Broken Shield

by Ryan Garner

  “The National Preservation Act, Mr. Lawrence. It’s due to expire soon and with the current state that this country is in it is highly unlikely that the current administration will receive a positive outcome from the reinstated general elections or that an extension of the act would be as welcomed as it had been the first time around. But…but if the people were afraid; more afraid than they had ever been in their entire lives, well then they’d be willing to turn over just about any freedom they had for the possible assurances of some semblance of safety…Wouldn’t you agree?”

  “So you all think the government will be able to extend the National Preservation Act because of what is happening here?” John asked.

  “Oh, no, not just here Mr. Lawrence. All of this is merely the tip of the iceberg. While recent terror attacks have already begun to shift some people’s opinions back in favor of extending the National Preservation Act, it is still not nearly enough. No…no. What is needed is a grand spectacle, something so horrible it will burn the desire for an all-powerful, all-seeing, all-knowing, and all-protecting government into the hearts and minds of the American people for decades to come.” Darren released his grip on Karina and walked out from behind the table as he continued to speak.

  “You see Mr. Lawrence…” that term bothered John more each time Darren used it. “Knowledge is power and control is based on the delivery and regulation of information. This is the key to the government and NGP’s control over this country and its society.” Darren said as he picked John’s Smith and Wesson up off the table.

  “Sticking with the classics I see.” Darren added as he briefly examined the stainless steel firearm.

  “So everything that’s going on…it’s all just to set up another power grab by the government?” Karina asked, her voice still shaking.

  “Yes…” Darren said as he nodded his head and rounded the corner of the table. “If you can’t control the people then the government has no power…and as we all know fear is an excellent motivator.”

  “So you recruited terrorists?” Karina said as she snapped her head over to look at Jennifer.

  “I recruited no one. I just followed my orders honey…” Jennifer responded.

  “Yes…yes she did.” Darren said. “Unfortunately…” Before anyone had anytime to react Dudayev brought the butt of his AK-47 up and struck Jennifer across the side of the head with it. She cried out in pain and crumbled to the ground.

  “Unfortunately for you, I’ve always had a different plan in mind.” Darren said as he and Dudayev grabbed Jennifer.

  ….

  Soon after the massive wave of rioters slammed into the awaiting officers automatic rifle fire from an AK-47 and AK-74 burst out of the shattered window where the RPG that had taken down the NGP Black Hawk had been fired. Given the distance, accuracy was limited so the terrorists just sprayed their weapons wildly. Still, due to the amount of rounds they were putting out some did manage to find targets. While several officers attempted to fire back using a combination of handguns, shotguns, and patrol rifles the high vantage point of the Iranians gave them a stark advantage and a good amount of cover. Small arms fire and more Molotov Cocktails were also incoming from random locations inside the mob itself; the individuals who had weapons within the crowd used the cover of anonymity, slipping in and out of the mass of people as they fired off round after round. In a truly grisly scene downtown Wilmington had descended into total anarchy.

  While some were able to seek cover behind vehicles and other objects the Mobile Field Force Officers and National Guardsmen caught on the front lines were forced to stay out in the open while trying to hold back the massive push of the crowd. If the ranks were to break total chaos and destruction would occur. They would have to rely on the officers behind them for fire support. However, as officers began to fall rioters started to slip through the front lines. Hand to hand combat or close quarters shootouts with secondary and other backup units ensued. If this situation kept up much longer the entire front line defenses would crumble.

  “It’s a good thing the government seized all those “illegal” weapons from the citizens.” Todd mumbled to himself as he ducked behind a patrol car hearing a few bullets whiz over his head. The noise from the surrounding area was nearly overpowering. Gunfire, thunder, crowd noise, radio traffic, torrential rain, and helicopters; it was enough to send a person’s senses into overload. As he watched he saw more and more of the mob breaking through the front lines. Officers, National Guardsmen, and NGP Officers were engaged in desperate battles with both armed and unarmed rioters. Todd realized that as the situation grew more perilous it would not be long before the police would have no choice, but to use their firearms in a much more indiscriminant manner.

  As events quickly unfolded he looked over to his right and to his surprise he saw all of the NGP TALOS units assembling. They formed into a diamond pattern, locking their shields together and began to move off down an alleyway at a rapid pace.

  “Where the hell are they going?!” Todd said to an officer behind him who had just fired off a few rounds from his Smith and Wesson M&P15x at the tall building where the rifle fire was coming from.

  Suddenly, from overhead another National Governing Police Black Hawk swooped in. There was a low popping sound as it fired two Hydra 70mm Folding Fin Aerial Rockets at the machine gun nest. The second the rockets hit the tall building a huge fireball tore through the upper portion of the structure. Widows were blow out, concrete exploded, and debris rained down on the crowd below. Sweeping in long and slow another NGP helicopter moved in directly overhead and an officer from within began to fire controlled bursts of 7.62mm armor piercing rounds from an M60D down onto the portions of the crowd that were forcing their way through the front lines. The overwhelming firepower of the aircrafts immediately slowed the forward advance of the mob, but the crowd had worked itself into such a murderous frenzy stopping it might still be impossible.

  ….

  The fuselage of the downed Black Hawk that now rested on its side was being shaken back and forth by the angry mob that had encircled it. Lying on his back inside the mangled aircraft NGP Officer Saunders could feel the rainwater cascading down his face as it poured in through the open door that faced skywards. Shaking himself from the daze of the crash landing, he picked himself up from the debris and moved to help the pilot, Warrant Officer Jeffrey Tucker, and co-pilot Craig Rivera out of the cockpit of the crumpled aircraft.

  “Where’s Rodney?” Rivera asked as he moved into what was left of the passenger area. Saunders glanced around, but did not see the second waist gunner, Officer Rodney Park anywhere. He feared that Park had been thrown from the helicopter as it crashed.

  “I don’t know.” Saunders replied as he helped Tucker out of the tight entryway of the cockpit. The people outside the Black Hawk were pounding on the metal frame and chanting and yelling while throwing any number of items into the Black Hawk’s upward facing open door.

  Suddenly, a man appeared over the helicopter’s doorway. Before anyone could react the man raised a small semi-automatic handgun and fired. At this close a range he barely needed to aim and Rivera was struck in the head. His body lurched backwards and he fell to the floor. As both Saunders and Tucker were drawing their weapons the man fired off a second, third, and forth round into the close quarters of the Black Hawk. Neither officer had anywhere to seek cover. Without their protective body armor they both would have been killed. Saunders was struck in the chest and shoulder while Tucker took a round to the upper abdomen. The pain was immense, some ribs were probably cracked, but thanks to the Kevlar armor it was not deadly.

  Saunders finally managed to get his Colt 1911 out of his thigh holster and fired several rounds back at the assailant striking the man with each round. His limp body fell backwards and both officers heard the man’s corpse tumble down the side of the helicopter. Seeing the death of one of their own only helped to further enrage the crowd and the barrage on the helicopter grew worse. Tucker grabbed a
Colt M4 from a mount along the wall and handed it to Saunders before retrieving another one for himself. Even with the automatic weapons they were both well aware that they did not have nearly enough ammo between the two of them to ward off the crowd for any extended period of time. Tucker removed a hand held radio from his belt and spoke into it.

  “Griffin 165 to any available unit, situation hostile, we need immediate evac!” His voice was tense and distressed.

  Tucker was still calling for help when another man came into view of the open doorway of the aircraft. Before he had the chance to do anything Saunders squeezed the trigger of the M4 and a three round burst of fire killed the man standing over them instantly; like the other attacker his body fell down the side of the Black Hawk.

  ….

  Master Sergeant Marcus Gaius Agrippa, also known as TALOS 1 heard Warrant Officer Tucker’s call for help over the earpiece in his helmet. The distress message was cut short by the sound of gunfire in the background. He knew they had to work quickly; the savage crowd was not going to give them much time.

  With their electrified shields locked together and their electronic stun batons facing outwards his team moved in a diamond patter down the side street towards the borderline edges of the crowd. Within the center of the formation were four more NGP Officers, each with Benelli M2 Tactical 12 gauge semiautomatic shotguns. They aimed their weapons over the shoulders of the officers in front of them and through small cutout portions of the riot shields. Even with the firearms close proximity to the officers ears the TALOS helmets would easily protect the men’s hearing from any sound the weapons would make.

  Two of the officers’ shotguns contained rubber bullets, while the other two were equipped with Taser XREP shotgun rounds. The rubber bullets would be used to force an opening into the crowd while the XREP rounds would incapacitate anyone else who stood in their way. The rest of the rioters would be forced away using a combination of stun batons and brute force. If necessary they would turn to their SCAR 17’s to further disrupt the crowd.

  Even though there was some distance between his squad and the crash site Sergeant Agrippa could tell from the reaction of the crowd exactly where they needed to go. The unified body of the TALOS officers moved like some sort of massively armored prehistoric dinosaur as they quickly approached the outskirts of the riotous mob. At first some of the smaller groups of people fearfully moved out of the way of the intimidating force approaching them. But, as the team closed in on the crowd it grew thicker and more intractable. Sergeant Agrippa finally gave the command.

  “Fire!” he said. Two of the NGP Officers squeezed the triggers to their shotguns and shot hard rubber bullets into the crowd. Screams and howls of pain followed immediately as people were struck by the non-lethal rounds. Some of the rioters ducked and weaved trying to avoid being hit while others scrambled to get out of the way. Soon after the rubber bullets were deployed the other two officers began to fire the XREP rounds. People who were hit by these high voltage Electro Muscular Disruption slugs dropped immediately to the ground suffering from complete neuromuscular incapacitation. Once the shotgun rounds had been depleted the TALOS diamond picked up speed. The officers were at a full jog when they slammed into the side of the mob, their tight formation, electrified riot shields, and stun batons forcing a wedge into the crowd as they pushed their way towards the crippled Black Hawk.

  CHAPTER 27

  What was he doing here? How did he manage to find her? He shouldn’t be anywhere near this place. Hell, he shouldn’t even be in this state if he knew what was good for him. He should be as far from her as possible, but there John was, handcuffed and kneeling on the ground several feet away from her. He was beside the other officer who had burst into the room with him; she vaguely recalled his name was Chris. Next to both men Jennifer had also been handcuffed and forced to her knees; much to her fury. They all had their hands secured behind their backs and were positioned near the far corner of the abandoned office away from the door. Karina felt sick to her stomach and heartbroken knowing that John and Chris were just waiting to be executed. The hulking Chechen, Dudayev stood guard close by with his AK-47 at the ready.

  For a brief moment Karina had felt a sense of relief when her friend dashed into the room. That feeling was short lived when she realized that John had only placed himself in a situation that was certain to bring about his own death. Why had he done this? She wasn’t worth this kind of sacrifice; no not at all, she was not worth his life.

  Karina quietly struggled with the handcuffs that were still positioned behind her back. She had been working on them to no avail for the last thirty or so minutes as Darren became more and more consumed with his own tasks. Unfortunately even with her sweat covered small wrists and hands Darren had secured the restraints so tightly it was not possible for her to slip out of them. Still, Karina felt that she had to at least attempt to do something; she had to try to save John.

  The situation had thrown her into a state of emotional turmoil. She and Jennifer deserved their fates; they had both helped these maniacs with their diabolical plan, albeit unwittingly on her own part. But, not John; he didn’t deserve to be murdered by Darren or one of his cohorts. The only thing he had ever done was try to help her and every time he tried it caused him more suffering. At that moment John looked over at her with his hazel eyes and she felt her heart break all over again. She hated herself for what she had done to him.

  “They’re going to kill all of you.” Jennifer said in an angry voice to Darren as she glanced over at the broken pieces of her radio, cell phone, and tablet computer that sat in a pile on the floor near the work bench where Karina stood.

  “I’m sure you believe they will Officer Fields.” Darren responded as he walked away from Nathan who was now seated back at his computer table working away on the laptop and past Kamil who had the large duffle bag thrown over his shoulder.

  “Even if you kill me and complete whatever plan you’ve concocted my fellow NGP Officers will still find you and they will kill you.” Jennifer added, while it was subtle her voice had shifted from its normally seductive tone into a more desperate one.

  “But if you let Karina and I go, then I’m sure the National Governing Police will still be willing to work with you. And if you agree to take the nuclear weapon to Richmond I’m sure they’ll even allow you to keep the money we’ve paid you for your services.” She glanced over at Kamil and his bag. Upon hearing these words John, Chris, and Karina all snapped their heads over to stare at Jennifer.

  “They have a nuclear bomb?” John asked in a horrified tone.

  “Yes…haven’t you figured this entire thing out by now?” Jennifer snarled. “A massive terrorist attack on American soil combined with a nuclear assault will guarantee the majority of people become so scared they will willingly accept President Jordan’s new and improved, National Preservation Act for their own protection. And this time around it will be written without congress’s interference and it will have no expiration date. This time, there will be no stopping it.”

  Jennifer turned her attention back to Darren, “And the NGP will still protect you after you complete your assignment if you let Karina and I go. Do what you want with these two…” she nodded her head towards John and Chris, “…nobody’s going to ask any questions about a dead rookie and a disgraced former officer, but the National Governing Police will hunt down whoever kills me.”

  “You stupid bitch!!” Karina snapped with tears in her eyes. She was so upset, so angry; she found it difficult to get all her words out.

  “They’re going to kill tens of thousands of people and all you care about is yourself.”

  “And you…” Jennifer added.

  “If you think I’m going anywhere with you, you’re out of your damn mind! I’d rather stay here and die!” A tear rolled down Karina’s cheek as Jennifer stared in astonishment at her defiance.

  “As amusing as all of this drama is I’m sorry to tell you I will not be accepting your offer.
I mean honestly Officer Fields; did you really think that any of us were in this for the money?” Jennifer had no answer to this question. It didn’t matter what she or Lieutenant Fearon had believed, what mattered was that their superiors had foolishly bought into the lie that Darren Siegal was in this strictly for monetary gains.

  “Your organization can keep its money for all I care; I have far greater and wider spread plans in mind.” Darren stated arrogantly. “We have finally come to the time and place where we can tear down the rich elite in our culture and allow the common man to rule himself.”

  “Rich elite?” John growled contemptuously. “You’re a wealthy lawyer…you are the rich elite you hypocrite!” The accusation elicited a sarcastic chuckle from Darren.

  “Yes…Yes, I did have a substantial income until the federal courts were closed by President Jordan and his associates. But, that is no longer of any consequence because while there was a time when my wealth was necessary, it is no longer needed. Once my plan has been put into play it will ensure that out of the ashes an army will be raised; an army which will help topple our capitalist system and a government that subjugates its citizens. A true people’s republic controlled only by a liberated population will be brought forth. The powerful rich and elected officials will be dragged from their ivory towers and cast out into the cold world where the oppressed have been kept for so long. The “system” will crumble beneath its own weight and this country will be handed over to those who were exploited and there will no longer be a need for any type of government. Spoils of this war will be distributed and enjoyed equally by all the citizens. People will die, yes, but this great country. It will survive.”