New faction

Keith watched them from the side as the new personnel began to form up just outside of the main hanger, already having deposited their stuff in their lockers before coming there, most of them had arrived with a car, causing their parking lot to flow over onto the nearby sand….

The troops were gathered there for their first day, with Onyx having planned out how to judge their current level as well as their potential all in one day…

He himself had decided to refrain from meddling with Onyx's preparations, allowing him freedom to command the troops, that being as long as he was competent… so Keith was hoping to be surprised, having the report of todays exercises remain unclosed as to not spoil the fun.

"Listen up recruits, I do not care where you come from, what god you believe in… or any of your personal lives… because HERE, none of that matters. What matters is what you bring to the table…" Onyx let his words sink in to the people below him, overlooking the entire troop from his podium…

"You will soon be put into groups, each group has the same objective for today, to come out on top… Before we form our groups you all can warm up a little… Id say two laps of the airstrip aught to be enough… Now get running!" Some immediately started off strong, getting ahead of the pack, while others started slower, either not seeing the urgency or trying to make it easier on themselves.

Keith looked at Onyx, who didn't do anything to spur them on… doubting his actions for a second, before deciding to keep watch for a little while longer…

Some of the clouds above them had moved away a little before the first recruit returned from the first lap, seemingly having slowed down a little… checking his phone, Keith realised that only fifteen minutes had passed, something impressing, but with his state now a little worrisome for the next lap...

Onyx moved beside Keith… watching the runners with him…

"How long are you giving them?"

"Forty minutes.." Keith doubted that most of them were going to make it, partly because they hadn't been informed, and partly because they already seemed to be tired..

"Mhhh… I expected a little worse." From watching Onyx train Keith thought that he would set an impossible standard for them to achieve…

"Can't break them before lunch." Keith bit his lip… reinforcing his believe to never be held to Onyx's standard

"So you forgot to mention it to the recruits or?" Keith was simply curious… wanting to know why he didn't try to push them…

"Forty minutes are standard… it should be their regular pace.."

"Does it hold the same for everyone?" they had men from all different pasts, each having held a different job in the military, with most of them being ground soldiers to pilots and mechanics…

"No exceptions.." Keith nodded, knowing that Onyx wouldn't play favourites this early on…

Some more runners went by… all being somewhat on track to get below the forty minute mark they didn't know of…

"Have you formed the teams already?"

"I have."

"Good…. When will you think the first of the outer bases can be filled…" their group was now in a comprisable position, the infrastructure was in place and the production had begun, yet the defenced hadn't been armed yet…

"One can be most likely filled within the week, the other two will have to wait."

"I see…" Keith was in no state to fight himself, so they needed to be extra vigilant for the coming weeks… at least until their first shipment was completely sold…

The sun peeked through the clouds shining down upon the two… its causing his skin to tingle "I trust you can handle this on your own… I still got other matters to attend to."

"I will.."

"Oh and do make sure no one dies, cant be having that on the first day?"

"If they die than they are weak.."

"Then you will just need to let them break before reforging them anew.." Onyx snorted, turning away to look at the runners as Keith climbed into the driver seat of his car, having decided that no injurie was worth being chauffeured around…

Starting the car Keith drove east, heading for the place Malcom would be waiting.

…

Keith slowed down as he neared the highway, his drive had been mostly uneventful with it tacking less than an hour… turning early to get onto a dirt path, Keith drove up to a small burger joint near the highway…

There waiting for him stood Malcom, casually eating some burger and fries while leaning on his bike and enjoying the weather…

Stopping nearby Keith lowered his window down enough for them to speak.

"Malcom, everything ready for the meeting?" They would soon be heading to meet with some members of the lost…

"Yeah, but are you sure about going in there with just the two of us.."

"That was the agreement… and besides he has got nothing big against us, just a small conflict that got out of hand…" Breaking their agreement would likely end in a gunfight, one which Keith wanted to avoid.. his troops were not really ready and even if they were going on a all out fight with them would only drive the two factions closer together

"And what about that incident that you had nothing to do with?" Malcom sounded a little worried, likely thinking about all the possibilities of their meeting being a trap.

"It's their position he is filling." They would be meeting with one of the middle members who couldn't attend the funeral that day, missing the explosion that killed the top members of the club, freeing the position for himself…

"And what if it gets out of hand?" His position wasn't yet secure, with him battling against someone who held a tight grip around their production facilities and cash flow, cutting of the one they will be meeting with until he comes to terms with his oppositions leadership.

"It won't, even if it does than we can make it out.." The meeting would be held out in a open field near to the windmill park, a place chosen for the lack of people who visited the place.

An open area, both holding advantages and disadvantages, but one where neither could truly have an edge over the others.

"I can't believe you roped me into this." Keith didn't hear Malcom's words that well only hearing parts..

"What was that?" His sincere question was taken as a threat, shutting Malcom's complaining down.

"Nothing, let's just get going, we shouldn't be late." Malcom's motor's engine started, letting out a low rumble.

"I'll be right behind you.." following Malcom, Keith headed north towards the windmills in the distance…

-

It didn't take long for them to near the meeting location, but they slowed down as soon as they were in the area, giving them a little time to look around and make sure no people were hiding nearby… coming to a complete stop, Malcom and Keith got off right in front of an lone trailer home out in an open field near the windmill park…

Their presence being noticed by the ten bikers outside… who all kept their guns at the ready for if they tried something…

"The boss man is inside…" They weren't stopped, weren't searched, simply being let through to the entrance of the trailer, before making their way inside….

Inside sat a lone table, with one person sitting on the far end with two men to his left and right shoulder, a final person sat on the other end of the room, keeping a sharp watch on them as they moved towards the table…

"How are you doing Jack?" Malcom mentioned the name of the person in front of them before taking the seat next to Keith.

"You sure have some balls showing up here… Aren't you a little scared that we might do something."

"No, not really, at least not if you want to be the new president of the lost here on the west coast…"

"Who says that I cant do that on my own?"

"A lack of money, resources but more importantly your lack of time…" Money and recourses could be gained, they could steal, rob cheat, but all ways they could gain money was through time they sorely lacked…

Jack seemed stunned, looking at the same time annoyed that Keith had brought it up…

"What don't you think I would do a little research before coming here?" Keith leaned back in his chair, giving a confident smirk to the person opposite of him.

"You said that you could help with my problems, not smear them out for me to see…"

"Right you are… I want to help you become the next president of the lost…"

"Why would you want to do that."

"I just don't want to see David take control." His words were partly true… Keith didn't personally know David, his ambitions, what drove him, only knowing what others told about him…

"What do you have against him?"

"Nothing, I just think that you would make a way better candidate…" What made Jack better was his position, enough manpower and guns, but no funding or production to speak off…

"What else?"

"Perceptive aren't you… I want to make a deal… I have the money to fund you and any operation you deem necessary to take control over production from David… all I ask for exchange is to forget my past indiscretions and to get my investment reimbursed with the produce from David's production.."

"You want everything that hasn't been sold yet?"

"I don't know what he is telling you but his production has grounded to a halt, they are at full capacity, enough stock to fully reimburse me."

"Oh… tell me something why should I use your money, why shouldn't I get some other loan shark without ulterior motives?"

"Because I will sweeten the pot even more for you… ill get some merryweather agents to protect the properties while Malcom sets up new staff for all ten of the places that you capture… and ill even move out the stock myself.." That was the deal Keith had come up with, giving him money to fight, with Keith getting the product they would be fighting for..

"Mhh… those product are worth millions…" Keith nodded… before beginning to shake his head in exasperation.

"How much do you think this is going to cost?" Jack narrowed his eyes at Keith's words…

"You will get five of the ten… the first five…"

"Five is way to low… at least eight…" Keith turned his head, as if unwilling to accept anything lower…

"We can settle on six…" silence fell… with Keith breaking before Jack did..

"Lets just meet in the middle here and do seven…"

"Six…." Keith sighed, it didn't matter much, it was not like he wouldn't get it in the end..

"Fine, but I expect a discount for any future dealings with the lost." Keith raised his hand for a shake, with Jack giving him a sharklike smile while shaking his good arm hard…

"One more thing… I need a small amount to be delivered to a couple of my underlings."

"How much?"

"One hundred thousand for each of them…. Cant let my underlings go hungry now can I?"

"ill see what I can do.."

"Cash… oh and preferably hand delivered." Jack let out a hearty laugh along with the three others in the trailer.

"Ill send someone else.. send Malcom the locations… ill get the money…"

"Don't worry about that.. I have them right here…" Jack pushed over a piece of paper, on it three different locations… all branches of the lost…

Both Keith and Malcom checked them, with Keith sending his assistant a text with the amount of money he needed detailed…

"Ill get it to you before the end of today.."

"Perfect… oh but before you go… I expect the first couple of millions to come in real soon.."

"Just handle your part of the deal and all will go fine." Keith didn't like Jack anymore, but while a little dissatisfied with his personality, Keith couldn't be more happy at the outcome…

"Can I trust the first three deliveries to you Malcom."

"yea.. I think I will manage…"

"Hey Malcom… you can hire some people to work for you… I don't care where they come from as long as they are competed and trustworthy.." Stacy had been practically begging Keith to hire some more assistants, with him finally relenting a couple of days ago, having decided to do so to both spare himself from her complaining as well as any problems from forming….

Him relenting on that matter did cause him to take another look at Malcom's and Onyx's operations, deciding to let them get some lieutenants for themselves while they operated…

With himself still having to do the same for the Vehicle cargo operations he promised to run….