A betrayal at noon

"What now, boy? You got your reward. I know the bounty. Dead or alive.
You could cut my head off, surely that'll keep me dead this time…" a mocking laugh was heard.

Surgeon felt like her entire body was in bruises.
In fact, she couldn't even move for a long while.
She wondered how long she was out.
Going by the intensity of the ringing in her ears, long enough that she could somewhat hear people speak.

"Shut up…" she heard Diamond say. Her eyes were slowly opening.
She could see him looming over Evelynn, with the Bomber on his knees, a step away from him.

Diamond drew his gun, and shot at Eve's head. She saw the bullet ricochet.
"You dumb shite, that's quality material. You couldn't even pry that open with a crowbar."
But the man squinted his eye, and aimed precisely "Not unless you know the weak points".
Another shot was heard, and Eve's headpiece made sounds that strongly implied it broke.

Eve's limbs were slightly spazzing. It seems the explosion completely messed up her wiring. She couldn't even speak.
Diamond straddled on top of her, knees pressing on her arms.

"Now, dear… please don't take this personal" he said, as he removed the frontal plate, exposing the brain.
"but I was given strict orders… and you two need to be out of the picture."
The robot made a whirring sound. Everything the android girl had in her, she was giving now to preserve her own life.

An even higher pitch was heard. A cry, a plea for help. A shriek of panic.
A gunshot, and then, deadly silence. A chill passed on Surgeon's spine.

He wiped off some of the blood off of his cheek, and stood up.
"God damn, I've seen some cowards in my days, but you top them a-"
The Bomber gets pistol whipped into silence.
A spit of blood on the ground showed that he was hit pretty hard, accompanied by some coughing.

Diamond walked towards Surgeons struggling body. She was wounded, and slowly regained control of her limbs.
But not fast enough, as Eve's executioner now stood next to her. Gun nonchalantly pointed towards her head.

"...you… coward…" She muttered.
He moved a foot over her. She was now between his legs. He was savoring this moment.
The moment he'd take down the renown Shotgun Surgeon.

"Like I said…" he started "...nothing personal, but I've got orders."
He cocked the hammer of his revolver. "If it's any consolation, I think it's a shame to waste a fine piece of ass like yours…"
He took fine aim.
"But I'll get over it."

Time seemed to slow down. She was a little bit scared, but relief was part of it too. At least she'd no longer feel all that pain.
Have to remember those headaches. Those memories that keep destroying her focus.

Time continued, and a shot was heard. She saw some sand poof up from the ground, and realized that he had missed.
A large trenchcoat had run into him. Revealing to be the Bomber throwing his full weight, cuffs included, into the back of Dead-Eye Diamond.

"Get the fuck up" he barked "or stay dead forever!"
He tried to regain his balance, not easy with your hands tied behind your back.
Diamond shot him in the leg and quickly moved his aim toward his former partner.

But she was quick and had recovered the feeling in her limbs. Her shotgun was ready, and they both fired.

What happened was almost an impossibility. Something that never happens in the world.
But all the focussed buckshot had somehow blocked the very bullet that was directed toward her head.

Diamond couldn't fathom it for a moment. Missing twice, in the same day? What possibly could be going on?
Surgeon used this moment to shoot him in the shoulder. It seems she wasn't fully recovered yet for a killshot.

She opened up her shotgun, ready to reload, while seeing her opponent struggle to deal with the pain.
"God… damnit…"

His aim was off, he was shaking too hard, so instead he shot the gun out of her hands.
An audible cuss was coming from him.
"Ffff-fuck… Surgeon, I'm taking this fucker with me. You move and I swear I'll shoot you."

They were all in bad shape. There was no telling if it was bluff or truth, only luck could have decided that.
But Surgeon decided against it.
Even if with his shot arm, she still had her weapon shot out of her hands.
She decided this wasn't a gamble she'd take him up on. She let him go with her bounty, dragging the Bomber with him using his good arm.

Five minutes after Diamond and his captive had left her sight, she dropped to her knees.
The numbness was returning, and she needed a moment before she could stand again.
The sand was warm and soft. She wished she could stay like this forever. Forever warm, never hungry, always comfortable.

Knowing that couldn't be, she raised herself as the sky turned to Dusk. She looked at what was left of Eve.
There was no brain left, just tissue and a hollow metal shell. One tear rolled off her cheek.
She also knew of the story of this mercenary, and was saddened to see that the legend everyone presumed dead, had actually died right beside her.
A story, cut short too early.

She went home. It was time to tend to her wounds and recover.
Restock her supplies and accept this as a zero profit operation.
If not an outright loss. Time to move on.