Stolen Liberty: Behind the Curtain

by Thomas A. Watson

  “Good, now take it all off and pack it up,” Charlie told the three.

  “What? I don’t understand, Book. You want us unarmed when we head back? No way!” Randy’s voice went up and Liz gave him a sharp look. Taking a step back, Randy covered his mouth and checked to see that the boys slept on. “That’s crazy, man,” he whispered.

  “We need to go in street clothes. Jeans and work shirts will be our camouflage until we need to go hot. Drawing attention to ourselves decked out as tier one operators will blow this op before we reach Oak Lawn. Blaster, you know the route, but you are tired from the drive. I’m driving. Blaster, take shotgun. Shadow and Babyface will take the backseats and provide suppressive fire as needed. The rifles need to stay out of sight in the bed of the truck and covered up. We wear our pistols, but we keep them concealed. Aaron, we can’t contact you because all of our electronic communications will be or already are compromised.” Looking at each one, Charlie paused and let the suggestions that sounded like orders sink in.

  They shrugged and stepped outside to check their night vision on the rifles and their goggles. Robbie pulled out his latest and most expensive purchase. The four-barreled GPNVG-18 night vision system connected to his helmet gave him the look of a demented bug from space.

  “How the heck did you get your hands on that?” Randy gasped, standing with his mouth open in the dark.

  Looking over at Randy, Robbie giggled, “Can you believe I raised the limit on my credit card and bought it? I paid less for my Harley and damn near could’ve bought two hogs for what these set me back, but by God, I can see everything! I went with the battery pack that lasted longer. I got extras.”

  Charlie used his own PVS 14s to look at Blaster standing by the truck. “You look ridiculous in those.”

  “I know! Don’t you wish we had something this cool when we deployed?” Robbie switched the unit off and swung it up to let his eyes adjust to the dark. “I set my bank to autopay my credit card each month, so don’t think I’m trying to screw the credit card company. I’m paying it off.”

  “With what? Do you have that much cash lying around?” Randy asked.

  “I took out a line of credit on my house. Anyone want to bet if it’s still standing?” Robbie sounded sad at the mention of his now probably destroyed home he had worked so hard to rehab.

  “I feel you, Robbie. They probably torched my place too after I left. They sent the locals to do their dirty work in my case, but I’m sure one of the alphabet agencies have shown up by now.” Charlie powered his unit down and stuffed it into his bag in the truck.

  “Everyone going to the belly of the beast, get ready to move out in five minutes. Grab extra batteries and snivel gear if you feel like you can carry it,” Randy announced.

  They split up and jogged to their own cabins to get last minute items and take a crucial bathroom break. Once they started the movement to Chicago, they didn’t intend to stop for luxuries. They all met back up inside the clubhouse to say their final goodbyes.

  “Hey, I have one question, though,” Robbie raised his hand like a good little schoolboy.

  “What?” Charlie asked.

  “Can I bring any explosives I have already made?” Robbie asked like a naughty school boy with his head down.

  “I knew I should have just left those buckets outside of his storage locker,” Cody mumbled to himself.

  With a look that spoke volumes, Charlie shook his head, “You want us branded as terrorists? Because that’s how you get branded as a terrorist. One little explosion will have every alphabet organization screaming in on us from every direction. So, to answer your question, no. Leave the things that go boom here.” Charlie paused for a second. “Everyone staying here, keep a minimum safe distance from Blaster’s cabin and shed.” Turning his body, Randy looked at Robbie with an eyebrow raised. Charlie couldn’t do that very well, so he crossed his arms and glared at Robbie.

  “Okay, fine. Stay about twenty yards from the storage locker unless it catches on fire. If that happens, just run away,” Robbie chuckled as Randy groaned and Charlie went to Joan and mumbled something in her ear that had her looking for the nearest exit.

  “I’m just kidding, everyone! Relax, will you? Just don’t go mixing anything I have in there,” Robbie laughed and unhooked his chest rig and placed it back into the zippered bag.

  The others watched Charlie hug Joan lightly and headed outside. Nodding to each other, Cody and Randy followed him out. Robbie finished up and went to Aaron sitting in a chair watching the monitors. “Cobra, keep the fort safe until we get back.”

  He stood and gave Robbie a hug. The big accountant smiled, but Robbie saw a hint of sadness like he wished he could come with them, but he had his own family to protect. Robbie nodded and looked over at the sleeping boys and Liz watching the rest load up the truck. “If we don’t make it back, I left instructions in my cabin on how to handle my chemicals. Use it to get us some payback.”

  “Bullshit, Blaster. If you don’t come back, then I expect you took over the country and set yourself up with a giant harem,” Aaron chuckled.

  Letting Aaron go, Robbie laughed and cocked his head. “I wonder if I could pull that off? I’d need to build up my stamina…” Robbie smiled and headed out the door with his gear to join the rest of the boys at the truck.

  “Are we decided to go with multicam for this? Do you have a set in your bag?” Randy asked.

  “Yeah, I do. That’s probably our best bet for the changing foliage this time of year,” Robbie shrugged and then added, “plus it makes me look awesome!”

  As the others groaned at Robbie, the boys loaded up and rolled back down the driveway to the gate. Cody got out to open it for them, then closed it back up and locked it before they pulled out into the dark.

  Getting comfortable in the seat, Robbie had them take a different route back to the north and west. At one point, he asked Cody to pull up the laptop file he had compiled of routes.

  Cody called out from the backseat where he had Robbie’s laptop plugged into an adapter, keeping it charged from the truck’s electrical system. “Robbie, what’s your encryption password for this file?”

  “Here, just pass it to me,” Robbie reached back.

  Cody smiled at Robbie, “No, man. Just tell me. I have it all plugged in and charging. What’s the password?”

  “Just hand it over, it’s easier than trying to get you to do it.”

  “No, it’s okay with me. I have two hands and I type fast. What’s the password?”

  Not answering, Robbie’s face turned redder. Charlie glanced at the big man turning beet red and chuckled, “What’s the problem, Blaster? Just tell him the code.”

  With a small grin, Randy, sensing his discomfort, needled Robbie from behind him, “Is it something embarrassing like, 123456 or password? You know, something you can remember?”

  “I need that route information, Blaster. I have a turn coming up, and I need to know if this is the best way. What’s the password?” Charlie barked.

  Looking out the window, Robbie shook his head, “It was something silly, so I could remember it. I have too many to keep up with through work and all.”

  “Damn it! I missed the turn! Come on, Blaster! What’s the password?” Charlie yelled.

  “It’s ILoveHelloKitty1,” Blaster groaned.

  The truck interior went silent as the tires hummed along the two-lane road in the middle of Ohio. Cody tapped in the code and the annotated map popped up for him to see. “That is correct. Now the road we want should be about ten miles up on the left.”

  The cabin roared in laughter as the three Rangers pounded on Robbie from their seats.

  “You are such a weird man sometimes!” Charlie howled in laughter. “Why in the world would you choose that password?”

  Holding up the claw, Robbie looked around the cab. “In my defense, Emily went through a cute Hello Kitty phase remember? And I thought that was one password that nobody would guess in a million years for
me to use.”

  They stopped outside of a small town and topped off the tank at a gas station at one point to collect local information, and the cashier said he had heard all sorts of rumors about the riots. He mentioned a convoy of Ohio State Police pulling in to fill up around midnight, but nothing much since.

  “Well, you know what they say about midnight?” Randy asked the cashier named Herbert, according to his plastic name badge.

  “No, what’s that?” Herb asked.

  “Nothing good ever happens after midnight,” Robbie replied.

  “Then what are you folks doing up so late?” Herbert chuckled.

  Looking up at Herbert, Randy replied as the two headed for the door, “We are trying to get home to Wisconsin. Our job finished up, and we want to see our families.”

  “You all be careful in the big cities,” Herbert called to them as they left the store.

  Coming to a stop, Robbie looked at the deserted parking lot. “Which way did they go?”

  “Who?” Randy asked.

  Robbie waved his good hand at the road. “The State Police.”

  “I hope, in the opposite direction. We are driving a vehicle not registered to us with a truck full of military grade hardware. If they pull us over, we are screwed,” Randy said, getting back in the truck.

  They pulled out of the gas station and stayed alert for anything that might stop them. Robbie pulled out Clark’s phone and looked at Charlie. “I’m going to try the house again and see if I can get an update from Jerome.”

  “Is that wise?” Randy asked, leaning between the seats.

  From the backseat, Cody spoke up, “They don’t have the manpower to run down tertiary phone numbers from their data dumps. They are probably keying on just primary numbers and their direct contacts. We are far enough away from the retreat, if that’s what you are thinking.”

  Randy listened to Cody and shrugged, “Go ahead. Maybe she’s home by now.”

  Opening the phone up, Robbie popped the SIM card back into the handset and powered up the phone. The signal only had two bars, so Robbie dialed the last number from the recent contacts. The line sounded scratchy, and Robbie put it on speaker for the four to hear.

  “This is the Westside Massage Parlor for Dogs, how may I direct your call?” Jerome’s smooth voice came through the speaker.

  Rolling his eyes, Randy shook his head, “He has been around you waaaay too much.”

  “This is Huckleberry Hound. Do you have reservations open for four dirty mutts?” Robbie spoke into the microphone.

  “Good news! We have room for four more. Our earlier reservation is still a no show at this time, so come on in,” Jerome replied.

  “See you in five, then!” Robbie made a kissing noise and hung up. He powered the phone down and removed the card again. “Shit!” he hollered. “Kristi’s not home yet,” he fumed.

  “What kind of twisted mess of codes and phrases did I just witness?” Cody asked.

  Robbie laughed, “Jerome must figure if the NSA is listening in, then that conversation would have them scratching their heads for a while.” He paused, “We go to the house first, then we get her from the hospital if we have to.”

  “How the hell can they keep her from going home? I mean, yeah, they can force her to stay, but what legal grounds do they have to do that? Book, this is a question for you,” Randy asked, glancing at the dark landscape outside.

  Racking his brain while he drove, Charlie even tried using the logic the government was using. Finally, he just glanced at the others. “They can’t. What they are doing is illegal. Even if martial law is in effect, hospital staff members must be given breaks or their performance will drop to the point where life-threatening mistakes will happen. It’s kidnapping or unlawful detainment. Then you have to think about forced labor, which was outlawed in the 1920’s.”

  “Yeah, but if they decide the laws are null and void for the duration of the ‘emergency’, they can pretty much do anything. Hell, they hung a woman for the Lincoln assassination without her getting a fair trial,” Randy thought out loud.

  Propping his arm up on the door, Charlie nodded along, “They had a military trial presided over by a military commission. Think about it, guys. They tried civilians in a military court. The defendants were never allowed to testify for themselves. All it took was a simple majority to find them guilty and two-thirds of the jury to approve the death sentence, and they could only appeal to the president. They ended up hanging several of the plotters. I don’t disagree with some of their rulings, but they hanged a woman who owned a boarding house where the conspirators had meetings. That’s like shooting your pig because he saw the fox eat the chicken.”

  Closing the laptop, Cody leaned forward in the backseat. “Didn’t she deserve it?”

  Charlie drummed at the steering wheel for a second. “What about hanging the owner of a motel because the man who shot Kennedy had once stayed there and made phone calls?”

  “Yeah, but then you have to go back and argue who actually killed Kennedy,” Randy chuckled.

  Putting the cell phone away, Robbie laughed, “It was a mob hit. That damn Italian rifle could never make those shots in the time he had.”

  With a look of dread, Charlie stared out the windshield and thought about it for a second before he continued, “They are going to suspend habeas corpus, so if we get pinched, we may never see the light of day before a civilian court.”

  “Court? Shit, they are going to shoot us along the side of the road if they catch us and leave us for the buzzards,” Robbie growled as he tapped at the dash with his claw. “We swore an oath a long time ago, and we have always lived up to that promise. Kristi and those kids are as close to flesh and blood as you can get.”

  “What’s your point, Blaster?” Charlie asked.

  “I’m just sayin’,” Robbie let his voice trail off.

  “I hear you, brother. We’ll get them out,” Charlie declared as he stared straight ahead.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Westville, Indiana

  Less than an hour from Oak Lawn, their luck ran out. A mile south of Westville, Indiana, Charlie passed an Indiana State Trooper car with the lights turned off sitting on the side of the road. Going the speed limit, Charlie slowed the truck and scanned the rearview mirrors. When they entered a curve in the road, the lights behind him popped on and the car pulled out to follow them.

  “Company!” Randy called out. “Got a cop car that just dropped in behind us.” Randy looked out the back glass and through the rear of the camper shell.

  “I saw him. Blaster, prepare for contact to the front. This smells like a setup. Babyface, be ready for action,” Charlie called out.

  “Wait. Are these local cops or Feds?” Cody asked.

  “The car behind is State Police. I don’t know what’s ahead, but he set up right before this curve. That smells like a trap. How many ambushes have we seen like that? We are in the literal middle of nowhere. I’m not speeding, so something’s up.” Charlie slowed while going through the curve.

  “What’s our play, boys?” Robbie asked as he checked his pistol tucked away in his concealment holster. Randy copied the move along his belt. Glancing over, Charlie nodded to Robbie.

  “You wanna try the old loopy loo? They aren’t going to care that we have licenses to carry. Hell, we are essentially outlaws in their minds,” Robbie offered and looked back at Randy. “What do you think, Shadow?”

  “Mission comes first, boys. Cody, just follow our lead. This is going to look a little strange, but be ready to send hate downrange if we have to,” Randy told him, then glanced away just as two more vehicles blocking the blacktop two-lane road in a V pattern, with their front ends almost meeting at the center line, flashed them with all of their lights, including the post-mounted spotlights on the door frames.

  As Charlie came to a stop, a voice boomed through the speakers mounted on the State Police car behind them. “Get out of the car, now, with your hands up! Show me
your hands!”

  Robbie, nearly blinded by the lights, noticed the shadows of several cars parked behind the police cruisers. A midsized SUV and what looked like a compact car, as well as what could be a pickup truck sat dark without passengers. “I see other civilian cars back there, but no people.” The back glass of the camper shell shattered when an officer used his baton to get their attention.

  “I said, get the hell out of the car, you bunch of cheeseheads!”

  “Remember, Babyface. Follow our lead,” Robbie said, taking a deep breath as he reached for his door when the man behind them yelled again.

  “You racist fucks had better come out before I light your asses up! Move!”

  With a relieved sigh, Robbie paused, “I know our play, Charlie. Randy, get a count. This is going to go down fast. They want a fight, so let’s not disappoint.” Robbie jumped out of the truck and turned to face the yelling officer behind them.

  “How dare you accuse us of being racist! I’m probably the most enlightened person you will ever meet. Just because we come from Wisconsin doesn’t make us ignorant fucks sitting around diddling our cousins!” Robbie bellowed.

  The rest of the boys stepped out with their hands raised even with their shoulders. Facing the lights but not looking into them, Charlie joined in, “I agree with my friend here. I know for a fact, that he has dipped his wick in every race and religion known to man and a few outside of the species. If he’s a racist, then I don’t even know what to classify myself as, much less the rest of humanity.”

  Spinning around and looking over the hood of the truck, Robbie glared over at Charlie. “What the hell do you mean, ‘other species’? I keep my pecker reserved only for hot mommas! When we get home, I’m kicking your scrawny ass! I’m about tired of your shit!” Robbie screamed at Charlie.

  Taking a step back from the truck, Randy took his opportunity to chime in, “You don’t remember that time we worked on the fence at that sanctuary back home. You took a trip on the wild side in the monkey house when you got too plastered on Old Style and whiskey. Oh, man. You should see your face right now, you look like that monkey when you tried to give it your willie.” Watching Robbie move in front of the truck, Randy stepped around Charlie and laughed with his hands still raised.