Adam woke up with a numb arm and a groan. He rolled onto his side, hearing the clatter of glass as he did, sitting up and slamming his head hard against the table above. He cursed, rubbing his head as he crawled out from under the table and stumbling to his feet. Quiet snoring over by the bar alerted him to another human's presence and found Ramirez sprawled on top of the bar itself using a boot for a pillow. He looked up to find the bartender smirking at him from behind the bar.

He smiled rather sheepishly boots clattering over the floor as he walked over and unceremoniously turfed Ramirez onto the floor.

The other man yelped in surprise and flailed about for a second before looking up, "Adam!"

Adam looked around the room trying to find his hat, and surprisingly, found it sitting on top of a mounted ram's head on the wall. He walked over and picked it up, placing it back on his head as Ramirez wobbled to his feet.

"You boys enjoy your night."

Ramirez squinted at the light leaving in through the window, "That was.... One eventful night, drinking, debauchery and catching outlaws." He slapped Adam on the shoulder, "What a good time."
A 'small' smile crossed Adam's face, "Leave it to us to manage not to have a normal evening. Now come on, let's go find some horses."

***

They found their houses in the stables just outside of town. The place was enough of a tourist trap that it was likely the horses were available to rent. He doubted they would just be allowing anyone to take one for a joyride though and stepped into the stable first with Ramirez walking behind him.

"Smells like horse in here." Ramirez muttered

"Stop being such a Diva." Adam said walking forward to where a farm hand was carting away a wheelbarrow of waste and the stable manager was standing patting one of the horses.

The smell of horses and fresh hay wafted over him and he had a sudden flash of his childhood.

His father's voice echoing in his head.

"That's it, not too tight on the reins, Adam. There you go."

He shook himself and walked up to the man who turned, "Mornin' the man greeted touching the brim of his hat, "What can I do for you."

Adam motioned a finger at himself and Ramirez, "We were hoping to rent some horses,"

The man looked them up and don skeptically, "Do you boys know how to handle and take care of a horse?"

"I do, my friend there doesn't... so he'd need something.... Gentle perhaps something you use to teach children."

Ramirez frowned, Adam smirked at him.

"Well guess we will have to see. I don't just rent out my horses to anyone you know. Have to prove you can take care of them and treat em nice before i allow that."

Adam nodded, "i'd question you a bit if you didn't have that policy."

"Well I can suggest a few." He turned to walk down the line, "For your friend there, he might want to take Buttercup, she's a sweet old girl, still has some spirit left in her but she's gentle and sure footed out of all the animals I had ever known. How about you sir, what's your experience."

Adam shrugged, "Dad taught me to ride when I was a kid. I can gallup and stay on at a jump, know how to groom and take care of one, but I admit it's been a few years."

The man nodded slowly and thoughtfully before walking to the end of the stable and patting a stall door, "This is Maroz, she's a bit stubborn, but I think a man like you might be able to handle her."

Adam walked over with Ramirez at his back to look at the horse, Stunning, white like a pearl, with thick legs but a long mane managing to look elegant and imperious at the same time.

"Wow, she's gorgeous."

"Well go on, let her get a sniff at you."

Adam walked up to the gate offering her the back of his hand fingers slightly curled inward, in an almost fist. She stuck her head forward sniffing at his hand, hot air blowing in great gusts over his skin.

After a moment she snorted and nosed at his hand allowing him to gently pat her along the velvety skin of her muzzle.

"Well hello gorgeous." He said.

She tossed her head a bit.

The man nodded pleased and opened the gate, allowing Adam o take the rins and walk her onto the floor.

"A firm hand, thats good, a lot of people arent firm, but you have to be. You have to let them know you are in charge. It gives them a sense of security."

He led Ramirez over to another stall where a silver horse stood tossing her head. She stopped as he approached and sniffed at him."

He looked a bit nervous, "They are a lot bigger up close."

Adam smirked, "Oh come on, they're sweet." he patted Maroz's side and the horse tossed her head.

Adam left Ramirez with the stable owner for a moment as he went over to put a saddle on the white house throwing the leather over her back and tightening the girth-strap before adjusting the stirrups.

The stable owner walked over to check his work and seemed pleased.

Go ahead and hop on take her for a ride around while I get your friend saddled up, and show him a few of the basics.

Adam nodded, throwing his foot up into the stirrup and then hauling his other leg over the back of the horse. She shuffled a bit, but once he had himself situated things started to become more familiar and he gently tapped the rains urging her forward into a slow walk.

Ramirez was still eying the horse like it was going to eat him, which made Adam smile a bit.

He walked her outside and urged her into a light trot ad then into a canter around th stables, his hips moving with her as her body rolled under him.

He lifted his face to the open air.

He had forgotten how much he enjoyed this.

Once that was done, he urged her into a gallup and she responded to him thundering over the desert ground sending up clouds of dust after the. He whooped in glee, leaning low over her neck before turning her around and pulling her to a stop before the doors of the barn.

Ramirez was there strategically trying to figure out how to haul himself into the saddle. He tried once, overbalanced and fell backward into the dirt in a puff of dust. The horse whinnied like it was laughing at him. Adam laughed, "Guess ice dancing doesn't exactly translate into horseback riding eh?"

"Shut up Adam, By the end of today this beast will be my bitch."

Adam leaned against the pommel of the sadel with some skepticism. Ramirez tried again and ended up hopping away off balance.

He patted Maroz's neck, "See girl, I did that and I only have one leg."

"An ENHANCED prosthetic if I may remind you." Ramirez said. The silver horse sat there with no end to her patient nature."

Ramirez finally managed to haul himself into the saddle, and from there wasn't too bad. He had a good sense of balance even at a trot and got the hang of it pretty quickly, walking and even trotting slowly around the small paddock.

The stable master urged Adam t jump the horse a few times, and he managed a few low fences before chickening out at something bigger and pulling the horse to a stop.

The man tapped his chin lightly, "Alright, I suppose you're capable enough. I'm still gonna give you some instruction before you head out."

Adam took the instruction very seriously, forcing Ramirez to sit down and listen as well. What they were about to do wasn't going to be a picnic and they wanted to be as safe as possible while they did it.

After a while they had their extra clothing and bedrolls rolled up and packed on the horses.

They purchased a map and a compass and were waved off into the open country at a slow walk with the sun high overhead.

Adam held the reins gently in one hand, fist resting against his thigh.

"Showoff." Ramirez mumbled almost white knuckling the reins off to his side.

"I can't believe you are from Texas and don't know how to ride a horse."

"An ice skater from texas, a sexy almost Olympian from the city."

Adam snorted and laughed, "You asked for this trip, you asked for this to happen."

"I wanted us to dress up and go drinking, I didn't think you were going to drag me out into the desert to go live on the land and.... I dont know skin alien rabbits or some shit."

"We brought food quit being dramatic."

Ramirez looked up at the sky, "Forgot my harmonica, guess I'm going to have to start singing."

"Sing what?"

"I don't know, country songs and shit."

"What country songs do you know?"

He shrugged, "Plenty."

"Like what."

"There Is the, I love my truck song."

Adam and the hose snorted at the same time.

"There is the, I lost my wife song, the I like drinking song, the I love country dirt song,and the I love lovin women in corn fields song."

Adam choked and started to laugh, the sun beating down on them, "I would LOVE to hear your rendition of the love lovin a woman in a corn field song. And yes that is a challenge."

Ramirez reached up to stroke his chin just a bit, "Hold on, gotta remember the lyrics."

Adam waited grinning as his friends tared intently at the saddle before him.

"I..... Ah ha um.... Driving my girl down to the field.....er."

"Go on....." Adam reached down for his canteen and took a sip

"Getting all ready to uh.... Plow her field."

He regretted pretty quickly taking that drink as sudden laughter caused him to spurt water out his nose like a broken faucet. He choked and gagged and gasped for air, howling with laughter to the point he was bent double on his horse silently shaking ad slapping his leg repeatedly with murth.

When he could finally speak he sat up and gasped, "You dumbass rymed field with field. You could have at least used yield or wield or healed or kneeled. Heavens above, now I KNOW why you're a marine."

Ramirez flipped him the bird, and Adam urged them into a light canter over the dirt. He kept an eye on the horses, making sure not to tire them out too much though he doubted the pase at which they were riding would actually have any adverse affect on them. He doubted Ramirez would be able to handle a full gallop any time soon but was happy to feel the wind rushing against his face and neck.

The air smelled alien, as alien planets tend to smell. It was hard to describe it, almost metallic, like he could taste it, and as the sun set the sky overhead grew purple. They said there was a higher concentration of oxygen on this planet which is what made the usually red to orange sunsets on a place like earth purple on a palace like this. It was pretty in a very strange way, casting an eerie light over the orange red desert as if they had been thrown into some strange space cowboy fantasy, which he supposed they had.

As soon as the sun met the horizon, Adam ordered them to a stop below one of the rock formations against the leeward side and set up camp. There was a pamphlet in the saddle bags that discussed local flora and fauna of the area, what was safe to burn, and what was safe to eat.

They had more than enough food to last them on their trip out to one of the settlements, so they didn't worry about that as they sat down by the fire watching as the sun cast bright orange streaks of light access a purple sunset.

Adam leaned back against his saddle watching the horses as they grazed quietly off to the side on strange bluish rock grass that was apparently pretty good for horses.

"Not half bad." Adam muttered, taking a swig from his canteen.

Ramirez only grunted from where he leaned against his saddle using it as some sort of pillow with his hat drawn low over his eyes.

Adam reached a hand down to his belt, fingers brushing over the stolen knife.

What was he doing?

He had never stolen anything, not in his entire life.

Not even when the person desperately needed to be stolen from. He glanced down at the knife again. What had come over him in that moment? Were his thoughts of Sunny really so profound that he would think about becoming a thief just to impress her.

Was it.... Was it perhaps this whole atmosphere that made him so likely to steal.

The wild west, the final frontier, a place where the rules were fast and loose and finders meant keepers.

Off to his side Ramirez was breathing deeply probably asleep after a long day of riding.

Adam felt that, his legs hurt somewhat, and so he stretched them out, leaning back against the rock.

At least they didn't have to worry about rattlesnakes or spiders. The biggest issue here were these sort of one eyed looking lizard things that had little spines on their skin that could cause a mild rash on people, though that was only on the people who happened to be allergic to them.

He closed his eyes trying not to think too much and certainly trying not to think of Sunny.

Wherever she was.

Likely alone.

Likely still mad at him.

He cursed himself for ruining their friendship which had taken so long to build. What they had come from before just go go back to square one so many years later. He took a deep breath and tried not to think, just tried to let himself sleep.

***

He woke to the disturbed nickering of the horses.

Anda cold gun barrel pressed to the back of his head.

He jolted upright reaching for his gun, but the barre pressed harder against the back of his skull, "I wouldn't try that if i were you, Partner." the words came out spitting and derisive, and Adam held his hands slowly in the air blinking against the light of their little campfire.

On the other side of the circle he could see another dark figure standing behind Ramirez's gun pointed at his head in a similar fashion to Adam.

Ramirez looked almost as groggy as he felt, and chanced a look at him across the fire.

"Don't you boys even THINK about trying anything."

Adam kept his hands where they were his voice calm, "I am sure..... This is all just some sort of misunderstanding."

He winced as the gun barrel pressed harder against the back of his head.

"No misunderstanding about it 'friend' you're being robbed, so you are going to sit there and shut up."

"Go ahead, I'm not stopping you." Adam said his hands surprisingly steady"

He watched as the men rifled through their things pulling out food ad ammunition only to shove them into their bags and keep rooting through.

One of them went rifling through Adam's pockets and gumbelt while they had them sat on the rocks, Pulling out his handgun and the knife which had already been stolen.

"Are we done now?" Adam asked probably not intending to have such an acerbic mouth, but finding the annoyance biting to the front of his thoughts against his will. And were out before he could stop them.

"Get insolent would you."

A sharp pain exploded on the side of his head, and he went sprawling to the dirt, his hat rolling off towards the fire.

He groaned and crawled to his hands and knees spitting dirt and blood onto the ground.

Someone knelt in front of him, gripping his chin aggressively and forcing his head back to look up at them, "I-"The man paused and then frowned, "Do i know you.... You look familiar."

Adam jerked his head away, "Guess I just got one of those faces."

"No, no I know you from somewhere."

Adam sighed, this was all playing out like some poorly written trope, and if he knew where this was going —which he thought he did– than it wasn't going to end well.

"You been drinkin again Davis."

"No I swear, take a look at him."

There was a shuffling around the fire and Adam's head was forced back again by a handful of hair as the group leader clomped over the dirt,spurs jangling as he did, coming to crouch before Adam with a contemplative expression. Unlike their encounter with the outlaw last night, this man was.... Well he was a lot more put together. He was clean shaven with a well tanned complexion and a velvety black hat only slightly coated by dust. He wore a red vest over a black shirt, and all the silver buckles that held him together shone in the darkness of the fire.

He scrutinized Adam for a very long time before.

"Well slap my ass and call me Nancy, if it isn't Admiral Vir of the UNSC." he spit into the dirt and the rest of the men around the fire moved in to circle around him.

Adam sighed, he knew he had been had.

"Figure that out all on your own " He wondered staring the man in the face with barely concealed contempt.

Across the fire Ramirez was staring at him with a 'what the fuck do you think you are doing." Sort of expression.

The man laughed mirthlessly, "You've got a tongue on you, Admiral." He glanced over at Ramirez, "And who is this, faithful dog or your lover."

Adam sneered, "I could ask the same thing about you and all your....friends.": He glanced around the campfire at the group of armed men.

What the fuck was he doing/?

"You're funny Admiral," h looked around, "isn't he funny boys."

Around the fire, the group of men laughed with cold derision.

Their leader crouched down, and patted Adam slowly on the shoulder, "I am Happy to see you Admiral, very happy to see you. I'm a big fan, loved your movie, though learning that you were in support of those alien fuckers put me off a bit, I have to admit." He placed the barrel of his gun below Adam's chin and tilted his head back slightly. "Almost didn't recognize you without the eyepatch." He tapped the side of Adam's head with the gun barrel, "Freaky that thing is, referring to Adam's eye.

Adam snered, "Then you'll really find this freaky."

With a sharp whirr, the steel eye prosthetic jolted to life and flashed upward with a ferrel hiss. No one had time to react before the sharp thud of metal on flesh as his metallic shin drove itself hard into the fork of the man's legs.

He achieved the desired effect as the man crumbled like a wet piece of tissue gagging and choking into the fetal position.

Adam was grabbed by the shoulders and pinned bodily to the ground, more than five weapons pointed at his face.

Just ahead the bandit leader lay on the ground mewling and gagging every so often.

It took him a good fifteen minutes to recover and when he finally staggered to his feet Adam more than expected to be shot. In a blur of motion the man pulled his gun and pointed it at Adam's head a grimace still plastered over his face. His hand trembled with what must have been rage but he eventually lowered his weapon, "If you weren't so valuable, I would shoot you where you stand."

He glanced over at Ramirez awith a thoughtful expression, "Try anything like that again, and I kill your friend."

That mande Adam Freeze, and he glanced over at Ramirez with wide eyes,

The man snarled, "Thought that would get your attention, but still.... I owe you."

Adam probably should have seen the boot coming, but he only registered it at the last moment before blacking out completely.