Browsing Livestock

Bossanova kept her concerns close to her chest, motioning for Gage to follow her out into the street. He obeyed, wondering what the hell was going on, his head clearing as unease took over.

However, they only made it halfway across Nuka Town before a hulking figure in the shape of Savoy stepped from the shadows. Maybe he was trying to be dramatic, or maybe this was a chance meet—Gage didn't care. He instinctively grabbed his gun, staring at the helmet covering the man's face, three stained blades sticking out the top. Like Nisha and Dixie, Savoy was not someone to be fucked with.

His voice was deep and rough, like a radstorm rolling in, and he glared from behind his mask at Bossanova, eyes barely visible. "Nisha wants you. Now."

"Watch your tone," Gage snarled. Savoy ignored him utterly.

"Does she?" Bossanova said, her hand clasping tight on the hilt of her sword. "Then she can come find me, just like everybody else."

"No. Nisha wants you," Savoy repeated, his low voice taking on a dangerous tone. "You will go."

Her black eyes burned like molten tar. "No, I don't think I will. And if you continue trying to order me around, I'll cut pieces off you until you learn your place."

Gage felt a stab of respect, despite the precarious situation. She wasn't allowing Savoy to dominate the meet—a wise move, considering Nisha's deliberate snub in sending him. The other gangs would take note. So too had Savoy, judging by the way he was twisting his mouth. He clearly didn't want to play messenger.

"What does Nisha want?" Bossanova snapped, her hand still on her sword.

Savoy seemed to fight between his distaste at prolonged conversation and the need to obey Nisha's commands. Finally he said, "The Operators are favoured. We have noticed."

"Good. It's as much as you deserve."

Even Gage threw her a shocked look. It was one thing to knock Savoy down a peg, but another to deliberately provoke him.

"Why?" Savoy hissed, dropping all pretense of calm.

"It's quite simple. The Disciples and the Pack both tried—and failed, I might add—to kill me—"

"That can be rectified." His hand went for the knife on his hip, but stopped as Gage aimed for his head.

"Leave it, asshole. Nice and slow."

"And the Operators," Bossanova went on, as if Gage wasn't a trigger pull away from sending Nuka World spiralling into war, "bent the knee. They submitted." She smirked. "Nisha has made very little effort since then to get back into my good graces, same as Mason. You'll notice the Pack also haven't received a slice of the pie."

"We don't care what the Pack—"

"Then you should. Because they came to me with the same complaints and ran back to Mason with their tails between their legs like good little dogs."

When was she gonna tell me about that?

"If you had any sense, you'd follow their lead and inform Nisha she gets nothing until she plays nice."

"The only thing keeping me from ripping your throat out is Nisha."

"Likewise," Bossanova replied coolly, her eyes narrowing. "But it is Nisha I want to work with, not you. And I won't entertain the disrespect of lackeys sent on her behalf. If she won't come to me, then I'll see her in my own time, not on her demands. Go."

Savoy didn't budge, what little of his eyes that could be seen lighting up with pure hatred. Gage suspected the boss had finally pushed things too far. Savoy looked as if he was about to explode, and surrounded by members of every gang, this could get ugly fast. Gage waited, sensing Savoy sizing up the situation, and whether he had the clout to just say "Fuck it," and attack. Gage saw his hand twitch, itching for his knife, and readied himself for a fight.

But then Savoy slowly turned his head to Gage. "One rule."

He left.

Gage waited until he was sure Savoy was out of earshot and breathed a sigh of relief. Last thing he needed was a brawl with Nisha's top lieutenant in the street.

"One rule?" Bossanova asked, shooting Gage a quizzical look.

"Don't get caught." He stowed his rifle. "Nisha's only rule. It's kept the peace this long."

"Good rule," she replied darkly. "I may have to employ it."

She set off again, leaving Gage to hurry after her, wondering what the hell she meant. He considered the standoff he'd just seen—sure, she had to put Savoy where he belonged, but Nisha was clearly getting edgy if she'd sent him in her stead. Savoy wasn't known for his diplomacy skills.

"I'm not sure that was a smart move," Gage said in a low voice as he caught up to her. "You're dancing through the rads without a hazmat, boss. Nisha can't be bullied. She's dangerous—you need to placate her sooner rather than later."

"I intend to but not just yet. There's too much to do and I'm running out of time. This is why I need your help. I've already had to deal with the Pack earlier for the same stunt. Things here are getting sour."

Gage frowned. She hadn't told him about Mason. "But you already have Dry Rock Gulch, the Galactic Zone, and Kiddie Kingdom. Just give at least one each to Mason and Nisha—that'll earn us some breathing room for sure."

Bossanova shook her head. "I'm not done with Kiddie Kingdom yet, and I don't intend to hand over the Galactic Zone to anyone until I've found a way to keep the computer and all its robots permanently under my control."

Gage opened his mouth, then closed it again. She had a point there. Nisha backed by an army of Novatrons would be a disaster.

"As for Dry Rock Gulch, it's still littered with bodies and rife with disease. Last thing I need is Nisha or Mason accusing me of deliberately infecting their gangs. The Mr. Handies are sorting that out for me as we speak." Bossanova sighed, suddenly looking very tired. "No, my next move is to kill off the remaining gatorclaws. The stronger robots will provide the power to wipe them out for good."

"And that's why you need my help," Gage said, nodding.

"No. I have a different task for you." They stopped on the far side of Nuka Town, in Shank's corner of the world.

Shank was a tall, dark-skinned man dressed in blue overalls and a battered leather duster. Softly spoken, he gave off the sense of ease and friendliness, until you actually listened to what he was saying and realised he was a cold-blooded killer, just like everyone else in Nuka World.

Gage respected the man.

"Boss Nova," he said, tipping his dirty fedora in her direction. "I'm surprised you're here, given most of the territories in this place are still unclaimed."

"Boss Nova?" said Bossanova, blinking.

"That's the name being whispered around the town." Shank frowned. "Am I misinformed?"

She considered him, then grinned. "No. Boss Nova will do just fine."

Bossanova extended her hand to him, and it was Shank's turn to look surprised. He gazed down at her palm, and for one tense moment, Gage thought he'd make some comment about her being a ghoul, which would be guaranteed to cause a ruckus.

But then Shank smiled pleasantly and shook her hand. While Gage breathed a sigh of relief, Shank said, "Common civility? Never thought I'd see it here." He gave a little nod in Gage's direction as he released Bossanova's hand. "If you and Nuka World's favourite cyclops are standing in front of me, well, I suppose he expects you to get things back on track. How long'd it take him to convince you it was time to move on the Commonwealth?"

"I'll be honest, Shank," Gage said, frowning, "I ain't mentioned it to her yet. She jus' asked me to accompany her through town, and then I finds myself here." He shot Bossanova an expectant look. "Still waiting to hear what this is all about."

"Oh?" Shank turned to Bossanova, his dark eyes glittering. "Oh, now that is interesting. So how can I help you today?"

"First things first," she said, her eyes sweeping between Gage and Shank, "the pair of you seem to know something I don't. What's the plan?"

"I'm a man of very particular talents, boss," Shank said, straightening up where he stood. "I deal in information, chaos, and strategy. Gage brought me into the fold back when Colter showed promise—I was to advise him on carving out our own little piece of the Commonwealth. In the end, Colter had other ideas. But I always hoped things would pick up again, so I've been keeping myself busy."

"I still don't see your role."

"Contacts, boss. I have contacts. They feed me the goings on in the Commonwealth, and I build up a picture of where we can strike to take over an area and make it our territory." He extended his arms as wide as his grin. "All I ask for is a cut of the loot, and the space to make myself...comfortable."

Gage twisted his mouth to the side, biting back a laugh. Convincing Shank to join this operation had been one of his better decisions, for sure. The man was a spider in the dark, tugging on threads with long, delicate hands, bringing tasty morsels into his waiting maw.

"The gangs want territory outside of Nuka World," Shank went on, letting his arms fall again. "That has always been the long term goal, but they can't manage it alone. They need you...and me."

Bossanova nodded, looking impressed. "I'd considered such a move later down the line, when things were settled properly here. But as you've already said, things are not settled."

Shank's smile faded. "No, they're not. I don't think we're in a position to take over anything until the gangs are pacified at home. It wouldn't be safe for you to leave this place for long. Who knows what you'll come back to."

"Precisely. I have the foundations set up for the park, but I just need one last push before I can dish the pieces out." Bossanova folded her arms. "Jack tells me you still dabble in slavery."

Gage noticed how she was careful not to make it sound like an accusation but instead with intrigue.

"Jack?" Shank's brow furrowed for a moment, before his face lit up. "Oh, Jack Paddywack!" He grinned. "I know her of old, all the way back to Paradise Falls, before she decided whoring was more profitable."

Gage's face twitched, but he bit the inside of his cheek to keep his temper. Punching out Shank in the middle of Nuka Town wouldn't be the smartest thing he ever did.

"She's a strong one, that Jack," Shank continued, oblivious to Gage's efforts not to kill him. "Never did like taking orders, though—always wanted to be her own boss. I'm surprised she agreed to work under anyone, especially for such a ticking time bomb as Nuka World."

"Gage managed to convince her, just like he convinced you," Bossanova said crisply. She apparently sensed the danger and quickly rushed the conversation on. "But Jack's work ethic is irrelevant. I want to know if you can help me."

"Oh?"

"I need slave collars and lots of them. I want to bring in more sheep to assist around town, so I can show I'm doing something, no matter how small. It won't fix the mood here, but it should buy me the time I need to finally get this place under control. Once that's done, we can discuss the Commonwealth."

Shank tilted his head to the side, regarding her with curiosity. When he spoke again, his voice was like mutfruit syrup: smooth, but sickly. "What a fascinating proposal. Risky, but with a potentially pleasing payoff." He folded his arms, thinking the matter over, and then nodded. "I can help you." He turned away to a large green trunk behind him Gage hadn't spotted earlier and opened it with a key from his pocket. The thing was full of collars.

"How many?" Shank asked over his shoulder.

"Five should do it."

Shank put the collars into a large sack and slammed the trunk shut again before trying to pass the bag to Bossanova. She shook her head and pointed to Gage.

"I need to stay here to keep things together," she said, meeting Gage's eye with a look that said, ' Don't argue.'

He didn't need to be told twice. He accepted the bag and watched in silence as Bossanova handed Shank a stack of caps to cover the costs. Shank considered her for a moment, and then dug back into his pocket, pulling out a small device.

"I don't normally do this," Shank said, "but I want this to get off the ground as much as you two." He passed the device to Gage and pointed to a big red button on the top. "That causes the collars to denote, same as any other. But this one…" he indicated to a green button next to it, "causes them to deactivate long enough to remove them. Just in case there are any problems."

Bossanova seemed indifferent to the device, but Gage was staggered. Shank never handed out his master remote. There was some real trust going on here. Gage pocketed it. "'Preciate it, Shank."

"No problem." He smiled. "Happy hunting."

Gage was being stalked.

He could feel the presence of another being, see their flitting form on the horizon. He'd spotted them not long after arriving in the Commonwealth, and ever since they'd been on the peripheral of his vision, never drawing too close, but never too far away.

Savoy?

It had to be, after the standoff in town. Or maybe Dixie? Whichever one it was, Gage was certain they'd been sent by Nisha—deal with him while he was vulnerable. But would Nisha want to give him the easy way out? She'd told him often the plans she had for him if Nuka World failed—not in any great detail, because she didn't want to "spoil the surprise," but enough for Gage to know his skin would be decorating her throne if she ever got her hands on him.

So unless Dixie or Savoy were planning on sneaking him back into Fizztop Mountain right underneath Bossanova's nose cavity, it probably wasn't them.

Probably.

He was sorely tempted to just kill the stranger now, but until he knew exactly who or what was following him, he'd hold his fire. Gage didn't want to upset the already delicate situation with Nisha by shooting one of her lieutenants in the face. Well, not unless they attacked him first.

Bossanova had offered him some robots or other raiders for company, but Gage wanted to be on his own. Five sheep were no big deal, so long as they could walk themselves back to Nuka Town. And his solitude meant he didn't have to talk to anyone.

As he walked through the rolling hills and boggy dips of the Commonwealth, picking off feral ghouls and radscorpions that drew too close, it occurred to Gage he had the perfect opportunity to just...disappear. Leave Nuka World and Bossanova to their fates. Now he was out the gates, there'd be no way to stop him simply crossing the border and into another empty province of the wasteland. He'd done it before and often.

But...no. Maybe a few months ago he might have seriously considered it, but now the mere thought set his teeth on edge. Bossanova was more than the asshole who told him what to do. She was more than the lazy figurehead Colter was. Sure, Gage set out the plans, but she made her own decisions, and when she did, she included him. Asked for his advice—took his opinion seriously. It wasn't just Gage guiding a bumbling idiot, or otherwise trying to control a headstrong one. No, they were a team. Equals. He couldn't remember the last time he trusted someone so completely.

Well, he did. But Bossanova was not Connor.

Gage continued on his way, keeping his eye out for the person following him. Another, smaller reason he didn't want to leave—aside from Bossanova, and the fact the Nuka World project was pretty much his baby by this point—was that there was no place quite like it. What was waiting for him if he left? Sure, he'd get more killing and stealing done, but the Commonwealth—and every other region out there—was a shithole through and through. He'd gotten used to the comforts of the park: slaves, a steady supply of food, and a place to sleep where the only thing he had to worry about was another raider.

Shit, it was practically pre-war standard of living.

Gage got his first glimpse of the target settlement after an hour of trudging through Commonwealth shit: an old set of rotting cabins called "Sunshine Tidings." He decided to play it safe—flying solo had its drawbacks, and the risk of being overwhelmed was one of them.

Gage took his time, scouting the edges, counting out who lived there, their comings and goings, and the routine of the guards. He took note of who had weapons, and more importantly, who looked like they could use them. Judging from his sweeps, they were woefully undefended, the guards passing rifles between them rather than keeping their own. Two of the women were dressed in decent leather armour—ex-mercs, by the look of them, and one other guy actually did his weapon checks before taking watch. The rest were sheep, plain and simple.

Gage waited for the next watch changeover before he struck. The sun was setting behind him at this point, giving him the advantage, and they'd be tired from a long day of doing...whatever settlers did with their shitty little lives. Farming. Fucking. Whatever.

Grinning to himself, Gage readied his rifle and aimed for the lookout's head.

She was dead before she'd hit the ground. Someone—Gage reckoned her husband—came sprinting out carrying a gun he hadn't accounted for. Shit. If there was one, there would be more. Gage dropped him too, slunk out of sight, listening to the panic setting in while the two mercs tried to restore calm. He edged around the corner of a house and picked off the nearest merc from behind, sending her brains spraying all over a young woman's face, staining her fluffy blonde hair red.

The blonde screamed and bolted straight towards him. Gage made his move. He leapt from his hiding place, seized her by her pretty blonde hair, and dragged her towards him, pointing the gun to her head.

"On the ground, now!" Gage hollered, walking out into the open.

The settlers stopped dead, mouths agape as they cast wide-eyed looks at his hostage.

"I said now! Or I'll put a fucking hole in her head!"

They obeyed, sinking to their knees, their hands raised. Even the merc complied, though Gage suspected she might have a trick up her sleeve. No matter. He'd just kill her if there was a problem.

"What's your name, girl?" Gage asked, pulling on his captive's hair.

"Alice," she whimpered, the sob in her voice music to his ears.

"I got a bag on my hip, Alice. You're gonna open it, take out a collar, and put it on. If you don't, I'll kill you."

She shook in his arms and the kneeling merc started to stand, a protest on her lips. Gage lazily pointed his gun at her, shooting her in the leg, and she collapsed, cursing. Truth be told, he'd been aiming for the ground, but happy accidents were always welcome.

"Anyone else?" Gage drawled.

Silence.

"Good." Then he snarled into the girl's ear, "Collar on. Now."

Crying, the girl reached for his bag, which was the only thing tied to his belt at the moment—he didn't fancy a primed grenade being thrown into the mix. She pulled out a collar and, following his instructions, fixed it to her own neck. There was a satisfying beep as it locked.

"Here's how it's gonna work," he said to the group over the merc's cries of pain, "you fuck with me, or any of you try to run, I blow her fucking head off; gun or collar, I'm not a picky man." Gage released Alice's hair, unhooked the bag from his waist, and handed it to her, before shoving her forward so she stumbled to her knees. "Put them on who I tell you to. If you don't, I'll kill them and then I'll kill you. And it'll all be your fault."

Tears streamed down Alice's cheeks as she got to her feet and took a collar out of the bag, slowly turning it over in her hands.

"Quickly!" Gage snapped, feeling on edge. Yes, he'd wanted to do this alone, but it meant he was exposed—vulnerable to some wandering do-gooder trying to play the hero. Getting the slaves back was paramount—both his and Bossanova's necks were at stake. This was why he'd be escorting them to Nuka World in person, too. He couldn't afford for something else to kill them before they got there. Nor could he allow any survivors to find help before he made it home.

Gage picked the ones without fire—the downtrodden and the snivelling—the ones who wouldn't fight, and Alice put the collars on each of her friends, not meeting their eyes as she sealed their fates with a metallic 'click.'

Finally the four were selected, and Gage turned his attention to the two left. The older woman he'd shot, glaring at him in a way that reminded him of Jack, Sarah, and Bossanova all at once, and a man who looked equally pissed off, but unable to take his gaze from the ground.

Gage smiled as he put a bullet in each of them, savouring the rush cutting through his numb body. His newly acquired slaves screamed in terror, the youngest of the men sobbing over the dead woman's body.

"Get up. Now!" Gage roared.

They scrambled to their feet in unison, scared, crying, and as docile as brahmin. None of them had even tried to find and use the weapons dropped by the lookouts. Gage collected them, tossing the useless bits of crap out of reach.

Pathetic.

The trip back to the monorail station was uneventful, Gage having dealt with a majority of the wandering critters on the way to the settlement in the first place. The slaves followed without argument, some of them crying or whimpering, but otherwise keeping their heads bowed and in their place.

As he drew closer to their destination, though, he saw a figure sitting next to the station, their hand clamped to their side. Gage raised his gun, tensing. Hopefully just some unlucky fucker he could put down without a fight...or his stalker, waiting for his return. All the more reason to shoot them.

The figure looked up as Gage approached, and his stomach lurched. "Jack?"

Gage's words caught in his throat at the sight of her. Stunning as ever, and yet... diminished somehow. She looked how he felt—fucking awful. Her face was gaunt, her cheekbones pronounced past the point of beauty, her clothes hanging off her. Her eyes nestled in darkened sockets, her hair lank and tatty.

Jack didn't reply, but her gaze flicked in the direction of the slaves behind him. A strange heat crept up his cheeks, his heart racing. He didn't want her to see him doing shit like this. Her expression pierced Gage in a way he couldn't explain, her hurt dragging him down into the mud. How could he take it away when he was the cause?

Finally, she forced her attention back to him, though the pain lingered. "God, you're a wreck," she said, her voice creaking as if she hadn't used it in some time.

"I was gonna say the same to you," Gage replied weakly, Jack's presence a sledgehammer to his head. She was here and there were so many things he wanted to say. But...no, he couldn't. He knew his throat would close up before he got the chance. "How long have you been...?"

"Few hours," Jack replied, shrugging. She suddenly winced and moved her hand away from her side to reveal a bloody wound she'd been stemming with an old rag he hadn't noticed before.

Gage strode towards her, a hiss escaping his teeth as he opened the leather satchel of stimpaks at his waist. Jack stopped him with a flick of her hand, watching him warily. He bit his lip. "What happened?"

"Tried to follow you," Jack muttered, pressing the rag to her wound but not taking her eyes off him. "Ran into some radscorpions. Took them out but not before one got in a good hit." She grimaced again. "I'd been in too much of a rush to grab stimpaks, so I decided it was better to wait for you to come back than risk anything else."

"Hang on...so you were the one following me?"

"Yeah. Popped a stealth boy and slipped on the monorail with you. I'd...heard a rumour, and I wanted to see if it was true. Kept my distance after the stealth field wore off, but you were easy enough to follow." She nodded to his armour. "Yellow sticks out like a sore thumb."

"Look," Gage said, not liking the way she was swaying where she sat, " just let me help you. Then we can—"

"Gage," Jack murmured, her eyes flitting back to the slaves, "please let them go."

She might as well have stabbed him between the ribs. Gage winced, his half-formed hopes dashed by the truth of the matter: she'd stayed at the station only for them.

"They're going to Nuka World. Boss' orders." He folded his arms, glaring down at her.

"Please!" She got to her feet, groaning as she did, and stumbled towards him, gripping his arm. The pleading note in her voice made him shiver, but Gage pulled free, nearly dragging her over.

"They have to go," he snapped, ignoring the frightened muttering of the slaves in the midst of their terror. "Things are getting tense in town and we need something to settle the mood for a little while. If I don't deliver the goods, I could be dead in a few days."

"They're people, not 'goods.'"

"For all intents and purposes, they're goods. You know it, I know it—hell, they probably fuckin' know it too." He glared down at her. "I am not dyin' for them." He tried to walk past her. If she wasn't going to let him help her, he was getting on the damn monorail.

Jack moved in front of him, blocking his way. "Then do it for me."

"Die for you?"

She looked horrified at the thought. "No! Just...just release them."

"Releasing them is as good as dying." He was getting sick of repeating himself. "They—have—to—go— back." Gage took hold of her and pulled her out of the way, his patience close to snapping.

Jack made a grab for the device on his belt.

Gage caught her outstretched arm and whipped her around, throwing her bodily into the open monorail carriage. She hit the shitty plastic seats with a bang and a scream, and then went for her holstered gun, before realising Gage had already drawn his.

He saw her gaze dart between the two weapons, and slowly she took her hand away.

"Would you really shoot me, Gage?" she said quietly, her voice shaking with pain, her eyes fixed on him.

"Would you?"

"Right now, I don't know."

"Then me neither." He glared at her, his blood pounding in his ears. "You're askin' the impossible— trying to get me killed. I don't know how many times I can say the same thing: I am dead without these slaves. Nuka World will fail without them."

"God, always Nuka World," Jack hissed, fire burning in her scowl. "I don't fucking care about Nuka World anymore! It's a pipe dream! It's never gonna work!"

"It will work," Gage snarled back, "because I don't have any options if it doesn't. Clearly going our separate ways was a good fuckin' thing, because I wouldn't ask you to do somethin' I know would get you in the shit."

Jack's expression softened, and she blinked rapidly, her mouth a thin, quivering line. Finally, she said, "No. You wouldn't have to ask."

"The fuck's that supposed to mean?"

She turned her head away from him, her lips pressed tightly together.

"Fine." He pulled two stimpaks free from his satchel, and keeping his gun trained on her, tossed them into the open carriage. "I'm sending you to Nuka Town. If you come back, I'll shoot one of the slaves and let them bleed to death."

He caught her look of disgust as he punched the monorail switch. Then the doors slammed shut and the carriage rumbled away.

Gage watched it go, feeling an acute sense of loss for a grand total of twenty seconds, before realising his mistake. He was stranded in the open with the slaves until the carriage came back.

"Shit."

That fucking woman. Why did he act like such a goddamn fool everytime he was around her? It was like his brain became jet-addled whenever she was near.

Well, he thought irritably to himself as he settled down on a nearby rock and sulked, unless he planned to drag her off the monorail and leave her here while he took the slaves back, he wasn't getting on that damn carriage with her anyway. She would have pestered him all the way, and with her injury, it was better she go to town ahead of him.

The slaves watched him warily for a moment and then settled amongst themselves, their eyes turned down to the ground, untouched by the quarrels of their new masters.

Gage was furious.

How dare she put him in such a shitty position? Free the slaves, kill himself? He gripped his gun, the cleansing fire of rage burning through his body, until he could no longer sit still. He got to his feet, pacing around, while the slaves flinched every time he passed. The stupid bitch asked too much. Jack never cared about him—never gave a damn. She'd used him just as much as she claimed he'd used her, and he was glad to see the back of her selfish, conniving ass.

The memory of her holding him while he slept crossed Gage's mind, and he felt himself deflate. He was tired. So tired. And he wished he'd never drawn his gun. He wished he was back in her arms, safe in her room, where the only thing he had to think about was the warmth of her and the feel of her lips on his.

It had been a month now, though. Enough time to numb the hurt. Yet here he was, pining over Jack like they'd been anything other than fuck buddies.

Gage sat down again, massaging his head and keeping a close eye on the slaves. Why was he lying to himself? She was more than that. He knew it, even if he kept denying it when everyone else could see the truth. Gage cared deeply about her, and he despised that fact. Despised how weak he was around her. Despised how she could ask him to do something so stupid, so dangerous, and yet…

The monorail carriage came rattling back along the track, the grinding shriek of its breaks saving Gage from his own thoughts as it slid neatly into its stop. The doors opened and Gage jumped to his feet again, sticking his head inside.

"Jack?"

No answer.

She might still be lurking around with a stealth boy, but there was no obvious telltale shimmer in the air to signify her presence, and it was getting late. He didn't want to be out here any longer than necessary.

Gage looked back at the slaves and frowned. They were still staring at the floor in silence. "Hey, assholes!" he barked, and they all flinched. He signalled for them to follow, and with a heavy sense of weariness, they obeyed.