A few of the bandits had escaped, but the majority of them were either badly wounded or dead.

Clark had finally been captured, and Atlas had been dying to have a conversation with him for over a year now.

The night air was thick with the smell of blood and burning gunpowder, the remnants of the disastrous weapon explosion still lingering in the camp. Bandit corpses were strewn across the ground, twisted and broken, their guns turned into deadly shrapnel that had done most of Atlas’s work for him. Still, Atlas's swords dripped with fresh blood, the aftermath of his swift and brutal combat.

He stood over Clark’s prone form, breathing heavily, his heart pounding in his chest. Clark lay face down in the dirt, pinned by a mass of KrazyBondoglue and broken gun parts. The man groaned in pain, struggling to move but unable to muster the strength to escape.

‘Finally‘, Atlas thought, ‘after all this time.‘

Clark coughed, spitting blood onto the ground. “You... you really are a son of a bitch, Atlas.”

Atlas knelt beside him, pulling Clark’s head up by his hair. “Been waiting a long time to hear you say that.” He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “You made things personal when you screwed me over.”

Clark winced, the pain in his legs radiating through his body. “You think... you’re being a good guy? There’s no point killing me.”

Atlas leaned in closer, his voice a low growl. “Oh, I’m not killing you just yet. We’ve got a lot to talk about.”

Nearby, Wang Bo was wiping the blood off his staff, his expression unreadable. “The man should be grateful he’s still breathing,” he muttered, glancing at Stu, who was still smiling from his own battles.

Stu kicked a nearby bandit corpse for good measure, glaring down at Clark. “You’re lucky Atlas wants you alive, or I’d have stuck you with a bolt right between the eyes.”

Clark laughed, though it turned into a wet, hacking cough. “You Portal Crushers... think you’re so righteous. But you’re just killers... like the rest of us.”

Atlas released his grip on Clark’s hair and stood up. “Difference is, we don’t prey on the weak. We fight for something bigger. You always didn’t get that..”

“Bigger than yourselves?” Clark spat. “You’re delusional.”

“I’m building something, Clark. Something that will outlast you, me, and every scavenger in this wasteland. You’re just too short-sighted to see it.”

Clark smirked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Oh, right. The empire you keep babbling about. Good luck with that.”

Atlas straightened up, wiping his swords on a bandit’s cloak before sheathing them.

He gestured to Wang Bo and Stu to sit down and listen.

Atlas sat down with Clark and asked, "So, Clark, I bet you didn't think you'd wind up here."

Clark shook his head. "No, I definitely didn't think I would."

"Did you really think that the whole first time through here was a dream?"

"Yeah, I did think that," Clark admitted.

Atlas smirked. "I bet you spent all of your time back on Earth in therapy sessions, didn't you?"

‘Well, he's got me there‘, Clark thought, but he stayed silent.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

"I'm not going to keep you around, but you know how I feel about torture."

"Yeah, we could have done things a lot faster and better if you'd agreed to it last time," Clark said with a sigh.

Atlas leaned back, a cold grin crossing his face. "Well, it's your lucky day then. Give me the info I need, and I'll just kill you."

Clark frowned. "I don't think that's a good deal for me."

Atlas leaned in closer, his eyes darkening. "Well, I don't believe in torture, but I could make an exception." Without warning, he stabbed Clark in the thigh.

"Fuck!" Clark yelled, pain shooting through his leg.

Atlas leaned against the wall, arms crossed, staring down at Clark. "So, you're gonna tell me why I shouldn't torture you more?"

Clark raised his hands, palms out, trying to look harmless. "Look, Atlas, I'm a good guy. I've always been a good guy. You know that."

Atlas raised an eyebrow. "Good guy? You sold me out twice, Clark. I’ve got a hard time seeing the 'good' in that."

Clark’s voice got a little higher, more desperate. "I had no choice!”

Atlas gave a cold smile. "Funny, I don’t see it that way."

Clark swallowed hard. "I made some mistakes, sure. But that doesn’t mean I’m beyond saving. I could help you—again! I could be useful."

Atlas snorted. "Useful like last time we went through this wasteland experience? Useful like, when you led half the alliance into an ambush? That kind of help?"

‘Alexander had died during that misguided ambush.‘ Atlas remembered with a grimace.

"That was different!" Clark protested. "I didn’t know! They tricked me too. I never meant for anyone to get hurt."

"Doesn't matter what you meant. We sacrificed a lot of good people just so you could get those hundred tokens."

Clark rubbed his face, trying to think. "Okay, okay, but... I know things. I’ve got intel you could use. Let me live, and I’ll tell you everything I know."

Atlas shook his head. "You really think I'd let a snake like you stick around? I don’t trust you. I’m no cartoon hero, always putting the Joker in prison. Only to find out ‘gasp‘ he escaped again.”

"I’m not a snake!" Clark said, his voice cracking. "I’ve done bad things, but... that doesn't mean I'm a bad person. I just—" He searched for the right words. "I just want a chance to make things right."

Atlas’s eyes narrowed. "Why should I believe you, Clark? Every time I’ve given you a chance, you’ve taken advantage."

Clark stared at the floor, defeated. "Because I was wrong, alright? I don’t want to die, Atlas. And I know I don't deserve it, but I swear I’ll make it up to you. You let me go, and I’ll prove I can change. Just... one more chance."

Atlas was silent for a long moment, watching him squirm. Finally, he sighed. "You always know just what to say, don’t you, Clark?"

Clark’s face brightened with a flicker of hope. "So... you’ll let me go?"

Atlas’s lips curled into a grin that didn’t reach his eyes. "Not a chance."

Atlas leaned forward, his eyes narrowing. "There's only one thing I need to know from you, Clark. When you got those hundred tokens, what did the Red Fairy say?"

Clark blinked, stunned. ‘Of all things, why did he ask that?‘ He hadn’t expected Atlas to ask about this. "What do you mean?"

Atlas’s voice was cold and steady, and he repeated, "What did the Red Fairy say?"

"Uh..." Clark stammered, his mind racing. "She didn’t say much, she just gave me the tokens."

"She didn’t tell you anything about the hundred tokens? Or who could go back?" Atlas pressed.

"Nope," Clark lied smoothly. "She definitely didn’t say anything about that."

Clark shifted uncomfortably. "And yeah, I gave them to Shaniqua and her girlfriend in exchange for a threesome."

This answered a question Atlas always had been wondering about, the true reason for Clark’s last minute betrayal. But it didn’t answer the question that he had just asked.

Atlas's jaw tightened, but he stayed silent, letting Clark talk himself deeper into a hole.

"Was there anything else? Will you let me go?" Clark asked, sounding more hopeful than he should.

Atlas ignored his plea, eyes locked on him. "Did you ever ask the Red Fairy what would happen to everybody else you left behind?"

Clark hesitated, then shrugged. "It never really crossed my mind."

Atlas's lips curled in disgust. "You spend all your time pretending to be the best of people, a sanctimonious prick, and you never asked about anybody else in the Wasteland?"

Clark sat there quietly, avoiding Atlas's gaze.

"Well," Atlas said, standing up. "Thanks for the time."

He pulled out the sword and was about to chop off Clark’s head,

“Wait wait! Don’t kill me!”

Atlas waited.

“She said that if I didn’t take the tokens and instead took over the whole wasteland, every single settlement, that everyone could go home.”

Atlas was stunned by this.

“Did she give you a time limit? Or any other rules?”

“I didn’t ask. There’s no way for any one person to take over the entire wasteland. I just took the tokens.”

Atlas glared at him.

“Look! I saved 100 people. That’s more than you’ve done you fucking hypocrite.” Clark protested.

“Hypocrite? I’ve never pretended to be a good guy.”

Atlas swung his sword, and Clark’s head flew off. A fountain of blood drenched the wasteland.