by Kyle West
“Sorry if I’m late,” the man said. “Business.”
Cain waved him away, but there was a slight smile on his lips. I could tell that they were friends. Jade gave no reaction, but it looked like he was trying to mask anger – and perhaps, jealousy. Boss Dragon gave a single nod of acknowledgement. I could tell that the man, whoever he was, was highly respected in Vegas.
“That’s Grudge,” Michael said. “Leader of the Suns.”
Makara nodded. This was the guy Michael had said was a loose cannon. Now, though, he looked calm and in control. Respectable, even. But I knew not to trust that. I noticed, as the other riders took off helmets, that two of them were women. I was surprised. Up until this point, I hadn’t seen any girl gang members.
Grudge walked across the tarmac, clasping hands with Cain. Grudge seemed genial and friendly. I wondered how he had earned the name, “Grudge” but it would be a while before I found out. Despite his easy smile, there was no doubting the element of danger the man exuded. I noticed the two Suns women gazed at him in an almost reverent manner.
Now that Grudge was here, there was one gang left – the Kings. The Kings were, by Michael’s admission, the most powerful gang in Vegas, so it made sense that they would show up last to emphasize that point. As Grudge went back to his spot, I thought, not for the first time, that we were way in over our heads. Getting these gangs to do anything would be like herding cats. Maybe more like herding lions.
Another five minutes passed, each group talking amongst itself. The groups quieted when the sounds of engines approached from the direction of the Strip. The Kings were coming.
As they passed the security gate into the airport, I saw that they had no less than four Recons, all military grade, with turrets in the back. They gunned it for the circle, as if their aim was to run us all down. I noticed that the Dragon gang members clutched their rifles a little more tightly. At last, the Kings pulled to a neat, orderly stop, in the last space remaining in the circle of vehicles. They sat for a minute inside, tinted windows making it impossible to see within. For some reason, they were trying to drag this out as long as possible.
Then, they stepped out into the dull red sunlight. There were eight gang members total, two for each Recon. Then, exiting the passenger side of the back Recon came Rey himself – a tall Hispanic man who was probably forty years of age. He smoked a cigar, his eyes narrowing smugly as he watched the other gangs, like a king surveying his lords. He blew out a cloud of smoke, tipping some ash onto the runway. He wore a dark pinstripe suit that was immaculately clean, a pink rose pinned to his jacket. Where he had found that rose, I had no idea. It only added to his mystery, his power. It was not just Rey who wore a clean suit – it was his men, also – these elites who were a reflection of their lord. Like the rest of the gangs, excepting the Dragons, the Kings carried no visible weapons. The New Angels and the Dragons were the only gangs to openly show their guns.
Rey walked up to the circle, flanked on each side by his men. Rey was clearly the most powerful of the gang lords. Not only had he made the biggest showing of everyone there, he seemed the most in control – of himself, and of the situation. The other gang leaders looked to him, expecting him to speak first. Boss Dragon on the other side of the circle could not mask the scowl that came to his lips.
“Good afternoon, gentlemen,” Rey said, looking pointedly at Boss Dragon. “And ladies. I first want to thank Elijah, Boss Dragon, for this gathering, because it was a long time in coming. It’s a pity that the Reds cannot be here today, but perhaps that’s because they’re the Reds.”
This elicited a chuckle from most of the gang members. It was an inside joke of some sort. I looked to Michael for direction, but he was focused on Rey.
“We have several matters of business to attend to, not the least of which is the presence of this new gang. First, we have the Raiders. Now, we have another group to deal with. As you all know, we have already spoken to Char, but with the arrival of these Angels, things have changed. So dealing with this should be the first thing on today’s agenda.”
The other gang members said nothing. I realized that Rey had, in a few sentences, managed to reframe the entire situation. Instead of Makara calling all them to deliberate on what to do about the Great Blight, it was now all about the Vegas gangs and what they were to do about this new nuisance called the New Angels.
Everyone waited a moment. Finally, Rey looked at Makara, with an expression that said that she was a little girl who was in trouble and needed to explain herself.
“You and I both know that’s not what this about,” Makara said, with venom, “so quit playing games, because I’m not in the mood for them. The New Angels are not the threat here.” Makara pointed eastward. “That is. That is why we are here. Let’s just make that clear, Rey.”
Rey looked bored. “So, you want shelter in our city? Get in line. We don’t have the room, or the food. But if you have the batts or anything else to offer, we’ll talk. In the meantime...”
“No,” Makara said, cutting him off. “We have no need of shelter. You do. You think these flimsy walls will protect you against the Great Blight?” Makara paused. “They won’t. And you know they won’t. They couldn’t protect Augustus. They won’t protect you, either.”
Rey looked at the other gang lords, and smiled. “A lot of bark, this one.”
Some of the gangsters chuckled, but most seemed to be taking Makara seriously. Noticing this, Rey’s expression darkened somewhat before he was able to recover.
“What do you know about Augustus?” he asked.
“More than you think,” Makara said. “And the same thing will happen here that happened to Raider Bluff and Nova Roma. It’s just a matter of time until crawlers are roaming the streets.”
Rey gave no reaction, waiting for Makara to say more. But Makara said nothing more. She was waiting for Rey to respond.
“She’s Dark Raine’s protégé,” Jade said, from the Diamonds’ part of the circle. He snickered, his demeanor becoming even more like that of a weasel.
“Dark Raine was a powerful man,” Rey said. “But he is a ghost, now. The Angels are no more.”
Grudge’s face reddened, and he reached for his belt. Immediately, a dozen guns were pointed in this direction.
“Peace, Grudge,” Boss Dragon said.
“I’m sick of the way Rey thinks he runs things here,” Grudge said, withdrawing his hand from his weapons. “Like we’re some sheep to follow his every word. No. That’s not the way this works. Makara came here to say something, so let her say it, damn it. Quit acting like you’re the one who called this meeting. I want to hear what she has to say about the Great Blight.”
Grudge stepped back, having said his piece, but he was still fuming. I was starting to see why Michael said he was crazy. Rey arched an eyebrow, appearing bored, yet a bit more alert after Grudge’s intrusion.
“Very well,” Rey said. “We are not barbarians here. We are all here to ensure our mutual profit. And if there is a danger, like Makara of the Angels says...then it would be beneficial to listen.”
He looked to Makara, ceding the floor.
“First of all, it’s New Angels. Get the name right. As I was saying, there’s a threat on the way. Not just to Vegas, but the entire Wasteland. I will deal with these threats in the order they are most likely to happen. First, there is the Great Blight. It is expanding, and it is only a matter of time until it takes out the city, just as it did with Raider Bluff.”
“We will not fall,” Cain said. “We have fought these dragons before, and have pushed them back every time. We are not easy prey for the Blighters.”
“I didn’t say you were,” Makara said. “But you have not yet seen the whole strength of the Great Blight. They have legions of crawlers, howlers, flyers, and worse. There are the dragons, too, and then there is him. The giant dragon.”
Apparently, all the gang members knew what Makara was talking about. They had seen the dragon.
�
��We call that one the Dragon King,” Grudge said. “We have seen him, but have never fought him.”
Rey said nothing. The gang members began talking amongst themselves. Makara spoke again, the men’s voices fading at her words.
“Believe it or not, there are worse threats than this Dragon King. We have been into the heart of the Great Blight itself – to Bunker One. There, we discovered the cause behind the Blights. It is all controlled through something called the xenovirus. This xenovirus will take over the entire world, unless we do something to stop it.”
The gang lords looked at each other, wondering if Makara’s word was to be trusted.
“She’s right,” Char said, stepping in. “I outfitted them for their journey myself. They left Raider Bluff a little over two months ago, and this is the first I’ve seen of them since then.” Char gazed at all the gang members, commanding their attention. “I thought them dead. She’s already explained everything to me, about what they found out. I suggest you all listen. As soon as I heard, I pledged the Raiders to her cause.” Char paused. “And my brother, Marcus, has also offered her the Exiles’ services.”
Rey smiled, looking around at the other gang lords. “Well, if the Exiles are following this girl, where do I sign up?”
Cain laughed, and Jade snickered. Boss Dragon and Grudge gave no reaction.
“There is no cure?” Grudge asked. “To the xenovirus, I mean.”
It was hard to tell if Grudge was interested because he really was, or because caring was the opposite attitude to the one Rey was taking. The two men didn’t seem to like each other all that much.
“There is no cure, except to take out the thing that controls the xenovirus,” Makara said. “It’s called the Voice. The Voice makes the Blighters work together. It controls them like a general controls an army. It’s based in Ragnarok Crater, and using the Blighters, the Voice is trying to conquer the world.”
Jade giggled. “Why all this doom and gloom stuff, Angel?”
“Quiet,” Char growled.
Jade looked at Char contemptuously, a nervous giggle escaping his throat.
“Well, apparently, she has convinced Raider Bluff,” Grudge said. “The Raiders were strong, until the Blighters got them.”
“The same thing won’t happen to us,” Cain said. “We are too strong. We’ll kick those Blighters back to the Crater, where they belong.”
“The Great Blight isn’t the only problem,” Makara said. “The other issue is Emperor Augustus, of Nova Roma, and his ally, Carin Black, of the Reapers.”
For some reason, this had the gang leaders much more interested than the threat of the xenovirus. They leaned forward intently.
“What’s going on with Augustus?” Rey asked. “You act like you have seen him.”
“He and his army are on their way to the Wasteland,” Makara said. “We just came from there, and even got to speak with him at length. We learned a lot about what he wants, and what he hopes to gain by conquering the Wasteland. You can expect him, or at least part of his army, to be here in two months.”
The gangsters looked at each other. Clearly, they had been unaware of this. Of course they had been unaware. Nova Roma was two thousand miles away.
“How large is their army?” Rey asked.
“The vanguard that will be arriving first – the one with vehicles and horses – will be several thousand strong. The rest...forty thousand.”
A silence hung over the gathering. Makara had just shocked them all with that news.
“You are sure?” Cain asked, his blue eyes concerned. “You have seen this, personally? What do they plan to do with the winter?”
Makara nodded. “As far as what the plan is for the weather, I don’t know. I’m only repeating Augustus’s own words. He said two months, and my crew and I were there not one week ago. We barely escaped with our lives. The Novans are dealing with dragons, too, so maybe that will pen them there for a while. Then again, maybe not. With Carin Black on his side, we won’t stand a chance if we allow both of their forces to join. The point is, we have to move quickly to counter this. If the Blighters don’t get to us first, they surely will.”
Everyone stood quietly, absorbing that thought. Rey appeared troubled. Troubled, because finally someone more powerful than himself was coming along – and that changed everything.
“All this is the main reason I’m here,” Makara continued. “Not because I need protection. You all do. We need to save this city from the Great Blight, because there are lots of fighting people I can use to strike back at this thing. Carin Black is strong, and if Augustus gets here in two months, as he has already said he would, their alliance will make them unstoppable.”
“How are we supposed to stop that?” Grudge asked.
“The answer is simple,” Makara said. “We have to cross the Wasteland and attack Los Angeles head-on, and conquer Black’s stronghold before Augustus can join up with him. We need to find settlements along the way, tell them what we know, and get their help. We have two months to do this.”
Silence reigned once more – silence, save for the out-of-place snicker from Jade. Cain shot the Weasel a murderous look, which at once silenced him.
“Forty thousand...” Rey said.
“We cannot fight that,” Cain said, blue eyes blazing. “Even with every fighting man, woman, and child in the Wasteland...we cannot fight that. Even if we kill the Reapers, it is hopeless. At best, we can produce ten thousand men. Maybe twenty.”
“We do have several advantages,” Makara said. “Because of Odin, our spaceship, we have time on our side. Augustus had not thought that we could return in time to prepare, because he did not know about Odin. The speed of the ship means we can communicate easily, and transport groups of men to where they need to be, quickly. The New Angels also have another spaceship, the Gilgamesh.”
As she spoke, Rey’s eyes glazed over with greed. He wanted those spaceships.
“We have plans to liberate two more, housed in Bunker Six,” Makara said. “Four spaceships will allow us to crush a large part of Augustus’s army, or set up flanks he cannot possibly defend against. His army does not have the same level of technology as we do. They have guns, but not enough to equip all of their soldiers. If you go down to Nova Roma, it’s almost like stepping back in time hundreds of years. That’s part of the reason Augustus wants to conquer the Wasteland. The Bunkers have tons of weapons and supplies that simply cannot be found anywhere else. If we get to the Bunkers first, then Augustus’s army will be all the weaker for it.”
The gang leaders looked at one another.
“You know their locations?” Rey asked.
“We know the locations of several,” Makara said. “And it would be easy to find the locations of the rest, once we access any of their servers. We know of two Bunkers to the north which might actually still be online. With their help, we could bolster our numbers even more.” Makara looked at each of the gang lords in turn. “We have time. If we make all the right steps to prepare, we can set ourselves up in such a way that Augustus can be crushed before he even begins. It’s all about preparation. We have all the resources. But do we have the drive? The unity?” Makara paused, letting that sink in. “Those are the only two things working against us.”
“Even if we did do all that,” Jade said, now serious, “what makes you think we will win? Nothing ever goes the way you want it to. If all those things line up perfectly, sure...maybe we can win. Maybe not. I’m just going to say it, right now, because I’m sure you all have already thought about it.” He paused, flaunting a smile. “We need to join up with Augustus.”
Several of the men grumbled. We had assumed these Vegas gangs would want to be free of Augustus as much as we did. It turned out that they were more mercenary than that.
“I don’t want any foreign king telling me how to run my gang,” Rey said. “I’ll take the Empire’s batts, but that is as far as I will go. The Wasteland is ours.”
“Augustus is powerful,
” Jade said, almost soothingly. “How can we stand up to that when it comes? We can’t. It’s best to join up with him, while we still have a chance.”
“He is over two thousand miles away,” Grudge said, face reddening. It looked like he had a mind to use his gun. “If we have time to prepare for his attack, why would we join him?”
“I agree,” Cain said. “But I won’t follow this girl. Cain and the Sworn go their own way.”
Then, all the gangsters were arguing over what to do next. Our chief fear had been quashed – they were actually taking Makara seriously. It was funny how they took the threat of Augustus and Carin Black more to heart than the Great Blight. To them, crawlers and dragons were unruly critters that only needed to be slapped a few times so that they could get back to business. To the Vegas gangs, other people were the more tangible threat.
“And who will lead this expedition to Los Angeles?” Grudge asked. “I don’t trust any of you enough to walk three miles, much more three hundred.”
“That is why Makara leads!” Char shouted.
Everyone stopped short in their arguing, looking at Char. Now that he had everyone’s attention, he hurried to speak before anyone else could get in another word.
“The Raiders and the Exiles have already sworn their loyalty to the New Angels. You do not have to do the same. You can march with us, as allies, to Los Angeles. We will take Carin Black out before he even has a chance to prepare. Once there, the wealth of the city will be open to us all – batts, slaves, whatever you want.”
“No.” Makara stepped up. “I will not allow slavery. This is the rebirth of the Lost Angels, and neither Raine nor I would stand for it.”
“Well,” Jade said, “tough luck, lady. Slaves are part of the deal. We want the whole city...don’t we, boys?”
Rey nodded. “The whole city. If you are going to take Vegas from us, we want to own Los Angeles. It is a fair trade. For all our risk...for our gamble...we need to have a reward that’s worth it.”
“Apparently, your survival isn’t rewarding enough?” Makara asked.
