Walking the Line

I approached the guard to backstage. I said, "I need to join my man in the garden" and he let me through while keeping a crowd at bay. As I walked through the secure area of the government plaza, I kept wondering why Caesar wanted the cities together. Then I wondered if Mr. Dinero was siding with Phoenix now, and if this was a move to break the Legion's strength. Just before I found Mr. Dinero, I remembered what Joshua said. He said that Caesar wanted to annihilate Phoenix, but I couldn't piece together why he would throw his whole army at the walls of Phoenix and Scottsdale.

Underneath the shaded platform between the stage and government tower, I approached Mr. Dinero who was talking with the Mayor and some Phoenix officials.

Mark saw me standing idly by, and the Phoenix governors asked, "Who's he?"

Loudly and approaching me, he said, "He's just my right-hand man, after Mr. Kekos of course! Hahaha!"

Giving me a playful two punch gesture, he asked me out loud, "Do you have my prescription? My good Man?" Throwing his arm around me, we walked away from the crowd of Phoenix governors, into the main building, and into a lavish little lounge reminiscent of something you'd see in Scottsdale. Sitting down across from me on a red sofa in the fancy little room, he said;

"Quite the speech right? How have you been? Haven't seen you since we parted ways at the 'Palatii'? Haha! How was soldier school or whatever it was?"

I said, "We gotta make this quick, I have to meet up with the agents soon."

Interrupting me, he asked sternly, "How was the speech though?"

I said frustratedly, "It was great, Mark. But I don't get it? You told Caesar that you were trying to get them to hand over the city. That was even what the Resistance wanted."

He said cheerfully and glanced around the room ensuring we were alone, "Change of plans actually… You see, Caesar predicted that Swilling's boys were going to try a withdrawal sometime after Have-Su fell. Looks like he was right! Hahaha!"

I said, "That doesn't answer the question?"

He said, "Oh, right! You see, Caesar wants a massacre! … He wants the people to put up a fight and ordered me to make peace with Phoenix while you were in Have-Su. How was that by the way? I heard about you getting shipped there from that Frumantarii guy, 'Domini Platos.' He's kind of a dick by the way, Hahaha!..."

I interrupted him before he could go off on a tangent, "Does Caesar really have the strength to fight the unified troops of Phoenix, Scottsdale, and the Army of Glory? Why would he possibly want this?"

He nodded and puffed his cheeks out in mock contemplation before saying, "I know it sounds a little odd; but, how would it look to other tribes or towns down south if our mutual friend, 'The Mighty Warlord' could just let any Joe Schmo escape his grip? No. He wants the people here to fall in battle in the worst way. He said that it would send a shockwave across the wasteland that would demoralize everyone standing in his way down the road."

I sat there still puzzled, and said, "I've seen what Caesar's guys can do; Hell, I was there myself. Have-Su was a huge tribe, but those were just tribals. Phoenix, Scottsdale, and the US Army aint a bunch of 'Mud worshipers', as they say. Phoenix can do some damage…"

Mr. Dinero said with a smirk and reached across the coffee table to give me another playful punch as he said, "You underestimate the big baddie up north! There's more to this whole scheme than a frontal attack with spears and sticks."

He saw my face and tried explaining the whole motive for the plan clearer, "Don't worry so much about the 'How', just know that; if Caesar could destroy the 'Mighty Unified Forces of Phoenix, Scottsdale, and the US Army'; what would stop him from obliterating the puny bands of tribals that he already conquers? Have-Su was a tribal city, and a good start, but if Phoenix falls in battle, there is no stopping him or our buddy, the Legate."

I caved at my other organization's set plans and asked, "So, what's my orders from Caesar?"

His pearly white grin grew again as he said, "Glad you asked. Since the Resistance still wants an evacuation, you are to help them in whatever way you can… The catch is: you need to report everything you do for them to me. My own intel says that they got you seeking assistance from minor factions across Arizona while they attempt to tame hot spots in the southern deserts. All you gotta do is: do your little dealios, mark wherever you go, and tell me what the Resistance is going to get from any factions you contact. Also, I definitely need a route for their proposed evacuation."

I thought to myself about Mark's own sources supposedly from within the Resistance and wondered how he could have possibly known about my assignment of contacting local groups. I said to the man, "I can do that, and I have a list of the factions I was assigned to seek out. Do you want that now?"

He was about to nod with glee, but stopped and said, "No, not right now. Find me after you deal with your first target, I wanna know how that plays out before I report the methods in which these groups sorta operate."

Then he added, "Haha, Jack didn't pick the best person for this task, did he?"

I shrugged, "I guess- I guess I don't know… Anything else I'm supposed to do?"

He smiled, "Not really, man. Just do whatever they want you to do and tell me what happens. When the time comes, you will be asked to join Caesar by someone. Probably that guy, Domini Platos; but again, he's kind of a dick. Anyhoo, Joshua Graham said that after the losses at Have-Su, they'll need to strengthen their forces a tad. Apparently, he's going all out this time, taking his legionaries from all over the territories for one massive push into Phoenix. He even said that they're postponing their first push into Colorado to make an example out of Phoenix."

At that point, I figured we were done, and stood up, "Well, I gotta get out of here. I already got my orders from the Resistance, and I'm gonna have to head out soon…"

He interrupted, "Wait! I almost forgot! "

He handed me a note, "There is something else. There's a tribe that Caesar wants to help in the assault on Phoenix and thought, 'who better for the job than my newest agent' Haha! He wants the 'Atomic Stalkers' to infiltrate the city with explosives and assassins and what not. He's got a whole plan for them, but Caesar just wants you to make contact and give them the 'what's what' before dispatching another Frumantarii guy to oversee the Biz."

I glanced at the note and Mark said, "See, our boss wants as many allies INSIDE the city during the assault as possible. Spoiler alert; he wants to gut Phoenix from the inside out. Brutal, right? Hahaha! Anyways, you know the Atomic Stalkers fortified Cave Creek to the north, so I don't need to tell you how to get there. All you gotta do is have a chat with them and ensure they're on his side when you get around to it."

He paused a second, and gave me a creepy grin before saying, "Man, this battle for Phoenix is so rigged, Haha! Caesar got a whole plan to make the city implode without a single legionary. Isn't that COOL!? Anyhoo…. You should probably skedaddle! Good Luck, Buddy!"

I got up and walked off, "Yeah, we'll keep in touch."

Before reaching the door to leave, the most powerful man is Scottsdale shouted, "STOP!"

I turned around. He then studied me for several moments before saying, "And Hey… Have some fun out there." Then, he gave me a legitimate wink. (I wondered what was up with every sadistic or strange Legion supporter I've met using winks.)

I contemplated yet again what a weirdo my "partner in crime" was, and how he became one of the Legion's most valuable assets in the whole wasteland. I said, "Ok, Bud?" and walked off hearing the guy laugh to himself.

I left the Phoenix government building and entered the crowd that was still bustling about the area after the speeches. I pushed my way through the crowds and recognized several Resistance members patrolling. I finally encountered Mr. Swilling and several other team leaders including Doc Martin on the edge of the town plaza. As I approached, I noticed Mr. Swilling was not happy at all. He was making wild hand gestures, but I couldn't hear what he was saying over the noise of the crowds going about the post ceremony fair.

I approached and asked Doc Martin what he was so angry about, but knew the answer the whole time. Every Resistance member was furious at the idea of staying to fight the Legion. Mr. Swilling was furious with Mayor Sillen and how he betrayed their original plan to evacuate the city. Soon enough, the rest of them headed back to the Capitol and Doc Martin ordered me and several other gathering agents to stay in the city to patrol and look for suspicious activity among the population. Doc Martin told me to stay in a brothel and cantina called, "El Pata De Gato" until further instruction.

I asked about when to start my independent assignment and he said, "We'll let you know."