So once again, the size of this chapter has gotten away from me, which is why I haven't posted for a while. So I've had to cut it into a couple pieces to make it more manageable. Expect the next part of this chapter very soon as it's mostly written, I just have to fix up where I cut it and give it a good once over and it will be out. This chapter should come to a combined 4,500 words (maybe more) when all is said and done.
Chapter 20: Friends in Low Places (Part 1)
As I entered the office, I couldn't help but notice how much nicer it looked than the rest of the theatre, not that that was saying much, but at least it had managed to retain some of its Old World charm. The walls were covered in a dark rosewood paneling, the floor made of a faded parquet pattern that creaked beneath our feet. In the center of the room sat a mahogany desk, a beautiful but broken chandelier hanging just above it, and off in the corner I could just barely make out several stacks of boxes marked "Diamond City", as well as a small table covered in counterfeit caps and chems. Whoever this Malone fella was, it seemed he had one well-oiled operation going on, even if it was teetering here on the edge of hell.
Just then, the door slammed open, a large muscular man wearing a well-pressed suit came storming in with a furious look on his face. He walked around the desk and slammed his fist down hard.
"Unbelievable!" The man bellowed and I jumped in my seat.
"What the hell kinda game do you think you're playin' at here, Hancock? Bustin' up my joint like this during the BIGGEST show of the year… Do you honestly have ANY idea how many caps you just lost me? Well? DO YOU?!" The man roared as he slammed his fist down again.
"I think I got an idea…" Hancock said casually as he eased himself into one of the plush leather chairs, "Maybe next time you'll remember to keep your appointments, eh? A man don't back out of a meeting last minute, you know…"
"Didn't that trussed-up tart of yours tell you I was busy? Things come up! It happens!" The man hollered again, his face swelling up like a ripe tomato, "What right does that give you to bust in here like this? Let alone with a goddamn super mutant in tow! Jesus Christ, I'm going to be out a week's worth of winnings for this… Ooh, I swear, you'd just better be glad I owe you one, or else I'd… I'd…!" Malone trailed off as he wrung his hands in the air, breaking an invisible neck as the vein on his temple threatened to burst. At last, the man collapsed into his chair with an exasperated huff, staring off into space as he shook his head with a somber grimace.
"You know, crime in the Commonwealth used to have a little class, a little refinement to it," he sighed as he wiped the sweat from his brow, "Now it's all gone to hell. Can't have organized crime without an organized society, you know what I'm saying? Ah, maybe I'm just getting old. Losing my edge… Vault 114 was a big blow to me, Hancock. Huge. I knew I should have just killed that damn detective when I had the chance, and it's only because you helped me get back on my feet that I ain't shooting you down right now, so out with it. What the hell do you want?"
"Funny you should mention ol' Vault 114… 'cause I'd like to call in that very favor," Hancock said, and Malone scoffed as he shook his head.
"And that's how you go about asking? You've got some nerve, Hancock-"
"Now don't you go writing me off just yet, Malone. It ain't a big favor after all, and I do plan on paying you, in a manner of speaking… So just give me a chance, yeah?"
The man shook his head, chuckling quietly to himself as he leaned back into his chair with a sort of bemused look on his face. As the wheels turned in his head, his black beady eyes suddenly met mine, his face contorting into an ugly grimace as he looked me up and down in silent judgment. I felt a pit form in my stomach, terrified he might recognize me and sour the whole deal, when his gaze shifted towards Ilya and his expression softened, the sight of a genuine Vault-Tec insignia enough to turn his head. A light flashed behind those eyes and he perked up, suddenly a lot more interested as he leaned forward with an eager smile.
"Well now, I suppose it couldn't hurt to hear you out… What have you got for me this time, Hancock?"
"Ha, that's the spirit!" Hancock laughed as he slapped his hands together in excitement, "Speaking of spirits, you mind if we have a few? I've never been one to discuss business sober, so I'd take more of that Gwinnett Ale if you got it."
"Ah, yes, yes… I think a round of drinks for the whole room would do nicely. Magnolia, dear? Would you be so kind as to fetch us something to drink? No, no, not the watered-down swill from out there, here, take the key and get the good stuff from the cupboard upstairs. Oh and please hit the radio on your way up… Thanks love," the man said with a simpering smile as he watched Magnolia sashay up the stairs before turning back towards Hancock.
"So, this must be quite the job, can't say I ever saw you this confident before. It wouldn't happen to have anything to do with a vault, now would it?" Malone asked with a sly smile, but Hancock shook his head.
"Afraid not," he lied smoothly, "But let's just say that me and my associates here got ourselves a right interesting business opportunity. One that'll not only put ol' Goodneighbor on the map, but will open up all kinds of avenues for the entire Commonwealth to enjoy… Now, I can't say too much about it so soon, but if this baby pans out, well, let's just say we'll be "swimming in the green," as the old saying goes. The only problem is, it takes us into some pretty hostile territory, and worse yet, we ain't got no way into the joint… Now, you, being the well-connected man of class you are, just might be our only ticket inside. You help us, and I'll make you the richest son-of-a-bitch this side of Appalachia."
"Hmmm," Malone said with a scowled, not exactly convinced, "And how exactly do you plan on doing that?"
"Glad you asked, Skinny ol' boy, glad you asked! Tell me, how's business been since you took over?"
"Is that supposed to be a joke? Just take a look around… How the hell do you think it's going, asshole?" Malone snapped back with an angry glare, "Between security, prize money, and the constant repairs, I'm bleeding caps into the red worse than a stuck pig! Makes me wonder why I ever bought this dump in the first place…"
"Well, of course you're having trouble, you ain't thinking like a scavver!" Hancock said with a salesman's smile, "In fact, you got a whole untapped market here just dying to hand over their caps. Now don't give me that look, it's the truth! Just think about it… You got all these men jacked up on booze, chems, and testosterone hanging out here on the fringes of society, with no home, no family, and no purpose… Now don't get me wrong, everybody enjoys a good old-fashioned donnybrook, but these fellas? They want blood. They want carnage. They want… death."
"What the hell are you suggesting?!" Malone said, taken aback, "I can't start hosting deathmatches, there's enough bad blood among these savages already! The last thing I need is to start giving them reason to act on their vendettas!"
"Nah, Malone, my man, you got it all wrong! I ain't talking about killing nobody, well… Nobody human anyway… Tell me, what do you think of that fine specimen of a super mutant I got out there, eh?"
"I think it's an ungodly abomination against man and nature that has no place in civilized society…"
"Well, you wouldn't be wrong!" Hancock laughed with a wave of his hand, "But just think about it… A weekly Creature Feature pitting two of the Wasteland's most vicious monsters against one another in a battle to the death! Now, that's a show I'd pay to see. Hell, I'd even shell out a few extra caps to reinforce the cage and expand the seating. You supply the venue and I supply the merchandise, we split the profits 50/50. So, whaddya say, Malone? Is it a deal?"
"Hmm…" Malone said as he thought, "That is interesting… isn't it? Yeah, yeah, you know what? I like it. A "Creature Feature", huh? I might have to put that on the posters. But then, what was it you needed from me? You've yet to explain that part of this little plan of yours…"
"Oh, it's just a small thing, tiny really… practically nothing. Why, you won't even have to lift a finger! All we need is the location of that secret little passage of yours, you know the one… Where you move all your merchandise in and out of Nuka World?"
"Nuka World!" The man bellowed as his face turned that deep shade of red once more, "Now hold on just a damn minute, you didn't say nothing about no Nuka World! That passage is MY property. I found it, I protected it, and I'M the one that will benefit from it! I worked my hands to the bones to get the trade deals I have, and if you think I'm about to let you go in and undercut all my business, then you've got another thing coming!"
"Actually…" Hancock said, "I was hoping you could get us inside without alerting the locals. As far from Nuka-Town Market as possible, in fact…" Malone stopped and cocked his head, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.
"Why?" The man said slowly, "What do you know?"
"Maybe something, maybe nothing. It's hard to say right now, but I got a good lead, I can tell you that much," Hancock replied with a coy grin.
"Goddammit Hancock, I know that look! You DO have something, don't you? Oh, don't you dare try to cut me out of this one... You better come clean, right now!"
"Sorry Skinny ol' boy, I just can't say right yet. It's all just a hunch, yeah? I don't have all the facts, don't got all the pieces in place. There're just too many ways for this job to go under for me to let you in right now, but this thing between you and me? I've given instructions to Fahrenheit to honor the deal whether I come out of that park or not. No matter what, you'll be taken care of, my friend. You have my word."
"Bah! You greedy, lyin' son of a… Fine," Malone growled through gritted teeth, "You drive a hard bargain, Hancock, but you've got yourself a deal. Now, then! Why don't we celebrate our newfound partnership with a drink, eh? Speaking of, where has that silly woman run off to? She should have been back by now…" He trailed off as he checked his watch, but Hancock shook his head.
"As much as I'd like to, we really better get going," he said as he rose to his feet, "It's getting late after all and we have a long journey ahead, so if we could just get that location off of you…"
"What? No, you can't leave yet!" The man blurted out, taking us all aback, "Er, what I mean to say is that we haven't finished going over all the details yet! Transportation, storage facilities, renovation plans… You know, that sort of thing. Besides, it's not safe to go off through raider country after dark, and Nuka World is a hell of a long ways away, so why not just stay here for the night? I have a couple of spare rooms your friends can rest in, while you and I discuss the particulars over some fine cognac…"
Oh great, just what I wanted, I sighed to myself, More quality time at the Craphole Motel, as if we hadn't wasted enough time here already… I grumbled under my breath as I grabbed my pack and started for the stairs, but Hancock reached out his arm and stopped me in my tracks. I shot him an annoyed glare, but he wasn't even looking at me. His eyes were set dead ahead, that eager smile straining the muscles in his face as he took a cautious step forward.
"Why that's mighty generous of you Malone, can't say I remember the last time you were this accommodating. And here I thought you'd be mad…"
"Ah, well… I just figured if we're going to be partners then we'd better get it started off right," Malone said with a wide smile, but Hancock shook his head.
"No really, Skinny, that's a hell of a nice gesture coming from you. What was it you said the last time I was here? That you'd sooner "drink a flaming bottle of Abraxo" than allow me to stay under your roof? Weren't those your exact words?"
"Oh, th-that?" Malone stumbled over himself, dabbing at the moisture on his forehead with an old handkerchief, "I was upset was all, just overreacting. Why, thinking back on it, I can't even remember what we were fighting about! It's all water under the bridge now, anyway, so I say we let bygones be bygones, and focus on our future… together!"
Hancock paused for a moment, the expression on his face unreadable as the gears turned in his head. At last, he seemed to make a decision, another smile stretching wide as he approached Malone with an outstretched hand.
"So, it's a deal then?" Malone said jovially as he jumped to his feet, "Wonderful! Fabulous! I can't tell you how relieved I am to hear you say that. Oh, you're making the right decision Hancock, I promise you that."
"Oh, I know, Malone, I know, I just have one last question, old friend…"
"Oh? And what's that?"
"Do you remember what I said to you that night at the Vault?" Hancock asked, and Malone stumbled back.
"Er… Well, it was such a long time ago, I don't really remember-"
"I told you not to break my fucking heart," Hancock snapped coldly, and without another word, he fired his pistol with a resounding BANG.
To be continued...