Earthbound

by Adam Lewinson

  “I ain’t doin’ that,” Priestly said with resolve. “I’m a lawman, aren’t I? Don’t wanna go to jail myself.”

  “You Nuggets wear a kerchief over your faces,” Pace suggested. “And leave it to me and Ash to do the talking. The guards on that transport won’t know it’s you. And then you can go back to Great Falls and blame it on us.”

  “And if this is appealing to me,” Boze considered, “what’s to stop me from shooting you dead and then rob the transport without you?”

  “Me,” Becca interjected. “You want me? You leave these boys alive and intact.”

  In that moment I kinda understood what was going through Becca’s head. She was trying to sacrifice herself for us. Maybe she was a little fond of me after all. As a brother, you know.

  Boze was thinking things over. I could tell.

  “Last time we conducted business together,” he said, “you done double-crossed us. Why should I trust you now?”

  “Because last time we wanted different things,” Pace reasoned. “Now we want the same thing.”

  Boze seemed to like that explanation. But Birkin didn’t.

  “Oh they’ll double-cross us,” Birkin scowled. “You can bet on that.”

  “Shut the eff up Birkin,” Boze retorted. Then he turned his attention back to Pace. “If I’m to get my Nuggets to agree, everyone’s gonna need an even cut.”

  “That hardly seems fair,” Pace countered. “Ash and I have done all the prep work.”

  “I think it’s fair that me and the Nuggets are compromising our integrity as lawmen by letting you walk. That’s worth something.” Ha. Integrity. Right. “Besides, we’d be giving you brawn. Manpower. Weapons. You’ve done well with a two-man crew, but imagine how easy it’ll be with an extra crew of four able-bodied men?”

  I chimed in. Couldn’t help myself. “Where you gonna find four able-bodied men?”

  That wasn’t helping. Pace did me the benefit of not shushing me. He’s not my boss after all. Our relationship isn’t like the one between Boze and his Nuggets. Pace and I are equal partners. But he is a better talker, no doubt about that.

  “I think what Ash is trying to say,” Pace explained, “is that we’re feeling confident in the manpower department. However, your argument has merit. Ash, will you agree to a six-way split?”

  “I will on one condition. Boze, if things go bad, you promise to get Becca outta here as quick as you can.”

  Becca didn’t seem to like that much. “Asher!”

  “And I have a condition too,” Pace added. “Ash and I keep the transport.”

  Boze’s face opened up with a smile. First time I ever saw him smile. “Lower your weapons, boys,” he instructed calmly.

  “Who?” Pace asked. “Us or your Nuggets?”

  “The Nuggets,” Boze responded. That surprised pretty much everyone I think.

  “But Boze!” Birkin protested.

  “Lower ‘em,” Boze replied sharply. Reluctantly, Priestly complied. Then Lister. Then Birkin.

  “Weapons on the ground and kick ‘em away,” I said. The Nuggets started to comply, but Boze stopped ‘em.

  “I didn’t say drop ‘em,” he said. The Nuggets pulled their weapons back toward their body but didn’t aim them at me or Pace. We all just sorta waited on Boze to make the next move. Finally, he turned and addressed me and Pace. “Even split, six ways. First sign of shooting, I’ll get Rebecca to safety. You keep the transport.”

  I breathed a sigh of relief. Boze was in.

  “You are such an idiot,” Becca muttered. And she was right about that.

  Boze reached out his hand to shake on it. I holstered my gun and shook on it. Then Pace did the same.

  A partnership between us and the Nuggets. Never thought I’d live to see that.

  We regrouped and mapped out our plan of attack. Before we took our positions, Lister felt like he had something to say.

  “If we’re gonna do this,” Lister said, “we need a gang name.”

  “What the eff are you talkin’ about, Lister?” Birkin scowled.

  “Every good gang has a name. The Hole in the Wall Gang and so forth.”

  “I think that’s a fine idea,” Pace agreed. “We need a name for people to fear. They’ll want something short and handy to put on our Wanted poster. Any ideas?”

  “Blood Brothers,” Priestly suggested.

  “I’m not your brother,” I replied coldly.

  “Sure as hell not,” Birkin added. Hey, we finally agreed on something.

  “What’s wrong with the Nuggets?” Boze asked.

  “What’s right with the Nuggets?” Pace replied laughing. “Maybe that worked for you before, but Ash and I are no Nugget. No, we need something entirely new. A name that can stay with us after we’re long gone.”

  “Death’s Door,” Birkin suggested. “Or Murderer’s Row or something like that.”

  “That’s too much about killing,” Pace replied.

  Boze interrupted, feeling the need to remind Birkin of something. “Remember, there’s to be no killing if we can help it.”

  Birkin sighed.

  “Anyone else?” Pace asked. No one had anything, or just didn’t want to get their idea shot down in cold blood. “All right then. I propose we call ourselves the Lost Boys.”

  “That sounds a might familiar,” Lister mused.

  “Ain’t that from a book?” Boze asked. I was surprised he could read.

  Pace nodded his head. “Yup, it’s from Peter Pan. Remember that one? The Lost Boys was their gang.”

  Birkin really didn’t care for that one. “I ain’t lost and I ain’t a boy.”

  “Oh come on,” Pace pleaded. “Somebody’s got to like that. Ash, don’t you like that?”

  “Hate it,” I replied. Hated to not side with Pace but the Lost Boys sounded weak to me.

  “So you have something better?” Pace goaded.

  I thought for a minute. Then I spoke.

  “The Disrupters.”

  Everyone was quiet thinking about that for a second.

  “Why the Disrupters?” Boze asked. He wasn’t being skeptical. He was just trying to figure out if he liked it.

  “Cause that’s what we’re doing, isn’t it? Disrupting the status quo?”

  Pretty soon all those cowboy hats started to nod. Pace’s too. Everyone seemed to like The Disrupters. So it stuck. It’d look good on a Wanted poster too.

  We took our positions for the ambush. We only needed two good pairs of eyes, me and Pace, so he and I got back to our place at the top of Tower Rock, looking out with our field glasses. That afforded the others to take their positions at various locations around the trap, so the Nuggets were definitely gonna make this job easier. Boze waited just off the bend in the road to the south near the river, just where the ambush would take place. Birkin and Priestly waited atop the grassy mound right opposite the river. They had plenty of tree cover so no one could see ‘em if they wanted to. Hell, I had a hard time picking them out with my field glasses and I knew where to look. And Lister hid at the base of the mountain, so the three of us could come rushing out to surround the transport. Becca waited on her horse just to the north, so she could make a quick getaway if needed.

  “You think we can trust them after we hit the transport?” I asked Pace.

  “Not in the slightest,” he replied. “But it’s the best option on the table, isn’t it? If those Nuggets do anything untoward, you do what you do best. You cut ‘em down.”

  I nodded. I could do that.

  “The Disrupters are off to a great start.”

  I pointed to the south. I’d spotted the transport. It was being dragged along slowly, maybe two miles per hour at best, by a team of horses. It was bigger than I expected. Probably four times the size of a stagecoach. The cargo must’ve been pretty heavy too at the rate they were going. All the better for us.

  Pace focused his field glasses so he could see too.

  “One driver. One watchman riding shotgu
n. That’s it?”

  “That’s all I see too.”

  “This is easy pickings. They must not have any idea we even know about them.”

  We quickly hopped up and climbed down the mountain as best we could. Given the slowness of that transport, we had no problem scrambling to the base where we hid and joined Lister with time to spare. He kept his kerchief tight over his face.

  “How do I look?” Lister asked.

  “Don’t worry,” Pace replied. “No one will recognize you like that.”

  “Oh it’s not that,” Lister claimed. “I just don’t wanna get dust in my mouth.”

  Come on, who was he fooling? He desperately didn’t want to be recognized. He was probably hoping he’d remain anonymous, go back home after this and die an old man in Great Falls.

  Yeah, that wasn’t in the cards for me. Probably never was.

  “Let’s go Disrupters!”

  Pace and I hid on the ground to the west, and Lister took the other side by the river. We waited a few more minutes until the transport finally came loping along. We kept our heads down low to make sure the watchman didn’t spot us. Then as they turned with the curve in the road, it was safe for us to get up and slowly follow. It was Boze’s job to stop it, and our job to crack it open.

  We heard Boze shout loudly at the transport through his kerchief. Then he shot a warning shot into the air. Then we heard the horses slow and finally come to a stop. That was our cue. We came bolting our around the curve of the road. And there, as planned, we saw Boze pointing his shotgun at the driver, and Birkin and Priestly covering the watchman. The plan was coming together well.

  “Toss that weapon down here!” I yelled. The watchman followed instructions and I caught it. Remington autoloading rifle. Not as good as bolt action but not bad.

  “That’s it?” Pace asked. “Just you two men?”

  “We’re the only men here, yes sir,” replied the watchman.

  “All right then. Any trick to opening up your cargo?”

  “Best way is to just shoot off that lock,” the watchman said.

  I shrugged, pulled out my revolver and shot the padlock off the rear door to the cargo hold. Seemed simple enough.

  “Ash, take a step back,” Pace said. “I want you to keep a bead on the watchman just in case.”

  I obliged and pointed the rifle at his head.

  “I won’t give you no trouble,” the watchman reassured me. I believed him too.

  Pace pointed to Lister. “Open up that cargo hold, will you?”

  “With pleasure,” Lister replied eagerly. He stepped up on the foothold by the rear wheels of the transport and peeled off what was left of the padlock. He lifted the metal flap and put his hands on the handles for the double doors. “Let’s see what kind of goodies are inside!”

  But before Lister could get those doors open himself, they swung violently open. One of the metal doors hit Lister square in the face. The thrust was so strong that it sent him flying, maybe thirty feet into the air and he landed in a heap on the ground.

  All of us were shocked. But before we could do anything about it, something was emerging from the cargo hold.

  “Present for ‘ya!” the watchman shouted as he and the driver scrambled off of the transport and started running away. “Courtesy of Shādo Shay!”

  That couldn’t be good. And it wasn’t.

  We heard something clank loudly. The transport started to shift from side to side. That didn’t bode well. Boze, Birkin and Priestly took a few steps back. And good thing too. There was no gold in that transport. Just more of those Bions. Plenty of ‘em. I counted ten in all.

  The whole thing was a set-up. That Shādo Shay. He doesn’t eff around.

  He knew he’d pull us in with the rumor of the gold, and then he placed his elite killing squad on board to take us out. It was sound strategy. I had to respect that.

  But first I had to survive. I took a shot at the horses pulling the transport. Not to kill them but to spook them. Which I did. Those Bions were still half onboard the transport, and when it moved they all fell on top of each other. I knew that would buy us a few seconds. Tops.

  “What the eff is that?” Boze shouted with fear.

  “They’re called Bions,” Pace yelled. “And they’ll kill you so start shooting!”

  We all started shooting, angling as best we could for clean shots under their exoskeletons. I knew I nicked one, that’s for sure, but the Bions were regaining their footing too fast. Their weapons were emerging out of their hips.

  “Fall back!” Pace shouted.

  We all ran for cover. And a good thing too. In seconds, I heard the unmistakable clank of metal marching in unison. Next thing I knew, those ten Bions were standing up in a straight line, firing in every direction.

  I found myself with Pace tucked down underneath a small hill. It wasn’t much but enough to keep from getting killed. The others were behind several thick trees. The Nuggets were firing away blindly while keeping themselves in the relative safety behind the trees. Not a smart move in my book. They just telegraphed to the Bions where they were hiding. Half the Bions in fact started to march toward them. I could hear their metallic jackboots clank on the ground. They didn’t walk too fast but they were determined. The other five Bions headed in our general direction. I liked these odds a little better.

  “Ash?” Pace said.

  “Yeah,” I replied.

  “I didn’t want you opening that cargo hold door. I had a bad feeling. It was too easy.”

  “Thank you kindly,” I said. It felt good knowing Pace always had my back. So why not one more time. “Cover me?”

  Pace looked at me. “Don’t do anything stupid.”

  “Too late for that.”

  So Pace started firing at the Bions, attracting their attention to our location. I crawled a few yards to my left until I was pretty sure I was out of the Bion’s peripheral vision. Unless they had metallic eyes in the backs of their heads. I had a plan of course. I had a brick of C4 in my coat pocket, with a fuse inserted and ready to go. I thought I might need it to crack open that cargo bay, but maybe I’d crack open those Bions instead. I lit that fuse fast.

  Then I ran, I ran hard at one of the Bions, right in the middle of the pack. Not sure that creature knew I was coming. I reached around and slammed that brick of C4 into its metal chest. The C4 was like clay so it sorta mushed in between the ridges of its exoskeleton. And then I just got the hell outta there as quick as I could. Not quite fast enough – the explosion knocked me on my ass. But when it was done, I spun around quick to see what damage I’d done. The Bion I’d attacked was still standing tall, but its metal exoskeleton was a smoking mess. I’d blown a hole in its shell. I’d also done collateral damage to the others. Good to know that with enough force, that metal could be broken.

  “Light ‘em up!” I yelled. But Pace didn’t need to wait on me. He’d already started blasting away at the Bions. Three fell in short order, metallic goo spurting everywhere. I took out another with a close shot to the chest, then I leapt onto the back of the one I’d blasted with the C-4. It hadn’t budged since the explosion. I’d hurt him badly. A quick shot to the face through a hole in his exoskeleton hurt him even more.

  Much as it might’ve been nice to celebrate, we immediately looked over to see how the others were faring. Somehow they’d gotten to their horses. Boze and Becca were riding off to the north. I was glad to see Boze off to get Becca out of there, as planned. The Bions weren’t as fast as the horses – certainly not forty miles per hour fast. No way they’d catch them. Not with those heavy clanking metal legs.

  Caught a quick glimpse of Becca’s hair flowing behind her. Now I know that was the last time I’d ever seen her. I hoped Boze would be good to her, and she’d live a long life.

  I needed to get my head back in the game. I looked around for Lister. Didn’t see him anywhere. Maybe he ran off. If he did, I couldn’t decide whether he was a coward or the smart one. Tempting. That left Bi
rkin and Priestly, bravely staying behind, riding their horses in circles around the Bions and taking shots at them while trying to avoid the Bions’ laser fire.

  Birkin’s horse took a shot and collapsed to its side. Birkin went flying and rolled in the weeds. The five remaining Bions ran toward him – they’d swarm him in moments. We had to save him. Even though it was Birkin.

  Pace and I ran toward Birkin and took shots at the Bions. Wished I had another brick of C4. We did catch their attention though, and four of ‘em turned to return fire on us. Only one was still headed for Birkin.

  Priestly rode in close – a little too close, and gave one of the Bions a shotgun blast directly on the top of its head. The Bion just collapsed. Best kill shot I’d seen all day. But another Bion whipped its arm around faster than any of us thought it could and grabbed hold of Priestly’s leg. Priestly hit the ground hard as his horse kept running off. Then the Bion picked Priestly up by the neck and held him over his head. I heard bones shattering. Priestly was too close to the Bion for a clean shot but I took a few anyway. The first one nicked away at the Bion’s shell around its head. The second shot broke a hole through that exoskeleton. And the third shot connected with its brain. It collapsed almost straight down. But so did Priestly. I wasn’t hopeful what would be left of him.

  But there wasn’t time to think about that yet. There were still two Bions firing at us with another almost at Birkin.

  “Can you handle these two?” I asked Pace.

  “Oh yeah,” he replied with sarcasm. “No problem!”

  I reached over to one of the dead Bions and ripped its weapon out of its dead hands and tossed it to Pace.

  “How ‘bout now?”

  Pace had a big ‘ol smile on his face.

  So Pace took on two Bions while I ran to stop that third Bion from getting to Birkin. I saw that Bion raising its arm to aim at Birkin, who was lying still in a pile on the ground. I opened fire but I was out of shells. Didn’t have any ammo to reload. So I tossed the rifle and pulled out my ten-shooters, but I needed to be at closer range to have a chance. I opened fire and didn’t even get its attention. By now it was standing directly over Birkin. It could shoot and kill him in a split second. But it didn’t. It was hesitating. Why the eff was it hesitating? I didn’t know, but it gave me a split second to do something. Anything. So I did the only thing I could think of. I ran right at it and jumped on its back. Now I got its effing attention. It shook wildly trying to shake me off while its arms craned backward to shoot at me. But I managed to be quicker somehow. I got the nose of my revolver tucked underneath its metallic ribcage and took a shot. It staggered, so I shot again. Its arms lowered. I tugged my weight so the Bion would fall on its back and I hopped off to my feet as it landed. I shoved my revolver underneath the exoskeleton around its face and was ready for the kill shot.