Needle

"I've almost forgotten what it feels like to be young."

Gage turned to Bossanova, frowning. She was staring at the towers of Kiddie Kingdom, reminiscence clouding her eyes, as if it were a castle made of gold.

He surveyed the crumbling walls and chipped, plastic lollipops and said, "Must have been a shit childhood if this junk makes you nostalgic."

She shot him a sharp look and then grinned. "I was in my fifties by the time they built this place. But I did organise a hit here."

"Bet the kids loved that."

"I know my guys did. They spent all day stuffing their faces and going on the park rides before the mark showed up with his family. I was told Joey threw up in a trash can from too much cotton candy."

Gage didn't know why anyone would eat the putrid solid mess he'd found festering all over Nuka World, but chuckled anyway. He supposed it must have been different back in the day. A scuffling noise made him whip around, just in time to see the ghoul leap at him. It knocked Gage clean off his feet. He hit the ground with a thud and a grunt of pain, holding the thing back with his rifle. It shrieked and snapped its teeth, tearing at every inch of him it could reach. In the distance, echoing cries of more ghouls sounded back.

There was a flash of metal, and the ghoul's head fell off, smacking Gage painfully in the face. He pushed the body away, when Bossanova dragged him to his feet and shoved him into a nearby bush.

"Shut up and stay still," she hissed.

"Boss, you can't take on all of them by your—" he began, trying to get back up.

She grabbed him by the shoulders and forced him down. He always forgot how strong she was. "Shut up," she said again, "and trust me."

Gritting his teeth, Gage obeyed, ducking lower into his hiding place.

Bossanova straightened, opening her arms wide as she faced the hoard of approaching ghouls. Now that he wasn't preventing his nose from being bitten off, Gage had time to study them. They were painted in a horrible mix of clashing colours, the paint peeling off their rotting bodies. The effect reminded him of the stupid getups of Mason's Pack.

Gage tensed, his rifle at the ready. She was fucking insane. They would eat her.

His mouth dropped open as the ghouls slowed, sniffing Bossanova's feet, and then butting her with their heads like dogs begging for food and ear scratches. Bossanova laughed and petted the nearest one, and the other ghouls clamored around her for attention, ignoring the corpse on the ground.

"Alright, go on. Shoo," she said, flapping her hands at them. They clicked their teeth mournfully, but obeyed, slinking off towards Kiddie Kingdom.

Bossanova waited until they were out of sight, then hurried back to Gage. "You okay?"

"Yeah, fine." He picked twigs out of his hair and stared at her. "What the hell was that?"

She shrugged. "Ferals don't attack other ghouls. I thought you knew."

"How? Do I look like I've been cooked by radiation?"

"Clearly you're not as worldly as I imagined."

Gage was left trying to figure out what this meant while she directed her attention back to the park.

"Judging by how many came out for a little tussle like that, the whole place will be infested. She glanced at him. "Did you bring the stealth boys?"

Gage nodded and patted the satchel he'd grabbed back in Nuka Town. "Enough for a few hours."

"Good. I'll walk ahead, you use one of them. If it's just ghouls, we can clear them out easily. But if it's more than that…"

"Boss," Gage said, unable to contain himself. "Why didn't they try to eat you?"

"I don't know how it works. I'm one of them. That's all that matters. Same as raiders really."

The conversation died as they drew near to the entrance, and Gage fired up the stealth boy. A cold rush passed over him, followed by an odd, rippling warmth that seemed to hover just above the surface of his skin. He held up his now seemingly transparent hand to his face, studying it. Good enough.

They crossed the threshold, and Gage halted, the green haze in the air causing his salvaged Geiger counter to crackle. It wasn't the best—in fact, it was an inaccurate piece of shit. But it was enough to tell him when the air was thick with radiation. Before he could say anything to Bossanova, a rasping voice crackled over the intercom.

"Well now friends, it seems we have another uninvited guest to...the…" The voice trailed away. "One of us?"

Bossanova tilted her head, searching for the speaker.

"Oh, you won't find me out here. But…" The voice hesitated, and then continued, the tone harsher and clipped. "She said there was a new leader. A leader like us. So that'syou, is it? A traitor. A killer. You think you have me fooled, bitch, but I know. Oswald the Outrageous always knows."

"I'm sure you do," Bossanova called out cheerily. Gage wondered if this Ozward—or whatever his name was—could actually hear her. One of the ghouls shuffled over, and she patted it gently on the head. "Your friends seem to like me, though, so why don't we have a chat instead? I'm sure we can come to an agreement."

"Steve, get away from her!" barked Osbald. The ghoul paused and then slunk off. Gage was sure if it had a tail it would be between its legs. "So where are you going to shuffle to, little overboss? The tunnels, maybe? The funhouse?" He let out a maniacal cackle. "Plenty to see and do here. Plenty of treats in store. Be seeing you…"

The speaker cut out, filling the park with silence. The ghouls milling around seemed indifferent.

"Loves the sound of his own fucking voice, that one," muttered Gage. "Boss, hang on. Need to deal with the rads."

Bossanova crouched down next to him. "Got enough medicine?"

He opened a bottle of rad-x and took a few pills as he nodded. Then he remembered the stealth boy and said, "Yeah, it'll last a little while."

"I think we need to have a proper chat with this Oswald."

"Oh, so that's his name."

"What did you think it was?"

Gage's cheeks suddenly felt hot. "I, uh...nevermind. What's important is he sounds deranged. We need to kill him and quick."

"Half the people in this park are deranged. What we need to do is speak with him, give him a chance to talk. Might be he can offer us valuable resources. At the very least it seems he's in control of the ghouls—if we can find a way to take over his ownership of them, we'll have an army of ferals at our disposal. If not, we convince him to leave."

"Why are you so goddamn determined just to let people walk away?"

"Because it's cleaner than killing."

Gage scowled, though he knew she couldn't see him. Again she was trying to make friends rather than doing what was practical, though he had to admit it worked last time. Still, he felt uneasy. This seemed a little too much, but if anyone was going to convince a mad ghoul to work for them, it would be her. "You better know what you're fucking doing."

Bossanova grinned. "Always."

They pressed on. Whatever Kiddie Kingdom had been in its prime, it was now a walking deathtrap. There were runaway carts on hidden tracks, hurtling past at breakneck speed. There was an arena filled with giant, spinning teacups the size of brahmins. The sprinkler system was pumping out constant radiation. And the place was teeming with ghouls. Gage found the remains of what looked like two raiders near an old trash can, scraps of meat still clinging to the gnawed bones.

He shivered. It was lucky the ghouls seemed to like Bossanova, otherwise they might not have got very far. They milled around her vying for attention, only drifting away when Oswald's angry voice told them to move on. The one called Steve kept coming back, and in the end the speaker stopped bothering to shoo him. Bossanova looked delighted.

They walked on for a few minutes, when there was a loud snap and a shriek of pain. Gage whirled around to see Bossanova on the floor, clutching her leg. He crept forward as quickly as he dared, and saw the old, rusted bear trap buried deep into her calf.

Ah shit.

Oswald's laugh rang out over the speakers. "Hurts, doesn't it?" He continued to chuckle. "Good. You deserve a bit of pain. Your raiders hurt people. Beat them to a pulp. Even children." His voice broke for a moment, and then he hissed, "Tell me, do you think you'll bleed out before the infection gets you?"

"Ghouls don't get infections," Bossanova called, trying to prise open the trap. Her blood-slicked hands lost their grip, and the trap snapped shut again, tearing another scream from her throat. Steve the ghoul sniffed her head, clearly agitated, but not knowing how to help.

Gage snuck over, carefully avoided the ghoul, and crouched down next to her. "Together, boss," he whispered, taking hold of the trap. "One. Two. Three."

The trap opened with grinding metallic noise, and Bossanova yanked her leg out quick. It snapped shut again. She pulled herself to her feet, batting his hands away as he tried to help. A second later, Gage realised why.

"Oh, got out of it yourself, did you?" Oswald said, clearly disappointed. "Well hurry up and die. I have places to be."

"Radiation heals ghouls," Bossanova shouted back, a look of inspiration flickering across her face. She grinned. "Sorry. Looks like your little trap won't do much good."

"Oh yeah? We'll see about that."

The sprinklers suddenly cut. Gage's Geiger counter went silent. Bossanova turned in his general direction and winked. Then she pulled out a handful of stimpaks and set to work mending her leg, leaning against the wall for support. Two stimpaks would have probably done the job for Gage, but she needed four. Finally, she bound her leg up, using a broken fence post as a splint, and gingerly tested her weight on it. The leg held.

"Come on, Steve," she said loudly. "We've a lot of work ahead."

She hobbled away, using the wall for support. Gage quickly caught up with her, tucking his arm under hers so she could discreetly lean on him. Bossanova shot him a quick smile. "Thanks," she whispered.

"Don't mention it."

The Funhouse loomed over them, looking oddly menacing considering it was brightly painted and decorated in lollipops. Gage held the door open for Bossanova as she limped her way inside, and Steve followed. Two more ghouls were waiting, but they took one look at Steve and went back to lying on the floor.

Holding his breath against the smell, Gage followed them. The walls were plastered with blue and pink peeling wallpaper, the floor so covered with filth it was impossible to tell what the original colour had been.

Oswald was quick to greet them. "Welcome boys and girls to...the Funhouse!"

"How long are you going to keep this up?" Bossanova replied, wincing with every step. She pushed open a double set of doors, which revealed a strange hall full of tarnished mirrors.

"Until you are dead!"

"Steve likes me. Isn't that good enough for you?"

"No! Steve's an idiot! Always chasing after girls…"

Gage trailed behind Bossanova as she wound her way through the maze of mirrors. Though he couldn't see his own reflection, he could see hers, multiplied into the great beyond. The effect was quite nauseating. Steve suddenly pounced on a nearby radroach, biting its head off and chewing noisily.

"I still think we should have a nice, grown-up talk," Bossanova went on pleasantly while Steve let out a loud burp. "I think I have more to offer you than you know, and can grant you protection. Who knows the interests of ghouls better than a ghoul?"

"You didn't look after Sarah," snapped Oswald. "Came to me black and blue she did. Your raiders beat her, near killed her by the looks of it. And she still went back to them. Where was your protection then?"

Bossanova's thousand images frowned. "Sarah? I don't know a Sarah."

"She's one of us! And if you gave a damn, you'd know that!"

Her face lit up in recognition. "Ah, the ghoul girl. I've only been the boss for about...a week or so? And I've been out on the field, not playing meet and greet. If the raiders are abusing my people, I'll put a stop to it. But I'll need someone to help me. I think you're the perfect man for the job."

"Liar!" howled Oswald. "You're a liar! A goddamn liar!"

The speaker cut out.

"Nice try," murmured Gage.

Bossanova sighed.

The rest of the mirror maze passed without incident, and they made their way to what looked like a corridor on top of a long conveyor belt. There was no way Bossanova was out-hobbling that.

"Let me go ahead and just fucking shoot him," Gage hissed, indicating the glass observation room where a figure in a top hat could be clearly seen. There was a strange glow surrounding the person, but he didn't pay it much mind. Glowing or not, they could still be shot.

"I said no," Bossanova snarled.

Gage grumbled with frustration, but stopped as Steve looked around sharply. After a few seconds, the ghoul relaxed and resumed sniffing Bossanova's feet. She looked down at it, then back to the conveyor belt.

"Steve, do you think you can help me?"

Steve showed no sign it had heard her. Bossanova shifted her stance, lifted her bad leg up, and swung it over Steve's back. She landed heavily on him, and Steve flinched, letting out a disgruntled growl. Gage gripped his weapon tight, ready to fire, but after a few seconds of looking like the highest treachery had been committed against it, Steve settled. Now Gage thought about it, the ghoul was very tall, despite being so emaciated, and held Bossanova's weight with ease.

Bossanova pulled a Fancy Lad snack cake from her pocket and waved it in front of Steve. The ghoul perked up immediately, eyes rolling in its head trying to follow the cake. "Steve, fetch!" She threw it with all her might, and it sailed down the corridor, bouncing off the wall and disappearing out of sight.

Steve bolted.

Bossanova had time to let out a surprised shriek, clinging to Steve's neck for dear life, before the ghoul was off, charging unsteadily on all fours down the corridor, Bossanova's legs trailing out behind them.

Gage clung to the wall in silent laughter, while Oswald's furious yells of, "Steve, no! What are you doing? Steeeve!" crackled over the intercom. The figure in the observation room banged their fists down on a console as Bossanova and Steve flew around the corner from sight. Several panels in the ceiling opened, sending grenades bouncing down the conveyor belt towards Gage. He just had enough time to sprint back down the way he came, running straight into a mirror wall, before they exploded.

Gage groaned, putting a hand to his aching forehead. Had he knocked himself out? He blinked and realised he could see his hand. The stealth boy was dead. Gage fumbled for another one and activated familiar cold then rippling warmth engulfed him, and he got unsteadily to his feet.

Two left.

They needed to hurry up here or he was going to be in a lot of trouble.

Gage staggered back into the conveyor belt hallway to find the observation room empty and the floor mercifully still. He jogged down it and found Bossanova in the next room, flat on her back while Steve was playing with the snack cake wrapper in the corner.

"You alright, boss?" he said quietly as he reached her.

"Remind me never to do that again," she replied, clutching her leg, her face tinged green.

"Never do that again," Gage said. Bossanova picked up a stone and threw it at him. It missed, sailing clean over his shoulder. He looked around at this new area, and shook his head. Pre-war people were crazy.

The room consisted of a large pit, half full of stagnant water. In the centre were two giant Nuka Cola bottles, one red, the other a patchy blue, with a little platforms jutting out on one side. They were spinning fast, the platforms only being within reach for seconds. A single false move would mean falling into the water, and who knew what was lurking in there.

Gage glanced around. There were no cameras he could see, and the observation window was empty in here. Making up his mind, he scooped Bossanova into his arms.

"Gage!" she hissed, gripping his shoulder and looking around, panicked, for any sign of Oswald. "What are you doing?"

"Shut up and keep a tight hold on me."

"What—?"

Gage turned around, waited for the nearest bottle to complete its revolution, and then sprinted towards the gap. He heard Bossanova let out a squeak as he leapt, and then a grunt of pain as they crashed haphazardly onto the walkway. They rolled, nearly sliding off the edge, but Gage managed to hook his arm around the metal barrier, and kept them in place.

Slowly, Gage stood up. The momentum was making him feel sick, but he ignored it, picking Bossanova up again and aiming for the next bottle. This one was even worse. He staggered as they hit the platform, lost his balance completely, and went barrelling forward. At the last second he managed to steady himself, teetering on the edge, and then made the final jump. They hit the deck with a thud, and Gage lay on solid, unmoving ground, panting and resisting the urge to vomit.

"Well done," Bossanova wheezed, looking as bad as he felt. "I think I just need a moment to—"

There was a horrible, ear-splitting shriek. Gage glanced up to see Steve charging towards them, tongue lolling out of its mouth. It bounded across the spinning platforms with ease, landed untidily next to Bossanova, and began licking her face.

"Steve!" she spluttered, trying to push the ghoul away. "Alright, alright!"

Gage bit back a snicker and slowly sat up, massaging his stomach. With any luck, the next area wouldn't be too bad. He wandered over to the door and opened it.

Bright, spinning green lights and revolving spiral patterns greeted him. Gage took one look at it, gripped his stomach, and ran back to the pit to stick his head over the side.

The Hypno Room—or as Gage liked to call it, the 'Spinny Fuck Off Room' was an absolute nightmare. Swirling images dominated every corner, the tunnels revolving, sending him staggering everywhere, and some even with glass blocking the way. More than once he felt the urge to just smash through, but thought better of it. Sick as he was, he didn't want to attract the attention of the ghouls.

Finally, they made their way to a room that looked as if it was upside-down, the furniture nailed to the ceilings and walls. Gage ignored it. After the previous shit he'd just been through, this was nothing. At least the furniture was staying in place.

However, they quickly returned to the nausea-inducing hellscape. As Gage threw open the last door, ready to just start shooting everything up if it meant escaping the Funhouse, he stepped forward and found his feet pulled out from underneath him. He caught a brief glimpse of a circular room filled with ghouls, the floor one big, spinning green and black spiral, before he was flat on his back whirling around. Gage rolled over to see Bossanova and Steve jump in after him. The door slammed shut, and suddenly he had no idea where the exit was, let alone where they'd even come from.

His stomach was churning, the smell of the ghouls forcing him to clamp his hands over his mouth, trying to keep everything down. God, people used to come to this shit forfun?

"Round and round and round!" screamed Oswald, laughing at them. The doors lining the walls were opening and shutting, more ghouls piling into the room, flashing lights flaring and dying. "I couldn't save Sarah! I couldn't make Rachel stay! I couldn't stop my people's illness! But I can—kill—you!"

Gage groaned and covered his head, trying to block everything out. Bossanova told him not to use his gun. But he just couldn't take this shit anymore.

"Steve, no!"

Gage glanced up. Steve had approached one of the open doors, activating a tripwire. A grenade bounced down, while Steve simply stared at it. Then Bossanova grabbed hold of the ghoul as she kicked the grenade back into the room and dragged Steve away. The grenade went off, blowing the door off its hinges.

The spinning stopped.

Slowly, Bossanova sat up, staring up at the ceiling as if waiting for Oswald to throw his next trick at them. Instead, silence reigned for a good minute before his strained voice filtered out over the speakers.

"You...you saved Steve? Why?"

"Why?" Bossanova scowled, petting Steve's head, who was huddled up against her lap and trembling. "Why? What have I been telling you for the last hour, boy? Or don't you know how to listen? I am not here to hurt ghouls!"

Again, Oswald didn't speak. The other ghouls were pawing the smouldering door, while Steve remained by Bossanova's side.

"Okay. We'll talk."

Like the rest of Kiddie Kingdom, the castle had seen better days. Though the walls were still white, they were stained with the centuries of strife. Dead plantlife hung from the signs, and even the candy decorating the turrets and towers looked washed out and stale.

Steve walked ahead, helping Bossanova navigate around the traps, and Gage kept close to her heels.

They walked up stairs and over bridges and through grand, decaying courtyards, until finally they made it to the front door. Inside was an immense theater, light cutting through the gloom to reveal a dusty old stage. Oswald sat waiting for them, a faint green glow lighting up his top hat and black and red jacket, revealing a sword strapped to his side. Gage's stomach turned. Glowing ones were dangerous. The fact this one seemed to have kept all his marbles meant they were in for a rough time if things went south.

Oswald looked up as Bossanova approached, and gave a curt nod.

"Follow me," he rasped, standing up and walking away without waiting. Bossanova stumped after him, face screwed up in pain. Gage wondered how well her wounds had healed.

Oswald led them up high through the building, past dressing rooms, a kitchen, and even a rec room, breaking the illusion somewhat. Finally they made their way to the very top, an open, spacious attic with most of the roof missing, where natural light filled every corner. Barrels of radioactive waste littered the edges, their warning labels peeling away. Gage's Geiger counter started to crackle again, but thankfully Oswald didn't seem to notice.

"Here," said Oswald. He took hold of Bossanova and his skin glowed brightly, filling the room with green. Gage's Geiger counter got louder, more frantic, and he pressed his hands over it trying to drown out the noise.

Bossanova stared at Oswald, then reached down and pulled away the bindings holding her splint in place. Gage's mouth fell open. Her leg was fully healed. Even her fancy gun hadn't managed that.

Oswald let go of her, glaring. "Right. Down to business. You say the raiders are under your control, but they've done nothing but hunt us, torture us, and kill us. Even if you are in charge, why the hell should I join you?"

"How long do you really think you'll be able to hold off against the raiders?" Bossanova replied, her hands on her hips. "And be honest with yourself."

"I've lasted two hundred years," he snarled. "I'll last another two hundred more."

Already, Gage didn't like Oswald's tone. He stuck by his earlier assessment—the ghoul was batshit crazy. How long had he been holed up here alone with only ferals for company? Gage made a split second decision. If this went tits up, he was gonna have the ghoul in his sights no matter what. Throwing a careful glance at Oswald and Steve, Gage inched his way over to the stairs and crept up to the walkways above. It was the wisest decision he'd ever made, because as he reached the shadows, his stealth boy died.

"This isn't just about you," Bossanova retorted, equally sharp. "It's about what's best for everyone."

"Everyone? You mean raiders."

"I mean your friends. You think you can stay safe forever? The people outside are multiplying. Sooner or later, they'll outnumber you. And when they do, they'll take this from you in a heartbeat, radiation or not. I'm giving you the chance to join forces with me. To keep the raiders in their place. Because once I have them under my thumb, I'm going to crush them."

Oswald stared at her. So did Gage. She must know he could hear her. So this had to be a lie. But she said it with such conviction, for a moment he was thrown. No. Of course it was a lie. Don't be so fucking stupid.

Oswald opened and closed his mouth a few times, then swallowed. "I don't believe you."

"I could have brought them all here. Wiped you out." Bossanova smiled faintly, tilting her head to the side. "Instead I came to you alone. Right from the very beginning, all I've tried to do is speak to you." She patted Steve on the head again, who was nuzzling her legs. "If you really thought I was a threat, you wouldn't have me here."

The ghoul watched her petting Steve for a moment and licked his lips. "No...I guess not." He sighed. "I'm too old to start again. This is all I know anymore."

"Take it from this old lady—you can always start again."

Gage inched forward, resting his sights on Oswald. Sooner or later he would figure out the boss was lying, the game she was playing. Or at least Gage hoped she was playing a game. The alternative was uncomfortable—not at least she was stupid enough to announce her plans of betrayal in front of him. He shuffled to the side a little, and reached down to his satchel to get out another stealth boy.

Crack.

Gage's foot went straight through a rotten plank, and he yelled as he sunk into the walkway up to his thigh. His rifle slipped from his hands and clattered down to the floor below.

Oswald glanced from Bossanova to Gage, his face twisted with fury, but Steve was already on the case. The feral raced up the stairs, shrieking and hissing, and launched himself at Gage. Gage grabbed the thing's arms, twisted sharply, and the ghoul plummeted, landing on its head with a sickening thud.

"Raiders!" Oswald roared, drawing his sword. He raised his hand as Gage scrabbled for his sidearm, but it was pinned against the hole he was stuck in. Try as he might, he couldn't get to it. He was utterly helpless.

"No more!" the ghoul screamed, swinging the sword wildly around as he strode towards Gage. "No more slaves! No more terror!" His skin glowed a bright, venomous green, building and building at the palm pointed up to the walkway. "I'll make your skin bubble and crack! I'll make your eyes melt! I'll—"

Bossanova appeared from nowhere. Gage had a split second to register the knife in her hand, before she buried it in Oswald's neck. He jerked, trying to pull away from her, and the green light engulfed the two ghouls. Gage's Geiger counter went ballistic, and he could just see the darkened silhouettes in the centre, one of them plunging a knife over and over into the other's chest and head. The light flickered and died. Oswald was still struggling, but he could no longer sustain his only lifeline. His gargled screams filled the air as the gleaming knife bit into his flesh, blood spraying in wide arcs with every brutal thrust, until finally he collapsed to the floor.

Bossanova fell with him, dropping to her knees as her knife clattered away. She bent over Oswald's twitching body for a moment, her fingers digging into the floor as she panted. She raised a trembling hand and grasped momentarily at her own face, before her head snapped up in Gage's direction. "Are you hurt? Did he get you?"

There was a definite tremor to her voice, but Gage ignored it. She had just saved his life from a situation that was entirely his fault.

"I'm fine," he croaked, struggling to free himself. "Just...stuck. You okay, boss? The green shit didn't hurt you none?"

"Radiation doesn't hurt me. How many times?" she snapped, getting unsteadily to her feet. She deliberately avoided both of the ghoul bodies, running up the stairs to Gage and offering her hand. He took it, though it was so slick with blood she still struggled to pull him out. Eventually she managed and together they made their way back to the lower floor.

"Boss." Gage picked up his gun and studied her closely. "You sure you okay?"

"Yeah, I…" She dropped her gaze, wiping the blood from her pale face. Her voice was the merest whisper. "I didn't think he'd...he struggled so much. Made it so much worse. I…"

Her words were cut off as Oswald groaned. He raised a bloodied hand in the air and she shied away, looking terrified. Gage stared at her for a moment, and then felt his immediate annoyance dissipate. He wasn't angry. He couldn't be. Not after this.

Gage strode over to Oswald, slamming his foot into his chest, and shot him in the head. Bossanova flinched. "There," he said. "My fault. Not yours. Come on." He grabbed her arm and steered her away.

"Gage, I—"

"Guy was a fucking nutjob," Gage said firmly. "Let's find you a drink."