Chapter 4

 El-Dorado in the clouds

The gang approaching from behind started to shot at us like crazy. There's no way they could aim properly on such a dumpy dirt road, but they don't seem to care about that, just shooting incessantly. And me in all this with that heavy load on my back... I stand out! It's hard to move! From the outside, it must look like one of those really old comical pursuit scenes. This is so embarrassing. Still, I guess it's better than dying with a grave face. But no matter how bad their aiming is, they're by car and we're by foot. As long as they're chasing us, we stand little chance. With that in mind, we're rounding street corner after street corner, alley corner after alley corner. 

"Big-bro, where are we even running to?"

"You'll know when we get there."

Jim looked pretty exhausted. I'm rounding one last alley corner and end up back on an avenue. Straight ahead, I can see a very unattractive bungalow made of raw construction material. The sign on top of the roof shows the same old-fashioned star that we saw earlier on the sheriff's chest. That part only is properly polished and shines radiantly. The sheriff's office. And by the way, even though the building was built quite sturdy, the door just stands open, and a young guy who looks like an assistant is just relaxing on a rocking chair in front. I know we're in the outback, but that's just too carefree. Though on the other hand, it's just perfect for us - my primary concern was how to get that door opened. It's almost anti-climatic. I make my way past the rocking chair, followed by everyone, and we head straight into the office.

I'm letting Billy off to the ground, who was happily sleeping on my back, then shout:

"Jim, shut the door!"

"Rogers!"

Jim started to push the heavy-looking metal door, while the confused assistant rushed inside just before it got closed. 

"Wh.. what's your business, all of you?"

Ignoring the assistant's question, I started lowering the window shutters. Melfina and Suzuka immediately joined to help. We could hear the sound of the cars getting pretty close now. 

"The sheriff's office, so that's what you had in mind."

Suzuka said, without a hint of admiration in her voice.

"I figured, the sturdiest building in town after the bank must be here. And unless we're robbing it, we can't really storm into a bank."

"But how did you know where the sheriff's office was located, Gene?"

Melfina asked, perplexed.

"I had seen a map back at the space elevator terminal."

"Hey, stop the talking and answer my question!"

"We're in a pinch."

At the same time I reply, I grab the assistant by the neck and pin him to the ground. As it turns out, that saved my life, too. Just as I crouched to immobilize the man, a laser beam passed just above my head and left a dark spot of the opposite wall. It came through a window whose shutter we still had to close. 

"There're here."

Suzuka announced, in a calm voice. I crawl on the floor, reach for the window and close that last shutter. 

"Why in the world is it all manually operated..?"

"Isn't it on purpose, for the style?", Jim replied. "Just look at the interior design. It's like a sheriff's office straight out of one of those old-style westerns. And isn't that an actual real book on the desk?"

"That's crazy..." 

Suzuka said, with a weird sense of happiness, stroking that cushion-less, wooden chair that looks particularly uncomfortable to sit on. What's wrong with you guys, consider our situation! Outside, laser shots and bullets are raining on the building sounding like fireworks. If they have the guts to do a front assault on a sheriff's office, I might have underestimated them.

"Is there a backdoor?"

I asked the assistant who was still lying clueless on the floor.

"Huh? There aren't any, only the front door."

I know I was a bit threatening, but if he simply answers all questions he's asked, maybe he's not very fit to work in the police. He looks about the same age as me, but still too young for that though field of work. What was that sheriff thinking hiring a weakling like that..

"Any back-windows then?"

"There's one in one of the back prison cells, but it's made of high-resistance plexiglass, and it has iron bars, too."

"So no other way in or out?"

"You could exit through the roof, but it's made so that it can't be opened from the outside. But wait, what's all this anyway? who are you?"

I see, so the only way in is through the front door. And since both the door and the windows are shut, we have nothing to fear from small hand-held firearms. The assistant is dull-witted, but the building itself is in the image of that sheriff: strong and study. At least, my expectations in that regards were right. 

"Where's the sheriff?"

"If.. if you have some issue to report, please do it with me."

"We're under heavy fire and you're asking me whether I have an issue to report, you idiot? Plus, if we were the bad guys, you'd be long-dead by now, do you realize that? So, I'm asking again, where is the sheriff?"

Again, the assistant is coerced into talking by my authoritative tone.

"He radioed me that after investigating some trouble at the bar, he was heading for the space elevator terminal, where an explosion occurred."

"So we missed each other... oh well. Anyway for now, our lair is secured, so why don't we launch our counterattack."

Jim followed up by opening the luggage that contains all our heavy-fire weapons and started to lay them on the floor side by side. 

"Which ones should we use, Big-bro?"

"I don't really like this kind of boorish weaponry..."

"Don't say that while holding a bazooka, Suzuka!"

"This time, I'm ready to bend my principles in order to give these guys hell."

"In my case, I'll pick this one. I've always wanted to try firing one of these."

Melfina said happily, then started to assemble a grenade launcher. Those girls are scary. Anyhow, let's inflict those guys some real damage. But just as I was getting ready, the firing noise from outside suddenly stopped. 

"Oh my, the sound stopped."

Melfina said, as she was lifting up the grenade launcher with Jim.

"True... hey, Mr. assistant, are there any surveillance cameras?", Jim asked.

"Of course not.."

"Just how old-fashioned are you?!"

"Seems like we have to see for ourselves. This is really like an old-style western.."

"Gene, you shouldn't mock westerns and historical plays, they're a big part of the human cultural heritage!"

Ignoring Suzuka's sudden geeky remarks, I head towards one of the windows that has an eye-hole and take a peek outside.

"Well look at that!"

"What's happening?", Jim asked.

"It's the hero's grand entrance."

On the street in front, the cars that were pursuing us are scattered all over, the guys behind them using them as cover, weapon in hand. Except they're now all looking the other way. The sheriff is standing next to his bike in their unprotected back, pointing a beam rifle at them, in a textbook policeman posture.

"You've got some guts firing like that on the sheriff's office, Jeff."

The sheriff said, in a low, resonating voice. One of the guys then said in a soothing voice, but weapons ready:

"Come on now, sheriff, it's not like we're after you or anything. We were chasing after the gang who kidnapped the young master, but they ended up locking themselves in your office."

"That's right, it's because you're so slow to react that we had to take matters into our own hands!", another guy added. 

"Idiot. Cut it out."

Jeff scolded him, but the second guy still continued:

"Be a good officer and don't get in out way. Just get out of..."

The sharp sound of a rifle shot cut short the guy's talking mid-sentence.

The flash of high-energy charged particles sent flying away the rifle the guy was holding in his hand. His knees flailed, from shock or fear or both, and he fell on his backside. 

"I'm the sheriff of this city. I have no need for the help of amateurs for doing my job."

"I get that. The idiot there was just getting ahead of himself. But the kidnappers of the young master are really in there. So will you do something about that please?"

"That young master of yours, I'm assuming it's Billy McLaglen, who's wanted throughout the FTS. I have no authority to take custody of him, but I also have no obligation to be a hindrance to those who have caught him."

To which Jeff replied in a voice tainted with anger:

"Hey, Hawks. You should know very well what's going to happen if you betray the McLaglen elder."

"I just want to do my job right. In the end, that's also in the interest of the McLaglen family."

"Look, no matter how brave you try to look, you're way outnumbered. That lame sheriff's badge of yours isn't bullet-proof."

By now, Jeff's voice is completely devoid of that soothing tone from earlier.

The sheriff released a security lock on his rifle and announced calmly:

"Just now, I set my beam rifle into scattering mode. That means a single shot will blow away the limbs of three or four of you. Should we find out how many times I can shoot before I die?"

"... ..."

Everyone came to a standstill, as if time had stopped. Now's a good time I guess. I pull out my raygun, aim slowly, and tear off or one of the cars' mirror in a clean shot. All the guys turn to the office, surprised. The sheriff though is still standing as he was, without a flinch. 

"Don't forget we also are aiming at you!", I shout through the window in a cheerily voice.

After looking alternatively at the sheriff and his office, they turn to that Jeff guy, waiting for some reaction. No doubt he's the boss. After a few seconds of frustrated hesitation, he gave a signal, made his way into the nearest car, and all the guys promptly followed suit. 

"You won't get away with this!"

Jeff shouted that last warning, then they all drove off in a roar of engine noises, back to where they came from.

Without a even a look to the row of departing cars, the sheriff stowed his rifle back into his bike's saddle, then pushed the bike to the front of the office."

"Hooray, you did it, man! Justice triumphed!"

I said, as I opened the heavy door and gave him with a small applause. 

"You'll get no thanks from me."

He said, making his way into his office. If he's referring to that one shot I made, I expect no such thing, we both know that.

"Of course, of course, I'm only fulfilling my duty as a honest citizen."

I try joking around a little, but the sheriff's dubious look makes it clear he's not receptive to that."

"Cut it out. How dare you involve me in all this. Those guys now really think I'm on your side."

"Well, since it's come to that anyway, how about helping us?"

The sheriff ignored that, and headed straight for the assistant.

"Victor! What we you thinking letting those guys in?"

"It was all so sudden... and it looked like they were being pursued."

The assistant replied, the face all red.

"That's still no reason for letting in a wild bunch like that. If they fancied it, you'd be lying cold right now."

Oh, that's the same preaching I did before! 

"But, father..."

"At work it's 'sheriff' not 'father'. How many times must I remind you?"

I see, now it makes sense. Father and son. Otherwise there's no way he'd be his assistant. Now that they mention it, it's true that they have some sort of ressemblance. However, Victor's good manners and gentle expression really contrast with his father's strong will and rigid personality. His smooth blond hair make him look like an inoffensive country-boy. The sheriff is maybe being overprotective?

"So, what are you going to do, sheriff? Even if you kick us out, I don't think the gang from earlier is going to turn a blind eye now."

"You won't get anywhere in life if you're already being a smart-ass at your age."

"As long as it keeps me alive, it doesn't matter either way. In our current situation the more we are the better. How about we join forces?"

"...shit. What a mess. Alright. Let's start by putting Billy in a cell for now. Then let's discuss."

"Alrighty!"

I replied to the sullen sheriff with a big smile, then loaded once again Billy on my back, who's been sleeping this whole time. 

"Victor, show them the way."

"Ye.. yes."

Victor opened a door leading to the backside of the office. On the right, the way is blocked by a wall and door. On the left, a corridor stretches, dotted with prison cells. 

"What's on the right side?"

Jim, who was following us, asked Victor.

"That's a small living space for night shifts, equipped with bedroom, bath and kitchen."

"We couldn't ask for more; that's a life-saver! What about him then, which cell should we put him in?", I asked Victor.

"Better further away. There's already a prisoner in one of the front cells".

As we pass it front of it, I can indeed see the shape of someone sleeping on the cell's bed. 

"It's not an Earthling, so we're a bit at a loss for how to handle her."

As Victor said that, the shape suddenly jumped out of the bed, clang to the iron bars and shouted:

"It's laate! What you doin'? Food, food! Where the food?! I hungry!!"

That was definitely not an Earthling. That's in fact a Ctarl-ctarl female, an alien race that looks like a crossing between a human and a cat, and for some reason this one is wearing what looks like a deliveryman's uniform. But above all, I know that particular Ctarl-ctarl female.

"Aisha! What are you doing here?!"

"Oh my, isn't that Ms. Aisha."

"Gene! With Jim and missy Mel, and even missy Suzu!"

"Would you stop with that 'missy Suzu' already?!"

Hearing Aisha's ridiculously loud voice, Melfina and Suzuka also made their way here. Melfina is looking all-happy, and Suzuka all-angry, which I guess is an understandable reaction when a high-profile assassin gets called 'missy Suzu'.

"She's an acquaintance of yours?", Victor asked, very perplexed.

Not quite an acquaintance, but just like Suzuka, she tags along in search of that Galactic Layline. We haven't seen much of her lately, as she said she was very busy with side-jobs, and now I find her here. What the hell. 

"Honestly, I'd rather be a stranger to her. What's her crime anyway?"

"Dine and dash."

"How pathetic.", Suzuka immediately said.

"So where is that supposed pride of the Ctarl-ctarl people, hey?"

I lashed out at Aisha across the iron bars. 

"I come here for delivery, but I so hungry, I get in restaurant but can't stop eating."

Aisha explained plainly, without a hint of remorse on her face.

"And by 'can't stop eating', she means 20 plates of steak."

Victor added, exasperated.

"The Earthlings have too small stomach."

"Watch your tongue!"

"Am I the one who said earlier 'the more we are the better'...?", I ask the others.

Jim and Suzuka acquiesce in silence.