I wait patiently for Gage to return, sitting at the bar. The stool feels hard against my tailbone. I hop down, crossing the room to a leather couch. I sit down, leaning my head against the back, watching the crystal chandeliers above slowly move in the gentle breeze.
Gage returns a short time later, a smile on his face.
"What did you manage to accomplish, Gage?" I ask, hoping for good news.
"They were so happy to be given some space that Mags has a crew packing up to go as we speak."
"What did she say she could get moving?"
"Chems. And weapons. As well, your old house won't be touched, but sealed off."
"Thank you, Gage," I say. It feels like a relief to have some good news for once. "What's next for us?"
"Let's pick an area of the park to take over."
"Which one do you recommend we start with?" I ask.
"Well, depends on what you wanna take on," Gage responds, raising his eyebrows.
"What do you mean?" I ask, cocking my head to the side and peering over at him. He sits on a bar stool beside me, polishing a pistol in his hands.
"Nuka Galaxy has robots. Kiddie Kingdom is overrun by ghouls. Safari Adventure has mutant crocs... Need I go on, boss?"
"Fine. I get it. What's easiest to do first?"
"Probably Dry Rock Gulch. There are some fierce man-eating bloodworms. Word is their nest is hidden away in one of the rides. It's locked away, but you can talk to the robots to find a key."
"Man eating bloodworms?" I ask with a gulp.
"Not as bad as it sounds. They just like to jump out of the ground and bite at your face. Standard armour is enough protection."
"If you take me somewhere and I get injured you'd better hope it kills me or I'll beat your ass," I remark.
"You? Beat my ass? Boss, no offence, but I can see over the top of your head." He says, chuckling nervously. "We'll be fine. I promise. You got me and that little mutt. He smells pretty bad, but he is a fierce protector. And I don't wanna have to find another over boss. So ya best believe you're makin' it outta there."
"Alright." I sigh, standing to my feet. "Let's head out to Dry Rock Gulch."
"Wanna have a smoke first? It's a prewar chem that doesn't do much, but it helps me calm my nerves when I'm fighting."
"Can I see it?" I ask, curious. I am very familiar with most prewar chems. I used to see everything working as a lawyer.
"Yeah, here ya go." He says, handing me a crudely rolled joint.
My nose catches the heavy, herby scent right away. "Back in my day, we called that 'marijuana'. It was illegal, believe it or not. But just in most of the US."
"Want some?" He asks, flicking a gold zippo lighter, and pinning the joint between his teeth.
"Yeah, sure," I respond. "I tried it once or twice. Wouldn't mind seeing how it feels now."
Gage takes a long drag, blowing a thick line of grey smoke into the air. Then he hands it to me. I do the same, taking too much smoke in one puff. The new wasteland version of weed is more potent.
I cough, handing the joint back to him as he chuckles. "Take 'er easy, boss."
"Shut up," I mutter, taking slow, deep breaths.
I try another hit, which irritates my burning lungs, but they start to get used to it after a few more puffs. I quickly feel it hitting me, and I feel more calm. And hungry.
"Better?" He asks, peering over at me.
"Much," I respond, surprised at how slurred my words are. My head feels light. "Is this stuff supposed to make me feel stupid?"
"A little." He responds, shrugging.
I stand upright and walk to the door, Dogmeat hopping up and following closely behind me. My movements feel sluggish.
"Ready to head, eh?" He asks, reaching for the joint and taking another puff.
"Yeah. Let's go." I respond.
He gets up, making sure he has his gun and follows me out the door. We make our way through the park and out the main entrance. We cross through the barren wasteland towards the tall walls in the distance, dust blowing through the wind with tumbleweeds rolling around.
We get to Dry Rock Gulch and make our way past tall dirt mounds. I swallow hard. All of a sudden the ground below our feet rumbles. Gage holds his gun up and Dogmeat snarls loudly, leaning low to the ground defensively.
"Get ready," Gage says, his eyes meeting mine.
Suddenly huge worms with teeth burst from the ground, launching themselves at us. We open fire, the worms exploding into a mess of green slime and worm bits. I feel a gag rise in the back of my throat. I try to swallow it back, but one escapes.
"Boss, did you just fuckin' gag?" Gage says, stopping, wheeling around on his heel.
"Um... No?" I respond, my cheeks growing hot.
"You're blushin' ya fuckin' liar." He snickers. "If you're gonna get anything done you're gonna have to get over that."
"Gage you can't say these aren't disgusting. You didn't gag the first time one exploded in your face?" I ask, my tone defensive.
"Alright, ya have a point. They're fuckin' nasty." He sighs.
We pass a food stand. Curiously, I open the Nuka Cola cooler. Dusty bottles are sitting on the rusted, metal shelf, ancient cobwebs coated in nuclear fallout strung between them.
I step back and open the refrigerator. The rusty hinges squeal loudly in protest, after being unloved for two centuries. The fridge isn't powered, but boxes of funnel cakes and other sealed foods litter the shelves.
"There's still food here!" I call.
"Collect what you can carry. We never have enough food," Gage says, opening an ice cream stand across the pathway.
We line our pockets with the expired goods, leaving behind any with compromised packaging.
We make our way around the huge sheriff's office and come to our first protectron. We fight through hoards of bloodworms and make our way through the park. I managed to get the code from one robot right away using something I remembered about computers from college.
We come to the safe with the key to the ride and open it using the code. The old wooden doors swing open on rusty hinges, the track grinding begrudgingly to a start after two centuries of rest. We follow a big wooden cart as it creaks slowly along the track.
Bloodworms burst from the walls and ceiling, engulfing us in a cloud of dust. I raise my gun, pointing at the nearest one and pull the trigger. It bursts into bloody chunks. Dogmeat mauls one, grabbing it behind the neck and swinging it around violently. Gage smashes one with his boot.
The ground trembles as we come to a clearing. The tracks are broken off, revealing a dark hole in front of us. It erupts as we get close, bloodworms rushing around our legs, snapping at our hands and feet.
"They're everywhere!" I shriek, shooting the ones at my feet.
"Don't stop shooting!" Gage hollers, emptying clip after clip into the intestine-adjacent creatures.
I hear Dogmeat whimper, a bloodworm latched onto his hind leg. I swiftly slam my foot onto its neck, separating its head from its body. Dogmeat kicks it off, showing a very mild cut. It can be easily treated.
When all that sits at our feet is a mountain of bloody worm pieces, I feel the nausea from before threatening to make itself known.
"Let's hurry," I say, holstering my gun.
We head back out, having destroyed the nest, and find some fabric to piece together a crude flag.
"Who gets this place?" Gage asks.
"Give it to the operators," I respond.
When the flag is hung high from the flag pole at the front of the exhibit, we trek back to the main park.
YOU ARE READING
Conquerors
Fanfiction"Do you think we could conquer the world?" "Nuka world? Of course, we can." "No," I say, my voice soft. "I mean, the earth." "Let's just stick to the Commonwealth and then move from there."
