The Spider and the Fly

Sarah slid her combat knife back into its sheath and watched as Mrs. Bossanova mopped up blood and vomit, unsure where to start. There was just so much of it. She fidgeted a little, before edging towards the bar, which was covered in broken glasses, plates, and mugs, slowly sweeping the shards up into her palm. A deep, clawing guilt was worming its way through her gut, Gage's scream of pain ringing around her head. She'd stabbed him. Hurt him.

It was different than when she'd dropped a grenade on the Pack, setting off their own bomb. That had been impersonal, distant. This time, Sarah felt the thud of the knife as it hit Gage. Saw the panic in his eye, heard his distress. The blood, the frenzy, the anger. Gage had told her a certain point in the leg could cause someone to bleed to death, but he'd never said where. What if she'd hit that point, and he was in some alleyway now, dying?

Sarah bit her lip. Had she killed him?

She tried to tell herself it was justified, that he would have murdered Mrs. Bossanova if she hadn't stopped him. But her excuses seemed hollow. No matter how terrible he was, a small part of her liked Gage, and this part was now going into overdrive.

The rest of her could only watch on, aghast, clinging to Jack's prediction. She was becoming a raider, getting friendly with them. Taking lessons on how to hurt people and then actually using those skills. Sarah shivered. If Gage died, there was no going back. She'd be just as bad as him.

"Careful," came Mrs. Bossanova's voice from somewhere behind the bar, snapping her back to the present. "Don't use your hands. You'll cut yourself."

Sarah blinked, wading through her dismay and dragging her focus back on what she was doing. She looked down at the counter stupidly, and then at her palm, which was full of glass shards. "Oh." She shook her head, pushing down her anxiety, and forced a small smile. "Oh, okay." Sarah tipped the shards into a neat little pile and carefully dusted off her hands. "What should I use instead?"

Mrs. Bossanova straightened up, her head popping into view. "You don't need to help. This is my mess." She swallowed, her eyes bright. "All of it."

Sarah stared at her, frowning. What did that mean? Mrs. Bossanova looked back, and Sarah was suddenly reminded of the first night she'd met her, so very long ago. The way she'd killed the Disciple in the alleyway, before falling to her knees and crying to the night sky. But not just crying—talking to someone. Had it been a man? She wasn't sure.

Mrs. Bossanova looked on the verge of tears now. Her face was swelling where Gage had hit her, the rasp in her voice more pronounced. She had two black eyes, and her hands, arms, and face were littered with cuts. Even the stimpak she'd taken after Gage left hadn't really helped. Sarah dreaded to think how much worse things would have been if Gage wasn't so ill. He was a very dangerous man, and somehow over the months, Sarah had forgotten that.

"Mrs. Bossanova," Sarah said tentatively, "why did you let Gage go?"

Mrs. Bossanova didn't answer at first, lifting the rags sopping with various bodily fluids and carrying them to the window, before throwing them out. There was a distant splash and a yell of, 'For the love of...again?' but she paid it no attention, walking back to Sarah with an expression like she was trying to make her mind up about something.

Finally, she said, "Because Gage reminds me of Nicky."

Nicky. The name Sarah witnessed in that dark narrow street, the smell of blood in the air. But it still didn't explain why Mrs. Bossanova allowed Gage to leave after he'd just tried to kill her. He knew the secret of the slaves now, and he could tell anyone, at any time. He griped about Nisha and the others wanting his head, but maybe he'd give away that last great hidden truth in exchange for his life. He'd certainly be mad and stupid enough for it.

Sarah bit her lip. "Who's Nicky?"

Mrs. Bossanova met Sarah's eye, her own becoming hollow. She suddenly looked old. Not in the way an adult was old to a child, but something so ancient it was beyond any sense or understanding. And...tired. So very, very tired.

"Nicky was my brother," Mrs. Bossanova said, the words sounding flat and forced.

Brother? The idea of someone like Mrs. Bossanova having family seemed mind boggling. It was as if she'd always existed, springing into being with peeling skin, black eyes, and missing her ears and nose. Sarah couldn't imagine her before the bombs, whole and human, living a perfectly normal existence.

Sarah listened as Mrs. Bossanova began to talk. Her pre-war life. The way Nicky looked after her, and the time they spent together. The grief they shared when their parents died, and how she'd tried to hold him back when he decided to join a gang.

"In the end, I realised the only way I could keep him safe was to follow him, whatever happened." Mrs. Bossanova shook her head. "I tagged along, hoping to steer him onto a better path once we got our vengeance...but then I found I was good at it. For the first time in my life, I had a purpose."

"Your purpose was killing people?" Sarah said, unable to hide the disgust in her voice. "Hurting them?"

Mrs. Bossanova shrugged. "I enjoyed the power that came with it. It poisoned me from the inside out, made me...cold. Who cared if I crushed some nameless schmuck for getting in my way? I had my brother, and so long as we were together, the rest of the world could burn."

Sarah winced. It was the side of Mrs. Bossanova she'd always suspected, but it wasn't nice to witness. Still, she looked as if she was trying to convince herself more than anything, and a second later, Sarah was proven right.

"But…well, age changes a lot of things. It forces you to stop living in the moment and reflect on everything you've done. And by the time I reached the top, I'd done a lot. I'd led my people through the glory days while the city rotted under our influence, and we were on the cusp of wiping out the Irish Mob. I had a change of heart, opting for cooperation instead of destruction. Make them our associates, and so long as they gave us a cut, they could continue to operate in my territory."

"What did Nicky think?" Sarah asked, blinking at the old lady. She wasn't one for killing, but if Mrs. Bossanova had been close to getting rid of her enemies, wouldn't it have made more sense just to finish the job?

"Nicky hated it. He said there were people who'd never liked a woman as the boss, and I'd be giving them an excuse to turn on me. The Irish gangs would take advantage of the in-fighting, and everything would descend into chaos." Bossanova bit her lip. "I ignored him. I knew best. But he was right. In the end, I lost it all."

Mrs. Bossanova glanced at the door Gage limped from earlier. "The same thing happened today—too damn arrogant and too damn weak to learn my lesson. I try to accommodate everyone, stretch myself too thin. I don't deserve people like Gage and Nicky."

"Nicky doesn't sound like a nice person," Sarah retorted, pulling a face. "And Gage is an asshole."

She thought she might get another slap, but instead Mrs. Bossanova laughed. "You're not wrong on either count. But same as Nicky, Gage has a very special talent: he's not afraid to put me in my place."

"By trying to kill you?" Sarah gestured wildly as she exclaimed, "Are you crazy?"

"In Gage's mind, I tried to kill him first," Mrs. Bossanova shot back, frowning. "And in some ways, he's right. If the release of the slaves goes badly, he's a dead man. Nisha has been very clear what she plans to do if she gets hold of him alive. I never discussed it with him beforehand, and flat out lied to him in other instances. We both know the stress he's been under—I could have waited until Nuka World was established and settled before making my next move. The fight was entirely my fault."

Sarah considered this. Mrs. Bossanova had a point, even if she didn't like the fact it would have kept the slaves under raider rule for longer. But then she shook her head. "It's not all your fault. Gage needs to stop getting mad like a big baby. He didn't even let you talk!"

"But—"

"Why did you do it now then?" Sarah asked, deciding she wasn't going to listen to Mrs. Bossanova's stupid defences of Gage. "Why didn't you wait?"

"Do you remember the letters in the mines?"

Sarah nodded, wondering what on earth that had to do with anything.

"I don't think I gave you a chance to read them. They contain the last words of the traders driven underground by the raiders. You saw their fates. I was…" Mrs. Bossanova's voice cracked. "It sickened me. I couldn't sleep for thinking about it, those poor people, trapped and waiting to die. The same for the bodies in the Galactic Zone. When I returned to Nuka Town, it was like a blindfold had been ripped off. The suffering all around me, that I was a part of. And...and the cruelty."

She shifted on the spot, failing to meet Sarah's eye. "I won't deny I was vicious in my youth. These days I reserve my brutality for those who've earned it. Not innocents—not people who can't defend themselves." She scowled, still staring at her feet. "It's why I loathe Nisha. The other gangs have the capacity for sadism, but she takes it to a whole new level."

Sarah nodded blankly, not understanding half of what Mrs. Bossanova just said. It was odd seeing dangerous emotions ooze out of her carefully guarded placidness, her opinions of the other gang leaders crackling like fire in her voice. Sarah wondered how much she had been hiding all this time, and how she decided who 'earned' her retribution.

Another question sprung to mind. "You said Gage is like Nicky. Did Nicky attack you when you tried to make friends with the…" What had she called them? Sarah thought hard. "The...eye...rish?"

Mrs. Bossanova's eyes grew wide with shock. "God no. Nicky was loyal right to the end."

Sarah looked around the chaos wrought by Gage, before slowly turning her attention back to the old woman. "Then Gage isn't like Nicky at all, is he?"

"No...I suppose he isn't." Mrs. Bossanova deflated on the spot. She hung her head, shuffling across the room, her feet kicking aside broken plates and mugs. When she reached the old armchair, she brushed debris off the seat and dropped heavily into it.

Mrs. Bossanova was silent for a while, staring at her knees, motionless. Just as Sarah considered saying something to get the conversation going again, she spoke.

"Coming here, to Nuka World…it really felt like I got Nicky back. Like I hadn't let him down." Mrs. Bossanova swallowed, gripping the arms of the chair hard. "I should never have placed Gage so high on a pedestal. He is not my brother, no matter how much I might wish it."

She put her face in her hands.

Sarah sidled over, unsure what to do. Like Gage, Mrs. Bossanova was not a nice person. And yet, underneath it all, past every bad deed, every selfish action, was a burning need to protect the ones she loved. Sarah couldn't fault her for that.

She drew closer, and then after a moment's consideration, slipped her arms around Mrs. Bossanova's neck and hugged her tight. Mrs. Bossanova stiffened, and then reciprocated, sniffing a little.

"Thanks," she mumbled as they broke apart.

"Why do you like Gage so much?" Sarah asked. She needed to know this. She had to understand.

Mrs. Bossanova gave her a watery smile. "I guess you're wondering why I give such a damn when he's turned my face to mush, huh?"

Sarah nodded.

"Because he's smart and cautious, and if you can earn his trust, fiercely loyal. He's an equal in every way, and he won't allow himself to be taken for a fool. I respect and admire him more than he knows." Her face dropped. "And I've demonstrated it very poorly."

They fell into an awkward silence, and Mrs. Bossanova turned from her, looking embarrassed. It suddenly occurred to Sarah that she had the boss alone, with no one else to overhear their conversation, and the entire reason she'd gone to the Grille today was to talk to her about Jack.

"Boss," Sarah whispered, suddenly feeling very nervous, "I saw Jack make a deal with Nisha."

And she told her everything that happened inside Fizztop Mountain. Mrs. Bossanova said nothing as she listened to Sarah's tale, but her face went pale, her eyes wide with shock. By the end of it, she looked almost green. When Sarah finished, she sat stunned for a good ten seconds before speaking.

"Jack...went to Nisha?" she asked, her own voice a croak.

"Maybe. She might have been dragged there. But it sounds like they've been working together for a while." Sarah went to pull on her collar, before remembering herself and stopping, twisting her hands in her lap instead. "What does this mean?"

Mrs. Bossanova hesitated, and then opened her mouth to reply.

"Boss?" came a gruff voice from outside the door. A second later it opened, and Gage was walking across the room to where they were sitting. He looked a little bit better than he did an hour ago, but still limping slightly and clearly pissed off. At his side was Jack, her expression neutral.

Sarah stared at her, mouth hanging open. Had Jack and Gage made up, or…?

Nisha's cruel, concealed face rushed to the forefront of her mind, a terrible smirk on her lips as she whispered, "See if you can't get in his good books again...seduce him."

Her eyes darted between Jack and Gage.

Oh no.

Mrs. Bossanova jumped to her feet, pulling Sarah behind her.

Gage rolled his eye. "Settle down. I didn't drag my ass all the way here just for you to hand it to me again."

When Mrs. Bossanova didn't move, her hold still tight on Sarah, his brow creased, and Sarah realised he looked worried. Worried about what? That Mrs. Bossanova would attack...or that he'd damaged their relationship permanently?

She continued to stare at him, bewildered, as he made his way slowly over to the bar, boots crunching the broken glass with every step. Gage stopped with a wince, then leaned back against the counter and folded his arms, the brief glimpse of emotion replaced with his usual angry scowl. "Explain."

Mrs. Bossanova relaxed her grip. "What?"

"I never gave you a second to explain your plan," Gage said, every word sounding like it was being dragged out against his will. "So...explain."

Sarah saw red.

She didn't care that Mrs. Bossanova was willing to put up with Gage's crap. She didn't care that Mrs. Bossanova saw him as close as family, or that she thought the whole thing was her fault. He'd swaggered in here, after nearly killing her, after trashing everything, rudely asking for an explanation without so much as a sorry?

Sarah pulled her arm free and marched towards him, her face burning. "You asshole!"

"Sarah!" Mrs. Bossanova darted out, seizing her and pulling her back. Sarah refused to break eye contact, pointing wildly at Gage with her other arm.

"Look at this place!" Sarah yelled, struggling hard against Mrs. Bossanova's restraining hand. "Look what you did!"

Gage went rigid, looking like he wanted to hit her. Sarah didn't care.

"You had your chance to ask questions, but you had a tantrum instead! You're a bigger kid than me!" She stomped her foot, furious Mrs. Bossanova wouldn't let her go. "No, you're a baby! A big baby!"

Gage scowled. "Far as I'm concerned, I was done wrong. So yeah, I trashed it."

"Oh, done wrong?" She laughed in his face, remembering his words to her in the market. "Well guess what? The world's a shitty place. Get the fuck over it!"

She stopped, surprised by her own cuss.

"That's some mouth on you," Gage said coolly, an odd flush crossing his cheeks. "Where you pick that up from, huh?"

"Gage," hissed Jack, digging him hard in the ribs. "Stop aggravating her."

"You should be saying sorry before you ask anything from Mrs. Bossanova!" Sarah spat, making another bid for freedom.

"Sarah, that's enough!" Mrs. Bossanova snapped, hauling Sarah back so hard she lifted her off her feet. She glowered down at her and said, "If you can't keep a civil tongue, you can leave."

"But—!"

"No. Be quiet." She dismissed Sarah with a turn of her head, glaring at Gage and bristling with anger as she straightened up. "You've some nerve coming back here after your little display."

A shadow of doubt crossed Gage's face, and suddenly he looked worried again. Clearly he hadn't expected their talk to go like this. "Then tell me to go."

Mrs. Bossanova studied him. "I won't tell you to do anything. It's about time you proved whether our partnership means a damn."

Gage opened and closed his mouth, flabbergasted, and then shot Jack a glance that clearly said, 'Help.' She smiled encouragingly and nudged him gently with her elbow.

It was amazing, Sarah thought, how a hulking, bloodstained raider with more kills than teeth could suddenly look like a dirty little boy caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Gage shuffled on the spot, avoiding meeting anyone's eye.

"Sorry for...kill yer…" he mumbled after a long, painful silence, staring at the floor.

"What?" Mrs. Bossanova said, her voice clear and commanding. "Speak up. I can't hear you."

"Sorry for tryna kill yer," Gage said loudly, his face molten red. He scowled at her. "If I do it again, I'll make sure it's for somethin' worthwhile, like—I dunno—making me take a bath or whatever."

Mrs. Bossanova's lips twitched. "Apology accepted."

He looked relieved, though his face stayed scarlet.

Mrs. Bossanova let go of Sarah once again, but this time Sarah remained where she was, wondering how it would all play out. She was already stunned Gage managed to dredge up enough decency to do something as simple as apologise, and found herself lost for words.

"Before you tell me about your big grand plan," Gage said, his expression suddenly turning ugly, "I got a bone to pick with you."

Mrs. Bossanova frowned, but she didn't tense up like before. "Oh?"

"Why the fuck would you allow Jack to handle all your dirty work alone?" He looked furious now, as angry as when he'd tried to kill her, his eye narrowed and piercing into the boss.

"Gage," Jack said quickly, laying a hand on his shoulder, "I already told you—"

Gage shrugged her off, pointing at Mrs. Bossanova. "I don't give a fuck if Jack volunteered. You let her take on all the risk, knowing what would happen if she got caught. What kind of asshole pulls that shit?"

Mrs. Bossanova winced. "It...wasn't my first choice of action. But when someone tells you they'll do it anyway, regardless of your objections—"

"I insisted," Jack said, moving between Gage and the boss. "Like I already said—"

"This," Gage said, dragging his gaze from Mrs. Bossanova and onto Jack as he waved his hand around at the Grille, "is not worth your life. I am not worth your life. Don't ever do somethin' like that again." He shot Mrs. Bossanova a dangerous look. "And don't you ever fuckin' put her up to it again. Got it?"

Mrs. Bossanova nodded, her face a blank mask. "I got it."

"Good." He looked back at Jack. "Do you got it too?"

"Yeah."

"D'ya mean it?"

"No."

Gage bowed his head and sighed, before lifting it wearily again. "And another thing," he said to Mrs. Bossanova, abandoning the debate with Jack, "why the hell would you send me to get slaves if you weren't plannin' on keepin' them?"

Jack turned around now, giving Mrs. Bossanova a withering look. "She decided the short term trauma would be worth the risk, just to keep the raiders happy." Jack sneered the last word, her face twisted with malice.

"As you can see, Jack wasn't a fan. When she found out, she did her best to disrupt it." Mrs. Bossanova folded her arms. "I felt keeping the Disciples from skinning us all alive was a bigger priority. She thought otherwise."

"And I'd do it again," Jack snarled, mirroring Mrs. Bossanova's unfriendly stance. "They'd have been subjected to God knows what the moment they got here—and that's after already dealing with what Gage dished out." She glowered at Gage briefly, who actually avoided her eye. Then she snapped her head back to Mrs. Bossanova. "And besides, you were wrong. We're all still alive. No need for them after all."

"As far as you know," retorted Mrs. Bossanova. "We might be dead tomorrow when we could have had months."

Jack rolled her eyes. "I doubt it."

"Do you now?" Mrs. Bossanova said slowly, her eyes narrowing.

"Look," Gage cut in, and Sarah was shocked to see him trying to be the voice of reason, "it's done now. They're gone. Let's just...let's just drop it."

Jack grimaced but said nothing.

"The other purpose," Mrs. Bossanova went on to Gage, her tone forcibly calm, "is it kept you away while we were running tests on the collars. If something went wrong, you'd be out of the picture. Plausible deniability."

"Or," Gage retorted, "if they decided I did have somethin' to do with it, I'd have walked straight back into Nuka Town and been easy prey."

Mrs. Bossanova bit her lip. It was clear she hadn't thought of that possibility. Finally, she glanced in Sarah's direction, and then over to Jack. "Jack, I need a word alone with Gage. And Sarah. Do you mind?"

"No worries," replied Jack, her tone pleasant again.

"Wait a sec'," Gage protested, glancing from Mrs. Bossanova to Jack. "She's one of us—you can't just—"

"Don't worry," Jack said, silencing him with a kiss to the cheek. "You'll be fine." She gave his hand a squeeze. "I'll see you later, yeah?"

"Y-yeah," Gage replied, looking like a startled radstag.

Jack gave Mrs. Bossanova a respectful nod, which was returned. "Boss."

Sarah watched her go, her heart thundering against her ribs. There had been a distinct chill between Jack and the boss. Was that because of what Sarah brought up before, or was there more going on? Even if Gage had gone to get slaves on Mrs. Bossanova's orders, Jack still seemed very angry about it.

Did the boss not trust her anymore?

"Why does Jack have to go but she gets to stay?" Gage asked at once, glaring at Sarah.

"Because Sarah has contributed a great deal into getting where I am today," Mrs. Bossanova said, "and it's about time I treated her as such."

"But not Jack?"

"No, not Jack." She peered at him, looking worried. "I'll speak to you about it later, in private, when I've had a chance to do some digging. If you're going to trust me on anything, please trust me on this." She lowered herself back into the armchair and folded her legs. "So, what do you want to know?"

For a moment he looked like he wanted to argue the matter further, but then stopped, taking a deep breath to control himself. He glanced over towards the door, as if hoping Jack would walk back through it, and then said, "Everythin'."

She rolled her eyes. "Well that narrows it down."

"Fine," he snapped, flushing again. "You said Nuka World ain't sustainable. So how does fucking up the natural order with the slaves fix anything? All it's gonna do is cause a world of shit."

Sarah glared at him. Natural order?

Mrs. Bossanova shifted in her chair. "Because there is a reason raiders don't run the entire Commonwealth—none of you will work for yourselves. You prefer to take from others, enslave them if you can, and make them do it for you."

"So? Works, doesn't it?"

"Sure. On a small scale. But Nuka World was never intended to be small scale, otherwise Shank would be out of a job." Mrs. Bossanova shook her head. "I know what the end goal is. Take over the various settlements and squeeze them for every last drop of worth. Not everyone is like your parents, Gage. They will rise up and take their livelihoods back. And the more we take, the more people we upset, the more vulnerable we become. It would be exceptionally easy to overextend our reach and leave ourselves open to an attack."

"From the sheep?" Gage laughed. "Let them try. I'll bury them."

"The whole of Diamond City? Or Goodneighbor? Hell, if we get too big, the Brotherhood of Steel might even take notice. And that's before we consider rival gangs getting sick of us taking all the territory. But make no mistake, if you push the settlers, the big fish are where they'll turn. The cities won't like their trade being disrupted. We aren't organised enough for an all-out war." She stared hard at him. "Whether it's a week or a month or a year, eventually one of them will figure out the best way to bring Nuka World to its knees is me." She placed a hand on her chest. "Once I'm gone, this entire operation is finished."

She's right, Sarah thought, watching Gage's reaction carefully. He seemed to be chewing this over, trying to find a way to argue back. But Sarah knew even if they didn't consider the Brotherhood—a powerful force in their own right—the cities would be angry if the raiders messed things up for their residents, particularly in snobby Diamond City. Even the slightly smaller Goodneighbor—one of the few settlements that would trade with a ghoul town like the Slog, being so full of ghouls itself—was rife with mercenaries and guards armed to the teeth. Some of them had taken pity on the Slog before, when they'd visited to set up trade with Wiseman, and they'd made short work of the raiders in the area. They were tough, and Diamond City's lot were even tougher.

Gage frowned. "Then the answer's simple: we don't take too much. We don't get too greedy. Play it safe."

"But other raiders aren't like you and me," Mrs. Bossanova countered. "You said so yourself. They will get greedy, and they won't like it if they think I'm doing nothing to expand our little empire."

Gage didn't seem to have a response for that, so he glowered silently at her instead.

"My goal is to make Nuka World sustainable," Mrs. Bossanova went on, "in a way that doesn't cause a regional uprising. And it starts here." She nodded to Sarah. "It starts with the slaves. We free them. We make them our equals, so far as protection goes. That means they get paid. They get free time and food and better living conditions. And no more beatings. In return, they set up the network to push our chems into the market. They will infiltrate the settlements in the Commonwealth, and slowly bring them to our side through chems and caps."

"That will never work," Gage said. "They'll fuck off the moment your back is turned."

"You might be surprised what a bit of mercy can buy you."

"And the gangs will never agree to it," he retorted loudly, drowning her out.

"Mags and William will," Mrs. Bossanova said with a wide smile. "They were grateful for the return of their parents. And Mason is under my thumb at last. Their people know better than to cross the bosses."

For a moment, Gage looked convinced. But then he frowned. "And Nisha?"

Mrs. Bossanova's smile faded. "Nisha is a problem," she admitted. "But I've been working on a solution."

He snorted, rolling his eye. "This oughta be good."

"Remember all the barrels of radioactive waste I've been bringing in?"

Gage paused, and for the first time since he got here, Sarah could see he was intrigued. Truth be told, she was too. She had her own theories for the barrels and the radiation, and Sarah was eager to see if she'd hit the mark. Her heart leapt as Mrs. Bossanova produced a small remote.

"I've dumped every single one of them in the water source for the mist sprays below Kiddie Kingdom. Prolonged exposure is lethal." She shook the remote in her hand, smirking. "I'm giving Kiddie Kingdom to the Disciples."

Gage's mouth fell open. "A kill switch?"

"Not a decision I made lightly, but my hand was forced when Savoy approached us."

"Are you fucking insane? You betray Nisha, you'll lose the trust of the others! They'll be wondering when they're next!"

She would never admit it, but Sarah had to agree with Gage. The balance of Nuka World hung by a thread—how it hadn't already fallen apart, Sarah didn't know. The idea of taking out Nisha in front of the others would destroy all the hard work Mrs. Bossanova had put in over the last few months.

Mrs. Bossanova shook her head, her face sombre. "It's a reactive measure only. The same with the Galactic Zone and the robots. Nisha is gearing up for a fight, Gage. She's been sending Dixie and a few others out on recruitment drives around the Commonwealth, slowly bolstering her numbers. I'm hoping I'll be able to placate her eventually, but if not…" She raised the remote again. "When she acts, so will I."

Sarah frowned, spotting an immediate flaw. "But Nisha won't be in the Galactic Zone or Kiddie Kingdom. She'll be in Fizztop Mountain."

"I'm not trying to take Nisha out. I'm trying to kill a good chunk of her fighters to stop her seizing the advantage. First sign of a rebellion, I'll cripple them all before they can so much as raise a knife in my direction."

"That's assuming she's stupid enough not to mobilise her people before we realise what's happening," Gage said, frowning. "I dunno. This is risky."

"It's a backup plan. I don't intend to take Nisha out anytime soon," Mrs. Bossanova said calmly. "I despise her methods, but I'm willing to work with her for the sake of peace. And if everything goes to plan, Nisha and I will be out of each other's way for the most part."

"What?"

"The Pack and the Disciples will be my enforcers. Anyone who doesn't pay up, who tries to steal from me, who resists the product we are pushing—who decides they want to take from Nuka World—and believe me, there will be a lot of them—will be dealt with by these two gangs. The Operators, on the other hand, will be running the business side of things. It's beneficial to everyone, if they take the time to embrace it."

Again, Gage appeared partway convinced, chewing his lip as though searching for a problem. Apparently he was unable to find a specific one, because after a moment he simply shook his head and said, "There's jus'...jus' so many things that can go wrong with this. You're playing with plutonium here, boss."

Mrs. Bossanova smiled at him. "Have a little faith. Remember when you first told me about Nuka World? The scope—the potential." Her eyes were alight with a dancing fervour. "This is our chance to make something big. Something spectacular. Two of the three gangs are under our belt. We just need to deal with Nisha—and between the pair of us, I think we can manage it."

Again, Gage hesitated, chewing on his lip once more. Sarah had never seen him look so conflicted. "Probably would be easier to kill you."

Mrs. Bossanova snorted. "And even easier to kill you first."

"Don't I know it," Gage said with a wince. He stood there in silent contemplation before glaring at her. "Don't really got a choice, do I? I'm fucked if I help you, and I'm fucked if I don't."

"You can always go," Mrs. Bossanova said, and her expression suddenly became strained, like she was holding in a great sorrow. "I'll cover you until you're out of the Commonwealth. Consider it compensation for shattering your vision for the park."

"You know that'll bring a world of shit on your head."

"I know. But if you stay, if you help...together we could build something that lasts."

"God, why?" he snarled at her. "You only keep me around because I'm like your brother. You don't give a shit about me."

Mrs. Bossanova flinched as if he'd hit her, the pain clear on her face. She paused, struggling with herself, and then shook her head. "No. You're...you're similar to Nicky, but not the same. My baby brother is dead and I carry the scar to remind me of that. You, Gage…" She hugged herself, holding his gaze. "You're my partner in crime. We're a team, dragging each other up through a world that wants us to fail."

Gage sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. There was a long, heavy silence, hovering over their heads like thick cigar smoke. Sarah expected him to swear, to tell Mrs. Bossanova where to go, before storming from the room.

Instead, he lowered his hand and fixed her with an appraising stare. "Are there gonna be any more secrets between us? Any more lies?"

"No," Mrs. Bossanova said at once. Her tone was stark and open, nothing like her usual placid cover. She wanted him to know she meant every word. "Never again."

Some of the tension left Gage's face. When he spoke, his voice had lost some of its edge. "An' are you gonna actually start trustin' me and listen when I give you advice?"

"Yes. I promise."

Gage scowled. "Promises don't mean shit. Actions do."

"Then let me prove it to you." Mrs. Bossanova stood up and walked across the room, holding something out to Gage. Sarah blinked and a second later saw what it was.

"You're giving me the killswitch?" Gage said, looking at it with a stunned expression. He took it from her hands with great care, as if he was holding a bomb.

Sarah felt like ice had been injected into her veins. Mrs. Bossanova had given control of a radioactive weapon and a horde of killer robots to Gage?

"It's been designed to avoid accidental activation," Mrs. Bossanova said, gesturing to something Sarah couldn't see. "You hold these two together to turn it on. Then you flip this three times. Twist this once. Bop this twice. And then…"

"I'm never gonna remember all that," Gage groaned, looking overwhelmed.

"I'll teach you."

He stopped, his brow furrowed as he stared at her. He looked as if he was on the edge of a huge decision, but too afraid of the consequences to take the plunge. He closed his eye, screwing up his face, and opened it again. "I don't care what you say—no matter what I do, I'm fucked."

Mrs. Bossanova wilted where she stood.

"But…" He clenched his teeth hard together and then expelled a long breath. "If we pull this off and somehow manage to not get skinned or mutilated or whatever fuckin' thing these assholes try to throw at us...we'll be set for life." He pocketed the remote and gave a small smile. "If there are no more secrets...I'm in."

Mrs. Bossanova beamed and put out her hand to shake his. "Deal."

"Just...one thing, though."

"What?"

He jabbed her, quick and hard in the face, sending her staggering back with a yelp of surprise.

"Gage!" Sarah yelled, trying to run forward to help, but Mrs. Bossanova threw out an arm and forced her back.

"That's for not telling me any of this in the first place," Gage said, glaring at her. His fierce expression faded and he let out a long sigh. "But no hard feelings, yeah?" He tried to force a smile, but it quickly faltered and slipped away. No matter what he said, there was clearly some lingering hurt.

Mrs. Bossanova gingerly felt her cheek, shaking her head. But to Sarah's surprise, she too was smiling, a real smile that made Gage blink with obvious confusion. Mrs. Bossanova wiped the blood from her mouth and moved towards him again, her black eyes twinkling.

And suddenly Sarah knew what was going to happen a second before it did.

Wham.

Gage bounced off the bar with a bang, clutching his own bleeding nose as he slid to the floor. Mrs. Bossanova stood over him, massaging her knuckles. "That's for forgetting who's boss," she said sharply, then paused, pondering something. "And for trying to kill me, but we'll go two for one with that one, hmm? No hard feelings."

Sarah held her breath as Gage looked up at Mrs. Bossanova, his fingers covered in red, wondering whether he was about to explode. Instead, Gage burst out laughing. "Sure, sure, you fuckin' asshole. Took you long enough to get some balls."

For the second time, Mrs. Bossanova offered her hand. "You and me against the world, Gage?"

"Yeah." Gage seized it, wearing a bloodstained grin. "Fuck everyone else."