Chapter 3: Meeting the Leaders
A/N: Thanks to everyone for the comments! Keep 'em coming. I love reading through them. Enjoy!
"So, let me see if I got all of this down." Liz said, finishing her glass of whiskey. She had long since sat down as Gage had laid out what was happening in Nuka World. "So there are three gangs, the Pack, the Operators and the Disciples. They all own part of Nukatown, USA and they all hate each other."
"Right."
"Right. The rest of the park is full of all sorts of enemies, robots, bloodworms, feral ghouls, and the like. So your plan is to clear out the rest of Nuka World and divvy the space up among the three gangs." She continued.
"You got it, boss." Gage replied with a smile.
"And, in so doing, the three gangs will hopefully fall in line and we will be one big happy family here?" She asked.
"Well, there are bigger ideas, but one step at a time." The raider replied. "And I never said you were in this on your own."
"Oh that's right. It was your idea to get Colter to be Overboss and lead the takeover of this park. And, since he messed it up, this is your last shot to get things under control." She added.
"Well… yeah, I guess that's one way of puttin' it. If we can get this park under our control, we will have a serious foothold." Gage replied, leaning against a wall near her.
"Well, then… let's get started." She said and got to her feet. She found a loose map of Nuka World lying on the counter of the bar she was sitting at. "Which park should we start with?"
"First thing's first. You should probably go meet the leaders of the gangs. They need to know you're in control now. They'll fall in line, but you got to show them you mean business." He said.
Liz shouldered her rifle and looked at her second in command. "And what will you be doing?"
"Look, they already know me. They need to see that I ain't pullin' no body's strings here. You show 'em that you got a mind of your own, and we shouldn't have any trouble from 'em while we are clearin' out the rest of Nuka World." He said, motioning his head towards Nukatown. "Go talk to em, boss."
Liz sighed heavily and walked towards the elevator, leading back to the ground level. As she did so, she saw two members of the disciples dragging a man in blue overalls and a dirty white shirt back to their little slice of the park. They disappeared through the double doors under Fizztop Mountain, hostage in tow. Turning to look over her shoulder at Gage, she smiled and said, "See you in a bit then."
Liz first went to meet the Pack. Making it through Nukatown, admiring the still working lights of the Nuka Arcade, among other buildings, statues and rubble, she came upon the large gate separating the amphitheater from Main Street. Two pack members stood guard, wearing ludicrously vibrant costumes and animal masks.
"Looky here. The new Overboss has decided to grace us with her presence. Mason was wondering when you'd show up." The male on the right side of the door said.
"Welcome to the Pack's domain, boss. Remember, if you ain't standing out, you ain't living right." The female added, grinning behind her mask. "Head right inside."
Liz proceeded into the doorway without a word in response. Inside, Liz saw cages holding Traders with slave collars around their necks. Two or three Traders were walking freely, but were sweeping or cleaning up after the animalistic gang. She walked past the cage and through the walkway in between the old stands of the amphitheater. A fighting pit was seen in the middle, with a dog and Trader duking it out. Liz pushed memories out of her mind of things she had done in the past and walked around the pit.
All eyes were on her, whether they were Pack members or the Traders behind bars; they all wanted to know what the new Overboss would do now that she was in control.
Mason, who had just finished giving orders to one of his underlings from his throne of stuffed animal parts, noticed the Overboss and smiled. "There she is. The lady of the hour. Come to the Pack's den."
Liz made her way to Mason, her face devoid of emotion, humor, or any inkling of nervousness. "You must be Mason."
"Guilty as charged. And you…. You don't look like much. Thought that you'd have some badass scars under that mask of yours, but I gotta say, I'm disappointed. You sure that you have what it takes to be the Overboss of Nuka World?"
"You sure you want to keep questioning me like this? Might get me in a bad mood." She shot back, her eyes looking into Mason's with a fierce glare.
The leader of the Pack smiled and nodded. "Alright, point taken. I just want to know one thing from you. Are you going to do right by the Pack? 'Cause Colter promised us a lot of things to get us here, and he didn't do shit about it."
"And what would you say 'doing right by the Pack' entails?" She asked, her arms crossed over the metal armor under her jacket.
"Well, caps are always good. The more of that we can get our hands on, the better. But, honestly? We want some action, some place we can spread our wings a bit, some challenge to sink our teeth into. You get where I'm coming from?" He asked.
She nodded, with her eyes locked on his. "Yeah, I think I can make that happen. And in return, you're going to place nice and do as I say."
Mason chuckled. "Oh? You think you can just tell me what to do just like that? You may run Nuka World, but I run the Pack. And in this den, I'm the king of the jungle. Understand?"
Liz stayed quiet for a second or two, then a mean smile spread across her lips. She took a step closer to Mason, standing to be eye level with him. "I do. And I hope you understand… that you will do as you're told, or I'll put you down." Her voice was like ice, serious and cold.
It took quite a bit of strength to keep Mason from taking a step away from her. "Whoa… easy there boss. Not in front of my guys, alright? You got a lot on your plate without a power struggle within the Pack to deal with." He said, under his breath. A nervous smile appeared and he chuckled. "You know, I think you and I got an understanding of one another. I look forward to working with ya. And I have a little gift to show our… mutual respect for one another."
Mason snapped his fingers and one of the Pack jogged over to him, carrying a brightly colored gun, painted pink, orange and yellow. "From my personal stash." He added as Liz took the automatic rifle in her hand. She slipped it into an empty holster strap next to her combat rifle and nodded to Mason.
"Mutual respect." She said and turned to leave. Mason watched her walk away and sat back on his thrown. He rubbed his chin, thinking about the Overboss. There was just something he liked about her.
The Operators were located in the dinner theater building near the Pack's amphitheater. The outside of the building was decorated with metal spikes, barbed wire, and animatronic mannequins in either positions of bondage with their throats cut, or playful positions of control over the other mannequins. As Liz approached, the Operator at the door coolly lowered his glasses.
"Wow. Boss, you ah… you look different without that mask on." He said, raising his eyebrows with a grin. "Uh…. Mags and William are inside." He quickly added and opened the door for her. Liz shot him a hot glare before walking into the building.
William and Mags stood on the stage, discussing the arrival of the new Overboss. "Well, well… speak of the devil..." Mag's said.
Both Mag's and William Black wore business suits under customized metal armor. They both looked clean, well groomed, and seemed to be in better health then the average raider.
"And she shall appear." Liz continued, walking to them.
William chuckled. "So it would seem."
"What do we owe the honor of the new Overboss's visit?" Mag's asked with a smirk, her voice was condescending and borderline monotone.
"I came to see if the Operators are as I've heard." Liz said, looking around.
"Oh? And how is that?" Miss Black inquired.
"Formidable, well- armed, fashionable… So far, I'm impressed." Liz replied.
Mags huffed out a laugh. "Well, I suppose I am at a loss, because I can't say the same about you. No one knows anything about you, boss. But I doubt you came here to give us your life story, so I will ask you this. Do you know what the main goal of this place was before the bombs dropped?"
"To make money, of course." Overboss Liz replied.
"Exactly. Caps. This place was a temple for the greed of humanity. And we were promised that we would receive a mountain of them if we joined up." Mags said.
"And here we are…. Stuck in Nukatown. Haven't made much of anything yet and it's starting to get under our skin." William added.
At this, Liz smiled. "Oh, I intend to get the same thing done. What is the point of holding up in a place like this without making a hefty, and I mean hefty, profit."
"Damn right." William cheered with a smile.
"So, I take it I have the Operators support with getting this place back in business of making a load of money?" She asked.
Mags looked at her brother and then back at the Overboss. "You keep your end of the bargain and we'll have your back. Don't go back on your promise though, boss. I hate broken promises."
Liz stuffed her hands into her pockets and nodded in a friendly way. "Of course. Wouldn't dream of it." She said and turned to leave the sibling duo to their scheming.
"I found him, he's mine!" Dixie shouted at Savoy within the Disciples underground base. All around the open interior of Fizztop Mountain were cages, metal spikes with body parts hung on them, traders and travelers alike hung on hooks or on displace in other gruesome ways. And on the base floor, in the center, were the two arguing gang members, their leader, Nisha, and one visitor to Nuka World that looked completely out of place.
"And I said it was a bad idea bringing him in here." Savoy growled back behind his metal mask.
The captive fought back the urge to vomit from the smell and sight of so much gore and blood, and finally found his voice. "Look, I don't want any trouble. I just came to trade. Some caravan said there were good deals here. Just… let me go and I'll leave." He tried to plead with them. His hands were chained together and he was kneeling next to Dixie.
"Hush now, sweetie. You don't have no say in this." Dixie snapped at the man and returned her attention to Savoy. "He wandered too close to our turf. He was warned to stay in the market. It's his own fault that he's here, and now I get to keep 'im."
"Enough!" Nisha cleared the air between the two bickering maniacs. "We have a guest and I don't want you two giving her the wrong first impression."
Dixie and Savoy turned to see the new Overboss standing in the doorway. She walked to the trio, giving a brief glance to the black haired man that was being fought over. "Dixie. Put your toy away. You can play with him after the Overboss leaves."
Dixie nearly jumped for joy when Nisha gave her the approval to keep the man. "Thanks, Nisha! I knew I could count on you." She said, and grabbed the chain around the man's wrists. "Come on, lover. You're with me."
The man stumbled to his feet and followed, reluctantly.
Nisha walked to stand in front of Liz. She was about as tall as the Overboss, not including the height add by her mask. Her leather armor was stained red from being drenched with blood more than once. She smiled a smug smile before introducing herself. "Sorry about that. I'm Nisha. Leader of the Disciples. I don't want to waste time with pleasantries, so here's how this is going to work. You make sure that we get our fill of blood and fun, and we'll back you. Plain as that. We don't care about caps, so don't bother promising us wealth. Leave that to those two stuck up pricks, the Operators. You keep us happy, and we'll stay with you."
Liz tilted her head, thinking. "And what, Colter didn't give you that?"
"Colter?" the raider chuckled. "He was a spineless idiot, but he had his uses. I'm glad he's gone. But I must admit, I am not impressed with his replacement. You don't look like you even know how to fight. I don't mean with a gun. Knives are much more…. Personal. But I'll give you a shot. A friendly warning; if you don't keep your end of the bargain, I'll give you a second smile across your throat. But that's nothing compared to what we'll do to Gage if his plan falls through a second time."
Liz paused for a moment and nodded. "I'm sure I can keep you all… entertained." She said.
Just as she finished her sentence, the man, his hands still chained, made a break for the door, rushing down the ramp. Before he could get past Nisha, Savoy tackled him to the ground. The two struggled before Savoy had him pinned.
Liz notices that the hostage wore a tool belt and a pair of welding goggles around his neck. She looked at Nisha and added, "How much for him?"
"Excuse me?"
"How much would it take to buy him?"
"He ain't for sale!" Dixie said, walking down the ramp from the upper level, where she had been trying to load her new 'toy' into a cage.
"Then how about a bet?"
Nisha thought for a moment. "What are the stakes?"
Dixie tried to protest before the Overboss continued. "I'll fight one of your own. Just knives, as you all seem to prefer them. I win, I get to keep him. You win, he's your's."
"Interesting…" the leader of the Disciples thought for a minute. "Fine. Savoy, would you do the honors?"
"Gladly." He said and stood from pinning the man on the ground. The rest of the Disciples, excited to see Savoy punish the new boss, rushed to form a circle around them. The captive who was being fought over stood by in the crowd, two of the gang members holding his arms to keep him from running again.
Liz took off her jacket and threw it on the dirty ground. She pulled a knife from her boot and held it in her right hand, the blade resting along her forearm. She stood tall, as Savoy fell into a fighting stance, a nine inch steel blade in his hand. The boss looked calm as Savoy made the first attack.
He made wide swings, each being dodged gracefully by the new Overboss. After two or three of these attacks, he lunged at her, aiming a stab for her stomach. Liz arched her body backwards, which was exactly what her foe had planned. With his free hand, he moved to grab her shirt to pull her to the ground. Liz planted her back foot and kicked him hard in the chest, sending him stumbling back before he could reach her.
As he was busy getting his feet back under him, Liz rushed forward and slammed her shoulder into him, knocking him to the ground. He scrambled to get up, but the slim woman sat on his chest, her dagger to his throat. The crowd cheered and whooped, chanting for the boss to end him with a slice to the neck. From her right, she could see Nisha's body tense. Though her eyes were hidden by her metal mask, Liz could tell that the leader was holding back her desire to step in and help Savoy.
Lizette looked down at her opponent and pulled the knife away from his throat, pocketing it as she straightened up. The crowd rang out in a round of boos at the lack of bloodshed. Liz calmly walked next to Nisha and quietly said, "Everyone has a weakness. I know yours. I expect I have your support and obedience."
Nisha didn't look to her side, but nodded ever so slightly in agreement. Liz grabbed the chain around the man's wrist and smirked at him, to the great dismay of Dixie. "Looks like you get to come with me."
"Look, Boss. I appreciate you getting me out of there. I don't want to be a bother for you anymore, so if you don't mind, I'll just get going." The man in the overalls said as he followed Liz to the elevator that lead up to Liz's new home.
"What's your name?" She said and stepped onto the platform, waiting for him to join her. The man, very reluctantly, stepped aboard and sighed.
"Sturges." He replied as the elevator started to rise.
"And what do you do, Sturges? Looks like you're handy, what with all the tools on your belt." She continued.
"Um… yeah, I guess so. I fix stuff, tinker, that sort of thing." He said.
"That's what I thought. I bet you can make all sorts of things. Like… improvements to my weapons and armor. I could always use a hand with that."
Sturges was about to reply when the elevator reached the top of the mountain. Gage looked at her and then at the man she had in tow. "And who the hell is this?" He asked, cocking an eyebrow.
"Gage, meet Sturges. He is my designated gun repair technician." She said and pulled the man off of the elevator platform. Once on solid ground, she worked on the chains, releasing him. Sturges rubbed his wrists and looked around.
"And you think he will still be here when we get back? Who's to say he won't run outta here as soon as we leave?" Gage asked, his arms crossed.
"Our neighbors will keep him in check." Liz replied. "After all, I took him from the Disciples. You think they won't drag his ass back as soon as they see him again?"
Sturges looked at Liz, nervously. "Alright, alright… no need to use threats. Guess I could stay for a while, make sure everything keeps working for ya. Least I can do for that rescue you pulled off."
"That's my man." She patted Sturges' shoulder and glanced over to Gage. "So… should we start with Kiddie Kingdom?"