Forgotten Forbidden America:: Patriots Reborn

by Thomas A. Watson

  When the tone sounded, the helicopter banked, and flares started dropping out on both sides. The rocket gave a whoosh, hitting MACH3 in the blink of an eye, screaming across the distance before the helicopter could finish the bank.

  The warhead hit the engine with an explosion, and the chopper fell like a rock out of the sky. Michelle dropped the tube and climbed back up on the FLYER. “Ashley, dump your ammo, then we are leaving,” she yelled, climbing behind her gun then froze, hearing, “AAAHHHH AH AH AH AHHHHHHaaaaa,” as a Tarzan yell bellowed out below her.

  Dropping his hands after his Tarzan yell, Nelson ran for the bridge. He had heard the Stinger take off streaking north and knew what it was. “Damn it, I wanted to shoot one of those,” he said, running around the cars blocking the end of the bridge.

  Running up to the two tied on the X’s, he pulled out his knife and cut their ropes. “We have to hurry. They are really pissed off,” he said, moving to the next one.

  “No shit,” he heard the teenaged boy say as he climbed out from under the X. Then Michelle and Ashley bathed the area of the camp again with streams of bullets. “Soldiers coming from the other end!” the boy shouted.

  Nelson dropped his knife and lifted his rifle to see three troops running at him. Wondering where the hell they came from, he snapped off shots, hitting two before the other realized the shooting was coming from in front of him. The soldier came to a stop just as Nelson hit him in the face with two bullets.

  Scanning around, Nelson didn’t see any more coming. “Fuck that was close,” he said, letting his rifle go, and saw the woman couldn’t climb out from under the X. Then Nelson noticed her X had been made out of railroad ties. He lifted up the frame, and the woman crawled out.

  “Can you move?” he asked, dropping the frame.

  “I can fucking run,” she said, getting up as Nelson turned and didn’t see the kid.

  “Where—” he started but saw the teenage boy pulling stuff off the soldiers he had shot. “Smart fucker,” Nelson mumbled as the teen pulled on a combat vest then a rucksack. Then grabbing the other two vests and all three rifles, he ran toward them.

  “Yeah, he’s smart,” the woman said as the two Gatling guns ran dry, and they heard the buggies crank up and leave.

  When the teen reached them, the woman took a vest and one of the rifles. “Move it,” Nelson said, running back to the hill. When he reached the end of the bridge, Nelson skidded to a halt. “No fucking way.”

  “Sounds like that other lookout is coming back,” Gerald said over the radio.

  “How fucking stupid do you have to be! A small nuke blows up your base, Gatling guns roaring, and a chopper blown out of the air. You think five troops in a Humvee are going to make a difference?” Nelson shouted and grabbed the woman, pushing her down in the bushes beside the road.

  “Gavin, Humvee coming at us toward the bridge,” Nelson called over the radio.

  “I’m ready for them,” Kevin replied.

  “On the way, Dad,” Gavin sang out over the radio as Nelson turned to see the dark shape of the Humvee several miles away but barreling toward them.

  “Don’t you want to get down?” the teen asked Nelson as he hid behind the bushes.

  Before he could reply, Nelson heard the whine of an R/C hauling ass. Looking behind them, he saw the buggy dart in the ditch on the westbound lane and go airborne as it launched off the embankment. The buggy almost cleared both westbound lanes but landed short and darted into the median, throwing up fountains of dirt as the tires chewed the ground.

  The buggy ran up the side of the eastbound lanes, going airborne for a few feet then bounced and shot down the road. Looking up, Nelson saw the Humvee hit the other end of the bridge as the small R/C buggy hit this end. The bridge was only four hundred yards long, and the two were closing fast.

  In the Humvee, the driver saw the small, dark shape speeding toward them. He didn’t know what it was but knew it couldn’t be good as he yelled out. The gunner aimed his M240 and pressed the trigger.

  Before the gunner squeezed the trigger, the little buggy started darting side to side, speeding up and slowing down as the gunner pressed the trigger. Full auto fire erupted as the gunner tried to chase down the darting shadow, sending out a stream of fire and tracers bouncing off the road.

  Nelson watched in awe, knowing the gunner didn’t have a chance in hell of hitting the R/C; he couldn’t even follow the damn thing with his eyes, much less a gun. The way Gavin was driving the R/C, Nelson was reminded of the Matrix movie. The Humvee skidded to a halt as the driver slammed it in reverse, wanting to get away from the darting object. Suddenly, the top half of the gunner vanished, and the buggy shot under the Humvee, where it erupted in an explosion.

  “Come on,” Nelson said, seeing a figure stumble out of the wreckage, and half his body disappeared. “We need to move,” he said, passing the teen and woman as he ran up the hill.

  He reached the foxhole to see Gavin sitting on his rucksack and wearing a smile. “You’re getting a raise in your allowance,” Nelson said, gasping for breath.

  “You ready before they send more shit?” Gerald asked, rolling up the sniper blanket as Gavin moved, letting Nelson put on his rucksack.

  “Yeah,” Nelson said, grabbing the tube for his hydration bladder then sucked down water. He turned and noticed the woman and teen looking hard at his tube. He passed it to the teen. “Here.”

  The teen grabbed it and drank like there wasn’t a tomorrow. “Slow,” the woman said and looked at Nelson as she put on one of the assault vests. “We were caught stealing food, so they put us out there without food or water until we died. We were going to escape.”

  Nelson looked from her to the teen. “You don’t look like family.”

  “We’re not,” she said as the teen took a breath and started drinking again. “Both of us were separated from our families and decided to stick together and watch out for each other. I’m Malinda Scott; my buddy here is Devin Hawk.”

  Devin handed her the drinking tube as he panted and wiped his mouth. “Thank you,” he said.

  “You know how to use that stuff?” Nelson asked, pointing to the gear Devin took from the soldiers.

  “Yes sir, and what I don’t know, I’ll figure out, I promise.”

  When Malinda finished drinking, she handed the tube back. “We are leaving,” Gerald said, almost running up the side of the hill to the top.

  “Come,” Nelson said and pointed for Gavin to get behind Gerald. Seeing Gavin leave, Zeus bounded after him. Devin and Malinda trotted beside Nelson until they reached the top, and Gerald came to a stop, looking at the two.

  “Malinda, Devin,” Nelson said then pointed down the other side of the hill, “the house down there has a shed behind it. There is a four-wheeler with a full tank and keys. Get on it, and drive down Highway 60 two miles, and on the left-hand side, you will see a dirt road. Follow it for a few miles, and find a house to hole up in for a day or two while they search for us. Then head south to the Free States.”

  “Thank you,” Malinda said, moving off. “You stay safe.”

  “That was awesome driving, dude,” Devin said, passing by Gavin.

  “Thank you,” Gavin said with a grin. They watched the two disappear into the trees.

  Nelson took off in a jog, and Gavin fell in behind him with Gerald bringing up the rear. They were halfway to the four-wheeler when they heard Malinda and Devin speed off down the highway. “Hope they make it,” Gavin said, puffing.

  “They stand a good chance,” Nelson said, easing his pace when he heard Gavin panting. “They’re smart.”

  Reaching the four-wheeler, Nelson pulled off the netting and jumped in the now almost empty trailer. “Gerald, get us to the top,” he said, sitting down.

  Gerald lifted Gavin up and sat him on the seat then jumped behind him. Gerald didn’t back out of the small gully; he drove up and out of it, shooting over the hill and onto the highway.

  Bouncing up and down, Nelson
held on for dear life as Gerald shot over the highway and up the hill. “Damn it, Gerald, slow down,” Nelson snapped, grabbing the sides of the trailer.

  “Shut it, Tarzan,” Gerald said racing up the hill barely missing trees as he weaved between them.

  When they reached the top, Gerald drove around the house and slammed on the brakes, seeing a quad seat UTV sitting beside his ATV. Reaching for his AR, Gerald stopped, seeing Josh and Kevin sitting in the UTV. “They found it,” Ronald said, sitting on his ATV.

  “This isn’t a shopping trip,” Gerald said, jumping off.

  “Shit, with the way you drive, I would’ve found another ride before riding in a trailer you’re pulling,” Nelson said, jumping out.

  “We need to book,” Gerald said, jumping on his ATV and starting it up.

  “Waiting on you, old man,” Nelson said, patting the back rack for Zeus. Zeus jumped up, and the ATV bounced as he lay down behind Nelson. Sitting in front of Nelson, Gavin just looked around, grinning at everyone.

  Gerald just sneered at Nelson then took off down the road. Nelson’s eyes got wide, seeing Gerald wasn’t going through the woods. “Ronald, bring up the rear,” Nelson said, hitting the gas and throwing up dirt until his tires hit the paved road.

  Glancing down at the speedometer, Nelson saw he was passing forty and still wasn’t closing on Gerald. Gunning it wide open, Nelson pulled his left hand off the handlebars and wrapped his arm around Gavin as the needle passed fifty.

  Ahead, Gerald barely slowed as he turned south on another paved road. “Gerald, my ride doesn’t go as fast as y’all’s,” Ronald called over the radio. Easing up on the speed, Gerald continued hauling ass to the campsite at the ford area to meet the others.

  When Gerald finally turned onto a dirt road, Nelson gave a sigh of relief, feeling very exposed on the paved roads. “Thirty,” Gerald called over the radio, and Nelson let Gavin go and reached back and patted Zeus, making sure he was still there.

  Feeling Zeus’ massive head, Nelson smiled and gripped the handlebar again with his left hand and followed Gerald as the dirt road became narrower, and trees started covering the road with branches overhead.

  Reaching the campground, Nelson smiled, seeing the FLYERs waiting on them. Gerald gave a wave, and the FLYERs pulled up behind Ronald as Gerald sped off down the dirt road with the sky starting to get bright in the east.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “Predator drone coming in from the east at fifteen thousand feet,” Nancy called over the radio.

  Gerald slowed and looked up and could barely see the predawn sky through the tree branches covering the road. Glancing around, he pulled off the small road deeper into the trees. He climbed off his ATV and looked back at the others, pointing in the trees then dragging his hand across his throat. The others understood and pulled off the road into the trees and shut down.

  When all the vehicles were off, Gerald looked up but could only see small breaks through the leaves. “Get your gear, and we will set up away from our rides in case some heat is picked up. I really don’t want to be here if a Hellfire is sent.”

  Gavin looked up, flipping his goggles out of the way. “They can see through the leaves?”

  “No, son, Gerald’s just being cautious,” Nelson said, motioning for Zeus to get down.

  Grabbing gear, everyone moved to the other side of the road, setting up around a massive oak tree. Nelson dropped his rucksack and smiled, watching Gavin drop to his knees and put his head on Nelson’s rucksack.

  “Good idea, son,” Nelson said as he knelt and patted Gavin.

  “I’m tired,” Gavin yawned.

  Reaching up, Nelson took off Gavin’s helmet. “Get some rest, son. You’ve earned it.”

  “You just had to do the Tarzan yell?” Michelle said, coming up behind him.

  “Hell yeah,” Nelson said, standing up and turning around to see Michelle grinning at him. “You’re just jealous that you can’t do it.”

  “That was you?” Josh said, sitting down and leaning his back against the tree. As Nelson just grinned at him, Josh shook his head. “Shit, I started looking in the trees, expecting to see Tarzan swinging.”

  “You heard him from the observation point?” Michelle said then kissed Nelson’s cheek.

  “Yeah,” Ronald snorted as Michelle sat down beside Gavin and lay down beside him, caressing his face as he snored lightly.

  “What was the point?” Gerald asked, dropping on his butt and leaning back on the tree.

  Taking off his helmet, Nelson shrugged. “Like doing that when I win.”

  Matt snorted. “Yeah, when he won National Three Gun last year, he did that and got a standing ovation.”

  “How far away from Van Buren are we?” Josh asked, digging in his rucksack.

  “Twenty-two miles to the southwest,” Gerald answered as he took off his helmet. “We almost made it to our rally point to wait out the day.”

  “Shit, I’m just glad we made it far away before drones showed up,” Ronald said with a yawn.

  Seeing Nelson moving over to Gerald, Michelle sat up. “No, you can’t have a go pill. Get some rest. I’ll stay on watch.”

  “Damn it,” Nelson mumbled and dropped down on the other side of Gavin.

  “You’re tired, Jedi, so rest.” She smiled and reached over, patting his arm.

  Bernard sat and looked around. “Think those people have a chance of getting away?”

  “A better one than they did,” Nelson yawned.

  An explosion sounded off in the distance from the direction of Van Buren. “Hope they didn’t stay together,” Bernard said in a sad tone.

  A few minutes later, they heard the thumping blades of helicopters off in the distance. “Why didn’t Nancy call that choppers were coming?” Kevin asked, sitting up, alarmed.

  “She doesn’t want to risk being picked up on radio,” Gerald said, opening an MRE. “She knows we are hidden after she called out a drone was overhead.”

  Thump, thump, thump… sounded off in the direction of town. “That’s an Apache using its gun,” Ronald said, sitting up.

  “We knew they were going to send trouble,” Nelson said with his eyes closed. Another explosion sounded from Van Buren, but it sounded different. “That was in the air,” Nelson said, jerking up as a jet roared over them. It was so loud and flying so low, Gavin cried out, jumping up and looking around in fear.

  Michelle grabbed Gavin, pulling him to her chest, and two more jets roared overhead as another explosion sounded in the distance. “Those were F16s,” Gerald said, getting up and hearing more explosions and cannon fire in the sky.

  “They are shooting down the helicopters,” Ronald said, jumping up. “The Free States sent air cover.”

  Raising his hands as the others cheered, Gerald shook his head. “Guys, we don’t know that, so don’t try and fill in the blanks unless we know for sure.”

  “Gerald, you can’t hear the choppers anymore,” Ronald said, beaming.

  “Ron—” Gerald started as Nancy came over the radio.

  “Away team, three Falcons just swooped in, taking out two Apaches, three Blackhawks, and the Predator. I don’t know what they are doing, but they swooped north, attacking somewhere outside of my detection area. Then they dropped ordinance at the bridge across the river at Owls Bend. They all broke off and almost flew over the farm, heading southwest—the way they came from.”

  Gerald looked around at the smiling faces as he grabbed his squawk box. “Did you call them?”

  “Hell no!” Nancy shot back. “We heard that explosion from here, so I’m sure it could’ve been picked up by satellite.”

  Turning to Gerald, Nelson put his hands on his hips. “Yeah, now is the time to explain how you made a hundred and fifty pound fuel air bomb into a mini nuke.”

  Shrugging, Gerald sat back down. “The gas was still on, so I just unhooked a line and opened a valve.”

  Nelson shook his head. “Gerald, we were kinda close for you to make the expl
osion bigger.”

  “Owls Bend?” Kevin said, sitting up and looking at Josh. “There was a biker gang there blocking that bridge.”

  “Nelson, I saw a chance to ensure our plan worked,” Gerald said then shoved food in his mouth, turning to Kevin. “Yeah, there was a gang there, and it makes sense if the Free States launched a strike to hit more than one target. For all we know, they had already planned this strike, and we are lucky we didn’t get caught in it.”

  The smiles fell off everyone’s faces. Nelson shook his head. “Maybe, but I think they saw an attack happening and jumped on the bandwagon. We didn’t hear ordinance dropped in Van Buren, and you damn well know if they had dropped that close, we would’ve felt it, much less hear it.”

  “Don’t, Nelson,” Gerald said, looking up. “You’re grasping for hope. Our hope is with our group and no others.”

  “Think we can head home now?” Bernard asked.

  “No, we—” Gerald stopped as two planes flew over low to the ground. He jerked his head up. “Those were A-10s.”

  “Someone is about to have a bad day,” Nelson said, looking up at the tree branches.

  “Away team, two A-10s south of us just flew northeast,” Nancy called over the radio. Michelle looked up at Nelson, and he just shrugged as two roaring jets flew over. “Away, two F-15s flying MACH1 followed the Warthogs.”

  Way off to the northeast, they heard the Brrrrrr of the Warthog’s Gatling cannon. “Were they after them?” Bernard asked as explosions sounded to the northeast, and the ground trembled.

  “I’m picking up aircraft seventy miles to the north east at twenty thousand feet. The F-15s are engaging several F-16s and kicking their ass.”

  “They were the CAP,” Gerald said, giving Duke some food. He looked up to see Bernard, Josh, and Kevin looking at him funny. “Combat Air Patrol. They were the cover for the ground strikes.”

  “Are they safe at the farm?” Bernard asked.

  “We don’t look like the federal government at the farm,” Gerald said. “Do you really want to run around in FLYERs that the Feds use as combat aircraft fight overhead?”