Resistance Rising

by Matthew Savage

  Reese held up his hand in a signal to fire. Gunfire erupted. Sarah and the others hit the ground as Reese and his men were hit with bullets. When Sarah looked up she could see all of Reese’s men on the ground. None were moving. Pools of blood were on the ground. Some of the men were so badly hit that Sarah couldn’t even recognize their faces.

  Captain Underwood followed by Jonah, Ms. Hill, and the other groups of soldiers came around the corner. Captain Underwood had his gun trained on the dead men. He didn’t seem to think they were dead just yet. Sarah didn’t need to be a coroner to tell that they were dead.

  “We need to get moving,” Captain Underwood called out. “This place will be swarmed with police soon.”

  “We aren’t leaving without Josh,” Ms. Hill called out.

  “I will help get him,” Sarah said.

  Jonah helped Ms. Hill and Mary into the van. Sarah and Steven walked back into the restaurant. Several men were checking on dead soldiers and some were moving their wounded colleagues. Sarah saw Sergeant Miller crouched by a body. Sarah knew immediately whose body it was. She approached slowly and could tell Sergeant Miller was crying. He was cradling Josh’s head. Sarah slowly came up next to Sergeant Miller. She lightly put her hand on his shoulder.

  “We need to move him,” She said in a whisper.”

  Sergeant Miller nodded his head. Sarah and Steven reached for Agent Young’s body. They grabbed him from Sergeant Miller. His hands and clothes were covered in blood. He sat on the ground silently crying as Sarah and Steven walked towards the back, with Agent Young’s lifeless body.

  When they walked outside they could hear sirens in the distance. They knew the police would be arriving any moment and if they were still there when they arrived it would not end well. They reached the van and opened the back carefully putting Agents Young’s body in it. Steven took off his coat and placed it over Josh’s face. Sergeant Miller followed behind them. He had wiped the blood from his hands. Now that he was in the sunlight she could see the deep red on his clothes. The sirens drew closer. The group got into their vehicles and left the restaurant along with the bodies of their enemies’ scattered all over the property. As they drove away they passed large groups of police cars and some SWAT vans. Sarah knew that the only thing they would find is the remains of their battle.

  One of Jonah’s men drove their van. Orson was in the front seat. Sarah, Steven, Sergeant Miller, Mary, and Ms. Hill were all squished in the back. Their car was silent except for the occasional sniffs from Ms. Hill or Sergeant Miller. Agent Mason had hopped in with Captain Underwood and Jonah in a different car. They were all going to meet at the dock. Sarah hoped they would have some spare clothes for Sergeant Miller. He seemed to gather himself as they drew closer to the dock. Ms. Hill would reach back and hold his hand on occasion. Sarah wished she knew something to say that could make them feel better but she knew nothing she could say would change what had happened. She remembered the moment of losing her father. It stung in her heart. She started to realize that through the course of the war this would only happen more often. Sarah held Steven’s hand. She fought back tears. How many more people would die before this war is over?

  “We are going to arrive in two minutes,” The driver said.

  The car remained silent. Sarah watched as they pulled into the shipping yard. They were taken deep in the maze of shipping crates before that came to a stop. They were the first to arrive. A minute past before the rest of the vehicles arrived. Sarah wondered if everyone was coming along on this ride. If that was the case those crates might be very cramped. Sarah got out of the car. She was greeted by Captain Underwood who came running to the car.

  “Is Mary alright?” He asked.

  “I am fine,” Mary said.

  She informed him what happened during the meeting. He told his story what happened to him. They embraced each other. Sergeant Miller got out of the van and made eye contact with Agent Mason who looked shocked at his appearance.

  “What happened to you?” Agent Mason asked.

  “I am fine,” Sergeant Miller started to cry. “Josh didn’t make it.”

  Agent Mason fell to his knees. Ms. Hill got out and hugged Peter as he cried on the ground. The three of them embraced each other. The others stood behind them. No one wanted to disturb their moment. Jonah cleared his throat.

  “I have made arrangements for us to stay on the ship. We will have bunks on the ship. The captain was nice enough to have food made for us as well. We will have a private room for our fallen comrade,” Jonah said. He had a somber tone to his voice.

  “Thank you,” Ms. Hill said.

  Several of Jonah’s men retrieved the body and helped bring it into the ship. The cargo ship Jonah explained was owned by a friend of his who is sympathetic to their cause.

  “All of us are coming with. That wasn’t originally the plan but now it seems there is no choice,” Jonah explained.

  “How did you get all of these people?” Sarah asked.

  “They all worked for me at Domino Defense. It is a shame how this worked out. I know my men will take this hard. Those were our coworkers. It is a shame they chose to side with Max.”

  “I am sorry it happened that way,” Sarah said.

  “It will happen more I am sure. Civil War is a nasty thing. Brothers against brothers.”

  “I wish President Marshal hadn’t forced our hand,” Captain Underwood said.

  “As do I. We picked our side. We all knew what could happen.”

  “What will happen to Domino Defense?” Steven asked.

  The group walked towards the ship. Sarah had thought about that also. Now that Reese was dead the company really belongs to Jonah now.

  “I take control I suppose,” Jonah said. His tone of voice indicated that he didn’t think this would how it would play out. “I will have to do it from the States. I have arranged a cover story for when the Canadian government comes asking questions. At least you will have our company’s resources at your convenience.”

  “We appreciate that,” Captain Underwood said.

  They arrived on the ship and the Captain a short man with little neck showed them to their quarters. The group essentially had an entire floor to themselves.

  “We should be arriving in Michigan in a few short hours,” The captain explained. He had a raspy voice. Sarah figured he must have been a smoker. “If things go right, He continued “we should have minimal security on our hands. We will be able to load you all into trucks and get you back.”

  “Sounds good, Thank you again,” Jonah said. He shook the man’s hand.

  “Anything to help the cause,” The Captain said.

  He nodded to all of them and left them on their floor. They were allowed to choose their rooms. Sarah couldn’t help but compare the room they arrived in with the room they were in now. Her room here had no decoration. It had two bunk beds in it. She and Steven would be sharing with Captain Underwood and Mary. She had hoped that she and Steven would have their own rooms. She wanted to be held. It had been a long few weeks. Was it only a few weeks? She couldn’t even remember. It had felt like ages since they had left headquarters. She wanted to see Nolan again. They hadn’t received any information while they had been away. She wondered if he was waiting around the base worried about them. They walked into their room. Jonah stood and made sure they didn’t need anything. Even now he seemed to be acting like a host.

  “If you need anything let me know,” Jonah started. “I’ll be able to find the captain and see what I can do.”

  “Thank you for everything,” Captain Underwood said as he took a look at Mary’s injuries.

  “I am sorry we acted the way we did when we met you. You have helped so much,” Mary started. “We would have never gotten out of that restaurant if it wasn’t for you.”

  “Don’t mention it. Now I can see why you aren’t willing to trust so easily.” Jonah said in a joke.

  The group smile and Jonah must have known that his joke had fallen a b
it flat. He nodded his head and left their room to find his own. Sarah could hear him from the hall checking on his men who were getting settled. Sarah knew he was a good leader. He cared about all of his men even the ones who he had fought against. The way he talked about them she knew he was sad it had come to a battle. She didn’t think it was cold, he just knew how things were going to be. Maybe even better than they knew?

  After they got settled Captain Underwood said he was going to look for medical supplies for Mary. Sarah wanted to check on Ms. Hill and the others. She wanted to be there for them. The amount of time Ms. Hill and her agents had spent together over the last several months had no doubt bonded them. This was a serious loss. Sarah also wanted to be there for her own health. She couldn’t get the picture of his throat being slit out of her head. Steven had decided to tag along.

  The two of them walked down the hall and towards the room that Jonah had said they would keep Agent Young’s body. When they arrived at the door they weren’t surprised to see it closed. They must not have wanted to keep in open, most likely for some privacy. Sarah lightly knocked on the door. She waited as she heard people moving around. Ms. Hill opened the door. Her eyes and face were red and her hair seemed more out of control. Sarah didn’t say anything before she was pulled into a hug. Sarah held Ms. Hill as she cried. Steven lightly guided them into the room. He closed the door behind them. When Ms. Hill let go of Sarah she went and hugged Steven. Sarah didn’t expect to be hugged and when she saw the look on Steven’s face he must not have expected it either. Sarah nodded at Sergeant Miller and Agent Mason who sat on chairs next to Agent Young’s covered body. Someone must have found a sheet to cover him because he was no longer covered by Steven’s jacket.

  “We just wanted to come pay our respects,” Sarah said. After Ms. Hill finished embracing Steven.

  “We thank you for that,” Ms. Hill said. “This is war. We all knew what we were getting into. I just hate that it happened this way to him. He was such a good kid.”

  “He really was,” Sergeant Miller said. “I was the one who talked him into joining the cause. I’ll never forget it. He was so sickened by what had been happening in the country. I remember meeting him and he told me how much he wished someone would do something.”

  “It wasn’t long after that you brought him to me, right?” Ms. Hill asked.

  “That’s right. He would have done anything for us. He sacrificed more than we could have ever asked-”

  “Or ever wanted him too,” Agent Mason added.

  They all nodded. They seemed to crowd around the body. Sarah wondered if a funeral would happen when they arrive back at headquarters. Did they have a cemetery somewhere? If they didn’t she would see if they could to commission one to be started.

  The group didn’t move from Agent Young’s side. Sarah didn’t think they would until they were back on American soil. Even then Sarah figured everyone would stay with him until they were safe at headquarters ready to lay him to rest.

  The call came in minutes ago. Shots fired at Cibo Familiare. The Commissioner was a veteran police officer. He was in his mid-fifties still in shape but had put on some pounds over the years. He knew who owned that restaurant, Maximillian Reese all of the cops knew who he was. He helped supply law enforcement with weapons along with being a soldier for hire. This idea that some mercenary lived in their city never sat well with the Commissioner. He had served in the military and by what he had heard going on, south of the border in the States, he had waited for something like this to happen. He was in his uniform but he had his rifle in the front seat. He normally kept it in his trunk. In the thirty years, he had been with the department he had never fired it on the job. Today he felt this record might be broken. He had his sirens on and cars moved out of the way for him as he drove down the street. His sirens were loud but even then he could hear gunfire.

  “Have the area blocked off,” He said over the radio.

  The voices on the radio were panicked as people rushed to the scene. He was trying to organize and keep everyone focus before he had even arrived.

  “Check your weapons and make sure you have ammo,” He ordered into his radio.

  From the sounds of it, some people had arrived on the scene. It was these times he worried most. When his men were in danger and they were willingly doing it. He decided he would come around the back of the building. They needed to have a perimeter ready. He had turned off his sirens and only had his light on when he was half a block away. He couldn’t hear gunfire anymore. He listened on his radio to see what they were dealing with. The radio chatter was chaos. He couldn’t make out what was going on. He made a mental note. This was something he would address later. People need to talk calmly into the radio no matter what.

  The Commissioner stopped his squad car at the entrance to the alley leading to the back of the restaurant. He got out grabbed his rifle and extra magazines. Another officer arrived. The Commissioner waited for her to do the same when the two of them headed for the building. She was a rookie and she looked scared. “Take a breath and focus,” He told her. She nodded her head and did what she was told. He radioed that they were heading up the back.

  “Understood sir, we are about to breach the front.” A voice said over the radio.

  “Wait for us to get into position.” The Commissioner said.

  As he and the female officer turned the corner they saw to their horror bodies on the ground.

  “We have victims back here. Breach the building and clear it.” He said over his radio.

  Several other officers had arrived and were running towards them down the alley. The Commissioner wanted to and help those people but they needed to make sure the building was covered. The officers arrived on their position. The Commissioner ordered them to go and check the downed victims. He had the female officer cover the three officers who checked the bodies.

  “The building is clear sir,” a voice said over the radio.

  “Do you have the gunman?” He asked

  “I think we had several.” His voice was confused. “We have around six people in here all killed. All with weapons.”

  “I am coming through the back.” The Commissioner said.

  He walked into the kitchen. There were bullet casings scattered all over the ground. He looked at the walls and to him, they looked like Swiss cheese with bullet holes all over them. He walked into the dining room and the tables were scattered all over. Several men in tactical gear were on the ground. The Commissioner examined the bodies as best he could without disturbing them. This would be the largest crime scene he had ever dealt with. On the shoulder of one of the men, he could see a patch. The patch was a Domino.

  “I know who they are,” He said to himself. “But who were they fighting?”

  No one answered. He didn’t mind. He was working it out in his head. There was a pool a blood on the ground but no bodies near it.

  “I think someone is missing,” The Commissioner said.

  He could see drag marks leading towards the back before they suddenly disappeared. Whoever was fighting they had taken their wounded or dead with them. The bullet casings on the ground suggested large caliber rifles. He wasn’t sure the model of weapon though. The Commissioner was surprised by how little wounded there was. Whoever had done this was well trained. Even as he looked at the bodies he could tell the shooter or shooters were good marksmen. The wounds were center mass if not headshots. This wasn’t easy in a gunfight.

  “We need an ambulance,” A voice said over the radio. “To the back of the building.”

  The Commissioner headed towards the back. One of his men crouched by one of the victims, trying to stop the bleeding. The Commissioner sent an officer to his car to get his medical pack. He always kept a small medical pack just in case. Until now he had only used it at car accidents and things of that nature. It was mostly used for when they waited for the fire department or paramedics to arrive. This time it was going to be used for severe trauma. He had some medical trai
ning but nothing extensive. The officer came back with the medical pack and The Commissioner got to work. The two men tried to identify bullet wounds and other injuries. This man had been hit at least ten times. He was as white as a sheet. The Commissioner was surprised that he was even alive. When the Commissioner looked down at the man it dawned on him who he was. The man they were working to save was Maximillian Reese.

  Chapter 26

  Battle on the Horizon

  Nolan looked around as groups of USSB agents closed in on the factory. Nolan helped Ian and Anthony up. They rushed towards the front. Several of the USSB agents opened fire on the three of them. The bullets ricocheted off of the fence and factory walls. Nolan ran as fast as he could past the pens were the people from Lucas Valley had been held. Nolan, Ian, and Anthony turned the corner to the front of the factory and found that USSB agents were advancing on the factory. The people from the vans had been pulled out and huddled taking cover as the USSB fired at them.

  Nolan opened fire. His gunfire seemed to inspire the rest of the group. Many of his men returned fire back in a chorus of gunfire. Nolan rushed to find Lee. He was crouched behind the destroyed guard station.

  “We need to get these people out of here,” Lee told him.

  “That is going to be hard. We are surrounded. We’ve got agents coming towards us on the other side,” Nolan informed.

  He would fire his gun in between sentences. Nolan spotted at least two agents drop. One of the agents had blood spraying from his neck.

  “If we load everyone up we might be able to plow through the agents,” Lee said.

  “These things aren’t exactly bulletproof,” Nolan said.

  “We can’t just sit here like target practice,” Anthony said.

  Nolan looked around for somewhere to go. They were surrounded. They couldn’t possibly outrun them. Even if they did leave the factory. Nolan knew there was only one option.

  “We need to fight,” Nolan said. “Gather what weapons we can. We have to fight our way out of this.”