SPOKE City - The early twentieth century. The small town had begun the day peaceful and uneventful just as it always had done. But that wasn't to last when three armed men burst into the bank and started a robbery.

Scotty Tracy, the leader of the group, stood on guard at the door, keeping a lookout whilst keeping his gun ready in case law-enforcement turned up. His brothers Johnny and Gordo were kept busy with Gordo pushing sacks of gold through from the store room to Johnny who then placed them in a loot sack.

Hiram, the clerk, kept his hands up whilst trembling with fear. "Oh, m-my! Oh, my! You c-can't do that!" he protested as his stammer worsened. "Mr H-Hood will be real m-mad!" He fell silent when Scotty's gun was raised slightly.

The two brothers continued to load the gold whilst Scotty continued to watch the outside of the bank. Hiram noticed they were too busy not looking at him and his eye moved over to a small white button which if pressed would sound the alarm and alert the local police. He thought about pressing it, but that would only result in him probably getting shot at by the criminals or possibly get shot himself. His fears were proven when he glanced back to see Gordo with his head right next to his, glaring.

"Come on, hurry it up!" barked Scotty impatiently.

"Just one more," said Johnny.

"Yes, just one more," agreed Gordo.

Scott grimaced under the face mask he was wearing. "You two are too greedy, that's your problem!"

"There's no rules that we must follow," Johnny objected.

Hiram saw this as his chance to possibly get help. With the brothers arguing, he slowly began to move his left hand towards the button.

"Yeah, we can't leave all this!" agreed Gordon.

"Hurry it up, Gordo," Johnny said. "Hurry it up!"

Hiram's hand edged closer to the button. But he didn't get the chance to press it. A gunshot rang out and Hiram gave a yelp as the bullet shattered a bottle of blue ink on the table which then splashed onto his nose and cheeks. "OH!" he exclaimed.

Scotty came over to the counter, his gun pointed and a stern glare on what small part of his face was still visible. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, pal," he warned. "Next time, I'll be aiming to kill."

Hiram quivered.

"Okay, let's go!" Scotty said to the others. He grabbed one of the loot bags and made for the door with Johnny grabbing the other. Gordo grabbed a third and made his way out from behind the counter.

"Y-You w-won't g-get a-away w-with t-this!" stammered Hiram. "T-The l-law w-will c-catch u-up t-to y-you e-eventually!"

Scotty turned back as Gordo and Johnny exited through the front door. "That's where you're wrong, pal," he said. "We are the law! We take what we wan't, from who we want, whenever we want it! Hope it stays warm for you, friend." he aimed his gun at the ceiling, fired a shot which dislodged a gas light which fell and smashed on the floor. The gas slowly began to pour out across the floor as Scotty fired again, this time at the gas which set it alight. "See you around," Scotty said and then he followed his brothers out the door, closing it as he went.

Hiram grabbed the telephone and urgently pressed the emergency button. "Operator! O-Operator!" he cried. "H-Help! Help! F-Fire! Oh m-my! R-Robbery! Operator!" Then he heard the sound of an engine starting from outside. "N-No! My c-car!"

Whilst the stolen money from the bank wasn't personal to Hiram, his car most certainly was. Gordo had pick-pocketed the keys whilst behind the counter from Hiram and they were now stealing it as a getaway vehicle. The car was not very well maintained, was spluttery and its engine backfired as it set off. The brothers whooped with joy at their success as they sped out of the town.

As they went, they passed the last house at the edge of the town belonging to its oldest resident whose name was Sally. She'd been tending to her vegetable patch when the stolen car knocked part of her garden fence down. "YOU DESPICABLE RATS!" she bellowed, shaking her fist angrily after them. She didn't know that a robbery had just taken place and thought it was just some careless joyriders.

The brothers didn't care about Hiram. They didn't care that they'd started a fire in the bank. They didn't even care about the damage they'd just caused to Sally's fence. They'd made it out of Spoke City and nobody was around to stop them.

"How are we doing, Scotty?" asked Gordo as he tried to master the driving of Hiram's car.

Scotty was in the front beside him whilst Johnny was in the back with the loot. Neither of them were too impressed with Gordo's bad driving.

"If you'd quit trying to fly this thing and just drive it we'd be doing a whole lot better!" said Scotty.

"Yeah, take it easy, Gordo," agreed Johnny. "You'll likely kill us all before we have a chance to spend the money!"

"What's the matter, Johnny?" asked Scotty. "I thought you liked a little dangerous driving?"

"I do, but I want to stay alive to enjoy it a little longer!" Johnny said. "Well what's next, brother?"

Scotty was trying to read a map which wasn't easy due to the car shaking heavily on the dusty roads. "What's next?" he repeated. "A little gold busting in Attuma. And the nearest town to that is…Alanstown. Yes, I reckon we'll rest up there for a bit."

Gordo and Johnny were suddenly looking worried.

"Did you say…Alanstown?" asked Gordo.

"Yeah, so what?" asked Scotty.

"But, Scotty, you know who runs that place, don't you?" asked Johnny. "That's where Virg and Al now reside, and last I heard Al's the sheriff and he has a mighty high reputation for law and order!"

"And they say he's the fastest drawer in the west!" added Gordo.

Scotty scoffed. "He'll have to be fast to take on the three of us!" he said. "Besides, I reckon pretty much everyone will be out of town at the Triple-Creek Rodeo! Quit complaining, you two! I said next stop - Alanstown!"

Mr Hood was the secretly corrupt mayor of Spoke City. He looked at the bank through the window of his office across the street. Hiram was safe and the fire was out but the damage was quite severe and losing such a large amount of money to the Tracy's made him seethe with anger.

"Stealing from my town!" he cursed. "It's disgusting! Nobody steals from me and gets away with it!" He turned to face the two oddly-dressed people who were standing in the office. One was a short, slim white female with short brown and white hair. The other was a large muscular black man with short black curly hair. Both were wearing strange purple body-armour suits. "Now I've heard you two are the best at what you do," Mr Hood continued. "I'm putting out a $500,000,000 reward for the capture of these men. Preferably dead, but I'll add a bonus on if you can bring them to me alive. I would very much like to spend some time with them alone."

"We'll get 'em for you, Mr Hood," said the woman. "There's no challenge that H. A. Vok and Fusebox cannot handle. We'll have 'em at your feet by sunset!"

"Excellent!" said Mr Hood. "Get to it then. And don't let anybody get in your way. Not even the Sheriff of Alanstown."

"You think that's where they've gone?" asked Fusebox.

"Most certainly, my boy," replied Mr Hood. "There's a gold shipment going out on a train from there this evening. Those cretins won't be able to resist such a treasure. Trust me." He began to cackle evilly.

It took nearly an hour for the Tracy's to cover the distance between Spoke City and Alanstown. As Scotty had predicted, they found the town almost deserted as they drove in. With the exception of a small number of folk in the Saloon, nobody seemed to be around. Nor did anybody appear to even notice them arrive. Even their estranged brothers Sheriff Al and Virg didn't appear to be around anywhere. Confident in their stay remaining unnoticed, they left the car outside the Saloon and went inside for some drinks.

What they didn't notice however was that somebody had indeed noticed them arrive. Tanusha Kyrano was Sheriff Al's head deputy and right-hand woman. She kept out of sight as the Tracy brothers had driven in but once she'd made certain of their location she ran back to the Sheriff's Office to alert him of their presence.

Sheriff Al had been relaxing in the office with his feet up on the desk and his face buried in that day's newspaper. On the front page had been an advert warning people to be on the lookout for the Tracy brothers as the robbery in Spoke City most certainly wasn't their first and several other towns in the area had been offering rewards for their capture.

The first Sheriff Al knew of anything was when he heard hurried footsteps coming from outside and the door bursting open with a rather out of breath Tanusha running in. "Sheriff! Sheriff!" she cried. "Your brothers have just rolled into town!"

Sheriff Al threw down the newspaper and stood himself up. "Okay, Tanusha, take a breath," he said calmly. "I knew they would come here eventually. Let's play it cool though. He adjusted his gun's holster and then grabbed his hat. "Where are they?"

"In the Saloon," Tanusha replied. "I hope they don't hassle Virg too much. He's in there on the piano today."

"Then what are we waiting for?" asked Sheriff Al. "Let's go get them!"

Scotty, Johnny and Gordo had already had a couple of drinks which they'd drunk quickly in celebration of their heist in Spoke City.

"Same again, barman!" Scotty ordered. "And be quick about it!" He then left Johnny and Gordo by the bar whilst he went over to the opposite side of the saloon where Virg was playing the piano. Virg had noticed them arrive and instantly felt sick. Ever since the death of their father Jeff two years earlier, the family had been torn apart. Whilst Jeff's will left his wealth to the five brothers, it had specifically ensured that it was divided equally between the five brothers. Virg and Al took theirs without fuss believing it was fair. But Scotty felt being the eldest that he should have inherited the fortune. He quickly corrupted the minds of Gordo and later Johnny into believing it, although Johnny still had a slight reluctance in the back of his mind. Virg and Al were strongly against it and after a vicious family feud, they'd split and gone their separate ways with Scotty leading Gordo and Johnny turning to a life of crime whilst Virg and Al had moved to their new town and helped build it up from there. With Al becoming a very well respected person, the town was soon properly named Alanstown in his honour when he became the Sheriff. He'd chased some castle rustlers out the year before and thus was what allowed him to become head of the town's non-existence law-enforcement.

Virg grimaced when he realised Scotty was coming over towards him but decided to try and at least act civil if he could. "Scotty."

"Howdy, Virg," Scotty replied. "Long time, no see, brother."

"Not long enough," Virg muttered to himself. "What are you doing here?"

"Just passing through," Scotty said. "Thought we'd have a drink."

"To celebrate your last heist no doubt?" Virg said. He continued to play the piano and not once did he even look up at Scotty.

"Now whatever gives you that idea?" asked Scotty with a raised eyebrow.

Virg pointed to a poster on the wall showing the faces of Scotty, Gordo and Johnny. It had 'WANTED' written at the top and a $20,000 reward for their capture - dead or alive written at the bottom.

"Only, $20,000?" Scotty sounded disappointed. "I'm sure we're worth a lot more than that."

Virg growled and sighed. "How could you let yourself get like this, Scotty?" he asked. "You used to be a kind and caring person who always looked out for us. And now you're a petty criminal robbing banks because you find it exhilarating! You think Dad would be proud of you for this?"

"Of course not!" Scotty replied, angered that Virg had even mentioned him. "You know he's the reason why I'm doing this. He once told me that once he was gone, everything he had would be mine. He said nothing about sharing it with each of us individually!"

"You make me sick," Virg said. "That's rubbish and you know it! I'm ashamed to think I was ever your brother."

"Like it or not, we still are, Virg," Scotty said. "And I want you back with us. Al too. I'll even get you anything you want."

Virg finished playing his piece and turned the music page over. "There is something I want you to do, Scotty," he said.

"Sure," said Scotty. "Just name it."

Virg looked up at his brother for the first time in a long time. He looked him straight in the eye and said "Get stuffed!" He then turned back and started playing again.

Scotty was outraged. Nobody spoke to him like that. He began to reach for his gun, but stopped as he suddenly remembered something Jeff had once taught him. Virg wasn't armed and Jeff's advice was

"Never shoot a man unless he's armed, son. It isn't proper."

Scotty turned away and headed back to the bar where Aloysius the barman had left his drink for him. Johnny and Gordo had drunk a few more drinks whilst he'd been over with Virg. Penny the posh owner of the Saloon was observing them with a degree of dislike. She'd recognised who they were but decided not to cause a scene as she felt sure that Sheriff Al would arrive soon to take care of them. In the meantime she would treat them like any other customer she dealt with.

Gordo burped loudly which turned a few heads. "I could do with another drink," he said with a slur in his voice.

"I'd say you've had enough, honey," remarked Penny.

"This place could do with being livened up!" said Johnny, swirling his glass around in his hand. "I mean bright pink on the walls? What kind of color is that for a saloon bar?"

Penny did her best to ignore the remark. "Now I do hope you boys aren't going to cause any trouble whilst you're in here?" she warned. "This town is a law-abiding one and this bar is respectable."

Gordo was getting annoyed by Penny talking down at them. "Why don't you get lost, sweetheart?" he said rudely.

Penny glared at him for a second before walking away in a huff.

Johnny moved closer to Scotty for a confidential talk. Clearly Gordo wasn't in much of a state to take part in it at the moment. "What about the loot from the banks?" he asked. "When are we sharing it out?"

Scotty frowned at him. "What's the hurry, Johnny?" he asked. "Don't tell me you're getting cold feet and are wanting to pull out just when life's getting good?"

"Er, no, of course not," Johnny replied.

"Then shut up!" Scotty hissed. "Let's talk about Attuma. What time is the Mail Express?"

"Six o'clock, I believe," said Johnny.

"That's right," said Scotty. "At six o'clock today, it will pick up the biggest gold consignment that's ever been shipped by rail from the west. Right now it's all locked up safe and sound in a concealed vault at the station. But five minutes before the train arrives they'll put it out onto the platform ready to be loaded as soon as the Express arrives. That's when we'll strike."

There was a sudden clunk that made their heads turn sharply to the right. Gordo suddenly spat his drink out and he stared in disbelief. Virg also suddenly stopped playing and the whole saloon went completely silent. The only sound that could be heard now was the wind blowing outside. All eyes turned to the front swinging doors to see Sheriff Al now standing in his pristine white uniform. He looked around at the people that were in there. Scotty, Johnny and Gordo suddenly found themselves feeling very tense, just like the rest of the room seemed to feel.

Al looked from Virg on his left to the bar on his right. His eyes crossed over his three estranged brothers but he didn't look them in the eye. He then walked over to the bar and as he settled himself beside it, turned his head to look at his three brothers for the first time properly since they'd parted ways.

Aloysius came up to him. "What will h'it be, Sheriff?" he asked.

"Whiskey, little brother?" asked Johnny, sliding a large bottle along the bar to where Al caught it.

Al didn't acknowledge Johnny. He remained silent for a moment before finally speaking to Aloysius. "Milk - on the rocks, please."

"Sure, Sheriff," said Aloysius. He bent under the bar, took out a small glass and poured the milk into it. He then pushed it over to Al and stepped back beside where Penny was standing.

Silence fell upon the saloon again with the wind continuing to whistle outside. Everyone wanted to see what would happen. Al didn't look at his brothers and instead kept his eyes on the glass of milk. Scotty, Gordo and Johnny watched him closely too. It was like both were waiting to see who was going to crack first.

Slowly, Al began to move his hand towards the glass. He almost touched it when a gunshot suddenly rang out. Scotty had cracked first and his shot shattered the glass spilling the milk all over the bar. Al duck down and had his gun drawn before his brothers even had a chance to blink. He returned fire, one bullet shattering Scotty and Johnny's glasses and forcing them and Gordo to dive for cover. The few locals who were in the bar ran for the door and were guided out by Tanusha who'd been hiding outside the door.

Al fired another shot which caused Johnny's hat to fly off his head. As he dived out of sight his own gun went off which hit the mirror behind the bar and shattered it and caused Aloysius and Penny to duck for cover. More bullets hit bottles and glasses and shattered them too.

Penny's head popped up from behind the bar momentarily. "Okay, Virg, keep it going!" she urged.

So Virg started playing again, despite the constant sound of gunshots being fired back and forth across the saloon. He wasn't worried because he knew none of the shots were being fired at him and he had the utmost confidence in Al that he'd be able to handle it.

Johnny leant around from where he was hiding and tried to get a shot off at Al. al however was too quick for him and fired first. The bullet chipped the wooden front of the bar inches from Johnny and he jumped which caused his gun to fly out of his hand and landed a few feet away from him. He tried to reach out to get it.

"Don't move!" Al ordered. "Hold it right there!"

Scotty had dived away when the firing had first started and had concealed himself behind one of the wooden walls where Al couldn't see him. He had his gun ready to start shooting but didn't notice Tanusha had now entered the saloon and had snuck up behind him. She took hold of a wooden chair, lifted it up and then slammed it down over his head, knocking him down and forcing him to drop his gun which she quickly seized.

Gordo hadn't taken part in the battle at all up until this point. With Scotty knocked down and Johnny at gunpoint he felt it was time to make his move. Slowly he began to rise up from where he'd been hiding behind the bar with his eyes fixed firmly on Al.

"Oh, no you don't!" said Penny when she noticed. She grabbed a custard pie and slammed it into Gordo's face causing him to fall over onto the floor. "Now let that be a lesson to you, boy!" she scolded. "Don't ever be rude to a lady!"

Al had gotten hold of Johnny's gun and was now using it as well as his own to cover his brothers. "Well done, Penny, Tanusha," he congratulated. "Okay, brothers, get your hands up!"

Johnny was the first to stand. "We'll get even with you, Al," he cursed.

Scotty was next to stand with his hands raised as Tanusha was covering him with his own gun as well as her own.

Gordo was the last to reappear. He let out a hiccup as he did. "W-W-What's going on here?" he asked in a drunken-sounding voice.

"Good," said Al with a satisfied tone in his voice. "Now let's get them down to the jailhouse."

It didn't take long for Al and Tanusha to get Scotty, Johnny and Gordo taken to the Sheriff's Office where they were locked in the cage at the very back of the building. As Tanusha secured them in the cell, Virg watched with partial dismay and partial satisfaction. Dismay that his own brothers were in the situation that they were and satisfaction that their reign of terror had been brought to an end.

Al had had a copy of the Wanted poster for his brothers up on the wall in his office. Now they were caught he was able to remove it.

Tanusha turned the key in the lock and stepped back to look at the prisoners. "There you go, boys," she said. "Now you can stay in there and cool your hot heads for a while."

The telephone rang. Al answered it. "Hello? Sheriff here."

"Trouble down the Triple-Creek Rodeo, Sheriff," said a voice on the other end. "You think you can come?"

"Sure, Sim," replied Al. "I'll be right over." He put the receiver back down.

"Wait, you're not leaving, are you, Al?" asked Virg, worried. He didn't like the thought of him not keeping an eye on their brothers.

"Afraid so, bro," said. "Sim's got some trouble and I'd better go sort it. I'll be back inside an hour."

"Don't worry, Virg," said Tanusha. "I'll be here to make sure they don't cause trouble."

Virg was still uneasy, but he felt he could trust Tanusha, especially when she batted her eyelids at him. "Very well," he said. "At least I can rest easy tonight knowing they're no longer terrorising people. Need a lift to the rodeo, Al?"

"Please," said Al as he and Virg headed for the door.

"Still not got your own car, Al?" asked Gordo, still sounding a bit drunk.

"SILENCE!" snapped Tanusha making the three brothers in the cell jump.

Virg and Al shot their brothers a final glare before heading out the door.

"See you in a while, Tanusha," promised Al.

"Take as long as you need, Sheriff," said Tanusha as she sat herself in his chair. "Don't worry about a thing. Nothing's going to go wrong."