I was playing I'76 Arsenal, and I came up with this idea...no, I'm not going
to do it.

***

[Scene opens on the Gunsmith Cats store.  Rally and Minnie May are sitting
in the back room, involved in their favorite hobbies - guns and grenades.
The store's front door opens, and Rally rushes out to behind the counter.  A
large black man has just entered.  He's wearing some very nice clothes, and
his hair is in a slight afro cut.]

Man: You Rally Vincent?

Rally: [cautiously] Yes...

Man: Groove's older sister?

Rally: [startled] Yes.

Man: [curtly]  He's dead.  [Drops a small package on the table.]  I'll be
outside for your answer.

Rally: [stares at the package, then looks up at the man]  What? Wait!  How'd
he die?

Man: [as he leaves the store]  It's in the package.

[Numbly, Rally takes the package to the back room.  She opens it up,
revealing an audio tape, some papers, and a small box.]

Minnie May:  What is it?

Rally: [softly] Groove's dead.

Minnie May: [pales, then jumps to her feet]  What?  NO!  He can't be! [tears
start forming in her eyes.]

[Rally goes over to the tape player on the counter and sticks in the tape.
There's a hiss for a moment, and then a man's voice is heard.]

Tape:  Hi Sis, if you're hearing this, I guess it means I finally kicked the
bucket.  Taurus made me make one of these when I joined up with him.
'Better safe than sorry' he said.  [pause]  I know we weren't on the best of
terms when I left.  I went into the southwest, into the desert, and I made a
new life there.  [chuckle] Some life.  Sis, it's like a completely different
world in the desert.  Criminals with guns on their cars, auto-vigilantes,
cops that do nothing...it's like a movie!

[Rally and Minnie May exchange incredulous looks.]

Tape: It's funny, you know?  You were always more wild than me, less
repectful of the rules, but I'm the one who became a vigilante, and you're
the bounty hunter.  [laugh] Would have been funny if you had to hunt your
own brother down, hey?  [long pause]  Taurus probably can tell you how I
died, but I can guess even now.  We've been fighting this guy called Antonio
Malochio, this sleaze who has a lilly-white front to cover his illegal
activities.  He's forming an army, sis, a literal criminal empire, and with
the cops on his payrole we're the only ones who can stop him.  Or could.  My
bet is that I probably died at Antonio's hands, or the hands of one of his
goons.

[Minnie May is crying now, Rally has her head in her hands.]

Tape: Taurus says that if I go he'll let you in on our operation.  Please,
sis, help him.  You were always a better shot than me, and a better driver.
Get that sleaze for me.  In the package you'll find a bunch of info I
scrounged up, it should help.

[Rally looks in the box, starts rifling through the papers.]

Tape: Oh, and Rally?   The little box in there?  Give it to Minnie May,
would you?  It's the ring I never had the courage to give her.

[Rally slowly take the ring, and hands it to Minnie May, who takes it with
shaking hands.  She opens it up, and looks inside.  She curls up in her
seat, crying.]

[Fadeout]

[Fade in to the outside of the store.  Taurus is waiting outside.  The door
to the store opens, and Rally walks out, her face grim.]

Rally:  You've got yourself a recruit.

Minnie May: [from the door]  Rally!  Wait!  I'm coming too!

Taurus: What the hell do you think this is, some high school club?  No way
in hell you're coming with us.

[Minnie May stalks up to Taurus, and grabs the front of his shirt, pulling
him down to her level.  She shows him her right hand, and the engagement
ring on it.]

Minnie May:  [dangerous tone] Groove was my fiance, and I'm going to get the
bastards who killed him.

Rally: Let me get my car, and settle some things around here, and then we
can go.

[The two women walk off, Taurus watches them go, then chuckles.]

Taurus: Malochio, you are in some deep shit, man.

**************

Interstate '76/Gunsmith Cats crossover:

Interstate Cats!

**************

Like I said, no, I'm NOT doing this.

--
Christopher "God-boy" Angel
cja124@mail.usask.ca
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Pagoda/7040/

"I'm 16. Linoleum turns me on."
"Thank goodness men grow out of that."
"We do?"