“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.”
“That’s part of the vision of the New Angels, anyway,” I said. “Makara, you said the Lost Angels took control of L.A. back in the day because they offered freedom to slaves.”
“My only reservation is, slaves are not fighters,” Makara said. “Gangsters are. We can free the slaves, but training them up will take time. Time is something we don’t have much of. Besides, who knows how well slaves would hold up in a fight?”
“I’ll make fighters out of them,” Char said. “I think you’re sure of getting at least some recruits if you go straight for the farms. And if you need someone to train them…” Char chuckled. “I’m your man for that.”
“How many slaves are there, anyway?” I asked.
“Marcus said two, maybe three thousand,” Samuel said.
I nodded. “That sounds like a good number to me. That far outnumbers any of the gangs. Maybe all of them.”
“It does,” Michael said. “But I liked Makara’s idea of trying to get the gang leaders to work together. Combined with Char’s idea, it might be our way of gaining power in Vegas. If they at least know
“I’m afraid all this might bite us in the butt,” I said. “What if going after those farms gets them to work against us?”
“There’s that risk,” Char said, “but we’re running low on options. It’s go big or go home, kid. We need them to take us as a serious threat. And if we sit on our laurels too long, they’ll realize that those farms are in danger. We need to move before they do. Soon, they’ll likely be arguing on which gangs get guard duty.”
“That’s how they’ve done it so far,” Michael said. “No one gang ever gets control of the farms. They all send an equal number to watch over them; that way none of them gets the upper hand. It’s the same with the walls and gates.”
“How many guards are there in total?” I asked.
“Two, three hundred maybe,” Michael said.
“That’s more than I would have thought,” Makara said. “But we have
“There are a lot of slaves there,” Michael said. “And not just slaves, but normal workers, like my wife and kid. The only difference between them and the slaves is that they get a ride back home at night. This is why I want to caution against such an attack. There will be casualties. Any time we kill, we’re making all of us weaker, and the Blighters stronger.” Michael shook his head. “Violence should always be the last option. That said, the slaves might rise up against the gangs. They’re getting scared of the Blighters. They’ve gotten hit harder than Vegas because they’re closer to the Great Blight. If offered a way out, then they’d probably take it.”
“That’s all the convincing I need,” Samuel said.
“Alright, then,” Makara said. “We all need to be ready to head inside. Michael, when you find out what time, let us know.”
Everyone nodded, satisfied at the consensus we had reached. What had once been just four was quickly growing into a full-fledged army. Two hundred strong — and maybe by the end of the day, we would be
Despite what Michael had said about us not needing to worry, I felt going inside was as dangerous a plan as any we had concocted. It could be that this was all just a conspiracy for the gangs to take us all out in a pinch. We just had to trust they were just as afraid of the Blight as we were.
Only, I didn’t know how sure of a bet that was.
Chapter 10
A few minutes later, we were standing in front of the Sunset Gate. The tower guard went for his radio, letting Boss Dragon know we were on our way. Everyone in Vegas would soon know Makara was in town. They would know that the Angels were back.
“You’re clear,” the guard called down.
Slowly, the large wooden gates rolled open, sending up a thin veil of dust. The highway, twisted buildings, and rubble of the inner city were revealed, the towers and hotels on the Vegas Strip in plain view in the daylight.
