(Chapter 17: Constant movement)
Later on that night, Bill Pierce arrived at the large wooden gates of Fort Mercer. Rebecca was the first one to welcome him back, two gang members opened the gates to let the prize fighter in. He looked around the fort, everyone had settled in for the night.
"Good news, Bill. This fort allows extra ammunition and weapons for dozens of other gang members, we have set free ten prisoners from those cells. So we have two weapons left, this fort allows us to have a great advantage. There is only one way in, at the center of the fort is a gatling gun situated on top of a building. With the skill of our elites, we will be unstoppable." Jack said, placing his hand on Bill's shoulder.
"Jack, that's good. What about Tonya, are you still on board with rescuing her?"
"We're going to rescue her, El Presidio lays a great distance away from here though. Tonya might have passed through a few places, so we'll check through those places first. Our main fortress and camp will be at this fort, so we'll be doing lots of moving around."
Bill sighed and then responded to Jack with what he was wanting to be answered.
"Okay, how are we going to get her though?"
Jack smirked and then began to explain Mr. Gonzalez's plan.
"She's being held or going to be held at a mexican stronghold known to many as El Presidio, it fell to Abraham Reyes, a rebel back in 1911 with the aid of my father. There is many cannons and gatling guns at this fortress, it will be extremely hard to get in regardless of this smart plan." Jack explained, then Bill became agitated.
"Several cannons and gatling guns! For God's sake Jack, you're sending us to our deaths!"
Jack rolled his eyes, he tried his best not to annoy or anger Bill, it seemed impossible. Bill looked at all of the hispanic inmates that had been set free, and all of the rescued african americans from Sisika.
"You're leading all of these minorities to their deaths as well, they wanted to be free from their prisons, these colored people suffered and now you march them onward to death, what kind of leader are you Jack?"
"Bill." Jack growled in a warning tone, it seemed like it would be a repeat of what happened back at Fort Wallace almost a whole day ago since it was currently midnight.
"We get Tonya back, that's final."
Bill shook his head as Dred slowly emerged from his lodging within the fortress. Dred could hardly get to sleep without worrying about his Tonya, he loved her a whole lot more than the other gang members expected.
"You're going to lead us all to slaughter just for one damn person! That woman is dirt under our boots now, look towards the future and forget about the past!" Bill cried out, Jack noticed Dred approaching angrily, he decided to leave Dred with Bill.
"Why do you throw Tonya under us all? Tell me Bill, are you jealous that we're in love with each other. You just can't get a wife or a girl, face the facts." Dred said calmly, trying to not get angry with Bill.
"Oh bullshit, you two aren't in love. She doesn't even know that you love her at all, you two just started talking! Leave the woman behind Dred, one life isn't worth dozens of deaths." Bill growled, he seemed like he had a point.
"I'm sorry Bill, I'm not resting until we get Tonya back. Do you know why I kept my head held high back at Sisika? It is because of her, she kept me driving for success, she kept my hopes up. In the end, she is the mastermind behind my will power. I have sought her as more of a idol than a woman, a woman that every young girl should look up to. She has beauty, she is charming and caring, and nice. I don't care how many people die, I need Tonya, Bill. I'm not leaving this world without her either." Dred responded, his voice now starting to sound angry.
"You don't care how many people die? Is there a method to your fucking madness!" Bill screamed, getting right in Dred's face.
"I'm sorry, I must have gone a little too far, but if blood has to be spilt, let it be spilled. This is a stronghold, I'm pretty sure it has seen it's fair share of blood and death in the past." Dred desperately tried to remain calm but he found it hard to do so.
"Okay Dred, I'm going to leave this conversation at this. You can't get over her, you can't simply leave her behind even though she isn't even an elite of this gang, you will let all of these innocent people die, even though your wife has probably gotten fucked to insanity by several mexican dicks!"
That was the final straw, and Dred gave Bill a hard right hand to the jaw. Bill was sent stumbling back, then falling onto his ass, looking up at Dred with a face of pure rage.
"Let.. her.. Die!" Bill roared as he slowly charged up from his sitting position, running into an elbow strike to the temple from Dred, again knocking Bill to the ground.
Bill groaned in pain after receiving the blow, his mouth ate the sand that was on the interior ground of Fort Mercer. He started to crawl towards the wall, getting the same memory of his fight with Lou Scherr from back in 1913.
"Do you think I cannot whip your ass, you may have been a prize fighter and an undefeated champion, but you've never met me you honky!" Dred growled, scooping up Bill and then launching the prize fighter into the concrete wall.
Bill yelped loudly once he slammed into the wall, he again slammed into the sandy ground of Fort Mercer. He then remembered his father's words from many moons ago.. "You're not useless" those words now came back to Bill, it had been a really long time.
"I'm not useless.." Bill growled as he slowly stood up, Dred balled up his fists and stared down the prize fighter as he rose to his feet. Those three words usually meant that Bill would come back and win the fight, Dred charged towards Bill.
"Don't you dare talk about Tonya like that!" Dred screamed in anger, Bill balled up his right fist and got into a ready stance. Dred's pride had gotten the best of him, his love for Tonya caused him to turn violent.
Once Dred was within range, Bill slammed his fist into Dred's jaw, flipping the script for moments earlier. The african american member stumbled a bit back, but didn't fall. Bill charged forward, rushing at Dred to deliver the knockout blow.
Dred heaved Bill into the air and slammed him down to the ground, but much like how Lou Scherr's fight went down, Bill hooked an arm around his opponent's throat and drove Dred's head into the ground for a DDT. Dred wasn't knocked out, and continued to punch Bill in the side over and over again.
"Have you two lost your minds!" Jack shouted, breaking up the fight. He was angered that rifts were growing already in his gang.
"He was talking about my woman, throwing dirt on her name. I'll have no one speak about Tonya in such a way!" Dred shouted in rage as he got up, Bill smirked and then snickered.
"You act like you're dating her, and you're not. I'm trying to save our asses from dying at El Presidio, if Jack isn't a fool, he would make the right choice, and forget about Tonya."
Jack watched the two argue on and on for a few more moments before snapping.
"Okay, first thing tomorrow morning, we all head out. We'll stop when we feel necessary, we get Tonya back, and that is that!" Jack shouted, then storming off to his lodging to sleep for the night.
(A few hours later)
The time was four in the morning, everyone had fell fast asleep and was peaceful. The moon beamed down upon the hill in which Fort Mercer sat upon, the crickets chirped all around the new camp of the Marston Gang.
Mr. Gonzalez had woken up due to a noise he had heard from the front of the fort, it was a repeating thud of a noise. When the hispanic member approached the large wooden double doors, there was marks on them, and the door was slightly opened. Mr. Gonzalez slowly approached Jack Marston's lodging to tell him what was going on. Something else was waiting for him in the room, a BlackJack member had arrived. It wasn't an elite member nor Markus Van Der Linde, it was just a random female member.
"Hey, what are you doing here!" Mr. Gonzalez shouted, aiming his revolver at the woman with the knife in her hand. Jack Marston slowly opened his eyes.
The woman turned around, to see Jack pointing his cattleman revolver at her. The BlackJack woman was outmatched now, Mr. Gonzalez looked at the gang leader.
"Jack, who is this girl?" The hispanic member asked, Jack slowly got up with his revolver still aimed at her head.
"It's a member of a rival gang, don't kill her but take her prisoner." Jack said, Mr. Gonzalez fired his revolver into the air. The BlackJack member spun around to get hit in the head by Jack's revolver.
After a few minutes, Jack had a lantern in front of the member to interrogate her.
"Where did you come from?" Jack asked, the rival gang member didn't say anything.
"Say something." Mr. Gonzalez growled, standing guard for his leader.
"We suspected you went to catch somebody, since you abandoned your old camp, we figured you traveled somewhere else far from New Hanover. Now that I've found you all, they shall come for me."
Bill suddenly walked out of his lodging to urinate, he noticed the BlackJack member in the cell. Bill sighed, he knew that the gang would eventually be found.
"Well, we've got to move now before more of them come. Or else we all get slaughtered by the BlackJacks!"
Jack groaned in annoyance, he then stood up to look over at Bill.
"For the first time, you're not a useless fourth in place elite, for once you actually have a point!" Jack tried to joke, not knowing Bill's history with the three words.
"That's something you don't know about me Jack, I'm not useless, how about I leave this fort? Then you'll all die and I won't have to suffer from your asshole ways. You're not a leader Jack, I should be it!" Bill declared, Jack shook his head.
"No, you shouldn't be the leader. You're right about one thing though, we all need to move." Jack responded, the gunslinger proceeded to wake everyone up from their peaceful slumber. All needed some more rest, times were difficult.
Bill dealt with the BlackJack woman with a single punch to her jaw, knocking her out in one hard strike. After around thirty minutes of packing up the convoy, the gang stirred themselves awake. Jack rode beside Rebecca at the front of the large caravan.
"Jackie, I'm so tired.." The irishman yawned, Jack stroked her long smooth hair.
"It's okay Rebecca, we'll get some rest. I've got a plan, once we reach El Presidio, and take control, we'll get all the rest that we need." Jack said with pride, and hope in his voice.
(Not too far away)
It was in the Rio Bravo region within New Austin, there was a now massive oil drilling site located quite close to the bridge to cross in order to get to Mexico. This oil drilling site was Plainview, the reality of the situation, is that the BlackJacks had taken over the oil site. Not all of them arrived though, only a decent sized squadron and a couple of the elites. They had arrived while the Marston Gang slept at Fort Mercer.
"We can't sit around, Jake, we've gotta drive into that fort at full force. One person isn't going to do the job." A BlackJack member said, with another carrying a wolf carcass on his back. Jake Lanza bit off a piece of game meat received from a wolf he had skinned earlier.
"We'll shock them when we find them again, let that girl be a warning sign that we are close… Very close." Jake responded as he chewed down the piece of meat.
"How are we going to shock them, brother?" Nicholas Lanza asked, Jake grew a smug grin on his face.
"You'll see."
Nicholas sat down by the campfire to discuss matters of destroying Jack and the legacy he has so far created for himself.
"Jack is a good strategist, or so I think. If his gang lives to see the year of 1920, I will be very surprised. The FBI has taken out almost every single gang with the quickest of ease, Jack Marston's gang hasn't even been touched by law enforcement yet." Nicholas said, seeming impressed by what Jack has done so far.
"He is indeed a hard egg to crack, but in the end, civilization will prove too much. There will be cities everywhere, all of this wilderness will be gone, instead there will be towns, busy streets. Maybe we won't need horses in the future. So far though, the law hasn't recognized the BlackJacks, at least in these new territories across the Grizzlies mountains. We are getting an edge on the Marston Gang, we have driven them from all the way as far as Roanoke Ridge, now down to Mexico."
The Lanza brothers continued to discuss plans to stop the convoy of the Marston Gang from continuing into Mexico, at this point, it would be too late to stop them…
After several minutes, the entire Marston Gang convoy was officially in Mexico. One of the members looked over his shoulder to see them slowly leaving America behind, what was before them was a massive desert. Red sand was everywhere, large natural formations too, such as Ojo Del Diablo. Since it was still four in the morning, it was still dark, the moon was still shining. The cool air of the desert at night, and the silence around them all, it gave the whole gang a feeling of calmness and peace in the storm that was still raging on, the storm that was the gang life.
As the gang slowly passed underneath the natural bridge like arch formation of Ojo Del Diablo, Bill rode up beside of Jack's wagon at the front of the convoy.
"This place is called Ojo Del Diablo on the map because so many bad people pass under here, much like ourselves."
The convoy started to make their way around the curve, they noticed a lone wagon sitting still in the night. Jack looked down at Bill, and then pointed to the wagon.
"Check and see if this isn't a trap by the BlackJacks, that woman was one warning sign that they are close." Jack commanded, Bill did as was told.
Once Bill arrived at the wagon, he found nothing inside but the person driving was in bad condition. His clothes had been torn, and his body was quite bloody. It was a white man, he seemed to be barely clinging on to life.
"They did this…" The man groaned in agony, Bill knew who "they" were, and he took the wounded man back to the Marston convoy.
"Not a trap, but this person must have been attacked on the road. The BlackJacks are in Mexico already, they got here before us somehow." Bill announced as he rode to the back of the convoy to place the damaged man in the back of a wagon.
"The damned BlackJacks are already here.. How?" Rebecca asked, Jack was thinking about that same question as Bill rode by.
"They must have snuck past us while we were asleep, now we have no damn clue where they could be." Jack groaned, continuing to lead his convoy further into Mexico.
"Did anything happen to a woman named Tonya?" Bill asked as he continued to ride closer to the back of the large convoy.
"Yes, she was barely clinging on to life. The BlackJacks, they attacked me. I was to drive the girl to the fortress El Presidio, she's bound to be dead by now.. I'm sorry, I had no weapons. I only had passengers in my wagon when I was ambushed, I suggest you head to Escarela.. That place is abandoned.. It would serve as a great resting spot." The unknown man moaned, barely hanging on to life.
"Thank you for the information, how far did the BlackJacks travel into Mexico?" Bill asked, trying to get as much information as possible.
"The BlackJacks would either have taken Tonya towards El Presidio, or they would have taken her to somewhere no one knows about, and shot her." The man groaned before blacking out, not dying, but passing out from the shere pain he was in.
Bill had made it to the back of the convoy, and he laid the man down in the wagon as another member rode it slowly behind the other wagon in front of him.
This unknown man was secretly a BlackJack member, he was beaten severely by his crewmates to the point of near death to give the look of a critically injured stranger, it just went to show the savage ways the BlackJacks went to trick and trap people. It almost always worked, the injured man wasn't even ready for what he received.
The Marston Gang continued to ride towards the nearest settlement or fort that could hold the gang in, Escarela was the perfect place. Bill told Jack of what the injured BlackJack informant said, the entire gang was still unaware that the hurt man was a member of their rival gang.