Of Mice and D
Earlier in the day, Devil paid Rynthas and told him to guard D. His job was a simple one: make sure no one hurt D, make sure D didn’t hurt himself, or anyone else. If only it were that simple..
The Ground Zero Bar
You enter the Ground Zero nightclub. It’s a kinda secluded place, away from Needles and Quartz, but still close by. The place is lit by some red lights, which cast a very sinister glow upon this room in particular. You see the patrons…most of them gangers and punks. Looking closely, you notice that all of the gangers are members of the Badland Originals. A rather large man with a mohawk smokes a cigarette, standing behind the bar. You hear extremely loud musicbeing played to the east. Glancing over, you see people slam-dancing in a moshpit while some punk band screams vulgar lyrics into the microphone. To the north is a huge metal door. To the west is a dark room concealed by a curtain. To the south of here is the front door…leading out into the wastes. Minion, the most brutal bartender in all the wastes, stands here. You see the all-too-familiar Guns N’ Booze Vending Machine(tm) sitting in the corner.
D, the Gang Poser Rynthas, the Mercenary Instructor Chaos, the Cadet Thin Red Paste, the Corporal Ranger Dagg.
D sits in his corner, on the floor.
Rynthas shakes his head, and resumes his post near D.
D is sitting on the floor, in the corner, talking to a sock puppet.
Rynthas is standing guard over D, propped up against the wall with his shotgun gripped tightly.
Thin Red Paste enters.
D looks up at Rynthas, and tilts his head to the side.
D drools.
Rynthas looks down at D, expressionless.
D raises his sock puppet, and squaks at Rynthas, “Erp.”
Rynthas nods, “Yeah…erp. Right.”
Dagg enters.
Chaos enters.
D looks over at the door, seeing new people enter the bar, “Strangers..”
Thin Red Paste says: Yep. I got no damn clue who you are, and that makes you a stranger to me, as well as I one to you.
D points at his forehead, where the letter “D” is etched into his skull, he says, “D”
Dagg walks in, his face unshaven and looking quite haggered, but, strangely, the suit clinging towards his body is seemingly new and prestine, as if great care were taken over it.
Rynthas eyes TRP blankly through his mirrorshades, “Leave ‘im alone.”
Thin Red Paste says: Yes suh, missuh armed suh.
Dagg raises his hand in a salute towards all the rangers in the bar room, then glances down at D oddly.
Chaos salutes Dagg.
Thin Red Paste salutes Dagg.
Chaos salutes Thin Red Paste.
You pat your old, worn out sock puppet.
D sees everyone saluting. D tries to salute, but pokes himself in the eye, “Ow..”
Rynthas sighs, “Goddamn rangers…why they always gotta come here to get drunk, eh D?” he asks, knowing full well he’ll not recieve a straight answer.
D looks up at Rynthas, “Rain.. ger?”
Dagg follows his gaze up from the man sitting on the floor, until he spots Rynthas, and snickers, “I should have known.”
Rynthas nods down at D, “Yeah…goodie-two-shoes freaks in the uniforms…” he points at the various rangers in the room.
D thinks for a moment, “Two shoes..” He looks down at his feet, and back up at Rynthas.
Chaos mutters something about drunks, then wishes silently to himself that it was possible for him to get drunk.
Dagg hears the muttering, and looks over at Chaos, as if seeing him for the first time.
Chaos nods to himself.
Minion puffs on his cigarette.
Dagg says: I see your views about me have changed, Rynthas…
D suddenly thrusts his head into the wall again.
Dagg cracks a jaded smile, “Last time business didn’t mean spoon-feeding biased views at…those who can’t understand them.”
Rynthas raises an eyebrow, “Eh? Howso?” He ignores D, which should be protected by his hard hat.
D continues to sit in the corner, talking to his sock puppet.
Thin Red Paste says: Hmm. got nothing better to do… Think I’ll join ya D.
Thin Red Paste smashes his head into the wall.
D looks over at Thin Red Paste, and up at Rynthas, slightly confused.
Dagg glances down at D, startled by his head pounding, then grabs Thin Red Paste, shaking his head.
D looks up at Dagg, “Erp.”
Rynthas laughs as TRP takes to self brutalization.
Dagg asks: Corporal, does recon patrol across the desert sound good to you?
Thin Red Paste says: Aww, you never let me have any fun, dagg.
Dagg growls, “You had better mind your…actions, then Ranger.”
Chaos says: Easy on the boy Dagg, he’s just a little slow.
Dagg grins at Chaos and laughs, “Which one?”
Chaos laughs, “All of em sir!”
Thin Red Paste smashes his head into the wall again, with all his strength, and knocks himself unconcious on the floor. And he wasn’t even drunk.
Dagg watches Thin Red Paste with disgust, then mutters about the Rangers they let in while he was gone.
D looks down at TRP, and back at the wall. D scoots away from the wall a few inches.
Rynthas begins laughing loudly as TRP knocks himself out, guffawing.
Dagg says: Look’s like a few Badlanders I used to know—
Chaos grabs a rag off the counter and tosses it at TRP, “When you wake up, wipe yourself off.”
D pets the wall slowly, hoping to make friends. Not wanting to get knocked out.
Rynthas looks down at D, then points at TRP. “Ranger.”
Dagg shakes his head sadly and remarks, “Moron.”
Thin Red Paste stirs.
Rynthas snickers, “Like I said…”
Dagg looks at Rynthas bitterly, then glances down at TRP’s movements.
Thin Red Paste sits up, grabbing his head, “Oh, man, I need some booze to get rid of this headache.”
Chaos buys a bottle of Rotgut.
Chaos gives a bottle of Rotgut to Thin Red Paste.
Thin Red Paste says: Thanx.
Thin Red Paste opens a bottle of Rotgut.
Chaos says: No problem.
Dagg grabs Thin Red Paste, and starts barking orders into his face, “SON! WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING!”
Dagg glares at TRP, and knocks the Rotgut bottle out of his hands.
Thin Red Paste drops a bottle of Rotgut.
Thin Red Paste asks: I wanted to make a good impression. now look at that wall. see the dent?
D drools.
Rynthas glances down at D, “Hey…gimme back my canteen if you aren’t gonna drink from it.”
D gives a military canteen to Rynthas.
Rynthas closes a military canteen.
Dagg jabs TRP in the chest, yelling, “GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!”
Thin Red Paste says: Just lemme get my rotgut.
Thin Red Paste takes a bottle of Rotgut.
D looks up, startled by Dagg’s screaming.
Rynthas points at Dagg, who is yelling. “Ranger.”
Chaos thinks sadly to himself that a Badlander can care so much for an underling, while a Ranger yells at his…
Dagg turns away from TRP’s face, and slowly cracks a smile of his face, then turns around the Ranger once again, yelling about his actions.
D starts to yell too, “HEY! No! Yell bad! No scream! Rain ger bad! No! Hey!”
Thin Red Paste walks out, holding his head and mumbling “Man, I never should have joined these tight-assed stuck up ranger dickheads…”
Thin Red Paste says: One other thing.
Chaos says: I’d stop while you’re ahead TRP.
Thin Red Paste asks: Shall I turn in my dog tags?
Chaos says: Or don’t, whatever.
Thin Red Paste takes a swig of Rotgut and makes a face of disgust.
Rynthas pats D on the head, “Calm down…calm down…I won’t let ’em hurt ya.”
D looks up at Rynthas, and barks.
Rynthas looks at D, and sighs. “Remember those old books your momma used to show you? The ones from before the war, all burned up…yellow….had the alphabet on ’em? ‘D is for Dog…’…”
D looks up at Rynthas, confused.
Rynthas looks down at D again, “Well…okay…so maybe you never saw one. I’ll have to see if I can dig one up someplace for ya.”
D blinks at Rynthas.
D asks: Erp?
Rynthas sighs, “Nevermind..”
D looks at his sock puppet.
Dagg barks, “Son, I’ll tell you what you can do…Clean up after the juvies in Highpool for a month, and maybe…MAYBE…you’ll gain some respect…HAVE I MADE MYSELF CLEAR?”
Thin Red Paste asks: Huh? You say something?
Thin Red Paste takes a swig of Rotgut and makes a face of disgust.
Chaos glares at TRP, “It would be a good idea NOT to talk back to your commanding officer…”
Thin Red Paste says: I’m trying to get kicked out.
Dagg sneers, “Then you WON’T get kicked out.”
Chaos smacks TRP in the back of the head, “What the HELL are you THINKING?!”
Thin Red Paste sticks his chin out, “C’mon, take a swing.”
Dagg says: Be the BEST, and I do mean the BEST officer you can BE, THEN you may get out.
Thin Red Paste drains the last of the Rotgut and grimaces.
Dagg exclaims: You want to get hit, to get out of the Rangers, then ACT like a Ranger, and I’ll consider taking you OUT of this group, SOLDIER!
Rynthas glances at TRP, “Leave ’em, like I did. Candyasses had a problem with me selling gear…so I told ’em to shove it.”
D looks up, “Candy?!”
Chaos searches his pockets for some candy, “Sorry kid, I’m all out.”
Dagg corrects Rynthas, “Luthen had a problem with that…not me, Rynthas.”
Dagg says: I had a problem with you killing off several of my friends.
Rynthas snorts, “Luthen…was a dickhead…and you…are a pansy.”
Dagg laughs, “To each his own.”
Thin Red Paste asks: What’s the punishment for being a deserter?
D looks arround the room, a wild look growing in his eyes, “Candy..”
Rynthas glances back down at D, “Hmm…I’ll get you some in a while.”
D drools.
Rynthas looks down at D, and frowns. “Hrmm…”
Dagg says: Ah, and as for traitors, TRP, we haven’t have many…but when we do…
Dagg pats his Colt .45 “Nevada Peacemaker”.
Thin Red Paste asks: Ok, I gotta ask. What, exactly, is D’s problem?
Dagg says: I was wondering that myself, soldier.
Rynthas shrugs, “Hell if I know. I’m just guarding him.”
Dagg asks: Why are you guarding him anyway? After all, who would want him?
Chaos says: I imagine its an advanced form of whatever made you hit your head on the wall.
Thin Red Paste says: Ah, so he’s just not quite right in the head.
Chaos says: Or so it appears…
D raises his sock puppet, “Beearr… mmphhh.. deeerr..”
Rynthas turns to face Dagg, “Well, Devil apparantly, he paid me to gua…..” he hesitates, lookding down at D. “What’d you say?”
D looks up at Rynthas, and slowly repeats, “Beearr… mmphhh.. deeerr..”
Thin Red Paste says: I feel like making another dent in the wall, just to piss Dagg off more.
Thin Red Paste slams his head into the wall.
Dagg leans down at D and talks slowly, “Who…after…you…?”
Rynthas levels his shotgun at Dagg, “Step off, Rangerboy….”
D looks over at Dagg, “Stranger.. you stranger.. stranger bad..”
D tightens his grip on his heavy sledge hammer.
Chaos pushes TRP’s unconscious body under the nearest table.
Dagg steps back from D and Rynthas.
Dagg says: I…no…stranger…Bitterman…stranger…
Dagg says: Bitter….Man….
D yells, “NO! STRANGER! BAD!”
Dagg blinks.
D starts to thrash about on the floor.
Rynthas raises his shotgun back into a guard stance, “Yeah, he’s a stranger D….calm down…”
Thin Red Paste sits up, bashing his head off the bottom of the table inadvertantly, and knocks himself back out again.
Dagg asks: Good God, where did this Ranger come from, Chaos?
D raises his sock puppet, and speaks to Dagg with it. Oddly, the sock seems more intelligent, “Strangers bad. You go away. Bad”
Rynthas kneels down, placing a comforting hand on D, “Take it easy…calm down…tell me where you heard about deer and bears.”
D asks: Dear?
Thin Red Paste wakes up and crawls out from under the table.
Rynthas is kneeling on the floor near D, shotgun in hand.
Rynthas nods at D, “Deer…the thing you said earlier. Where’d you hear about them at?”
Dagg says: Ah, sorry about the shouting, I was trying to straighten him out a bit…but, sadly, it’s a brick wall we’re talking to.
D looks at Dagg, “Wall?” D looks at the wall, and back at Dagg.
Chaos whispers to Dagg, “Try talking to the puppet”
Dagg talks slowly and drawn out, pronouncing each word carefully, as if talking towards a small child.
Dagg looks at the sock puppet, and replies, “I, Dagg, Ranger, me try help others. No matter what cost to me.”
The sock puppet barks at Dagg
Dagg says: Had to leave, other strangers after Dagg.
D shivers, as Dagg talks, “Strangers.. bad..”
Rynthas growls at Dagg, standing again. In a cool, level tone he states, “Piss off. Don’t talk to him..”
Dagg asks: Yes…Strangers…bad…Rynthas friend?
D shakes his head, and raises his sock puppet, “Friend.”
D points at Rynthas, “Rynthap friend too.”
Rynthas growls at Dagg, “I’m gonna give you one more warning before I put a bunch of shot in your head..”
Dagg nods, as with understanding, and replies, “Puppet…where…you…from…” before backing off at Rynthas’ warning.
Dagg shrugs at Rynthas, “It’s your job, I’m just trying to make it easier…where did you leave off about Devil hiring you…?
Thin Red Paste slams his head off the wall with all his might, denting it, causing his forehead to bleed, and falls over unconcious for the fourth time.
Thin Red Paste thumps to the ground.
Dagg ignores TRP, again…
Chaos drags TRP’s body to the door and pushes him out.
You smash your bottle of Nuka Cola over the nearest object.
D say: Uh oh..
D raises his bottle, and looks at Rynthas, “Broke.”
Rynthas shrugs, and begins talking to Dagg again. “Yeah, he’s a ganger I guess….Devil paid me to keep people from fucking with him.”
Rynthas looks at you.
Dagg nods.
Dagg says: Devil has had a few moments with me, but, he seems to be alright towards others…
Rynthas frowns, “Drop the peices…try not to get cut…someone will clean it up later.”
D starts to gnaw on the bottle.
Thin Red Paste stumbles back in.
Thin Red Paste asks: How the hell did I get out there?
Thin Red Paste notices that he is bleeding, “Blood. My blood. Damn.”
Rynthas looks down at D, and slowly pulls the broken bottle away from him. “No..you’ll cut yourself, bad….” he pokes his finger with one of the jagged edges, and a small drop of blood wells up. “See? Broken bottle is bad.”
Dagg asks: Mind if I try to get some more information out of him, Rynthas?
Rynthas nods, “Yes…I do, in fact.”
Dagg nods.
Dagg says: The less prying the better…
Rynthas nods at Dagg, “Yeah…he spazzed out earlier, too many people askin’ him stuff.”
Dagg says: Hell, we might as well leave him alone…it’s not as though he can give us anything useful anyway.
Rynthas shrugs, “Never know with these types…but don’t guess you’ll be finding out.”
D talks to his sock puppet.
Dagg shrugs.
D grunts.
Thin Red Paste spits at Dagg.
Dagg watches the spit hit the toes of his shoes, and kicks Thin Red Paste in the back, “Ranger, watch it…”
Rynthas looks down at D, “You want somethin’? Some more water, anything like that?”
D looks at the broken bits of glass, “OoooOoo.. shiny.. shiny pretty.”
Rynthas opens a pair of Cargo Pants.
Rynthas takes a hand mirror.
Rynthas gives a hand mirror to D.
D looks into the mirror.
D gasps, and screams.
Rynthas hands D a mirror to play with, “Hey…calm down!”
D screams at Rynthas.
D screams.
Rynthas quickly takes back the mirror.
Rynthas exclaims: Calm down! Calm…down!
Dagg says: D…we…friend…you…in…glass…
D screams at Dagg.
D tightens his grip on his heavy sledge hammer.
D starts to raise his sledge hammer.
Thin Red Paste exclaims: I’ve had enough of this damn organization, with its “Rules” and “Order”. To hell with ya, Dagg! Consider me a deserter!!
D screams at Thin Red Paste.
Dagg backs up and tosses a a magazine from the Bar towards D, trying to calm him down while yelling, “NOT NOW, TRP!”
Dagg gives a slighty charred issue of PC Gamer to D.
Dagg exclaims: Look…picture…!
Thin Red Paste exclaims: Of course now!! You’re busy with other stuff!!
Thin Red Paste exclaims: That makes it all the more fun!
Rynthas grips D’s hammer, stopping it short. “No…don’t hurt Dagg…” he angles the mirror to reflect an image of his puppet, “See? Two friends…see?”
D screams at Rynthas again.
D looks at the magazine, he seems to become more enraged from the magazine… hey, maybe you should’ve gave him porn instead.
D throws a slighty charred issue of PC Gamer at Dagg. It bounces off of his head, and lands in front of his feet.
D screams.
Thin Red Paste steps between Dagg and D.
Chaos shakes his head slowly back and forth, “TRP, you just put yourself between a madman and a psychopath.
D goes to tackle Dagg, but Thin Red Paste gets in the way.
D tackles Thin Red Paste.
You shout: BAD MAN!
Dagg grumbles and tries to drag TRP away from D.
D clenches a fist, and throws a punch at TRP.
Thin Red Paste throws D off of him, and is smacked in the face.
Dagg says: Dammit, somehow I knew this was going to happen when I came back—
Chaos says: Dagg, just cut him loose.
Rynthas growls, and reaches into his pocket. He grips the syringe tightly, jerking off the cap with the teeth and attempts to smack the tranq into D’s shoulder again..
D frantically tries to grasp his sledge hammer, as he stands out of Rynthas’ reach, and tries to make another attack on TRP.
Dagg runs forward, trying to block the blow on TRP and falls to the ground.
Thin Red Paste gets into a fighting stance and swings at D.
Chaos says: Aww hell…
Dagg grits his teeth in pain, and starts to stand back up, avoiding TRP’s swing at D.
D takes a hit to the face from TRP. Oddly, he seems unphased by the hit. He just stands there, grinning stupidly, and drooling.
Rynthas grunts, and grasps his shotgun again, swinging the stock at TRP’s jaw.
Thin Red Paste follows up his punch by jumping over Dagg and nearly being decapitated by Rynthas’s shotgun.
Dagg exclaims: Ryn, use the hypo on TRP for God’s sake!
Rynthas snarls, “Hell no. I’ll just knock his ass out.”
Dagg says: It’s already happened 4 times today…if not more…
Thin Red Paste lies on the floor, groaning.
D raises his sledge hammer, attempting to smash it down in on TRP’s rib cage, as he lays on the floor.
Dagg’s eyes widen as he realizes in horror he’s too late to stop D from coming down with the blow.
Thin Red Paste rolls out of the way, but the sledge comes down on his arm, crushing the bone, “AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!”
Chaos screams out, “THAT’S ENOUGH!”
Chaos says: Damn it, why does everyone always gotta try to kill everyone else.
D turns to Chaos, hearing his screaming, with a wild look in his eyes.
Thin Red Paste screams in agony, clutching his badly broken arm.
Rynthas spins back around to face D, “Stop…stop it now D! Talk to your friend.”
D seems calmed by Rynthas’ voice, “Friend?”
Dagg yells, “FRIEND…DAMMIT…FRIEND!”
D freaks out again, and jumps as Dagg screams.
Dagg starts dragging Thin Red Paste away from D…
Dagg grumbles about TRP’s weight as he walks farther away from where the fight took place only seconds before.
Rynthas nods, and slowly reaches out to D’s puppet, “He’s your friend…and I’m your friend….”
D swipes his puppet arm at Dagg, as his eyes dart arround the room with panic and fear.
Chaos smacks TRP, “What the hell is wrong with you?”
Dagg happens to see the arm coming from the corner of his eye, but is too late to react as he takes a hit on the chin.
Thin Red Paste pulls his gun in a fit of rage, and levels it at D, holding it left-handed. He pulls the trigger, but the gun misfires, “GRAAAAHHHH!!!!!”
Rynthas lays a calming hand on D’s shoulder, “Sit down…sit down and talk to your friend, I’ll stop the mean strangers.”
D screams, and dives for his corner on the floor.
Rynthas spins around as D dives for the floor, leveling his shotgun at TRP as he notices the pistol. He fires once, reacting instinctively.
Thin Red Paste is hit in the leg by buckshot at close range, resulting in a terribly mangled leg, and lies in a spreading ppol of blood, barely concious.
D huddles in the corner, clutching his sledge hammer, and holding his sock puppet close.
Dagg staggers dizzily, dropping Thin Red Paste, as he waits for the world to stop imitating a record player.
Chaos says: Sorry bout that Dagg.
Dagg says: Hey…it wasn’t you…it was that damn puppet…
Chaos says: In that case…
D raises his puppet at Dagg, and screams some loud incoherent slur that you can’t begin to understand.
Dagg laughs in a grim humor, and shakes his head, then starts to calm D down…again.
Thin Red Paste says: Eeh…
Dagg says: Look…Rynthas…friend…no stranger…no bad man…
Rynthas lowers his shotgun, hurrying over to D. He tries to grab him by the collar, and head to the bathrooms. “Come on…let’s go someplace quiet…no strangers, no loud noise.”
D has started to cry, he looks up at Rynthas, with snot drooling from his nose.
Thin Red Paste groans softly.
Chaos asks: Can I just put TRP out of his misery?
Chaos opens a black trench coat.
Dagg shakes his head.
Dagg says: Hurry him over to the Ranger Center Infirm…
Chaos says: Damn.
Chaos closes a black trench coat.
Chaos salutes Dagg, “Gotcha”
Dagg grins, and replies in a sarcastic manner, “Hey, you don’t have to if you don’t want.”
Chaos grabs TRP by his good leg and drags him out the door.
Chaos says: He’s gonna need some straightening out…
Chaos leaves south.
Thin Red Paste follows Chaos south.
Thin Red Paste leaves south.
Dagg kicks at slighty charred issue of PC Gamer.
Dagg says: He may still want to read that…
Dagg shrugs.
Dagg leaves south.
Rynthas tries to coax D into moving, but quickly gives up and searches for something to entertain him with.
Rynthas opens a pair of Cargo Pants.
Rynthas takes a Poseidon Oil roadmap.
Rynthas gives a roadmap to D, “See? Pretty colors..” he says, pointing at the various colored lines and states.”
D drools.
D looks at the blood covering the floor, and mutters, “Stranger.. bad..”
Rynthas says: The mean stranger is gone now, don’t think about it.
D wipes a tear away.
Rynthas pats D on the head, hardhat thumping softly.
D wipes the blood off of his sledge hammer, using his sock puppet.
Rynthas looks over at D’s now-gory sock puppet, and shakes his head.
D looks up at Rynthas, “Rynthap.. me tired.. attic?” D points off in the wrong direction to where the attic is.
Rynthas nods, and helps D to his feet. “Alright, let’s go…” He then points over to the hallway, shouldering his shotgun. “Attic is thataway, cheif.”
D looks at Rynthas, and nods.
D drools.
Rynthas begins leading D off to the attic.
Rynthas leaves north.
You follow Rynthas north.