by Kyle West
“Please, be seated,” the steward said. “The Emperor will be with you shortly.”
There was nothing left but to sit. We each crowded onto the long, leather couch, sinking into its well-worn comfort. I had never sat on anything so relaxing in my life. It felt like all the stress of the day melted from me — at least physically. However, Samuel, Anna, and Julian gave no sign of relaxation. They sat up straight, and looked to be ready to bolt at a moment’s notice. I did my best to follow their example.
We were sitting in the living room of a man who had killed thousands to forge his empire. A man who would kill thousands more, if need be.
I straightened myself in my seat just as Augustus entered from his gardens. He regarded us for a moment before speaking.
“Your friend has stabilized,” he said.
Relief came over me to know that Makara was safe.
“How bad is it?” Samuel asked.
“My chief doctor, who is personally overseeing the case, told me no major organs had been hit. The creature gave her a horrible wound, and she nearly died of blood loss. They have sanitized it and stitched it, but she will not be in full health for many weeks.”
Samuel nodded. “It is the best we could have hoped for.”
“You can visit her following this audience,” Augustus said. “Although, she will not likely be conscious.”
I frowned. If Makara’s condition was this bad, it meant we could be stuck here for a while. It also meant Augustus had yet another bargaining chip — he held the health of Samuel’s sister in the palm of his hand.
“I hope you don’t mind meeting in this informal setting,” Augustus said, sitting down in a well-worn leather chair. “I felt you would appreciate a comfortable place, where I could speak to you as an equal rather than as an Emperor. After all, you have a connection to Cornelius Ashton. My relationship with him precedes the founding of Nova Roma, and as such, I thought it would be appropriate.” Augustus paused. “Now, by what am I to call you?”
We each told him our names. When Augustus’s gaze fell on me, it was intentional, though friendly. I had imagined the leader of the Nova Roma Empire to be more domineering, more ruthless, more…mean.
Then again, meeting Augustus here meant that if anything went wrong, guards could rush in at a moment’s notice. It was the best we could hope for. At least we had his attention now.
“Now tell me,” Augustus said, leaning forward and crossing his left leg over his right, “what did you learn from the Black Files?”
Samuel hesitated slightly before giving him the information that we had all learned. Samuel started with the Guardian Missions, and how each had failed. None of them had been able to successfully divert the course of Ragnarok. He talked about how the United States government had covered up the reason of the failure for the third and final Guardian Mission — that its crewmembers had been attacked by an alien force, known as the Xenos.
Then he got the part that was most important — that the xenovirus had been implanted in Ragnarok by the Xenos. The virus would infiltrate all life — and anything infected with the virus was under the control of an entity called the “Voice.” The voice was a consciousness that controlled xenolife, based in Ragnarok Crater. If the Voice could not be stopped, the xenovirus would be able to spread indefinitely.
Samuel then laid out his and Ashton’s plan to stop the Voice — by entering Ragnarok Crater, seeking the Voice’s source, and destroying it.
When Samuel finished, it was hard to judge Augustus’s reaction. The Emperor’s face was tacit, almost bored.
“And you need my help to do all this?” Augustus asked.
“Your armies are the most numerous,” Samuel said. “That is why we came to you first. In addition, we also know you have an interest in the xenovirus. After all, you sent a team to Bunker One to learn more about it.”
“And, you came here to stop me from marching on Raider Bluff.”
Samuel nodded. “Yes, that is part of it.”
“Do you have a copy of the Black Files for me to read?”
“Not with me, no,” Samuel said. “However, if we can get access to your networks, we can send it wirelessly.”
Augustus smiled. “The Empire’s networks are not your concern, Samuel. What you have told me confirms my fears about the pestilence to the north.”
“You were looking for the Bunkers, weren’t you?”
Augustus nodded. “I admit, there are many resources within the Bunkers that I envy. We have stripped twenty of them bare, mostly in the southern United States.”
“Twenty?” I asked. “That’s so many.”
“We are efficient,” Augustus said. “And we are determined.”
The way he said that made me wonder — had the Empire been responsible for some of the Bunkers falling to begin with?
“We noticed the alien growth many years ago,” Augustus said. “Although, we did not think it was a concern until we began to lose our far patrols. With the fall of Bunker One, some refugees came into our borders, with tales of horror from the north. We saved all that we could, including a scientist.”
“Ashton mentioned there might be a scientist from Bunker One in your circle,” Samuel said. “He said that was how you might have found out about the Black Files in the first place. Is that the case?”
Augustus shook his head. “Ashton is correct in saying that I learned about the Black Files from one of his scientists — a man by the name of Roger Carrolton. However, he died several years ago. He told me about the Black Files, but he himself was not privy to the information within. So, I hired Wastelander mercenaries, though I sent them to investigate far later than I should have. I thought they would do a better job fighting those monsters than native Novans.” Augustus sighed. “I see now that I thought wrong.”
“At least you know what the Black Files contain now,” I said.
Augustus nodded. “Yes, that is true. So your plan is to attack into the Great Blight?”
“The attack will be a feint,” Samuel said. “In reality, we will fly into the Crater to deal the death blow.”
“Fly in?” Augustus said. “You have access to an airplane?”
Samuel wasn’t going to lay that card on the table. “We do.”
“At Bunker 40?” Augustus leaned forward. “That area is covered with the Great Blight.”
“There is still a plane outside of Los Angeles that we can use,” Samuel said. “The raiders control it.”
Augustus frowned. Something wasn’t adding up to him.
Samuel changed the subject. “Regardless, that is the plan. Following this meeting, I hope to have your support.”
Augustus eyed Samuel for a moment, before breaking into a smile.
“You have my full support, Samuel,” Augustus said. “I will help you with this.”
I looked at him in disbelief. Was it really going to be this easy?
Chapter 19
“My armies will be marching north within a week’s time,” Augustus said. “I hope, by then, you can let the other cities in the Wastes know of our arrangement. Of course, you and your crew are welcome to travel with us.”
“Wait,” Samuel said, “what do you mean by, ‘arrangement’?”
“The Wasteland is fractious, disjointed. It will be difficult to convince them to join you in this endeavor — even if it’s their very lives at stake.” Augustus made a fist. “I can guarantee that they will fall in line.”
“You want the Wasteland for yourself.”
“It is the price for my help.”
Samuel frowned, and turned away. He knew he couldn’t just give up the entire Wasteland to Augustus. None of them would agree with that, most of all Char and Ashton. But Augustus likely wouldn’t see things that way.
“You don’t leave me much choice,” Samuel said.
“That is part of my charm.” Augustus gave a rueful smile.
“Raider Bluff, the L.A. gangs, Oasis, and the others…they won’t much like this.”
“I’m not asking what they will like,” Augustus said. “I’m telling you how it must be. Two weeks ago, I received word that my emissary, Rex, was brutally murdered by Alpha Char in Raider Bluff.”
“He was going to make us slaves,” Anna said, face red.
“He was under orders to offer fair terms,” Augustus said. “However, your people are faced with a choice. Safety and joining with me. Or…freedom and death.”
None of us said anything. Augustus held all the cards. He had the soldiers, he had the power. It would take a while for his army to reach the Wasteland. But once it did, who could resist him?
“Why do you want to own the Wasteland, anyway?” I asked. “The cost of gaining it might outweigh the benefits of owning it. It is desolate and poor.”
“I will tell you this much, Alex,” Augustus said. “I believe I was preserved for a reason, even when I believed myself dead following the fall of Ragnarok. Your Dr. Ashton barred my entry into Bunker One, but I made the best of it. I funded the Bunker Program greatly, but I still was not allowed in. My blood wasn’t good enough. My money wasn’t good enough.”
“You were a drug lord,” Anna said. “You really think they would have let you in?”
Augustus’s face reddened. “This is not about revenge. This is about destiny. My destiny. The world is a harsh place — but the Nova Roman Empire offers the best chance for everyone’s survival. By the time I’m dead, I hope to unite all of the former Americas into one whole — to rebuild a society greater than anything that ever existed before Ragnarok. Obviously, this will take decades — perhaps centuries. The xenovirus stands in the way. And we will deal with that when the time comes. But I want you to think about this.” Augustus leaned forward. “The Xenos are coming, Samuel. You know this. In defeating the Voice, you are only thinking short term. When the Xenos come, humanity must be united under one banner. The banner of the Empire. As you have already told me, that could be decades from now. Centuries. Or it could be tomorrow. But once we defeat this Voice — with my help, under my orders — then we must continue our work building the Nova Roman Empire. It offers the best chance of fighting back against the Xenos. If the Xenos come and find nothing but squabbling leaders — the way the world is now, as it stands — we will crumble like a clump of dried earth in a fist.”
Samuel frowned, thinking. I didn’t blame him. Augustus had given him a lot to think about, and a lot of what he said actually made sense.
“I don’t know what Ashton told you about me, but it wasn’t the entire picture,” Augustus said. “Always remember, there are at least two sides to every story, and most times more. Always be skeptical of what people tell you, especially your friends. You are more liable to believe them.”
“Our loyalty is to Ashton,” Samuel said. “First and foremost. I do not have the authority to give you what you ask. Only Ashton does.”
Augustus smiled again. There was something…insistent about it. “Believe me, Samuel. At the head of my army, we can be very persuasive. And Ashton…if he cared so much about the fate of the world, then why was he too cowardly to come and meet me himself? I would have let him right in.”
“Because you still have a score to settle,” Anna said.
“That is all in the past,” Augustus said. “I am looking to the future. If I hadn’t been looking to the future, could I have built all this?”
He gestured around the room, and in so doing we knew he was talking about Nova Roma.
The light of the day had almost been extinguished, and the sitting room was darkening. Despite the warmth of the breeze, I felt a chill pass over me.
“Your Wasteland is nothing more than a series of fractured city-states, gangs, and competing agendas. You will accomplish nothing there without my help, Samuel. Surely, you know of the man, Carin Black?”
Carin Black. He was the leader of the Black Reapers, the gang that had supplanted the Lost Angels in L.A.. Had Augustus been corresponding with him?
“Of course we know of him,” Samuel said. “He is our enemy. He destroyed the Lost Angels several years ago.”
Augustus nodded. “It would be wise to not consider him an enemy, Samuel. He is a powerful man — the most powerful man in the Wasteland at present. And he will not give up his power easily. Trying to convince him otherwise, as you plan to do, might be even more suicidal than walking into my Empire.” Augustus smiled in the darkness. “We all know how that almost turned out.”
“Nonetheless,” Samuel said, “He is an evil man. He has committed unspeakable crimes, against the Lost Angels, against my sister, and against me. Carin forced my sister into a life that I will never forgive him for. And the way he treats his slaves makes your Empire look like paradise in comparison.”
“My Empire is paradise.”
“A paradise for the few.”
“Don’t be naive, Samuel. It has always been that way, even before Ragnarok. The world is a harsh place. All I can hope to do is dim that harshness. It will take time, yes. But as they say, time heals all wounds.”
Samuel said nothing in response.
“If you agree,” Augustus continued, “then you will find a ready ally in Carin Black and the Reapers. Give me the locations of the other Bunkers, and we will have all the weaponry we will ever need to take on the Blights. It is the simplest solution, and you know it.”
“The freedom of the Wasteland is not something to be bandied about,” Samuel said.
“If we give you the locations to the Bunkers,” I said, “those weapons will make it easier for you to conquer the Wasteland. Why would we do that for you?”
Augustus smiled. “Because you have no other choice. I will not hide my intents. I am laying it all out on the table, as any man should. You, however, Samuel…I can tell you are made uncomfortable by this. I tell you now, in my time as Emperor, I have learned that safety always comes with a price. You must decide for yourself if you are willing to pay it.”
Samuel sighed. “And should I disagree?”
Augustus shrugged. “You have no reason to disagree. But if you disagree, nothing changes. I march on the Wasteland. I meet with Black. And there will be war. I will have more trouble finding the Bunkers without the coordinates, but they will be found. I will overwhelm the other Wasteland leaders with sheer numbers, leaders who will undoubtedly cobble together a poor, fractured defense. And then, I will march on the Great Blight, and using the knowledge you have given me, attack the Voice, and destroy it. You will have no choice but to help me at that point, because I will be the only one with the power to stop the Voice.”
Samuel glared at Augustus. “I will not sell you the Wasteland. This mission will be under the direct control of both Dr. Ashton and myself. We are the only ones who know what must be done in order for it to succeed.”
“I grant you that,” Augustus said. “But without me, you cannot succeed.”
“I can say the same for you. So the best we can do is compromise — so that you can get what you want, and I can get what I want.”
“Clearly,” Augustus said, smiling. “I am glad we have come to this consensus. But I will have you remember — the Empire was the only nation that survived the horrors of Ragnarok. I saved thousands of your Americans when your own country could not even do that. True, most of them are slaves now. But they are not dead, and they are treated well in accordance with Imperial law.”
“What about the arenas, then?” I asked, angrily. “What about the Coleseo?”
“You know nothing. The Coleseo is for the transgressors — the prisoners and malcontents who cannot follow Imperial law. I do not allow innocents to fight there.”
“What about us?” Anna asked. “What about Makara? We came to your Empire to speak with you, and instead I was enslaved the very day I came here. Something is broken about this place that you say is the best hope for humanity. Forgive us for being a little skeptical.”
“It isn’t perfect, I admit,” Augustus said. “But don’t forget that it was my h
and that saved you, and I had every right not to.” Augustus turned back to Samuel. “We can either do this the easy way, or the hard way. You can join with me, and by force of arms have all your Wastelander leaders fall into line. Or, you can go your own way. You will never be able to muster all the armies of the Wasteland quickly enough to resist me — and, I would overwhelm them with great force. They are too disjointed, and I will be there in two months, ready, organized, capable.”
Samuel said nothing, only brooded over what must happen next. Augustus didn’t know we had Gilgamesh and Odin. If he did, that would change the balance of power. It meant that, if we could somehow get out of Nova Roma, we could reach the Wasteland and have the time to mount a defense. But even two months would be cutting it very close.
“I would need to let Ashton know about this arrangement,” Samuel said.
Samuel couldn’t be serious. If he was playing along with the Emperor, then he was playing a dangerous game. I was all too aware of the guards surrounding us, and the fact that we had no weapons.
I could see in Augustus’s eyes that he was very interested in meeting Ashton. Perhaps what he was most interested in. He had to have had great self-control to play it cool for so long. “Yes. Go and speak with Ashton, and bring him here to finalize this arrangement. Until this occurs…Makara stays here. Until I am completely satisfied she has recovered from her injury.”
“You bastard,” Anna said.
Samuel placed a hand on Anna’s arm, silencing her. “You have a deal.”
A shadow passed over the garden in a rush of wind, darkening the room. At first, we all thought it was Gilgamesh, come to our rescue once again. But the shadow passed, and there was no sound of an engine. It must have just been a cloud.
“You will remain free, obviously,” Augustus said. “I consider you dignitaries representing the entire Wasteland. But I hope you will consider joining my Praetorian guards. Perhaps, when all of this over, I can arrange a joint governorship for you all over the entire Wasteland.”
“You would let us rule the Wasteland?” I asked.
