Trigun Fan Fiction ❯ Forever Mine ❯ Pain Redefined ( Chapter 54 )

 

Disclaimer: Hmmm... I own my kids (Because I made them) I own my husband, (Because the Marriage License says so) and I own a REALLY big mortgage. (Because I'm stupid and signed on the dotted line.) However I don't own Trigun. (Because if I did, I wouldn't have said mortgage.)

“blah blah” : talking

`blah blah' : thinking

“blah blah” : telepathic talking

blah blah : other misc. stuff.

 

*~*~*

 

Forever Mine

Chapter 54: Pain Redefined

 

 

 

With a bag of doughnuts in his hand, Vash quietly walked through the marketplace and noticed that the town had changed quite a bit since the last time he passed through. He was pleased that everything was finally working out for Inepril City and took great pride in knowing that his help had proven to be fruitful. The once dying city was starting to show signs of life again. Now that the Plant was fully restored and operational, the once retreating populace started to return, effectively giving the town a much needed economical boost.

 

“At least I did something, right,” the gunman sadly mumbled to himself as he pulled a doughnut out of his bag, only to look at it before dropping it back in. He was just too tense to eat and the nervous knots in his belly weren't helping any. He couldn't get away from the pessimistic thoughts that kept swirling around his head, all having to do with the gnawing fear that Meryl was going to reject him, anyway. He just didn't know what to do if that happened and was afraid to openly think about what his alternative would be if she told him to stay out of her life forever.

 

He couldn't let himself think about it; for fear that it may come true.

 

Instead, he tried to keep his mind free from those glum thoughts. Unfortunately, they kept invading anyway, twisting like a vortex as the conflicting ideas and raging passions clashed. The golden blonde dropped his head, knowing he was fighting a losing battle and it would only be a matter of time before the violent skirmish within would break through his usual smiling facade.

 

Now all Vash wanted to do was escape from the crowds, seeking solitude so he could let the tears fall that have been threatening to spill since leaving Meryl's room. Picking up the pace, he started to make his way toward the cliffs that nestled the southern edge of the city, giving it a measure protection, just a little over an ile away. Unfortunately, it seemed as if luck was against him this morning, because just as soon as he crossed the street he heard someone called out his name.

 

“I've found you Vash the Stampede!” the voice yelled, instantly making Vash duck before six white projectiles flew over his head, sticking on the glass store front window of the local mercantile. Looking over to his `adversary,' Vash couldn't help but smile as he took in the sight of a boy about the age of ten holding not one, but two toy dart guns.

 

“Yeah you found me, all right,” Vash said with a small chuckle as he straightened himself and securely tucked his bag of doughnuts between real arm and chest so he could pull the `bullets' off of the glass. Perhaps, this is what he needed, instead. “So, how are you Tonis? I hope your not giving your mom too much grief?”

 

“Of course I'm not,” Tonis started defensively before grinning sheepishly as Vash walked up to him. “Well… maybe a little. She still won't let me have a real gun, you know!”

 

“As she shouldn't,” Vash replied, handing over the darts so the youth could reload the gun in his right hand. “Shouldn't you be in school right now?”

 

“No you doofus, its Saturday,” the boy pointed out as if the ex-outlaw was a complete moron, while reloading his toy.

 

“Oh yeah, I forgot,” the red clad man muttered awkwardly as he raised his artificial hand to scratch the back of his head. “So, where are your friends?”

 

“Still doing chores,” Tonis replied distastefully as the two started walking down the street together. “So do ya' wanna play for a spell, Vash? Look! I've got two guns now and I'll even let you use one!”

 

“Nah… I'm not up to playing right now, but how about we head over to that bench and you can help me eat my doughnuts,” he suggested as an alternative, while pointing over to the empty seat on the other side of the street.

 

“Deal!” the ten year old replied excitedly, eagerly leading the way over to the bench to enjoy the freshly baked pastries. Once there, both `gunmen' dug into the bag with reckless abandon. The younger of the two asked an infinite amount of questions about what Vash had been up to since leaving on the sandsteamer over two years ago as crumbs of doughnut flew out of his mouth with every word.

 

Vash was glad that Tonis showed up when he did, giving the ex-outlaw a much needed distraction. With his queasy stomach temporarily forgotten, he munched happily on his golden cakes of honey, while trying his best to keep up with the barrage of curious questions during the course of the child's animated conversation. He loved moments like these, being able to spend some time with an idealistic and impressionable young person that still saw the world with awe twinkling in his eyes. And Vash hoped that sharing his principles with Tonis would help him grow up to be a respectable adult.

 

“So is it true?” Tonis started to ask, pausing to take a bite out of his doughnut only to continue his query while chewing. “You no longer have the bounty on your head?”

 

“Nope,” Vash said with a big smile as he pulled something out of his pocket and handed it over to the youngster.

 

“Whoa! You're a Federal Marshal! That is sooo cool,” Tonis gushed out, unable to contain his enthusiasm as he openly gawked at the Silver Star. “Now I know what I want to be when I grow up! I want to be a Federal Marshal just like you!”

 

“That would be a very commendable occupation, Tonis,” Vash said, smiling brightly as he accepted the badge back from his little friend. While placing the star back in his pocket, Vash told Tonis that he needed to study hard in school and listen to his mother so he could join the law enforcement ranks. However, right before the Federal Marshal could mention that he should continue practicing his `sharp shooting,' Knives contacted him.

 

His twin stated that the girls left about fifteen minutes ago, heading out to the cliffs to look for him before severing the connection. A flash of anxiety ran through him as he wondered if Meryl had already made her decision. With growing apprehension, he slowly rose to his feet, while assuming that she must have or else she wouldn't be out looking for him already. With a sigh, he stretched before ruffling Tonis's hair, while saying, “Well, I have to get going, captain. I have someone waiting for me and if I keep her waiting, she'll probably beat me up.”

 

“Don't tell me you have a girlfriend?! Ewww… that's gross!” Tonis exclaimed with his nose crinkling at the very idea.

 

“Someday you won't think it's so gross,” Vash replied with a small chuckle before telling his young friend that he could keep the rest of the doughnuts. Then with a backwards wave, the Federal Marshal proceeded to head south.

 

The acidic feeling of worry returned with a vengeance with every step he took toward the cliff. Squaring his shoulders, he prepared himself for the worst, while knowing that Meryl and her answer were waiting for him. Nevertheless, Vash was a little surprised that she had sought him out so quickly. Not to mention, that she was heading out of town just to talk to him. She was too practical for that. He figured that she would have done it somewhere it bit more public and when they would naturally cross paths, rather than in an out-of-the-way place where no one else went.

 

Then the gunman thought of something.

 

She purposely walked out of town just to see him. Perhaps, she was going to take him back after all! With a sudden vigor in his step and a spreading grin, Vash quickened his pace. He didn't want her standing up there waiting for him any longer than necessary, especially if it gave her a chance to think things over. Besides, the sooner he got there the sooner he could see her again. Within the next three minutes, he passed their hotel and figured that if Knives was right in his calculations then Meryl and red should be, just now, arriving at the plateau, while he would be there within fifteen, if he hurried. Kicking it up a notch, he started to jog.

 

Then the feeling of absolute dread washed over him. Something wasn't right with Meryl and before he could even break his promise and enter her mind, he heard her panicked words of `Vash where are you' rush into his head. All semblance of restraint gone, he took off running, while frantically calling out a telepathic, “Meryl!”

 

“Vash help!”

 

“I'm coming, where are you?” the ex-outlaw instantly replied. His heart plummeted when he heard the panic in her voice. Instantly, he remembered that Cruz's henchmen were crawling all over the town, up to something. Then he heard her bite out that she was where he was supposed to be. Only Meryl could yell at him while in the middle of trouble, he absently thought, until she internally cried out that Keele was there. “Just hold on, I'm only a few minutes away!” he quickly assured her right before contacting Knives, who was already racing that way at full speed. After brief conversation with his twin, who was only a few minutes behind, Vash reached the base of the cliff and contacted Meryl again. “I'm at the base of the cliff now…”

 

“I love you, Vash…” The frantic man heard her whisper right before the connection was severed on her side.

 

Uncontainable rage burned through him, making him growl out, knowing full well that they had just hurt his insurance girl. Racing madly to reach her, the sand and rocks flying by in a blur as fury consumed him. He wouldn't let them get away with this and was fully prepared to do anything necessary to assure her well-being, even if it meant killing them all. Less than two minutes later, he reached the top, only to see the pair of vehicles pulling away and one body lying on the sandy surface. It was McKenna.

 

“MEEERRRYYYLLL…” he roared, pulling out his long colt and rapidly squeezing off all six rounds at the retreating automobiles in vain, before dropping to his knees. He just lost her all over again, except this time it was because someone took her from him! A waive of all consuming hatred for Bardeaux Keele enveloped him as he slammed his fist down into the ground, making particles of sand fly about violently. Anger surged through his veins as he silently vowed to aggressively hunt the bastard down and take back what had been stolen from him, no matter what the consequences were.

 

Rising from his knees, he straightened and quickly scanned the area for clues before his piercing eyes landed on McKenna, who was laying just a few feel away. He instantly went to her and knelt to check her vitals. Fortunately, she was alive and seemed to be fine, just knocked unconscious he assumed. Promptly he began to carefully check her head for any bumps or cuts. Sure enough, the concerned gunman found a large knot on the back of her head and when he pulled his hand out from her curly mass of red hair, he instantly noticed smeared blood on his gloved fingers.

 

“McKenna!” Knives yelled in a panic upon reaching the plateau and sprinting over to his mate. All he saw was Vash kneeling next to her looking at the blood, her blood, on his fingers and it terrified him. He hated the new feeling that was exploding throughout his body since their connection was severed a few minutes earlier. It was completely drowning his senses and what made it worse was that he could have not only prevented the emotion's emergence, but her from being injured, as well.

 

Right after she walked off the hotel's patio with Meryl, he instantly regretted letting the two go alone. A tickle in the back of his head, a premonition perhaps, was telling him to put his paper down and follow, but he didn't heed his own warning. Instead the platinum blonde let them go because he knew Meryl wanted to talk about Vash and would have felt uncomfortable if he joined them. Knives simply sat there for about fifteen minutes contemplating his decision, before contacting his twin to tell him that the girls where on their way. And, as luck would have it, Vash wasn't there, but he did promise to head toward the cliffs straight away. Then, not even five minutes later, McKenna had contacted him, in a fright, about being captured by a group of men…

 

“She's just knocked out, Knives,” Vash informed him, while watching his brother drop to his knees on the opposite side of her limp form.

 

Stripping off the glove on his right hand, Knives moved to gently brush her auburn locks from her face before cupping her cheek. Closing his eyes, he mentally entered her form to check for damage, while sending a little energy with his probe. He didn't want to take any chances, after all. Once satisfied that there wasn't any permanent harm done to her, he sighed in relief as he opened his eyes and looked up to his brother. “It was Cruz's men, wasn't it?!”

 

“Yes…” Vash hissed out through clenched teeth, while trying to control his rage. “Keele took Meryl and he's gonna pay. If he harms her in any way…” he breathed out menacingly, his eyes going cold and hard as flint. Then with low pitched growl, he added, “I swear will kill him…”

 

“All of them will pay…” Knives agreed, observing his brother as he rose from the sandy ground and started to pace, like a caged beast. He had never seen Vash like this, felt him like this before. Every cell in his body was ablaze and quaking with an inner fury. He was like a bomb, ready to explode with the slightest provocation. Knives knew that his twin was more than ready to chase after the putrid spiders now and wouldn't hesitate to going to the extreme if it meant getting her back safely. However, charging blindly into the situation would not be a wise decision. First, they needed to plan, “Vash… pacing and expelling needless energy won't get her back! You need to calm down!”

 

“Damn it, I can't!” he bellowed as he stopped his prowling and looked down at his twin. He couldn't believe Knives wasn't ready to take out half of the human race for what they did to McKenna. Taking a deep breath, he clenched his fists at his sides and closed his eyes for a moment. Opening them back up again, he furrowed his brow to narrow his gaze, while spewing out incredulously, “And I can't believe you are so calm about this! They hurt red!”

 

“I know they did and I will seek retribution!” Knives seethed as his eyes locked with Vash's. “However, it won't do any good if you decide to act rashly and chase after them without a plan. And you know damn well that I know you are preparing to do exactly that!”

 

“But that bastard wants revenge for what Meryl did to his face and now he has her!” Vash replied the dread and panic beginning to rise up through the anger. He fully knew time was of the essence. Giving Keele time with his short-girl would not be a good thing. “God only knows what he has planned for her, Knives! I need to get her back before he can harm a hair on her head!”

 

“You think I don't know that, either?” he argued only to whip his eyes away from Vash to McKenna as she stirred. With his ungloved hand still resting on her cheek, he delicately ran his thumb against her slightly parted lips, while whispering that everything would be okay. Knowing that it was past time to get her indoors, he gently moved his hand from her face and slipped it under her shoulders, while moving his left under her knees to pick her up. With the grace of a god, he rose with her cradled securely in his arms and finally brought his attention back to his twin. “Come, I need to take care of her and then we will thoroughly question our captive so we can formulate a plan,” Knives commanded, not giving Vash an option before adding, “Grab my glove and McKenna's badge.”

 

With another low pitched growl escaping his lips, he turned and stared at the ever diminishing cloud of sand heading south before turning back to give Knives a short nod of agreement. He knew his brother was right and they needed to figure out what their next course of action would be. Besides, he had a feeling that there was more to the map than it just leading to a buried treasure. Not to mention, the Bringer of Chaos was most definitely hiding something. Walking over to the items lying on the sandy ground, he bent over to pick them up and placed them in a pocket. Once everything was situated, he followed his twin down the cliff.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Thank you, again for breakfast, Mr. Ca… I mean Caden!” Milly chirped happily, giving the outlaw a sweet smile as they contently walked back to the hotel together.

 

“My pleasure, blue-eyes,” he replied, chuckling over her attempt to not add the `mister' in front of his name. He was really glad that she was trying to not say the honorific. It meant that she regarded him as more than just a mere acquaintance. Well, at least he hoped that's what it meant and he definitely planned on pursuing the notion. She was just too special to let slip out of his hands. “So…” Caden began, a few moments later, as he flicked his Stetson up. He then tilted his head in her direction so he could get an unimpeded view of her lovely profile as her gaze wandered over the shops lining the street. “Do you want to go in any of the stores before we head back? I know we'll probably be leaving shortly, but that doesn't meant we can't spend a little more time together.”

 

“Oh…” the big-girl started, her eyes showing mild surprise over his offer to shop with her as she brought her attention to him. Most men dreaded doing something so `girly' and here he was the one who was suggesting it. Normally, Milly would have just loved to, but she wanted to find out what happened between her Sempai and Mr. Vash. “Well… I kinda wanted to head back to see what happened…”

 

“Do you mean between Meryl and Vash?”

 

“Yup, sure do!”

 

“Do you think she will accept his apology?” Caden then asked as they stopped at an intersection, waiting to walk to the other side of the street.

 

“Gosh, I hope so!” Milly exclaimed as she deemed it safe to cross. Grabbing his hand, she proceeded to pull him, while explaining exactly why she hoped Meryl would take Mr. Vash back and continued to do so until they made it to the last block before their hotel. Stopping at the final intersection, she finished her reasoning with, “After all, one should never hold back in matters of the heart and since I've already told Meryl that, I'm really hoping she will follow the advice! My big, big sister says it all of the time and she should know because if she didn't follow hers then she wouldn't be happily married with three kids! Besides, it's such a good thing to follow! Your very own heart won't steer you wrong… well… at least I hope it wouldn't!”

 

“No… I don't think it would, either,” he agreed, showing off his dimple as a wide grin appeared on his handsome face. He definitely agreed with the advice, since he was following it himself. There was absolutely no way he was going to risk the chance of losing Milly if he decided to ignore what his heart was telling him. And lord only knows that he couldn't have picked a more inopportune time to fall head over heels in love, especially with Cruz pursuing him like a demon possessed. Nor could he forget, all of the bounty hunters hot on his trail. Besides, it was too late. He couldn't prevent it from happening, even if he wanted to. She already held his heart in the palm of her graceful hand and he had a feeling that she had it since that fateful morning when she got on the bus back in Neo Colorado.

 

Now all Caden needed to do was convince his fairytale princess that it would be worth it to go the long haul and share her life with a not so charming prince. He knew she was still grieving for her lost love and didn't expect her to completely forget him overnight. Actually, knowing Milly, she would never let a love like what she shared with Nicholas D. Wolfwood fade away. The outlaw just hoped that she had enough room in her heart for the both of them and, hopefully over time, she would open up and let him in as well. He was definitely willing to wait…

 

She was well worth it.

 

“Hello… are you in there?” Milly inquired as she waived her free hand in front of Caden's blank face when he didn't answer the question she just asked a minute before. She watched, while he shook his head to `wake up' and muttered an apology before asking her to repeat the question. “I asked if you were ready to cross the street,” she repeated with a giggle.

 

“Oh sure… let's go,” he answered awkwardly, not believing that he actually let himself zone out in public like that. He should have known better. It could be quite dangerous, deadly even, if someone took advantage of his dulled senses. But, it seemed like whenever he was near Milly, she became his point of awareness.

 

Still hand in hand, the outlaw and insurance girl started to cross the street just as large taupe-colored utility vehicle turned onto the road and sped toward them. Immediately noticing the truck, Caden pulled Milly out of the way before wrapping his arms around her and diving for the ground by the edge of the hotel, pinning her between him and the base of the structure. As the racing vehicle reached the corner, one of its occupants leaned out the back driver side window, holding a high-powered crossbow. Pulling the trigger, he sent a bolt flying toward the two, where it struck the sandstone building, the tip embedding itself into the porous mass as the shaft quivered with the force of the impact. With cries of panic, the other pedestrians fell to the ground waiting for the onslaught of bullets to come, but it never happened. The truck simply sped around the corner and quickly drove away.

 

“Are you okay, Milly?” Caden asked as he lifted himself off of her and offered her a hand.

 

“I guess so… What the heck happened?” she asked back as she accepted his offer of assistance and let him help her from the ground, while the others started to get up as well.

 

“I would say this happened,” Caden replied coldly as he let go of her hand and stepped up to the crossbow bolt sticking out of the wall. However, that wasn't what really got his attention. It was the envelope that was attached to it that did. With a hard yank, he pulled the bolt free and carefully slipped the envelope from the shaft. After tossing the projectile to the ground, he cautiously ran his fingers over the package that was obviously meant for him, instantly noticing it contained something other than a missive from Cruz. “Come on Milly, I think it would be in our best interest to go somewhere more secure to open this,” he added, putting the letter in his coat pocket.

 

“All right,” Milly simply replied as she followed the angry man halfway down the block to the hotel entrance.

 

Walking into the lobby, Caden briskly strode toward the stairs in the far corner with Milly just a step behind. Seeking the privacy of his room, he prepared to climb the steps until a very dangerous presence made him tingle with awareness. Knowing the familiar vibe, he turned on his heel so he could watch the hotel's entrance. And before Milly could even ask him what he was doing, a murderous looking Humanoid Typhoon came bursting through the doors in angry strides.

 

“This is your fault!” Vash seethed, each word laced with venom, as he advanced on Caden and instantly punched him in the face, sending him to the ground with his cowboy hat flying off in the process. Reaching down, he pulled the longer haired man up by the scruff of his coat and shoved him against the nearby wall behind the steps. “They have her, damn it!” Vash screamed into Walker's face as his grip on the outlaw's coat tightened, completely oblivious to the stares he was receiving from the other hotel patrons.

 

“They have who, Mr. Vash?” Milly asked worriedly, although she already knew who he was talking about.

 

“Meryl,” Knives stated grimly from behind the big-girl, making her turn around upon hearing his voice.

 

“Miss Mac!” the big-girl cried, immediately seeing her prone form in Knives's arms. “What happened, Mr. Knives?”

 

“Meryl wanted to find Vash after he left this morning and McKenna went with her. Only Cruz's lackeys found them first. They abducted Meryl and rendered McKenna unconscious,” he responded with anger evident in his tone. Nobody touched what was his and got away with it.

 

“No Sempai…” she whispered upon his reply as her eyes began to water. “That means…”

 

“Keele has her!” Vash finished for her as he eyes started to glow eerily at outlaw he held securely against the wall. Growling loudly, he extended his arms, lifting Caden from the ground while adding, “It's time you leveled with us Walker or I swear to God that I will take you apart piece by piece!”

 

“Put me down and I will,” Caden rasped out. He completely understood why Vash was so upset. After all, he was very angry himself. Cruz caught him unaware and took Meryl out from under his nose, something he promised he would protect her from. And he now had a pretty good idea what the letter contained. He would bet his life that they wanted to exchange the map for the petite woman.

 

“Vash, put him down, damn it!” Knives commanded after his twin kept the outlaw dangling in the air.

 

“Fine,” the golden blonde spat out as he roughly pushed off from Caden's chest and stepped back, making the outlaw grunt out from the jarring blow.

 

On his feet again, Caden straightened his overcoat before running his right hand through his hair. “Damn it,” he muttered angrily before pulling the envelope out from his pocket. Looking up to Vash, he handed it over to him, while saying, “Milly and I were just presented with this. I have a feeling it's an offer to trade Meryl for the map.”

 

Without a word, Vash opened the letter and read it. Once finished, he handed the letter over the Caden right before dumping the rest of the envelope's contents into his real hand. It was Meryl's earrings. The very sight of them made his heart lurch as his anger gave way to dread. He had just given them to her not even an hour ago and here they were, in his possession again. Closing his fingers over them, he jerkily raised his fist to his mouth as the tears started to fall. Walker was right; they would give Meryl back if, and only if, they received the map in three days time with Caden hand-delivering it. However, he fully knew they weren't planning on giving her back.

 

“We have three days and they will keep her unharmed until then,” Knives said after reading his brother's thoughts. As he shifted McKenna in his arms he started for the stairs while adding, “Come. We need privacy to plan.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I'm coming with you, Knives,” McKenna demanded as she pushed off from the edge bed, stood up, and crossed her arms.

 

“No,” he firmly replied, walking away from the door and standing right in front her. He had advised the others the he would meet them in Vash's room in thirty minutes, after tending to his mate's wound. That was thirty-five minutes ago. He was late and didn't have time to argue with her. “You need to be lying in that bed!”

 

“But, I'm fine, damn it!” she groused, not backing down. “All I have is a headache and once the meds kick in, even that will go away!”

 

“You were recently injured woman and I will not allow you to leave this room until I deem you are well enough to do so!”

 

“I have a bump on the head and a small cut, one that didn't even need stitches! You are being unreasonable, Alexander,” the redhead pointed out, clearly not understanding why he was being so adamant about her staying in bed. It wasn't like she was asking to leave the hotel. She just wanted to be there while they discussed their plans for getting Meryl back.

 

“Look McKenna,” he sighed, while wrapping his arms around her. He was doing this for her, after all. “I just don't want you to overtax yourself while listening to us. If you stay here, you will be able to relax…”

 

“Don't you mean worry about what's happening, because that is exactly what I'm going to do!” she exclaimed, while cutting him off in the process. “Leaving me here will be far more taxing on me then joining in on the discussion.”

 

“Fine,” he bit out, clearly vexed over her arguing. Pulling away, he grabbed her hand and led her through the door, while advising her that if he felt even the tiniest nuance of stress emitting from her shapely form then he would throw her over his shoulder and carry her back to bed. Walking across the hall, he reached for the door knob and opened it, letting Mac enter first before he followed right behind her. He immediately noticed that the other three were already present and it irked him greatly knowing that he was the last one to arrive.

 

Milly and Caden were sitting on two of the chairs that where pulled away from the table, facing the full bed, where Vash sat, hunched over with his forearms resting on his thighs. He could feel the tension rolling off of his twin in waves and knew that the wait was already driving him crazy. He quickly ushered McKenna to the head of the bed and grabbed one of the pillows before advising her to lean against the other. He then slipped the second behind her head and shoulders. Once satisfied that she was comfortable, he moved to the opposite wall and leaned against it. It was past time for an explanation he thought before looking over to Caden. “You may begin, Walker.”

 

“Well… what do you want to know?” Caden asked somberly, looking over at Knives first.

 

“Let's start with why Cruz wants the map so badly?” Knives demanded, more than asked, as he crossed his arms over his chest. “If he's looking for wealth, can he be bought?”

 

“We have just under two million double-dollars in cash, now,” Vash quietly supplied without looking up.

 

“And I have thirty million in a trust fund,” McKenna interjected, making the others, including Vash, openly gape at her. “What?” she added looking from one to the other as they stared wide-eyed in astonishment at her.

 

“Wow Miss Mac, I didn't know your daddy made that much money,” Milly said, astounded with the figure the redhead just mentioned. “Or does he get to catch some high bounties like Caden's as the big boss of the Justice Department?”

 

“Ummm… am I missing something here?” Chaos asked, while scratching his head. He was clearly confused as to why McKenna's dad would be the boss of the Justice Department. Then he remembered her last name… Madsen. “Who's your father, McKenna?”

 

“My dad is Attorney General Theodore S. Madsen the third.”

 

“Holy shit…” Caden slowly muttered. Not only was he in the company of two Federal Marshals who weren't human, but now the third was the Attorney General's daughter.

 

From the beginning he knew Vash and Knives were no mere mortals, especially with their telepathic abilities. Then the past twenty four hours passed and had been quite an eye opener for him. After listening to Vash's confession last night and asking Milly questions during breakfast, he had been able to confirm his suspicions. The twins were in fact free-born Plants. A revelation that partially surprised him, he didn't know there were others out there…

 

“Would that sum suffice, Walker?” Knives impatiently asked, instantly bringing the outlaw out of his thoughts.

 

“Doubtful... Cruz is already worth millions,” Caden sighed as he rubbed his hands over his face. He knew he needed to tell them everything and it would probably be best to start from the very beginning. “He isn't seeking wealth, he's seeking power.”

 

“If the map doesn't lead to a buried treasure, then where does it lead… exactly?” Vash demanded to know this time, staring intently at the Bringer of Chaos.

 

“It leads to a ship,” he replied, staring back.

 

“A ship?” both Vash and Knives asked at the same, needing more information.

 

“That's what I said.”

 

“There are fallen ships all over Gunsmoke,” Knives stated, annoyed with Walker's non-answer. “What makes this one so special?”

 

“She didn't fall. The Genesis-3 landed safely 130 years ago,” Walker supplied as he turned his attention to Knives. “And the map was made when the last of the crew and his children had to flee the ship thirty-two years later.”

 

“That was almost one hundred years ago!” Vash exclaimed as he shot to his feet from the bed and glared down at the outlaw. This was going absolutely nowhere. “That map is probably nothing but a wild goose chase, meaning Keele took my Meryl for nothing!”

 

“The ship exists, Vash,” Caden confirmed, looking up to red clad man.

 

“Oh yeah… and just how would you know?” the ex-outlaw huffed, while crossing is arms over his chest.

 

“I was born there…”

 

“But didn't you just say that no one had been there in ninety-eight years, Mr. Caden?” Milly asked, tilting her head to side, while trying to remember what he said earlier this morning. “And before didn't you say that you were forced from your home when you were three?”

 

“Yes, Milly, that's correct.”

 

“But if you were one of the children that had to leave the ship and then I guess the other one was your brother… And the crewmember was your dad, right?” she went on, while doing the math. “Gosh Mr. Caden, that would make you almost as old as Mr. Vash and Mr. Knives, since they just turned 133!”

 

“I guess so, huh, blue-eyes,” Caden said, giving the big-girl a small smile. “I'll be 101 in January.”

 

“So, what are you trying to say, Walker?” Knives cut in, “Are you implying that you are free-born, like Vash and me?”

 

“Of course not,” he replied, while chuckling as he moved his emerald gaze to the platinum blonde before seeking out the others in the room. Finally, returning his attention back to Knives, he turned completely serious and added…

 

“My mother was.”