Part Eight

"Chris!"

Chris heard his name scream past Vin Tanner's lips a split second before the officer of the con shoved him forcefully behind some crates at the edge of the street. Being Vulcan, Vin's strength was almost quadrupled that of a human and thus Chris could do little to keep himself from being flung to the ground. The sequence of events moved past him so rapidly that for a minute Chris had no idea what was going on until he saw the bullet that would have torn a hole through his chest slam into the wooden beam of a nearby hitching post. The disorientation resulting from his hard impact on the ground lasted only a split second before his mind switched into a defensive posture and he was shouting out as loud as he could to those under his command who had been behind when the attack suddenly reared its ugly head.

"Everyone take cover!" Chris' voice rose over the sound of shattering gunfire.

The gesture seemed somewhat redundant since everyone was more or less in the process of accomplishing that very thing the instant Top Hat Bob appeared out of nowhere and began firing his weapon. Buck, who had been nearest to Mary and Nathan, took hold of the protocol officer's arm and led her towards the water through near the hitching post. The trio barely managed to reach it, being closely pursued by gunfire and had to skid across the hard ground in order to get there ahead of the deadly projectiles. The water trough was being riddled with bullets so numerously that the liquid seeping through the holes left by bullets created an expanding puddle of water around it. The three Starfleet officers scrambled behind the wooden receptacle, aware that it hollow innards would not offer them protection for very long. The bullets being hurled at them by way of enemy fire was making short work of the through and Buck knew that they could not remain hidden behind it for more than a few seconds or else those bullets would find their mark in human flesh.

"We have to move!" Buck shouted over the deafening roar of bullets, to Mary and Nathan who were crouched low. The doctor was reaching for his gun and checking the weapon with a hint of apprehension at actually using it on someone real, not a holodeck simulation. However, Buck was certain that Nathan knew the stakes as well as he did and this crisis of conscience would be temporary. Mary on the other hand was having entirely different but no less hindering difficulties of her own. The protocol officer was, finding it exceedingly cumbersome to move in her restrictive clothes. The corset wrapped around her waist made it hard for her to remain prone as she was and he could see her straining against the pressure of the garment against her spine.

"No kidding!" Nathan exclaimed an instant before his eyes widened when a projectile ripped an exit point through the space before him, spraying splinters of wood outwards that made him recoil.

Buck immediately rolled onto his knees in order to get a better view of where they were and more specifically where they could run to from this point without being cut to ribbons. He could see the captain taking refuge behind some crates and the space seemed large enough to offer them the same shelter, if only they could make it there.

"Chris!" Buck called out.

The captain looked over his shoulder immediately, hearing his voice through the roar of gunfire. Vin, who had overcome his lack of experience with a real Winchester during their earlier confrontation with Bob and his men, was making up for lost time. The helmsman was aiming the sawn off shot gun at the thickest part of the enemy contingent and firing with surprising accuracy. A number of Bob's men were taking cover and for good reason as the projectiles being sent in their direction was impacting a little too close for comfort to their person.

Chris glanced in Buck's direction and immediately saw the first officer's predicament. Not just his, but also that of Mary and Nathan's. He winced slightly as he saw her groveling in the dirt, trying to avoid the hail of bullets that would eventually penetrate the water trough to reach one of them. Chris recounted again what Ezra had told him about using the weapon of choice for an Old West gunslinger and cocked the gun accordingly in readiness to fire. His eyes met Buck's and then Chris responded with a small nod.

That was more than enough for the First Officer to know precisely what to do. This subtle form of communication was normally used between them when they were on the bridge, preparing to go into battle or some other situation that required discretion. Fortunately at this time, it was just as appropriate for use in their current circumstances. It took a little more than a second for the silent

Buck turned back to Mary and Nathan and saw the instance between close shaves were becoming too narrow for his liking. If they did not move soon, one of them was going to get shot. The exit wounds on the wooden surface behind which they were using as refuge from the gunfire was becoming more and more pitted and the odds were good that eventually one of the bullet would pass through the water through and find its target after all.

"When I give the word," Buck said as loud as he could without giving away their intentions to the enemy. This was hardly an easy feat when the air was charged with exploding gunfire that was almost deafening. "Run to the Captain!"

Mary nodded wildly, feeling some measure of relief in being given that as an option. Almost as if he were aware of what was on her mind, Chris looked in her direction and met her gaze. Their eyes locked on each other and he offered her a silence reassurance that everything would be all right, once she came to him. Strangely enough, Mary seemed to believe that it would be too. However, the moment could not last as Chris needed to pave the way for them to make their advance towards him and Vin who were safely hidden behind the crates. The barrier was formidable enough that Top Hat Bob and his companions could not breach it and once Buck, Mary and Nathan were behind its confines, Chris and Vin could remain there indefinitely to continue the fight.

Chris turned his attention back to Bob who was just as entrenched in his hiding place as Chris and Vin were in theirs. The captain could see the calculation in the villain's one good eye apparently noticing the exchange between Mary and him a second ago. Chris cursed under his breath, realizing that Bob was now not simply attempting to keep Chris' companions, being Buck, Mary and Nathan from being of assistance to him but now concentrating on shooting down the beautiful woman who obviously held his heart. Bob pulled back his teeth in what was a sinister smile and fired. The bullet slammed the space parallel to where Mary was taking refuge and passed before, a hair's breadth away from her face. The protocol officer reacted by dropping down further in her effort to avoid it, while Buck's grip around her arm tightened.

"Son of a bitch." Chris growled angrily. "He's trying to shoot Mary."

Vin glanced at Chris long enough to see the captain suddenly standing up and exposing himself beyond the safety of the crates that had protected them so far.

"Captain!" Vin barked. "Chris! What the hell are you doing!"

Chris did not know for certain and he wondered whether or not he was not allowing his rage to get the better of him but he did not care. Perhaps it was the place that he was in that made him wish to settle this entire situation in the most primeval and fundamental way that it could be resolved. The way it was done in the times before even the Old West became the legend the way it was. Sometimes, the only way to end a fight was to do it the old fashioned way, with bare knuckles until the enemy no longer stood up.

"BOB!" Chris shouted.

"Hold your fire!" Top Hat Bob ordered his men abruptly.

"Chris!" He heard Mary shouting behind him. "What are you doing?"

Chris ignored her. He ignored Buck's demand for him to get back to safety and Vin's warning that he was going to get himself killed. This had to stop before they were forced to engage Bob in his gang in what could only be a bloody shoot out that could get a good number of his crew killed, including Mary. If it was Q's intention to have them perform like puppets than Chris was going to rob him of every ounce of pleasure the entity strived to take from this play they were forced to involuntarily participate.

The shooting slowed and then stopped all together. No one spoke as the air went deadly silent.

"What in the hell is he doing?" Ezra Standish demanded almost prepared to go out there and find out. When the firing had started, Ezra had gotten Josiah and Julia to safety, finding a narrow passageway between the buildings that could be called an alley way of some kind. The gambler had managed to keep Bob's cohorts from reaching them but the security chief had been desperate to reach the captain but somewhat torn because he did not wish to leave Julia and Josiah for that matter, unprotected. The Counselor was capable of defending himself but most of the time did not have the stomach for it.

"I don't know," Josiah shook his head dumbfounded as he saw the captain make his way out in the open, beckoning Bob to approach. The man with the appellation of Top Hat Bob seemed reluctant at first, staring suspiciously at Chris and the rest of them to ascertain whether or not this was a trick. "However, I assume Chris knows what he is doing."

"Never assume that a captain knows what they are doing." Ezra retorted abruptly, staring anxiously after Chris. The security chief was desperately fighting the urge to rush out to the fray and protect his commanding officer. The sworn duty of every security chief was to ensure the safety of his captain and yet Ezra was forced to remain here, mired in amber as he waited to see what it was exactly the captain had in mind. It was a most unpleasant position to be in and his temper was less than amicable. "The position comes with an assumption of godhood that leads them to play the most foolish games with their lives."

"The captain would not place his life in danger unless he knew he could get out of it." Julia said coming to Chris' defense. Julia had tremendous faith in Chris' ability to extract himself and his ship from danger as he had done so on numerous occasions before this. The captain seldom did very little without first having considered what the consequences of his actions were, not only to himself but to his crewmen. Everything Julia Pemberton knew about Chris Larabee told her that his sudden desire to face Top Hat Bob in the open has the basis of a plan destined to extract them from their present situation.

"Spoken like an engineer." Ezra responded not kindly.

It was bait Julia immediately detected and responded to in kind. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" She demanded.

Ezra did not turn around but answered with just as much curt. "I do not need to explain it to you. Suffice to say, your experience is engineering. Mine is security and at the moment we need security, not amateurs with wishful thinking."

"Wishful thinking?" She declared, her cheeks flushing red with anger.

Josiah who had been until now could see the unresolved tension building the minute they had come into close proximity to each other. Their affection for each other was clear and thus their passion when incited, equally ablaze. He knew that a confrontation was coming and the part of him that Counselor welcomed it, however, this was not the time for such displays. Not when they were presently embroiled in a life or death situation and required for each member of the senior staff to be thinking clearly.

"Officers, " Josiah spoke up before this could be allowed to turn from a brush fire to a raging inferno. "This is not the time." He said sternly, hoping it was enough to snap them out of glare they were holding between each other like a knife poised to strike.

Julia broke her gaze first and turned away but Ezra stared just a little longer and the hurt in his eyes was clear even for someone who was accustomed to never letting anyone in on his private emotions. Secretly, Josiah hoped that their differences could be resolved soon for it was obvious they cared deeply for one another even though their behavior might say otherwise. After an instant, Ezra broke away and returned his attention to what the Captain was doing, glad that Josiah had been present to remind him of his duty and feeling somewhat admonished that he had to be reminded at all.

Julia decided that the best course of action was to stay as far away from Ezra as possible for the duration of this mission. Inwardly, she felt grieved that their relationship had deteriorated to such a point that they could not even remain civil to one another during a mission. It was unprofessional and embarrassing, especially when the entire senior staff could see what was going on and the captain needed to give them a severe verbal reminder of what should be occupying their minds at this time. Despite all that, Julia herself could not deny that she was unhappy about how far things had slumped since this entire affair with the Accrans.

Instead of remaining where she was, Julia advanced further up the alley way, realizing that perhaps the narrow passageway may offer them a way out of their fight with Top Hat Bob and his men without the captain being forced to face the villain on his own. In truth, Julia knew that she was looking for something to occupy her mind because it was becoming increasingly difficult to not dwell on her crumbling love affair with Ezra Standish. She knew she loved and that he loved her, why was it so difficult for her to accept his apology and move on? Inwardly, Julia wanted things the way they were before her body was overtaken by an alien entity and used to confuse Ezra by impersonating her.

The passageway was so narrow that there was barely space enough for one person to walk in single file so she was fairly unconcerned as she continued through the gap between the two buildings. The street on the other side of the buildings beckoned her through the crack of light beaming into her eyes. She was almost half way when she realized that there a doorway along the path. She edged a little closer to it in order to see where it led, assuming it was a back door entrance that was so common to houses in this day and age.

She paused when she was but a few feet from it, turning around to see what Josiah and Ezra were doing. It occurred to her that she was breaking captain's orders about going off on her own when Chris had made it clear that he wanted everyone together. Realizing the prudence of his words, she turned around and prepared to retreat back the way she came when suddenly there was movement in the long shadows hiding in the poor illumination of the doorway.

The palm that covered her mouth and yanked her back into the shadows moved with such speed, Julia had barely the time to process the attack until she was dragged into the darkness. She heard breathing in her ear, a heavy labored pant that immediately reached into her primitive fears and struck cold terror into her heart. She tried to scream but the sound never came, muffled in the birthing by the hand that killed in her mouth. She was not helpless however. She slammed an elbow backwards, feeling the muscle that could have been a stomach being struck. There was a soft groan and quickly rise of sound that resembled outrage. Julia felt fingers digging into her hair and then the wall rushed up at her with blinding speed.

The impact of her skull against it brought cool darkness and she knew no more.

Chris Larabee found himself standing before Top Hat Bob and wondered what in the hell he was thinking.

When he had seen Mary being specifically targeted by Bob, he knew that whether or not this was some illusion created by Q, Top Hat Bob had crossed the line. The man had tried to kill the woman he loved and under no circumstances, was Chris Larabee or the Captain of the Maverick, going to take that lying down. If Bob wanted him so badly then perhaps it was time to give the man the showdown he wanted but under Chris' terms. Men like Bob were easy to manipulate once Chris stopped thinking like a man trapped in a fantasy world and started remembering that he was a starship captain and a pretty mean son of a bitch when he felt like being one.

When he had stepped out into the open, Chris knew he had captured Bob's attention for the firing stopped immediately as the villain tried to ascertain what it was he was attempting to do. When it was quiet and Chris was certain that he could be heard he called out, in answer to the anticipation felt not only be the enemy but the members of his crew who were praying that he did not get himself killed by this plan of his.

"Bob!" Chris called out to the man. "You want a piece of me?"

"You got it coming!" Bob declared after a moment, stepping out from the protection of his men so he could face Chris on his own.

"I surely do." Chris nodded in agreement; not about to deny any of the sins Bob claimed he had committed. For the man to play his game, Chris had to confess his guilt. "The question is, are you man enough to come get you some?"

Bob's eyes flared in outrage at the suggestion. "I'm more man than you'll ever be." Top Hat Bob sneered.

"Alright then," Chris unbuckled his gun belt slowly and paused before he reached the final notch that would send the weapons to the ground. "What say we prove it?"

"You must think I'm a fool." Bob retorted, less certain than he had been a moment ago. However, he found himself suddenly in an intractable situation. If he were to deny Chris' challenge then he would look like a coward to the men who rode with him and it was pack rules in the West, if he could not assert his dominance over them, then he would be removed by someone who could. In any case, refusal would be perceived as weakness and that was something Top Hat Bob could not afford to show.

"If you don't drop your guns and fight me fair and square, I'll think you're a coward." Chris retorted.

Bob's eyes narrowed and surveyed the faces of his men. They were staring at him, wondering what he was going to do. He could see it the word slowly emerging in their eyes with each second he delayed in disarming himself and realized after a split second he did not have a choice. He either fought Larabee or lost their respect and losing their respect was as good as being dead when one considered the company he kept.

"I'll show you who's a coward when you're begging me to save your yellow bellied skin." Bob growled and unhooked his gun belt.

Chris looked over his shoulder and saw the terrified expression on Mary's face, her silent plea for him not to do this. Chris offered her a little smile, assuring her he would be all right. Buck and Ezra's features wore the same worried look and disapproval that their captain had willingly placed himself in such danger. Josiah's look was one of concerned but he and Vin shared one thing in common, they both knew that he would not have entered this trial of combat unless he knew he could win. Alex had made her way next to Mary and was too busy trying to calm the protocol officer to show her fears for her captain's life. Nathan's disapproval of any kind of combat was evident by the distaste in his eyes and JD seemed caught between concern and fascination.

Chris wondered where Julia was.

"Well are we gonna do this or were you jus talk Larabee?" Top Hat Bob sneered and dragged Chris' attention back to him.

Chris gazed at the man long and hard, pushing the images of his crew and Mary to the background as he prepared to fight. He remained where he was, making no initial move towards Bob. The wait made his opponent nervous because Bob could not ascertain whether or not Chris was holding position because he was afraid or merely cautious. In either case, Chris allowed no emotion to show that could be of any help to Bob as the villain studied him. His previous experiences in hand to hand combat had taught Chris one thing; always let the enemy strike first.

It was a concept that Bob obviously had no knowledge of because just as the thought crossed Chris' mind, the large man rushed at him. Fear at the lack of concern in Chris' face had prompted Bob into attacking first and Chris kept his eyes fixed on the enemy as the man began to circle him, like a wolf preparing the death lunge upon a helpless prey. While Bob's combat technique was fraught with posturing and primitive displays of aggression, Chris was content to simply watch him move, concentrating on his muscle and body language, while at the same time readying his own offensive into place for when the fighting really began.

The man threw a plump fist in Chris' direction, which he dodged easily; always careful to keep a narrow gap of space between them to ensure that Bob would always have to lunge in order to reach him. The blow whooshed past Chris and when the man was caught in the vulnerable margin of time after a punch was thrown and before another could be delivered, Chris slammed a focused strike into the tender part of Bob's side. The punch had its greatest effect above the man's kidneys as Chris intended, forcing an involuntary cry of pain from Bob's lips. The villain howled, enraged that the first punch was not his and further infuriated because he had cried out and revealed that Chris had hurt him. It was no surprise to Chris when Bob suddenly swung wide in anger, leaving his defenses exposed.

Chris did not let the opportunity go to waste. Chris dropped to one knee and struck Bob square in the stomach before the man had time to brace himself against the blow. He felt his palm sink into the fat belly and forced the wind from his opponent's lungs as Bob reeled backwards. Not wasting any time, Chris was standing upright again and this time, he took the offensive as Bob attempted to recover. Despite the fact that the enemy was bigger and possibly stronger, Bob was not a skilled fighter and was probably more accustomed to using a gun to kill his victims rather than his fists. The equalizing effect of the weapon made the men who relied too much upon it to forget that there were other skills of survival and defense. That advantage was all that someone like Chris who had the skill but not the brute strength, to win. Lashing out in a succession of swift blows, his first punch struck the man's ribs cracking it under his fist, the second higher into his throat and the final was a road house swing across the man's jaw.

Bob staggered backwards again, coughing loudly as his windpipe sustained a disabling injury and tried desperately to recoup. To that end, he managed adequately but knew he had to get his hands on the Chris if he was to have any chance of winning. Anger and hatred sent him running forward once again, intending to tackle Chris in a body slam. Chris held his ground, watching him cross the short space between them and braced himself for impact.

"Chris!" Mary cried out but Chris was not listening. If he remembered she was there, Bob would kill him.

Ignoring Mary's voice, Chris leapt out of the way just as Bob was about to make contact. The would be avenger ran straight into the wall. The loud crack as his skull met stone would have knocked a normal man unconscious. Unfortunately, Bob was running high on adrenaline and anger and though he was disorientated, he was far from done. However, Chris did not have the patience for a prolonged battle and decided that it was time to finish this once and for all. Taking advantage of Bob's brief stupor, Chris came up from behind him and slammed his foot in to the bend of the man's knee, dropping him immediately. As Bob struggled to turn around, he was met with another balled fist and then two palms that slammed into the side of his head. Another palm strike connected with the underside of his jaw, snapping his head back savagely and in the daze of these deadly strikes, started to falter.

Chris stepped back seeing no reason to continue. Bob was down and they all knew it. Not just the crew of the Maverick or the men who rode with him and now viewed their leader with less reverence than they had earlier but Bob as well. The man was struggling to get to his feet and the crimson stains on the ground indicated that he was hurt badly.

"I think we're done." Chris stood back and looked towards Bob's men. When he turned around and started towards the rest of his shipmates, Chris did not expect anyone to stop him. He was right.

This was as far as Top Hat Bob's revenge was going. It was over.