The ranch was just thirty minutes on the other side of I 80 and a bit north, I made no effort to hide our approach I speed down the dirt road, not running, but so we could kick up enough dirt, they wouldn't be surprised by our approach.
Like I expected we were greeted by the rancher and a few hands. They all glared at the humvee, until I got out. The rancher turned to one of his hands. "Es buneo." He said waving them off, and opening the gate for us. "I was afraid you were from the base, looking to squeeze more." He grumbled. His attuided change a bit when he heard the glass rattle from the box Jeff was getting out of the humvee.
"Some how I thought, you might like these back." I chuckled.
"You have no Idea." The rancher said eagerly and then sighed. "The commander now is the only way to get these..."
I glanced at Jeff, who was either confused that I was right a few days ago, or not connecting the dots. "I told you, these were important, controling the bottles is like controlling the milk that comes in it."
"Like the attempt to ban bullets?" I nodded at his correct assumption.
"Come on, I am not going to turn away people that get it." He waved us through the gate. He showed us the ranch, at least thirty minutes of it, he said it would take us a day or two to see the whole thing.
Then, it dawned on me, a solution to my problem, and probably something looming on his mind. "Do you have a source for antibiotics?"
He shook his head and sighed. "No, and we only have a month's worth left...." He sighed.
"I have a problem. as well, one that if you try it out, could be a solution for us both...." The rancher looked at me sekptkally, but the bottles made him consider my proposal, his face indicated I should go for it. "I have been working on making a pure Pecinellin, I could never make enough for you, but I can teach you and give you a starter."
"That sounds great, but what's the catch?" He waited.
"This is my tenth refinement, I'm not 100% sure it's just Peneclilen."
"How sure?"
"90% or so." I sighed.
"Did you bring some?"
I took a vial of it out, he took it. " That's Good enough for a test." He sighed. We walked to where there was a cow, that looked sick, at least tired as fuck, I could relate, it looked like I felt after sitting n my makeshift sniper's nest awake for eighteen hours straight. I had gone longer, but after 18 hours you just don't feel tired anymore.
He gave some to the cow. "Please come have supper with us." I glanced at Jeff, who checked the sun to make sure it was still around noon. The rancher also noticed, and chuckled. "Lunch for you city boys." We got into the house, it smelled like fried chicken.
"Thank god!" Jeff exclaimed, in youthful exaggeration. It made him adorable, and hard not to smile at.
The rancher's wife turned, to hug and kiss him, I wiped my almost grin off my face when she did. "Who are these two fine men?" She asked her husband.
"This is Jeff, and despite meeting him twice. he still hasnt given me his name." The rancher said pointing to me. Jeff looked at me, realizing that in the days we had known each other, I hadn't told him either, the slight pain in his face reflected that.
"Mam." I said, taking my hat off.
"Well, I see it's time to rip the bandaid off." She sighed. "Our son is gay, I see the looks between you, I know why you keep it between you, but I am not letting you here."
"Mamm." I nodded at her.
"Thank you." Jeff smiled at her. She insisted we all eat, we did, Jeff and I helped her with the plates, only after I insisted we did. We were even treated with some bourbon, Jeff was excited to get some with a can of coke.
"Assuming the cow isn't dead, and gets better, what else do you expect...."
"Nothing more than generosity..." I said firmly, and the rancher nodded. "Not, just with us..." The rancher nodded slower, now. "I know the commander is a pain in the ass, but right now, the people of Cheyenne need him, soon, he is getting power back up, I can make sure it gets out here too..."
"How?" The rancher asked, this time intruded by my suggestion.
"It makes sense that his milk supply has power, and he listens to me, I served in the marines, I've seen time in countries that were worse, and we could be like that. he knows it, I know it, and anyone who thinks otherwise is lying to themselves...." Jeff moved around in his seat. "I am not sold on the man myself, but I think there is the potential for him to come out just the man we need..."
"Ok, I think your right..." He sighed. "But I am not going to roll over."
I nodded. "No, it'd be best for you to get the best 'deal you can."
"Deal." His wife laughed. "Is that what he called it."
"And if he isn't the man we need?" The rancher asked sitting up.
"I'll deal with him like I deal with slavers." I sat back nodded and smirked. I looked at Jeff who looked uneasy. "Just not with the same means, I did work for the CIA."
"I thought you were a marine?" His wife asked. The rancher reached for lap, I assumed for his gun.
"Well, I was." I sighed as a Tapped my metal foot into the table. "Until I lost my foot." The rancher took a breath. I shot a quick glance at Jeff. "The reason I haven't told you my name is part of this story." Jeff suddenly felt guilty for being hurt. "I was good, and leaving the corps almost killed me, but I had a buddy who left covert ops a few years ago for the CIA, who saw me fall apart, and said it wasn't the same as the corps, but it was still serving my country." Naturally, why the CIA was in Cheyenne, came up, we talked about that.
"Where is your son?" Jeff asked.
"DC." His wife said.
"We haven't heard anything about D.C." I lied then shot Jeff a glance. Word had gotten to Cheyenne, but not here. The rancher's wife, should hear about this from her husband, not us. Jeff took the hint, the rancher noticed the exchange, which was for the best.
"Hun.' He sighed. "Why don't you get us another round, Hell!" He shouted, but it sounded remorseful. "make it a double! We have ourselves a supply for antibiotics!" She left, excited. "It's gone?" The rancher asked in a low and quiet voice, wavering at the end. I nodded.
"Jesus Christ!" He blew out his cheeks running his hands through his hair. "Thanks for letting me tell her." He cried for a bit. Jeff peered at me like I was some egg head genius or some sage that taught him something amazing. She came back, we drank, the ranhcer tossed back half of his, getting a lecture from his wife, he changed, and accepted it.
"Hun, no need to look that guilty." She sighed. "You know I was mostly kidding." He looked so remorsely at her.
I looked at my watch. "We gotta got, thank you so much for your generosity."
She rose and smiled. "You know it'd be nice to have some more folk around her, lets make this a weekly thing."
I held back the sorrow in my eyes. "Yes mam, I think both of us would like that." I forced a sincerer enough smile. Jeff tried to two both as well, but he was as convening.
They walked us back to the gate. "Honey..." The rancher said. "There is something you need to know...." We got in the Humvee, and just after jeffed slammed his door, she let out a blood-curdling scream and fell to the ground.
"Take a look kid." I sighed. "There are millions of people out there who are going through this, and much more... that is why I do this, if I can save one life, one person from this. If I can change one story from ending in death, and this..." I shouted pointing. "Then it's all fucking worth it, you asked why I served, it was to keep shit like this" I shouted a bit point.
"You did." He smiled at me. "And it is something I want to help you with."
"God, you're the sexist man I know." I smirked at him, he blushed. "And I fucking love you."I turned us around and took us home. He smirked at me the most of the way home silently, I was nervous for a bit he didn't feel the same, but I think I had just stunned him.
"I love you too." He said as got to the gate, he opened it, and I parked the humvee in the back of the garage, we took care of our projects. With the milk we got from the rancher, in rather unusual containers, we hand enough of that to last us two weeks. We spent the rest our day shooting.