Chapter 32

It has been two days since I joined the powder gangers and by some dumb luck, the team of convicts that I was assigned to, somehow stumbled upon a ranger team that was keeping an eye on the correctional facility forcing me to help the convicts fight the rangers.

As for how I got myself into this group of convicts, well let's just say that being a wandering guy that can bring back to life your old gun has its perks, especially when you offer your services for nothing more than a place to rest and a share of the loot. At first Eddie, the leader of this band of convicts wasn't too keen on letting a stranger into his den, but after a whole of "fixing" their guns, the man was more than happy to have him as an ally. He even offered me some of his prized drugs as some allowance if I were to join his group for good. While I politely rejected his offer, I did "join" the powder gangers, becoming one of their most important members, and one of the few that had a respected profession amongst them.

When I went to Eddie and ask him to put me into a team, the man almost went berserk fearing that he would lose one of his most important assets because some idiots won't be able to keep me safe. However after talking him into letting me go outside, as well as showing him that I was more than prepared to fight, the man reluctantly agreed, but, not before he had one of his most trusted goons come with me as a bodyguard.

This brings me to my supposed team of convicts. Mike, the leader of the team was the only black man I have seen in the whole facility, and yet he was one of the few "good" people. He was locked up for beating an NCR soldier to death that had an affair with his wife, other than that, sadly for him once the war in the Mojave started and Eddie took over the facility, he was forced to remain here.

The other four guys that were in his team were more or less the same, each having a lighter sentence than most of the powder gangers, but they were forced to remain "loyal" to Eddie after the madman become the leader.

As for the bodyguard, the man was a monster. I was one meter and sixty-seven centimeters tall, not the tallest guy around these parts, but neither the shorts, yet this bodyguard was almost two meters tall, towering over everyone in my group. Besides his size, the man was addicted to jets making him even more dangerous than he was already.

Once the rangers return fire, the first one to fall was the bodyguard, making everything much easier, at least for me. Why? Well, Mike was a nice guy and it would be a shame to have someone like him get killed for just being locked inside the correctional facility, especially when the man hadn't killed the people he rob, nor did his team. So rather than letting the rangers kill them, why shouldn't I use this chance to get some people to work for me?

We all were taking cover behind some rocks when a grenade exploded right on the other side of the rock that acted as cover for one of my teammates slightly injuring the man. Seeing that there was no more time to waste, I decide to act before either one of them gets killed.

"Mike! "

"What!"

"Do you guys want to live?"

"Of course!"

"Then drop your weapons and don't do anything!"

The man looked at me in shock not understanding what I meant, and just as he was begging to think that I have gone crazy, I grabbed something from my pocket, raising it above the rock, hoping that the rangers would use their scopes to look at what I was holding in my hand.

A few seconds of silence go by before we heard one of the rangers shouting. "Cease fire, that's our boy out there!"

When they heard the ranger's words, Mike turned to face me, disbelief written all over his face, before he burst out laughing, finally understanding why someone like me would even join the powder gangers. Nevertheless, he still dropped his gun, throwing it a few meters away from him.

"Throw your weapons guys. We don't need to fight these rangers."

The rest of the guys glanced at me for a few seconds before reluctantly throwing their weapons away, hoping that they would survive. Once every single one of them was unarmed, I slowly got on my feet, before walking towards the rangers, stopping just short of ten meters away from them.

"I'm Dante Castillo, may I know who you are sir?"

"Caporal Meyer, Mojave's Second Battalion. A pleasure meeting you young man. We heard a lot about you and your super mutant friend. Thought that still doesn't explain why in the seven hells are you doing with those convicts?"

"I take you to know Major Knight, right? "

"The poor guy that oversees the Outpost, if I'm not mistaken. I talked with him once or twice, though our line of work doesn't exactly have too many things in common. Don't tell me this is about Operation Keg?"

"You are right about this, sir. Major Knight employed me as a mole inside the correctional facility. I'm supposed to help the NCR win this battle with as few casualties as possible and for that, I need the trust of their leader."

"What about the guys that are behind the rocks? Are they a problem for you?"

"Not if I play my cards right, thought I might still need your help once everything is resolved."

"If you really manage to prevent the death of many of our troopers then sure, I'll help you."

"Thanks, sir, it means a lot."

"Well then, Dante. I truly hope you would succeed. Until next time."

The rangers left after Meyer said his goodbye, leaving me to deal with Mike and his team. Meanwhile, the man in question saw everything that happened and for the first time since Eddie became the leader of the Powder Gangers, he saw a ray of hope shining on his face. Once the rangers disappeared behind some hill, he alongside his team got on their feet before approaching me, still wary of any ambush that might wait for them.

"I should have known that you aren't just a normal wanderer, kid. So what's going to happen to me and my crew now?"

"Depending on your answer, you guys might just get rid of y our sentence and start a new life."

"What's the catch, Dante? Nothing in this world is free, especially when it looks so good to be true."

"I want you guys to join me."

"Join you?"

"Like becoming part of your crew or something like that?"

"Aren't we a team?"

"No, guys, I want you five to become part of my family. I plan to take over the powder gangers, at least the ones that are like you guys. Somewhat good folks that were forced by the circumstances to remain inside the NCRCF after Eddie became the leader."

"Bloody hell, you want to start a crime syndicate within the NCR don't you?"

I only smiled in response, making the man shake his head, not expecting to hit the jackpot with one question. Then again, Mike does seem to be smarter than most of the addicts that reside inside the NCRCF.

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