Knights of the Golden Circle

by Eugene Lloyd MacRae

  "Just run hard and I'll catch you," Skye yelled.

  "And what if you don't?" Donna-Lou asked in a scared voice.

  Skye Steele just motioned with her hand to get moving.

  Donna-Lou closed her eyes, counted to three, and ran hard. She took off from the end of the limb and screamed all the way over the fence. Her body hit the side of the metal container and nearly dropped. Skye grabbed her arm and pulled her up while yelling, "Next."

  Chet looked white. He handed his submachine gun to Rory and began climbing. Like Donna-Lou, once in position on the limb, Chet had to take a few moments to work up his courage. Then he took off at a run, "Oooooooohhhhhhhhhh–" His feet hit the edge of the metal container on the other side of the fence and he fell forward, Donna-Lou and Skye each grabbing an arm to keep him from falling off.

  "Skye. Drop down and I'll toss the guns over," Rory said.

  "I'll go," Chet said as he rubbed his shins. He began climbing down the metal frame. His footing slipped halfway down and he fell hard onto the cotton plants on his back.

  "Are you okay, Chet?" Donna-Lou called down with worry.

  Chet got up with a moan, nodded his head once and limped over to the fence.

  Rory tossed each submachine gun up and over the fence.

  Chet caught each one in his arms and laid them down in the field, one by one.

  It was Rory's turn and he hustled over to the tree and climbed to the limb. Without hesitation, he ran and jumped over the fence, landing hard on the top of the steel container of the cotton picker. Donna-Lou and Skye each grabbed an arm to help him stay on the machine. Then all three climbed down to meet Chet, who handed each person their submachine gun.

  Rory shouldered his weapon and ran around to the back of the large cotton picker. He pounded on the large door in the back with the side of his fist, "It sounds empty back here."

  Skye jumped up inside the driving bubble and looked over the controls, finally hitting a button. The hydraulics slowly lowered the back door of the metal container.

  Rory waved his hand to the others, "Get inside. Hurry."

  Chet and Donna-Lou climbed inside the empty steel container.

  Rory put his hands to his mouth and yelled up to Skye "If you see any trouble coming, lower the back door." Then he climbed inside the container and pounded his fist in a signal against the side.

  Skye hit the button again and slowly closed the door to the metal container. Putting the cotton picker in gear, she soon got up to 17 mph, heading across the field towards the back of the immense building in the distance.

  AFTER A LONG, SLOW and bumpy trip across the rows of cotton, Skye could now see a large asphalt area at the back of the building and ten loading docks, with a set of metal stairs right in the middle of them. There were three gold colored transport trucks backed up to docks two, three and four on this side. A wide roadway ran around this side of the building to the front on the right. There, she caught a glimpse of another patch of asphalt that looked like a parking lot. But most of it was hidden from view by a low line of trees. She angled towards the transport trucks as the back of the building. As she came closer, she detected movement.

  A man dressed in black, wearing a bulletproof vest and carrying a submachine gun, jumped down from the first empty loading dock. He cocked his head as the large cotton picker drove towards him, obviously wondering why it was there.

  Skye kept driving, only stopping the big machine on the grass just before the asphalt. She hit the button to lower the rear doors, left her submachine gun on the floor and opened the bubble. Jumping to the ground she moved leisurely, giving the guard her best smile as they closed the distance between them, "Hi sweetie, haven't seen you around here before. Where have you been keeping yourself?" She unzipped her leather jacket.

  The man's eyes immediately went to the swell of her breasts under the silk material of her black blouse. He slung the submachine gun over his shoulder, giving her a lecherous smile, "Actually, you're the one I haven't seen around here before. And why are you driving that thing here? The shed for the machinery is way at the back of the property."

  Hearing the conversation, Rory put a finger to his lips to warn Donna-Lou and Chet. Then he slipped quietly out of the back of the vehicle.

  Donna-Lou and Chet moved to the edge of the box and listened.

  Skye closed to within a few feet of the guard, her hips swaying, "Weren't you told? Old Tuck himself asked me to come see you."

  The man narrowed his eyes, looking at Skye suspiciously, "Why don't we go see him and check that out?" He moved to unsling his submachine gun.

  In an instant, Skye did a complete spin and brought the heel of her black boot with force against the side of his head.

  The guard dropped, his submachine gun hitting the ground just before he did.

  Rory peered around the cotton picker and saw the body of the guard lying on the ground. He waved to Chet and Donna-Lou to move with him as he headed for the front of the vehicle.

  Skye reached back into the driving bubble and picked up her submachine gun.

  "What happened to him?" Donna-Lou asked in a loud whisper as they reached the front of the vehicle.

  "He got fresh with me," Skye said simply.

  Donna-Lou held up a finger to Chet, "Just you keep that in mind."

  Chet mouthed 'what?'

  Rory stepped up beside Skye, looking over at the truck docks, "Is he the only one you saw?".

  Skye nodded and pointed, "He came out of the first loading bay."

  "Probably more of them inside," Rory concluded. "But at least we have a way in." He shouldered his weapon and turned to the body, "Chet, grabbed this guy's feet and we'll throw him in back of the cotton picker."

  Chet handed his own weapon to Donna-Lou and helped Rory to carry the unconscious guard behind the cotton picker and tossed him inside.

  Skye went back inside the driving bubble and pressed the button to close the doors hydraulically, locking the guard inside. She closed the driving bubble and rejoined the others.

  "Now what?" Donna-Lou asked as she gave Chet his weapon back.

  Rory pointed at the empty loading dock beside the first truck, "We should be able to penetrate the building where that guard came out. I'll go first. Donna-Lou, you stay close behind me. Chet, you follow Donna-Lou and Skye can handle the rearguard. Stay in line, no talking unless you see something. Ready?"

  All three nodded yes.

  Rory led them quickly across the grass and over the pavement to the first loading dock. Rory signaled for everyone to crouch down. Then he signaled for Skye to check the cabs of the three transports while they waited in position.

  Skye nodded and moved to the cab of the first gold colored truck.

  Donna-Lou and Chet looked nervous, checking around them constantly.

  Rory couldn't blame them. No telling how many gunmen were here.

  Skye quietly closed the door on the first truck and disappeared around the front to check the other two.

  The next few moments were long and agonizing for Chet and Donna-Lou as they waited and watched around them.

  Finally, Skye slipped back around the transport. "No one in the cabs or the sleeper berths," she said quietly.

  Rory nodded, "Good. Everybody ready? Then let's go see what we can find."

  Chapter 20

  RORY HAD CHET give him a boost up into the open loading bay and he crouched low, looking over the large, open loading area. There were a number of large crates and pallets piled up, starting in a stack thirty feet away. Rory moved low, used them as cover and knelt by the right side of the stack. Straight ahead, beyond the crates, he could see a cement block wall and a set of double doors one hundred feet away. Looking off to the far left, he could see a single closed door. That door had a twelve button numeric keypad lock, which meant they couldn't go in that way. Curiosity kicked in and he checked the crate's manifest and saw it contained clothing. He dropped the manifest to the bare cement floor and listened. There was n
o sign of anyone. Everything was quiet. Rory looked back to the loading door and gave the go-ahead signal. Then he kept watch as the others helped each other up into the loading area.

  Once they were all kneeling behind him against the crates, Rory spoke in a low voice, "There's a set of double doors about one hundred feet away on the other side of these crates. It looks to be our only way in." He looked at Skye, "Can you check the trailers of each truck? I can see a few crates are already loaded but we have to be sure no one is inside there and we get caught from behind."

  Skye nodded and then moved cat-like across the cement floor to the first trailer, checking it. Then she moved inside the second, checking behind the loaded crates, and then disappeared inside the third one.

  Rory checked on Donna-Lou and Chet behind him. They both looked concerned but not overly–

  "Hey!"

  Rory swung his head back and realized a guard, wearing a bulletproof vest, had come through the doorway with the numeric keypad lock. His submachine gun was up and pointing at Rory, Chet, and Donna-Lou in a heartbeat.

  Rory brought his weapon up but he knew he had no chance....

  Skye stepped out from the last trailer and fired a short burst.

  Bullets ripped through the guard's throat. His mouth opened to scream but his vocal cords were gone. Falling slowly backward, his gun clanged to the floor just before he did.

  Moving fast, Skye came back across the floor to the crates and pressed herself against one just behind Chet, putting the two between her and Rory as she watched in the other direction. There was silence as all four waited for an attack.

  Donna-Lou was shaking and Chet put a comforting hand on her arm. But he looked scared himself.

  After a few tense moments, Skye slid past Chet and Donna-Lou to Rory. "They must all be in a cafeteria or a lunchroom," she whispered.

  Rory nodded, "Makes sense. Or they're just not expecting anyone to come in through the back to steal clothing crates."

  Skye nodded as they both listened intently again.

  The heavy breathing of Donna-Lou Haney and Chet Calhoun echoed lightly behind them.

  "I'll get the body of the sight," Skye said in a low voice after a moment.

  Rory nodded.

  Skye turned and patted Donna-Lou on the knee and then looked at Chet, "Keep an eye out behind you while Rory watches the front."

  Both nodded but looked very scared.

  Skye shouldered her weapon and moved carefully across the open floor to the dead body.

  Rory covered her as she moved.

  Chet turned in the other direction and stood in a low crouch with his weapon up and ready.

  Donna-Lou just sat with her back to a crate, still shaking at the close call.

  Skye placed the guard's weapon on the dead body and then dragged it over to the nearest empty trailer, leaving a thin, dark trail from the pool of blood just outside the doorway. Leaving the body lying inside the trailer behind a crate she then moved quickly back to rejoin the others. Skye glanced at Donna-Lou and asked Rory, "You still think we should go inside?"

  Donna-Lou turned her shaking head, "Please. We have to find Corry. I...I can do it."

  Skye raised an eyebrow, "There will be more of them. If...when we find your son, he'll need a mother who is still alive–"

  Her voice a harsh hiss, Donna-Lou said, "I said I can do it."

  Nodding defeat, Skye looked at Rory, "I guess we keep going then."

  "Yeah," Rory said, "but I've been thinking. That door where the guard came through has a twelve button numeric keypad lock to keep unauthorized personnel out. The double doors don't look to be locked. It makes sense that one with the lock has to be the one we should go through."

  Skye gave it some thought, glancing over at the door and then nodded, "I think you're right."

  "But how do we get in if we don't know the code?" Donna-Lou asked.

  "Trial and error," Skye said. She turned and headed in a low crouch across the cement floor for the door.

  Rory stood up, signaling to Chet and Donna-Lou to follow Skye.

  Chet helped Donna-Lou to her feet but she didn't move a step, "But how long will that take?"

  "Just let them do their thing," Chet whispered.

  Donna-Lou's voice was harsh as she looked at Chet, "But if the double doors aren't locked, we should try that one first."

  Taking her by the elbow, Chet moved her across the floor, "Just trust them. Okay?"

  Shaking her head in frustration, Donna-Lou pulled her arm from Chet's grasp and glared at him briefly before heading across the floor.

  Skye was kneeling in front of the locked door, looking it over as the other three knelt behind her, keeping watch. Skye pulled a small penlight out of a pocket and began examining each number on the keypad.

  A frustrated Donna–Lou swiveled around on her heels, her jaw clenched, "This is ridiculous. What's she doing?"

  "Figuring out which keys are being used to punch in the code," Rory said as he scanned the area for any movement.

  "But –"

  Rory put a finger to his lips to ask her to be quiet.

  Skye looked at the keys from different angles. "Looks like 1...3...4...7 are the numbers used," she said in a low voice. "According to my understanding of permutations, we would have four...times three...times two...times one...that gives us 24 different combinations."

  Chet raised his eyebrows.

  Skye glanced at Rory, "Try and keep them in mind as we go through them."

  Rory nodded. "Keep watch," he whispered to Chet.

  Chet nodded but his hands shook as he raised his weapon to his shoulder. He scanned the loading area, trying to keep his raspy breathing down as he listened.

  Skye punched in a set of numbers, repeating them as she did. They went through eleven combinations before the door clicked. Skye reached for the doorknob and turned it, pulling the door open a couple of inches.

  Rory got up in a low crouch with his weapon at his shoulder. He nodded once.

  Skye pulled the door open quickly.

  Rory moved through quickly, weapon sweeping ahead of him. He found himself in a long hallway.

  Skye held the door open with a foot and readied her own submachine gun for possible action.

  Rory took a few quiet steps down the hallway. Then he made a motion for the others to follow him.

  Skye motioned for the other two to move quickly through the open doorway.

  Donna-Lou scrambled through the doorway, followed closely by Chet.

  Skye moved quickly in behind them, closing the door softly as they began to penetrate the building, looking for the children but fully expecting to find armed guards along the way.

  Chapter 21

  THE MAKESHIFT TEAM of rescuers made its way cautiously file down the hallway in single. Rory kept his Heckler & Koch UMP9 submachine gun weaving back and forth as he advanced. He checked each door they passed by opening it quickly and stepping inside, ready to fire.

  Chet and Donna-Lou kept pace, both of them still looking scared and out of their element.

  Skye kept a watchful eye behind them.

  "Freeze!"

  "Don't move! Don't move!"

  Three men filled the narrow hallway, two feet in front of Rory, submachine guns aimed directly at him.

  A moment later, three men appeared in the hallway behind Skye, submachine guns trained on her as she stood sideways in the hallway.

  Chet froze.

  Donna-Lou sank slowly to the floor in fear.

  Rory put his left hand up and slowly lowered his weapon towards the floor.

  Skye put her left in the air as well, glancing towards Rory as she slowly crouched to lower her weapon to the floor.

  Chet followed suit, crouching and placing his submachine gun on the floor.

  As Rory was beginning to rise from placing this submachine gun on the floor, he kept his left hand up in the air. The guards didn't see his signal, a quick thumbs up to Skye.

  Skye dropped an
d grabbed her weapon.

  Rory thrust his right hand up towards the guard's face and moved to the right, crouching with his back against the wall.

  The guard flinched and fired.

  Donna-Lou screamed.

  Bullets from the front guard ripped into the first man behind Skye and his weapon fired up into the ceiling as he fell backward.

  Rory drove his left knuckles into the lead gunman's throat, then drove with his shoulder into his chest, knocking him into the other two behind him.

  Skye spun around on the floor and opened fire. More automatic weapons fire joined hers as the two men danced like marionettes, bullets tearing into their bulletproof vests and ripping away their throats and faces. As the men were falling dead, Skye turned quickly.

  Chet stood in a half crouch, his weapon smoking. His face showed the disbelief in what he had just done in taking down the two men with Skye.

  Rory had the second man on his side pinned down under the dead body and they were struggling.

  The third man had been knocked backwards and was now rising to his feet, weapon in hand.

  Skye yelled, "Down."

  Chet dropped to the floor.

  Skye opened fire and 9 mm bullets passed over top of Rory and tore into the far gunman, killing him before he could get his weapon up to fire.

  The gunman under the dead body swung his weapon out and fired. His bullets tore into the wall of the hallway just inches from Chet and Donna-Lou.

  Donna-Lou screamed.

  Skye leaped past them and stood just to Rory's left, firing a burst into the gunman's head.

  "Thanks," Rory said as he reached for his weapon and turned to Chet and Donna-Lou, "Is everyone okay?"

  Chet nodded.

  Donna-Lou had her hands on her head, her weapon on the floor beside her, "I'm...I'm so sorry...I'm no good to you...I never should have...."

  Rory motioned to Chet and they began working to pull each set of bodies into side rooms. Blood smeared the floor as they dragged the dead gunmen from the hallway.

  Skye moved to Donna-Lou, bent down and picked up the H&K submachine gun. "It happens to everyone the first time they're under fire. Don't beat yourself up," she said softly. "Take your weapon and let's go find your son."