Dawn and Bullets

10 MPH

Dave caught himself staring at the calendar decorating the train car for too long. So much charming scenery was outside the window, yet his eyes couldn't escape the year displayed on the calendar. 2203, meaning Dave had been bagging in bounties for a decade and a half now. Feels like yesterday. he thought. Fellow passengers of the Canto Express hustled past Dave, eager to escape the train. Folks thought it was strange, the way he dressed. He had a cowboy hat and sunglasses, a large black trenchcoat, a red bandana disguising his mouth, and gloves on his hands despite it being May. Nobody had the bravery to chat with the stranger. That only proved Dave's disguise was working as intended. Still though, that didn't mean that Dave paid no mind to the lively men and women around him. He watched a married couple - one bot husband and one flesh mother - talk to their kids about some apparently grand statue.

"It's going to be crowded, so I want you two to stay close to us, alright?" the father warned.

"This thing is supposed to be like my toy, right?" a boy asked as he paraded around an action figure depicting Dawnden, the legendary bounty hunter.

"Uhh, sort of," the mother attempted to explain. "It'll be like your figure, but a whole lot larger."

Dave smiled as he saw the boy light up with glee, posing his action figure while his sister asked, "Will Dawnden be there?"

"The poster says he will be!" the father declared, desperate to see a smile from his adopted daughter. Sure enough, the girl became just as cheerful as her brother, practically dancing with excitement! Dave chuckled, and then he reached into his coat. With an entire pocket dedicated to it, Dave carefully pulled out a picture. On the paper was a beautiful young woman complete with black hair, glasses, and a charming smile. She sat atop a diner chair and looked at the camera with eyes prettier than stars. As Dave admired her, the train slowly came to a halt, and the family as well as the rest of the car's inhabitants scurried off. Both children began babbling onto their parents about how incredible they believed Dawnden to be.

With hardly anyone remaining, Dave looked around to find one man remaining in the car, existing by the exit. Dave happily said, "Nice to see a fellow gent let others go before him. After you," and gestured to the doorway. The gentleman tipped his hat and departed, followed by Dave. The outside train station flooded with life, men and women darting every direction while the afternoon sun observed from a distance. Dave, searching for one party in particular, shuffled through the crowd until he spotted a noteworthy collection of men. Two gentlemen dressed in sharp suits and a board simply covered with Dave's name made eye contact with him. Looking at nobody else in the crowd, Dave strolled directly over their way.

"What're you here for?" one of the men asked.

Dave casually sighed, "Oh, I just really want to see a statue."

Both of the men smiled, lowered the sign, and stated, "Right this way then." With professional confidence, they directed Dave towards a set of stairs and down the road. While other people scooped themselves into horse-drawn carriages or plainly walked, Dave was surprised to find an entire limousine waiting for him, an impressive one at that. It possessed an exterior shinier than any car he had ever witnessed before.

"Well, I can't remember the last time I was inside a car so big," Dave noted.

"The president is pulling all the stops today, sir," a guard promised. Dave approached the back passenger seat while the guards surrounded the door, blocking any prying pedestrians from glimpsing inside the vehicle. Dave sat down and removed his bandana and gloves, then buried them into his coat. He glanced around and immediately found President Gregor sitting with one leg over the other, stroking his aging goatee.

His smile calmed the car, and he greeted, "Hello, Dave! Glad you could pay me a visit."

Dave chuckled, "C'mon, sir, I think we can quit it with the Dave crap."