The men they had spotted arrived first and had weapons drawn. Half blocked off access to the station while the others went in.
"My god!" The sheriff said as he ran up beside the two Marshals.
The armed men were flashing badges and keeping people away, even though they were Marshals, Gerald doubted that he would be allowed in.
The two brought the sheriff back to his office.
"Who was at the station just now?" Gerald asked.
The sheriff looked at the two. "You don't know?" He asked.
"We know the presidential detail was passing through and we were told to keep a look out for threats while on our mission, but we weren't given details and we weren't interested at the time."
"I don't know myself." The Sheriff said. "But the long-haul trains to the city usually stop here to refill the boiler on the steam engines of the train. It usually takes an hour or two. The station has a privileged waiting room that is much more comfortable than the train. So if the presidential detail stopped here then…"
Gerald and Dasher both looked at each other and then quickly left.
When they stepped out onto the road, half the armed men were guarding a carriage while riding on horseback, the carriage was rushing out of town.
When the Sheriff saw that, he sighed in relief. It was a good sign, and it meant the worst possible outcome had likely been avoided.
Since the president had been transported away, the pair ran towards the train station. They were stopped a block away. The entire street had been cordoned off.
"You can't go anything further, find another way around." A man said while holding out a hand to stop them.
"We aren't trying to go around, we need to get inside."
"Who are you?" Said the man while placing a hand on his gun.
Gerald pulled back his coat to reveal the Marshal star.
The man let go of his gun. "Marshals aren't needed here. The Hidden Service has the site under control."
"Take a closer look." Gerald said while taking off his badge and tossing it to the man.
The man grabbed the star and looked at the back, his eyes narrowed before he passed it back. He then stood up straighter and didn't dare be disrespectful, as he passed back the star.
"Vice director Marshal, I am under orders to let no one in under any circumstances until the scene has been secured and cleared. It won't be open until tomorrow."
"I just need to know one thing. We have been tracking a serial killer with dozens of bodies to his name. We think he might have knowledge of the Cult or be working with them. Whenever they strike big, he tends to claim a target. Just tell me if you found a large pile of gooey substance."
"Gooey substance?" The Hidden Service agent asked.
"Just radio in and ask. If he struck, he is already fleeing. I can't wait until the scene is cleared to find out that he has a day lead on me."
The man took a few steps back and then whispered into his radio. The reply was transmitted directly to his earpiece.
The man then stepped back towards the Marshals.
"What you are looking for has been found. The agent in charge said he will cordon it off and try not to disturb it, but you won't be able to see it until tomorrow. I am sorry sir, but that is the best I can do."
"I understand." Gerald said before he walked away with Dasher.
Gerald looked in the direction of the carriage that had speed out of the town.
"You don't think…" Dasher started.
"The president should have been surrounded. It would be impossible for our target to lay hands on him. But his staff… That is entirely possible."
"Then we have to follow."
"I will follow, I need you to do something for me."
"What's that?"
"Find out who survived the explosion." Gerald said while mounting his horse.
"How am I supposed to do that? These guys won't even let us near the scene." Dasher asked.
Gerald tossed Dasher a glance. "Weren't you a General in charge of a secret military unit? Get me an answer by any means necessary." He said as he checked to make sure his pack and canteen was full. Both he and Dasher were in the habit of carrying everything with them.
Gerald dug his heels into the horse and whistled. He then took off and headed out of town. 'Sorry Mr. Horban, but I am going to be taking your horse out of town.' Gerald thought to himself.
The carriage was long gone, and the hidden service would probably arrange alternate transports. He wouldn't be able to catch up, but at least he wouldn't be left behind.
He already knew that the president was heading towards the city, so that was his destination. After the explosion, taking a train wouldn't be an easy thing. So, going by horseback was the best bet.
Dasher considered his options. He watched from the side as the Hidden Service agents went in and out of the building. He put his years of experience into use. Even though, once outside the building, the agents rarely talked, it wasn't hard for him to identify the agent in charge.
The man he targeted carried a sense of arrogance. It wasn't that he looked down on his fellow agents, it was that he held himself to a higher standard. This whole thing was his responsibility.
Dasher checked the sun. He knew that Gerald was waiting for him, but time was still passing by. The man was surrounded by junior agents. Dasher didn't have the same skill set as Gerald, he couldn't just walk up to someone, bullshit and spin a story that would make them compliant and divulge everything he wanted to know. Like Gerald said, he led a secret military unit in the past. That was where his experience lied. Since he was on his own, he would have to wait for night fall.
***
The sun had set, and Gerald's horse had grown tired. He dismounted near a stream to let the horse drink it's fill. He then took out some feed and began to feed the horse by hand while rubbing the side of its head.
After a dozen handfuls of oats, he took out a few carrots and fed it to the horse who happily chomped on its dinner. The food wasn't a lot, but Gerald wasn't able to carry too much, he was forced to only let it eat a bit. He had to ration their meals so they could make it to the big city.
There was a bit of dead wood near the creek, not enough for a large fire, but at least he would be able to heat up a can of beans. And that was exactly what he did.
When the can was emptied, Gerald set it down and looked up into the blackness that surrounded him. The fire greatly diminished his ability to see in the dark. He kicked the pile of dirt he had prepared, onto the flames, extinguishing them.
"Come out!"
*Click*
The sound of the hammer being pulled back on a revolver echoed from every direction.
Four men, in perfect synchronization, stepped out of the darkness with guns trained on him.
"It is so good to see you again, Marshal Acers." Said all four in unison.
Gerald looked around but then turned his attention to the man who stood in front of him.
"I don't believe we have met." Gerald answered.
"Oh no, we haven't, but I have been watching you." The men said.
"I seem to be at a disadvantage. You know my name, but I am not sure who you all are."
"He, he, he. Don't be silly, these are merely puppets. I found a bit of interesting tech with those cultists. Apparently, the A.I. that controlled those metal men planned to enslave the human race with these." The four men said while raising their empty hands to show a metallic device that look a lot like a bracelet except it had a flashing red light on it. "It wasn't hard to remove the remnants of the A.I. and allow myself to take control. In fact, it only took minutes."
"Oh, so you are a member of the Cult of Thomas. I remember reading about those in the briefing."
"Ha, yeah right, they were just a means to an end. But you know that don't you Marshal Acers? You know a lot about me."
"I don't know what to call you."
"Ha, ha, call me whatever you like. Even if I gave you my name, wouldn't it just change in a few days?"
"It seems like you went to a bit of trouble to arrange this… 'meeting'. Is there something I can help you with?"
"I am curious about you."
"Me? What has piqued your interest?"
"I watched as you and your partner followed the sheriff behind the bar on your first day in town. You told him that you were tracking a killer. Someone who has left many piles of goo/ bodies behind. But I know for a fact that I am the only one of my kind on this planet. I was intrigued how you knew what would happen before it happened. You knew that there would be more."
"Is there a question in their somewhere?" Gerald asked.
"Hmm… Just what are you Marshal Acers? Why do you insist on pursing me?"
"Why shouldn't I chase a doppelganger who is killing people as they wish."
Surprise flashed through the men's faces before it disappeared just as quickly.
"How do you know of my kind?" They asked in unison.
"You aren't the first that I have met."
"And where are they now?"
"They are no more."
"Mmm."
"Have you already taken over the president's detail with this tech?" Gerald asked.
"Naughty, naughty, I am the one asking the questions."
"Don't you want to know what I am?"
"I am interested, but… not that much." The men said with a shrug.
It was Gerald's turn to laugh. "If that was true, then why not just kill me from the dark?"
The men shrugged again. "This primitive world is so boring. There is hardly anyone that understand me. But you are different, you know my kind. Your little search efforts have been fun to watch. I particularly enjoyed watching you search that bank man's house while I sat across the street. You and your partner do good work. Where is he by the way?"
"He stayed back in town to help the Hidden Service."
"Oh. That is too bad. I don't expect Brokenfall to be there in the morning. I hope you said your goodbyes."
"If he dies, he dies."
"He, he, how cold of you. I think we could get along very well. It is a shame that you have decided to make me your target. I have found a body I plan on keeping for a while and I don't want you to keep hounding after me. I can't have you chasing after me for the rest of our lives. It's best to end things here."
"It's okay. I understand. I am a threat to you."
"Ha, ha, ha, you… A threat to me? You are truly funny Marshal Acers. You are no different from a little puppy that chases after me. You are just something I look back at and smile towards occasionally. But when you start nipping at my heels, you can be sure that my boot will step on your skull until it cracks. You are nothing to me."
"Well, if this is the end, do you mind if I have a last smoke?"
The men nodded and didn't fire when Gerald slowly reached into his jacket and pulled out a tin. He put a hand rolled cigarette into his mouth and then started to pat his pockets.
"It looks like I am out of matches. Any chance you have a light?"
"Unfortunately, not."
"Oh well, no point in holding back since I am about to die anyway."
Gerald snapped his fingers and a tiny flame appeared between his pointer and thumb. He then moved it closer to his smoke and lit it up. He then rubbed his fingers together and extinguished the flame.
"My, my, you really are an interesting one. But if you think you can scare me with magic, I must remind you that I am very experienced. Besides, I am not even with you right now. Your little parlor trick didn't even cause any mana ripples. Any decent mage would at least cause a small man ripple with even the most inconsequential spell. But you… you can only summon enough mana to light a smoke."
Gerald smiled as smoke rolled from his mouth. "I guess you can see straight through me. Will you allow me to fight back at least?" He asked.
"Ha, ha why not. We both know you won't be able to survive this. But I still look forward to finding out how you do. If all four of my men come back to me, well… I will be truly disappointed. But perhaps if none return, I might even think fondly of you for a while. You might even have the privilege of being remembered by me for a month or two before you are forgotten. But it's okay, when Brokenfall goes up in flames, maybe people will think you died trying to stop it instead of being gunned down in the dessert like a mangy dog. Maybe they will think that you died a hero's death."
The four men holstered their guns in unison. They left the tips of their fingers on the butt of the guns while their other hands held their jackets to the side so they could draw their weapons quickly.
"It looks like I have arrived at my destination, I must be going now. Nevertheless, I wish you good luck." The men's metal bracelets suddenly changed. The flashing red light turned a solid green. Their faces went slack, and they were no longer under direct control, they were on autopilot now. They wouldn't pull their weapons until Gerald made a move for his own.
Gerald pulled back his coat to reveal a gun revolver on each hip. His fingers slowly caressed the smooth and worn grips. He held his smoke between his lips as he narrowed his eyes and looked to his left and right before looking forward again.
The four men stood motionless while surrounding Gerald. The wind whistled as the moon slowly rose in the distance.
Gerald's smoke burned out as the ember reached the filter at the end. He then spit the remains before him. His hand twitched.
*Bang* *Bang* *Bang* *Bang* *Bang* *Bang* *Bang* *Bang*