Chapter One: The Gauntlet
The Gauntlet was one of the happiest places in Nuka World. At least according to the raiders that built it. The maze of death traps, hostile creatures, and the mangled bodies of previous participants made for one hell of a gruesome work of art. Originally, the Gauntlet had been Colter`s idea, but the Disciples and other raider gangs had put in their suggestions for "improvements" as well. Nisha`s pet Dixie was particularly fond of her own contributions, mainly consisting of numerous blade traps and the severed body parts of previous contestants placed on spikes as decorations where they were sure to catch the eye (and turn the stomach) of anyone unfortunate enough to find themselves running the Gauntlet.
The newest participant appeared more cautious than terrified, however. Through a system of strategically placed grilles, windows, and even a few cameras, Gage was able to watch the action up close. He`d enlisted his acquaintance Red Eye`s aid to plant a pre-recorded message on the monorail. While prepping the sound booth for the impromptu entertainment the Gauntlet brought, the radio show host subtly informed Gage the message had been received. Meanwhile, Colter was distracted preparing himself for the upcoming fight by shooting up some Jet. Gage desperately wanted this new arrival to exterminate the drug addicted, spineless cockroach the Overboss had become. As he worked on wiring Colter`s power armor to the arena`s grid he listened to Red Eye`s radio commentary. His gut roiled with tension and anxiety while he wondered if the person Red Eye was describing could actually pull this off.
"It looks like we have some fresh meat to run the Gauntlet today, boys and girls! Let`s see how long this one lasts!" Red Eye announced with a sinister excitement, The crowd clearly shared his enthusiasm ; their voices rose in response. But while many of them were simply out for blood, looking for a way to pass the time before they returned to plotting how best to kill each other, Gage was hoping for more.
He had always made a point not to underestimate potential threats, or at least he had tried to. But even a survivor like himself wasn`t sure if the girl standing at the entry of the Gauntlet posed a legitimate threat to Colter. The last two trespassers he`d attempted to rope in to his scheme had seemed more prepared for battle with their heavy guns and heavier armor, yet neither had made it past the halfway point. One of them had even been wearing a partial set of power armor on a frame that had seen worse days. This woman was only wearing modified combat armor, and she hadn`t even opened the door to the first room yet. Rather she was standing next to it, shoulders hunched, with her head tilted to one side. Gage figured she was having doubts about trying the Gauntlet in the first place; in her position he certainly would have he finished some minor adjustments to the connections for Colter`s suit, he mentally pleaded with the universe that he was wrong just this once.
The woman didn`t look like a coward through the grainy camera feed, but she was small, and appeared hesitant. Her dark brown hair was shaved close to her head on one side, a dust-flecked wild mane on the other. Two gunmetal rings pierced her right eyebrow, accompanied by another in her nose and numerous studs in both ears. Darkened, lightweight combat armor covered her slender frame, customized with spikes and buckles. A shoulder holster hung under her right arm, empty since it`s vessel was in her hands. Various pouches were strapped around the wiry woman`s legs, which were clad in torn, faded jeans. A modified piece of polymer armor protected her lower back and kidneys. Stained with mud and blood, a black bomber style jacket was tied around her waist. Heavy leather boots encased her calves halfway up to the knee. One sported a large knife sheath. An army green tank top covered her torso. A bandoleer holding grenades rested comfortably across her modest chest. Her right arm was wrapped in bandages to the elbow, a set of spiked knuckles gave the image she wasn`t afraid to get up close and personal. A lengthy duffel bag was strapped across her back along with a large backpack and a bedroll. Her facial features were hard and lean; dark sunken eyes and an unsmiling mouth with a still-healing split lip. As the raiders looked on, she pulled one of the grenades from her bandoleer and tossed it through the door. The stranger then darted inside, pistol rising without hesitation.
"And she starts things off with a bang!" Red Eye commented, laughing at his own lukewarm pun as he was prone to do. Several machine gun turrets that had been inside the room whined in protest as they were reduced to smoldering rubble. Some of them had survived. The laser turrets powered up with their distinctive alarm, one firing off a shot before it met a sudden and violent end brought by the woman and her handgun. The arc flew past her shoulder, missing by a foot. More shots were fired from both parties, but in the end the would-be victim destroyed every target. Some of the raiders in the crowd hooted their excitement at the action, a choice few shook their heads, possibly thinking about how much of a pain in the ass it was going to be to replace those obstacles.
The second room presented more of a challenge, and one of the pressure plate traps triggered by a hidden scale the newcomer stepped on went off immediately. Gage thought she was done for, but by some miracle that proved false. The woman sprang backward and jumped at the same time, pulling off a surprisingly acrobatic handspring. She landed hard on her feet, bits of plastic and metal from the makeshift bomb littering her clothes. The soles of her boots were smoking slightly, which clearly pissed her off. Half of the audience boo`ed that she survived. The other portion cheered, surely hoping to see her annihilated another way. Before her was a path strewn with tripwires. Grenade bouquets hung like morbid streamers all over the ceiling and guns were tucked up in to unassuming corners where they were barely visible to the untrained eye. To the left was a locked door.
Gage watched her face as she stared at the trip wires, visibly decided fuck that and went for the door instead. From a hidden pocket the young woman retrieved a screwdriver and bobby pin, then proceeded to jam them in the lock. The instruments were turned and jiggled with all the tenderness of a professional thief or safe cracker. She got it on the second try and kicked the door open, amidst the jeers of the raiders. Red Eye continued his rambling narration, heckling the trespasser to speed things up when she paused before the three doors at the top of the stairs in the next room. He insulted his compatriots alike for constructing apparently 'shitty' traps and locks.
Door number one revealed a jangles toy on its grotesque throne (one of Dixie`s ideas most likely). The pistol came up and executed the little bastard mercilessly. The bold brunette had clearly seen that trick before. Highly radioactive barrels in the next passage seemed to scare her more than the explosives. Lucky for her she possessed an instinctual hatred for monkeys, as she blew away the stuffed one that would have triggered all the turrets in the next room before they could power up. Gage couldn`t fault her for that, he had always hated the ugly little toys. A tenuous hope began to grow inside the raider as he watched the trespasser shoot and sneak her way through the next few areas, using only her wits, reflexes, and an old fashioned western revolver.
The gas trap room caused her to struggle visibly. Hacking the terminal to shut off the valves and open the security gate while suffocating on the poisonous fumes was no easy task. In the next room more bullets flew, the giant ants within became a new coat of gory paint for the walls. A furious string of colorful insults towards the audience shooting at her as per Red Eye`s suggestion for crowd participation followed. Finally she stood in the hallway above the Cola Cars arena, leading in to the locker room.
Colter, who`d been waiting in the arena as Gage checked his armor, was eager for the fight to come. "You got me hooked up yet, Gage?" The Overboss asked impatiently.
"Yeah, Boss." Gage responded, his tone careful not to betray his irritation with the other man`s incompetence. He wished he could have just sabotaged the connections himself, but Colter would have known.
"Finally. Now, go shut off that damn alarm."
"Alright, I`m on it." The second in command turned on his heel and strode out of the main arena, glad to be spared Colter`s tired out introductory speech. He`d heard it all before, when other competitors had survived the bulk of the Gauntlet. Of course, those times were before Colter made it clear he was never going to fulfill his promise. Gage had been amused to watch right alongside the other raiders as their leader destroyed his victims. Hell, he`d even been pleased to be involved; having his idea for electrifying the Overboss`s armor utilized. Thinking back now, he wished he`d never given Colter that idea. It made things that much harder now. As Gage headed for his power monitoring booth, he heard the boss comment on the stranger he was about to skirmish with.
"Don`t look like much." Gage disagreed after what he`d witnessed so far, but he remained certain that on her own this woman`s efforts would not be enough to win the rigged fight ahead. Colter continued, his voice sounding louder now that the alarm was silenced. "Here`s a quick rundown of how this works. You go stock up, make yourself presentable, and then we`re gonna give these folks a show. A show where I decorate these walls here with your lovely brains..."
The rest of Colter`s monologue was interrupted as some of the audience burst in to raucous laughter. Up on the catwalk the woman was making talking gestures with her hands at Colter as he rambled. She was clearly not taking a damn thing the Overboss said seriously. Gage snorted at her antics. Funny as they were, he hoped she took the upcoming fight more seriously and was able to assassinate Colter. or he was in deep shit. As Gage looked out at the audience that feeling intensified. Although Mason and his Pack were all laughing and howling like idiots, the leaders of the Operators and the Disciples were more reserved. Amused expressions could be seen here and there, but Nisha`s face in particular was murderous. She caught Gage looking at her, as if she`d sensed his gaze. A silent gesture mimicking a slit throat followed by her finger pointing at him was all he needed to see. If this battle didn`t produce results his life might as well be forfeit. He had no doubt that once Nisha lost her limited patience the others would too. They would tear Gage apart, and once they were done with him they would go for each other. Both his and Nuka World`s futures would be determined by this conflict. The Overboss furiously commanded Gage to let the woman through, startling him to action.
Once she was in the locker room Gage only had seconds. He activated the private intercom he`d installed, knowing no one else would be able to hear. It crackled to life with some feedback and he spoke urgently; "Alright, listen the hell up if you want to make it out of this alive. I`ve only got a minute. Find the intercom on the wall, I`ll make this quick."
"Shoot." A low, smooth voice responded.
"You made it this far, so obviously you`ve got skill. But this fight coming up is rigged. You get me?" She didn`t have a choice, he told himself. He prayed she understood that. "...miniguns, grenades...not a scratch. You get what I`m saying?"
"I hear you."
"Good. It`s more than just your ass on the line here. You want to win? I stashed a weapon in the lockers. Get it."
"Is this a...squirt gun?" She sounded doubtful. He knew it how idiotic it must have seemed. Just the same he needed her to go with it. Both of their lives depended on it.
"Yeah, yeah, I know what it looks `re just going to have to trust me."
"I`ve always wanted one of these!" The woman`s voice feigned excitement. Gage was a little less amused and didn`t have the luxury of time to joke around.
"Oh, great. Your lucky day. Congratulations. Now can we get on with it? Once the water hits Colter`s electrically charged Power Armor..."
"Yeah, yeah, water and electricity don`t mix. When the armor gets wet it should short out."
"Alright smartass, but just so you know it`ll recharge off the grid so don`t get cocky."
"Me? Never."
"You`d better be ready for this." Gage snapped, out of patience as he could practically hear the wanderer`s eyes rolling. "All right, it`s time. I`ll open the door. See you on the other side." He flipped the switch that would open the door to the arena as Colter finished greeting each of the factions using the accent he sometimes acquired while high on drugs.
As the door swung open the woman ran through, all anticipation and aggression. She heard her power armor-clad opponent yell something at her "Let`s do this!" it sounded like, over the rush of blood and adrenaline in her ears. It was the moments when she was at the greatest risk of dying, when she felt the most alive. Electricity snapped along the Overboss`s armor as fire raced through the former Vault dweller`s veins. He fired at her first, which she had expected since she reflexively tucked and rolled, closing in on the man. The thirst zapper Gage had hidden in the locker room was already in her hands, and she fired at close range. Predictably, Colter was stunned for a few seconds as his armor shorted out and he tried to figure out what was happening. Commentary was provided by Red Eye for the onlookers.
"What the hell? Was that a squirt gun?!"
A wicked laugh issued from the woman. "You bet your ass it was!" She got up in Colter`s face like a lunatic; her left hand balled in to a tight fist. Colter let loose a satisfying shriek as a hidden blade sprang from her arm piece and found a gap in his helmet. Blood sprayed from the the place where his eye had been. The titan of a man swung out blindly, attempting to return the favor with his heavily armored fist and the butt of his gun. She ducked and moved away, making the fluid motion look like a dance. While Colter was stumbling around she darted behind him, then kicked him in the square of the back, where the fusion core of his armor was located. The result was that Colter was ejected from his suit. A smirk spread across her pale face as she ripped him, bleeding, out of the armor as if she were peeling open a tin of potted meat. The Overboss grunted as he sprawled painfully on the ground. He cursed at his foe and kicked out at her, missing wildly. She only laughed as the raiders watched.
What the fuck is she waiting for?! Gage wondered as he viewed her standing over Colter. Kill him already! He silently urged, not daring to say a word. He could barely breathe for the tension. The woman stepped on Colter`s arm at the elbow, the cleats on her boots puncturing his flesh. He howled and thrashed, her smirk grew in to a grin showing brilliant white teeth. He swung his other arm at her, fisted in rage with the intent to kill. She pinned it to the arena floor by stabbing him through the wrist with her knife. A second later the barrel of the revolver pressed against his temple. She pulled the trigger.
Instead of her lovely brains decorating the arena, it turned out to be Colter`s. She had sustained more injuries (although minor) from the Gauntlet itself than the fight with its former champion. Either she was very skilled or lucky. Or Colter had just fallen that far under the influence of his chem addiction. Gage figured all of those were applicable. The raiders reacted with a mixture of shocked gasps, cheers, and silence. Gage himself had no words for how he felt in that moment. Elated, surprised, relieved, impressed, and tinged with fear, all he could do was exhale shakily. It was Red Eye who voiced what everyone was thinking;
"...Colter, man. He`s out!" The audience broke out in to whispers and began conversing among themselves. Gage took that as his opportunity to shake off the awe he was currently feeling.
"You saw it. We all saw it. Colter`s dead. We got ourselves a new Overboss."
"Her?" William Black questioned, standing with Mags at his side. The pair of well dressed Operators and their crew made Mason and the Pack look like a bunch of children playing dress up at Halloween. Their painted leader was no less curious than that of the Operators, however, as he voiced his concern as well.
"Gage, are you sure?"
"You had better know what the hell you`re doing." Nisha stated, contributing the Disciples` opinion. Gage steeled himself, straightened his spine and looked at the new Overboss. He couldn`t back down now, so he went for an aggressive approach.
"Hey. We talked about this. She survived the Gauntlet. She was smart enough to take my advice, and strong enough to kill Colter. She`s what we need. So how about we show some respect for our new leader, eh?"
"She`ll get respect when she earns respect." Mags asserted critically as she looked down from the stands, arms crossed over her chest. Her brother added his agreement; "Amen."
"All right, all right. Now get the hell out of here. I`ll show the boss around." Gage ordered in to the speaker. His annoyed drawl sounded like a growl. The arena began to empty out, clearing of the bulk of it`s patrons. The woman approached Gage`s booth as the other raiders trickled out, her expression far calmer than she had a right to be, he felt. But Colter was dead, and that was what he had wished for. She`d done everything he`d hoped, up to this point. Now it was time for Gage to make good on his word. "What did I tell you? Worked like a charm."
"It did, although I`ve fought worse."
"Sure you have." His tone reflected his doubt. She`d handled herself well. Who was he kidding? She`d butchered the bastard, given him exactly what he deserved. Gage wasn`t about to stroke her ego though, for fear that she would end up like her predecessor. He continued; "I get that you have no idea whats going on, and everything is coming at you real fast, but you need to listen. Taking out Colter wasn`t just a last minute decision...it was something a few of us here have been working on for a while."
"That much is pretty obvious." She commented, but otherwise remained quiet and heard him out.
"Now that he`s actually gone, we`ve got ourselves a vacancy in the Overboss department. And guess what...you just got the job. All I`m asking is that you trust me on this and give it a shot. I swear it`ll be worth it." He may have been trying to convince himself as much as he was trying to persuade this stranger.
"Of course, and while you`re at it I suppose you`re going to tell me I`ve inherited a million caps from that dead guy, right?"
"All right, all right. I get it, you don`t trust me. But I swear, this is the big score." She`s smart not to trust me, I`ll give her that. I`d do the same in her position, but that just makes it harder on me to convince her.
"Sure, cause it`s not like you just made me run through a death trap for your amusement or anything. Or used me to off your last 'Overboss'. But let`s say I`m interested. Tell me more."
Crap, she has a point."Let me explain. There are three raider gangs that run the show at Nuka World; the Disciples, the Operators, and the Pack. And yeah, if the names didn`t give it away these ain`t your typical Raiders. These morons don`t exactly play nice with each other. Thanks to Colter, this place is a powder keg just waiting to blow sky high. One wrong move, and we`re going to have a bloodbath on our hands." Gage shrugged, trying to make his tone sound earnest. This outsider had proven a lot so far, he was just hoping she had what it took to hold things together and finish the job. He told her; "I think you have what it takes to turn things around and keep these gangs from tearing each other apart."
"You don`t sound so certain." She studied him with one of her eyebrows raised. He pressed through the awkward pitch and chose not to acknowledge the blunt opposition.
"I`m sure you got a lot of questions, but this ain`t the place. Meet me at the Overboss`, er, your new quarters, the restaurant on top of good old Fizztop Mountain. We can talk there. Just let me get that door for you..." Now that he was sure she wasn`t going to try to kill him as soon as she came through the gate, he unlocked it for her. She stepped through, looking him up and down.
Mostly she was looking up at him, since he was about four inches taller. While he`d made his brief speech she had been staring at him directly; taking in his yellow cage-like armor, worn pants and boots, strange metal eye patch, and dark mohawk. After she`d gotten a good look at his face, she glanced around the room more thoroughly. The Cola Cars arena was much like the rest of Nuka World; once brightly colored and cheerfully lit, it was now dilapidated and darkened. The raiders` idea of decor didn`t exactly improve the atmosphere. Animatronic mannequins and ragged banners strewn about haphazardly could not hide the debris littering nearly every crevice and corner. The first thought that came to her mind was not how worried any sane person should be surrounded by this many potential enemies. No, the first thing to cross her mind was just how filthy the place was; both physically and figuratively. There was a lot of housecleaning to be done before she could call this place home. But that was her goal from the beginning; to make Nuka World and it`s inhabitants belong to her. She`d never expected it to be easy.