Trigun Fan Fiction ❯ Generation Gunsmoke ❯ Revelations ( Chapter 22 )

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Generation Gunsmoke: Part 22

Revelations

The small town lay quiet in the late morning sunlight. Only the creak of an occasional shutter flapping in the breeze broke the ominous silence that hung over the remaining occupants. It was almost noon… almost time…

Doctor Jones and the other townspeople had left very quickly in a mass exodus before daybreak. Some of them not understanding exactly why they were leaving, but knowing that to stay behind was to court death.

Vash the Stampede silently took the measure of those gathered on the porch of the house they had all recently shared. They were all looking back at him expectantly as if they were waiting for him to speak. He cleared his throat briefly and began, "It's not too late for both of you to leave." He spoke quietly to the two women in the assembled group. One was his lover and the other his adopted daughter. "I want you both to go. I can't promise you that I can protect you if something goes wrong."

Meryl shook her head and sighed, "I'm not leaving you, Vash. You faced the Gung Ho Guns alone in Augusta and it took me two years to find you. I won't go through that again. I won't let you be alone again." She looked off briefly as she pressed a thumb and forefinger to her eyes. "I don't care what happens… I will not leave." She held open the folds of her white cloak, revealing the multitude of small derringers contained in the folds. "I'm ready to defend my family or die in the attempt."

Nickie looked briefly at Vash before turning to Lazarus. "And, I suppose you want me to go hide under a rock somewhere too?"

"It would be for the best, my sweet. I could accomplish our objectives much more quickly if I did not have to worry about your safety."

"Uh huh, that's exactly what I thought you'd say…"

"I could force you to leave, you know…"

"…but you won't."

Lazarus gave Nickie an exasperated look before continuing, "You're right, I won't force you to leave." He was mildly surprised by the cold sound of determination he heard in her voice. Nicole was not showing her usual bubbly nature. The steel buried deep within her had risen to the surface; perhaps she would do well here after all.

Nick tossed down shot after shot of whiskey, "So, now that that's settled, do you people think we can come up with some sort of plan? Knives will be here soon, and I for one don't think we can throw Nickie in front of him as a distraction." Nick Wolfwood dragged deeply on the crumpled cigarette that dangled loosely from his lips. He closed the sidebars of the Cross-Punisher after checking the bullets on the side arms and the explosive charges in the main barrel.

Vash noted the agitation in the younger man's voice and the tight grip he was maintaining on the shot glass in his hand. He knew that young Nick was struggling to rein in his emotions, and hoped that the boy could pull himself together before Knives arrived.

Vash also noted the anxiety and fear in Meryl's eyes, but made no mention of it. He knew that whatever the outcome, she would be here until the end this time. Vash looked to Lazarus, but the son of Legato was idly lounging against the railing of the porch, silently watching as Nickie made adjustments to her stun gun.

Vash's gaze turned to Nickie, who was perched on a near-by chair. He casually noted the long black cloak draping her frame, and he saw the handles of several derringers in her garment as well. He watched intently as she casually slid pieces of iron into the cylinders on the gun. There was something very different about the ammunition. A glint of silver caught his eyes. He reached over the table and picked up one of the iron cross pieces. Sliding his thumb along the edge, he felt a sharp sting as the smooth metal neatly left a thin slice in his skin.

Nickie felt Vash's eyes upon her. "My goal is to kill him, Uncle Vash, not stun him." She evenly met his gaze, and Vash noticed that her blue eyes held a hard and determined look that reminded him of her long dead father.

Vash looked around the assembled group again. He had to try one more time to reason with them. "It's not our right to decide who lives and who dies… That decision is up to God."

"Then maybe you should be the one to leave this place, Vash the Stampede."

His eyes snapped to a place just beyond the town. He felt the burning words penetrate his soul. "Where are you, Lawren?"

"She's just outside of town, waiting and watching… Knives will be expecting us to be waiting here for him. He may or may not expect my mother to be lurking just out of sight." Lazarus silently added.

"Ever the dutiful son… You brother will die, Vash the Stampede. Speak no more unless you wish for Knives to sense me."

"What does it matter if one of your number is waiting in ambush? None of you are more than annoying insects to a superior breed of being such as myself."

Five pairs of eyes swung in the direction of the smug voice. "Hello again, Vash… These humans still treating you well?"

Nickie glanced up at the church steeple as the clock struck noon. "Well, at least he's punctual."

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

He's there with them, Nicholas… What is going to happen? Oh, I hope none of them will die… As much as I would love to have our children and our friends here, I don't want them to die because of that monster." Milly's voice reached a fevered pitch as she wrung her hands together. She was dancing around in distress, making the man beside her both amused and agitated at the same time.

"Stop it, Milly… What happens is the will of the Big Guy. Be grateful we are privileged enough to witness the event." Nicholas Wolfwood peered down at the scene below and waited to see who would make the first move.

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

Nickie hefted her huge stun gun to her shoulder and stepped off the edge of the porch. Her brother quickly moved to flank her on the left while Lazarus moved to her right. "This is the creature responsible for killing my father and for treating my mother like a whore before killing her?"

Knives smiled in amusement. There was no mistaking who the twins were. Anyone who knew their sire would instantly recognize them as Wolfwood's get. He noted that the male held a striking resemblance to his sire while the female was the image of her dam. He briefly wondered if the daughter would prove as interesting as her mother.

The other one on the right, now he was an interesting puzzle. He mentally sighed as he realized that he had let Legato's cub slip through his fingers. His mother was probably that burgundy haired wench that had held Legato's fascination all those years ago. He noted that the cub's eyes shone with platinum hatred and did not contain a hint of the hopeless adoration that had held his sire in thrall.

"We seem to have reached the climax of this little drama that you began centuries ago. However, this will play out to a very different conclusion than the one you originally intended."

Knives looked into the burning eyes of Lazarus and laughed. "Is this the little group that thinks to stop me?" He turned to Vash. "Brother, are you serious? Why do you tolerate this garbage?" He gestured wildly around the empty streets. "Where are the rest of the insects? Did they so fear for their existence that they fled as if they were roaches fleeing the light of day?"

He stepped closer to the porch. Nick and Lazarus closed rank beside Nickie.

"Such a pathetic display," Knives snarled in their direction before turning his attention back to Vash. "And the woman you claimed as your own… tell me, does she still please you after all this time? She is dying, brother. Her life force will burn out in just a few more years. Surely you can see that all humans are a waste of space and resources. Living for a few short pitiful years, consuming the precious life blood of our brothers and sisters, then dying as more and more of them are born into this world."

"Stop it, Knives. You are the one who has it wrong. It's not your place to decide who lives and who dies. Everyone deserves a chance." Vash leapt off the porch and stepped between Knives and his family. "Make no mistake, brother… they mean to kill you no matter what I say or what I do. Can't you put aside your hatred and view the humans as a species doing what they need to do in order to survive?"

Knives backtracked to the middle of the street, as the little group pressed ever closer to him. His eyes gleamed with madness as he produced a weapon from somewhere behind him. Vash recoiled in horror. He knew what type of weapon his brother held. It was the same one he carried, an ordinary looking revolver that held the power to destroy entire cities.

"So you do know what this is, eh brother… and by the time I am finished, there will be nothing left of your precious little family and then you may be more open to reason." Knives stepped closer to the assembled group, wildly waving the gun in his hand.

"Oh, no you don't… you killed my mamma, you killed my pappa, and I'll see you in hell and me along with you before I'll let you kill anyone else in my family…" Nickie brought the stun gun in line with her target as she spoke.

"Little bitch… I'll make sure you live just so you can serve my personal needs just like your whore of a mother did," Knives snarled. "Everytime, I fuck you, I'll think about your mother and compare the two of you."

Nickie screamed at him and pulled the trigger. Lazarus threw his mind at Knives and tried to keep the other being from dodging the projectile launched from Nickie's gun. Knives struggled to move for a moment before breaking free of the hold on his legs. He leapt aside and felt the sharp burn of a blade across the side of his left thigh.

Nick threw open the Cross-Punisher, grabbed two automatics and began firing in the direction of Knives. He felt strangely calm. It didn't matter how this all turned out, it was his destiny.

Meryl ducked behind the edge of the porch railing and pulled two of her derringers from their hidden holsters. This was a nightmare, bullets were whizzing all around her and so much dust was being stirred up that it was becoming difficult to see.

Vash whipped his body to the side and pulled his revolver in the same motion. He tried to aim at Knives' shoulder or leg, but the other plant was moving too quickly. Knives was firing the gun so fast that it was impossible to tell exactly whom he was aiming for. Vash yelled for everyone to take cover.

Knives was coldly furious that the humans thought they were good enough to engage in a battle with him. It was ridiculous that such pathetic creatures should attempt to intervene in his chosen destiny. He felt the tug of another's thoughts inside his head. Looking through the commotion, he saw Legato's cub standing still, staring at in his direction. He snapped off a couple of rounds in that one's direction, pleased when he saw blood fly from the boy's shoulder and side. Knives smiled gleefully as the invading presence left his thoughts.

Lazarus felt something solid hit his shoulder and then felt another blow on the side of his ribs before fire exploded in his body. He wondered briefly how he had come to be looking at the sky. He felt Nicole's hands trying to drag him to the shelter of a nearby building and heard her frantic pleas for him to move. With supreme effort, he managed to get to his feet and reach the hot adobe wall that offered shelter. He clutched Nicole to his side and told her to be still. He was bleeding badly, but he noted that neither wound was immediately life threatening. His mother was almost here. He could feel her reach out to Knives' mind. The end was almost here.

Nickie saw her lover fall at the edge of the street and emptied her large gun at Knives in rapid succession. She briefly smiled as one of the iron bars caught him full on the chest, sending a shower of blood skyward. She yelled at her brother to provide cover as she dashed to help move Lazarus from harm's way.

Knives was enraged at the way the battle was progressing. He had not expected this much resistance. He staggered under the blow of the iron from that girl's gun and was then disgusted by the gaping wounds left in his chest from the thing. How dare such creatures mar his perfection? He began firing in rapid succession at her retreating back, before being struck along his temple by a bullet.

Vash dived and rolled into the street, trying to draw Knives' attention away from Nickie. He really didn't want to kill his brother, but he was not going to let him kill his child either. He snapped off a few rounds, grimacing slightly as he saw one of his bullets streak across Knives' left temple. Vash briefly wondered how mad Knives was going to be when this was over.

Knives stared at Vash in disbelief, "You shot me again… for the third time, I can't believe that you have really shot me." He shrugged off the pain. "I'll make you suffer, Vash the Stampede…. I'll make you suffer more than when you killed Legato…" Knives screamed as he raced across the street toward Meryl. "I'll kill the one you are so fond of…"

"Knives…don't…" Vash called as he watched his brother stride toward Meryl, methodically shooting his gun at her. Vash fired off round after round as he raced to intercept his brother. He was not going to make it… Meryl would die and it would be his fault. People would die because of him again.

From far away, there came the sound of metal sliding across metal. The dust stirred in the growing wind. Knives stopped in the street as though he had run into a wall. His head turned at the sound of his name. There in the dust filled air stood Milly and Wolfwood, and between them, their cub with the deadly Cross-Punisher pointed at him. Three pairs of hands touched the trigger, but it was the father who spoke, "Go to hell… you twisted bastard…"

Knives couldn't move. He stood rooted to the spot. The large bullet casing caught his side and exploded, tearing away much of his abdomen. He sank to his knees, his mind registering the fact that he was fading. He was not going alone. He raised his revolved and fired again. Seconds later, Nick fell in the street, with two neat puncture wounds in his chest.

Vash and Lawren made their way to Knives. He was still struggling to live. Lawren reached out with her mind and held him on his knees. "I have fulfilled the oath I made to Legato. You are dying, Knives Millions."

Vash looked down at his brother. "It didn't have to be this way…"

Knives chortled, a raspy noise filled with blood. He spit into the street. "So, this time I will leave this plane of existence…" he laughed again as his body began to glow. "Let's see what you make of this little show and then you will understand why I worked so hard to bind you closer to me, why I wanted the humans dead." He swayed a little, but his body did not fall due to Lawren's intervention. Knives' voice rasped again in the stillness, "It is by the forced death of a plant, that brings a planet… a food chain to life…"

The light grew steadily until it covered the three people there in the street. Vash looked at Lawren. "Let him go and get out of here… This could be an explosion of the angel arm." Lawren sighed, but her eyes never left the dying Knives. "Vash the Stampede, even if I left, I wouldn't make it very far. She spared a glance in his direction. He gasped at the amount of blood flowing down her face. "I'm done for anyway… better to go out not than to linger indefinitely." He nodded and waited with her in the light for death to claim Knives.

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

Howling winds whipped and swirled down the streets while clouds gathered in the rapidly darkening sky. A badly bleeding Lazarus struggled to stand against the shelter of one of the small adobe buildings as Nickie clung to his side. Meryl crouched in the street beside a fallen Nick and watched in horror as a pale light engulfed Vash, Lawren, and the dying Knives. She screamed her lover's name again and again, but the sound was lost in the roar of the wind.

Strange bursts of light blitzed across the sky, one occasionally snaking down to the ground to strike with devastating results. "Lazarus, Lazarus…" Nickie shook him to get his attention, but his gaze never left the circle of light that held his mother. "Mother, can you hear me? Mother… answer…"

"Ever the impudent pup, my son." Her voice echoed in his mind from far away. "Knives is dying… nothing will bring him back this time." Her voice faded away for a moment as she struggled to breathe.

"Mother, I can try to save you, please, you don't have to do this."

"My life is over, Lazarus. Even if I had not asked it of you, I would not have lived beyond this time." Her voice cut off abruptly as she grimaced against the pain that was trying to overtake her. "I ask to fulfill your promise… stop my heart so that my suffering may end."

For the first time since he had been a very small child, tears pooled in his eyes. "I… can't… I can't kill you…"

"Ungrateful whelp, did I not save that wench for you? Did you not promise me that you would end this life of mine? You are surely the most selfish brat ever born on this planet." Lawren raged with a brief flash of her usual fire. Sighing heavily, she began again, "Come, Lazarus… my body is beyond repair. Without your help, I may linger and suffer for days. Would you really want that for me?"

Lazarus called on power and let it rise up to invade his mother's now fragile body. He felt none of her defenses gather against him as he easily reached her heart. He gave the command for it to stop. "Thank you, my son…"

Vash watched as Knives breathed his last. His mind was lost to the revelations Knives had told him. He barely registered the silent exchange between mother and son. He was lost, so many people and his brother dead, so others might live. He screamed, but the sound was lost in the roar of the winds. In spite of himself, he was fascinated by the transpiring events. It all became clear as he watched his brother's death unfold. He now knew why Knives had been driven to kill humanity and he wept for them both.

The glow being emitted from Knives suddenly increased its power and left his body in a huge rush. The ensuing explosion knocked Vash across the street and destroyed one of the buildings. The darkened sky was illuminated by the brilliant display. The bolts of light crashed again as the sky rumbled. Suddenly, the clouds opened their gates and water cascaded down over the landscape.

Vash glanced across the street. Both the bodies of Lawren and Knives were destroyed. All that remained of them were a few ashes that were quickly being washed away by the downpour. He sprinted across to a crying Meryl. Nick was hurt badly and there was no doctor to tend his wounds.

No one paid any attention to the water still falling from the sky. The winds had died down and the crackle of electricity did not cross the air as frequently, but still the water fell. Nickie and Lazarus hobbled up to survey the damage. Nickie fell to her knees, piteously begging her brother not to die and leave her all alone. Lazarus sighed to himself. He'd do anything to keep Nicole from feeling alone, even if it meant trying to save Nick Wolfwood. "I can try to save him, but I don't know if I can."

"Lazarus, no one will fault you if you can't help Nick. Please try," Nickie cried.

"Meryl, move Nickie out of the way." Lazarus rolled Nick over to his side. He noted the two exit wounds on the other man's back. He motioned for Vash to hold Nick still as he let his mind expand into the other man's subconscious. He willed for the blood flow to stop, for the wounds to close. Slowly his mind exerted its will on the other body. "Don't think this makes us bosom buddies or anything like that…" came the faint voice.

"I'm doing this for Nicole… She would be… hurt by your death."

"That's what I figured…"

"Let's don't make a habit of this…"

"Lazarus…? Thank you…"

"You are welcome… Nick."

***********

One month later…

Three young people sat on the porch of the small house, reading various papers, drinking beverages, and sharing a variety of sweet snacks. They watched the gentle rain and laughed at the children that still played in the streets whenever the rains began.

"Do you wonder how this rain and new atmosphere will effect the planet?" Nickie asked her companions. "I mean it seems as if it's not quite so hot and the people living here have said that the plants in the gardens are growing much better since…"

Lazarus looked out at the sky. "From what Vash has told me, this is how the weather on humanity's home planet was. You know the stories of how lush and green that planet was supposed to be."

"Well, I for one would not mind seeing less sand and heat. I hope this is a permanent change." Nick dragged on his cigarette as he kept reading his paper.

Meryl stepped onto the porch. "Vash has discovered that this is all that was needed to jumpstart life on this planet. I still don't know how the people in charge on the "Seeds" ship could have brought themselves to murder another being just so they could survive." Meryl shook her head sadly, "It was hard on him to discover that if it had not been for Rem's intervention, that both he and Knives would have been killed as soon as the commander located a suitable planet for the ship's people."

Nickie spoke quietly, "So maybe Knives couldn't be held totally responsible for doing some of the things he did. Maybe he saw it as a kill or be killed situation…"

"Never let me hear you say that again, Nicole Meryl Wolfwood!" Vash appeared in the doorway. "Knives was a twisted individual and he was responsible for his actions." "Everyone is responsible for his or her own actions. If you make a mistake, you learn from it and move on, you do not blame others from your problems."

No one in the group said a word for a few moments. Finally Meryl spoke again, "It's time we were going back to December… who's coming with us?"

"We are…oh yeah…" Nickie cried cheerfully. "Well, I guess we are if that's ok with you, Lazarus?"

Lazarus smiled indulgently at her, "Of course, we are my sweet. And when we get there, perhaps you know of a priest in town…"

"What do you need a priest for, Lazarus?"

Everyone laughed at the confusion on Nickie's face. "My sweet, I was hoping that you would consent to marry me upon our return to December?"

Nickie whooped with glee and launched herself at Lazarus. Clutching him tightly around the neck, she covered his face in kisses. "I thought you'd never ask…" She kissed him a few more times. "But how will we live? Are we going to bounty hunt to earn money?"

"I thought we'd travel around to some of the other larger cities for a while if you would like." Lazarus smiled at Nicole. "As for money, the bounty occupation was just a side line, my sweet. It was a way for me to pick up information." He saw the confusion of the faces of Nicole and her family. "My father was worth about a million double dollars. My mother turned his body into the feds after his death and collected the bounty."

"But Lazarus, that was so long ago. Surely there's not much money left from your pappa's death," Nickie said.

"My mother was many things, but she was never a stupid woman. After setting herself up as a respectable widow in Marchton, she had the majority of the money invested with a reputable firm. In short, I am now quite wealthy."

"Lazarus that's wonderful," Nickie shrieked again as she kissed him heartily totally oblivious to their audience.

Vash chuckled in the direction of Nickie and Lazarus. "Well, Nick? You coming back to December with us?"

Nick stretched briefly in his chair, testing the muscles of his injured chest and back. "Naw, I think I'll head on back to Inepril City. I've got some unfinished business with Madam Cherise at the Pleasure Palace."

"Really Nicholas, must you always consort with loose women?" Meryl huffed at him in annoyance.

"Hmm, blonde woman, kinda short?" Vash asked.

"Yep that's her." Nick looked at Vash in an interested fashion. "You know Madam Cherise?"

"Yeah, you could say we've met before…" Vash let the sentence trail off meaningfully as he winked at Nick.

"Vash the Stampede, you miserable womanizer…" Meryl screamed as she clouted him on the head with her fist.

"I was just kidding, Meryl…. Geez, did you have to hit me so hard…" he whined as he scampered inside the house and up the stairs.

"Just wait till I'm through with you…." Meryl's voice floated back as she chased him up the stairs. Nick, Nickie, and Lazarus looked at each other and collapsed in laughter. It was going to be a bright future on Gunsmoke.

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

From far above the planet, Milly wiped a tear from her eyes. "Oh look, Nicholas. All of them are going to be so happy together."

Nicholas looked down at his children and smiled. One day, he'd get the chance to meet his son and see his daughter again, but for now, he was content in the knowledge that they were happy and the constant threat of Knives had been permanently removed from the planet. "Yes, they are big girl, yes they are."

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

Legato felt her presence beside him. "Do you regret giving up your life?

"That life was over for me."

"I am glad you are here with me and I am anxious to hear the word 'please' from your lips again."

Lawren snorted, "That'll be the day…"

Legato replied, "I have nothing but time…"

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

Finis…

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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone out there from Planet Gunsmoke. So I was a little off on my predictions to have this finished by August 2004. But, I thought a little late offering of Christmas Cheer would be good for everyone waiting for the cold snap to lift.

Read on my dear fans… the epilogue is not far behind…

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Love and Peace,

Lady Blackhat (^_~)