by Brian Cotton
***
Kaspar kicked the door open at the exit. Their escape vehicle was still intact. There was a fear inside that the enemy would have dismantled the damn thing while they were in the fight inside. He reached for the door handle and forced the double doors open. He helped Clarke get inside before he entered himself. Harvey moved for the passenger seat while Buck moved to the driver’s seat. Buck slammed the key into the ignition and brought the vehicle’s engine to life with a roar.
As the vehicle pulled out, Clarke reached for his black laptop and tore off his mask. He had a wealth of information inside of his hard drive and he had to make sure that the information was ripped intact. It seemed like an eternity before his computer came back to life. When it did, he adjusted his glasses, and then started to pound away at the keys. He quickly started uploading programs, getting all the information on his computer for mass distribution.
Kaspar left his mask on and leaned back against the side of the vehicle. The adrenaline from the fight was starting to wear off and his hands started to shake. He moved his eyes down to his flak jacket. All that remained of the yellow piece from Mother’s blanket were a few strands. The once tight construction of the fabric, which was knitted together with expert hands, started to loosen. Kaspar finally took his mask off and looked with a curious eye towards Clarke.
“So,” Kaspar started to say. “What the hell did you find in there?”
Kaspar’s eyes went wide with both anger and shock when he got the answer.
This war was far from over.
.EPILOGUE
Caine couldn’t believe what his eyes saw on the screen in front of him. The American flag was waving free and proud on top of the Capitol. His Agents had already torn the flag down and burned it by now, but he kept replaying the file that was sent out across the USR networks from an anonymous source.
There was a buzz from his desk. He pushed the red button, “Yes?”
“It’s Blackman, sir.”
“Come in.”
Caine unlocked the double doors from under his desk. The leftover General moved in with a slow pace. Caine could tell that Blackman knew an ass kicking was coming his way. Blackman walked with a calmness that the head of the USR could respect, but felt that it was disrespectful to him, given what had just happened.
“How the hell are you so calm?” Caine demanded.
“Leaders usually are, no matter the circumstances.” Blackman replied. He saluted the leader but was not given a salute back.
“Sit the fuck down.” Caine demanded. Once the leftover had sat down, Caine pointed his finger towards Blackman. “How the hell could you let this happen?”
“Me?” Blackman shot back. He wasn’t used to people pointing fingers his way. The disrespect given from Caine had gotten old long ago.
“Yes, you. I’ve put you in charge of all military operations. This falls on you.”
“All due respect, sir, but you have hamstrung our forces on some top secret bullshit that involved kidnapping citizens and moving them to concentration camps. This came as a complete surprise. Who could have guessed that the resistance had a force of this size?” Blackman replied.
“You let me worry about that top secret mission, soldier. Just do your job and make sure this type of thing never happens again. It’ll be your life if you fail me again.”
“Yes, sir. What do we do now?”
Caine rubbed at the short stubble of his chin. “We’ll need to respond in some way. Those fuckers out there might think that they’ve gotten some type of victory, but we all know better than that. Don’t you worry, the citizens of the USR will pay for this, not the resistance. They are so small that we can deal with them later. No, it’s those that they are trying to ‘save’ who will suffer. They will know the wickedness of the United States of America in a way that they’ve never seen before. Trust me on that.”
Blackman didn’t like the sounds of that and liked the look in Caine’s eyes even less. “What are you thinking?”
“You’re dismissed, General. Get out of my sight.”
The General stood from his chair and gave an empty salute back to Caine. This just wasn’t right. America had its problems, but Blackman had been a soldier his whole life. Taking out a loss in battle on innocents wasn’t becoming of a soldier. He had to play his cards right and, when the time came, he had to make a decision that could cost him his life.
Once the General was out of the room, the doors slammed shut behind him. Caine waited a moment, took a shot of whiskey, and then picked up the red phone on his desk. It rang three times before there was an answer.
“Masters,” the voice said.
“Guy, this is Caine. How are you, my lad?” Caine replied.
“I’ve been a lot better to be honest, sir. I just saw what happened to the Capitol. While my men and I were dicking around, the resistance gave us a swift kick in the ass.”
“Don’t you worry about that, son. What you’ve done was a great service to your society.”
“Cut the shit,” Masters said. “What’s next for us?”
Caine was taken aback for a moment but let the remark from his top man slide. After all, the USR needed men like Guy Masters who weren’t afraid, not even of the man who was one order away from making sure he was six feet under.
“I’ve got special plans for you and your men…”
Patriots & Tyrants
.Acknowledgments
It’s hard to believe that I am here, once more, less than twelve months later with yet another chapter in the Rebels & Lies series under my belt. I’ve learned a lot about self-publishing, or indie publishing, during my first nine months into the process.
One of the things that I have learned was not to fall for the trap of having high expectations. And, that goes beyond just sales or five star reviews. You can tell who really has your back when it comes to doing something crazy like try to make it as a self-published author.
No, I didn’t become the next Hugh Howey with the first novel of my career. Far from it, to tell the truth, but I haven’t given up, yet. I say all this as a thank you to my friend, Billy. He’s always been there as one of the few who have supported me in this journey of trying to make it as an independent author. He’s reminded me, time and again, that this is not about the money, the fame, the movie deals, or anything that could come from this endeavor. No, this journey that I’ve taken came about because I love to tell stories. I love to write. The art of creating something with Microsoft Word, a notebook, or anything else I can write with is my passion in this life.
I also must thank my wife, Chrissy, who is always behind me. Sure, there has been some tension between us as I spend the long hours it takes to chase my dream, but you are always there with an encouraging word. You have put up with me through two novels. Could you put up with me for a third? I love you.
About the Author
I lived in many parts of the country growing up, but I have always considered Springfield, OH to be my hometown. Patriots & Tyrants is my second novel. A third volume in the series is, as of the release date of this book, in the early stages of development, but will be out by next summer. I invite you to follow me on twitter @bcottonauthor.
You can also find the Rebels & Lies facebook page to get the inside scoop on the series. I am also available for questions or comments or anything else there! facebook.com/rebelsandlies
Finally, my blog can be found at: lonewolfproject.wordpress.com
If you enjoy my writing, then I encourage you to leave me a revie
w on the book’s Amazon page. It’s a great way to help spread the word! Even if you just liked it a little bit, feel free to leave your thoughts. Thank you and I can’t wait to get the next volume up and running!
