"One, two, three!"

Chip and Nakoma sat on a bench in a common area with other works of the camp. They were playing a simple game of rock paper scissors. Chip taught the basic rules to Nakoma since she didn't know the first thing about the game. On three, they put out which move they were playing. Chip throwing scissors, while Nakoma throws rock. Chip rustles his own hair in frustration as he puts on a determined face.

"Okay!... one, two, three!"

Chip yelled out with a determined tone in his voice. He throws paper, while Nakoma throws scissors.

"Grah! How are you beating me?! You barely knew what this game was an hour ago! I won't lose again!"

Nakoma giggles and just pats his head to calm him down. He blushes and just pouts as he crosses his arms. She looked around to see everyone with gloomy faces, sleeping on top of tables, or just keeping to themselves. Their eyes sunken with exhaustion and malnourishment. Some kids slowly scrubbing the floor with a brush trying to keep the mud and dirt off the floor. Even if it made no difference with the amount always being brought back in from the workers. Nakoma sighs as she looks around the whole room. Chip sees this and his curiosity takes over.

"What's up? Is something wrong." She turns towards him with a sadden look,

"Why does Jackson have this camp anyways in the first place? Why are we even digging anything at all?"

"Well isn't it obvious? For energy and production, iron and coal."

"Coal???"

"Yeah, since the world technically ended, power is scarce. He uses coal to power homes, heating, and have clean working water pumped to homes. California is the only place I know that has a working functional city. All the stories I heard from anywhere else are just either scorching deserts, or wasteland ruins of old cities."

"But he shouldn't be this powerful. One man in control of an entire civilization? Wouldn't the majority of people try to overthrow him by now?"

"You would think that, but he has total control of the food supplies that people of California get. He's also in charge of distributing out money for work. People pay in credit units. Majority of people just barter for items but to earn credit units you have to work for him in the oil fields or those soldiers. It pays little, but it is easier to buy more food instead of the barter system. I heard rumors that the closer you are to his inner circle, the more food and security of living you will receive in return. In this world of starvation and sickness, people will do anything to survive."

"Control the thing humans need to live and you're basically a god to them..." As Nakoma said with a very heavy heart.

Chip looks at her in worry, "I get that people here want to live a better life, but with no food for miles on end and the only source of it is here in L.A, they would rather work then to lose that privilege of being fed."

Nakoma clenches her fist in frustration as she looks back at the children slowly cleaning the muddy floors. She stands up and walks over to the children and kneels beside them as she puts on a friendly smile. The children ignored her and continued to slowly scrub the floor.

"Hey there, I saw that you have been scrubbing for a while. Why not take a break and just relax on the bench with us?"

"...can't... needs to be clean..."

"Uhhh... taking a break will help you get it done faster, if you guys can-"

"...can't... needs to be clean... go away... they promised us bread if we clean all the shacks... we don't want to share any with you..."

Nakoma frowned and was heartbroken how lifeless they acted cleaning the floors. She looked at Chip and her face became determined. She hastily walked out of the large shack as she pushed the door wide open. Chip told Nakoma to wait but she didn't slow her pace down. The mud made Chip almost slip a couple of times before he was able to match her pace.

"Nakoma where are you heading off too?"

"To go see someone about fixing this whole damn situation I am in. I'm tired of waiting around. We need to do something, and fast."

They both walked across the whole entire camp. Passing by soldiers on guard as they watched the two of them walk past by. Workers In a single file line as they shouldered pickaxes and shovels to clear the wreckage of the two large excavators. The whole camp was on standby to get the wreckage under control, for Nakoma was thinking up a plan for the short amount of time she had. Chip and Nakoma finally made their way to the other side of the camp and in a large open area. There were rusty gym weights and bleacher benches with people sitting on them, talking and laughing, or just sleeping in the middle of the day on them. One of the people in the group that where laughing was the lead organizer of that secret fight club. He was leaning on one of the aluminum poles with a cigarette dangling from his lips. He spots Nakoma and gives her a smug chuckle.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"Well what do you know, It's my golden goose from the other night."

"Hey look we need to- a... a golden goose? What?"

"Obviously, you made me a pretty penny for that match I set you up. Everyone was betting on you to lose. A pretty face like yours in an event like mine, people sure thought you were going to eat shit quickly. Shit where are my manners; I didn't even tell you my name did I? The name's Brian, and what can the pretty face of my riches want with me now? Care for another fight then?"

"What no, I have a question and if possible, a favor."

Nakoma was a little annoyed with how foul he was talking to her, as if he was teasing her.

"Ooooh, I do like people being in debt to me, go on tell me. What does your heart desire?"

"Where do you get your supplies If you are able to get decent food here then you must have some way to bring in other things."

" Tsk-tsk-tsk, why would I even tell you that sugartits. If I did that then I have no business to run. I got to have my trade secret in order to survive. If you want to set up a fight, then I am your guy. If not, then find some other way. I'm not going to throw my life on a whim when I got a good thing running now."

Her face blistered with anger as she grabbed in by his shirt collar. The other men that were sitting down stood up about to charge at her. However, Brian raised his hand up and stopped them from lashing out.

"Listen here you son of a bitch! I have dealt with too many things in the shortest amount of time that I have been here to California. Seen things that I could only imagine in my nightmares. I am sick with the way people are living. I just want to find someone who can give me the tools to help me escape this damn place. Once I am gone, I'll bring a whole army of reinforcements to free these people. I am not going to let all these people die from the hands of that man Jackson!"

Brian scoffs and chuckles, " You don't get it do you? We're in the middle of butt fuck nowhere, you know, the god damn desert. Even if you did managed to escape what then? You have miles and miles of sand with no shelter from the blazing sun. You'll die from heat stroke if you're lucky you don't get captured by the guards first."

"I don't care! I will find a way, one way or another! Jackson has my friends somewhere and I'm going to find them and personally see to him he suffers and pay for the crimes he has committed!"

Brian looks at her with a disgusted look,

"You? You want to be the one that personally brings Jackson down from his iron throne?"

Nakoma grips his shirt tighter and doesn't let go. Brian looks back into her eyes as if he's having a standoff against her. After an intense staring match, he sighs as he spits out his cigarette.

"Fine, fine, you win. I'll go talk to my supplier, see if I can get you what you need."

"Oh no no no no no, we're coming with you! I want to talk to the person myself! I'm tired of waiting, I want to get this done now."

Brian looks at her with distain in his face. He smacks her hand away making her let go of her grip on him.

"Tsk, fine, whatever. For a pretty fighter you are one stubborn bitch. Follow me."

Chip looks at Nakoma with so much anxiety as she followed Brian. Chip hasn't seen Nakoma act like this at all, he wonders what finally made her snap. But he kept himself quiet trying not to upset her even more than she is now. Brian led them down to a large factory building way farther on the edge of the camp. It was close to the border as the fence and watchtowers loomed over them. They entered through the rusty double hinged doors and saw conveyor belts of all the materials they had dug up. People were pressing down forges and pouring hot liquid metals into ingot molds. They pass through the factor to a back end corner, a blind spot for the guards where they couldn't see that part of the section.

A large man stood as he was pushing materials down a gravity roller that met with the conveyor belts. Brian whistles to grab the man's attention. He looks towards Brian with a disgruntle look.

"You're here too early, boss doesn't like surprise visits."

"Yeah I know I know, but listen, this girl wants an audience with the boss. She wants to seek out equipment for a "noble cause". " As Brian said while doing air quotation marks with his fingers. The large man looks at him then to Nakoma and chip. He then questions Brian with a single word.

"Offerings?"

"Hehe why her obviously, she made a killing in my fight ring the other day. She may not look like much but she's actually a kickass fighter. Made my winnings quadruple. So I have a steady income for you guys, huh? What do ya say??"

The man looks at them quizzically. He looks past them to see if the guards are near, luckily, they were too far for them to look at this direction. The man turns around to a utility locker that had several tools and supplies. With one hand he quickly pushed the wall locker to the side revealing a small broken hole in the concrete wall.

"Make it quick..."

Brian bowed in agreement and quickly entered the hole. Nakoma and Chip went through and were startled with the scratching of the metal locker closing up behind them. They followed along the long maintenance tunnel and pipes above them. It was dark and damped, the walls were cold to the touch as if water was leaking through them. A faint light can be seen just a few feet in front of them through a small doorway to their right. They soon entered the doorway and were in a large open area of the factory, a boiler room. Lights and wiring hung from the ceiling giving light to the area. Several workers who were acting like bodyguards had guns. The same weapons that the guards of the camps were using. Several other workers were caring crates, moving boxes as they stopped in their tracks seeing the three of them in the doorway. A petite woman sitting on a pile of garbage, surrounded by guards and trash leaned back and studied them. Brian took the lead and spoke first.

"Hello everyone, I know I know I'm here way too early. It's important, Nakoma, I would like you to meet my supplier. I am sorry my lady, but she insisted that she wanted to meet with you."

He kneels down and places his hand over his heart as he bows to the woman sitting on the pile of garbage. Her eyes like daggers pierces Nakoma and chip's eyes. Her eye torn with a badly burn scorch mark. Nakoma looks back at Chip in confusion as this small petite woman was the main supplier for Brian.