Ready to Explode - Part IV
Posted on Mon Aug 31st, 2015 @ 9:34am by Commander Jordan Gunning & Commander Titus Livius Drusus PhD
Mission:
By Dawn's Early Light
Location: Enola Gay [Holodeck 12, Deck 44]
Timeline: Immediately After "Ready To Explode - Part III"
"I do hope this program of yours gives us a chance to put that creature into a world of hurt," Drusus said to Gunning as they emerged from the bar. "This is clearly an unpleasant time in your planet's history, but that guy ..." his voice trailed off and he shook his head.
Gunning murmured in agreement, his attention was almost completely taken up by the large, rusting form in the middle of the little square. To his eye it looked like what a child would draw if you asked them to draw a bomb, unconvincing at best, but then a lot of them had been.
"It's a helluva motivation for mass murder."
The Magna Roman shook his head in disbelief and asked, "So what's the plan then?" He knew this kind of program reasonably well and there was always an alternative choice for the heroes to make.
"We could blow it up. After all we're just weary travelers and the opportunity to make a fast buck doesn't come along too often." Gunning looked the Magna Roman up and down, he hadn't thought he'd go for that option. "Alternatively, we could drop by the Sheriff's office."
"There's no honour in the slaughter of innocents like he wants," Drusus said, looking around at the wretched souls that inhabited this sad borough. He turned back to Gunning and smiled, "But seeing that a slimy toad like that gets his comeuppance? That sounds like a much better option to me."
"That's true, there is no honour." Gunning looked around himself and spread his arm, showing his companion around. "This system doesn't work on honour though. That being said, I think I agree with you. Let's go and see the sheriff."
[Ten Minutes Later, Sheriff's Office]
"So you're telling me that this man wants you to blow up Enola Gay?" The Sheriff didn't seem even partially convinced.
"Why is that hard to believe?" Drusus protested, gesturing out the window down the street to the town's morbid centrepiece. "You have a nuclear bomb sitting in the street and a town down the road that thinks you're a threat."
"They think we're a threat?" He asked, seeming genuinely perplexed. "Well, boy howdy. I didn't even think they'd noticed we were here if it wasn't for Mister Anderson."
Gunning had been peeling an apple with a knife, for want of something to do. "Anderson?"
"Sure, that little slimebag you ran into the bar. He does work for the man who runs the town up the road but he prefers our-"
"Prostitutes?" Gunning interrupted, taking on the tone of a man of the time perfectly.
"Well, entertainment." The Sheriff shot back with a knowing smile. Enola Gay wasn't quite as clean as it seemed and it was only after spending a little bit of time walking around that the truth was coming out. The place was a den of iniquity, that was for damn sure. On the way here they had been propositioned at least five times and witnessed a couple of fairly vicious crimes, the reporting of which had seemed uninteresting to the Sheriff.
"So why does he want to blow this place to Hades?" Drusus asked, furrowing his brow. "If he likes it here, why destroy it?"
"He likes it fine but he's not the paymaster. Anderson only cares about having his pockets lined with money on a regular basis. He doesn't give two hoots about what happens to us, hell, happens to anyone as long as he gets to live."
"A plague rat." Gunning said, spitting the rancid bite of apple out on the floor and throwing the rest of the fruit into a rusted waste paper basket. "Comes over, takes the fruit of your labour - or your pimping I suppose - and leaves a trail of pestilence and destruction in his wake. I know the type."
Drusus grumbled and shook his head. "Motivations aside, he wants to destroy this town." He looked at the sheriff with a sneer, "You're the law around here. What are you going to do about him?"
"Well, I suppose I'll have to take him into custody."
"Don't sound too bloody excited about it," Gunning said. "Want us to come with you?"
"Who cares if he wants us to or not," Drusus said, standing up to the sheriff. "Let's go."
Commander Jordan Gunning
Executive Officer
Commander Titus Livius Drusus
Chief Science Officer
Starbase 332
