17 Mission

Nux

Three days after Max left, Nux slips out of bed before dawn and loads up his car. Bin jumps in the passenger seat, a set of shock sticks ready. He leaves the eldest Boy in charge of the shop and they pull out without a word. Once they clear Citadel territory, Bin pulls a plastic rectangle out of his pocket and shoves it in the slot in the dash of Nux's car. Bin's grin means he's been busy. He flips a switch on the dash and the air splits with the screech of a guitar.

"Bin! That's brilliant!" He's heard of recording tape but never realized that Coma had a recording machine. Nux shifts gears and lets out a yell and floors the pedal, feeling the driving notes shake his insides.

Bin grins wide and stands up to pull himself out of the car and onto the roof.

"What a LOVELY DAY!" Nux feels so alive right now, the wind in his face and the open road with a partner to keep lookout.

After a few hours into their patrol, Bin shouts, kicking Nux's shoulder through the skylight. "Kill the tunes!"

Nux silenced the Doof's music and turns the car to the direction Bin leads him. They see the Interceptor up ahead and Nux accelerates and executes a spin into reverse so easily that Max can't hide his surprised expression. Bin is quick to toss a smoke grenade in the back of the Interceptor and Nux slows the car down beside his prey.

Max stumbles out of his car, coughing and hacking from the smoke. Bin jumps down, shock stick in hand and a quick jab puts the feral man out.

Nux jumps out of his car with a set of shackles and makes quick work of trussing Max up. "Sorry, sorry, sorry but I can't have you hittin' me while I'm driving."

Bin gets in Nux's car and starts the music again, cranking it up loud as he drives back to the Citadel. Bin isn't needed right now, Nux has this handled. Max gets thrown in the passenger seat, secured in so he doesn't struggle much.

He starts up the car and hums happily when he hears the purr of the engine and the wheel in his hands. It isn't his wheel but it's nice. Nice to drive a Good Car. Max isn't a very good black thumb, but Nux is sure he's worked out the kinks.

A muffled shout and a rattle of chains tells Nux that he's out of driving time. He stops the car and reaches underneath the dash to pull some wires. Just in case. "Max."

The chains rattle, but pale eyes focus on the War Boy. "Nux? Why?"

"You left without saying goodbye. And Everyone is upset. So I decided to bring you back so you can do it again. Properly." Because if Max tells them he's leaving, they'll know he doesn't hate them.

"Hm. No." He doesn't have any warning when the chain flings out towards his face. He catches it in the chin, but he gets his leg up and pins Max to the seat with a foot on his chest.

"It'll be good for you, you feral! What're you scared of? You shouldn't be scared of nothing! Look what you did on the Fury Road!" He leans over the gearshift, pressing more of his weight against the road warrior's chest.

"Not afraid." Max growls and struggles, but Nux can breathe and he's never felt so good in his life. Max has the weight advantage, but the War Boy has the leverage and a better reach and more experience grappling inside small, enclosed places.

"Why'd you leave then? Give me a good reason why you won't go back and I'll walk back by myself." It's an old game. A game between Boys. When one of them does something questionable, it must be pointed out. If there's a good excuse, well, it's forgiven. But he can't brush off Dag's angry curses or Cheedo's soft sighs or Toast's quiet wall-punching or even Capable's glances out the windows. Furiosa is the worst, taking offense at each small thing, making it difficult to keep up with the demand for more functioning vehicles and a functioning rig. The Boys were on the verge of a revolt so Nux deided to take matters in his own hands. He looks Max right in the eyes, waiting for him to speak.

"Got attached." Max rattles the chains again and he eases up the pressure on the feral man's chest.

"Not such a bad thing, you know. Being all… attached." Nux puts one hand on the wheel of the car and leans back against the driver's side door. "Immortan didn't like it but… it's not so bad. Makes Time go by… better. Not faster but… better."

"Attachment. Hm. People I get attached to die." The half-hearted rattle of chains show that Max is still fighting back. He's not given up though.

Nux throws his head back and laughs, adjusting his position so that he's no longer pinning Max to the seat. Now he's got his feet braced against the passenger door, legs draped across the feral's lap. "I'm dying. Could go soon. Could last a while longer. But it's coming. I can feel it." He reaches up to touch the scars where Larry and Barry used to be.

"Hm. Different." Max glares at him, but doesn't attack.

"How's it different? You've got a full-life." His tone is more accusing than he means, but he needs to make his point. He needs Max to willingly come back. If he brings him in chains, everyone will be even more upset and he's done with these strange silent-angry mornings and evenings.

Max's silence stretches out further and Nux gets bored. "One. Reason. Doesn't even have to be a good one!" Nux withdraws his legs, settling back in the driver's seat, placing both hands on the wheel.

He can't take it anymore, he fixes the wires under the dash and starts up the car, earning himself another glare from Max. "Don't drive my car!"

"Give me a reason to." Nux grips the wheels and executes some beautiful turns. It's not his car, or even the Deuce Coupe he used to drive, but it still makes his blood sing.

Max's chains rattle and he grabs at Nux's arms trying to deter the War Boy. Nux will not be deterred, nor will he be removed from a driver's seat. Max will have to try harder.

"Hm. Had a wife."

Nux slows the car, waiting for more, since it doesn't make sense. He can't imagine Max taking a woman, though maybe he had been different before he was mad. "Go on."

"Consensual wife. Was killed. So was our sprog. My fault. Shouldn't get attached." He shakes his head and the chains rattle again, but Nux won't stop the car.

"Everyone dies. Can't use that as an excuse. You told me you weren't leaving yet. Then you're gone." He speeds up again, his eyes on Max as he keeps the car on course towards the Citadel.

"Hm. Why are you out here?"

Nux looks back at the wasteland ahead of him. "Couldn't take the silence. The… women. They should just fight and spit and curse and get it over with. They're mad about you leaving. But they won't say it, they just make everyone and each other crazy! So I got Bin and we came out looking."

"They'll get over it." Max looks out the window too and slumps in the seat with a huff.

"The Boys are about to revolt is what it is. Bringing you back so they'll stop it." He grips the wheel tightly. This whole business has him stressed out. He's so far behind on the new war rig. They need to make a run to Gastown soon or else Toast won't be able to hold off their raiding party.

"That's not how it works, Nux."

"Don't care. Even if they rip you apart, then they'll be normal again. Boys won't riot if you get killed." He knows they won't kill Max. They might maim him some, but no one will die. "You tell Furiosa about your wife. Then you tell her that's why you left. She'll tell the others and they'll stop."

"Hm."

Nux floors it and the Citadel's towers come into view. He wants this to be over. He reaches over and slips a key into Max's hands and the feral man makes quick work of his chains. Nux stops the car once they get into the shop bay. "You're out of guzzoline anyway." He says happily and gets out of the Interceptor to see that Bin has already summoned Furiosa to look at the new war rig.

Nux all but pulls Max out of the car and laughs. "Furiosa! Look who came back!"

He pretends to ignore the look Max gives him as the Imperator turns around.

Furiosa puts her flesh hand on her hip and looks Max up and down. "You good?"

Max nods, his head bobbing up and down once before he turns and his fist catches Nux in the jaw. Nux laughs and jumps up, kicking out at Max's good knee. Max goes down, but pulls the War Boy down with him.

Nux loves a good tussle and Max has different moves than most War Boys. He doesn't care his nose is bloody and his jaw hurts. He takes a deep breath and can still breathe. Nothing broken. He lets Max pin him though, an apology for the shock stick and the shackles.

"Are you done?" Furiosa's voice carries over the noise of the shop and the onlookers and Bin's deep laughter.

Max lurches to his feet, then gives Nux a hand up. Furiosa smiles slightly and Nux is sure that everything will be okay now. He trots off to find something to do until supper time.

When he gets to his and Capable's room he is ready to wash off the day's grease and grime and paint off. He's expected at supper soon, the common meal which is hopefully pleasant now that Max is here. He pulls on a clean pair of pants (having two pairs is still such a novelty!) and a shirt (because now there are shirt rules too!) and walks the short corridor to the Vault. He sits down between Dag and Sunshine at the table and eats, enjoying the light conversation.

"Where did he go, do you think?" Cheedo whispers to Toast, but they can all hear her.

"That's not the right question. The question is where are they now? Furiosa's never late." Dag smiles and feeds baby Angharad.

"I saw them near the storage room," Capable pipes up. "You all might owe me."

Betting is one of the few practices that the Mothers have adopted from down below. Betting and trading, though they haven't settled on any kind of currency. There's a vague system of "owing" but nobody ever comes to collect. Not like how the parts trade in the Shop works. He'd rather they just pass bolts and wires like Boys do, but they have no use for them up here.

Furiosa enters the Vault with Max in tow and they both look the same. Normal. Nothing out of the ordinary. The meal resumes and everyone is talking and laughing and happy.

"Nux." Furiosa says his name so hard, he snaps his head up to the Imperator.

"Yes?" He feels the sudden quiet and wonders if he's in trouble. Why is he in trouble now?

"You went after Max with chains?" He can't tell if she's angry. She's not smiling but she doesn't move to hit him either.

"He wasn't cooperating. He would have hit me while I drove." He hunches down, scoots his chair out from the table a little bit.

"Hm. Wouldn't have hit you very hard." Max's mouth twitches up at the corner. Slightly.

"Shouldn't have left then. Attachment isn't bad." He looks over at Sunshine and Capable and smiles at them.

But no one else is smiling. Everyone is looking at Max expectantly.

Max's fist flies out and connect with Nux's jaw again. "Wha!? What'd I do?"

Later, in their room, Capable cradles his bruised head. "You shouldn't tell people about other people's feelings. It isn't any of your business."

"But… but… the women talk about it all the time!" He whines. He knows he's whining but he can't figure this out. Will never figure this out.

"That's different."

He opens his mouth, then shuts it and chalks this as another reason why War Boys were kept away from women. Too complicated for the masses. That must be it.

But his mission is over and now he can finally sleep.