“What’s our next course of action?” Samuel asked.
“We need to refuel,” Ashton said. “We’re running on vapor, but luckily the Pacific isn’t too far. Once there, we can refuel and head to Bluff. We need to update Char on the situation. And from there, we must find the other Wasteland leaders. Carin Black must be either dealt with or brought to our side.”
“I think Augustus might be in league with him,” I said.
Ashton frowned. “That’s disturbing news. What makes you say that?”
“Augustus told us not to even try to persuade him,” Samuel said. “Like he knew something we didn’t.”
“He also said that we would be smart to bring Black to our side,” I said. “That’s if we joined up with the Empire.”
“Makara won’t hear of it,” Samuel said. “Black is the reason the Angels fell four years ago. And the raiders don’t really like the Reapers, either.” He sighed. “We will need to choose one side, or the other.”
“How is that even a choice?” I asked.
Samuel didn’t say anything as both Ashton and I waited for his response.
“A lot of what Augustus said made sense,” Samuel said. “I hate to say it, but if we give Augustus what he wants, his army and Black’s can control the entire Wasteland. They can force everyone else there to help us…Char included. The alternative is to organize the raiders and any other group who will listen to us. We have two months to do that if we go down that road. The Reapers and the Empire together will be hard to stop.”
“I don’t trust Augustus,” Ashton said. “There’s a reason I didn’t give him that berth in Bunker One. He tried wheedling it away from Dr. Keener, Alex’s grandfather. He might have been able to charm President Garland and the others, but I saw right through that bullshit.” Ashton sighed. “I know you’re tempted to believe him. Hell, I am too. He makes it sound so easy. But this is anything but easy. We won’t sell our souls unless that’s what it comes down to.”
“We need every major player in the Wasteland to stand with us,” I said. “When they are warned about the Empire, they will have a reason to stop bickering. If we can take out the Reapers first, before the Empire arrives…”
“We have two months to do it,” Samuel said.
“We have to do it,” I said. “Augustus by now knows we have Gilgamesh. How could he have not seen it flying into his city? He had counted on us taking a while to get back to the Wasteland. Now, we have months to prepare. If Augustus is smart, he’ll do his best to get his army to the Wasteland as soon as possible. The Wasteland is a long way from the Empire. And if the Reapers join him, then we’ll be fighting two forces, one on either side.” I shook my head. “Raider Bluff, not to mention the other settlements, won’t stand a chance. But if we can take out the Reapers first…”
“Then the Empire will be easier to deal with,” Samuel said.
We said nothing for a while, letting our thoughts collect. Then, Samuel spoke.
“All this talk has reminded me of what the Wanderer told me.”
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.”