Sean gripped Mark's wrist tightly but didn't move his hand away from his mouth. The mayor watched the men drag a struggling Bob and Wade into the mine, before turning to face the Marshal and his men that were dragging Nathan to a horse. Giving a little shrug, the mayor asked aloud. "Out of curiosity. What do you plan to do with that one, James?" The marshal let a devilish smirk cross his face as he mounted his horse and announced. "Oh, a little of this and that. Just a little unfinished business between us. You shouldn't know much more for... prosperity's sake." The mayor nodded, chiming in quickly. "Yes. You're right. Better that I don't know. You will make sure that he doesn't come back though, right?" The marshal tipped his hand, chuckling out. "Dead as a broken door nail. Rest easy, boss. This will all be over soon." The mayor took a deep breath, glancing up at the clear sky as blissfully announced in return. "Yes. And it looks like it is going to be a lovely day. See you in the meeting hall." The marshal nodded, then glanced back at the men draping a tied and gaged up Nathan onto a horse.

With the kick of their boot heels, they rode down from the mines and toward Iron Hills town. Sean started to pull away to head for his own horse, but Mark wrapped him up in his arms and held him back. Sean struggled a little, until Mark whispered into his ear. "Not yet." The mayor looked over his bloodstained deputies, then huffed out darkly. "You boys better clean yourselves up. Can't have this looking like a massacre. It needs to look like a cave in. You retrieved all the guns?" One of the deputies pointed to a mine cart that was being pushed out from the entrance. Inside it was a heap of guns with sprinkled gold on the ends of the barrels and splotches of blood near the wooden handles. Gesturing to the guns, the mayor chuckled out. "Perfect! Load those up and take them to the Sheriff's office for cleaning. We'll probably need to use them again if we don't get the turn out we want on this first gold rush." Now Mark eased back toward their horses. Once they were far enough out of earshot, Mark whispered to Sean. "Alright. We've got to work fast." Shrugging, Sean whispered back a bit distressed. "What are we going to do first?" Mark licked his dry lips, telling him reluctantly in a soft voice. "Both. We'll split up. I'll take the mine. You go get Nathan."

Sean took a step back, shaking his head as he quietly shot back. "No! We shouldn't do that. Mark, we do this together." Putting a hand on Sean's cheek, he pulled him close and confidently whispered to him. "Sean. You ride faster than I do. You can reach Nathan in time. It will be easy for you to sneak in and out on your own. But if I don't go save Bob and Wade right now, they could die." Grabbing Mark's arms, Sean pleaded out desperately. "If you get caught in the mine than you will die with them. Mark... I can't let you do this. I don't want to lose you." Giving him a small warm smile, Mark brought his lips to his and told him in a deep passionate voice. "I know. But I'm the sheriff. It's my job. It's a risk I have to take." Leaning in more, Mark kissed him long and deep in the hopes of changing Sean's mind. When their lips parted, Mark tried to go, but Sean gripped his arm to hold him back, pleading out in a broken voice. "Mark... Please..." Mark straightened up, locking eyes with Sean as he told him openly. "I'm the only chance they got. I won't leave them." Swallowing past the hard lump in his throat, Sean strained out with teary eyes. "I know. Just please come back."

Mark pulled Sean's hand up to kiss the back of it, then with one final squeeze of his hand, he released him and headed up toward the mine again. Sean took shaky breaths watching him go but forced himself to snatch his rifle and swung onto his horse. Spurring his horse into a bolt, he rode the trail back to avoid the others seeing him ride out. Mark huddled by the thorn bush but glanced back to see Sean riding out of sight. What he was about to do was crazy, but he just couldn't sacrifice Bob and Wade. It went against his nature. Listening closely, he overhead the mayor finishing up. "Alright. Dynamite is set up?" A man answered and the mayor proudly. "Good. Let's get clear and set it off. I'll see you lot in the saloon. First round is on me." The men cheered and saddled up to leave. Mark stayed low, until they were riding down the hill slowly to keep from breaking the fuse line. Crouching, Mark quickly rushed to the mine entrance. Opening the cracked little wooden door to get inside, Mark removed his knife from his boot. Following the fuse inside, Mark grabbed the cluster of fuses and cut the lines. Tossing the lines away from the rest, Mark rushed into the dimly lit mine. The mine ran deep, and bodies lined the tunnels.

Mark thought he might get lost in the process of trying to find them, but faintly he heard Bob yelling out. "Don't do this! Don't leave us down here!" Staggering to a stop, Mark winced but yelled out. "Bob?! Wade?!" There was a brief silence before Wade yelled out. "MARK! DOWN HERE!" Jumping over strewn bodies, Mark rushed into an old mine elevator and kicked the rusty crank down. When the elevator touched the bottom, Mark shoved open the iron gate and ran down the next tunnel. Eventually, coming upon an open area that was lit up by torches. Around the wooden beam holding up the ceiling, were Bob and Wade. They laughed in relief when they saw him. While his jaw hit the floor at the sight of the rest of the room. The walls were glittering with spattered fools gold in the torch light. Down here they had coated the walls of the room and the tunnels beyond heavily with the stuff. Mark was jerked from his gawking, when Bob asked anxiously. "Where is Sean?" Running up to the thick ropes to start sawing them free, he answered breathlessly. "He's fine. He's going after Nate. What the hell happened to you guys?"

Wade winced, vaguely able to gesture to his bandaged leg when he answered quickly. "We made it to Fariss Ridge. Camped out for the night and got ambushed in the morning by Pinkerton dogs. They took me down and the Pinkerton shot Bob's horse dead. Nate took off." Taking a breath, Wade added on. "They dragged us into town. Through us in jail. Beat us in the hopes of us giving us where you were. We said nothing." Bob then cut in excitedly. "Morning came. Nate blasted a fucking hole in the jail wall. Got us out. We were heading out your way, when Nathan got shot off his horse. They were on him faster than flies on a carcass." As Wade's ropes came free, Wade limped away from the pole and told him grimly. "I'm sorry. We saw them dragging Nathan by a rope behind their horses and turned back. Got us all rounded up... They've been beating us daily. But Nate... Mark, that bastard plans to sell him." Mark shrugged it off, focusing on sawing up Bob's ropes. However, Wade moved closer and rephrased with worry. "Mark. James plans to sell Nathan to Mr. Danvers. The fucker from the train we robbed."

Cutting the last rope for bob, Mark tensed and blurted out. "You think he hired the Pinkertons?" Wade nodded, but Bob answered as he rubbed his bleeding wrists. "We don't think. We know. These bastards wouldn't shut up while kicking our ass." Grabbing Mark's arm, Bob told him seriously. "Mark, they are taking Nathan to a slave train headed for the boarder. Once there, Mr. Danvers is going to take possession of him and... Well, you don't want to know the rest. Let's just say that he wants to punish Nate in a way that isn't legal here in the states." Mark's breathing increased as he breathless uttered out. "Sean..." Wade nodded, telling him with concern. "That's why I brought it up. You sent Sean straight for the train that will want him too. And if we don't make it to the train. We'll never catch it..." Mark patted their chests, blurting out. "Then we need to get the fuck out of here!" Bob helped support Wade's weight as they rushed back toward the elevator. Just before they got on, the gate door slammed shut and it started moving up without them. Mark cursed, until he heard a man call out. "Make sure you restring the dynamite down there, Floyd. And keep your eyes open. Someone cut these. Make sure the prisoners are still down there."

Wade coaxed Bob to back up, telling Mark uneasily. "Mark, we don't have our guns. What do we do?" Turning around, Mark pointed back toward the pole, whispering to them. "Go back. I've got an idea." From above them, the man snapped back to the other. "Yes! I got it. Just shut up! I can't hear anything over your big mouth! Fuck." Running to the far back tunnel that held very little light and was almost entirely caved in from its original use, Mark changed his clothes with one of the dead Asian men. He had very little time, but adrenaline was allowing him to work fast enough. Bod and Wade put their backs to the pole and clutched a rope around themselves to try to look convincing. As the elevator finally came down, the man stepped out with his gun and called out. "Alright. What the hell is going on?" Bob flashed the man a grin, telling Wade. "See?! I told you they would come back to get us. This is just another torture method to try and make us break." Wade exhaled in relief, asking the man hopefully. "Alright. We had your laugh. Get us out of here and I'll talk! I swear!"

The man huffed, lowering his gun as he sneered out. "You guys don't get it. It's the end of the line for you. No one is going to... What the fuck...?" The man's eyes drifted to the back tunnel where Mark was inching his way out with a dented birdcage. Within the birdcage was a little canary that was dead. The wide brim of the sasgas hat hid Mark's face completely from view. Then to add to the scene Mark began speaking Korean in a rattled and distressed tone of voice. Wade glanced at Mark, then yelled out. "OH MY GOD! GAS!" Bob and Wade began to yell and plead with the man to be set free. While the man staggered back, yelling out. "Fuck this shit!" The man turned on his heel to run for the elevator, and Mark seized his chance. Lifting his other hand, the baggy sleeve fell back to reveal Mark's gun. Shooting the man in the back, the man fell short of the elevator. Hitting the ground hard, the man turned and panted out. "What the fuck?!" Tilting his head back enough for the man to see his face, Mark glared down the sight of his gun. The man only got to utter out his name before taking a bullet between the eyes.

Wade gawked at him, while Bob quickly walked over to pick up the man's guns. Blowing the smoke away from the barrel of his gun, Mark told them seriously. "Now you got guns. Let's go." Bob pushed the gate open, flashing Mark a smirk as he retorted. "Don't you mean, let's go get Sean?" They shared a light chuckle, before they were all knocked off their feet by an explosion that rocked the mine. Dust puffed up from the ground and the sound of the blast deafened them as everything fell into a pitch black darkness. Meanwhile, Sean rode his horse hard and fast toward Iron Hills. Sean kept the brim of his hat low over his eyes, when he finally slowed his horse and began wandering around to see if he could spot Nathan. The people of the town didn't pay him any mind. Bustling about like it was just an average day. To them he just appeared to be another deputized kid on a horse. Upon heading past the station to the stables, Sean yanked his horse to a stop. On the train platform, the marshal stood before Nathan who was being held upright by two of his men. Placing a hand on Nathan's shoulder, the marshal chuckled out to him loudly. "You are one hardy son of a bitch. You spend your youth trying to hunt me down. And for what? Just to end up enslaved by the system. Just like your whore of a mother was enslaved to satisfying men of the system."

The men laughed, but Nathan weakly shot out. "Laugh while you can, James. Alive or dead... I'm coming back for you. If I have to sell my soul, I will. Just to watch you burn." James smirked, shrugging out. "I'm an atheist. Hell doesn't scare me. And if you come back... you won't be in any state to hurt me. Do you know what they do to criminals like you beyond the boarder? And that is if Mr. Danvers isn't into some freaky shit. He's from Texas, you know. You know what they offer cowboys in Texas. A good time." The men laughed again, while the marshal smacked Nathan's face and growled out. "Get this Indian/Asian trash on the train." Nathan jerked weakly against the men dragging him to the train, but he screamed out to James. "Just wait, James! I'll be back and hell is coming with me!" The marshal huffed, giving Nathan a little sarcastic wave. The men passed Nathan to a man inside that chained Nathan up inside a cage. Then after the men jumped off the train, they slammed the train car's door shut and the Marshal called out. "Alright, Boys! Saddle up! We've got two more fuckers to find. It won't be long before they show us here looking for them. So here is where I want you to wait. Come closer."

Sean's attention drifted from the marshal to the train. The whistle was being pulled and the gears were starting to lock up. It was going to start moving. Glancing back toward the direction of the mine, Sean inhaled a nervous breath. Mark wasn't back and the train was leaving with Nate. If he didn't do something, he was going to lose him. The train hissed loudly and began to chug forward. Sean glanced around and removed his gun with a few anxious breaths. Turning his horse toward the leaving train, Sean took one last breath and kicked his horse into a run. His horse leapt up the steps and onto the platform, startling the deputies there. Sean fired a shot at the marshal, who took it to the shoulder and fell to the ground with a sharp scream. The deputies all scattered as Sean yelled out. "Morning fuckers!" Yanking his horse to run down the wooden platform, Sean tried to catch up with the right train car. Behind him, bullets started to fly, but Sean let his horse have his head. Allowing the horse to weave between people on the platform easier. Sean yelped as a bullet grazed his cheek, but he just tucked his head more. Holding on tight, Sean let out an excited cheer as his horse leapt off the wooden platform and onto the train tracks.

There was no way that he wasn't going to catch this train. He didn't care who was after him. He was going to save Nate. No matter what it took. To Be Continued...