Deadman

It made sense that the man who came across The Cut would be a fellow deadman. The radiation in that area alone would cause any human who got near it to have their skin melt off. Leah, and Matthews led me out of the tent and through the camp. We arrived at a tent that was guarded by roughly a dozen STAR soldiers. Leah gave them a nod and one of them pulled the tent flap aside to let us in.

Inside was a small medical cot, a few chairs, and a small table. A man in a white coat sat on a chair next to the medical cot, on which rested a deadman. He had large bandages wrapped around his chest and stomach, and his breathing was ragged. He smelled both familiar and different from the deadmen I’d met in the past. There was the usual dirt smell, and irradiated tinge, but beneath that was something sickly sweet I didn’t recognize. It may have been the rot of the wounds, but I wasn’t quite sure.

The man in the white coat looked up at us. “He suddenly took a turn for the worse. I tried to treat his wounds, and he seemed to stabilize, but… I’m not sure how much longer he has. He’s also grown less coherent.”

I moved toward the doctor and gestured for him to stand and move, then I sat next to the deadman. His eyes were yellow and half lidded, and his breathing was labored.

I leaned closer. “Can you answer some questions?”

His eyes drifted up to me and widened. “A Chosen…Paradise. I must’ve been so close,” he whispered. His voice was raspy and I could see dried blood on his teeth and chin.

“How did you get here? How did you cross the cut?”

He suddenly shot up and grabbed me, bringing his mouth close to my ear. “Through the forest of teeth, across the metal wastes, walk without rhythm as you cross the abyss, they will notice you otherwise, the black sand whispers and seeks flame, do not give it what it wants. Follow this path and you will find paradise.”

I listened carefully as he spoke, resisting the urge to push him off as he grabbed me. His manner of speech reminded me of the way the Kaijin would sometimes speak in riddles and metaphors. I knew directions when I heard them and I immediately pressed them into my memory.

When he was done speaking, the man fell back into the cot, and began convulsing. I stood up and got out of the way so that the doctor could get to him, and moved to stand next to Leah and Matthews.

“Interesting that he doesn’t seem to have the same level of regenerative abilities that you exhibit,” said Matthews, watching the scene unfold dispassionately.

I clenched my teeth a bit. I wasn’t surprised that she knew, I had already assumed Leah would’ve told her leaders everything about me, Pott’s, and anything else they’d asked, but I still found it grating. “We’re all built differently. It’s more impressive that he made it across The Cut without it. Did he have any weapons on him when he was found?”

Leah nodded. “A spear, knife, and a well worn rifle.”

I nodded. That little kit indicated that most of the dangers in the Cut were environmental, or could be avoided without violence. I stood and watched as the doctor struggled to stabilize the deadman dying on the cot. I had the impression that he’d been waiting to see another deadman before giving in. I’d seen it before. A person would hold on to life for just long enough to say one last thing, take a final shot, or spit blood in their enemies face before letting go. I felt an obligation to stay there, and stand watch, as he went. He was an explorer, like myself, and whatever ideology had led him to seeking paradise across The Cut, I respected him for accomplishing what no one else had managed. It was unfortunate that my side of the Cut was no paradise, and considering that’s what he risked to leave his own side, I imagined it wasn’t exactly a happy place to be either.

After around fifteen minutes of watching the doctor struggle to keep the pilgrim alive, Leah and Matthews left the tent. After ten more, it was over. The doctor sighed heavily, shook his head, made a note on a clipboard and left the tent without acknowledging me. I moved over to the body and slid his eyelids back over his black eyes, then I left the tent.

Matthews was gone, but Leah was still there sitting and reading her newly acquired communist romance novel. I moved over to her.

“The bunker on the other side. What’s so important about it?”

She closed her book and looked up at me. “It’s where the Rebuild America System was developed.”

“Really? Not in DC or up in space?”

She shook her head. “There were distribution and control points in multiple areas, but it was developed and distributed from that facility to begin with.”

“Why do you need me there? What am I meant to be looking for?”

“Salvation. I told you before that we have partial system control.”

I nodded.

“Well, let’s just say ‘partial’ is generous. The biggest edge we have is the ability to send messages to one another.”

I blinked, I had assumed with them being remnants of the former US government they had a bit more control than that. “Why are you telling me?” I asked, it seemed like the kind of information they’d prefer to keep private.

“I promised honesty from our agreement on, and I’m trying to honor that. The cabinet doesn’t yet understand the realities on the ground. They think they can whip anyone into their side with a bit of patriotism and some advanced tech. It’ll take us a long way, but we’ll need more than that.”

“So, me entering the bunker, how does that help?”

“It’s not completely active. We’re not sure why, but only the lowest levels are functioning. Dozens of jobs and abilities are locked without the higher levels online.”

“And these higher levels will give you more control?” The idea of that made me very hesitant to help.

She shook her head. “No. Not until we earn them. If the system had gone fully online right away when it was meant to, we’d have been able to sweep up whatever we wanted, now it would be available to anyone, we’d have some advantage, but it would be limited. Still, we think it’s our best chance. Everyone’s best chance.”

I adjusted my hat, sliding my fingers across the brim. “What would be in it for me? For Pott’s?”

“What would you want? We’re not exactly in a great position to negotiate. As far as I know you’re the only person who could possibly get across the Cut.”

I smiled, showing my teeth and eyeballing one of the armored remnant soldiers standing nearby. “I can think of a few things, and I’m sure that Pott’s can too. Is there any way you can have an agreement drafted that we can alter?”

She nodded. “We can.”

“Get me that for now, and set aside a suit of power armor, at least to start.”

I watched some calculations play out behind her eyes before she nodded. “Fine. I’ll get the document for you.”

I nodded, satisfied for now. In truth, I'd always planned on making an attempt to cross the Cut. I’d collected maps from the other side, learned what I could from those who’d gone close to it before, and generally yearned to see something more, but it had always been something out of reach. With my new class, my new abilities, and experiences things were different now, I felt like I had the strength to make the crossing. If I could guarantee myself some extra loot and some benefits for Pott’s for doing a job I wanted to anyway, all the better.

“When do you think you’ll be able to start?” She asked.

“I’ll need to wrap some things up in Horde territory.” Dealing with the Widows would probably take priority, then getting the agreement to Pott’s. “I’ll also need more information from the rest of you. Knowing where the Pilgrim was found for instance may help me plot my route.”

She nodded. “Understood. I’ll get that document now, and then Graves and I can transport you back to the outside of Jasper. I’ll leave you a way to contact us.”

Having all my demands and requests met so easily was a little jarring to me. It made how important this was to the Remnants all the more clear, which made me all the more suspicious. Still, this was a situation in which I had all the power. I’d be working alone, entering the bunker alone, and whatever happened or didn’t happen would be up to me to explain. Their desperation put all the odds in my favor.