Issue 01.3 - The Lady of the Pit
The guard gapes slightly at the muscular woman in the threadbare remnants of her emerald raiment. "Uhm, I think I see a nipple, ma'am," she says softly, trying very hard to keep his eyes above the collarbone. His partner is simply snickering lewdly. After a short delay during which they don't even bother searching them for weapons (what would be the point?) the more professional guard taps a button on his belt. The castle comparisons are complete as a drawbridge comes down to permit the Wonders entrance. There is no moat, but rather a pit of wickedly and crudely sharpened steel spikes.
Neo's analysis of the structure without and within confirms that it is a formidable fortress, well-engineered and quite possibly the best the Pitt could possibly put together with the resources they have available. Not only is it secure against physical attack but some rooms are even reasonably sound-dampened for a sense of privacy and security, and the entire place has a good airflow to ensure it doesn't get too hot even under the baking light of the wasteland summer sun.
The interior is fairly posh, with large throw rugs over tightly fitted stone floors. The choice of decoration is a little odd for a self-proclaimed lady warlord; metal-framed posters and desks overladen with toys and plushes of cute cartoon monsters. Most show signs of the nuclear apocalypse that destroyed the world; charred edges, bits of burned fur or plastic. Lighting is provided by old-style incandescent bulbs, giving a warm homey light to the place. You see Colleen, the pink-pigtailed sunbeam of the Pitt, laying on her back atop a beanbag-stuffed monster of some description while playing the handheld video game Teranovae saw her purchasing earlier that day. She looks really into it; it'd be rude to interrupt.
You are shown to the Mayor's office by a single house guard. Skullfucker's office is a respectably-sized room that smells of coffee. The sole occupant sits in a chair that seems to be made entirely out of guns melted together by some unfathomable heat, and a desk carved from a single great piece of obsidian from the Pitt. Resting against the side of her desk, deliberately only partially obscured, is a pre-war plasma rifle, highly modified. Surrounding her are the most pristine examples of her collectables, some with colors so vibrant they look as though they could have been printed yesterday. The woman herself is a muscular and rough-looking middle-aged woman with bright, artificial red hair with black tips, pulled back into a very punk ponytail, and wears an open leather jacket over a gray jersey, denim pants with leather patches, and steel-toed shoes. A blue hardhat sits on her desk.
Gyarados Skullfucker nods to the Wonders cordially as they come in. She gives each one an appraising look up and down. Her eyes snap to Victor. "You must be Legacy Ten. Nine told me a lot about you." She stands and looks him at the eye. "I understand you're here to save my town. But what exactly does that mean, and what makes you think we need saving?" The question seems genuine, not defensive.