The Argo Goes West

73, The God, the Bad and the Ugly

They wore khaki military uniforms, but they were untidy. They had unkempt hair and stubble. They were no ordinary soldiers by any means. They were not a regular army, but a hodgepodge of volunteers - the Rough Riders.

Ben Daniels' Rough Riders were made up of prisoners unlike any other unit. They were supposed to be hanged, but they were released on the condition that they fight a monster from Greek mythology.

The slender Cat and the fat Hutch were a duo of bank robbers. Loco was a former bounty hunter with glistening eyes in his gaunt face. Chaco was a sadist who loved killing people. Candy was the brother of the bandit leader, and his hairstyle resembled a mushroom. Thomas Caine was serving time in prison for shooting and killing a rival lovers. He was Ben's only old friend, and they fought as members of the Rough Riders in the Spanish-American War.

"Come here, you can get away from here."

Chaco laughed at the Titan and said. The Titan was one of the Titans, and his name was Epimetheus. He was the brother of Prometheus. He was big, but he didn't look formidable. He was chubby, and his eyelids drooped sleepily. He was terrified, surrounded by humans with guns. He wanted to run away, but he didn't know what to do. Now Chaco showed him the way. Epimetheus believed Chako's words and ran happily. But it was a trap.

"Sorry, I led you on."

Chaco shot his rifle at Epimetheus' right shoulder. The bullet hit just fine.

"I got it. Five dollars."

They were betting on target against the Titan.

Epimetheus put his hand on his shoulder and looked puzzled. He had been doing the same thing over and over again, but he didn't realize it was a trap. Epimetheus' body was already covered in blood.

"Does this guy have no brain?"

"His body is too big for his brain's commands."

"Great bodies move slowly."

Their lewd laughter echoed through the Sierra Nevada's giant sequoia-lined native bush. Even though they were on duty, they were drinking and having fun.

"It's my turn next. I shoot in the right leg."

Candy declared so and aimed at Epimetheus' right thigh. But he failed.

"He screwed up," laughed Hutch, holding his stomach.

"No, it's the gun's fault. Damn it, this old gun!"

Candy blamed the rifle for her failure.

"Don't blame the gun. It's a very good gun," said Caine. "It's a German Mauser. It was used by the Spanish army during the Spanish-American War. It outperformed the Springfield guns used by the US military, and we got hit hard. "

Theodore Roosevelt, Caine and Ben's superiors, felt the same and urged the U.S. Army to introduce the Mauser. However, the Army refused to do so in order to save face. Roosevelt was outraged and purchased a Mauser gun at his own expense, which he gave to the Rough Riders.

"Left knee."

"Right heel."

They continued their shooting bets targeting the Titan. Eventually, Epimetheus lay motionless on the ground.

"I'll do the finishing."

Loco's weapon was not a rifle, but a machine gun, a fully automatic Maxim gun that replaced the Gatling gun. It was a mechanism that automatically wound the bandolier. Loco felt a soothing rhythmic vibration in his gun grip. Epimetheus' head splattered with blood and shattered like a watermelon. The smell of gunpowder excited Loco, who had made his living as a killer.