by Gerry, Frank
“Sorry, you're right.”
Tien reached over and put her hand over his. “We're going to make it. Also, just to let you know. I was assigned a new mission once things have cooled off. I have to track down a high level Freedom Party official and terminate her. It's a top priority. My guess is they assigned it to me to keep me busy. Keep me occupied while we're hiding out.”
Dylan listened, taking it all in, yet his gears were grinding in another direction. “I got it. I know how we can help Brooksie. We take out Agent Goodman. We kill him.”
Tien let out a quick gasp. “And I thought you where going to tell me you had your own ideas how you'd keep me occupied while we were hiding out. With long days together, trying to kill all that time.” She smiled playfully at him. “I'm sorry,” he said, “But I'm thinking, it's personal for Goodman. Right now he's after us because I screwed him over. Betrayed his trust. He's not going to stop, ever, until we're killed or captured. That's why he has Brooksie. If we assassinate Goodman, there won't be anyone in Homeland Security command that has a score to settle. They just might let him go. He's not a part of this. He doesn't know anything.”
Tien thought he made sense. “I'll bring it up with command.” She knew full well she would never be given permission from command to work with someone who had zero tactical experience. “What do you think? Are we a team?” Dylan asked. Tien didn't want him to loose hope for his friend. “I'll think it over. But keep in mind, my command has to approve any missions we undertake. It's unusual for field operatives to make such requests. But not altogether unheard of. Depends on the situation. However, if we get a no-go from command there is no mission. Do you understand. Nor is there any further requests. Their orders are final,” Tien said, with a somber expression. “OK, OK,” he acknowledged.
Tien picked up her tablet computer again. “There's frozen waffles in the freezer. I already ate,” she said. After Dylan threw some waffles in the toaster, Tien responded to the question he had asked earlier. “Thinking it over, yes we are a team. But only on one condition. I'm in command. You follow orders from me. And I follow orders from my commanding officers.” “Alright, yeah. I'm good with that,” Dylan agreed, without thinking twice about it. “After breakfast, we'll start in with your weapons training. If we want to survive, we have to be prepared for anything. And be prepared as soon as possible,” she said.
While finishing up his breakfast, Dylan heard Tien gently knocking on the hallway wall between the kitchen and living room. Still chewing his last bite of food, he got up to observe her listening to what part of the wall sounded hollow. “First things first,” she said. She opened a hidden door, showing Dylan the makeshift escape tunnel. “Every safe house has an emergency escape route. This one is a vertical shaft between the walls. It goes down five stories; four floors and into the basement. In the basement there's a hidden door leading to the sewer system.” She showed him how to use the ropes and harnesses for the pulley system. “It can't be an electric elevator. If we were surrounded and had the power cut off it'd be useless. So, we use this for high rise buildings.” She hit a light switch on the side of the tunnel wall and peered down the shaft to verify the battery powered lights were functioning. Dylan gave the ropes a good look over, before peering down the shaft. “Let's just hope we don't need to use it,” he said.
Tien wasn't going to waste any time. She shut the lights off to the tunnel and closed the hidden door before leading Dylan into the living room. She walked over and opened the panel to the weapons cache. An array of weapons hung on a rack before them. “OK, let's get started, we have one modified M4 assault rifle with missile launch tube, one combat Gatling machine gun, two machine pistols, four 9 millimeter automatic handguns.....” “Uhmm, I only see three 9 millimeter's,” Dylan cut her off. “You saw me take the fourth last night.” She took one of the handguns down off the rack, checked the safety was on, and handed it to him. “Hold on to this. Keep it pointed down for now. From this moment on, always keep it on you or nearby. We'll start your training with it.” Dylan looked the gun over, from side to side, then pointed it down.
Tien leaned over and pulled open one of the drawers beneath the rack of guns. “An we have an assortment of ammunition, magazine clips, grenades, missiles for the M4, about two pound of C4 explosives with detonators, a few thousand US dollars, and this.....” She pulled out from one of the larger side drawers a shiny metallic suite case, about eighteen inches square and ten inches deep. She carried it over and put it on the coffee table.
“Sit down next to me,” Tien requested. They sat down on the couch together while Tien opened the case carefully. Dylan recognized what it was immediately. “Nice! A German made digital transmission jamming set for airborne drones. Actually any kind of battlefield drone; land, sea, or air. These are issued to soldiers in the field. It'll detect the presence of weaponized drones like our Reapers.”
“Yeah it detects Reapers,” Tien added, “Though, more importantly, it'll jam the targeting of anti-personnel or Hellfire missiles. It's not 100% effective. But it gives us a good chance of surviving a Reaper attack.” She checked it's battery charge level before continuing, “This may be our most important weapon.”
Dylan looked over the device, thinking to himself for a moment. “This is why the rebellion wanted me, wasn't it. You can interfere with the trajectory of Hellfire missiles. But you can't take active control of the communications to the Reapers, or reconnaissance drones for that matter.” Tien didn't mince her words, “Yes. That's exactly why we wanted you. Imagine if we were able to use those Reapers against Homeland Security itself. Or at the very least, block the communications. Those drones would fall out of the sky. They still want you to help us in this area. I didn't tell you this earlier, but, my orders are to see that you are safely brought into command headquarters after we've laid low for a while.”
Throughout the remainder of the morning and into the early afternoon, Tien showed Dylan how to operate each weapon. Explaining how to fire, how to load, where the safety latches were. “The M4 also fires these,” Tien held up a five and a half inch long explosive missile. “These are the cheaper versions of the laser targeted smart missiles. These you just point and shoot.” She proceeded to show him how to load the missiles into the M4.
Tien held up one of the machine pistols. “If we're outside in a public place you always point these automatic weapons downward. If you accidentally pull the trigger in a crowd of people, with full auto on, you could kill I don't know how many people with a single burst. This is a serious weapon. And memorize the location of the safety switch for every weapon. Feel for it with your eyes closed. You'll always keep the safety on until you need to fire it.” Dylan took the machine pistol out of Tien's hand and studied it thoroughly. Tien added, “I can't say it enough, memorize the location of the safety.”
Dylan practiced loading the magazine clip into the machine pistol. Then flipping the safety switch back and forth. He raised a valid point, “Why don't we just keep the safety off at all times. Then we don't have to worry about it.” Tien shook her head side to side, then labored to answer him. “OK, that's a fair question. There are several reasons we keep the safety's on and I should have told you. I'm rushing.” She took the weapon back from Dylan and held it up for him to see and make her point. “These automatic weapons have hair triggers. They're designed to fire with minimal pressure on the trigger. Because of that they can fire accidentally. If we don't have the safety's on we could kill ourselves or each other. We could kill civilians. Or we could give our positions away at the wrong time. Got it?” “OK, got it,” Dylan replied. She removed the ammo clip and handed the gun back to him.
“Alright, now I'll go over how to fire the weapon,” she said, “Keep your feet apart, like this.” Tien planted her feet in a firm stance.
Dylan mimicked the stance. “OK.”
“Now hold the weapon out with both hands. You left hand holding the barrel. Your finger on the trigger.”
Once
the preliminary training was over, Tien turned to face Dylan. “As I mentioned in the kitchen earlier, I'm in charge. You do what I say, when I say. You don't hesitate. You don't question me. Do you understand?”
“Yes, completely,” Dylan answered. He wanted to say something funny but thought he better not.
“Good, because our lives depend upon it. I'm going to bring you in to headquarters when we're given the go ahead and provided the plan on how to accomplish that. But if something goes wrong we may have to fight. Hopefully not. But you have to be prepared.”
Tien paused and looked at Dylan with a serious expression. “There's something else I have to mention. This is the most important thing. More important than anything else you do. Listen carefully. I can't be taken alive. If we're surrounded, about to be taken captive, I have this pill to swallow.” She held up a small white pill for him to see. “I'll need to keep this on me at all times from now on. It's painless, kills in under thirty seconds.”
“No, you can't do.......” Dylan was stopped from protesting. “Listen. We're not playing games here. This is for real. These guns are real. When we go out there, we're not fucking around. This is life or death. So listen. It's not always possible to take the pill out and swallow it. I could be injured or knocked unconscious. You have a direct order from me, a standing order. If we're about to be captured and I can't swallow this pill. You have to shoot me. One shot into my head. Understand. Not in my chest. One shot to my head.”
“I can't do that. No way.” Dylan cupped his hands behind his head.
“You're orders are to keep your sidearm with you at all time. And to save the last bullet in your gun for me. A head shot.”
“I can't.”
“Dylan, I know the location of headquarters now. Hundreds of people could die if I'm captured. Not to mention setting our cause back. This is not a request. I am ordering you. You agreed to fall under my command. That's why I just confirmed your agreement a minute ago. So, this is how it goes. Otherwise, we split up right now and you're on you own. We never see each other again. It's your choice, what's it gonna be?”
Dylan took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Yes Sir. One shot to the head. I promise.”
“Good. So let's make sure we never have to face that situation. Do you have any other questions?”
He looked at her then at the weapons on the rack. He needed to ease the tension. “Yeah. Where the hell do you get all this stuff. It's enough for a small army.” Tien was amused, she knew what he was trying to do. “We're well funded by countries all over the world. Israel, South Africa, Venezuela, Libya. Countries that America once helped are now helping us fight for our freedom.”
Tien looked at her watch. “Alright, it's almost one o'clock. Time for lunch. You've had enough weapons training for one day.” She pulled out two large black duffel bags from one of the drawers in the wall and handed them to Dylan. “But first we need to be prepared to leave in a moments notice. Fill each bag evenly.” She started pulling down the weapons from the rack and handing them to Dylan. “One bag for me, one for you. Put the the M4 in my bag. And split the cash too,” she said. Tien left the Gatling gun in the rack. It was too big to carry. Lastly, Tien brought over the jamming device from the coffee table. “You should have room in your bag for this.”
“After lunch, we work on our disguises. I'm thinking we'd both look good as blonds.” Tien said with a wry smile.
TWENTY NINE
At four o'clock that afternoon, Dylan peered out of a window of the condominium to see the sun's red orange rays fading for the day. Days were short in New England during mid December, during the entire winter for that matter. He stared out across the city, thinking about all the choices he had made over the past couple of days. Choices that had changed his life forever. The thought that his death could come at any time was sinking in. That Tien could die at any time. A bullet into her head, he kept repeating to himself.
He tried pushing the images of their deaths out of his mind. But it was of no use, until his thoughts turned to Tien and his love for her. Even if he was destined to love her for only a little while, he thought, it would all be worth it. He felt alive. And for however long his life would be, it was still better than the numb existence he had known before.
He ran his fingers through his hair. The sensation was strange. His fingers feeling the freshly cut, stubbly, crew cut length hair. Tien walked into the room, “Well, how do you like it it?” Dylan turned away from the window to see Tien's hair cut short, just above the shoulders, and dyed blond. “Wow, you look hot. It's going to take me a while to get use it though,” he said. It was common for twenty something non-Christian women to die their hair bright red or blue. Or young Asian women to dye their hair blond. But Tien as a blond, that was going to be tough to adjust to.
She sat down on the couch, leaning back to get comfortable. “Did you read the documentation for the jamming device?” she asked.
“Yeah, I read it. I'm all set with that,” Dylan responded.
“Good, we have to know every …... ,” Tien stopped in the middle of her sentence. “Where's your sidearm?” she said, noticing Dylan's underarm holster was empty.
“It was heavy. I just put it away for a minute,” he said, while raising his hands in a manner to express 'alright I'll get it'. He walked across the room and picked the gun up off a table and holstered it. “I know, I know. We have to be prepared at all times,” he said. Tien was satisfied. It was only his first day of training. She knew it was going to take time for him to get everything.
Dylan walked over to the couch and was about to sit down next to her when a loud screeching alarm sounded from Tien's tablet computer in the kitchen. She looked at Dylan with worry. He didn't know what to make of it. Tien sprinted to her computer, Dylan followed. Video on the tablet showed Homeland Security troops rushing into the front entrance of the building. “Shit!” Dylan yelled. Tien dropped the tablet. “Follow me!” She dashed back into the living room, Dylan stayed on her heels. “Get our jackets, put mine in my duffel bag. Grab your bag and get down the tunnel. I'll follow.”
Tien went to work quickly. Opening the weapons storage panel, she pulled out the remaining C4-B explosives, along with the detonators.
Dylan shoved their winter jackets into the duffel bags, zipped them up, and slung his over his back. He opened the door to the makeshift escape tunnel and sat down, his legs dangling into the vertical shaft. He turned the lighting system on, then pulled out a black heavy duty plastic harness from a compartment behind the secret door and put it on. It wrapped around the upper part of his body and under his arms. It fit similar to a life sling the Coast Guard might use to pull a victim out of the water. The harness attached to mountain climbing type clips affixed to the lines of the escape system. He hooked his sling in, then pulled out a second sling for Tien and got it ready. Checking what else was in the compartment, he found a third harness, a flashlight, and a map. Dylan tapped the flashlight, checking whether it worked. It did. He took a quick look at the map, seeing that it was for the sewer system beneath their building. He stuffed the map and the light into his duffel bag and called out to Tien across the room. “I'm ready!” He shifted his duffel bag around his shoulders, checked the pulley system to make sure he knew how to use it, and waited for Tien.
“Get going now! I'll be right behind,” Tien screamed, as she finished inserting two wire prongs into the first brick of the plastic explosives. The wires were connected to a detonator that used a remote sensor for the trigger. She attached the bomb gently to the wall in the front hallway. Then dashed across the room to connect the trigger sensor to the front door. She listened through the door for a moment, her heart was beating fast, but didn't hear troops on their floor yet. She ran back to set the second brick of C4-B explosives inside the weapons cabinet.
Tien sprinted across the room once more, grabbing her duffel bag on the way to the escape tunnel. She sat on the edge of the tunnel, looking down at Dylan. “Go, go, go!”
she yelled. He wasn't making fast enough progress. She quickly put the harness on and slid into the tunnel. Before descending, she held herself steady, managing to close the door behind her. Just in case the explosives didn't detonate. It might buy a couple of minutes.
Dylan was no more than twenty five feet down the shaft. Tien dropped down quickly. By the time she caught up to him, they were at the the second floor level of the building. They could hear the sounds of the DHS soldiers kicking in the doors to the nearby condos on that floor. Dylan was still moving too slowly. Tien whispered, “Move faster. As soon as they open the front door upstairs the whole place is going to blow, including our overhead pulleys.” “That's not good,” he said, scrambling downwards faster.
He lowering himself as fast as he could. Tien followed closely, getting nearly just above his head. They managed to lower themselves three and a half stories, down to about the middle of the first floor, when they heard what they thought were DHS soldiers kicking in the doors to the condominiums on their floor.
“Let go of the rope. Just drop!” Tien whispered as loud as she dared. Dylan hesitated to let go, still lowering himself as he looked up at her. Tien let go of her rope, yelling, “Jump!” Dylan jumped. They fell in unison as all hell broke loose from above. The explosion rocked the entire building. A fireball engulfed the top of the vertical shaft. The pulley system was destroyed instantly causing debris to fall. Dylan and Tien fell into the darkness. Their bodies banging back and forth against the walls.
Dylan landed feet first, before crashing on his side. Tien fell on top of him. Dust and debris rained down on them in the pitch black darkness of the basement. A few seconds passed. Tien moved first, pushing the debris off of her. She felt Dylan beneath her. He wasn't moving. She rolled off him, feeling for where his head lay, while coughing from the dust. She shook his shoulder and spoke to him softly in case DHS troopers where nearby. “Dylan, Dylan, are you OK?”
