The following days for the small town with no name was that of great caution and fear. Having a demonic outlaw suddenly in charge had sent many of them racing for the chapel on the first day, spending their times within the sacred walls in hopes of using their faith as a means of driving the Blue Devil back down to Hell. When this didn't happen the father there claimed it was a test for them, a test of their faith and belief in Heaven All Mighty and the Creator. He assured them that as long as they had their faith and love of God that the demon known as Blue Devil wouldn't be capable of hurting them or even stepping foot within the Church. Roxanne, being raised a proper religious lady, had attended mass that Sunday and found the fear mongering and outrageous claims by the man in black on the pulpit, but still said her prayers and asked for forgiveness about the unpleasant thoughts she had been aiming at Hal Stewart who had been tailing her throughout town each and every day.

The unsightly gentleman didn't seem to have God in his heart either since he never appeared in the Church along with majority of the townsfolk. This pleased Roxanne on some level, since she wouldn't end up sitting next to the filthy man and put up with his desperate and pathetic attempts at charming her. If he wanted to charm anyone, much less her, he should go and stick his head in a water trough to at least wash his hair and face which from the looks of things hadn't seen a bar of soap in years.

"'Scuse me, Miss. Ritchi." Mr. Ashby's voice pulled her from her contemplations over Hal Stewart dunking his head in a water trough, and she glanced up at him.

"Oh, Mr. Ashby. Of course not." she shifted down on the pew, making way for the older man.

"Still preaching about how faith will push the Blue Devil out?" he asked as he set his hands in his lap. "He's been singing the same song for fifteen years now."

"Fifteen years?" Roxanne asked, blinking in surprise, before looking around her at the townsfolk. "My word. I would have thought he would think of new material after so long..."

Mr. Ashby fought the urge to laugh, covering his mouth and coughing into his hand harshly. Lowering his hand he shook his head. "You're a wily one, Miss. Ritchi. No wonder he's taken such a keen interest in you."

"Are you meaning our new mayor and Sherriff or Mr. Stewart?" Roxanne asked, keeping her voice low so not to be overheard by anyone.

"Both I figure. Makin' yourself a reputation it seems." pointed out Mr. Ashby.

Roxanne flushed gently, and looked down at her hands. She didn't particularly care for the notion of the towns folk gossiping about her and the fact that the Blue Devil had called her purposely into his new office just the other day. Combine that with the fact that people believed he now owned her soul she was surprised that nobody fainted dead at seeing her walk into the Church this morning. Granted she did hear her fair share of gasps and mutterings nobody fainted, at least none she saw. If they knew he 'liked' her, the way he had claimed so, what would they do to her? Would they even let her teach their children anything? Then being sent out here would be a big fat waste of time and all that effort she put into cleaning up the school house would be for naught.

"Don't worry." Mr. Ashby said with a faint smile. "You'll be fine."

"Fine from what?" Roxanne wondered aloud, maybe too loud, since the people in front of her turned to hiss a 'shush!' at her. Blushing brilliantly now, Roxanne lowered her head and frowned. This was all that Blue Devil, Blue Sky's, fault. If he hadn't taken such an interest in her then her reputation wouldn't be under the magnifying glass like this. But on the other hand she couldn't help but feel somewhat flattered that he would be like that to her, that he would be taken by her sometimes brash nature and honesty instead of fly into a rage like she would have thought him to do. Sometimes she was quite pleased to be wrong about things.

"And so my friends, bow your heads and we'll bring our mass to a close with the Lord's Prayer." said the Father, raising his hands to call attention to himself.

Just as those gathered lowered their heads to do such that, the doors to the Church were suddenly kicked open. This startled those gathered in the back, who jumped to their feet and moved away from the doors. Roxanne heard a woman scream and as she turned to peer through the crowded pews she could see why.

At least two of the Coyote Bots had hurried in, sniffing along the ground. Their glowing heads were as eerie as ever, and the children who had been sitting near the isle were snatched up by their mothers quickly since that mechanical monstrosity known as Minion came lumbering into the Church closely followed by the blue man dressed in black. If anything, Blue Devil looked curious as he looked around the House of God, tilting his head this way and that as his eyes took in the sight of it all and seemed to be all but oblivious to the fact it was full of people.

"Demon!" shouted the Father as he stalked down the isle, coming to a stop near the two figures and seemed to ignore the two Coyote Bots who growled as he approached. "Vile creatures born of Satan's Womb you have no power here! This is a house of God and I cast you out! Be gone!" he waved his hands at Minion and Blue Devil with such an intensity and ferocity that Roxanne half expected them to be literally pulled out of the Church by invisible strings.

Of course, they didn't.

"Keep it down, this is a Church isn't it?" Minion asked as Blue Devil walked boldly around the man of the cloth and set his hands on his hips as he looked over the people as he walked past them. Roxanne could all but see the glee on his face as he saw them all shy away from him, still, and sighed to herself. Was he just doing this to prove a point?

"Well. So this is what you people do on a Sunday." Blue Devil commented as he got to the front of the Church, stopping to stare at the cross with a carved crucified Jesus that hung on the wall. "Now that's just depressing." he said, more to himself before he turned and looked over them all. "What, did you think I wouldn't walk in?" he asked as he observed the shocked expressions of those gathered. "Please. To have fear of Him you have to believe in Him. I don't believe in Him any more than I believe in the good will of mankind." Blue Devil snorted.

"So what do you believe in, Satan, your father?" asked the Father, storming back down the isle but stopped when the Blue Devil suddenly pulled out his weapon and aimed it at his chest. "Or something worse?"

Blue Devil's green eyes narrowed dangerously. "What I believe in is Mother Earth and Father Sky and all they've given us. That's my belief."

"Indians!" gaped the Father. "Those Heathen beliefs are not welcomed here, and neither are you!"

Roxanne had the strong feeling that the holy man had just said something very, very wrong. She and Mr. Ashby both seemed to intake a breath of air as one as the narrowed, annoyed expression on the blue man's face turned to that of utter rage. To call those who raised him heathens was probably the biggest mistake this man could make since it was seconds later that the two Coyote Bots were suddenly upon the man, growling and snapping, wanting to bite but keeping themselves restrained.

There was a sudden blast, blue as his skin, and people near by shielded their eyes for they were unused to the intensity of the blast. When their vision returned, the Father was gone. Blue Devil was kneeling and picking something glowing up from the floor and he held it high above his head. "Let me start by saying that your house of God is incapable of keeping me out and it never will! Look, I have your holy man and he is mine and mine alone!" he announced, "He'll return to you when I feel he's damn good and ready and any one of you dare say those words to me you'll be joining him in purgatory! Am I clear?"

Blue Devil looked over the crowd, almost all of them terrified. Too terrified to even move. The fear in their eyes, on their faces, made his heart skip a beat. They feared him. They hated him. It's how it had been ever since he first started showing up in the town. The only people who hadn't looked at him like this was his family, and two people who were sitting towards the back of the Church. Roxanne looked shocked, but not scared, while Mr. Ashby just looked bored. He'd seen this before, he had probably anticipated it all.

Did that mean he was predictable? He hoped not.

Grabbing the rim of his hat he pulled it down over his eyes as he stalked down the esile of the Church, and stopped when he got to the pew that Mr. Ashby and Roxanne sat on. "Oh yes. One last thing." he turned and looked over the crowd, "Miss. Ritchi is opening her school tomorrow morning. I would hate to think any of the children in this town didn't want a decent education. Going there is mandatory. Any stragglers... well. Let's just say my pets will be chasing down any little one not in classes. Ciao ciao all."

With that he left, closely followed by Minion who's muffled talk sounded like he was telling the demon off. The Coyote Bots remained for a few short seconds, barked at those gathered, before running off after the Blue Devil.

"All right folks, before this becomes a panic calm down." Mr. Ashby said as he stood up first, holding his hands above his head, trying to keep people from freaking out over the fact the man of the Church had just been taken by the man in charge. "Don't go gettin' worked up now I know this looks bad, Father Clements bein'... takin' like that. But lemme tell you, of all the souls I seen Blue Devil snatch up they always manage to figger a way to get outta his clutches. 'N if any man can it'd be Father Clements! He's got his faith 'n you all know he's a stubborn ole' man. Even worse than me. So, let's keep him in our minds 'n prayers while I go try 'n talk some sense into Blue Devil."

Roxanne expected people to argue, to cry out and tell him not to go after the man... but nobody did. She watched as Mr. Ashby left the Church, and she in turn stood up also.

"...well. You heard." Roxanne said as she reached the door, turning to address the people. "Class starts tomorrow at nine sharp. I want all of you who are attending outside my door, don't make me have to go to your homes and carry you out because I will." she nodded her head firmly before walking out of the Church. She turned her head and she spotted Blue Devil talking with Mr. Ashby in the distance.

From the looks of things Mr. Ashby was really telling the blue man off, he was even waving a finger at him as if he was a stubborn little boy. Then again going by Blue Devil's posture, arms crossed, head bowed, and kicking at the dirt, he was acting the part fairly well. Wanting to hear more, she hurried to one of the closer buildings and walked along behind it, using the back alleys, in order to get closer and listen in. A part of her was telling her that this was a bad idea, that it wasn't any of her business but she knew more about the Blue Devil than anyone save Mr. Ashby. She had a right to know more about how the two interacted.

"-walkin' in on a Church like that. What'd I tell you?" Mr. Ashby asked.

Blue Devil said nothing.

"'N just cuz that fool of a man blasted yer faith you go 'n blast him inta a cube?" Mr. Ashby added.

"He slandered me. Nobody slanders me or them." Blue Devil finally snapped back. "People get uppity whenever God's name is even used as a swear yet you people can call my family heathens and their beliefs wrong. I hardly think that counts as fair. So yes. I did blast him 'inta a cube'." he mimicked the older man's drawl perfectly. "What are you going to do about it, old man? Bend me over your knee and spank me? I'm not a child anymore."

"Don't tempt me, boy." Mr. Ashby growled.

They stood there, glaring at one another, until Minion finally spoke. "Sir, I think Mr. Ashby might have a point. De-hydrating that man probably wasn't a good idea for your image."

"I want them to be afraid of me, honestly did you forget that?" Blue Devil snapped at the fish, turning his head to glare at him. "I'm the Blue Devil! I'm the demon from Hell with monsters and demons at my side to do my bidding! If I can't take from them the Holy man of this Hellhole then what good am I?" he growled, causing Minion to take a few noisy steps back and lifted his hands to block the verbal abuse. "He is mine now." he ducked a hand under his poncho and pulled the glowing blue cube from it, and grinned as he basked in the soft glow it gave off. "Aren't you, Mr. Clements?" he asked it softly before closing his fist around it, and turned his gaze to Mr. Ashby. "Do you want to join him, old man?"

Mr. Ashby took a step back, eyes still narrowed.

"Thought not." Blue Devil put the cube back into its place under his poncho and turned to look at Minion. "Come on. I've got boots to get."

Roxanne watched as the two walked away, Minion no longer whispering to him but walking silently, obediently, behind him. She got out from behind the building and hurried up to Mr. Ashby, calling out before she got too close so not to startle him. "Mr. Ashby!"

"Miss. Ritchi!" Mr. Ashby turned to look at her, tilting his hat back as he did. "Were you eavesdroppin' on us?"

"Perhaps." she replied, hardly one to gloss over facts. "That was a very brave thing you just did, Mr. Ashby. A little foolish too. Couldn't you see he was already on edge about what was said in there?"

"I know, I know." he replied with a huff, crossing his arms as he looked away after where Blue Devil and his companion fish had vanished. "But it's just so hard. I protected this town fer so many years, 'n it figures the week I return is the week he finally..." Mr. Ashby fell into silence and sighed. "I think maybe if I had stayed back, instead of headin' off into the world, none of this woulda gone 'n happened."

"You can't blame yourself." Roxanne said gently, reaching out to touch his arm. The man gave her a half smile, before nodding his head to her.

"You're right. Man can't blame himself fer everythin' happenin' in the world." Mr. Ashby admitted, before patting her hand with his own and she realized just how rough and hard working his hands were, it was like touching rough leather that had been left out in the weather to suffer a hundred summers. "Thanks Miss. Ritchi. Best you get on, big day tomorrow ain't it?"

"Very big, yes." Roxanne nodded and let him go, and sighed. She turned and paused to look off in the direction Blue Devil and Minion had left, but they were long gone by now. "Good day Mr. Ashby." she bid the man farewell and left, heading back towards her school house to make sure that everything was as it should be. Last thing she wanted to do was show up the next morning and discover she had no chalk on which to work with, that would be terribly embarrassing.

She also found it almost touching that the Blue Devil had taken the time to not only remind the people of her school opening, but to ensure that the children would be there. Roxanne had been all but anticipating a rousing sport of chasing children through the town to bring them in for an education but with someone like the Blue Devil putting the fear of skipping class, she was certain they would all be there. If only he'd done it in a ... well. Gentler manner? That would have been ideal, but you can't look a gift horse in the mouth. Especially a blue one with a large brain.

When the people finally began to filter out from the church and return to their normal every day activities, one of them was very shocked and somewhat horrified to see the Blue Devil sitting outside of his shop with his faithful mechanical monster at his side. Blue Devil was strumming a banjo that had been left leaning against the rocking chair outside, and when the middle aged man walked up to his store he slowed his walk to a halt, and stared at the blue man waiting there.

"Sir, Mr. Stone is here." the fish spoke, turning to the demon on the chair.

"Oh he is? Excellent!" Blue Devil got up to his feet and lowered the banjo, placing it back onto the chair. "Now my good shoe making man," he said as he took one step down so he was standing on the wooden steps and facing the man face to face. "I am in need of some new boots. Seeing how you're the only boot maker in town naturally I have come to you. Now I can pay you, if I must, but I want decals."

"Decals?" Mr. Stone asked quickly, fighting the urge to turn and run.

"Yes. Decals." Blue Devil said before standing on one foot and pointing to his old leather boots. "I want silver and blue lightning bolts running down the length of my boots here and there." he pointed on the fraying boots. "You can do that can't you?"

Mr. Stone nodded quickly.

"Excellent. Now I believe we have to do some measuring now?" Blue Devil asked, "That is how it's done isn't it?" he had never before gotten his feet measured up before. His boots were always stolen from dead men, and none of them ever really fitted his feet like they should have. One time he had worn boots twice his since and had used socks to make it so they would fit him, and the poor guy had ended up with blisters all over his toes and feet.

"Yes, yes. Measuring..." Mr. Stone unlocked the door to his business and changed the 'closed' sign to 'open'. Hands shaking he grabbed the tools he would need and a sketch pad on which to etch the design that the man now stalking his store would want. By the time he returned Blue Devil was holding up a big pair of boots in his hands.

"What do you think Minion, do you need new feet?"

"I don't know Sir." Minion replied as he looked down at his feet that, of course, wore boots that had been stolen from the largest man they could find. "Maybe?"

Mr. Stone resisted the urge to announce he wasn't going to fit boots for a monster from Hell but given what he had just witnessed in the church he knew better than to speak his feelings. Instead he nervously approached Blue Devil and held up the measuring tape. "Measurements, Mr. Blue Devil?" he asked. He got no answer, save for Blue Devil unceremoniously removing his boots and he was surprised to see that the man in black wore layers of socks in order to fit the boots onto his feet. "Oh dear."

And so foot measurements were taken, and Mr. Stone was surprised to discover that the Blue Devil's feet were around the same size as a woman's, if not smaller. The whole affair carried on in awkward silence, since neither man (nor fish) felt like really talking in the presence of the other. Soon the Blue Devil was sketching just what he wanted on the boots, blue and silver lightning bolt, running along the length of the boot until it struck the heel of it. He wanted it on both sides of each foot, and before Mr. Stone could say anything he placed a gold nugget on the man's desk.

"What... where..." he was about to ask where the Blue Devil had acquired such riches but he remembered who he was dealing with. No doubt the thief had stolen it from somebody, if not their own very bank! But still, being a business man with a family to support, Mr. Stone picked up the gold piece and checked it to see if it was genuine. Surprisingly, it was.

"So when can I expect them to be ready?" Blue Devil asked, tugging his regular boots back onto his heavily socked feet.

"Oh uh. I would say a few days time should do it." replied Mr. Stone.

"I'll be back tomorrow then." Blue Devil said as he paused to look at himself in a mirror that hung on the wall. He turned slowly and observed his thin frame, before turning to stare at Mr. Stone. "See you then."

"Have a good day!" Minion said cheerily to the man as he followed after his master out onto the street. "Excited over your new shoes, then?" he asked as he followed Blue Devil down the main street.

"Very. It's been forever since I had new boots. These ones are beginning to... well." Blue Devil looked down at his feet. His boots were faded black, scratched, and burned in some places. "You know."

"I know Sir. So, are you going to let that Church man go yet?" asked the fish, setting his metal hands to his hips.

"No! Now stop asking." Blue Devil shot back, narrowing his eyes at him.

"But what if somebody takes up a gun against you, Sir? In retaliation? I couldn't bare to see you shot again and hurt." Minion replied quietly. Blue Devil looked at him for a moment before reaching out and placing his hand to the furry arm of the robot body his friend was housed in.

"Nothing like that is ever going to happen again." he said quietly, his voice one of total seriousness. "A lot has changed since then. I'm older. I'm wiser. You know that."

"But you keep putting yourself out there! The way you de-hydrated that man? Taking control of this town? What are we going to do with it, Sir? Did you ever think that far ahead? Or was it all just a game between you and the Sheriff? Ever since he first showed up in town you two have been clashing like two angry steer, and I just want to know that you've thought all of this out!" Minion hadn't meant to let all of this out, and out in the open, but when he had gotten started he couldn't stop. All his life he had watched his boss stuffer, ever since the slaughter of their family and the town's refusal to seek out justice for the dead people.

And that Sheriff, always there and waiting for them and tackling them head on no matter what the situation. Blue Devil had suffered physical trauma ever since their first meetings, and Minion had always been there to nurse him back to health every single time. Bullet wounds were always hardest to fix, and Blue Devil's scarred skin was a testament to just how many shoot ups he had been caught up in and how many times Minion had patched and mended him. This town, these people, while they were afraid there was always somebody somewhere who was foolish and crazy enough to step up and try to liberate them.

If that happened, and they were roused into a mob, Minion knew he wouldn't be capable of protecting his Master. Not in this body that continually broke down and over heated so easily. He was always horrified that on a day that his Master would need his help and his suit would freeze up and he'd be unable to help him. Those nightmares were the worst for the fish,

The Blue Devil stood there, his eyes wide and staring up at the fish who had been his one companion since the death of his family. All that was left of his family was himself, and Minion, so maybe that made sense that they took so much care of each other. They were all they had, after all. But Minion had rarely voiced his concern so loudly, or so publicly. The blue man quickly glanced around, half expecting to find a crowd gathering around them but luckily for him there wasn't.

"This?" Blue Devil asked, gesturing to the area around them, "Is hardly the time and place don't you think? I don't know about you, oh finned friend of mine, but arguing out amongst the single minded people around here isn't something I want to experience any time soon. You," he pointed at Minion, wagging his finger as he spoke, "You are forgetting who's in charge. I've thought this through. To think I haven't, to doubt me, why. I'm hurt. Hurt." he pressed the pointed hand to his chest, fluttering his lashes as he did. "These people can continue to live in the dream state of thinking things will remain the same, never changing. I want them to feel secure; safe... that makes the change all the more shocking! That's the fun of it all, Minion. Don't you remember?"

Minion frowned slightly, before looking at his feet. "I remember, Sir. It's all about the show."

"And don't you forget it." Blue Devil said before stepping back from his hench fish, and adjusted his collar that had fallen down at some point during their heated discussion. "Now let's go see if you need new feet."

"We don't have any gear out here, Sir. Remember?" asked the fish as the two began to walk again down the main street.

Blue Devil blinked, amazed how he would forget that so easily. The blacksmith in town didn't have a quarter, no, one tenth of what he had back in the West where his lair had been positioned for the last fifteen years. "Oh yeah. We'll have to ride West."

"We will have to leave the Brain Coyotes here..." Minion glanced at two of the dogs that were play fighting one another, before one yipped and ran off, pursued by the other.

"They'll be fine. As long as they keep everyone under control, there won't be any hassles. Or biting. You got that?" he pointed to a near by passing Brain Coyote who stopped, and wagged its metallic tail at its creator happily as its mouth fell open, as if it were panting. "No biting. No no no no no." he waved his finger, and the robotic canine tilted its head to the side and whined like a rusting gear. "Good boy." as he withdrew his hand the Brain Coyote leapt forward playfully, snapping its jaws far enough away from his masters fingers so not to cause injury, but enough to show it wanted to play. "oh!" Blue Devil laughed before reaching out and stroked the curved, glowing dome. "It has been a while hasn't it?" he asked fondly.

The Brain Coyote whined once more before getting down on the dirt road and rolled over onto its back. Blue Devil, seemingly uncaring if people saw this or not, got down onto his knees and furiously rubbed his hand sover the metallic underbelly of the Brain Bot. Its tail was whipping up a small dust cloud from its excitement as Blue Devil grinned excitedly at this simple act that any normal pet owner had done at some point. "Who's a good cyborg? Who's a good creation of science? You are, yes you are!"

Minion rolled his eyes before glancing up and spotted somebody watching them from across the street. He recognized him as the red haired man that his boss had appraoched on the night of his conquest over the town, the new man. The fish and the man stared at each other a moment before Minion took a threatening step forward, and he watched the man quickly bolt out of sight. "Sir, if you really want to have a check over my feet it might do best to do it today." he finally said, looking down at his boss who was just now beginning to stand up as a few more Coyote Bots ran around him excitedly.

"Mmm yes you're probably right Minion. And I just want to check over the place, I know I left some projects sitting around and you know me, I hate leaving things unfinished." Blue Devil said as he adjusted his wide brimmed hat. "And I need a good walk."

The two made their way towards City Hall, ignoring those townsfolk who had left the church who wisely gave them a wide girth so they wouldn't accidentally run into them. Outside the City Hall the two robotic horses stood, still as ever. Minion cast a nervous glance over his shoulder, looking at a group of children who had clustered together across the street to watch them. Maybe they thought being in a larger number would offer them some protection, or bravery, to dare look at the two demons for longer than a second. But when they realized the fish was watching they scattered like field mice and were gone.

"Are you sure that leaving the town is a good idea, Sir? My feet aren't in that great a need of needing repairs." Minion said as he watched the town grow slowly into the distance as he and his blue companion rode out West bound on the backs of their horses.

"The town isn't going anywhere Minion." Blue Devil scoffed as they rode across the dry plains, the metalic horses beneath them clanking as they did and as usual the smoke continued to bellow out from the exhausts on their hind quarters. "I told them to continue on with their normal things that those normal people do and I am sure they'll do just that." he said with a sure smile on his face.

"I'm glad you have so much optimism. Since I don't." Minion mumbled.

"You're such a pill Minion."

They passed the destroyed gate way, and Blue Devil made a mental note to fix it. Even if he no longer lived up here he didn't want bandits sneaking up in order to destroy, or heavens forbid, steal some of his creations inside. Once they were right outside the cliff face and the built-in buildings, they got off of the horses and left them outside. As they walked into the first, and huge, building Blue Devil reached out and flipped a switch. From the switch came a spark of blue and white light before it began to rapidly arch its way up some wires that went upwards to the ceiling. Blue Devil and Minion continued to walk into the building as artificial light began to pour down from above, lighting up the darkened area.

From the outside the hideout looked like any other well made building with its defences of the fences, and the stray Coyote Bots that loitered here or there sniffing at the dirt, or at each other... but inside it was like walking into a time machine (as theorized by Jules Vern) and being pushed forward into the distant future when man was probably living on the Moon, or even possibly Mars as well. The floors, ceilings, and walls were all metal coated and showed their age by the dents, creases and spills left on practically every surface. One section showed the scars of a particularly painful explosion that had left black burn marks on the metal, so ingrained they were impossible to wipe clean no matter how hard Minion tried. There were wooden tables of various styles and sizes, chairs that had been stolen from bars along with some stools, written on chalk boards that had mathematic equations written on in white chalk, and large metalic consoles covered in buttons and levers and On raised platforms were creations of science that would throw the minds of the people living in the city outside.

The numerous tables were smothered in paper work, bunkers and beakers, and prototypes to devices that had little spikes built onto them. Large blueprints with white writing was acted almost like table cloths where most of the other little tid bits were rested on. Mugs that had been half emptied had been left here or there, as well as plates with crumbs covering them. Tsking at the sight of them Minion moved over to them and collected them, since when Sheriff Wayne had busted in on them they had been in the middle of eating a meal together. Of course that meant he had left everything where it was, hence the mess now. "That was so rude of him..." Minion muttered as he carried the mugs and plates over to the sink he used to was things up with.

He walked past all manner of devices that had grown from being a drawing, to a prototype, to a final design. One that Blue Devil was especially proud of was a horseless carriage that moved itself without the aid of tracks like a train. It was still in early development and was nowhere near ready to be taken outside to be seen by the foolhardy people of the world but that didn't mean that it wasn't impressive. No doubt if somebody from the town saw such a creation they would faint at the sight of it, and call it another 'demonic creation from Hell' or something pathetic like that. Blue Devil could honestly laugh at their naievity sometimes.

There was even a few flying machines dangling from the cieling on cables and ropes. They swayed gently as they always had been, ropes creaking, and chains scraping against one another. Minion cast a nervous glance upwards as he walked under a particularly huge machine, after quickly rinsing the plates, which had taken Blue Devil years to complete. Unfortunately it was so powerful that running it would mean removing power to the rest of the base, so it wasn't used that often. All the metal that had been used in the base had been 'aquired' by various means. New trains didn't just get robbed out here, they vanished entirely sometimes and were never seen from again. And the conductors and passengers who had been on the trains at the time sometimes ended up wandering the desert lost and confused after days of mental blanks that they couldn't explain, other than seeing a bright flash of blue before their memory loss. Metalworkers in town even found their stocks raided and left completely empty, but they didn't have to wonder who would do such a thing and new better than to complain about it too much.

When your goods had been stolen over a period of fifteen years you figured out who was doing it soon enough. And because he had been doing it for so long, Blue Devil knew the art of metal working better than most. It had all come so... naturally, to him. Every part of it. Putting together new machines and devices had come so naturally, it just had to be built into his very genetic make up. Even dealing with chemicals and various tools and materials came as second nature. That was how the Coyote Bots had been created so long ago, in fact the first one had been put together not a few months after the death of his family. They had been made out of necesity, but also because the young child had felt afraid of being alone out there, unprotected since he knew he couldn't rely on the townsfolk near by. Aristotle, as the Brain Bot came to be named, was built for not only security but companionship. Even with Minion being with Blue Devil, having been used to having a huge family around him made the transition to being only with Minion all the more jarring. The first little Coyote Bot had barked at everything that had approached, and had stumbled around like its feet were too big for it. Said Coyote Bot was still around but after years of functioning, it was no longer as up to date as its newer, younger siblings.

Said Coyote Bot was curently curled up under one of the huge tables, glowing domed head having dimmed over the years. At the presence of its creator though, it slowly began to get to its feet and made its way over to Blue Devil, nuzzling its jaws against his leg. Absently, Blue Devil stroked its glowing head.

"Oh Minion, there's no place like evil lair." Blue Devil sighed ."No place at all."

"It looks like Aristotle kept everything in one piece." Minion commented, smiling down at the old Coyote Bot.

"Of course he did. It's his duty, isn't it boy?" he asked, crouching down and ran both of his gloved hands over the Bot's head. "Who's a good boy? Who's my favorite Bot in the world? You are, yes you are!"

The Bot wagged its tail happily, though the squeaking sound of the rusting tail was a little painful to bare. Quickly the other grabbed an oil can and tended to the tail. "But we're not here for just visitings sake. Minion, go get on your chair."

Sighing, Minion made his way through to the back of their home slash lair, and approached a huge chair that had been designed to hold his weight but also to allow him to sit properly since most chairs didn't come with room for the aparatis on his back that kept his suit operating. He eased onto the seat and fell back against it, and stared up at the ceiling. Hanging above him was a blue light, accompanied by all manner of tools and equipment hanging from cables suspended high above him on the ceiling. Hearing a clamping noise the fish looked down and saw Blue Devil already working a screw driver into one of his knees. The two fell into comfortable silence as the air filled with the noise of tinkering and metal scraping against metal.

Aristotle made his way around the large chair, sniffing to find a comfortable place to lay down. Finding one he bowged quietly and settled down, yawned, and went back to sleep.

"Sir... I hate to be the one to keep harking on about certain things but..." Minion said as Blue Devil was pulling off one of his huge feet. "...do you think they're proud of you, still?"

"Grandmother told me... a long time ago, that they would always be proud of me, no matter what I do." Blue Devil said quietly.

"Do you think that includes overthrowing the town, siezing control, and cubing their priest?" Minion asked. "They taught us to respect them."

"They didn't respect us." snapped Blue Devil angrily, lifting his gaze to look at the fish in the glass dome. "They offered me no help when they were murdered, did they? You saw it all happen. Those men riding in, what they did, and what did they do Minion, what did they do?"

Minion winced at the harsh questions, and the tone that his boss was using. "How could you ask me that...?" Minion asked quietly. "I can never forget what happened.."

"So stop asking me stupid things and let me focus on your feet." Blue Devil said sternly.

He and Minion looked at each other silently, and a conversation was communicated without the use of words. Minion could still see that obvious pain in his friend's face and eyes, a pain that had been lodged there ever since that horrible night. It was a night neither Blue Devil, or Minion could ever forget.

It had been a cool night, and the two had just had a long day learning how to make matting. Even if it was considered a woman's job, Blue Sky was one of those children with a natural feeling of curiosity that would never go away. He wanted to try, and do, everything possible. His hands were very rarely empty, or still, and the little fish in a ball was always being carried around in a wrap that mothers normally used to keep their babies close.

He had gotten to bed early, just like any good growing young boy. Outside, the smells of the rock and cool sand drifted through the windows and he could hear the gentle conversations of the adults. They were talking about the coming seasonal change, and that they should go into town to sell their wares for money in order to buy more blankets and food. It was just like every other year, and nothing was out of the ordinary.

How long had he been asleep? He didn't know.

The sounds of guns being fired woke him from his bed first and he sat up in his bed, heart racing in his ears as he heard the voices of his uncles and aunts cries of alarm. Then he heard the rumbling of horse hooves and the animals whinneys of alarm as more gun fire filled the air. The screams were horrifying, and Minion was already awake and asking questions that Blue Sky couldn't hear nor answer. On instinct he grabbed the wrap and pulled Minion to him, and looped the material around his shoulders and got to his feet.

Rushing outside, Blue Sky witnessed a horror that wound plague his nightmares for the rest of his life. His brothers and sisters, trampled beneath the hooves of the horses that were being ridden by white men. A few of his uncles were already slumped over their wives, trying to protect them from the men but they were already dead. The sand was stained with blood from both parties, and Blue Sky could barely stifle a scream of terror that siezed his heart.

"Run!"

Grandmother's voice broke through the screams and sounds of the slaughter and he spun on his heels to see the old woman who was clumpled against one of the near by walls. She was bleeding heavily from her stomach, and it was trickling from the corners of her mouth. He made to move to her but she held up her hands to him, eyes wide with terror, but also pleading. "Run!" her voice was shaking more from the panic and the pain as she begged the child. "Run!"

Blue Sky did, though he could barely feel his feet moving him as he did. The horses seemed to be everywhere, yet amongst the cries and death it was almost as if he wasn't even a part of this world anymore. He had to get away, he had to reach the town, to raise the alarm.

"What in the name of Hellfire is THAT?" the voice startled him, and he spun around to see a huge black horse standing behind him with a massive man riding on its back. The man was overweight, unshaven, and smelt horrible of body odour that ripped its way into Blue Sky's nose. Never before had Blue Sky seen such a disgusting blob of a man before, and if it weren't for the carnage taking place around him he would have made a snide comment about the mans need for a good wash.

"What, what is it?" a female voice, a woman with rich red hair that was pinned back in a bun, beneath a black hat that was tilted on the side of her head and wearing a dress as red as the blood being spilt tonight, rode up on a brown horse. She looked a little old, especially with those wrinkles, purple eye shadow and a spot that stuck out on her left cheek just below her eye. The woman was obviously still strong enough to control the wild looking horse beneath her. Spotting Blue Sky she gasped in horror, and recoiled. "Oh dear Lord he's hideous, just lookit the lil' bastard!"

"Blue Sky, run!" the cry caught his attention, and he looked away to see one of his uncles suddenly leap out at the man, swinging a tomahawk at his head. The horse violently turned at the sudden appearance of the man, and spun away from the onslaught. However the axe came down on the horses neck causing it to whinny in pain and rear up onto its back legs as blood pooled from the point of impact, but it was nowhere near powerful enough to kill it. The large man fell from his saddle and landed badly but was already drawing his weapon from its holster on his hip.

"Run!" screamed his uncle before his voice, and life, was cut short by the bullet going through his neck. He slumped to the ground, and Blue Sky's feet were moving again. He was running as fast as he could, and could hear the bullets hit the ground behind where he was running. He was always so fast on his feet, so quick and nimble. Now it was coming in for good use, since the bullets just weren't hitting him.

"Shoot him! Shoot him!" he heard the harsh hisses of the woman on her horse.

Suddenly hot pain screamed from his stomach and Blue Sky felt all the wind knocked out of him. The pain was overwhelmingly painful, and he knew he had been shot. One of the men on horses ahead of him had finally made its mark. But he knew the lay of the land better than these men on their horses. Despite the horrible pain in his stomach, and his blood staining his clothes, Blue Sky kept going. He kept running, and then jumped off the near by ledge.

Beneath the ledge was some thick, tangled bushes he and his friends were known to play hide and track in. It was a good way to learn how to silence your foot steps and breathing, making it harder to be heard while being tracked by somebody else. Breathing harshly, Blue Sky curled around Minion's orb and prayed to Father Sky and Mother Earth to give him a chance, a chance to live.

He covered his ear with one of his hands as the screams continued, and was unaware of when he finally passed out, the sounds of the death of his family still ringing in his ears.

Just how he had the strength to pull himself out from under the bushes he didn't know. The sun was high in the sky, and his lungs stung, and the wound in his stomach still throbbed from the bullet quite possibly still lodged somewhere in his body. He had to get to the town, he just had to. The sheriff would send out a posse, and bring the doctors in to tend to the survivors. He may not be able to save everyone, but somebody had to be alive... they had to be...

"I think the bolt is as tight as it's going to be, Sir." Minion said suddenly, causing Blue Devil to almost drop the tool he was using.

Looking down at his hands he saw that Minion was right. He had replaced both of his feet by now, each one brand new and having been put together by memory alone while his mind had been somewhere else entirely. Just how he had done all of that, created two new feet, and installed them was just another sign of how brilliant his mind was. How many hours had passed? Had Minion spoken to him at all during that time, or had they been totally silent?

"Right, sorry..." Blue Devil set the tool aside and stepped forward, twisting a valve that was hidden under the plate just above both of his legs. This returned the power to his feet, allowing Minion ability to control them. "How's that feel?" he asked.

Minion cautiously sat up on the chair he had been sitting on and wriggled his five toes slowly. "So far so good?" the fish asked before standing up, testing his feet. He took one careful step, grateful that Blue Devil reached out and took one of his hands into his to keep him steady just in case he got wobbly. "So far so great!" Minion grinned before smirking at his friend, and playfully punched his arm. "Thank you, Sir. You really didn't have to."

"You're my only friend." Blue Devil shrugged nonchalantly as he walked away, wiping his greased hands on a rag. "I have to take care of you."

"We have to take care of this problem, 'n if nonna you fellers are game enough ta try then I will!"

Roxanne, taking the children out of the school house for a walk during their study break, didn't like the sound of these talks she over heard near the saloon. So far the school day had been all but expected, the children arrived, a few with apples for the new head mistress, and had taken their seats. It was obvious in their wide, apprehensive eyes, that they feared the Blue Devil would appear to do a head count and make sure that they were all indeed there. Roxanne had begun the class with basic writing skills, and the familiar squeak of white chalk on small black plaques soon filled the air and she had some semblance of normality restored to her life.

After dealing with what she, and the entire town, had endured in the past few days any kind of normality was welcomed.

"Children, I will call you when it's time to return to your classes. Go play." she gestured vaguely with her hand and the group of children thanked her eagerly before raced off laughing, grateful for the break in classes.

Given a free moment Roxanne walked over to the small crowd that had gathered around one of the men she didn't know. She thought his name was Mr. Fox, but she couldn't be certain. Even if the town wasn't that greatly populated, it was still a chore remembering everybodys names and faces. She would get there, eventually.

"You all really gonna allow this feller to ride inta town, kill off our sheriff, 'n then take control?" Mr. Fox asked the group, frowning. "I heard tell'a fellers who can be hired on ta kill somebody! Why dun we pool our funds together 'n try it?" he asked.

"Don't be a gosh darn fool, Fox." said another man. "I hate 'ta imagine what Blue Devil'll do to the poor sons of bitches, 'n the poor sod who actually hired 'em."

"Y'all can't be scared forever! He's gotta be run outta town!" Mr. Fox replied angrily. "Mr. Stone's bin workin' all yesterday 'n last night makin' boots fer the demon! His hands are covered in sores! Who's ta say who he'll make demands of next?"

"You're being stupid." the sharp, dry voice of Mr. Dunning surprised Roxanne and she turned her head to see the bar tender standing there, arms folded across his chest. "If you bring people from out of town into a town like this, you're just asking for trouble."

"And whut do you know 'bout it, Mr. Fancy?" demanded Mr. Fox.

"Never bring out of towners to deal with personal problems. It only causes more problems." Bernard said dryly.

"Bah, what's a man who serves drinks know?" asked one of the other men.

"Now that's just hurtful." replied the bar tended, turning his head away and huffing his breath through his nose.

"What's going on?" Roxanne asked him quietly as the group of men began to talk amongst themselves in harsh, quiet whispers in fear of being over heard somebody dangerous.

"They're being idiots." Bernard said simply as the two turned away from the group and began walking away from them. "They're talking about hiring on somebody to come into town and kill Blue Devil."

Roxanne's eyes widened at this news. The realization that these people had finally begun to contemplate these kinds of actions, instead of fearing Blue Devil on principal, was shocking to her. Having learned what she had from Mr. Ashby over the past few days, what the man had been through in his life, the hardships and the pain of loosing his family only to turn his back on the world who hadn't been there for him when he needed it, she was horrified at the prospect of him being killed. He didn't deserve that, not really.

He was just lashing out at people who hadn't been there for him.

But how do you go about healing a wound that old, and that deep? She didn't know.

"That's... that's simply horrible." she heard herself whisper.

"My thoughts exactly. Maybe they could just, I don't know. Banish him possibly? But out right kill him? And where would we get the money to hire people in the first place?" Bernard asked. "Not from my till, I'll tell you that much for free." he scoffed.

"What's Mr. Ashby got to say about all this?" Roxanne asked, turning her head to glance at the men.

"I doubt they've brought it up." Bernard replied quietly, watching them also.

"Boy are you guys in luck!" the voice of Mr. Stewart sent waves of unpleasantness down Roxanne's spine as she heard him approach the group. Where had he come from, had he been listening in on the conversation all this time from the shadows or something? She watched as the red haired, and dirty, man strutted over to the group. Bernard began to slowly move back to the group, gesturing to Roxanne to follow him. Equally curious, she couldn't help but drift after him.

"In luck?" Mr. Fox asked, confused.

"Turns out I know a real band of rough guys, by word I do." Hal said as he set his thumbs in his belt proudly with a satisfied smug expression smeared across his grimy face. "They go 'round towns like ours, helpin' out when they can. Real straight shooters, too. Could shoot wings off a fly." he went on to explain. "I heard tale they once cleared out an entire town of Injins like it wuz nothin'! 'N to them, it really wuz nothin'."

"Do you know where they are, now?" Mr. Fox asked. From the expressions of those around him, they were beginning to buy into the notion of hiring on somebody to come take care of the problem that was Blue Devil.

"Sure do. Not too far from here. If y'all gimmie a kind of cover I can get on a horse 'n ride off ta fetch em fer ya." Hal went on to explain.

"A cover?" asked a woman who had joined in the conversation a while back.

"Well." he pointedly looked at a few Coyote Bots who were loitering near by. The beastly demons turned their heads, seemingly picking up that they were being spoken about, and growled lowly. "Somethin' ta keep them boys interested 'n lookin' elsewhere. I ain't no help ta any of ya if I don't git anywhere 'n they bring my horse down, am I?" he asked.

"Feller's got a point."

"How do we get their attention without bein' ripped apart?"

"They move like the monsters they are..."

"Excuse me, Mr. Stewart." Roxanne stepped forward, causing most of the men to step away as the young woman, and teacher, approached. "But just what are the fees these 'friends' of yours charge?"

"Fees?" Hal replied, looking a little confused.

"Yes. Fees. What are they going to ask for, in return of doing away with the Blue Devil?" she asked. "You know, by means of payment?"

"Shoot Ms. Ritchi," he turned on that smarmy smile that made it fel like slime was crawling up her spine. "When they hear what kinda pickle we're in here, they'll come out here 'n help us fer free. Me bein' their friend 'n all, they'll get here even quicker than normal." the man puffed out his chest proudly. "Pretty impressive, hm?"

"Quite." Roxanne said flatly. "Well. I hope you all put a great deal of thought into this plan of yours and don't go and do anything foolish. I need to get back to educating your children." with that she turned and walked quickly away from the group of men and women before plucking a whistle she hung around her necks. Giving a quick puff she blew sharply into the whistle, calling all the children back to her. "Come children, we've still got much to learn." she said once over half of them had returned to her.

As she lined them up she cast a glance over to the group of townsfolk, most of who had already dispersed. Mr. Dunning gave her a worried look, before pointing to the clock tower, and then held up five fingers. With that he was off, back towards his bar, where he was no doubt going to get ready for another busy night of serving drinks to everyone who entered his bar.

Roxanne led the children back to the school house and held the door open for them, ensuring they had all returned from their breaks like they had promised. They had, thankfully. She then cast a glance to the West, where clouds continued to stream across in the hazy day light. There was a storm coming it seemed, but she had to wonder if the storm brewing within the town istelf could even compare to the one that Mother Nature was going to bring them.

To be continued