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Thread: Beginnings

  1. #41
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    Smythe and Bobby were holding out home that some lowlife would sell out Miller for the money. They got luck and that lowlifes name was Diana Harrison. She was a meth-head, prostitute and small time hustler.

    Even in her drug addled mind she was able to recognize the smell of cooking food coming from the small underground building attached to the back of the civic center. She had been lurking around to either score drugs or a john. She had heard of the reward for information earlier, and despite being human debris, she was streetwise enough to know that this information could be her ticket to $50,000.

    Within minutes she was walking to the other side of town, less than 10 blocks, towards the place where the fancy looking men had been set up all day. She knew they were some sort of military contractors from the tricks she'd turned with some of them.

    As she stumbled up the stairs into the buildings, some of the contractors noticed her and stopped her from going further. It only took a couple of exchanges before she was being taken to Smythe and Bobby.

    "I'm telling you man, I smelled food cooking in the back of the civic center. That building has been closed for weeks while they painted it and people haven't used the room in back for years" she stammered out as she teetered in front of them.

    Smythe and Bobby glanced at each other. Cooking smells from a junkie wasn't much to go on, but it was more than they had had all day.

    "And nobody is using this building?" Smythe pressed.

    "No man, that's what I'm telling you. I take some of my dates in there sometimes and it's been empty until now" she protested.

    "Show me where" Bobby ordered.

    "Go 10 blocks straight down this road out front man" she chattered. "civic centers right there"

    Before she got done talking and returned to picking at the scabs on her arm Bobby was running out of the building.

    "Hey man! Where's my money" she demanded.

    Smythe poured on the charm. "Why don't we get you something to eat. If your information checks out we'll get you the cash tonight". He had no intentions whatsoever of paying that amount of money to a degenerate like Diana but he'd at least go through the motions for now.

    ****

    Smythe hadn't even escorted the hooker turncoat to a truck to get some food before Bobby and his men were screaming down the road in trucks. Word of this made it back to Sargent Jenkins and the Captain before they even made it to the Civic Center and within minutes they too we starting to converge on the area.

    For his part, Dink had gathered up Maggie and made it out of the Civic Center. They were behind some dumpsters just down the street when Bobby's men driving up and crashing to a stop on the front lawn of the civic center. Dink could hear Bobby barking out orders and knew they were in big trouble. It was still light out and would stick out like a sore thumb. He watched the men enter the building, while others moved into a position to surround it.

    Dink had been in tough spots before and come out of them. He worked to control his breathing to maintain a good oxygen supply to his brain. They had the good fortune to be behind a dumpster on the side of a restaurant. There was a small sidewalk between the dumpster and the building. It ultimately lead behind the building as it was used for deliveries. The blessing for Dink and Maggie was that the sidewalk quickly went down in elevation as it led to a basement level opening behind the building.

    Checking to see that nobody was looking their way, he grabbed Maggie and pulled her along as they took a couple of steps between the dumpster and the start of the walkway. If anybody had been looking their way, they'd be seen and the game would be over. A man with a backpack and a long package wrapped in a jacket along with a young girl stood out.

    They moved quickly down the stairs which afforded them cover. Soon they were behind the building which kept them from view of the contractors just a block or two down and across the street. Their luck continued to hold when there was a small cooler at the end of the narrow walkway. It was just tall enough that they could use it to climb out of the sunken walkway but still have the building between them and the Civic Center.

    Hoisting her up onto the cooler she gingerly peered over the edge of the walk. Excitedly she whispered "there's a small parking that is fenced in and a couple cars".

    Dink soon joined her on the cooler and then helped her up and over the edge. She pulled the jacked wrapped rifle over the edge as he slung up his pack. Soon he hopped over the wall back onto ground level and they made their way to a small sedan.

    Maggie watched in amazement as within seconds Dink had the door opened with some small metal shafts that looked like screw drivers. "Don't watch this. I'm a horrible example" he said with a grin.

    All the humor then drained from his face. "Now, get in the back seat and lay across the floorboard. There's a blanket in the back seat and I'm going to cover you with it. I'll lay the rifle on top of you under the blanket and the pack on top. If the car comes to a stop you must lay perfectly still and not make a peep." Maggie could tell from his expression that he was deadly serious. She dutifully climbed into the floor in the back and laid still as Dink carefully laid the blanket, rifle and pack on her.

    "If you hear a gunshot do your best not to scream" Dink further instructed as he gingerly started the car and backed out of the spot. All those years as a Deputy Sheriff were paying off as he had it running in no time. He eased out of the parking lot and sighed in relief when he realized it opened on a street that kept the restaurant building between them and the civic center.

    "Maggie, I'm going to drive normal and not talk to you for a bit. If I suddenly jam on the accelerator don't be scared. Don't worry, we're going to be fine" he called out.

    A hushed but confident reply came from the backseat "beats those art magazines huh?"

    He smiled as he began driving away from the area. He wanted to put as many blocks between him and the contractors as possible. They'd start a cordon search soon and if they weren't out of there they might get caught up in the net.

    Dink drove several blocks as casually as he could. If anybody paid any real attention to him they'd know something was wrong. He was wearing camouflage clothes and a chest rig with rifle ammo which of course screamed "fugitive" to anybody with a lick of sense. So he drove slow, but not too slow. Within a few minutes he was turning off the street onto other side streets. He hoped to make his way out of town via the back streets and avoid the main one like the plague. Fortunately he had patrolled in Lumberton many times so he knew the area.

    As he got closer to the edge of town, he failed to notice the Humvee parked off to the side a block away. The black corporal that looked a bit like Cuba Gooding Junior was soon on the radio to base.

  2. #42
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    They had torn the place apart and within minutes found the small room at the back. The hotplate was still on and the food had just started to burn. Bobby kicked over a couple of boxes as the contractors found the bedding and magazines in quick succession. It didn't take a genius to figure out someone had been hiding out here.

    "Fan out" he said quickly "Go out four blocks in all directions and set up a perimeter." As contractors scurried back to their trucks Bobby was on the radio back to Smythe. "Oh yea, they were here. Food's still cooking so they aren't far. Send the extra men now so we can set up a perimeter and hem them in".

    He strode back out to the front steps of the Civic Center. As he stood, hands on hips, he scanned the horizon. Other than a car pulling off a couple of streets over nothing looked out of the ordinary.


    ****

    Smythe, Bobby and their men continued the search for what they thought was Miller's group. As time wore on it became more and more obvious they had eluded the contractors yet again. Bobby's temper was at a boiling point and he was determined that someone, anyone, would pay. Smythe remained cool headed however he felt the very real pressure of Senator Donovan's earlier threat.

    As afternoon wore into evening the search widened and increased in intensity. Suddenly people were grabbed off the street and questioned in impromptu interrogations. Homes were searched. Property was trespassed. All in a search for the fugitives that had evaded them for days.

    "Smythe, this is getting insane." complained Bobby.

    Smythe looked at his second in command with an odd mixture of amusement and disdain. "The only thing insane is that four bumpkins eluded you for this long".

    Bobby glared at Smythe.

    "Listen Bobby, none of this is going to matter if we don't catch Miller. Donovan is going to yank our ticket and then who knows what the hell will happen to the company. We've got to focus and wrap this up" admonished Smythe.

    Bobby collected himself and decided he'd deal with Smythe later.

    ****

    Dink drove as far outside of town as he could get before he ditched the car and started traveling on foot. Every so often he'd stop to consult his map. They walked along side several roads before making their way overland. It had gotten dark, which would slow their progress, but they were only a mile or two from the rendezvous site. They should get there with a little time to spare before Webb's brother arrived. If he arrived.

    "So what's going to happen to me" asked Maggie. She dreaded the answer to the question.

    Dink walked a bit in silence before answering. He had closed off his heart ever since the accident but somehow this random encounter in the middle of a strange situation had opened a small crack in it. "How do you feel about living in Wyoming with us?"

    Her eyes widened. "I....I...think I'd be ok with that".

    "You clearly need guidance in your life" he said teasingly. After she got done faking a pout he continued on. "I yanked you out of your home without giving you a vote. I'm sorry to have done that. I jumped the gun and didn't consider what you might want. I was wrong".

    Maggie was taken aback. She had never once heard a man in an authority role apologize. It did nothing but make her respect him more.

    "But you can't go back home now, I don't reckon. And we don't have enough time to take you anywhere now. So hitch a ride with us. Miller's daughter will love to have a big sister".

    Maggie was starting to tear up but she did her best to try to hide them. "Dink, that....I'd love that."

    Dink couldn't have been more happy. "Good. Now all you have to do is help Webb's brother fly a plane for two days. Think you are up for that?"

    They walked on in the darkness. Dink was glad that he had found a solution so that Maggie would be taken care of. She could be the big sister to Ava and knew that she'd be just fine on whatever amusement park Webb had built for them.

    After several hours Dink stopped to consult the map. He was pretty sure they were on course but wanted to make sure. He knelt beside the road and used his flashlight to illuminate the map. After a minute or two he had reoriented himself.

    "Come on. Miller and Webb should be just ahead" he encouraged his new companion on.

    ****

    Miller had chosen the stretch of road for a couple of reasons. Primarily, it was perfect to land a light aircraft; long and straight with no hills or big dips. Further, the treeline on either side of the road left just enough room to clear both wingtips and have some safety margin. There'd be plenty of room for the plane to land and then continue on to take off.

    There was a small treeline on either side of the road. Neither line was very deep but they lined the road down its length for miles on end. They would provide a small amount of concealment and offered some limited cover should they be compromised. The ground around them was dry which Miller liked so they had maximum flexibility to run should it come to that eventuality.

    Kevin Webb was running on less than empty as he'd been flying for six straight days. He'd stopped on occasion to take a brief nap. His twin engine plane had been upgraded to handle dirt airstrips and off-runway activities. It came in handy as he could set down in a small field, tuck the plane into a hide and take a quick nap. It was risky but he had no choice.

    Kevin was older than his baby brother and had always looked out for him. He lovingly oversaw the construction of the compound in Wyoming and was glad to be on standby in the unlikely event his brother needed to be hauled across country. While he didn't know Miller all that well he'd met him a few times and held him in high regard. And if his brother vouched for them that was good for him.

    The first flight with the girls and dog went mostly uneventfully. The situation up north hadn't deteriorated too badly and he was able to get back to Wyoming without any issue. Ava had behaved herself and other than a distended bladder, Coco did fine too. The trip back was a bit more harrowing. He fueled up at the compound which got him most of the way down to Miller's area. He and Webb had wisely purchased two small farms en route. They had other people manage the farm but always kept a small airstrip and fuel supply on hand. It had come in handy on this adventure.

    After his first refueling stop and a quick thirty minute nap he had just gotten airborne when some army helicopters buzzed him and attempted to make contact. He was able to spin a tale about being on a mission of mercy to deliver an organ for transplant and clear out of the area before they could verify their story. He had to dodge some other military aircraft along the way. Despite all of these detours he was actually making pretty good time. Now, however, he was undertaking the hardest part of the mission.

    He rubbed his bloodshot and dry eyes as he squinted into the darkness. There were night vision goggles but he would wait to put those on until nearer the landing site. Kevin was no fool. He recognized the dangers of what he was about to attempt. He was exhausted, had slowed reflexes and was going to try to land on a country road, in the dark, and then take off again without stalling the aircraft. There was also a very real chance of people shooting at them. Bullets and airplane engines generally don't mix.

    He glanced down at the glass cockpit they had installed several years earlier. That technology had saved him. By reducing his workload he could at least rest a bit on some legs of the flight. There was always an alarm set nearby, however, to ensure he didn't fall into a deep slumber. According to the GPS readout, he was about 30 minutes away.

    Things were about to get interesting.

  3. #43
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    Dink and Maggie pressed on. There were only a couple hundred yards from the rendezvous point. He didn't want to let onto Maggie, but he had a sixth sense they were being followed for the past several hundred yards. He'd casually stop for a second or two to try to catch the tell tale sounds of men walking in the grass and trees but couldn't catch any.

    They were approaching the roadside from the west, through the trees and tall grass. This provided them some cover. After a short while his eyes could make out the more dense trees nearer the road.

    He never discussed exactly how they'd link up with Miller so he wasn't sure what sort of reception his friend had in store for him. They had planned out a rendezvous point which was fairly near where the plane was scheduled to roll out after landing. The idea would be they'd hop on board and zoom off to safety without having the maneuver the plane or have it on the ground any longer than need be.

    "Listen Maggie. Whatever happens here you need to trust me" Dink said earnestly.

    Maggie, not quite catching the seriousness of Dinks tone cheerfully said "no problem".

    "No listen" he said to get her attention. "I mean it. Things could happen here that a young lady shouldn't have to see. Whatever happens stay close to me and stay as low to the ground as possible."

    Maggie understood that Dink was giving her specific directions for a reason. He continued on. "If those people who were chasing us show up again there might be a gunfight. People can get hurt. It's very important that you do exactly as I say. No matter what I tell you, you must do it." There was no mistaking that he was deadly serious.

    "Ok Dink" she replied. "I'll do exactly as you say".

    They pressed on into the darkness as the trees thickened nearer the road and the moonlight was blocked out. He got to the spot where they were supposed to link up but there was no signs of Miller. They were nearly on the road, hunkered down in a thicket of sorts. Most of the treeline adjoining the road stood between them and the trees and grass to the west of the road. They could go no further east without crossing the road.

    Dink Roberts had no choice. He had to sit and wait on his friend. He didn't know what Miller was up to, but he trusted that it was something good.

    ****

    The first shot rang out and it startled Maggie to the point she yelled out loud. Dink instinctively pulled her to the ground and placed himself nearly over top of her. It only took a few seconds before he had his suppressed AR ready for action. He had wisely removed it from the jacket wrapped around it, and placed it in a ready position against a small fallen tree. They had a moderate amount of cover but in the heat of a gun battle you can never have enough cover.

    Within seconds a hail of gunfire crashed down around their position. It seemed that nearly every contractor at Bobby's disposal was starting to form a semi circle around Dink's position. He immediately recognized this and knew that if Miller didn't arrive shortly they wouldn't have to worry about whether Maggie and Ava would get along. They were still around one hundred yards away but were starting to close the distance.

    Dink calmly reminded Maggie to stay low. He then proceeded to begin searching for targets in the darkness. As the rounds whizzed by and kicked up small explosions of dirt and bark fragments Dink began firing back with rapid but extremely controlled shots. Since it was very dark it was hard to get hits but within a minute three contractors laid dead by his hand.

    As the firing continued and Dink was making his first mag change he overheard the sound of screaming car engines. He glanced to his right just in time to see truck lights coming up the highway. Within seconds a truck load of contractors screeched to a halt around 75 yards away. The men quickly piled out of the tuck, while several took up positions behind the engine block.

    Dink placed a quick succession of five shots into the truck in an effort to keep their heads down.

    "Dammit Miller! Where the hell are you" he said aloud as his situation was going from bad to worse.

  4. #44
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    Bobby was pleased. They had picked up the trail of two of Miller's men thanks to another tip. The man was sloppy and they were able to use night vision equipment and his flashlight while he read a map to trail him. They stayed just out of range. Bobby had made it clear that if any man gave away their positions he'd get an all expenses paid trip to a camp on the coast.

    He was confident these two would lead to Miller and the others. They trailed him and waited while he sat for seemingly twenty minutes in one spot. Bobby reasoned that either Miller was near by or would come to rescue his friend. That's why he instructed several of his men to remove the suppressors from their rifles.

    Bobby coaxed his men forward but was careful to to rush too far, too fast. He wanted Miller to fall into his trap, not the other way round.

    ****

    As many of Bobby's men closed within fifty yards of Dink and Maggies position, Dink knew they were in deep trouble. They had no direction to run other than across the open road and the enemy was slowly closing in. He had nailed a couple more contractors but there were just too many to have any hope of out shooting them.

    Dink was never one to give up. He quickly yelled to Maggie to be ready to run across the road and keep running until Miller found her. Once he gave her the signal he'd run a different direction to draw fire away from her. Chances were almost a certainty that he'd be killed but it was her best chance for survival. For a macabre second he savored the irony of him dying so this strange girl could cross the road, when his wife and daughter died on a similar road at the hands of a stranger. Life was cruel.

    "Whatever you do, stay low and keep running. Don't stop" he called out.

    He was just about to give the signal to the terrified girl when a string of mighty explosions ripped though the woods. Several large trees were felled, one nearly crushing a contractor. At the same time the last of Webb's flares and other toys when off with a whooshing roar and dancing light show. Flares shot off and bounced in all sorts of directions. Like the previous ambush the lights served to distract the contractors.

    As the contractors hesitated Webb and Miller began pouring rapid, accurate shots into the contractors. Their night vision goggles leveled the playing field. While the contractors had some, not every man had them. Within a few seconds four more contractors laid dead or dying. The body count was starting to rack up and the advance of the contractors was stopped.

    It was also equally clear that while Miller's group would take a lot of contractors with them, a war of attrition was not going to turn out favorably for them. Miller's men, however, were not ones to give up lightly.

    Back at Dink's hide he yanked Maggie back down and continued the fight. He racked up another kill but was starting to get low on ammo. He only had three more mags left on his harness. He had several more in his pack but he'd have to relinquish control of the battlefield for seconds while he reached over to get them. In a gunfight seconds can be the difference between life and death.

    If nothing changed, Miller's group would be overrun.

    ****

    Bobby could taste the blood in the water. He'd been in similar situations before and had the fighters instinct to go for the kill. Watching other men hesitate at crucial moments in battles taught him to show no mercy and not let up until the end.

    He maneuvered his units in small groups. Their advance had stalled out at fifty yards from Dink's position but they still had a numerical superiority. Also, another truckload of contractors was mere minutes away. This was the last of the reserve force but by throwing them into the fight it should be just enough to tip the scales in his favor.

    Bobby was just about to yell out his next commands when suddenly a hail of gunfire erupted to his left. The three contractors that jumped out of the pickup earlier simply ceased to exist after the barrage of bullets tore through them. Two of the other truck mounted contractors attempted to withdraw across the road and were summarily picked off by a combination of fire from Miller and the other men.

    Diving to the ground Bobby had to control his panicked mind. Who the hell was shooting at them?

    ****

    The who was Sargent Jenkins and his men.

    What Bobby didn't know was that after being spotted driving by the corporal in town, Captain DeMetrie had intercepted Dink and Maggie. Making Dink as one of the men on the run had been easy. Between Dink, the Captain and his Sargents they crafted the plan where Dink would lead them into a what seemed like an easy ambush. While the contractors followed Dink, DeMetrie's men followed the contractors. Dink's frequent map consultations with his flashlight were merely to ensure the contractors had an easy time following him. It was a risky plan that could have gone wrong in a hundred different ways. But it was their best bet, and provided the Captain the pretext he needed to engage the contractors head on.

    Miller and Webb just so happened to have set a little trap of their own by allowing the contractors to think Dink and Maggie were just sitting all alone. This drew them in closer to where the last of Webb's toys could be used to maximum effect.

    As Jenkin's men pressed forward more contractors fell before them. While the contractors were proficient, the military men were honed by combat and had the advantages of squad tactics, night vision goggles, helmets and body armor.

    Soon two humvees came tearing up the road, one crashing headlong into the contractors pickup to fully disable it. The other drove nearly to Dinks position before stopping. The contractors attempted to shoot it but quickly realized it had been armored so rounds bounced off it like peanuts hitting a brick wall. The humvee that totaled the road bound pickup soon opened up with it's turret mounted fifty caliber machine gun. The M2 machine gun made it's distinctive chunk chunk chunk chunk sound as heavy rounds tore through underbrush, trees and contractors.

  5. #45
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    Bobby knew his cause was lost but didn't want to give up the fight. He pulled several of the men near him along as he began maneuvering against the army troops that had flanked him on the left. He effectively abandoned the men further ahead as he shifted all his attention to the army troops.

    As rounds whizzed around him and hit the ground with their distinctive thud sounds he began getting a better angle on his enemy. Seeing a trooper slightly exposed as he crouched behind a tree Bobby shot a four round burst at the man. He psychotically laughed as the army trooper slumped to the ground.

    After a few minutes and a few more exchanges he decided that falling back might be the better course of action. What he didn't realize was that most of his men up front were quickly wiped out by a combination of DeMetrie's troops and Miller and his men. Soon the army troops were flanking his right while pressing forward in his face.

    At this moment he made the worst choice of his life. Standing up unexpectedly, he tried to pivot to run to the rear and gain distance over his enemy. As he rose a round neatly crashed into the back of his neck and skull. The effect was instantaneous and his body crashed to the ground as his central nervous system turned off in a nano-second. He simply crumpled into a heap.

    Nobody would ever know which rifle shot the round that killed Bobby. It didn't really matter. In a few hours the coyotes would be hauling his carcass off for dinner like any other roadkill.

    With that the firefight at the roadside was effectively over. Bobby's force had faced their Little Bighorn and fared no better than General Custer.


    ****

    For the first time John Miller and Captain Mike DeMetrie stood face to face.

    "Thought I'd never find you" declared the Captain as the men gathered themselves up after the intense firefight.

    "Well" thought Miller "I didn't really know you were looking for us".

    The Captain issued orders for the men to collect themselves up, sweep the area for any lurking contractors and prepare to return back to town.

    Dink couldn't resist himself and had to tease his old pals. "Listen boys, I appreciate you letting me sit around and play the hero and all, but a little support would have been nice".

    The Captain interjected. "Those contractors aren't going to be happy that we tore up their men. My guess is they are going to come looking for some payback. Do you guys need a lift out of here?"

    Miller looked at the Captain for a brief second before Dink interjected. "Miller, I explained the entire situation and between what Jason Klepper and I told him he's satisfied that we are in the clear."

    Miller look relieved. "Well Sir, we have some air transport that should be within range any minute now. In fact, this is where we had planned to rendezvous. Figured this was as good as airstrip as any."

    Sargent Jenkins reported in. "one dead, three wounded sir"

    The Captain looked heart broken. He'd dealt with casualties before but it was never pleasant. "Who?" he asked gingerly.

    "Rose, sir" Jenkins said with a pain in his face.

    Rose had been with the unit for a long time. He'd survived all sort of scrapes in various hellholes around the world. To have his end be this way seemed like a slap in the face.

    "Ok Sargent. Have the men load him in the Humvee. Make preperations to get the wounded cared for and transported back to town. The rest of the men go back to Lumberton. Once you Lumberton squared away. bring your group back to the CP in the event the rest of the contractors want to get a little pissy". As always, Jenkins smartly turned and began carrying out his Captains orders.

    "Ok Mr. Miller. How can we help you?" asked the Captain.

    While Dink tended to a clearly terrified Maggie, Webb and Miller used the captains radios to contact Webb's brother. Normally they'd have used their own hand-helds but the Captain insisted on using theirs so the transmissions were more secure.

    One of the humvees took the dead and several wounded soldiers back to the command post at the high school. The captain place another wounded man in his and prepared to leave also. Jenkins and all the other soldiers policed the scene of the battle and gathered whatever information they felt was important. Within ten minutes the Captain was preparing to leave.

    "Captain" said Miller "what the hell is going on up North?"

    "Mr. Miller, we are in the opening stages of the Second Civil War. I'm not joking. Forces in the North East are at war with President Alan. From what I gathered, several states in the south formed a defense alliance with Senator Donovan at the head. Basically, we're in the opening stages of a shitstorm."

    "What are you going to do Captain?" asked Miller. His implication was clear. DeMetrie seemed like a good man and not one to throw his lot in with evil men.

    "Honestly Mr. Miller. I don't know. I'm a solider. It's all I know. But lately I've had a harder time following orders."

    DeMetrie gave him a thirty second overview of Senator Donovan's actions and how he had manipulated the situation in the North for his own personal gains. Even just the overview made Miller's blood boil.

    "Ok Miller. You and your men stay safe. Jenkins will see you off. I need to get back to the command post because I'm sure this will party will make all sorts of headlines. Good luck". The two men shook hands. In a different time and a different place, they might have become good friends.

    "Thank you Sir" was all Miller needed to say.

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    As Kevin Webb was preparing to land his aircraft he saw the second of two humvee's pulling out of the area where he was to pick up his brother. He'd already spoken with his brother and was aware of why the humvee's were there.

    He could feel the exhaustion in his legs and arms as he worked the rudder pedals and yoke. He could make out the IR markers the soldiers had laid out for him as a reference aid. Suddenly having the right friends made life a lot easier.

    Being careful to keep his airspeed up he carefully lowered his flaps and landing gear. As a precaution he kept his landing light off but would use it at the last second just in case. Dipping the nose of his aircraft he started his turn to final landing. If all went well he'd be on the ground in a minute.

    ****

    Miller, Dink, Webb, Maggie, Jenkins and a couple of men stood off to the east side of the road watching the inky shape of Webb's aircraft as it lined up with the roadway. Like observers at the local airport they watched as the shape got lower and lower relative to the horizon. Even without the fear of contractors shooting him out of the sky, the landing was going to be somewhat tricky.

    "Twenty bucks says he stops the plane within five feet of where I'm standing" declared Dink.

    Jenkins turned "Double or nothing says he has a hot stewardess on board"

    He hadn't even finished making his quip when rifle fire from the trees further down the road erupted.

    ****

    The last truck load of contractors, the ones Bobby was counting on to rush Miller's men had arrived. They wisely chosen to enter the area quietly. They also approached the scene from the opposite direction. With the distraction of cleaning up from the firefight and coordinating with Webb they were easily able to sneak in closely to Miller's position.

    Jenkins crumpled to the ground as a round impacted him. Sometimes life is cruel. The round hit him in the side just between two plates of armor. Had the round been a centimeter left or right it would have left him with a terrible bruise and a story. Within a faction of a second the blood had pooled in his chest cavity and the cold grip of death started to come over him. The man had survived countless firefights and ambushes in Iraq only to die nearly alone on a roadway at the hands of dishonorable men. He attempted to move his legs but nothing happened.

    Meanwhile Dink forcefully pulled Maggie into a ditch to the side of the road while Webb took whatever cover he could find to begin to return fire. Miller and a couple of soldiers pulled Jenkins into the modicum of cover the ditch and trees provided. One of the men started tending to his wound but everybody, Jenkins included, knew how the story ended.

    As the solders hurriedly attempted to care for him, and blood seeped onto their clothing and the ground Jenkins locked eyes with Miller. "Get those fuckers. Help the Captain but get these fuckers". He coughed several times spraying small amounts of blood over his chin. His men yelled at him to hang on and fight but this was a battle Sargent Jenkins wouldn't win.

    ****

    Up in the air Webb's brother was busy fighting a battle of his own. He was monitoring his sink rate to ensure he didn't pancake into the road when tracers and rife fire erupted ahead of him. Practicing missed approach procedures modified by a strong desire for self-preservation he rammed the throttles forward to their stops and firmly began raising the nose. As the plane clawed into the air he raised the landing gear fully and flaps to their takeoff position to minimize drag.

    He would have liked to perform some fancy evasive maneuver but he was already too low, it was too dark and he was too tired. In a snap decision he decided to climb out straight ahead over the heads of the men firing at his friends. He just hoped he could gain enough altitude and airspeed to prevent them from shooting his plane full of holes.

    The plane, immaculately cared for and the recipient of several upgrades, responded like a champion racehorse and by the time he was climbing over the head of the contractors he was already at one hundred feet and one hundred and thirty knots. Although a couple of contractors tried, not a single round impacted the plane.

    After he had gotten high enough to preform maneuvers he rolled to the east and began to head out to circle and figure out what to do next.

  7. #47
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    Back on the ground the firefight raged. DeMetries men had regained their composure and were beginning to press home the fight. But the contractors were not giving up ground. They knew enough to not engage the troops as close quarters as they'd be torn to pieces. But by hanging back they could pour fire in their positions and maintain moderate cover.

    Webb and Miller returned fire as best they could with their low ammunition situation. Dink fired off a few rounds but was soon down to his last magazine. His pack had fallen in the middle of the road. It might as well have been on mars.

    Maggie, already exhausted from the escape from Wallace, being on the run and the previous firefight did her best to bore into the ground and get as low as physics would allow.

    "Take the girl through those trees" Miller yelled at Dink while pointing off to the east.

    Dink just looked at his friend.

    "Do it" Miller yelled over the noise of the gunfight. "We'll cover you as best we can. Get on the other side of those trees and out of the line of fire". Dink had known Miller long enough to know he wouldn't change his friends mind.

    "Webb" Miller continued the directions. "Tell your brother to set it down in the grass east of the treeline. Have him roll out to your position and then he can take off straight ahead". Webb didn't hesitate and used his hand-held to communicate the plan to his brother. At this point nobody cared if the message was transmitted in the clear.

    Miller and the soldiers around him returned coverfire while a couple of soldiers lobbed grenades. After the death of several of their own, they held no remorse for the contractors on the receiving end. Miller shoved Dink who in turned carried Maggie along as he pulled her through the trees with all his might. He covered the twenty yards in what seemed like two big steps thanks to his adrenaline, which was fully pumping.

    He found a small depression where he again deposited Maggie. They weren't out of danger but were in a much better position than their previous location.

    Miller used the brief respite to instruct the soldiers as to his intentions. He fully intended for Webb's brother to put the plane down in the open field of short grass to the east of the road and it's treeline. He hoped it would provide enough cover that they could takeoff and climb out of the area. He and Webb had checked the field earlier that morning for fence posts or big rocks but found none.

    He hoped he hadn't missed any in the pre-dawn darkness.

    ****

    Within a small eternity Kevin's Webb's plane was circling around to land. As he was making his second turn to final that night Webb and Miller both made the mad dash to the relative safety of the other side of the treeline. The soldiers back at the fight were fully focused on destroying this second band of contractors and were only too happy to begin pressing home the fight to cover Miller and Webb.

    They all began dropping as much weight as they could. Harnesses, packs, water, radios, night vision goggles, all of it. Anything and everything they could do to lighten the overload situation that adding Maggie to the passenger list would likely create.

    Everybody was dropping gear like mad. Everybody except John Miller. Dink looked at his friend and knew something was wrong. "Miller, what are you up to?" he demanded.

    Miller looked him dead in the eyes. "Take the girl out of here. She needs a father"

    "So does Ava" countered Dink as he figured out exactly what Miller was about to do.

    "Yes, and you and Webb will be great Uncles until I get back up there".

    Webb just looked at his friend while Dink pressed on. "Listen Miller. The planes on final approach. There's no time to argue this. Get your shit off and get ready to get out of here". A stray bullet sailed close by as if to emphasis Dink's point.

    As the planes landing light flipped on to illuminate the landscape, Miller was resolute. "Webb needs to help his brother fly and knows the way back. You need to care for Maggie and help with Ava. Between all of you, Christy and Patsy you will be fine. Besides, someone needs to do something about these contractors and this Donovan character"

    Dink was about to tell his friend he was acting foolishly when the sound of the airplanes wheels hitting the ground interrupted the conversation. It was a bouncy landing that almost dislodged the goggles from Kevin's face. The soldiers hearing the plane continued to close the distance with the contractors and pour heavier fire back at them.

    The twenty dollar bet would have been Dink's as Kevin expertly rolled the plane out within a few feet of where Miller and the group were standing. Nobody hesitated and soon they were hoisting Maggie into the plane. Webb scrambled aboard next and made his way to the cockpit to assist his near exhausted brother. As Dink climbed into the plane he turned back to his friend, John Miller.

    "Are you sure you know what you're doing boy?" he challenged.

    Without hesitation, "yea, I'm just trying to imitate you" he shot back.

    Dink didn't know what to say. In a second he felt all sorts of emotion. His friend was sacrificing so they'd have a greater chance of making it to safety yet he was doing something very foolish. Instead of saying something sappy, he tossed a small cloth bag into Millers hands.

    "Here you go carpetbagger. You'll need it" was all he could muster.

    Webb's brother was already moving the throttles forward forcing Miller to duck to avoid being hit by the tailplane. Miller watched as Dink heaved the small door shut. Within seconds the engines were revving at full RPM's and Kevin released the breaks. Even in the darkness Miller could see the plane lurch forward as it gathered speed. A couple of the contractors, who had started on the east side of the road, realized what was happening but couldn't do much as DeMetries men were nearly on top of them.

    Webb's plane roared into the air and desperately clawed the air to climb out. Webb wasn't sure the plane was fully off the ground before his brother retracted the gear. Collectively Webb and his brother exhaled a sigh of relief as he cleared a small plot of trees at the edge of the field by fifty feet. As soon as the climb was stabilized Webb took over control of the aircraft and his brother nearly collapsed behind the yoke.

    In the back seat Maggie asked "what just happened?" regarding Miller staying behind.

    "Sweetheart". Dink opined. "That was either the bravest thing I've ever seen or the dumbest. I'm not sure yet".

    In the inky darkness the plane droned on as it began heading north westerly and towards a new future in Wyoming.

  8. #48
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    Miller returned to high-school with the soldiers and Jenkins's body. He felt the anguish of the troopers over the loss of a friend and the inner rage that Captain DeMetrie did his best to hide. Losing good men is never easy. Losing good men at the hand of evil men only made the pill more bitter. After doing what he could to help DeMetrie's men he found an empty cot and laid down. Miller got his first good nights sleep in some time. Despite the uncertainty regarding his family he knew there was a higher calling to do his part to ensure the Donovans and Crutchfields of the world didn't jeopardize Ava's future.

    Miller awoke late in the morning feeling rested and refreshed. Despite his harrowing adventure he felt a new purpose lay ahead of him.

    "So, regretting your decision?" inquired the Captain

    Miller thought for a bit before replying. He wished he had more time to warn and prepare Christy. But deep down he knew she'd understand. Providence and circumstance had provided her a support structure at least for now. "No sir, I don't". DeMetrie saw something in Miller's eyes. It was something that told him that Miller had a plan and was ready to enact it.

    "Captain" asked Miller "how's this going to play out for you?" There would be repercussions for the firefight with the contractors. Despite being in the military command structure Senator Donovan's reach was long. Finding a home in the rapidly growing camps was not out of the question for the Captain. At the very least he could rest assured his military career was over.

    "That's a good question. About as uncertain as yours I suppose".

    Silence fell over the room as the men contemplated their futures.

    ****

    The future wasn't so uncertain for Smythe. Shortly after dawn he was yanked screaming from City Hall by contractors from a different company. Despite his best efforts they effectively controlled him as they unceremoniously dumped him in the back of a truck. Donovan had little tolerance for failure. Smythe would soon find himself a guest of a camp somewhere in a less than pleasant part of the bayou. The assets and remaining men in his company, of which there were quite a few, were being absorbed into a competing contractors company. Donovan employed many different companies in an effort to boost his firepower. That he could play them against each other when needed was an added bonus.

    ****

    As the morning wore on the orders came down. DeMetrie's unit was being redeployed elsewhere and he was to report to the state capital for reassignment. Soldiers were scurrying about as they rounded up their gear and prepared to load up and move out. Sargent Lowry, always at the ready, was carrying out various tasks for the Captain along with his normal duties. There was a pall in the air after the death of Jenkins. Losing Rose hurt too but Jenkins was part of the core of the outfit. It was as if some of the life was sucked out of all of them too.

    Miller was sitting with his friend Jason Klepper describing the events of the past few days when he noticed the Captain walking through the open area between the high-school and City Hall. Miller excused himself and trotted over to the Captain.

    "That didn't take long" he offered.

    The Captain, looking a bit forlorn replied, "nope. I thought we might get a day or two but word travels fast" They walked for a bit in silence before the Captain suddenly exclaimed "dammit!" and emphasized it by stomping his boot into the hard ground. "I've given my life to this uniform. I've washed the blood of my men off this uniform. And some crook is going to take it from me? That bozo is going to piss all over it? I don't think so." The Captain was as surprised by the outburst as Miller was. Mike DeMetrie was not one for outbursts.

    Miller stopped and addressed the Captain head on. "Sir, have you heard of Francis Marion?"

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    Epilogue:

    A few days later Miller, DeMetrie, Lowry and a couple of other soldiers, including the one that looked oddly like Cuba Gooding Junior were moving through the bush on their way towards Lumberton. They were loaded down with as much equipment they could steal from the military before they left. They walked on quietly through the woods, taking a circuitous route many miles out of the way to the North of Lumberton.

    Miller was lost in the thoughts of his wife, Daughter and friends. He hoped he had chosen wisely and they'd understand. They had used Kleppers radio to transmit a message up to Wyoming but had to turn it off before finding out if it got through. In his gut he knew they were doing the right thing. With the little bit of equipment they could heist and the bag of money Dink had given them, they had a fighting chance at doing what they hoped to do.

    As they trudged on hour after hour Miller was startled when his cellphone suddenly made the chirping sound indicating a text message had come in. He'd almost forgotten the cellphone since service had been cut at the start of countrywide meltdown.

    Either by chance fluke or divine intervention an SMS text message somehow found it's way through the cell towers and airwaves to his phone.

    The Captain looked at Miller quizzically. "Were you expecting a call?"

    Miller finally dug out his phone and peered at the message: ALL WELL. C UNDERSTANDS. STAY SAFE. JUST SO YOU KNOW: I STILL THINK YOU CHEATED THE FIRST TIME WE WE SHOT TOGETHER.

    Miller laughed out loud as the troops gave an odd glance and continued to push forward.

    "Bastard probably expects his money back with interest too".

    -------------------

    THE END

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