#8
if there's control anywhere in this crazy situation, it's not located on
the bridge. even though BDN is off cornering Vash, there's little the crew can
do to fix the mess he left behind. the "Flourish" has been pushed
to a speed that something so big should never hit. yes, there are brakes, but
touching them is still tantamount to death . oh, and there's a huge canyon at
the end of the road, too.
Crewman 1- Engine temperature is buried in the red.
Crewman 2- The hull's starting to scream.
so're the people…
Crewman 1- aaaaaAAAAAAAAAHHHH!
Captain- Calm down! All we can do now is trust Him!
'him' of course, being Vash. when last we left Our Valiant Hero, he was looking
down the unlucky end of a scarily large number of automatic guns---
-8-
---and they all start firing. Vash never bats an eye as, fortunately, only
the wall behind him gets riddled with bullets, nevermind that those bullets
batter a distressingly close outline of his entire body.
TRIGUN #8 DUELISTS
-9-
more and more bullets pound into the wall and shells ping to the floor in
a solid rain. but Vash doesn't move, standing still as a stone, eyes staring
straight ahead without a hint of fear. of a sudden, the firing stops, dwindling
to soft clicks as the Mooks re-load their guns. the hail does not resume. puffing
on another of his sparkler-cigarettes, BDN surveys his handiwork with amusement.
BDN- heh. heh. heh. heh. Not bad man, not bad at all! Even after all that you're
still not afraid of dying?
-10-
a voice echoes through a handy speaking-tube.
Mook- Boss! We found 'im. It's the kid.
the same voice rings tinnier through Vash's earring, accompanied by the sound
of a small body hitting a wall.
Mook- C'mon! Stand up!
BDN- Looks like you've reached the end of your rope, pal. That you got this
far with such a jury-rigged team ain't nothing to sneeze at, but....
-11-
BDN-… unfortunately life don't always turn out so beautifully in the end.
Pity.
*click* back comes the hammer on BDN's shiny gun…
BDN- Later, pal.
-12-
*click* goes the hammer on another gun, this one aimed at BDN by … a
Mook?
Mook Who's Not A Mook- That's far enough.
BDN- ……… What the hell are you doing?
Mook Who's Not A Mook- Really, this isn't a hobby of ours or anything, it just
appeared to be the most effective way of gaining your attention. Meryl Strife,
Bernardelli Insurance Society. Some people call me Derringer Meryl.
Real Mook- No way is some little girlie gonna get--- YIPE!!
-13-
wh-CHUNK CHUNK
two large stun-gun bolts make an impressive array of cracks in the steel wall.
please remember Meryl did say "our". wisely, the Mooks stay put.
Millie- uhm, hi! I'm Millie Thompson. Aaah, lessee, 'Stungun Millie' is a good
name to call me, I guess.
Meryl- We'll let you escape today because we are running short on time. Now,
if you could act like a responsible and peace-keeping adult, it would be good
of you to deal with this ship's dilemma post-haste, Mr. Vash the Stampede.
Mooks- WHAT?!!
whoops. didn't you guys know you were trying to kill the most famous unkillable
outlaw in history? guess you do now…
-14-
SCREEEEEEEEECRUUNCH
oh… just a not-so-friendly reminder from your neighborhood Fate emphasizing
Meryl's point. the "Flourish" careens into the canyon wall, rocking
all the decks like an earthquake. Mooks aplenty go tumbling, all thoughts of
who is or is not shooting who going tumbling right along with them.
-15-
those in the ballroom, however, are unfortunate enough to be normal people.
they tumble, slide, roll, and even fly into those nearest them, the rocking
"Flourish" shaking them like dice in a cup.
-16-
of course, two people manage to weather the confusion without losing their
feet, or their heads. BDN and Vash face off, guns at the ready.
BDN- hmph. Looks like time really is getting tight. We're going too damn fast
for the hull to hold out much longer. …… I've got something I wanna
ask you, about that city everyone says you wiped out-- July. Even though the
place was completely wrecked, nobody found any corpses. Why?
Vash- Don't tell me you had relatives there too?
BDN- Shut 'cher mouth. That ain't got anything to do with it, just answer the
question. Did you do it…?
-17-
…rubble scattered everywhere not one thing intact…
…twisted metal and broken stone reaching for a harsh sun…
…one man stands alone wrapped in a tattered cloak, staring…
Vash- …I'm sorry. I don't remember anything but the mountain of debris.
Mook- Hey! What the hell kind of answer is that, you--
BDN- Butt out. All of you. This is my fight.
-18-
Vash- If I win, will you stop this ship?
BDN- Done deal. You rats hear that?
Mooks- Y-yessir!
a duel it is! no need to ask what BDN gets if he wins. if he does, Vash won't
be around to argue with whatever he picks.
-19-
but a narrow interior hallway is not the best of staging grounds. much better
is the outer observation deck, where everyone can watch. what's a proper duel
without witnesses aplenty?
-20-
Passenger- It's a duel!
Mook- Everyone! On the lower deck, Boss BDN and Vash the Stampede are gonna
fight it out for the fate of the ship!
Steamer Security Chief- !! Win it, Vash the Stampede!
BDN- …… It's cliché, but when this coin hits the deck, start
shooting.
-21-
BDN- Got it?
time slows, everyone on the ship-Meryl and Millie, the Captain and all the
Crewmen, all the passengers, Kaito--- as one they hold their breath, watching
the flash as the coin flips up in the air…
-22-
…and the ship hits a ledge, jouncing everything. people and rocks go
willy-nilly. even Vash and BDN are hard pressed to keep their feet.
-23-
but even among falling rocks the size of a person and larger, neither duelist
takes their eyes off the coin. the soft clink as it hits the floorboards sounds
loud as a thundercrack.
-24-
BDN crouches and fires immediately, though not with the dinky pistol he had
before. both of his huge, gaudy shoulder… er, pad-ornament-thingies…
conceal guns which he uses with skill.
-25-
unfortunately for him, Vash does a better job of using the still-falling
rocks as cover. weaving through them dexterously, Our Athletic Hero manages
to keep at least one boulder between him and BDN. then, he ducks behind one
particularly large rock and doesn't come out the other side…
-26-
…rolling with the boulder's trajectory for at least a little space.
the Colt Longshot is poised and aimed before the rock is out of the way, a perfect
shot lined right up…
-27-
...which Vash takes the instant the boulder rolls clear. BDN's two hidden
guns fly to fragments, and blood flies from the bullet-wound in his right forearm.
-28-
oh, don't forget that Our Masochistic Hero is doing all of this with that
gunshot wound from who knows how long ago. now he pays the price for those fancy
maneuvers, falling to the deck with an unhealthy splat.
Mook- !? Double K.O.?
but BDN is still capable of shooting with his left hand, firing one more time.
not at Vash, though. …at the rock falling towards the incapacitated blond.
BDN- Stupid bastard. What'd you expect, dancin' around like a damned acrobat
when you've already got a hole in your gut.
Mook- Why didn't you finish him off, boss?
BDN- Shaddap! All he did was rip open something he got before. I never hit him.
-29-
Mook- ! …… Boss, you're getting soft. You've been saving those heavy
Dynamos for just…
BDN- Feh. It's like I've always said-- things always shine brightest when two
men of like minds come together.
-30-
wahoo, Vash wins the duel! so now they can put on the brakes and everything
will be all hunky-dory, right? wroooo~~~~ng
Crewman- Captain! Captain, we have a problem! During the first attack, the pressure
regulator valve was damaged, so now the internal pressure in the boiler is increasing
exponentially. Putting on the brakes now would be suicidal! It could
cause the hull to explode!
-31-
Millie- My goodness. I thought that time we were goners for sure, Sempai!
Meryl- Sweaty-gross suits. A sandsteamer that's going to explode. The Bad Lad
Gang. Vash the Stampede. They may say "it's all part of the job",
but honestly I doubt you'd find any of this on a typical office girl's resume.
That does it. This calls for some special first-aid. I'm gonna splurge and get
that Prada purse.
heh, Fate's not done yet, hon. she's on a roll…
Crewman- CAPTAIN, WE'VE GOT ANOTHER PROBLEM!!!
Captain- So right before the boiler overheats, we're going to completely lose
control?!
Millie- O.O !!
Meryl- -_-;;; …and an Epipy, and a
NCM…
geez, what else could go wrong...? put simply, a whole list
of things. read on to find out just what...