Chapter Summary
Previously, Lois and Jimmy started to uncover the real Vash the Stampede. The miraculously recovered Vash and Wolfwood took down the thugs and imposter, rescuing Lina. Wolfwood tried to convince the newcomers to stick around, believing there was a reason they met.
Now, Lois and Jimmy decide to accompany Vash and Wolfwood. They explain the strange circumstances that brought them to No Man's Land. The four decide where to head to next.
—
"Think it over if you must. I'll know your answer if you're still around in the morning." With that, Wolfwood walked into the evening light.
"Don't mind Wolfwood. He can be a little intense sometimes," Vash said. He'd followed his guests outside, overhearing the tail end of their conversation with Wolfwood's.
Lois and Jim both made epping noises and spun around.
Vash, sporting his new shorter, spikier hairdo, leaned against the open door frame. He'd changed into yet another set of clean clothes, his third outfit that day.
His gaze followed the undertaker's shrinking figure. Something about Wolfwood walking away worried Vash, but he had a good feeling he'd be back.
Shaking off his concern, Vash looked at the duo with a soft smile.
Lois scoffed, hands on hips. "Oh really? He seemed full of sunshine and rainbows to me." Vash snorted and grinned wide at the description. Oh, she was a perceptively sarcastic one, wasn't she? This woman and Wolfwood were going to get along just dandy.
Vash recovered with an overemphasized clearing of his throat. He uncrossed his calves and pushed himself from the doorframe. "Why don't you stay for dinner? It's the least I can do to repay you for your help earlier."
Jim replied, "We wouldn't want to impose. Ms. Sheryl has been more than hospitable." The young man fidgeted with some peeling paint along the porch railing.
"Well, it'll be my last night here, so I'd say the more, the merrier. And the company will help Lina and Granny through the evening. Granny even said you're more than welcome to stay the night."
If they had company, maybe Lina wouldn't be a meanie about him leaving. And Granny would be relieved to know he was in good hands. It was already hard enough as it was.
Lois and Jim looked at each other as if silently asking what they thought. Jim shrugged, saying it was up to her. So Lois also shrugged and said to the blond man, "Alright, if you insist."
"I do! Plus, it might be hard to buy yourselves a meal at the diner or a room at the hotel without any double dollars." He gave them a cheeky grin. He rolled something curious in his fingers behind his back. At least his sleight of hand was as skilled as ever.
"W-What would make you think that?" Lois asked. Her eyes flitted around nervously.
He looked right at her. "Oh, I don't know…" With a flick of his hand, an unfamiliar (to him) green dollar bill waved between his fingers. Not a double dollar.
"Maybe because all you have on you is Old Earth currency. Either you somehow got a hold of a very, very rare artifact… or you are very, very far from home. United States of America, eh?" He gave them a knowing look, a devilish smirk spreading on his face.
"H-hey! How'd you get that?!" Lois snapped her gaze back and forth from the twenty-dollar bill to her shoulder bag, inspecting the latches. She then stomped forward, reaching out to swipe it back, but Vash raised his arm high out of her reach.
"Okay, so not cool," she huffed. Vash was almost surprised when she didn't resort to hopping up and down. For some odd reason, he thought she would. Instead, she gave the blond man her best, irritated glare. "Some thanks for saving a man's life."
Vash chuckled and lowered his arm, letting Lois nab it back. "I shouldn't have pried, but this whole time, I thought Luida or Brad might've sent you two."
His voice lowered to a disgruntled mumble. "I expect them to be pretty pissed at me. I haven't checked in for over two years… I wouldn't put it past them to try and pull a payback prank on me."
Vash continued at normal volume, motioning back to them. "But I doubt even the crew from Ship 3 would have Old Earth money."
"Uh yeah, no idea who Brad or Luida are or Ship 3," Jim said, looking over Lois's shoulder. "And this bill isn't even that old. Look, it was printed in 2022, only two years ago." He pointed at the date as if offended.
"Two years ago?" Vash asked, tilting his head. They let him look more closely at the date. "2022 would have been over five hundred years ago back on Earth…" He looked up with a perplexed expression. If he had thought they were strange before, he was even more troubled now.
Jim gave the tiniest squeal and whispered to himself, but of course Vash heard. "Ohmigosh. We're also in the future?"
Lois gave Jim another pleading look. "Um, well, about that…"
Jim grabbed Lois and spun her around, pulling her to the far side of the porch. Again he whispered, not realizing Vash had heightened hearing. "Uhh, shouldn't we stick with the League's procedures? Can we risk getting these guys involved? I mean, we don't even know them. What happens when Lewis and Punk Lois find out?" He shuddered.
"Oh, for crying out loud! We already broke how many protocols?" Lois pivoted, turning back to Vash.
"Okay, look, pal. You're probably not gonna believe our story, but we're kind of SOL here. If you really wanna know, we'll tell you what we can. That is, if you think you can help us find our friend," Lois said with a no-nonsense look and crossed her arms.
"Lois!" Jim cried, grabbing his hair. "But the League?!"
"To hell with the League, Jimmy! They ran off without us. And it's not like we're finding Clark any easier on our own!" she replied, desperation starting to seep into her voice.
Vash frowned, noticing the tears she held back with the faintest quiver of her lip. Instead, her fierce gaze locked onto her friend.
Jim gulped, taking half a step back from the woman. He then exhaled deeply, and his shoulders sagged. "I know…"
Now that the pair presented him with an opening, how could he refuse to hear their story? To ask the questions rattling in his head? Or refuse to help them when they seemed so desperate?
And from what Wolfwood said, even he seemed uncharacteristically willing to help.
"Umm. Would you two like to take this inside?" Vash asked in an attempt to break the tension. "I picked up donuts earlier!" He gave them his best goofy smile.
—L&P—
With a box of donuts open on the coffee table and one half-eaten in each of their hands, the group of three sat in the cool living room, trying to figure out where to start.
Although Vash was about to ask his first question, Lois beat him to the punch. She leaned forward on the edge of the cushy beige sofa across from Vash.
"So. Do we still call you Eriks? Or do you prefer Vash?" It didn't come off as necessarily accusing, but with a hint of curiosity.
Vash winched, frozen mid-bite of his donut, and immediately sat up straighter. He dropped his hand to his lap and lowered his eyes to stare at the suddenly very interesting sprinkles.
He risked a glance up, looking surprised by their lack of fear. "I guess you found me out. The haircut gave it away, huh?" He wore the faintest of smiles, but it didn't reach his eyes.
"Actually, I got suspicious when I saw the wanted poster in the saloon. And then you and your friend confirmed it back at the hospital," Lois replied, then finished off her donut.
"Hm, Wolfwood did say he knew you were eavesdropping," he chuckled.
He fidgeted, pulling off a couple of sprinkles."You don't seem all that alarmed about it…?" he asked.
"Why? Because of the bounty? I mean, we don't exactly know what you're wanted for. Hard to picture you as some hardened criminal after what happened at the bar," Lois said, her voice gentle. She tried to catch his eye.
"I… I'd like to say the things I'm accused of aren't my fault…" Vash started, licking his lips. His eyes shifted back and forth. All the memories of July were mocking him out of his periphery. "And to be honest, I don't remember most of it. But… But it was all part of my responsibility."
Lois and Jim listened without interrupting. The tension Vash exerted filled the room and felt heavy even to himself.
"Uh, man, that's totally vague and didn't explain anything. But good for you, owning up to it. I think?" Jim said, this time being the one to try and cut the tension.
Vash gave a few genuine laughs and ran a hand through his hair. "Sorry, it's difficult to explain. Last time I tried talking about it with those two reporters, they still didn't believe me right away…"
Wait? Did I remember that? Or was that because Wolfwood had mentioned them earlier?
"R-reporters?" Jim and Lois both said together in some form or another.
"Uh, yeah? Before and after Lost July? You've read the articles, haven't you?" Vash asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Buddy, you're gonna have to rewind and slow down," Jimmy said, rolling his hands.
Vash looked back and forth between the two of them, a shallow frown replacing his smile. "How long have you been on No Man's Land?"
Jim sat back, appearing to mentally calculate the answer. "Uh, about six or seven hours?"
Vash's mind and expression went blank but quickly turned into realization. "Oh! Oh, oh, ohhhh." He gave a full belly laugh, running his hand over his upturned face. He then dropped his arm along the back of the sofa. "That explains a whole lot."
—
Later in the evening, Wolfwood had returned only a little drunk yet with a healthy appetite. Crowded around a full table, they enjoyed a delicious home-cooked meal, courtesy of Vash and Ms. Sheryl.
Dinner talk was kept light for the most part. Lois listened with great interest as Lina and Shery reminisced about 'Eriks's' time with them. Wolfwood (or Wolfy, she began using) chimed in with stories, too. He told tales about the months he and 'Eriks' traveled together, including all sorts of craziness that followed them.
Lois had an inkling that there was a lot more to their stories. The stories were silly and stupid moments. She had a feeling that more dangerous incidents or topics unsuitable for polite company had been glossed over.
After the meal and another round of tears and hugs from Lina, 'Eriks' sent his 'sister' to bed, saying he needed to talk with their guests. She gave him a bit of a hard time, wanting to stay up with him, but he gave her a firm look. Bending down, he hugged her tightly and whispered something in her ear. She nodded and finally agreed to head to her room with a sigh.
Ms. Sheryl also retired to her room—to read or knit or whatever—giving the four young adults some privacy to talk.
Vash led them into the living room, taking one of the armchairs himself. Lois and Jimmy plopped down on the couch opposite him. And Wolfy dropped into the other armchair near Vash with a grunt, crossing his arms. He finally took off his sunglasses. He'd been wearing them all evening. Lois still wasn't sure what to make of the guy.
After a minute of awkwardness, Jimmy nudged Lois to start talking. Clearing her throat she started from the beginning. She and Jimmy took turns explaining their situation. They mentioned how they got to the planet, the whole parallel universe concept, and all the players involved.
Jimmy did his part to explain as much of the scientific aspects as possible. He left the drama and character profile elements to Lois.
Vash took everything in like a sponge and only interjected to clarify a few points.
Lois was more than surprised at how calmly the man was taking in their tale. He seemed to be following the details with ease. He even added in some thoughts about scientific stuff even Jimmy wasn't familiar with.
On the other hand, Wolfy watched them with a full-on poker face. Wolfy grabbed a pink lollipop from his pocket and bounced his knee. As a smoker, he seemed restless, trying to subdue the craving. But his flat expression started to crack. She couldn't blame him. Even to Lois, their story became more and more unbelievable.
Jimmy continued a previous point. "So, our leading theory is that this chaos god—we call him Mxy for short—is involved with this big universe-rift catastrophe. We think Mxy went to Clark for help because Clark is…" Jimmy spun his hand, trying to find a good description and failing.
"Well, he's Clark," Jimmy said, shrugging.
Lois groaned, knowing his attempt to explain wasn't effective since the two men didn't know Clark like they did. Plus, Lois and Jimmy somehow avoided mentioning their friend was a superpowered alien.
Lois leaned forward, jumping in. "We thought if we could find Mxy, we'd find Clark too. Jimmy and I were with three Leaguers when we tracked them to this town, but we got separated as soon as we arrived."
"With the kind of tech the League has, we expected they'd be able to find us, no problemo," Jimmy finished with a shrug.
Lois and Jimmy paused to consider anything else to add, or to let Vash ask any other questions. Both had been talking for a while. Lois felt drained from repeating what she knew, and from Jimmy's drooping eyes, he likely felt the same. It had been a long, hot, exhausting, worry-filled day—for all of them.
Lois stood up. "I could use some air for a bit." The others nodded, mumbling in agreement.
Jimmy sat back deeper into the couch, his eyes closing. Wolfwood and Vash also stood up. Vash went into the kitchen to get everyone some drinks. Lois glanced over her shoulder to see Wolfy follow her outside onto the front porch.
—T&J—
Wolfwood sat on the porch steps, looking up at the three visible moons in the sky. Each glowed in different dull colors: silvery-white, blue-ish gray, dusty-red. But all three were in similar stages of waxing, not quite full yet. As usual, there wasn't a cloud above, and the stars twinkled in the dark sky.
He crunched into what remained of his candy. Once finished, he pulled out his pack of cigarettes and lit one up. He took a heavy pull and blew out a thick plume of smoke.
Shortstuff pulled up a rocking chair next to him to get a better view. Her golden-brown eyes reflected the light of the moons.
They sat in companionable silence, thoughts to themselves for a long while.
"It's so bright at night here, and at the same time not," Shortstuff said wistfully, still looking up.
"Hmm?" he hummed as a question.
"I've traveled all over as a kid. At least on Earth, that is. I've been to five of the seven continents. Nowhere there, even in the most remote places, did the night sky shine as brightly as it does here. But in the city… It's so full of artificial light you can barely see any but the brightest of stars."
"Sure must be nice livin' on Earth, though. I'll trade ya?" Wolfwood asked with a smirk.
He never bothered imagining a life anywhere else but on this godforsaken desert planet. Now, these two appear out of nowhere with this crazy story of different universes. Wolfwood couldn't help imagining how different his life would've been growing up on Earth.
Or if there were other versions of himself in other universes living happier lives. Not this living nightmare. No shitty experiments. Not forced to be a puppet on strings with bloody hands. No loved ones lost way too soon.
Thinking about it pissed him off.
Under his cool exterior, inside he burned red-hot like that damn lever in the sandsteamer engine room.
It was a little chilly since the suns had taken their warmth with them hours ago. But even the cold night air didn't really help him.
Wolfwood noticed the girl shiver out of the corner of his eye. But she didn't seem too bothered or eager to go back inside.
She's a stubborn one too. Just like another Shorty I know...
Wolfwood stood and cracked his neck. He tossed the rest of his cigarette on the ground, snuffing it out with his shoe. An extinguished flame finally cooled.
"Let's get back inside," he said. She nodded without a word, getting up as well. He gestured ladies first and followed her inside after one last look at the moons.
—L&P—
Vash watched Lois and Wolfwood return indoors. The girl shook Jim's shoulder, coaxing her friend back awake, and sat down next to him.
The boy grumbled and unfurled his lanky arms from the pillow he'd been cuddling.
Vash appreciated the opportunity to get up and move around while he processed the kids' story. If he was anyone else, he could imagine dragging them over to the asylum for their insanity.
But, his robust knowledge of spacefaring and interdimensional-related matters was rather unique. Much of what they shared was entirely new to him, though. He still had to wrap his head around it all—his mind worked through their account and the astrophysics involved. Theoretically, it did seem possible.
To Vash's surprise, Wolfwood spoke before anyone else once he retook his seat.
"Hey, Needle Noggin, what about yer folks on the SEEDS ship? They got all that Lost Tech. Think there's anythin' there our little Earthlin's could use to track this imp guy and their friend?"
Vash groaned and plopped back down onto the couch. "It's possible. I suppose if anyone would know, it'd be Brad. Ugh, I don't know how to face him and Luida." He dropped his head into his hand.
Thinking of Brad and his missing arm, he groaned even louder. "Ehhh. Brad is gonna be so mad! His masterpiece is long gone…" he rolled his shoulder, feeling a tingle in his phantom limb.
"What?" Wolfwood asked, resting an elbow on the arm of the chair and his cheek against his palm. "Oh, the arm? What happened to ol' Leftie anyway? Gonna be a pain gettin' by on the road without it."
Vash chuckled nervously. "Ah, haha, well, let's just say my memory wasn't the only thing I lost in JuLai."
"Don't forget I replaced your revolver too, Blondie. Ya owe me," Wolfwood said, pointing a new lollipop at Vash.
"Oh yeah, thanks again. It really got the job done earlier, didn't it?" He grinned.
Vash continued, "Brad'll have to make a new one. It might take a bit of time and energy to generate the necessary materials." He tried not to do the mental math on how taxing it would be for the ship's Plants.
"I guess it'll give time for Luida to show off Home to our new friends," Vash said, motioning to Lois and Jim. He hoped his folks didn't mind another two guests again.
Vash glanced at the two kids. He smiled and chuckled a bit, seeing that the young man had dozed off again. The woman also looked exhausted, yawning often, but she seemed to be powering through it.
"The Brad and Luida you mentioned earlier? They're relatives of yours?" Lois asked.
He swayed his head in neither a yes or no motion, hair flopping lightly. "Something like that. I spent a very long time living with the crew, so they're sorta like family. But, more importantly, they both keep the place running."
"And how do you expect to get Home this time? Last time the ship showed up outta nowhere, ya know, after the sandsteamer disaster," Wolfwood said, an unusual spitefulness in his voice.
Vash squinted, trying to recall the details. The memory was fuzzy, lumped in with the ones missing around the JuLai incident.
Vash tapped his knee with his right hand, thinking. "Of course, with the arm, it would have been no problem.
"I could call back to the ship almost anytime with the built-in comms. But there was also a homing beacon in case of an emergency. If it detected something was critically wrong with my vitals, it pinged Home. That's why Luida must have flown the ship to my rescue. She couldn't get a hold of me after I fell unconscious."
"Well, that explains a lot. Thought they just had impeccable timing," Wolfwood replied, swapping his lollipop from one cheek to the other.
"So, you can't call this ship of yours from here?" Lois asked, drawing their attention.
Vash shook his head. "No, unless I happen to find some advanced tech with the right parts. I could possibly build a comms device, but even then, no guarantees…
"Our best bet would be to head to New Oregon or December. There should be SEEDS expats in both cities. It's been a while since I've seen either of them, though… But if they still live there, I should be able to call Home and see if we can get picked up.
"New Oregon is northwest, out past September, and December is northeast. December's also on the way to Carcasses. Makes sense to head that way, don't it? You still wanna go, right?" Wolfwood asked, his tone going from thoughtful to serious.
A deep frown encompassed Vash's face, his brows lowering, sharpening his eyes. Vash recalled what Wolfwood had told him about the recently turned ghost town while they went to rescue Lina. He nodded gravely.
They were quiet for a moment until Wolfwood's stoic expression turned into a mischievous grin. He leaned over and nudged Vash in the ribs.
"We can also make another pitstop in December," he teased.
But Vash just tilted his head in confusion.
"C'mon, don't tell me ya don't wanna see Shorty… " he paused. Lois blinked at the nickname, similar to the one he'd given her. "Er, no, not you Shortstuff. Damn, I gotta work on my nickname game," he mumbled.
Wolfwood's grin grew even more, turning back to Vash. "Ya know, petite, tenacious reporter, raven-black hair? Always snoopin' into other people's business? Doesn't know when ta run in the opposite direction?"
Jim snorted in his sleep as if he'd heard. And Vash noticed Lois squirmed at the description. He wasn't sure why, though.
Vash glanced away, concentrating on Wolfwood's description of the woman. His memories swirled into focus as the woman he kept seeing in his mind's eye appeared—Meryl.
He blinked a few times and blushed, "W-why would she want to see me?"
Vash wished he could remember more. But Wolfwood's suggestion made him suddenly want to see her face for real again. Not just in his foggy memories. He felt an intense need to remember her—the way he was starting to remember the undertaker beside him now. Or was it more than that?
"Geez, Blondie, ye're hopeless," Wolfwood scoffed, rolling his eyes.
As Vash continued to mull over the woman, Wolfwood continued. "Anyway, what's the fastest way ta December from the boonies here?"
Vash reluctantly shook off his thoughts of Meryl.
He considered for a moment before replying. "Pygmy-class sandsteamers only come out this way every two weeks. If we want to make better time, we could catch an Orca-class from Ripmela or Meldreck along the caravan route."
"Feh. Well, we ain't gettin' anythin' more done tonight. Maybe you should get yer guests settled. Shutterbug's already droolin' on Grandm's cushions," Wolfwood got up and cracked his neck.
"Gonna go get me a room at the hotel. Later Needle Noggin. Shortstuff." He grabbed his Punisher and left the house.
Lois blinked away some tears from a huge yawn. "Uh, you got a shower and some more comfortable clothes to sleep in?" she asked, somewhat embarrassed.
Vash gaped, berating himself for not realizing they didn't exactly have travel bags of belongings with them. He would've asked Granny for clothes and towels and whatnot for their guests, but she was surely sleeping by now.
In a high-pitched voice, he replied, "Uh… Y-yeah. Um, let me see what I can find for you and Jim." He stood up and dashed to the other room.
About ten minutes later, Vash finished his host duties and headed to his room. Lois claimed the guest bedroom, and Jim fell back asleep on the couch.
They all settled in for the night, the light of the pale moons watching over them.
—L&P—
AN:
Although this wasn't my favorite chapter, things are just getting started. Going forward, there'll be a lot more action, drama, and character development with Vash, Wolfwood, Lois, and Jimmy.
Thanks again for following along! Appreciate each kudo, comment, bookmark, and subscription! Feel free to follow me crimson-amarone on Tumblr. Always excited to connect with other fans!
Next chapter, Meryl and Milly head over to the facility to investigate a lead for their story on the Intergalactic Shopping Network. They arrive halfway through the heist at the Plant facility. Meryl tracks down the flying man, with a strong suspicion about his identity.