Kyle West - Evolution

The Wanderer. That strange and mysterious man had told each of us something we must do, in order for us to be successful in our mission. I remembered what he had told me, what seemed ages ago — that the success or failure of this entire mission hinged on me, somehow. It was an awesome responsibility, and those words were no clearer today than they had been then. I wondered what he had told everyone else. I was about to find out about Samuel.

“What did he tell you?” I asked.

“He said that I would be tempted,” Samuel said. “But in that moment, I would need to trust my ideals. Part of me feels agreeing with Augustus would be easier, and safer. But a future where he is in charge is no future at all. I have to trust in my ideals — the people of the Wasteland must remain free.”

At first, I agreed with him. But then, I thought about who we were siding with. Sure, Char was on our side. But was he really better than the Empire? After all, the raiders stole, they raped, they enslaved, albeit on a smaller scale. What difference would a Raider Empire be from the Novans?

“You’re right,” I said. “But we need a new agenda. A new vision.”

Both looked at me, curious. I had it.

“It’s time to reform the Lost Angels.”

Both stared at me for a moment. Then, Samuel broke into a rare smile.

“That is quite the idea. But how do we do that? Who will lead them?”

“She’s in the back of the ship right now.”

“You mean Makara.”

I nodded. I don’t know why I chose her over Samuel. It just felt right, for some reason.

“She was closest to Raine,” I said. “Though Raine is dead, his legacy can live on through her. From what she told me about him when we first met, Raine had been the best thing to ever happen to the Wasteland. He kept no slaves. Los Angeles was prosperous while his gang ruled. He helped people rebuild communities. People were kept safe from violence. If we could create something like that, a society that people could believe in…”

“You’re talking about a resurrection.” Ashton said. “It could be powerful. People know of Makara’s connection to Raine. She was like a daughter to him. If she were to rise to the mantle, gather any Angels who escaped as well as anyone else who was willing to follow her…”

“This could work,” Samuel said. “This is what we need. If Makara could get the other Wasteland leaders to band with her, we just might be numerous enough to stop the Empire, as long as we took out the Reapers first.”

“We may not even need to go that far,” I said. “We need to avoid as much bloodshed as possible. The more of each other we kill, the stronger Augustus’s army is by comparison. We need to be more cunning.”

“What do you mean?” Samuel said.

I took my index finger, dragging it along my throat.

“You mean…assassinate Black?”

“You know how any gang of violent men is,” I said. “As soon as the head is chopped off, the rest of the body dies. Once Black is dead, the reformed Angels can acquire the Reapers. Once we are in that position, we can ally with Raider Bluff and anyone else…all before Augustus arrives. He will find us united, rather than separate.”

“What about the xenovirus?” Ashton asked. “What about these dragons?”

“That might actually work for us,” I said. “Augustus might be afraid to move out if the xenodragons are threatening his Empire. They can keep him pinned until he has his house in order. And, he might be more reluctant to send as many troops as he planned on to begin with. But at the same time, he is desperate. He needs to take us out before we have a chance to prepare. He will be wrestling with that in the coming days.”

“I need to speak to Makara about this,” Samuel said.

“Let her rest for now,” Ashton said. “Actually, it would be a good idea for all of us to rest. We have been through a lot, on very little sleep.”

“So rest, refuel, get Julian home…” I said. “Am I missing anything?”

“We need to go back to Raider Bluff and let Char in on our plan,” Ashton said. “He is close to Makara, and may have some information and advice on how to proceed.”

“We also need to get Odin back,” Samuel said. “It’s still parked in the forest.”

“Yes, there is that. It should be fine where it is, but I can drop you all off there before returning to Skyhome. There are some matters I must attend to there.”

“Like what?” I asked.

“Well, I was in a middle of a research project before I was called down here. I was setting up some wave length monitors to plant around Ragnarok Crater.”

“I’m glad you didn’t end up doing that,” I said. “Ragnarok Crater is probably a bad place to be right now.”

“With these xenodragons, I guess so,” Ashton said.

I smiled. Despite Anna’s illogical hatred of the word “dragon,” I was happy to see my name sticking.

“That is something I still need to do,” Ashton said. “Preparing the monitors will take some time, but I can drop them around the crater from a height. They only need to be there for a few minutes to triangulate the point of origin of the Voice.”

“We’ll be on our own, then, for the next leg?” Samuel asked.

“It’s looking that way. But we will still be in contact through radio.”

As Samuel and Ashton continued to discuss plans, I began to feel a bit overwhelmed with everything that needed to be done, and the short amount of time it needed to be done in. I was grateful for both Samuel and Ashton, because doing things and making decisions quickly seemed to be their element. Ashton was brilliant, and Samuel was decisive. Together, they made a good team, and it made me wonder what they even saw in me.

“This Lost Angels thing…” Samuel said, shaking his head. “It’s brilliant. In Skyhome, Makara was always so down. This will give her something to work on.”

“Well, it’s not anything, yet,” I said.

“It will be, though,” Ashton said. “Everything great begins as an idea. A good idea inspires. The fact that this idea has unlocked everything else, unbarring our progress into the future…” Ashton paused. “It will do the same for others. I know it will.”

Well, maybe that was my answer. Maybe this was why they had me here.

We landed on a pristine, white beach in what used to be Baja California. After setting up the thick, blue water lines and anchoring them in the sea, we took the rest of the day to relax. It was going to be a while for the ship to refuel. After catching up on some much needed sleep, Anna and I came outside to enjoy the warm sun. We found a place to lay down and be alone. Together, we watched the waves in silence, enjoying each other’s company.

It was the best day of my life. We ran into the cold water together. The shock was refreshing on my skin. I dove under, and came back up to see Anna’s face, her black hair framed around her pale face, her hazel eyes looking into mine. It was good to just be with her, with no pressure or pain.

The air was warm, yet not too warm, and the late afternoon sun was a couple of handbreadths above the blue line of the sea. Everything was calming and beautiful.

We returned to the beach, and laid down to dry off. About half a mile away, Samuel was walking with Makara, trying to get her some light exercise. She said she had needed it, or she would go crazy in the clinic bed. Julian spoke with Ashton atop a twisted rock formation jutting out into the sea, against which wave after wave crashed.

Everything about the day was perfect. I wish life were always like this — more about peace than fighting.

“Do you think this is what people did before?” Anna asked.