Fallout
Chapter 10 Nothing Is Forever
AN: About half way done with this story :O You Never Know and Fallout are both into their second acts. If you haven't read my other stories, I am trying to finish all preexisting fanfics by December 15, 2017. I believe it is entirely possible to do so, I just gotta stay motivated. Note: If you want me to concentrate on a particular story tell me. I got about 90 more days, which is about 90,000 words if I do 1,000 each day.
Don't
Going through the gear retrieved from Captain Kidd, the devil equipped a large leather jacket. Unlike the one he gave the navigator, this one was much heavier and bullet ridden. Added padding covered his muscular shoulders and upper back. The semi trench coat extended all the way to his ankles, leaving his scarred chest exposed to the elements. Between the huge jackets exposed flaps, his red shirt and ripped jeans stood out. The demon had also taken the liberty of equipping a belt he fancied. A line of clanking bullets lined the exterior of the golden 'BAMF' buckle in the middle. Another string of .44 magnum bullets crossed over his bare chest pressing against his ripped abdomen. With the death gun reloaded and the sniper rifle inspected, the devil stood upright on the tip of the train, facing the encroaching darkness ahead. Off in the distance, storm clouds formed.
The valley's surroundings changed the further they traversed. The hills once barren with dirt and shriveled dead grass, took the shape of dead trees, and pockets of yellow decay. The devil noticed this anomaly, glancing between the hillsides and the clouds coming closer. The fields changed again and again, decaying trees with strands of colored bushes and shriveled weeds grew. The revolver drew when patches of green appeared, the devil dashed towards the stairs. "Get the hell up here!"
The navigator gazed up at the conductor's door with half glazed eyes, "What?"
Slamming the door open, "Get the fuck up!"
"What?" Her eyes flung open, seeing his labored breath and crazed eyes. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to―!"
"Enough of your excuses!"
Her eyes shuttered, anticipating the pain to come, "I'm sorry…" Her clamped vision kept flinching until she felt cold contact on her skin. She threw her eyes open, "What the hell are you doing?"
"I don't want to hear it from you!" His voice dark and all too familiar.
She shut her eyes again. Feeling herself leave the ground, she asked, "Where are you taking me?" She watched as she got put in her usual position, placed over his shoulder.
"We need to leave now! He set us up for a trap." The devil ran up to the train's control panel, yanking everything he could out. The engine chugging along at the same rate as before. "Shit! How do you slow this thing down?"
"Why?" The navigator asked, forming a fist in her hand, "we have to go after Doflamingo!" She glared at the side of his face, "Are you trying to get out of this?"
"Shut the hell up! Just tell me how to stop this!" Slamming his fist into the panels, a chuckle interrupted his destruction. The light coming from the fire died into silent embers.
"Very good Mugiwara! You realized I was going to kill you! Too bad. I was going to feed you and that girl to my pets! Guess I will have to change my plans." At the end of those words, the train started accelerating. "My scientist put this in. They call it MAD! Goodbye, Mugiwara!" Their surroundings got covered in thick stainless steel, all except for the window, showing their impending doom. "Go ahead, show that girl your true power!"
"Shut the hell up!"
"Oh? So I got you mad? Good! Fufufufufu!"
She studied the devil, watching the darkness consume his eyes, everything underneath the strawhat void of light. "I know you can get us out of this," she tried putting a hand into the shadow, "I don't know what he is talking about. But please help me. I don't want to die here."
Her soothing voice, drew him back into the real world. The wanderer put her back on the ground.
The devil stared at their impending doom. The landscape turned lush green, trees once scrawny or dead, stood tall and prosperous. Every square inch of the mysterious landscape got covered in thriving greenery. All the while rain drops hit the window. Tiny droplets struck at first, but in a matter of seconds, the rain turned into a full blown storm.
"You have to trust me"
She shook her head, a fist placed on her chest, "I have no other choice."
The wanderer turned back, "I'm going to do something. Do not move or speak. If I fail, I will grab you and take the brunt of the impact. Got it?"
The navigator shook her head once more. She leaned against the wall behind them, heavy breath escaping her beating chest. He has gotten us into worse situations before, I know he can do it!
"How romantic! Maybe I shouldn't kill you after all! Fufufufufu!" Doflamingo interrupted, "You have absolutely no chance of escaping! Unless Mugiwara―!" A bullet ended the transmiton. "Stand behind me." The revolver pointed straight ahead. The demon's grip firm and unyielding as the train went past the speed of sound.
She fought her way towards him, grabbing a hold of the wanderer around his waist. All of a sudden, the tremendous burden of standing upright no longer challenged her. How is this even possible? He's not even wearing power armor! The redhead looked upwards, seeing his unflinching stare. How powerful is he? Is he even―?
A single bullet entered the chamber. A brief silence passed before shattering into million pieces. As the glass collapsed, the wanderer spun around, throwing her over his shoulder. This time she clung to him, bunching up as much as she could hold. "You won't die here." The wanderer stomped his way forward, carrying the weight of the world on his shoulder. The devil's feet stopped moving for a moment. But continued upon feeling his prized possession getting put back in place. The lone wander lifted them onto the broken panel, crouching over it before getting drenched in the pouring rain.
She clenched her eyes, getting ready for the encroaching pain on her exposed skin. Acidic rain! I guess this is better than dying ... The redhead flinched at the contact, but opened her eyes with odd puzzlement. It doesn't hurt? Her exposed hand still rested on top his prized strawhat. I knew he could do it, but … "Hurry!" she screamed, seeing what lay ahead. The wanderer didn't waste anytime, grabbing a hold of the death gun before barreling over the edge.
Into the Jungle
They landed in a lush green grass, next to a healthy trove of sycamore trees. "This shouldn't be happening." The wanderer got up from the fall shortly thereafter, walking around, taking in the environment around them. "This place shouldn't exist." A hand rested on the back of the broken strawhat. All the while, he stumbled and stuttered down the thriving grass hill.
"Over here!" the navigator screamed out towards him. She attempted to grab the minigun but couldn't even make it budge. "Now is not the time to play games …" What is his name? All this time that horrible beast didn't even ask for mine, so why should I? During her resentful reflection, her head snapped in the direction of a massive explosion. Screeching and screaming noises erupted from every conceivable direction. Bloody creatures ran towards the train wreck. Not waiting a second longer, she trailed behind him. These things must react to sound or light, which means―!" Her thoughts ended, seeing the wanderer lean against one of the trees, overlooking the bright display. "What are you doing?" she whispered.
"Waiting to die." The devil slid down the tree trunk, picking up a naught of grass, "Did we travel back in time?"
"Now is not the time for talking about stupid things!" her voice strained, "we need to get out of here!" A hand tugged at his padded leather shoulder.
The demon swatted it away, examining the clump of fresh grass in his hand instead. "Do you think this is some kind of cruel joke?"
The navigator paused, "What are you talking about? Please we have to go!" The redhead made a bold move, reaching for his face this time. "Look at me―!" she ordered, before getting flung off her feet.
The devil merely snapped his head, tossing her on the ground next to him. "You didn't answer my question." The grass within his fingers soon turned into mesh under the immeasurable pressure, "Did the war never happen? Is everyone still..." The devil, threw away the clump into the harsh winds, watching the creatures burn themselves alive nearby. "No. It looks like the war did happen."
"I don't know what you are talking about, or what you have gone through …" her eyes kept zipping between the man lost in an endless dilemma, and the zombies surrounding the fire. "But if you want to talk about it." The navigator got up, brushing her clothes, "I'll listen on one condition." A hand stuck out towards him, her eyes focused on him, "That you listen to me."
"As if I need to do that." The devil grazed her hand away, but grinned when it came back. "You know you're oftly brave. Turning your back on those things over there."
"I'm only doing this because those people still need you."
The devil looked upwards from her hand, studying the face of the woman whose body now outlined in flames. "Do they need me, or do you need me?"
The redhead pulled her hand back with a huff, "As if!" She almost jumped backwards at the sudden grasp of her hand. Knowing the danger lying behind her, she leaned forward.
"Thank you for the helping hand," the devil smiled once more not letting go of his strong grip on her. "I'm glad you still you need me."
She grit her teeth, trying to regain her composure, "Not in a million years!"
"Oh really?" The devil let go immediately, walking down the hill, "So this is where we part ways?"
Hearing fresh screeching enter her ears, she shrieked, "Now's not the time to joke around!"
"Alright. See you in a million years." The devil walked down the hill and into the train tracks.
When the wanderer crossed the overgrown path, the navigator sprinted down the hill glancing every which way. "Hold up! Wait!"
The devil made a peace sign over his shoulder, entering the fully of plants on the other side.
"Don't joke around!" Crossing over the tracks, she glanced over at the crash site. "Hold on!" Her heart beat out of her chest, she panicked, Where is he? Don't tell me he is serious! Is he going to leave me here? "Where are you?" she breathed. Her lungs swelled up as her breath started to hitch. She looked all around her, nothing other than rustling plants in the wind could be seen in the mysterious paradise. Screeching and rustling bushes a few yards away spooked her. "Where are you?" The redhead lowered herself onto the ground, crawling underneath a fallen tree for cover. A deep clicking noise resonated in her right ear. Then a sudden roar blasted her eardrum. Before she could react, she realized it was over. She shut her eyes, "Please save me!" she screamed. Bracing herself for the end, the monstrous noise died as soon as she cried. Opening up her eyes, she turned her head slowly to see what had occurred. But a forceful tug on her jacket's collar interrupted this, lifting her up from her useless camouflage.
"A million years must have past, cause this place apparently exists." The devil lifted her onto his shoulder, facing away from the mayhem coming towards them. Taking flight, the devil looked over the only weapon they had. "If you waited a second, I would have that damn death machine. Now I gotta lose that sweet toy." Running under the cover of lush foliage, the screeching monstrosities formed a cannibalistic horde around the source of the scream. "I can't take them on here, otherwise you are going to die. Give me coordinates around these things to their HQ. I got unfinished business."
She pulled up the bouncing Pip-Boy. "You need to go back over the railroad! Apparently, the train was supposed to turn right , but it crashed from the uncontrolled acceleration. The map says they are on the other side of that hill."
"Got it!" In an instant, the wanderer changed direction, sprinting across the way. The full breadth of the wild could be heard as he banged his way across the steel rails. The devil ran up the other hill, "Shit!" Upon seeing what lay on the other side, the demon ran back, smack into the middle of the tracks.
"What are you doing?" she panicked, clinging onto him tighter, "They can see us, and we will be completely surrounded!"
"Exactly. Trust me on this!" Sprinting down over the overgrowth and decayed wood, flocks of the monsters ran along on either side of the hills, but none of them touched the tracks.
"Why aren't they coming for us?"
"You are going to see why!" Climbing up the burning train past the distracted zombies, the devil ran across the tilted and collapsed train parts.
"Why are we up here? We know that they can get up here! Why do you think this will work?"
"This is why." As the monsters began their descent in all directions, the devil pulled out his revolver, pointing back from which they came.
Getting off his back, and onto her feet, she glanced all around. "What the hell is a revolver going to do? Please…" she gazed into his distant eyes for any sign of hope. "I don't want to die here."
"Then don't." The devil shot a single bullet.
Within a second, a chain reaction so humongous blinded them. A gigantic explosion engulfing the entire surrounding forest erupted. The hundreds of zombies chasing them down, burned under the immense heat.
"What did you do? How is that possible?"
The devil put the revolver in his back pocket. "I saw a land mine when I tore the grass out. When it didn't explode, I figured they must have be remote detonated." The devil grinned at the burning mayhem, "The middle of the tracks was the safest bet considering they already tried killing us there."
"But why did the zombies stay on the hills?" Glancing at the scene below.
"I think he's controlling them, that's why." Feeling the immense heat, the devil grabbed a hold of her waist, "We got to get going. This fire will most likely burn everything down."
She glanced down at where he grabbed, and at the ground, "But there are still things down there!"
Lifting her back over his shoulder without a hitch. "And their will probably be hundreds more." Hopping down the knocked over freights, the devil landed onto the scorched ground. Strolling over the burning bending track, their destination lay ahead. A dense jungle, now in flames showed their destination. A huge building resided in the middle of the dense jungle. All around the building, tall electrical wire fences kept the monsters in their prisons, deep into the ground. While the pair couldn't see them, they could most certainly could hear them. The bullet ridden vertibird sat above it all, perched atop the concrete structure. Seeing the melancholy prison surrounding the building like a castle and its moat, the devil put her back onto the end of the track.
"Here's the plan."
Where Will We Go?
They approached the wired gates forming the perimeter of the base. In front of them, a small dirt road lead towards the main door's facility. The navigator stayed close to him like a magnet, glancing between the endless hoards and their surroundings. The devil withheld his inert anger, sensing the navigator's clasping hands tugging around his elbow. Watching their surroundings as they bypassed the forest, no guards greeted their arrival at the gate.
"Something doesn't feel right." The devil regained control of his arm, retrieving his revolver before giving a signal.
The navigator yelled, "Wait!" seeing where the gun pointed. "I can handle this! No need to create any noise." Scooching the wanderer aside, she unlocked a chain lock in less than a second. "See."
The devil scuffed, pushing the chain gate open. "I guess you got your uses." Turning back the wanderer paused, gazing at his accomplice. Her beauty somehow exuded, by the flames and bright burning light. "Come to think of it. That explains how escaped those handcuffs." The devil shrugged his shoulders, moving on ahead, "I think I'll get ankle braces and a blindfold, so you can't escape so easily."
The navigator stared with a furrowed stare, but couldn't look away, lest she see the horror bellow.
"Speechless?' The devil turned over his shoulder, "I guess maybe I don't need that duct tape aferall."
"No your just a horrible, idiot." The redhead continued to stare at the back of the torn strawhat. "You don't take this situation seriously at all," her stare never changed, "I guess that's what stops me from running away from this horrible nightmare."
The devil studied her with the same vacant stare. "Whatever floats your boat."
He always writes me off like I'm nothing! I doubt that idiot knows how to even write! Her rant came to a close, catching a glimpse of the fire engulfing the hills behind them. The screeching also penetrated her ears, without even realizing it she reached a hand for his jacket. Looking up at his dull expression, she withdrew. "Sorry."
"You got scared." The devil studied her, "Now's not the time." Taking a step towards the old and battered metal door, "Do everything I say, and we should make it out of this one piece." He spun back around, staring into her eyes, "If things go wrong then I need you to leave."
Her lips parted, "Don't tell me what to do-"
"You're too weak. Your only good to me if you're alive."
She frowned and lowered her eyes, "Oh. You told me this already."
"Good." The devil pulled out his trusty shooter, cracking open the door with one heavy kick, "Follow me."
Tell Me What You Want From Here
Countless guards and scientist collapsed on each successive floor. Business quotas on blackboards soon transformed into mathematical scientific probability. Desk and drawers filled with memos and timelines, now documented estranged experiments down below. Floor after floor, the same things occurred. Hired thugs foolish enough to challenge the devil at his own game, and scientist naive enough to not believe in him. The wasteland breathed life for a brief moment after nuclear warfare rained from above. But the devil wouldn't allow it.
The youthful forest and refurbished floors bustled with life, but then the sky turned to night, they burned in desolate ruin. The bullets strapped across the demon's chest depleted, resulting in alternative methods of combat. With endless supplies laying about, the navigator made a concerted effort of hoarding whatever the devil left in its wake. So soon had the devil entered the compound, and too early life in it seemed to end. When the last of the security fell a vaulted fallout door came into view. On it, graffiti of a grinning black skull with a line across it, decorated the vault's entrance. When they approached the estranged door a megaphone blared.
"Very good Mugiwara! You managed to get rid of all my men! In ten minutes no less! Maybe I should have thrown some guards out there before your damned explosion blew up the forest! You can't let your dinner get cold. But you can certainly let it get burned and ripped apart, no?" The lights in the room dimmed. "You're dumbass explosion is destroying everything I worked for as I speak." The vault door started rotating like the inside of a steel clock. The smiling skull began spinning in circles as well. "No matter. I've figured out your little plan. Long before you conceived it."
Before the fortified base cracked open, the devil raised his hand and nodded his head. As the door creaked open only the wanderer stood on the other side. "Oh? Where did that pretty little redhead runoff to?"
The devil took a couple steps forward, standing in the vaults entrance. Scanning the room, the devil found it empty. "None of your business."
"So the hotshot runt, burning down my MAD project, is telling me what is what? I will tell you what is what!" The ground shook and the entire building bulked back and forth. The devil remained composed, keeping eye level with the vault's door. "Come inside the vault and get a real taste of power, hmm?"
"No. Come out and fight me like a man. Stop acting like a coward hiding behind your money and men. Fight me!" The ground trembled once more, this time part of roof collapsed.
"Calling me a coward, runt?" The ground rattled again, the forest fire has spread around the compound like a halo. "No matter. Time for my dinner." The entire upper floor collapsed, which the devil foresaw coming. The massive outrageously dressed man stood in front of him, kicking aside the crumbled concrete. "Why are you getting in the way, Mugiwara?"
"I need to eliminate you."
"Who put you up to this?"
"I did. Stop talking and start fighting."
The fake grin soon disappeared, veins popped out of his forehead, "Listen here you impatient little, runt! We are bringing life back into the wasteland! Look at the forest outside which you destroyed!" A manic grin crept in, "We just need these wastelanders to justly compensate us for our noble deed."
"You are exerting taxes on people that never wanted them in the first place." The demon cracked its fist.
"Those ungrateful settlers!" The massive flamboyant man yelled, "If not us then who? Kaido's Legions are marching in the East, and the NCR are coming from the West! The Brotherhood of Steel is almost gone, and the Enclave are returning in number! Mutants and ghouls creep the wasteland, and marauders and scavengers plunder it! Kidd's Khan were going to raid those villages anyways, why not make a profit? Besides aren't you doing the same with that slave girl of yours? Using her as you see fit? I could buy a hundred whores on that God forsaken Strip with all the wealth I accumulated if I wanted!"
A dark aura grew around the demon, nothing could be seen aside from the torn strawhat. The power went out on the upper floor, the fire outside providing the only illumination for the darkness forming within. "What did you say?" A voice so deep and foreign brewed, causing even Doflamingo to raise a brow. "What did you call her?"
The tall man licked his lips, "Why so serious? It's the wasteland, Mugiwara! A man like you probably took her from some raiders raping her, or maybe took her from a whore house on the Strip! Don't get attached to things that can easily break." Doflamingo let out a smug grin, "You of all people should know this."
"I came here because I was told to kill you." The devil lifted his head, revealing the voidness of light, but the fire outside. "Now I will kill you because you made fun of something of mine. She is not my slave. Nor some expensive whore. She is my navigator that will lead me where I need to go." The sound of burning screaming monsters shattered the windows around them, revealing the sound of hell below. "You end here."
"Just what I wanted to hear!" Doflamingo psychopathic grin widened, the fire outside only highlighting it. "You are just like me, I know the power you have. There are more us in the wasteland than you think! Those that are on the top possess it. Join me and we can rule the entire wasteland!"
The devil walked forward, moving across the blocks of cement in silence."I am nothing like you. I can sense that you have changed just like I did. But there is one difference that sets us apart." The devil raised his head, his true form incarnated, never seen before by mankind. "I have someone to lead me out of the darkness and you don't. You will burn here and die with your horrible creations."
Doflamingo revealed his true form as well with an eager grin. "And when I live I get that girl, no?"
"No one will ever get to have her but me. So no, you don't get to live. I won't allow it."
When All's Said and Done
"Where is he?" the navigator asked herself, catburgaliring her way onto the roof. A quick glance over the ledge and she jumped with fright. From here, she could determine that the fire had engulfed most of the forest. The heat danced its way towards the base, melting the metal wire before advancing into the horrendous pits below. Hell rose on Earth, burning all the damned creatures in inferno while the tower stood in the middle looking onwards untouched. Gazing off elsewhere, the last of the resurrected forest collected on the eastern side, towards the nearby mountains. Shaking her head at the tragedy around her, the navigator strolled over towards the battered vertibird. "That idiot better hurry up! I'll be sure to leave without him!" As the last words escaped her mouth, a twinged feeling in her chest caused it to tighten. He is risking his life to help those people. People that I asked him to save. If I leave without him, am I no worse than he is? The person I hated but soon saw differently? Like that time before the fire ... the redhead glanced past the vertibird, noticing the sky start to turn a light red hue over in the distant horizon.
Past all the smoke and fire and dampening rainfall, the Sun peaked out from across the horizon. That idiot didn't act like a monster or a devil with the fire in his face, he actually looked like a goof ball. She gazed at the ground with a smile, and yeah he can be possessive and mean at times. The young woman walked past the machine, taking in the beautiful view before sunrise, but he hasn't hurt me all this time, and I feel safe around him for some reason … She concluded with a smirk, "I don't know what to make of him."
Suddenly the ground trembled with great vigor, the navigator grabbing onto the ledge for stability. Running back towards the beaten vertibird, she got inside, studying the layout of the machine. Think! The Brotherhood must have shown me the design for this! After another earth rattling shake occurred, the machine started up. "Come on! Come on!" The lights eventually flickered on displaying their static green screens. "Yes!" In the back of her mind she wondered, Where is he?
The ground wobbled yet again, the helicopter rocking unsteadily over the unsure ground. Hurry up! she gave a heavy sigh, throwing her arms up into the air, "Where the hell is he? Why is he taking so long?" Her angry rambling ceased right there and then. Her brows descended, "Where are you!" she yelled, slamming her fist down on her chair. The building below her faltered, parts of the ceiling caving in. What is his stupid name? Why can I not remember? Hearing windows break and seeing rubble fall her mind raced, Please hurry! Getting a hold of her senses, she combed over the vertibird controls. "Here it is!" The megaphone buzzed on. Still hovering just over the cement structure, her voice projected loud and clear, "Get up here! We need to go! The fire is engulfing everything around us as I speak!" No answer came except for shattered debris pulling the structure apart like janga. At any moment the faltering tower would collapse.
"Go!" A demonic roar broke out through all the chaotic destruction.
She shook her head, yelling out the side of the vertibird, "I won't leave without you!"
"Leave. I will come back for you someday."
Her heart tugged and her eyes tinged. Why did she stay for the man who kidnapped her? This was her chance to escape. This was her freedom back to the Brotherhood of Steel given on a silver platter, so why? She wiped a tear from her eye, "I won't forgive you!"
"Damn right!"
She moved her hand away from her face. What does he mean? As soon as the thought crossed her mind, the building caved in on itself. The structure crumbled everywhere, floor after floor, cement crushed cement, falling into the pit below from the immense weight of the stones.
"No! No! No!" she screamed for the longest time. "You can't die!" She looked over the side, seeing the pits roasted in flames. Even the rubble couldn't save itself from Diablo's flames. "You can't die!" she breathed, the tears getting stuck in her eyes as she navigated the vertibird lower reaching just above the rubble. "You can't die, you're not allowed to die!"
The rubble caught fire quickly, all life ceased to exist outside the vertibird. "You made me a promise!" The stone's lay in the same crumbled collection, no words could move them. Everything flammable inside the rubble excited the flames. "I don't even know your name ..." her words got stuck in her throat while tears streamed down her face. "I can't stay here, anymore." She coughed, scorning the open door design, "I can't breath. Please …" she gave one last wail, "Don't leave me!"
Danger signs kept flashing on the vertibird screen as the pitch black smoke became unbearable. "I'm sorry," she coughed, this time hiding her breath beneath the jacket. Don't Go. "Thank you," she whispered.
Lifting back into the air, the vertibird made an unsteady ascent as it rose through the impenetrable smoke. All the while tears continued rolling down her checks, her sobs turning silent as the helicopter made its way up and above the smoke. The entire field around the vertibird burned of ash and wildlife. She kept her head down, mulling over the event that transpired. "I never knew his name."
After along while when nothing left could be seen, the vertibird turned its quadra rotating blades westward, going away the rising sun. "I guess I'll go back to the Brotherhood of Steel, if they're still there." Her frown that had been on her face the entire time only worsened. "What if they all died? What if they left the base?" The vertibird passed over the burning train station from before, nothing but carnage lay in its wake. "What happened with the Enclave? How did they know we were there?" The redhead didn't have the luxury of time to dwell on such matters, being under the control of the mad demon wanderer. The sand dunes making up Kidd's base showed only signs of shamble. She couldn't get a look at it before but a small smile crossed her face. "They won't believe me when I tell them the adventures we went on!" her smiled disappeared. A silent blank stare overlooked the collapsed freeway. "At least the villagers won't be terrorized anymore, and it's all thanks to …" The tears she tried repressing came back again and again. Soon after, the settlement on the cliff overlooking the freeway came into view. "I should probably tell them the good news." Her tears stopped for a brief moment, landing the aircraft just outside the town.
Seeing the metal contraption, all the settlers in the village came out of hiding, the youth approached it with open curiosity while those old enough to know better stood back with measurable uncertainty. Even the dapper skeleton stood outside, approaching the vertibird with a long cane in hand.
"Everyone, you'll be happy to know that you won't be paying taxes to Doflamingo's mercenaries anymore."
The crowd whispered amongst themselves glancing back with weary eyes. Though the skeleton saw this and with a hand said, "Where did your friend go?"
She looked at the skeleton for a brief second before looking away. "He wasn't my friend." Her eyes staring into the cracked dirt. I'm not going to cry here. I'm not going to cry anymore. "Just know that he saved all of you. He didn't do it for money, he did because I told him to." Tears threatened once more, hiding what she wanted to do, she said, "Not only did he defeat Doflamingo, but he destroyed all the zombies and the people bringing them around here."
"Captain Kidd is dead? And the zombies are gone too? How is that possible? You were only gone for such a short amount of time. Then again time is irrelevant to me! Yohohoho!" Brook stopped his antics, glancing between the girl without a scratch but a chip on her shoulder and the beaten vertibird. "Where is he?"
"He's …" she bit down on her teeth, shutting her eyes so the tears wouldn't fall. "He's …"