The Badlands: Part 3 -- - - - V O X -

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Date Posted: 08:39:55 07/26/99 Mon
Author: Maveric
Subject: The Badlands: Part 3

Here's part three of the Badlands. I'll have part four done some time before Friday. BTW, can anyone guess what car a Dover Circlet really is? I asked a few people and they couldn't figure it out.

Installment 3
***
As the two cars rocketed down route 114, Red was beginning to think that maybe this wasn't the best idea he ever had. Sure Red was a pretty good driver, but he was easily outmatched in a car with no armour or mounted weapons. The two creepers in the Coupe were blasting away at him with a 20mm cannon and he was just barely managing to avoid being hit. Every now and then a shot connected with the Circlet and pieces of metal went flying off. Red grabbed two grenades out of the box that was sitting on the passenger seat. With one hand on the wheel, he pulled the pins out with his teeth and flung the grenades out the open window. They bounced when they hit the asphalt, flying off in two different directions. One missed completely while the other exploded near the Coupe's front grille. The Coupe's driver lost control for and instant but managed to recover. It's engine began bellow out grey smoke and the car slowed down slightly. "Yes," Red exclaimed. "Direct hit!"

Inside the battered Coupe, the two Raider Vandals were getting very, very annoyed at Red. The punk in the passenger seat, the one who had his Cavera blown up, grabbed the CB mike. "Breaker breaker. This Raider 105. We're chasin' some little shit in a white Dover. He wrecked my ride and ruined the attack on the route 144 Gas For Cash. I'd appreciate it kindly if all other Raiders in the area would help me in teaching this boy a lesson" The response came back over the channel a split second later. "Roger that 105. This is **. Im heading down 144 east. ETA five minuets. This is the last time he'll ever screw with the Vandals! Over."

Meanwhile, back at the ravaged Gas for Cash, a black Clydesdale pulled into the parking lot. The driver saw the smoldering Cavera remains and the back tire marks heading down the highway. "Gus! Hey Gus! You OK in there?" called out the driver. "Yeah I'm alright" answered the old attendant from the inside. He was already sweeping up glass and garbage after the attack. "Took you long enough! I might have been dead before you got here!" complained Gus. "What in the hell happened here Gus?" asked the Clydesdale driver. Gus stuck his head out of one of the shattered windows. "Some young feller blew up one of their cars with one of my old hand grenades and then took off in a white car with this fancy paint job. The two punk bastards ran after him in a �32 Coupe of all things. Glad they're after him now and left me alone." The driver scratched his head. "So this guy, he's another vigilante, right? Think it looks like he can handle them?" Gus stuck his head out again. "Nope" Gus said matter-of-factly. "He just had a regular car. Doubt We'll see him again." After hearing this, the driver of the Clydesdale hit the gas and sped off down the highway in the direction of the tire marks. "Sounds like some kid just got himself in way over his head."

"Time to give the little hero here a little something to chew on!" laughed the Coupe's driver. He flicked a toggle switch and the radar on the head liner lit up. The band swept across the blip that represented Red and his Circlet. The driver hit another button and the radar locked onto this target. Immediately the FireRite turret on the Coupe's roof swung around to point straight at the Dover. Red saw this in the side mirror and swore under his breath. The Raider Vandal hit the trigger and three mini missiles shot out of the turret.

Red jerked the wheel to the right and leaned hard to avoid being hit. Boom-Boom-Boom! Three explosions rocked the car. The car began to skid before Red was able to right it. He looked out the window to assess the damage. The left side of the car was blackened and the body was torn by the blast. "Damn. Those rockets must have missed and hit the pavement. Just took some indirect damage. It's a good thing too or there'd be nothing left to me or the car."

Reaching down under his seat, Red pulled out the .357. He checked that it was loaded and got ready to aim it back at the pursuing Coupe. Suddenly, one of the shots from the 20mm cannon flew through the interior of the Circlet, shattering the rear window then the windshield. Red couldn't see out of the front of the car now and the Coupe was catching up again. Red stuck his head out of the side window and fired back at the Coupe with his handgun. The shot was on target and one of the Coupe's tires blew up in disintegrated into fragments of rubber. Pressing his advantage, Red gritted his teeth and took another shot. He hit the driver of the Coupe right in the face, blood splattering on the interior. He slumped over the wheel and the Coupe swerved off the road. The now driverless Coupe drove down a steep embankment and then began to roll over on it's roof. It now slid to the bottom of the incline before smashing into a large saguaro cactus. Red hit the brakes hard and skidded to a stop.

Holding onto his gun, he got out of the worn Circlet and look down the side of the road. There was no sound or movement from the wrecked Coupe. Carefully, Red slid down the incline and peered into the smashed windows of the Coupe. Both riders were dead and beaten up pretty badly. It wasn't a pretty sight. A feeling of nausea over came Red and he lost his composure all over the desert sand. "Oh God....I...I can't believe I killed someone" he muttered to himself. In a daze he stumbled back up to his car and sat down on the hood. Shaking and almost beginning to sob, he took his sunglasses off and put his face in his hands. He put the Magnum down beside him. After a second he pulled a pack of Jackrabbit Slims out of his inside jacket pocket. He took one out and lit it. Taking a long drag off it he began to calm down some. Part of him realized that it was life or death, it was either them or him. The other part was still trying to comprehend all that just happened. In less then two hours that morning, Red's life had been in revokably changed. He was beginning to go for another puff when a sound caught his attention. It was a distant engine. Squinting, he saw something way down the interstate. "Shit! More of them. They must have called their friends on the CB."

Grabbing his shades and gun, Red jumped into his car. He tried the keys on the ignition. The car whirred and sputtered but the engine wouldn't turn over. He tried again with the same result. Bursting out of the car, he opened the hood. It was a total mess. There was shrapnel and leaking fluid everywhere. The rockets did more damage then he had thought. There was no use. Red pounded his fist on the hood. There was no running this time. He got down low in behind the car, pulling the .357 out of his pocket. As much as killing those creepers disturbed him, Red wasn't just going to lay down and die. He decided to make one last stand. Not looking up, he heard the engine of the vehicle approach and then slow as it came up to the Circlet. He heard the vehicle turn off it's engine and the door open and slam shut. The sound of footprints came nearer and nearer to Red and he decided it was now or never. Jumping up from behind the car he aimed his gun squarely at his assailant.

"T-take another step and I'll b-blow your head off you son of a bitch!"
***

End of third installment

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Replies:

Nice to know some characters have a conscience (NT) -- [ATC] Potato, 09:56:42 07/26/99 Mon
BTW, nice job -- [ATC] Potato, 20:20:40 07/26/99 Mon
- Thank you -NT- -- Maveric, 20:44:17 07/26/99 Mon