Katy nodded at Sam, and spoke to him one more time.

Katy seemed like she was almost finished with Sam, as her body was starting to lean toward the saloon where the others had gone.

Sam shrugs at Katy's question. He speaks back.

He follows her into the Saloon and pulls up a chair near the others. Mad Dog slides a whiskey his way after he sits down. He looks at Belle. "Got somethin' on your mind?" he asks.

Katy took a seat next to Trace when she made her way into the Saloon. "Well, cowboy, if yer intersted, seems like we might have a way ta get out ta Spearfish Canyon. I'ma join the DMA an' work on their Wild Bunch prollems. Sure would like ta have ya watchin' my back."

The Ranger looked over at Belle and Zek. "Same goes fer y'all as well. Wild Bunch izza buncha trouble. The sooner we find 'em, the better. If ya wanna help, join up wit me an we can take care of 'em once and fer all."

In reply to Catherine Hays Cox (msg # 58):

Zek paused, and nodded. "I will go, but I gotta tell ya that Sooner or later-I have to return to the old man. I sorta...got a long term job with him-and it comes first." He did not seem happy about that, just resigned to it.

Hargrave managed a smile. "Well, I'm still the same no account drifter who's a fair shot with a rifle. But if you need me to watch your back, I most certainly will."

"I know you and Mr. Bass spoke a bit, but I didn't hear much of what was said. I was...distracted. I wanted to be sure Mr. Carmichael was treated fairly. This canyon you're talking about. Is that where this Wild Bunch you're hunting is thought to stay?"

Katy nodded at Trace's question. "Yup, Spearfish is where the Wild Bunch are suspected ta be hidin', an it seems they're likely operatin' near there. Course I need ta take a trip out ta Bear Gulch first and visit Hobbeson's Hole. Seems like there's a lady named Sibley there I might jus' be able ta impersonate. Gotta meeter first, an' I'ma need someone ta watch my back while I ride out that way, too. And I'm sure Isabelle wouldn't mind seein' Rio 'gain."

"Indeed there is sir."  Belle answered plainly.  When Cox made intonations, Belle could only nod.

"Very well.  I will make this plain.  It may not be much, but all I have ever had in this life is the railroad.  I suffered a tragic setback when Denver-Pacific closed its spurline, as my services were no longer necessary.

"I have regressed in the industry back to the level of mechanic, which I admit is an entertaining profession, but one I wish to retire to once age makes my higher calling less tenable.  The engines tell me a story in their sabotaged drivetrains and scorched blastmarks, that they are preyed upon by wicked men with no respect for the Iron Horse, a poetic sobriqet if there ever was one for the very machine which heralds the wonders of tomorrow yet to come.

"No, my talents are better spent preventing the damage from occurring.  However I suffer a certain... pigment deficiency, and my Cantonese while understandable still has a horrible anglophonic accent to it, seeing as I learned it as a pidgin language originally and it took considerable effort to establish literacy.  I believe if I could find out what the Wild Bunch has done with certain stolen property, I could put in a much better case for promotion that would help Iron Dragon overlook these differences.

"So I come on the condition I be allowed to interrogate with these men.  However, I need no cut of any bounty or reward, as my recompense will come elsewhere."

Mad Dog give Belle a glazed look, as if he only understood one word in twelve. But at "Iron Dragon," he blinks. "You wurk fer the Kangerz?" he asks.

"It would indeed be interesting to figure out what the Wild Bunch has done with their stolen goods." Bass says. "As they certainly don't seem to be spending much of it in town. This is the only place I can think of within two hundred miles where any creature comforts might be had."

Mad Dog leans back in his seat. "Weren't so bad when theyz wuz just robbin' the trainz. Then they started hittin' the chink'z minez. That still weren't so bad, but now theyz robbin' everyone. And the Goddamn savagez...they don't seem to do nothin'. Any other good Christian folk theyz catch, they drag to Deadwood behind a horze. But not the Wild Bunch. Awful fishy, if you azk me."

Belle patted her bandoleer of railspikes.  "These are not merely fashion accessories sir.  Though I am told they are haute couture in the salons of Chattanooga."

"Yeah, but I thought wit thet get-up you wuz some sort o' Madgirl, like them az wurk fer Hellstromme or Smith Robards." He takes a drink. "Ya know, they'z gotz a Madgirl, too. She tearz around wit a jetpack an' a gun that shoots stickz o' dynamite, laughin' her head off."

"Well I suppose that is partially accurate, as Denver Pacific is a subsidiary enterprise of Smith and Robards.  However I am mostly self taught.  Mostly."

She tapped her chin, bemused with this fellow.

"Madgirl, what a colloquially nuanced expression.  I think I can prepare a counter to such a tactic as that before we leave.  Do you have any other intelligence?"

The miner tilts his head and scowls. "You callin' me dumb?"

"No, she wants to know if you know more about the Wild Bunch." Sam says.

"Oh." Carver shrugs. "Ummm...they'z got more mad science stuff. Flamethrowaz, gatlin' riflez, vests what bounce bulletz off'n 'em, thet kind o' thing. Lord knowz where they'z gettin' it. Virgil sed somthin' about them goin' into Satan'z Garden an' wranglin' some kinda fire lizzerdz, but I dunno if I believe thet."

Katy paid close attention to the information about the Wild Bunch. It all seemed to confirm other rumors she'd heard. "Awful fishy as ya say. As fer where they're gettin it - possible they mebbe gettin' supplied by one o' Kang's rivals. Course that makes 'em extra dangerous. S'also fishy they ain't spendin' anythin' in Deadwood. Least not s'far as is known. So they mebbe gotta few folks here helpin' 'em out."

She shrugged. "Though I ain't sure how much where it's comin' from matters right now. Knowin' that they're well-supplied an' dangerous is mostly what we need ta know goin' in. If we c'n find out who's supplyin' em, well, that'll be a nice result from interrogation."

In reply to Mad Dog Carver (msg # 67):

When Carver mentions the mad science gear, Zek perks up a bit. "I might be able to track them by their gear." He offered, knowing such things had a link to the hunting ground.

Sam raises an eyebrow. "And how do you plan to do that?"

Belle contemplated that.  "It's not implausible in principle.  The aetheric detritus from heavy use of such a concentration of sufficently advanced devices would be detectable with precision instruments, though the mystery of how one does this without a purpose built device eludes me."

Hargrave remained silent, half listening to the conversation, while partially lost in his own thought. Could the Sibley in the canyon be...his sister? Although he wanted to feel buoyed by the prospect of finding her once more after all of these years, the weight of the numerous disappointments he'd faced kept him from claiming too much hope. It could easily be an entirely different person, another traveler come to Deadwood to seek her fortune.

As he listened to the description of some of the armaments and creatures the Wild Bunch had access to, he found his thoughts drifting back to Socorro. Once again, the strange, unspoken secrets of this frontier reared their heads. It stood to reason. The Texas Rangers wouldn't likely be drawn to the mundane. Even so, some of it still sounded outlandish. But given what he knew, it didn't seem prudent to dismiss the accounts out of hand. There was almost certainly some truth to the tales.

Zek stares at Belle as she offered an explanation. "Ummm...what she said. Sorta. Won't know until I try." He offered.

"Soundz gud." Mad Dog says, finishing off his drink.

Sam nods. "Well, I have to go see what Coltrane's up to. If I catch up with Bryant, I'll let him know you're coming by." He stands and tips his hat. "Ladies. Gentlemen."

Then he heads for the swinging doors.

((OOC: I think you've learned all that you can about this for now. Unless you guys have anything else to ask Mad Dog, we can move on and you can do what you were initially planning on before this interruption.))

Belle wasn't happy about letting Sam Bass walk, but this issue with the outlaws was pressing.  The details of their subsequent rendezvous were unclear, but it couldn't be helped.

She had a self appointed rendezvous with a man who had suffered a recent accident.

Katy nodded at Sam's parting words. "It'd be appreciated."

Her gaze drifted back over to Belle, Zek, and Trace. "So where y'all headed? We don't need ta sign up fer the DMA this moment, but I also don't wanna wait too long. Long enough fer Bryant ta know some new recruits might be comin'."

((OOC: Well? I know where Belle is going. What about Zeke and Trace?))

Hargrave frowned, momentarily lost in thought as he considered the current situation. The last thing he wanted to do was to put the pursuit of the Wild Bunch in jeopardy. "I came here from the mining office," he explained, "I probably need to return there briefly."

Katy nodded at Trace's response. "You...wanna walk with me fer a bit? I'ma just stoppin' by ta say hello to a couplea folks in town. I'll head ta the minin' office with ya once that's done?"

"I've an appointment to keep."  Belle responded simply.  "I shall rendezvous upon its completion."

Sorry missed that Cox had talked to her somehow!