Chapter 14

"Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist," Macks grinned. "You've made quite the name for yourself, I must say. And quite the bounty. Congratulations."

His gaze never left the grinning turncoat, but through the corner of his eye Edward glanced over at Meryl. She seemed to be momentarily stunned at revelation of his identity, for she had stopped trying to free herself.

"What are you planning to do with that gun?" he asked coolly. Macks laughed.

"This is insurance in case you don't co-operate." He said menacingly. All trace of the former joviality was gone, replaced by a cold malice. He motioned with the pistol towards the door of Lina's room. "In. Now."

"All right, all right," Edward said, opening the door and entering the room. "Just watch that thing, okay?" He looked embarrassedly at Lina as he entered, then turned his attention to Macks who followed behind carrying a struggling Meryl. "Really, we were going to pay for our stay here. Though I have to tell you, I've been in cleaner slums than this place.

Macks scowled. "Shut up. If you had had the common decency to die when you got blown to smithereens, I wouldn't have had to resort to this."

Lina, meanwhile, was looking between the two men as her hand crept slowly under the pillow of the bed, withdrawing a small object clenched in her fist, unnoticed.

The big man dropped Meryl to the floor in a heap, ignoring her muffled cry of pain as she hit the hard floorboards. "But then again," he said as he raised his gun directly at Edward's heart, "maybe this is a stroke of luck after all."

Edward stalled for time. "So, how big is this bounty?" he inquired. The longer he kept Macks talking, the longer he wouldn't shoot. He didn't look the type that could chew gum and walk at the same time. Besides, it would give his ego a boost to find out just how much he was worth dead.

Macks shrugged. "Enough for me to be able to close this hole and open up a casino, where the real money is.

"Don't get me wrong, Meryl did me a huge favour back in the day, and I'm grateful, but what she did then don't pay the bills now, know what I mean?" he continued, as Lina slowly brought her hands together in her lap, allowing the item she retrieved under her pillow to be accessible to both hands when the time came…

"Anywho, time for talking's over," Macks said, cocking the hammer of the gun back. "You're worth the same to Damien dead or alive, and I'd prefer you dead." His finger began to squeeze the trigger.

The time was now.

In a flash a marble-sized ball of paint shot out from Lina's custom-made slingshot. Forged from Ship-steel, it was lightweight and durable, and packed a wallop when within range. And Macks was most definitely in range in the cramped space.

Edward felt something small fly by his ear and the next second Macks was screaming in pain as royal blue suddenly appeared on his face, mixing in some spots with the red blood from his broken nose to create a sickly purplish colour. The gun was knocked off course at the last second and instead of the bullet piercing Edward's chest it ricocheted off of the metal chest plate that anchored his right arm and disappeared into the ceiling.

While Macks was still reacting to the pain, Edward delivered a hard punch with his right arm to his left temple. Macks went down like a ton of bricks. He untied Meryl and then turned towards Lina. "Thank you, Lina. If it weren't for you I'd be dead right now." He said.

She shifted uncomfortably on the bed. "Yeah, well, you're the only guy who can answer the questions I've got, and if I let him shoot you, I'd never know. Besides," she said, grinning. "You've still got most of that hour left."

Edward laughed.

"Chong!" a voice drifted into Jack Chong's Auto Body Shop from the dusty street outside. "Hey, Chong!"

Jack peered out of the closed blinds. EVE, Millie and the kids were sitting on hard wooden chairs, the only things in the repair shop's front foyer aside from a water cooler by the door and a low table covered with old newspapers. "Sorry buddy, I'm closed for the day! You're gonna have to come back tomorrow!"

The man laughed. "I ain't here for my car, dumbass. We want the two women you're hiding in that rat's nest." Suddenly the man pitched forwards to the ground. Behind him stood a man in a white shirt, red bandana blue jeans and a black leather coat, an expression of disgust on his face and holding the gun he just pistol-whipped the man with by the barrel. It was a huge, silver six-shooter revolver.

He put the gun back in his side-holster and reached into his breast pocket. It was not until after it was lit that the man spoke. "Sorry about that, Jack," he called. "Unfortunately, most of the men in my employ lack manners- they think they just need to bully to get what they want."

"What do you want, Damien?" Jack asked suspiciously. He knew the leader of the Red Rogues, oh yes, ever since Damien wore red diapers. He was a local kid, one that many people, Jack included, wished they had enough foresight to prevent from being conceived.

Damien shrugged his shoulders carelessly. "As my associate so immodestly put it, we'd like the women you're aiding and abetting in there, please."

"It's only aiding and abetting if they've broken the law, Damien." Jack told him. There was no point in denying they were there- obviously Rosette had been followed.

A grin appeared on the younger man's face. "Oh, they broke the law all right," he said savagely, "They broke my law, which is punishable by death. Now hand them over, old man."

"And if I refuse?" Jack asked suspiciously.

Clearly enjoying this, Damien snapped his fingers. Instantly no less then twenty men armed with machine guns came out of hiding: there were some on the roof of the saloon across the street, behind trash bins, cars, buildings, all with their guns aimed at the shop. "I'll blow your rats nest to Kingdom Come. I've tried asking nicely, but now I'm telling you. Ya got five seconds. One."

"Shit!" Jack cursed as he scrambled away from the window. "Everyone, behind the desk!"

"Two."

Jack scooped up the two kids and dived behind the old oak desk where Millie and EVE were just ahead of the hail of bullets that blasted through the big picture window that made the front of the shop, reducing it and everything in the room to shards and rubble.

Damien threw back his head and laughed. 'Nothing could've survived that,' He thought triumphantly as he turned away, 'nothing.' Suddenly something whizzed past his ear, and the next second something fell off the roof of the saloon with a thud. A cursory glance showed it was one of his men, the back of his head missing. Damien whirled around.

As the dust from the destroyed repair shop settled on the ground, he peered into the gloom. In a room where everything had been demolished, stood Jack holding a shotgun. The old man laughed.

"Idiot!" he shouted. "I used to be in the Calvary- you think I wouldn't know how to protect myself?" He rapped something black about the same height as the desk that had once stood in its place. "This here's a plate of foot-thick steel I had installed for just such an occasion."

Damien lost it. He did not like to be wrong, and this crazy old bastard just corrected him in the worst possible way. "Well, what are you waiting for, fools? SHOOT HIM!" he cried.

There was a moment of silence, to which he looked around. "Sorry, Chief- we poured all our ammo into the shop. We've got nothing in reserves." One of his men- Clive- told him nervously. Damien turned slowly back towards the old man.

"Now," Jack said, leveling the shotgun at Damien, "Get the hell away from my store or I'll blow you to Kingdom Come, ya little brat." Even from the middle of the street outside the demolished shop, Damien could hear the faint "click!" of the gun being cocked.

Damien's mouth worked, but nothing came out. "We're going," he snapped to his men. They looked at each other but said nothing as they emerged from their various hiding places. A truck came out from one of the alleys and the Red Rogues began piling into the open back. Damien stood for a moment in the street and said, "It ain't over, old man- not by a long shot." Then he climbed onto the passenger side of the cab and they drove off.

Jack, turned away from the street to check on the girls. "Hoo-wee, that was close. You four all right-"

It all happened so fast. Jack fell forward, a dime-sized hole in his back. EVE turned him on his back, his head resting on her lap. He tried to say something, but nothing came out except a gurgle. He pointed outside the shop.

Striding towards them was Damien, the predator's smile firmly entrenched upon his face, the huge silver revolver in his hand, the barrel still smoking from the bullet it plugged into the old man while his back was turned.

"You should really listen to your betters, old man," the outlaw said. "I told it you it wasn't over, and you looked away from me while I was still a threat." Lifting his boot as though he were about to step on a bug, he brought it down as hard as he could on Jack's stomach. Jack moaned and he laughed.

"Stop it!" EVE cried. "Please, if you're going to kill him, kill him. But don't make him suffer anymore than you have." He crouched down to bring himself eye level with her, gun held loosely in his hand by his knee. If she could just grab it, it would turn the tide in their favour.

"Aw, now you're making me out to be a monster," he said, leering. "And in front of the little ones, too." He gestured towards them with the hand that held the gun, and Millie hugged her children tighter. With his other, he grabbed EVE's chin and looked into her eyes. Her olfactory receptors detected a high methane and tobacco content in his breath. If she could smell, she'd be gagging from the stench. "What's your name?"

"E- Evie," she said. Her real name being an acronym for what she was, she had to use an alias to keep her true nature hidden from this detestable man.

"Tell you what, Evie," he said, dropping his voice, each word dripping with charm and charisma. "You come with me, and I'll leave the girl and kids alone."

EVE hesitated. Even if she did comply, he could just simply shoot the others, if not here, then certainly when he found out there were certain things she couldn't perform. Still, it was their only option. "Deal."

His eyes lit up. "Great! I knew you were a smart girl." He held out his hand, which she took and stood up. Jack slid to the floor, another soft moan escaping him.

"Oh yeah, nearly forgot," Damien said. He aimed the revolver and shot the old man twice in the head. Millie began to scream. Damien just laughed as he holstered the revolver and dragged EVE with him to the truck, which they drove out into the night.