“We’re gonna appear to be legitimate. We’ll become tradesmen, law enforcement officers, judges and lawmakers. Our goal is to do all those things necessary to get on top of this new world we live in. There is one small catch. We must make them believe we are like them. When they meet with us, they need to think we can reform. We’re gonna insert ourselves into the system and rule as we did before. Not with brute force this time, but with our brains. If any of you messes things up by going out of the envelope, we are setting up here, I will deal with you personally.”
He paused and ran a finger across his neck.
One of the bikers stared at Slasher and thought to himself,
That’s what you think. We’re gonna see who runs the final show around here and it ain’t gonna be you for long.
Slasher continued with his rant,
“You will die a nasty, painful death. I guarantee it! Screw with the bull, expect the horns. What you all have to get through your thick heads is this—we can no longer go about business as usual, the world has changed, and we need to change too.”
There were no cheers, but the smarter ones understood his message and knew his plan would benefit them all. It would take some time, though, and they would have to be patient to see the results they wanted.
“In about a week, we’re gonna be meeting with those farmers. I want everyone who will accompany me to shower, shave and make sure the clothes you wear are unsoiled and neat. We lost a lot of our brothers last week, so there should be plenty of clothes available. We must make sure those farmers believe we want to be legitimate; that we want peace. Believe me when I say, most of those people would rather see us dead than be friends with them after all that we did to them since the war.
“In the days following the meeting at Fitch, we’ll move back to Gold Nugget. That will be our town from now on; our base of operations. We will work to fix the place up and make sure everything is in working order. Those of you who had a trade will set up shops and begin working that trade. The women will pick up the trash, and we will make sure our women bathe and clean up their acts. Believe me when I say, it’ll be worth it down the road. I want to meet with Killer, Skinny, Toothless, Reverend, Pilot, Boomer and Scooter when were done here, so you seven stick around.
“That’s it, everyone. Remember my words, because things are going to change—beginning right now. They have to if we’re gonna survive.”
The large group began breaking up. The people stood around talking, laughing, and joking. But they all knew that things were about to change, and those changes weren’t really going to be much fun.
◆◆◆
Two weeks after the battle, the slavers arrived at Fitch on their motorcycles. They were flying a white flag and they looked like a group of stockbrokers on a weekend outing. They were clean, and their clothing was spotless; devoid of patches. They wore jackets, but not the colors that identified the gangs they were affiliated with.
They came unarmed and were escorted to the town hall. The riders, and those who would attend the meeting, parked their motorcycles and entered the building.
Once everyone was seated, Sheriff Waters started the meeting.
“Let’s all stand, face our country’s flag and recite the Pledge of Allegiance.”
After everyone recited the pledge, Sheriff Waters asked each man to stand and introduce himself. Marcy was taking the minutes of the meeting and documented everyone’s name, what was said, and by whom.
“We have had a difficult time these last months trying to protect ourselves from bandits and so-called slavers. It’s been a difficult job. The cannibalism we learned of was the most difficult element to face and to deal with. It’s been an emotional roller coaster and has been very telling on our people. It’s something none of us will ever be able to forget.
“We are gathered here to try to formulate a new beginning. I will be perfectly honest with all of you, I was opposed to this amnesty. You may or may not have known that as Lieutenant Governor, appointed to that office by the new President of the United States, I reported to Governor Daniel Crowley.
“I now hold the office of Governor of the great state of California, and I will act accordingly. I have listened to Admiral Reynolds and I’m willing to go along with this proposal for now. However, I will insert a warning that you can take back to your group. We will no longer tolerate any deviation from the laws of man pertaining to thievery, murder, rape, pillaging, and in particular the highest and despicable crime of cannibalism.
“If I ever hear of any such crimes taking place again, we will hunt you down and hang you from the nearest tree; fitting punishment for those crimes. From this day forward, there will never be another amnesty granted. This is your one and only chance. I hope this is very clear to you. I will now turn the meeting over to Admiral Mike Reynolds.”
Mike was dressed in his Admiral’s uniform, with ribbons in place, Trident on his chest above the ribbons and jump wings below. He stood at the podium and stared into the crowd. He focused his stare on Slasher, and then moved his eyes from one slaver to the next, pausing for a second at each one. In that moment, each one knew he was speaking to them, not just as a group, but as individuals.
“We have lost some good people over this senseless war. We’re still in mourning for our losses, but we understand there is no gain without the proverbial pain. You have been invited here among us today in peace. You may proceed among us without fear of reprisal. But make no mistake, our offer of peace and amnesty is not a sign of weakness. We will fight if we have to. In war, we are warriors, as ruthless as you are. I think we proved that in the last couple of battles.
“We welcome a new beginning. Together we can rebuild this great country. We will trade with our neighbors, and we can live in harmony. You have the opportunity to join us. If any of you breaks, the peace, we will deal with you quickly. It will work both ways. We have agreed to help you get started in the right direction with your new life. We will issue a legal proclamation and the governor will sign it. You can take your copy with you when you leave.
“We’ve gathered some livestock to help you get started. Consider it a token of our sincerity to help you. We also have some agricultural seeds to help you start your own crops of essential foods. We make the same offer to any groups we find who are in need.
“I hope we don’t have to regret this day. We can be a generous neighbor or a powerful adversary. I’m going against the large voice of the people here today, who only want to see your heads mounted on pikes outside of town. I, too, have lost good friends, so it won’t take much to change my mind. We will honor this peace, and I sincerely hope you will do the same. There will be no other opportunity. This is your one and only chance. But, we give it freely, no strings.
“I don’t want you to walk away from this meeting feeling you are walking on thin ice. I understand that, as men, we are all weak in certain ways, but think of this as an opportunity. Working with us will be better than warring with us. You’ll be better off for it and so will we. Now it’s time for your chosen leader to speak for your group.”
Mike stepped away from the podium, took a seat, and watched as Slasher stepped up to the podium. Most women found him exciting. He had a scar over one eye from a motorcycle accident years ago. His build was moderate at five-eleven and 180 pounds. He stood smugly before the crowd but appeared calm and cool as he opened his notes.
“My name is Alvin Cobb. I am aware of the animosity some of you, probably most of you, hold against me and my people. I can only reiterate the words someone spoke long ago, ‘desperate times make for desperate measures.’ I can’t name the person who said those words, but they exemplify what happened to us. At first, we were convinced the Russians and Chinese were about to descend upon all of us. We made ourselves ready to repel them as best we could. Then, when the Russians and Chinese didn’t come, we started running out of food. We raided and plundered some of the outlying towns.
“Some people opposed us, so we took what we
needed through force. Bone Breaker captured a few women and made them his personal sex-slaves. One thing led to another and he determined that slavery could get us the things we needed, so he sanctioned it in our society. At the time, it worked well for us; he was our leader.
“We resorted to cannibalism as a last alternative. Most of the bodies that were eaten were near death anyway. We were desperately afraid of starvation, so we used them as a food source.”
This set the citizens of Fitch, Bishop and Avalon off, and some jumped to their feet, yelling and shaking their fists at the speaker. Tensions were escalating as Mike stood up and outstretched his arms as if he was pushing an invisible foe.
“Please, please, give the man the opportunity to tell his story. You don’t have to agree, but please, give him the opportunity to tell it.”
The people eventually calmed down, and Alvin waited for the noise to subside before continuing. His tanned features belying the ruthless killer he was. His green eyes stared at the crowd, waiting for the tension to subside.
This was his opportunity to sell himself to the crowd and he wasn’t going to ruin it.
“I understand your concerns. There is no way we can undo what took place in the past. But we want to join forces with you for the future. We want to accept your gifts and become productive in this new society. We don’t want charity. We want an equal partnership. We are willing to work with you for the betterment of everyone.
“I understand your hatred for our former leader, Bone Breaker. I can’t say I blame you. I can only hope you won’t transfer that hate to those of us who remain. What we did was wrong. I wasn’t strong enough at the time to stop him. I tried to get him to stop the plundering, but I was unable to. I had to resort to killing him because it was the only way to stop his reign of terror and remove our group to where we want to be; a trade partner, and a partner in peace.
“We will put aside the violence we practiced under Bone Breaker. He couldn’t see any other way of doing things, and I wasn’t able to convince him of his folly. Today, we welcome you as friends and neighbors. I ask you to trust us and give us a chance. We won’t let you down. Today is a new day!”
The sheriff walked to the podium as Slasher finished his speech.
“We are willing to give you a final chance. We expect from here on out, you will be productive neighbors, and live within the established rules of a peaceful society. As Governor of California, I declare this meeting adjourned.”
The bikers headed to the door, attempting to exit the meeting room. One woman screamed out at the bikers and they departed.
“You may have fooled these people, but you haven’t fooled me. I curse you and your followers! You killed my children and my husband. I will never believe you’re anything but the scum of the earth!”
Slasher didn’t say anything. He simply looked at the woman, turned and walked out of the building. He walked outside and mounted his motorcycle. Four of the men who came with him stayed to drive the trucks with the animals, food, and seeds given to them by the townspeople back to their town of Gold Nugget.
His thoughts were filled with hate and he vowed to himself to make the insolent woman pay for her outburst. He knew he had to remain patient, for now.
Slasher, if nothing else, was a patient man.
Chapter 24
The Town of Gold Nugget
Slasher knew he had to keep his looters and shooters in check. He would have to be innovative in his thinking to control these brutes. It was a tall order.
He knew most of the townspeople at the meeting didn’t believe his group of brigands would go straight to stop looting and terrorizing. Slavery was lucrative and hard to give up. Slasher had no illusion that the farmers would exercise their threat of retaliation if they heard about any more towns being raided.
The solution was simple in concept but would be difficult in execution. He had come up with a way to raid the smaller towns and capture the people without alerting those at Fitch and Avalon.
There would need to be careful planning; once his boys could no longer roam free and do as they please, the group might fracture. Some might strike out on their own, resulting in too many leaders, each with his own agenda. There would probably be power struggles leading to bloodshed, and the groups might all collapse. The rivalry was too intense not to result in an uprising from within. He had to maintain order and personal control over these cutthroats from the beginning.
He decided to take over a small town that had been abandoned after the plagues and set up his own small system of control. He would make it a legitimate place of commerce and appease the farmers until he could eventually conquer them from within.
Small steps would lead to big accomplishments. Once he established the town, he would send out his best boys to notify Avalon and Fitch. That should legitimize his county government.
He would be the mayor, of course. And he would institute an armed police force and a judicial system. He would appoint his lieutenants to run various segments of the town. This was a pie that could be sliced many ways. Each man would have a snippet of control. That should appease them and keep them under his wing.
It was a perfect steppingstone to propel him into the driver’s seat of absolute power. Eventually, he would aim for the Presidency of the United States of America. It would take a few years, but he was patient. He thought, first the town, then the state, and then the White House; or wherever seat of government was these days.
Slasher called a meeting with his key people.
“Boys, we’re about to set sail on the path to success. Our city will encompass all the land and the residents near it. With our own government in place, we’ll control everything. We’ll collect taxes for everything except breathing. It is still theft, but on a scale higher than looting and shooting. A lot less risk involved too.”
That made them laugh.
“Yes indeed, we’re going to continue thieving, but let’s do it legitimately, the way the politicians did it to us before the war.”
Several of them chuckled at that.
“We’ll collect tolls for folks traveling on our roads, parking on our streets, trading, or simply visiting their friends and loved ones. And if someone doesn’t pay, we’ll confiscate their property. If that isn’t enough, we’ll use our courts and jail to make sure they remain in compliance with our laws. We’ll have our own armed police and can kill anyone who doesn’t abide by our rules. It’s a new ballgame boy, and we’re making the rules.”
A roar of approval went up from the group of men gathered for this special meeting.
“I have chosen my most trusted lieutenants for chief of police, jailer, city manager, comptroller, tax assessor, tax collector, water commissioner, and electrical chief. You will all answer directly to me.
“We’ll have a City Council, which I will chair, of course. You’ll have the opportunity to choose those you want to serve under you, and you will share in the revenue generated from your division. We’ll come up with an amicable split, but rest assured, we will all get a piece of the pie.”
He waited for the mumbling to subside before continuing.
“Gentlemen, we’re all thieves and murderers. I don’t see a face here that hasn’t killed someone or stolen something. There’s something you all likely know, but it needs to be said: there is honor among us. In this new game, we will continue to have honor among us, as well. If we collect a dollar, it will get split fairly among us. Those of us in charge will determine the penalty for anyone who tries to screw us.
“The punishment…”
He hesitated, lowering his voice to make sure his words had impact.
“The punishment will be harsh and swift. We have an opportunity to steal and will be licensed to do it. The law will be on our side because we will make the laws. As long as we play the game of legitimacy, we cannot lose. This is the steppingstone to bigger and better things in the future.”
Again, he paused and let his words sink in. They knew he was telling
them it would be business as usual—just different. This time they would hide behind the law. His men liked that.
“As each of you moves up from where you are today in terms of station, someone below will also move up. It will simply mean being patient for your turn to move upward. If we work it right, we will have the world by the tail. You men are destined for greatness, power, and wealth. Play your cards right, and you’ll never want for anything again. And we will have all the positions filled, so let’s prepare for better days.”
One of the men asked,
“How are we going to eat?”
“We’ll rent out the land where the food will be grown. We’ll set up a group of farmers who will grow everything and split the food with us before any of it goes to market. Then we’ll tax them on the profit from the food they sell.”
“Who will see to the split?”
“We will have a committee to oversee what is produced and how it is distributed. They will answer to me. If I catch anyone with their paws in the cookie jar, I’ll personally cut them off.”
The meeting was adjourned, and they agreed to meet again in a week.
◆◆◆
Mike, Sheriff Waters, and Randy Stewart waited for Penny Rolls to arrive so they could start the meeting. She could take shorthand with amazing speed and accuracy. It was important to make sure the minutes of this meeting were transcribed and left for others to read in years to come. It wasn’t a popular decision to allow the slavers to skate away from punishment, but it was necessary to ensure a peace that everyone longed for.
Mike realized that negotiations would require both sides giving and receiving something by mutual consent. Some thought he gave away too much, but Mike reasoned that to give and walk away with honor, would help establish peace, and was more important than egos
Regardless, the die was cast, and the people of the surrounding area of Fitch, Avalon, and later Bishop, would have to live up to the commitments that were being made. They were ready to live by these promises, but it remained to be seen if the slavers would.
Avalon- The Construction Page 23
