Trigun Fan Fiction ❯ Generation Gunsmoke ❯ Looming Showdown ( Chapter 20 )

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Generation Gunsmoke: Part XX

Looming Showdown

"Damn, Damn, Damn…" Knives shrieked to the blank walls of his lair. He paced the floor rapidly as he snarled at the darkness. Morganna was not supposed to be dead. She was an integral part of his plan to destroy the humans of this world. He pounded his fists against a wall, revealing in the feel of pain it brought to his hands. Drawing a deep breath, he fought to bring his anger under control.

"Morganna's loss was a just minor set-back," he mused silently. It would have been helpful if she had succeeded in killing Legato's and Wolfwood's get, but he would devise another plan. After all, he was so much more superior than any human. Feeling a sudden contentment, he walked through a nearby door and was swallowed by the inky darkness.

*****

The pale girl lying in bed stared out the open window. Her thoughts were a jumbled mass of mixed emotion. Not only was she confused about why she lived, but a persistent feeling of evil invaded her soul. Something was out there, not far away, and it was coming for them. She wasn't sure how she knew, but this nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach warned her to be on guard. Deciding she could no longer be alone with her thoughts and wait for "it" to arrive, she tossed back the sheets and began rummaging through a nearby dresser for her clothes.

Nickie shrugged into a black shirt and tugged her long hair from underneath the collar, wincing slightly as the muscles in her upper chest protested against the movement. Clenching her teeth tightly, she deliberately lifted her left arm as high as possible, before moving it to the left and right. It had been three weeks since she had been shot and the only lingering effect was the stiffness that would, Dr. Jones assured her, disappear with exercise and time.

She sat on the edge of her bed, tugged on her boots, and tip-toed to the door. Cautiously, she peeked into the hallway, looking for any sign of her well-meaning family. Breathing a sigh of relief, Nickie stepped into the passage and made her way downstairs. It would not do to be caught by her mother or Lazarus. They would chase her back to the confines of her room, insisting she needed to rest and relax.

As she made her way downstairs, Nickie thought about her family. She was glad they were concerned about her, but the sheer boredom of looking at the same four walls was enough to drive anyone crazy. Besides being aware of the impending doom, Nickie had also spent the past several days thinking about one person in particular. She knew she needed to get up and find Lawren.

Lazarus' mother had not been far from her thoughts these past several days. The other woman was something of an enigma to be sure. Lawren didn't seem to be the type of person to go out of their way to help others and Nickie needed to know why Lawren had helped her.

"Going somewhere, my sweet?" A smooth easy voice washed over her as she descended the last step. "Do you need to be up and about so soon after being injured?"

Nickie sighed and turned to find her lover standing at the top of the stairs. Lazarus was looking at her in that over protective manner again. "Really, just who was it that had saved whom a few weeks ago?" Nickie thought momentarily. But then again, someone else had in turn saved her. "I need to find your mamma."

"Mother is out in the desert searching for Knives." Lazarus descended the steps until he stood next to Nickie. His hand lightly touched her cheek, turning her face this was and that, as he studied the white pallor to her skin. "I perceive that you probably should be back in bed and not walking around in your condition."

"I perceive that you need to find some other use for your time, and quit trying to keep me a prisoner in that room," she snapped in annoyance. "I am tired of lying in that bed, wondering what's going to happen next." Nickie huffed as she jerked her head away from his touch.

Lazarus looked down at her for a moment, studying her eyes for some traces of what was wrong. His mind expanded into hers, "What's wrong, Nicole?"

Nickie leaned forward into his chest and threw her arms around him. "I don't know," she whispered quietly. "I feel like something is out there and it's just watching and waiting for us to make a mistake." She tightened her grip as his arms encircled her.

"Knives seethes with rage at the loss of his final gun. I am quite surprised that you feel this unrest in the air," he murmured as he stroked the back of her hair. "He will not cause you harm, my sweet. I vow on my life."

Nickie looked up into the sparkling platinum depths of his eyes. "I don't want anything to happen to you. I couldn't bear it if you were gone."

"Nothing will happen to me. I am the son of Legato and Lawren. Besides the plants, who else on this planet has as much power as me?" Lazarus smiled down at her in a reassuring manner.

"Well, Mr. Bluesummers, I think that power was not very helpful three weeks ago. You very well could have died."

"Which brings me to my next point. You will never do such a thing again, Nicole. It was very foolish of you to throw yourself in front of me." He held his hand up as Nickie started to protest. "However, I thank you for your efforts on my behalf… no one has ever willingly offered to put my well-being ahead of their own."

Nickie's eyes crinkled up in a smile. "All this talk of such depressing things makes me worry too much. I'm tired of waiting for Knives to make the next move. Let's go get some pudding, Lazarus."

Lazarus smiled lightly at her. "Your slightest wish, my sweet…"

*************

Meryl stood in the window of the small kitchen, frowning intently as she watched the young couple walk down the street. She huffed in annoyance. "You think she could let someone know where she was going."

Vash and Nick sat quietly at the table, sipping cups of hot coffee and reading various papers. Both looked up at her as she slammed the few dishes in the cabinets. Vash set his paper aside and rose to stand beside her. "What's got you so riled up this morning, Meryl?" He glanced out of the window, but saw nothing immediately wrong.

"Nickie has gone out with Lazarus. She should be in bed resting, not traipsing around town. I don't expect her to display common sense, but Lazarus should know better than to let her out of bed." Meryl finished the cups and slammed the cabinet doors for emphasis.

Nick and Vash exchanged grins. Meryl was a wonderful person, but she could be a bit over protective at times. "Come on, Meryl. You know the Doc said it would be ok if Nickie got out of bed in a couple of days and started to move around a bit." Nick shrugged as he returned his attention to his coffee. "Besides, who has tended to my sister so carefully these past couple of weeks the most? Lazarus is not going to let her do too much."

"Nick's right. You've got to stop worrying so much. Nickie is a grown woman, now. We can't keep treating her like a little girl forever." Vash smiled brightly at Meryl's outraged look. "She has a lover, she'll probably have kids in a few years. Lazarus will look out for her." He kissed her cheek warmly.

"Well, at least you two aren't blaming him for Nickie being shot. It wasn't his fault." Meryl relaxed slightly. "We should have insisted that his mother stayed with us instead of returning to the desert. We owe her so much for saving Nickie."

"…you will end my life when the time comes…" Vash suddenly looked glum. "Yeah, we should've asked her to stay…"

"Is something wrong, Vash? All of a sudden, you look pale." Meryl put her hand next to his cheek.

"No, nothing at all is wrong, Meryl. I just remembered something that I need to ask Lazarus about." He grinned at her before looking over his shoulder at Nick. "Wasn't there an appointment you had this morning at the gunsmith's shop?"

Nick grinned back largely, "Yeah, I was just headed there now." He hefted the Cross-Punisher over his shoulder and walked to the door. "I'll probably be gone a couple of hours, so don't worry."

After he disappeared from sight, Meryl looked up at Vash. "You are so not subtle…"

Vash just leered at her as he scooped her up and quickly made for the stairs.

*********

Nick found his sister and Lazarus at a near-by café. Nickie was scarfing down mounds of pudding while Lazarus had a plate of something covered with powered sugar. How those two could eat all that sugar at once was beyond him. "Mind if I join you?" he inquired politely.

Lazarus looked up and nodded his approval. Nickie smiled hugely at her brother, gesturing him to a chair with her spoon. "What brings you here, Wolfwood?"

"Vash wanted the house to himself for a few hours," Nick replied casually as her ordered coffee. "You know how it is…"

Lazarus nodded again. "Yes, I can understand."

"But where is Meryl? Didn't she want to come with you?" Nickie asked, her blue eyes wide with innocence.

Nick chuckled in amusement and looked at Lazarus. "I'm told she is a clueless as our mother. I'll let you explain."

Nickie colored prettily as Lazarus pointed out casually that Meryl was most likely at home with Vash and that they were probably rolling around in the bed since no one else was in the house.

Both men laughed at Nickie's brightly glowing face as she muttered that it wasn't her fault her mind was not always in the gutter. Nick and Lazarus exchanged looks and nodded at each other. Nickie had a way of bringing those around her closer together.

*************

Lawren sat alone on an outcropping of rock, looking over the desert that flowed out before her. The twin suns beat down on her with relentless intensity that would have drained even the hardiest individual.

Feeling the now familiar trickle, she reached up and wiped at her nose in an irritated fashion. The damn thing had bled badly every few hours ever since she had pushed her body limits while saving that girl.

"you're dying, you know…"

"Shut the hell up. You don't know that for sure." Lawren snapped up at the empty sky.

"No, I don't, but you do know it. Your time on this plane is limited. Your final scene is about to play itself out and the curtain will fall." His words were so cool and casual, mocking her, as if daring her to argue.

"Ok, so I'm headed for the bone yard." She huffed in annoyance, "There I admitted it, are you happy?"

"I wonder why you deliberately shortened your life for the wench that Lazarus finds amusement in?" A faint trace of sarcasm laced his voice as he attempted to goad her into an outburst.

"I don't expect you to understand my reasons…," she said, letting her voice trail off.

"Try me…"

Lawren didn't answer for several seconds. She stared off into the distance, gathering her thought before replying. "You know that it has always been my intention to die with Knives."

"Hmmm…"

"I just didn't want Lazarus to be so completely alone." She looked up at the sky again, "He deserves to be happy, to have a better life than either you or I had."

A sigh came across the gulf of time. "I suppose this streak of sentimentality has been brought on my your impending death?"

Her voice held a wistful note as she answered, "Look at them yourself, Legato. Lazarus has a chance to be a part of a real family. Have you ever seen such three beautiful young people? Vash the Stampede and his woman will be there to offer guidance in the days to follow."

"hmmm…"

Lawren snarled back in sudden anger, "I do not expect you to understand. Know this, however, my son will have the chance to experience the life that I wish I could have."

"We will discuss this further after you die."

"Oh yeah, I can hardly wait."

************

Knives laughed maniacally as he left his shelter. They would not be expecting him to make the first move. He would bring the war to his brother and humanity would be destroyed in the end. It was time for a showdown. How fitting that it would be about high noon when he arrived.

************

"Oh God, he's coming…."

"What is it Big Girl?"

"Knives is taking the fight to Vash and the others. He's grown tired of waiting for them to come to him." Milly looked up at Wolfwood with tears in her sky blue eyes. "What is to become of our children, Meryl and Vash, and Nickie's young man?"

Wolfwood stared down at the planet below, apprehension filling his thoughts. "I don't know, Milly. I don't know what will happen."

Milly threw herself against his side and clung to him as she too watched the events that were about to unfold on Gunsmoke.

*************