"This is the fortress you were talking about?" asked Michael.
They were standing in front of a four-foot fence whose paint was peeling in various places. Beyond the fence was a large unkempt garden that sat in front of a homestead that looked like a smaller uglier version of the one Wilson lived in. Michael only saw a couple of guards at the entrance. One of them was asleep in a chair.
"Don't be fooled," said Owen taking a sip of his rum. "This place is well guarded. He offered it to Michael whose lips contorted at the sight. Owen shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I guess you won't really need it with the plan I've got in mind."
"What does that mean? What plan?" Michael asked. One-eyed Owen seemed to be more of a mystery the longer you stayed with him.
"You're going to get inside there," said Owen pointing at one of the open windows. "He's inside that room."
"How do you know he's there?" asked Michael.
"Oh, right. You can't see it," said Owen pointing to his augmented eye. He then fished out a dusty pair of binoculars from his jacket and handed it to Michael. There was a thin crack on the surface of one of the lens but Michael could clearly see the man through an open window. He didn't have a shirt on and he had a metallic stick in his hand. The man lowered it and Michael realized there was a red, searing-hot brand at the end of it. The man laughed as he shoved it forward.
"What is he doing?" asked Michael.
"Whadya think?" said Owen impatiently. "Branding his cattle except not the cattle you'd expect."
Michael moved to the side and looked through the binoculars again. He felt sick at what he saw.
A young pale-skinned girl who looked like she was in her twenties was tied firmly to a chair. She was naked and Michael could see signs of a beating all over her skin. She was screaming as the man held the branding iron against her skin. Michael could just barely make out her screams from this distance now that he knew what to hear. It was a painful sight, one which made his skin crawl.
"Who would do such a thing?" he said with disgust.
"Oh, Michael. There's so much of the world you still haven't seen."
Michael wasn't sure what that meant. He lowered his binoculars and got back to business. "Why am I the one who is going to go inside? Why about you?"
"I'll stand guard here."
"What?" Michael asked taken aback by the answer. He examined the homestead again as if making sure he hadn't missed anything. "Why can't you come with me?"
"This fence isn't what it seems to look like. You see this area," said Owen gesturing with his hands above the fence. His expression had suddenly turned serious. Michael swore he could hear a tremor in that robotic voice. "It is covered in an invisible electric force field that completely obliterates anything it touches. It's why you see so little security in this place."
Michael stared hard at the place where he was pointing. Michael could see nothing there, not even a shimmer or a tiny reflection of a force-field.
"Stop trying to look for it," said Owen sighing. "It's invisible. It wouldn't be called invisible if you could see it."
"I still don't see how I can get inside and not you."
Owen grinned. Michael saw him unsheathe his dagger and hold it in front of him. The realization hit him.
"No way. No fucking way are you going to kill me," said Michael backing away almost falling into the fence. "You are not going to kill me."
"It's the only way."
"How about we go through the front?" suggested Michael.
"Then we would have to kill the guards. You really want to kill an innocent? Not to mention that the cameras would detect us the moment we got through. We might be able to kill Cole even then but that would mean the law would be after us and it wouldn't take them long to figure out that you were involved with Willy."
Michael thought about Rose. The look of distress on her face as she had been molested by those goons and how close to death she saw. If Cole was responsible for this, then he would pay for it.
Michael sighed and faced away from Owen. He closed his eyes. "You sure it won't hurt?" "Only for a second."
"Well, get on with it then."
Michael was barely able to register the cold sensation of the blade's steel before it slashed along his throat. The pain was momentary but intense and he kept his thoughts on the room which he had seen through the window.
He respawned instantly inside the room. Cole turned around to look at Michael with his mouth agape. The branding iron fell from his hand and slowly rolled towards Michael's feet. The naked woman in the chair had the same look of horror on her face. It was as if she had forgotten the burning pain that seared through her above the left breast.
"Who… who the hell are you? You ain't Billy," stammered Cole raising his hands.
Michael lifted the branding iron and raised towards Cole. The woman in the chair started to sob loudly and fight against her restraints.
"You killed Clinton's girlfriend," said Michael trying his best to keep his composure. The sight of the girl being tortured confirmed his suspicions about Cole wanting to hurt Wilson's family. "You tried to kill his daughter too. You sent Hicks after her as well."
"I ain't done no such thing," said Cole still stammering lifting a shaky finger to his heart. "Cross my heart and hope to die."
Michael looked at the woman and raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, that," said Cole turning to her and smiling. "That… that's just me having a little fun. It's what she's paid for."
Michael pushed aside Cole and got to work on untying her. She had her eyes closed in fear of the respawner. Michael smiled and said to her in a reassuring voice, "It's going to be okay.
I'm here to help you."
Bang. He felt the bullet speed past him. He let out a cry of surprise as her head jerked back and a red gaping wound formed on her forehead. Her fear-ridden eyes stared up at the ceiling.
Bang. Michael looked behind and saw that Cole had to fallen to the ground and a pool of blood formed beneath his head.
Owen stood there with a revolver in hand. Fumes of gunpowder smoke rose from the barrel of the gun. Michael glared at Owen.
"Why did you kill her?!" he demanded. "She didn't do anything. Why did you kill her?" "I didn't kill her," said Owen examining Cole's corpse, making sure he was dead. "Huh?"
"You did."
Owen approached Michael and slammed the butt of the revolver hard into the temple of his head. Michael dropped to the ground as his vision went red with pain. He could feel something moist on the side of his head and knew he was bleeding. He tried to sit up but groaned when he tried to. His vision felt dizzy. He couldn't comprehend what was happening around him properly.
The last thing he remembered was his arms being tied up before he lost consciousness…