Trigun Fan Fiction ❯ Burgundy and Blood ❯ The 13th Gung Ho Gun? ( Chapter 5 )

Standard Disclaimer: <sigh> Trigun, its characters, and Lawren are not mine. That being said, I am not making any money from this story. I am writing this to have a little fun. Of course, it would be nice to be a professional author, but then people would think I was even more eccentric than I already am.

Burgundy and Blood: Part V

The 13th Gung Ho Gun?

Legato walked swiftly down the long passageway carrying his burden. He was a bit concerned as he was late returning. He sincerely hoped the girl in his arms would be enough to please the Master and cause him to overlook the tardiness. "Is the Master waiting for me?"

A tall man in black detached himself from the wall. His interest was peaked by the form in Legato's arms. "You know Knives, he's always waiting to hear reports of progress toward his goals. "Who's the woman?" he asked, gesturing to the figure.

Legato smile down at the girl he held in his arms. In her unconscious state, she appeared much younger than her twenty years. Deep burgundy lashes contrasted sharply with her pale skin. Her hair was a tangled mass of rich color that flowed over his arms and cascaded toward the floor in a rich waterfall of color. "She is to be a gift for the Master…" He paused a moment before continuing, "and a new addition to the Gung Ho Guns."

"You'd put another woman on the trail of Vash the Stampede after what happened to Dominique?" Midvalley asked with a note of barely concealed incredulity.

Legato sighed deeply. "Midvalley, your sentimentality towards the Cyclops is… was truly remarkable; however, you know that she did not meet death at the hands of Vash the Stampede. She would have had another excellent chance to get close to him again eventually. Vash always did have an eye for a beautiful face. This girl will make excellent bait."

"But, she…"

"Midvalley, do you not recognize her? She is the creature who so exquisitely killed the man in that bar. Her powers are similar to my own. That fact makes her an excellent choice to be a Gung Ho Gun."

"I got the impression that she would rather be left alone."

"It is sad, is it not? These pitiful humans do not always get what they wish for." He tossed the girl at Midvalley's feet. She moaned softly as her body impacted with the hard floor. "Take her to a chamber and watch her. I will come to collect her after I meet with the Master."

Midvalley nodded and reaching down, he slung the girl over one shoulder. "She's not very heavy, is she?"

"She is not as she appears. Remember, she can be quite vicious." Midvalley nodded and strode off with the girl over his shoulder. Legato stared after the retreating forms. The inky blackness swallowed them as he watched. He sincerely hoped the Master didn't want Lawren for anything other than an assassin. His attention turned as a panel slid open to reveal a brilliant light.

"Legato…"

"Yes, Master…" He answered as he stepped into the light.

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Lawren slowly regained consciousness. Her eyes opened to bare slits as they observed their surroundings. Dim light revealed a dark ceiling overhead, and to her left and right, dark walls. As her eyes were adjusting to the pale light, her ears picked up the soft melody of a saxophone. She glanced cautiously around the room again until they lit on a shadowy figure in one corner.

"So, you're finally awake." The voice was full of the arrogant confidence of one who knows their place in the world is secure.

"Where the hell am I?" Lawren winced as she sat up on the edge of the narrow bunk. Her head was pounding. "Shit…," she muttered. "That hurt."

Midvalley leaned away from the wall and walked across the room until he was within a few feet of her. His outstretched hand held a glass of bourbon. "Here, take it. Traveling with Legato takes a little getting used to." He smiled at her. She was a beautiful woman and he liked beautiful women as much as the next man.

Lawren regarded him with suspicion for a minute before reaching out to accept the proffered glass. Sniffing the contents briefly, she closed her eyes and swallowed the amber liquor quickly. She shuddered slightly as the liquid flowed down her throat. She sighed as a warm glow grew in the pit of her stomach. Looking up at the man before her she remarked, "I remember you. You were with him that day in the bar."

"Midvalley the Hornfreak, at your service. I am the eleventh Gung Ho Gun. And I understand that you are to be number thirteen."

"Fuck that idea. I told that bastard Legato that I had no interest in working for any assassin group." She was magnificently beautiful in her fury. Eyes sparkled like fine diamonds in the darkness. Midvalley was impressed with the powerful rage he felt lurking beneath the carefully controlled surface. Legato may have been right to bring her here.

"I accept your compliment and I suggest that you go no further. As for Legato, he is a fucking pervert who needs to get a life that doesn't include kidnapping young women from the desert." Lawren snapped at him.

For his part, Midvalley had the grace to flush guiltily. "Look, you may as well accept the circumstances that brought you here. To go against Knives or Legato for that matter, will only cause your death. Believe me, neither of them would kill you quickly either."

Lawren rose to her feet. "I don't give a damn what either of them may or may not be capable of. I'm leaving now and I suggest that you don't try to stop me."

"Now that I can't do. I am under orders from Legato to watch you and I don't think that included watching you walk out of here. Sit down and relax until he comes for you. It would be difficult at best for you to find your way out of here."

Lawren's eyes narrowed as the swung around to bore into Midvalley's own. His body stepped to the side of its own accord. His face registered a look of disbelief. Struggling against her hold, he lifted his sax to his lips and played a single note. The sonic shock from the horn knocked her back a pace and loosened her hold on him. "Legato was right… there is more to you than I had expected."

"Get the hell out of my way…" she stormed as she assaulted his mind again. And again, he repelled her attack again with a note from his sax. Strike and counter strike, again and again, each moved cautiously around the other in an effort to subdue the other.

Lawren leaned against the wall for a moment, trying to catch her breath. This was not working. She would have to kill him. She focused her powers on his body, causing the blood flow to his brain to slow. With any luck, this would kill him silently so she could make good her escape.

Midvalley stood frozen in place for a few moments as his body refused to function properly. To his horror, he realized this attack was different from the rest. With a sudden shriek, he grabbed his head in both hands and fell to the floor. "It won't be long now…" she whispered.

A jolt of awareness chased down her spine. He was coming. She had to hurry and get out of here. "Release him."

Lawren whipped around at the sound of the sharp command. "Legato…" she hissed under her breath.

Midvalley ceased rolling around on the floor and gingerly climbed to his feet while shooting murderous glares at the girl and grateful looks toward Legato. "You little bitch, I hope Knives keeps you here as his personal plaything. That would be worse than anything I could ever do to you."

"Midvalley, enough. I warned you she was vicious. It is your own fault that you almost met death at her hands. Leave us now."

Midvalley gave the girl one more hateful glance as he bowed before Legato and quickly left the room.

Turning his attention toward Lawren again, Legato stepped closer to her side. "That was not a very nice thing to do to someone who was just following my orders. You will have to learn to work with others before you will be of any use to the Gung Ho Guns."

Lawren felt the leash on her temper slip a notch. She wanted to kill every thing here, starting with the man in front of her. "Bastard, I told you before that I wasn't working for anybody. If your master is so fucking important and powerful, why doesn't he just kill off his enemies?"

Alarm bells rang in her head a split second before she found herself flying across the room. Her body impacted with the wall and slid to the floor. Her vision blurred and the taste of blood filled her mouth. "How did that happen? How did Legato move so fast I couldn't follow him or read his intentions before he acted?"

Wincing sharply, she pulled herself to a sitting position. "I don't care how much you interest me. I'm going to kill you, you fucking bastard." It took Lawren a moment or two before she realized another person had entered the chamber. He was tall and dressed in a form fitting body suit. His hair was so blonde it appeared white and his eyes gleamed like shards of iridescent blue ice in the darkness. He looked like an angel.

Legato looked toward the man and bowed deeply. His voice took on a reverence as if he were in the presence of God. "Master… this is the gift I have brought for your inspection."

"Well, Legato… I believe this girl is going to kill you for something I have done." The tall man smiled at his servant.

Legato smiled magnificently at his master. "To die in your place would be an unimaginable honor, Master."

Lawren stared up at the tall man standing before her. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand to erase the faint traces of blood. "I'm no one's 'gift'," she spoke quietly in the stillness.

The tall man laughed. "A superior breed of beast like myself, will decide what your fate will be."

"Fuck that idea. I don't know who you are, but I am not going to do what ever it is you want me to do."

The man looked over his shoulder at Legato. "You obviously didn't tell her much about all this did you?"

"Forgive me, Master. I thought it best not to inform her completely until you decided how best she may be used in your plans." Legato bowed lower still.

Climbing to her feet, Lawren looked at Legato with nothing short of amazement. "Why is he so enthralled with this man standing in front of us?"

"But you see… I am not a man. I am a plant. I am a vastly superior breed of beast than you human garbage. I have watched while your kind lives off the blood of my siblings, wasting precious resources, that you have no right to."

"And… your fucking point is…?"

"I intend to wipe out all traces of humanity on this planet before it can spread to other areas of this solar system. I am going to save the universe from this diseased infestation and create a paradise on this planet for myself and my brother."

Lawren stood open mouthed in shock. This guy was insane. He actually believed the words he was speaking. Destroy everyone on the planet? That was not possible, was it?

"Ok, you arrogant bastard. I have heard just about enough. I am leaving and you can take your stupid plans and shove them up your ass. I am not going to be a part of something like that. Killing people who annoy me or get in my way is one thing, but to kill at random… Hell, even I won't be a party to that."

Knives stared at the girl in front of him for a moment. He glanced over his shoulder at his favorite henchman. "Yes, Master."

Lawren found herself unable to move as Knives grabbed a fistful of her burgundy hair and hauled her close enough to let his eyes bore into hers. She struggled with the hold Legato had on her body and she tried to turn her powers on the man holding her hair in his painful grip, but to no avail. Rage surged through her.

"It won't work on me. I have already told you. I am a vastly superior breed of beast. I am above harm by a mere human." He stared into her eyes.

She shivered involuntarily as he let his fingertips glide over the curve of her breasts. His hands crossed her hips and slid between her thighs to trace the outline of her center. Smooth, pale fingers slowly tugged at the zipper holding the front of her suit closed. She cringed as the teeth parted and felt a chill touch her white skin. She met his gaze evenly. She was not going to make this easy for him by looking away.

"This bastard will pay. I swear by all that I am, I will find a way to make this bastard pay for what he's doing to me."

Her nipples of their own accord hardened as they met the chilly air. Gently pealing the suit away from her breasts, Knives reached out to fondle the small peaks. They were perfectly made and suited her slight frame very well. She had courage; he would give her that. The last female he had done this to did nothing but weep and scream and beg to be let go.

He sighed. It was a pity, but he had no time to indulge in selfish pleasures. Not when his plans were so close to fruition. He glanced over his shoulder at Legato again. His faithful servant was still maintaining his low bow, even as he held the girl in his tight mental grip. He would let Legato deal with her.

"Legato, release her."

"Yes, Master." His mind freed the girl from his grip. She hurriedly yanked the zipper up on her suit. He could read the rage and thoughts of killing himself and the Master that flowed from the girl.

"Legato. I am extremely pleased with this gift. You may decide how the Gung Ho Guns may best use her. If she doesn't live up to our standards, you may dispose of her as you see fit."

"My Master is most gracious in his praise. I will not fail you in your endeavors Master." Legato bowed lower still.

Knives smiled brilliantly at his servant as he turned to go. "Legato… be sure she doesn't kill you. I sense something very powerful in her. I would be… upset if something happened to you before my plans for your life were complete."

Legato nodded as Knives disappeared from view. "Are you ready to begin your training to join the Gung Ho Guns?"

"Screw that. You and that crazy man can play Master and slaveboy all you want, but I am not having any part of it. I am leaving here now." Lawren turned toward the door.

"You don't want to join our group for a chance to play a larger part in the drama of life… perhaps you'd be interested in a large sum of money?"

"I already said that I wasn't killing nobody for any money." She was past him and out into the hall.

"Not even for $$60 billion double dollars?"

Lawren stopped dead in her tracks. "There's only one man on the planet worth that kind of money."

"Yes, my Master's brother… Vash the Stampede."

Swinging about to face him, she stared into golden eyes. "You have my undivided attention for five minutes. Make the story good or I walk out of here and whether or not I leave a trail of bodies is strictly up to you."

Legato smiled viciously at her. Five minutes was all he would need to convince her to be the Thirteenth Gung Ho Gun.

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To Be Continued:

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Love and peace to everyone

Blackhat (^_~)