Murder, Kidnapping, and Other Boring Crap

[Sly Cooper]

Damon widened his pale-blue eyes and raised his hands, backing out slowly, "What are you doing? Please, let me in there's someone out there!" He had a truly terrified expression on his normally gentle face, but he truly was scared. "I don't want to die, sir! I know we shouldn't have been out in the fields, but we we're just having fun! Please!" Damon begged the man.

[Bunny]

Rebekah's eyes bulged when she saw the cold metal barrel of death glaring her down. "Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa!" She held her hands outward, and in doing so, dropped her bloodied knife. Her gaze dropped with it. "Oh, I know what it looks like!" she tried to remedy the situation. "But, like -- no! No, look. I got the Outlander who did that," she nodded towards the crumpled form of Joseph's wife. "And the blood's from him. He's over there, somewhere!" She nodded her head behind Richard. Sometimes, her plans could be so flawless. He'd look behind him, searching for the attacker, and meanwhile the true attackers would run off! Outsmarting outlanders could be so easy to trick, sometimes. She smiled, already pleased with her genius.

[The Bad Man]

Richard stalked out onto the porch, pulling the door shut behind him. Night had fallen, taking the heat of the day with it. Fireflies flitted and spun, their numbers rivaling the stars. Richard licked his lips, his finger tensed on the rusted trigger. The pair looked scared enough, it was a convincing show. But the dark couldn't hide that they were Gatlin folk. Each one a murderer, a junior sadist, always ready to strike. Whatever their intentions, Richard needed to be certain the couldn't overwhelm him.

"Get on the ground; face first."

He held his breath, waiting for them to react.

[Sly Cooper]

Damon quickly got on the ground. "Please! I don't understand!" Tears came rolling down the curves of his cheeks. Adults really are as bad as the rumors have said. "I just don't want to die! Please do what you want, just don't let get killed!" He pleaded, looking more pathetic than ever.

[Bunny]

Rebekah knew she would have to think fast to get out of this entanglement. She couldn't get on the ground, her clothes were filthy enough, thanks, and also, she wasn't going to bow to the gun. Guns were an insult unto the Lord. She would not show it respect. If she died, then she died and went to see the Lord. If she followed his orders and lived, than she would have committed the most grievous of snis: betraying Gatlin to an Outlander.

The third option was a gamble.

Thinking fast would be a way to get out of this entanglement.

But Rebekah didn't think. She never did, really. She just was physically fit. And it was that fitness that made her lurch herself forward, trying to use her body as a projectile, launching it at her assailant.

[Sly Cooper]

Why do my plans never work? Damon pushed off with the ground and helped Rebekah tackle the man down and take his gun. He jolted forward, he may look like he wasn't strong, but the truth is, his muscles were just very compact. Damon worked on the fields day after day, so he was more than able bodied, and so was Rebekah, so it wouldn't be hard to take down an older man. The only concern was not getting shot.

[The Bad Man]

He hadn't been ready for this. There was precious little time for consideration, but Richard couldn't afford to kill one of them, he might need both. He swung his pistol in a wide arc, aiming for the girl's jaw.

[Bunny]

The gun connected with Rebekah, and sent a searing pain coursing through her body. Luckily for her jaw, however, it missed its mark, instead colliding against her shoulder. Regardless of its accuracy, the power of the blow still sent the girl careening to the earth. She fell to the ground with a thud.

[Sly Cooper]

"Kill me if you're going to." Damon stared Richard in the eyes. "I won't stop you." He stood there, realizing that at this point there really wasn't much he could do. He could tackle the man, but he was so angry that this Outsider had hurt Rebekah. He shook his head. "No point in it. You already have your mind made up. We must be lying because we're teenagers, right?" He tried to do some quick thinking but nothing. He was just filled with rage, pure flat out rage. A feeling he hadn't truly felt since he was 12.

[The Bad Man]

"I asked nicely once. Now I'm not asking. Get on the ground or I'll plug you and the girl."

Richard's listless eyes had steeled. He squinted at the pair, sodden, frightened, angry. Everything had gone wrong for them. Richard wondered what their plans had been. Where they trying the cleanse Hemingford as they had Gatlin. Richard was chilled by the thought.All of his efforts would have been for naught, and the Shop would laugh him right into an early retirement. He had to prove to those arrogant fools that the world wasn't half as simple as was supposed. He had to be right.

[Sly Cooper]

"No, I will not get on the ground. You want to take me in that's fine, but I'm not going to bend over for you." Damon's eyes reflected more sadness than anger. "Besides, if you wanted to shoot us, you would've already." He clenched his fists so tightly his nails dug sharply into his palms. "I won't let you take away my pride. It's all I got left sir."

[Bunny]

Rebekah had crumpled onto the cold earth, her legs sprawled lazily around her. Her thoughts had grown fuzzy, and, when she had connected with the earth, her body had grown fuzzily numb as well. Unfortunately, this small respite recided, and any coherent thought that she may have been able to capture was drowned in a sea of just pain, pain, pain, hurts, God, hurts, shoulder, ouch, God, Damon!

It was this stray neuron that locked onto her husband's voice. Alive, she was still alive.

And so was Damon. It was the wife's duty to be obedient. It was the husband's duty to protect her.

It was also her duty to protect their child, little Noah, wherever she was, now.

Sending a quick prayer heavenward to her Lord for deliverance and protection, she summoned her last ounce of strength and sprinted forward, desperate to place as much distance between herself and the Outlander.

[The Bad Man]

She was only a distant shape by the time Richard noticed her escape. He watched her disappear, her body outlined in the pale light of a crescent moon. Richard grunted. It would have been better to capture both of them, but the boy could still prove useful.

Gun outstretched, Richard strode towards the quivering young man. He need to be precise in his actions. He moved in a Rough semi-circle, positioning himself behind his new-found captive.

"I'm aiming at your spine. I shouldn't have to tell you what'll happen if you make a break for it. Now walk towards the house...and do it slowly."

[Sly Cooper]

"I'd rather die," Damon grew angrier and angrier. How adults have hurt him. "You can shoot me in the spine. Cripple me, I don't care." His voice was calm. "I just want you to know, I don't care." Rebekah got away, and Noah was 'safe', so to Damon he did what needed to be done in his eyes. So if it was time for him to be taken away, if the Lord no longer wanted him, so be it. It was what was supposed to happen, Damon convinced himself.

[The Bad Man]

"Have it your way," Richard growled. He swung the gun downward, striking at boy's head. He wanted to stun him. More than anything, he wanted to work some information out of him. Richard had met hard-cases before-the world was full of them. Each thought that, whatever agonies they might soon face, the pain of defeat would be far greater. Some were better at it than others, and the Shop taught its agents well.