Utterly Mad

"Cozy as three devils ain't ya?" Mark said, fiddling with something like a chain of metal spheres. L knew all too well what that chain was, she'd worn one herself for a time. "Only been gone all day and you're all best fuckin' buds. I should have expected that shit from sally soft hearts like you two." Kyle ignored that, but L had to avert her eyes.

Kyle took out the pack of cigarettes he kept on hand. Not a smoker, these he mostly kept to offer around. "Let's talk Mark." He said, proffering the pack. Mark pushed the pack back and scowled at him. Kyle though took one out and put it in his mouth, but had trouble lighting it. The wind was too high.

"Can I have one of those?" Catnip said. She'd taken notice the moment the pack was out and had come over to bum a cigarette. Not a pack a day girl, not yet anyway, but she had begun to feel the need in times of excitement or stress. The wind died down long enough to light the cigarette, and Mark offered her the chain.

"Here," He said, painting the false friendliness back on, "A gift, I guess." Catnip puffed the cigarette and looked at it. Before Kyle or L could stop her, she'd already taken it and put it on.

"It's so pretty!" She said, "Thanks! L, how do I look?" But L wasn't looking at her, couldn't look at her. Something was wrong. Kyle looked furious and ashamed, he said, "That's cold Mark. Real cold."

"And? Easiest money I'll ever make." He pulled a second chain, a bit more battered perhaps, from his pocket along with an item that looked like a small remote. The chain he tossed at L. "Put it on L."

"B-but Mar-"

"No 'but Marks,' just put it the fuck on." He snapped, "And no shit from you. Throw that piece in the truck." The last was directed at Kyle. Mark held the remote, almost challenging the mutant to try something.

"Mark, c'mon, you aren't even going to-" Kyle started.

"Nope. I don't know what kind of arguments you fuckers got, but a plan is a plan and I've lost too much on this whole trip to turn back now."

"Mark, she can help us. She will help us, and the debt guys will give us an extension. They'll-"

"They'll what? Slap me down with a bunch of late fees and interest? What about the contractors that hired out you and the rest of the scavvers? Dead scavvers are more expensive than live ones. Plus the water, the food, the tools. Jesus, the fucking loss." Mark had started calmly enough, but now he was working into a good frothing rage. "While you were off fucking about with your 'friends,' I was back here doing the math. You know what we got? What I got? A twenty five thousand water mark debt, that's what. That ain't even including what I gotta pay you."

Kyle smirked at that, "We both know, you ain't gonna pay me." The idea that Mark would still pay Kyles fee after all that had happened was a joke, he'd worked for the man for three years and knew for a fact that the fist of the man was as tighter around his money than the vault at Kings court.

Mark grinned evilly. "Sure as shit sticks to a blanket. Why would I pay the guy who sabotaged the whole job?"

Kyles face fell. "What?" He said, flabbergasted. L was watching now in horror, clutching at Catnip who didn't understand what was going on at all.

"Sure, I can get a waiver for the scavvers fees. Just tell em you threw a wrench in the works, killed some people, and tried to make off with the take. I had to shoot you down Kyle, it's a tragedy to be sure and the shattered helm won't like it, but it saves them the time of investigation."

Kyle stared at him, "You can't be serious."