((Greg still on the street, keeping the peace, which we all think might be soon to fall apart, since we all don't exactly know all the ulterior motives the Scorpions have for being in town... he can start by joining us when we cross to the hotel... then I will figure how to work around DR's continued absence, again...))
Originally posted by DIBWILLPAY!
Catori's eyes began to tear up but she blinked them away. She would not appear weak in front of this man. She was so confused. The horrile man had saved her ut he wanted to kill uddy. "W...What has Buddy ever done to you?" she asked not moving.
"You mean he hasn't told you the whole sordid story?" Jericho would have laughed if he wasn't so completely disgusted and repulsed by recounting the tale in his mind. "Typical cowardice and vanity of a scoundrel like Reno... hiding from his past by hiding details OF his past... he should know better.
Pity he never shared the story.. I'm afraid that history will die with him!"
A horse trotted up to the wagon from the rear, a soldier shouting from outside. "Commander, we're approaching the town of New Hope... and we are being tracked by a scout on horseback from the East... might be money-train bandits, or some of those Renegades you warned about."
"Send 3 men East, to get information on that scout, and move into New Hope... target Buddy Reno! We have 2 days before the money train arrives; 2 days to deal with Reno's Renegades once and for all!"
Catori sighed. She watched as Jricho barked orders. why did he have to e such a jerk? Now she burned with curiosity to know what had happened between him and Buddy. she swallowed hard. The noose had felt weird around her neck. The rough rope that had binded her itched and she scratched the irritations. "Thanks for helping me." she said in a small voice just barely audible. She knew Jericho would laugh or even slap her for her boldness.
Jericho touched the savage girl's bare leg, tenderly, thinking back a moment, then snarled. "Will you thank me later, after I have taken care of your beloved Buddy? I wonder..."
The cocky Commander craweld from the wagon, still scowling as he mounted his horse, and continued to bark orders to the troops. They were slowing, and began to set up camp just outside the town. There were probably 30 soldiers or so, too many to take up such space in the small hotel, and them being government issue men, they had all managed just fine living off the land.
In no time, the camp area was set, and the troops were prepared to make their presence known in New Hope...
Buddy crossed to the hotel.
"I'm going to need all the help I can get, I think.." he invited anyone who was interested to join him. By the time they all arrived at the meeting, Luis and Nat were gone (let's just get rid of them) but Cavendish was still waiting.
"Well, well.. better late then never, I suppose..." Cavendish smiled. "Mr. Pasillas and Mr Francis have decided to take up the task of reopening the diamond mine, and left rather hurriedly at Mr Pasilla's instance... as for the rest of you, we can still--"
"We need to talk about money!" Buddy interrupted.
"Money? More money?" Cavendish replied, concerned with Buddy's apparent greed.
"Specifically a sum of money that would be moving along a specific route, from Abilene, through New Hope, and to the Army fort out west..." he revealed the tattered map, and displayed it for all parties present. "We think these Scorpions are planning a transport or a heist of some sort, and the Army may or may not be involved... I wonder what you can tell us about any cache of cash that might be traveling along this route?"
"Ah, yes... of course..." Cavendish smiled. "The money train, delivering start-up capital funds to the newly constructed bank here in New Hope, and continuing on to deliver the Army payroll... heavily guarded, quite secure, and the Army should be arriving shortly to see the transfer to the garrison outpost goes unmolested..."
"That's what's going on!" Now it was finally clear, for all to know: the Scorpions would hit the money train, unless the Army and Reno's Renegades could stop them!!
Lily stared up at the gloomy ceiling of the little boy's house. Sighing she gingerly lit a candle and saw some figures down the street bent over something. Sighing she looked closely but could only see that they were of some sort of men. Probably doing a deal or something thought Lily. She turned over and slept until the sun climbed the horizon.
Since it was determined that the money train was not due to arrive in New Hope for at least 2 more days, so they had some time to figure how to prevent the Scorpions from robbing the stagecoach cars, Buddy excused himself from the dinner meet in order to go check on his Flower, in their hotel room.
"Son of a---!!" he snapped upon entering the locked room with his spare key, finding Catori GONE from the room!!
As if squaring off against swarms of Scorpion bandits, bent on robbery and murder, probably facing Jericho and the Army in the process, as if that wasn't enough, now Buddy had the added burden of another lost love on his troubled mind!!!
"I don't understand it!" he cried stomping back down to the dinner meeting to explain the new twist. "Where could she have gone off to, in her condition? Why would she go anywhere? What could she have gotten herself into??"
Greg over heard Buddy's ranting, and thought back. He had told Catori that her tribe had been killed. She would want to see for herself.... "Uhh, Buddy, we have a problem. I think Catori went back to her tribe, and if she did, Jericho has her for sure now....." Greg cursed himself for not checking up on her earlier.
Buddy squared off against Greg in the dining room of the hotel, snarling sadly.
"I TOLD you to go check on her hours (feels like WEEKS) ago!! A fine deputy you are! Shooting your sheriff in the ass and allowing his woman to leave her sick-bed to be assaulted by an angry army of deadbeat drunkards?!" Buddy shoved Greg in the chest and turned away, hobbling himself from the hotel as fast as his injuries would allow.
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Meanwhile, at the mercantile...
The door to Lily's sleeping chamber opened with a creak and a shadowy figure slipped into the room quietly, approaching Lily's bed. Lily was hardly asleep again and woke with a start as the figure loomed over her.
"Shhhh! It's just me, Miss Lily!" it was Little Ben Sisco, and he was crawling into bed with Lily!!
"What ARE you doing, little man?!" Lily screamed, wriggling away from the boy as he crawled toward her. Ben crawled over her and shoved her aside, apparently not as interested in her as she thought he was, he peeked out the window, shifting the candle on the window sill and squinting into the dark.
"The Army is outside..." he said. "I seen them come up to the backside of the store, hauling a big chest... then I seen 3 or 4 of them blue scarf bandits come up... they's meeting back there right now! Look!"
Lily and Ben watched as the Army soldiers exchanged a foot locker full of Army uniforms with the Scorpion bandits.
"Looks like the Bandits got drafted by the Army, or somet'in'..." Benny guessed.
"...or somethin'..." Lily agreed, and they both gasped as a few of the men looked up, spotting the candle and the 2 figures in the window.
Ben puffed and blew the candle out with his gasp, and all went dark for the little love-birds...
Matt watched Buddy leave. Turning round, he pulled up a table with Cavendish.
"I've got a lead on Bruce. And from what I've heard, I won't even have to go looking for him, he'll be here tomorrow for the raid."
Cavendish's eyes widened, and he spoke quickly, "You mean the Buffalos are coming to help the other Scorpions? You've got to kill him befre they attack the money train. It would be disastrous. Without their leader, the Buffalos will disintegrate."
Matt shook his head, "Listen boss, you ain't paid me to protect a money train. I'll kill him, and like I said, I'll do it before the end of the year. But risking my life defending army money? No, not without an incentive."
Cavendish laughed in wonder at the mercenary, "Okay, I'll give you $500 dollars to defend the train. No more." He spat on his hand and held it out to Matt, who shook it.
"Nice doing business with you. I hope next time we meet it's under more social circumstances." He stood up and tilted his hat toward Cavendish befoe walking out the swinging doors, looking for the others.