“You okay?” Harvey cried as the enemies started to move around the roof.
“I’m fine!” the partner cried. “You?”
“I’m great,” Harvey said. It was then that he realized that he had been hit. He looked down at the source of the pain. It was his right shoulder and the blood was leaking through his black shirt.
“You sure you’re not hit?” the partner asked as rounds from the enemy started to ping off the metal box.
“I said I’m fine.”
Harvey ignored the kid, pivoted right, and fired away at an enemy position.
.65
“How’s the hacking coming?” Kaspar asked with his back turned to Clarke. He had kept his gun shouldered the entire time that the Wizard was at work. It would just be a matter of time, he knew, that the USR would send some Agents into the computer lab for some much needed clean up.
“I’m working as fast as I can,” Clarke replied. “Some of this stuff is disturbing to say the least.”
“Is it anything useful?”
“I’m not quite sure, yet. My main interest is why those men are being abducted all across the nation.”
“Well, you better get to something juicy fast.”
“Working on it.” Clarke replied.
Kaspar resumed his quiet demeanor and refocused his full attention on the doors that came in to the lab. In the background, the sounds of typing and clicking away from Clarke filled his ears. The sounds were starting to get distracting, almost making him nervous, as he continued to watch. He knew that he couldn’t tell Clarke to stop unless he wanted to just leave without any Intel. The feeling within that it was a mistake to bring the leftover in on this mission started to fill his mind. What information could he get on that computer that would make it all worth it? The hope was that this whole thing about men being abducted could turn the citizens of the USR against their leaders, but they had tried that before with the population control drug, and with no apparent luck.
“You almost done?” Kaspar demanded as he started to grow more nervous.
“I’m about as close to being finished as when you asked me two seconds ago.” Clarke replied. He reached up and rubbed at the Balaclava on his head. “Got it.”
“Got what?”
“I’ve got access to the files about the abductions. This is pretty…”
Just then a wave of Agents poured through the room.
***
Harvey heard Kaspar’s pleas for help through his earpiece but didn’t have the time to respond to them. The firefight was growing intense on the roof. Even though the Agents only had pistols with them, they had the advantage in numbers and were damn good gunfighters at that. Harvey moved right and found an Agent taking shots at his partner. He fired a five round burst into the Agent and dropped him. The stock of the gun punched at the wound on his shoulder and sent a stinging pain all the way down his arm. He bit his lip and continued on.
The silent one took out another one of the snipers. The enemy was now down to two. They were both hiding behind a black, metal ventilation box in front of them. Harvey got the attention of his partner by slamming his fist into the metal box he was using for cover. His partner looked over at him and paused. The leftover pointed his right index finger at the rebel first and then moved it to the position of the snipers. One of the snipers popped up and fired a few rounds from his handgun at Harvey’s cover spot. After the brief interruption, his partner acknowledged his understanding of the order.
Harvey counted to three with his fingers. On three, he motioned with his hand for the silent one to move forward. As soon as he started to make a run for it, Harvey pivoted over to his left and fired towards the box. With his finger planted firmly on the trigger, the Kriss spit fire and a wave of rounds slammed into the black box, sending sparks flying into the air.
The partner kept his head low and didn’t flinch at the sound of bullets ricocheting off of the black metal. When he reached the box, he lowered his body more and flattened his back against it. The automatic fire from the leftover ceased. During the shooting the rebel was able to mask his footsteps with the gunfire. He waited and listened for any sign of movement from the two enemies on the other side.
The moment that a shot was fired the rebel popped up and fired his submachine gun into the sniper. The sniper fell to the ground, the .45 caliber rounds pierced clean through the armor. Harvey heard the shots and turned his attention to the action. He saw his partner take out the enemy and then saw the final enemy move up to get a shot in. That sniper never stood a chance as both of the rebels fired their weapons into him.
“Clear!” the silent one shouted.
Harvey reached for his throat. “Snipers out. Preparing to raise the flag.”
“About fucking time!” Sanders’s voice cried into his ear.
Kaspar’s voice cut in with the loud boom of automatic gunfire in the background. “We could really use you two down here, sir!”
“The flag comes first!” Sanders yelled.
“Got it,” Harvey said.
The fatigue deep inside of Harvey’s body caused his legs to ache. It didn’t help matters that the bullet wound in his shoulder nearly rendered his arm useless. His partner tried to get in front of him to see how he was doing. Harvey pushed him aside, his only focus, only function at this moment was to raise that damn flag.
Upon approach to the flag pole he called his partner over to help. The silent one was instructed to bring down the flag with that disgusting red and black USR insignia on it. His partner got to work on lowering the flag as Harvey undid the straps across his chest. Once the straps were slid off of his shoulders and down his arms he undid the zipper. With a glance upward, he saw his partner almost had the enemy flag to the ground.
“You sure you’re okay?” his partner asked as he unhooked the USR flag.
“I’m fine,” Harvey replied. He knew that he heard the voice from somewhere and whoever it was did a bang up job of disguising it because he couldn’t know for sure. None of that mattered now, though. He had to raise the flag and go help Kaspar fend off the Agents after him.
“What should I do with this one?” his partner asked with the flag in his hands.
“Burn it.” Harvey replied.
Harvey watched as his partner stepped aside and put a Zippo to the USR flag. He wanted to sit and watch it burn but there were more pressing matters. With a firm grip on the end of the flag, he moved the hooks on the rope into the holes. He made sure that the hooks were on tight with a couple of tugs at them. Once satisfied, he started to raise the flag.
He wanted to enjoy the moment as the flag started to go up. All the oppression, control, and wickedness of the USR seemed to go away for just this moment. It was like old times again, he thought, as he watched the flag move its way up. Just then, his shoulder started to ache as he continued to pull the rope down. With a few grunts he tried to ignore the pain.
When the flag started to slow his partner came over. He tried to grab at the rope but was met with a weak push from Harvey.
“Let me help you.” his partner said.
“Step aside.” Harvey replied. “I have to do this.”
“Fuck you!” the silent one cried. “I’m helping!”
Harvey grunted once more as his partner got behind him and reached over his shoulders.
.66
Sullivan took out another USR soldier as he, Pinkie, and Statue pressed forward. X was lagging behind them, as was Dopey who stayed with him to provide cover fire. The bullet wound in his leg caused a significant limp by now. The black of his pants covered up the blood that was soaked through. He made it to their position with his head held low.
“You gonna make it, big guy?” Sullivan asked.
“I’m all good, Puerco. This leg is killin’ me though.”
“Are you bitching about some leg?”
“Watch who talk to like that. I’m bound to turn into my gangster self.”
Sullivan popped up and fired away at an
other solider. One of the enemies returned fire and a round grazed him across the arm. Sullivan dropped to ground and winced in pain. X moved up and took that soldier out along with another one. He came back down and looked at Sullivan reaching for his wounded arm.
“You gonna bitch about that arm now?” X asked.
***
“I got this!” Harvey shouted as his partner refused to back off despite the protests.
“You need my help! Our friends are down there by themselves. They need our help! Now, stop your belly aching and let me help you!”
There was no disguise in the voice this time. Harvey didn’t want to believe it, though. He simply grunted again and let the boy behind him take over. His eyes moved up to the flag that was rising through the darkness. Harvey relinquished control and let the kid behind him do the work on the rope.
As he watched the flag move up, it made all this madness worth it. It wouldn’t be long from today when all the other rebels would awake from their slumbers. When they caught a glimpse of Old Glory flying true once more, how could they not be inspired? And, the USR, he wished that he could see the looks on her leader’s faces when they saw that flag on their Capitol. The one building that they built to try and prove, once and for all, that they had defeated America and that it was no more. They had developed a nasty habit for underestimating the resistance.
Now, they would know that America was not dead. Yet.
***
“Sir!” a rebel shouted. “Look over there to the building!”
Sanders grabbed his binoculars and zoomed in on the Capitol building. He almost couldn’t believe his eyes. The old bastard had done it! Sanders never thought he would see the day when the American flag would fly free in the wind like it was now. Being mesmerized by the sight in front of him, which forced his jaw open, he almost forgot that there was still an operation in progress.
“Get me the camera!” Sanders shouted behind him.
A young rebel reached beneath him and took hold of the small digital camera. He handed it forward and Sanders snatched it from his hands. He moved the camera forward and aimed the lens towards the flag. The picture on the little HD screen on the side showed a small picture of the scene on the roof, so Sanders pressed down on the zoom button. After a few moments of recording, he placed the camera back on his lap and picked up his walkie.
“RETREAT!!!”
***
Sullivan heard the call and stood from his position. He fired his assault rifle at two USR soldiers then turned and made a B-Line for one the trucks. All the rebels around did the same thing, running for any available vehicle as instructed in the briefing. Sullivan stopped, remembering that X was hobbled by a bullet wound to the leg. When he turned, he fired his rifle at the soldiers who were chasing after them. He took out three and then caught a glimpse of X limping towards him.
“Just go, man!” X cried.
“No way!” Sullivan replied as he took out another soldier.
“We’ll never make it!”
“Yes we will. Come on!”
X propped his arm over Sullivan’s shoulder. Sullivan called for Statue, Dopey, and Pinkie to give them cover as they moved. The three who provided cover started to back pedal and fire their weapons at the advancing USR troops.
They were moving too slow and Sullivan knew it. He tried to pick up the pace, but X’s leg injury wouldn’t allow him to move any faster. He preemptively asked Davie for forgiveness in his head as they continued to move. If he got killed out here on this field no one would save Davie from a life of brainwashed servitude. But, Sullivan just couldn’t turn his back on X, or any of the other men who he just did battle with.
“You gotta move faster!” Sullivan yelled.
“I’m trying, Puerco!” X replied.
***
Kaspar didn’t know how much longer he could fend off the squad of Agents who poured through the room moments before. He lost track of how much time had passed since Harvey and the other one left to raise the flag. Clarke was ducked and cowering behind a desk next to Kaspar as he raised the barrel of the Kriss over the top of the desk. He blind fired in a desperate attempt at keeping the enemy at bay until help arrived.
The mag in the submachine gun was exhausted. It took several clicks until Kaspar realized he needed to reload. After he pressed the magazine release he reached in his flak jacket for another mag. A wave of shock hit him like a freight train. He had exhausted his supply of mags for the Kriss. He cursed under his breath and slid the submachine gun across his shoulders to his back. He then reached down and yanked the P99 handgun from his thigh holster.
“I’m not going to let you die, Robert!” Kaspar cried.
Clarke said nothing.
Kaspar popped up from his cover and immediately ducked back down when a wave of automatic gunfire came in his direction. He slammed his fist against the metal desk behind him. There would be no way out of this unless they got help. This must be the night when he could rejoin Krys and Mother in the afterlife. They wouldn’t have to wait long for him, after all. If he raised his head, he knew that he was a dead man, but he couldn’t think about that. It wouldn’t be long before the Agents converged on his position and, if he was going to die, he was going out like a man and not a coward. He took a deep breath.
With both hands firm in their grip of the P99, he prepared himself to die.
.67
Before Kaspar could rise up to face the Agents, he could hear the sound of gunfire coming from his left. The two rebels caught the Agents off guard. They quickly turned their attention to the back entrance to the lab. Kaspar took this moment to move up and take his shots at a few Agents while they were focused on the new combatants. With the sight of his gun aimed on the center mass of an Agent, he fired the semi-automatic four times, taking that Agent out of the fight. Agents returned fire and he moved back down.
Harvey and his partner took out four of the Agents with their element of surprise. They then ran in different directions searching for cover. The five remaining Agents regrouped and started to scatter about as well. Kaspar was able to catch one off guard and took him out. Once again, he was forced to duck back down as the enemy returned fire.
There was a newfound resolve deep within Harvey. He simply wasn’t going to die after raising that flag. With a swift motion, he moved up from cover, found an Agent who moved up at the same time, then took him out with a quick four round burst from his Kriss. His partner moved up and tried to find a target. He couldn’t get a shot off, however, as a flurry of rounds were shot his way. He ducked back down and took several, quick breaths.
“Just stay down,” Kaspar said with a calm voice to Clarke.
“Okay,” Clarke replied.
Kaspar stayed as low as he could and moved left. He was out in the open for a moment as he moved forward. Right before he reached the desk to his left, an Agent moved up and fired at him. The rounds ate away at the tile floor underneath as he moved to the safety of cover.
Harvey heard the shots and moved up. He saw the Agent who was firing at Kaspar and took him out. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw another Agent come out of his cover spot. He took him out as well. Rapid flashes like a strobe light could be seen to his right. Harvey tried to get down in time but a bullet grazed his cheek and ate away at the skin. Through the torn black cloth of his Balaclava, a long, thin streak of blood flowed down. He could hear the cries from his partner beside him.
“NO!” the partner cried. He moved up from his cover and saw the Agent who was taking shots at Harvey.
Both the silent one and Kaspar fired their guns into that Agent. After the Agent took about fifteen rounds to the chest and a couple to the head, he dropped to the ground dead. There were no more Agents left in the room. Kaspar felt a huge sigh of relief hit him as his breathing started to move back to a normal rate.
The silent one dropped his gun and ran through the smoke filled room towards Harvey. Harvey held his hand on the wound of his cheek and was breathing quic
kly. At the same time, Kaspar moved over to check on Clarke. Kaspar started to think about when his luck would run out. There was simply no way in his mind that he could have survived so many close calls. It looked like his two ladies would have to wait just a little longer. He reached down to help Clarke off the ground.
“You need any more time on the computer?” Kaspar asked.
“No,” Clarke said as he walked towards the computers. He unhooked his hard drive from the USR’s computer. “What I’ve got is damning, and something needs to be done about it. I’ll tell you all about it on the way back.”
On the other side of the room, Harvey’s partner bent down in front of him. He tried to get a closer look at the wound. He moved the leftover’s hand away from it.
“Looks like a graze,” the partner said. “You’ll be fine.”
“Who are you?” Harvey asked with pain in his voice.
The silent one took off his Balaclava.
“We’ve got to get out of here, Father.” Buck said.
“Buck, I thought it was you. How did you…”
“I bribed one of your guys to let me take his place. Six packs of smokes.”
“You don’t smoke, son.”
Buck smirked as he pulled his mask back on. “They were yours.”
Harvey smiled underneath the mask. “Help your old man up, would you?”
Buck reached his hand down and gripped his father’s. With a thrust backward, he helped Harvey to his feet. The leftover tapped his son on the shoulder.
“You fought well, son.” Harvey said. He still had a smile that beamed underneath the mask, ignoring the pain that came with it.
“You, too.” Buck replied.
“Wait a minute,” Harvey said as they moved their way towards the stairs. “You told me ‘fuck you’.”
“Yes, I did. Sorry about that. Heat of the moment.”
Patriots & Tyrants (Rebels & Lies Trilogy Book 2) Page 28