[Junk XIII] In The Cradle (J 5-1)

Rich

Jack,

How did you end up at Cat's this fine evening? The place is doing good business. Trade's picked up recently. Word is that the Black Mesas are all dead and buried. Cat served up some new bottled beer from Boomtown.

Who bought this round, you or Rinso? How do you know him? When are you going to tell him that Tang and his other four punks are staring daggers at him whenever he isn't looking?

Oh, those clone kids are hanging out by the big fire. The one with the eye patch, that's new, is whittling with a switchblade. Another is trying to blow smoke rings while the one wearing the funky hat is just watching everyone with a crap rifle on his lap.

Adam

Mmm... World famous Oasis-grown tobacco — I'd recognize that putrid stench anywhere. I take a sip of this Boomtown brew Rinso bought me, and let the musings of Chopin accompany in one ear the tale he's spinning about the convalescence of the past and the future — his future — in my other. The bitter and sweet blends seemlessly with the pianissimo of the Nocturne, and I'm forced to close my eyes so I can focus on his voice — the one he's speaking with, rather than the dissonant emotions chaotically bubbling forth from his brain.

I gather the man knows that Tang is eyeing him... In fact, I'd bet a considerable amount of jingle he came in here hoping for just that. I turn and look to him — a half smirk lifting the far corner of my mouth — "so... Tell me again this plan of yours? I gather your friends in the corner of the room are a part of it?"

Rich

Rinso's been pretending to put these brews away, getting louder as the night rolls on, acting more drunk-ish. But you know damn well he's full of drek. "Those friends are a threat to my girl Kiddo. And that's my fault. Me and my old partner mugged them once, left 'em alive. So, I'm here to make sure they aren't a threat to me and mine. Ever again." He takes a real drink from his brew, then, "If you want their scrounge, you can watch my back. I'm not after their jingle this time."

Why is he being so honest with you, Jack?

Adam

Because I was, at a time, honest with him... Kiddo and I have a bit of a history, as a select few men do — and as it just so happens, I'm the man who has the oldest history of that type with her. I always did feel bad about that... She was broadcasting so passionately on all wavelengths that I couldn't help myself at the time. It was like she was screaming at me to take her... When the deed was done, and her voice quieted, I heard the sobbing in the back of her mind... I had done a horrible thing; but having already dabbled in her mind, I let myself in one more time — to fix it.

There was one man in her heart who stood aside from all the others — who was "there" as she so simply put it. She could not name him herself, but I recognized him. I told Rinso that very night. Everything. Well, everything with a filter for those with a sensitive pallet. The heartbreak was palpable. I told him there was no other man that could console her the way he could, and that he should not lose hope. It would seem he did not, in fact, lose hope — and he takes this appointment quite to heart.

I take another sip of my beer, and let the Nocture gradually end, and transition into a Sonata. I feel their gaze on him even now. I put my hand on Rinso's shoulder and smile wide. "I would be rubbish in a fight, Rinso — but I've always been fond of you, and Kiddo... I'd be a fool to say no." I look over to the crowd and give them a level look, to draw attention to myself... Look here, little hooligans — all eyes on me.

Adam

OOC: Reading Tang. Roll+Weird* (Casual brain receptivity). +1XP rolling highlighted.
(Rolled: 2d6+3. Rolls: 6, 6. Total: 15)

Adam

Ah, there you are my sweet Tang. Hush now — let the soothing sound of my voice guide your thoughts to the truth.

OOC: Holding 3.
Q1: How could I get Tang to forgive Rinso?

Rich

Rinso chortles a little into his beer. "No offense, Jack, but you're not the partner I planned on having in this scrap. But well, what's the old Earth saying? That ship has sailed."

Tang would probably let Rinso live if he could mug the frakker himself, take a pound of flesh. He's lost the respect of his gang, the few with him now are all that's left. So yeah, he's in this for the fight, to show dominance. It isn't jingle now.

Adam

I quirk my head when he mentions a ship has sailed... "Oh? Who might that have been? Surely your history together would merit some consideration..."

OOC:
Q2: How could I get Tang to fight Rinso alone, in spite of his gang being present?

Rich

Rinso shifts uncomfortably, "The girl who trained me. Same one who talked me into mugging poor Tang. I was really drunk at the time, you know?" He shrugs, like that's not the best excuse, but its true.

"Anyways, I went to see her, she damn near shot me. Twice. Told me to get the hell out, never come back." He looks at you sidelong, "Didn't make any kind of sense, but well... these are my sins. My list. I'll fix it on my own if I have to."

If you could angle it so Tang looks like a coward for taking the whole gang to the fight, he might be back into a corner. But Tang isn't stupid, Rinso would frakking break his little neck. Tang needs to think Rinso is well and truly drunk or otherwise disabled before he'd go for that.

Adam

I smile, "You know what goes well with bruised ego? A side of liquor." I lean in close, and jovially press his forehead to mine. While there, I take the opportunity to whisper, "follow my lead, Rinso, and I'll save you a bit of blood on your hands. We're going to let Tang beat you up."

Oh, what the hell... While I'm in here...

OOC:
Q3: What is Tang really feeling?

Rich

Rinso blinks a little, but he trusts you. He also has an ace up his sleeve if things go pear-shaped. He smirks, "Sure, Jack. Lead away."

Tang is feeling angry, angry that he's in this mess, that he has little hope of winning back his gang with this, and may lose one or two more. He's a little scared, too. Rinso is a big guy, and no slouch. But he's ready to throw down, he knows there's no other way.

Adam

I order up two double shots of the finest liquor Cat has on the menu — a vile mixture of what I can only assume is ethanol, and a few drops of an orphan's tears. It's truly nasty. I lift my glass, and toast him — "to your health."

Then I'll proceed to get him as drunk as I can, while staying sober myself, before marching over there, and accusing Tang of being a coward for not "stating his beef" — as an old friend of mine used to say — with my good friend Rinso here.

Rich

So Jack, Rinso trusts you and all, but he knows he's about to get into a fight, probably to the death, he's thinking. With the scant amount of info you've provided, I'm thinking this is definitely a Manipulation to get him to go along. Otherwise, he's going to pretend to get drunk just like he already is.

Adam

Well then... I sure hope he's a convincing drunk.

OOC: manipulating Rinso. Roll+hot.
(Rolled: 2d6+1. Rolls: 4, 1. Total: 6)

Rich

Well hey, he's convinced you he's drunk. That's all you can hope for, right? So lumbering Rinso is listing to port when you've gotten enough in him that satisfies you. Tang and his cronies are still watching him, and now you, and they aren't even hiding it. Hell, the clone boys are watching them now.

I guess it's time to execute the next step of your plan, eh?

What do you do?

Adam

What any self respecting man would do in this situation – I carefully remove ear bud from my ear, and slowly walk over to them. "Gentlemen," I hum calmly, "I couldn't help but notice that your friend here's been staring daggers at us since we sat down... And now the rest of you have joined him. You'd think my friend here beat him up and took his lunch money, or something of the sort..."

Rich

So Jack, do Tang and the others know you? If so, how do they know you?

Adam

That's an excellent question... I'm not entirely certain all of Tang's people know me... I'm something of an omnipresent face in most people's minds. Those who don't know me have all heard about that man who sits alone to himself in the corner of a darkened bar, and those who take the time to speak to me can rarely contain themselves from spilling forth whatever obscene filth happens to be on their minds at the time...

Well... I should be fair — they don't know I can hear them, but the lack of control most people exhibit with their minds is discouraging at times. Tang, on the other hand, doesn't know me personally. I'm merely a familiar face that's haunted his peripheral vision for quite some time. For most people, that's all I'll ever be — it's very rare I'll come out of my shell for someone... Rinso and Kiddo were special cases.

Rich

Tang looks up at you with narrowed eyes, "Frak you, stranger. Rinso an me, we gots history. Ima frak him up as soon as she steps foot out the door."

It looks like his boys have his back. Rinso laughs at Tang, just a chuckle, like he doesn't even believe in this threat.

Adam

I sigh and shake my head, "a shame..." I turn back to Rinso, slowly walking back to him, but speaking loudly enough for Tang and his men to hear. "I suppose we'll have to spend the night here then, and sleep it off. It would simply add insult to injury if Tang couldn't best you by himself, inebriated as you are."

Rich

Tang fires back, "Tell you what. Ima step outside right now. And if anyone here aint yella, and they know I have issues to settle with em, then they can step out, too. C'mon, boys..." Tang stands up like a snake striking, turns and heads towards the door.

Rinso watches them go, then looks to you, "Gonna be hard shooting all six of them now that they're ready, Jack." He smacks his lips like there's some bad taste in his mouth.

What do you do?

Adam

"Not terribly," I reply with a smirk, producing my iPod and a pair of heavily modified earbuds — a special invention an old friend of mine whipped up for me to help silence some of the voices in my head that weren't my own. "Here. Focus on the music, alright? Forgive me if it isn't your genre, but I've been told I have a rather peculiar taste..."

Those earbuds are special, you see — they'll protect him from... Oh, where is it now... Ah! From this innocuous looking device — a gift from a fellow mind-reader. To the naked eye it appears to be nothing more than a small tablet — much like the iPod I gave Rinso, only a little bigger — but when activated, it surges forth in a cacophony of energy, leaving all those surrounding me in torturous pain. "All this bloodshed, Rinso... It can't just be for love, can it? Such violence... It begets further anguish..."

Rich

Rinso lets you put in the earbuds, and when he can hear you talk without any trouble, he arches a curious brow. You ask about his motivations, and he replies softly, "Kiddo wants me to wipe the slate clean, Jack. She's... carrying my baby. I want her to feel safe." He frowns, like this isn't the answer he wants to give, that he doesn't disagree with you entirely, but for different reasons. "It's not like I can just give back the jingle we took and say sorry, Jack."

Adam

I quirk my head in sudden interest. A baby you say? ... Oh, Rinso ... What are you doing here then? I rub the scruff on my chin pensively, and narrow my eyes pensively. "Come — We'll talk futher on the subject once we've dealt with these impatient lunatics. An expectant mother should not be so stressed — we should remedy this as quickly as possible."

Then I'll lead him out of Cat's bar, keeping a finger on my painwave projector.

Rich

In the scratchy dirt "parking lot" outside Cat's, Tang is sitting on the hood of his buggy. Its a cold night, the kind where you can see your breath. The engine of the buggy is on, and the headlights are streaming out, illuminating the lot. Everyone else's inside except one of the clone kids, who's sitting on the roof, cleaning his rifle and chewing on chaw, spitting from time to time.

The rest of Tang's gang are standing near the buggy, waiting and talking. One guy, oldest of the bunch, balding on top, he's got a chain out, wrapping it around his fist. The lone girl of the bunch, she's young, maybe one of their kids? Not much to look at, road rash ruined her left cheek and eye, she's got a butterfly knife she's flipping around.

Tang sees you both and pushes himself up to stand in front of the buggy. Rinso sighs, like "oh well, this is what I gotta do" and starts to walk forward.

What do you do?

Adam

I stand next to Rinso with my hands in my pockets. He towers over me of course, being the frightfully large man that he is, but I stand there menacingly in my own way. I look Tang in the eye a moment, sharing a cold glance between us, and before anyone can say anything, I flip the switch to my projector.

Surrender to the pain.

Rich

Jack, what does it look or feel like for you when that projector goes off?

Adam

A shrill, and continuing blast of monotone noise fills the air like a tuning fork struck against the brains of everyone surrounding me. Those surrounding me cannot comprehend it — they can only feel the pain — but me? I hear it. It is deafening. It was an experiment, you see... Something of a pacifier to a wailing babe, frightened and confused at all the noise. This was long before Chopin and Bach — they are the friends of a more civilized man. This was the baby's cry.

Rich

Hell, Jack, I don't see how these assholes would have a chance of knowing this was coming.

Tang and his gang fall to the ground, clutching their ears as they start to bleed. The girl with the butterfly knife, she's keening, trying to match it like a dog howls to block out a sound, but it's no good. Rinso looks at you, because he knows he didn't do anything.

The kid falls off the roof, by the way. Not sure if you even notice.

Rinso pulls out his Glock and starts walking forward. It looks like he's going to double-tap these guys.

What do you do?

Adam

I keep my finger on the switch long enough for Rinso to do his job. I remind him, as he approaches, "Make it quick, Rinso... I'm not partial to using this thing very long."

I suppose I should help... I reach into my coat pocket and produce a scalpel I've kept finely honed. I walk over to the little girl, mortified at her howling, and pull her up by the hair. I whisper in her ear, "Shhh... Such a pretty face should not suffer... I'm so sorry, dear."

Then I plunge the scalpel into her heart — ending that wretched wailing.

Rich

Her name was Asics. The girl you just killed, Jack. She makes brief eye contact as the life drains out of her. Her mindless heart pumping furiously and making her death all the quicker. Who does she remind you of?

Rinso double taps each of them, then holsters his gun and goes over to help the clone kid up. Kid scowls, but he wouldn't admit to anything broken. These boys are mean their core. He says angrily, "Leave any tin, its Cats."

What do you do?

Adam

I stare at her pitifully as the life drains from her eyes — that vacant stare, and confused look — I purse my lips and close her eyes... She reminded me of and old lover — without the road rash. A hopelessly optimistic girl — perhaps stupidly so. I watched the life drain from her eyes too. Not as she died though — merely the hope spilling forth from a fresh wound. I would try to make it better, if I could — but she ran. Such a pity.

I wipe a strand of loose hair from my face, and it sticks to my skull, caked with blood. I slip the scalpel back into its pouch once Rinso's done with the rest of this gang, and make my way over to the young man. "They're yours. Come Rinso, I think it would be best we not linger here..."

I make my way over to the buggy, and pat the passenger's seat.

Rich

Rinso nods. He quickly gets to work, rifling through pockets an pulling out any tin, scrounging anything useful, then dragging the bodies off the parking lot to stack them. He brings the guns and scrounger to place them behind you in the buggy, and pauses by the passenger seat. "Where are you going, Jack?"

Adam

I wait patiently in the buggy for Rinso to finish his work, and hold my hand out for my iPod before he hops in. "You know me Rinso — the eternal wanderer. I suppose anywhere that isn't here. The question is, where are you going?"

Rich

Rinso shrugs, gets in the passenger seat and grabs the "oh drek" handle. "Either Wal-Mart or Oasis. Neither will be fun. You wanna pick?"

What do you do?

Adam

I ponder the options a moment, but the answer is quite clear. "The stench of those Oasis cigars has me reminiscing fondly of a particular spot by the water... I could use the company."

I'll wait for him to hand me my iPod before leaving. If I'm going to spend the next few days driving with a man and his thoughts, I'll be needing it to sleep. Very few things are more disturbing than a person's thoughts while they dream...

Rich

Rinso hands the player and earbuds to you, saying, "No offense, Jack. But you're one weird guy." He gives you a half-grin, like he's not bothered by it, just observing. He looks back at Tang and his dead gangers, "And thanks. I owe ya."

--END SCENE--