The Strange Scenario of the Cheerful Gage
Mags' father—it transpired—was no better than Mags herself. Just cleverer at hiding the evidence.
"So let me get this straight," Jack said, dragging Mags' mother—Evelyn, Gage thought her name was—roughly by the arm as she squinted into the morning sun, "the Blacks have been rubbing shoulders with Skinny Malone all along?"
"Seems that way," Gage replied, observing their captive with amusement. "No wonder Mags and William are pissed."
Evelyn said nothing, though she paled at the mention of her children. The Black family motto echoed Nisha's concise mantra: Don't Get Caught. Mags and her brother lacked their parents' subtlety, and so they'd been cast out to scrape a living amongst the raiders they'd so openly associated with. But while their children were left to rot, Evelyn continued to deal with the books; her husband, the crooks.
Gage didn't doubt this version of events—the morning's fresh beating had drawn the sorry tale out like pus from a putrid wound.
Alphonse Black was out of town on business, dabbling in the kind of shady deals reputable people weren't supposed to make. Gage was torn—on the one hand, the Blacks had it good, everything he'd ever wanted. But they hadn't earned it—hadn't bled for it. Soft, weak shadows cowering when they were dragged into the light.
Gage stared down at Evelyn, his mouth twisting in a grin before turning to Jack. "Time to dish out a little Commonwealth Justice." His heart picked up at the thought of the violence ahead if they managed to interrupt the deal in time. "Well, maybe not justice...more like...ah, screw it. It'll be fun, is the point."
Jack laughed, her eyes lighting up as she looked at him. Her mood had improved significantly from the previous night, something Gage was relieved about. He preferred her shy glances and rosy cheeks, a small smile tugging at her plump, cherried lips. Tears were uncomfortable when they were from Jack.
The Red Rocket came into view. Even from this distance, Gage could see a cluster of people gathered in front of it. Some of them looked like Triggermen—dressed in their stupid suits and crumpled fedoras—but one figure cut a clean, sharp silhouette: tall, thin, with an expensive weapon on his hip and mercenaries at his elbow.
Gage was counting the caps even as he readied his gun.
The man—Gage assumed he was Alphonse—chewed lazily on a wooden toothpick as Gage crept closer, drawling out orders to the Triggermen. They looked none too happy with the arrangement, but seemed to know better than to argue. With a twinge of amusement, he realised Alphonse reminded him of Bossanova and her cocksure, casual confidence.
Jack settled next to Gage, her hand clamped on the back of Evelyn's neck. "How do you want to play this?" she whispered, frowning at the large group. "Reckon we can take them all?"
Gage stared after them wistfully. "If we were jus' killin' them all, I'd say yeah. No problem. But if we got to keep 'em both alive, that's gonna be a little more difficult." He hesitated, the truth of the matter right in front of him. A perfect fight, and the perfect woman to fight with, and they were gonna have to pass it up to save lives. Gage shook his head in disgust. "We'll have to play things safe." He put as much venom into the word as he could muster. "Wait until the Triggermen leave, stay quiet, and then—"
Evelyn threw back her head and screamed.
The effect was like someone sticking their dick in a radroach nest. The meet scattered at once, opening fire as they ran. Jack slammed Evelyn face first in the dirt, just as a bullets pinged off the rock they were using as cover, the men at the truck stop hollering threats from afar.
"For fuck's sake," Gage snarled, pulling a grenade from his belt. He saw Evelyn's frightened glance at it as he primed it and cranked back his arm.
"Don't hurt him!" She flailed up to grab him, forcing Jack to grip her again as Gage pulled away.
"Keep hold of her!" he yelled, keeping the grenade out of her reach.
"No! Don't hurt him!"
"Shoulda thought of that before you—"
"Gage!" Jack shrieked. "The grenade!"
"Shit!"
He threw it blindly and it exploded in the air above a group of Triggermen, forcing them to scatter. They ran for cover, peering through the dust cloud for a target, but Gage was too quick, switching to his rifle and swiftly picking them off before they could get their bearings. Blood pounded in his ears, each kill a rush like no chem, leaving him light and giddy.
God, he loved this.
In the distance, a tall, thin man was running for the hills. Gage tried to follow, moving forward to new cover and nearly being shot in the process. There was no way to make ground, unless...
"Jack!" he bellowed, setting his sights on a triggerman and blowing his head off.
"I see 'em!"
"Wait!" Gage grabbed a slave collar from his pack and tossed it her. She caught it, looked down in confusion, and then glanced up at him, her pretty face twisting in revulsion. He glared back. "Ain't no time for high an' mighty morals! We got one shot at this!"
Jack scowled and tossed it on the ground.
"Jack!"
She ignored him, struggling to her feet and raising her booted foot, before slamming it down on Evelyn's ankle with a sickening crack.
Well, that solves one problem, Gage thought with a begrudging rush of affection, as Jack darted out from cover, leaving the screaming Evelyn behind, and sprinting after their prey. He turned his rifle to the mercs who spotted her, rewarding their divided attention with a well aimed bullet to each of their heads. Too late, they recognised the real threat, and Gage put them in the dirt.
He blinked, reeling from the adrenaline as the haze cleared, sounds and scents coming back to him. The ringing in his ears, the acrid smell of gunpowder, the sound of Evelyn screaming at his feet. Gage glanced around as his breathing settled, looking for Jack, but she was nowhere in sight.
The adrenaline prickled back, different this time. It was sharp and cruel, scratching through his veins. He walked over, picking up the collar next to Evelyn, looped his arm through it, and made his way up the hill, gun at the ready. The sounds of a distant struggle behind the truck stop reached his ears, and suddenly Gage was sprinting, heart pounding in his chest. Was Jack alright? Did she need him?
There was a yell of pain as Gage rounded the corner. Alphonse Black stood panting and shaking, one hand gripped around Jack's neck, the other pushing his shiny gun into the side of her head. His slick, greying hair was falling into his dark, glittering eyes, but even that couldn't hide their malice. Alphonse bared his teeth as Gage approached, and Gage couldn't help but think the guy would have made a hell of a raider.
Goddamn it.
"Put your gun down," Alphonse hissed from between his teeth, his knuckles whitening as he dug his fingers into Jack's throat. "Now!"
"This ain't how it fuckin' works," Gage snarled back, the urge to shoot intensifying. Any other time, he would have killed Alphonse before he'd so much as spoken, but Bossanova was counting on him to bring the Blacks back alive. All her plans—or what she'd told him—depended on Mags' loyalty. He would have to do this the hard way.
Gage sighed inwardly. This was Bossanova's forte, not his. He had no idea how to resolve a situation like this without killing someone.
"Your wife's down there," Gage said conversationally, resisting the urge to wince as Jack made a slight choking noise.
"My wife?" Alphonse paled, looking stricken.
There we go.
"Yeah," Gage continued, his tone light and inoffensive. "Snapped her ankle and everything. Made a nice crack. Oh, sorry," he said, as Alphonse grimaced. "But listen closely. She might still be screaming. Unless she's attracted some wasteland nasty to finish her off."
"I'm going to tear your ears off and stuff them down your vile mouth," Alphonse spat. "Where is my wife?"
Gage laughed. He'd heard worse threats from RedEye when someone stole his guitar on a dare. He kept his rifle pointed at Alphonse's head, feeling about as calm as Alphonse looked. Jack's face was slowly turning from red to blue, but her expression remained blank, her brown eyes fixed on him. It was then he noticed her hand slowly creeping towards her pocket.
"Bring me my wife!" Alphonse's finger twitched towards the trigger, and Gage's stomach lurched. Whatever Jack was planning, she wouldn't have enough time. But he, Gage, had Alphonse right in his sights. A relatively clean shot. All he had to do was pull the trigger.
And blow their one chance of winning over the Operators.
Gage paused, his grip tight on his gun. Jack's life was at stake here, those stunning brown eyes piercing him as she waited. He thought about never seeing them again. Unable to speak to her, the absence of her touch, her breath hot in his ear. Gage shivered. The Operators could go fuck themselves. He put his finger on the trigger.
"Give me Evelyn now!" Alphonse whipped the gun away from Jack's head and fired it, grazing Gage's arm.
Gage staggered back with a grunt of surprise, glancing up just in time to see Jack pull a knife from her pocket and plunge it into Alphonse's thigh. His scream cut the air after a beat of silence, but Jack had already seized his outstretched arm, thrusting her leg back as she twisted her upper body, sending the asshole straight over her shoulder.
"Collar!" Jack roared, kicking Alphonse's gun away. Gage unlooped the collar and flung it at her without thinking. She caught it in her outstretched hand, opening it with a smooth flick of her wrist and snapping it on Alphonse's neck.
Has she done that before?
All thought disappeared, rage clouding everything as he stepped towards Alphonse, his fists raised.
The next thing he knew, Jack was pushing him back, her hands clasped either side of his head, and he became dimly aware that his knuckles were hurting. Jack pressed her mouth to his with a mumbled, "Shh," and then broke away from him. "I'm fine. We got him."
Gage pulled her close, his stomach churning as he tasted her. Too close. Too close. He took a deep, shuddering breath, releasing it slowly, and staring into those damn eyes. "Are you alright? Did he—" Gage stopped, mirroring Jack's surprised expression, and then roughly pushed her away, his cheeks hot. "How the fuck did you let this sheep get hold of you?"
He gave Alphonse a swift, hard kick to the ribs, relishing the grunt of pain and noting he was now a bleeding wreck. Good. Gage glanced around, avoiding Jack's eye, and spotted his weapon discarded on the ground. How it had got there, he didn't know, but luckily Alphonse was in no condition to use it.
He slung the rifle back over his shoulder, grabbed Alphonse by the collar, and dragged him down the hill, following the sounds of Evelyn's dry sobs. A minute later, Jack fell into step with him, carrying a couple of weapons in a makeshift sack. He raised his eyebrow at her, and she shrugged.
"Don't tell me you weren't gonna loot the bodies," she said, tone etched with disapproval.
Gage laughed, despite himself, and grinned. "So long as you're sharing."
"Fuck off. Find your own loot."
"Fine." He dropped Alphonse carelessly on the floor, still grinning. "I will." Gage strolled over to the nearest dead merc, picking through his pockets and satchel. Plenty of ammo, a nice gun, and a shit load of caps. Probably payment to keep Alphonse safe. Gage chuckled to himself.
A hand at the back of his neck made him jump, and he turned his head sharply to see Jack standing over him sheepishly. She gently massaged him for a moment, and then crouched down to plant a soft kiss on him.
"I know we need the Operators," Jack said in a low voice, pressing small kisses to his lips between her words, "but thank you for choosing me anyway."
Ah shit. She'd seen him put his finger on the trigger.
"No big deal," Gage said gruffly, lowering his gaze. "Woulda struggled to get them both back by myself, 'specially since one of them's got a broken ankle."
Jack smiled at this, running a hand down his cheek and leaning in again. Gage's mind went blissfully blank, her lips the only thing he could think of. Then it was over, and he blinked stupidly at her as she started to get to her feet.
"Uh," Gage said, slightly dazed. "I know you don't like the collars, but…" He cleared his throat as she went rigid. Shit. "Just…"
"He could have hurt you," Jack replied, turning away. "Couldn't risk it."
"Yeah." His own voice sounded faint and faraway. "Yeah. Sure."
They dragged Alphonse back to Evelyn together. She started screaming harder when she saw her husband, until Gage put his foot on her ankle and pressed down.
"Keep your mouth shut," he said loudly over her wails, "or I'll keep this up all the way to Nuka Town. Got it?"
Evelyn sobbed in response.
The journey back was slow and uneventful. Gage probably could have sped it up by actually carrying their hostages, but after the way they'd attacked him and Jack, his mercy was at an all time low. He dragged Evelyn along carelessly by the arm, ignoring her cries of pain as she struggled to hop along after him, all dignity forgotten. Occasionally she'd fall and Gage would have to pull her upright, while she writhed on the ground. Alphonse was kept standing by Jack, who took pity on him out of necessity, insisting she could deal with him herself. The old man staggered around, eyes glazed, oblivious to his wife.
Gage decided he'd have to tell Mags about this later. She'd probably enjoy the story.
Eventually they reached the Nuka-World Transit Center, the old rusty monorail waiting to take them home.
Home.
Gage considered the word. He'd never had a home in his life. But the park was beginning to feel exactly that. Too much of his blood and sweat had spilled to consider it anything else.
The doors to the carriage slid open with a metallic scraping sound, and Gage threw Evelyn in unceremoniously. Jack followed suit, looking exhausted, and he grinned at her. "Still think you didn't need help?"
"Fuck off," she snapped, opening his satchel with a frown and pulling out the cord of rope they'd brought. She huffed while he chuckled to himself, and tied up the captives with her back firmly to him.
Gage activated the monorail, the doors slamming shut with a loud bang, and they were off, rattling down the track. He crouched next to Jack as she worked, and gently kissed her ear. She shivered, a blush spreading across her cheeks, but still firmly ignored him, turning her head away.
He laughed, standing up and sitting down in one of the shitty plastic chairs. They'd have plenty of time later. After a few minutes, she joined him, dropping heavily in his lap and smirking as he grunted in surprise.
"Woman, I swear to God," Gage growled, swivelling her around so she straddled him, staring up into her eyes. She gazed back down, the coy smile he loved playing on her mouth, like she had a secret she might be willing to share, for the right price. Gage ran her hands up her thighs, enjoying the weight of her on him, the solid warmth of her body.
The monorail rocked suddenly, hitting a rough patch of track, and Jack fell backwards with a shriek, landing in a heap on the floor. She glowered as Gage bent over double, wheezing with laughter. By the time he recovered, she was on her feet again, checking over the Blacks. Her expression was pained, her fingers trailing tentatively over Alphonse's collar, as if she longed to take it off.
Gage paused, considering her. He was curious, but she was always so touchy about slaves. And yet...was it worth the upset?
"What's up?" Jack asked suddenly, and Gage snapped out of his thoughts. She was staring quizzically at him, eyebrow raised.
"Nothing," Gage said, so quickly he good as announced there was something on his mind.
Jack's eyes narrowed. "God knows how you lasted all these years, lying like that," she said with a snort.
"It ain't nothin'," Gage shot back. There was a big difference between considering and asking. But the way she'd slapped the slave collar on Alphonse had been with a practiced hand; a hand that shouldn't belong to a former slave. He wasn't sure he wanted to open that freezer box of mirelurk eggs.
Jack straightened up a little taller, glaring at him. "What are you hiding from me?"
"Look, jus' forget it—"
"Spit it out!"
"You were pretty handy with that collar earlier," Gage threw at her, his temper flaring. "Damn elegant, in fact."
He knew instantly he'd made a mistake. Jack paled, recoiling as his sentence hung in the air. Her jaw was clamped shut, her knuckles white as she clung onto the slave collar like a lifeline, her gaze sharp and unwavering. Slowly, she closed her eyes and hung her head, the only sound in the carriage the endless rattle of the tracks.
"I mean," Gage said, his mouth immediately running away from him, "it was very smooth. Was wonderin' how you came about...well. I figure you must have jus' seen slavers doin', uh, slave things and learned a trick or two before you—"
"I was a slaver in Paradise Falls."
The admission stunned him into silence. Why he was so surprised, he didn't know. Raiders dealt with slaves all the time, but Jack? Everything he knew about her, everything she'd ever told him...she was a slaver?
Gage licked his lips, choosing his words carefully. "Did...did you lie to me about being a slave?"
"No!" Her head snapped up, her eyes wild with terror at the thought. "No. I wouldn't lie to you, Gage. I couldn't. I…" Her lips trembled and she clamped them shut, not meeting his eye again. Jack took a few deep breaths and then said, "Everything I told you was true. Everything."
"Then how—?"
"I didn't open a brothel straight away. I wandered. Became a prostitute again in some shitty little bar somewhere. Then...slavers came through the town."
Ah. Gage suddenly knew what was coming.
"Killed one of them with a beer bottle and a pool cue." A glimmer of pride flickered through Jack's face, before being crushed by a scowl. "They didn't care. Liked that I could hold my own. Told me if I helped them bring in the owner of the bar, they'd let me join their crew. I...I couldn't go back to being a slave. But I didn't want to die either. I knew they'd win. So I helped them."
Gage nodded. There had never been any guilt on his part for going with the gangs, but he understood the choice all too well. "So how long did you stay?"
"Few years. Got numb after a while. I thought to myself, 'It ain't me in the collar. I'm stronger than them.'"
"Well, you were."
"Maybe. I dunno. I was good at it. Knew where the slaves might go. Knew how they thought. And not to give them the chance to cut my throat out."
"Did you like it?"
"I don't know," Jack whispered, screwing her eyes shut. "I don't know."
Gage didn't get what the issue was. If she was good at it, it was better than being a slave, right? But Jack had always been a little soft like that. He bit back a sarcastic comment, deciding the thump he'd earn wasn't worth it, and said in his most neutral tone, "So what changed?"
She met his gaze, tired and haggard. "One day, they brought in kids. I knew what was in store for them. I...I couldn't do it anymore. It was like someone lit a fire in me. I could feel again. And the feeling wasn't good."
Jack said nothing for a moment, her eyes dull like dirty glass. Gage wondered what memories she was seeing right now. The numbness she spoke of hit uncomfortably close to home—a haze where the only things that cut through were killing and…
He quashed the thought, his cheeks hot all of a sudden. Then Jack suddenly spoke again, her tone the same flat monotone quality as when she'd spilled her past the first night he'd met her.
"I couldn't take them down. They were too fortified, and I was too well known. No way to hide. So I bought the kids. Walked them all the way to Little Lamplight...and I let them go." She shrugged. "Never went back there again. Travelled as far as the Commonwealth to get away from it. Pushed it down with sex and alcohol and raidin', before I decided to go back to what I knew best." Her expression grew dark, tainted with disgust. "Found a brothel and opened my legs. But it didn't last long. The owner had a bad attitude. I killed her and took over."
"Good girl." Gage grinned at her, but it slowly slid from his face when Jack did not reciprocate. He vaguely remembered the change of ownership at Jack's brothel—the first time he'd met her, she'd been one of the girls, and caught his attention the way none of the others had. When he returned a week later for a second round, Jack was running the show. And yet to his surprise (and delight), not only did she let him back into her bed, but she didn't even charge.
Jack seemed to be thinking the same as him. "I remember the look on your face when you saw me as the Madame." Her expression lightened for a moment. Then she drew her legs up to her chest, resting her chin on her knees. "No idea why I fucked you that day. But it felt...good. I felt free."
Gage simply stared. He had no idea what to say. Least of all that he couldn't understand why being a slaver bothered her so much.
"I know you don't care about slaves," Jack said, as if she'd read his mind. "I know this isn't a big deal to you. But it is to me. I've been on the receiving end, and then I went on to do the same fucking thing, like I was somehow better for it. Even thinking about it makes me feel sick."
The previous night surfaced in Gage's head, and he recalled their conversation.
"Am I just as bad as them?"
"I'd managed to just push it away, y'know?" Jack went on. "Just move on with everything. Then that fucking kid—Sarah—she asked me why I was doing the same to other people. I just...I can't stop thinking about it, Gage." She looked up at him, her eyes overly bright. "Why did I do it?"
Gage shrugged. If she was expecting some sort of worldly wisdom, he was the wrong schmuck to be talking to. "You work with what you got. Life throws you a molerat, you make a stew."
Just like he expected, a small smile cracked on her face, but it disappeared quickly.
He studied her for a moment and then said, "If you know I don't give a fuck about slaves, why you tellin' me this?"
Jack raised her eyebrow. "Because you're not an idiot?" She shook her head. "You pick up on shit others don't. And I didn't want to lie to you, even if you thought less of me. Your good opinion means a lot, though you can be an unbearably grumpy bastard sometimes."
Gage blinked, his stomach tight. Think less of her? He had no idea how he felt right now. True, he thought she was being soft—getting worked up over nothing—and in anyone else, that was unforgivable. But she'd risk that over lying to him. It made him feel...
He wasn't sure what he felt.
The monorail shrieked as it slowly shuddered to a halt, and Gage suddenly remembered they had two captives in ropes feet away. Jack scrambled up, avoiding his eye, and reached for Alphonse Black.
"Hey..." Gage took hold of her arm, unsure what he was going to follow it up with, but Jack whipped around to face him, driving all words out of his head.
"I hate remembering the past," she said, her eyes blazing. "When we get back, just fuck me. Make me forget. Yeah?"
"I...yeah," he managed, startled. Not that he was gonna argue with her.
"Good." She kissed him lightly on the cheek, seized Alphonse by his collar, and dragged him outside, leaving Gage alone in the carriage with Evelyn's sobs.
He glanced down at her, finally remembering her existence.
"Shut the fuck up," he snapped, kicking her in the ankle and achieving the opposite effect. Her shriek of pain made him feel a little better, though, and Gage seized her by the arm, pulling his prize back into Nuka World.
A/N: I seem incapable of updating on time at the moment. Unsure what the issue is with my brain. I suppose shingles hasn't helped (I've been off work for nearly three weeks now and time has lost all meaning).
Anyway. Posting a chapter for last week and this week.