Showmanship
"Stay here."
Those were the last words Mrs. Bossanova said before leaving Sarah at Jack's brothel again. And Sarah obeyed. For about five minutes. The second Eddie's back was turned, she slipped out the front door and off into the wasteland. Mrs. Bossanova never said how long she had to stay after all.
It wasn't hard keeping up with the old lady. She didn't check over her shoulder too often, and when she did, Sarah was small enough to just duck out of the way. The urge to visit Oswald almost overcame her as they passed Kiddie Kingdom, and Sarah bit her lip, wondering how mad he was at her. But there was plenty of time to see Oswald, and only one chance to follow Mrs. Bossanova.
Later, she told herself. I'll see him later.
On they walked, and within minutes Oswald was driven clean from her mind as they drew close to their destination. Her mouth dropped open. Huge, spherical objects peered over the tops of the immense walls like slumbering monsters, some circled by rusted metal discs, other slightly smaller spheres clustered around the giants. From the centre of it all, a tall, swooping tower with an alien ship perched on top stretched high into the sky.
A piercing scream cut the air, immediately drowned by laser and gunfire. Mrs. Bossanova ducked behind a dead bush, while Sarah dropped down into the undergrowth, watching the archway with a sign over it that read, 'The Galactic Zone.'
A young, slim woman with dark skin and short black hair staggered out, limping badly and clutching her arm. A barrage of lasers streaked from the entrance, hitting her in the back. She fell, but continued to desperately crawl away as she screamed and screamed.
Two robots caught up with her. They looked nothing like Sarah had ever seen before: red, with swirly white writing on their boxy bodies. It was as if someone had taken Nuka Cola vending machines and combined them with a Mr. Handy and a protectron. Then a small, circular robot covered in strange antenna floated forward, shooting the woman again. She collapsed forward, motionless. After a few moments, the robots turned and went back inside, as if nothing had happened.
Mrs. Bossanova waited and then crept over to the woman. It took Sarah a second to realise she was still alive, crying softly into the dirt.
"Shhh," Mrs. Bossanova said gently, carefully turning her over and wincing a little. "Shh, honey. I'm with you." She drew a stimpak from her pocket and injected it into the lady. "What's your name?"
"T-Tiana," Tiana whimpered. Her trembling hands were badly burned, her face and neck a gooey, peeling mess. "Cold. I'm cold."
"You're going to be fine." Mrs. Bossanova placed her hand on Tiana's, smiling.
"Everyone's dead." Tiana closed her remaining eye. "Star Control...everyone's dead." She was shaking violently in Mrs. Bossanova's arms, her expression mingled with pain and grief. "Everyone…" She opened her eye again. "My bag. Salve. For burns."
"Your bag?" Mrs. Bossanova looked down and reached for the satchel at Tiana's hip. "Where does it hurt the worst?"
"No." She gripped Mrs. Bossanova's hand, and the old lady looked her in the eye. Tiana whimpered, forcing a small smile onto her raw lips. "For you."
She slackened.
Mrs. Bossanova said nothing for a long time, frozen in place with the dead woman. Then she slowly, and ever so gently, laid Tiana back onto the ground, folding her arms across her chest and sat down heavily next to her, staring into the distance.
Sarah stayed out of sight, biting her lip. Mrs. Bossanova looked genuinely sad, but she couldn't understand why. If Mrs. Bossanova was like Jack and—more importantly—like Gage, then this shouldn't matter. Sure, she'd been nice to Sarah once or twice, but she ruled Nuka World. She'd disappeared for an hour and returned covered in blood; kept Gage in his place; killed Colter, cut the heads off raiders who crossed her, and...and cried over someone called Nicky.
Mrs. Bossanova pawed through the dead woman's bag. She pulled out a small pot with 'NCR salve' scrawled along the side, turned it over in her hands, and pocketed it. A battered holotape followed, and then Mrs. Bossanova got to her feet and moved on.
Sarah went after her, but only got a few feet inside the Galactic Zone before a strong, rotting smell hit her, and she fought not to gag. It reminded her of the Disciples' base, with the putrid meat and skins nailed to the walls and floor. Just beyond the entrance lay a pile of bodies swathed in flies, which swarmed into a swirling black cloud as Mrs. Bossanova passed.
Sarah stayed where she was, her heart hammering in her chest. The fear she felt at that smell, that stench of death and decay, was so ingrained in her, she couldn't move. Sarah watched as Mrs. Bossanova walked further and further away, knowing if she didn't go, she would lose the old woman altogether.
Taking a deep breath, Sarah stuck her fingers up her nose cavity, blocking out most of the smell, and hurried carefully past the bodies, swallowing the bile rising in her throat. As she caught up, she spotted another robot and tensed, horror creeping over her. The place was crawling with them.
The slow, vaguely human-shaped protectrons; slender assaultrons; boxy Mr. Handys—all of them flitted around the walkways and buildings, scanning the area for more targets. There were even little eyebots, like the one that killed Tiana, floating casually to and fro. All of them were painted in red or silver, to match the colour of Nuka Cola, and some were covered in suspicious dark stains. Sarah felt the urge to vomit again.
Mrs. Bossanova carried on, apparently unfazed by the danger. In the centre of the Galactic Zone sat the tall tower, reaching so far into the sky that even looking at it made Sarah dizzy. The door at its base was open, a sign over it reading 'Star Control.'
She crept inside to find Mrs. Bossanova walking past a glass display case with a big set of armour inside. Sarah stared at it in wonder. It looked like the power armour Mr. Danse wore when he'd visited the Slog about a year ago, but bulkier and...rounder. And blue, with 'Nuka Quantum' etched into the metal. Mr. Danse had been a grumpy man, but nice in his own way. She hoped he was alright.
There were more bodies in here, just past the armour. Mrs. Bossanova was checking them over as well. After a while she seemed to lose interest and walked over to a huge computer console, her back firmly to Sarah. She inserted the holotape into the waiting slot and stood there for a good five minutes, reading the screen.
Sarah ducked out of the way as Mrs. Bossanova suddenly turned around and crouched down to a nearby corpse, prising from its rigid fingers a large, flat board pitted with little bumps and bits of plastic. She strode back to the computer and inserted the board in a rectangular hollow—it clicked perfectly into place and the plastic bits lit up green and red. Sarah watched happily as it whirred and flickered. It was pretty. She decided they were called 'star pieces.' The name fit, at least.
Mrs. Bossanova seemed less taken with the lights and marched out of the Star Control without so much as a backwards glance. Sarah wasn't sure which was scarier: the robots or Mrs. Bossanova. But at least if the robots spotted her, Mrs. Bossanova would protect her.
Maybe.
The 'Starlight Interstellar Theater' took Sarah's breath away.
Following Mrs. Bossanova inside had been difficult, making her way past the robots, opening the door, and closing it again without a sound. But she'd managed, and was rewarded with the most amazing sight she'd ever seen in her life.
Large, strange orbs—similar but smaller than the ones outside—loomed over her. Sarah flinched, expecting them to fall at any moment, but they stayed still, eternal in their presence. She blinked, studying them, and realised what they were supposed to be: planets and moons, all different hues of red and blue. They hung silently in the air, so vast and old they could have been the real thing. The night sky had come to join her here in this secret place, the Old World blending with the new.
Just beyond the spherical giants was a huge screen which lit up the theater, casting shadows and illuminating the rows of little Nuka Cola spaceships lining the floor. It was showing a clip of a moving picture called, 'Night of the Fish Man's Revenge.'
Sarah's mouth fell open. She'd seen posters for the movies—even heard some pre-war ghouls talk about them. But nothing could have prepared her for pictures— moving pictures! —like seeing the real thing. The images flickered, showing a creature with fins and a slobbering mouth reaching across the screen towards a screaming woman, though she didn't make a sound. Sarah shivered, glancing over her shoulder to check there were no fish men—or space fish men either—behind her. When she turned back, the finned monster was right up close, glaring down at her.
Sarah caught her shriek just in time, clamping her hands to her mouth and containing the noise. Her heart hammered in her chest, her eyes wide as the creature dominated the movie, turning the white glow of the room to darkest black. Then it disappeared, replaced by an advert for Dandy Apples. Sarah clutched her chest, biting hard on her lip to stop herself whimpering, and glanced about.
Mrs. Bossanova was gone.
Sarah whipped around, panicked. She wanted to know what was going on. And if something went wrong, there would be no one to help her. She had to find Mrs. Bossanova and fast.
Keeping to the edges of the room, Sarah scurried on.
Right across the other side, to the left of the screen, was—Sarah had to pause for a moment to remember what the ghouls at the Slog called it—a bar. She'd taken refuge in one just like it with Mr. Glass on their way through the Commonwealth. The light was a dim, dusky red, strange objects glinting on the wall.
Sarah squinted and realised they were Nuka Cola bottles, wearing many different coloured labels like dolls in pretty dresses. She admired them until something large and hulking rumbled into view. Biting back a squeak, Sarah pushed herself into an alcove, trembling as a tank-like sentry bot rolled by, stopping exactly where she'd been standing seconds before.
It turned its top half, the wide red light projecting from its glass domed head, just passing above her. She flattened herself low into the floor, holding her breath and praying it didn't notice her. As she did, she looked towards the bar again, and saw a small board with little green and red plastic bumps on it.
A star piece.
Sarah glanced from the piece to the robot and back again. In an instant, her mind was made up. She turned her attention to the floor and spied an empty bottle just within her reach. Picking it up carefully, she held it high above her head, and threw it towards the exit, where the screen room was.
The sentry bot rumbled to life at once, its loud, abrasive voice setting Sarah's teeth on edge. "Status report: yellow and falling. Perimeter security can no longer be guaranteed." It charged away, its red light scanning from side to side.
If she was going to get the piece, now was her chance.
Throwing caution to the wind, Sarah skittered to the bar, her footsteps drowning out by the robot's rumbling. As she did, she spotted a bag on the floor and snatched it up, before throwing herself out of sight. The sentry bot was still barking its status reports, the horrible noise growing fainter by the second.
Sarah grabbed the star piece and stuffed it into the bag, slinging the strap over her shoulder. She hesitated, shaking again, and peered over the bar. The sentry bot had moved into the screen room completely now, but it could be back any moment.
Sarah ducked back down, clutching her knees.
On three. One. Two. Three!
Sarah scrambled from her hiding place, tearing down the hall and pressing herself back into the shadows, crouching low behind a rocket shaped seat. The sentry bot swivelled around, its red light sweeping over her, turning the wall bloody and bright. For the longest minute of her life, Sarah stayed frozen in place, her legs cramping, her heart hammering, trying desperately not to breathe too loud. Then the light finally moved away, and the sentry bot rumbled on, disappearing back towards the bar.
Sarah remained still for ten seconds longer, counting them in her head, before letting out an explosive sigh and slumping against the rocket seat. She had no idea where Mrs. Bossanova was, but at least she had something the boss might want. The star pieces, whatever they were, fit into the computer. Maybe the computer controlled things around here?
Sarah opened her satchel and peered inside, checking over the star piece. It certainly looked computery, and the more she found, the more likely Mrs. Bossanova would let her tag along.
Feeling quite pleased with herself, Sarah let the satchel fall shut again and made her way back outside.
"Welcome to the RobCo Battlezone! Please find a seat. Our next show begins in just five minutes!"
Sarah had heard of RobCo before—they made most of the robots now roaming the wasteland before the bombs dropped. She let the door shut behind her with a faint click, confident the two assaultrons she'd successfully slipped past outside wouldn't hear her, as the bellowing intercom provided her with good cover. Who was shouting out the messages? He didn't sound like a raider or a ghoul.
Sarah glanced around, once again caught with wonder. Each new place, each slice of the pre-war world, filled her with an indescribable joy.
The flickering light-up letters for the battered old ticket office were somehow still working, buzzing like bloatflies. Sarah watched it for a moment, smiling as she imagined moms and dads queuing up with their kids for tickets to...whatever this was, and then approached, peering through the window, hoping to spy another star piece. Instead there was a big reel of blue arcade tickets. If she could get her hands on it, she might be able to buy a few of the prizes back in Nuka Town.
Of course, the raiders would never let her, but Sarah decided there and then it didn't mean she couldn't try. The Cappy action figure looked neat. She'd find a way to hide it somehow.
Sarah walked on into the next room and stopped dead, her mouth hanging open.
The Battlezone was an enormous red arena, with white steps from every side of the room sloping down to meet a large glass box in the centre. After a second, Sarah realised the steps were actually seats, like in the pictures of baseball stadiums she'd seen in old magazines. A couple of skeletons lounged on the steps, and Sarah thought of the families at the ticket office again, her stomach twisting uncomfortably.
Mrs. Bossanova was still absent, so Sarah crept through, deftly making her way past the patrolling robots to the giant glass cage. It was lit brighter than the rest of the room, a stark white centrepiece in sharp contrast with the red walls, and inside had more planets suspended from the ceiling. The glassed area was split into two levels, with big metal walls jutting out of the floor, like barricades, and on the back walls were some small vents. There were also a couple of large panels in the floor, which look like they slid open. Sarah wasn't too sure what they were for.
She considered the room. Seemed like the perfect place to hide star pieces, in her opinion. In an instant she made up her mind. Locating the entrance to the glass room at the side, she crept inside and immediately spotted not one, but two pieces. Sarah darted forward, grabbing them and quickly sticking them in her bag. She could risk poking around more, but she really needed to find Mrs. Bossanova first.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" boomed the voice overhead.
The lights in the stands went out with a loud clunk, and behind her the door she'd come through suddenly slammed shut. Sarah sprinted over to it, but there was no opening mechanism from this side.
"Are you ready for incredible action? Are you ready for thrilling battles? Are you ready to see the latest robots fight it out in the ultimate showcase?"
Raw panic rose like bile as she began to understand what was happening. Abandoning the door, she sprinted to the glass walls and started beating them with her small fists, yelling for the man to stop. He might be a pre-war recording, but if he wasn't, he was the only person who could save her.
"Then it's time for the RobCo Battlezoooone!" the voice called out, ignoring Sarah's pleading shrieks. "Now entering the ring, RobCo galactrons, with their cutting-edge laser technology. Watch as the Galactrons make short work of these eyebots! "
"Stop, please!" Sarah screamed, her voice cracking with desperation.
There were two smooth clunks either side of her, and to her horror she saw what the holes in the floor were for. Two protectron robots emerged on rising platforms as the doors opened. Before they had a chance to see her, she ran to the vents at the back wall, just as a swarm of the spherical eyebots came floating out from the upper level.
"Please stand clear. This is now a free fire zone."
Lasers began to shoot overhead, the protectrons engaging their foes. Sarah stuck her fingers in the vent covers, pulling so hard she felt it slice her skin open. She ignored the stinging and the blood, throwing in all her weight, praying it would come loose. It remained firmly shut.
"Hostile detected," came a grating voice behind her. Sarah turned to see one of the protectrons had broken from the main fight and was now slowly stomping towards her. "Your cooperation is requested."
She dived just as it opened fire, the laser blast hitting the vent and bouncing off back into the fray.
"Please put your hands in the air and prepare for disciplinary action."
Sarah scrambled to her feet, terror choking away her breath. The thing continued to walk towards her, raising the laser built into its arms. "Please take cover until the danger has been eliminated," it said, firing at her again.
She was less lucky this time. The burning round caught her arm and she screamed in pain, finally drawing the attention of the other protectron.
"Do not be alarmed," it said, ignoring the attacks of the eyebots as it turned to her. "Order will be restored soon. Please stand by."
Sarah ran for her life, circling the arena until there was a metal barricade between her and the robots. She began to sob, listening to the stomps of the protectrons, the eyebots exploded around her as they were finished off. The door wouldn't open. There was no other way out. She was going to die. She was going to die.
Bang.
Sarah looked up. Mrs. Bossanova was at the glass window in front of her, her face pale and set. She held a pipe in her hand. Mrs. Bossanova swung it hard, the metal bouncing off the safety glass— bang —causing a minute crack. The protectrons opened fire where Mrs. Bossanova stood, apparently forgetting about Sarah. Sarah remained cowering in place while Mrs. Bossanova continued her warfare against the arena, battering it over and over until suddenly—
Crash.
Glass cascaded down like a glittering, scorched river, and a laser beam caught Mrs. Bossanova in the shoulder, knocking her down. Sarah didn't wait another second—panic enveloped her and she scrambled for the broken window. Mrs. Bossanova jumped to her feet as if expecting her, arms held out as Sarah climbed through.
"This is a lawful use of deadly force. Please direct complaints to your local law enforcement authorities."
Mrs. Bossanova seized Sarah and spun on the spot, yelling as another shot hit her in the back, sending her crashing on top of Sarah.
The smell of burnt fabric and skin filled the air, and Mrs. Bossanova groaned. Before Sarah could get her bearings, the old woman was up again, Sarah in her arms, and sprinting across the seating area. A robot rumbled through the exit, blocking the way to safety. Mrs. Bossanova took such a sharp turn she nearly fell over, running hard and fast towards a door Sarah had missed earlier. She kicked it open, almost taking it off its hinges, and thundered down the new corridor, which was sparsely decorated and smelled of old cleaning chemicals.
Mrs. Bossanova glanced up and skidded to a halt. "Grab that, quick!" She held Sarah up high, and Sarah found her face suddenly pressed against a vent cover. "Pull it off!" came Mrs. Bossanova's voice urgently from below.
Sarah obeyed and this time the vent cover came away without resistance. A second later she was shoved head first into the vent, and then pushed further down as Mrs. Bossanova clambered up and forced her way inside after her.
"You are facing an assaultron class combat robot. Death is inevitable."
The two of them lay perfectly still, not daring to breathe, the hunting robots cooing below them. The voices were smooth and lifeless, terrifying in their calm tone. Sarah trembled, frightened her ragged breathing would give her away.
Eventually the robots quieted down and after some time, moved away. Mrs. Bossanova gave it another good thirty minutes before she edged carefully out of the vent and dropped from sight.
"Coast is clear," she called up softly. Sarah slowly wriggled her way out, wondering how Mrs. Bossanova had managed to get free so easily when she was a lot bigger than her. She let out a little squeak as she fell free, but Mrs. Bossanova caught her with a slight grimace and set her down. She pressed a finger to her lips, took Sarah by the hand, and guided her through the building.
They skirted past patrolling robots in silence, making their way up several sets of stairs until they eventually reached a small control room at the top. Mrs. Bossanova carefully shut the metal door behind them, pulling the thick, heavy bolt into place, locking both of them in.
"What the hell are you doing here?" she hissed as she whipped around, her features a mix of pain and anger so alarming Sarah took a step back. Mrs. Bossanova glowered at her. "I specifically told you to stay at Jack's. This is too dangerous for a child!"
Sarah considered lying for a moment. Then she pouted. "I was bored."
Mrs. Bossanova blinked. "You risked being caught by raiders, eaten by gatorclaws, or torn apart by robots because you were bored?"
"Well, I wanted to see what you were up to as well," Sarah admitted.
"When I'm done here, you will. Go. Home."
"No."
"What?"
"No!" Sarah repeated, her voice sharp but low.
"I swear to God, if I have to carry you back there myself—"
"I'll just sneak out again." She sounded a lot braver than she felt, but it was true. She wasn't going to sit in a brothel for days at a time until Mrs. Bossanova or Gage bothered to turn up. Sarah told her so.
Mrs. Bossanova's face shot through the five stages of grief in quick succession, and she closed her eyes for a moment, as if praying for patience. When she opened them again, she said, "Sarah, you're a cute kid, but you're just going to get in my way. You nearly got us both killed."
"Nuh-uh." Sarah pulled the bag off her shoulder and opened it, revealing all the star pieces. "I was getting you these."
Mrs. Bossanova's jaw dropped, and she stared at them in mute shock. Eventually she managed, "How long have you been following me?"
"Since you first left."
"And...and you found all of them by yourself?"
"Yep!" She couldn't keep the note of pride out of her voice.
Mrs. Bossanova pinched the bridge of her nose cavity, letting out a deep sigh. She stayed that way for some time, and Sarah wondered if she'd fallen asleep standing up, when she said, "Fine." Sarah had never heard a word said so angrily. "Fine. You can...you can come along. But any more trouble, I'm leaving you behind."
Mrs. Bossanova's voice was stern, but the look in her eye gentle, if slightly begrudging. Sarah knew immediately she would do no such thing. She hoisted the bag back on her shoulder and asked, "So what do the star piece things do?"
"Judging from the logs I found, if we collect enough, I'll be able to control all the robots in the park."
Sarah nodded. "Robots are cool. You'd be like the Mechanist."
Mrs. Bossanova gave a small smile, gazing down at Sarah with the same look Mr. Glass used wear. "Yes. They are cool." She glanced to the door and sighed. "We might as well hole up here for a while. I need to sort out these burns."
Slowly, Mrs. Bossanova sat down, pain flooding into her face. Now that they weren't running from a horde of angry robots, it seems she was feeling everything. As if on cue, Sarah's own wound flared up, the laser that had caught her arm suddenly burning.
Mrs. Bossanova seemed not to have noticed Sarah was injured. She pulled her ragged, dirty poncho thing over her head with some difficulty, and unbuttoned the waistcoat below with shaking hands. Next was her grey-white t-shirt, which was starting to stick to her burned flesh. Mrs. Bossanova groaned and bowed her head, muttering something under her breath that sound like, "Should have replaced the damn armour…"
Sarah edged over and wordlessly helped her undress. Mrs. Bossanova grimaced, but gave an appreciative nod, and Sarah tried not to wince at the sight of the old lady's seared skin. Even by ghoul standards, it looked awful. Her little burn was nothing in comparison.
Mrs. Bossanova pulled a tub from her pocket and held it up for Sarah to see. "Seen this once before. Import from the NCR. Great for laser burns." She handed it to Sarah. "Spread it all over my wound, please."
Sarah obeyed, unscrewing the tub with a little bit of difficulty. The gel-like substance inside was clear and faintly tinged lilac. It tingled her fingers as she put it on, and Mrs. Bossanova's smile became lopsided and relaxed as Sarah carefully worked it in.
Finally, Mrs. Bossanova waved her away, and Sarah put the lid back on, watching as Mrs. Bossanova bunched up her clothes and lay down straight on top of them, leaving her back exposed to the air.
"You're a good girl," Mrs. Bossanova mumbled, giggling a little. "A very good girl. Nicky would have liked you."
Sarah blinked at her, feeling uncomfortable. Her arm was getting worse by the second. She looked at the tub in her hands, and after a moment's pause, removed the lid again, dipping her fingers in.