Chapter Six: The First Sponsor
(Author's Note: The choice has been made, now let's see how it plays out. Remember, this choice not only impacts this part, but the story as a whole. Let's see if you chose wisely, readers…)
Location: Derelict Factory
Urbania, Fiend Territory
"Mr. Murphy," Jack said, moving towards the Gun Runner. The suited man held his breath, waiting for the final answer. "You've got yourself a deal." Mr. Murphy beamed brightly, grabbing Jack's hand and shaking it vigorously, his teammates showing definite signs of surprise on their faces, but remained silent.
"The Gun Runners thank you for your patronage, Mr. Cayman." Mr. Murphy said, his smile threatening to split his face. "You won't regret this decision."
"We better not, Murphy." Travis said, folding his arms. "Double-crossing isn't something I'm proud of, but the promise of better weapons sounds promising."
"You get used to it." The Overlord said, holstering his mace. "It's even more fun when you do the betraying. I love the looks on their faces when they see I was never on their side."
(Rick: Didn't he get double crossed by his own jester minion?)
(Slick: Nah, that was his old man, the Netherworld Overlord.)
(Rick: I thought there were multiple Overlords in the Netherworld.)
(Slick: That's the Netherealm, with the demons and stuff.)
(Rick: Then what's the one with the cubic pigmen?)
(Slick: That's just the Nether.)
(Rick: Why do so many worlds have the same prefix?)
(Slick: Because the Judges of the Universe have no originality whatsoever.)
"Big guy, this is a business transaction," Eddie said, glaring at the heavily armored menace. "Not a damn espionage mission." Once Mr. Murphy released Jack from his grip, the members of Heart of Steel moved towards the bolted crate.
"Once you get the crate to Mr. Two-Teeth," Mr. Murphy said, a slightly devious smirk appearing on the corner of his wrinkled face. "I'd suggest running. Ta!" The Gun Runner quickly vanished behind the door he entered, leaving the four men in the bloody room, standing there the unusual crate.
"Alright, let's get this to the Inconvenience Store, guys." Eddie said, lifting the crate. "I've got a bad feeling about this…."
The trek was short back to the Inconvenience Store, with most of the Fiends either elsewhere or eliminated, and the group made it back in record time. Upon arriving at the store, a group of rats with shaved bodies stood guard, giving shifty looks and kicking a can that somehow was smaller than they were.
(Slick: Y'know, the only real question I have to ask about the Skin Bodies is 'why'?)
(Rick: Why did they shave their torsos? Why are they acting as a bunch of scavengers for the IDA?)
(Slick: Why do they keep taking my fucking SHAVING CREAM?!)
"Those must be the Skin Bodies." Jack remarked. "Well, let's drop this crate off, then get the hell out of here." The group walked to the entrance of the Inconvenience Store, the Overlord removed the bolted crate, and slammed it on the ground, startling the rats.
"Woah, hey, what?!" One of the Skin Bodies exclaimed. "Who da hell are yous guys?"
"Heart of Steel." Jack said, folding his arms. "Jimmy Two-Teeth asked us to steal this package from the Gun Runners." One of the rats crawled atop the crate and prodded at the bolts.
"Da boss didn't say nothin' 'bout it bein' locked." The raid said, twitching his nose.
"Look, do you want the Gun Runner's shit or not?" Eddie said, impatiently fiddling with his guitar. "Because we can just give it back to them, if you don't want it."
"Nah, no, nah, no way." The second rat butted in, shoving his cohort aside. "We'll just, eheh, take this here to da boss, and he'll be happy." The rats hopped off the crate and slowly began pushing it inside, scraping it loudly against the cement and irritating the four men. As soon as the door slammed shut, a notification popped up on the men's ECHO's, a simple message. Without hesitation, they opened the message, and saw it beheld a simple three letter word.
RUN.
Not wanting fate to end their tournament experience early, Heart of Steel obliged the message and bolted away from the Inconvenience Store as though the devil himself were on their heels. They made it about halfway down the street when they heard three things. A loud click, an obscene scream from Jimmy Two-Teeth, and a very loud explosion. Jack, the Overlord, and Eddie all turned around and saw a massive mushroom cloud where the store once was. Travis on the other hand…
"I'm not looking." Travis said, arms firmly folded. "I'm not looking, I swear. I'm a cool guy," His head started to turn. "I'm a cool guy, so I don't… look at…" He made a complete 180 degree turn, throwing his arms up in the air. "DAMN IT THAT LOOKS AWESOME!"
(Slick: This awesome explosion was brought to you buy Sheer Awesomeness.)
(Rick: Sheer Awesomeness, the makers of Pure Coolness and Absolute Magnificence.)
Above the roar of the flames as the building receded into debris, their ECHO Communicators crackled with an incoming call.
"Guys, what the hell is going on over there?!" Cinder's voice exclaimed, a tone of anxiousness and concern evident. "I'm getting news buzz all around your sector!"
"There's nothing to worry about, Cinder." Jack responded. "Just a little bit hazy here, nothing too bad."
"'Nothing too bad', he says." Sylvia said, joining in on the call. "Then what the hell was that massive explosion that happened just now where the Skin Bodies set up headquarters?"
"Ahem, I think I can explain that." Said an oddly familiar voice. "Mr. Murphy, IDA Representative to the Gun Runners." A chuckle from his line. "And now, your very first Sponsor."
"Gun Runners…" Cinder mused. "I know about you. Makers of munitions and metal works in the Mojave." He paused, muttering something about accidental alliteration. "So when did this happen, the Sponsorship?"
"When your golden boys delivered a time-sensitive mini-nuke to those rats after completing our Sponsorship Challenge." Murphy said with a chuckle. "Eliminating that competition has just earned you and your army military backing by the Gun Runners."
"And you'll be bringing us what, exactly?" Gnarl asked, appearing on the call. "I presume weapons, for starters."
"Guns, armor, security turrets, and state of the art refurbished RobCo Protectitrons for combat service." Murphy clarified. "Good starting supplies for conquest, I'd say so myself. We did supply the various militaries of the New Vegas area for the Second Battle of Hoover Dam, and we all know how that ended."
"You also had a gigantic time bomb strapped to our backs and didn't think to tell us about it?!" Travis exclaimed, visibly angry.
"You'd react poorly either way." Murphy said, as calm as ever. "It's just business etiquette, Mr. Touchdown. Now, shall we proceed with the business deal?"
"It's not like we've got a choice," Jack muttered, folding his arms. "You did strong arm us into this."
"Ignore him, Mr. Murphy," Cinder said with a false chuckle. "They're not business practitioners like you and I, so I'll just disclose the deal with a yes." Mr. Murphy chuckled, severing the connection. With nothing but the sound of the echoing explosion around them, the rest of the group was left in silence.
(Slick: God, what a dick.)
"So… how about you guys actually get the stuff we actually want you to do and kill Joe the Render, okay?" Cinder asked in a mock tone. "Okay, bye-bye." The line went dead.
(Slick: Scratch that, bigger dick.)
(Rick: They make up the business world.)
"Why the hell is that guy the one calling the shots?" Travis asked, annoyed by the Chaser Agent's behavior. "That holier than thou attitude of his is really getting on my nerves."
"We'll deal with it leader, c'mon." Jack said, brushing Travis aside as he, Eddie, and the Overlord began their trek towards their destination. Travis couldn't help but look back at what was left of the Inconvenience Store, feeling a twinge of guilt for his and his allies' betrayal of the Skin Bodes. Muttering himself about senseless violence, he rejoined the rest of the team as they continued their mission to defeat the Wasteland Fiends.
Location: Fiend Central
Urbania, Contested Fiend Territory
With the matter of the Sponsorship out of the way, the Heart of Steel resumed their primary objective of the area: take down Joe the Render and neutralize the Fiends. Luckily, the location of their base of operations was not too far from the Inconvenient Store, and all the men had to do was just keep walking. Soon enough, they finally reached their destination: Fiend Central, formerly a four-story office complex for some business matters turned into a fortress by the Fiends, overrun with their dogs, their addicted guards, and their chief. It also contained the Brown Minion hive the Overlord needed for their army. Now all they needed to do for the moment was get in.
(Slick: I actually know what that building was for before the Tournament!)
(Rick: Then enlighten us, oh ye all knower of building architecture.)
(Slick: Don't get smart with me, you point-nosed twit. It was a clinic, for the record.)
(Rick: Ohhh… Now that's irony.)
"So, here's what I think," Travis said as they started towards the building, surprisingly unguarded from the outside. "This entire building's going to be crowded with targets in narrow rooms, and I don't know about you, but I need a lot of mobility to get shit done."
"We all do." Jack said, lighting another cigarette.
"I think we should split up to cover more ground." Travis suggested. "And meet up by the entrance every time we clear a floor before heading up. If I'm getting things right, which I usually do, our target's going to be on the top floor."
"And what of the search for my minions?" The Overlord asked, the gem on his gauntlet glowing a faint orange. "They'll be a valuable asset, so we need to devote most of the search for them before continuing."
"No problem, big guy." Eddie said, cracking his neck. "We'll look out for those goblin freaks of yours. Shouldn't be too hard to find 'em." The group reached the door, each readying their weapons. Travis turned to his allies, eyes narrowing behind his sunglasses as his beam katana glowed brightly.
"Who wants the honors of the grand entrance?" Travis asked, pointing towards the door. "Jack, how about you use that new gadget from the Gun Runners to set the tone." Jack let off a short, low laugh, tapping on the green attachment attached to his arm. He lifted his metal arm up, his chainsaw retracting and glowing a radioactive green, he stepped towards the door. Two quick slashes later, the door was torn down, several Fiends inside the dirtied lobby were caught off guard, and were immediately caught in a very one-sided battle. The four men leapt inside, bellowing war cries, and began hacking, slashing, smashing, and destroying all that stood within. In a matter of minutes, the room was completely clear of enemies, but smelled distinctly of blood and sweat.
(Rick: Not going to lie, that was really short lived.)
(Slick: Just like your love life. HA!)
(Rick: *grumbling*)
"I could do better." Travis muttered, kicking a severed hand away. He looked about the room, seeing four different hallways, one on the left, one of the right, and two directly opposite the entrance. "Alright, four hallways, four kickass killers, let's regroup once we're done." The rest of the men grunted in agreement and each took off down their own hallways. Travis ran down the leftmost hall, beam katana at the ready, kicking up scattered papers and dirt in the corridors. So far, he encountered no resistance by the Fiends, but he knew to be ready at a moment's notice. Thanks to his gut instinct, he rounded another corner and came face to face with a triad of Fiends arguing over something. A smirk on his lips, Travis gave a loud whistle, directed the Fiends attention, and promptly proceeded to dice them.
"Not. Even. Once." Travis laughed, twirling his beam katana as he stepped over the dead Fiends. He continued walking down the hall, but stopped in his tracks when he heard the sound of scurried footsteps in a nearby room. Engaging in a defense position, Travis slowly began walking towards the room, the sounds getting louder and loudly. Sweat trickling from his brow, Travis carefully put his hand on the door handle, and steadily pushed it open. As soon as his bravery caught up with his heartrate, Travis swung the door open and leapt into the room beam katana blazing and poised to strike.
"NO HURT!" Shouted a scratchy voice. Travis froze for a moment, surprised at the source of the cry. It was a light-brown colored imp, hunched over, standing at about four feet in height, wearing a worker's tunic, orange goggles, and a blast mask. He was clutching a smithing hammer in his dirty, clawed hands, and was shaking uncontrollably. For some reason, he seemed familiar to Travis. And then, it hit him. The hammer that is. Right on the forehead.
Drip. "You know," The Overlord said, standing over his most recent victim. Drip. "This would all be easier if these fools would just tell me where my Minions are." Drip. "But no, I have to actually put effort into my work." Drip. "Not that I'm complaining, I love my work, I really do." Drip. "It just gets a little repetitive after a while, am I right?" Drip. "Why am I asking any of you? You can't talk back." Drip. The Overlord's ECHO crackled to life, distracting him from his most recent work. "Speak."
"Hey, tall, dark, and ominous," Travis' voice responded. "I think I found something you might be interested in- OW!"
"Having trouble, No More Hero?" The Overlord asked. "It was your idea to split up, was it not?"
"Yeah, but I found something you'd need." Travis said, a chittering sound in the background. "It's short, brown, ugly as hell, and keeps hitting me with a hammer- GAH! SON OF A BITCH!" The Overlord's eyes glowed bright, the description ringing several bells in his head.
"Is it wearing a dirty metal worker tunic and a pair of goggles?" The Overlord interrogated. Travis responded with a pained yes. "That's one of my chief Minions, Giblet! He smelted and crafted my armor and weapons. I'll be there as soon as I can."
"Great, now how do I get him to STOP HITTING ME!?" Travis exclaimed, another clunk on the other end.
"Just tell him 'evil always finds a way', and he'll know I'm here." The Overlord said, immediately disconnecting the call. He turned to face his handiwork, wiping the blood on his gauntlets on the wall. "It was a fun workout, humans, but I must be off. There's evil afoot!" The Overlord turned and started back the way he came. As soon as he rounded the corner, one of the patrolling Fiends emerged on the opposite end, and saw the absolute horror the Overlord left behind, a scream echoing across the halls. The Overlord responded in the curtest way he could think of: Laugh.
(Slick: Dear god, that's gonna haunt my nightmares.)
(Rick: And there were only two guys in there…)
Choice Result: Congratulations readers on voting for the first Dark Morale choice. By voting for the Gun Runners, you may have gained military access and gear for the Heart of Steel, but at the cost of betrayal and becoming a bit of a dick by killing the Skin Bodies. Each choice will cause different effects in the long run, and yours have only just begun.
For the record, if Heart of Steel sided with the Skin Bodies, they would receive supplies and healthcare items for their army, plus Maliwan Spike Shields. Whatever else could have happened won't, but the repercussions of working with the Gun Runners have yet to surface...