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Post by DocHolliday on Oct 11, 2015 15:47:43 GMT
"Sheriff Miller informed me of a meteor that came down out in the Luna Badlands. Can't hurt to have a look, no? Here I am, sitting on a wagon, going out into the desert."
Doc Murray lit a cigar, and shook the reigns a bit. The night was cold, but he had a blanket. Apparently, Apache boys and farmhands had been going crazy for seeing lights in the desert. He thought of Freddy and Elijah, and wondered if he had any responsibility for that.
"Can't hurt. No, sir. Elijah was a friend of mine, I couldn't do without him. Freddy was just convenient. Two for the price of one, if I had to go to the bother of the surgery... Goodness me, what the devil was I thinking? Taking them with me? Man, I'm going mad." He twitched.
"Oh, damn perfect. I'm talking to myself again."
He was, indeed, alone.
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Post by Admin on Oct 11, 2015 20:00:15 GMT
It wasn't long before, in the open badlands, Doc Murray was stopped by three horsemen. They were masked and circling the wagon, until one approached the Doctor and said 'your money or your life.'
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Post by DocHolliday on Oct 11, 2015 20:32:54 GMT
"Oh, goddamn... The hubris of man... Here, $50, it's all I have on me."
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Post by Admin on Oct 11, 2015 20:42:12 GMT
The banditos seemed contented, and left the doctor to be on his travels.
As Doc Murray's wagon got closer to alleged sightings, he noticed some activity up ahead. If he didn't know any better, he would have thought it a mining operations. Carts carried refuse from the point of origin away from the site, while men dug up the land around it. There must have been around five men labouring on this joint project overall. Perhaps this would be a good place to start looking for the fragments.
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Post by DocHolliday on Oct 11, 2015 20:52:19 GMT
"There's always someone beats you to it... Right..."
He carried on with the wagon, and pulled alongside the men.
"Hey, you men. What's going on here?"
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Post by Admin on Oct 11, 2015 20:57:00 GMT
Most of the men ignored the Doctor. One of them stopped for a moment, looked towards the wagon and said "Nuthin.'" He promptly returned to his business. The Doctor could see the men had religious iconography tattooed to on their arms and necks. It was definitely Christian iconography, but slightly unorthodow in its presentation.
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Post by DocHolliday on Oct 12, 2015 8:00:42 GMT
Doc Murray thought for a moment. He wondered if these men had anything to do with the affairs going on at Miracle. If they did, it wasn't his problem, that crank Jeremiah Corbyn could come out looking for them.
"Did y'all see some lights coming down to earth near here?"
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Post by Admin on Oct 12, 2015 14:26:45 GMT
As the Doctor was asking the question, he saw one of the men carrying an usual looking metal alloy, partly melted on the outside but it certainly looked like stone. He placed it on a white canvass sheet before continuing his endeavors.
It was clear that these men were here for the space rocks. Only the Doctor needed to find a way to steal the rocks from the men.
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Post by DocHolliday on Oct 12, 2015 16:48:36 GMT
"Well, whatever it is you're doing, you'd best hurry. If that's meteor metal, I heard that lawman out of El Paso's been looking for it. That Jeremiah character. You know, the one that sodomised a man to death."
Doc Murray paused for a moment, looking at the tattoos.
"And I'd moves twice as fast if you're with the settlers at Miracle. That lawman's been sniffing about there."
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Post by Admin on Oct 12, 2015 16:52:09 GMT
With news of Corbyn single-handedly taking down five men in a gambling house in Juarez taking the West by storm, the men weren't taking any chances. They left with their one piece of metal. There would likely be more in the area they were excavating.
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Post by DocHolliday on Oct 12, 2015 17:25:33 GMT
Doc Murray searches with the weather eye of the prospector.
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Post by Admin on Oct 12, 2015 23:41:47 GMT
The Doctor quickly ascertains the method that had been employed by the previous miners, and recognises it as a good one - easy entry, no chance of a cave in and a minimal likelihood to damage the minerals. Of course, a stick of dynamite would make the whole thing a lot easier.
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Post by DocHolliday on Oct 13, 2015 11:21:17 GMT
"Of course, of course... Good work, those chaps... Still, some judiciously placed dynamite would lessen the load... Right, that should do it... Fire!"
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Post by Admin on Oct 13, 2015 18:05:05 GMT
Thrown back into the sky and scattering themselves around Doc Murray's feet were three small fragments of meteorite. They did not appear to be much, but appearances can be deceptive. They should bring a good price on the open market.
Of course, if the Doctor were to follow the other men, he could get his hands on a fourth fragment.
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Post by DocHolliday on Oct 13, 2015 20:02:42 GMT
"Nice... Well, off to the black market... I could go after the other chaps... Naaaah, I'll let them have their joy."
And with that, Doc Murray heads for home.
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