Chapter Seven: Thicker Than Water
Leonardo peered down his scope, scanning the city. It was silent, silent as a tomb. Smoke still hung in the sky and rubble filled the streets. Not a soul moved in the buildings or on the streets.
"What's the word, Boss?" Raul asked him.
"Ghost town," Leo answered. "Arcade?"
The scientist was looking through a pair of binoculars. "Nothing," he said. "It looks empty."
Leo frowned. "Ok," he said, "This is weird. If there was a fight the winner would be patrolling, guarding his new land. And, not to be morbid, but the losers would be dead in the streets.
"Maybe we'll see something if we move further in," Arcade suggested.
"Yeah," Raul agreed with a snark, "Like our coming deaths."
"We go in," Leo decided. "Check your corners and keep your guns at the ready."
The trio moved up from their cover toward the city. Their horses were in the shelter of a rock a fair distance away. They had ran for almost a full day and had collapsed in exhaustion. If all went well they would be back to them by nightfall. Then again, no one really expected things to go well.
They came into the streets carefully, keeping a wary eye out and moving between cover like the experienced fighters they were. Raul and Leonardo had their lever action rifles, though Leo had taken the scope off of his due to its clumsy close range nature. Arcade felt at a distinct disadvantage with his plasma pistol. It was powerful, but limited in range and accuracy.
Arcade sniffed the air. He had noticed a smell earlier, but it was more pronounced now.
"Something stinks in here," he muttered.
Leo felt a growing sense of unease. His stomach churned, telling him something was terribly wrong here. He couldn't figure out what it was though. That is, I till they rounded the corner.
The three stared in horror at the street before them. Only Raul managed a quiet, "whoa," in response to the sight.
The street was filled with ashes and corpses. There were piles of ash everywhere, and fleeing footsteps frozen in them. The corpses of men, women and even a few children were scattered among them, cut down by bullets. Then there were the true horrors; those that the lasers had only half burned. They were skeletons, charred and with bits of flesh rotting on them. Most had seemed to fall in the act of fleeing.
"There must be hundreds," Arcade breathed, shocked by the massacre.
Leo fought down the nausea, he had a job to do.
"Come on," he said coldly. "Let's find out what happened here." He went to inspect a corpse and his companions forced themselves to check the area as well.
Arcade inspected a pile of ashes. Grimacing, he ran his hand though it. He shook the ash off his hand. "It's still warm," he said, disgusted, "only just though."
Leo examined the corpse of a man. "This is recent," he said. "These people haven't been dead long."
"They also have the most powerful laser and plasma weapons I've ever seen," Arcade said. "Not even the brotherhood have anything of this caliber. The only people who could own something like this would be..." he didn't finish the thought, realization dawning on him.
"The Enclave," Leo finished grimly.
"They must have made some friends," Raul called out. "Because I don't think the Enclave does this to people."
Arcade and Leonardo came to Raul, coming around the opposite side of a bus stop that blocked their view. A man was nailed to a wall, cut open and mutilated in a horrible fashion.
"Raiders," Leo said. "Sadistic psychos."
The three stood there a moment, unsure of what to do. Their query was answered when a piece of rubble next to them suddenly exploded.
"Cover!" Leo shouted and the three scrambled for shelter. Lead rained in around them as they took shelter in a nearby building.
"Guess they stuck around," Raul observed, casually checking his gun.
"How many do you figure?" Arcade asked.
Leo peeked out of cover and took a quick estimate.
"No clue," he said. "I don't see any of them." his comment was answered by another hail of lead.
"Building," Raul said, "Second floor."
"The street too," Arcade said. "There... There's dozens of them!"
Leo glanced out again. He took a sharp breath at the sight. There was a wall of raiders, hollering and shouting as they charged down the streets. Apparently they had been waiting for the guns to start shooting.
"What did we get ourselves into, boss?" Raul asked.
Leo didn't answer that. "Aim for the streets," he ordered. "We'll stay in cover from the building and pick them off as they come."
The next several minutes were lost in the fury of bullets and blood. Raul and Leo dropped the raiders like skeet at a shooting gallery, while Arcade rained plasma into their midst. But for every one they killed, two more seemed to rush at them.
Leo grimaced as he reloaded. They were strung out on drugs, too high to care if they lived or died. It made them easy targets, but much more dangerous. The wave of men were getting closer, no matter how much lead and plasma they threw at them, and they were running out of ammo.
"Fall back!" Leo shouted, pointing to a room in the building behind them. They made a dash for it, narrowly avoiding the gunfire from the building across from them.
The room was small and a dead end. Not much room to maneuver and nowhere to run.
Raul drew his revolvers and stood in the doorway, ignoring the bullets landing around him. He fired off both guns, dropping at least one enemy with each shot. The board was getting closer though, and he ran out of lead.
The three took cover. They had moments before their foes would be upon them. Leo took his knife and tossed it to Raul, who now had one in each hand. Arcade took out his ripper and leaned against one side of the doorway. Leo drew his sword and leaned against the other. They all shared a look and a nod, knowing that these would probably be their last breaths.
They poured in. There was the sound of a motor and of tearing flesh as Arcade thrust his ripper into the oncoming raiders. Raul was a whirlwind of slashing and stabbing, a pile of corpses growing at his feet. Leonardo cut in great swipes of his blade, the fire of battle in his eyes.
Soon Leonardo's vision was obscured by the hoard of men. He felt a splintered pool cue run through his side and a lead pipe being smashed against his skull. His vision flickered and faded, the world going fuzzy. The repeated hammering on his skull went from splitting pain to dull throb. He blindly fought on, but his vision began to fade away, until there was nothing but black. The last thing he remembered was the blood of his foes on his skin, the savage battle cries of his friends, and the sweet embrace of darkness.
Nathan Lynch downed his shot of alcohol, his feet propped up on his desk. He breathed in the still smokey air, enjoying the taste of the destruction he had caused. His black hair, which contrasted with his pale skin, was long and fell over one green eye. His other eye was a pale blue, a fact which often disoriented strangers. He was not wearing his usual armor now, instead he wore a simple pair of pants and a shirt. There was no need for the added protection; he was a king.
The scantily clad woman next to him wrapped her arms around him kissing him gently. He returned the gesture, enjoying the company. It was good being on top of the food chain for once.
His enjoyment was cut off by a knock on the door. He frowned in annoyance.
"I'm busy," he snapped, turning his attention to his mistress.
"Sir, it's important," came a voice from the other side.
Lynch nearly growled with annoyance. "Fine," he said. "Enter."
A short, well built man with brown hair and an eyepatch entered the room. He bowed his head to his leader before speaking.
"Nathan, I'd like a word. In private," he said nodding to the woman still sitting on Lynch's lap.
Lynch waved her away, still frustrated. The woman gave him one more kiss before getting up and leaving the room. Once she had, the man with the eyepatch locked the door.
"What's the point of being the king if I can't enjoy it?" Nathan snapped. "Well, go on Xander. What is it?"
"We captured three more people," Xander said. "Two men and a ghoul."
"So?" Lynch asked, pouring himself another shot. "Why should I be notified?"
"They were from outside," Xander explained. "They fought like devils and killed at least fifty men, maybe more."
"Fifty?" Lynch asked raising an eyebrow. "I certainly hope you didn't kill them. We need some good fighters for the pits."
"We'll see if they live," Xander said. "The ghoul is a tough monster, he'll be fine. The other two took quite a beating, we should know if they will pull through by tomorrow."
"Good," Lynch said. He stood up and walked to the window, looking out at Elko. Fires burned in trash bins, the occasional gunshot rang out and a muffled scream as someone was stabbed in the back. The street rabble were already working out the food chain of their own accord.
"You know Xander," Lynch said aloud, "I think people have us raiders all wrong. They say we're the trash, the scum of the wasteland. You know what I think? I think we're the smart ones. We know how the world works.
"The NCR wants everyone to be equal, everyone to be happy. They're too blind to see the truth; no one can be equal and not everyone can be happy. They want to protect the weak, but they can't see that only the strong survive out here.
"The NCR has ideals and ideas, but we have the truth. It ain't pretty, but it's truth. Are we brutal? Sure, but so is the world. In the end, we're the ones who will be left standing when the dust settles, because we're the ones who did what it took to live."
"Your getting dangerously close to eloquent there, Nathan," Xander said.
"I've read a few books," Lynch answered. It was true, he was one of the few riders who knew how to read. He read anything he could get his hands on, ever since he was young. He was always eager to learn, and never hesitated to use his knowledge to his advantage
"How are the prisoners?" Lynch asked.
"Scared, obedient," Xander answered. "Well, most of them."
"Got some trouble makers?" Lynch asked.
"One in particular. A woman, a caravan trader I think. She wouldn't shut up, and when we tried to make her she nearly bit Dave's finger off. We finally managed to gag her and lock her up, but she's still a handful."
"More potential for the pits," Lynch said.
"Nathan," Xander said, "Tell me something. What's the point of the pits? I know it's for entertainment, but it's also a risk. Why chance it?"
Lynch returned to his chair and gestured for Xander to take a seat himself.
"Let me explain," he began. "We want to create a city for ourselves, right? We need the people as slaves to build it, repair it, and serve us. But slaves will always revolt if they have no other option. The pits are their other option. By giving them a chance to fight for their freedom, they will be less inclined to revolt. Instead they will focus on winning the games."
"But won't they realize organizing themselves is a better plan?" Xander asked.
"It's human nature, Xander," Lynch said. He produced a second glass and poured the drink into both it and his own as he spoke. "Why risk getting caught plotting with others when you can free yourself without getting in trouble? People are selfish and narrow minded. They're sheep, and without a shepherd they will do as their told. And, if a shepherd happens to show up, we will kill him."
Xander shook his head. "You sure thought this out," he observed.
Lynch tapped the side of his head, smiling. "That," he said, "Is why I'm running the show. But I need people I can trust by my side to keep me safe. Which is why I have you."
Xander picked up his glass. "I've got your back, boss," he said. "I always have and I always will."
"You have always been like a brother to me," Lynch said. "Closer than any brother of my own blood could ever be." He picked up his glass and raised it in a toast. "To what really matters," he said, "Family."
Xander tapped his glass against Lynch's. "To family," he agreed. They downed their drinks together.
Lynch smiled. Family born of the blood of your enemies was a stronger bond than any family born of the same mother. He had a brother, a kingdom and the finest drink he could ask for.
"Life is good today, brother," he said. "Life is good."
I want to thank you all for the support thus far. With every review, favorite and follow I recive it makes me want to finish this story more. I hope you have all been enjoying it up to this point and I hope you will enjoy where it is going. Thanks again for the support!
