Kyle West - Revelation

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.”