state of decay ch ? Tensions rising ( revised )
It was a frosty, mist shrouded morning when Sinjin finally moved on Goodneighbor. After discovering Kendra and her men dead at the flat on his way back from bunker hill, he had decided it was time to take matters into his own hands and deal with the Shroud personally- and that meant forcing his way into potential rival territory. So far, the mayor of the little shithole- Hancock- had remained neutral concerning the dealings of his outfit, but Sinjin still wasn't sure how the fairer Ghoul would react to him forcibly extricating one of his citizens from the protection of Goodneighbor's shitty walls...
As he approached, scattered members of his raiding party began to join him, bleeding out of the fog shrouded roads and alley ways surrounding the unsuspecting settlement one by one, so as not to tip off any sentries the mayor might have planted around the financial district as they neared the woefully undefended gate.
"Alright boys," He addressed his men sternly as they converged. "Eyes on the prize- Remember, we aint out to end Goodneighbor today. Right now, our top priority is the Shroud, and the only way to flush out the bastard is by nabbing his little lacky. So, we go in, rough em up a bit, grab the Ghoul and hightail it back to Milton General, and wait for the enemy to come to us. Got it?"
Nodding and murmuring various words of affirmation, the men prepared to enter the ill reputed dwelling, carefully checking their weapons and counting ammunition.
"Good- Ready then?" He asked, confident in his chosen course of action. " Go."
As planned, the first few men entered at a staggered pace, dressed as drifters with their weapons hidden carefully beneath their coats. Patiently, Sinjin waited, giving them time to move into position, and after a while, when no alarm had been sounded, he gave the rest of the mob the signal to move in...
. . .
. . .
The old Boston Statehouse was quiet in the misty pre-dawn hours as Fahrenheit pulled on her boots and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, preparing for her usual early morning shift. The only sounds to be heard in the old home were the usual, soft snores of its sleeping occupants, and the ambient creaking and groaning of the floorboards as they protested beneath her weight.
Retrieving her gun from its resting place beside the black leather couch on which she slept each night within her fathers solar- he usually chose to sleep in the balcony room across the stairwell- the young redhead made her way carefully to the ground floor, offering curt nods of greeting to the other house guards she passed along the way.
"Thanks Smith- your dismissed." She informed the sleepy looking Ghoul posted in the foyer on the main floor, noting silently that her partner for the day- Roscoe- was AWOL. Relieved, he nodded a weary affirmation and left in the direction she had come. After watching him go, she cast a searching gaze around the dim, candle lit room for her missing guardsman- it wasn't like Roscoe to desert his post...After a few moments, a strange knocking from the basement caught her attention, causing her to freeze in place.
Heart pounding, Fahrenheit reached for the flashlight she had hooked to her belt loop, and pointed it down the shadowy stairwell, hesitating as she worked up the courage to step down the last few winding feet of steps. Halfway down the fearless adolescent paused, detecting movement in her periphery. Tightening her grip on her shotgun, she flashed her light in the direction of the motion, but saw nothing.
Apprehensive, she crept down the last few steps into the dank, dusty basement, beginning a slow sweep of the room, systematically moving onward and illuminating the area corner to corner until she had cleared its entirety. releasing her pent breath, Fahrenheit was just about to turn and leave when a pair of long, strong arms enveloped her from behind, holding her in place. Before she could scream, a hand clamped firmly over her mouth.
"Shhh!" A familiar voice hissed in her ear. "Its me!"
Relief flooded her as she recognized the voice of her man, Roscoe, only to be replaced by immediate annoyance at his antics. Angrily, she twisted out of his embrace, giving him an accusatory glare as she pointed her flash light at him.
"Jesus Christ Roscoe, you nearly gave me a heart attack! What are you doing down here? If anyone notices we're not at our posts, the mayor will-"
"Mayor- Shmayor- I just got back from the doctor, and he said I was deficient in Vitamin U..." Roscoe quipped flirtatiously, seemingly unbothered by the prospect of getting caught. Eagerly, he wrapped his arms around her slender hips, pulling her close, only to release her once she refused to relax. Disappointed, he sighed. "Relax Fahra, Hancock's not gonna find out- he's probably still upstairs comatosed from his nightly cocktail. The guy boots enough Med-X to kill a Brahmin..."
"I wouldn't bet on it."
startled, the pair broke apart, eyes darting toward the staircase where her father stood near the top, shining his own light down at them. Beside her, Roscoe straightened, face hardening into a cold mask as he met his bosses icy stare. The Ghoulish statesman was half dressed he noticed, clad only in a thin white cotton shirt and a pair of loose fitting jeans and armed with his own signature sawed off shotgun.
"Now what do we have here? Cant be one of my most trusted men, getting caught red handed sneaking around in the small hours of the morning to shag my daughter?"
Chagrinned, Roscoe shook his head, grimacing at the accusation.
"It aint like that." He insisted defensively. Raising a long, thin brow, the mayor chuckled humorlessly in response, shaking his head.
"No?" He asked sharply, eyes narrowing. " Then tell me what its like- cos from where I'm standing that's exactly what it looks like."
"Dad, please-"
"You be quiet!" Hancock barked as Fahrenheit attempted to speak. " When i came downstairs looking for this asshole and saw neither of you were there, it scared the shit outta me! I thought you were more responsible than that."
Guiltily, the adolescent redhead averted her gaze, falling silent. Still livid, he turned his attention back to Roscoe. After a few long, tense moments, the mayor made an incredulous gesture before demanding an explanation.
"What the hell were you thinkin' Roscoe?" He rasped questioningly. "You get a kick outta looking me in the eye, pretending to be loyal, while going behind my back and sticking your hands in the cookie jar? What was the end game? Were you hoping to use her to get to me? wait till her guards down then turn around and rub us out so you and your brother can take over things? Desoto's been more than a little tepid since i killed Finn- maybe the two of you figure you can do my job better than me?"
Roscoe's eyes widened in response to Hancock's allegations, and he shook his head vehemently in denial.
"What?" He choked indignantly. " You cant be serious! Dont be paranoid Hancock- if we wanted to kill you we coulda done it a thousand times by now! Not everything is a conspiracy against you!"
Before the Mayor could respond, there was a loud bang as the door upstairs opened, and slammed closed, dust falling from the ceiling as a watchmen from the courtyard ran inside, shouting urgently.
"Wake up! We're under attack- men to the courtyard! Defend the gate!"
"Fuck!" Hancock swore loudly, kicking the brittle wooden banister in front of him in frustration- He had been awake for all of ten minutes, and already this was shaping up to be one of the worst days he'd had in a decade. " Fine- you're off the hook for now- but we aint done here, understand?"
Roscoe nodded a wordless affirmative, and after a brief moment of deliberation, Hancock turned to climb back up the stairs.
"Good- now both of you, follow me and do your god damned jobs!"
Disgruntled, Roscoe shot Fahrenheit an apologetic look before following her father up the stairs, his apprehension growing with each step they took.
. . .
. . .
Outside, the atmosphere in the courtyard was tense- The four men the mayor had assigned to watch the gate had been overwhelmed, subdued by a small army of a dozen or so rough necked raiders lead by none other than the ruthless leader, Sinjin. The hulking, heavily scarred Ghoul stood in the center of the foray, an unconscious drifter at his feet. Brown shards of thick glass, and a few small spatters of blood littered the cobbles around them. Watchmen from the downtown strip had moved to hold the alley, blocking the intruders from continuing further into the settlement. Beside him, Roscoe moved forward defensively incase anyone made a move on Hancock, even as the cornered politician pushed his daughter subtly behind him.
"Watch my back." He murmured, if only to preserve her pride. Reluctantly, Fahrenheit nodded and settled by his right flank, watching intently as her father turned to address the rabble.
"...Sinjin- What's the meaning of this?" He shouted above the din, keeping his gaze level as he met the other Ghouls bloodshot blue eyes. Spitting, Sinjin motioned for his men to pause, and as the courtyard quieted, he pointed a long, gnarled finger toward the Mayor accusingly.
"Drop the clueless act, Hancock- I know you've been harboring that costumed fuck, the Silver Shroud..." He declared in his graveled, barking tenor. " Tell me where that Shmuck, Connolly, is broadcasting from, or your ass is grass!"
Hancock's eyes narrowed fractionally at the blatant threat, but he elected to keep his cool, knowing the odds weren't currently in his favor.
"Tell your men to stand down- These people aint got nothing to do with your Shroud. That's not how things work in Goodneighbor." He demanded tersely, fixing the other man under his icy black stare. " If you got business with Kent, take it up with him down at the Den. Leave the rest of my citizens out of it."
Refusing to appear intimidated, Hancock kept his eyes trained on his opponent, knowing his reputation would suffer greatly if he faltered- Since the widow Stryder had rolled into town, his popularity had already taken a hit as the local drug trade dipped. If he failed here, he would appear weak in the eyes of his citizens, and chaos would ensue, giving his rivals an opportunity to make a grab for power...For the sake of his men and Daughter, he couldnt allow that.
Pausing cautiously, Sinjin eyed the faces of the wary watchmen blocking the alley. At the mayors command, the sharply dressed triggermen reluctantly stepped aside, leering at him with various expressions of anger and disgust as they moved out of the way. When their path was clear, the older ghoul smirked victoriously, turning to motion to his right hand woman and two of their retainers to follow him onward.
" You three, on me- the rest of you hold our position. If any of these sorry assholes make any sudden moves, kill em' all."
"Sir yes sir!" The Raiders chanted in response, causing the hairs on the back of Hancock's neck to bristle- Raiders were troublesome enough, but the sight of organized Raiders made his guts churn... Fervently he hoped that the rest of Sinjin's Horde wasn't as disciplined, or all of his careful planning might be for naught...
A bitter taste in his mouth, the mayor glowered as the squadron of miscreants shouldered their way through the alley, heading downtown toward Irma and Amari's Memory Den. Silently, he prayed that the two precocious women inside would give Kent up without a fight.
. . .
. . .
Elated by the previous nights revelations brought to light by one of the Dens frequent flyers- a mysterious dry humored drifter by the name of Deacon- Kent wasted no time in preparing to air the days broadcast of The Silver Shroud, practically leaping from beneath his covers to take his usual seat in the little swivel chair by the microphone first thing in the morning. After donning his headphones and hitting the record button, he flipped the switch to open the airwaves.
"Good morning Goodneighbor! Kent here with the latest Silver Shroud update! Some of you might have heard the commotion just outside of town the other day and wondered just what it was all about- well, today, I got answers for ya! Kendra's reign of terror is finally over, and she wont be shootin-"
Kents next words were lost as he was interrupted suddenly by the unexpectedly close sound of automatic gunfire just outside the building, followed by a loud crash that shook the walls around him.
"What? What's happening?.. Oh God!"
Just then, the door burst open as it was kicked down by a long legged woman with wild, unkempt hair, clad in the improvised armor favored by most raiders.
"On your knees Dirtbag!" She ordered, pointing an improvised automatic pipe rifle in his direction. Kent froze in his seat, too shocked to respond. "Sinjin- we're all clear!"
Just when Kent couldn't think things could get any worse, he went cold at the mention of the renowned, ruthless raider boss- and as the man himself entered the room, Kent felt his breath catch and his stomach drop, and suddenly he was struggling not to relieve the contents of his bladder right then and there...
"So this...This is the Silver Shrouds headquarters!" He exclaimed appreciatively, quickly eyeing the room with interest before letting his frightening, bloodshot gaze fall upon his petrified prey. "...And you- you must be his little stooge?"
"Yes..." Kent answered weakly, feeling almost sick. He knew he probably should have lied, but the whole financial district was listening...Confidently, Sinjin approached the recording table, eyes never leaving his as he bent to speak into the microphone.
"If you wanna see your friend alive again Shroud, you better meet me down at Milton General."
"No!" Kent shouted vehemently in response, desperate to warn his cohorts. "Don't do it Shroud- Its a trap!"
Without hesitation, Sinjin straightened, pulling a worn black 10 millimeter pistol from his belt and squeezing a round just above Kents right knee, causing the old Ghoul to fall out of his seat and crumple to the floor, writhing in pain.
"Ahg!" He cried out loudly. "Oh my god- my knee! Do it Never mind, Do it Shroud!"
Amused, Sinjin gave his woman a wan smile of Victory before speaking into the microphone once more.
"Tick Tock Shroud. Don't keep me waiting- we got business that needs finishing..." Reaching out, he pressed the button to end the recording before setting the broadcast to repeat- then, satisfied that his business there was finished, he bent, reaching down to haul Kent roughly to his feet. "Time to move out." He declared gruffly, before dragging him roughly from the room toward the auditorium, where two more goons had Irma, Dr. Amari, and Deacon held up at gun point.
Kent caught Irma's distressed gaze just before they rounded the corner, and exiting the building- and briefly, he wondered if he would ever see her again.
Outside, the citizens and watchmen of Goodneighbor crowded the downtown strip and lined the narrow alley, watching silently as he was dragged to the courtyard. No one- not even the mayor, who stood silently on the statehouse steps- attempted to stop them. Desperate, Kent locked eyes with Hancock as they came to a stop at the front gate. The younger Ghoul's face remained stoic, seeming completely apathetic to his plight, and any hope kent might have had that he would come to his rescue died in an instant.
Before they could take their leave of Goodneighbor, Sinjin paused, turning abruptly on his heel to face the Mayor and point an accusing finger in his direction.
"Hancock!" He addressed the Statesman loudly, for all to hear. " When I make it back, the first thing I'm gonna do is wring old Kent here for information- and if I find out you had anything to with this Shroud business, I'm coming back for you, and I'm gonna burn this entire shithole to the fucking ground!"
Careful to keep his expression in check, Hancock allowed his gaze to meet Kent's, and for a second he thought the mayor might shoot him himself- If he did, he would ensure that his part in the plot remained hidden, but he would be putting his citizens at risk of an immediate altercation. As things stood, the odds weren't in his favor, and it was evident he knew that when he turned away from them at last.
"You got what you came for." Hancock told Sinjin coldly. "Now, you and your men. Go."
Scoffing humorously, Sinjin chuckled under his breath before motioning to his men around the courtyard.
"Come on boys- fall back to base." He ordered. Feeling numb, Kent allowed the other Ghoul to lead him outside, and sent up a silent prayer that Audrey would come to his rescue as he watched the buzzing neon sign above the gate disappear from view.