Revelation by Kyle West

I know who he is,” Boss Dragon said, voice low. “He’s the big, bad man in the south. He buys all our slaves. Don’t see where he has room to keep them, though. Yeah, we know about Nova Roma. That’s where the batts come from. You can ask Rey, Grudge, or any of the others.” He smiled. “Guess you could say, Nova Roma’s our lifeblood.”
    If these gangs were good with Augustus, then convincing them to fight him might not be in the cards.
    “We just came from there,” Makara said. “Augustus is coming here with an army. There’s a good chance a big part of that army will be here in two months.”
    “Two months?” Boss Dragon. At last, Makara had said something that had caught him off-guard. “You sure about that?”
    “I’m for damn sure. They might not be coming to Vegas, specifically. But yes. They are coming to the Wasteland. I formed the New Angels for two reasons: to stop Augustus, and to stop the Great Blight. But to do that, I will need an army.”
    Boss Dragon said nothing, gauging her seriousness. He folded his arms. He was an intimidating man, all the more so because of his size and muscle.
    “Well,” Boss Dragon said, “I think you’re going to have a tough sell. Don’t expect any miracles. In Vegas, we like to run our things our way. Men have tried for years to take control of this town. Tried, and failed.”
    “The Great Blight doesn’t care about who runs this place,” Makara said. “It only cares about killing.” She gestured at all of us. “We know how to fight it. And unless the gangs follow us, then they’re going to become part of that.” Makara pointed eastward.
    Boss Dragon, instead of getting angry, nodded. “You’re right. But tell me: when was the last time being right was enough?”
    Makara didn’t have an answer for that. I didn’t know what she could say, either. Boss Dragon had hit the nail on the head.
    “You have to think of what can you offer,” Boss Dragon said. “Batts. Slaves. Those are the things that will get us to listen.”
    “I can promise nothing,” Makara said. “Nothing, except freedom for the Wasteland.”
    “Freedom?” Boss Dragon smiled. “You are still young. Freedom is a fine idea, but Raine’s time is past.”
    “Those are my conditions,” Makara said. “I can lead the gangs to safety, and to victory. But I will need their loyalty.”
    “There are men in this town who would kill you for those words. You are lucky. I’ve always appreciated a good joke.”
    I watched the others, who had been staring silently at Boss Dragon, trying to decide whether or not he was a threat. Char and Samuel flanked Makara’s either side, hands not far from their weapons. Michael stood by me, and Anna on my other side. We were all here for Makara, in case things turned nasty.
    “When are the rest of them going to be here?” Makara asked.
    “I don’t know,” Boss Dragon said. “They should be here now.”
    Well, that at least gave Makara time to think about what she had to say. Or, perhaps, to not think about what she had to say. She had the unenviable job of getting the gangs on our side, and not getting us killed in the process. And she had to stand on her own two feet to do so. Relying on any of us, or on Char, would make her look weak. She had to talk about the Great Blight and the Empire and hope that they, the gang lords, would all come to the same conclusion as we had.
    But Boss Dragon’s words echoed in my mind: when was the last time being right was enough?

Chapter 11
    As the day wore on, the first of the gang lords pulled up. This was Jade, Lord of the Diamonds. He rode up in a long, dusty limousine, completely black. The limo idled for a moment before shutting off. Then Jade stepped out, decked in a cheesy white top hat and white suit. He bowed with a flourish, a slimy, yellowed smile spreading over his greasy face. His black hair was long and unwashed, so much so that I would not have been surprised if his hair was evolving its own