Dasher stood over the wreckage of the metal men as he reloaded all his guns. The Hidden Service agent behind him was still in shock.
"Why? Why would they do this?" He asked as screams could be heard in the distance.
Dasher looked back. "My guess, the Cult of Thomas doesn't want any evidence getting out about how they took control of the president. But even that doesn't make any sense. You and your men have been investigating all day. Surely, reports have made their way to headquarters already."
The agent in charge shook in fright. "No. Protocol for an attack like this dictates that we collect all evidence and deliver it and any reports by hand. The radio waves are unsecure. Since we don't know who is listening, we have to do everything in person."
"Have you sent anyone with a report out yet."
"No. We were planning on waiting till the morning. Then we would send a couple of agents to the city to give an update."
Dasher immediately turned away from the agent and started to run.
"Where are you going?" Asked the agent in charge while he chased after the Marshal.
"The train station!" Dasher yelled back.
The pair ran down the street and turned the corner. Sounds of fighting drew even closer.
They turned another corner and could lay eyes on the station. A dozen agents were trying to hold the stairs of the demolished station while twenty metal men slowly closed in on them.
The robots launched flames from their arms, turning the area into a raging inferno. The metal men didn't fear the heat and marched through the flames.
Right when Dasher was about to run out into the chaos, he felt a hand grab his shoulder. He looked back, it wasn't the agent in charge that stopped him. It was Sheriff Daniels.
"What are you doing?" Dasher said, shaking off the man's grasp.
"Look." Daniels said, pointing to a side street. "A bigger one is coming."
The Hidden Service agent, Marshal, and Sheriff looked into the distance. A ten-foot-tall man-made killing machine emerged from between two buildings. The fingers of its hands were made of long drill bits that were capable of drilling straight through a skull in a flash. On it's back laid a barrel of a large caliber rifle.
"GET BACK!!!!" The agent in charge yelled towards his subordinates that were directly in front of the machine.
The large robot kneeled and got to all fours. Its fingers drilled into the ground to secure its position. The large gun barrel on its back suddenly turned and took aim while following a laser sight.
*Boom*
The gun recoiled as a massive bullet ripped through the chest of a Hidden Service agent. The man's chest turned into a blood misty as he was blown apart.
The gun barrel quickly swiveled again.
*Boom* *Boom* *Boom*
The agents ran for cover as the large gun cut down their numbers
The agent in charge couldn't do anything while his men were being cut down. He ran out and started shooting at the large robot while running in its direction.
*Bang* *Bang* *Bang* *Bang*
All his shots were deflected off it's hard metal shell.
The shots coming from the side, attracted the attention of the other metal men. Their flame throwers turned towards the direction of the newcomer.
Dasher was about to run out to help when he noticed that Daniels was going to join him. He stopped the Sheriff. "You need to get the people somewhere safe. These metal men plan to leave no one behind."
"But-."
Dasher pushed him back and then ran out into the street without waiting for him to say any more.
The agent dodged the metal man in front of him but didn't see the one that appeared behind him.
*Bang*
The robot fell down after losing its head to a shotgun.
*Bang*
Dasher took down a second metal man before tossing away his long barrel shot gun. He then drew his revolver and the sawed-off shotgun.
The agents who were protecting the station had gotten to cover, the large robot on all fours then turned towards the only two people who were still exposed in the street. The large gun swiveled.
*Boom*
Dasher and the agent in charge had already dove out of the way. They ran opposite directions. The gun turned to follow Dasher.
The agent ran towards the back of the large robot, the others couldn't risk setting it on fire. The flames wouldn't hurt it, but if the bullets of the large gun got to hot, they would explode.
Dasher jumped towards a metal man, his revolver pressed against its neck and emptied two bullets inside.
*Boom*
The metal man blocked the shot that would have killed Dasher.
The agent reached the back of the large robot and jumped towards it. The robot bent its legs and released its grip on the ground. It then sprang forward while two torrents of flames appeared from its feet and propelled it away from the agent and towards Dasher. Its sharp fingers were stretched and aimed towards the Marshal's fleshy body.
Dasher dropped to the ground while firing until his revolver emptied. The neck of this larger robot was reinforced and not as easy to shoot through. The robot slammed its head towards the ground after Dasher dodged between its arms.
*Bam*
Dasher rolled back and narrowly missed the large metal head. He then sprang to his feet and aimed the sawed off as the back of its head while the agent in charge arrived and fired his revolver in between the joints of its back and legs.
*Bang* *Bang* *Bang* *Bang* *Bang* *Bang*
Projectiles bounced around inside of the machines casing, tearing apart all its vital components.
When the Marshall and Hidden Service agent had emptied their weapons, they turned back-to-back to find that they had been surrounded by metal men.
*Whistle*
Dasher and the agent suddenly looked towards the rooftop where a whistle had just come from.
Sheriff Daniels stood on the roof of a nearby building. They looked and saw that all the buildings had people on top of them. Dasher recognized many of them. The old lady who ran the short stay. The bark keeps form the saloon. The lady who ran the café that he had lunch at every day. Dasher even saw the tailor that he had questioned with Gerald. And they were all armed with guns.
Daniels suddenly hollered at. "You stupid bucket heads! Did you really think that we are like that weak lot from the city? You should never have come here. But since you have, don't plan on leaving. FIRE!"
*Bang* *Bang* *Boom* Bang* *Bam* *Bang*
Bullets rained down from every direction, they pounded into the metal men and turned them into scraps of metal. Even if nineteen of twenty shots hit the protective plates and only one found the machine's vital components, it didn't matter. The whole town was standing together, and it was clear as day that the metal men were their enemy.
One by one, the robots that were surrounding the Marshal and the agent fell to the ground.
When the sun rose the next morning, the towns people were putting out the fire while others were burying the dead. The metal men may have caught them by surprise, but they towns people were not ones to just lay down and take it. The town of Brokenfall would rebuild and move on.
***
The Hidden Service agent in charge left town at sunrise. He rode fast. Around noon he came upon several dead bodies on the side of the road. He got down form his horse and led it to the nearby stream. The horse bent its neck to drink. It paid no attention to the dead horse that wasn't far from the bank.
The agent walked back to the bodies. He recognized them right away. They were also members of the of the Hidden Service. He checked them closely. Their guns and identification remained on their bodies. They even had their wallets; their cash wasn't touched. He concluded that it wasn't a robbery. He did notice something that they shouldn't have. On each of their wrists were a highly advanced piece of technology.
The agent cursed to himself. What Marshal Dasher had told him was seeming more and more likely.
The agent noticed a blood trail leading away from the bodies and heading towards the city.
Once his horse rested, he saddled up and kept riding.
It was close to sundown when he approached the city. He had lost the blood trail an hour after following it. He didn't know what to make of it because he didn't find a body at the end of the trail. People didn't just heal that quickly from those sorts of wounds. He believed that from the amount of blood, the person must be gravely injured.
The agent kept his eyes peeled. He noticed a man enter the city before him. The man kept his head down and made his way forward with a limp. But he didn't think it was his target. The person he was looking for should be on the verge of death from a loss of blood. He kept riding in further.
Whoever killed the agents must have already made it into the city, that meant it would be almost impossible for him to find them.
Gerald looked at the agent as he rode past. He then kept his head down and kept limping forward. His regeneration ability might have closed his wounds and replenished his blood, but the damage to his bones would take longer to heal.
Gerald looked around the city. He stepped out of the street as a car drove past. He was amazed by the differences between the town and the city. Since the city had a refinery on its outskirts, anybody with money could afford to fill a vehicle with fuel. While the town looked like something out of the wild west, the city looked like a snapshot out of the 1950's.
Gerald rented a room and scarfed down a meal before he passed out on the bed.
Three days later, Gerald sat on the fifth floor of a building while looking out a window. He sat on a hard wooden chair and tuned his radio to the public information channel. He took the last hand rolled cigarette from his tin and lit up before raising the volume on the radio.
"President Kennedy has just been awarded the command of the national military. This decision comes directly from the congressional council after a vote was held following the attack on the town of Brokenfall. We now go live to a press conference in the city of Porkopolis. President Kennedy is going to speak on the council's decision."
There was a bit of static before a different voice came over the radio.
"The council has trusted me to take command of our armed forces. The Cult of Thomas has been living in the shadows far to long. We have been invaded by an enemy who has been living in our cities and towns the whole time. Now some of you may have heard, but my men have personally seen that the metal men are back. The brave townspeople of Brokenfall were able to hold them off after they launched an attack on my life. I would like to thank them for everything they have done. And my promise to them is that we will eradicate this technological threat that has resurfaced. Under my leadership you can rest assured that we will leave no stone unturned. To all the Cultists out there who are listening, just know that we are coming for you and there is nowhere you can hide. You should never have attacked our innocent people. If it is a war you want, it is a war you will get."
Loud applause and cheering echoed through the radio before the broadcaster came back on air.
"You heard it here, our valiant president has declared war on the Cult of Thomas. With the Council's ratification of the war proposal, the president is now in full command of the armed forces. With him at the wheel, the metal men are as good as dead already. In other news, the president is now estimated to have an approval rating at over 95%. Despite the achievements he will deliver in regard to the Cult, he can already go down in the history books as the most beloved president. Today, President Kennedy is scheduled to leave the city of Porkopolis and pay a visit to the brave heroes of Brokenfall while he is on route back to the capital to take command. The people have already lined the street to wave and cheer as he departs."
Gerald peeled back the window shade and saw the people on the street below. The Hidden Service was keeping them in check. The buildings on the route had already been cleared. Gerald could only see a small portion of the street in question from the gap between two buildings in front of him.
He could hear the cheers grow louder as the president drew closer. He took his rifle and propped it up as he took aim.
Checking the flags blowing in the distance, he gauged the speed of the wind.
Gerald shut his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. He then opened them again and rested his cheek just above his rifle as he looked through the crude iron sights.
When he saw the hood of the car come into view, he made his final adjustments and pulled the trigger.
*Bang*
The bullet flew from his barrel and out the window. The bullet passed between two buildings as it descended. President Kennedy sat in the back of a convertible while waving towards his adoring public. He smiled widely while enjoying the attention and power that came with his position.
"AHHHHHH!"
Suddenly a scream cut through the cheers. The cheering stopped as the people began to panic and scatter. Some cried while others wailed. People cursed in confusion but every on the street could see the president laying backwards as blood flowed out from the large hole in the back of his head.
[A Doppelganger inhabiting Earth2913 has been removed]
Gerald stored away his weapon and then picked up the gun on the chair next to him. He didn't hesitate to place it against his temple and then pull the trigger.
An old man lay in a bed coughing. He looked at the ceiling and knew his time was coming. He looked towards the door when he heard it open.
"Sheriff Dasher. Do you remember me?" The man asked.
"Ha." The old man wheezed. "How could I forget a face like yours? It must have been at least thirty years since I saw you."
The man took a seat next to Dasher. "At that time, you were still a Marshal. I will never forget the night you locked me in that basement."
"He, he, have you come for your revenge now that I am an old man on the verge of death."
"No Sheriff, I came to pay my respects."
"You can't cut the Sheriff crap, I gave up that post a few years ago. Now I am just an old man."
"Nevertheless, you have always taken care of my men when I sent them here. And our country owes you a debt that can never be repaid. Even though you never joined the Hidden Service or the armed forces, there are many people that know how instrumental you were to the fall of the Cult as well as fending off other threats to our country. Madam president has asked me to pass this to you."
The man then set a medal on the dying mans bed side table.
"It's the medal of Supreme Honor. You will be the eighth person in the history of our nation to receive it. I know you never had a family, but you will not be forgotten. Thank you for your service."
Dasher nodded and then opened his mouth. "I think it is time for me to be going now. That boss of mine is surely waiting for me on the other side. I don't dare leave him waiting for to long." Dasher said as he closed his eyes.
The man watched as his breathing hitched before it came to its final rest. Dasher's chest stopped rising and falling. The man checked his pulse and then walked out of the room after placing the medal on Dashers chest.
When he walked out, the undertaker and a few others went in. The man waited for several minutes and then six people came out carrying a coffin on their shoulders.
The Hidden Service agents in attendance followed closely as the coffin went down the center of the street. The citizens at the side stood with their heads bowed as they paid their last respects to their beloved Sheriff. Dasher had watched over them for twenty plus years after Sheriff Daniels retired. Many people had grown from little kids into grown adults under the protection of Sheriff Dasher. He was a kind and honest Sheriff that knew the name of every person in the town. No matter how small or silly their problem was, Sheriff Dasher would always listen and help out however he could.
A solemn atmosphere overtook the city as the Hero of Brokenfall went on his final journey.