can talk about that when we get there. Right now, let’s just focus on the Los Angeles expedition.”
Rey scowled, not liking where this was going. He had still not accepted.
“I probably don’t need to point this out,” Makara said. “But I will, anyway. The Great Blight will ruin your food and water supply, even if the Blighters don’t attack first. You’ll be forced to leave the city behind, with or without me. You can either do it with my help, with my resources, or without them. But if you come with me, you have to do it on
Rey was used to getting his way. He had long since cast aside his cigar. He reached a hand out, and a crony handed him a new one, lighting it for him. After taking a few puffs, Rey turned back to Makara.
“This can be negotiated,” he said. “If I am going to leave my home behind, I want a better deal than I have right now. You understand this, don’t you? L.A. is rich. I am game for trying to take it down. Hell, it could even be fun. It’d be nice to turn our guns on someone else besides our Vegas brethren.”
The other gang members smiled at that.
“But unless you give us a reason to go, besides survival…we won’t go. Surviving isn’t a reason for survival. You need something else. I want batts. Power. Slaves. They make the world go round.”
Makara eyed Rey hard. The rest of the gangsters were behind him, now. If she said no, then the gangs would not follow her to L.A. It didn’t matter how logical she was being about their survival depending on her. Even though they knew that, they wanted more.
“Fine,” Makara said. “We will parcel out the city once it’s ours. We’ll each get territory inside that corresponds to our respective size and power.”
Rey nodded his assent. “That sounds fair.”
The other gang lords’ eyes glistened with greed. They saw Los Angeles as a fat sheep ripe for the slaughter. It wasn’t the best motivation, but it was the best we could expect of men like these. They would only be loyal as long as they believed they stood anything to gain from conquering Los Angeles. It also created a whole new problem. After Black had been taken out, the gangs would turn on each other, once more, fighting over the best territory. Even now, I was sure they were all planning for that eventuality. It was all a game to them. It was a game they all had to survive, first.
“I want to remind you that it doesn’t end with the conquering of Los Angeles,” Makara said. “You will have to defend what is yours when Augustus comes. By that time, we should be strong enough to resist him. And the Great Blight grows. Its menace will never end until we destroy the Voice. After Augustus has been defeated, or has agreed to help us, we can attack the Great Blight and bring down the Voice. Only then will the xenovirus be rendered moot. Only then will the invasion be stopped.”
“What is it, anyway?” Grudge asked. “This xenovirus. Where did it come from?”
Of all the gang leaders, Grudge was the one I liked the most, despite Michael’s warning. He actually seemed interested in our mission against the xenovirus, and how to stop it.
“The Black Files, which we found in Bunker One, confirm that the xenovirus is of alien origin,” Samuel said, answering for Makara. “It’s their way of killing us all off before they get here to take control of the planet.”
Grudge nodded. Then, he smiled. “We might do their job for them before the end, huh?”
“I hope not, Grudge,” Makara said. “That’s something to think about. Fight all the wars you want when this all said and done. I don’t care. Until then, we work together. Agreed?”
One by one, the gang leaders nodded their agreement — Jade, Cain, Grudge, and Boss Dragon, who had been quiet all afternoon — and finally, Rey. Though Rey nodded like the rest, his eyes said he was going his own way. There was nothing we could do about that for now. It was done. As done as done could be, anyway.
“So,” Char said. “When do we start?”
“It will take time, to prepare for our departure,” Rey said. “We’ll need to gather food, vehicles, slaves, supplies. We won’t find much on the way, so we’ll need to empty the storehouses.”
“Should we combine our supplies, or each go separately?” Cain asked.
“I’m not sharing,” Jade said, with a nasty look. “I don’t trust any of you.”
“We share supplies,” Makara said. “Essential things like food, water, even bullets and guns. For one, it’s easier, and second, I want to get it into your heads that we’re working together now.”
“This can be discussed later,” Rey said. “I have things to take care of right now.”
He turned back for his Recon, along with his cronies. After they started up the hydrogen-powered vehicles, the tires squealed on the tarmac, leaving us in a cloud of dust.
“We will be in touch, Makara,” Cain said, with a nod. Where the blue eyes once mocked, now they held some measure of respect.
Makara nodded, and Cain turned away. He and his associates piled into their SUVs, and after starting their engines, headed back to the Strip.
Jade flashed a toothy, slimy smile before sliding into his limousine and riding away. It left only Grudge and his bikers. Grudge took a step forward, causing both Char and Samuel to reach for their guns.
Grudge held his hands up. He turned his eyes on Makara. “You did better than I would have guessed. Maybe they’re all out for themselves…and I’m not saying that I’m not, either. But you have me convinced about this xenovirus thing. Those buggers have always made my blood run cold. I just want you to know…I’ve got your back, is all.”
Grudge looked aside, embarrassed.
Makara nodded. “I appreciate that, Grudge.”
Grudge’s face was blank for a moment. Talk of loyalty or not, he was still dangerous. If he wanted to be in good with us, he had to prove it first.
“You’ll see, Makara,” he said, mounting his bike.
He held up a fist, causing all the other Suns to climb onto their own bikes. Then, in a swirl of dust, they sped off down the runway in the direction of the airport.
Boss Dragon came forward. “That was well done.”
“Well, they’ve agreed to go, so at least that much is done. I didn’t get everything I wanted, but…”
“Hey.” Boss Dragon stared at Makara hard. “Nobody does, kid.”
Char eyed Boss Dragon. “You have to prove yourself too, buddy.”
Boss Dragon turned his eyes on Char with disgust. “I made this gathering happen and gave Makara my protection. What more proof do you need?”
“I’m a skeptic,” Char said. “It’ll take more than a few favors to impress me…or Makara, for that matter.
“Alright,” Boss Dragon said. “I feel you.” The Boss looked at Michael. “You sure about joining up with these New Angels then, huh?”
“Well, nothing’s official yet, but I would like nothing more.”
“You’re one of us,” Makara said. “Who says you can’t be both a Dragon and an Angel?”
Boss Dragon gave a crooked smile. “You’re right. You’ve been a huge help to me. But the Angels need you. This stuff about the xenovirus…me and my gang will do what we can to help. You have me convinced. Let me know what I can do. The Dragons will go with you, all the way to Ragnarok.”
With that, Boss Dragon held up a fist and pounded his chest. The other Dragons, Michael included, did the same thing. It was a like a pledge.
“I appreciate that, Boss Dragon.”
“You are my equal,” Boss Dragon said. “You can call me Elijah from now on.”
“Alright, then…Elijah. As long as any of my men can do the same. We Angels are all equals of one another.”
Elijah nodded. “Just like Raine, then.”
The way Elijah said that made me think that he had known Raine as well. It was strange that there had been an entire gang, the Lost Angels, whose legacy lived on long after their fall. It made me wish that I could have met Raine. And it made what Carin Black did, when he killed Raine, all the more egregious.
I then realized that this wasn’t just about saving the Vegas Gangs or stopping Augustus. It was also righting the murder of Raine, a righteous man, and resurrecting the legacy of his gang, the Lost Angels. In just a few months, Makara was going to get her chance for vengeance and justice when we attacked Los Angeles. Raine’s death had changed her life, had made her become the person she was now. It was hard to say, but if Raine hadn’t died, maybe we wouldn’t be going through all this right now. Maybe the Wasteland would already be united.
