#'Three hours into Nathaniel’s new captivity and he’d already been threatened with a gag four times.'

[luci-cunt]

👀👀 I am sending this again very specifically because I want to see Neil throw flowerpots at Andrew sorry not sorry

k;asd XDD

Ask and ye shall receive:

(btw in this au Neil and his mother were mechanics for the Moriyama’s who use robots that look like them called “Avatars” to cause mayhem in the “Wasteland” which is just the U.S post-nuclear destruction. The U.S keeps telling the public no one survived the fallout, except people in the middle of the U.S did and are now basically the NPC’s in Westworld. Rn Neil’s stuck in a tower in the Wastelands doing matinence for the Moriyama Avatars, except Riko’s the only one anymore. idk if that makes sense, if it doesn’t just enjoy pot throwing XD) Also I just dumped the whole segment in here, it’s like 1k so watch out XD.

_____

Two days after Riko’s visit Nathaniel was running on the treadmill when he heard voices. 

He ignored them at first, since curious scavengers and survivors weren’t uncommon. Usually they’d pick their way around the building until they realized there was no way to get in or spot the MORIYAMA PROPERTY sign. 

But then Nathaniel heard the electronic whine of a saw starting up, and he jumped off his treadmill, grabbing for a weapon–a heavy wrench–and carefully made his way towards the sound. 

It was coming from his kitchen, on the wall behind it, and while it was muffled Neil strained to listen to what they were saying. The saw cut off sharply, and then started again, before turning off, like whoever was using it didn’t know how to use a button. 

“…know how to use that?” one voice said, Neil thought he heard a scoff. 

“Of course I do, I’m not an idiot,” a second voice said. The first voice sounded feminine, while the second was male, and oddly familiar. “For the record–” the second voice said, starting the saw back up, “–I think this is a terrible idea.” 

And then Nathaniel heard the saw pierce through the metal of his walls. 

He froze, listening as the saw cut a hole in his prison. No one had ever broken in before, no one had the guts to. So whoever these people were, they were either stupid or powerful. Nathaniel wasn’t sure which he preferred. 

Suddenly there was a loud clatter and a curse, Nathaniel jumped at the noise.

“We’re breaking in through the fridge?” the first voice said incredulously, and Nathaniel blinked at his fridge door. 

“It used to be an exit, they just put a fridge in where the door was, so it’s the weakest point,” the second voice explained impatiently. 

Nathaniel heard the clattering of them removing all his food and shelves and dumping it next to the building so they could enter, and in a moment of panic he braced himself against the door to stop them.

“After you sir,” the first voice said mockingly. “Oh, right, or after you, ass,” she added, sounding bitter. 

Three people? 

Nathaniel felt someone push on the door. 

“Come on Monster, open it up,” the woman said, and the ‘Monster’ pushed again, Neil pressed himself against the door harder. “Is it locked?” 

“It shouldn’t be,” the man said.

“Then why is it not opening?” a third voice said, this one closest to Nathaniel. 

“I don’t know! It should just open, it’s a fridge,” the man said, “Just–push harder, maybe there’s something in the way,” he added. 

“Or you could use that handy little saw we brought,” the Monster said dryly. Nathaniel’s heart started pounding. Fuck.

“Oh right, yeah, I’ll do that,” the man said, his voice coming closer as Nathaniel hear the saw start up. He bolted before it even touched the door though, and the fridge crashed open, spilling three people into his tower. They all cursed and one of them fumbled to turn off a saw, but Nathaniel barely looked at them, too busy bolting for the ladder to the second floor. He got about five steps before he heard someone on his tail, and he pressed himself to go faster, jumping for the ladder. Right as he started to climb through the hole someone grabbed Nathaniel’s ankle, yanking him back downstairs. His arms hit the second storey floor, knocking the breath out of him and he scrambled to hold on to something, kicking at whoever was holding him. 

His foot finally caught something, and the hand disappeared with a curse, Nathaniel clawed his way up and nearly collapsed as he put pressure on his ankle. He hissed, and quickly looked around for some kind of cover to block the open entrance. There was nothing besides plants though, and when Nathaniel looked back he saw a blond head poking its way up from the top of the ladder. On instinct he threw his wrench at the man, who barely managed to dodge it. Nathaniel scrambled up and dragged himself into the back of the room and grabbed a potted plant, when the man’s head popped up again he threw the plant and heard it crash to the floor. 

“Hey what’s–fuck!” the woman’s voice called, interrupted by Nathaniel throwing another pot down. The blond head appeared again, but this time when Nathaniel threw the pot a hand darted up, batting the plant aside so it smashed on the ground next to the opening. 

Panic filled Nathaniel’s body and he just grabbed a pot again to throw, but before he could the man was across the room, he snatched the pot away from Nathaniel and smashed it on the floor. 

“How about you stop that?” he said, voice dripping with barely contained anger. Nathaniel gulped, but managed a scowl. 

“Fuck you,” he hissed, punching the man’s chest. It wasn’t a very good punch, but it seemed to shock the man enough for Nathaniel to be able to bolt around him, all but diving for the door. He didn’t make it very far though, because the man just grabbed the back of Nathaniel’s shirt and slammed him back against the wall. Nathaniel wheezed, his vision swimming as his head bounced against the wall behind him. 

“Who are you?” the man asked, his voice sounding echoey.

“Concussed,” Nathaniel said, trying to blink away the silvery splotches dotting his view. The man was short, surprisingly short, leaving Nathaniel only a few inches taller. He had short hair and hazel eyes that burned where they were boring into Neil. He was wearing all black, with a pair of armbands around his forearms. 

“I said who smartass,” the man said, and suddenly Nathaniel felt a knife pressed to his throat, he almost laughed, but before he could answer the other two members of the mans group caught up to them and were standing behind the man. 

“Christ–Andrew who the hell is that?” the woman asked, she had dark skin and hair about as short as the man’s, but it was curlier. Her face was wrinkled in confusion and she was holding a massive looking machete. 

“Nathaniel?” Nathaniel’s head snapped over to where he suddenly spotted Kevin Day, standing behind the woman. His face looked pale, the 2 tattooed on his cheek stark against the white skin and green eyes wide in fear. 

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Nathaniel snarled, he couldn’t help it. Bitterness filled him, clashing with the panic. 

“I–” Kevin started, but he was interrupted. 

“Kevin who is this?” the man holding Nathaniel asked, Nathaniel turned his scowl back on that man. 

“It’s–it’s–Nathaniel, he helped me–” Kevin paused, his eyes glazing slightly as he probably relived the memory, “He helped me escape, I thought you–” Kevin stammered, Nathaniel laughed. 

“What? Thought I escaped too? Died? What did you think Kevin?” he snapped, Kevin flinched at his words. 

“I’m sorry I–”

“Shut up,” Nathaniel and the man with the knife said at the same time. Then they glared at each other for it. The man pressed the knife harder to Nathaniel’s neck, and Nathaniel had to force himself not to gulp. 

“Tell me who you are, and what you’re doing with the Moriyama’s,” the man demanded, and Nathaniel smiled at him. 

“Why do you want to know? If you know this is Moriyama property then you’re all either idiots, or powerful enough to know what I do,” Nathaniel said, it made the man’s eyes narrow on him. Either these were a bunch of scavengers looking to cash in on what they probably thought was some kind of storehouse, or they were powerful enough to know about Avatars are and were looking to get their hands on the tech.

“Andrew you shouldn’t–” Kevin tried, but Andrew–apparently–didn’t listen to him.

“Here’s what I think, Nathaniel, I think you’re an Avatar mechanic for the Moriyamas, I also think you must be pretty important since they kept you around even though you helped out Kevin,” Andrew said. So then a bit of both. Neil glared at Kevin over his shoulder.

“You told them?” he hissed, Kevin flinched. 

There was only one law that was actually enforced for Avatars, and that was no Wastelanders could know about Avatars. Hence the fake blood in the skin and Nathaniel faking Riko’s wound. If Wastelanders figured out about the Avatars, it would ruin their simulation, and then the corporation who’d made them would get less money. So anyone who let the secret spill was immediately banned from using an Avatar. 

Kevin–while immune from being punished himself, since he wasn’t in an Avatar and didn’t want to use them–was Moriyama responsibility, so by him spilling the secret, it could get the Moriyama’s in hot water, which wouldn’t be good for anyone. 

“I had to, Riko was coming after them because of me, they needed to know.”

“Hey, we were talking,” Andrew said suddenly, reminding Nathaniel of the knife at his throat. 

“What do you want?” Nathaniel hissed, Andrew shrugged. 

“Usually? Nothing, now? To piss Riko off,” he said, Nathaniel’s stomach knotted itself as he started connecting the dots. 

“So go tell him his hair’s parted weird,” Nathaniel said, hoping Andrew wasn’t thinking the same thing he was. Though, from the cold smile spreading across his face, Nathaniel didn’t feel so lucky.

“Or, we could steal his favorite mechanic.”

Shit.