“Have her come out. If she does we will put our guns down.”
“What?” The woman, who the man came in with yelled.
“We will put our guns down,” This was as much to Nolan and Sarah as it was to his companion.
“Sarah,” Nolan started and Sarah didn’t know what had changed his mind but he must have trusted him. “You can come out now.”
Sarah stood and when she came out of the kitchen the two people who she thought were drunk were standing there. As she moved towards her brother she pointed the gun at them. They both slowly moved and set down their weapons.
“Are either of you hurt?” The man asked.
Both Nolan and Sarah were thrown off by this statement. They looked at each other for a moment before answering. “No,” Nolan said and Sarah could tell he wasn’t sure what to ask.
“Who are you?” Sarah asked not very confident. Now that no one was shooting at them like she thought would happen, she was clueless about what to do next.
“I am Captain Wilson Underwood and this is my wife Mary. We are here to rescue you.”
Shocked by the answer Sarah fumbled over her words. “A… A… A Captain?”
“Who for?” Nolan asked, “Chicago police, FBI, USSB, who?”
“We are with the Democratic Insurgence.”
“You were here for several hours. If you wanted to rescue us you could have done so at any time. Why now?” Sarah asked. Sarah did not believe that they had two members of the Democratic Insurgence in their restaurant.
“We weren’t sure the extent of the danger you were in.” Mary Underwood replied apparently cutting off what her husband was going to say. He closed his eyes for a moment and gave her a look that was clearly meant to show she overstepped somewhere.
“We had been doing reconnaissance on your family,” Captain Underwood started. “We knew this event was coming up and we had reason to believe that the USSB would want your family. We didn’t want to give the impression we knew of you in case you hadn’t been discovered. This position is important and we did not wish to blow any covers.”
“Whose cover would you have blown?” Sarah asked she started getting the feeling that they were lying.
“You don’t know?” Mary asked skeptically of Sarah’s answer.
Captain Underwood looked up and out the window suddenly as if trying to see if someone was there. “We don’t have much time. You both need to come with us so we can keep you safe.”
“Why should we?” Nolan asked.
“You have three dead USSB agents in your restaurant. The USSB along with the police will be here soon. You killed an agent, trust me that will not be taken well,” Captain Underwood said with urgency in his voice.
Nolan looked at Sarah wondering if they should trust them.
“Honestly, you don’t have a choice. You are coming with us.” Captain Underwood said taking a step closer to them.
“Says who?” Sarah said as she pointed the gun at the Captain’s chest.
“If you don’t come with us they will kill you,” Captain Underwood said taking one more step closer. “I have orders and I am not allowed to let you die.”
Sarah’s hand was shaking but she lowered the gun. The look in Captain Underwood’s eye was so serious and grave that Sarah knew he was telling the truth. She put her gun on the counter and Captain Underwood took it. Then the door leading to the kitchen opened and the homeless man came out of it. Sarah and Nolan were startled by him and Sarah instincts kicking in went for the gun, but Captain Underwood had already taken it.
“Nelson, are we clear in the back?” Captain Underwood asked the once apparent homeless man.
“Yes, sir.” Let’s get moving they should be here in a few minutes.” Nelson said before going back into the kitchen.
Captain Underwood and his wife Mary both grabbed their guns. The Captain gave the pistol that Nolan was using back to him. “Do not pull that out.”
“Why does he get it?” Sarah asked, not that she really wanted it. “Is it cause I am a girl?” Sarah didn’t really know why she was so defensive all of the sudden.
“He is a champion shooter. I know your father was a cop and you both probably know how to use it but from what I know, he is better. When it comes to the whole girl thing trust me Mary could kill all of us right now without breaking a sweat.”
“He isn’t wrong,” Mary said entering the kitchen first.
Captain Wilson pushed Nolan and Sarah into the kitchen next. They followed Mary out the back door which led to the alley.
“Are we not grabbing anything to take with us?” Sarah asked thinking of so many things she would want to take with her.
“There isn’t time,” Captain Underwood said moving them into the alley. The homeless man was waiting for them.
“That homeless guy is with you?” Nolan asked remembering that he had been outside for several days now.
“Yes, that is Private Steven Nelson. He was looking for any suspicious activity. We wanted to see if there was any way you would be threatened.” The Captain said in a whispered voice as they moved down the alley.
“I knew something was funny about him,” Sarah said in a semi-loud voice but the Captain hushed her. The group made their way through alleys. They went several blocks away before anyone spoke again. Sarah wasn’t sure where they were even going. She could hear sirens and they seemed to be coming in every direction.
“What is happening?” Nolan asked.
“I will explain when we get picked up.” Captain Underwood said. As they approached the end of an alley when a Black minivan pulled up blocking them in. The door opened and a window rolled down.
“Get in quickly we don’t have a lot of time. This place is packed with USSB agents.” The thin driver said, he had a small beard and Sarah thought he looked old. As they got closer she could see some gray hair on his head and in his beard. Nelson was the first to enter the car and went right to back seat and started taking off his homeless outfit. Mary was next in the car followed by Nolan and Sarah. Captain Underwood went into the front seat next to the driver.
“Orson get us out of here. Don’t speed they will be looking for us soon and we don’t want to make it too easy for them, do we? The Captain said as they pulled away.
Private Nelson was stripping down and Sarah couldn’t help but take a peek at him as he changed. She thought he was very cute when he wasn’t in dirty clothes. He was very fit and probably only a year or so older than her. Sarah felt like she might have looked too long as he changed his shirt in the back seat. He put a black shirt on and a gray sweatshirt. The whole team had mismatched clothes. The driver was in a tan coat and blue jeans. Captain Underwood and Mary were both wearing casual clothes. Mary had black pants on that were now dirty from being in the gunfight and moving on the ground. She wondered how organized the Democratic Insurgence was? If everyone wore whatever they liked, how effective can they really be?
“Thanks for those eggs by the way,” Nelson said from the backseat as he checked his gun. “They were delicious. It made sitting outside your place a little better.”
“Um…You’re welcome.” Sarah said as she remembered giving him the eggs from her breakfast. She kicked herself now not realizing that he didn’t look like the average homeless man. “I thought you were homeless and I didn’t want you to be hungry. I figured you would give me less trouble if I gave you some food.”
“You got a good heart. I think you might have thought I wasn’t homeless when you looked at my face.”
“I did find it strange you didn’t seem scruffy.”
“That’s because our little guy can’t get scruffy-” The driver yelled back to them. “See Captain I should have been the homeless guy and Nelson should have driven.”
“Pay attention to the road Corporal.” Captain Underwood said in a try-to-be-serious voice.
“Our little guy did good, though,” Mary said going to pinch Nelson’s cheek.
“Mary, please don’t encourage the
m.” Captain Underwood said putting his head in his hands.
“I am sorry Wilson we won’t pick on him anymore,” Mary said as she messed up Nelson’s hair.
“Let’s stay focused. We aren’t out of this thing yet.” The Captain seemed more on edge as they approached the highway leading out of the city.
“We need to get our father don’t we?” Sarah asked realizing that they were leaving the city.
“We have another team getting him.”
“Where are we going?” Nolan asked looking around for anyone to answer before Captain Underwood responded.
“We have orders to bring you to our base. From there you will be relocated, most likely.”
“Why are we being taken in the first place?” Sarah asked. She had only ever heard of the Democratic Insurgence from news reports. Sarah and Nolan spent all their time at the restaurant. How did they get the attention of the Democratic Insurgence?
“I am surprised you don’t know,” The Captain started “Your father was a spy for us. He was helping us get intelligence on the Chicago Police and their involvement with the United States Security Bureau.”
Sarah was shocked by this statement. “When did he do this? I think you might have made a mistake. Our father hasn’t worked for the Police Department in years.”
“This is true. He has influence though and he used it to help us.”
“When did he do this?” Nolan asked with obvious suspicion.
“He gave us briefings at night.”
“When he was at the bar? My dad is a drunk. He went to the bar every night for years. He never came home. There is no way he was doing this.”
“The bartender was a supporter of the D.I. He had several rooms that were kept for intelligence. Your father was doing the work from there. He never told you this? You know your father isn’t a drunk right? He would be up all night at times delivering reports and helping us plan.” The Captain looked at them both and he could tell this was all news to Sarah and Nolan. “He is one of the most important agents working for the D.I. He has given more information than almost anyone. Our leader has been trying for years to get him to leave the city and help lead in the war. He thinks that Neil could make a real difference.”
“He never told us anything,” Nolan said sitting back in his seat crossing his arms.
Sarah was just as shocked as he was. Their father was a spy, and after all this time they had no idea. Sarah felt a bit of anger rising in her. They needed him. They had put off so much only for him to lie to his kids, to do work for this group who wanted to take on the government. There was a growing part of her that couldn’t wait to see him again. She would yell at him for what he put both her and her brother through. They had no idea why he felt this was something he needed to do and at the moment she didn’t care. All those years of struggle and frustration about losing their mother and a father who was absent. This made her so upset. Nolan, she could tell was also upset. She could see his hands shaking and he could tell he was just as upset about their father lying to them. Did he feel the Democratic Insurgence was more important than his family? Once again they were being ripped from their old lives and this time they really had nothing. Sarah knew that the USSB were probably going through their house right now. The agents were most likely looking for nonexistent information about their involvement with the Democratic Insurgence. Their father had done a good job of keeping it from Sarah and Nolan. She figured they wouldn’t find anything of use there.
At Kathy’s Restaurant, agents of the USSB walked around marking the crime scene. There were numbers on the ground for the bullet casings and white sheets over the dead men on the floor. The windows on the front of the building were shattered and broken glass lay on the ground. The only window that wasn’t shattered was the window with the name ‘Kathy’s Restaurant’ on it. Upstairs in the home of the Hunter family agents were going through drawers in every room and grabbing computers. A sedan shows up out front of the restaurant and Major Fulton exited from the back seat. He looked up at the sign for a moment before he entered the restaurant. Major Fulton looked around at the broken glass on the floor. Bullet casings lay spread out on the ground. He spotted the sheets on the dead agents and he rushed over to the bodies.
“Who did this?” the Major asks in a loud voice so that all the agents could hear.
“Sir?” one of the agents asks clearly unsure how to respond. “The D.I did this.”
“Not who killed these men but who covered them?” The Major asked, and looked around for the culprit.
“I think one of the officers who arrived on the scene. I don’t think they wanted…” The agent was cut off by Major Fulton loudly uncovering the dead men.
“I need you all to look at these men,” Major Fulton said. He opened his arms and walked around the bodies as if he was showing off something everyone should buy. “These men were well trained and had the element of surprise. I need all of you to look at what happened to them. You need to know who you are dealing with. These Insurgents are out to destroy us. Though we have had a small victory today we also suffered some losses. These people are dangerous, make no mistake about it. They are to be treated as such. They did not show mercy as they ambushed these men and kidnapped these children.”
The Major stood silently as he watched the agents take in the sight of their fellow men lying dead on the ground. The Major then left and walked towards the kitchen. He put his hand near the top of the grill and could feel the heat coming off of it still. He then moved towards the stairs leading to the living area. When he reached the top he took in the look of the small apartment. He walked towards the room of Neil Hunter. The drawers were all pulled out and clothes and small papers lay all over the ground. Fulton put his hand on the bed and it felt dirty and stiff as if it hadn’t been slept in for a long time. The Major sat on the bed and put one leg on the other. He took in the room and the mess that his men made. He seemed satisfied after a minute of sitting in silence. He then walked to Nolan’s room. He examined the medals on the walls, various ribbons, and pictures. The Major was looking for clues about these people. He wondered to himself what made them betray their President and their country. He went into Sarah’s room. He noted that it must have been tidy before the men went through it because even her clothes were still folded when they were on the ground. The Major left the room and walked back towards the stairs leading to the restaurant.
He was pleased when he entered the dining room that the bodies were still uncovered. Though they would be moved soon he wanted to make sure his men knew what they were dealing with. If they got angry about their fellow men dead on the ground Fulton was going to use that anger. He knew if they were angry enough they would do whatever it takes to find these people. The Major walked around. He took in where the fighting took place, a man approached him. He was wearing Captain Insignia on his collar.
“Captain Hooper,” Major Fulton started before the Captain had time to speak. “Have we located the Insurgents?”
“Not yet sir,” Captain Hooper started and there was a nervous tone in his voice. “We have however suspected that they exited through the back of the restaurant. We have several agents going through the alley and surrounding streets looking, sir.”
“Very good, Captain. I trust we started setting up roadblocks. These targets are a high priority.”
“I will get it started sir.”
“You have not already?” Major Fulton gave Captain Hooper an examining look as if trying to read what he was about to say.
“No sir,” The Captain was doing his best to hide his fear. As he stood before the Major and told him things he knew he didn’t want to hear. “We didn’t think we should move that fast just yet if they are still close.”
“I can see that. However, let’s get the roadblocks started. I don’t want any car, truck, or even plane leaving this city without being searched.”
“Yes, sir.” The Captain said and saluted and walked away giving orders to people under him and talk
ing on his radio.
Major Fulton was on his way out the door when he spotted the picture of Kathleen Hunter. He looked at her for a long moment, he lightly touched the picture as if he was caressing her face. “Aren’t you beautiful,” He thought to himself.
“You are going to help me now aren’t you?” He spoke aloud more to himself than any of his men who weren’t paying attention to what he was doing. He carefully reached out and took the picture off of the wall and put it under his arm. “I think you are going to come with me.”
Chapter Five
First Flight
Nolan looked out at the city as they drove away. He watched the skyline shrink and hide behind buildings until it was gone. He was still running through everything that had just been talked about. He didn’t want to believe that his father would be a spy and work against the government. He had shot and killed someone not even an hour before. The look of that body hitting the ground kept replaying in his mind. He had heard stories of things police officers had done and even vague stories, his father told about a couple of shooting he was involved in. Nolan knew they were trained to do that but he wasn’t. Nolan had acted out of fear and without all the information. Had he really just murdered someone in his mother’s restaurant? The thought made his stomach turn and it took everything in him not to vomit.
“Rest easy everyone; we made it out of the city before they could close it. If things go well we might actually have an easy journey on our hands.” Captain Underwood said to the group.
Nolan could feel everyone else relax a little. He looked at Sarah and Nolan could tell she was still as tense as he was.
“Do we know if our father got out?” Sarah asked.
“We don’t have any contact with the other team. In case anyone team gets captured they won’t be able to give up the other.” Mary answered from behind them.
“I see. So when will we know if he is safe?” Sarah asked turning towards Mary.
“Maybe when we reach the plane? If not then when we will when we arrive at the base. That team has a different escape route.”
A Democracy Fallen Page 4