The Badlands: Part 9 -- - - - V O X -

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Date Posted: 15:37:01 09/13/99 Mon
Author: Maveric
Subject: The Badlands: Part 9

Installment 9
***
Red sat down on one of the kitchen chairs and took out his old note pad. It was faded black, worn and dogeared. He sat there thinking for a minute what to write and then began jotting some stuff down. The book was already half filled with other stuff Red had written before coming out west. Most of it was crap. Frankly he was embarrassed by it. Lately, things were different. In the past, writing had been slow and labourious for Red. Now it just seemed to flow out of him. On his way out here, he though he could make a quick buck writing vigilante tales.

These days the general public wanted to read about anything concerning autovigilantes. It was a novel concept. But now.... now the idea took on a different connotation. He wasn't just writing cheap pulp fiction. He was chronicling the events of something much bigger than himself. Vigilantes had become an icon of hope to a nation that had lost it's innocence; heroes to a public that had been jaded by corrupt politics and economic crisis. It was all very heavy and Red tried to sort it all out.

Romeo Dare came over and sat next to Red. Romeo waved a had in front of Red's face. "Hey man, you awake?" he asked. Red was staring off into space. It's took him a second to snap out of it before closing the note pad. "Uh, yeah. I'm fine. I was just.... daydreaming for second there." Romeo pointed over his shoulder with his thumb. "Murphy's out back tinkering with his truck. Man, I swear he spends more time working on it than driving it." Red had to laugh at that. The look in Murphy eyes when Red had to get behind the wheel of the Clydesdale was like a father giving up his first born. That truck must mean the world to him.

"Hey Romeo, what's his story? He gave me the run-around when I asked before." Romeo Dare took a sip of coffee and took a deep breath. "He doesn't like to talk about it. He might seem like a real open guy but he likes to keep his business to himself. I guess it started around five months ago. Murphy was a cop. A damn good one. Then when the creeper gangs began moving in, they started paying off cops to look the other way. The bought off most of his buddies and they tried to hook him too but he threw it back in their faces. He'd been through too much shit back in �Nam to end up under some gangster wanna be's thumb." As he said this, Romeo took another sip out of his mug. "After that he really started cracking down on gang activity and planned to expose the corruption. The powers that be didn't like that so they put the hit out on him. One night he responded to a call on some deserted stretch of road. It was a trap. A bunch of creepers and some of his old "friends" ambushed him and left him for dead in the desert. He survived though, quit the force right then. His career was down the crapper, he lost his house and he was blacklisted. He was at rock bottom. After that he became a vigilante. He hung around with the big legends like Convoy, Whiplash and Gasket Head. They spear-headed the whole vigilante movement. Soon after he got together with other vigilantes and helped form the AVG."

Red was dumbfounded. After betrayal and loosing everything he had Murphy became a modern day folk hero. Before he could contemplate this further someone cleared his voice and a figure loomed in the doorway. "Mah ears are ringin'" Murphy said. Red stood up. "Man, I had no idea-- I mean I shouldn't be so nosy..." Murphy just waved it off. "What's done is done. Ya can't change the past." He wiped the grease off his hands and poured himself a cup of coffee. A solum look came over him. "Listen Red, Iah'll be frank. Seein' you out in the battlefield got me thinkin'. We need more vigilantes. There's more automerc gangs creepin' up all over and we can't keep �em in check anymore. Red, would ya'll consider joinin' up with the AVG?"

Red was taken back. Part of him was flattered that he was asked to be part of all this. He remembered the rush he got blowing up Lead Sled and seeing the his hot rod burn. Another reminded him about how the two creepers in the Coupe looked. Could he take another human life knowing how much it weighed on his soul? Then there was a third part, the rational portion of his psyche. Launching into battle with guns strapped to your car wasn't good for your health. "I don't know, Murphy. I'll have to think about it. I mean, this is all happening so fast. 24 hours ago I was wondering where my next meal was coming from. Now I'm being asked to fight crime with some latter-day cowboys. I... I need time to think." Murphy sat the coffee mug down on the table. "Ok son. Iah can respect that. It's a big decision ya can't take lightly."

Just then they heard a car pull up out front. Romeo Dare peered out one of the windows. "Spitfire's back with the takeout." They all got up and went out the door. "Sorry Red. We're running low on supplies so we had ta send out for Mondo Burgers. Hope ya'll don't mind." Red couldn't care less. All he was concerned was that it was food. He'd burned off the half-bag of chips long ago and his stomach hadn't left him alone since. Spitfire sat the bags down on a picnic table and the rest of the vigilantes tore into them voraciously. Red managed to snag a Mondo Meal and a Mega Shake. He sat alone at the far and of the yard under some shade and thought about his Murphy's proposition.

For Red this was a turning point. Up until this his life had been just a shell. Circumstances had thrust him into a position of importance. He looked up into the cloudless sky and wondered what to do with the rest of his life.
***

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Replies:

Re: Good work!! -- Paladin, 12:13:12 09/17/99 Fri
- Yeah -- Maveric, 17:17:45 09/18/99 Sat
  - Re: Yeah -- Apollyon, 00:29:15 09/19/99 Sun
    - Here -- Maveric, 05:14:05 09/19/99 Sun