Chapter 17: The Doctor is in

How the tide could change at a moment notice. Was it out of chaos or the whimsy nature of fate? The Kid stood tall over a single Doll with her newfound power. But the girl was no match for two assailants at once. But now the tide was no longer in favor of the twin, faced with their own creator.

He was not always their Father, not at all. Before they assumed this new superior forms, the Dolls were feeble human once. Ever since they could remember, the twin only had each other to rely upon. Their father was a Ranger, or that was what he told his neighbors for preferential treatments. In truth, the man did not have a spineless fool who happened upon a revolver by chance.

So when the town spotted a slaver spy, they called upon the ‘Ranger’ to hit the enemy before they could attack the town. The man left, in his words, to ‘call for backup’. As insurance, he even left his own daughters behind.

Of course, the ‘Ranger’ never returned.

The small town did not stand a chance against the slaver. The twin were then passed around from owners to owners, no longer the master of their own destinies. But whatever happened, they would swear by each other, threatening to commit suicide if not sold as a package. They would always have each other’s backs.

Years passed and the twin had forgotten a life of freedom they once led. Even their own names were no longer remembered. Then one day, their master contracted a deadly disease from a run-down illegal brothel. He would also infect the twin, signaling their doom.

That was until a strange man arrived in town and took the best room in the tavern. With his seemingly bottomless purse, he treated everyone to all they could drink. The man was also an adept gambler, sweeping pockets of the townsfolk with ease. A wizard with the cards, the man could deal a full hand for fours faster and smoother than one could say ‘fold’. His silver tongue blinded fools with rage or greed, they would always call till the bitter end. Soon, many were suspicious of his winnings and a few eyeing his fortune.

Unfortunately for them, then man was even quicker with the draw than he was with the shuffle. In the street were lifeless corpses of thieves and challengers who lost everything in just a hand of card.

The twin’ master knew he was dying and wanted to go out living in wealth. He would tried to sell his disease-ridden slaves to the stranger. A clever deal, they were still in their twenties and their pretty faces were still luckily undamaged. Besides, a twin were a rare sight in the wasteland, it did mark their price up quite a bit.

Unfortunately, the stranger was also a doctor and a blood test soon reveal the slaves’ grim conditions. Yet, the man still purchased them at a ridiculously high price, in cash up front. For the stranger was not just any doctor, he was among the Western legend.

To make the pot even sweeter, he offered to cure the master of his disease, free of charge. It was an absolute steal, even saying that was an understatement. Of course, the master was suspicious of the overly-generous offer but the stranger’s silver tongue ease him alright. ‘Perhaps this doctor guy had a twin fetish, whatever.’ The master did not care.

The transaction was a success and right afterward, the stranger left town with his new slaves.

Of course, he also cured the twin of their disease. But they were surprised as the man removed the collars that bound them. He would offer them freedom, something they had both forgotten, completed with weapons and a travelling fund. The twin would refuse his pay, only taking the guns. They would return to their master and filled him with steel as he counted his recently earned fortune. Instead of taking the money to themselves, the twin would return to the stranger and begged to follow him.

The man agreed and the three would travel as equal. Not once did the stranger give out an order or even tried to touch them. Instead, the man taught them how to fight so that no one would ever enslave them ever again.

And when he offered them to be something more, the twin agreed without hesitation. The stranger would give them a new body, one that was superior to the old flesh. The twin were born again under their Father’s scalpel.

Then one day, the stranger disappeared, leaving behind a farewell letter and a sizable asset. The twin were saddened by the news but accepted it with grace.

Even though they had lost their father, the Dolls still had each other. They would travel the Western dessert, taking on mercenary jobs and lived in luxury. The twin also agreed for one of them to always be in the dark, to fool the world so that one could always watch over the other. Eventually, they were bored of the endless sand and when heard of a land of luster covered in endless green, the twin decided to leave the dessert behind.

Before that, however, there was one more score to settle. A Ranger and his family were found mangled in their home, including their two young sons. Further investigation, however, revealed that the old man was never a Ranger at all.

With that finished, the Dolls would smuggled themselves to the new continent.

A land filled with wonders and riches to exploits. Keeping with their deception of only one ever appearing in public, the Dolls made their name as an invincible mercenary. The fire of conflicts masked the countless crimes they committed. After all, dead man told no tales. Remorse? Why would they feel that for a specie so underneath them?

Their rampage came to halt as the twin attacked a village, strangely unaffected by a war raging right at its doorstep. They would soon learn why. In it was a powerful acolyte wielding a strange slightly curved blade. The fearless mercenary was captured and investigated. When all the horrid things they had done were unearthed, the Doll was thrown in the deepest depth in a prison most cruel.

Their deception finally bore fruit, however, as only one of the twin was captured. It did not take long for the sisters to be reunited in a daring escape. They would continue their spree but this time more discrete.

It was a highlife for the Dolls. But it all ended when they met a nomad only known as Ghost, seemingly someone from the endless Western desert. He and one another were on a trip to meet with a fellow acquainted, a journey he offered the Dolls to join. They were ready to kill the nomad until he spoke of the name of their Father.

The twin agreed to follow the duo but only in the shadow. The Ghost’s companion was one of virtue, who would not tolerate travelling with the Dolls. After their defeat at the hand of the acolyte, the twin had become much more cautious. They could tell, this person was not someone they wanted to trifle with. Fortunately, with the help of Ghost, the twin remained undetected throughout their journey.

Finally, they would see him again, their creator, their savior, their mentor, their Father. But he was not the man they once knew, despite his look remained unchanged. The great legend of the West was now reduced to a shaking mess, taking care for a baby girl. Where was the shrewd gambler with sleight of hand, where was the gunslinger that matched the great Owl himself, where was the doctor performing miracle as he breathed, where was the artisan constantly pushing his craft to the limit?

This was not a man but an empty shell of one.

The twin would remain in the shadow, waiting for the Ghost to spring his plan. Waiting for the chaos to erupt and engulf this meadow. Waiting for this shell to get invested in this town of the dead. Waiting for when he had something to lose. Then, this husk would not be able to exist no longer, the real Doctor would return.

That girl returning to life was unexpected, but the plan was still a success nevertheless. But now, knowing or at least believing her to be their sister. Perhaps the plan was never needed after all, perhaps this mess of a man was a ruse all along?

The Dolls readied themselves for a fight without hesitation, they knew the person in front of them all too well. He would show no remorse even to his own creations.

Their assumption was the truth.

The moment the Dolls took a step each, the Doctor drew a revolver from the duffle bad. Emptying the gun in an instant, he was already reaching for the next one before the twin could take another step. His speed remained the same as the legend of old, rivaled by possibly one current living gunslinger.

But it was far from the height the Kid had reached just moments ago. All of the shots were aimed at the second Doll and five of them were deflected. The final bullet, however, pierced through her stomach.

Both the Kid and Carina could not comprehend how that happened. This speed was impressive indeed, but a far cry from the girl almost eldritch display. Yet, the sixth bullet was a hit. This Doll, who was untouched by the battle up till now, was hit by this inferior draw. Was it because she was not warmed up? Or maybe this one was actually slower? Were they simply too stunned from meeting their Father again? Many explanations went through the Kid’s mind but not one of them was correct.

It was then the young scout noticed that the Dolls were stepping back. They were trying to make their escape, a seemingly doomed attempt.

Doc continued to leisurely pace forward, dropping a revolver with every step he took. The young women he once knew were now much faster, stronger and smarter, their reflexes honed by a world most violent. The Dolls held out for a respectable amount of time, but their effort was all for naught against the legend.

All the while, X watched in excitement, every shot sent a chill down her spine. The woman had bit into her lower lip until it bled and some more. The executioner was aware that the Doctor was not someone to trifle with, but she never knew the extent of his skill. But now, she was witnessing it in all of its glory. It made her realized how silly her attempt to challenge him was. Because unlike the other bystanders in this fight, X could truly see the technique behind the Doctor’s seemingly mindless rapid shooting.

The Dolls were all battered, the first made quite a distance, barely crossing a corner. What about the second of the twin, the one to arrive later? She was still right there, unmoved from taking that first step. Saying that the Doll was injured was a gross understatement. She was dismantled and torn apart some more. All of her limbs blasted off in pieces, her torso missing chunks and a third of her head was blasted off piece by piece.

At this point, there was more steel than Doll. The ground was littered with pieces of unknown table, covering the Kid and Carina. They watched on in fear, witnessing not a battle but a slaughter, an excess display of power, the signal that the Doctor had returned.

The Doll final word was a weak mutter. “Fa…ther…”

She was coldly executed, the core within her head destroyed by a precise shot. The body fell to the ground right next to the Kid. Its remaining eyes stared into the girl’s own. The last emotion they wanted to convey was something she could not decipher.

The Doctor slowly raised his revolver to end his remaining creation. But before he could pull the trigger a small pair of hands grabbed his leg.

Teary eyes looked up as the Kid, no, Claudia called out faintly. “Doc…”

Those same blue orbs had gazed into him countless time before. They conveyed joy, happiness, joy, sadness, curiosity, admiration, hope, familial love, innocence, joy and many more emotions. But it was never alienation or fear. Now, these eyes conveyed both of them.

It was a silent gaze yet for the Doctor, the girl’s eyes were defending.

“Ah… ah… no…”

The man stuttered as he looked down on a mess that was once his ‘daughter’. Doc could not make out the young woman that he once freed from slavery. Once, she would gaze upon him like Claudia would, filled with love. He was her savior, her mentor, her Father. Now those eyes would only be gazing at the abyss.

Alessia rushed to her daughter side, brushing the Doll’s parts and held her tight. The mother had hugs to spare, drawing Carina also into her embrace.

“No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no…” The Doctor panicked as he gazed upon his hand, shaking once more.

His greatest fear had come true. The monster, the ‘legend’ he had tried to bury with alcohol, with all of his might had surfaced once. And Claudia was on the front row watching that… thing triumphant return.

Doc fell onto his knees, dropping his bad which was nearly emptied. He was surprised as a weak warmth engulf his shaking hand now smelled of gunpowder. Even after what she had witness, the girl still believed in him. That the Doctor was not the monster the Dolls wanted to find. Her trust stung him harder than any pain he had ever felt. Even including when the world the man once knew was torn asunder by the eldritch deities…

X watched on in a mix of elated happiness and disappointment. It was like a book telling a great story, reaching the height of a masterpiece then plummeting at the ending. Not like the executioner ever read many books.

She did not care as what was left of the twin crawl into an alley.

___

The Doll would live to see another day. Her body was rapidly regenerating, while she would need more to completely recover, this was sufficient. The twin was now reduced to one, for once in her long life was the Doll truly alone. But she did not despair, oh no not at all, for the twin would be reunited soon.

The only emotion burning within the Doll was the displeasure of a job left unfinished. One she swore to finish, sealing her end. The twin did not mind dying by the Doctor at all. He was the one to grand them their lives after all, one that they had lived to the fullest.

The Doctor did not truly return, more must be done for that to become reality. For that purpose, that girl, their sister must part with her life permanently.

Even if the Doll did not succeed, the Ghost would carry that torch. But for now, she would wait for a chance to strike while staying alive till the job was done. With only the executioner to be aware of, that should be an easy task.

In the meantime, she shall feast upon the knights to fuel her regeneration. It was a task as easy as taking a candy from a child and the Doll would enjoy it, immensely.