A/N: Heads up for slight AU content; MacCready`s wife is still alive in this story.
Chapter Seven: Parlor Tricks
The plaza in front of Fizztop Mountain was usually a good place to find various members of the Disciple, Operator, and Pack raider gangs. Today an uncharacteristic number of Operators and slaves were milling around the area. When Gage stirred a few hours before noon the hum of their chatter was the first thing he heard. He couldn't distinguish what they were saying from where he lay in Colter's old bed, but they seemed to be hard at work on something. Disoriented and sore he got up and looked around. The sight of RJ MacCready sitting in one of the battered booths near the patio`s railing brought everything that had happened yesterday and last night back. He ran a hand over his sleep-disheveled mohawk to straighten it and glared at the mercenary, who didn`t seem to have noticed him yet. MacCready was occupied eating something that smelled delicious, which Gage could not identify from his vantage point.
"Morning, sleeping beauty." The unwelcome guest greeted Porter without turning to look at him.
"Asshole. Looks closer to the middle of the day." The raider observed groggily. He wasn`t awake enough to be annoyed yet, but he could feel a pressure forming between his eyes already.
"Nothing wrong with sleeping in a little after all the commotion yesterday."
"You`re awfully chatty." Gage dragged his feet over to the railing out of curiosity and watched the people working below. The scent of MacCready`s food caught his attention once more just as the other man asked;
"Are you gonna sit down and eat some of this or not?"
"Why are you sharing food with me?"
"Technically, it`s not mine to share. Frost made breakfast not too long ago and told me she would starve me if I ate it all without saving some for you."
"The Overboss made food? Why?"
"If I were you, I wouldn`t look a gift horse in the mouth. Just sit down and eat."
"I can find my own meals." Gage leaned a hip against the rail and crossed his arms over his chest. Whatever it was smelled really good, but he was hesitant to accept, and still somewhat ornery about recent events. MacCready squinted at him and shrugged before going back to tearing through the large portion on his plate. Gage sighed and gave in after watching steam rise from the pan on the table for a few moments. It was sitting on a hot plate turned low to keep the food warm. Porter had never seen one that worked before; generally they were sold for the scrap copper contained inside. He frowned and snagged the clean plate and fork adjoining the cookware, which had presumably been put out for him. He didn`t get hot food very often so he supposed he shouldn't refuse. Hopefully it tasted half as good as it smelled. Judging by MacCready`s enthusiasm he shouldn't have to worry.
Lifting the lid of the pan revealed a large omelette divided in to fifths, three of which were missing. The fried yellow exterior had a thin, crispy shell and was flecked with small bits of green which looked like herbs. Gage couldn`t tell what kind but he was guessing maybe carrot. Overflowing from the omelette`s insides were chopped red pieces of brahmin meat and a chunky orange sauce containing small cubes of tato, as well as some unknown green thing. He was dubious, but took a portion for himself and ate a bite. The sound that came out of him following his first taste could only be described as a groan. MacCready studied the enraptured expression on the raider`s face and couldn`t hold back a laugh.
"Ha! You look like a starving man that's just had food for the first time in days." He snickered and took a swig of water from a bottle he`d been nursing.
"What is this?! It's...I don`t...how often does she cook like this?" Gage was stunned. He thought he was a gourmet cook by raider standards. But he'd never in his life tasted anything this good. The egg, meat, and what he realized was BlamCo mac and cheese were tender. The tato added a mild crunch, and whatever the green slivers were provided a mild heat and spice. Porter swiped one of the abundant bottles of purified water the Boss had left out on the table and drank some so he wouldn`t choke gulping down the food.
"I believe Lee, er, the Overboss, called it an 'apology' omelette. It`s like a Wasteland Omelette crossed with something Frost makes she`s dubbed 'Fiend Stew'. Got the recipes off a travelling trader from the Mojave a while back. I`ve never had this combination before, but I`ve tasted the originals. As far as the cooking itself goes, she used to cook a few times a week with the Gunners. We all traded days; everyone looked forward to the ones when she had kitchen detail. She once told me that before the war she made three meals every day." MacCready stopped talking and finished his food, then patted his stomach in satisfaction. He glanced up at Gage as he lit a cigarette to find the raider staring at him with a thoughtful expression as he chewed.
"An 'apology omelette', huh? I ain`t bitching, but why...?" He let the rest of the question hang in the air unspoken.
"Why didn`t she just come out and say she was sorry for losing her temper? Probably because she thinks you`ll see her as weak if she does. Raiders don`t apologize, and for some crazy assed reason she`s trying to earn your respect. And she went out early this morning to talk to one of your gang leaders about something. Seemed like she had something big planned, because she told me some people would be coming by to pack up a bunch of shi...er, stuff. She gave me a list and said we`re to supervise them. Besides, this is better than words, am I right?"
"Yeah, I guess so. Probably it`s the Operators. She mentioned something the other day about getting them to haul out and sell that junk. Didn`t realize it was today." Gage swallowed the rest of his first portion and went back for seconds. He thought he might actually be able to eat this stuff all day. He wasn`t too thrilled to babysit the raiders, but he was used to it. He was glad to have some time to recover and think before he and the Boss ran in to each other again. Something MacCready had said was bothering him, though. "What did you mean, 'before the war'? What war?"
"Oh. She hasn`t told you yet. Probably didn`t know how." The mercenary inhaled a drag off his smoke. Held it a few seconds, and exhaled before he answered. At least he had the courtesy not to blow it at Gage. "You know she used to be a Vault dweller, right?" At Porter`s nod, he continued. "You know she was frozen? Well, that was before the war. As in The Great War; total nuclear annihilation." RJ wore a bit of a smirk when Gage dropped his fork at that.
"That`s impossible."
"Is it, though? You`re bound to have met a few pre-war ghouls. She`s just like one, except better looking. Hell, she could probably even tell you what this place looked like before the bombs fell." MacCready waved his hand at the park below them and puffed his smoke a few more times before putting it out in a dirty ashtray nearby.
"I noticed she has a few...tendencies, but I never would have guessed why. Figured she was just different."
"Well that much is true. Probably more so than you think. If you were asleep for a couple hundred years and woke up in what was basically a version of your world turned in to a polluted, uninhabitable wasteland populated mostly by monsters you might need some time to adjust too. Everyone she knew is dead; her parents, siblings, neighbors, etc. Not only that, but everything is different. The stories I`ve heard her tell are mind blowing. Places, animals, and technology that don`t even exist anymore, were all everyday conveniences back then. According to her there was a time when most people taught their kids how to read, write, count, and use computers instead of shooting guns or disarming traps. I barely know how to read, let alone write. She speaks four different languages though, and most of the people that spoke them aren`t even alive now. Can you imagine being able to cross an entire ocean? Without getting attacked, and it takes a few hours or days instead or months or years? What am I talking about. Of course you can`t. You don`t care. You just kill things and steal people`s stuff." MacCready shook his head, having been too caught up in his train of thought to realize who he was really speaking to. The idea of a world like the one his former partner had described mystified him. From time to time he tried to imagine a place like that where he could take Lucy and Duncan; a paradise where they would be safe and happy, fed and healthy. It was a nice way to fall asleep until he woke up to reality.
"I gotta admit, I never really thought about it. Too busy trying to make it from one day to the next without getting killed." Gage frowned and was silent, he watched the gears turning in MacCready`s head. He shook his own; he simply couldn`t imagine an eden like that. He was pretty much happy as long as he wasn`t getting attacked and had a full belly with a dry spot to sleep at night. What he could picture was Nuka World being crushed. The already damaged buildings reduced even further to rubble, dust and debris on the ground. He could picture all of the raiders dead or gone, forgotten by everyone. The idea of a permanently dark, unsalvageable area he wanted to make in to a haven disintegrating in to ash made something inside him cringe. Gage had his dream, his hope, and his determination to see it come to being. If he lost that, he wouldn`t know what to do with himself. Would he start over, or give up? Did it end with a bottle of whiskey and a bullet in his skull? He surely hoped not. As he finished his food and sat back he began to understand why MacCready had singled out the Overboss for help. It must be because she gave him some kind of hope, just like she had done for Gage when she`d killed Colter. He still resented the man`s presence, but he could now on some level at least, relate to the guy. They were never going to be friends. Gage wasn`t even sure what the word 'friend' really meant, since he`d never had one. Maybe they could manage to work in the same general area without trying to murder each other though. There was the slimmest possibility that he might be able to overlook his wounded pride at the Boss`s actions and words yesterday as well. He would have to think about it for a while longer.
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Mags Black loved waking up next to her jar collection. Made of glass or plastic all of the vessels were see through, which allowed her to view the real treasure they held; caps. Beside her bed shelves ran the length of the entire wall. A good portion of the available space on them was taken up by the large currency stash. Mags had carefully inspected and sorted each cap in to like types when she counted them out. Sunset Sarsaparilla, nuka cola, and Gwinnett beer were the most prevalent. She had a small container of caps with red stars on them tucked in to a safe next to her dresser along with a few other prize possessions. Today Mags was in a good mood. She had something to look forward to, which was unsurprisingly; making a profit. With a small smirk lifting one corner of her mouth she strolled out in to The Parlor`s common area to greet the Overboss. Her houndstooth pantsuit was well fitted to her form. If she didn`t enjoy robbing people so much she could have been a model. Her hips swayed gracefully as she entered the room and spotted the other female.
"An early riser, aren`t you? Good. I`d like to get a quick start on this."
"The sooner, the better." Frost looked up from examining her nails with a devious smile. This morning she wore a pair of clean black pinstripe dress pants accentuated with riveted belts and gunmetal buckles. A matching vest complemented these and provided contrast to the sleeveless, ruffled, cream top underneath. Her hair was combed and styled, and she'd even applied some black eyeliner and shadow. Today wasn`t about fighting, it was about negotiation. As such she wasn`t wearing a scrap of armor. Either she was extremely confident or terribly foolish. The Overboss had dressed to make an impression on the Operators, and her attire showed her support for the faction today. At Mags`s millisecond pause when she caught sight of her, Frost felt she had succeeded. On her feet she waited for the gang leader to approach. They walked outside together, escorted by a small following of Operators Mags had selected.
"I sent William out to begin preparations yesterday. He should have the slaves hard at work carrying out your request." Mags informed her as their group neared the Cola Cars arena. "I expect you'll be satisfied with the results."
When they entered the building that had been previously littered with trash, rubble, and Colter`s corpse, not only was the new Overboss satisfied; she was pleased. He must have had the slaves working through the night to get the place looking this much better. The area where admittance lines had once stood was cleared of debris and swept. The ratty old carpet had been ripped out to reveal a dark, scuffed wood floor beneath. Where the ticketing counter had once stood there were now a pair of registers set up and a sign had been painted on to the front of the counter; 'Place Bets Here'. The poorly constructed platforms and shacks where raiders viewed Arena matches had been removed as per the Overboss`s orders and rebuilt. Now there were tiered rows of bleachers with wooden benches. Four VIP boxes had been added in to these with comfortable couches and padded chairs for the Overboss and each of the gang leaders, plus a few close associates. Lantern light illuminated the space in a manner that managed not to make the place look dingy. What filth had once smeared the Arena glass had been painstakingly scrubbed away, and a large podium was being dragged in to the center of the space along with a number of tables. The themed cola bottle statues and bumper cars had also been ripped out. Frost wasn`t sure how the Operators had achieved that last one. By the scorch marks on the floor that the slaves were sweeping away she was betting on some sort of explosives.
The slaves looked exhausted; many were bruised and dirty, caked in a mixture of sweat and dust. Some had clearly been beaten, and all of them were miserable. Mags and her raider posse caught glares of hatred from every direction. Walking among them, the Overboss schooled her expression to remain impassive. Inside she was telling herself that this was going to work out in the end. Her designs for the future would require sacrifice; sweat, blood, lives even. She was prepared for that, or so she imagined. When the parks were cleared out she was going to give Nuka Town back to the traders. No one besides herself, MacCready, and Harvey knew about that part of her plan yet. Recruiting the Nuka-bait, as she called Harvey hadn't been easy until she`d voiced the idea to him. Frost would not set them free; there was no way to do that without the raiders turning on her, or being killed by the traders in retaliation. But she did intend to see that they were treated more humanely. Giving them their own space would be a good start. William Black had seen the group, and approached now to interrupt the Overboss`s thoughts.
"Mags, I see you came to check in on us. It`s been a long night, although I think we've done everything you asked for, Boss." The man greeted his sister before he turned to their leader. He studied them both for a moment and wondered why the two women seemed so chummy. He was tired too, although most of his efforts had gone in to ordering the slaves around and coordinating details for specific tasks. William appeared to be a surprisingly organized individual.
"My, my. Dear brother, look what you`ve accomplished. I`m impressed." Mags commented as she satred at the changes.
"You`ve certainly set a high standard for workmanship." Frost nodded her approval. She continued; "Send everyone off to get some food and rest, we`ll talk caps."
"That`s what I like to hear." Mags rubbed her hands together in anticipation. William agreed;
"Music to my ears." He told the workers to clear out, then joined the women over at the betting counter so they could get down to brass tacks. The Overboss began the discussion, as was appropriate for her role.
"The Operators have delivered so far on their end of this bargain, but there is still the auction itself. I want to ensure that it goes smoothly, so I'll offer you a bonus incentive of a hundred caps. If I hear about another altercation such as a maiming or a fist fight before the goods are paid for that bonus goes away."
"A hundred cap bonus?" Both Black siblings were agreeable, then Mags took over. "The original proposal you made to us was for the auction itself. Host this little gathering to sell off Colter`s extra stuff and set up some kind of investment fund. We agreed on thirty percent of the profits going to our gang. However, you didn`t mention a price for remodelling the venue."
"That was only due to my desire not to short you in case there was more work to be done than originally expected. You and your brother gave me an estimate around 1,000. I did not expect the cola statues to be torn down, as the Arena should be functional for the Gauntlet again after this."
"We saved the bumper cars for use as salvage later. Hauling them to the storage around back ended up with a couple of the slaves getting injured. One probably has a broken foot and the other crushed a few fingers." William admitted grudgingly. He was under the impression the Boss was trying to bargain them down.
"As long as no one died or was rendered useless that's not a problem." Frost surprised the raiders. She had planned to offer 2,000 for the job, but she would try for lower and see that the rest went towards paying for the injured workers` medical treatments. "We`ll need some new obstacles put in before the next match. I`ll send Gage to Nisha and have them increase the difficulty on the course until then so we won't have to deal with more uninvited guests before the new installations are completed."
"I take it your pet is busy dealing with our other 'guest' at the moment?" Mags inquired curiously. Everyone had been wondering where the Gunner had gone with the Overboss and her right hand man, and what was going on with him. They were eager to know if the conversation in the marketplace the day before had just been for show.
"Gage isn`t my 'pet'. If I wanted one of those I would adopt one of Mason`s beasts and give it a bath. They already wear collars and animal masks most of the time. The boys are back at Fizztop supervising the load up and inventory of Colter`s former possessions. After the movers take off I`ve instructed them to make preparations for further clearing the parks. Back to business now. I`ll give you the original 1,000 cap estimate, plus 300 for labor, thirty percent, and the 100 cap bonus if the auction goes off as planned. "
"That doesn't sound bad, although 1,800 and the thirty sounds better." Mags countered with her trademark poker face.
"1,500 and thirty, and take first pick of the stock for yourself. There was quite a collection of wine and alcohol." The other woman suggested with a catty smirk. She'd seen the bar running low in The Parlor, and noticed the empty wine bottles around Mags`s and William`s personal table. "If that doesn`t strike your fancy there are about twenty boxes of rifle ammo in there you can call yours as well."
"Caps, wine, and bullets? Hmm. Sounds like a first date." Mags smirked, William looked at her in surprise, and Frost was uncomfortable in a way she hadn't been since Curie the robot had expressed an interest in her. She hoped Mags was only joking and not asking her out. She was ass deep in alligators if the gang leader was wasn`t kidding, and she knew it.
"More like a gesture of appreciation. I can`t play favorites too much, now can I? Nisha and Mason would get jealous."
"I doubt either of them even know what a date is. You`re a different breed though, aren`t you? A bit unrefined, but not dumb. That`s refreshing after dealing with Colter for so long. Very well, I`ll agree to your terms. I expect you`ll come by the dinner theater after the auction is over and share some of that wine with the Operators though."
"After seeing this, I bet no one in Nuka World throws a better party." Frost did her best to sound as if she wasn`t dreading the thought as she replied. She relaxed slightly when William risked his sister's frown and added;
"Bring a plus one. The more the merrier."
"I'll look forward to it." Oh hell, what did I just agree to? This is going to end in a trainwreck, I can tell. Her first thought was to bring Gage, as he was known among the raiders and her second in command. However, the Boss wasn`t certain he would agree to it. She had not predicted this. Hopefully MacCready was helping her cause while she left them back at Fizztop together to eat and boss around the slaves she`d persuaded Harvey to round up. She doubted it. MacCready would hate the slavery; it was what he despised the most about raiders. Even if she had told RJ about her idea to give Nuka-Town to them and Harvey was there on board with them, the slaves would still be slaves.