Chapter 37: Desperate Plays
"I need eyes on the borders, I want all teams accounted for!" Natalie screamed over the comms as First Recon geared up to join the battle. Tandi's scouts were reporting multiple potentially catastrophic skirmishes throughout the city. So far it looked like it had been a matter of unhappy locals with their presence, but multiple sightings of Vulpes Inculta suggested a much worse issue. So now, Natalie found herself overseeing the pacification of the biggest city in the Unclaimed Wastes.
She pulled up the receiver after a signal was finally indicating stability. "Air Marshal Gordon, do you read?" she spoke into the receiver.
"Loud and clear, Commissioner," came the reply, allowing Natalie a brief moment of respite. "What's your ETA?"
"We're about an hour away from your coordinates. Would you like the escorts to break away?"
"Negative," Natalie shook her head. "I want one pass that'll scatter resistance and allow everyone to regroup. Loadout?"
"Tunneler specialty," Gordan spoke.
"Perfect," Natalie breathed. High impact, low casualty. Loud and persuasive. The last thing she wanted to oversee was a wholesale slaughter. The AEG's local reputation would be in tatters by the end of the day, but all she could do now was ensure that everything would be intact by the time they split from the city.
Capt. Milligan arrived and saluted. "No sightings yet on Vulpes."
"Well, get a positive ID on anyone who fits the description!" Natalie snapped. "I need a warm body wearing a dog-head at my feet! Find the cheeky son-of-a-bitch, I want him alive!"
"And intact?" Milligan asked.
"Alive," Natalie stressed. "Now get out there and find me that Inculta wannabe!"
If Melody's debriefing had been hard to swallow, Gorobet's own testimonial threatened to make her gag. Vulpes Inculta was the face of terrorism in the southwest. The fact that she couldn't confidently say "had been" sent chills down her spine. Who was this instigator, what was his game, and why did none of this news make any sense?
As she fretted and barked orders over the radio, across camp Tobey dragged his battered body upright, looking over his tentmates. Toni was dry-heaving into an empty bucket, Javier was nursing his head with a rag of cold water, and Gael was talking to one of the marshals, Harbuck. Gael reached into his coat and pulled out something to show the senior marshal, who stared at it, shook his head in disbelief, and walked out, throwing up his hands.
Gael turned back around to betray the swollen left side of his face, which somehow managed to perk up when he realized Tobey was conscious. "Hey, look who's awake?"
"…What the fuck happened?" Tobey mumbled as he clutched his ribs.
"Turns out the centurion had a heavy," Gael shrugged. "…Got the jump on all of us."
"I've helped arrest super mutants," Tobey countered. "That… wasn't just some heavy."
"No," Joseph spoke up from his stretcher. "He wasn't."
"Joe? What happened to you?" Tobey asked as he looked over to the relatively unscathed preacher, save for the bandage on his cheek.
"…Being a Good Samaritan comes with a price every now and then," Joseph tried to smile.
"This loco pendejo," Gael walked over to brusquely slap his hands on Joseph's shoulders. "Probably saved our lives. You're one hardcore motherfucker, aren't you?"
"That… wouldn't be my preferred terminology," Joseph tried to placate.
Tobey couldn't help but chuckle. "I guess you didn't take him alive, then?" he laughed.
"…Almost," Joseph answered, good humor vanishing. "I was about to kill him."
The Mexicans began to laugh while Tobey felt the color drain from his face. Joseph was devout and the most virtuous man Tobey had ever met. He wasn't a man prone to exaggerate or lose his temper easily. Unlike the rest of his friends, such statements weren't something Joseph would make lightly.
"…Did you?" Tobey asked.
"…Another intervened. Fate clearly found fault with my actions. She was stronger, more powerful, and understands the Sight in ways even I cannot. If I didn't force a stalemate, we'd all be dead," Joseph answered.
Melody entered the tent, her face pale from both her long night and her having been working since morning. She glanced over to Tobey. "…I need to talk to you."
Joseph "looked" to his wife. "…No…" he shook his head in shock.
"Joseph… please," Melody pleaded as she took Tobey from the tent. Tobey, fearing the worst already, felt his throat tighten as Melody prepared to give the bad news. "We located your sister a half-hour ago. She was wounded, shrapnel in the eye. She was returned to camp recently and the doctors have been working with what they can. However, it's very likely she will lose sight in that eye permanently, and there's a significant chance she'll lose that eye altogether."
"…Car… shrap…" Tobey tried to process the news, the thought of his sister in pain and disfigured refusing to register in his mind, fighting his rational side for every step.
"…Larain was with her, and right now he's being held separately. They're questioning him at the moment, but right now it sounds like an interrogation," Melody gulped. "…And, here's the worst news. We don't know where Rosa is. We know she was with Carla and Larain when the incident took place, but after that, we don't know where she is."
Cade hid behind the boulder, loading his rifle as he could feel the presence hunting him. It was an interesting feeling, as Cade was used to being the stalker. As the girl tried to pick up his trail, he pondered how best to verify her. Cutting off her head would be a problem the longer he had to walk to get it verified, and he doubted the RMX would have her fingerprints on file, so that hand would be useless. Perhaps he should have brought Amy's new toy, that would have worked.
Rosa couldn't think straight, and yet she had never been more focused. All she could see in her mind's eye was the sight of that black-clad cowboy pointing his magnum at her friend and pulling the trigger. Over and over again. And the only way to fix this, the only way any of this could be right going forward, would be when she skewered the bastard and dropped his corpse in a shallow grave. How else could she face Carla going forward?
She looked around her. In the distance, the city sounded like fireworks were going off. Not that she felt like celebrating. She'd dance all night when the black-clad cowboy was a black-clad corpse. She didn't give a shit about anything around her. Not the old cowgirl slowly making her way to her. Not the genetic weapon who just picked up her scent. Not the large group of mercenaries leaving town just as the heat picked up. All she wanted was the black-clad cowboy. Soon enough, she found him when the man slipped a cable around her neck right as she rounded a boulder.
Cade squeezed as his victim predictably brought her hands up to her neck, kicking back at him as he arched his back against hers, lifting her feet off the ground as he put all his might into the cable. He had heard piano-wire was more fitting for the job, but the only piano he had ever seen was a hot ticket item at the Central Market, a 100,000 cap set-piece that belonged to the merchant baron Ozark Jeb. He doubted he could have negotiated a limited mutilation of his prized possession.
Rosa felt her world go red as she choked, the cable sinking into her skin to the point of cutting into her throat. Funny, he probably thought this was her first time being choked. Like she had never been in a barfight or a one-night stand. She could still keep her presence of mind as she snuck her machete by the side of her neck, expertly nicking the side of the cable even as she drew a little blood by her neck.
Cade felt the cable snap and go slack as the weight left his back. He turned around just in time to avoid getting shanked in his own neck by the machete of his gasping target. He blocked her immediate follow-up with the stock of his rifle, the wood splintering as she cut it aside. Pulling out his own bowie knife, Cade brought it to her neck right as she brought her blade to his. Stalemate.
Rosa glared into Cade's eyes as he kicked himself for getting in this situation. He should have plugged her before this point and worried about the payment later. His lack of professionalism brought him to an impasse he could have avoided. Then the girl spat in his eyes, making him flinch as she tackled him to the ground, knocking the knife out of his hands.
As Rosa mounted her target, she brought the machete right over his throat. Rosa looked down at the black-clad cowboy, imagining Larain in his place. Somehow, even that situation wouldn't be as satisfying as this. She could just imagine the look on his face when his partner in crime's head landed directly at his feet. Larain was in deep shit, and there was no way he was digging out of it this time.
She heard the hammer knock back. As she was distracted by her temporary fantasy, a 9mm was now angled right at her stomach. Cade glared back at her, goading her, daring her to make a move. "…Is it really worth a gutful of bullets to kill me? I doubt Larain's sperm bank is even dead."
Rosa gritted her teeth as she tightened her grip on the machete above his neck, guillotine style. She had him right where she wanted him, and right now, the last move he could make was one where they would both be mutually screwed. Rosa told herself she was willing to die for Carla, but in truth, was her life so meaningless to her that she'd throw it away so easily? Even if she survived the shot, the rest of her short life would be spent in agony. So, the punk wanted to stave off the inevitable? Fine, his loss.
"So, what's your dog in this fight?" Cade asked. "Why did you want Larain dead?"
Rosa glared down at him. "…Consider it my last request. Something to take with me to the next life," Cade offered. Rosa said nothing. "…Let me guess, you slept with him, too? Never thought I'd die to someone with such low standards," Cade taunted.
Rosa felt her grip on the machete tighten as Cade continued to talk. "I mean, when I heard that you were the child of the legendary Governor of New Vegas, I was expecting something a little more… impressive," the usually taciturn hitman continued to buy time, wondering whether the lizard or the mercs were going to make their play.
"…Seemed to kick your ass easy enough," Rosa finally responded, causing Cade to internally celebrate though he gave nothing away.
"I've been doing this for too long, kid," Cade smiled. "I guess I'm just sick of this job and made a mistake. I don't care about this war, I just wanted a few extra caps. My job was bringing Larain back home and you… well, some folk want you off the board."
"Like who?" Rosa gritted.
"…California's enemies and the Mojave's enemies are your enemies," Cade answered. "I don't pick the sides, just the jobs. And I must say that I appreciate you being less difficult than Larain, I had no idea he'd be so useless."
"So that's it?" Rosa asked. "You're just some hired thug? Some mercenary looking for a handout?"
"I like to consider myself something more like a… courier," Cade gave the toothiest grin he could possibly manage.
Rosa felt her nostrils flare as she drew back the machete. Cade prepared to fire into her gut, if he had to go out, she wouldn't be far behind. A shrill whistle interrupted the conflict as Rosa turned to see the flash of another piece of iron. The gun went off and struck her in the head, forcing her off as Cade looked up in shock.
Ariel Ximenez blew smoke from her weapon as the two-dozen some odd mercenaries fanned out. Sawney felt his lip curl as he retreated further into the desert, his tan tarp camouflaging him as he retreated the site, bemoaning his lack of luck near the city. Matt and Nick both gingerly approached the two fighters on the ground as Cade picked himself off the ground and stormed up to Ariel. "What are you doing?!" he snarled.
"Saving my daughter, and it appears your life in the process," Ariel smiled sweetly. Rosa let out a moan as she felt her head begin to sting, a thin trickle of blood seeping through her bandana as the bodyguards checked up on her. "Ooh, that'll leave a mark," Nick said as he began to bind Rosa's hands behind her.
"It was my bounty," Cade growled.
"You can't claim an open bounty, Dunk," Ariel argued. "You got an offer. So did I. I'm bringing her in alive, so if you want to argue about it…"
Cade reached for his gun. A number of other weapons, ranging from pistols to SMGs to even a minigun were pointed in his direction. Cade and Ariel stared at one another, neither moving an inch. "…Stubborn as ever, Dunk," Ariel sighed as she snapped her fingers. "Good thing I brought a trump card."
A woman with a bag over her head was dropped by Cade's feet. One of the larger thugs ripped the bag from her head, Amy trying to scream against her gag. "We knew your pet was operating in the area, and when I realized that you were going to make a move against my flesh and blood, I decided to invest in a little insurance," Ariel replied as she pointed her gun at the back of Amy's head. "And I wouldn't bet on this next bullet being a blank."
Cade glanced to Amy, then to Ariel, then to Rosa as she was dragged away by Ariel's bodyguards. A no win situation, he quietly lamented to himself as he holstered his weapon. The rest of the crew responded in kind as they walked to join Matt and Nick. Ariel approached Cade, clasping him on the shoulder in a demonstration of what passed for sportsmanship in her eyes. "…Tell you what. How about I hand over a finder's fee. Would 5% be fair?"
"…40%," Cade replied.
"40?! Are you insane?" Ariel balked.
"That's my only offer. I put too much legwork into this job to surrender everything so easily. Besides, you owe me for my woman's pain and suffering,' Cade explained, Amy attempting to aww from behind her gag.
"What's to stop me from killing both of you now and saving myself some time and energy?" Ariel asked, casually.
"You're a mercenary. If you kill everyone you had a problem with, there won't be anyone left willing to pay you. Besides antagonizing Kenzie and his group, you'd also be eliminating an asset the Board would be willing to open the doors to. You've never been to the Central Market, have you?" Cade asked.
"…Maybe," Ariel answered.
"So you would know that the last thing you ever want to do is terminate someone the Board has put plenty of investment in," Cade explained. "Unless you would like to talk to the sponsors of my sponsors."
"…Tell you what," Ariel scoffed. "How about you join up with us and we head to the Central Market together. Then we can discuss who owes what to who."
Cade smiled. "Those terms would be acceptable."
Ariel turned to walk away, nursing her headache but thrilled she had been able to take on another gunner for free at the moment. Cade knelt down and ripped off the tape around Amy's mouth. "I'm sorry, Cade, they got to me before I even made it home…" she began.
"Shut up," Cade replied. "I'm leaving with Ximenez and company."
"Shouldn't you report back to Kenzie?" Amy asked as Cade cut her binds.
"Empty-handed? I'd rather be lizard chow," Cade replied. "Besides, if Larain threw in with the AEG, he's gonna deliver himself to Kenzie one way or another. There's no point chasing after him, and I'm sick of working on his case anyway."
"So, you're just going to sign up with Ariel's group for a… percentage?" Amy asked as she got back on her feet.
"…What? I can play nice for a few weeks," Cade stated. Amy stared at him. "…I'm not going to force my moment," Cade continued as he leaned towards her to whisper. "A lot can happen in the desert. All I'll have to do is behave and wait."
"Wait for what?" Amy asked as a buzzing noise began to emanate from the horizon.
Cade looked in the distance, catching the glimpse of the figure ducking behind a burned-out car. "…I'll know when it happens," he replied with his usual cryptic-ness. "So, I guess you aren't going back to your trailer," he replied as the fighters began buzzing the town, drawing the attention of the belligerents right as the bomber-gunship began its strafing run. It dropped its cargo onto the town's main square, the resulting flashes spewing a gas that quickly dispersed the hostiles, allowing the Californian and Mojave troops to disengage and retreat.
"…Looks like your clientele is going to take a hit," Cade replied, offhandedly.
"…How much do you have on you?" Amy asked.
Cade turned to stare at her. "…You can't be serious."
"You'll get lonely if I'm not around," Amy stated, brushing the dirt off her skirt. "And Kenzie is going to send the women and children away while he and Vulpy set up their defenses around Circle Junction. Besides, you said I'm supposed to get a cut, right?" Amy smiled, brightly.
"…If you act like a millstone, girl," Cade pulled out his gun and pressed it against her head. Amy closed her eyes as she leaned forward. "I'd want nothing less," she purred. Cade drew his weapon away as he holstered it. "Well, I hope you've learned to cook. I'd rather not teach you, again."
"If that fails, well, most of those merc-boys look pretty lonely," Amy grinned as they walked to join the retreating mercenaries. Elsewhere, Silverhair cursed her inability to act, against both a large number of hostiles and the caliber of enemies she was up against. Ariel Ximenez. The Nutso-Young Guns. Cade. It was a dangerous enough task that was downright suicidal undertaking it alone. Silverhair retreated, heading to the camp of the AEG. With any luck, there were people she could trust there.
The Bombing of the Res, as it would be called later, was a pivotal incident that would define the presence of the AEG for the duration of the expedition. It was previously thought that the expedition was just a demonstration of power, an example of imperialistic force over the backwards and uncivilized savages of the Unclaimed Wastes. The Battle of the Res-by-the-Res, culminating with a non-lethal yet dramatic display of military might over its citizens, would rally evermore Liberty Clans under the banner of the Cabal, the unified resistance movement helmed by Kenzie McGrath, High Chief Braxus, and Bishop Nemesio del Juarez.
The AEG found itself battered. The fight within the city claimed the lives of 19 troopers and three marshals. Opposite them, possibly even worse, were several dozen casualties which many would later deem to have been "non-combatants." Rumors of instigation by one Vulpes Inculta would be dismissed as California propaganda by locals, who from this point forward would treat the trespassing of the Allied Expeditionary Group with a sense of cool disdain, while actively aiding the Cabal with scouting reports.
The last AEG elements to withdraw from the Res-by-the-Res would be the 5th Heavy Armor, commanded by a slightly hungover Lt. Kimberly Baxter. Her unit, along with several Judicial Marshals remained behind to stabilize the city after Air Marshal Katarina Gordon dropped an "anti-Tunneler device," onto the citizenry. Having been invented months before the Great Tunneler Excursion of 83, the cluster bomb was a bright, loud, and particularly odorous solution to both reptilian invasions and riots.
It was as these odors began to settle that allowed Markus Dinero to sneak into the office of Daphne Milton as she was outside tending to her cart to make her family's retreat. Breaking into the register, Dinero helped himself to a significant portion of the coins within. He snuck out just in time before Daphne returned, meeting up with Marcy just a block away.
"Marc, I think we've overstayed our welcome," Dinero breathed as Marcy leaned against the wall. She glared up at the older man. "This is about survival!" Dinero snapped as he held up his sack of ill-gotten coins. "I didn't even take half! We need guns! And men! To shoot the guns! And you… you probably need medicine," he noted as Marcy tried to secretly wipe the blood under her nose.
"…Well, we can't do nothing else sitting here. These Cali guys just lost a bunch of trade in the state, they won't be partial to dealing with outsiders. But, I think most folk will be steering clear of them for the immediate future, so if we follow them, we'll have a clear path ahead of us, don't you think?"
Marcy looked at him, turning up her nose. "I mean, they just bombed a city! Their karma is gonna be in the gutter. They'll need to give us two lonesome beggars free water on the daily if any of them want to look in the mirror again!" Dinero offered.
Pariah sat on the dirt floor. When she left Fort Wrath, it was to get away from… everything. The whispers, the thoughts, the rumors and… Mother. Truly, the only things she missed from those days were the dogs and her big brother. It was nice seeing Barabbas once again. It was even nice seeing Belua, she thought with a smile. She realized that there was only one reason Barabbas would have come so far, and the only way she could keep protecting him was if she kept tailing the great western army and hoped he would give up.
Truth was, she had gotten used to being alone. Things were quieter. Simpler. Of course, even at her most lonesome she still had animals. And in the past few weeks, she had Dinero, who always treated her in a way that made her feel welcome. And coming to this noisy city, she had Tia, a girl around her age who didn't see a freak, but just another girl who just struggled to make friends. She'd miss her, and wanted to stick around, but she had to keep ahead of the wolves, so she couldn't see how that could happen.
Marcy got to her feet, helped up by Dinero. "Well, if I know anything about civil service, it's that those guys are underpaid and overworked," Dinero laughed. "Maybe when things get bad enough, we can flash the money and suddenly we got the manpower to bust down the doors to the mine and take back what's… mine," he added with a laugh.
The two made their way through the city, cutting through people trying to get back to their feet, hauling the wounded and dead into carts. A few people were screaming horrible things about California, a few more were crying or wheezing from the fumes. Marcy cupped her ears, listening to the misery coming at her from all directions. It was then that Dinero grabbed her shoulders and forced her to come to a stop. She hadn't noticed the stranger walking before her, who promptly ignored her as he made his way past them. Marcy hadn't even realized he had been there at all. That's weird, she thought to herself. Dinero shot an apologetic glance at the stranger before he parted. Vulpes paid him no heed.
Above them on the rooftops, a cloaked figure made its way across town. Following the carnage, the figure had been working since her sister knocked on the cellar door. She had headed to the trailer not long afterward, only to find that she had been captured and taken to the camp. No matter. She always came prepared. Ferra bound over the street from roof to roof. Those beneath her paid little attention to the sound of creaking metal above them, as the buildings were old and the wind could be fierce. Even if they did look up, the most they would see was a shimmer in the light, a mirage, and little more.
Sophia sat in the tent, bound around her arms as she listened to the other figure muttering prayers under his breath. She could already deduct that he was one of those southern priests minus an arm. She shifted her weight on the chair. They had spent the night screaming questions at her, and by the next night, they'd probably start torturing her. Sophia figured that they'd have to be particularly creative to compete with Amazonian training if it was supposed to scare her. Then again, that Sandra bitch seemed like a closet freak. If things were going to look up for her, then her sisters needed to work quickly before making their play.
The sounds of a scuffle outside the tent perked up her ears. As she listened, the unmistakable sound of a hard blow against meat rang through the air. Interested, Sophia leaned forward as the men outside began crowding around the scene, some asking what was going on while others cheered him on. Even the false priest began to give notice as he ceased his prayers.
A particularly thick blow let out a bunch of cries of jubilation and shock, other voices arriving to try and stop the carnage. One of them, a woman, began screaming at someone named Jimmy. The thick tent muffled most of the details of the conversation, but apparently, this Jimmy and the woman discussed something. After a while, another blow against the meat was thrown, but the woman didn't protest this time. The meat began to hack and wheeze.
Soon enough, she could hear the figures drawing closer. Sophia collapsed her neck, leaning forward as she pretended to be unconscious. The two figures entered, throwing the third onto the ground. "…Jimmy, give me a moment," the woman said. Jimmy spat on the dirt floor and headed outside. The third, laying on the ground, hacked up some blood as the woman knelt down before him.
"…Where's Rosa," the woman growled.
"I…I don't know…" the man on the ground coughed. Something hard and metallic struck the man across the face.
"Now is not the time to lie to me, Larain," the woman growled. "…I just saw Carla."
"…H-how is…" he stopped when a hammer was cocked back.
"You used her. Used us all. Your partners will have a lot to answer for, and if we don't find her soon, you will pay for all of them. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!" she shrieked.
"I wasn't with him, I swear…" the man choked out. "He did… I didn't want this to happen," he sobbed.
"Where. Is. Rosa?" Commissioner Natalie Boone growled.
"I don't know. If I knew I'd tell you, I swear. I don't know," the man bawled. Sophia almost rolled her eyes with how pathetic the sound was. Natalie stood up, looked at her revolver, and thought about what she was about to do. The lawman in her told her he was just another thug and deserved all the rights she was obligated to provide. The mother in her wanted to just shoot him here, or if she really wanted to be sadistic, let Jimmy continue. Her thoughts were interrupted when another figure entered the tent. "Commissioner, we have a report from one of the locals who says they have a sighting on what happened to Miss Perez."
"Take a statement, I'm busy," Natalie fumed.
"She requested to talk to you personally," the marshal continued. "And she said… she said that she forgives you for planting one in her shoulder."
Natalie was confused for a moment, then her eyes began to widen. She stormed out of the tent. "Keep him locked up here. I'll deal with him later."
The tent closed. Sophia peeked her eyes open to see the battered wastelander writhing on the ground. Sophia leaned back as the priest picked up his prayers and the wastelander lamented his luck and some girl named Carla. Things had been so quiet and peaceful before.
Excerpt from the Judicial Marshal Basic Training Guide and Manual
Enemy Agents: whether from criminal enterprises or foreign powers, every hostile enemy becomes a potential asset when confined within our walls. Remember, treating our enemies with dignity and respect isn't just for clout, it is vital for establishing that we are the closest thing an isolated operative has to a friend. Also, remember, as gratifying as torture may sound at times, any information gleaned from such methods should be considered suspect. Most people will tell you what you want to hear to make it stop, and some of the more desperate and committed can endure anything you throw at them. Remember the three I's of interrogation; isolation, intimidation, then inquiries. -Deputy Chief Natalie Boone.
