Despite All Her Rage

The darker side of smuggling in the Badlands was that sometimes a crew was required to smuggle people as well as goods. To that end, Jackson made sure early on that their facilities were outfitted with a place to stash said persons of interest until the interested parties could take delivery. The far end end of the hangar had been retrofitted with three small cells, all secured with key-coded doors, titanium reinforced cell walls, even actual plumbing. Suffice to say, unless you were capable of removing the entire corner of the hangar from its foundations, you weren't going much of anywhere if you found yourself on the wrong side of the cage doors.

Were he being perfectly honest, Jackson quite liked the ring of bounty hunter as a job title, but those gigs weren't nearly as ubiquitous as good old-fashioned smuggling across the NorCal-SoCal border, specifically through the Aldecaldos' tunnels in No Man's Land. He'd made a pretty enny with this crew providing hired muscle, or making the runs themselves. They were equally capable on either end of the deal, and they always found a way to pull through, or the very least make it right. By no means was Jackson Calloway a boy scout, and he had no illusions about it; but he was a good soul with his heart in the right place. He just wanted to give his family a chance where everyone else had forsaken them.

Back to the matter at hand, what do you do with a feral and heavily traumatized young girl who just trashed your entire infirmary and faced off against the entire crew without batting an eye? Obviously, toss her ass in a cell and let her shake and bake for a while... thankfully for Jackson's sake, and the girl's, saner heads prevailed. While they didn't have much else to do unless the call came for work, the crew all agreed to rotating shifts of an hour each to keep an eye on the girl and look for any signs of movement or waking up. She'd been out cold for six hours, making it mid-afternoon by now. The sun was at its peak, the brutal desert heat bearing down. Airflow wasn't much of a concern down at this end of the hangar, so things had turned a bit toasty.

Jackson had parked himself on a bench across the hall from the cells, safely out of reach if the girl woke up and decided to try her luck grabbing for him through the bars. The sweat was collecting at the tip of his nose, the heavy drops splattering quietly against his shirt already soaked through. He was struggling, having not slept in almost thirty hours, and the heat didn't help the matter. Back in the war as a younger twenty-something, he fondly remembered going days without sleep, his blood running thick with off-brand synthetic adrenaline supplements and the burning desire to knock the shit out of any knuckle-dragging NUSA gonks he came across.

His age was catching up to him, and as he sat on the bench with his arms crossed, he fought to keep his eyes open. Every couple of minutes, he shook himself awake, eyeballing the girl laying prostrate on the floor of the cell, looking for any signs of life. Rinse and repeat, his exhaustion finally got the better of him, his head dipping forward as he drifted off before a loud voice crashed his slumber party, "WAKE UP, MAGGOT!"

Jackson nearly jumped a foot off the bench, visibly agitated as he looked to the source of the voice with a furrowed brow and snapped back, "Fuck you, Bison..."

The approaching man gave a hearty chuckle as he took his seat on the bench next to Jackson. While not a veteran himself like everyone else on the crew, save for Jayce, he certainly looked the part. He had a fashionable dark brown tapered crew cut with patterns cut in the peach fuzz around his scalp to accommodate the cyberware threading adorning his face, and he kept a pair of wrap-around sunglasses nestled safely in the crown of the spiked tips of his hair. His leathery face, aged beyond his years, was masked by a full beard hanging an inch below his chin and pressing against a shemagh scarf wrapped around his neck. The visible bits of his neck showed ink running beneath a taut t-shirt wrapped around his muscular build. Both of his arms were implanted, Arasaka-brand Gorilla Fists with custom sand-colored plates and otherwise stock carbon-fibre accents. There was a weary kindness in his bright blue eyes, but if you didn't know him from anyone else, his outward appearance told you he was not the motherfucker to mouth off to.

Jackson was glad to have him as part of the team, his wiseass antics notwithstanding. A Night City 'native', born and raised outside Rancho Coronado with the Bright family of Aldecaldos, Bison Ortiz was a known quantity, even if he'd only been on Jackson's crew for two years since parting ways with the Afterlife; once upon a time, he was part a personal security detail assigned to the Living Legend herself, but the reality of life in the Big City failed to live up to his expectations, and he quickly found himself longing once again for a more quiet life closer to his shallow and sandy roots.

It wasn't an uncommon experience for nomads to feel lost in the winding steel and concrete jungle of Night City proper, but some weathered it better than others. There was even tell of an old nomad gunslinger from Arizona once making his home in the relative chaos of Watson, rising to become a legend in his own right. But for Bison, he was happier being back in the desert, and his mastery over all manner of firearms small, large, and absolutely fucking ridiculous, made him an invaluable member of the crew. That was, if you could stand his mouth for more than a few minutes.

"Kid still hasn't moved...?", he tested the waters as he turned to look at Jackson, gauging his response before he continued, "Hey... sorry for the blind cross earlier."

Jackson flashed his teeth with a smile as he feigned injury, gently massaging his chest, "Nah... y'all made the right call at the right time... you had my back, even if it took puttin' me on my back."

"Shi-i-it, I put you flat on your ass, hoss...", Bison sang his own praises with a laugh, causing Jackson to break and join in as he fired back, "Don' push it, son..."

Bison's face contorted as he looked through the cell and asked, "What're we going to do with her?"

"Don' know, yet...", Jackson confessed with a click of his tongue, "I know Doc wants to keep a careful eye on her, make sure she heals up okay, but other 'an that—"

"I get it", Bison interjected as he leaned back against the concrete wall and stretched with a sigh, "Ain't an easy call to make, especially since she already faced off with you once with a barrel to her head. She's fearless."

Those last two words struck a chord in Jackson's mind as he leaned forward and placed his hands on his knees, "Or... maybe fear's what drives her."

He saw the confused look on Bison's face out of the corner of his eye and obliged, "From Doc's work on her, she's only ever known life under someone else's boot, and she's been abused, regularly... maybe that fear of punishment is a drivin' factor."

Bison exhaled sharply, "Shit, she's just a kid... what I'd give for five minutes alone with whatever cocksucker made her this way... think anyone'll come looking for her?"

Jackson didn't know how to answer that question, but before he could say anything, their attention was drawn to a low groan from inside the cell. Slowly, the girl's arms shifted across her body, her hand creeping up the back of her neck as she felt over the brand hidden under the matted hair. They both watched as she started to shiver and tremble, pulling her legs into her chest as a few light sobs escaped. Were it not for the fact that Jackson had watched her clawing for him earlier that day, his heart could have broken in half for her. Still, that was twice now he had stared in her eyes, and behind the aggression, behind the rage, there was inconsolable pain. To Bison's point, there was a dark place in Hell for whoever was responsible, and Jackson wouldn't have too many qualms about delivering them himself.

Jayce appeared at the end of the hall with a stack of blankets in her arms, Jackson and Bison both looking up to her, as she asked, "One of ya get the door for me?"

Jackson shook his head and spoke softly, but intently, "Bad idea, kiddo..."

"Yeah, likely so...", Jayce dismissed him as she walked up to the cell anyway, "So... get the door for me... please."

His jaw clenched, but before he could protest, Bison stood up from the bench and obliged, punching the combination into the keypad with one hand, the other hand firmly on the grip of his iron strapped to his hip. He pulled on the bars of the door, the lock releasing with a heavy clang as the door jutted outward. Jayce carefully crossed between them before turning to enter, all three pairs of eyes locked intently on the girl to watch for any sudden moves.

As far as anyone could tell, she was deep in the void of her own mind, oblivious to anything going on around her, and Jayce took advantage of the opportunity to step in closer, kneeling down but keeping her distance. As she shifted one leg past the other to close the gap, the girl's face slowly came into view. Her eyes were shut tight, tears pouring down her face, but her teeth gnashed against each other as her body quaked against the cold concrete.

Jayce reached out, gripping one blanket in her hand, trying not to make any sudden moves as she watched, and waited. Every inch closer, she had to remind herself to breathe evenly and calmly; there was no telling what might set the girl off. And there it was, the girl's eyes shot open, darting to Jayce as her pupils constricted and her head turned like an animal sighting its prey. Jackson was already on his feet as the girl reached out with a soft growl, snatching the blanket away from Jayce's outstretched hand.

Jayce gasped, dropping back to one knee to create some space as she watched the girl turn the neatly folded blanket into a disheveled pile before shoving it under her head as she curled her body tighter against it. Jackson had to fight every instinct to yell at his daughter to get the fuck out of the cage, but it wouldn't have done any good anyway. Jayce had made it her personal mission to show the girl some humanity, and that they meant her no harm. Her mother would have done the exact same thing, so Jackson resolved himself to at least being nearby if need be.

Jayce pushed forward again, crouching on the balls of her feet as she unfolded the second blanket and held the edge in both hands. She reached over for a second time, slowly closing the distance between herself and the girl. With only a few inches remaining, she didn't want to push her luck any further, so she instead dropped the blanket with a flick of her wrist over the girl's body, the soft fabric covering her and draping against the floor. The girl's body seemed to loosen up, acclimating to the warmth of the blanket, and Jayce decided it was now or never to take a chance as she tried to rest her hand on the girl's shoulder.

Jackson wanted to caution her against what she was trying to do, but there was too much of her mother in her for it to make any difference. She'd learn just as well the hard way as she would from him wasting the breath, and that's just as much what he loved about her mother in the first place, free spirit and all. And so he watched as Jayce's hand brushed softly against the blanket's fabric. As he expected, the girl reacted poorly, but not violently. Instead of lunging for the hand like he would have thought, she instead jerked away with a light whimper, curling back into herself as she tried to block out the world around her.

Message received..., Jayce thought, and she backed away slowly, standing up straight as she let out a deep sigh of relief before turning to leave the cell. Bison wasted no time closing the door as soon as she was clear, and she was met with Jackson giving her the stare. She could already hear his voice in her head, That was a stupid risk to take, kiddo...

She pre-empted any such lecturing as she firmed up her shoulders and stared him in the eyes, "She needs to know she's safe here. We're not her enemies."

Her voice just carried just far enough for the girl to hear her, but they didn't even know if she understood them. They didn't know anything except what they could see right in front of their eyes. Jackson stifled a scoff as he looked at his own two feet, a smirk creeping in. He looked up again, leaning in as he wrapped his arm around Jayce and pecked the side of her head, "You're a good kid... better 'an me, that's for damn sure."

Jayce reciprocated the hug as she said, "Go get some sleep, Pa... 's Bison's watch anyway."

As they let go, Jackson crossed between the two of them, Bison giving a nod and a casual two-fingered salute with one hand and a pat on the shoulder with the other as he said, "See ya on the other side, hoss."

Jackson smiled and kept walking towards the end of the hall, but stopped at the last step to turn and look back as he contemplated the whole situation. The fog was taking hold in his mind, and it was high time he dragged his carcass to bed, and so without saying a word, he pressed on.

--

[Some time later]

With four other live bodies in the mix, Jackson was afforded at least four hours of sleep, and with his almost unnatural talent for falling into a coma as soon as his head hit the pillow, he was able to get as much of that four hours as possible. Doc Strong caught small naps in between his shifts as well, but he had a natural energy that just didn't quit. In his case, catching sleep where he could was to keep his hands still if he was needed for any emergencies. Not like the infirmary was much good to anyone at the moment anyway; the girl had seen to that, not only destroying the doors, but also upending most of the trays, cabinets, and anything that wasn't bolted down. It would take some time to fix, but it more or less left Strong feeling a similar sort of way to how Jackson felt the previous night.

Presently, it was Jayce's watch, and she sat comfortably with her legs crossed on the bench. She was hunched over, consumed as her calloused and yet slender fingers worked masterfully over several woven and colorful threads, knotting them together in an intricate fashion. By everyone's reckoning, the girl hadn't moved since Jayce covered her up, so a close eye wasn't as much the order of the day as just being physically present. At least that way, if the girl tried to get out, or hurt herself in the process, there was someone close by to call for help.

Some might ask as to why they even bothered. Night City wasn't known for its altruism, or for people looking out for one another; everyone had an angle. And yet, Jayce had to remember that they weren't in Night City. They were far enough away from the muck and the mire to steer clear of most of it. Out here, people were a little more reliable, no doubt because with nomads, all you have are your family. Nomads don't screw each other over, because with so few of them roaming in small bands, they can't afford to rely on anyone else. Betrayal leads to broken families, and that's how Raffen are born.

Regardless of how you paint the picture, a small part of Jayce was happy to have something different to do than the dreary day-to-day. Not to say that her life was dull, as their collective chosen professions made damn sure of that; but this was something new. And for as traumatized and possibly broken as the girl was, Jayce truly believed in her core that their charge was someone worth saving. Everyone was worth saving until they gave you a reason otherwise. A few near-misses weren't reason enough to cast someone into the fire, and Jayce would be damned if she didn't do what she thought was the right thing... what her mother would have done.

She sniffed up, fighting a few tears as she tried to remember the better days, when they were all together as a family. She was so young then, it was only bits and pieces. But what she did remember was her mother's caring soul. She could bring out the best in anyone. She remembered the way her father would get this goofy grin on his face anytime he was around her... come to think of it..., Jayce thought to herself. That look wasn't too far removed from the look he had recently whenever Addie was in the same room. They ought'a do somethin' 'bout that.

And just like that, a wide smile crept on Jayce's face as she tried not to giggle. Too little too late, she soon found out; Addie had her dead to rights, walking down the hall with her usual cockiness as she asked, "What's got ya all giddy, love?"

Jayce looked up, finding Addie holding two trays full of food with several bottles of RealWater crammed into the cargo pockets of her trademark jumpsuit... and her trademark smile. Jayce blushed as she looked back down, her hair falling in her face as she sighed, "Jus'... thinkin' 'bout Ma..."

"Hell of a lady, so I heard...", the older pilot mused as she set the trays down on the bench, "She'd have to be to put up with your daddy..."

"Hey! Watch it...", Jayce spat as her eyes narrowed, prompting a giggle from Addie as she sat down on the far end of the bench, "Just teasin', love. Your Pa's a rare find in this world..."

Jayce was suddenly all giddy again seeing the flush in Addie's cheeks, even in the waning light of the late afternoon. She was nearly glowing red, looking lost in her own thoughts before she snapped herself back to the present, "Anyway, thought you might be hungry, maybe our new friend too..."

She picked up one of the trays, kneeling in front of the cell door as she called out to the girl, "Oi... are ya hungry? Been in there a while..."

There was no response, save for a slight shuffle of the body under the blanket, but no acknowledgement. Addie pressed her luck, sliding the tray through a purpose-built opening in the bottom of the door. She dropped the tray with just enough of a crash to cause the girl to stir as she followed up, "Come and get it while it's hot..."

There was an audible sniffing sound, and before long, the girl shifted to sitting up, still fully covered by the blanket. As she followed the scent, Addie and Jayce both watched as she cautiously navigated the floor of the cell almost on all fours, her eyes cutting to them every second before darting back to the tray. She seemed almost wary, like she expected a trap.

Addie did her a small kindness, reaching through and grabbing a piece of food before taking a small bite as she raised her eyebrows, "Mm... it's good, and it's okay. It's all yours."

To drive the point home, she took her seat back on the bench, leaving the tray unattended as the girl approached it. She reached out with one hand, the folds of the blanket opening slightly. She grabbed a piece of food, almost surprised at the warmth of its touch. Bit by bit, she opened her mouth, her eyes still darting between Addie and Jayce, almost as if she expected something to happen. They couldn't quite place it, but it was a combined fear and mistrust. The girl had been tricked before, so any kindness was viewed as some kind of game to her.

"I-It's okay...", Addie repeated herself, her voice soft and gentle. The girl finally obliged, placing the food in her mouth. Within a few seconds, her eyes went wide, her mouth locked mid-chew as she registered the medley of flavors. She grabbed the tray with one hand, crouching down on her two feet with the folds of the blanket open as she shoveled the food into her mouth with her other hand as fast as she could. A series of grunts and growls followed as she chewed as much food as she could fit before shoving in more.

While the girl was preoccupied with piling food into her face, Jayce took advantage of the moment to ask a burning question on her mind, "Hey, what's the deal wit' you an' Pa...?"

Addie was sitting with her legs crossed, tapping her foot with her arms behind her head. As soon as the words registered in her mind, the tapping stopped, her eyes giving a subtle reaction, but just enough for Jayce to notice as she pressed, "Ah c'mon! I see you two goin' back an' forth all the time."

There was a bashful smile on Addie's face as she looked down at her boots, "I... Jackson's a good man. He's kind, strong, heart's in the right place. He's a family man..."

"Bu-u-ut...?", Jayce continued poking the bear as she leaned in, eyes wide and curious. Addie sighed and obliged her younger choom with a shake of her head, "There's a darkness there... he's still hanging on to grief about your mother... it doesn't feel right."

"So you like him...", Jayce came right out with it, causing Addie to break into a wide smile with flashing teeth as she fired back, "In'it obvious, love? Hard to breathe around him..."

Jayce smiled as she scooted in closer, trying to keep her voice down, "You know it's not just one-sided... right?"

Addie raised her eyebrows as she side-eyed Jayce, "Ain't my first rodeo... I see the signs. Just, so much of him is still wrapped up around her, and it feels wrong to try and take him away from it. It's like he thinks she'd be disappointed in him..."

"Ma'd jus' wan' 'im to be happy... an' she'd like you...", Jayce placed a gentle hand on Addie's shoulder, "You both deserve to be happy."

Addie placed her own hand over Jayce's as they locked eyes and smiled at one another. The warmth of the moment was short-lived as their attention was drawn back to the spectacle opposite the cell doors from them.

They had to assume the girl was probably starving. It had been over twenty-four hours since she was found outside Dakota's garage, and who knew the last time she ate, outside of the IV bags Doc Strong had running into her arms. But even those didn't fill the stomach like a cinder block's worth of solid food, and Addie was an excellent cook in her own right. The girl finally stopped gorging herself, taking a few seconds to breathe as she navigated the mound of food. She tried to swallow all of it, catching herself off guard as she choked and started coughing, grabbing her throat. In a split-second, Addie was by the door, fishing one of the bottles out of her pockets as she cracked it open and took a small sip before holding it through the bars. The girl's eyes were slightly bulging before she noticed the outstretched arm. In one fluid motion, she snatched the bottle from Addie's hand, up-ending it into her mouth as she guzzled as fast as she could, the excess pouring down her chin and neck. While she was able to clear her throat, she was a little too zealous, inhaling almost a full gulp of water as she continued coughing, a few tears forming as she tried to settle herself.

Addie had to smile at all of it. Her heart broke for the poor girl, but at least this was some progress. As the coughing subsided, she leaned in and asked, "All better?"

The girl looked almost embarrassed, but more confused. It was only a few seconds before she shrugged it off and resumed piling the food from the tray into her mouth... old habits and all. As she had nearly emptied the entire tray, Jayce already had the second try held out, catching Addie by surprise as she said, "I can hold out a li'l longer. She needs it more 'an I do."

Addie smiled, her eyes approving Jayce's selflessness as she grabbed the tray and slid it through the same opening. As the girl cleaned the first tray, she locked eyes with Addie, who tried to reassure her, "All you can eat, as much as you want... we're not here to hurt you, love. You're safe here."

The girl looked to Jayce giving a slight smile, then back to Addie as she continued while motioning to her mouth, "Can you understand me?"

The girl just stared, giving no outward response until she could stare no longer and looked down at the second tray of food. Addie followed up, placing another opened bottle of water through the cage doors before she took her seat on the bench and turned to Jayce, "Go on, it's my watch..."

Jayce smirked, eyes full of wonder and locked on the girl as she said, "I-I'm kind'a curious to see if she can muscle down a whole second tray..."

"She bloody well better...", Addie joked with a light laugh carrying through the cells. The sound almost had the girl's ears perking up, and she stopped eating as she locked eyes with both of her hosts. The silence was deafening for several seconds, but in that moment, they could both swear they saw a corner of her mouth trying to curl. She understood them, and behind all of her rough exterior, she was grateful.

She was still a wildcard by all means, but this... this was something. Addie and Jayce both resolved to going absolutely nowhere. They had just witnessed a glimpse of the girl's humanity, and they were hungry for more... she wasn't just a rat in a cage.

--