Cassius walked down the row of cells, waking the occupants until he recognized the client. He looked bored. 

"Where's the boy?" He struggled with the words, it took him a long time to shape them in his mouth. The man just laughed. What the fuck is his name?


"Your boy gave you up, Cassius." He sounded confident. "All it took was two minutes with the pliers, two! Can you believe it?" 

Cassius didn't wait to hear more. He threw himself at the bars, snarling and pounding, shaking the metal in a cacophony of animalistic growls and rattling steel. The man in the cage scooted back against the wall, but the effect quickly wore off when he saw he was safe behind the bars. Cassius pounded a fist into the wall, leaving a bloody mark in the concrete and the man only laughed in response. 

"I'm gonna k-k-kill." Cassius sputtered, saliva running out of the hole in his cheek and out from under his mask. "Fu-fuck y-ou. Gimme Ronnie. Gimme th' boy."

Gladys didn't understand why the stranger - Cassius, was it? - was so hellbent on finding this Ronnie guy, but he was visibly upset by the prisoner's taunts. She couldn't tell if this loser behind bars was bluffing or if Ronnie really was in trouble, but their time in the jail was waning and they needed to leave. Soon.

Gladys remained rooted in place, her pistol still trained on the guards in the corner of the room, and she was about to interject when Winston literally punched the steel door off its hinges. Granted, it wasn't in the best of shape, much like the shoddy jail itself, but that was still wildly impressive.

That had all the guards looking over, and one of them finally found the courage to speak up: "Get comfortable in here, because when the others get back, you guys are gonna be doing a lot of time in jail." He tried to sound tough, but he squeaked a little at the end and Gladys just rolled her eyes.

Back to the drama: she really thought Winston might kill this guy, but she reckoned he probably deserved it. He seemed like a dick anyway. Either way, she didn't really care, but damn they needed to move.

"Alright guys, we need to wrap this up, we're running out of time and I'm not looking to get into a firefight with all of Diamond City security," she said, and looked over to the kid who still remained silent. "Let's get whatever information you need and leave through the back."

The smug piece of shit slammed into the concrete wall of the cell with a loud crack. Cassius planted his boot on his throat for a long moment before the kid in NCR armor came up to him. He eased up on the pressure. He rubbed his bloody knuckles absently.

"We don't need 'im. Just where Ronnie's at." He looked to the others gathered around, gesturing at man under his boot. "Any ideas?"

He stepped back from the man to give everyone space, moving his rifle from his shoulder to his hands. He also made sure to grab a pistol off the ground. 

"I'mma make some noise across... town." He paused at the exit hallway, looking pointedly at one of the hostage security officers. "Jus' noise... no harm done." He looked back at the group he'd become tangled up with. "There's a spot jus' ousside the... wall. That jackass know-s th' place... s'where we met to do my contract firs' time." [EDIT: the diner overlooking the junkyard? idc]

He set out down the hall out into Diamond City proper. These people knew how to take care of themselves, that was clear, but he also recognized this was largely his fault. If they were going to stick with this job he was going to have to make some sacrifices. He'd buy some time and then try to sneak out through the storm drains.

From an outsider's perspective, the whole situation was rather comical. And soon, Gladys watched each of them leave the prison until she was the last man standing, aside from the guards who were still pretty flabbergasted. Holstering her gun, she stepped over the scattered weapons and other debris from their incursion, and called back over her shoulder to security: "Yeah, sorry about that, but don't try anything funny while my back is turned." And she knew they wouldn't.

Once outside, she gave a quick look around. So far, so good. It was almost dawn now, and the sun had just started peaking over the horizon. Soon, Diamond City would be bustling with activity again. She debated going on her way because she owed nothing to Cassius and this Ronnie guy, but weirdly enough, she sought to see this thing through.

Cassius said something about meeting him at a particular spot outside the wall, and although that could be literally anywhere, it wouldn't be much trouble to find considering Winston had the prisoner slung over his shoulder. When he finally came to, they'd have a destination.

Gladys strolled out of Diamond City and right past a set of guards who were oblivious to the shenanigans in the jail, meeting up with the others just outside the main gates. If they had all showed, she'd pull the bandana away from her face and greet them. "Right. So, I'm Gladys. Looks like we're in this for the long haul, even though I'm not entirely sure why I'm sticking around."

It didn't take long to draw the guards away. Cassius climbed to the upper catwalks into the rich neighborhood and fired a few shots off from his pistol. He shattered a few lights and dented an angry Mr. Handy acting as a bartender before scurrying up the side of the wall and down the other side. The distraction only took a few seconds, but climbing down the outside of the wall took nearly 20 minutes. He hoped he'd drawn enough of the security officers away. 

He crept along the shadow of the wall keeping out of sight until he reached the old diner just outside the walls. The windows were shattered and the occupied booths were littered with ancient skeletons slumped over plates and mugs picked clean by vermin or scavs. In the back corner there was an empty booth that was still intact, hardly any damage done to the cushions. This was where he'd first met the client. Jensen was probably his name. Just thinking about the asshole made tempers flare in Cassius once again. 

He propped up his feet and settled in. They'd be here as soon as Jensen talked. Once they got here he'd make sure Jensen did a lot of talking. Cassius had gotten Ronnie involved in this, supposedly an easy job, and now the kid was missing. 

And it's all my fault he thought as he closed his eyes, listening to the wind whistle through the dead diner.

Gladys did not have to wait long for the others to show, and idly, she fiddled with her pistol. She watched as the kid approach her, albeit cautiously, and she grinned. “Scare me? You didn’t. I’ve faced a helluva lotta uglier fellows than you,” she joked. “But really, I just thought you might be trying to rob me. Glad I didn’t unload a round of lead in you. As far as I’m concerned Nellis, you’ve earned my trust.”


Winston lumbered over next, dropping the prisoner gracelessly to the ground with a loud ‘thump.’ He roused him awake and the man, still disoriented, made a futile attempt to wrench his hand out from under Winston’s heavy boot. He began to panic, looking to Gladys and Nellis with pleading eyes. She merely shook her head: “Sorry, don’t expect us to help you. You better answer the big man’s questions unless you want squashed like a Radroach.”


The sound of gunshots resonated off nearby buildings, and Gladys suspected that was Cassius, further distracting Diamond City security. Their heads were probably spinning with all the activity tonight. Soon, he’d be waiting for them at the meeting place. Now to get this prisoner to talk.

That, Cassius mused, that is one ugly bird. 

The bird in question was, in fact, very ugly. He shifted slightly in the seat, pulling off his mask and getting more comfortable.

Just a short walk away the client, Jensen, was not faring as well. He squirmed under the boot of the giant, unable to get away, or too scared to anyway. Who were these freaks anyway? He had recognized Cassius from his grand entrance during the jailbreak, but these people were completely unfamiliar. Though he might have seen the woman around town on occasion. Cassius was a fool if he thought this little group was going to get him to talk. He knew his away around torture, he'd had one of his goons put some of their tools to good use on that kid Ronnie. These orphans were a dime a dozen so who cared if the kid disappeared?

Maybe it would teach this Cassius guy a lesson about trying to skip out on a simple contract. Sure, maybe he had lied about the molerat infestation and sent the merc straight into some competition raider territory, but that didn't mean the guy had the right to complain about it. He wanted to see the look on Cassius' messed up face when he refused to say where they were keeping the boy.

He put on more confident airs. "Your guy said something about our first meeting yeah? Well I usually do my first meet at the old Slocum's Joe down the road there." He pointed down the ruined street towards a few buildings. They were hard to make out in the darkness, but one was definitely a diner.