Chapter Two: There Goes the Neighborhood
Gage was having a hard time figuring this one out. Usually he could peg someone for what they wanted the most; be it caps, chems, power, bloodshed, or a combination thereof. Based on that he was able to get an angle on just what to say to get what he wanted from them. For Colter it had been caps, power, and chems. He`d been a greedy prick, and Gage had simply played on that. This new Overboss he didn`t know very well yet, and that was the problem.
He`d seen her tear through the Gauntlet and his old boss, sure. Clearly she`d enjoyed doing that. Gage had mentioned caps to try to tempt her, but she`d barely acknowledged it. He hadn`t noticed her use any chems before or during the battle with Colter. Nor since then had she elected to take any, at least not that he had seen. The newcomer`s appearance announced 'badass' in big, bold letters, but she also had a sense of humor, if her taunting antics towards the ex Overboss pre-deathmatch had given any indication. Could it be that she was going along with his plan purely for the sake of amusement? The raider wasn`t sure, but something made him doubt it. All he really knew were two things; she was capable of great violence, and he didn`t trust her very much. As he headed towards Fizztop Mountain and the restaurant at its zenith he was lost in thought. He was more than three quarters of the way there, having parted ways with her to run some errands of his own when she`d told him she wanted to look around. Gage was fished from his thoughts when another fight broke out on the path ahead of him.
What had begun as a discussion about which faction the new Overboss would favor the most had devolved in to a cursing match and then a fistfight in the street. Gage approached, intending to calm things down and send the offenders on their way, but was interrupted by a cheerful voice.
"Kindly move your scrawny ass!" A set of footsteps Gage wasn`t yet familiar with strode past him. His head turned in time to see a nondescript raider shoved forcefully to one side by none other than the devil he`d been thinking about. Her sharp tone cut through the muggy air like a blade made out of ice.
"What the motherfucking, ass ramming hell, do you think you`re doing?!"
The fuck? Gage wove through the crowd that had begun to form a ring around the fight, and was surprised by the new Overboss`s outright bizarre vulgarity. What surprised him more was how she fed one of the combatants a mouthful of brass knuckles and sent them sprawling. She`s got to be in this for the bloodshed. He guessed, and sincerely hoped she wasn`t as insane as Nisha. He wasn`t sure he could handle another psycho of her caliber around. As far as raiders went, they were all violent, but the leader of the Disciples took the cake. He stood at the front of the onlookers and waited to see what the Overboss would do next. She didn`t disappoint him in setting an example as she turned from her cowering victim to his opponent and kicked his knees out from under him, effectively landing the man on his back so hard he smacked his head on the cracked pavement.
The new Overboss squatted between the pair of troublemakers and smiled widely. She spoke to them as if they were very young and just hadn`t quite figured out how the world worked yet.
"Did I not give you all enough carnage in the Gauntlet redecorating the arena with Colter`s brain paste? `Cause if thats the case then I can always turn your entrails in to garlands for the lamp posts." She paused and tilted her head to one side, her dark mane swinging. Half of her pale face, which had been hidden by hair until now was revealed. A scar ran in a straight line from her cheek all the way down to the back corner of her jaw, making her skin look as if it had been melted.
"No? Then quit screwing around and behave your damn selves. I don`t have time to babysit. I have more important shit to do." The woman stood up and cast her shadow over them. She continued;
"Lets get one thing straight. I ain`t playing favorites. I haven`t decided if I like any gang better than the others, because I literally just fucking got here. Before you go trashing my reputation, give me a few days to build it." If looks were capable of killing, both idiots would have already been cold in their graves.
"Now, this is how things are going to work around here, so listen good. I`m going to bust my ass and clear out the other parks that have been overrun. That means when I come in for the day, I want to be able to relax. If I gotta break up stupid ass fights every time I walk down the street, I`m gonna get real tense. I`m sure all of you here have your own ways of dealing with pent up frustration. Mine involves a lot of punching and shooting things that annoy me." Her expression had become a hard scowl, but it cleared up and she winked at the raiders surrounding her. "So, if you don`t want to get beaten or shot at, I suggest you keep yourselves in line." Her tone grew serious once more. "That means doing useful things around here. Take jobs from your leaders, keep this place secure, maybe go out and catch some new slaves to play with. As long as you`re useful, you`re safe. But you start fucking around and wasting my time like this, and I`ll make you regret it. This is the only warning I`m giving you."
"Who told you you get to decide how to punish us?" One amazingly foolhardy Disciple stepped forward and addressed the Overboss. "Our gang leaders get to decide that."
"I`ve alreacy spoken with Mason, Mags, and Nisha. We`ve come to an understanding that while they decide what to do with you when you fuck up on their turf, in the privacy of your respective areas, out here on the streets I will make the call. If you disagree with that, then step right on up and fight me. You don`t like the rules, become Overboss and change them. But if you don`t have the spine for it, then I suggest you shut the fuck up, else I cut out your tongue and make you wear it as a necklace." She stalked over towards the other female, no weapons drawn but emanating a murderous aura. The complainer`s hand moved to rest on the hilt of a combat knife tucked in to her belt. She obviously hadn`t been briefed, and wasn`t sure if she should be taking shit from this new blood.
Good. The Boss glanced Gage`s way out of the corner of her eye as she moved. He`d chosen to step forward at the ready to assist her, instead of melting back in to the crowd. I thought so. He`d confirmed his loyalty through action, even if he wasn`t fully aware that it was being tested. She still didn`t fully trust him, but she was a step closer. Her smirk was cocky and forcibly relaxed as she confronted the Disciple. They now stood within a foot of each other, close enough to see the whites of each others` eyes. The Disciple`s hand was shaking on her weapon. The Boss jerked towards her suddenly, unarmed. A scattering of laughter and jeers went up around the ring of observers as the other female fell on her butt and peed herself when the Overboss said 'Boo!'.
"Well that`s clearly been decided. Now that we all understand each other, I expect we won`t have any further incidences like this one." She made a show of slowly and deliberately turning her back on the humiliated raider. As she brushed past the two she`d taken down they both lowered their heads in submission. No one else spoke out or made a move to challenge her. Rather, they closed in around the one who`d wet herself and chased her off, insulting her and throwing rocks and debris at her back. Gage gave his new leader a subtle nod of approval when she approached him, and they set out towards Fizztop together in unspoken agreement.
"Those were some big words back there, Boss." Gage told his companion when they`d reached Fizztop Grille. He had been quiet most of the way there and during the elevator ride up as the newcomer took in the sights. So had she, which he had imagined was for much the same reason. Now that they were away from prying eyes and ears she gestured for him to sit at one of the damaged booths overlooking the park. He did so and she claimed the seat across from him. He had imagined she would flop in to it with the same air of nonchalance as Colter used to. She looked around as she discarded her backpack and duffel bag next to the booth. Her smooth maneuver to seat herself and the reserved way her hands folded together on the tabletop surprised him a little. Her posture was disciplined, but her body showed no tension.
"Let me guess. You`re wondering if I can back them up, is that correct?" Her entire demeanor seemed to be changing; the way she moved, spoke, and looked at him. The aggressive, edgy woman he`d met earlier was slowly melting in to this suspiciously calm one. She methodically tied her hair back with a strip of fabric fetched from one of her pouches. Then she met his gaze and he realized how clear and dark her eyes were. After growing accustomed to Colter`s foggy, unfocused stare Gage took this as a good sign.
"Well...yeah. I saw you pull off some impressive stuff when the odds were against you and all, but this ain`t gonna be no picnic in the park. You proved yourself in the Gauntlet, and killed Colter. Then you managed to stop those dumbasses in the plaza from murdering each other, and put a Disciple in her place without bloodshed. I`d say that`s nothing short of a minor miracle. But getting Nuka World, all of it, under control is gonna take more than some tough words and a few punches." Gage told her honestly. He was a bit caught off guard at what she said next.
"Which is why I have you, Gage. You claim to know what this place needs to get it on track. I`m willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen. I have to wonder though. Wouldn`t you like run Nuka World yourself? Or would you rather just paint the bullseye on my back instead? I`m not trying to insult you, I`m merely curious."
"Ha. I ain`t gonna lie, it`s a part of the reason you won`t see me stepping up and running things. I`d rather be watching someone else`s back than trying to watch my own and trying to run this place at the same time. Plus I don`t care to deal with the gang leaders if I can avoid it. I ain`t got the temperament for that shit."
"Hmm. The best I can tell you`re being truthful. I appreciate that, and I hope my decision to trust you this far wasn`t misplaced. I assure you if I find out it was, I`ll see that you end up like Colter." Her face was neutral as she spoke with the certainty of someone who wasn`t used to making idle threats. That she wasn`t smiling as she`d done every time he`d seen her admonish the other raiders somehow told Gage she was even more serious. In the dim light of the slowly sinking sun his eyes gleamed with understanding.
"There, you`re already fitting in around here talking like that." One corner of his mouth turned up in a smirk. He`d expected no less after what he`d already witnessed. His intentions might have been selfish, but at least they had agreed on and established who was in charge. He was curious though to know what her motives were. Gage didn`t believe he`d convinced her with his proposal earlier, and he`d learned by now manipulating her wasn`t going to be as simple as it had been with Colter. She`d come to Nuka World prepared, and hadn`t even batted an eyelash when he had urged her to kill her predecessor. There werent many other option at that point, but now... Gage got the feeling that she was here on purpose, and it hadn`t been to save Harvey`s fake family. If she wanted, he sensed she could have just killed them all. Without it`s leaders the park would fall in to utter chaos; the slaves would likely even attempt to help her. She had chosen to work with him, but why? There was something more going on here than he could explain. So he said; "Now I gotta ask; since you didn`t seem convinced by my speech earlier, why are you here? You`ve got the skill to be Overboss, but what`s your motive?"
"Aside from my Nuka Cola addiction? Let`s see..."
"Are you kidding me right now?!"
"Not even a little." Her face was completely straight when she said it. Gage would hate to play cards against her. He snorted in a mixture of annoyance and amusement.
"Ain`t no one left alive in this world stupid enough to risk their life over a soft drink."
"You may underestimate the power of both stupidity and addiction, Gage. But in this instance, you`re right. My life`s ambition isn`t just to rule Nuka World. I wasn`t born a raider, and I`ll be frank in saying I find some of the practices simply disgusting. You`re ruthless though, and you have a lot of numbers. An army, actually."
"So does the Brotherhood of Steel, and the Institute. Both are better armed and equipped. If you`re looking for disciplined soldiers, this is the wrong place to find `em. Might`ve had better luck with the Gunners."
"I ran with the Gunners for nearly a year." She said, surprising him again. "They weren`t going to follow a woman any farther unless I started sleeping with one of their male commanders. As for the Brotherhood; they may have shinier toys and more extensive training, but they live by a code. It`s twisted to suit their needs, and they still have too many morals for what I want to accomplish. Now the Institute, that`s my real problem. They stole my life from me. My home, my family, and even my sense of identity. For that, they need to pay, and I need an army to crush them." The new Overboss leaned back in her seat. Gage couldn`t tell yet if this conversation was going in a direction he liked. He was distracted both by his reeling mind and the amount of cleavage the woman`s tank top was showing off.
"So...you want to use Nuka World`s raiders to take on the Institute? What makes you think you can convince them to try something that crazy?" Porter`s expression was one of awe and disbelief. She met his look and stare with a confident one of her own.
"Why do you think raiders are the only group that`s really flourished in the Commonwealth since the bombs fell? Because they aren`t cowards. Unlike the Minutemen and the Railroad, they aren`t weak. A raider decides how they live, and what they want. Then they take it. Anyone that tries to fuck with that becomes compost or worse." Her cool tone did not match her fierce words, but Gage felt her conviction.
The woman pointed out the broken, dirty windows to the park beyond. "I am going to kill for this, to get what I want. I know what it`s going to take for me to be able to raise an army. But with that army, we destroy the Institute. Once they are out of the way, there won`t be a force strong enough to stand against the raiders. The whole of the Commonwealth will be ours for the taking. Nuka World is just a beginning."