[IC] Radiated | Star Lord & Dewey Deftones

[Mao Mao]

There were several people with weapons and explosions gathering at a hidden location somewhere in the heart of Alice Springs, the capital of the Outback. It was under constant attacks during Omnic Crisis causing death and destruction for everyone. The locals were extremely offended when their government signed a peace treaty with the omnics. As a result, their Omnium was spared destruction and (if it wasn’t already an insult) granted them more land to use. However, the government seemed to forget about the people already living on the land. They had to bring the military to force everyone within the land to leave since it now ‘belonged to the omnics.’ Mako Rutledge and everyone else remembered the day when their government chose the machines over their own people.

Now, it was time to fight back against the machines. That was when they formed the Australian Liberation Front, an organization with the goal of ridding the omnics. Several political parties and pro-omnic organizations denounced the Front. But, that didn’t stop them for planning their attack on the Omnium. If the government wasn’t going to do anything about the problem, it was up to the people to solve it. Rutledge came up with the plan to attack the Omnum to send a message that the Outback was tired of omnics. Everyone that volunteered to fight against the omnics had arrived at the location going over the plan.

Mako Rutledge arrived with the detailed map of the Omnum and more explosions for the attack. The explosions were needed to break into the Omnum and attack its fusion core. Soon enough, the group left to follow the plan. However, the second explosion had unseen consequences for the whole Outback. Both the fusion core and the Omnum were unintentionally destroyed. The sudden explosion killed most of the volunteer group that were either trapped inside or escaping the explosion. Mako Rutledge and several others were the remaining survivors. Following the explosion, the entire Outback was irradiated, and the Australian government decided to abandon everyone within the Outback due to the radiation.

The group quickly blamed Rutledge and left him for dead in the ruins of the Omnum. That was the day when Mako Rutledge died. Wearing a gas mask and riding a homemade chopper, he became a wanderer for a long time. His humanity forgotten. His face forever hidden by a gas mask. Roadhog was born and Mako Rutledge was dead for good.

Now, Roadhog is surviving his personal hell.

---

---

Roadhog reassembled his homemade shotgun, that he made years ago, since there wasn’t nothing else to do. Plus, it was way better than thinking about Mako. When he was about to dismantle it again, someone knocked on the door. He got up and opened the door to find one of the Queen’s personal guards at the door.

“The Queen requests your presence at once.” the guard said.

Roadhog reached for his shotgun on the desk and walked passed the guard. “Fine.” he responded as he walked pass the guard. Junkertown represented everything that went wrong after the Omnum explosion and Roadhog hated it. He approached the Palace and entered it as he passed by a line of people waiting to see the ‘beloved’ Queen. The crowd began to shout at Roadhog while a guard let him in. The Queen looked tired as she listened to a merchant talking about what he heard and saw nearby Marla. Then, she saw Roadhog and turned towards the merchant.

“Thank you for sharing this information with me. As promised, your payment will be given to you by a guard.” she said towards the merchant while waving at a guard to get them out. The guard guided the merchant out of the throne room as Roadhog approached the Queen.

“Good, you have made it.” she stated, “I have a very important bounty for you. Walk with me.” Both the Queen and Roadhog exited out of the throne room and walked up the stairs. Roadhog hated stairs because it made his breathing problem worse. The climb up towards the Queen’s room only took a minute, but Roadhog was already breathing. Meanwhile, the Queen offered the bounty hunter a drink from her personal stash of alcoholic drinks (many of them were from outside the Outback). Roadhog turned her offer down; however, that didn’t stop the Queen from making herself a drink.

“The only reason why you are standing beside me is because I have no other options left. Your new target is the most important person in the Outback. Hell, you might have heard of him. My scouts even had to make a file on the fucker, which is here for you to keep.” the Queen said as she put a glass of whiskey on the folder while she made another glass for herself. Roadhog walked towards the folder and picked it up while moving the glass to the other side of the dresser. He didn’t like the taste of whiskey for some reason. He opened up the folder and saw a picture of his target with a name below it: ‘Junkrat.’”

“’That’s the fucker who’s been killing everyone bold enough to attack him. Thanks to the merchant, we finally got a location. Once you have cornered the little rat, bring him back here alive. He isn’t any good dead. You will be paid very well enough for the trouble. The folder contains enough information about the rat for you to do your job well.” the Queen spoke to Roadhog while she began to drink his glass. Then, she looked at the door and pointed to it. “Now, do your time and get him.”

After a few minutes of walking, Roadhog had returned to his room and placed the file on the desk. He had read enough to know that it was going to be a difficult task. He remembered hearing the name about a week ago while doing a job at a bar. Apparently, he and other Junkers were searching the Omnum for parts when Junkrat found a treasure. He killed everyone at the Omnum and fled the scene with the treasure; however, he spilled the beans about the treasure. Now, everyone in the Outback wants the location of the treasure and Junkrat is on the run. Sooner or later, the rat will be cornered by Roadhog. Roadhog gathered the remaining supplies from the room before hopping on his chopper and leaving Junkertown. He was glad to leave it.

Junkrat was last spotted in the small town of Marla, which was a hub for tourists before the Omnum explosion. The sun was going down when Roadhog finally arrived at the abandoned town. It seemed that no-one had been there in years, but he had to be sure that Junkrat wasn’t hiding. He approached the doors and walked inside to begin his hunt for the rat.

[Dewey Deftones]

There was no place like home, the old saying went. No place like the Outback, full of dangerous critters and plantlife that'd kill you more than help you. Some would call natives crazy, but only some of them were. And even then, the damn Omnics seemed to make the desert landscape more of a hellhole than it already was. Raging heat complimented by emotionless robots constantly attacking, always an onslaught against the humans occupying the land. To top off the madness, the government signed a peace treaty with the bots. A peace treaty! With the omnics that would rather see them dead!

The Australian Liberation Front had an answer to that, an answer of violence and explosions. One which altered the very way of life of those in the Outback. A detonation like no other at the Omnium which produced the bots resulted in a nuclear fallout that swept along the Outback like a blazing fire, irradiating everything in its path. Jamison Fawkes had been a simple man, a resident of the Outback, a smart man who somehow wound up living in the middle of the desert. But after the radiation changed everything, changed him and the way his mind ticked, Jamison was no more.

He'd donned scraps of clothes, fashioned his own explosives out of the wreckage, picked up scrap through the radiated wasteland like the madman he'd become. He and some other fellas had made themselves a living among the scrap, peddling it for what they could, building anew and dismantling anything salvageable they could get their grimy hands on. Called themselves Junkers. His name became simple, easy to say, easy to remember, and exactly what he was. Junkrat, scrounging the wastes like a rat in search of cookie crumbs, had been born from the radiation.

---

---

It'd only been a month since he'd found it in the ruins of the old, radiation-plagued Omnium, and already he had bounties on his head from those in charge. After he'd killed off his fellow Junkers because he knew they'd be greedy and want to take it from him, Junkrat traveled until he found a place small and secure, where he could rest for a little while. Hunker down and think of is next move. What would he even do with the damn thing? It was so valuable, should he just keep it like a trophy, or sell it to the highest bidder, or just bury it somewhere like a squirrel with a nut? The possibilities were endless, but damn it, he didn't have time to think with these nearly constant attacks from bounty hunters most likely sent from the Queen. That bitch, always giving him a hard time.

He'd found the town of Marla. Used to be a tiny tourist destination, now just scraps of buildings no one lived in for years. Good place to try to get some plotting done, if nothing else. He'd set up in a ramshackle little building that appeared to have been a petrol station at one point in time, though there was no certainly if it had been in use prior to the Omnium explosion. Not that it mattered anyways.

There was a storage room in the back with an intact door. All it took was some old-fashioned elbow grease and the crafty former-Junker had made a makeshift lock to hold the door shut for now. It wouldn't hold against any kind of grenade or anything of the sort, but it'd take some effort from your average scrappy bounty hunter to get through. By the time they got through it, Junkrat would make an escape through a hatch in the ceiling. Used to be part of an air ventilation system, but whatever had once been there had fallen through and now there was a big square hole in the ceiling. The building itself was pretty short, so if Junkrat stood straight up and reached his hands all the way up, then jumped, he could grab onto the edge and pull himself up. From the roof, he'd jump on down and run off wherever he could.

Sitting on the floor, facing the walk, Junkrat scrawled on the wall with a piece of chalk, trying to plan out his next move. Head out of the Outback, try to find a buyer? No, he hated associating with civvies. Especially suits. Those scheming bastards were always out for themselves. Junkrat laughed at this thought; he wasn't so different from a suit, all things considered. He was out for himself right now! Hah!

"Alright jamie, let's see here, what can we do with this..." He muttered to himself, bringing a hand to his chin in contemplation. He'd run out of chalk eventually, but writing things down always helped sort things out in his head. Stuff tended to get pretty scrambled up there. Staying focused was hard. Writing things down helped him keep focus on what he needed to do, and helped him remember how to make things. He had blueprints for the stuff he had with him; his trusty frag launcher, his concussion mines, his steel bear traps, and his personal favorite... a motorized explosive tire he could control remotely. He carried the tire on his back, and with how heavy it was, he hunched over because of it. But it was damn worth it to see the explosion in the distance, killing off anyone who wanted to steal from the one and only Junkrat.

[Mao Mao]

Roadhog saw the impressive makeshift lock and decided to investigate it. According to the file on Junkrat, he was a Junker. Well, everyone was Junkers. However, people like Junkrat were the Junkers since they repurpose everything that is scrapable. They even built most, if not all, of the settlements in the Outbreak. Without them, everyone would have died in the matter of months. But, it didn’t mean that they were perfect. Like most people in the Outback, they were “savages” and “sick individuals” to outsiders; but, none of the outsiders ever had their homes turned into a radioactive hellhole. Hell, they never cared about them when the Omnium blew up. Other than messages of prayers and healing, nobody did anything to help besides a few organizations like the ICRC and Doctors Without Borders.

Even the rest of Australia wanted nothing to do with the Outback. Overwatch tried to also help but couldn’t due to problems that they were dealing inside their own organization. Before their base blew up and the United Nations killed them for good. And the United Nations are still debating on the topic. Roadhog was pissed off about the outside world and their meaningless responses. He wanted to make the world never forget about the Outback and what they didn’t do to help. It made him even more angry to the point where he grabbed ahold of the lock and pulled hard. The lock was no match for the strong Roadhog, which immediately broke. He threw the lock to the side and raced towards Junkrat, who was stunned when he saw the big man coming towards him.

Before he could say anything, Roadhog grabbed and covered his mouth. He was supposed to take him to the bike and knock him out, but he saw the writing on the wall and took a closer look while holding Junkrat tightly. Before he could make any sense out of the horrible writing, Roadhog felt a sharp pain from him and saw Junkrat biting into it. It was enough pain that Roadhog violently threw Junkrat and cursed out of pain, “Fuck!”

He couldn’t believe that he got bit by the fucker. It was probably why people also called him “Junkrat” because he bites like a rat. A giant fucker. Roadhog, in anger, pulled out his shotgun and aimed it at the rat. He was still on the ground when saw the giant aiming his weapon him and decided to run like hell. Junkrat jumped off and ran towards the hatch before Roadhog fired his gun, which left a hole in the ground. Roadhog was becoming angrier at the rat and reached for his hook. His hook was known throughout the Outback as his signature weapon. A tool that he used to catch his targets while they are escaping. Whenever Roadhog caught his target, he always laughed maniac, for some twisted reason.

Roadhog aimed his hook at the fleeing target and threw it like a disk. In the matter of seconds, it caught Junkrat before he could use the hatch and Roadhog began to laugh. The laughing was sounded more terrifying because his mask muffled his voice. That is why he sounds like a soulless creature from a horror film and he liked it that way. He kept on laughing sinfully while he pulled on the chain of the hook as Junkrat got closer. He was going to punch his face, so he could lose a few more teeth.

Meanwhile, Junkrat was caught bite part of the hook as the barb was poking his chest. He had to figure something out to protect his precious treasure.

[Dewey Deftones]

Junkrat had been so engaged in his thinking and scribbling the he hadn't heard any noise from outside until it was far too late. By the time he turned his head to see who had practically thrown the door off its hinges, he was already grabbed and squeezed by a pair of huge hands. He vaguely recognized this gargantuan, tattooed bloke, like he'd seen him before somewhere. Junkrat almost paused to think on where he'd seen the masked man before, but his attention was obviously needed elsewhere. He had to get out of this grasp, otherwise he'd be dragged somewhere and probably turned in as a bounty. Paid more to bring in live bounties, after all.

Living up to the rat part of his name, Junkrat chomped down on the hog-bellied brute's hand, and surprisingly, it actually worked. Granted, the teeth had broken skin and it probably hurt like a bitch, so maybe it wasn't so surprising after all. He expected to be dropped from the action, but not thrown. The scrappy Junker hit the ground hard and had to take a moment before he could make his escape. Shaking off the hurt, Junkrat got to his feet (or foot and peg, rather), and looked upwards towards the hatch in the ceiling. There, that was his way out. He knew it'd come in handy!

Jumping up, the surprisingly tall Junkrat grabbed hold of the edges of the roof, but the son of a bitch who was after him was quicker. And he had a god damn chain with a hook at the end. Like a god damn fish on the end of a line, the hook wrapped around his chest and started digging into his skin as the bounty hunter yanked at the chain, pulling him down from the ledge, and inching the resistant Junker closer and closer to what would be a painful lesson in how not to run away from an enemy.

"Wait!" He shouted, putting on a pained smile as he made a last ditch effort to bargain for his freedom. "Wait, you're after the treasure, aren't ya? That's what everyone wants, right? Listen, I'll split whatever profit I get from this thing, however much it is, I'll split it with ya! How's that sound? You get a cut, I get a cut, and you don't have to take me to Junkertown! Or whoever you're working for!"

[Mao Mao]

Roadhog listened to Junkrat as he kept on pulling the chain that was keeping the rat in place. He was making an unsteady deal with nothing more than "trust me." Only idiots fall for it. Plus, the rat bit him. When Junkrat was close enough, Roadhog grabbed his head and smashed against a counter. That was payback from earlier. And Junkrat fell to the ground and cried as his head was probably hurting like a bitch. However, the bounty hunter didn't care about the rat and quickly checked outside. It was already night time, making traveling on a motorcycle dangerous. There were probably already bandits outside, making traps for their next victims. Especially tourists who avoided Australia's guidelines about the Outback.

He went back inside Junkrat's hideout and reached for his handcuffs. Then, he grabbed the rat's left hand and cuffed them to a wooden pole. Roadhog tightened the handcuffs to remind the rat that he was finally caught. Now, there was just waiting until morning and getting him on the motorcycle. The building was left abandoned with parts missing, but some things from the past reminded. It took a bit of looking around, but he found things to start a campfire. Something to keep them warm throughout the night. Once the fire was started, Roadhog sat on the ground and looked at the fire. While looking at it, he started to think about what the rat said earlier. How he was willing to give him a cut for however much the treasure was.

It was the most likely response for someone to use to plead for their release. Roadhog’s previous targets failed to convince him. He had been a bounty hunter for years, so he knew what his targets would do to save their own lives. But, something was different about Junkrat. He had something that was so important that everyone in the Outback wanted it. The files, from the Queen, didn’t give a description of the treasure. However, he didn’t see it anywhere in this old building. It must either be long gone or buried in his pockets.

Roadhog stood up, walked towards the captured Junkrat, and grabbed his face to look at him. Then, he asked the question. “Where’s the treasure?”

[Dewey Deftones]

As Junkrat's head was smashed into the counter, his vision went blurry for a few moments, and the pain was enough to send him to the floor. He felt consciousness wavering, but stayed awake. He dared not try to scurry away; even if he could get to his feet and stumble away, he'd just get hooked again. This hog sure as hell didn't care if his bounty came back in good shape. Alive, even if barely, was usually the only condition that mattered. The tattooed bloke's heavy steps left the room for only a moment before lumbering back. Before Junkrat knew it, his arm was yanked to the side and cuffed to a wooden pole. Now sitting upright on the cold floor, the ex-Junker had a moment to shake off that blow to the head.

He held his free hand over his now-swollen scalp, staring at the floor, thinking on what he was going to do now that he was most definitely not getting away. Not easily anyways. Maybe he could convince the big lug to let him go so he could get the treasure and bring it back to him? No, he'd have to be an absolute dumbass for that to work, and this round-bellied brute had more smarts to him than it looked like he would.

Shit.

Junkrat shoot his head slightly, furrowing his brow in frustration. His head hurt so damn bad, he couldn't think of a plan. He couldn't make a way out of captivity so quickly. There were some very extreme thoughts that came to mind; breaking his own hand to escape the cuffs, or blowing his arm off, or chewing through the wooden pole, or... Nothing practical. Those would be too obvious, and even more painful than the bump on his head. Maybe not the chewing through the wood one, but it wasn't like his teeth were all totally secure in his skull anymore. There weren't exactly dentists in the Outback.

When the pig-tatted man returned to the room with wood scraps and lit a fire to keep them warm, Junkrat looked up to him with a confused look. What, he wasn't just gonna leave him here in the cold until morning? What bounty hunter gave that much of a fuck about his bounty? Then, the big guy asked a question that was to be expected.

"Not here." Junkrat answered. "Ya think I'm dumb enough to keep it on me, mate? I may have a few screws loose, but I know better than to keep something that valuable with me when people are looking for it."

[Mao Mao]

He didn't have it. Dammit. Roadhog had originally hoped that Junkrat was dumb enough to have the treasure on him. Then again, the Junker proved to be smarter than expected. Now, he had to ask where he hid it; however, Roadhog heard some strange noises outside before he could say something. He reached for his shotgun and started to walk slowly towards the door while picking up an empty can of beans from the ground. Once he reached the door, Roadhog knew that there were unexpected visitors as they commented on the busted lock.
With the empty can, he threw it near Junkrat and kept a steady grip on the shotgun. One of the men rushed inside and immediately saw the tied-up rat. “Holy fuck!” he shouted loud enough that his friend rushed inside to investigate. The other friend also saw him, and both of their faces lit up, realizing that they found the legendary Junkrat. “We are so going to be rich after we find the fat fucker!” the man excitedly declared for the whole Outback to hear.

However, in their excitement, they never checked if Roadhog was still in the building. Suddenly, a single shot went off and struck one of the men. The other man’s face turned into horror as he saw his friend getting shot. Then, he saw the hog. Before he could even reach for his weapon, the bounty hunter’s hand was already on his neck. Roadhog dragged the guy towards the counter as his buddy was lying on the ground, slowly dying near Junkrat. He just asked one simple question, “Who sent you?”

The guy quickly answered, “The Queen! It was her!”

Roadhog didn’t buy it. He squeezed harder on the guy’s neck as he tried to say something before yelling it out. “G-Go…for a Burton! Go for a Burton!”

Roadhog’s eyes widen with shock and disbelief. The Queen really did betray him. He should have never trusted her, but he was foolish enough to believe that she was 'innocent.' He then squeezed once again until he said something else, “That phrase was used while talking about your bounty. Someone put up a decent reward for your body—alive or dead. The Queen thought that Junkrat managed to kill you hours ago and sent us to collect your lifeless body. Guess she was wrong about that. If you still don’t believe me, I still have information about you. Now, how about you-.”

Before he could even finish the sentence, Roadhog squeezed until the guy’s neck snapped. He was beyond words. Beyond anger. He wanted to break everything in this building. What he really wanted was to snap the Queen's neck. At the moment, however, he was focused on seeing what she knew about Roadhog. The dead guy with the broken neck was right about having the information as Roadhog found a file on him. He set it on the counter and started to read it. It was detailed his strengths and weaknesses, what kind of weapons he used, and what his motorcycle looked like. Without a second thought, Roadhog angrily threw it to the dying campfire. He didn’t want to know more.

Then, he saw that Junkrat was still tied up to the pole next to the other dead guy. Now that Roadhog was also a wanted person, Junkrat seemed like the only option to survive. He has been outrunning or killing other bounty hunters for a month. Plus, it was suicidal and stupid to return to Junkertown. No doubt the guards would kill him in seconds. He walked towards Junkrat and uncuffed him while saying, “Show me where the treasure is. Then, we can talk details.”

Roadhog went to check if the men somehow fucked his bike up. Thankfully, it didn’t even suffer a scratch as he inspected it twice. He turned to Junkrat and said, “Before we go, I have to tell you something.” Roadhog grabbed the Junker’s arm, got close to his face, and stated “If you try to fuck with me, you will die painfully. Got it?”

[Dewey Deftones]

Junkrat curiously turned his head as he too heard the noises outside. There were certainly not many animals left in the Outback, so it was unlikely that a dingo or anything of the sort would be rummaging around outside. Watching his captor get up and stand by the door, the battered Junker had no choice but to sit and wait to see if it was a threat. Damn it, he'd really fucked this up. He didn't want to have to share the treasure with anyone, especially not someone who slammed his head into a countertop. He'd have a lump on his balding head for weeks, he was sure. He was lucky to have some hair left despite all the radiation and explosives he'd gone through, but that wasn't enough to protect him from much of anything hitting his head. Hell, none of his clothes were suited for protection. Most of the time he didn't need it, considering lobbing explosives from a distance and setting traps was his expertise. But close combat wasn't his specialty. Maybe he deserved that lump. A reminder that he should set more traps next time he decided to hunker down.

The tattooed brute tossed a tin can towards Junkrat, and in quick response to the noise, two scrappy-looking bounty hunters entered the room, excited in their luck and apparent triumph. Junkrat couldn't help but laugh a little, shaking his head. "Big mistake, mates."

It was almost as soon as the words left his mouth that the gargantuan man who'd somehow yet to be noticed despite his size, sprang into action, instantly mortally wounding one of the poor blokes. While that one collapsed to the floor next to Junkrat, bleeding profusely, the other was promptly slammed into that same counter and held tightly by the throat. Junkrat almost wanted to laugh; hey, that's my countertop, he hit my head on it first!

Listening closely to the brief conversation between the choking man and the pig-bellied hunter, the Junker found no surprise that the Queen was involved. She was tied up in everything in the Outback, especially if it had to do with notable people like Junkrat himself. Okay, maybe he wasn't very notable until he'd found the treasure, but still! He was important enough to send people to their deaths for now. A grim thought, but this whole Outback was worse than a couple of dead bounty hunters.

Hearing a stomach-churning crack come from the neck of the subdued guy, the room was now filled with two dead men and two living ones. Junkrat half expected when he was approached by his captor to be slugged in the face or something, but instead, those massive hands reached for the cuffs and undid them from his wrists. Standing up now, the confused Junker rubbed his sore head as he followed the man out to his motorcycle. It even had a sidecar.

"Well..." he muttered, before his arm was harshly grabbed and a threat was snarled into his face. Sufficiently convinced, Junkrat nodded quickly before he was let go. "Right, well, head north from here and I'll tell you what directions to take, mate."

"What's your name anyways?"

[Mao Mao]

Roadhog was astonished when Junkrat asked for his name. And a bit disappointed. He thought that everyone in the Outback knew about the Roadhog, the scariest bounty hunter in all of Australia. Maybe it was another sign that he was either getting old or killing too many people. He looked at Junkrat and coldly replied, "Roadhog." Another look around at his bike didn't reveal any noticeable scratches. Then, he glanced at the sidecar. A gift for the Queen. It was a long story that he didn't felt like reliving especially with her betrayal. Roadhog was still angry and confused. He thought that they had at least a professional work relationship, but he guessed wrong.

That's what I get for trusting others so easily.

In fact, he hasn’t felt like this since. Roadhog stopped himself before bringing up the past and got on his bike as Junkrat jumped into the sidecar. He didn't like driving in the night, but there wasn't any other choice in the matter. After starting up the bike, he started to head north for a bit until Junkrat told him to turn left. As Roadhog was driving to the location of the treasure, he couldn't bring himself to stop guessing what it was. Either it was worth a shit-ton of money or it was nothing of value. If it turned that it was nothing more than a shiny cellphone, Roadhog would kill Junkrat. In any case, he was going to find out.

However, Roadhog was starting to get sleepy behind the handles of his motorcycle. He wanted to stop and rest, but he also knew that the treasure could be nearby. Once they found the spot, then he could sleep. Until then, he needed some way to stay awake. Then, he looked at Junkrat and found his solution.

“What makes this 'treasure' so special that you had to brag about it?” he asked.

[Dewey Deftones]

Roadhog.

Junkrat almost laughed, but he was certain that would have gotten him another knot on the skull. It was such a fitting name for the massive, pig-tatted man. Question was, was the tattoo the inspiration for the name, or was it the other way around? He supposed he could ask at a later time if he didn't wind up dead by the end of his dealings with the gargantuan bounty hunter.

Looking over to Roadhog as he asked about the treasure, Junkrat couldn't help but grin. It excited him to talk about his amazing find, his lucky break, his treasure that made him more valuable than anything else in this god-forsaken wasteland. Since he really had no choice but to tell the hog what he wanted to know, otherwise the information would probably be beaten out of him, the ex-Junker started.

"Imagine something so powerful that even suits outside the Outback would envy it. Something that makes me more important than even the Junker Queen herself. What I found is a source of power that she would use to keep herself on her throne permanently. That's what I have, and that's what everyone wants. If they get their hands on it, they could kick the Junker Queen out, or they could sell it to the suits for more money than anyone could imagine. And I can imagine a lot of money, mate."

Turning his head forward, looking at the terrain around them to make sure they were heading the right direction, Junkrat smirked as he finished speaking, hardly able to contain his smugness.

"I found an Omnium fusion core."

[Mao Mao]

"I found an Omnium fusion core."

Roadhog froze when he heard what Junkrat found in the depths of the Omnium. He thought that it was destroyed in the explosion among with anything else significance. He guessed wrong. What surprised him even more was the fact that Junkrat knew what it was. Hell, it won't even be a shocker if he knew what it does. Roadhog was surprised by Junkrat once again for a Junker. Now that Roadhog knew what it was, the question was if it was damaged during and after the explosion. How much juice is left and does it even work? Of course, sooner or later, these questions would be answered.

For now, he needed to keep a cool head and drive to the treasure site; however, he couldn't stop thinking about the fusion core. It was always Roadho-Mako's dream to grab one of the fusion cores. However, the cores were burning hot since they were being used twenty-four hours a day and three hundred and sixty-five days. He thought about using it for the greater good of the Outback and as a message to—.

Unfortunately, it was too late to help the Outback rebuild. With high levels of nuclear radiation from the Omnium explosion, everyone that dared to stay in the Outback were lost causes in the eyes of the Australian government.

Roadhog smiled at Junkrat's vision that the fusion core could be used to overthrow the Queen. Only if the others knew what it could do, but they would either tear it apart for scrap or sell it to the outsiders. Even if they knew what potentials it had. Maybe the Queen might be able to figure it out and used it for herself. Roadhog, still pissed off about the betrayal, didn't want her to come out on top. That didn’t mean killing her. It would just cause the only sense of law and order to fade away. He wanted to know why she betrayed him.

Regardless, going back to Junkertown was stupid, especially when there’s a bounty on your head. At least he wasn't the only one with a bounty.

He turned to look at Junkrat and asked, “How much longer?”

[Dewey Deftones]

Junkrat figured the news of an intact fusion core would surprise any wastelander who knew what it was, and he wished he could see Roadhog's face behind his mask to see his expression. Instead, those tinted lenses remained on the lack of a road ahead. Ever the brooding type, eh? Or maybe brooding just wasn't the word to describe Roadhog- maybe a better choice was contemplative. The big guy seemed quiet, or at least short-spoken, and didn't beat around the bush when he did talk.

As they neared a large vertical rock sticking out of a dried up ravine, Junkrat tapped Roadhog's arm. "Hang a right around this rock. Through the ditch. See the Boab with the two trunks to the northwest? Stop at that tree." He instructed, hoping his memory served him right. He'd buried the fusion core somewhere around that tree. It'd been the dead of night so his sense of direction had been skewed, but he was almost certain it was this particular tree.

Once Roadhog brought the chopper to a halt nearby the boab tree, Junkrat hastily scrambled out, on the hunt for his precious fusion core. He looked around at the ground, humming in thought. "It's around here somewhere, mate. I swear. It's buried in the ground by this tree, just gotta remember which side."

Inspecting the dry dirt as he paced around the tree, he came to a spot where it looked like the ground had been disturbed. Kneeling down, Junkrat used his bare hands to dig down and tear the soil up. Sure enough, he'd found his treasure about twelve inches below the surface.

Reaching down with both hands, a wicked grin on his face, he took the round metallic object in his hands. There was a faint yellow glow from the pit of the center of the steel orb, signaling that indeed, it still had power. Or at least he assumed that's what it meant. Stuff that glowed was either radioactive or energized. He liked to think he wasn't holding fistfuls of radiation at the moment.

"Here it is... A beaut', am I right?" He asked, turning to Roadhog. "This is the whole reason blokes have been hunting me down. Funny ain't it? This little thing causing all these problems?"

[Mao Mao]

Roadhog thought for a moment that Junkrat forgot the location of the treasure since it was taking him a long time to remember. Thankfully, Junkrat pointed at the rock and told Roadhog to turn a right. After following the directions, they found themselves in front of a Boab. Roadhog looked at the tree and waited for the fusion core while Junkrat dug it up from the ground. It was admittedly smart to bury it in the ground since the cores are blight as hell. And he meant it too, as Junkrat held the glowing core; however, it was only fainted. Roadhog hoped that it didn't mean anything terrible.

"Here it is... A beaut', am I right?" Junkrat asked, turning to Roadhog. "This is the whole reason blokes have been hunting me down. Funny ain't it? This little thing causing all these problems?"

Roadhog chuckled at the sentence since Junkrat was right about one thing. It was funny how the entire Outback is hunting Junkrat because of that small object. And they don't know that it's just a fusion core. Hell, Roadhog didn't know what it was until he was told. As the night was slowly becoming day, Roadhog carefully grabbed the core and held it for a moment. He couldn't believe that he was holding to something that valuable. And under that mask of his, Roadhog was grinning like a child who finally got a puppy. However, he also realized that meant that both Junkrat and Roadhog were officially targets. The entire Outback versus two guys with something incredibly precious.

Plus, he wanted to pay a visit to the Queen. And he needed help. Afterwards, they needed to get out the Outback to sell the core to outsiders. Roadhog looked at Junkrat and then the core before saying, "Let's talk." Roadhog placed the core back in the hole and buried it once more under the Boab once more. He didn't want anything to happen while he held on to it.

[Dewey Deftones]

"Right." Junkrat brought a hand to his chin in thought. "Talk. About the deal. About you getting a cut of whatever I make off of this fusion core."

He had to think wisely on this. He still wasn't sure whether or not he could trust Roadhog completely. Give the big guy too much of a cut, and he'd use that money against him. Offer too little, and it'd probably wind up with the grave of an ex-Junker planted right beside this very Boab tree.

"How about uh, sixty-five to thirty-five split? I get sixty-five percent of the cut. You get thirty-five. It is my fusion core after all. I could have easily just taken it and sold it off and kept the riches for myself, but I'm being nice. Generous even!" He pat the ground over the fusion core. "This baby was no easy find, let me tell you."

It's true, it'd taken a hell of a lot of effort to scrounge that shiny little orb out of the radioactive pit it's been stuck in. The old omnium factory, the one that had blown sky high, was full of valuable materials. But the radiation there was so dangerous hardly anyone bothered.

Well, anyone but Junkrat. He really didn't give a rat's ass if he'd lived or died prior to finding the fusion core. Not like cancer would kill him right away anyways, right? So he'd gone through the rubble with a few fellow Junkers who didn't have a care for their health, and he'd eventually plucked the core from a heap of scrap metal. And subsequently killed the other Junkers, before running like a madman away from the factory.

Having absorbed a more acute dose of radiation than the typical amount received just from being in the Outback itself, his body generally felt like shit for a few weeks. It'd been miserable. He'd spent most of his time hiding in whatever shelter he could, trying to keep food down and get rest. He'd lost some hair, and weight off his already skinny body by the time he started to feel normal again. Well, as normal as one could feel after self-inflicted radiation poisoning.

[Mao Mao]

Roadhog listened to Junkrat's attempt at bargaining with a small grin. He was at least trying his best, but sixty-five to thirty-five split wasn't going to work. However, Roadhog knew that nothing was going to change Junkrat's mind unless he was offered something as great as money. And what would an wanted man want the most in the world besides money? Protection. Roadhog knew that Junkrat was tired of running away, but it was the only option available. Until now. When Junkrat was finished talking, Roadhog just shook his head and said only two words.

"Fifty-fifty."

Then, he silently walked back to his motorcycle to retreat a map that he kept inside the glove compartment. After a moment of walking and grabbing the map, Roadhog opened it up and set it down on the seat as he signaled Junkrat to come here. Assuming that Junkrat was listening behind, most likely confused or upset, Roadhog pointed at an empty spot within the Outback. It was actually the site of a blimp that was unfortunately caught in the blast wave of the Omnum explosion. Dozens of crew members and wealthy passengers were killed when the blimp crash landed in the Outback. And the survivors were retrieved and sent to a hospital away from the contaminated Outback.

Now, the site became a place for thieves that kidnapped tourists and turned them into slaves. Nobody in the Outback wouldn't mind if that place was finally wipeoff the map. However, Roadhog didn't care about the tourists. He cared about the amount of the supplies and gear collected from the outside world. Getting stuff from the outside world was too costly to visit a black market. And given that Roadhog was a wanted man, the black market wasn't an option any more.

He was still looking at the map when he said, "There's a wreck blimp that's being used to keep some of the tourists. We go there, attack it, and gather anything valuable and useful to us."

"Any questions?" he asked.

[Dewey Deftones]

Junkrat's brows first raised in surprise at the boldness of Roadhog suggesting a fifty-fifty split, then furrowed down as he narrowed his eyes in disdain at the pig-tatted man. What was this big lug trying to pull? Who did he think he was to request fifty percent of the cut, for something Junkrat risked his life to find and protect for weeks! He had no right to it! Zero! None! Zilch!

Stomping up behind Roadhog as he was beckoned over, Junkrat started to protest; "I don't think you know what it took me to find that bloody core, and you don't deserve-", but Junkrat was cut off by that rumbling voice interjecting and telling of a crashed blimp in the middle of nowhere. Well, close enough to nowhere. The Outback was full of nothing ever since the explosion, just endless radiated landscape. But sometimes one could stumble across valuables in the form of wreckage. Or even better- a place to hunker down and stay safe.

Though, not everyone used those locations to live in. Crime was rampant in this lawless wasteland, and it was no surprise to hear that kidnappers used a blimp wreckage to hold tourists hostage. It was no business of Junkrat's to go in and be a hero, and quite honestly he didn't care about those people dumb enough to get caught by a bunch of irradiated thieves. However, the prospect of gear and maybe even something to eat or drink that wasn't radiated was enough to convince Junkrat to go along with this brazen plan.

"Well alright, Roadie, but don't get any smart ideas! No higher than fifty! I'm sure whatever's stored there aside from people is worth a pretty penny. Plus maybe we can find some food. I haven't eaten anything that hasn't made me sick as a dog in days. I'm withering away, mate!"

[Mao Mao]

Junkrat's complaints went unheard as Roadhog was more concentrated on the task than anything else now. Eventually, Junkrat finally accepted the offer and began to crave for healthy food and purified water for the Outside. However, Roadhog couldn't help but roll his eyes for the nickname, Roadie. He tried to remind himself that there were worse nicknames than 'Roadie.' But, he knew that Junkrat was going to find a way to annoy him. Even if he didn't mean to. Regardless, it was time to attack the blimp. Roadhog grabbed the map and put it back in the glove compartment. And then took the time to say towards Junkrat, "Good. We are leaving now. Come."

Once both men got back in the motorcycle, Roadhog drove away from the Boab and returned to the dirt road. The temperature was already rising as Roadhog felt the warmness of the sun on the exposed parts of his body. Since the Outback was mostly desert, there were high demands for water by Junkers. They were willing to drink contaminated water, so they would live another day in the hellhole; but, there was still outside sources of water. Bottled water was treated like gold by many Junkers including Roadhog. Thus, the black market made them cost as much as a decommissioned Russian AK-74u. That was a good reason to attack the tourists since they would be carrying bottled water. Anything else was either worthless or valuable depending on the item.

After a few hours of driving, the pair of Junkers made it to the blimp. The location was filled with abandoned tour buses and jeeps with their parts, mostly stripped clear; however, a few jeeps and one tour bus looked recently acquired. It meant that tourists were most likely inside the blimp, being checked on to determine where they will be sent. And it was a clear sign that the boss within his office. Roadhog huffed loudly as he stopped his bike nearby the blimp and got out while approaching the lone guard. At the moment, he didn’t care about Junkrat.

The bodyguard was messing around with a tourist’s smartphone when a hook suddenly wrapped around him. And before he could scream out, Roadhog covered his mouth. “Is he here?” he asked to the guard in a demanding tone. The guard, knowing who Roadhog was referring to, shook his head up and down multiple times. “Good.” Roadhog only said to the guy before letting the hook fall to the ground.

Before the bodyguard could react, he felt a tight grip on his neck as Roadhog was going to kill him. He tried to scream for help, but his pleads were covered by Roadhog’s other hand. It only took around thirty second to kill the guard as he let go of the lifeless body, letting it hit the dirt ground. Now, it was time to enter the blimp. He turned to Junkrat and said, “Follow me. I know the layout.” With his weapon on one hand and the hook on the other, Roadhog kicked the door open and found two other bodyguards nearby. Immediately, he fired two shots at the men and leaving them to bleed out. The sounds of gunfire alerted every man within the blimp as they were shouting and preparing to face off against the intruders.

Roadhog looked at Junkrat and only said, “Cover me.”

[Dewey Deftones]

Junkrat didn't say much on the ride to the blimp. He was, for once, taking time to process everything that had just happened. Somehow he'd weaseled his way out of getting killed by Roadhog, and was now partnered up with him to raid some supplies. He wasn't any stranger to working with others, being a Junker and all, but ever since he'd found that omnium fusion core he'd abandoned his former ties to people. What he had was worth more than safety in numbers.

After all, what did an explosives expert need with a bunch of reject Junkers anyways? He could blow shit up and get out unscathed. Well, mostly anyways. A glance down at his peg leg reminded him that things could go very wrong when it came to something as dangerous as explosives. Junkrat nearly hissed in pain at just the thought of what it felt like to lose his leg, and what he'd done to keep himself from dying from it. The explosive had gone off accidentally, and mangled everything from his knee down. There were no doctors, no surgeons, no nothing in the Outback. So he had to fix it himself. He'd used a fragment of metal to sever what was left of the scraps of skin below his knee while the shock kept him from being in agony, then wrapped his thigh with a belt to stop the bleeding. From there, he'd lit a campfire in the dark of the starry Australian night, then shoved his mauled stub into the flames to cauterize it shut.

He'd wound up with an infection and nearly died from the fucking thing, but somehow he pulled through. It wasn't so bad now, but he never wanted to do that shit again. Yeah, life in this wasteland was no piece of cake, but Junkrat still wanted to live. And he'd do anything to live as healthy and prosperous as he could, without having to deal with goddamn suits or omnics.

Looking beside him to Roadhog, Junkrat decided then and there that he'd stick by this bloke for as long as necessary to stay alive. Another accident like the one with his leg, and he didn't know if he could do it again without help. Maybe it was too soon to trust Roadhog to save his life, after all Roadie knew where the fusion core was now. Shit, that was the plan, huh? Roadhog knew where the core was, and was gonna kill Junkrat out here, then go back and get it for himself. Fuck.

Arriving at the wreckage, it didn't take long at all for Roadhog to kill a man. Not that lives meant much out here, but still. The big guy was proving himself to be ruthless without hesitation. Following Roadie to the blimp, Junkrat reached onto his belt and retrieved his handmade grenade launcher, loading it then following up behind the larger man.

"Won't be the first time I've killed for a drop of water." Junkrat mentioned, unable to help the grin on his face as he began firing his launcher at the guards as the came. It was too easy to catch them in the explosions when they didn't realize what was being shot at them. The grenades looked awfully inconspicuous, just as intended!

[Mao Mao]

Under that mask, Roadhog grinned as he saw Junkrat firing his launcher towards the guards. It was the first time that he saw Junkrat in combat with that weapon. So far, it was proving to be a challenge for the guards as they rushed to cover when one of their pals blew into pieces. Roadhog walked up the stairs and saw two men with melee weapons guarding the door. He just shot one of them dead while he grabbed the other by the neck and threw him to his death. Now in front of the door, Roadhog tried to open it but discovered it was locked.

Roadhog fired his shotgun towards the hinges and kicked the door down to the ground. He found the boss smoking a cigarette as he saw Roadhog coming in. “Here to finish me off, Roadhog?” he asked as he threw the cigarette to the ground.

“Don’t know, Johnny.” he responded. “Answer my questions and I might let you live to be the waste of oxygen.”

Johnny used to be the Queen’s informant on the Outside world years before Roadhog became a bounty hunter. He would even bring her things beyond the Outback like drinks and the latest tech. It wasn’t until Roadhog’s second year as a bounty hunter that Johnny quits. For reasons unknown, he angrily stormed out of the palace and never returned. Eventually, he became good at the slave trade to the point that the Queen started to notice.

“Ask away.” Johnny waved his hand at Roadhog.

“Do you know any hidden entrances to Junkertown?” Roadhog asked his first question. Johnny crossed his arms and kept his mouth shut. As a result, Roadhog went around the desk and sucker punched him in the face. It was hard enough to send Johnny to the ground as he cried out in pain. You could even see he had a blackeye as the result of Roadhog’s punch. Before he could do even more harm, Johnny put his hands up and screamed for him to stop.

“Good. Now tell me.”

Johnny surrendered immediately to prevent another beating and pointed at a file cabinet. Roadhog matched towards it and ripped the drawer off. He threw it towards the desk and caused Johnny to move away in fear of getting hit by it. It landed on the desk while Roadhog walked towards it. He looked inside and found the map of the escape route. And it led to the Palace, where Johnny intended to steal from her. It was uncommon to steal from someone that you considered to be a friend; however, it was stupid to steal for the Queen. Roadhog grabbed the map and put it in his pocket. Meanwhile, Johnny was still bleeding when he got off of the floor and angry at Roadhog for fucking his entire life. He had enough.

He grabbed for a large machete beside his desk and charged towards Roadhog. "You will pay!" Johnny screamed while running towards him. Unfortunately for him, Roadhog quickly turned around and fired one shot at him essentially killing him. Johnny flew across the room and dropped the machete. It was beautifully crafted and looked sharp enough to do some damage. Roadhog picked it off of the ground and looked at Johnny for the last time. He was going to bleed out. Thankfully, he didn't have enough time to steal for the Queen or he would of suffered longer. Johnny looked back at Roadhog and said while in pain, "I hope someone collects that bounty on your pig head."

Then, he laughed and kept on laughing even when Roadhog left.

Outside of the office, Roadhog heard nothing besides Johnny's last moments on this hellhole (which were getting quieter and quieter). It either meant that Junkrat took care of the rest or they fled into the desert. He saw Junkrat while he was looking the guards' quarters for any sort of valuable items. "I took care of my problem. Got awarded for it also." Roadhog said proudly while he entered the quarters and placed the machete on the metal table. "Now, we got to look around for necessary shit in order to survive on our own. We should split up to look around. I will stay at the upper levels while you search the lower levels. Understood?"

[Dewey Deftones]

It came as no shock that the violence continued through the halls of the blimp, Roadhog shredding his way through the guards who hadn't been blown to bits by Junkrat's handy little grenades. When the pot-bellied man ascended the stairs that appeared to lead to an office, Junkrat took a moment to absorb his surroundings. There were more guards coming from around the corner; this blimp wreckage was massive wasn't it? reaching to the back of his belt, Junkrat procured a crudely-made bear trap. He hated using these things because they couldn't be removed, not because he wanted to get whoever stepped in it out, but because the only way to get it off was to break it. And breaking things meant repairing, which was just boring.

Oh well.

Quickly setting the trap down on the ground where he figured the guards would come rushing around the corner, Junkrat stepped back and hid behind, ironically, a garbage bin. His patience paid off, and as one man rounded the corner, he stepped directly on the center of the trap, the mouth snapping shut with a sickening crunch. The guard screamed and tried to pry his leg free, as did the second guard who followed, but there was no use. The jaws had latched shut, just as designed. Now it'd be impossible to remove without breaking the metal pieces, which usually meant shooting it.

Junkrat sprung forth from his hiding spot, firing a volley of grenades at the panicked guards, who quickly became nothing more than splatters on the walls. He couldn't help but laugh; that had worked perfectly! He'd have to make another trap when he had the time, they were too brilliant. Glancing around once again, the ex-Junker didn't hear any other commotion. He guessed there were likely valuables somewhere around here, particularly food and water. With so many people having been here, there was bound to be something of use.

Entering a nearby room that appeared to be someone's quarters, Junkrat began sifting around the mess to see what he could find. He ignored the noise he could hear upstairs, clearly Roadhog had it handled. It didn't take long for that huge bounty hunter to come back down and squeeze himself through the doorframe.

"Got it, Roadie! I don't like stairs much anyways." Shaking his peg leg at Roadhog for emphasis, Junkrat grinned. He found himself strangely... alright with having him around. As scary as the masked man was, so long as Junk didn't do anything stupid (which was bound to happen), he didn't seem like that much of a threat!