#that garbage cap one looks more annoying than dangerous tho but then again its easier to set off a chain when you take less damage at once

[pika-blur]

i wanna fight the core adjacent ai so bad dude uwaaah

[unikornu]

Page 6, Enterprise

(re-written)

As the night already fell upon Nuka Town the duo decided to delay the first trip till morning and give the new Overboss much needed sleep. But with the patio windows broken and exposing the whole area she just couldn’t relax. After turning around way too many times, side to side, she jumped out of bed pulling the knife from under the pillow and walked to the Porter’s room.

- Hey...listen. She looked from behind the wall to make sure she is not disturbing the raider and to her relief he wasn’t sleeping yet either, sitting at the table and tapping buttons on the terminal.

- Ye, Boss? He turned his curious eye to her.

- Do you mind swapping beds for few nights? I just...can’t sleep in the open like that. Makes me nervous. She approached him with crossed arms, looking at the him and then at terminal.

- Seriously? You prefer to sleep here, in my shithole? He shat down the terminal, screen blacking out.

- Yes. She sighted. - Fuckin, please?

- Okay okay, u don’t have to ask like that. Just don’t dig around my shiet, Boss. He stood up, grabbing his rifle and left towards the patio.

- Thanks. She whispered and waited till the she could hear the door closing behind him in the hallway before giving terminal another look. - Hm....he even knows how to use them, i wonder for what tho....

She couldn’t resist the temptation and sat down at the table, turning the screen back on. She looked over the panel, noticing some buttons with a small scratch on them and hacked herself in after few tries. Numerous messages showed up, old ones from Colter but also few from other leaders. The one on the top appeared coming straight from Mags the same day. Lucy spotted a pack of cigarettes opened next to her and snatched one. Upon lighting it she paused as the note started showing up lines, mentioning her and the vault.

- Ekhem. Gage grunted low, leaning on the wall, not precisely happy with her current occupation at his table, smoking his cigarettes.

- I took just one, i swear. She left the smoke in the ashtray and stood up from the table, turning off the screen.

- Nosey type, are you Boss? He smirked at her and walked to the table, pushing the button again and looking at what she was reading. - Look, Boss. We also need to know what we deal with, which is well, you. You don’t look like anyone else who walked here and with your....uhm posture. Of course folks got curious what’s the freaking deal with ya. He handed her the smoke back. - Since you took it already, might as well finish it.

- I have to be aware of my surroundings too Gage. Trust was a luxury for me, before the war. I mean....She scratched the back of her neck avoiding his look nor continuing onward.

- So Mags and her suspicions were right. You are from the fucking vault, hell from before the world went to shit. His eye opened wide, looking at her and waiting to share a bit more.

- World was shit even before, believe me. Now its just more...dirty and no one gives a damn bout politics since guns are answer to every problem. She pulled out her lighter and flickered a fire towards him as he took out a cigarette as well.

- And what was your position before, Boss? You mentioned you ran with some gang. He looked down at her, curiously.

- I was just a private tool of some important criminal figure back then. Gathering data...killing some people on a way but the pay was good and since justice proved to be blind and corrupted i found my place there, eventually. She shrugged her arms and finished the smoke, crashing it in the astray placed next to him on the table. - That’s all you need to know for now. What about you, Gage? What is it that you are trying to play behind my back and Colter’s before?

- What ya mean, Boss? He raised the eyebrow.

- Don’t play me a fool. I heard things, he didn’t want to be a leader, you talked him into it and when it longer suited you, you got rid of him. You want also to treat me like a puppet attached to your strings? To be thrown away later when i slip away? I know a lot about being in someone’s grip, ohh trust me. She squinted her eyes at him.

- Fuck, look. I’ve been in this raider shit for a long time but i went through a lot of crap too. People always pissed on my advices, trying to make the gangs something more than just bunch of drugged, stupid savages and in the end i was the one always ending up with a gun to my head. I want to survive just like everyone in this shit but i want to be smarter bout it, if ya know what i mean. He released a cloud of smoke her way, sighting.

- And how that approach goes with trusting each other in the end? She shook the smoke cloud away from her face.

- We don’t have to trust each other. We just need to do the job and keep our heads on the fuckin neck. And then count the caps, Boss. He crashed the cigarette in ashtray with his thumb.

- Sounds familiar...she whispered.

- Then it might be easier to do if it sounds so, Boss. Get ya rest, tomorrow we head out, at last. He snatched the pack of smokes from the table. - Also i’m takin it before you steal all of em. Lucy kept her word this time and went straight to bed as the raider disappeared in the patio.

----

- So where should we head out first? Lucy asked as she was strolling towards the exit, early morning with Gage by her side.

- It’s your call afte rall but i think, Bottling Plant would be the best first strike. They both fastened their steps once on disciples territory.

- Why? She asked.

- Mirelurks...if we let them nest there any longer their numbers will only fuckin grow. Gage handed her a pistol with a fairly long muzzle. - Also take it, you can’t go on everything here with just a freaking knife, Boss.

- Fair enough. She took a pistol and pushed it behind the belt.

As they were walking through the desert land, covered thickly in dry tall grass, surrounded by just old, silent music of the pre-war park Gage could feel a bit of tension in the air as they weren’t talking almost at all.

- I don’t like to talk much myself Boss but...that will soon feel awkward even for me. He pointed out.

She looked up at him and shook her head. - I just ain’t used with much company since...you know. And i would rather be focused for now that....

- That we don’t trust each other, yet. Okay, Boss.

As they arrived to the park the glow of the river almost blinded them, the blue quantum tone shining in the air, raising from the fluid flowing out of the tunnel.

- That’s gonna be..sticky, ugh. Lucy left the sound of disgust as they stepped into the cola river and headed inside the tunnel.

- I sure ain’t pushing a boat for that sweet ass of yours. She looked at him with her mouth half open but decided to just leave that comment behind.

- I have one more question Gage, before we go fishing for crabs. She stepped up on a small garbage lump mixed with mud, shaking her leg off the cola. - You have like hundred of raiders there, why only the two of us is taking care of it?

- Because they already took their part before, in taking the Nuka Town. I cannot decide which park will belong to whom, they hate me for now, i told ya and if you leave that decision to them...well, there will be half less raiders and hell of a more problems to fix. He explained brushing off some droplets that landed on his cheek.

Suddenly the lump started to move beneath Lucy and mirelurk raised from underneath it with her still trying to hold herself on top of it.

-Shit. Raider fed it a few bullets, more than he expected, in a face before its pincers would cut them both. Upon falling Lucy got thrown away to the river.

- Fuck, ughh. She appeared shortly, standing up all wet, her skin glowing from the concentration of quantum and hair sticking to her face. Gage couldn’t hide his smirk as they carefully moved onward. - Let’s leave questions for later, Boss eh? She agreed.

They were ripping through the mirelurks onward, Lucy swiftly approaching them, shoving the knife under their protective shells in a soft meaty structure, Gage face looking more and more annoyed from a guide voice and glow of nuka cola. Walking through the water was also more tiring for the legs so as they arrived to the staircase leading towards the generator room they didn’t hesitate to force open it. They got welcomed by something more dangerous than a pair of pincers clacking in their faces. A red bright beam of laser pushed them apart to the door frame as it welcomed them upon entering.

- Fuckin assaultron. Gage armor was hissing from the heat it caught from the laser, releasing a thin cloud of smoke into the air.

- No time for chit chat. Lucy didn’t hesitate with taking action, approaching fast the machine and shoving the blade into its eye. She jumped back as it started to spin around, waving its claws, reaching her wrist in the process and throwing her to the ground.  -Fuck, take it off me!

Gage didn’t hesitate either, shoving bullets at it on a way and kicking the robot off her. They bashed it together till it was no longer showing any signs of movement. - Thanks, Gage. She checked her lower arm for any wounds.

- Don’t mention it Boss, we are partners after all in that small fight of ours. She looked at him, her expression softened.  

- Lets see what’s down there and then clean the rest.

-----

The generator was pumping quantum so much they could barely look at it, bright, almost toxic for any human gaze. They stumbled upon a small camp, or at least what it looked like with remains of it.

- Gunners, again. It must be part of that patrol i heard about on a station. Lucy searched the bodies, finding some notes and ammunition, more advanced than what raiders currently had.

- There is more of them coming here? Gage asked.

- Yes, they wanted to come with the last train but i ruined their trip. She smiled under her nose and handed him some of the ammunition.

- Good call, Boss. We managed to push them back on some old bridge but since then they just duck there. Now i know why.

- They wait for reinforcements from outside, to push again. They nodded at each other and started heading back.

- We will take take of them before that happens. Fuckin gunners, always sitting like a goddamn pin under our asses. Gage growled softly, under his nose and looked at Lucy as she stopped at the terminal near the generator.

- Just give me a sec. I want to see what that button does. She leaned and tapped some buttons on the keyboard.

- Big red buttons never do anything good, Boss. Gage joked and watched her working.

- This one indeed might not to anything good, but only for the rest out there. She pushed the button with her fist, nearby metallic door forcefully opened with an impact revealing a red-white massive set of power armor.

- Holy shit. Gage whistled, almost tempted to jump right in and kick some ass.

- Cmon, get in. It looks like it still has some power. Lucy jumped to see if the core spot was still filled with something. Gage grinned at her idea, opening the structure and hoping right in. - Now let’s crack us some seafood, Boss.

-----

Gage ran and slammed the door open along with a mirelurk, leading to the outside parking of the building. As Lucy was trying to catch up with him the signal appeared on her pipboy and a message. It was Institute with their sudden directions in the current place.

She leaned on her knees to catch a breath as she finally caught up with Gage outside. - Go check the upstairs, i will make sure there are no more eggs around that pond and make sure the queen never arrived here.

- Alright, Boss, just be careful. Gage nodded and headed up, stomping heavily onto the metallic structure of the bridge. As Lucy made sure he is out the sight she slam kicked some eggs laying around the water, stepping slowly in, with her pipboy stretched forward, weird red beam of light seemed to scan the surface, screen showing a progress bar. As it finished she stepped out in a rush, still not sure if its fully safe but after a few seconds another confirmation message poped up, with directions for the reward drop spot. - That was easy. She smiled and ran back up to join Gage and give him half the news.

- Porter was laughing, stomping onto the big lizard body, smashing it into a paste in a process. He did enjoy his time in a suit, indeed.

- We are lucky, there is no queen. Was....that last of them? She pointed at the mix of scales and guts splattered around, raising her brow.

- Looks like it Boss. Now for the last part of this job. He stepped out of the power armor and handed her three pieces of rough looking cloth pieces. - This is your decision and only your Boss to whom you give that territory.  

- A flag? Really? That’s what’s gonna keep em away from beating each other for it? She looked over them, symbols of each painted in a decent, artistic manner.

- Surprising i know, but it will. They are still simple fuckers so these rules works for their dumbass heads. He pointed towards the tall pole. - Pick one and show them we mean business this time, get things moving at last. He patted her back as she turned away.

Lucy walked towards the pole, shuffling the flags in her hands and trying to decide on one. As the Operators showed the most promise to her and Lizzie gave her a hand on a gear she chose them as the first gang to get the hands on fresh piece of land. She attached the cloth to the rope and pulled it vigorously, Gage was smiling in the back.

- Done. That should turn away all these doubtful looks. At least from the Mags boys, and there still might be some caps around, its a fuckin factory after all. She handed him the rest two flags back and looked at the armor. - Does it still have some power to take it back with us?

- Not much but it should make it to the Fizztop. Gage walked up to her, his eye gazing on her in a calm manner. - Good job, Boss. I can’t believe we actually fuckin doin it.

- You did most the fighting for now Gage. She looked up at him.

- But you filled the missing cogwheel we needed here, to get us moving. Hope ya wanna keep it up like that, Boss. It looked almost weird seeing a soft smile appearing on this rough face of his, showing up a feeling of missing promise he wanted so much to deliver.

- Since i didn’t trip on your leg to my “accidental” death yet i guess we are good. She joked and smiled back at him for a second and looked away towards the power armor. - Now how about you give me ride back?