ¤
"That one looks good."
"You think? They don't look too good."
"Yeah, but look at the driver. Anyone that focused must have something valuable to transport."
"I dunno. Should we get the boss?"
"Yeah, even if it's a bust for goods, I'm tired of watching the traffic and that woman might be worth a fair bit. I want some action!"
"Your funeral if the boss don't like it."
The two figures on the bluff flashed a signal ahead to another bluff, which was flashed back at them.
"Alright! Time to show those folks that there's a toll for passing through Lawrence territory!"
¤ ¤ ¤
This had been, still was, and would continue to be a bad idea. However, as long as brother was insisting on going to Inepril for the showdown, he was stuck alongside. He was recovered to the point where he could try his more advanced physical abilities for short periods, but total recovery was still a few days off. At least brother had planned for the designated date to be after he was back at full capacity. How he could be so intelligent in the details of his plans, yet so imbecilic in the plans themselves was beyond even a being of his own considerable intellect. In any case, he was still sub-standard, and that made every moment around this area exhausting.
He was /listening/ to every mind that passed by, to gain insight into the tactics these spiders might use. What he /heard/ was nothing short of nauseating. Greed, destruction, and decadence dominated the thoughts he picked up. If he was making the decisions, every last one of those disgusting creatures would have suffered from strategically placed burst blood vessels, but not for long. Death would welcome them soon enough afterward.
However, brother was going to meet the entire swarm of them at once, and unless he had developed abilities even he was unaware of they would inflict grievous harm upon his already scarred body. Why he persisted even after this sampling was a potentially fatal mystery. His pets were just as annoying. The surface only covered up the darkness below. The newest pet had displayed one moment of beauty, but a single moment could not make up for the time spent in a wretched state. As for the other pet, he was beginning to wonder if she was actually a human and not some form of machine for all he could pick up from her. If he used /force/, then brother would notice and that would be the end of that, so he just bided his time. Worst case, she died of old age, and he'd still get to dissect and examine her brain. Know thy enemy now or later, but he'd definitely know this enemy.
Suddenly, he /heard/ multiple spikes of aggression, from both ahead and behind. An ambush? How very quaint, he could easily crush them all. However, brother would have none of that, so he would stay in the rear for this fight which was fine by him. No need to do something if someone else will do it for you. However, it appeared that brother still hadn't detected the threat, so he resorted to the sonic method of communication. This would also alert the pets to the threat. If he was lucky, the spiders would fight amongst themselves and he might be rid of the pets.
"We're about to be ambushed. Prepare yourselves."
Brother had his hands on the two guns already, but maintained a state of outward calm. Good for him. The pets were waking groggily, barely aware of themselves let alone their surroundings. Multiple small objects dropped in front of them, so he applied the brakes. This tossed the pets around, getting them into an aware and thus useful state all the faster, though they of course didn't appreciate it.
"Why'd we stop Mr. Knives?" "What're you trying to do, kill us?"
"Not at the moment. I'm merely avoiding those bombs."
"Bombs?"
The explosions made his point for him. Due to his stop, they were well outside the effective range of the detonations, as opposed to inside the damage zone. The ambushers moved in, and he finally got a glimpse of them. 'Ragtag' seemed to be the descriptive word for their appearance. However, the tactics suggested a higher organizational state. Five ahead, two behind, four more on the surrounding bluffs, and he could just sense another group, possibly unrelated though no assumptions should be made, approaching from behind. Effective, against other spiders. However, this was a completely different kind of fight they had instigated, and even brother's foolhardy methods should overcome them. Time to observe the action.
A probable leader stood up. "You're totally surrounded! Get out of the truck and hand over your valuables!"
Brother got out. The female did likewise, while the male crouched behind the retaining wall for cover. He remained ready to drive off. Brother was first to reply.
"Now gentlemen, I'm sure we can resolve this without any shooting."
The shot that hit near his foot countered his statement.
"Okay, if you want to do it the hard way..."
Brother kicked up his speed and aimed both guns in rapid succession at the ambusher's firearms. It would have been effective, had shots actually been fired. He muttered an oath internally- his fool of a brother hadn't loaded the guns. Thus, the only things shot were a few rounds back, which were dodged easily enough though brother's love of theatrics made the task look harder than it was. The screaming made the illusion perfect, as the ambushers laughed.
"If you can't even afford bullets, we'll be happy to send you a few just-used ones! Since you seem to be having a spat of bad luck, how about you let us have those nice shiny guns and the girl, and the rest of you can move on!"
Well, that was completely unacceptable. There was no way he would permit a gang of hooligans walk off with his Angel Arm guns. However, without ammo or growth time, they were currently useless, leaving them at a severe disadvantage with only the two pets able to take action. He gunned the engine to try and take off, but a few shots pierced the hood and caused too much damage to permit continued operation. That should not have happened- the hood was thick enough to withstand the caliber of bullet they were using, but the holes left behind were far larger. Wonderful, the ones on the bluff had an armor-piercing gun at their disposal.
"Running off to save your own skin? Well, I'm afraid that just boosted our deal to everything you have. Now come on over missy, unless you want something unfortunate to happen to your friends."
"No! You're not very nice!"
"Well, that may be, but we're a lot nicer than some buyers out there. So get over here, or do you think you can call on god to save you?"
The intentions that oozed off the leader were vile even for the spiders. All humans were guilty of enslaving his sisters to their demands, but these were part of the few who reached so far into the darkness that even their own kind were merely objects to exchange. It made his blood boil, or rather, if brother would permit, it would make their blood boil. However, brother hadn't yet asked for assistance, so he continued to bide his time.
"Nicholas won't show you any mercy."
"Mercy? Mercy?" The leader had a long laugh at that. "There's never been any mercy on this dustball!"
"Maybe not now, but we've got hope."
The back end of the Cross Punisher opened up, and it launched a projectile at the ambushers on the bluff. The flash was much more effective due to the overall darkness, and since the gang had all focused on it instinctively, they were all blinded for valuable seconds.
"/Brother, catch!/"
He threw a pair of reloads to Vash, who had them slapped in just in time for the next pair thrown to be caught and pocketed. He wasted no time in proceeding to shoot the guns out of the hands of all the bandits then take cover, as did the rest of them. The victory was likely to be short lived, as the other group was bearing in quickly and the hostile intent from them was even fiercer than that of their current company. They were well protected in the indent in the rock wall, but getting back out would be tricky and getting away all but impossible under the current rules.
"So, can I kill them yet brother? It could only be an improvement."
"No, you can't kill them! I thought I made that clear!"
"I hate to say it Vash, but he might be right. I don't think we can get out of this without someone getting hurt. Let's just shoot them in the arms."
"That sounds like an acceptable compromise."
"No!"
Both his brother and the female exclaimed at that. His brother was still corrupted, but the female was a puzzle. Wasn't she aware of just what they intended to do to her, or was she truly without a brain at all? It would certainly explain the lack of readings he was getting... He pushed aside the thoughts as unproductive.
"So brother, let's hear your idea."
"Well, uh, I'm still thinking... Just keep them away for now?"
"That's some plan."
This time, it was himself and the other pet that echoed each other. At least the synapses were firing in his brain. If brother was without an effective plan, it was up to him to create one. His thoughts were interrupted by the gang leader.
"It's over for you! The only law out here is that those with power can do what they want to those without!"
A deep booming voice cut in at that moment. "I couldn't agree more. But what you're doing doesn't have any sparkle."
¤ ¤ ¤
"I know that voice..."
However, the annoying ringing in his ear thanks to a too close shot made an instant ID hard. Man, if he had only remembered to reload after getting the guns tuned up... Right now, he was placing his faith in his new best friend outside. Speaking of which, he was being yelled at by the gang leader.
"This is no business of yours! Now take a hike you walking billboard before we use you for target practice!"
"Ah, but this is my business. There's only one gang that operates outside of Inepril, and you're just not flashy enough to take over."
"Why you-"
A shot rang out, and that was able to jolt loose his memory. He had heard a few thousand deep booming voices over his travels, but there were only a handful of people who used old tech magnetic drivers as guns. Only one of those people hanged out around Inepril.
"Don't be insulting, it's not beautiful. Now I want you to clear out, but not before I hear some names. I know what you've been doing, and taking away someone's chance to shine is one of the few things I won't stand for."
"Bah! The Lawrence Gang doesn't take orders from anyone! So unless you brought the Cavalry, you're out of luck!"
Time for him to make an entrance. He grinned and jumped out of the indent, ready to perform, slipping into his Triple-O mode. "Now gentlemen, before you do anything rash, you should know that you're dealing with the most flashy of outlaws, always a man of his word, who survived a duel with the great and handsome Vash the Stampede! I give you Brilliant Dynamites Neon!"
He gave a flair towards the man framed by the twin towers of neon lights that was up above, opposite the Lawrence's gunners. The object of his show looked at him for but a moment, then let loose a great booming laugh. "What an introduction! If I hadn't said I'd kill you, I'd offer to let you join the Bad Lads! All right boys, we've been introduced! Let 'em see your shine!"
All along the ridge, additional sets of lights flared into being, casting a glow over the whole stretch of the passage below. The Lawrences faltered, just realizing what a situation they'd gotten themselves into. The Bad Lads lined the other bluff, more heavily armed and armored than most Cavalry regiments. Milly came up behind him and waved.
"Hello Mr. Neon! Mr. Vash has an appointment to keep, so you'll just have to wait until then if you want to shoot him."
He twitched at that. He didn't even have to look to know that Milly had said that with a perfectly straight face. That girl was going to get him in some serious trouble someday, and the worse thing was that he probably wouldn't mind. BDN just leaned back and let loose another booming laugh.
"Now that's someone with sparkle! I suppose I can hold off our fight until after you've had your rumble. I was planning to be there, because I knew that nobody else could shine enough to take you down."
The Lawrence leader was swiveling his head back and forth as they spoke, first looking angry at being ignored, then realization dawned. "You're Vash the Stampede?!"
He held up one hand and wiggled the fingers. "Hello!"
Terror crept over the faces of the Lawrence Gang. The leader was the first to break down and run for it, with the rest of the gang not far behind. They ran off back the ways they came, leaving behind just about everything heavy that they could drop. The Bad Lads peered down after them, waiting for BDN's order. He waved them back. "We'll get them later, and bullets are just wasted on those with no sparkle. Right now, me and Vash have a little matter to discuss."
"Uh, didn't you agree to postpone the duel until the fourth?"
"This is different. I see your transport lost its glow."
As if on cue, the radiator cap blew off the truck, sending up a plume of steam. "Yeah, I think the engine's shot..."
"Well, I can supply you with enough provisions to make it to Inepril easy on foot, but I need a little something in return."
"And that would be?"
BDN held up something square. "How about a signature? It would really make this dull book glitter. I like how you wrote me, the words just glow."
His handy marker was in hand. "Sure thing! Just come on down-"
"No, you come up here. As that dull kid said, the powerful can do what they want out here."
"Yeah, yeah..." He frowned, and began to scramble up the incline.
¤ ¤ ¤
They made it to the hills overlooking Inepril just as the suns peeked over the ridge behind them. They had ten days exactly until the appointed day came, and the city below looked... larger. A lot larger. The buried section had been unearthed, and a ring of tents surrounded the city. He could see two steamers pulling in, and another one already docked. One of the just-arrived steamers looked rather bristly, with far more artillery than a normal steamer carried. Squinting, he could just make out the insignia of the Gunsmoke Cavalry painted on the side. Oh man, had anyone not come for a piece of him?
"They brought an entire battlesteamer. Interesting, from what I heard they were too heavy to move. The spiders are getting more ingenious for every moment we let them swarm over this planet."
"Could you at least disparage my race when I'm not in earshot?"
"I suppose I could, but I won't. I'll say what I desire when I desire."
"Mr. Knives, Mr. Marlon, now's not the time. We need to go find Meryl, she's probably already there waiting for us!"
"Ah yes, the other pet spider, I had nearly forgotten about her."
"Knives, maybe you should let me handle the talking? It'll save us some trouble. You just sit back and relax, it'll be fun!"
Knives just made a 'Hmph' at him, then strode foreward. Frank and himself came next, already sweating from the loads, and Milly brought up the rear with her perpetual smile before her and the Cross Punisher behind. They thus left the hills and made their way to the city.
"Knives..."
"What is it?"
"Could you at least carry some of this?", as he gestured to the pack on his back that contained altogether way too much stuff. It both looked and felt like he was carrying the truck they had left behind.
"No. He made clear his intent to harm you, so I'm not letting anything come in contact with me. If you were smarter, you'd do the same."
"Man..."
Ah, so our brave(?), heroic(?), loyal(?) travelers have finally reached Inepril. Now it's time to jump back in time a few days, to see what will become of poor Meryl before Vash finds out. I see psychologists, lawyers, heavy-handed tactics, and a screaming dude with a big sharp thingy yet to come!
"Look at how the readers squirm like so many insects under a magnifying glass at your hints. Their misery is delectable."
Zip it Legato. Do I have to use the stick on you too? ...wait, you'd probably like that. But you wouldn't like the potted plant!
"I find all human pain to be a source of joy, even if it must be my own."
Oh no, you won't like this one. It's a geranium!
"...I shall return to guard duty."
Yeah, you do that. Anyway, does anyone have five bucks? I need to gas up the DeLorian.
Reviewer Responses
cjflutterbye: Eep! Missed your review by mere minutes when I updated, though the extra chapter may have made up for it. I noticed that you just seem to be starting to tear through 's archives, so I suggest poking about the other reviewer's stories and favorites. Talent follows the writer, and a good reviewer is usually a good writer as well. Of course, that reflects horribly on me since I hardly review. Must be Knives' influence. And don't worry, I've got plans for Mr. Marlon too, though they sort of developed as I wrote rather than coming with the initial idea.
SapphireWhiteTiggress: Good thing you did! We found out about most of the other beta testers post mortem. Turns out we accidentally set them to 'Knives', not 'Meryl', and getting hugged was bad. Now the testers are simply reporting head injuries.
Sorian: You may be interested to know that there really is a weapon like that glue gun. However, I just can't remember anything about it other than the demonstration, which was really neat. It worked about as described.
betsytheripper: Death threats are forwarded to Legato, who then draws little pink hearts all over them and sticks them on his wall. I don't go in his room anymore. And there's no such thing as being stuck on a fic- ¤whispers¤ though your readers may not like it, you're allowed to work on others.
coffeetin: Warm fuzzies! Yay! As for the question, Knives certainly could if he wanted to. Of course, whether or not he's actually listening for her is another issue. As for Knives' personality, he had one year to learn how to interact, then spent the rest of life either avoiding or killing people, which doesn't give you much time to pick up social graces.
Disclaimer: Do not mock the dryer.
Legend: Words like /this/ denote events in the mental realm that don't translate into words well, so they're often just best-fits instead of truely describing the event or item. Italics, as always, represent emphasis and thoughts.
Chapter 12: Bandits Don't Shine
"Boom ba da pah chinka chinka boom chinka!"
As he attempted to go along with the current tune on the radio, he was both sounding out the drum beats and mimicking them on the dash with his hands and foot. Knives was glaring at him yet again, though the glares were losing effect as he gained more exposure. He continued his one man hand-on-plastic drum solo regardless. It wasn't like there was much else to do at the moment. The area they were in was getting a bit rocky as they got into the geography of Inepril's region, but it was still quite clear of obstacles. The suns had set some time ago, but Knives wasn't about to stop and rest. To tell the truth, he didn't much want to stop either, though it was due to the sense of excitement that was building in him whereas Knives was probably feeling the strain of an increasingly grim-minded set of humanity around them.
Yeah, that was a bit of a problem. They had passed or been passed by quite a few other travelers, so there was little danger of being stranded. However, given the mindset of some of the others, the price for a helping hand might range from steep to unacceptable. These were bounty hunters, getting funneled in by the changing terrain into only a few possible routes, though the closeness of the destination might also be a factor- you could only have so many people in a certain area before encounters were bound to happen. He could watch Knives tense as another person came into view, and relax again only after they were gone. That one had been on a Thomas, though he had seen just about every contraption for traveling used that day short of a sand steamer. Thomases, cars, stagecoaches, steamwagons, even a few on foot. They ranged from lone wanderers to large caravans, depending on the individual tastes for company, safety, and the usefulness of allies.
Thus, their little party of four on a truck wasn't anything special. Without his red coat on, it made him hard to identify, so with any luck they'd blend right in and be able to spend a few weeks in the city bar hopping, seeing the sights, pestering large dangerous-looking people for fun, and chasing after women. At least, that was his plan for relaxing. What the others wanted to do was their choice, though he firmly intended on dragging Knives along- by the hair if need be -to get a dose of good old humanity. He grinned as the plots began to swirl about in his mind, though he stopped the grin when he saw what the dim interior light from the truck was making him look like in the side mirror. Huh, maybe Knives wasn't so evil as he was simply at the mercy of bad lighting? That theory fell through as being too silly even for him, so he simply got into the groove of the next song as they made their way through the darkness.
"That one looks good."
"You think? They don't look too good."
"Yeah, but look at the driver. Anyone that focused must have something valuable to transport."
"I dunno. Should we get the boss?"
"Yeah, even if it's a bust for goods, I'm tired of watching the traffic and that woman might be worth a fair bit. I want some action!"
"Your funeral if the boss don't like it."
The two figures on the bluff flashed a signal ahead to another bluff, which was flashed back at them.
"Alright! Time to show those folks that there's a toll for passing through Lawrence territory!"
This had been, still was, and would continue to be a bad idea. However, as long as brother was insisting on going to Inepril for the showdown, he was stuck alongside. He was recovered to the point where he could try his more advanced physical abilities for short periods, but total recovery was still a few days off. At least brother had planned for the designated date to be after he was back at full capacity. How he could be so intelligent in the details of his plans, yet so imbecilic in the plans themselves was beyond even a being of his own considerable intellect. In any case, he was still sub-standard, and that made every moment around this area exhausting.
He was /listening/ to every mind that passed by, to gain insight into the tactics these spiders might use. What he /heard/ was nothing short of nauseating. Greed, destruction, and decadence dominated the thoughts he picked up. If he was making the decisions, every last one of those disgusting creatures would have suffered from strategically placed burst blood vessels, but not for long. Death would welcome them soon enough afterward.
However, brother was going to meet the entire swarm of them at once, and unless he had developed abilities even he was unaware of they would inflict grievous harm upon his already scarred body. Why he persisted even after this sampling was a potentially fatal mystery. His pets were just as annoying. The surface only covered up the darkness below. The newest pet had displayed one moment of beauty, but a single moment could not make up for the time spent in a wretched state. As for the other pet, he was beginning to wonder if she was actually a human and not some form of machine for all he could pick up from her. If he used /force/, then brother would notice and that would be the end of that, so he just bided his time. Worst case, she died of old age, and he'd still get to dissect and examine her brain. Know thy enemy now or later, but he'd definitely know this enemy.
Suddenly, he /heard/ multiple spikes of aggression, from both ahead and behind. An ambush? How very quaint, he could easily crush them all. However, brother would have none of that, so he would stay in the rear for this fight which was fine by him. No need to do something if someone else will do it for you. However, it appeared that brother still hadn't detected the threat, so he resorted to the sonic method of communication. This would also alert the pets to the threat. If he was lucky, the spiders would fight amongst themselves and he might be rid of the pets.
"We're about to be ambushed. Prepare yourselves."
Brother had his hands on the two guns already, but maintained a state of outward calm. Good for him. The pets were waking groggily, barely aware of themselves let alone their surroundings. Multiple small objects dropped in front of them, so he applied the brakes. This tossed the pets around, getting them into an aware and thus useful state all the faster, though they of course didn't appreciate it.
"Why'd we stop Mr. Knives?" "What're you trying to do, kill us?"
"Not at the moment. I'm merely avoiding those bombs."
"Bombs?"
The explosions made his point for him. Due to his stop, they were well outside the effective range of the detonations, as opposed to inside the damage zone. The ambushers moved in, and he finally got a glimpse of them. 'Ragtag' seemed to be the descriptive word for their appearance. However, the tactics suggested a higher organizational state. Five ahead, two behind, four more on the surrounding bluffs, and he could just sense another group, possibly unrelated though no assumptions should be made, approaching from behind. Effective, against other spiders. However, this was a completely different kind of fight they had instigated, and even brother's foolhardy methods should overcome them. Time to observe the action.
A probable leader stood up. "You're totally surrounded! Get out of the truck and hand over your valuables!"
Brother got out. The female did likewise, while the male crouched behind the retaining wall for cover. He remained ready to drive off. Brother was first to reply.
"Now gentlemen, I'm sure we can resolve this without any shooting."
The shot that hit near his foot countered his statement.
"Okay, if you want to do it the hard way..."
Brother kicked up his speed and aimed both guns in rapid succession at the ambusher's firearms. It would have been effective, had shots actually been fired. He muttered an oath internally- his fool of a brother hadn't loaded the guns. Thus, the only things shot were a few rounds back, which were dodged easily enough though brother's love of theatrics made the task look harder than it was. The screaming made the illusion perfect, as the ambushers laughed.
"If you can't even afford bullets, we'll be happy to send you a few just-used ones! Since you seem to be having a spat of bad luck, how about you let us have those nice shiny guns and the girl, and the rest of you can move on!"
Well, that was completely unacceptable. There was no way he would permit a gang of hooligans walk off with his Angel Arm guns. However, without ammo or growth time, they were currently useless, leaving them at a severe disadvantage with only the two pets able to take action. He gunned the engine to try and take off, but a few shots pierced the hood and caused too much damage to permit continued operation. That should not have happened- the hood was thick enough to withstand the caliber of bullet they were using, but the holes left behind were far larger. Wonderful, the ones on the bluff had an armor-piercing gun at their disposal.
"Running off to save your own skin? Well, I'm afraid that just boosted our deal to everything you have. Now come on over missy, unless you want something unfortunate to happen to your friends."
"No! You're not very nice!"
"Well, that may be, but we're a lot nicer than some buyers out there. So get over here, or do you think you can call on god to save you?"
The intentions that oozed off the leader were vile even for the spiders. All humans were guilty of enslaving his sisters to their demands, but these were part of the few who reached so far into the darkness that even their own kind were merely objects to exchange. It made his blood boil, or rather, if brother would permit, it would make their blood boil. However, brother hadn't yet asked for assistance, so he continued to bide his time.
"Nicholas won't show you any mercy."
"Mercy? Mercy?" The leader had a long laugh at that. "There's never been any mercy on this dustball!"
"Maybe not now, but we've got hope."
The back end of the Cross Punisher opened up, and it launched a projectile at the ambushers on the bluff. The flash was much more effective due to the overall darkness, and since the gang had all focused on it instinctively, they were all blinded for valuable seconds.
"/Brother, catch!/"
He threw a pair of reloads to Vash, who had them slapped in just in time for the next pair thrown to be caught and pocketed. He wasted no time in proceeding to shoot the guns out of the hands of all the bandits then take cover, as did the rest of them. The victory was likely to be short lived, as the other group was bearing in quickly and the hostile intent from them was even fiercer than that of their current company. They were well protected in the indent in the rock wall, but getting back out would be tricky and getting away all but impossible under the current rules.
"So, can I kill them yet brother? It could only be an improvement."
"No, you can't kill them! I thought I made that clear!"
"I hate to say it Vash, but he might be right. I don't think we can get out of this without someone getting hurt. Let's just shoot them in the arms."
"That sounds like an acceptable compromise."
"No!"
Both his brother and the female exclaimed at that. His brother was still corrupted, but the female was a puzzle. Wasn't she aware of just what they intended to do to her, or was she truly without a brain at all? It would certainly explain the lack of readings he was getting... He pushed aside the thoughts as unproductive.
"So brother, let's hear your idea."
"Well, uh, I'm still thinking... Just keep them away for now?"
"That's some plan."
This time, it was himself and the other pet that echoed each other. At least the synapses were firing in his brain. If brother was without an effective plan, it was up to him to create one. His thoughts were interrupted by the gang leader.
"It's over for you! The only law out here is that those with power can do what they want to those without!"
A deep booming voice cut in at that moment. "I couldn't agree more. But what you're doing doesn't have any sparkle."
"I know that voice..."
However, the annoying ringing in his ear thanks to a too close shot made an instant ID hard. Man, if he had only remembered to reload after getting the guns tuned up... Right now, he was placing his faith in his new best friend outside. Speaking of which, he was being yelled at by the gang leader.
"This is no business of yours! Now take a hike you walking billboard before we use you for target practice!"
"Ah, but this is my business. There's only one gang that operates outside of Inepril, and you're just not flashy enough to take over."
"Why you-"
A shot rang out, and that was able to jolt loose his memory. He had heard a few thousand deep booming voices over his travels, but there were only a handful of people who used old tech magnetic drivers as guns. Only one of those people hanged out around Inepril.
"Don't be insulting, it's not beautiful. Now I want you to clear out, but not before I hear some names. I know what you've been doing, and taking away someone's chance to shine is one of the few things I won't stand for."
"Bah! The Lawrence Gang doesn't take orders from anyone! So unless you brought the Cavalry, you're out of luck!"
Time for him to make an entrance. He grinned and jumped out of the indent, ready to perform, slipping into his Triple-O mode. "Now gentlemen, before you do anything rash, you should know that you're dealing with the most flashy of outlaws, always a man of his word, who survived a duel with the great and handsome Vash the Stampede! I give you Brilliant Dynamites Neon!"
He gave a flair towards the man framed by the twin towers of neon lights that was up above, opposite the Lawrence's gunners. The object of his show looked at him for but a moment, then let loose a great booming laugh. "What an introduction! If I hadn't said I'd kill you, I'd offer to let you join the Bad Lads! All right boys, we've been introduced! Let 'em see your shine!"
All along the ridge, additional sets of lights flared into being, casting a glow over the whole stretch of the passage below. The Lawrences faltered, just realizing what a situation they'd gotten themselves into. The Bad Lads lined the other bluff, more heavily armed and armored than most Cavalry regiments. Milly came up behind him and waved.
"Hello Mr. Neon! Mr. Vash has an appointment to keep, so you'll just have to wait until then if you want to shoot him."
He twitched at that. He didn't even have to look to know that Milly had said that with a perfectly straight face. That girl was going to get him in some serious trouble someday, and the worse thing was that he probably wouldn't mind. BDN just leaned back and let loose another booming laugh.
"Now that's someone with sparkle! I suppose I can hold off our fight until after you've had your rumble. I was planning to be there, because I knew that nobody else could shine enough to take you down."
The Lawrence leader was swiveling his head back and forth as they spoke, first looking angry at being ignored, then realization dawned. "You're Vash the Stampede?!"
He held up one hand and wiggled the fingers. "Hello!"
Terror crept over the faces of the Lawrence Gang. The leader was the first to break down and run for it, with the rest of the gang not far behind. They ran off back the ways they came, leaving behind just about everything heavy that they could drop. The Bad Lads peered down after them, waiting for BDN's order. He waved them back. "We'll get them later, and bullets are just wasted on those with no sparkle. Right now, me and Vash have a little matter to discuss."
"Uh, didn't you agree to postpone the duel until the fourth?"
"This is different. I see your transport lost its glow."
As if on cue, the radiator cap blew off the truck, sending up a plume of steam. "Yeah, I think the engine's shot..."
"Well, I can supply you with enough provisions to make it to Inepril easy on foot, but I need a little something in return."
"And that would be?"
BDN held up something square. "How about a signature? It would really make this dull book glitter. I like how you wrote me, the words just glow."
His handy marker was in hand. "Sure thing! Just come on down-"
"No, you come up here. As that dull kid said, the powerful can do what they want out here."
"Yeah, yeah..." He frowned, and began to scramble up the incline.
They made it to the hills overlooking Inepril just as the suns peeked over the ridge behind them. They had ten days exactly until the appointed day came, and the city below looked... larger. A lot larger. The buried section had been unearthed, and a ring of tents surrounded the city. He could see two steamers pulling in, and another one already docked. One of the just-arrived steamers looked rather bristly, with far more artillery than a normal steamer carried. Squinting, he could just make out the insignia of the Gunsmoke Cavalry painted on the side. Oh man, had anyone not come for a piece of him?
"They brought an entire battlesteamer. Interesting, from what I heard they were too heavy to move. The spiders are getting more ingenious for every moment we let them swarm over this planet."
"Could you at least disparage my race when I'm not in earshot?"
"I suppose I could, but I won't. I'll say what I desire when I desire."
"Mr. Knives, Mr. Marlon, now's not the time. We need to go find Meryl, she's probably already there waiting for us!"
"Ah yes, the other pet spider, I had nearly forgotten about her."
"Knives, maybe you should let me handle the talking? It'll save us some trouble. You just sit back and relax, it'll be fun!"
Knives just made a 'Hmph' at him, then strode foreward. Frank and himself came next, already sweating from the loads, and Milly brought up the rear with her perpetual smile before her and the Cross Punisher behind. They thus left the hills and made their way to the city.
"Knives..."
"What is it?"
"Could you at least carry some of this?", as he gestured to the pack on his back that contained altogether way too much stuff. It both looked and felt like he was carrying the truck they had left behind.
"No. He made clear his intent to harm you, so I'm not letting anything come in contact with me. If you were smarter, you'd do the same."
"Man..."
Ah, so our brave(?), heroic(?), loyal(?) travelers have finally reached Inepril. Now it's time to jump back in time a few days, to see what will become of poor Meryl before Vash finds out. I see psychologists, lawyers, heavy-handed tactics, and a screaming dude with a big sharp thingy yet to come!
"Look at how the readers squirm like so many insects under a magnifying glass at your hints. Their misery is delectable."
Zip it Legato. Do I have to use the stick on you too? ...wait, you'd probably like that. But you wouldn't like the potted plant!
"I find all human pain to be a source of joy, even if it must be my own."
Oh no, you won't like this one. It's a geranium!
"...I shall return to guard duty."
Yeah, you do that. Anyway, does anyone have five bucks? I need to gas up the DeLorian.
cjflutterbye: Eep! Missed your review by mere minutes when I updated, though the extra chapter may have made up for it. I noticed that you just seem to be starting to tear through 's archives, so I suggest poking about the other reviewer's stories and favorites. Talent follows the writer, and a good reviewer is usually a good writer as well. Of course, that reflects horribly on me since I hardly review. Must be Knives' influence. And don't worry, I've got plans for Mr. Marlon too, though they sort of developed as I wrote rather than coming with the initial idea.
SapphireWhiteTiggress: Good thing you did! We found out about most of the other beta testers post mortem. Turns out we accidentally set them to 'Knives', not 'Meryl', and getting hugged was bad. Now the testers are simply reporting head injuries.
Sorian: You may be interested to know that there really is a weapon like that glue gun. However, I just can't remember anything about it other than the demonstration, which was really neat. It worked about as described.
betsytheripper: Death threats are forwarded to Legato, who then draws little pink hearts all over them and sticks them on his wall. I don't go in his room anymore. And there's no such thing as being stuck on a fic- ¤whispers¤ though your readers may not like it, you're allowed to work on others.
coffeetin: Warm fuzzies! Yay! As for the question, Knives certainly could if he wanted to. Of course, whether or not he's actually listening for her is another issue. As for Knives' personality, he had one year to learn how to interact, then spent the rest of life either avoiding or killing people, which doesn't give you much time to pick up social graces.