THE VOICE OF REASON

The sun sent its last rays to the little Mexican village of Chuparosa as Jack quickly galloped into town. Cursing at how long it had taken him to get to town, he noticed the wagon was still sitting in front of the bank and breathed a sigh of relief. He swore again once he realized that the wagon driver was loading up the last bag of money. Jack dismounted his horse and quickly ran to the wagon driver just as he was about to climb in the driver's seat.

"Stop right there and get the hell away from the wagon!" Jack demanded. The man screamed and jumped down from the wagon. Smiling as the man ran into the bank, Jack casually walked over to the wagon and just as he was about to hop up the man returned with a rifle. A shot zoomed past Jack's shoulder; he cringed when he heard it whoosh past and was thankful that it had missed. Jack retrned fire and sent three shots into the wagon driver's body, easily taking him down.

"Ha, take that!" he said proudly. As Jack once again prepared to hop up onto the wagon, the sound of footsteps made him stop and draw his gun again. He sent an impulsive shot toward the person behind him and Cole jumped backward as the bullet sped less than an eighth of an inch away from his torso and smacked into the dirt.

Cole instinctively drew his revolver, but sighed when he realized it was only Jack. "God damn it, Jack, watch where you're shootin' that cannon!" he exclaimed, holstering his revolver. "You're lucky that didn't hit me!"

"A Marston killin' a Ricketts. Would've been fittin' I think," Jack joked.

"So what the hell is this?" Cole asked, pointing at the wagon. "Resorting to petty theft, are you? What, does his royal highness in the City want you to do his dirty work? He's got you collecting taxes now! Ha! Typical tyrant right there."

"You don't know nothin' about that," Jack sneered. "Shut your damn mouth, alright?"

Ignoring Jack, Cole said, "Somebody came for you a couple days ago. Do you know Archer Fordham?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well I just said, he's here for you. Do you ever listen?" Cole started to lead Jack to where Fordham was staying, but having heard their voices, he met them halfway. A chill went down Jack's spine; he should have known that Fordham wouldn't keep his promise and would come looking for him. Never trust a lawman, Jack thought to himself. I'll never trust the law again.

This emotion overcame Jack, and without even thinking he punched Fordham. Fordham fell to the ground, groaning and gingerly rubbing the side of his face. "What the hell are you doin' here?" Jack asked. "I thought you said you was gonna stop them from comin' and gettin' me down here!"

"Jack, I'm not here to arrest you. I just..."

"Liar!" Jack yelled, kicking Fordham before he could stand up. Cole stepped in and held Jack back while Fordham got to his feet and brushed himself off. "You lied about everything, didn't you? You didn't really wanna help my Pa; you were there when they killed him, weren't you? You shot him yourself, didn't you?"

"No, Jack, I was telling the truth," Fordham assured. "And I'm not here to arrest you. Technically I'm supposed to be, but I don't really want to hurt you."

"Maybe you should bring him in," Cole said tauntingly, looking Jack in the eye as he said this. "Maybe it would be better for everyone if Jack was in prison."

"I promised him that I'd keep him safe," Fordham said.

"Just let me go!" Jack said angrily, shrugging Cole off. "That goes for the both of you. I don't want nothin' to do with either of you. I got a job to do."

"For who? Reyes?" Cole asked.

"What difference does it make?"

"What did he tell you to do? Steal money from the hard working citizens of Chuparosa? Don't they pay enough in taxes anyway?" Jack didn't respond, so Cole continued, "Why you even workin' with him, Jack? I thought you were shocked to learn that your father was helpin' him. Why are you, of all people, doing his bidding?"

"He threatened to turn me in to the law if I didn't help."

"But what does that matter now, Jack? They know you're in Mexico, and if Fordham returns empty-handed, they'll probably send somebody else. Your fate is sealed no matter what now. And besides, Reyes has a terrible grip on the people of Mexico. I've seen it with my eyes, Jack. Mexico isn't as grand as Reyes wants people to believe it is. Most people in America think Reyes is a godsend to the country, but he's so bad, the devil himself is afraid to be in his presence. Look around you. Chuparosa used to be a safe haven for Reyes supporters, but now more and more people are turning against him.

"Worst of all is Nosalida. Have you ever been there, Jack? That's where most of the rebels are. The place is crawling with rodents, bugs, everything horrible you can imagine. It's not a great place to be. The rebel leader is a fierce fighter, Jose Valentia. He fought in the Spanish-American War a little more than ten years ago. He was one of their best fighters, and he's still a rough-and-tumble man today. But even a man like him with all that skill and knowledge can't rightly lead his people without resources. Reyes has stripped almost every Mexican of their rights and their resources to prevent an uprising against him. He's doing terrible things and has to be stopped.

"You need to make a choice now, and the way I see it you have three choices. One, you can return to the States with Fordham and face your trial and sentence there. Two, you can continue to side with Reyes, with evil, and be doing the wrong thing for millions of people. Or three, you can side with the rebels. Give them the money you were going to collect for the government."

"Reyes would kill me if he knew I was sidin' with the rebels, but I'd rather be killed by him than the law in America."

"Well it sounds like your mind has been made up. You know how to get to Nosalida from here?"

"Yeah. Reyes's men showed me the way. He wanted me to be a spy of sorts."

"You're not cut out for that line of work, boy," Cole said, laughing. "But I see what you're gettin' at."

"So I take it that means I'm done here," Fordham said. "Jack, it's important that you keep an eye out for the law. As soon as Reyes finds out you're going against him, he'll give the law in America permission to come after you."

"That's why I'm gonna keep it to myself," Jack said.

"That won't work for long. Sooner or later, he'll find out. Just watch carefully when he does."

"What's gonna happen to you when you return without Jack?" Cole asked.

Fordham sighed. "I don't know, but I'm certain that it won't be good. I might even lose my job as chief of police. But if that's the price to pay for the protection of John Marston's son, I'll pay it."

"But why? Jack's an outlaw, a rebellious little teenage boy. Why does he deserve your protection?"

"I'm right here," Jack said angrily. "I can hear you."

"I know," Cole said.

"I don't completely know why I'm doing this, to be honest. But I feel like John did so much for us, and I feel like I owe the Marston family a debt of gratitude. This is the debt. I want to do this, and I'm going to do this."

Jack felt sorry for Fordham. He could see that his heart was in the right place, and he didn't doubt that he, perhaps the only lawman that Jack didn't hate, would be fired for not bringing Jack in. While Jack didn't want to go through a trial or a death sentence at the hands of the American law, he also didn't want to see Fordham lose his job. In Jack's opinion, the law needed more people like Fordham.

"Jack, you sure you don't want to go back with Fordham?" Cole asked. "I know it don't look good, but you might not even be killed. They might just lock you up for life."

"No, I can't," Jack said. "Not now." Jack could see the disappointment in Fordham's eyes, but Fordham smiled courteously anyway and mounted his horse. He tipped his hat and rode off into the darkness of the newly-spawned Mexican night. Jack watched him go, thankful that he had protected him and wishing he could have done something for him.

"I'm sorry I treat you so harshly, Jack," Cole said. This apology surprised Jack. "Truth is, I was almost the way you are. When I was your age, I joined a gang. We were just a rowdy bunch of teenagers, stupid and young. We robbed one bank and we all got caught for it. My father paid the bail and got us all out of jail, but then he hit me in the face and told me that he wouldn't be there if I got locked up again. So I got my life together and now here I am. I just don't like seein' you end up the same way I almost did, that's all."

"Well thanks," Jack said, still stunned by Cole's spontaneous apology."

"Here." Cole pulled out his wallet and handed Jack 5,000 pesos. "It should help some. I've always wanted to side with the rebels, you know, but because my father protected this town I always feel obligated to stay here. These people need someone they can look up to, and I'm the one they look up to the most."

"Thanks. Maybe you could leave Chuparosa some time?" Jack suggested. "Maybe you could help with the rebellion. I think it'd benefit much from the son of Landon Ricketts."

"I know," Cole said, smiling slightly. "I know it would. Heh, maybe someday. Just not today. Now get this wagon to Nosalida. Valentia will be pleased." Cole waved goodbye as Jack rode out of Chuparosa and onto the main road to Nosalida.

In total, Jack brought 15,000 pesos to Valentia. When Valentia caught sight of the money, he smiled, laughed loudly in delight, and ran up to the wagon, running his hands through the money.

"Esto es excelente!" he exclaimed. "Gracias, Jack! I am very pleased with you right now!"

"Well thanks," Jack said. "I did my best."

"And your best was very impressive. I must say, you are doing much better than I thought you would."

"Thank you, Senor," Jack said.

"Valentia whistled and snapped his fingers, and a young Mexican boy, only a few years younger than Jack, came running to his side. "Necesito que utiliza este dinero para comprar comida y ropa para los pobres," he told the boy, handing him some of the money Jack had taken. The boy nodded in response and scurried quickly off. "I told him to buy food and clothes for the poor," Valentia explained to Jack. "We don't want our people to be sad."

"So you're boosting morale, then," Jack observed.

"Exactly. Happy men fight better than sad men."

"But desperate men fight better than happy men."

Valentia laughed. "We are all desperate, Jack, and if we combine that with contentment, then we will have great warriors."

"Well I guess my work here is done," Jack said. "I gotta get a few personal things done, but I will be back to offer my assistance again. I can guarantee it."

"We look forward to your return," Valentia responded, still beaming over the amount of money that Jack had brought. "Adios!" Jack mounted his horse and rode out of town. He tried to think of a way to hide the fact that he had given the Nosalidans a small fortune, and he decided to just outright lie about it. There was no way Reyes's men could know just how much Jack had taken; they would have to take Jack's word for it.

Carlos greeted Jack as soon as he rode into the camp. "Hello, Jack! How much did you give the rebels?" he asked casually.

"Only 100 pesos," Jack lied. "I told them that that was all I could get."

"Were they mad at you?" Carlos asked.

"They were a little mad, but I don't think they're suspicious of me or anythin'."

"Wonderful! There are only a few more hours until sunlight, so get some sleep, Jack. Tomorrow, me and you will ride back to Mexico City and tell President Reyes how good you are doing. He will be very happy and proud of you, Jack. Good night."

Those last few words made Jack feel slightly guilty about deciding to side with the rebels. Although he knew that Reyes was a tyrant, Jack wondered if he really was trying to make things better for Mexico and circumstances just weren't right. Mexico was a pretty big country, after all, and it probably wasn't easy to lead such a big country that had big problems to start with. The people Reyes employed seemed like they cared about their country, and the Mexican capital was absolutely stunning and beautiful.

However, Jack also remembered what Cole had told him. He remembered that he said the country was poorer than ever with Reyes as its leader, and that he was doing nothing but making the country worse, stripping the people of their rights and money. That must be how he made Mexico City look so beautiful, Jack thought. With money he took from the pockets of hard-working citizens. Jack quickly threw out his feelings of guilt and regret and decided to side with the rebels under Reyes's nose.