Trigun Fan Fiction ❯ The Resurrection Of Nicholas D. Wolfwood ❯ And Her Name Was Lydia ( Chapter 24 )

The Resurrection Of Nicholas D. Wolfwood

Part Twenty-Four: And Her Name Was Lydia

By Bekka Mouri

(Trigun doesn't belong to me and I am not making any money off of this so please don't sue. Wolfwood faces off against Victor The Hornblower and some other assorted madness. A little bit of cussing but not much.)

Monique watched as Wolfwood left the room where Shin had been. They had both fought hard but Wolfwood had won because of Shin's over zealousness. She hung her head and sighed. " I wonder where my sister had gotten to anyway? The little miss goody two-shoes probably got overcome with guilt and ran away like she always does… typical. "

Victor walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. He looked at the monitor and growled. " What the hell? Shin was supposed to survive! We all were supposed to survive this! "

Monique turned to face him, " It was his own fault, honey. "

" But he was our best friend, " Victor pulled away and walked to where his clothes lay on the floor. " I don't know how you can be so cold… "

" I'm not being cold, Victor, " Monique glared at her lover. He was just two years older than her but he acted like he was younger. " He knew the floor in that room was made of solid steel under the layer of rock. He should have been more careful. "

Victor yanked on his pants, " Whatever. I don't care about what Nagato said. I am going to kill that damn priest. Shin was like a brother to me! "

" He was like a brother to all of us, Victor! If you kill Wolfwood, Nagato will kill you and I am sure it won't be pretty, " Monique put a hand over her eyes. " You just have to wear him out so he has no chance against the master. "

Victor pulled on his shirt, " Look… you know the master probably doesn't have that long anyway… "

" He will still kill you! " Monique said. " He is still strong. "

" But how long will that strength last, Monique? Just how much longer do you think he can survive in the shape he is in? " Victor said as he tucked his shirt into his pants.

" Long enough to kill you, " Monique shook her head. " Please don't kill the preacher, Victor. Please reconsider… "

" My mind is made up. Wolfwood will not survive his battle with Lydia, " Victor strode across the room and opened the door.

" Have it your way then, " Monique said and walked to her closet.

" There's no need for you to get dressed, Monique. It will be a waste of time, " Victor said and left.

She opened the closet, " You are one to talk about wasting time. I need to go find my sister and make sure she isn't waiting to meddle in the master's affairs. "

She pulled out a pair of jeans much like the ones her sister was fond of wearing and furrowed her brow. ~Knowing Kiore, he's probably tried to do something to her when she came in… bastard. ~ She walked over to the bed and sat down, her eyes going to a case sitting next to it. ~Victor forgot Lydia… ~ She reached for the case then gasped.

~Stop him… you must… keep him from killing Wolfwood… ~ Nagato's voice was a bare whisper. Monique recognized the whisper and cringed. The whisper was the only sound Nagato could make when he was in great pain.

" Yes master, " Monique muttered and reached for the case…

**

Nagato lay on the floor and clutched his left arm… Vash's left arm to his chest. The painkillers had worn off and he could feel the pain it once again. It had hurt him since the day it had been attached but he was determined to keep it until everyone associated with his brother's death was dead. He had to endure the pain just a little longer and then he would have the arm removed.

He looked up at the shelf that seemed so far above him and could see the pill bottle sitting on it. If he could just stand long enough to get the medicine he would be able to make it to kill Wolfwood. He could feel the fever in his arm and knew that he would have to finish his plan as soon as possible. If the arm stayed on any longer, he knew the infection in it would kill him.

**

It was quiet… way too quiet. Vash hoped he could pick out some noise that would let him know that someone was coming to rescue them. Milly and Meryl had talked a little bit but he had tried to distance himself from their conversation. He was so mad at everything and didn't know what to do.

He had let down his defenses the night before and held Meryl like he wanted to. He kissed her like he had dreamed about but refused to go any further than that. He didn't want things to go fast because things always got fucked up when they were done fast. Now, he regretted his decision to even get into the bed with Meryl.

~I should have just stayed in her floor, ~ He looked down at his feet as he tried not to listen to Meryl's breathing. It was such a simple thing but hearing it made him feel strange. He found little things about her that he had not noticed at first that now drove him crazy when he thought about it. ~I knew better than to get close to her… I am so stupid. ~

" Milly? " Meryl's voice was so quiet, Vash wondered if he had even heard it.

" Yes, Meryl? " Milly looked over at her friend.

Meryl looked down at the floor, not certain about what she was going to say. She shook her head, " It's nothing. "

" Meryl, " Milly sighed. " I can tell you want to ask me something. "

" But if I do ask, that will mean I don't think we'll get out of this alive. I want to have faith in Mr. Wolfwood but I will regret asking this if we don't make it out alive, " Meryl shook her head. " And besides… it's too personal. "

" Go ahead and ask me anything you want, Meryl. I'll try to answer you the best I can, " Milly said quietly.

Vash looked up and saw Meryl staring at the floor. She looked so sad and confused, it made his heart hurt. She looked up and at Milly but Vash knew she could see him in her line of sight. She held her breath and let it out as she whispered, " What is it like? "

Milly blinked, " What do you mean? "

Meryl blushed and looked away. She looked at Milly's stomach and sighed, " I told you it was too personal. I shouldn't have bothered to say anything. "

Milly blushed and looked down at the floor, " Oh. "

Vash looked confused for a moment and then realized what Meryl was asking. He shut his eyes, " Meryl… "

Meryl shook her head, " I don't know and I want to at least hear what it is like because I… "

" It's okay, " Milly whispered. " It's actually really good. "

Vash wished his hands were free so he could put his fingers in his ears. He really didn't want to listen to girl talk (especially if it was about what he thought it was about) but he had no choice. He looked away, hoping they wouldn't get too frank and detailed. He had always thought Meryl was too nice to ask such a question but she had shattered that misconception.

" Is it? " Meryl asked.

" Yeah, " Milly nodded. " It's a thousand times better than you imagine it would be. "

Vash let out a low whine but said nothing. Meryl looked over at him then back at Milly. " How did you feel when you found out you were going to have four? "

Milly let out a little giggle, " Well, at least its not sextuplets. I would have had to hurt Nick… I mean, Mr. Wolfwood if I were going to have sextuplets. "

Vash looked at the girls and sighed. Meryl looked at him and arched an eyebrow. " What did you think we were talking about, Vash? "

Vash shook his head, " Don't worry about it. I thought… Oh, never mind. "

Milly let out another giggle, " Mr. Vash! Were thinking naughty things? "

Vash crumpled in his chair and blushed. ~Another dead-on guess by the wonder girl, ~ he thought to himself.

Meryl blushed and looked away from Vash. " Only you would think of that at a time like this. "

Vash sighed, ~Damn. They'll never let me live this one down. ~

Meryl looked over at Vash, " Vash? "

Vash looked over, " Yes, Meryl? "

" I… I noticed something when Nagato was touching me, " Meryl's voice shook as she tried not to recall the episode.

" Meryl… I had to try to stay calm because he was going to hurt you and Milly. I didn't mean to seem cold… " Vash apologized as he looked at the floor. " If I could have stopped him… "

" That's not it, Vash. I know you did it for us and he really didn't do as much as I thought he would. I mean, he put his hand on my… " Meryl shivered and shook her head, " But he didn't go any further. I noticed something about his arm… I mean, your arm. "

Vash looked over at her, " What about it? "

" It was really hot, like it was full of fever. Not only that, it smelled funny, " Meryl said.

" Funny? What do you mean? " Vash arched an eyebrow.

" Like it was starting to rot, " Meryl shivered again and tried not to gag.

**

Cathy stared up at the ceiling, her breath coming in short gasps as pain radiated through her body. She had lost her grip crawling out of the air duct and felt like she had broke her back or popped every vertebrae at the very least. The fall had knocked the wind out of her and she was barely aware of the gun falling out of her pants as she fell. ~I'd be so screwed if I landed on the gun Mr. Preacher gave me. ~

Her wounds stung with dirty sweat and she wondered just how much more she could stand. She was very strong but everyone had his or her limits. She shut here eyes and tried to move her neck, hoping it wasn't damaged. The last thing she needed was to be paralyzed and not able to help her new friends.

She let out a tiny sigh as her neck moved with only a small amount of pain. ~At least that's not broken, ~ She thought and opened her eyes slowly. They flew open when she realized she was looking directly at a plant. She struggled to sit up, her lungs still hurting as well as the rest of her body.

~Hold on a second, ~ She thought, pushing herself into a sitting position. ~This place gets its energy from the plant in Clara Santa just on the other side of the mountain. What is this thing doing here? ~

She looked at it a little more and realized there was something not right with it. It looked like it was almost dead and she knew that wasn't a good thing. She forced herself to her feet and stumbled over to it. She looked through the outer shell and could see a body…

(Flashback)

" Catherine? Catherine Marie, where are you? " Andrea Harry called through the plant room. Catherine, her daughter, had vanished while she had given a tour of the May City plant facilities to some new workers. Catherine's twin sister had remained in the office and told Andrea that Catherine had slipped away. " Young lady! You better get where I can see you! "

There was no answer and Andrea was now worried. She had always had a hard time keeping Catherine away from the plants; she seemed drawn to them like the proverbial moth to a flame. Catherine was a curious child and Andrea feared the girl would die as a result of that inquisitiveness.

It was bad enough that Catherine and her sister had been conjoined twins and Andrea could cope with the ugly scar that stretched across her daughters' backs. She had tried to cope with another oddity that had become evident after the girls were separated and seemed to be able to hide it from everyone around them. It was odd to see five-year-old girls with matching eye patches but Andrea explained it off as an accident.

Finally, she found Catherine and gasped at why her daughter hadn't answered her. The child had her forehead pressed up against the plant and a creature looked out at her from the inside. The creature saw Andrea and retreated back into the inner part of the plant. Catherine turned, looking at her mother with hurt evident in her visible eye.

" Catherine! " Andrea said sharply as she walked towards the girl, " I told you not to come in here! "

Catherine pointed towards the plant, " Momma… you scared my new friend. "

Andrea grabbed the girl up, " Never mind that. You don't belong in here. "

" What was my friend, Momma? " Catherine asked. " It looked like a person but… "

" Those aren't people. They are the ones who live outside of time and you shouldn't bother them, " Andrea shook her head.

(Flashback over)

Cathy felt tears come to her eyes and she shut them tight. Her mother and father had been in charge of the plant in May City for as long as she could remember. She thought everything was fine until word reached her that her mother had fallen ill and she wanted her daughters to come home. Cathy went to be by her side because she hadn't seen either of her parents in seven years.

Right before the girls turned six, a man and woman came to see them and told their parents that there was a special school for gifted girls. Andrea and Beck accepted the offer when they found out the school was free; telling the girls it would be best for everyone. Cathy accepted the decision but her sister didn't understand why they were being sent away. Later, it turned out that the man and woman were merely agents for The Gung-Ho Guns, a group of mysterious assassins that worked for a frightening looking man in a white spiked coat.

The school part had also been a bit of a farce for the students of The Gung-Ho Guns were often moved without notice even though they were still able to get messages from their families in emergencies. The small group of students all had gifts and those gifts were developed through hard training as well as harsh discipline. Cathy and her sister were the youngest but they were treated just the same and they loyally served their teacher, Dominique The Cyclops.

After Cathy's mother died, Beck begged Cathy to stay so he could spend time with her and get over his grief. Cathy did all she could to assist her father and decided she didn't want to leave him again. She knew her father had started to regret sending the girls away but she never said anything, she didn't want to upset him any more than he already was. Cathy had hoped that she could get her sister to come home as well but she knew that would be impossible.

Confusion had turned to anger as the girls got older and Cathy's sister had thrown herself into her role of willing student. She became more and more like her teacher every day. Dominique enjoyed the fact that the girl had taken to her training so well and told Cathy that she should follow her sister's example. All Cathy wanted to be was a normal girl with normal eyes and the doctor in Winston had helped her with the eye cover so she could at least pretend to be normal.

Cathy peered through the outside of the plant and furrowed her brow as she moved to get a closer look. She could see a naked man inside of the plant but her mother had always said that plants weren't people. She looked him over and decided he looked enough like a person to convince her. She jumped when he opened his eyes and tried to look at her.

He tried to move but it was of no use. He looked like he was very weak and would die if the plant had been turned down any more than it already was. Cathy blinked as she looked into his eyes and realized there was something familiar about them. It wasn't their color but more like their shape along the brow and his nose had a very familiar shape as well.

She stepped back as she realized why he had such recognizable features. She shook her head and said, " Oh my God... You're Mr. Vash's brother! "

The man in the plant smiled before his eyes shut, probably because he couldn't hold them open any longer. Cathy stepped back towards the control panel and looked at him. " I am going to help you… " She told him and started to type on the keyboard. She had been a tiny girl when she had watched her mother and father adjust plants but she hoped she could remember how to do it…

**

Wolfwood's left foot had barely touched the top step when he heard someone playing a saxophone and the tune sounded very familiar. ~That's the tune from the steamer dock, ~ He thought and searched the darkness for the musician. He knew the man had looked familiar and now he knew from where. He had seen Midvalley's student one other time; He filled in for Midvalley at some bar when Midvalley couldn't make it to a show.

" I thought I knew you, " Wolfwood said as the man came out of the shadows.

The man smiled and stopped playing. " I recognized you too, Nicholas D. Wolfwood. I forgot to thank you for that nice tip you gave me at the steamer dock. "

" How are you going to thank me? Are you going to kill me? " Wolfwood put his hands on his guns.

" I am going to kill you but I am going to show you my gratitude by letting you have the first shot, " The man smiled. " I think that will be thanks enough. "

Wolfwood drew his guns and fired with both of them. The man smiled and blocked both bullets with the saxophone. Wolfwood couldn't believe his eyes. The pistols were automatic and should not have any problem cutting through the sax but the bullets had barely marred the polished surface of it. " What's your name? "

" I am Victor The Horn Blower but Lydia is the one you should be scared of, " Victor wrapped his lips around the mouthpiece of the saxophone and started to play again. A shockwave radiated from the instrument and slammed Wolfwood against the wall. He blinked in surprise but Victor just smiled.

Wolfwood tried to move away from the wall as Victor continued to play. He made it a few feet to the left before another shockwave hit. Wolfwood hit the wall sideways and his finger involuntarily squeezed the trigger as his shoulder felt like it popped out of place, sending bullets into the floor several feet from Victor. He thought he heard the sound of a ricochet but he wasn't certain.

" Have you had enough or do you wish to fight the inevitable a little longer? " Victor asked around the mouthpiece.

" I'll get you, " Wolfwood panted. He had to get his shoulder popped back into place before Victor sent out another wave. He could always try to shoot him with the other gun. He leveled it and aimed.

Victor sneered, " We'll see. No one had ever been able to survive an encounter with Lydia.

Wolfwood squeezed the trigger and Victor blew at the same time. Wolfwood screamed as pushed away from the wall and tried to dodge the bullet successfully. ~How am I going to do this? ~ He thought, turning sideways in an attempt to avoid the bullet. He screamed out as it changed trajectory and ripped across the anterior of his left leg.

The leg shook and he couldn't take the burning pain from it combined with the pain of his displaced shoulder. ~No! It can't be over yet! I have to save the others, ~ He thought, tumbling face forward to the floor.

Victor walked over with a smug look on his face and looked down at Wolfwood. He sighed and kicked him on to his back, " I thought you still had some fight in you but I guess I was wrong. "

Wolfwood watched as Victor flipped a switch on the saxophone and gun barrels came out of the body. ~Damn… I should have known. ~

Victor smiled and wrapped his finger around the trigger. He aimed the barrels down at Wolfwood and smiled. " It's been fun but I guess this is where the show ends. Say good-bye, Nicholas. "

Wolfwood's eyes grew wide as he realized the barrels had been sealed off with metal plugs. " Don't! " He cried. " Look at your gun! "

Victor chuckled, " I won't fall for that trick. "

~I have to get away from this idiot. Doesn't he know to check his damn gun when someone says there something wrong with it? ~ Wolfwood started to push away from Victor. He really didn't want to be right under the gun when it blew.

" It's time for you to see what Lydia can really do! " Victor started to pull the trigger and Wolfwood pushed himself away harder, ignoring the pain that wracked his body. He curled into a tight ball when he heard the saxophone explode and prayed that none of the shrapnel would hit him. He felt a rush of hot air and some metal fly past him, some of the tinier pieces scraping his skin.

He forced himself into a sitting position when it was over and grabbed his right arm. He clenched his teeth and jerked the arm hard. He cried out as the bone went back into place and he tried to move it. Nothing seemed to be broken and he looked down at his left leg.

The wound didn't look like it was life threatening but it would need bandaging before he could go anywhere. He sighed and grabbed one sleeve, ripping it loose from the rest of the shirt. He tried to tie it around the wound but it wasn't long enough to tie and he didn't have anything to pin it with. ~Damn… am I going to be butt naked when I finally get to Nagato? ~ He thought and ripped the other sleeve off as well.

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