Chapter 2: Dashen Bandera
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“Wait, why are you buying three Sandsteamer passes?” Knives asked his brother as Vash took 3 little leather pouches that contained their tickets. “I thought the Insurance Girl was buying her own.”
“She did, this is for Clint.”“What?! It’s bad enough that witch is coming, but you’re bringing that punk too? Honestly, Vash, I shouldn’t let you keep either of them; it’s disgusting!”
“What you say is disgusting; they’re not stray animals. I’m not done teaching Clint, and he has no where else to go.”
“No where but home!” Knives growled. “If you weren’t such a mama’s boy I swear-“
“-He would be mine, yes, I know; you’ve told me a dozen times, and we both know he’s not mine.” Vash finished annoyed. “Let’s go; we only have a few hours to get ready.”
* * *
Clint jumped on his back onto the bed. “Oh wow, this is going to be awesome! I’ve never been on a Sandsteamer before.”
“It’s no big deal; actually, I hate it; it is completely exasperating.” Knives threw his luggage carelessly on the ground in spite of his temper; after all who wouldn’t be angry if your brother was tending to the Insurance Girl and left you with this little punk who is disturbing enough to practically glue those Enix-branded jet black sunglasses to his head. I mean, were they supposed to be a causal halo or- did he even have eyes? Knives hadn’t seen them once, yet he must if he can see to aim. Maybe he had two different colors of eyes or a blood vessel broke in them. Knives eyed them.
“You know you are really really negative,” Clint pointed out.
“That’s invigorating.”
“Why don’t you like sand steamers?”
“Ha!” Knives sat on the edge of the dresser.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“There’s a lot you can’t understand about me, whether you intend to or not.”
Clint kept his mouth shut.
* * *
“It’s not too bad is it?” Vash asked Meryl as he opened the door to her room.
“No…”Meryl answered awkwardly.
“Just think, we’ll be seeing Millie soon.”
“Yes…”Meryl stared in the room, but yet at nothing. She wished Vash would stop living in the past; he has always lived in the past, completely opposite of her. The present and future were always in her sight, just like Charles’. Charles didn’t keep her waiting. Charles didn’t hold to a dead woman either…not really.
Vash looked down at her delicate hand, continuing until he reached the dazzling and glistening diamond ring. It was pretty big with several more diamonds placed around it, and marked with white gold.
“You’re ring is beautiful.”
“Oh, thanks.”
“Just like you.” The words flowed so smoothly that Vash couldn’t have stopped them, but once they were out he would have given anything to have prevented them. “I mean, don’t get me wrong!” He clumsily added. “Because, I mean, you’re spoken for…”
‘What was he playing at? How could I have ever thought I understood this man?’ Meryl thought.
Vash cleared his throat. “So…how-? How did he purpose?”
Meryl stared at him feeling completely lost in his maze of actions. “Well…” She started. “He gave it to me on my birthday,” she then smiled remembering the event, and it ruptured Vash’s soul, but he ignored it. “He made me a cake all by himself, and that’s really pushing it for him. I had told him I didn’t like icing, but he must have forgotten because he put it in the icing, and I threw it away.”
Vash would have commented, but he was finding it hard to speak.
Meryl let out a small laugh. “It took him an hour to dig through the trash, but he found it, and then asked me.” She paused, and Vash found his voice.
“Well, I need to make sure Clint is settled.” He said abruptly.
“Yes…Clint…” Meryl said as he left suddenly, and then feeling oddly frustrated, she brushed her teeth so fiercely that the white foaming toothpaste was splattered all over the mirror and dripped from her chin. When she was done, she didn’t even bother to wipe it off the mirror.
Disappointed with himself, Vash began to walk slowly to his room.
He was happy for her, but than why did he leave so suddenly?
“You idiot, Vash,” he said out loud. Then feeling it didn’t quite do the job, he began to hit his forehead with his hand crying “stupid, stupid, stupid!”
In an instant he moved the moment he smelled gunpowder.
The bullet flew passed him, and Vash lowered his hand to look at the culprit.
‘That is one big sombrero,’ He thought as he studied the man.
“So the rumors are true, The Humanoid Typhoon is on the Sandsteamer.” The hairy sombreroed man’s rusty voice took its time to let each syllable roll off his tongue.
“Who are you?” Vash asked as the man neared him.
“Your new partner…”
“What?” Vash squeaked.
“You and I are breaking out with the goods.” He put his arm around Vash.
Vash jumped away. “I like to keep my distance from men,” he explained.
“You’re funny.”
“Ah, no, I’m serious,” Vash said. “Who are you?”
“Dashen.”
“Dashen Bandera?” Vash stepped back. This man was a villain, one of the top ten most wanted. He was superb with bombs, and had a tendency of choosing riches over women.
He smirked. “Can you see the headline?”
“Headline?”
“‘Vash and Dash’ unpredictable pair makes way with Ralph Woods’ fortune in their hands’”
“Ralph Woods?” The name sounded vaguely familiar… “Isn’t he a famous car salesman or something?”
“No you idiot!” Dashen kicked Vash in the shin. “He’s the richest man on Gunsmoke!”
“Ow, that was mean!” Vash rubbed his shin.
“If you help me, I’ll split it with you, 30-70.” “You’re stealing his money?” Vash asked.
Dashen nodded.
Vash frowned. “What about his family?”
“He’s divorced.”
“What about his kids?”
“They’re all out of the nest.” He shrugged.
“I’m not taking his money!”
“40-60.”
“And I think you better change your mind.”
“50-50?”
“0-0.”
“Don’t you understand? We could be invincible together; unstoppable.”
“I won’t, and I advise you the same.”
“I might want to warn you, keeping me from him is lethal, there are more dangerous greeting than this on board.” Dashen smirked, and carefully opened his shiny black suit case.
* * *
“Why didn’t you go home?” Knives asked Clint.
“I wanted to come with you and Vash.”
“Won’t your family be worried?”
“…No… I hope not. Maybe my mom will be.” Clint answered.
“It’s night,” Knives observed.
“Yeah.”
“Taking off those sunglasses?”
For a split second Knives thought Clint was going to, but instead he just pushed them on more.
“No.”
“But they’re just sunglasses, right?”
“I suppose.”
“Except that your dad gave them to you.”
“Yes.”
“Do you sleep with them on?” Knives asked.
“Sometimes…”
“Peculiar.”
Silence.
“I think Vash got lost, I’m going to look for him.” Knives stood up. “Stay here; out of trouble…on second thought, you’re coming with me.” Knives forced him up by his arm.
“But Vash is with Meryl.”
“He’s been with her too long.”
“Maybe they want to be alone.”
“You make anything but sense. That’s sick.”
“I think we should stay here.” Clint said.
But Knives was already pulling the teen out the door.
They peered down the halls.
“Do you know where Meryl’s room is?” Clint asked.
“Can it,” Knives ordered pulling Clint down the hall.
* * *
Meryl jumped when someone began banging on her door.
“Meryl, Meryl! I need your help!”
Her heart pumped faster; it was Vash.
She opened the door to see his face covered in black, like he had had the skin singed by fire.
She stepped back in surprise. “What-?”
“You got to get all the passengers off the Sandsteamer! I think it’s blowing up!” Vash cried.
Meryl stared at him, speechless with fright.
“I think there’s a bomb on it. Please Meryl! Please!” Vash begged when the violet haired girl refused to move. “I need your help!”
He eyed her business suit, she used to keep derringers in her old cape. “You have a gun, right?”
She nodded numbly.
“Get the passengers all out; I’m going to try to stop Dashen Bandera.” He explained.
Meryl watched him run up the hall.
“Hurry!” He called back.
Shaking, Meryl quickly forced her shoes on.
* * *
Vash ran as fast as he could, the problem was that he didn’t know where the control panels were or where Ralph Woods was. ‘Probably in first class somewhere,’ Vash thought, ‘and I lost track of Bandera when he put out all that smoke.’
Vash caught sight of an engineer.
“Where is first class?” He asked, feeling rushed.
“Clear on the other side; towards the front of the Sandsteamer. That way,” he pointed.
“Thanks!” Vash ran again.
* * *
Meryl had hardly any time to pull herself together before leaving out of her room.
She started in the opposite direction of Vash.
“Where’s Millie when I need her?” Meryl found herself saying as she knocked on the door next to hers. “Excuse me, is anyone in there?” She asked.
Silence replied.
‘Come on, Meryl, everyone’s going to die if you don’t do something. It’s no time to be polite, she thought before banging hard on the door. “Open the door!” She yelled.
No one heeded her orders.
‘Now what?’ She sighed. ‘Meryl, are you a disaster preventioner or not?’
“Stay away from the door!” She called, and stepped back, pulled out her gun, and shot at the door until there was a hole big enough to slip her hand through and unlock it.
She scanned the room until she saw a child under the covers.
“Are you here alone?” Meryl asked.
The boy nodded. “My mommy went to get us dinner, don’t kidnap me.”
“I’m not kidnapping you, but you’ve got to come with me.” That’s an oxymoron, Meryl thought.
“Why?”
“We need to get off the Sandsteamer- everyone does. Come on,” Meryl picked him up. “I’m nice, I promise.”
She left the room, and rushed to the door of the next, yelling until an older man opened it.
“What is it Miss?”
“I need your help,” Meryl breathed. “The Sandsteamer, there might be a bomb on it. Please help me get everyone off. Dashen Bandera is on it.”
“Are we lost?” Clint asked.
“No, he’s this way,” Knives pulled Clint. “What is he doing?” He growled out loud.
* * *
“I need to see Ralph Woods!” Vash said urgently to a guard of the first class. “Someone is after him!”
“Are you in first class?” He asked.
“No, but-“
“Then I can’t help you.”
“But people might die! Please!”
“Only first class members are allowed in this area.” The man looked passed Vash, nodded, and stepped out of the way as the sombreroed man showed him his ticket. “Go ahead sir...”
Thinking quickly, Vash tackled him to the ground.
The guard immediately reacted the way Vash had been hoping.
“What are you doing?” He yelled at Vash as he rolled with Dashen on the ground, avoiding blows, and purposely missing his target.
“Get off me!” Dashen growled.
“Stop it!” The guard shot off his gun, and they froze. “You’re coming with me!” He pointed at Vash. “Come on.”
Vash stood up, and left Dashen on the ground.
“Hurry, let’s go!” The guard growled, pointing the gun to Vash back, and escorting him away from first class, and into the Captain’s room.
“Captain, we have a trouble maker on our hands.” The guard pushed Vash in front of the captain. “He tried to break in to first class, and then he got in a fight with a passenger.”
“Please, Captain, Dashen Bandera is on board. Please have your men search for a bomb.”
“A bomb?” The captain repeated.
“It wouldn’t do any harm to search,” Vash pointed out.
The Captain was quiet.
“For the safety of the passengers.”
“Thank you for this information, you can leave now.” The Captain replied.
“We’re letting him go?” The guard repeated.
“Yes and what can a search hurt?”
“Yes sir.” The guard looked over at Vash. “You heard the Captain. Leave.”
Vash took the order gratefully, and continued to dash through the Sandsteamer, back to the first class area, and ran straight into Bandera…literally. It was as if the moment they hit, time slowed and they both fell back to the ground with an “umph.”
Bandera came to his sense first, and he yelled at Vash. “Where is he? What did you do with him?”
Vash stared at him, processing with words. Ralph Woods wasn’t there? He couldn’t think of any reasons as to why Woods would have left. First class had its own dinning, so there was no point in him leaving, unless he wasn’t here in the first place, and this was all a misunderstanding.
“He’s here! He must be!” Dashen cried. “Why isn’t he in first class? I’ll blow it all up if you don’t tell me where he is!”
“For being a bomb-guru, you’re sure lacking the virtue of patience, and I’m afraid I can’t let you harm innocent people.”
“I’ll find him!” Bandera growled, and then placed some type of goggles over his eyes. He threw something to the ground, and immediately smoke issued from the oval object like a volcano. It surrounded Vash in smoke within several seconds.
Coughing, he brought his eyes through the smoke. It was so think he couldn’t even see his own arm.
He tried his best to concentrate, but before he could target his opponent, a dagger dug, and ripped his flesh.
Vash stepped back, thrashing through the black air for Dashen, but he was either too far away, or gone.
* * *
“What happened here?” Clint asked, still being pulled by Knives.
Smoke was drifting their direction, and Knives knew Vash was in the middle of it.
“Is he over here?” Clint asked.
“You talk too much,” Knives growled as he led the young man through the smoke that was beginning to clear.
A hunching figure was a small distance away.
“That’s him,” Knives shared.
“Vash?” Clint asked.
Knives nodded.
Forgetting Knives had a grip on him; Clint tried to run full speed before falling to the floor at Knives’ tug.
“Would you let go? Please?” Knives laughed coldly, and then…let him go.
“Vash!” Clint charged until he reached the blonde-locked man. “What happened? You’re bleeding!” Clint spoke, once he realized the darkening crimson.
“Clint.” Vash had nearly forgotten the teen.
“Another witch in distress?” Knives asked his brother.
Vash shook his head. “Much worse. Bombs. We’ve got to find Bandera, he might be putting a bomb to stop the Sandsteamer if he doesn’t get Ralph Woods’ money.”
“What do we do?” Clint asked.
“That’s simple,” they both looked at Knives, who was filling his gun with ammunition. “We give him Woods.” He put the last bullet in. “Do you know where he it?”
“We can’t do that!” Vash and Clint cried.
“Have the Sandsteamer blow up, or have Woods robbed and possibly murdered?”
“How about plan C?” Clint suggested.
“Save everyone,” Vash said.
Knives rolled his eyes. “You make it sound easy.”
“It’s not, but the easier things are doesn’t make them any more right,” Vash explained. “We’re losing time
“What do we do?” Clint asked again.
“If we get separated…” Vash pulled out a tiny machine that resembled a pen. “This can help a lot. Talk into it and I’ll be able to hear you We need to either find Woods, Bandera, or the bomb.”
“We’re searching blindly?” Knives asked.
“Unfortunately, I have nothing to go on, and no map.”
“Chances are slim,” Knives said.
“But there are still Chances,” Vash answered. “And he’s just as blind as us at finding Woods.”
They started rushing through rooms, even Vash, who was half limping. He was breathing harder and harder, but anyone who knows Vash, knows if there’s any strength in his body, he will go on.
Knives didn’t enjoy watching Vash’s reckless blind actions. He was searching urgently, and Knives felt that any moment they would be trapped, and his brother may suffer a loss.
Unfortunately, traps were true, and the blondes encountered their first as they entered a small room.
Boom!
A small explosion erupted just a Vash reached for the next door. The heat gave way to his feet, and he fell back to the ground.
Knives forcefully dragged Vash to his feet.
“Too Reckless!” He scolded.
Vash’s skin radiated heat.
“Don’t let urgency clash your wisdom. Stay on top of things!” Knives grabbed the neck of the singed coat. “Or you’ll kill us all.”
“Don’t Knives!” Clint ordered, pushing his arm away from Vash. “It’s bad enough already, you don’t need to rub it in his face!”
“It’s that emotion that allows accidents, accidents that are too severe.”
“It’s that emotion that also saves lives!” Clint argued.
Clint was afraid things would only get worse, so he was thankful Vash interrupted.
“Clint, Knives is right. I am becoming too reckless.”
Clint opened his mouth to argue.
“And we’re wasting time again.” Vash pointed out.
“Yes,” he agreed.
Vash opened the next door cautiously, and scanned the room.
“Bingo!” Knives aimed his gun at a small blinking box in the corner. He pulled the trigger, and another small boom sounded the area; bits of debris fell to the floor.
“Isn’t that reckless?” Clint asked. “What if that was the huge explosive?”
“You are naive,” Knives smirked. “Trust me, I would know.”
Vash let Knives open the next door; unlike himself, Knives was more experienced, and educated with such things.
“I think we’re getting closer.” Knives peered into the other room, aimed, and shot.
“Is shooting all we can do?” Vash asked, trying not to sound what Knives would call “preachy”. He wasn’t fond of the damage it did or could do.
“No, but it’s the fastest, and you’re in a hurry, aren’t you?” Knives asked with a tone.
The next room had yet another door that Knives peered out.
Thread. All over the ground like a spider web.
“Vash, if you’re the butterfly, who’s going to save you? Knives asked as he opened the door for them to look down the dark hall of webs.
“Thread?” Clint asked.
“If you’re clumsy; it’s suicide,” Knives explained. “So you better watch you’re step, Vash,” he added
“Wait. We’re walking this way?” Clint asked.
“Well, it’s obvious who went this way.”
“But I don’t see any bombs.”
“It’s hard to see the thread as well,” Knives answered.
Clint stared at the maze, feeling very nervous; he hadn’t ever had to do something so intense. It wasn’t very welcoming, especially in the dim light.
Vash started across the passage, squinting in the dark at the ground.
“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Knives snarled. “Take those off your face!”
“My sunglasses?”
“Oh I hate huma-“
“Knives!” Vash warned.
“-Kids.”
It bothered Clint to be called a child, but he ignored it.
“Listen, if you don’t take those off, I’ll do it for you!” Knives made a grab for the tinted glasses.
“No.” Clint stepped back.
“You’ll get us killed!” Knives yelled in anger.
Clint was at a loss of words.
“It’s hard to live in lies and half-truths, isn’t it?” Knives asked.
“Come one,” Vash said.
Clint scanned the dim hall. Noticing a vent, he asked, “what about going through there?” He pointed to it.
“You are kidding, right?” Knives asked.
“Trust me, we can fit, and it will make things a lot easier.” Vash said happily, changing his direction to towards the vent.
Clint headed carefully towards it too.
“It’s too high,” Clint spoke.
Vash looked to Knives’ annoyed expression, and sighing inside himself, worked to reaching Clint.
Once he reached him, he glanced for two well-sized spots to place his feet without stepping on the gentle thread. Planting then in the ground he squatted.
“I’ll get you high enough watch your feet and don’t slip or you’ll be as crispy as me.” Vash advised, he too wishing Clint would remove his sunglasses.
With a stinging sensation, Vash felt Clint climbed on Vash. His wounds and burns screamed at him.
Clint broke the vent open, and stretched himself higher to look in.
It was completely black.
Clint pushed up his sunglasses to get a better view.
His heart jumped, it wasn’t completely black. Red lights were flickering down the tunnel, and he could hardly make out the boxes.
He swallowed.
“I found the bombs.”
Disappointment rushed to Vash, it was all a waste of time.
Clint climbed off. “I’m sorry.”
“It's fine,” Vash said, dizzily walking over webs.
Thankfully the made it to the next door, and even Clint failed to step on one thread.
The next room was very small, and there was a staircase that was apparently used for the engineers.
Carefully rushing down the stairs they went through two more doors, and Vash being well ahead, went straight through the next (after scanning it). He was only several steps away before he heard the door close behind him.
“Still after me?” Bandera asked. “I was hoping you would have given up by now. I didn’t want to kill such a legendary clever gunman, but it seems you stand in the way.” He tilted his huge sombrero to Vash. “Legendary, yes, but you’ve never been up against anyone remotely close to me.” Bandera smirked. “As so, you’ve done pretty well for yourself.”