Chapter 50: Dinero's Town Part 1

The better part of the saloon had been scorched, though largely the burns remained around the upper level. The ground floor was reasonably intact and mostly untouched. The Legatum had little use for liquor and whatever contraband the previous owner hoarded. Rosa was determined to take as much as she could for herself. At the moment, she was knocking bottle after bottle off the shelf. "Junk… swill… crap… garbage…"

"Aren't you being a little too picky?" Dalton asked as he leaned on a chair.

"Hey, if you aren't going to drink this, no one is going to," Rosa shot back. "Besides, you said this guy was… what was it? "Marginally Legion," right?"

Dalton nodded. "Never really meshed with the rest of the group. Pampered little brat he was, he couldn't help but skirt the laws whenever he could, which being this far out in the frontier was pretty often."

"Which means," Rosa continued on her own train of thought. "That the real good shit is somewhere only he would know," she stated as she began stamping her feet behind the counter. "…Jackpot," she grinned as she felt out the borders of the panel. "Old school bootlegging technique," she beamed at Dalton. "Learned from the best!"

"Hooray for you," Dalton apathetically cheered.

"…huh, looks like a walk-in closet. Or, I guess it would be more accurate to call it a "drop-in" closet, heh. And would you look at that! Atomic 96! I didn't even think there were any of these left!"

Dalton looked up in genuine interest. "Seriously? I didn't think Dinero had the palette or the refinement. How'd he get ahold of something like that?"

"…R…M…X… lot of these crates have the label. Must have struck some kind of deal with them. Either that or he got lucky," Rosa added as she stuck her head above the counter and pulled out the cork with her teeth. "Ooohhh-ho-ho-hah, that's fucking ripe right there," she snickered as she smelled the aroma.

"If you puke that up, I'm not stroking your hair," Dalton snorted as he stood up to look out the window. Sheol had made his own move on this place, not even seeking Dalton's input or permission. The upstart had been eager to assume control of whatever was left of the Legatum and had grown bolder and more confident in the shadow of Dalton's apathy. No doubt that after he passed, Sheol would use this as a launch pad for whatever fucking else he had in store for the wasteland, no doubt more causeless murder and senseless violence. Well, as far as he knew, what worked for the last twenty years wasn't broken, just pointless.

"Woo!" Rosa bristled at the taste. "Stings like a cazador vibrator!"

"Like a what?!" Dalton turned to look at her, horrified.

"Figure of speech," Rosa reassured him. "Unless… I wouldn't totally be shocked if Francis and FISTO had one of those in reserve…"

"The more you speak, the less I want to know," Dalton turned away, shuddering.

"Yeah, I don't think thinking about my quinceanera, either," Rosa shook as she took another sip.

Dalton watched as the dust began to pick up just outside the town, even though the wind was coming from the opposite way. The storm was picking up more and more, but this dust cloud was something else entirely. Then he saw the figures within. "…Fuck," he spat as he rushed over to Rosa. "How much space is in there?" he asked as he vaulted over the counter.

"Dalton, what's going oAAAH!" Rosa screamed as Dalton pushed her inside the hideaway. He was about to leap after her when he remembered the machine-gun they left on a nearby table. He quickly navigated around the counter and grabbed it right as the first rider entered the city limits. He ducked back behind the counter right before another rushed past the window, and then climbed into the hideaway right as the hound lifted its nose in the air and began to bay. He snapped the lid behind him as Quintas and Sulla began scolding their mounts.

"Dalton, what the fuck?" Rosa whispered as Dalton squeezed behind her.

"Legion," Dalton hissed.

"You said they rarely come this far out!" Rosa shot back.

"This isn't the usual pick up or inspection. This is the fucking cavalry," Dalton swore as he kept his ear out for any further sounds above.

"Cavalry? Like… horses?" Rosa asked. "I thought those were extinct almost everywhere except some places up north?"

"Legion Cavalry," Dalton began to explain. "Are dogs. Twenty or so years ago, when the great mutant bitch arrived along with that giant abomination she found, the damn thing didn't take well to the desert sun and spent years suffering and losing its mass. They cut the excess flesh from its body and fed it to the animals, and some of them mutated. Hence the giant, ridable hounds. Or so I've heard," Dalton confessed.

The sound of the swinging doors above them stifled any further conversation. A few series of footsteps strolled along the wooden paneling. "…Uriah, take some of the wooden panels and strip off some boards. Damocles, find some tools. We're barricading wherever we set up quarters." Dalton's eyes began to narrow as he recognized the voice.

"Shouldn't we just set up camp here? It's the biggest building?" another voice spoke up.

"Too many vulnerabilities. Holes for the sand and pests to seep through. Besides, I want the dogs corralled in the storage barn and Baxter secured elsewhere."

"I'm guessing Hypatia isn't guarding her?" a different voice spoke up as they strolled to the counter.

"I shall oversee her captivity myself. Kyra suggested Quintas, but Barabbas insisted that she be overseen by someone he trusts, which I suppose leaves me," the older man said to the laughter of the other two.

"A pity then. Frost will miss out on hearing about your two gay foster fathers who never met," a voice chuckled.

"I told you that in confidence," the older man snarled as the other two laughed. They spent the next twenty minutes smashing apart tables and taking the splintered wood outside until they were satisfied. Another ten minutes passed until the silence encouraged Rosa to speak up. "…Baxter," she finally said. "They said they had Baxter."

"Is that important?" Dalton hissed as he tried to squeeze some extra elbow room around Rosa.

"…I knew a Baxter back at the AEG," Rosa finally replied.

"Friend of yours," Dalton asked.

"Not even remotely," Rosa muttered. "…but… if she's at the mercy of these guys… poor girl…"

"…Don't even think about it," Dalton hissed.

"Look, you want to save yourself, be my guest!" Rosa shot back. "I'm getting her out of here if it kills me!"

"And it damn sure will," Dalton scoffed. "You don't know nothing about these folk. That older fella who was talking. His name is Falco."

"Friend of yours?" Rosa asked in return.

"Former work associate," Dalton explained. "I can't imagine he'd care much for me."

"Some kind of Legion badass?" Rosa replied, questioningly.

"…I wouldn't go as far as to call him a badass, but he's good enough to concern me. Besides, he's not who I'm worried about. They mentioned another name. Barabbas. That name really concerns me."

"I can feel the chill going down my spine," Rosa mocked. "What makes him so tough?"

"He's the son of Caesar Lanius and the bitch Oracle. He's the Legate, the top officer of this "new" Legion," Dalton couldn't help but spit in disgust. "And someone who, going off rumors, I would consider a "badass" if you must insist. Point is that this ain't a fight we're going to win, kid, so kiss your girlfriend goodbye."

"So we don't fight," Rosa snarled as she grabbed onto one of the shelves to hoist herself up. "We use the sand as cover and head into the mines. They want to follow us in, we'll hole up in one of your storage depots you have in there and wait them out. If that fails, we escape using another shaft."

"We?" Dalton asked, rhetorically.

"Well, if you're still committed to that death wish, I can leave you behind," Rosa taunted. "But something tells me you're just going to pussy out again when the opportunity arises."

"You have no idea what I can pull off when my back is against the wall, girl," Dalton hissed as he maneuvered himself under her to push her out of the hideaway.

"Well, then I'm dying to see it put into action, geezer," Rosa snorted. "Oh, and one last thing. Are you copping a feel?"

Dalton realized where his hands found themselves to boost her up. "…Don't flatter yourself. There's hardly enough feel to cop."

"Why you…" Rosa snarled. "You are… my seventh least favorite person in the world," she growled as she popped the lid to the hideaway.

The hole was not manmade, that was fairly obvious. Something very large and strong had dug through it, into and under the mountain. Chances were the owner wasn't too far away from it, but with the encroaching storm, it didn't take long to weigh their options. "We set up camp inside and head out in the morning," Cass ordered as the Mexicans scouted the immediate interior. "I see little bits of snakeskin on the walls," Gael spoke aloud. "Massassauga, but he hasn't been here in a while. So, we got some time for a while."

Jimmy glanced up and down the walls. "Must be one big ass snake."

"It was drawn to the caverns within," Joseph spoke up. "It came here because there's a mine on the other side of the mountain. Lots of cool air and food, though something forced it to vacate."

"What can force a giant snake to run away?" Javier asked as he turned on a gas lantern.

"Something much scarier than a giant snake," Joseph answered, much to the annoyance of the rest of the group.

Melody helped Amy inside, making sure her dressed wounds hadn't become undone on the journey. Amy hadn't said anything since the interrogation, wordlessly accepting whatever water or food had been given to her, though taking particular pains to stick close to Jimmy Bishop, the only one she felt she could really trust, much to the consternation of Melody.

Jimmy followed close behind. Cass brought up the rear, urging Joseph inside as the wind began to pick up. Joseph merely stood and "looked" out into the swirling sands. Tobey followed his lead and saw a figure slowly emerge from the dust. He rose his rifle towards the shape. Cass followed suit. Joseph broke out a smile. "I was wondering when you were going to arrive!"

Tobey lowered his rifle as he approached the figure. Cautiously at first, then confidently out of familiarity. He closed the distance between them as he threw his arms around his sister.

"This has to be the stupidest stunt you've ever pulled!" he exclaimed as he embraced Carla.

"I've missed you too, bro," Carla playfully snarled as she returned the hug. "Did you at least get my message?"

"Without a relay station, most of what I got was static. If it wasn't that particular frequency, I wouldn't have even known you were trying to call," Tobey answered. Carla turned to acknowledge the two witnesses. "Joe, Ms. Cassidy."

"You came a long way out here by yourself, girl," Cassidy called over the winds.

"Not originally. That's why I followed after you guys. Tobey, I was travelling with Lt. Baxter and Frost. They got jumped by these dog riders."

Cass planted her palm on her face and let out an exhale. "Not those guys again!"

"You know them?" Carla asked, exasperated.

"Legion, the nicest ones. I rode with them for a little. Still treat women like shit, but at least they aren't total assholes about hiring," Cass explained. Joseph stifled a giggle.

"Want to help negotiate?" Carla asked, hopefully.

"I'm afraid I ran out my favors tab last time I was with them. Besides, going up against them is suicide," Cass shook her head.

"Which is why I'm asking Tobey to come with me to help spring them out. Just like those exercises we ran with Uncle Ulysses, remember?" she offered.

"I dunno, Carla. If dad was here he'd just tell us to open fire," Tobey replied.

Carla shook her head. "If we fight, Baxter and Frost get killed in the crossfire. But two guys who know what they are doing can get in an out before they know what happened. I need someone I can trust, Tobey. Please," she extended her hand.

Tobey took his sister's hand. "Cass, hold down the fort until we get back. If we're followed, it'll be easier to defend inside the mines."

"Well, aren't you so full of yourself as to give me orders," Cass folded her arms.

"Please keep your guns loaded in case we fuck up?" Tobey rephrased.

"That'll do," Cass said as she retreated inside the cave. A part of her would never forgive herself if something happened to the two while she was in the area. However, they were their father's children, and she knew how hard could be to dissuade him when he really set his mind to something. In this case, if it turned out to be dead legionaries, it wouldn't turn out well for any of them. Hopefully, mom's influence would win out. And even more hopefully, they'd have better aim than her, she thought as her shoulder twitched.

Joseph held out his arm as the wind began to pick up. "I shall pray for both of you. Some helpful advice, there's a mineshaft in the town that will lead right to us."

"…Where the fuck are you when we had to gather intel back in the Mojave?!" Tobey called out incredulously.

"The last time I offered my services to several of your superiors, I was told to "get bent, civvie," I believe the phrase was," Joseph delicately translated.

"I'm hoping your info is good. Hey, you can see the future, right?" Carla asked before she committed to turning around. "We're going to pull this off, right?"

"A lot of your success will depend on things I cannot control," Joseph admitted. "But if you two refrain from awakening the Minotaur, you'll both be fine."

The dust began to pick up. Shielded by their masks, Tobey and Carla both waved off Joseph as he covered his face with his hand and retreated inside the cave. The twins turned and marched into the wasteland, bickering over who was going to explain this to mom when they got back to camp. After having traveled so long along, Carla was just glad that there was one guy in the wasteland she could put all her trust in and not fuck her over in any sense whatsoever.

Larain covered his mouth with a bandana as Dinero probed around the rocks. The trek up the slope had taken them a few hours as the winds had picked up, and the girls were standing around looking impatient. Marcy dutifully assisted Dinero in scratching away the dirt the winds picked up while he grumbled and groused to himself. "Almost… there we go… just a bit more and… HERE WE ARE!" he exclaimed as he pried off the panel hiding the ventilation shaft. He looked down at his handiwork as the other heads crowded around him.

"Quickest way in and down, ladies," Dinero chuckled.

Ferra pulled out a flare from her cloak, snapped it alight, and dropped it down into the shaft. She could see it hit the bottom before it went out, and she nodded to her sisters. "So, let me get this straight," Delilah announced. "You lost your petty little enterprise when a gang of raiders overtook your operation? I can see why you didn't call for help. The regional governor would have disemboweled you and paraded your corpse through the streets," she exclaimed as she tried to fold her single arm.

"Precisely!" Dinero grinned a little too widely. "Which is why we're literally going to get the drop on them, you fierce warrior angels you!"

Sophia rolled her eyes as Ferra maneuvered her frame inside the pipe, slowly snaking her way inside. Delilah followed after her, moving slowly as her knees and lone arm did most of the heavy lifting, while Sophia waited until she was a good distance down before slipping her slight frame into the pipe. "Letting the ladies go first? Delilah can say what she will, but at least there are some gentlemen left in the Legion," she smiled as she slid down. Dinero waved as his smile began to fade and forced Larain to stay in place while the women made their way down. "Now… for the full story," he muttered, the typically over-exuberant older man talking in a tone he never really used. "These raiders who took over the operation… they weren't random. Not one bit. They're a group I think both of us are rather familiar with, kid. The Legatum Saeva."

The very name took Larain back to a place he hadn't missed. The boy in him remembered the raid in Denver, where his uncle and his loyalists broke into a bunker under the airport for weapons he knew where to look. He remembered how they fought off the Legion as they disappeared into the mountains, and had spent time raiding caravans for food, living like bandits without a real future. He remembered looking up to his uncle, up until the day he sold him away for sacks of food and safe passage out of a fight he started. He had a lot of memories of the Legatum Saeva, and none of them were pleasant.

Larain grabbed Dinero by the collar. "Are you serious?! Why didn't you tell me sooner?!" he growled.

"I had to be sure you were who I thought you were," Dinero tried to explain. "I wasn't sure that was a good opening line to get you onboard."

"Well, good for you," Larain snarled. "I'm out."

"Alright, fine," Dinero mocked surrendered. "I'm sure you have better places to be, anyway. And no trouble at all finding them."

Larain glared at the old man as he looked down the shaft, a manic grin tickling his lips. "…everything you did was important… to you," he quietly mocked. "When the plasma dies down, that's where you come in, kid."

"Where I come in?" Larain hissed. "So, this is your sorry excuse of a master plan?"

"More like a happy accident!" Dinero mirthlessly cheered. "Once they've been taken care of, you get down there and help me negotiate a truce with the old boy Dalton and presto, I'm back in charge of the mines!"

"Negotiate?! With what?" Larain practically screamed.

"Oh, I don't know," Dinero shrugged. "Maybe how you have knowledge of the inner workings of Dalton's least favorite people, the Californians and what they're doing here? About who's in charge and how you can hurt them? About where they're going and how he can cut them off and kill as many of them as he can possibly try. You know Dalton, just give him something he wants he'll be a good little soldier," Dinero grinned as he picked up Marcy and lifted her on his shoulders. "Well, kid, down we go!" he cheered Marcy as she looked to Larain. Please don't hold it against him, he's been through a lot and isn't in the best state of mind.

Larain watched as Dinero slid down the shaft. A part of him just wanted to walk away, consequences be damned. Find shelter and live out the rest of his short life as a hermit until Sawney or fate caught up to him. Still, with the storm picking up and Dinero, for all his incompetence or worse, being able to at least provide somewhere safe for the moment to rest, he found himself glancing down the shaft, arguing with himself as to whether or not he should sink further into the darkness. He felt like his father. He spat on the dirt.

…I'm only doing this so I can make sure the kid is going to be alright, he told himself. And if Dalton's miraculously still alive, I'll punch him in the face. Maybe. That's all. Larain squeezed his body into the shaft, ducking inside as the wind picked up. Grateful for the cover, Larain grabbed the lid and placed it back on top of the pipe. There was no going back now.

Cade looked through his binoculars at the town as lights came from a few of the buildings. Dog cavalry. Legion. Right, where his quarry had taken to hiding. How annoying. Perhaps it would be possible to go down there and ask nicely to apprehend the girl and take her head then and there. Or perhaps they had already captured her and had their own designs for her. Ethics aside, he'd have to put her out of her misery anyway to collect and evacuate. Still, the presence of those dogs would make ingress and egress rather troublesome. What a bother.

He felt the hot breath on the back of his neck. He immediately turned around and pointed his rifle at the giant lizard. It wore that stupid "grin" on its face as it motioned with his neck to show Cade something. Cade kept his eye on the deathclaw and his rifle in his free hand. Sawney scoffed. "I tuld yuz, yuz makz a louzi meel. No point in huntin sumthin that dozent skreems. Yuz weird."

Cade kept fixing his glare on the lizard. "…Fine!" Sawney sulked as he stepped further and further away. After twenty or so paces, Cade felt comfortable enough to look at what the lizard wanted to show him. What he saw was a firefight, the muzzle flashes punctuated by various flashes of plasma. The sniper gritted his teeth. And this job just kept getting worse.

"Blasted deadlines," he muttered to himself as he put away his binoculars, turning to Sawney as the lizard had quietly regained the distance between the two. "…Looks like you just got a bunch of food delivered," Cade began. "Why don't you go down there and introduce yourself?"

Sawney cackled. "Noice troy. Yuz jus wantz me down there to getz killed. Besides, that kave down there looks reel comphee."

Cade thought for a moment and began to formulate a plan. "…There's only one person down there that I want. A girl with a machete."

"Wuz that?" Sawney asked.

"…A female with a big knife," Cade rephrased. "Understand?" Sawney nodded vigorously.

"Great. I want her head and knife delivered to me as untouched as possible," Cade explained. "I need to be able to tell who it is. Do that, and I won't turn you into a pair of boots and a belt. Are we clear?"

"…A-doorabell," Sawney smiled. "Yuz tinks yuz can tellz me what to dos."

"…In that town down there, there is a man," Cade explained. "A man you will not be able to beat in a fight. A man who can kill you without even shooting or hitting you. If you confront him, you will die. And if he sees you, he will kill you."

Sawney's eyes narrowed as he tried to assess how honest the mammal was being. This human didn't cry or whine or sleep or laugh or even get really angry. He was just someone following Sawney's prey and wanted to get what he wanted and leave to do whatever it was that monkeys did. Sawney would do something he had never done before in all his time in the wastes. He would take this human at his word.

"…Oh kay," Sawney nodded. "Soz I'z go findz another hole insidez. Seez yuz reel soonz, humie," Sawney growled as he prowled away. Satisfied by the distance the lizard put between them, Cade rested his rifle on his shoulder as he looked down at the town. All he needed was an opportunity, and he could finally see this mission through for good.