Rally held the phone in her hand, staring down at it. The voice had been muffled and rushed, but it had definitely been Cowboy’s. She slammed the receiver back into its cradle and ran into the back room. "May, watch the shop - I’m going out." Rally grabbed her jacket, jammed the Grendel into her ankle holster and turned towards the door. May stood in front of it, arms crossed, frowning. "No you don’t. Where, when, who, why and how much?" Rally stopped and crossed her arms in answer. "Look, you’re my partner, not my mother, okay?" "It’s Cowboy again, isn’t it?" May demanded. "What if it is?" Rally knew she was being irrational, but May’s attitude towards a woman she’d never met was getting on her nerves. "Can’t I go out with a friend?" "Out? With a friend?" May’s voice was ominous. "In a rush, without a word to your partner? Rally, what’s going on?" May stamped one foot. "I’m not letting you out the door until you tell me." Rally weighed the options - time wasn’t something she had a lot of. "Okay, come on, I’ll explain on the way." *** "She what?" May exploded. "Rally, what is with you? You hardly know this woman and you’ve agreed to help her with a delivery - for free?" Rally grimaced. "She sounded like she really needs the help." It sounded weak even to her own ears. "She sounded like she was under pressure…" "The kind of pressure that comes from the barrel of a gun?" May asked. "Yeah." Rally said, and gripped the wheel tighter. "Okay." May took a deep breath. "Go over it one more time, because I have missed something the first time around - like the motivation for this joyride." Rally grit her teeth against the snide comment. "She told me that she needed my help - isn’t that motive enough?" May stared at her friend open-mouthed for a moment. "No, it isn’t - not for you, not for me. And I don’t trust this woman." Rally glared back. "May - you’re jealous!" "Am not!" May responded automatically, then clammed up as Rally took a corner far faster than the recommended speed limit. They didn’t speak again until Rally pulled up behind a warehouse. May looked around a moment, getting her bearings. "This is one of those vacated streets, isn’t it?" Rally nodded. "You coming or staying?" May got out of the car and stood, pointedly. "Okay, she said she’s on the third floor. Keep your head up - and don’t blow up anything unless I say so, okay?" May gave Rally the OK and followed her down the street. The loading dock of the warehouse stood open, but Rally passed it by and made for a steel door about fifty yards further along the wall. The door was propped open with a shim, and Rally slipped in after checking that all was clear. Gun in hand, Rally lead the way to an old delivery elevator that stood open, waiting for them. The elevator doors closed loudly and May gripped a grenade carefully. They wouldn’t be surprising anyone in this building - every floorboard creaked. The hallway on the third floor was clear and the two women walked carefully along its length. They stopped at a door that had been blown off its hinges by gunfire. Rally noted the size of the holes and checked for shells automatically. Entering, the two women saw that the guns had blown away more than the door. The walls, which hadn’t been in good shape to begin with, were pockmarked with bullet holes. Furniture had been overturned and fragments of glass were scattered across the floor. Moving from room to room, May and Rally found bloodstains and more damage, but no sign of any occupants. Eventually they made their way back into the first room. This time, leaning upon the overturned sofa, was Cowboy. She was gripping her leg, and the cloth under her hand was saturated with blood. Rally holstered her gun and ran to the wounded woman. Cowboy waved one blood-covered hand. "Howdy, Rall. Thanks for comin’. Sorry to put you to so much trouble." Her smile was weak, but sincere. She looked past Rally to May and touched her forehead vaguely. "Howdy." Rally interrupted. "How bad is it?" She moved Cowboy’s hands away from the wound, but Cowboy batted Rally away. "It’s not that bad. Look," Cowboy waved a hand at the door. "I didn’t call you here ‘cause of this little scratch. I need your help Rally. It’s really important. Two rooms down on the other side, towards the elevators, is another office - I left a small package in there. I’d be obliged if you’d get that little bundle dropped off for me." Rally pushed Cowboy’s hands off her leg again, and began tying a bandana around the leg. "Deliver? Where?" "I got the address right here - pardon the smudging." Cowboy handed a blood-smeared piece of paper to Rally and leaned back against the sofa, her eyes closing. "I’ll be alright, really…" her voice faded. Rally spoke urgently. "Cowboy, you’ve got to get this looked at." "Nah - I’ll take care of it myself. Just get that package delivered for me, okay?" Cowboy reached out to grab Rally’s wrist. "It’s real important, Rall. Like life or death." Rally looked at the tall woman and nodded. Turning, Rally said to May, "Can you get her back to the shop?" Biting her tongue, May nodded. Leaning close to Cowboy, Rally said, "I’ll deliver it, Cowboy. Then you’re going to tell me what this is all about." Cowboy’s voice was faint as she said, "You’re a real pal, Rally." *** The address on the paper had to be that fountain right around the corner, Rally figured. Just a drop-off point, but she wasn’t taking any chances. The holes in Cowboy’s apartment door had convinced her she was dealing with people who were enthusiastic when enforcing their will. Rally held herself flat against the building. She watched as a car pulled up to the curb, disgorging three guys in suits, bulges at their shoulders discreetly hidden by good tailoring. The three men separated, and disappeared from sight quickly. Rally noted the wires in their ears and watched as the car pulled around the block. She wished she had May’s grenades with her, but as that wasn’t an option, she decided to try another tack. Turning, Rally walked away, holstering her gun. Half an hour later, a young woman in shorts and a halter-top, wearing absurdly large sunglasses and carrying a large purse, came down the street towards the fountain. Her progress was hampered by the several dogs she had on leashes. The dogs were running every which way except the way the woman wanted to go; her cries for them to heel seemed to go completely unheeded. In frustration, the woman stopped at the fountain and sat, sighing loudly and occasionally yelling a useless command at one of the dogs. Two of the dogs seemed to be fighting and the woman stood, screaming at the animals to stop. Unfortunately for her, the third dog became entangled with the first two. While trying to untangle the dogs, the hapless woman lost control completely and the various leashes came out of her hands. In seconds, the dogs had run off in three directions and the woman was left standing alone, shouting after them. Looking back and forth, the woman took off after one of the animals and quickly disappeared from sight. Rally ran off, ostensibly after one of the dogs, and hid herself behind the pillar in front of a building. She could see the dogs harassing the three goons, and hear their shouts. The sound of a car coming up the street was loud, but before it could reach the fountain, a motor scooter came out of a side alley and jumped the curb. The rider leaned down as he approached the fountain, then sped up, and rode up the stairs next to the fountain, across an overpass and disappeared. The car passed the fountain and made a sharp, squealing turn at the next corner. Rally listened until it couldn’t be heard anymore, then walked the few blocks back to her car. OK, that was done. Now it was time to get a straight story.
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