-32-33-
TRIGUN #9 Then, Between the Wasteland and Sky…
-34-
a few short minutes after the duel for permission to stop the "Flourish"
(being able to stop it is turning out to be a completely different beast), Vash
is again up and moving, apparently now having been convinced to take care of
his own wounds. whether or not he stays concerned about them is another story…
Vash- You okay, Kaito?
Kaito- That's my line. It's a wonder you can move at all, what with that huge
hole in your gut. Your nerves do work, don't they?
Vash- Hey, where'd that question come from?
Voice- WHA~~AT??! So you're saying we're gonna die by explosion or fall, whichever
comes first?!
Vash- owwww~~~ My side's starting to hurt again… right?
Kaito- liar.
-35-
Crewman 1- What's the boiler's condition?
Crewman 2- The speed is still overheating it. It's become too dangerous to go
into the engineering room without protective suits.
Crewman 1- Then the only thing we can do is to open the internal pressure valve
manually-
Crewman 2- There is a slight problem with that.
Crewman 1- ?!
Crewman 2- The extreme heat has started to pervade the entire system. It's started
to push the heat-generating plant towards overload…
Vash takes particular notice at that, calm face instantly twisting into a
mask of displeasure.
Vash- //thinking// that's gonna get bad…
Crewman 1- That means wherever we decide to cut off the flow, the backwash is
going to hit the plant? The shock'd kill it.
Kaito starts to pull out his copy of the "Flourish's" blueprints,
something running through his mind, perhaps a plan to stop the ship…
-36-
…but one of the Crewmen sees this and instantly snatches the paper out
of Kaito's hands, dumping it on the floor. his eyes widen as he realizes just
what it is.
Jerk Crewman- DAMN it!! You even had something like this ready? Damn it!!
incredibly ticked off, and likely also blowing off stress from the situation,
the Crewman starts stomping on the prints, cursing a blue streak…
-37-
…until his foot hits flesh instead of paper. Kaito put his fist between
the irate Crewman and his only "keepsake" from his father. there is
a tense moment of silence as the Jerk Crewman looks pointedly at Kaito, and
Kaito pointedly does NOT look at the Jerk Crewman.
Jerk Crewman- I…will NEVER forget watching Raitsu get killed. Right in
front of me! You keep your damn traitor hands out of this. We'll be the ones
to stop this ship!
-38-
Vash kneels by the still silent boy, lending a little bit of support and sympathy
by his presence alone.
Vash- …… Kaito…
Kaito- I know… I've got to pay the price for what I've done…
light winks off a few crystalline droplets, the only evidence of emotion
that slips from Kaito's eyes. Vash's expression hardens and he looks up at the
gathered Crewmen, not pleased in the least.
Vash- You sure you can stop this thing?
Jerk Crewman- With everything running on an open throttle right now, trying
a full-brake is too dangerous. It'd completely destroy the hull. Then no one
would be getting back to any town, let alone the one we're bound for. No matter
what the higher-ups decide to do, cutting off the engine's power absolutely
must be done first.
-39-
Vash- What are you going to do about the "plant"?
Jerk Crewman- Even though we have no choice but to rely on that relic of a past
world for our survival, it can easily be said that we don't understand it's
current condition at all. Will it hold? Won't it? All we really know is that
it is an unbelievably delicate object.
Vash- Aha. I get it. In different words; all you're going to do is watch the
willful little girl, hm?
something in Vash's tone of voice, and the look in his eyes gives the hint
that maybe that is NOT such a good idea…
Jerk Crewman- ……? What, you've got a better idea?
KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII~~~~
-40-
KIIIIIIIIIIIIIAAAAAAAAA~~~~
the unearthly keening echoes through the whole ship, but only a few know
what it really means.
Kaito- That "voice"….
"Plant" - a thing which produces. Water. Ultraviolet rays. Oxygen.
Depending on the amount of electricity fed to them, they can even overcome the
laws of physics and produce more physical and tangible objects. Moreover ---
Engineer- We've lost control! The plant has gone out of control!!
-41-
inside the huge glass lightbulb, the figure of a woman amidst masses of feathers
start to become visible…
Engineer- … Incredible!! For it to have animated itself this far….
It is the biggest "black box" out of everything considered Lost
Technology.
Engineer- The inner creature's angel-form is clearly visible!
In appearance, they look like the Messengers of God. If one of them dies,
it means the death of all living things that depend on it.
a jolt rocks the ship, knocking everyone but Vash off their feet…
Crewman 2- We accelerated?!
Crewman 1- This is crazy! We'll get ripped to pieces!
-42-
the plant-angel unfurls herself into full glory, long "feathers"
sprouting out vaguely wing-like from her back, where the pudgy bodies of baby
plant-angels are budding. huge red eyes are open wide in the pretty face, more
feathers framing it like hair. stupefied engineers stand gawping by the rare
spectacle, unsure of what to do. footsteps clang up the metal stairs to the
angel's bulb, and suddenly Vash is there, pressed against the glass.
Engineer- Who are you?!
Vash shoots a sharp glance over his shoulder.
-43-
Vash- She can only hold for another 4 minutes! Do something!
Engineer- Just what are you planning on doing?!
-44-
a heart pulses strongly, goaded by anger. the plant angel continues to scream
her displeasure, voice keening high. Vash gently places his fingers and forehead
on the glass bulb encasing the enraged being, gazing quietly into her red eyes.
Vash- You're magnificent. Sibling.
the heart begins to slow and the unearthly howl dies away, the angel shifting
her focus to Our Calm Hero. slower and slower pulses the heart, until…
-45-
pi------------------
…it stops completely. the plant angel stares raptly up at Vash's peaceful
face, her long, boneless fingers resting against the glass directly across from
his.
-46-
Crewman- WHAT?! It's gone into suspended animation?!
Crewman- I haven't the first clue what just happened, but the plant's movement
has completely stopped. From what we can tell, that man's breathing and heart
rate came to a standstill at the same moment.
-47-
on one side, peace has been achieved. the plant is no longer in danger of
exploding. unfortunately, in another section of the ship, things are still far
from back in control.
Jerk Crewman- So we've only got another four minutes then?
Polite Crewman- Yes.
outside the engine room, the obnoxious crewman and a few of his cohorts from
earlier are hurriedly donning protective suits that look awfully like standard
fireman's bunkers.
Jerk Crewman- This is our last chance then. We have to bring this thing to a
halt or else!
scalding hot air whooshes out of the opened door to the engine room, and
the lot of them rush in.
Bridge Crewman- Remaining distance to the Point of No Return--- 4,500 yarz!
working quickly, the crewmen set to the bolted shut door to the ship's internal
mechanisms. in cooler sections, Kaito listens worriedly to the steady countdown…
4000 yarz
-48-
bolts clatter to the metal deck…
3500 yarz
the door is hauled open, even hotter air spilling out. elsewhere, Meryl and
Millie listen and wait.
3000
Jerk Crewman- Where the hell is that lever?!
2500
Polite Crewman- Hey, what's this? It almost looks like a tunnel… is that
it?
…all the way at the end of that narrow space between red-hot pipes and
grates and tubing is the lever…
Jerk Crewman- WHAT?!
in the ballroom, the passengers sit and listen tensely.
Jerk Crewman- Damn it, there's no way any of us will fit past all those pipes!
1800
Jerk Crewman- Think. Damnit, think!
-49-
1500
from seemingly out of nowhere, Kaito surges over the crewman's shoulder…
-50-
…his small body able to squirm through the "tunnel", the bunkers
protecting him from most of the heat. …most, but not all. surrounding the
lever itself are the most superheated of all the pipes. carefully stretching
around them Kaito can only curl the tips of his fingers over the lever, not
nearly enough of a grip to budge the stubborn thing.
-51-
gritting his teeth, Kaito pushes forward against the pipes, screaming as
the superheat burns through his bunkers. but he gets a good grasp on the lever,
and pulls.
-52-53-
with a reluctant thunk, it turns. somewhere on the hull of the "Flourish"
a hatch pops open, pent-up steam escaping in a rush.
Bridge Crewman- Pressure abruptly dropping. Power completely stopped. FULL BRAKE!!
screeching louder than a whole pack of banshees, the "Flourish's"
brakes engage, its speed plummeting. but will it be enough?
Bridge Crewman- No good! We're too la----
-54-
hollering a war-whoop at the top of his lungs, BDN brings the Bad Lad Gang's
lead roadster (think cross between a Mack truck and a Sherman tank…) even
with the front of the "Flourish", cutting hard into it from the side…
-55-
metal flies everywhere, the sound of its tortured twisting ricocheting off
the canyon walls in a shrieking cacophony…
-56-
…and Kaito abruptly wakes up, white bandages swathing his chest. Our
Cheery Hero greets him with a warm smile, a bandage around his head. this can
safely be taken as a sign that no, the "Flourish" did not fall off
Enora Cliff. …either that, or the afterlife looks way to much like the
present-life. just how did that (comparatively) dinky roadster of BDN's manage
to bring that runaway sand steamer to a halt in time? well, the canyon leading
up to the cliff is now quite a bit wider than it used to be…
-57-
…almost half of the "Flourish" is buried into the canyon walls.
afew of its front wheels dangle over the edge, but the rest of it is safely
on solid ground.
-58-
Kaito- Where'd you get that?
he looks at the white wrapping around Vash's forehead.
…just after the wreck…
the "Flourish" may not have sustained that much damage, but BDN's
roadster is one thoroughly mangled mass of metal. how anyone survived to haul
themselves out of it, I have no idea, but survive they did. Vash leans out of
one of the lower doorways, a wide grin plastered on his face.
Vash- BDN! Great job! Thanks a whole bun---
ZING
…geez. a bullet graze is one heck of a "your welcome"…
-59-
Vash's grin turns decidedly watery as a very serious, grumpy BDN stares him
down.
BDN- Don't get me wrong. I was just paying up my end of our deal. Next time,
I won't be so nice. Your head'll be mine.
present…
Kaito- …… That's not surprising.
Vash- He strutted off even more arrogantly than he came.
the two leave the quiet of the infirmary and wade into the sea of people bustling
about, fixing all the damage.
Vash- That was about 4 hours ago. It should be getting close to dawn now.
-60-61-
just after, actually. desolation it may be, but when it stretches out to
infinity, painted all colors by the rising of the suns it has a sort of unique,
stark beauty. both Vash and Kaito are content to simply sit on the hull for
a little and watch. amoment later, Kaito begins to sing a little melody to himself…
-62-
…one that get's Vash's attention very quickly.
Vash- Oi, that song…
Kaito- Well excuse me for singing an old song. I think it's a good one.
Vash- uh…yeah. Right, sure. It's a good song.
and he means it too. more surprised than offended, he lapses into silence.
Vash- //thinking// Who would have thought it…
-63-
Vash- //thinking// She really, really loved that song.
for a moment, the image of Rem's kind, smiling face hangs in the air…
-64-65-
Vash- //thinking// Maybe, this is what it means for people to "keep on
living". Surely, this is what she believed when she traded her life for
everyone else's!
of course, we must remember that this is Vash. ghough he is known to remain
serious for extended periods of time, this isn't one of them.
Vash- It… it almost makes me cry!
not being privy to what goes on in Our Sentimental Hero's head, Kaito naturally
thinks that a comment on his singing ability. blushing furiously, he heaves
one of his shoes at Vash.
Kaito- Don't make fun of me, you jerk!
-66-
Three hours later, the sand steamer "Flourish" was finally sighted
by the caravan. It arrived in May City two days later than scheduled. Though
the name of "Vash the Stampede" can be found listed among those considered
highly involved in the incident, it's said that by the time the authorities
swept through the ship, he was nowhere to be found.
Then, Between the Wasteland and Sky…/END