by Kyle West
“Well,” Michael said, pointing westward, “I don’t need any Black Files to tell me the world is being taken over. I see it every day.”
“Marcus said the exact same thing.”
“So, where does the spaceship come in?”
“About now, actually. After we discovered the Black Files, the Voice recognized that we were there, and sent an entire swarm after us. We managed to make it to Bunker One’s runway alive, but we were completely surrounded. We were about to die, when out of nowhere, a spaceship came down from the sky, extending a ladder for us to board.”
“Alright, that’s a little bit unbelievable...” Michael said.
“Well, it’ll make sense in a second. I’m leaving out a lot of details, but the spaceship turned out to be piloted by a man named Dr. Cornelius Ashton – the very author of the Black Files we had found. He had contacted us in the lab beforehand about getting to the runway. Anyway, we got into the spaceship, escaping the snapping jaws of death. Soon, we found ourselves living in a space city called Skyhome.”
“Skyhome?”
“The U.S. Government constructed it during the Dark Decade,” I said. “It was top secret, and intended as a backup for the President in case things on Earth went to hell. Which they did, but President Garland couldn’t escape Bunker One in time. However, Dr. Cornelius Ashton did, back in 2048. He has lived there with a community of Bunker survivors since then, continuing his research on the xenovirus – such as he can.”
“So, you’ve been in fallen Bunkers, the Great Blight, outer space...and then, Mexico?”
“That happened after. We were attempting to negotiate peace between Raider Bluff and Nova Roma. We had to meet Emperor Augustus to do that. But that didn’t work out. Mixed in with all that were slavers, gladiatorial matches, and finally, the dragons.”
“Holy shit,” Michael said. “You are seriously a badass among badasses. You’re not that same sixteen-year-old kid I took on his first stroll in the Wasteland.”
“I’ve changed a lot,” I said. “But all of what I told you leads up to why we’re here in the first place. Augustus is moving out with his army to conquer the Wasteland. The bulk of it won’t get here for a while, but there’s a good chance that the faster part will – the part that has vehicles and horses. Ashton has his own spaceship, called the Gilgamesh. He has his own errands to run right now, otherwise you’d have met him. But Ashton keeps us up to date on Augustus’s movements.”
“So, that’s why you’re recruiting?” Michael asked. “To stop Augustus?”
I nodded. “We won’t stand a chance against him unless we are united. Adding to the complexity is the fact that Carin Black is on his side.”
“The Black Reapers are allied with the Empire?” Michael asked.
“As far as we know. Augustus led us to believe as much, so that is the current thought process. We hope to have all the Vegas gangs behind us, at which point we’ll pick up anyone else willing to help along the way.”
“Along the way? Along the way to where?”
“To Los Angeles.”
Michael whistled. “That’s a little ambitious.”
“It has to be done,” I said. “We need to take out Black before the Empire arrives. Together, they will be unstoppable. And if we free the L.A. slaves, we’ll have a much larger army for it.”
Michael didn’t say anything for a while. I had given him a lot of information, and it would take time for him to make complete sense of it. Indeed, I had left a lot of information out, but I felt that I had given him enough to go on – at least, for now.
“I will do whatever I can to help you,” Michael said. “But it won’t be easy. If everything you say is true, then we need to get Makara to that meeting.”
“We should go, then,” Anna said.
We got up from the fountain, and walked away from the MGM Grand. Now lit, albeit dully, the ruin of the city was all more apparent. Las Vegas Boulevard was empty – we were the only three walking along it, though it was midmorning. It was something to be thankful for. For now, the gangsters were in their fortresses, which meant we could walk unimpeded down the dusty Strip. The hotels and casinos fell behind us, empty, forlorn, abandoned, layered with grime and dirt.
A massive, faded advertisement spread above the Strip itself, covering an enclosed bridge over the street between two of the newer casinos. It showed a man and woman wearing IUI glasses. IUI, shorthand for Immersive User Interface, had become increasingly prevalent beginning in the late 2010’s. Such technology of the past was amazing to think about – glasses that displayed information, in real time, about whatever object the user happened to be looking at. Such power seemed unreal. If I found a pair of those glasses today, even if they hadn’t been stripped of the batts, they would be useless. There were no more wireless networks to feed that information, no more information clouds to store all human knowledge. The only clouds now were the ones above, angry and red and perpetually blanketing the cold, bare Earth. If Ragnarok hadn’t come, who knows that kind of world I might have been born into?
“You seem contemplative,” Anna said.
“Just thinking about how much we’ve lost.”
She nodded, pointing to the sign above. “I’d be caught dead before wearing a pair of those.”
“Come on. You have to admit they are kind of cool.”
“Whoever heard of a Google, anyway?” Anna asked. “These Old Worlders were very strange.” She looked at me and smiled. “I’d rather look someone in the eye and judge that person for myself, rather than have some machine decide for me.”
Anna did have a point. We walked further down the Strip, still empty of potential threats. I turned to Michael.
“So, when are you going to join with the New Angels?”
I had meant it somewhat jokingly, but Michael took the question seriously.
“I don’t know. I would like to, but my allegiance is with the Dragons. They gave me a home and protection, and it’s because of them that I’m alive. That doesn’t mean I can’t help you guys out, though.”
I didn’t see how Michael could be okay with working for a man who was known for violence, even if that man was more reasonable than I had expected him to be. I wanted Michael to realize that his place was with us. Then again, this was part of who Michael was. He was a soldier, and a good one. He was used to following orders, and was perfectly content with that. Such dedication, such simplicity in his way of looking at the world, was enviable. That dedication and loyalty to the cause was why Chan had appointed him an officer.
If Makara proved herself a better leader than Boss Dragon, then maybe Michael would join us.
“There is one thing I can let you know, though.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s not much, but I can show you where I left that Recon.”
“Yeah,” I said, smiling. “That’s not much at all.”
Chapter 9
After getting our weapons back, we exited the Sunset Gate, walking up the slope of the overpass to where Odin had landed. The Exiles’ bikes were lined up against the left-hand guardrail, and at the end of the line, I saw Marcus tinkering with his own bike’s motor.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Replacing the hydrogen fuel line,” he said.
I looked down at the motor, noticing there was a miniaturized pressure tank filled with several gallons of water.
“Do all the bikes run on hydrogen?” I asked.
Marcus nodded. “Conventional gasoline has a short shelf life, and is hard to come by. That’s why any vehicle worth anything burns hydrogen.” Marcus tapped the bike. “Pearl has been with me ten years now.”
“Pearl?” Anna asked, a smile on her lips.
“That’s her name,” Marcus said, proudly. “But I got to get rolling. Me and some of the boys are doing some recon.”
I wondered at the need of a recon at this point. It could have been just as simple as Marcus needing something to do. Or, more likely, he ne
eded the excuse to get away from his brother.
“Good luck,” I said.
“How did things go in town?” Marcus asked, mounting his bike.
I shrugged. “I got attacked by a Howler, but at least Boss Dragon agreed to set up a meeting. I guess it could have gone worse.”
Marcus chuckled. “Guess so.”
“We’re meeting, probably, this afternoon,” I said. “You might want to get back before that.”
Marcus stared off into the distance, his sunglasses obscuring his eyes. “I’ll try, but we haven’t done any recon on the west side, yet. If the Reds are in town at that time, then it might be our chance to find something out.”
“Be careful,” Anna said.
Marcus started the engine with a roar, the high thrumming of the hydrogen tank sounding strange and otherworldly against the deeper sound. “Keep your wits about you, Alex.”
Before Char kicked off, Anna spoke. “Is Char in the Gilgamesh?”
Marcus didn’t answer, either because he didn’t hear or because he didn’t want to. Instead, he swerved his bike around, bringing up a cloud of dust, and headed down the overpass. Upon seeing their leader leave, six more Exiles rushed to their bikes, started them up, and left us in their dust.
“Well, there’s our answer,” I said.
Anna, realizing that Char was likely here, ran to the ship.
I turned to Michael. “She hasn’t seen Char in several months.”
“Neither have you, for that matter.”
I shrugged. “I was only with the guy a couple days. I don’t know him like Anna or Makara do.”
We entered the ship, finding Makara and Samuel sitting with Char in the galley. Char turned, his cold blue eyes surveying us and not missing a detail. When his eyes fell on Anna, he smiled. The combination of that smile with the marred face was uncanny. It reminded me too much of a Howler.
“Anna,” he said, his voice gravelly.
He stood, and Anna went to hug him.
“You seem well,” he said.
“I’m glad you’re alright.”
Char chuckled. “It takes a lot to kill me, kid. Those Blighters will get what’s coming to them, once we’re done here.”
Char stepped back from the embrace, turning to face me.
I reached out a hand. Char took it firmly.
“Good to see you alive, Alex.”
I nodded. “Same for you.”
The Alpha turned his eye on Michael.
“This is Michael Sanchez,” I said. “We knew each other in Bunker 108. He was an Officer.”
“An honor, sir,” Michael said, reaching out a hand.
Char took it. “It is good to meet you, Michael. The New Angels are always in need of strong warriors.”
“You joined up that quickly?” I asked.
“I am not as mercenary as my brother,” Char said. “My people and I have nothing, but if we join the New Angels, we have a chance to get it all back. Besides, this Blight business needs to be taken care of. If we don’t work to stop it, we’ll all be out of a home, soon, and not just the Raiders.”
“I’m glad to see you still alive,” Makara said to Anna and me. “What did you find out?”
“Boss Dragon is organizing a summit of all the gang lords for this afternoon,” I said. “It’s the perfect chance for you to explain everything.”
“Also, there are Howlers in the city,” Anna said. “It doesn’t seem like they’re many, but one of them attacked us at the MGM Grand. All the gangs, apart from one, stay inside the walls, using the old casinos as fortresses. The only time they come out is for food and water – both of which are located on the lakebed.”
“The Exiles reconnoitered that area earlier this morning,” Samuel said. “There’s another town over there, complete with a wall and everything. The water trucks were already running at that time.”
“I say we go right for the jugular,” Char said. “Take their water, and they’ll come to heel.”
“I want loyalty,” Makara said. “Going after their water is a good way to set them against us. I need an army to conquer Los Angeles. If all goes according to plan, we’ll get everyone out of here and leave the city for the crawlers.”
“You have your work cut out for you,” Char said. “Those gangs aren’t moving. Not unless you give them a reason to.”
“I plan on laying out my reasons.” Makara looked at Anna. “Where do they want to meet?”
“The runways, from what Michael told us,” Anna said. “The Dragons are going to meet us inside the gate sometime this afternoon, and then they’ll take us to the airport.”
From the look in Makara’s eyes, I could tell she didn’t like that.
“You’ll be fine,” Michael said. “Boss Dragon will be as good as his word in protecting you.”
“I want my own men having my back,” Makara said.
“They’ll be fine with you bringing a few,” Michael said. “They just don’t want an entire army coming inside the walls.”
“That means all of us will be with you,” I said. “Marcus, too, if he’s back on time.”
“I wouldn’t count on it,” Char said. “He’s still being a baby.”
No one said anything to that. Makara probably hadn’t spoken to Char about what we had learned from Marcus.
“Of course,” Char went on, “we might find out the gangs would rather side with the Emperor. If that’s the case, then we’ll have to strike first.”
That was something I hadn’t yet considered. If the Black Reapers sided with Augustus, who was to say other gangs wouldn’t as well? What Char said made sense. The gangs here had no reason to help us over Augustus. They were still trying to figure out what our motives were.
“Makara is right,” I said. “They at least have to know why we’re here, as soon as possible. If we can figure out the thought and motivations behind each of the gangs, that would go a long way.”
“I like how you’re thinking,” Char said. “What do we know about them so far?”
“We have our source right here,” I said, gesturing to Michael.
“Alex is right, in part,” Michael said. “It will take explaining the situation with the Great Blight, the Voice, the virus...everything. None of the leaders are dumb, but it might help to condense that as much as possible. There are some gangs, like the Kings and the Suns, that probably won’t listen, no matter what you tell them. They see themselves as too powerful, and they are used to calling the shots. Even so, it is a matter of the truth. Everyone already knows that it’s only a question of time before the Great Blight finally tries to end this place. Raider Bluff is on everyone’s minds here. Hopefully, you guys will be what finally gets them to move. Leaving the city might become the only viable option for them.”
“Alright,” Makara said. “We can use the threat of the Great Blight to remind them why it’s important to work together. What else?”
“For the gangs that don’t want to help, we can use a rougher hand,” Char said. “Make an example out of them.”
“How do we do that?” Samuel asked. “I don’t want us to kill anyone needlessly, or do anything that leads to more violence.”
“I can meet with those leaders one on one,” Makara said. “You said the Suns and the Kings would give me the most trouble.”
Michael nodded. “They are the two most powerful gangs in the city, along with the Dragons. Without at least two, you won’t get anything done.”
“So, we need to go after them,” Makara said. “What are their leaders’ names?”
“Grudge leads the Suns, and Rey leads the Kings,” Michael said. “Grudge looks calm on the outside, but he can barely suppress the crazy. He’s been known to kill men for no reason. He’s wild and unpredictable. It’s hard to imagine anyone being able to work with him. He’s too power-hungry. If there’s ever a war, it’s very likely that Grudge would be the one who starts it.”
“What about Rey?” Samuel asked.
“Rey is Grudge�
��s complete opposite,” Michael said. “In a way, he’s more dangerous. He is calm, a natural businessman, and he is brutal when he doesn’t get his way. He keeps a distant hand on things, letting his cronies do his dirty work. For all appearances, it looks like he plays nice. But he doesn’t. He just plays the game well.”
“And Boss Dragon?” Makara asked.
“Boss Dragon will be the easiest to work with of the bunch,” Michael said. “He’s tough, but he’ll probably be the most willing to listen. I think if you met with him personally, then he would be interested in what you have to tell him. And the others – there is Cain, leader of the Sworn, a tough guy that commands respect of his followers, and then there’s Jade, leader of the Diamonds. He’s called ‘the Weasel,’ and you will see why. He wears that name like a badge of honor. He is slimy and amoral, and for those two reasons, he’s dangerous.”
“What do these gang leaders want?” Makara asked. “What can we say to get them to go with us to L.A.?”
“The Dragons, the Suns, and the Kings all want eventual control of Vegas, but they are using different routes to get there. The Dragons are weaker than the Suns or Kings, so they present a weak face and are just looking for the right opportunity to strike. The Suns use violence and terror to get ahead. The Kings like to play it cool and make batts, and can often use their money to get other gangs to help them.”
“What about the other gangs?” Makara asked.
“We don’t have time to be playing politics,” Samuel said. “We need to get in there, say our piece, and hope this can get done the easy way. If not, we play Char’s ace. We go after the farms and free the slaves.”
“We win either way,” Char said. “They care about their food, their water, and their slaves. And all of them are just a few minutes’ drive away. We’re not strong enough to take on one, or any, of the gangs directly. But if we go after the farms, we have a chance. If we offer those slaves freedom and put guns in their hands, that’s army enough for me. Then we get the hell out of Dodge, and do the same to any other city we come across.”
