[IC]
Impton Boulevard was a long stretch of road that ran vertically across the Woodmanor neighborhood. It was the stronghold of the Nomads, the area where their presence was most felt. On any particular day, at least a hundred youngsters donning yellow could be seen traversing it, their activities usually being no good. A bulk of the gang's members lived along Impton Boulevard and since it was the center of the neighborhood, it was also where the gang's leadership was centralized. Despite its strength being reduced, the Nomads sported a massive membership that required the gang to have a format similar to that of a federation. There were different sub-factions or “divisions” of the Nomads that controlled different parts of Woodmanor, each one having a different leader and laws to obey. At least twice a week, these chiefs would meet with the gang's supreme leader to hold a conference. At this conference different matters pertaining to the gang would be discussed and solutions would be reached through a democratic process.
At this moment, in the living room of an unoccupied apartment, the first conference of the week was occurring. Five men sat in a circle using wooden crates as seats. They couldn't move furniture into the apartment for they wanted the people who lived on the floor to believe that it was uninhabited. Nosy neighbors were an inconvenience to a gang's operations. Anyone who could potentially be a rat had to be put down before they became an issue. Not wanting to burden the neighborhood which they essentially owned, the Nomads' leadership opted to simply divert attention away from their meeting place. Therefore, the apartment had no quality seats which, to one chief, was a popular target for debate.
“Why the hell can't we at least get some chairs in here!” One man, who appeared to be the oldest of the assembly, spat. “Its already bad enough we can't watch TV! Why can't we get any seats? This crate is about to break under me!”
Sitting directly across from him was a slimmer, younger individual. He looked at his senior, scowling as he always seemed to. “For someone called 'Wise Man' you're a little idiotic,” he insulted, folding his arms as a gesture of his displeasure.
Wise Man glared at D-Force. He didn't say anything. His facial expression was enough of a message. Noticing that his affiliates were once again getting into a disagreement, a third man decided to intervene.
“D-Force, Wiseman. Shut up. A-Docc was about to speak,” he chimed in.
He was taller and huskier than the other two. In terms of build, he was the biggest of the five. As much as D-Force and Wise Man wanted to continue their little argument, they both knew that they would be in over their heads against Big Jack. Besides, they were all attending the meeting for the same cause. Further arguing would be absolutely detrimental to the gang's greater good.
Now A-Docc, the gang's general and overall leader, was far from being physically imposing. He was no taller than 5'11” and while his build was a bit on the athletic side, he wasn't enough to compete with the likes of Big Jack who sat to his right. What allowed A-Docc to command an entire gang of thousands was his intellect and confidence. He demanded respect without even speaking. Calmly, he waited until his co-leaders were finished before taking control of the meeting.
“Today we have to discuss our expansion,” A-Docc began to speak. “Now as you guys know, the only potential 'problem' on this side are those cats down at Sunset Heights – the Cannabins or whatever the hell they call themselves. They about as big as us so if we went to war they might haul weight. Right now, I don't really see a war happening. What do you guys think?”
The youngest at the gathering raised his hand in order to take the floor. “I say we drill 'em. My trigger finger been itching.”
Wise Man nodded his head in approval of his opinion. “I agree with King Arthur. I say we move 'em out the way.”
About a third of the assembly so far wanted war with the Cannabins. However, they weren't unopposed.
“Nah,” Big Jack said, “I ain't with that right now. Our numbers have only just begun to match theirs. War between us wouldn't be good. That could bring down the whole West Side.”
“I'm with Jack,” D-Force added. “There are too many hot heads out there who can't even hold a pistol right. Plus, we need to get our weapon supply before anything.”
“I hear y'all, I hear y'all,” A-Docc interjected, acknowledging the sentiments of his co-leaders. Great. A divided house. Just what he needed. I wish Shadow was back from wherever the hell he went off to. I could really use a tie breaker right about now.
Shadow was the appointed vice general of the Nomads. He was especially odd because he would only come out at night. Since their meetings usually happened at day, Shadow often would not personally attend. That was problematic considering that he was the gang's second-in-command.
“Alright y'all, I have a proposal,” A-Docc announced. “Why don't we meet up with them cats and let them know what we about? We not going to try and shoot with them or anything, we fitting to speak as if they neutrons.”
The other four men exchanged glances before looking back at their leader. The ones who wanted war undoubtedly supported the idea. The ones who didn't felt that such action was too provoking.
“I don't know,” Big Jack said, his voice harboring uncertainty. “Whose to say they won't shoot at us first.”
With a simple nod, D-Force again let it be known that he sided with Big Jack's stance. A-Docc groaned. Where was his vice general when he needed him?
"We should go for it," Wise Man suggested. "Besides, its not like we don't have shooters." He brandished his sub-machine gun to prove his point. "We'll light them up if they get too aggressive."
"Yeah, we don't want to slip and have them get the jump on us," King Arthur pointed out. "We don't want any of our guys to drop first."
Taking matters into his own hands, A-Docc came to a conclusion. Both gangs shared an entire side of the city together and neither had much competition besides the other. There were gangs on the other sides that could prove a threat to them both. A-Docc wasn't a man who sought war. He fought only when absolutely necessary. Maybe he could strike a non-aggression pact with the Cannabins' leader to maintain peace within the West Side?
"Alright, for now we'll sit on it," A-Docc finalized. "We'll see what they do first. If they come at us wrong then we'll bust at them. If they want peace then we can talk."
The room fell silent. At the end of it, the four chiefs of the gang knew that the word of their leader was law.
